Unit 2

Finding
Your Voice

When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.
— Malala Yousafzai

Performance Task
Preview

At the end of this unit, you

will think about the texts
that you have read. Then
you will write an opinion
essay that expresses and
supports an opinion.

161
 Le sson

Pe rs ua di ng 1 phenomenal 2 showdown
th e Pu bl ic
Winning a baseball Two rival football teams
game with a home run often meet each other in
does not happen often. a showdown, or decisive
It is a phenomenal event. contest.

LANGUAGE DETECTIVE
he P
t he Puub
u b c
bll iic
Pe
P su
s
errrs
e ua
u ad
a diiin
d ng
ng
Talk About the
Writer's Words
Work with a partner
to ask and answer
questions about the
photos. Use the blue
vocabulary words in
your questions and
answers.
3 fundamental 4 flair
A glove is the A professional soccer
fundamental, or basic, player may display a lot
tool of an outfielder in a of flair, or showy skill,
baseball game. during a game.

162 EL A SL.6.1c, L.6.4a, L.6.4c, L.6.6

 Lesson 6
Study each Context Card.
Use two Vocabulary words to tell about
an experience you had.

5 lingered 6 savor 7 gloat

These fans have lingered This athlete takes a It is bad sportsmanship
on the field after the moment to savor, or to gloat when you win,
game. They are in no enjoy, his feeling of or to jeer about being
hurry to go home. accomplishment. better than another
player.

8 berate 9 reserve 10 brainwashed

A coach might berate, or Reserve players don’t This sign urges people
angrily scold, players for start in a game, but they to cheer. Are they being
not trying hard enough may be called upon to brainwashed, or can they
during a game. play at any moment. decide for themselves?

163
 TARGET SKILL
Theme The theme of a fiction story is the central idea or
message about life that the author wants readers to understand
and remember. Readers must usually infer, or figure out, the
theme from details such as the plot, setting, dialogue, and
character changes. As you read “The Boy Who Saved
Baseball,” look for details that are clues to the theme. Use a
graphic organizer like this one to record details and
infer the theme.

Detail Detail Detail

Theme

TARGET STRATEGY
Analyze/Evaluate Study carefully, or analyze, the text in
order to evaluate it, or form an opinion or judgment
about it.

164 EL A RL.6.2, SL.6.1c, SL.6.1d ELD ELD.PI.6.1, ELD.PI.6.6a

PREVIEW THE TOPIC

The Media

Magazines, newspapers, the Internet, television, radio,

blogs—what do these things have in common? Each is one
type of medium within the larger group that we call the
media. The media communicate information and keep people
informed.
The media also have the power to influence people.
When you listen to the media’s points of view, you should
also consider your own thoughts and feelings. In “The Boy
Who Saved Baseball,” you’ll learn about media attention
surrounding a small-town baseball game and about one
boy’s thoughts and feelings about that game.

Think Pair Share

Think about the ways that the media tries
to influence your ideas and opinions.
▶ What methods do they use?
▶ How can you recognize these methods?
Discuss your thoughts with a partner. Take
turns speaking and asking questions.

165
 Le
ess s o n 6
MEET THE AUTHOR

John H. Ritter
“The driving force behind all my stories comes
primarily from finding something that really
bugs me,” explains young-adult baseball
novelist John H. Ritter. Influenced by his
mother’s songs and his father’s sportswriting
career, as well as by legendary groundbreaking
figures as diverse as baseball icon Roberto
Clemente and singer-songwriter Bob Dylan,
Ritter developed an enduring love for both
baseball and creative writing as he grew up.
In addition to playing ball and playing music,
Ritter was both a successful student and a
GENRE notorious prankster in school, earning him
recognition in high school as both Senior Class
Realistic fiction has characters President and Senior Class Clown. In 2009, he
and events that are like people
wrote and published a prequel to The Boy Who
and events in real life. As you
read, look for: Saved Baseball entitled The Desperado Who
characters who behave just as Stole Baseball.
people do in real life
a main character who MEET THE ILLUSTRATOR
overcomes a challenge
real-life challenges Robin Eley
Robin Eley’s work has garnered
several awards and has been
featured in an array of books,
magazines, and newspapers.
Eley was born in London, grew
up in Australia, and attended the
Illustration Academy in Sarasota, Florida. He
earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from
Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California,
where he also captained the basketball team.
Eley now resides in Adelaide, South Australia,
where he pursues his artistic visions, teaches
illustration, and plays basketball.

