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© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company Program Consultants: Kylene Beers Martha Hougen Tyrone C. Howard Elena Izquierdo Carol Jago Weston Kieschnick Erik Palmer Robert E. Probst GRADE 9 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=NL-A
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company • Image Credits: (tl) ©Lester Laminack; (tr) ©Danny Moloshok/HMH; (bl) ©Abigail Bobo/HMH; (br) ©Andres Leighton/HMH Program Consultants Kylene Beers Nationally known lecturer and author on reading and literacy; coauthor with Robert Probst of Disrupting Thinking, Notice & Note: Strategies for Close Reading, and Reading Nonfiction; former president of the National Council of Teachers of English. Dr. Beers is the author of When Kids Can’t Read: What Teachers Can Do and coeditor of Adolescent Literacy: Turning Promise into Practice, as well as articles in the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy. Former editor of Voices from the Middle, she is the 2001 recipient of NCTE’s Richard W. Halle Award, given for outstanding contributions to middle school literacy. Martha Hougen National consultant, presenter, researcher, and author. Areas of expertise include differentiating instruction for students with learning difficulties, including those with learning disabilities and dyslexia; and teacher and leader preparation improvement. Dr. Hougen has taught at the middle school through graduate levels. Dr. Hougen has supported Educator Preparation Program reforms while working at the Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk at The University of Texas at Austin and at the CEEDAR Center, University of Florida. Tyrone C. Howard Veteran teacher, author, and professor in the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA. Dr. Howard is the inaugural director of the UCLA Pritzker Center for Strengthening Children and Families, a campus-wide consortium examining academic, mental health, and social and emotional experiences and challenges for the most vulnerable youth populations. Dr. Howard has published over 75 peer-reviewed journal articles and several bestselling books, including, Why Race & Culture Matters in Schools and Black Male(d): Peril and Promise in the Education of African American Males. He is considered one of the premier experts on educational equity and access in the country. Elena Izquierdo Nationally recognized teacher educator and advocate for English language learners. Dr. Izquierdo is a linguist by training, with a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics and Bilingual Education from Georgetown University. She has served on various state and national boards working to close the achievement gaps for bilingual students and English language learners. Dr. Izquierdo is a member of the Hispanic Leadership Council, which supports Hispanic students and educators at both the state and federal levels. FM4 GRADE 9 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through "File info" CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
New School Innovation = Blended Learning that Works and co-author of The Learning Transformation: A Guide to Blended Learning for Administrators. Erik Palmer Veteran teacher and education consultant based in Denver, Colorado. Author of Well Spoken: Teaching Speaking to All Students and Digitally Speaking: How to Improve Student Presentations. His areas of focus include improving oral communication, promoting technology in classroom presentations, and updating instruction through the use of digital tools. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Colorado. Robert E. Probst Nationally respected authority on the teaching of literature; Professor Emeritus of English Education at Georgia State University. Dr. Probst’s publications include numerous articles in English Journal and Voices from the Middle, as well as professional texts including (as coeditor) Adolescent Literacy: Turning Promise into Practice and (as coauthor with Kylene Beers) Disrupting Thinking, Notice & Note: Strategies for Close Reading, and Reading Nonfiction. He has served NCTE in various leadership roles, including the Conference on English Leadership Board of Directors, the Commission on Reading, and column editor of the NCTE journal Voices from the Middle. Program Consultants FM5 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through "File info" CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
UNIT Page 1 Spark Your Learning 2 ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What does it take to survive a crisis? Against All Odds 1 KEY LEARNING OBJECTIVES • Analyze text structures • Analyze author’s perspective • Analyze arguments and rhetorical devices • Analyze literary devices • Make inferences • Analyze poetic language and structure • Analyze word choice ANALYZE & APPLY from A Chance in the World 7 Literary Nonfiction by Steve Pemberton Is Survival Selfish? mentor text 23 Argument by Lane Wallace The Leap 35 Short Story by Louise Erdrich The End and the Beginning 51 Poem by Wisława Szymborska from Night 60 Memoir by Elie Wiesel from Maus 74 Graphic Memoir by Art Spiegelman COLLABORATE & COMPARE Compare Accounts FM6 GRADE 9 © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through "File info" CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
Unit and Selection Videos Interactive Annotation and Text Analysis Selection Audio Recordings Collaborative Writing Go online for Recommendations Available online UNIT 1 READER’S CHOICE Preview the Choices 84 SHORT READS Adventurers Change. Danger Does Not. Article by Alan Cowell from An Ordinary Man Memoir by Paul Rusesabagina Who Understands Me But Me Poem by Jimmy Santiago Baca Truth at All Costs Speech by Marie Colvin from Deep Survival Informational Text by Laurence Gonzales LONG READS Night Memoir Elie Wiesel Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings Memoir Margarita Engle Bad Boy Memoir Walter Dean Myers UNIT 1 TASKS WRITING Write an Argument 86 SPEAKING & LISTENING Present and Respond to an Argument 95 REFLECT & EXTEND 97 Contents FM7 © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company • Image Credits: (l) ©Sputnik/Alamy; (c) ©art4all/Shutterstock; (r) ©Maskot Images/Media Bakery DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through "File info" CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
COLLABORATE & COMPARE UNIT Compare Source and Interpretation Compare Across Genres Spark Your Learning 100 ESSENTIAL QUESTION: Are some differences too great to overcome? Page 98 Breaking Through Barriers 2 KEY LEARNING OBJECTIVES • Analyze central ideas and details • Analyze text structures • Analyze author’s purpose, message, and rhetoric • Analyze voice and tone • Analyze setting and theme • Analyze figurative language • Analyze media representations ANALYZE & APPLY The Power of a Dinner Table 105 Editorial by David Brooks Unusual Normality mentor text 115 Personal Narrative by Ishmael Beah Once Upon a Time 131 Short Story by Nadine Gordimer Theme for English B 145 Poem by Langston Hughes The Vietnam Wall 154 Poem by Alberto Ríos Views of the Wall 159 Visual Essay The Gettysburg Address 168 Speech by Abraham Lincoln from Saving Lincoln 177 Film Clip FM8 GRADE 9 © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through "File info" CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
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UNIT COLLABORATE & COMPARE Compare Accounts ESSENTIAL QUESTION: Who suffers when a crime is committed? Page 194 Crime Scenes 3 Spark Your Learning 196 Bully 261 Podcast from Radiotopia/PRX Unsolved “Vigilante” Murder in the Heartland 267 News Article by C. M . Frankie KEY LEARNING OBJECTIVES • Analyze universal themes • Analyze main idea and details • Summarize and paraphrase texts • Make inferences • Analyze literary techniques • Analyze media messages • Build active listening skills ANALYZE & APPLY Entwined 201 Short Story by Brian Tobin Why Are We Obsessed with True Crime? mentor text 221 Informational Text by Laura Hensley from The 57 Bus 233 Literary Nonfiction by Dashka Slater Gift-Wrapped Fathers 253 Poem by Eduardo (Echo) Martinez FM10 GRADE 9 © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through "File info" CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
Unit and Selection Videos Interactive Annotation and Text Analysis Selection Audio Recordings Collaborative Writing Go online for LONG READS UNIT 3 READER’S CHOICE Preview the Choices 278 SHORT READS Lamb to the Slaughter Short Story by Roald Dahl My Afterlife on the Body Farm Informational Text by Fawn Fitter The Crime of My Life Short Story by Gregg Olsen Why Aren’t Police Solving More Murders with Genealogy Websites? Science Writing by Adam Janos Prometheus Bound Graphic Story adapted from Aeschylus by Ellis Rosen In Cold Blood Nonfiction Truman Capote Murder on the Orient Express Mystery Agatha Christie We’ll Fly Away Novel Bryan Bliss UNIT 3 TASKS WRITING Write an Informative Essay 280 SPEAKING & LISTENING Create a Podcast 289 REFLECT & EXTEND 291 Available online Recommendations Contents FM11 © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company • Image Credits: (l) ©L.Siekier/Shutterstock; (c) ©mediacolor’s/Alamy; (r) ©Roman023_photography/Shutterstock DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through "File info" CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
