Week of April 27- May 1 Grade: 8 Content: ELA Learning Objective: Greetings 8th graders! We hope you are safe and well with your families! This week we are providing you with 5 engaging and informative readings from Common Lit to choose from. We are also providing you with ways to boost your important reading skills through on-line programs. Students with a device and access to the internet should spend time on these sites as well as work on Common Lit activities each week. Common Lit Activities: Text Title Genre The Story of Prometheus and Pandora’s Box Short Story Ruthless Short Story The Power of ‘Like’ Informational Text Fear Prompts Teens to Act Impulsively Informational Text First They Came Poem

Skills Activities: The following websites provide students with more practice with important reading skills. Only students at the identified schools have access to these sites. Directions for logging on are also in this folder. School Program North, East, West, Plouffe Amplify Reading Ashfield, South, Davis Power Up Mrs. K Silva’s classes at West READ 180 Mrs. Holm’s classes at West Mrs. Freschett’s classes at West

Name: Class:

The Story of Prometheus and Pandora's Box By James Baldwin 1895

James Baldwin (1841-1925) was an educator and prolific children's book author who re-wrote many classic legends and myths for young readers. In almost every culture, there are myths and folktales that explain how the world got to be the way it is today and that ask important questions about the human condition. Greek mythology in particular has been read widely in the West and retold in sophisticated high poetry. In this version, however, James Baldwin adopts a more accessible tone, turning revered Greek Mythology into old Greek stories. As you read, take notes on how Baldwin reveals the themes of these myths.

I. How Fire Was Given to Men

[1] In those old, old times, there lived two brothers who were not like other men, nor yet like those Mighty Ones who lived upon the mountain top.1 They were the sons of one of those Titans2 who had fought against Jupiter3 and been sent in chains to the strong prison-house4 of the Lower World.5

The name of the elder of these brothers was Prometheus, or Forethought; for he was always thinking of the future and making things ready for what might happen to-morrow, or next week, or next year, or it may be in a hundred years to come. The younger was called Epimetheus, or Afterthought; for he was always so busy thinking of yesterday, or last year, or a hundred years ago, that he had no care at all for what might come to pass after a while. "Torch" by J.E. Theriot is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

For some cause Jupiter had not sent these brothers to prison with the rest of the Titans.

1. The "Mighty Ones" is a reference to the gods and goddesses of Greek mythology who lived atop Mount Olympus, led by Zeus (or, in Roman mythology, Jupiter), god of sky and thunder and king of the gods. 2. In classical Greek mythology, the Titans were members of the second order of divine beings, born from the first god and goddess Gaia and Uranus. The Titans were giants of incredible strength who ruled during the legendary Golden Age. 3. Jupiter (also called Jove) is the god of sky and thunder and king of the gods in Ancient Roman religion and mythology. 4. This is a reference to Tartarus, a deep abyss in ancient Greek mythology that is used as a dungeon of torment and suffering for the wicked. Zeus/Jupiter sent most of the Titans there after he and the other gods of Olympus defeated the Titans in a power struggle. 5. In mythology, the Lower World – also known as the Underworld – is an otherworld where souls go after death. 1 Prometheus did not care to live amid the clouds on the mountain top. He was too busy for that. While the Mighty Folk were spending their time in idleness,6 drinking nectar and eating ambrosia,7 he was intent upon plans for making the world wiser and better than it had ever been before.

[5] He went out amongst men to live with them and help them; for his heart was filled with sadness when he found that they were no longer happy as they had been during the golden days when Saturn was king.8 Ah, how very poor and wretched they were! He found them living in caves and in holes of the earth, shivering with the cold because there was no fire, dying of starvation, hunted by wild beasts and by one another-the most miserable of all living creatures.

“If they only had fire,” said Prometheus to himself, “they could at least warm themselves and cook their food; and after a while they could learn to make tools and build themselves houses. Without fire, they are worse off than the beasts.”

Then he went boldly to Jupiter and begged him to give fire to men, that so they might have a little comfort through the long, dreary months of winter.

“Not a spark will I give,” said Jupiter. “No, indeed! Why, if men had fire they might become strong and wise like ourselves, and after a while they would drive us out of our kingdom. Let them shiver with cold, and let them live like the beasts. It is best for them to be poor and ignorant, that so we Mighty Ones may thrive and be happy.”

Prometheus made no answer; but he had set his heart on helping mankind, and he did not give up. He turned away, and left Jupiter and his mighty company forever.

[10] As he was walking by the shore of the sea he found a reed, or, as some say, a tall stalk of fennel,9 growing; and when he had broken it off he saw that its hollow center was filled with a dry, soft pith10 which would burn slowly and keep on fire a long time. He took the long stalk in his hands, and started with it towards the dwelling of the sun in the far east.

“Mankind shall have fire in spite of the tyrant11 who sits on the mountain top,” he said.

He reached the place of the sun in the early morning just as the glowing, golden orb was rising from the earth and beginning his daily journey through the sky. He touched the end of the long reed to the flames, and the dry pith caught on fire and burned slowly. Then he turned and hastened12 back to his own land, carrying with him the precious spark hidden in the hollow center of the plant.

He called some of the shivering men from their caves and built a fire for them, and showed them how to warm themselves by it and how to build other fires from the coals. Soon there was a cheerful blaze in every rude13 home in the land, and men and women gathered round it and were warm and happy, and thankful to Prometheus for the wonderful gift which he had brought to them from the sun.