166 EL A RL.6.2, RL.6.3, RL.6.4, RL.6.10

by John H. Ritter selection illustrated by Robin Eley

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

How do the media

influence how people
feel about events?
167
 Local landowner Doc Altenheimer has promised his neighbors in
Dillontown that he won’t sell his land to a group of developers headed
by Alabaster Jones, on one condition. Young Tom Gallagher’s baseball
team, the Dillontown Wildcats, will have to do what they’ve never done
before—beat the all-star team from the camp down in Lake View Mesa.
The task seems impossible until two things happen: a multitalented player,
Cruz de la Cruz, joins the Wildcats’ camp; and Cruz and Tom manage to
persuade the gruff former star major-leaguer Dante Del Gato to be their
coach. Over just a week, the team has grown in confidence and ability.
Tom has even developed a computerized batting practice program called
HitSim to help the team get ready for the big game. First the town, and
now much of the country, is rooting for the Dillontown Wildcats.

By now, droves of reporters and photographers and television

crews roamed the grounds. The dirt roadway cutting through Doc’s
land and heading to the ballpark was jammed, both sides, with
satellite trucks, microwave trucks, radio vans, and SUVs.
All around the ball field, news crews set up lawn chairs, coolers,
tripods, and umbrellas.
Some of the townspeople showed up with cookies and ice-cold
lemonadeberry tea for the press, serving a few opinions to them
as well. After he’d finished hitting, Tom heard one Los Angeles
newscaster begin his interview with Mrs. Gleason by saying, “Folks,
something phenomenal is happening in America today. There are
more baseball games across the nation tonight than people have seen

168
in years. From little hamlets like this one to the last weed-filled vacant
lots in cities everywhere, the Wild West showdown flavor of this Big
Game has fired up interest and imaginations all over this land.”
“Just focus on your hitting and fielding,” Del Gato reminded
everyone as the team finished its second round of batting practice.
“Hitting, fielding.”
Then came the sports network truck, and the players stopped
what they were doing and stared as it all sank in. The Dillontown
Wildcats were going national.
“Don’t pay any attention,” Del Gato called from the pitcher’s
mound. “Crying out loud, they got nothing better to do than hound
a bunch of kids?”
Tom hustled out and sat atop the old stone wall in right field,
pretending to be taking a break, while he spied on the guy from the
sports network.
“How long’s he going to pitch, fella?” he asked Tom.
“One more hitter, then we’re done.”

169
 The reporter turned to a man with a camera on his shoulder,
stepping out of the huge white truck. “Roy! Only one more batter.
Get down there!” Then he slapped at his shirt pocket, retrieving
a notebook and a pen. “What’s your name, partner? How old are
you? What’s it like to have a legend like ‘El Gato Loco’ coaching
your squad?”
Tom wanted to answer every question, but the last one
reminded him that he needed to stay focused. “Sorry, I can’t talk
now.” Then he couldn’t help himself. He had to know. “Is that
why you’re here? All because of him?”

