Table of Contents UNIT I: READING About Unit I: Reading...2 Unit I: Summary of Reading Keys... 3-4 Summary of TEST TAKING SKILLS (Objective Questions)...5 Fiction: Historical Correspondence The Christmas Truce by Aaron Shepard Keys to Comprehension: Mood...6 The Christmas Truce... 7-9 Objective Questions: Critical Thinking... 10-11 Information: Biography Seeing Through Dorothea s Eyes by Sudipta Bardhan Keys to Comprehension: Setting...12 Seeing Through Dorothea s Eyes... 13-15 Objective Questions: Critical Thinking... 16-17 Information: Recipe Papa s Lemon Pie by Larry Dane Brimner Keys to Comprehension: Pre-Reading Strategy...18 Papa s Lemon Pie... 19-20 Objective Questions: Critical Thinking... 21-22 Information: Social Studies Initiation to America by Mary Antin Keys to Comprehension: Inference and Drawing Conclusions...23 Initiation to America... 24-25 Objective Questions: Critical Thinking... 26-27 Fiction: Poetry Major Differences by Sara Holbrook Keys to Comprehension: Comparison and Contrast...28 Major Differences...29 Objective Questions: Critical Thinking... 30-31 Information: Social Studies The Printer s Trial: The Case of John Peter Zenger by Gail Jarrow Keys to Comprehension: Cause and Effect...32 The Printer s Trial: The Case of John Peter Zenger... 33-37 Objective Questions: Critical Thinking... 38-40 III
Fiction: Autobiographical Novel Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Keys to Comprehension: Point of View...41 Little Women... 42-44 Objective Questions: Critical Thinking... 45-47 Information: Science Penicillin: A By-Product of Luck and Common Sense by Roger Hans Keys to Comprehension: Characterization...48 Penicillin: A By-Product of Luck and Common Sense... 49-50 Objective Questions: Critical Thinking... 51-52 Information: Biography Midnight Forests by Gary Hines Keys to Comprehension: Conflict...53 Midnight Forests... 54-55 Objective Questions: Critical Thinking... 56-57 UNIT II: WRITING About Unit II: Writing...60 The Short Constructed-Response Question (Short C-R) How to Answer the Short C-R Question...61 Tips for the Short C-R Question...62 Fiction: Legend King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table... 63-65 Short C-R Questions... 66-67 The Extended Constructed-Response Question (Extended C-R) How to Answer the Extended C-R Question...68 Tips for the Extended C-R Question...69 Information: Social Studies Battle of the Little Bighorn by Wyman E. Fisher... 70-72 Short C-R Questions... 73-74 Prewriting: Graphic Organizer...75 Extended C-R Question/Essay Draft... 76-77 Sharpen Your Writing Skills: Sentence Structure...78 Revise and Edit Charts for Battle of the Little Bighorn...79 IV
Paired Stories Working with Paired Stories...80 Information: Compare and Contrast A Social Studies Article: Jamestown: The Names that Made the Difference by J. Rogers... 81-83 An Autobiography: Captured By Indians: Mary Jemison Becomes an Indian by Mary Jemison, Retold by James Seaver... 84-86 Short C-R Questions... 87-88 Prewriting: Graphic Organizer...89 Extended C-R Question/Essay Draft... 90-91 Sharpen Your Writing Skills: Descriptive Words...92 Revise and Edit Charts for Jamestown: The Names that Made the Difference and Captured by Indians: Mary Jemison Becomes an Indian...93 Information and Fiction: Compare and Contrast A Biography: A Model to Emulate by Edward Hines... 94-96 A Poem: Mother to Son by Langston Hughes...97 Short C-R Questions... 98-99 Prewriting: Graphic Organizer...100 Extended C-R Question/Essay Draft... 101-102 Sharpen Your Writing Skills: Parallel Structure...103 Revise and Edit Charts for A Model to Emulate and Mother to Son...104 Information: Compare and Contrast A Science Article: Our Domesticated Friends... 105-106 A Science Article: How Dogs Came from Wolves by Jack Myers, Ph.D... 107-108 Short C-R Questions... 109-110 Prewriting: Graphic Organizer...111 Extended C-R Question/Essay Draft... 112-113 Sharpen Your Writing Skills: Sentence Types...114 Revise and Edit Charts for Our Domesticated Friends and How Dogs Came from Wolves...115 Information: Compare and Contrast A Biography: Amelia Earhart: A World Class Pioneer by E. Barnes... 116-118 An Autobiography: The Fun Of It by Amelia Earhart... 119-120 Short C-R Questions... 121-122 Prewriting: Graphic Organizer...123 Extended C-R Question/Essay Draft... 124-125 Sharpen Your Writing Skills: Avoid Dangling Participles...126 Revise and Edit Charts for Amelia Earhart: A World Class Pioneer and The Fun Of It...127 V