6. Idleness (noun): a state of inactivity; not doing anything productive 7. Nectar and ambrosia are the food and drink of the “Mighty Folk” in Greek mythology. 8. “Saturn” is the Roman name for the Greek god Cronus (also spelled Kronos), the leader and youngest of the first generation of Titans. He overthrew his father and ruled during the mythological Golden Age, until he was overthrown by his own son Zeus/Jupiter and imprisoned in Tartarus. 9. a kind of plant 10. the white strings inside a plant or fruit like an orange 11. Tyrant (noun): an unjust or oppressive ruler 12. Hasten (verb): to hurry 2 It was not long until they learned to cook their food and so to eat like men instead of like beasts. They began at once to leave off their wild and savage habits; and instead of lurking in the dark places of the world, they came out into the open air and the bright sunlight, and were glad because life had been given to them.

[15] After that, Prometheus taught them, little by little, a thousand things. He showed them how to build houses of wood and stone, and how to tame sheep and cattle and make them useful, and how to plow and sow and reap,14 and how to protect themselves from the storms of winter and the beasts of the woods. Then he showed them how to dig in the earth for copper and iron, and how to melt the ore,15 and how to hammer it into shape and fashion from it the tools and weapons which they needed in peace and war; and when he saw how happy the world was becoming he cried out:

“A new Golden Age shall come, brighter and better by far than the old!”

II. How Diseases and Cares Came Among Men

Things might have gone on very happily indeed, and the Golden Age might really have come again, had it not been for Jupiter. But one day, when he chanced to look down upon the earth, he saw the fires burning, and the people living in houses, and the flocks feeding on the hills, and the grain ripening in the fields, and this made him very angry.

“Who has done all this?” he asked.

And some one answered, “Prometheus!”

[20] “What! That young Titan!” he cried. “Well, I will punish him in a way that will make him wish I had shut him up in the prison-house with his kinsfolk.16 But as for those puny men, let them keep their fire. I will make them ten times more miserable than they were before they had it.”

Of course it would be easy enough to deal with Prometheus at any time, and so Jupiter was in no great haste about it. He made up his mind to distress mankind first; and he thought of a plan for doing it in a very strange, roundabout way.

In the first place, he ordered his blacksmith Vulcan, whose forge17 was in the crater of a burning mountain, to take a lump of clay which he gave him, and mold it into the form of a woman. Vulcan did as he was bidden; and when he had finished the image, he carried it up to Jupiter, who was sitting among the clouds with all the Mighty Folk around him. It was nothing but a mere lifeless body, but the great blacksmith had given it a form more perfect than that of any statue that has ever been made.

“Come now!” said Jupiter, “let us all give some goodly gift to this woman;” and he began by giving her life.

13. In this context, “rude” means roughly made or done; lacking subtlety or sophistication 14. These are skills used in farming. 15. a type of rock used to create iron 16. family; relatives 17. a blacksmith's workshop 3 Then the others came in their turn, each with a gift for the marvelous creature. One gave her beauty; and another a pleasant voice; and another good manners; and another a kind heart; and another skill in many arts; and, lastly, some one gave her curiosity. Then they called her Pandora, which means the all-gifted, because she had received gifts from them all.

[25] Pandora was so beautiful and so wondrously gifted that no one could help loving her. When the Mighty Folk had admired her for a time, they gave her to Mercury, the light-footed; and he led her down the mountain side to the place where Prometheus and his brother were living and toiling18 for the good of mankind. He met Epimetheus first, and said to him:

“Epimetheus, here is a beautiful woman, whom Jupiter has sent to you to be your wife.”

Prometheus had often warned his brother to beware of any gift that Jupiter might send, for he knew that the mighty tyrant could not be trusted; but when Epimetheus saw Pandora, how lovely and wise she was, he forgot all warnings, and took her home to live with him and be his wife.

Pandora was very happy in her new home; and even Prometheus, when he saw her, was pleased with her loveliness. She had brought with her a golden casket,19 which Jupiter had given her at parting, and which he had told her held many precious things; but wise Athena, the queen of the air, had warned her never, never to open it, nor look at the things inside.

“They must be jewels,” she said to herself; and then she thought of how they would add to her beauty if only she could wear them. “Why did Jupiter give them to me if I should never use them, nor so much as look at them?” she asked.

[30] The more she thought about the golden casket, the more curious she was to see what was in it; and every day she took it down from its shelf and felt of the lid, and tried to peer inside of it without opening it.

“Why should I care for what Athena told me?” she said at last. “She is not beautiful, and jewels would be of no use to her. I think that I will look at them, at any rate. Athena will never know. Nobody else will ever know.”

She opened the lid a very little, just to peep inside. All at once there was a whirring, rustling sound, and before she could shut it down again, out flew ten thousand strange creatures with death-like faces and gaunt20 and dreadful forms, such as nobody in all the world had ever seen. They fluttered for a little while about the room, and then flew away to find dwelling-places wherever there were homes of men. They were diseases and cares; for up to that time mankind had not had any kind of sickness, nor felt any troubles of mind, nor worried about what the morrow might bring forth.

These creatures flew into every house, and, without any one seeing them, nestled down in the bosoms21 of men and women and children, and put an end to all their joy; and ever since that day they have been flitting and creeping, unseen and unheard, over all the land, bringing pain and sorrow and death into every household.

18. Toil (verb): to work extremely hard and continuously 19. a small box 20. Gaunt (adjective): excessively thin, especially because of suffering or hunger 21. hearts 4 If Pandora had not shut down the lid so quickly, things would have gone much worse. But she closed it just in time to keep the last of the evil creatures from getting out. The name of this creature was Foreboding, and although he was almost half out of the casket, Pandora pushed him back and shut the lid so tight that he could never escape. If he had gone out into the world, men would have known from childhood just what troubles were going to come to them every day of their lives, and they would never have had any joy or hope so long as they lived.

