CONTEMPORARY WRITERS PACKET Points: ____ / 75

Name ______Class ______Date______

PACKET #3

FEATURED WRITERS:JOYCE CAROL OATES, BRIAN DOYLE, BILL WATTERSON – FICTION / THEMES

CHECK LIST:

□_____/10Completed Study Guide

□_____/10Vocabulary Development – “Sky Blue Ball”

□_____/8Vocabulary Development – “Joyas Voladoras”

□_____/8Graphic Organizer – “Sky Blue Ball”

□_____/6Graphic Organizer – “Joyas Voladoras”

□_____/8Circular Graphic Organizer – Themes Map

□_____/25Selection Test

TURN IN THIS COMPLETED PACKET IN ON

DUE DATE:______

OBJECTIVE:Students will learn literary elements definitions and begin to apply them to reading and their own writing. Students will also read and comprehend Contemporary American writing, the basis for such writing, as well as learn and apply new vocabulary words.

Academic Standards:1.1.11ALearning to Read Independently

1.1.11EEstablish a reading vocabulary

1.1.11FUnderstand the meaning of and apply key vocabulary words

1.1.11HDemonstrate fluency and comprehension in reading

1.2.11CProduce work in a literary genre

1.3.11ARead and understand works of literature

1.3.11BAnalyze relationships, uses, and effectiveness of literary elements

1.3.11CAnalyze the effectiveness of author’s use of literary devices

1.3.11FRead and respond to nonfiction and fiction

1.3.11AWrite short stories, poems and plays

1.5.11DWrite with a command of the stylistic aspects of composition

STUDY GUIDE / INSTRUCTIONS

CONTEMPORARY WRITERS:JOYCE CAROL OATES, BRIAN DOYLE, BILL WATTERSON – FICTION WRITERS / THEMES

►LIST THE TITLES OF THE PIECES WRITTEN BY THE AUTHORS:

1. Joyce Carol Oates wrote______

2. Brian Doyle wrote______

3. Bill Watterson wrote______

►VOCABULARY:

spherical______

resilient______

volition______

intransigent______

insurmountable______

elephantine______

infinitesimal______

mitochondria______

aneurysms______

►LITERARY ELEMENTS:

theme______

►READING:“The Sky Blue Ball” – page 1254

“Joyas Voladoras” – page 1259

“Calvin & Hobbes” – page 1264

Vocabulary DevelopmentSkill Builder

The Sky Blue Ball Joyce Carol Oates

Activity 1: Exploring Deeper Meanings

Choose the statement that provides an accurate example of the meaning of each vocabulary word.

1.insurmountable

A)The huge numbers of marching ants overwhelmed the termite nest.

B)The nest of hornets was large, but we removed it.

2.intransigent

A)His mother’s rules were absolutely inflexible.

B)His mother’s rules changed according to the situation.

3.resilient

A)The palm trees snapped in the hurricane’s gale.

B)The aspen trees rebounded against the strong breeze.

4.spherical

A)Maria studied the marble’s interior colors with a magnifying glass.

B)Maria studied the triangular gem with a magnifying glass.

5.volition

A)She wrote occasionally, whenever the spirit moved her, and whenever nothing more interesting was going on.

B)She wrote for two hours every morning without fail, no matter what else was going on.

Activity 2: Changing Contexts

Each vocabulary word from “The Sky Blue Ball” is used at least once in the following paragraph. Fill in each word where it best fits the context.

Example The insurmountable mountain caused Pedro to give up his quest.

insurmountable / intransigent / resilient
volition / spherical

The frozen society of Alpha-9 was bleak. The atmosphere was poisonous, and icy mudslides forced everyone to mount their huge, (6) ______buildings on stilts, looking like giant raised bubbles floating above the muck. The laws of the closed society were completely (7) ______, and the penalties for disobeying the rules were severe. Even worse than the laws were the customs. Under the strictly-enforced norms of behavior, anyone who acted with (8) ______was instantly outcast. Even the most cheerful,
(9) ______soul was sure to wilt under the weight of tedium on this remote outpost of Earth. It was into this world of rigid, utterly (10) ______conformity that the most remarkable, original thinker in the history of humanity was born.