UNIT KEY LEARNING OBJECTIVES • Analyze literary devices • Analyze parallel plots • Analyze source material • Compare authors’ claims • Analyze rhetoric Spark Your Learning 294 ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How can love bring both joy and pain? Page 292 Love and Loss 4 COLLABORATE & COMPARE Available online Compare Source and Adaptation Compare Arguments More than Reckless Teenagers mentor text 420 Literary Analysis by Caitlin Smith Romeo Is a Dirtbag 424 Literary Analysis by Lois Leveen Pyramus and Thisbe from Metamorphoses Myth by Ovid from The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet Drama by William Shakespeare ANALYZE & APPLY Shakespearean Drama 296 The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet 305 Drama by William Shakespeare My Shakespeare 411 Video and Poem by Kae Tempest FM12 GRADE 9 © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through "File info" CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
Unit and Selection Videos Interactive Annotation and Text Analysis Selection Audio Recordings Collaborative Writing Go online for Available online LONG READS UNIT 4 READER’S CHOICE Preview the Choices 434 SHORT READS Sorry for Your Loss Short Story by Lisa Rubenson The Price of Freedom Personal Essay by Noreen Riols The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant Short Story by W. D. Wetherell Sonnet 71 Sonnet by Pablo Neruda from Why Love Literally Hurts Science Writing by Eric Jaffe Romiette and Julio Novel Sharon Draper The Fault in Our Stars Novel John Greene Solo Novel in Verse Kwame Alexander UNIT 4 TASKS WRITING Write a Literary Analysis 436 REFLECT & EXTEND 445 Recommendations Contents FM13 © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company • Image Credits: (l) ©Hill Street Studios/DigitalVision/Getty Images; (c) ©aslysun/Shutterstock; (r) ©Tony Wood/Alamy DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through "File info" CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
UNIT COLLABORATE & COMPARE ESSENTIAL QUESTION: Can each of us find freedom? Page 446 Freedom at All Costs 5 Spark Your Learning 448 from Reading Lolita in Tehran 506 Memoir by Azar Nafisi from Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return 516 Graphic Memoir by Marjane Satrapi Compare Treatments of a Topic ANALYZE & APPLY Harrison Bergeron 453 Short Story by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. I Have a Dream 467 Speech by Martin Luther King Jr. from Interview with John Lewis 479 Podcast from National Public Radio from Hidden Figures mentor text 485 History Writing by Margot Lee Shetterly Booker T. and W.E.B. 497 Poem by Dudley Randall KEY LEARNING OBJECTIVES • Analyze irony and satire • Analyze arguments and rhetorical devices • Analyze author’s purpose and point of view • Analyze text structures • Analyze word choice and poetic language • Analyze narrator perspective • Analyze accounts in different mediums FM14 GRADE 9 © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through "File info" CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
Unit and Selection Videos Interactive Annotation and Text Analysis Selection Audio Recordings Collaborative Writing Go online for Available online LONG READS UNIT 5 READER’S CHOICE Preview the Choices 522 SHORT READS We Wear the Mask Poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses Short Story by Bessie Head Reforming the World from America’s Women History Writing by Gail Collins from Long Walk to Freedom Memoir by Nelson Mandela Eulogy for Martin Luther King Jr. Speech by Robert F. Kennedy Long Walk to Freedom Memoir Nelson Mandela Goodbye, Vietnam Novel Gloria Whelan March Graphic Memoir John Lewis UNIT 5 TASKS WRITING Write a Research Report 524 REFLECT & EXTEND 533 Recommendations Contents FM15 © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company • Image Credits: (l) ©Media24/Gallo Images/Hulton Archive/Getty Images; (c) ©ITPhoto/Alamy; (r) ©Francis Miller/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through "File info" CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
UNIT ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What drives us to take on a challenge? Page 534 Epic Journeys 6 Spark Your Learning 536 from The Cruelest Journey: 600 Miles to Timbuktu 582 Travel Writing by Kira Salak The Journey 597 Poem by Mary Oliver COLLABORATE & COMPARE ANALYZE & APPLY The Epic 538 from The Odyssey 545 Epic Poem by Homer, translated by Robert Fitzgerald Book 1: A Goddess Intervenes Book 9: New Coasts and Poseidon’s Son Book 12: Sea Perils and Defeat Archaeology’s Tech Revolution mentor text 569 Informational Text by Jeremy Hsu Compare Messages Across Genres KEY LEARNING OBJECTIVES • Analyze epic hero and epic poetry • Make predictions • Analyze central ideas and events • Evaluate graphic features • Interpret figurative language FM16 GRADE 9 © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through "File info" CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
Unit and Selection Videos Interactive Annotation and Text Analysis Selection Audio Recordings Collaborative Writing Go online for Recommendations LONG READS UNIT 6 READER’S CHOICE Preview the Choices 604 SHORT READS from The Odyssey Epic Poem by Homer, translated by Robert Fitzgerald Book 9: New Coasts and Poseidon’s Son Book 17: The Beggar at the Manor Book 10: The Grace of the Witch Book 21: The Test of the Bow Book 11: A Gathering of Shades Book 22: Death in the Great Hall Book 12: Sea Perils and Defeat Book 23: The Trunk of the Olive Tree Siren Song Poem by Margaret Atwood from The Odyssey: A Dramatic Retelling of Homer’s Epic Drama by Simon Armitage Ilse, Who Saw Clearly Short Story by E. Lily Yu The Real Reasons We Explore Space Argument by Michael Griffin The Thief Novel Megan Whalen Turner Finding Miracles Novel Julia Alvarez The Marrow Thieves Science Fiction Cheri Dimaline UNIT 6 TASKS WRITING Write an Expository Essay 606 SPEAKING & LISTENING Participate in a Collaborative Discussion 615 REFLECT & EXTEND 617 Available online Contents FM17 © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company • Image Credits: (l) ©Amir Bajrich/Adobe Stock; (c) ©judywatt/iStock/ Getty Images; (r) ©Michelle Gilders/Alamy DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through "File info" CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company FICTION Short Story The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant _______________________ online W.D. Wetherell The Crime of My Life ____________ online Gregg Olsen Entwined _____________________________ 201 Brian Tobin Harrison Bergeron __________________ 453 Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Ilse, Who Saw Clearly ___________ online E. Lily Yu Lamb to the Slaughter __________ online Roald Dahl The Leap _______________________________ 35 Louise Erdrich Night Calls ________________________ online Lisa Fugard Once Upon a Time __________________ 131 Nadine Gordimer The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses _____________________________ online Bessie Head Sorry for Your Loss ______________ online Lisa Rubenson NONFICTION Argument Is Survival Selfish? __________________ 23 Lane Wallace More than Reckless Teenagers ___ 420 Caitlin Smith literary analysis The Power of a Dinner Table _____ 105 David Brooks editorial The Real Reasons We Explore Space ____________________ online Michael Griffin Romeo Is a Dirtbag _________________ 424 Lois Leveen literary analysis Autobiography/Memoir from Long Walk to Freedom ___ online Nelson Mandela from Maus _____________________________ 74 Art Spiegelman graphic memoir from Night _____________________________ 60 Elie Wiesel from An Ordinary Man __________ online Paul Rusesabagina from Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return ____________________ 516 Marjane Satrapi graphic memoir from Reading Lolita in Tehran ____ 506 Azar Nafisi Unusual Normality _________________ 115 Ishmael Beah Informational Text Adventurers Change. Danger Does Not. ________________ online Alan Cowell article Archaeology’s Tech Revolution ___________________________ 569 Jeremy Hsu from Deep Survival _______________ online Laurence Gonzales from Hidden Figures ________________ 485 Margot Lee Shetterly history writing My Afterlife on the Body Farm ________________________ online Fawn Fitter Reforming the World from America’s Women __________ online Gail Collins history writing Unsolved “Vigilante” Murder in the Heartland __________ 267 C.M. Frankie news article Why Are We Obsessed with True Crime? ___________________ 221 Laura Hensley Why Aren’t Police Solving More Murders with Genealogy Websites? ____________ online Adam Janos science writing Selections by Genre FM18 GRADE 9 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through "File info" CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company from Why Love Literally Hurts _______________________________ online Eric Jaffe science writing Narrative Nonfiction from A Chance in the World _________ 7 Steve Pemberton literary nonfiction from The Cruelest Journey: 600 Miles to Timbuktu _____________ 582 Kira Salak travel writing from The 57 Bus ______________________ 233 Dashka Slater literary nonfiction The Price of Freedom ___________ online Noreen Riols personal essay Speech Eulogy for Martin Luther King Jr. ___________________ online Robert F. Kennedy The Gettysburg Address __________ 168 Abraham Lincoln I Have a Dream ______________________ 467 Martin Luther King Jr. Oklahoma Bombing Memorial Address ____________________________ online Bill Clinton Truth at All Costs ________________ online Marie Colvin POETRY Booker T. and W.E.B. _______________ 497 Dudley Randall The End and the Beginning ________ 51 Wisława Szymborska Facing It ___________________________ online Yusef Komunyakaa Gift-Wrapped Fathers ______________ 253 Eduardo (Echo) Martinez The Journey _________________________ 597 Mary Oliver My Shakespeare _____________________ 411 Kae Tempest poem from The Odyssey ___________________ 545 Homer epic poem from The Odyssey ________________ online Homer epic poem Pyramus and Thisbe ____________ online Ovid myth Siren Song _________________________ online Margaret Atwood Sonnet 71 __________________________ online Pablo Neruda sonnet Theme for English B ________________ 145 Langston Hughes The Vietnam Wall ___________________ 154 Alberto Ríos We Wear the Mask _______________ online Paul Laurence Dunbar Who Understands Me But Me _________________________ online Jimmy Santiago Baca DRAMA from The Odyssey: A Dramatic Retelling of Homer’s Epic ______________________ online Simon Armitage The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet ___________________ 305 William Shakespeare complete play from The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet ________________ online William Shakespeare excerpts MEDIA STUDY Bully ___________________________________ 261 Radiotopia/PRX podcast from Interview with John Lewis ___________________________ 479 National Public Radio podcast Making the Future Better, Together ___________________________ online Eboo Patel blog My Shakespeare _____________________ 411 Kae Tempest video Prometheus Bound ______________ online Adapted from Aeschylus by Ellis Rosen graphic story from Saving Lincoln ________________ 177 film clip Views of the Wall ___________________ 159 visual essay Selections by Genre FM19 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through "File info" CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
Tools for Today—All in One Place Whether you’re working alone or collaborating with others, it takes effort to analyze the complex texts and competing ideas that bombard us in this fast-paced world. What will help you succeed? Staying engaged and organized. The digital tools in this program will help you take charge of your learning. Quickly browse for texts and resources Find your units and lessons © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company • Image Credits: hands ©Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, tablet ©Andrew Vernon/Dreamstime Experience the Power of HMH Into Literature FM20 GRADE 9 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=NL-A
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company Engage! Spark Your Learning These activities kick-start the unit and help get you thinking about the unit theme. Engage Your Brain Before you read, take some time to do a fun activity designed to rev up your brain and connect to the text. Interact with the Texts • As you read, highlight and take notes to mark the text in your own customized way. • Use interactive graphic organizers to process, summarize, and track your thinking as you read. • Play the audio to listen to the text read aloud. You can also turn on read-along highlighting. Choices Choose from engaging activities, such as writing an advice column, creating a podcast, or participating in a debate, to demonstrate what you’ve learned. Stay Involved! Collaborate with and Learn from Your Peers • Watch brief Peer Coach Videos to learn more about a particular skill. • Flex your creative muscles by digging into Media Projects tied to each unit theme. • Bring your writing online with Writable, where you can share your work and give and receive valuable feedback. Read On! Find helpful Reader’s Choice suggestions with each unit, and access hundreds of texts online. No Wi-Fi? No Problem! With HMH Into Literature, you always have access; download when you’re online and access what you need when you’re offline. FM21 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=NL-A
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company • Image Credits: (t) ©Lester Laminack; (b) ©Heinemann; (bg) ©JurateBuiviene/Shutterstock Becoming a Better Reader NOTICE & NOTE Reading is Change: Thoughts by Two Teachers by Dr. Kylene Beers and Dr. Robert E. Probst In reading, as in almost everything else, paying attention is essential. You wouldn’t stand in the batter’s box, facing a hard-throwing pitcher, with your mind wandering to what you may have for dinner that evening. The prospect of a fastball coming toward you at 80 miles an hour tends to focus the mind. And you wouldn’t attempt to sing a difficult song in front of a large crowd with your thoughts on what you’re going to wear to the dance this weekend. The need to remember the words, keep the beat, move to the rhythm, and stay in tune keeps you focused. When something counts, you pay attention. Close attention. It’s the same with reading. Of course, if you don’t concentrate while reading, you won’t suffer the pain of being knocked down by the fastball or the embarrassment of failing to hit the notes in front of the crowd. But if you don’t pay attention as you read, there is barely any purpose in picking up the text at all. But there is a purpose in reading, and that purpose is change. We may read just to pass the time, to entertain ourselves when we have nothing to do. Or we might read simply to get information that we need. Where is tonight’s game? What are the instructions for making the brownies? What’s happening on whatever new app tells you what your friends are doing? The changes that result in these cases might be small (hopefully the brownies turned out better!), but they’re still changes. Other reading might enable us to change in much more significant ways. You might . . . • read about child labor in foreign countries and change your mind about what you will buy and what you will boycott. • read The Hate U Give, and change your thinking about race and the justice system. • read about climate change and wonder what you can do to help preserve the earth. Dr. Kylene Beers Dr. Robert E. Probst FM22 GRADE 9 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company • Image Credits: (t) ©sevenke/Shutterstock; (c) ©Alla - Din/ Shutterstock; (b) ©sheff/Shutterstock COLLABORATIVE DISCUSSION Share an example of something that has changed for you because of reading. Do you agree that the purpose of reading is to change? It’s important for us to keep in mind that it is we, the readers, who must do the changing. We don’t want to be molded, shaped, and directed entirely by others. We want to be in charge of our own lives. And so each reader has to take responsibility for noticing what’s in the text, deciding what matters, paying attention to the thoughts and feelings it has awakened, and thinking about what to do next. Not all books will be life-changing for you, and we can’t tell you which ones they will be. A book about Harriet Tubman was life-changing for one of us, while Cousteau’s The Silent World was as influential for the other. We can’t know exactly what book will be powerful for which reader. But we know that for a book to be important to you, you have to notice what the text offers, think about it, and take what matters to you into your head and heart. We urge you to pay attention to three elements as you read: • The Book. Or whatever text you have in your hand. Throughout this book, we’re going to give you some strategies that we hope will make it easy for you to think critically about what the texts tell you. • Your Head. If it’s an article you’re reading, then keep in mind what you thought about the topic before you began, and then think seriously about how you might have changed your thinking as a result of what you’ve read. If it’s a story or a poem, then think about what thoughts or feelings it brought to mind and how they might have shaped your reaction to the text. • Your Heart. Ask yourself what you want to carry away from the reading. What matters to you? How might you have shifted your attitudes about something, even if only slightly? Book. Head. Heart. We call it BHH reading. It all begins with noticing. And that noticing will be easier to do if you keep in mind a few things that you will probably see in almost any text (unless it is very short). We call these elements signposts (see the chart on the next two pages) because they serve readers just as signposts or street signs serve drivers: they alert them to something significant. The careless driver who doesn’t pay attention and misses a stop sign is likely to end up in trouble. Readers who don’t notice the signposts won’t end up in trouble, but they probably won’t be able to follow what’s going on in the text. They’ll be limiting their ability to grow, learn, and change. Reading