Week of June 1-5 Grade: 7 Content: ELA Learning Objective: Greetings 7th 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 Excerpt from Peter Pan: When Wendy Short Story Grew Up What is it About Yawning? Informational Text A Woman Who Went to Alaska Informational Text The Story Behind Your Dreams Informational Text The Backyard Then 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:

Excerpt from Peter Pan: "When Wendy Grew Up" By J.M. Barrie 1911

Sir James Mathew Barrie (1860-1937), known as J. M. Barrie, was a Scottish author. Peter Pan is his most famous work. Peter Pan is a young boy who flies about and never grows older. Peter meets Wendy Darling in London, and takes Wendy and her brothers to adventure in Neverland. In Neverland, the Darling children meet the Lost Boys (a group of orphaned boys who take care of themselves), a fairy named Tinker Bell, and the evil Captain Hook. The final chapter of Peter Pan, titled “When Wendy Grew Up,” explains how Wendy’s life changes after her adventures with Peter and the Lost Boys end. As you read, make note of the author’s differences in characterization between the adult and child characters.

[1] I hope you want to know what became of the other boys.1 They were waiting below to give Wendy time to explain about them; and when they had counted five hundred they went up. They went up by the stair, because they thought this would make a better impression. They stood in a row in front of Mrs. Darling2, with their hats off, and wishing they were not wearing their pirate clothes. They said nothing, but their eyes asked her to have them. They ought to have looked at Mr. Darling also, but they forgot about him.

"Peter Pan and Wendy" by Andrew Poole is licensed under CC BY- Of course Mrs. Darling said at once that she NC-ND 2.0. would have them; but Mr. Darling was curiously depressed, and they saw that he considered six a rather large number.

“I must say,” he said to Wendy, “that you don’t do things by halves,” a grudging3 remark which the twins thought was pointed at them.

The first twin was the proud one, and he asked, flushing, “Do you think we should be too much of a handful, sir? Because, if so, we can go away.”

[5] “Father!” Wendy cried, shocked; but still the cloud was on him. He knew he was behaving unworthily, but he could not help it.

“We could lie doubled up,” said Nibs.

“I always cut their hair myself,” said Wendy.

1. A reference to the Lost Boys, who came back to London with Wendy and her brothers in the hopes of having a mother. 2. Wendy’s mother 3. Grudging (adjective): said, done, or given in an unwilling or doubtful way 1 “George!” Mrs. Darling exclaimed, pained to see her dear one showing himself in such an unfavourable light.

Then he burst into tears, and the truth came out. He was as glad to have them as she was, he said, but he thought they should have asked his consent4 as well as hers, instead of treating him as a cypher5 in his own house.

[10] “I don’t think he is a cypher,” Tootles cried instantly. “Do you think he is a cypher, Curly?”

“No, I don’t. Do you think he is a cypher, Slightly?”

“Rather not. Twin, what do you think?”

It turned out that not one of them thought him a cypher; and he was absurdly gratified, and said he would find space for them all in the drawing-room6 if they fitted in.

“We’ll fit in, sir,” they assured him.

[15] “Then follow the leader,” he cried gaily7. “Mind you, I am not sure that we have a drawing-room, but we pretend we have, and it’s all the same. Hoop la!”

He went off dancing through the house, and they all cried “Hoop la!” and danced after him, searching for the drawing-room; and I forget whether they found it, but at any rate they found corners, and they all fitted in.

As for Peter, he saw Wendy once again before he flew away. He did not exactly come to the window, but he brushed against it in passing so that she could open it if she liked and call to him. That is what she did.

“Hullo, Wendy, good-bye,” he said.

“Oh dear, are you going away?”

[20] “Yes.”

“You don’t feel, Peter,” she said falteringly8, “that you would like to say anything to my parents about a very sweet subject?”

“No.”

“About me, Peter?”

“No.”

4. Consent (noun): agreement or willingness for something to happen or be done 5. A drawing-room is an old name for a living room, or a room in a house where visitors may be entertained. 6. A dated term for zero (0), referring to him as being something of no value 7. It was done joyfully or cheerfully 8. Falteringly (adverb): hesitantly, uncertainly 2 [25] Mrs. Darling came to the window, for at present she was keeping a sharp eye on Wendy. She told Peter that she had adopted all the other boys, and would like to adopt him also.

“Would you send me to school?” he inquired craftily.

“Yes.”

“And then to an office?”

“I suppose so.”

[30] “Soon I would be a man?”

“Very soon.”

“I don’t want to go to school and learn solemn9 things,” he told her passionately. “I don’t want to be a man. O Wendy’s mother, if I was to wake up and feel there was a beard!”

“Peter,” said Wendy the comforter, “I should love you in a beard;” and Mrs. Darling stretched out her arms to him, but he repulsed her.

“Keep back, lady, no one is going to catch me and make me a man.”

[35] “But where are you going to live?”

“With Tink in the house we built for Wendy. The fairies are to put it high up among the tree tops where they sleep at nights.”

“How lovely,” cried Wendy so longingly that Mrs. Darling tightened her grip.

“I thought all the fairies were dead,” Mrs. Darling said.

“There are always a lot of young ones,” explained Wendy, who was now quite an authority, “because you see when a new baby laughs for the first time a new fairy is born, and as there are always new babies there are always new fairies. They live in nests on the tops of trees; and the mauve ones are boys and the white ones are girls, and the blue ones are just little sillies who are not sure what they are.”