[35] And this was the way in which Jupiter sought to make mankind more miserable than they had been before Prometheus had befriended them.

The Story of Prometheus and Pandora's Box by James Baldwin is in the public domain.

5 Text-Dependent Questions

Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.

1. PART A: Which of the following best identifies a central theme of this myth? [RL.2] A. Abuse of power B. The necessity of curiosity C. Violence and war D. Beauty and art

2. PART B: Which TWO phrases from the text best support the answer to Part A? [RL.1] A. “Prometheus did not care to live amid the clouds on the mountain top. He was too busy for that.” (Paragraph 3) B. “It is best for them to be poor and ignorant, that so we Mighty Ones may thrive and be happy.” (Paragraph 8) C. “let them keep their fire. I will make them ten times more miserable than they were before they had it.” (Paragraph 20) D. “Then they called her Pandora, which means the all-gifted, because she had received gifts from them all.” (Paragraph 24) E. “Pandora was so beautiful and so wondrously gifted that no one could help loving her.” (Paragraph 25) F. “‘She opened the lid a very little, just to peep inside.’” (Paragraph 32)

3. How does the way Prometheus describes Jupiter differ from the way the narrator [RL.6] describes Jupiter? A. Prometheus thinks Jupiter is disloyal while the narrator sees him as just B. Prometheus does not understand Jupiter while the narrator knows Jupiter is evil C. Prometheus reveres the king of the gods while the narrator treats Jupiter like any other character D. Prometheus sees Jupiter as an unjust tyrant while the narrator calls him a “Mighty One” without judgment

4. How does the language and word choice in Paragraph 2 contribute to the tone of this [RL.4] myth?

6 Discussion Questions

Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared to share your original ideas in a class discussion.

1. Would it have been better if Prometheus never came and gave the people fire? Was humanity better off because it had fire and civilization, or worse off because the cost was misery and disease?

2. Why did Jupiter want people to be miserable and why does Prometheus disobey him? Should people with power help the weak?

3. One way to interpret the gods in Greek myths is to see them as personifications of forces in nature like the sea or lightning, or of abstract concepts like wisdom or forethought. Yet Baldwin says this kind of reading is “an error” that takes the charm out of these tales and reduces their “precious gold into utilitarian iron.” Why might Baldwin believe this? What happens to characterization or other literary elements in the story if we read the gods as personifications instead of literally?

4. In the context of this myth, how does power corrupt? Cite evidence from this text, your own experience, and other literature, art, or history in your answer.

5. Is it fair for some people in society to have more power than others? Is it fair for those who disobey to be punished greatly? In the context of this text, what is fair? Cite evidence from this text, your own experience, and other literature, art, or history in your answer.

7 Name: Class:

Ruthless By William DeMille 1945

William DeMille (1878-1955) was an American writer, most well-known for screenwriting and film directing. In this short story, a man sets a deadly trap for a suspected thief.

[1] Outside, the woods lay basking1 in clear October sunlight; trees a riot2 of color, air full of Autumn’s tang3 and the sharp, exciting smell of moist, leaf- covered earth.

Inside, a man smiled grimly as he turned from the bathroom cabinet, entered the expensively primitive4 living room of his mountain camp, and crossed to a closet set in the pine wall. It was his special closet, with a spring lock and in it he kept guns, ammunition, fishing-rods, tackle5 and liquor. Not even his wife was allowed to have a "pi'sn" by Kevin O'Mara is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 key, for Judson Webb loved his personal possessions and felt a sense of deep outrage if they were touched by any hand but his own. The closet door stood open; he had been packing his things away for the Winter, and in a few minutes would be driving back to civilization.

As he looked at the shelf on which the liquor stood his smile was not attractive. All the bottles were unopened except one quart6 of Bourbon which was placed invitingly in front, a whiskey glass by its side. This bottle was less than half full. As he took it from the shelf his wife spoke from the adjoining bedroom:

“I’m all packed, Judson,” she said. “Hasn’t Alec come to turn the water off and get the keys?”

[5] Alec lived about a mile down the road and acted as a caretaker for the city folks when they were away.

“He’s down at the lake taking the boats out of water. Said he’d be back in half an hour.”

Marcia came into the room carrying her suitcase. But she paused in surprise as she saw the bottle in her husband’s hand.

“Judson!” she exclaimed, “you’re not taking a drink at ten o’clock in the morning?”

1. Bask (verb): to lie exposed to warmth and light, typically from the sun 2. an impressively large or varied display of something 3. a typical and strong taste, flavor, or smell 4. Primitive (adjective): having a quality or style that offers an extremely basic level of comfort 5. The equipment needed in order to fish. 6. a unit of liquid equal to a quarter of a gallon, roughly the equivalent of just a little less than one liter in the U.S. 1 “You wrong me, my dear,” he chuckled, “I’m not taking anything out of this bottle: I am merely putting a little kick into it.”

[10] His closed hand opened and he put upon the table two tiny white pellets7 as he started to uncork8 the whiskey. Her eyes narrowed as she watched him. She had learned to dread that tone of his voice; it was the tone he used when he was planning to “put something over” in a business deal.

“Whoever broke into my closet last Winter and stole my liquor will probably try it again once we are out of here,” he went on, “only this time he’ll wish he hadn’t.”