with purpose will get you so much further, and signposts can help. Reading with purpose can help you become the person you might not even know you want to be. For more about the signposts, see the Notice & Note Handbook, pp. R7–R19. Notice & Note FM23 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company • Image Credits: (bg) ©JurateBuiviene/Shutterstock; (tl) ©Radachynskyi Serhii/Shutterstock; (tc) ©Billion Photos/Shutterstock; (tr) ©Patrick Krabeepetcharat/Shutterstock; (bl) ©ChristianChan/Shutterstock; (bc) ©Alex006007/Shutterstock; (br) ©ChristianChan/Shutterstock Signposts LITERARY TEXTS When you notice a signpost in your reading, mark the text with its initials. CONTRASTS AND CONTRADICTIONS A sharp contrast between what we would expect and what we observe the character doing; behavior that contradicts previous behavior or well-established patterns When you notice this signpost, ask: Why would the character act (feel) this way? p. R8 CC NOTICE & NOTE AHA MOMENT A sudden realization of something that shifts a character’s actions or understanding of self, others, or the world When you notice this signpost, ask: How might this change things? p. R9 AM TOUGH QUESTIONS Questions characters raise that reveal their inner struggles When you notice this signpost, ask: What does this question make me wonder about? p. R10 TQ WORDS OF THE WISER The advice or insight about life that a wiser character, who is usually older, offers to the main character When you notice this signpost, ask: What’s the life lesson and how might this affect the character? p. R11 WW AGAIN AND AGAIN Events, images, or particular words that recur over a portion of the story When you notice this signpost, ask: Why might the author bring this up again and again? p. R12 AA MEMORY MOMENT A recollection by a character that interrupts the forward progress of the story When you notice this signpost, ask: Why might this memory moment be important? p. R13 MM FM24 GRADE 9 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company • Image Credits: (tl)©Yakobchuk Vasyl/Shutterstock; (tc) ©Radachynskyi Serhii/ Shutterstock; (tr) ©aslysun/Shutterstock; (bl) ©concept w/Shutterstock; (bc) ©space_ heater/Shutterstock; (br) ©Adriana/Adobe Stock INFORMATIONAL TEXTS NUMBERS AND STATISTICS Specific quantities or comparisons to depict the amount, size, or scale; or the writer is vague and imprecise about numbers when we would expect more precision When you notice this signpost, ask: Why did the author use these numbers or amounts? p. R17 NS QUOTED WORDS Opinions or conclusions of someone who is an expert on the subject or someone who might be a participant in or a witness to an event; or the author might cite other people to provide support for a point When you notice this signpost, ask: Why was this person quoted or cited and what did this add? p. R18 QW WORD GAPS Vocabulary that is unfamiliar to the reader—for example, a word with multiple meanings, a rare or technical word, a disciplinespecific word, or one with a farremoved antecedent When you notice this signpost, ask: Do I know this word from someplace else? Does this seem like technical talk for experts on this topic? Can I find clues in the text to help me understand the word? p. R19 WG EXTREME OR ABSOLUTE LANGUAGE Language that leaves no doubt about a situation or an event, allows no compromise, or seems to exaggerate or overstate a case When you notice this signpost, ask: Why did the author use this language? p. R16 CONTRASTS AND XL CONTRADICTIONS A sharp contrast between what we would expect and what we observe happening; a difference between two or more elements in the text When you notice this signpost, ask: What is the difference, and why does it matter? p. R15 BIG QUESTIONS CC It’s important to take a Questioning Stance or attitude when you read nonfiction. • What surprised me? • What did the author think I already knew? • What changed, challenged, or confirmed what I already knew? p. R14 BQ Peer Coach Videos Notice & Note FM25 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company • Image Credits: ©Andrew Collings You have essays to turn in. You have quizzes to take. You have group projects to complete. Your success in those areas depends on more than your understanding of the academic skills they cover. It also depends on how well you understand yourself, and how well you’re able to extend that understanding to others. This might seem obvious, but there’s an actual term for that type of learning—it’s called Social and Emotional Learning. Why It Matters But doing well in school is not the only benefit to understanding yourself and others. When it comes to Social and Emotional Learning, the answer to the question, “When will I actually use this in my life?” is clear: every single day, forever. Whether you are with your family, your community, your friends, at a workplace, or by yourself on a deserted island, you will have a better chance of achieving satisfaction and making positive contributions if you’re able to do things like the following: The Most Important Subject Is You! by Carol Jago Social & Emotional Learning ✔ identify your emotions ✔ make smart choices ✔ set reasonable goals ✔ recognize your strengths ✔ have empathy ✔ manage your reactions ✔ evaluate problems and solutions ✔ show respect for others FM26 GRADE 9 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through "File info" CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company Where Literature Comes In English Language Arts classes can provide some of the best opportunities to develop these skills. That’s because reading literature allows you to imagine yourself in different worlds and to understand what it’s like to be in a wide range of situations. You can think through your own feelings and values as you read about various characters, conflicts, historical figures, and ideas, and you can become more aware of why others might act and feel as they do. Throughout this book, you will find opportunities for Social and Emotional Learning in the Choices section of many lessons. But you don’t need to wait for a special activity to practice and learn. Reading widely and discussing thoughtfully is a natural way to gain empathy and selfknowledge. The chart below shows the five main areas of Social and Emotional Learning and tells how reading can help you strengthen them. Areas of Social and Emotional Learning How Reading Can Help If you have self-awareness, you’re conscious of your own emotions, thoughts, and values, and you understand how they affect your behavior. Understanding why characters act the way they do can increase your understanding of your own responses and motivations. If you’re good at self-management, you are able to control your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in different situations. Paying attention to why characters explode in tumultuous ways or how they keep calm under pressure can help you recognize what to do and not to do when faced with stressful situations in your own life. If you have social awareness, you can empathize with others, including people who are different from you. Reading about people with different life experiences can help you understand the perspectives of others. If you have well-developed relationship skills, you can get along with different kinds of people and function well in groups. Reflecting on the conflicts between characters can help you gain insight into what causes the conflicts in your life and how to reach mutual satisfaction. If you are good at responsible decisionmaking, you make good choices that keep you and others safe and keep you moving toward your goals. Evaluating the choices characters make and thinking about what you would do in their place can help you understand the consequences of your decisions. Social & Emotional Learning FM27 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through "File info" CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company • Image Credits: (tl) ©alexandre zveiger/Adobe Stock; (tr) ©Wayhome Studio/Adobe Stock; (b) ©Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock The reason I think so is because I've So what I hear you noticed that I . . . saying is . . . Did I get that right? Having the Hard Conversations The more widely and deeply you read, the more you’ll strengthen your social and emotional skills, and the more likely you are to encounter ideas that are different from your own. Some texts might bring up strong reactions from you, and you’ll need to take a step back to understand how you’re feeling. Or, your classmates might have responses that are dramatically different from yours, and you’ll need to take a breath and decide how to engage with them. Remember: it’s okay to disagree with a text or with a peer. In fact, discussing a difference of opinion can be one of the most powerful ways to learn. Tips for Talking About Controversial Issues Listen actively. Try your best to understand what the other person is saying, and why they might think or feel that way. If you don’t understand, ask questions or rephrase what you thought you heard and ask them if you’re getting it right. Take a stand against namecalling, belittling, stereotyping, and bias. Always try exploring ideas further rather than making personal attacks. If someone feels