UNIT III: TEST About The Test Part I: Reading...129 Information: Science The Iditarod: A Commemorative Race by Don Barnes... 130-131 Objective Questions: Critical Thinking... 132-133 Fiction: Poetry Western Wagons by Rosemary & Stephen Vincent Benét...134 Objective Questions: Critical Thinking... 135-136 Test: Part II: Writing...137 Fiction: Opera Carmen... 138-140 Short C-R Questions... 141-142 Prewriting: Graphic Organizer...143 Extended C-R Question/Essay Draft... 144-145 Information: Compare and Contrast A Political Speech: Susan B. Anthony: On Trial... 146-147 A Biography: Eleanor Roosevelt: Friend of the People... 148-149 Short C-R Questions... 150-151 Prewriting: Graphic Organizer...152 Extended C-R Question/Essay Draft... 153-154 VI
The High Road to Common Core Language Arts Unit I Reading 1
About Unit I Reading In Unit I of this book, you will read a series of informative and interesting articles. Each of these selections is followed by Objective (multiple choice) Questions based upon the selections. One or more skills are introduced before each article, story, or poem. These Keys to Comprehension will give you the tools you need to better understand that selection as well as others in the book. It is necessary to read each article carefully. The Ask Yourself box at the start helps to guide your thinking as you read. You will need to reread portions of the text in order to get a deeper understanding of the author s message. Following each Reading selection, you will learn one Test Taking Tip. It provides helpful suggestions to answer the Objective Questions that follow. Read it carefully. When answering Objective Questions, it is always wise to return to the passage for the information you need. In this book, some Objective Questions will also require you to return to the text for evidence to support (or prove) the answer you have chosen. It is usually wise to also reread the sentences before and after the key sentence, as they often provide additional information that is helpful. The charts on pages 3-4 and 5 are reviews of all skills taught in Unit I of the book. You may wish to check to see how many you already know before you read. You may also use these charts as a review during reading, or after you have completed all of Unit I. 2
Unit I Summary of READING KEYS Below is a list of Keys to Comprehension. They will help you to understand the meanings of terms. They will also give you an example of how to use these terms. TERM DEFINITION EXAMPLE Cause and Effect Cause: tells what happened Because there was no traffic, we arrived (page 32) Effect: tells why it happened early. (Cause: no traffic) (Effect: we arrived early) Characterization the way an author develops Matt usually whistled his favorite tune (page 48) a character into a person on his way to school. (Matt is happy go lucky.) Comparison Comparison: shows how things Both Linda and Teresa are Justin Bieber & are the same fans. (comparison) Contrast (page 28) Contrast: shows how things are Mike and Matt are twins, but they have different very different interests. (contrast) Conflict the dispute or friction Jill wanted to go to the fair, but her (page 53) in a story brother wanted to go to an away game. (How will this conflict end?) Inference Inference: a meaning implied, During the night, Amira slipped out & but not stated of the tent and sat under the swaying Drawing palm trees. Conclusions (Inference: It is cooler outside.) (page 23) Drawing a Conclusion: making We lay sweating on our beds, trying to a decision about data given in catch the briefest breeze that filtered by. a text (Conclusion: It is a sweltering hot night.) Mood the feeling the story stirs Terrified, Dan ran down the dark alley (page 6) up in the reader to the main street. (Would you be frightened too?) Point of View (page 41) the way the narrator sees things First Person The narrator tells a story about I love to play the guitar. himself. 3