Unit 6: Collection 16

Vocabulary DevelopmentSkill Builder

“Joyas Voladoras” Brian Doyle

Activity 1: Exploring Deeper Meanings

Choose the statement that provides an accurate example of the meaning of each vocabulary word.

1.aneurysms

A)The swollen wall of the bulge in the aorta was like a ticking time bomb.

B)The weakened heart muscle was rehabilitated with cardiovascular exercise.

2.elephantine

A)The tall, skinny man squeezed into a space next to the stage and stood still for two hours.

B)The 300-pound man was like a bull in a china shop as he blundered through the room.

3.infinitesimal

A)Most of our cells are too small to be seen clearly without a magnifying tool.

B)The largest bone in your body is the femur, or the thigh bone.

4.mitochondria

A)Small organisms invade cells in order to reproduce.

B)Small organisms act like little engines inside cells.

Activity 2: Changing Contexts

Each vocabulary word from “Joyas Voladoras” is used at least once in the following paragraph. Fill in each word where it best fits the context.

Example The chances of winning the lottery are infinitesimal.

aneurysms / elephantine / infinitesimal / mitochondria

Often called “cellular power plants,” (5) ______are found in the cells of almost all living things, from the largest, most (6) ______animals to the smallest, most (7) ______single-celled organisms. Their origins are controversial, and no one knows exactly where they came from. They may have been symbiotic bacteria that simply merged into cells sometime in the distant past. Their importance is only now beginning to be understood. For example, it is possible that a malfunction in these cellular powerhouses may play a part in potentially fatal
(8) ______in people’s large blood vessels, such as the aorta.

Selection Reading FocusGraphic Organizer

“Joyas Voladoras” Brian Doyle

Analyzing Patterns of Organization As you read, use the table below to catalog the objects that Doyle discusses in his essay. Note the facts and objects by paragraph.

After You Read Now, fill in the second box in each row to explain how those catalogued facts and objects affected your reading of the essay.

Collection 16Student Edition pages 1251–1265

Graphic Organizeridentifying themes across genres

The Sky Blue Ball / “Joyas Voladoras” / Calvin and Hobbes

Themes Across Genres Map Some themes are so universal that they are explored through different genres. Short stories, poetry, nonfiction, novels, and even cartoons explore the questions of Who am I? and What is the meaning of life? and What does it mean to be human?

Think about the three selections. Fill in the outer circles with notes about the theme of the selection. Around the outside of each outer circle, you can jot notes about images, language, and details in the selections. In the center circle, write a theme that is common to all three selections.

Unit 6: Collection 16

Selection Reading FocusGraphic Organizer

The Sky Blue Ball Joyce Carol Oates

Reading Focus: Interpreting Details As you read, use the chart below to record the images and details that stand out to you, and explain what those details tell you about the character or her situation. Think about what they may symbolize in the story.

After You Read Now that you have finished reading, review your chart. Then, write a brief paragraph on how Oates carefully chooses details to give symbolic meaning to the story.

______

Unit 6: Collection 16

Selection TestReading and Literature

The Sky Blue Ball Joyce Carol Oates
“Joyas Voladoras” Brian Doyle
Calvin and Hobbes Bill Watterson

Comprehension Circle the letter of the best answer to each of the following items.

1.The tone of “The Sky Blue Ball” is—

1Unit 6 Resources

Name ______Class ______Date______

A)calm

B)menacing

C)somber

D)thoughtful

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Name ______Class ______Date______

2.After reading the first paragraph of “The Sky Blue Ball,” the reader is immediately pulled into the story by—

A)suspense over plot developments

B)the happy mood the reader feels

C)detailed characterization

D)the weirdly unique writing style

3.The first-person narrator of “The Sky Blue Ball” is motivated by—

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A)self-satisfaction

B)duty

C)self-discovery

D)love

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4.Which vocabulary word best expresses the theme of “The Sky Blue Ball”?