hurt by something you said, listen to them with an open mind. Perhaps you expressed bias without realizing it. Apologize sincerely if that happens. And if you are hurt by a comment or hear something that could be interpreted as hurtful, calmly let the person who said it know why you feel that way. Communicate clearly. Speak honestly and carefully, rather than for dramatic effect. Notice if the person listening seems confused and give them room to ask questions. When you use that word I have a negative reaction because it sounds like you are saying you think that person isn't smart. I'm sorry. That's not what I meant. FM28 GRADE 9 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through "File info" CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company • Image Credits: (t) ©AJP/Shutterstock; (c) ©Wayhome Studio/Adobe Stock; (b) ©Luis Molinero/Shutterstock Agree to disagree. Even after listening carefully and being listened to, you still might not agree. That’s okay. You can acknowledge your differences, remain respectful, and exit the conversation. I need to take a break from this conversation now. We see this really differently, so let's move on for now. Learning, growing, and working with others isn’t always easy. If you read widely and deeply and try your best to speak honestly, you’re likely to gain the understanding and compassion that can help you manage the stresses, challenges, and opportunities that life brings your way. Pay attention to your feelings. Recognize the topics or situations that make it hard for you to stay calm. Try to separate your strong feelings from what the person is saying. If you need to, excuse yourself from the conversation and find a place where you can help yourself relax. Consider the relationship. It’s likely that the people you’re in class with are people you will be seeing regularly for years. You don’t have to be friends with them or agree with their point of view, but you do have to get an education alongside each other. Speaking respectfully even if you're on opposite sides of an issue will make it easier to work together if you ever have to collaborate. Try to assume the best about them rather than the worst. Acknowledge that our experiences affect our points of view. I don’t agree with you, but I understand why it looks that way from your perspective. Social & Emotional Learning FM29 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through "File info" CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company Analyze the Image What thoughts might be going through this soldier’s mind? Get hooked by the unit topic. Stream to Start Video DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company 1 UNIT “To endure what is unendurable is true endurance.” — Japanese proverb Against All Odds ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What does it take to survive a crisis? 1 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
Spark Your Learning © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company Think about the Essential Question What does it take to survive a crisis? Think about different kinds of extreme hardships people endure—for example, environmental (weather disasters), political (wars), or personal. What does it take to survive these crises? I can use it! I understand it. I’ll look it up. dimension external statistic sustain utilize Build Academic Vocabulary You can use these Academic Vocabulary words to write and talk about the topics and themes in the unit. Which of these words do you already feel comfortable using when speaking or writing? As you read, you can use the Response Log (page R1) to track your thinking about the Essential Question. Here are some opportunities to think about the topics and themes of Unit 1: Against All Odds. Make the Connection Think about the Japanese proverb on the unit introduction. The statement seems to be a contradiction. Is it? With a partner, discuss what the proverb might mean. Prove It! Imagine you are stranded on a desert island. Use the vocabulary words you know to describe your circ*mstance or what you would do to survive. 2 UNIT 1 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company • Image Credits: (tl) ©Jan H Andersen/Shutterstock; (tc) ©Cavan Images/Getty Images; (tr) ©Ray Massey/The Image Bank/Getty Images; (bl) ©Wissam Al-Okaili/AFP/Getty Images; (bc) ©Scott Barbour/Getty Images News/Getty Images from Maus Graphic Memoir by Art Spiegelman Cats and mice represent Nazis and Jews in this graphic novel about the Holocaust. from Night Memoir by Elie Wiesel A young man waits to hear whether he and his father will be selected to live another day or be killed. The End and the Beginning Poem by Wisława Szymborska What are the harsh realities of life after war? Is Survival Selfish? Argument by Lane Wallace If forced to choose, whose life would you save: Your own, or someone else’s? The Leap Short Story by Louise Erdrich A mother saves her daughter’s life three times. from A Chance in the World Literary Nonfiction by Steve Pemberton A young boy in foster care seeks food for body and soul. Preview the Texts Look over the images, titles, and descriptions of the texts in the unit. Mark the title of the text that interests you most. Think Outside the Box Think of how crises affect people. How can a person change after enduring something difficult? 3 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
Get Ready © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company • Image Credits: ©Paul Aniszewski/Shutterstock Yes No Sources of Strength We can draw on sources of strength and support when we find ourselves in a dangerous or painful situation. For example, we may turn to a trusted friend or adult. Make a list of ways people can cope with threatening or even perilous situations. Engage Your Brain Choose one or more of these activities to start connecting with the text you’re about to read. ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What does it take to from survive a crisis? A Chance in the World Literary Nonfiction by Steve Pemberton Does Everyone Have a Chance? Think about the title of this text. Does everyone have the same chances and opportunities to be successful in life? 1. In the appropriate column of the T-chart, list ways and reasons people do or do not have the same opportunities for success in life. 2. Discuss your conclusions with a partner. These Are a Few of My Favorite Things Think back to when you were younger. What were your “comfort” items—things, activities, or places that made you happy or perhaps took you to another world? Sketch pictures or make a list. 4 UNIT 1 ANALYZE & APPLY DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
Get Ready © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company Focus on Genre Literary Nonfiction • conveys factual information, ideas, or experiences • develops insights that go beyond the facts • uses literary devices such as figurative and sensory language Analyze Author’s Perspective An author’s perspective, or point of view, is a unique combination of ideas, values, feelings, and beliefs that influences the way the writer looks at a topic. Authors reveal their perspectives in a variety of ways. One clue is the author’s diction, or choice of words. Authors also communicate their perspective through the details they choose to focus on and direct statements about their feelings and beliefs. As you read the text, fill out the chart to help you understand Steve Pemberton’s perspective on this particular period in his childhood. Analyze Literary Nonfiction Literary nonfiction conveys factual information, ideas, or experiences using literary techniques. Literary nonfiction can include memoirs such as A Chance in the World as well as autobiographies, biographies, and speeches. How can you tell the difference between literary nonfiction and other informational texts? • Look for lyrical or even poetic descriptions that go beyond simple explanations. • Notice figurative language (for example, similes and metaphors) and sensory details (words and phrases appealing to the senses). • Take note of how the author interprets what he or she is describing or experiencing. • Watch for the author’s reflections on the meaning of experiences. In this memoir, author Steve Pemberton recalls a traumatic time in his childhood—and shares where he found comfort and strength. As you read, notice the language the author uses to communicate the impact of his experiences. Also think about why he might have chosen to include particular events and details. Clues to Author’s Perspective Examples from A Chance in the World Language (diction) “monsters” used to describe the Robinsons Details the author includes Direct statements about the author’s feelings and beliefs A Chance in the World 5 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