Unit I Summary of READING KEYS continued TERM DEFINITION EXAMPLE Second Person The narrator addresses the You must first add the dry cement to a reader. barrel of water. Third Person The story is told from ONE Peter signed up for art. He s happy Rose Limited character s point of view. did, too. Third Person The narrator knows what Lou doesn t really like Tim. But Tim Omniscient everyone is thinking, doing thinks Lou is great. and saying. Pre-Reading a system for better Survey the article. Ask yourself questions Strategy comprehension about title, headings, subheadings and (page 18) graphics. Setting the time and place of a Ten a.m. at the mall is the worst time to (page 12) story or article shop. It is so crowded. 4
Summary of TEST TAKING SKILLS (Objective Questions) 1. In this book, there is no guessing penalty. Never leave a blank. When unsure, eliminate answers you know aren t right. Then take an educated guess using the process of elimination. (page 10) 2. The directions often say to choose the best answer. It is possible that there is more than one correct answer, but only one can be the best. (page 16) 3. Read the entire question twice. Come up with the answer in your head before looking at the possible answers. This way the choices given on the test won t throw you off or trick you. (The wrong answer choices are called distracters.) (page 21) 4. Often questions that ask about specific details from the passage will refer you back to certain lines in the text. When that happens, you do need to go back and reread those lines, and usually a little bit before and after as well. (page 26) 5. When you are unsure of an answer, make a notation in the margin, and go on. Often facts in other questions will prove helpful. When done with the other questions, go back and try again. (page 30) 6. Careful reading of the question and all answers is crucial. It is very tempting to quickly answer and move on to the next question as soon as you see what seems to be a correct answer. Do that and you will fall into traps set for the unwary student. (page 38) 7. Students often mistakenly assume that objective questions are much easier than essay questions. After all, the correct answer is right there! This gives them a false sense of security. Objective tests examine your ability to read carefully and thoughtfully. Details are a crucial factor in answering this type of question. Pay attention to every detail in the question. (page 45) 8. Graphics such as pictures, charts, maps, and diagrams are important to understanding the content. It is important to consult these resources in the text when answering some objective questions. (page 51) 9. Students often ask, Should I change an answer? Usually your first choice is the right one. Change answers only if you have a good reason for doing so. (page 56) 5
Keys to Comprehension Mood The Mood of a story is the feeling the story stirs up in a reader. It is the emotions the writer wants you to feel while you are reading. For example: If you don t feel horror when reading a horror story, the story is not a success. Authors may set the mood to make the reader feel happy, angry, suspenseful, or terrified. Each of the following weave together to create the mood: plot setting characters choice of words Read the example below. On Vacation It was a rainy day at the lake. Bobby sat at the kitchen table working on a puzzle, for the fifteenth time. The room had only a flickering light from the oil lamp. No TV! No video games! No Ipod! Bobby yawned. But there was only a radio with lots of local news and scratchy music. The world s oldest Scrabble game and a Monopoly game, missing some money, sat stacked on a wooden shelf. Bobby looked up when his Mom came in. Then his face sank onto his chest. No cookies! No chips! No nothing! What mood does the story suggest? Boredom. Why? choice of words: No TV! No video games! No ipod! character: Bobby yawned; Bobby s face fell when his mom came in setting: gloomy cabin, flickering gas light plot: Bobby can t think of anything to do. 6 à As you read, look at the ways an author creates the mood through plot, setting, characters, and choice of words.