[40] “I shall have such fun,” said Peter, with eye on Wendy.

“It will be rather lonely in the evening,” she said, “sitting by the fire.”

“I shall have Tink.”

“Tink can’t go a twentieth part of the way round,” she reminded him a little tartly.

“Sneaky tell-tale!” Tink called out from somewhere round the corner.

9. Solemn (adjective): very serious or formal in manner, behavior, or expression 3 [45] “It doesn’t matter,” Peter said.

“O Peter, you know it matters.”

“Well, then, come with me to the little house.”

“May I, mummy?”

“Certainly not. I have got you home again, and I mean to keep you.”

[50] “But he does so need a mother.”

“So do you, my love.”

“Oh, all right,” Peter said, as if he had asked her from politeness merely; but Mrs. Darling saw his mouth twitch, and she made this handsome offer: to let Wendy go to him for a week every year to do his spring cleaning. Wendy would have preferred a more permanent arrangement; and it seemed to her that spring would be long in coming; but this promise sent Peter away quite gay10 again. He had no sense of time, and was so full of adventures that all I have told you about him is only a halfpenny- worth of them. I suppose it was because Wendy knew this that her last words to him were these rather plaintive ones:

“You won’t forget me, Peter, will you, before spring cleaning time comes?”

Of course Peter promised; and then he flew away. He took Mrs. Darling’s kiss with him. The kiss that had been for no one else, Peter took quite easily. Funny. But she seemed satisfied.

[55] Of course all the boys went to school; and most of them got into Class III, but Slightly was put first into Class IV and then into Class V. Class I is the top class. Before they had attended school a week they saw what goats they had been not to remain on the island; but it was too late now, and soon they settled down to being as ordinary as you or me or Jenkins minor :the younger Jenkins. It is sad to have to say that the power to fly gradually left them. At first Nana11 tied their feet to the bed-posts so that they should not fly away in the night; and one of their diversions12 by day was to pretend to fall off buses; but by and by they ceased to tug at their bonds in bed, and found that they hurt themselves when they let go of the bus. In time they could not even fly after their hats. Want13 of practice, they called it; but what it really meant was that they no longer believed.

Michael14 believed longer than the other boys, though they jeered at him; so he was with Wendy when Peter came for her at the end of the first year. She flew away with Peter in the frock15 she had woven from leaves and berries in the Neverland, and her one fear was that he might notice how short it had become; but he never noticed, he had so much to say about himself.

10. He was feeling cheerful and happy 11. Nana is the Darling family’s dog, who cares for and protects the children. 12. Diversion (noun): something that is other than, or takes attention away from, what is happening 13. Want (noun): lack; the state of not having enough of something 14. Michael is Wendy’s youngest brother. 15. A dress 4 She had looked forward to thrilling talks with him about old times, but new adventures had crowded the old ones from his mind.

“Who is Captain Hook?” he asked with interest when she spoke of the arch enemy.

“Don’t you remember,” she asked, amazed, “how you killed him and saved all our lives?”

[60] “I forget them after I kill them,” he replied carelessly.

When she expressed a doubtful hope that Tinker Bell would be glad to see her he said, “Who is Tinker Bell?”

“O Peter,” she said, shocked; but even when she explained he could not remember.

“There are such a lot of them,” he said. “I expect she is no more.”

I expect he was right, for fairies don’t live long, but they are so little that a short time seems a good while to them.

[65] Wendy was pained too to find that the past year was but as yesterday to Peter; it had seemed such a long year of waiting to her. But he was exactly as fascinating as ever, and they had a lovely spring cleaning in the little house on the tree tops.

Next year he did not come for her. She waited in a new frock because the old one simply would not meet16; but he never came.

“Perhaps he is ill,” Michael said.

“You know he is never ill.”

Michael came close to her and whispered, with a shiver, “Perhaps there is no such person, Wendy!” and then Wendy would have cried if Michael had not been crying.

[70] Peter came next spring cleaning; and the strange thing was that he never knew he had missed a year.

That was the last time the girl Wendy ever saw him. For a little longer she tried for his sake not to have growing pains; and she felt she was untrue to him when she got a prize for general knowledge. But the years came and went without bringing the careless boy; and when they met again Wendy was a married woman, and Peter was no more to her than a little dust in the box in which she had kept her toys. Wendy was grown up. You need not be sorry for her. She was one of the kind that likes to grow up. In the end she grew up of her own free will a day quicker than other girls.

All the boys were grown up and done for by this time; so it is scarcely worth while saying anything more about them. You may see the twins and Nibs and Curly any day going to an office, each carrying a little bag and an umbrella. Michael is an engine-driver17. Slightly married a lady of title, and so he became a lord. You see that judge in a wig coming out at the iron door? That used to be Tootles. The bearded man who doesn’t know any story to tell his children was once John.

16. Here the word “meet” means “fit” 5 Wendy was married in white with a pink sash. It is strange to think that Peter did not alight in the church and forbid the banns18.

Years rolled on again, and Wendy had a daughter. This ought not to be written in ink but in a golden splash.

