Introduction Glossary As you read and listen to the introduction to "The Monkey's Paw," look for these key words and use the definitions below to help you understand the story: WORD or IDIOM cautionary well-to-do DEFINITION giving a warning wealthy or rich Victorian from the time of the reign of Queen Victoria of England; 1837-1901 dubious fortunes questionable or suspicious wealth *L.8.4c Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech or trace the etymology of words. Copyright BookheadEd Learning, LLC - 18260 Page 1 of 5
List Differences With your partner, look at the sample sentences from "The Monkey's Paw," and underline details that give you clues that this story is set in a different time than today's world. Explain what differences you see in the second column. Text Excerpt What is the difference? Without, the night was cold and wet, but in the small parlour of Laburnam Villa the blinds were drawn and the fire burned brightly. The sergeant-major shook hands, and taking the proffered seat by the fire, watched contentedly while his host got out whiskey and tumblers and stood a small copper kettle on the fire. In mental connection with the two hundred pounds, she noticed that the stranger was well dressed, and wore a silk hat of glossy newness. Three times he paused at the gate, and then walked on again. "Parlour" seems like an old-fashioned word. They seem to be using a fire to heat their house. He is heating the kettle on the fire instead of on a stove. Men don t wear silk hats much now. Visitors seem to walk to the house instead of driving a car. "I beg that you will understand I am only their servant and merely obeying orders." Her husband struck a match and lit the candle. "Get back to bed," he said, unsteadily. "You don't know what you are saying." The street lamp flickering opposite shone on a quiet and deserted road. Copyright BookheadEd Learning, LLC - 18260 Page 2 of 5
Text Glossary Use these explanations of difficult words or expressions to help you read the story "The Monkey's Paw." Add to this list if you find more unfamiliar words or idioms as you read: WORD or IDIOM perils visage mummy fate mischief simian DEFINITION dangers face dried out body or body part what is destined, or meant, to happen in the future harm or trouble caused by something or someone like a monkey Copyright BookheadEd Learning, LLC - 18260 Page 3 of 5
Annotation Guide Use the following annotation guidelines to help you annotate the story âthe Monkey's Paw." Be sure to make annotations or highlights to the text to complete each line. 1. Highlight at least two sentences or passages that you have questions about. Enter your questions as annotations. 2. Highlight at least one passage that connects with something you already know and use the annotation tool to explain the connection. 3. Highlight the key characters in the excerpt and use the annotation tool to provide a brief description of what you know about them. 4. Highlight the key events and details in the passage and make annotations that explain the sequential order in which they occur. For example, Nothing, said the soldier, hastily. Leastways nothing worth hearing. Annotation: First clue that there is something negative about the monkey s paw, because the sergeant-major tries to avoid telling the story. 5. Highlight vocabulary words and explain what you think the words mean based on how they are used in the text. 6. Highlight any additional unfamiliar vocabulary. Use the annotation tool to make predictions about the meaning of these unfamiliar terms. 7. Highlight two examples that show how a character reacts to what is happening in the story. Use the annotation tool to explain your reaction to what the character is going through in these moments. Analyze the Discussion Identify and list textual evidence (quotes, details, and examples) from The Monkey's Paw that you can use to answer these questions as you watch the SyncTV episode. 1:38 - How do the students use textual evidence to determine the setting of The Monkey's Paw? Andrew points out that the story takes place in England. Ethan adds in the small parlor of Laburnam Villa the blinds were drawn and the fire burned brightly. Daniela describes the scene as quiet and peaceful. Amanda says that it sounds perfect and Ethan use the evidence of an old lady knitting by the fire and the father and son playing chess to support her opinion. 2:50 - Amanda and Andrew agree that Mr. White is being greedy. What textual evidence supports this characterization? How does this bring the group closer to identifying the theme? 3:45 - How does the group build on Amanda's first idea of the theme be careful what you wish for? What evidence do they use to narrow the focus of their theme? *SL.8.5 Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, images, music, sound) and visual displays in presentations to clarify information. Copyright BookheadEd Learning, LLC - 18260 Page 4 of 5
Find the Evidence Use the following tips to help you look for evidence in the text to answer the Think Questions. 1. Look for sentences throughout Chapter 1 that show Herbert s attitude toward the monkey s paw. 2. Look closely at the first few paragraphs of Chapter 1. What words or phrases does the author use that seem to foreshadow a negative outcome for the story? 3. Look at the end of Chapter 1, and the middle and end of Chapter 3, to find evidence of Mr. White s feelings about the monkey s paw at the time of the first, second and third wishes. Pay attention to how his feelings toward it change. 4. The text says that the sergeant-major takes the proffered seat by the fire. How do this line and the nearby text help you understand the meaning of proffered? (More clues can be found the middle of Chapter I, in the line, He took something out of his pocket and proffered it. Mrs. White drew back with a grimace, but her son, taking it, examined it curiously. ) 5. Starting at the line, It had a spell put on it by an old fakir, said the sergeant major, read to the line Hold it up in your right hand and wish aloud, said the sergeant-major, but I warn you of the consequences. Find two pieces of evidence that help you understand what the sergeant-major means by consequences. 6. Amanda says that the setting sounds.perfect. What is some evidence that Ethan provides to support this description of the setting? Where does Ethan find this evidence? What does that tell you about how prepared the students are for the discussion? 7. Amanda analyzes the plot by asking, So why does the sergeant even have that thing? Later she goes on to analyze Mr. White saying, he s taking some stuff for granted. What are some comments that her classmates offer between her question and her conclusion? What purpose do her two statements serve to help move the conversation? 8. Andrew, Ethan and Amanda respond to Daniela s point that a fakir put a spell on the paw to show that fate ruled people s lives. What are some of their responses? How does it help them decide on a theme? Copyright BookheadEd Learning, LLC - 18260 Page 5 of 5