Ask Yourself: Lines 4-8: What mood is evident here? Is there a good reason for it? Lines 57-61: How do the pictures on page 7 support the events reported here? Lines 67-69: How has the author s mood changed from lines 4-8? Lines 75-81: How does reality affect the mood of the letter yet again? The Christmas Truce Christmas Day 1914 by Aaron Shepard British and German troops in No Man s Land, from the British Imperial War Museum Collection. My dear sister Janet, 5 It is 2:00 in the morning and most of our men are asleep in their dugouts yet I could not sleep myself before writing to you of the wonderful events of Christmas Eve. As I wrote previously, there has been little serious combat of late because the first battles of the war left so many casualties, depleting both the British and the German armies. Both sides have retrenched, anxiously awaiting replacements to arrive from home. The morale of the men sinks lower and lower as we hunker down in our trenches and wait for what, we know not. 7
10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 But how harrowing the waiting has been knowing that any moment an artillery shell might land and explode beside us in the trench. The daylight hours are just as scary, since we dare not lift our heads above ground for fear of a sniper s bullet. And the rain, our constant companion, has fallen almost daily forming a field of mud. Luckily, just yesterday morning Christmas Eve Day we had our first good freeze. Cold as we were, we welcomed it because the mud froze solid making it easier for us to move around. In addition, everything was tinged white with frost, glittering in the brilliant sunshine, ideal Christmas weather. With the changes in the weather the soldiers spirits took an upward turn. During the day, there was only sporadic shelling or rifle fire from either side. And as darkness fell on our Christmas Eve, the shooting stopped entirely our first complete silence in months! We hoped it might promise a peaceful holiday, but we didn t count on it. I flung myself onto the cot in the dugout, relieved by the quiet around me. I had just drifted into a light slumber when suddenly, my friend John was shaking me awake, saying, Come and see! See what the Germans are doing! Puzzled, I grabbed my rifle, stumbled out into the trench and cautiously peered out through the corner of one of the sandbags. Clusters of lights shone all along the German line, left and right as far as the eye could see. The light reflected on the icy span of No Man s Land and the world seemed a different phenomenon, a silent, glistening marvel. What is it? I asked in bewilderment, and John answered, Christmas Trees! And so it was. The Germans had placed Christmas trees in front of their trenches with candles or lanterns adorning the branches like beacons of good will. And then we heard their voices raised in song, Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht Silent Night, Holy Night. When the song finished, the men in our trenches applauded. Then one of our own men started singing. We all joined in and soon the night was reverberating with Christmas music. The First Noel, the angels did say Be assured we did not sound nearly as good as the Germans; their voices blended in superior harmonies. But they responded with enthusiastic applause of their own and then began another, O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum Then we replied with a rendition of, O, Come All Ye Faithful This time the voices of adversaries blended together as the British and the Germans sang the same words in Latin, Adeste Fideles British and German voices harmonizing across No Man s Land! I would have thought nothing could be more astonishing. However, what came next was even more astounding. English, come over! we heard one of them shout. You not shoot, we not shoot. There in the trenches we looked at each other perplexed. A loud voice rang out from our side and shouted jokingly, You come over here, first. To our astonishment, we saw two figures rise from the trench, climb over the barbed wire, and advance unprotected across No Man s Land. One of them called over, Send officer to talk. I saw one of our men lift his rifle to the ready, and no doubt others did the same, when our captain called out, Hold your fire. He climbed out of the trench and went to meet the Germans halfway. There they stood, in the middle of No Man s Land talking 8
55 60 65 70 75 80 amiably as if they had met on a street corner. A few minutes later, the captain came back with a German cigar in his mouth! We ve agreed to start a cease fire that will last until midnight tomorrow, he announced. However, sentries are to remain on duty and the rest of you stay alert. Moments later groups of two or three scrambled out of the trenches on the opposite side and came unhesitatingly toward us. Then some of our soldiers were climbing out of our trenches. In minutes more, there we were congregated in No Man s Land, where over a hundred officers and soldiers of each side shook hands with men they had been trying to destroy just hours earlier. Even those who could not converse could still exchange gifts. We swopped our cigarettes for their cigars, our tea for their coffee, our corned beef for their sausage. Badges and buttons from uniforms changed owners, and one of our lads walked off with the infamous spiked helmet! I, myself, traded a jackknife for a leather equipment belt a fine souvenir to show when I get home. As it grew late, a few more songs were traded and all joined in for I am not lying to you Auld Lang Syne. Then we parted with promises to meet tomorrow, and even some talk of a football match. I was just starting back to the trenches when an older German clutched my arm. My God, he said, why cannot we have peace and all go home? I told him gently, That you must ask your emperor. He looked at me then, searchingly and said, Perhaps, my friend. But also we must ask our hearts. And so, dear sister, tell me, has there ever been such a Christmas Eve in all history? And what does this all mean, this impossible befriending of enemies? For the fighting here, of course, it means regrettably little. Decent fellows those soldiers may be, but they follow orders and we do the same. Besides, we are here to stop their army and send it home, and never could we shirk that duty. All nations say they want peace. Yet on this Christmas morning, I wonder if we want it quite enough? Your loving brother, Tom 85 90 The Christmas Truce of 1914 is certainly one of the most remarkable incidents of World War I and perhaps of all military history. The truce covered as much as two-thirds of the British-German front. It grew out of no single initiative but sprang up in each place spontaneously and independently. There have been those convinced it never happened that the whole thing was made up. However, the truce made headlines for weeks in British newspapers with published letters and photos from soldiers at the front. They depicted British and German soldiers crowded together, their caps and helmets exchanged, smiling for the camera. My fictional letter is drawn from these accounts. 9