[75] She was called Jane, and always had an odd inquiring19 look, as if from the moment she arrived on the mainland she wanted to ask questions. When she was old enough to ask them they were mostly about Peter Pan. She loved to hear of Peter, and Wendy told her all she could remember in the very nursery from which the famous flight had taken place. It was Jane’s nursery now, for her father had bought it at the three per cents20 from Wendy’s father, who was no longer fond of stairs. Mrs. Darling was now dead and forgotten.

There were only two beds in the nursery now, Jane’s and her nurse’s; and there was no kennel, for Nana also had passed away. She died of old age, and at the end she had been rather difficult to get on with; being very firmly convinced that no one knew how to look after children except herself.

Once a week Jane’s nurse had her evening off; and then it was Wendy’s part to put Jane to bed. That was the time for stories. It was Jane’s invention to raise the sheet over her mother’s head and her own, thus making a tent, and in the awful darkness to whisper:

“What do we see now?”

“I don’t think I see anything to-night,” says Wendy, with a feeling that if Nana were here she would object to further conversation.

[80] “Yes, you do,” says Jane, “you see when you were a little girl.”

“That is a long time ago, sweetheart,” says Wendy. “Ah me, how time flies!”

“Does it fly,” asks the artful child, “the way you flew when you were a little girl?”

“The way I flew? Do you know, Jane, I sometimes wonder whether I ever did really fly.”

“Yes, you did.”

[85] “The dear old days when I could fly!”

“Why can’t you fly now, mother?”

“Because I am grown up, dearest. When people grow up they forget the way.”

“Why do they forget the way?”

17. A train engineer 18. Formal announcement of a marriage 19. Inquiring (adjective): curious, questioning 20. A mortgage rate 6 “Because they are no longer gay and innocent and heartless. It is only the gay and innocent and heartless who can fly.”

[90] “What is gay and innocent and heartless? I do wish I were gay and innocent and heartless.”

Or perhaps Wendy admits she does see something.

“I do believe,” she says, “that it is this nursery.”

“I do believe it is,” says Jane. “Go on.”

They are now embarked on the great adventure of the night when Peter flew in looking for his shadow.

[95] “The foolish fellow,” says Wendy, “tried to stick it on with soap21, and when he could not he cried, and that woke me, and I sewed it on for him.”

“You have missed a bit,” interrupts Jane, who now knows the story better than her mother. “When you saw him sitting on the floor crying, what did you say?”

“I sat up in bed and I said, ‘Boy, why are you crying?’”

“Yes, that was it,” says Jane, with a big breath.

“And then he flew us all away to the Neverland and the fairies and the pirates and the redskins and the mermaids’ lagoon, and the home under the ground, and the little house.”

[100] “Yes! which did you like best of all?”

“I think I liked the home under the ground best of all.”

“Yes, so do I. What was the last thing Peter ever said to you?”

“The last thing he ever said to me was, ‘Just always be waiting for me, and then some night you will hear me crowing22.’”

“Yes.”

[105] “But, alas, he forgot all about me,” Wendy said it with a smile. She was as grown up as that.

“What did his crow sound like?” Jane asked one evening.

“It was like this,” Wendy said, trying to imitate Peter’s crow.

“No, it wasn’t,” Jane said gravely, “it was like this;” and she did it ever so much better than her mother.

21. A reference to earlier in the story, when Peter first arrived in the Darling household to search for his missing shadow. When he found it, he tried to keep it from disappearing again by sticking it to himself with soap. 22. Crow (verb): to make the sound of a crow, a type of bird 7 Wendy was a little startled. “My darling, how can you know?”

[110] “I often hear it when I am sleeping,” Jane said.

“Ah yes, many girls hear it when they are sleeping, but I was the only one who heard it awake.”

“Lucky you,” said Jane.

And then one night came the tragedy. It was the spring of the year, and the story had been told for the night, and Jane was now asleep in her bed. Wendy was sitting on the floor, very close to the fire, so as to see to darn23, for there was no other light in the nursery; and while she sat darning she heard a crow. Then the window blew open as of old, and Peter dropped in on the floor.

He was exactly the same as ever, and Wendy saw at once that he still had all his first teeth.

[115] He was a little boy, and she was grown up. She huddled by the fire not daring to move, helpless and guilty, a big woman.

“Hullo, Wendy,” he said, not noticing any difference, for he was thinking chiefly of himself; and in the dim light her white dress might have been the nightgown in which he had seen her first.

“Hullo, Peter,” she replied faintly, squeezing herself as small as possible. Something inside her was crying “Woman, Woman, let go of me.”

“Hullo, where is John?” he asked, suddenly missing the third bed.

“John is not here now,” she gasped.

[120] “Is Michael asleep?” he asked, with a careless glance at Jane.

“Yes,” she answered; and now she felt that she was untrue to Jane as well as to Peter.

“That is not Michael,” she said quickly, lest a judgment should fall on her.

Peter looked. “Hullo, is it a new one?”

“Yes.”

[125] “Boy or girl?”

“Girl.”

Now surely he would understand; but not a bit of it.

“Peter,” she said, faltering, “are you expecting me to fly away with you?”

23. Meaning to mend an article of clothing 8 “Of course; that is why I have come.” He added a little sternly, “Have you forgotten that this is spring cleaning time?”

[130] She knew it was useless to say that he had let many spring cleaning times pass.

“I can’t come,” she said apologetically, “I have forgotten how to fly.”

“I’ll soon teach you again.”

“O Peter, don’t waste the fairy dust on me.”