Get Ready Background Steve Pemberton was born and raised in New Bedford, Massachusetts. After graduating from Boston College with degrees in political science and sociology, he worked as a college admissions officer and then embarked on a career as an executive at Monster.com, Walgreens, and Workhuman. Pemberton’s memoir, A Chance in the World, was published in 2012. He says he wrote it in part because “I wanted to contribute to the universal story of family, faith, fortitude, and forgiveness.” Using the words you already know, work with a partner to write a paragraph about someone who is in a place that feels unsafe or threatening. As you read the excerpt from A Chance in the World, use the definitions in the side column to help you learn the vocabulary words you don’t already know. fathom thwart cacophony sanctuary baffle Expand Your Vocabulary Put a check mark next to the vocabulary words that you feel comfortable using when speaking or writing. Annotation in Action Here is an example of notes a student made about a passage from A Chance in the World. As you read, mark words and phrases that convey details about the author’s situation. © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company • Image Credits: ©Jean Marc-Giboux/HMH One way I dealt with these monsters was to become a thief, and a very good one at that. My devious plots were elaborate, complete with escape routes and explanations if I were ever to get caught. “Monsters!”—the Robinsons must be awful. amazing what he does to cope 6 UNIT 1 ANALYZE & APPLY DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
NOTICE & NOTE As you read, use the side margins to make notes about the text. © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company • Image Credits: ©Jan H Andersen/Shutterstock Steve Pemberton became an orphan at age three when it became clear that his birth parents could not care for him. After being moved through several foster homes, Steve was finally placed with the Robinson family in New Bedford, Massachusetts, which is the setting for this excerpt. The “Robinson Rules” refer to harsh regulations his foster parents imposed. “All the world will be your enemy, Prince of a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks . . .” Richard Adams, Watership Down I settled into a routine at the house on Arnold Street, to the degree one can ever become comfortable with monsters who disguise themselves as human beings. This is what they were to me: real-life boogeymen whose origins and intentions I could never fathom. Children rarely ask where monsters come from or how they came to be; children simply accept them as a fact of life, something to be dealt with, the way you deal with any other childhood fear. 1 fathom (f√th´∂m) v. to comprehend. A young boy in foster care seeks food for body and soul. from A Chance in theWorld Literary Nonfiction by Steve Pemberton A Chance in the World 7 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company One way I dealt with these monsters was to become a thief, and a very good one at that. My devious plots were elaborate, complete with escape routes and explanations if I were ever to get caught. I obsessed over the things I stole, and no matter how much I managed to get, I always tried to steal more. Once I stole something, I would stare at it, wondering how best I could hide it or preserve it. But I didn’t steal just anything. I was fixated on one thing: food. At seven years old, I weighed just forty pounds, a fact the Robinsons explained away by saying I had tapeworms. To avoid going hungry, I had to be creative—to outwit them. Nearly every morning of my days with the Robinsons, I would awake and immediately try to determine how I was going to get food to hide in the basem*nt. It took me a while to learn what to steal. My first foray into the art of thievery was a huge block of governmentrationed cheese that Willie had hustled. I hid it in the basem*nt and sneaked away one afternoon ready to feast, only to find the mice that roamed the cellar had already beaten me to it. After that, I placed my thieving eye on the unlabeled silver cans of peanut butter Willie brought home; I was confident that the enterprising mice couldn’t chew through the metal. I wasn’t usually that picky; I would eat whatever scraps I could get my hands on. If it wasn’t moving, then it was fair game. Whenever they went grocery shopping, I had to unload the bags. I would scan the bags quickly to see what was in them and hide the one with the most goodies underneath the car. When the coast was clear, I would take the bag and dash to the cellar, where I would squirrel it away. From time to time, they would realize that they had come up a bag or two short and would fume at the person who had bagged their groceries. They never figured out it was me. The joy of outsmarting the Robinsons became almost as sweet as the food I stole. Almost. Another very important way of coping was to immerse myself in books. When, precisely, I began reading, I cannot say. There was no signature moment, at least early on, but I imagine I discovered books as part of going to school. Books for me were what the ocean is to the fearless explorer—deep and mysterious, boundless and soothing. I loved the smell of books, the feel of their weight in my hands, the rustle of the pages as I turned them, the magnificent illustrations on the covers that promised hidden treasures within. Like food, books were hard for me to come by. The Robinsons never bought me any (Robinson Rule #10) and thwarted every attempt I made to get more. When I did bring home a book from the school library, I had to ask if I could read (Robinson Rule #11). If I were caught reading without permission, a merciless beating would follow (Robinson Rule #12). When permission was granted, it was granted begrudgingly and only under the condition that I read in the cellar. I was never allowed to keep books upstairs (Robinson Rule #13), nor could I read in their presence (Robinson Rule #14). 2 3 4 5 6 thwart (thwôrt) v. to prevent the occurrence of. ANALYZE LITERARY NONFICTION Annotate: Mark the sensory language in paragraph 5. Analyze: How does this language convey Steve’s feelings about books? 8 UNIT 1 ANALYZE & APPLY DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company • Image Credits: ©Sefa Kart/Alamy The cellar was cold, musty, and dank. Its walls tossed off long shadows in the dim light offered by a single swaying bulb. I frequently heard the mice clawing and scratching in the walls. The cellar was storage space for many of the home’s utilities—washing machine, dryer, hot water and oil furnaces—but also for many of the things the Robinsons had no further use for, like broken furniture that didn’t stand, ancient preserves no longer fit to be eaten, old clothes that had gone out of style. These abandoned items had served their purpose, but the Robinsons held on to them, believing that someday someone foolish enough to value them would come along and take them off their hands. To the Robinsons, the cellar was precisely where I belonged. Amid all the clutter, I fashioned a makeshift reading space composed of mildewy clothes, torn pillows, and old box springs. I positioned this space directly under the stairs because, that way, I would be able to hear anyone coming down. And my hearing was finely tuned. I knew the stride pattern of each member of the family: Betty shuffled, Reggie had longer steps, and Willie’s plodding was the easiest to detect, for he often walked with his oak cane. When they approached the cellar door, I would scramble to hide my book and stash of food. I kept a jug of water to wash away the peanut butter smell on my breath, a lesson I learned when Willie nearly caught me. If I had ever been caught reading down there with my moldy stash of hoarded food, I would have paid a dear price. 7 8 VOCABULARY Patterns of Word Changes: Based on context clues in paragraph 6, what do you think begrudgingly means? Analyze: What part of speech is begrudgingly? What other forms of the word can you make? A Chance in the World 9 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company I loved the cellar, finding it a welcome refuge from the Robinson Rules. Yet it was not my favorite place to read—at least not during the warmer months. Across from the Robinsons’ house, right next to Fuller’s paint store, was Mrs. Blake’s house. Alongside her yard was a small retaining wall. A large oak tree hung over the area, so large that it kept half the block in shade. The wall itself was no more than a few feet high and craggy, as if hewn from the side of a mountain, except for a single, smooth, square piece of rock at the wall’s northern end. Once my chores were done and I had received permission, I would take my favorite book, go to that shaded haven, and lose myself in my latest mystery, none of which seemed as great as the mystery of where I had come from. Nearly every summer day, you would find me sitting on that wall, accompanied by squirrels playing in the trees, as well as the occasional ant that tried to make my sneaker its home. I was never more at peace during my childhood than when I sat there. I loved the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves of the large oak, the smell of freshly cut grass brought on by neighborhood lawn mowers, the cacophony of birds that twittered as they flew by, the bumblebees that hovered by my head before moving on to more interesting things. This was my sanctuary, the place where I felt the most alive— and the safest. One summer afternoon when I was about eight years old, I looked up from my perch atop my reading wall to see a woman strolling down Chancery Street toward me. It was a neighbor, Mrs. Levin. I had seen her on many occasions walking to Sunnybrook Farms, the neighborhood grocery store. She was a small woman with dark hair pulled away from her face, although now, looking at her up close for the first time, I noticed the first signs of gray. Mrs. Levin was plainly dressed as always and moved at a casual pace, thoroughly enjoying her walk. She often waved and smiled at the Robinsons but nothing more than that. From time to time, her husband joined her. He was slightly taller, a balding man who wore red suspenders over a white T-shirt. They were Jewish, and the only reason I knew that was because as soon as they were out of earshot, Betty or Willie would fling antiSemitic1 remarks at their backs. For quite some time I thought they said “jewels” instead of “Jews.” For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why the Robinsons thought something as precious as jewels would be such bad people. 1 anti-Semitic: describing one who discriminates against or who is hostile toward or prejudiced against Jews. 9 10 cacophony (k∂-k≤f´∂-n∏) n. jarring, discordant sound. sanctuary (s√ngk´cho¯¯o-≈r´∏) n. a sacred place. 11 12 ANALYZE AUTHOR’S PERSPECTIVE Annotate: Mark the sentence in paragraph 9 that reveals what Steve wonders about most. Infer: What does this suggest about Steve’s sense of identity? 10 UNIT 1 ANALYZE & APPLY DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