170
 “Oh, no. Don’t you see, kid? This Big Game, your whole
situation here, has caught the attention of the entire nation.
It’s David versus Goliath! It’s loyalty versus the big bucks. The
small-market team fighting for its life against the big-money boys
who want to come in and bulldoze right over them. It’s a metaphor
for the entire game of baseball.”
“It is?”
“I’m telling you, buddy. It’s more than a metaphor. This could
be a metafive!”
With that, he stabbed the pen back into his pocket, folded the
notebook, and ran toward the cameraman, followed by another guy
wrapped in headgear and holding a furry microphone on a pole.
Luckily for the reporter, and for everyone in the stands, the last
batter was Cruz. Because he put on a show.
“Ramón,” he called out. “This one’s for you.” On the next
pitch, he served up a low line into left field, two steps to the right
of Ramón.
“María, get ready,” he yelled, and the next one, a sharp ground ball,
sizzled down the first-base line. María snagged it on the short hop.
The crowd wooed at how easily she made the play.
By the time Cruz called Tom’s name and sent him deep against
the right-field wall, hoots and whistles ripped out of the stands for
both hitter and fielder. More than that. Between pitches, Tom now
heard a definite buzz of surprise, of discovery and awe.
“What’re you feeding ’em for breakfast, Gallagher? A box of
Wheaties and a pound of nails?”
Every hitter had done well that day, better than usual. The fielders
had all displayed fundamental improvement, even over yesterday. But
Cruz’s show was full of flair and finesse. He could not miss. Like a pool
player, he called his shots, hitting any pitch, high or low, toward any
player. Hitting the ball as if it were standing still.

171
 Finally, the awesome display seemed to be sinking into the
minds of the fans in the stands, particularly those, like Doc, who’d
been there since Monday.
The ballpark became a canyon of quiet, save for Cruz’s roll call
and the slap of the ball on his maplewood bat. “Frankie, turn two!”
Frankie charged the hot grounder, stabbed it, tossed it to Tara at
second, who relayed it to María at first. Smooth as mole de chocolate
(MOH leh deh choh koh LAH teh). Again the crowd called out its
admiration.
Tom felt a giddy light-headedness as he watched. For the first
time, he felt happy to be here. Tara, running back to second, smiled
and gave him thumbs-up.
At the end of practice, the low
voices in the dugout and the serious
looks of quiet confidence on the faces of
the other players only convinced Tom’s
suspicions that they felt it, too.
“We got half a chance,” said Ramón.
“Yeah,” added Rachel.
There it was. The team’s two
quietest players had spoken the words
no one else had dared to say.

172
 “Grab all your stuff,” Del Gato growled, bringing a bucket of
balls in from the mound. “We’re going to jog out of here. And if
those reporters come swarming around—well, you know the drill.”
The players rose and filed out of the dugout. They started
through the crowd and back to camp. Except for one. Tom lingered
behind, sitting alone on the old pine bench. He wanted to savor
the thrill of this moment. He wanted to allow everything that had
happened to sink in. He let his thoughts fly loose, like leaves in the
wind, like sagebrush whizzing past his face as he ran through the
hillside chaparral. Then he reached for the sports bag next to his
feet, pulled out his Dreamsketcher, and began to write.
Images of newscasters, landowners, outsiders, and locals who
came to root or gloat, hate or berate, filled the movie screen of his
mind. He painted the scenes in drawings and word pictures as fast
as he could scratch. This awkward, ten-membered, twenty-legged
caterpillar of a team, cocooned for days in the school
library and on a sunken baseball field, was now
breaking out into butterfly beauty, putting on a
show, catching everyone’s eye.
Tom pushed his pen along the paper,
capturing the moment. He could still hear
the roar, the drumbeats. He could hear
footsteps. He looked up.
There stood Alabaster Jones.

ANALYZE THE TEXT

Metaphor A metaphor shows how two very unlike
things are similar. How does the author use this
figure of speech to describe the team on this page?