She had risen; and now at last a fear assailed him. “What is it?” he cried, shrinking.

[135] “I will turn up the light,” she said, “and then you can see for yourself.”

For almost the only time in his life that I know of, Peter was afraid. “Don’t turn up the light,” he cried.

She let her hands play in the hair of the tragic boy. She was not a little girl heart-broken about him; she was a grown woman smiling at it all, but they were wet-eyed smiles.

Then she turned up the light, and Peter saw. He gave a cry of pain; and when the tall beautiful creature stooped to lift him in her arms he drew back sharply.

“What is it?” he cried again.

[140] She had to tell him.

“I am old, Peter. I am ever so much more than twenty. I grew up long ago.”

“You promised not to!”

“I couldn’t help it. I am a married woman, Peter.”

“No, you’re not.”

[145] “Yes, and the little girl in the bed is my baby.”

“No, she’s not.”

But he supposed she was; and he took a step towards the sleeping child with his dagger upraised. Of course he did not strike. He sat down on the floor instead and sobbed; and Wendy did not know how to comfort him, though she could have done it so easily once. She was only a woman now, and she ran out of the room to try to think.

Peter continued to cry, and soon his sobs woke Jane. She sat up in bed, and was interested at once.

“Boy,” she said, “why are you crying?”

9 [150] Peter rose and bowed to her, and she bowed to him from the bed.

“Hullo,” he said.

“Hullo,” said Jane.

“My name is Peter Pan,” he told her.

“Yes, I know.”

[155] “I came back for my mother24,” he explained, “to take her to the Neverland.”

“Yes, I know,” Jane said, “I have been waiting for you.”

When Wendy returned diffidently25 she found Peter sitting on the bed-post crowing gloriously, while Jane in her nighty was flying round the room in solemn ecstasy.

“She is my mother,” Peter explained; and Jane descended and stood by his side, with the look in her face that he liked to see on ladies when they gazed at him.

“He does so need a mother,” Jane said.

[160] “Yes, I know,” Wendy admitted rather forlornly; “no one knows it so well as I.”

“Good-bye,” said Peter to Wendy; and he rose in the air, and the shameless Jane rose with him; it was already her easiest way of moving about.

Wendy rushed to the window.

“No, no,” she cried.

“It is just for spring cleaning time,” Jane said, “he wants me always to do his spring cleaning.”

[165] “If only I could go with you,” Wendy sighed.

“You see you can’t fly,” said Jane.

Of course in the end Wendy let them fly away together. Our last glimpse of her shows her at the window, watching them receding26 into the sky until they were as small as stars.

24. Throughout the story, Peter refers to Wendy as his mother. 25. Diffidently (adverb): lacking confidence, in a restrained manner 26. Receding (verb): to withdraw or back away 10 As you look at Wendy, you may see her hair becoming white, and her figure little again, for all this happened long ago. Jane is now a common grown-up, with a daughter called Margaret; and every spring cleaning time, except when he forgets, Peter comes for Margaret and takes her to the Neverland, where she tells him stories about himself, to which he listens eagerly. When Margaret grows up she will have a daughter, who is to be Peter’s mother in turn; and thus it will go on, so long as children are gay and innocent and heartless.

Excerpt from Peter Pan: "When Wendy Grew Up" by J.M. Barrie is in the public domain.

11 Text-Dependent Questions

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

1. PART A: At the beginning of the story, how does the author characterize the adults – [RL.3] particularly, Mr. Darling? A. As friendly and clever B. As boring and insecure C. As curious and protective D. As playful and outspoken

2. PART B: Which paragraph further supports your answer to Part A? [RL.1] A. Paragraph 16 B. Paragraph 30 C. Paragraph 72 D. Paragraph 87

3. PART A: As it is used in paragraph 33, the word “repulsed” most closely means: [RL.4] A. Rejected B. Disgusted C. Laughed at D. Shoved

4. PART B: Which of quotation provides the best support for the answer to Part A? [RL.1] A. “I should love you” B. “stretched out her arms” C. “Keep back, lady” D. “make me a man”

5. Why doesn’t Peter want to be adopted? Cite evidence from the text in your answer. [RL.3]

12 6. Write a sentence that states the theme of the story. [RL.2]

7. Why doesn’t Peter notice much? [RL.3] A. He has bad eye-sight B. He’s heartless C. He’s too young to understand most situations D. He’s self-centered because of his youth

8. How does Wendy feel about growing older? Cite at least two pieces of evidence from [RL.3] the text in your response.

9. Why does the author state that Wendy having a daughter “ought not to be written in [RL.5] ink but in a golden splash” (paragraph 74)?

13 10. Why does Jane remember Peter better than her mother, Wendy? [RL.3] A. Jane spent more time with Peter. B. Even though Jane hadn’t met Peter, she was younger and understood Peter’s childish nature better than her mother. C. Jane has a better memory than he mother. D. Wendy never actually met Peter and she only imagined their adventures.

14 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. Peter doesn’t remember or notice much. Consider this and ask yourself: Is there a problem with staying young forever?

2. Wendy’s friendship with Peter ends when she grows older. Consider this and ask yourself: What is a friend?

3. Should we value our youth? Why or why not?

4. Consider the relationships between Peter, the Lost Boys, and Wendy and her brothers in this story. In the context of this text, what is the meaning of family? Cite evidence from this text, your own experience, and other literature, art, or history in your answer.