Tips for Answering the Objective Question In this book, there is no guessing penalty. Never leave a blank. When unsure, eliminate answers you know aren t right. Then take an educated guess using the process of elimination. Circle the letter next to the correct answer. 1. This document is primarily about: a. an established custom of war. b. an odd occurrence in time of war. c. a bungled attempt to end a war. d. a gentlemanly way to conduct a war. 2. Which statement best expresses the writer s view of the war? a. He does not reveal his thoughts on the war. b. He is resigned to the continuation of the war. c. He admires our commitment to the war. d. He hates having to take part in the war. 3. According to this account, what effect did the German s singing of Silent Night have on the British soldiers? a. It brought back memories of home. b. It lessened some of the tension. c. It made them understand the German s faith. d. It made them realize the Germans were friendly. 4. Read this sentence from lines 33-34 of the letter. We all joined in and soon the night was reverberating with Christmas music. The word reverberating most closely means: a. interrupted. b. bellowing. c. echoing. d. bright. 5. How does the information on lines 29 through 31 set the change in the course of the letter? a. It depicts the Germans as a religious people. b. It suggests that a lighter mood will follow. c. It acknowledges the connection between countries. d. It clarifies the role of the soldiers. 10 Aligned CCLS: (1) RL.8.2; (2) RL.8.6; (3) RL.8.3; (4) RL.8.4; (5) RL.8.3
6. Part A. What effect does the author expect the Christmas events to have on the rest of the war? a. The soldiers will be less willing to kill one another. b. The truce will continue for a few days after Christmas. c. The Germans will retreat from this stand-off. d. It will have no effect. 6. Part B. Which line from the story best supports your answer? a. Decent fellows those soldiers may be, (lines 77-78) b. My God, he said, why cannot we have peace and all go home? (line 71) c. For the fighting here, of course, it means regrettably little. (line 77) d. And what does this all mean, this impossible befriending of enemies? (line 76) 7. Carefully reread the following conversation from lines 70 through 74 of the letter. I was just starting back to the trenches when an older German clutched my arm. My God, he said, why cannot we have peace and all go home? I told him gently, That you must ask your emperor. He looked at me then, searchingly and said, Perhaps, my friend. But also we must ask our hearts. Why does the German say that they should also ask our hearts? a. He thinks man must not just follow orders blindly. b. He suggests that he agrees with the British cause. c. He believes that killing goes against religion. d. He wonders how this war started in the first place. 8. Part A. What evidence supports the truthfulness of the events described in this letter? a. the commander s report b. other firsthand accounts c. the change in German attitude d. the British victory 8. Part B. The statement that best describes this evidence is: a. A few minutes later, the captain came back with a German cigar in his mouth! (lines 53-54) b., the truce made headlines for weeks in British newspapers with published letters and photos from soldiers at the front. (lines 90-92) c. And as darkness fell on our Christmas Eve, the shooting stopped entirely... (lines 18-19) d. is certainly one of the most remarkable incidents of World War I (lines 84-85) Aligned CCLS: (6) RL.8.6; RL.8.1; (7) RL.8.4; (8) RL.8.1; RL.8.1 11
The High Road to Common Core Language Arts Unit II Writing 59
About Unit II Writing 60 In Unit II of this book, you will need to write answers to questions about the articles and stories you read. All questions are based on the material in the selection. You will need to read carefully. All questions require you to return to the passage for evidence to support your answer. This tells you to find information in the article or story to prove your answer is correct. Use the information in the passage but state it in your own words. If you sometimes need to quote the exact words the author has used, remember to use quotation marks to show this. Some questions have more than one part. Be sure to answer all parts of the question. There are two kinds of questions in Unit II. The Short Constructed-Response Question (Short C-R) The Short C-R Question can be answered in one well-written paragraph. It requires you to show evidence from the passage to support your answer. These guides help you answer the Short C-R Question: How to Answer the Short C-R Question (page 61) a step-by-step method to answer this kind of question. Tips for the Short C-R (page 62) how to avoid the mistakes many students make. The Extended Constructed-Response Question (Extended C-R) The Extended C-R Question asks you to write a longer response. It also requires you to show evidence from the passage to support your answer. These guides help you answer the Extended C-R Question: How to Answer the Extended C-R Question (page 68) how to write a good response. Tips for the Extended C-R (page 69) how to avoid the mistakes many students make. Prewriting Graphic Organizer (ie: see page 75) guide to taking notes and organizing your writing. Sharpen your Writing Skills (ie: see page 78) skills to improve your first draft. Revise and Edit Chart (ie: see page 79) guide to check your completed response. Use all these helpers to build and polish your writing skills!