She caught her breath at the cruel vindictiveness9 of his manner as one by one he dropped the tablets into the bottle and held it up to watch them dissolve.

“What are they?” she asked, “something to make him sick?”

“And how!” He seemed fascinated as he saw the genial10 Bourbon change into a lethal dose: “At least no one has found an antidote:11 once it’s down it’s curtains.” He corked his bottled vengeance and set it back on the shelf alongside the little whiskey glass.

[15] “Everything nice and handy,” he remarked approvingly. “Now, Mr. Thief, when you break in, drink hearty;12 I won’t begrudge13 you this one.”

The woman’s face was pale. “Don’t do it, Judson,” she gasped. “It’s horrible — it’s murder.”

“The law doesn’t call it murder if I shoot a thief who is entering my house by force,” he said harshly. “Also, the use of rat poison is quite legal. The only way any rat can get into this closet is to break in. What happens then is his affair, not mine.”

“Don’t do it, Judson,” she begged. “The law doesn’t punish burglary by death; so what right have you—”

“When it comes to protecting my property I make my own laws.” His deep voice suggested a big dog growling at threatened loss of a bone.

[20] “But all they did was to steal a little liquor,” she pleaded. “Probably some boys off on a lark.14 They didn’t do any real damage.”

“That’s not the point,” he said. “If a man holds me up and robs me of five dollars it makes me just as sore as if he took a hundred. A thief’s a thief.”

She made one last effort. “We won’t be here till next spring. I can’t bear to think of that deathtrap15 waiting there all the time. Suppose something happens to us — and no one knows — ”

7. a small, rounded, compressed mass of a substance 8. to pull the cork out of a bottle or other container 9. Vindictive (adjective): having or showing a strong or unreasoning desire for revenge 10. Genial (adjective): friendly and cheerful 11. a medicine taken or give to counteract a particular poison 12. to drink cheerfully 13. Begrudge (verb): to give reluctantly or resentfully, or to envy the possession or enjoyment of 14. something mischievous done for fun 2 He chuckled once more at her words. “We’ll take a chance on that,” he said. “I’ve made my pile16 by taking chances. If I should die, you can do as you please. The stuff will be yours.”

It was useless to argue, she knew. He had always been ruthless in business and whenever anything crossed him. Things had to be done his way. She turned toward the outer door with a sigh of defeat. “I’ll walk down the road and say good bye at the farmhouse,” she said quietly. “You can pick me up there.” She had made up her mind to tell Alec’s wife. Someone had to know.

[25] “Okay, my dear,” he smiled genially, “and don’t worry about your poor, abused little burglar. No one is going to get hurt who hasn’t got it coming to him.”

As she went down the path he started to close the closet door; then paused as he remembered his hunting boots drying outside on the porch. They belonged in the closet, so leaving the door open he went to fetch them from the heavy, rustic17 table on which they stood, along with his bag and top coat.

Alec was coming up from the lake and waved to him from a distance. A chipmunk, hearing Judson’s heavy tread, abandoned the acorn he was about to add to his store within the cabin wall and disappeared, like an electric bulb burning out. Judson, reaching for his boots, stepped fairly upon the acorn, his foot slid from under him and his head struck the massive table as he fell.

Several minutes later he began to regain his senses. Alec’s strong arm was supporting his as he lay on the porch and a kindly voice was saying: “’Twarn’t18 much of a fall, Mr. Webb. You aren’t cut none; jest knocked out for a minute. Here, take this; it’ll pull you together.”

A small whiskey glass was pressed to his lips. Dazed and half-conscious, he drank.

“Ruthless” by William deMille, from the anthology 50 Short Stories: An Omnibus of Short Stories, edited by Mary Anne Howard (1945), is in the public domain.

15. a place, structure, vehicle or item that is potentially dangerous 16. a lot of money 17. having a simplistic and rough surface quality 18. it wasn’t 3 Text-Dependent Questions

Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.

1. PART A: Which statement expresses the main theme of the story? A. It’s important to take the opinions of your loved ones into consideration. B. There will be consequences if you take justice into your own hands. C. No crime is bad enough to warrant another person’s death. D. If you commit a crime, you will likely be punished in a similar fashion.

2. PART B: Which detail from the text best supports the answer to Part A? A. “for Judson Webb loved his personal possessions and felt a sense of deep outrage if they were touched by any hand but his own.” (Paragraph 2) B. “‘The law doesn’t call it murder if I shoot a thief who is entering my house by force’” (Paragraph 17) C. “‘We won’t be here till next spring. I can’t bear to think of that deathtrap waiting there all the time.’” (Paragraph 22) D. “‘and don’t worry about your poor, abused little burglar. No one is going to get hurt who hasn’t got it coming to him.’” (Paragraph 25)

3. How does the conversation between Judson and his wife develop the plot of the passage? A. It prompts her to go warn Alec’s wife about the poison, which means she is not there to warn Alec about the poisoned whisky when Judson falls. B. It causes her to tell Alec and his wife that her husband has poisoned the whiskey, encouraging Alec to retaliate against Judson. C. It causes Judson to be distracted by his wife’s obvious distress and not pay attention when he falls or accepts the whiskey from Alec. D. It prompts Judson to consider throwing out the poisoned whiskey, which he is unable to do before falling and unknowingly drinking it.

4. How does the resolution contribute to the theme of the passage? A. It proves that it’s dangerous to take justice into your own hands. B. It shows how paranoia can be deadly for some people. C. It emphasizes how dangerous it can be to keep secrets from others. D. It stresses the importance of always being aware of your surroundings.

4 5. How does the author’s use of dialogue develop characterization and indirect characterization?