15 Name: Class:

What is it about yawning? By Christine Calder 2018

When do you yawn? Is it when you’re tired or because of someone who is close by yawns? In this informational text, Christine Calder explores why humans and some animals yawn. As you read, take notes on what can cause someone to “catch” a yawn.

[1] You know the feeling. It’s impossible to resist. You just need to yawn.

A yawn consists of an extended gaping of the mouth followed by a more rapid closure. In mammals and birds, a long intake of breath and shorter exhale follows the gaping of the mouth, but in other species such as fish, amphibians, and snakes there is no intake of breath.

But what’s behind a yawn, why does it occur?

In the past, people have had many hypotheses.1 As far back as 400 B.C., Hippocrates thought yawning removed bad air from the lungs before a fever. In the 17th and 18th century, doctors believed yawning increased oxygen in the blood, blood pressure, heart rate and blood flow itself. "Untitled" by Charles Deluvio is licensed under CC0 More recently, consensus2 moved toward the idea that yawning cools down the brain, so when ambient3 conditions and temperature of the brain itself increase, yawning episodes increase.

[5] Despite all these theories, the truth is that scientists do not know the true biological function of a yawn.

What we do know is that yawning occurs in just about every species. It happens when an animal is tired. It can be used as a threat display in some species. Yawning can occur during times of social conflict and stress, something researchers call a displacement behavior.

And that wide-open mouth can be contagious, especially in social species such as humans, chimpanzees, bonobos, macaques, and wolves.

Watching someone yawn — heck, even reading about yawns — can lead you to yawn yourself. Why?

1. a proposed explanation for something based on limited evidence 2. a general agreement 3. relating to the immediate surroundings of something 1 Research on humans tells us that people who are more empathetic4 tend to be more susceptible to contagious yawning. When you see someone else yawn, the networks in your brain responsible for empathy and social skills are activated.

[10] Is yawning contagious for dogs, too? In 2011, U.K. biologists tested for contagious yawning between people and man’s best friend. Although 5 of the 19 dogs they studied did yawn in response to an unfamiliar person’s yawn, the researchers couldn’t prove the yawns were contagious.

In 2013, cognitive and behavioral scientists at the University of Tokyo once again tested contagious yawning in canines5 while controlling for stress. This time the researchers found that dogs were more likely to yawn in response to a familiar person. They concluded that dogs can “catch” a yawn from humans and that yawning is a social rather than a stress-based behavior.

In 2014, University of Nebraska psychologists looked at contagious yawning in shelter dogs. They found that some dogs that yawned when exposed to human yawning had elevated cortisol levels — a proxy for stress. Levels of the cortisol stress hormone did not rise in dogs that didn’t yawn in response to a human yawn. This finding suggests some dogs find human yawning stressful and others do not. More research is needed to evaluate this aspect of the human-dog relationship.

So the jury’s still out on the true why of yawning. But when it comes to inter-species yawning, you can collect your own anecdotal6 data. Try an experiment at home: Yawn and see if your pet yawns back.

“What is it about yawning?” by Christine Calder, Mississippi State University, July 5, 2018. Copyright © The Conversation 2018, CC-BY-ND.

4. Empathetic (adjective): showing an ability to understand and share another person’s feelings 5. dogs 6. based on personal accounts or observations rather than facts or research 2 Text-Dependent Questions

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

1. Which statement identifies the central idea of the text? A. Scientists know more about the biological functions of yawning than why some social species “catch” yawns from each other. B. Scientists believe that dogs are more likely to engage in contagious yawning because they are more empathetic than most humans. C. While scientists do not know what causes yawning, they have found that people who yawn more frequently are often mentally and physically healthier. D. While scientists have limited knowledge about why we yawn, studies have shown that people and animals can “catch” yawns from social interactions.

2. Which detail from the text best supports the answer to Part A? A. “More recently, consensus moved toward the idea that yawning cools down the brain, so when ambient conditions and temperature of the brain itself increase, yawning episodes increase.” (Paragraph 4) B. “When you see someone else yawn, the networks in your brain responsible for empathy and social skills are activated.” (Paragraph 9) C. “In 2013, cognitive and behavioral scientists at the University of Tokyo once again tested contagious yawning in canines while controlling for stress.” (Paragraph 11) D. “Levels of the cortisol stress hormone did not rise in dogs that didn’t yawn in response to a human yawn. This finding suggests some dogs find human yawning stressful and others do not.” (Paragraph 12)

3. Which of the following describes the author’s main purpose of the text? A. to explore why people and animals yawn and how yawns are contagious B. to prove that yawning is more of a biological function than a social one C. to explain why scientists know so little about why humans yawn D. to support the theory that yawning helps cool down the brain

4. How does the author’s discussion of the studies conducted on dogs contribute to the text? A. It emphasizes how yawning and contagious yawning differs greatly between species. B. It proves that social species have more in common than scientists initially realized. C. It provides additional information on the possible causes for contagious yawning in other species. D. It suggests that dogs are just as empathetic as humans because they experience contagious yawning.

3 5. What is the relationship between “catching” a yawn and social behavior?

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. In the text, the author discusses studies conducted on yawning. What other studies do you think scientists could conduct to better understand why people and animals yawn? What experiments could you conduct on your own to better understand this phenomenon?