173
 “Well, Tom Gallagher,” he said. “Just the man I’m looking for.”
He descended the dugout steps. “You boys must think you’re
pretty smart.”
Tom only stared, afraid even to blink or breathe.
“Yes, sir,” Mr. Jones continued, “I heard all about what you and
that Mexican boy did. Think you’re some clever muchachos (moo
CHAH chohs), don’t you?”
Tom managed a slight shrug.
Mr. Jones stepped closer, lowering his face into Tom’s, and
grabbed the neck of his T-shirt. “You ride off and bring back that
no-good disgrace of a human being to coach this team of miserable
misfits. Get him to show you a little something about hitting. Huh?
Speak up!”
“Mr. Del Gato is not a disgrace. He has a lot of grace.”
The man twisted his fists, tightening Tom’s shirt around his neck.
“Shut up. Now, I’m only saying this once, so listen good. If by
hocus or by pocus you happen to win tomorrow and this land deal
falls through, you will sincerely regret it. I have associates in this
town who promised me that they will personally shut down Scrub
Oak Community School, fire the staff, and make all you kids hike
down and back each day to that Lake View Mesa school if things
don’t go as planned. And why would we all do that? Simple lack
of funds, my boy. It’s big tax dollars you kids are playing with. Big
money all around. Do you understand?”

174
 He did. Instantly, Tom could see a whole chain of events, like
dominoes falling whap-slap into each other. Either the Wildcats lose
tomorrow, or Tom’s parents lose their jobs. Then maybe even their home.
Compared to that, a few houses up on the hill didn’t seem so bad.
Mr. Jones must’ve read the understanding on Tom’s face. He let
go of his shirt and smiled.
“Good,” he said. “Because I can cause you more hurt than a heart
attack.” He grinned so wide, his sunburned lips turned white.
Tom stared back, blinking hard. But if Tom had learned anything
during the past week, he’d learned when he had to speak up and
when it was better to be silent.
And now was a time to speak.
“We’re not trying to hurt you,” said Tom. “We don’t have
anything against you at all. Why are you trying to hurt us?”
“Oh, you poor, poor boy. Listen, if you win that game, you’ll be
hurting me far more than what I could ever do to you. And I mean
right here.” He tapped his white sports jacket on the left side of his
chest. “In my wallet.”
Then Mr. Jones’s face seemed to change, turning softer. Worry rose
in his eyes. “You see, son, I was once a lot like you. I was young. I had
stars in my eyes. But what you don’t understand is that in the game
of life, money wins. Brains can only take you so far. Talent barely gets
you in the door these days. But this”—he held up his hand and rubbed
his thumb against his first two fingers—“this opens more doors than
dynamite. With this, you have instant respect, instant power.”
Mr. Jones turned, but he did not leave. He looked off toward
Rattlesnake Ridge as if imagining what all this land would be like after
he was done with it.
“Remember,” he said, “without money and the wish for even more
money, Columbus never would’ve sailed to America. Then where
would we all be today? Think about that.”
ANALYZE THE TEXT
Understanding Characters How do Tom’s
feelings about winning the game change after he
talks to Alabaster Jones? Why do they change?

175
 Under the stars that Friday night, all of the players joined in the
wheel-spoke circle, and all eyes were wide open. Who could sleep with
the weight of the fate of the town squeezing down on them?
Okay, Wil could. But he’d had three burritos grandes, four slices of
watermelon, and a mango after catching batting practice all afternoon.
“No one expects us to win,” said Clifford, lying with his knees up and
hands behind his back. “I think somebody’s going to be real surprised.”
Ramón agreed. “My dad came by this morning saying, ‘Don’t worry.
This game doesn’t even matter. Sooner or later this whole place will be
houses and eight-lane freeways.’ I just smiled and said, ‘Yeah, Dad,
we know.’”
“That’s what the mayor said, too,” Frankie added. “But when he was
watching batting practice today, he was white as a tortilla.”
“Yeah,” Cruz agreed. “But I think his true color was alabaster. Right,
María? What are you going to say to him after we ruin his plans?”
Tom’s gut clenched.
“Hey, look, you guys,” María answered. “Don’t get overconfident.
Remember, batting practice is one thing. But in a game—especially this
one—it’s different. There’s a lot of pressure.”
“She’s right,” said Ramón. “But I think Cruz and Clifford are, too.
The way I see it, as long as we think we have a chance, we have a chance.”
Tom kept silent. His mind was still frozen under the snake eyes of a
man named Jones who loomed above him like a viper over a rat. What
did he expect Tom to do? Tell Cruz and everyone to throw the game?
Tom was just the bench guy, the reserve player. Even if he got into the
game, which would only happen if one team was way ahead of the other,
he could strike out and make an error or two, but big deal. It would
hardly affect the game.
Maybe, he thought, he could coach first and trip everyone as they
ran the bases. Or maybe he could go out to the scoreboard with a
mirror and shine sunlight into all the batters’ eyes. But he
hated these thoughts. In fact, he was tired of thinking.
“Tom,” said Cruz. “What do you think?”
Boom went his heartbeat.