5 Discussion Questions

Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared to share your original ideas in a class discussion.

1. In the context of the text, do you think Judson was right to take justice into his own hands? Why or why not? Are there other ways in that Judson could’ve possibly held the thief accountable without harming anyone? Describe a time when you wanted to take justice into your own hands. What lessons did you learn from this experience?

2. In the story, Judson would have lived if he hadn’t attempted to punish the thief. How fair is it that Judson died even though he didn’t technically commit a crime, while whoever stole his whiskey gets to live with the crime? How is Judson’s preoccupation with what he believes is “fair” his downfall? Describe a time when something unfair happened to you and you had to let it go. How did you learn from the experience?

3. In the story, Judson believes that death is an appropriate punishment for the thief because every crime is equal in his eyes. Do you think that the punishment should fit the crime? Why or why not? How do you think Judson should have punished the thief? Do you think punishments tend to fit the crime in our society? Cite evidence from this text, your own experience, and other literature, art or history in your answer.

6 Name: Class:

The power of ‘like’ A single ‘like’ can make a social-media post more popular and even affect how teens behave By Alison Pearce Stevens 2017

In this informational text, Alison Pearce Stevens discusses various studies that explore how people are influenced by social media posts and “likes.” As you read, take notes on how people are affected by certain photos and posts on social media.

[1] Like it or love it, social media is a major part of life. Teens spend more than half of their waking hours online. They use some of that time to post pictures and create profiles on social media accounts. But most of what they do is read and respond to posts by friends and family.

Clicking on a thumbs-up or a heart icon is an easy way to stay in touch. But those “likes” can have power that goes beyond a simple connection. Some social media sites use those likes to determine how many people eventually see a post. One with many likes is more likely to be seen — and to get even more likes.

What’s more, viewing posts with a lot of likes activates the reward system in our brain. It also

can lower the viewer’s self-control. And posts "Man With Emojis & Smartphone" by Free Images is licensed related to alcohol may encourage teens to drink. under CC BY 2.0 That means that what you like online has the power to influence not just what others like, but even what they do.

Popularity on the brain

It’s no surprise: Feedback from peers affects how teens behave. And not always in a good way. For example, in one 2011 study, teens doing a driving task in a lab took more risks when their friends were around. Researchers also looked at the teens’ brains during this task. They saw activity in a part of the brain that’s involved in rewards. This area is known as the nucleus accumbens. That suggests the teens were changing their behavior to try to get social approval, explains Lauren Sherman. She's a cognitive neuroscientist at Temple University in Philadelphia, Penn. Cognitive neuroscientists are researchers who study the brain.

1 [5] Joining social media can give people a sense of being in the know. But posts may exaggerate how well our friends and others are feeling, making them appear much happier than we are. And that can, inappropriately, make us feel less successful than them.

Sherman wanted to know whether teens make similar changes to their behavior when they use social media. To find out, she and her team recruited 32 teens for their study, last year. The participants submitted photos from their personal Instagram accounts.

The researchers mixed the teens' photos with other pictures from public Instagram accounts. Then they randomly gave half of the images many likes (between 23 and 45; most had more than 30). They gave the other half no more than 22 likes (most had fewer than 15). The participant's own pictures were evenly divided between getting many or few likes.

The researchers told the participants that about 50 other teens had already viewed and rated the photos. That let the participants know how big the audience was. It also gave the teens a feel for how popular the pictures were.

The researchers wanted to find out how the participants’ brains were responding to the different images. To find out, they had the teens view the photos while they were inside a magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, machine. It uses a strong magnet to record blood flow in the brain. When brain cells are active, they use up oxygen and nutrients. MRI scans show where blood flow has increased because of this activity. When people perform some task while in the MRI machine, the test is now known as functional MRI, or fMRI.

[10] While the teens were in the machine, researchers asked them to either like an image or skip to the next one. Teens were much more likely to like images that seemed popular — those that had more than 23 likes, Sherman's team found. The kids tended to skip pictures with few likes. And the brain's reward pathways became especially active when the teens viewed their own photos with many likes.

Likes can have a subtle1 but significant effect on how teens interact with friends online, the data show. “The little number appearing below a picture affects the way [people] perceive that picture,” Sherman reports. “It can even affect their tendency to click ‘like’ themselves.”

A like is a social cue,2 Sherman explains. Teens “use this cue to learn how to navigate their social world.” Positive responses to a teen's own photos (in the form of many likes) tell teens that their friends appreciate the material they’re posting. Their brains respond to those likes by turning on the reward center.

But seeing someone else’s popular photo didn’t necessarily turn on that reward center. Sometimes it affected behavioral attitudes. For instance, cognitive control3 helps people maintain self-control. It also helps them think about plans and goals. When looking at some photos — no matter how many likes they had — the brain region linked to cognitive control tended to become less active. What kinds of pictures turned off this brain control region? They were photos showing risky behaviors, such as smoking or drinking.

1. Subtle (adjective): hard to notice, not obvious 2. a verbal or nonverbal hint that guides conversation and social interaction like facial expression and tone 3. the ability of the brain to adapt behavior and information processing to current goals and new information 2 Viewing pictures like these could make teens let down their guard when it comes to experimenting with drugs and alcohol, Sherman worries. “Repeated exposure to risky pictures posted by peers could make teens more likely to try those behaviors.”