2. What point do you think the author is trying to make about the relationship between humans and other social animals? What else do humans have in common with the animals discussed in the text?

5 Name: Class:

A Woman Who Went to Alaska By Mary Kellogg Sullivan 1902

In Mary Kellogg Sullivan’s book A Woman Who Went to Alaska, Sullivan describes her adventures in Alaska during her search for riches. Between 1896 and 1899, an estimated 100,000 people migrated to the Klondike region of the Yukon in northwestern Canada. In the following excerpt from Sullivan’s book, she describes the experiences of miners searching for gold. As you read, take notes on who profited from the gold rush.

THE RUSH.

[1] Since the discovery of gold by George Carmack on Bonanza Creek in September 1896, the growth of this country has been phenomenal, more especially so to one who has visited and is familiar with Dawson and the Klondyke mining section.

As to the entire yield of gold from the Klondyke Creeks, none can say except approximately; for the ten percent royalty1 imposed by the Canadian government has always met a phase of human "Klondikers buying miner's licenses at Custom House, Victoria, B C, nature which prompts to concealment and Feb 21, 1898" by John Wallace Jones is in the public domain. dishonesty, so that a truthful estimate cannot be made.

The Canadian Dominion government is very oppressive. Mining laws are very arbitrary2 and strictly enforced. A person wishing to prospect for gold must first procure a miner’s license, paying ten dollars for it. If anything is discovered, and he wishes to locate a claim, he visits the recorder’s office, states his business, and is told to call again. In the meantime, men are sent to examine the locality and if anything of value is found, the man wishing to record the claim is told that it is already located. The officials seize it. The man has no way of ascertaining3 if the land was properly located, and so had no redress.4 If the claim is thought to be poor, he can locate it by the payment of a fifteen dollar fee.

One half of all mining land is reserved for the crown,5 a quarter or more is gobbled by corrupt officials, and a meager6 share left for the daring miners who, by braving hardship and death, develop the mines and open up the country.

1. an amount of money paid by a mining company to the owner of the land 2. Arbitrary (adjective): based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system 3. Ascertain (verb): to find or learn with certainty 4. a means of obtaining a remedy 5. the reigning king or queen, representing a country’s government 6. very small 1 [5] “Any one going into the country has no right to cut wood for any purpose, or to kill any game or catch any fish, without a license for which a fee of ten dollars must be paid. With such a license it is unlawful to sell a stick of wood for any purpose, or a pound of fish or game.” This law is strictly enforced. To do anything, one must have a special permit, and for every such permit he must pay roundly.7

The story is told of a miner in a hospital who was about to die. He requested that the Governor be sent for. Being asked what he wanted with the Governor, he replied: “I haven’t any permit, and if I should undertake to die without a permit, I should get myself arrested.”

It is a well-known fact that many claims on Eldorado, Hunker, and Bonanza Creeks have turned out hundreds of thousands of dollars. One pan of gravel on Eldorado Creek yielded $2,100. Frank Dinsmore on Bonanza Creek took out ninety pounds of solid gold for $24,480 in a single day. On Aleck McDonald’s claim on Eldorado, one man shoveled in $20,000 in twelve hours. McDonald, in two years, dug from the frozen ground $2,207,893. Charley Anderson, on Eldorado, panned out $700 in three hours. T.S. Lippy is said to have paid the Canadian government $65,000 in royalties for the year 1898 and Clarence Berry about the same.

On Skukum Gulch $30,000 were taken from two boxes of dirt. Frank Phiscator of Michigan, after a few months’ work, brought home $100,000 in gold, selling one-third of his claim interests for $1,333,000, or at the rate of $5,000,000 for the whole.

When a man is compelled to pay one thousand dollars out of every ten thousand he digs from the ground, he will boast little of large “clean-ups”;8 and for this reason it is hard to estimate the real amount of gold extracted from the Klondyke mines.

“A Woman Who Went to Alaska” by Mary Kellogg Sullivan (1902) is in the public domain.

7. thoroughly or completely 8. to make a substantial gain or profit 2 Text-Dependent Questions

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

1. PART A: As used in paragraph 3 of the passage from A Woman Who Went to Alaska, [RI.4] what is the meaning of the word “oppressive”? A. unjustly harsh B. occasionally flexible C. unexpectedly angry D. appropriately demanding

2. PART B: Which phrase from paragraph 3 in the passage from A Woman Who Went to [RI.1] Alaska helps the reader understand the meaning of the word “oppressive”? A. “Canadian Dominion government” B. “arbitrary and strictly enforced” C. “prospect for gold” D. “he visits the recorder’s office”

3. PART A: Which statement best describes the Canadian government’s treatment of the [RI.3] miners in the passage from A Woman Who Went to Alaska? A. a controlling government that takes advantage of the miners B. a fair government that wants the miners to succeed without assistance C. a disorganized government that fails to set appropriate rules for the miners D. an irresponsible government that is indifferent to the miners

4. PART B: Which three actions does the government take that provide evidence for the [RI.8] answer to Part A? A. charging high taxes on mined gold B. encouraging fishing and hunting C. enforcing a nightly curfew D. requiring multiple licenses and permits E. seizing property known to contain gold F. assisting newcomers seeking a claim G. banning the use of explosives

3 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. Why did businesses and the Canadian government take advantage of miners? How did this impact the miners’ motivation? Cite evidence from this text, your own experience, and other literature, art, or history in your answer.