176
 “About what?”
“About the neural receptors inside our brains.”
“What?”
“Okay, then. Are we going to win tomorrow?”
“Oh, I don’t know. It’s up to you guys.”
“Aaapp!” said Frankie. “Wrong answer.”
“Well, he doesn’t know.” It was María coming to Tom’s defense.
“No one does. We spent three days swinging at the same stupid
pitch a million times. But it was in the library. What about real
life?”
“What about it?” asked Clifford. “You saw us today. We
smashed the chips-and-dip out of the ball.”
“So?” Rachel rustled inside her bag as she flipped over to
her stomach. “I mean, I don’t know what happened to us in the
library. If we got hypnotized or reprogrammed or brainwashed
or what. All I know is, we can’t forget we’re human beings.
And human beings have control over their thoughts. And as
long as we concentrate on doing our best, we shouldn’t worry
about winning or losing.”

177
 She paused, her voice lowered to a From treetop, from the hawk’s
whisper. “I just believe that when people perch, Tom thought about the game,
do things with good intentions, good the town, the hillsides. In a million
things happen. Like when Tom and Cruz years—a short time, really, in space
rode off to see Del Gato. But when we years—would it even matter whether
do stuff out of fear, bad things happen.” they won or lost? In a thousand? What
She looked around. about a hundred?
“A lot of people are afraid of what might Who could say? But he knew one
happen tomorrow. But we can’t be. thing. Rachel was right. He’d seen
Then, whatever happens will turn it too many times. When he froze
out okay.” up from fear, he did stupid things—
“Even if we lose?” asked Frankie. like never talking to Doc about the
“Even if we lose. I mean, from ball field. And when he let his mind
where we are, losing may look like a fly above the fear, he saw hitting a
total disaster. Like we just accidentally baseball as just another form of GPS
busted down someone’s wall.” Though tracking.
he couldn’t see her, Tom could hear No matter if his parents got fired
the smile in her voice. “But you know, and his family had to move. No matter
we only see it from here. How does it what trouble Alabaster Jones might
look from the hawk’s nest? Or from cause. Tom determined that tomorrow
the stars?” he would play to win. And now he
No one said a word. Everyone, wondered how he could’ve considered
even Tom, searched the night sky, doing anything else.
roamed the ether, bouncing around
between the moon, the stars, and the
eucalyptus trees.

ANALYZE THE TEXT

Theme What is the theme the
author is trying to convey to readers?
How do you know?