Small act, big impact

[15] Clicking “like” is a simple act that can have complex results. In fact, a single like can have a big impact on a post’s popularity and reach, say Maria Glenski and Tim Weninger. These computer scientists work at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

Glenski and Weninger studied the social news site Reddit. Its users can respond to headlines by clicking an arrow that points up or down. An up arrow, or “upvote,” is similar to a like. The researchers created a computer program that scanned Reddit every two minutes for six months. During each scan, the program recorded the most recent post on the site. Then it randomly upvoted the post, downvoted it or did nothing. By the end of the study, the program had upvoted 30,998 posts and downvoted 30,796. It left alone another 31,225 posts.

Glenski and Weninger watched to see how popular each post was four days after their program had interacted with it. The final score they used was the number of upvotes minus the downvotes. The researchers considered posts with a score of more than 500 to be very popular.

Posts that their program had upvoted did better. These posts were eight percent more likely to have a final score of at least 1,000, compared to posts the program ignored. And upvoted posts were almost 25 percent more likely to reach a final score of 2,000 — making them extremely popular. In contrast, posts that the program downvoted ended up with scores five percent lower, on average, than were posts that the program had ignored.

“Early up-ratings or likes can have a large impact on the ultimate popularity of a post,” Glenski concludes. “People tend to follow the behavior of the group.” If other people have liked a post, new viewers will be more likely to like it too. And that popularity can feed on itself.

[20] Many social media sites share more of the higher-ranked — or more popular — posts. As a result, “people are more likely to see what others have positively rated,” Glenski says. So the posts that get the most likes tend to spread even more widely.

Teens should keep in mind, Glenski cautions, that just because a post is popular doesn’t mean it is a quality post. Similarly, she adds, they should pay careful attention to what they like, share or comment on. “Your actions influence what other people see and hear in the media.”

Risky business

Popular photos might signal to teens that what’s in those photos is socially acceptable. If those images show alcohol use or other risky behaviors, this could lead teens to make bad choices. That’s the conclusion Sarah Boyle came from a study she ran last year.

3 Boyle is a psychologist at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, Calif. Her team recruited first- year college students to see if — and how — social media influences underage drinking. Their participants included 412 incoming students. All were under 21 (the legal drinking age).

Each student completed two surveys. They took the first between September and October. This was 25 to 50 days into the first half of the school year. The second survey took place between February and March, well into the second half. The survey asked how much alcohol a student drank, and how often. It also asked why someone drank and what role they felt drinking plays in the college experience.

[25] Each survey also asked students how frequently they checked Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. And when they did, had they seen alcohol-related posts? The researchers then compared responses from the first and second surveys.

Students who saw alcohol-related posts during the first six weeks of school were more likely to drink alcohol by the second survey, the data show. Men increased their drinking more than did women. Seeing alcohol-related posts on social media increased how much they thought other male students were drinking, Boyle says. Those posts made the young men see drinking as an important part of their college experience. “These things, in turn, led them to drink more themselves,” Boyle says.

Women saw alcohol-related posts also began to view drinking as part of the college experience. They, too, increased their drinking, but not as much as men did. However, the posts didn’t change their idea of how often other women drank. That’s probably because male students made the most alcohol- related posts, Boyle observes.

A difference also emerged between social media sites. More posts about alcohol appeared on Instagram and Snapchat than on Facebook. Boyle suspects this is because fewer parents, professors and other older adults use Instagram and Snapchat. Instagram's filters also may allow people to glamorize photos, making alcohol more attractive, she adds. Similarly, people may post photos of alcohol to Snapchat because they know their posts will disappear.

The important take-home message here, Boyle says, is that what students see on social media can influence their attitudes about drinking, Boyle says. “The problem with social media is that posts can distort reality.” Social media users see only highlights from the party. These are the posts that others like. People rarely, however, post pictures of their hangovers, poor grades or drinking-related injuries and accidents, she notes.

[30] Neuroscientist Sherman hopes that all tech users will be thoughtful about social media. Our online experiences are shaped by others' opinions. Going along with the crowd isn’t necessarily bad, she says. But teens need “to be aware that peer influence is a constant factor whenever they use social media.”

Glenski, the computer scientist, agrees. Social media “shapes how we perceive the world around us,” she says. Your online ratings have a big influence on what others see and hear. So it’s important that you read carefully. Think about what you like and upvote, she says. And keep in mind that “Your digital votes matter.”

From Science News for Students, October 17 2017. © Society for Science & the Public. Reprinted with permission.

4 This article is intended only for single-classroom use by teachers. For rights to republish Science News for Students articles in assessments, course packs or textbooks, visit: https://societyforscience.org/permission-republish

5 Text-Dependent Questions

Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.

1. PART A: Which statement expresses the central idea of the text? A. The pictures that people post and the likes that they receive have the power to influence the actions of the people who see them. B. Posting and receiving likes on social media posts is an easy way to improve a person’s mood by activating the brain’s reward system. C. Looking through photos and posts on social media decreases activity in the brain as it is a mindless task. D. People are more likely to feel jealousy towards other people’s photos and likes than they are to feel rewarded for their own posts.

2. PART B: Which detail from the text best supports the answer to Part A? A. “What’s more, viewing posts with a lot of likes activates the reward system in our brain. It also can lower the viewer’s self-control. And posts related to alcohol may encourage teens to drink.” (Paragraph 3) B. “Positive responses to a teen's own photos... tell teens that their friends appreciate the material they’re posting.” (Paragraph 12) C. “Teens should keep in mind, Glenski cautions, that just because a post is popular doesn’t mean it is a quality post.” (Paragraph 21) D. “More posts about alcohol appeared on Instagram and Snapchat than on Facebook. Boyle suspects this is because fewer parents, professors and other older adults use Instagram and Snapchat.” (Paragraph 28)

3. What is the author’s main purpose in the article? A. to discourage teens from posting and liking pictures on social media B. to expose to people how social media only promotes certain posts C. to prove how social media is harmful to a person’s mental and physical health D. to show people why they should be mindful of what they post and like

4. How does the researchers’ experiment with Reddit contribute to the central idea of the text? A. It emphasizes the large number of people that posts on social media can reach. B. It shows how the actions of people on social media can sway the actions of other users. C. It suggests that people aren’t being honest online when they upvote or downvote posts. D. It stresses how little thought is required to upvote or downvote posts on Reddit.