2. How did the prospect of finding gold affect people’s judgement and actions during the Gold Rush? Cite evidence from this text, your own experience, and other literature, art, or history in your answer.

3. How did the Gold Rush help develop America? How do you think it contributed to the notion of the American Dream? Cite evidence from this text, your own experience, and other literature, art, or history in your answer.

4 Name: Class:

The Story Behind Your Dreams By Ben Slivnick 2018

Have you ever wondered what a dream meant or why you had it? In this informational text, Ben Slivnick discusses why people dream. As you read, take notes on the different theories scientists have for why people dream.

[1] You walk into school and realize you forgot your math homework. Then, the teacher starts the lesson. Some of it makes sense, but some parts leave you scratching your head. You turn to the student next to you for help and realize it’s your best friend who moved away in second grade. Then, you wake up. You were dreaming.

Dreams can be exciting or terrifying. Often, they are complicated and confusing. And for much of human history, we’ve tried to make sense of them. The ancient Egyptians believed that dreams were messages from the gods. The "Untitled" by Leo Rivas is licensed under CC0 ancient Greeks and Romans believed that dreams showed prophecies, or visions of the future. Later, in the 1800s, early psychologists believed that dreams centered on thoughts that people wanted to avoid, windows into what they called the “unconscious mind.”

Why We Dream

Today, scientists still aren’t exactly sure why we have dreams, but a number of theories have emerged. One idea is that we dream to “practice” responding to problems. This is called “threat simulation theory” and might explain why our dreams so often involve stressful events such as forgetting your homework. Scientists believe that your brain might be preparing for how it would respond if you really do forget your homework. These scientists point out that humans aren’t the only animals who dream; if you’ve ever seen a dog moving its legs while it’s sleeping, it’s probably dreaming about running.

Another theory says that dreams play an important role in keeping people asleep. Scientists have long known that sleep produces a number of benefits for people’s moods and long-term health. Dreams might allow people to get the sleep they need, theorizes South African scientist Mark Solms. He compares dreams to Saturday morning cartoons; your dreams keep your mind entertained so that the brain can do important work in the background — just like how cartoons keep small children entertained so that their parents are free to complete work around the house.

1 [5] More recent advancements suggest that dreams could serve as a way for the brain to organize our thoughts and memories. Scientists in Germany proved this when they studied the electrical signals in the brains of sleeping mice. As the mice slept, the scientists found bursts of electricity in two sections of the brain: the neocortex, which controls thoughts, and the hippocampus, which controls memory. The scientists theorized their brains were sorting out which thoughts to store as memories and which to delete. If you’ve ever noticed that you forget most of your dreams, this could be why; most of your thoughts and experiences aren’t kept as memories. “We dream to forget,” said the scientist Francis Crick.

However, some scientists still think that we dream for no reason at all. The “activation synthesis theory” says our dreams are random firings from memories, thoughts, and images within the brain. Supporters of this theory say that dreams don’t provide advantages and don’t have hidden meanings; they’re just something that happens while we sleep. The “activation synthesis theory” states that the stories within our dreams largely come together within our brains after we wake up. The theory states the stories are formed only as we try to make sense our dreams’ confusing twists and turns in the conscious state.

Benefits

Regardless of why we dream, scientists agree that dreams can have many benefits. One group of scientists proved that dreams could help people solve complex problems. These scientists provided a group of people with a difficult-to-solve maze. Afterwards, they allowed the group members to take a break, with half of the participants being shown a video and the other half being told to nap. Ninety minutes later, everyone returned to the maze. In general, the nappers and the video-watchers performed about the same when they returned to the maze. But the nappers who reported dreaming about the maze were ten times better at completing it than anyone else.

Dreams have also long been considered sources for inspiration. Paul McCartney, a former lead singer of the band The Beatles, said the idea for the famous song “Yesterday” came to him in a dream. He said he woke up thinking of the tune, and then immediately rushed to the piano to figure out the notes and write them down.

Similarly, in the late 1600s, the philosopher and scientist René Descartes spent all day in a heated room, searching for the best way to come up with new knowledge. Without a solution at the end of the day, he put down his work and went to sleep. When he woke up, he recalled from his dreams the scientific method — the same process for experiments still taught in schools today.

Conclusions

[10] While scientists have many theories about why we dream, what we know for sure about them is still as hazy as dreams often are themselves. We know for sure that they are images collected from our brains’ memory files. We know that for some people they can provide inspiration. Outside of that, a lot of what scientists think about dreams is just theorizing. Keep that in mind the next time you think you forgot your math homework at home.

“The Story Behind Your Dreams” by Ben Slivnick. Copyright © 2018 by CommonLit, Inc. This text is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

2 Text-Dependent Questions

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

1. PART A: Which statement best expresses the central idea of the text? A. People have different dreams for different reasons, making it difficult for scientists to answer the question “why do humans dream?” B. Most of the theories that scientists have about dreams show their benefits; however, there are no concrete conclusions for why humans dream. C. Scientists struggle to understand why people dream as there is currently no way to see what goes on in the brain when someone sleeps. D. Since humans are the only creatures that dream, scientists believe that dreaming is an important part of humans’ advanced intelligence.