178
 Journalism, Literacy, and Liberty
In “The Boy Who Saved Baseball,” some of the About five hundred years ago, literacy levels
locals preparing for the big game were doubtless among the general populace, in many parts of the
impressed by the arrival of national newscasters. world, began to rise dramatically. The invention
Others, including Mr. Del Gato, were distressed: of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in
how dare those crass journalists and photographers fifteenth-century Germany sparked a revolution in
descend en masse like that, pestering the players publishing, or the making public of information and
and fans for the sake of a few lines of copy? It takes ideas; by 1500, several thousand printing presses
more than a little grouchiness from the public, were operating in Europe. As printed language
however, to keep the press from its appointed spread, so did literacy; and as literacy spread, so
rounds—whether the journalists involved are did the desire for liberty—including the freedom
delivering news of critical importance to the nation to print and read as one chose, without censorship.
or just providing a little entertainment through Gutenberg’s press was swiftly replicated
anecdotes of human interest. and improved upon, and European publishers
For hundreds of years, humankind has read began distributing books by the millions. Then,
about the recent past in the words of journalists: approximately four centuries ago, newspapers
reporters, columnists, essayists, bloggers, social- for the general public began proliferating in many
media gurus, and others. However common such European cities, including London, where one of
writing and reading may seem today, one needn’t the first daily newspapers emerged in the early
travel too far into the past to find a time when 1700s under the masthead The Daily Courant.
the news, and indeed the written word itself, was In the same period, journalism began to
available only to the elite, to the very few—for establish itself in the American Colonies, where
the simple reason that most people, for most at first most news items focused on information
of history, could not read at all. Even if they had about London and the rest of Europe. Gradually,
been literate, the masses of people could hardly as independence-minded thought began to flourish
have found a word to read, for the huge quantity in the Colonies, newspapers became more local,
of text we now see every day is a relatively recent less European in content—they began to focus
phenomenon. And if they had found a word or on ideas and issues in the Colonies themselves.
two to read, they might not have been free to Journalists and publishers such as Benjamin Franklin
read them. began using the press as a vehicle for not only news
Precursors to the modern newspaper, the but also witty commentary on issues of the day.
epitome of journalism and the most accessible The rest, as they say, was history; journalistic
form of news for generations, appeared about two freedom and relatively widespread literacy helped
millennia ago, in ancient Rome. During the same to fuel the flames of the American revolutionary
time period, Chinese emperors, empresses, and spirit and, ultimately, lead to the founding of
other government officials were being briefed on the most freedom-loving nation in the history
current happenings via regularly published reports. of the world. In the words of America’s most
However, both the Chinese and the Roman revered publisher,
reports had to be copied by hand; therefore their
circulation was severely limited—not just by “Without freedom of thought, there can
the low literacy level of the populace but also by be no such thing as wisdom; and no such thing
the labor required to make multiple copies. as public liberty, without freedom of speech.”
Government censorship, too, played a major role —Benjamin Franklin,
in limiting the spread of the printed word; rulers The New England Courant, July 9, 1722
were reluctant to allow their subjects access to
information that might make them rebellious.

179
 BE A READING DETECTIVE

Dig Deeper
Use Clues to Analyze the Text
Use these pages to learn about Theme, Metaphor, and
Understanding Characters. Then read “The Boy Who Saved
Baseball” again to apply what you learned.

Theme
The author of the realistic fiction story “The Boy Who Saved Baseball”
wrote it with a message about life for readers to understand and
remember. This message is the theme, or central idea, of the story.
Authors do not always state the theme of a story directly. Think of
details in the story that show the characters’ feelings and actions. Then
think about real people’s feelings and actions. Look back at the first
paragraph on page 178. What does Rachel tell her teammates? Use
Rachel’s message and other text evidence in the story to infer the theme
of “The Boy Who Saved Baseball.”

Detail Detail Detail

Theme

180 EL A RL.6.1, RL.6.2, RL.6.3, RL.6.4

Metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech
that compares two things that are very
different. In many metaphors, one
thing is called something else. For
example, in the metaphor the sun was
a jewel shining in the sky, the sun is
compared to a shining jewel. Authors
use metaphors to help create images in
their readers’ minds and to appeal to
the readers’ five senses.

Understanding Characters
Characters in realistic fiction are much
like people in real life. They experience
real problems and try to find solutions to
them. As the characters respond to
challenges, their thoughts and beliefs may
change. Recognizing these changes helps
readers better understand the characters.
As you read the selection again, note Tom’s
feelings about the game at different points
in the story. How does Tom's response to
different plot events show how he grows
and changes as the plot unfolds?

181
 RETURN TO THE ESSENTIAL QUESTION
Review the selection
Turn Classroom
and with a partner to
Talk prepare to discuss this Conversation
question: How do the media
influence how people feel about Continue your discussion of “The Boy Who
events? As you discuss key ideas, Saved Baseball” by explaining your answers
listen carefully and contribute to to these questions:
your partner’s ideas. Use text
1 How might the story have changed if
evidence to support your ideas.
Tom had not spoken to Alabaster
Jones?