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A)resilient

B)spherical

C)insurmountable

D)volition

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5.The metaphoric importance of our own hearts in “Joyas Voladoras” is that—

A)they are highly vulnerable to human emotion

B)they all will beat about the same number of times

C)they have four chambers, like other mammals

D)they keep beating, without stopping, all our lives

6.The comparison between the size of a hummingbird’s heart and a blue whale’s heart in “Joyas Voladoras” is meant to emphasize that—

A)the world of living things includes an awesome variety

B)lifetimes are measured in numbers of heartbeats, not size of hearts

C)a blue whale lives many more years than a hummingbird

D)the largest heart of all is found in a mammal, not a bird

Unit 6: Collection 16, Selection Test continued

7.The four simple panels of the “Calvin and Hobbes” cartoon use one square of a sidewalk as a metaphor for—

1Unit 6 Resources

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A)the many decisions we must make in our lives

B)life and our passing through it

C)the many questions we have about the origins of life

D)the brevity of childhood as opposed to maturity

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8.The characters in “Calvin and Hobbes” are frozen in place by the questions posed in the third panel of the cartoon because—

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A)the questions have completely confused them

B)they are waiting for an outside source to answer the questions

C)the questions about the purpose of life are so overwhelming

D)they are afraid to step out of the sidewalk square

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Vocabulary Development Match the definitions in the left column with the correct word in the right column. Write the letter of the word on the line next to the definition. Not all words will be used.

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_____9.indefinitely or exceedingly small

_____10.able to return to original form after being bent, compressed, or stretched

_____11.huge, ponderous, or clumsy

_____12.uncompromising

_____13.conscious choice, will, or determination

A)volition

B)elephantine

C)infinitesimal

D)insurmountable

E)intransigent

F)mitochondria

G)resilient

1Unit 6 Resources

Name ______Class ______Date______

Literary Focus Circle the letter of the best answer to each of the following items.

14.The wall in “The Sky Blue Ball” is symbolic. It might represent—

A)the hope most people harbor for the future

B)the troubles experienced in the past

C)the barrier to communication with others

D)the ever-present weight of authority and convention

1Unit 6 Resources

Name ______Class ______Date______

15. In “The Sky Blue Ball,” the ball also symbolizes several things. For example,
it is a symbol of—

A)the narrator’s school

B)the narrator’s father

C)the narrator’s childhood

D)the town of Strykersville

16.How does the catalog structure of “Joyas Voladoras” affect its theme?

A)Hummingbirds and whales compare to other animals in an interesting way.

B)The lifespans and heart sizes lead naturally to comparisons with insect life.

C)Each creature’s heart compares to the human heart in terms of structure.

D)The emotional vulnerability of a human heart makes it “largest” of all.

Reading Focus Circle the letter of the best answer to each of the following items.

17.Which image from “The Sky Blue Ball” gives the reader a sense of the narrator’s self-image in the first half of the story?

A)“A game, I thought. You can’t quit a game.”

B)“. . . I’d cut my knees that were bare . . .”

C)“. . . we . . . were perceived inferior . . .”

D)“I was fourteen years old.”

18.The organization of “Joyas Voladoras” suggests that the human heart is—

A)between a hummingbird and a blue whale in size

B)largest of all because of the emotions humans feel

C)the smallest and weakest of all animal hearts

D)subject to diseases and injury that do not affect animals

19.What words from the end of “The Sky Blue Ball” reveal what has happened to the narrator’s attitude?

A)“somewhere on the other side,” “at last”

B)“stubbornly,” “heat of indignation,” “snatched it up in triumph”

C)“like my own ball,” “discovered the ball,” “faded and cracked”

D)“wall . . . insurmountable,” “no longer sky blue,” “smelled of nothing”

Constructed Response (6 points)

20.One consistent element in all three selections is the vulnerabilityof human life. Below, compare how each selection treats this subject. Use evidence from the selections to support your answer.

HINT: Be sure to use at least one specific (quoted) example from each selection. Explain how your examples show the vulnerability of human life.

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1Differentiating Instruction