Don’t forget to Notice & Note as you read the text. © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company Now I looked down, careful not to make any eye contact that would initiate a conversation (Robinson Rule #15). The walkway alongside the Blake home was not paved, and I could hear the crunching of Mrs. Levin’s footsteps on the gravel as she neared. As I so often did with strangers, I hoped that she would walk on by and pay me no attention. But that’s not what happened. Her white tennis shoes, scuffed ever so lightly around the toe, stopped right in front of me. And though I was not afraid, I still swallowed hard. “What are you reading there?” she asked. I looked up from the pages and showed her the cover of my Encyclopedia Brown mystery. Leroy Brown, “Encyclopedia” to his friends, was a boy detective who often sat at the dinner table helping his dad, the chief of police in the fictional town of Idaville, solve cases that had baffled the department. “You like mysteries?” she asked. “Oh, yes, ma’am,” I said, making the conversation far longer than the Robinson Rules dictated. “I really like how you get a chance to figure out the clues for yourself.” “Now, if I remember, weren’t you reading this book last week?” It puzzled me how she could have known that. “Yes, ma’am. But when I finish a book, I go back to the beginning and start all over again.” “I see.” She said nothing more and ambled on toward the store, but I still remember the long look she sent in the direction of my house on Arnold Street. Later that evening, there was a knock at the door. I was in the pantry washing dishes when Betty answered. A voice I immediately recognized asked, “Is Steve here? I have something I would like to give him.” It was Mrs. Levin. I grabbed for the dishrag, began drying my hands, and heard Betty say, “I can give them to him.” But Mrs. Levin was insistent: “If it’s okay, I would like to give him these myself.” There was a pause. “Stevie!” Betty said, the sweet, melodic voice, and use of a nickname, telling me that she was “onstage.” I came around the corner much faster than I should have, but my eavesdropping2 was either missed or ignored. “You remember me?” Mrs. Levin asked. I nodded my head yes. “Well, I thought you might like these.” In her arms was a brown, open-ended box, but I could not see what was in it. She lowered it, and I could barely believe my eyes. Inside the box were stacks of books, of different thicknesses and colors, their covers bright and promising. 2 eavesdropping: secretly listening to the private conversation of others. 13 14 baffle (b√f´∂l) v. to confuse or perplex. 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 A Chance in the World 11 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company • Image Credits: ©Patrick Daxenbichler/Adobe Stock NOTICE & NOTE MEMORY MOMENT When you notice the narrator has interrupted the forward progress of a story by bringing up something from the past, you’ve found a Memory Moment signpost. Notice & Note: Mark the lines in paragraph 29 that tell about something that happened in the past. Analyze: Why might this memory be important? “Whoa,” I said. “These,” she said, “are for the boy who likes to read.” “Thank you, ma’am,” I said, barely able to take my eyes off the box. “You’re welcome,” she said, smiling; and with that, she left. She was barely out of earshot before Betty’s voice boomed, ‘Take those books downstairs! I better never see them up here.” “Yes, ma’am, right now, ma’am,” I stammered. I feared that she would make me throw them away. Nothing I write can accurately capture the power and timeliness of the gift Mrs. Levin gave me that day. Though I did not know it at the time, several years earlier, when I was one and a half years old, a babysitter had written: “Dropped Steve off at the latest family his mother is boarding him out to . . . he cried his heart out . . . this little boy doesn’t have a chance in the world.” Others believed this as well, especially those to whose care I was entrusted. I sensed it in their sidelong glances and empathetic shakes of the head, their eyes saying what their tongues would not. You are beyond repair. 25 26 27 28 29 12 UNIT 1 ANALYZE & APPLY DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
Don’t forget to Notice & Note as you read the text. © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company ANALYZE AUTHOR’S PERSPECTIVE Annotate: Mark the sentence in paragraph 30 that describes Steve’s key realization about himself. Analyze: How does his diction help you understand the change in Steve’s state of mind? ANALYZE LITERARY NONFICTION Annotate: Mark the figurative language in paragraph 32. What types of figurative language are used here? Analyze: What shelters the narrator? Who or what is threatening him? I had beaten my fists against this fate as long as I could. Now, frequently starved and beaten almost daily, failed and abandoned by the institutions tasked with my care, and waiting for a family that was never going to come for me, I was beginning to lose my desperate battle with the Robinsons. Caseworkers at the time described me as tense, nervous, and anxious. What was really unfolding was something far more damaging, something they never looked hard enough to see: I had begun to resign myself to this fate, to accept Iwas to be the Robinsons’ prisoner and that their world would be the only one I would ever know. But the characters that unfolded in those books and the worlds they lived in showed me a different life, a future far beyond the pain of the house on Arnold Street. I learned that not everyone lived the way I did, that most people came from intact homes that offered joy and laughter, freedom and exploration, promise and possibility. And because of what I read, I developed the ridiculously absurd notion that one day I, too, could have a life like the ones I read about. At every opportunity I would steal down to the cellar to dive into my cardboard chest of hidden treasures, planting myself right in the middle of those adventures. I became a fearless explorer, a brilliant scientist, and a master riddle solver. I went to the depths of the ocean with Captain Nemo and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, stood right by Howard Carter’s side as he discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamen, and landed on the moon with the crew of Apollo11. Iunlocked more riddles with boy detective Encyclopedia Brown and joined forces with Alfred Hitchco*ck and the Three Investigators to solve even greater mysteries. My books became my shelter, protecting me as the Robinsons’ slings and arrows rained overhead. And Ireturned my books’ protection by guarding them the way most children guard their teddy bears. As a little boy, I was mystified when bookworms burrowed into their pages and crushed when a basem*nt flood destroyed several of them. Mrs. Levin’s books gave me something else that I did not fully appreciate until many years later: a model for dealing with the Robinsons. It came from my favorite book, Watership Down, a novel I would read over and over again. Published in 1972 and written by the British author Richard Adams, this book tells the tale of a band of resilient rabbits searching for a new home. Led by the small but exceedingly clever Hazel, these rabbits encounter many obstacles in their search. One of their first challenges was one I knew all too well: they encounter a warren of contented rabbits—a home that seems to be exactly what the group is looking for—yet they learn that this new home is not at all what it appears to be and that it is, in fact, a cleverly crafted rabbit farm intended to ensnare them. 30 31 32 33 A Chance in the World 13 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company ANALYZE AUTHOR’S PERSPECTIVE Annotate: Mark the sentence in paragraph 34 where the author states a belief. Interpret: What does this belief suggest about Steve’s view