How to Answer the SHORT CONSTRUCTED-RESPONSE (Short C-R) Question The Short C-R question can be answered in one good paragraph. Just follow the R.A.C.E. (Read, Answer, Cite, Explain) guide below. Example: Read this question: How do elephants demonstrate loyalty and concern for one another? Use evidence from the story to support your answer. R.A.C.E Steps: What to Do: Student writes: Read Answer Read the question carefully. You have to fully understand the question before you can answer it. Underline the key words to help. Turn the words of the question into a sentence that answers the question. Underline the key words: elephants, demonstrate loyalty, and concern Elephants loyalty and concern for each other is evident in their treatment of those requiring assistance. Cite (show proof) Explain Return to the story. Find evidence (facts or details) that supports your answer. Write the evidence in your own words, or if necessary, use short quotes. Explain your answer more fully. Connect it to what you want to prove. Evidence from the selection might include: They help young members stay afloat when the herd crosses a river. Sick members are not left behind; instead the whole herd stops and waits for its recovery. A wounded member walks between two others who support it with their bodies. In times of need, the entire herd bands together to help. The student s total answer is: Elephants loyalty and concern for each other is evident in their treatment of those requiring assistance. They help young members stay afloat when the herd crosses a river. Sick members are not left behind; instead the whole herd stops and waits for its recovery. A wounded member walks between two others who support it with their bodies. In times of need, the entire herd bands together to help. 61
Tips for the SHORT CONSTRUCTED-RESPONSE (Short C-R) When answering the Short C-R question, many students do not read carefully. And they don t follow the exact directions given. MISTAKES TO AVOID (Do s and Don ts for the Short C-R) DON T: 1. Don t write a good answer to the wrong question. 2. Don t trust your memory to remember important facts or details. 3. Don t write too much! 4. Don t skip parts of the question. DO: 1. What is the question? Look for the Key Words. Are you asked to describe, explain, or compare? 2. Go back to the passage for the information. Add evidence to support your answer. 3. A short constructed-response is supposed to be short. It should be answered in one good paragraph. Make sure each sentence connects to the main idea. Answer only what the question asks. 4. How many parts are there to the question? Answer them all! Always Check: Reread the question and your answer. Did you fully answer the question? 62
King Arthur and the Knights of The Round Table King Arthur standing at his throne as Joseph of Arimathea leads Sir Galahad to the Seat Perilous at The Round Table, by Edward Austin Abbey. 5 A legend is a story that grows around a historical person. There was indeed a very brave king of England named Arthur who is first mentioned in 600 A.D. The many stories about him combine elements of fact and magic that has given rise to a legend. Yet who is to say? Perhaps there is magic in the air even today. There are many interpretations of the legend that may be quite different from this one. Stories modeled on the Arthurian legend have been popular throughout the centuries. For example, in our time, the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was based on King Arthur s story. 10 15 20 25 The Young Arthur Merlin was a wizard at the royal castle, Pendragon, home of King Uther and Queen Igraine. When their son, Arthur, was born, Merlin announced that he had seen signs revealing that this child would be the greatest king of all. However, soon after Arthur was born, his parents died, leaving the entire land in a precarious state. Several mighty rulers colluded and decided to murder Arthur leaving no rightful heir to the throne. Having removed the legitimate ruler, they would battle among themselves to see who would become the next overlord. Merlin learned of the plot, disguised himself, kidnapped the child, and fled to Sir Ector s castle. Sir Ector raised Arthur and his own son, Kay, in the same manner as other noble boys of medieval times. One day when Arthur was fifteen, seemingly out of nowhere, Merlin the wizard, appeared again, and commanded everyone in London to assemble in London Square. Before all the witnesses, he plunged a brilliantly shining sword halfway into a solid rock. The sword, which was the symbol of responsibility and power had emblazoned on its blade the words, Who so pulleth this sword from the stone is the rightful King of England. Many tried, but no one succeeded in dislodging the sword. 63