2. PART B: Which detail from the text best supports the answer to Part A? A. “You turn to the student next to you for help and realize it’s your best friend who moved away in second grade. Then, you wake up. You were dreaming.” (Paragraph 1) B. “Dreams can be exciting or terrifying. Often, they are complicated and confusing. And for much of human history, we’ve tried to make sense of them.” (Paragraph 2) C. “The theory states the stories are formed only as we try to make sense our dreams’ confusing twists and turns in the conscious state.” (Paragraph 6) D. “Regardless of why we dream, scientists agree that dreams can have many benefits. One group of scientists proved that dreams could help people solve complex problems.” (Paragraph 7)

3. What is the author’s main purpose in the text? A. to explore the different theories that attempt to explain why humans dream B. to prove the benefits of searching for meaning in your dreams C. to criticize scientists for how little they know about why humans dream D. to support the idea that dreams prepare humans for problems in the real world

4. How does the author’s discussion of Paul McCartney and René Descartes contribute to the development of ideas in the text (Paragraphs 8-9)? A. It shows how new and influential ideas can come from dreams. B. It proves that intelligent people tend to have more complex dreams. C. It demonstrates the importance of trying to understand our dreams. D. It supports the theory that your brain is organizing information as you sleep.

3 5. What is the relationship between people’s dreams and their actions when awake? Use details from the text in your answer.

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. In the text, the author discusses scientists’ limited knowledge about why people dream. What do you think could be the benefit of better understanding why humans dream?

2. What is the best dream that you’ve ever had? What made it the best? Why do you think you had this dream?

3. In the text, the author discusses different theories about why humans may dream. Have you ever had a dream that matches one of the theories? What was the dream? Which theory does it align with?

5 Name: Class:

The Backyard Then By Emma Bartley 2017

Emma Bartley is an American poet. Her writing often focuses on childhood and memories. In this poem, a speaker recalls memories of their backyard. As you read, take notes on what the speaker remembers of their backyard.

[1] It used to feel too big and mostly abandoned, leftover land between neighboring cul-de-sacs and the elementary school. Still, I would visit its few humble1 stations — [5] the cracked stump by the fence always crawling with ants. The narrow space behind the garage lined with unused slate, just standing there waiting for my parents’ hands. Then there was the shady dirt under the old maple tree where I read, cradled or [10] sinking between dying tentacle roots. Was there ever any glory there? I can "Serenity Now" by Kat Northern Lights Man is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0. remember a few humid evenings through the crack of the back door. Twilight hanging like a velvet curtain, the thinning pine trees at least only silhouettes.2 [15] My parents would be at the top of the empty hill sitting at the rusty, wrought iron table, in an orb of orange candlelight. I knew they were eating artichoke with hot butter, scraping off the meat of the leaves with their teeth and just casting the rest away.

“The Backyard Then” from American Literary Magazine by Emma Bartley. Copyright © 2017 by Emma Bartley, reprinted with permissions of the author and American Literary Magazine (amlitmag.com). All rights reserved.

1. Humble (adjective): low in rank or condition 2. the dark shape and outline of someone visible against a lighter background 1 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 poem? A. Childhood homes always hold a special importance to people. B. Children often find special meaning in places and things that adults do not. C. Ordinary places can become extraordinary with a little imagination. D. As we grow older, our memories of the past grow more positive.

2. PART B: Which detail from the text best supports the answer to Part A? A. “It used to feel too big / and mostly abandoned, leftover land between / neighboring cul-de-sacs” (Lines 1-3) B. “Was there ever any glory there? I can remember / a few humid evenings through the crack of the back door.” (Lines 11-12) C. “Twilight hanging like a velvet curtain, the thinning / pine trees at least only silhouettes.” (Lines 13-14) D. “scraping off the meat of the leaves with their teeth / and just casting the rest away.” (Lines 18-19)

3. PART A: How does the speaker’s feelings about the backyard compare to their parents? A. The speaker’s parents enjoyed the backyard more than the speaker did. B. The speaker and their parents had many happy memories in the backyard. C. The speaker has happier memories in the backyard than their parents. D. The speaker and their parents were both unimpressed by the backyard.

4. PART B: Which TWO quotes from the text best support the answer to Part A? A. “leftover land between / neighboring cul-de-sacs and the elementary school.” (Lines 2-3) B. “Still, I would visit its few humble stations — / the cracked stump by the fence” (Lines 4-5) C. “Then there was the shady dirt / under the old maple tree where I read” (Lines 8-9) D. “Twilight hanging like a velvet curtain, the thinning / pine trees at least only silhouettes.” (Lines 13-14) E. “My parents would be at the top of the empty hill / sitting at the rusty, wrought iron table in an orb of / orange candlelight ” (Lines 15-17) F. “scraping off the meat of the leaves with their teeth / and just casting the rest away” (Lines 18-19)

2 5. What does it mean when the poet compares Twilight to “a velvet curtain” (Line 13)?

3 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 poem, the speaker is able to recall a positive memory about a backyard they weren’t particularly fond of. Do you think people tend to remember things more positively as they grow up? Why or why not? Do you have a memory that you remember more positively over time?

2. How does the poem explore why it’s important to look at something in a different light? Think of a negative memory and try to find a moment of positivity within that memory. Why should we try to remember the positive things in life?

3. How do memories and childhood experiences shape a person’s identity later in life? Describe a memory from your childhood that you consider important to who you are today.

4 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!