6 5. What is the relationship between the number of likes a post receives and the perception that people have of a social media post? Use evidence from the text in your response.

7 Discussion Questions

Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared to share your original ideas in a class discussion.

1. In the text, the author explores the powerful, and at times dangerous, influence of posting and liking content on social media. Do you think there are benefits to posting and liking content on social media? If so, what are they? How do you feel when you receive a lot of likes on something you post?

2. The studies in this text found that people tended to like other images or posts that already received a lot of likes or upvotes. Why do people “follow the crowd” on social media? How do you think it makes people feel to like something that is already popular? Have you ever liked or followed something online just because it was popular with others?

8 Name: Class:

Fear Prompts Teens to Act Impulsively Brain activity may help explain why crime peaks during teen years By Laura Sanders 2013

Teenagers often face the stereotype of being rebellious and impulsive. But can science prove this? A 2013 study suggests that teenagers are impulsive and do not have control of their behavior. This could be a part of their neurological development. As you read the article, take notes on new explanations of teen behavior.

[1] A threatened teen may not back down. One reason: The teenage brain appears to undergo a rewiring that can prompt this response to fear. That’s the finding of new research presented at a meeting on November 10, 2013. Its authors say their findings may help explain why criminal activity peaks during the teen years.

They reported their observations in San Diego at the Society for Neuroscience meeting. (Neuroscience deals with the structure or function of the brain and other parts of the nervous system.) "Teenage Angst Has Paid Off Well" by Jesse Millan is licensed under CC BY 2.0. Kristina Caudle of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City and her co-workers tested impulse control1 in 83 people. This is an ability to overcome our emotions so that we don’t react in ways we shouldn’t. The test volunteers ranged in age from 6 to 29. Caudle’s team asked each to press a button when a photo of a happy face quickly flashed onto a computer screen. The scientists said not to press the button when a threatening face showed up.

People between the ages of 13 and 17 were more likely than at any other age to push the button when shown a face with a threatening expression. This reaction was viewed as evidence of poor impulse control.

[5] The scientists wanted some idea of what was happening in the volunteers’ brains during the tests. So they performed brain scans2 using what is known as functional magnetic resonance imaging.3 These scans showed that when people looked at the faces, activity sometimes increased in a brain area called the orbital frontal cortex. In fact, it only increased when someone successfully avoided pushing the button. That suggests this part of the brain helps curb the impulse to react inappropriately, Caudle reported.

1. "Impulse control" refers to the ability to overcome human emotions so that people don’t react in ways they know are inappropriate. This behavior can be controlled in part by the brain. Such control may keep people who are angry or hurt from rising to violence or lashing back with hurtful comments. 2. A brain scan involves the use of an imaging technology, typically using X rays or a magnetic resonance imaging (or MRI) machine, to view structures inside the brain. With MRI technology — especially the type known as functional MRI (or fMRI) — the activity of different brain regions can be viewed during an event, such as viewing pictures, computing sums or listening to music. 1 Her team doesn’t know why younger children don’t show the same poor impulse control when viewing a threatening face. More studies could determine how parts of the brain that control behavior grow and change during the teen years, Caudle said.

Her team’s finding also may help explain recent trends in teen fighting. Roughly five out of every 100 teen girls in the United States — and twice as many boys — report experiencing serious violence, a recent study found. It linked that violence to drops in IQ.4 If confirmed, latest data would suggest parents and schools should realize how vulnerable teens are to behaviors that might pose harm to their still-developing brains.

“Fear Prompts Teens to Act Impulsively” from societyforscience.org, © 2013, Society for Science. Reprinted with permission, all rights reserved.This article is intended only for single-classroom use by teachers. For rights to republish Science News for Students articles in assessments, course packs, or textbooks, visit: https://www.societyforscience.org/permission-republish.

3. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) is a special type of brain scan used to study brain activity. It uses a strong magnetic field to monitor blood flow in the brain. Tracking the movement of blood can tell researchers which brain regions are active. 4. "IQ" stands for Intelligence Quotient: A score derived from one of several standardized tests designed to assess human intelligence. 2 Text-Dependent Questions

Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.

1. Part A. Which of the following best describes the central idea of the text? [RI.2] A. Teenagers are more impulsive than adults and small children because their brains process information quicker than any other age group. B. Teenagers are impulsive when faced with a threatening situation because they have not learned how to avoid dangerous situations. C. Teenage boys are more likely to act violently because they are more impulsive than girls because they do not respect their peers. D. Teenagers are more likely to act impulsively when faced with a threatening situation because of the way their brains develop over time.