30 35 40 45 Shortly thereafter, Sir Ector, Sir Kay, and Arthur arrived in London to take part in a tournament. Kay was a famous jouster. During a fierce encounter, his sword splintered, and he told Arthur to rush back to camp and bring him a replacement. Arthur hastened to do Kay s bidding, but as he approached London Square he came upon a gleaming sword embedded in stone. Thinking it the most expedient thing to do, Arthur easily slid the sword from the stone and galloped back to the tournament grounds. Kay rushed onto the field again, defeating one challenger after the other. When the day was over, the knights recognized the sword Sir Kay held. They all rushed to the stone and each knight dropped on one knee to honor Sir Kay, the King of England. Merlin s voice boomed over the crowd, If you pulled it out once, you are able to do so at will. Return the sword to the stone and free it again. The sword slipped in easily. Kay held onto his hope of deception but to no avail. The sword did not budge, would not respond to his strength. Merlin summoned Arthur to the stone saying, Watch now, as Arthur, son of Uther Pendragon and England s rightful king withdraws the sword from the stone. As the sword smoothly slid from its hold, the crowd hailed Arthur as King! The Knights of The Round Table Although many minor kings had fought endlessly to attain the status of overlord, none had succeeded. Without a leader, England had fallen into decay and Arthur saw before him ruined fields, deserted homes, and miserable people. King Arthur immediately set about to remedy this building roads, helping farmers and ridding the land of outlaws. He built a grand castle in Camelot, where he set up the The Oath of Knighthood, by Edward Austin Abbey. 64
50 55 60 65 base of his government. At that time he married Guinevere, whose father gave them an imposing Round Table as a wedding gift. Arthur called for all worthy knights to come to Camelot to compete for the status of a Knight of The Round Table. The following requirements had to be met: the knight had to prove he was of noble birth; he had to show evidence that he had performed heroic deeds; and he had to vow to defend his fellow knights. In addition, the knight had to pledge, at the risk of his own life, to defend women and children from all harm. This commitment defined the code of chivalry Honor, Honesty, Valor, and Loyalty. With these credentials, a knight would become part of the inner circle. The shape of the table served two purposes. There could be no head of the table, and all participants, including Arthur, carried equal authority. Secondly, there was no order of importance among the knights seated around the table. King Arthur showed outstanding leadership in battle, leading the Knights of the Round Table and their armies to defeat the Saxon invaders, who were slowly but surely taking over the country. The Saxons finally met their defeat at the Battle of Badon, leaving England an unthreatened country, under Arthur s rule. Not only did the Knights of The Round Table fight with Arthur in battle, they accomplished astounding feats of their own. They slew dragons, rescued maidens in distress, defended the helpless, and overcame evil wherever they came upon it. Knights receiving a blessing, by Edward Austin Abbey. 65
Short Constructed-Response Questions 1. Discuss two times that Merlin stepped in to insure Arthur s future role in history. Why was this necessary? Use evidence from the text to support your answer. 2. What does the description of the jousting competition illustrate about the character of Kay? Use evidence from the text to support your answer. Aligned CCLS: (1) RL.8.2; W.8.2a,b; (2) RL.8.3; W.8.2a,b 66
Short Constructed-Response Questions 3. Discuss two major problems King Arthur faced when he came to power. How did England fare under his rule? Use evidence from the text to support your answer. 4. Why was the concept of a round table a smart and effective decision? Use evidence from the text to support your answer. Aligned CCLS: (3) RL.8.3; W.8.2a,b; (4) RL.8.1; W.8.2a,b 67