of the world? ANALYZE LITERARY NONFICTION Annotate: Mark the sentences in paragraph 36 where the author is reflecting on Mrs. Levin. Interpret: What does Steve mean by the metaphor that books would “sow the seeds of my rebellion”? The rabbits escape the farm and often resort to trickery in their pursuit of a new home. Deception may seem unprincipled, but it is absolutely necessary if Hazel and his group of rabbits are to survive, especially when their very existence is threatened by another group of rabbits, the Efrafrans, and their evil leader, General Woundwort. There comes a time when deception is not enough, and the group must take a stand against General Woundwort, although they know it will likely cost them their lives. I found kinship in the rabbits of Watership Down. They became my childhood friends, the only ones I was allowed to have, and I could cite their names at the drop of a hat: Fiver, Bigwig, Pipkin, and Blackberry. My friends were smart, fast, elusive, and resourceful— their very survival was predicated on their ability to sense danger. Though confronted by bigger foes, they outwitted them. Perhaps most important, I saw the rabbits as fighters, their combativeness driven by a certainty that they could create a different and better life for themselves. For Hazel and his followers, it was never a question of if they would find a home; it was simply a matter of when. Over the years, Mrs. Levin stopped by many times to deliver a new box of books. In my quiet moments of reflection, I often wonder what might have become of me had not this kind woman lit a pathway for me through the suffocating darkness of the house on Arnold Street. The Robinsons never refused her request, perhaps because they knew that would raise suspicions. But had they known those books would sow the seeds of my rebellion, they would have torched them the minute Mrs. Levin was out of their sight. 34 35 36 COLLABORATIVE DISCUSSION Based on this excerpt, what is the single most important factor in making Steve feel like he has “a chance in the world”? Discuss your opinion with a partner. ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What does it take to survive a crisis? Review your notes and add your thoughts to your Response Log. 14 UNIT 1 ANALYZE & APPLY DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company Assessment Practice Answer these questions before moving on to the Analyze the Text section on the following page. 1. Select two strategies Steve uses to cope with his situation. A sneaking food B running away C reading D taking walks E staying with the Levins 2. How does paragraph 32 contribute to the development of the author’s ideas? A by emphasizing the importance of having a challenging reading list B by providing details of the author’s escape into the world of books C by describing how his books were gradually destroyed D by describing his secret reading place in the cellar 3. This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B. Part A Which statement best describes the purpose of this text? A to demonstrate the cruelty of the Robinsons B to describe the books Steve read during this time C to describe how Steve confronted and overcame hardships D to show how the American foster system works Part B Select the sentence that best supports the answer to Part A. A “Children rarely ask where monsters come from or how they came to be . . .” (paragraph 1) B “. . . this little boy doesn’t have a chance in the world.” (paragraph 29) C “Caseworkers at the time described me as tense, nervous, and anxious.” (paragraph 30) D “Mrs. Levin’s books gave me . . . a model for dealing with the Robinsons.” (paragraph 33) Test-Taking Strategies A Chance in the World 15 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
NOTICE & NOTE Review what you noticed and noted as you read the text. Your annotations can help you answer these questions. Respond © Houghton Mifflin Publishing Company 1 INTERPRET Review the chart you completed on the Get Ready page. How would you describe the author’s perspective on this period of his life? 2 ANALYZE Identify two or three “Robinson Rules.” How do you know there are many such rules? How does this fact add to the author’s portrayal of this period in his life? 3 INFER The author describes a wall “as if hewn from the side of a mountain.” Find other examples of figurative language. Why did the author not confine himself to a literal recounting of events? 4 EVALUATE Deception, cunning, trickery, thieving: Steve boasts about his abilities to deceive and outwit the Robinsons. Who or what is Steve’s model? How does he justify his own deceptions? 5 ANALYZE What sensory language—descriptions that appeal to the senses—does the author use? Cite two or three examples. What does this language tell you about the narrator’s perceptions? 6 SYNTHESIZE Review the Memory Moment in paragraph 29. How do Mrs. Levin’s actions provide Steve with the “chance” the babysitter and others were sure he didn’t have? 7 CONNECT How does this memoir excerpt address the unit’s Essential Question, What does it take to survive a crisis? Use the graphic organizer to record strategies Steve uses to survive, physically and emotionally, in the Robinson household. Essential Question: What does it take to survive a crisis? Coping Mechanism or Source of Support How It Helps Steve Endure His Situation Analyze the Text Support your responses with evidence from the text. 16 UNIT 1 ANALYZE & APPLY DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
Respond Speaking & Listening Debate Some schools require students to complete volunteer hours in addition to their regular class work. Those schools believe students are improving their communities and learning important life lessons. Others believe that to require volunteering makes it less meaningful. Research the topic, then organize a debate about whether schools should require students to volunteer. 1. Organize two groups: one in favor of mandatory volunteer work, the other opposed. 2. Each side will choose a representative to state the group’s opinion. 3. Each side should argue their position using evidence and reasons. 4. Debaters should use appropriate register (degree of formality) and tone. 5. Group members should listen and respond to other arguments, identifying any faulty reasoning or distorted evidence. 6. Together, the two sides should review the ideas discussed and summarize conclusions. Social & Emotional Learning Tribute Create a video or illustrated booklet describing a person, group, or organization that has had a positive effect on your life. Include the following information: • background or description of the person(s) or organization • how and why the connection occurred • how your life has changed as a result As you write and discuss, be sure to use the Academic Vocabulary words. dimension external statistic sustain utilize Writing Personal Reflection Author Steve Pemberton describes several significant personal experiences in this excerpt from his memoir. These experiences, and his reactions to them, shaped the person he later became. Think about one experience you would be comfortable sharing that has shaped your life. Then freewrite about it. Include relevant information such as: • a description of the experience • who was involved besides you • how it affected or changed you Choices Here are some other ways to demonstrate your understanding of the ideas in this lesson. © Houghton Mifflin Publishing Company A Chance in the World 17 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
Respond PRACTICE AND APPLY • For each verb in the chart, identify one new verb that has the same ending (-ain, -ent, -ate). • Create a chart with your words in the first column. • Complete the chart with noun, adjective, and adverb forms of each word. • Choose one word from each row of your chart and use it in a sentence. Vocabulary Strategy Patterns of Word Changes You have probably noticed that many words can change form to become new words with related meanings. When you learn the common patterns of word changes, you can recognize different forms of familiar words and figure out what they mean. Knowing the patterns will also help you spell different forms of a word correctly. The word precisely in paragraphs 5 and 7 is an adverb meaning “exactly.” Adding the suffix -ion to the root precis creates the noun precision. Removing -ly from precisely creates the adjective precise. Adding the prefix im- creates the word imprecise, meaning “not exact.” Verb Noun Adjective Adverb explain explanation explainable explanatively frequent frequency frequent frequently create creation/creativity creative creatively Interactive Vocabulary Lesson: Analyzing Word Structure 1. Are animals likely to be safe or threatened in a wildlife sanctuary? 2. If I do not understand something, am I able to fathom it? Why? 3. What might baffle you: A difficult puzzle or a cookbook recipe? 4. If a place is cacophonous, is it noisy or quiet? 5. If I thwart someone’s plan, have I prevented it or helped the person achieve it? Expand Your Vocabulary PRACTICE AND APPLY Answer the questions to show your understanding of the vocabulary words. © Houghton Mifflin Publishing Company 18 UNIT 1 ANALYZE & APPLY DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=NL-A;FL-A