2. Part B. Which of the following quotes best supports your answer to Part A? [RI.1] A. “A threatened teen may not back down. One reason: The teenage brain appears to undergo a rewiring that can prompt this response to fear.” (Paragraph 1) B. “These scans showed that when people looked at the faces, activity sometimes increased in a brain area called the orbital frontal cortex.” (Paragraph 5) C. “More studies could determine how parts of the brain that control behavior grow and change during the teen years, Caudle said.” (Paragraph 6) D. “Roughly five out of every 100 teen girls in the United States — and twice as many boys — report experiencing serious violence, a recent study found. ” (Paragraph 7)

3. PART A: As it is used in paragraph 5, the word “curb” most closely means: [RI.4] A. edge B. push C. reduce D. allow

4. PART B: Which detail from the paragraph provides the best clue to the meaning of the [RI.1] word “curb” as it is used in this context? A. “increased” B. “successfully avoided” C. “pushing the button” D. “react inappropriately”

3 5. How does paragraph 7 contribute to the development of ideas in the text? [RI.5]

4 Discussion Questions

Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared to share your original ideas in a class discussion.

1. Are you surprised by the findings of this study? Why or why not?

2. The author mentions that scientists are unsure of “why younger children don’t show the same poor impulse control when viewing a threatening face.” What theories do you have for explaining this phenomenon?

3. In the context of this article, how does fear drive action for teenagers? For younger children? For adults?

5 Name: Class:

First They Came… By Martin Niemöller 1950

Martin Niemöller (1892-1984) was a German anti-Nazi activist and Lutheran pastor. Niemöller initially supported Hitler, but he soon came to strongly oppose the Nazi party. From 1937-1945, Niemöller was imprisoned in two concentration camps and narrowly escaped execution. The following quotation was made by Niemöller and published in 1950. As you read, take notes on the author's use of repetition.

[1] First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out — Because I was not a Socialist.1 Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out — Because I was not a Trade Unionist.2 Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.

"Suppression of Warsaw Ghetto Uprising" by Unknown is in the public domain.

"First They Came..." by Martin Niemöller. Copyright © 1950 by Martin Niemöller. For nonprofit educational use only.

1. A socialist is a person who believes that industries should be collectively owned or controlled by the government rather than by individual people and companies. 2. A trade unionist is a person who belongs to a trade union (a group of workers who have organized in order to advocate for better wages, better hours, etc.). 1 Text-Dependent Questions

Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.

1. PART A: Which of the following best describes the message of the quote? A. People should define themselves by their similarities, not by their differences. B. Fear can cause people to stop caring about others or their suffering. C. People should speak out when they see injustice, or they may risk experiencing it themselves. D. Staying silent while witnessing a crime is the same thing as committing the crime.

2. PART B: Which of the following best support the answer to Part A? A. “First they came for the Socialists” (Line 1) B. “Because I was not a Trade Unionist” (Line 2) C. “I did not speak out — Because I was not a Jew.” (Line 3) D. “Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.” (Line 4)

3. What does the phrase “because I was not” emphasize about the speaker? A. The speaker is lonely and distanced from the rest of society, which is why he did not speak out. B. The speaker is deeply sorry and wants to justify why he did not speak out against the arrests. C. The speaker regrets not speaking out because he was not being targeted and ignored those who were. D. The speaker is a selfish, prejudiced person who did not care about the suffering of other people.

4. How does the repetition used in the text contribute to its overall meaning?

2 Discussion Questions

Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared to share your original ideas in a class discussion.

1. In the context of the quotation, what are the effects of following the crowd? Do you think the narrator failed to speak up because others did not? Do you think the narrator would have protested the arrests if others had? Use evidence from this text, your own experience, and other literature, art, or history in your answer.

2. After reading this text, do you think people have a personal responsibility to stand up for each others' rights and safety? What would you do if you saw a group being wrongfully targeted?

3 How to Log on to Power Up from Home (For only Ashfield, South and Davis 6-8 students) Log on to Google and search for Brockton Public Schools and go to the home page.

Choose the Students tab.

Scroll to the bottom of the page and choose Student Intranet

Choose ELA

Choose Power Up

Choose Student and log in with their six-digit lunch number for both the username and password.

Students are urged to comlete their word study minutes on Monday, Grammar minutes on Tuesday, Reading Comprehension on Wednesday and Thursday and the topic of their choice on Friday.

How to Log on to Clever from Home to Access Amplify READING Curriculum

Log on to Google and search for Brockton Public Schools and go to the home page.

Choose the Students tab.

Scroll to the bottom of the page and choose Student Intranet

Choose Clever.

Choose Amplify Curriculum

Choose the hamburger menu in the top left corner.

Click in “Go To My Account”

Click on Reading 6-8

How to Log on to READ 180 from Home

Log on to Google and search for Brockton Public Schools and go to the home page.

Choose the Students tab.

Scroll to the bottom of the page and choose Student Intranet

Choose Clever. Students will have to log on with their Username: 6-digitlunch number @bpsma.org and the password is their 8-digit birthday bps1920 Example: Username: [email protected] Password: 06142007bps1920

Choose READ 180

Log on with the username: 6-digit lunch number (123456) and the password: 6-digit lunch number followed by their first and last initials. (123456am)

Directions for Students to Access Common Lit. from Home

1. Go to the BPS website and choose Students.

2. Scroll to the bottom of the student page and choose the blue Student Intranet button.

3. Choose the Clever button.

4. Log In with your BPS username and password. Your username is your 6-digit lunch number and your password is your 8-digit birthdaybps1920. Example: password: 123456 Username: 12052007bps1920

5. Choose the Common Lit app.

6. You will see "Your Account Needs Updating” will asked to set a backup password so you can access your account even in the case of a Clever outage or issue. You will never be asked to do that again.

7. Once you do that, you will be let into the Common Lit and you can do your assignment. Under the heading ASSIGNMENTS TO DO.

Good luck!