2 How does the media’s presence at the

field affect Tom and his teammates?

3 In what way do you think Tom is

responsible for saving the game of
baseball? What text evidence helped
you form your opinion?

NO FEAR
Analyze Details Work with a partner to discuss
the players’ conversation the night before the
game. Discuss these questions: In what way do
Tom’s friends help him overcome his fear of
Alabaster Jones and what might happen in Tom's
community? Why is this an important event in
the story? How does this part of the story help
develop the theme? Describe how this event or
scene fits in the overall structure of the story.

182 EL A RL.6.1, RL.6.5, W.6.1a, W.6.9a, SL.6.1c

Performance Task

WRITE ABOUT READING

Response Tom Gallagher decides that he will play
to win. What will happen if his team wins? What
will happen if his team loses? Write a paragraph to
explain whether you agree or disagree with Tom’s
decision. Use evidence from the text to support
your opinion.

Writing Tip
State your opinion in the first sentence of your
paragraph. Then organize your reasons and
evidence in a logical order.

183
 Lesson 6

u a d i n g
INFORMATIONAL
Pe r s
TEXT
P u b l i c
P e rs u a d in g
th e P u b li c t h e
by Cecelia Munzenmaier
Most Americans see or hear more than two
hundred advertisements each day. They read
them in magazines, newspapers, mail, and e-mail.
They hear them on the radio. They see them on
television, on billboards, and in skywriting.
GENRE The goal of commercial advertising is to
Informational text, such persuade people to buy things. Other forms of
as this article,
t h e Pgives i cfacts and
l ic
u b li persuasion try to influence how people think.
examplesP e su
s
about
rrs uadaiinng
topic.
Editorials or letters to the editor, for example,
express an opinion. They present an argument
and give reasons why people should agree with
that particular point of view.
TEXT FOCUS
Arguments are often made in
advertisements or letters to the
editor in an attempt to convince
a reader to think or act in a
certain way.

Persuade

Save 50 percent when you subscribe to

Persuade, the opinion magazine!

184 EL A RI.6.8, RI.6.10

 Ads Attract Attention!
Advertisements use pictures, slogans, and celebrities to get people’s
attention. Ads often include a call to action. That message tells people
how to improve their lives, usually by buying a certain product. Public
service advertising campaigns also seek to persuade people. They do
not promote a product. Instead, they give people information about
how to make better choices. A public service announcement (PSA)
might urge people to exercise, be tolerant of others, or recycle.

Chef Joe’s
Choice – Keep
SOUPS TO SAVOR! It
Clean!

Chef Joe selects only the finest vegetables,

bursting with garden-fresh flavor.
For your health, choose Chef Joe’s soups!

This commercial ad (left) uses marketing flair—a slogan and a

company celebrity—to promote a brand of soup. This public-
service ad (right) uses a catchy slogan and effective pictures
to persuade people not to litter.

185
 Letters Express Opinions
Billions of dollars are spent on advertising each year, but mailing a
letter to the editor of a local newspaper may be just as powerful. It can
be an effective way to persuade people and change minds.
Letters to the editor are among the most popular features of
newspapers and magazines. Radio and television stations also may share
opinions and comments from listeners and viewers.
Whether in print or on the air, the most effective letters focus on
one main argument and present facts and reasons to support it. Readers
or listeners are invited to consider, and perhaps share, a point of view.
Here is an example.

Letters to the Editor

To the Editor of the Sentinel:

I believe our new gym should be named for Coach Len Burns.
Coach made all kids feel a part of the team, whether they were stars
or reserve players. He taught us not to gloat when we won. He taught
us not to give up when we lost. He gave us the confidence to face any
showdown.
For thirty years, he has been a phenomenal coach. His lessons have
lingered for many athletes. That’s why the new
gymnasium should be named for Len Burns.
He is the man who taught us how to be good
players and good sports.

Sincerely,
Alex Sims, basketball player
Hoyt Middle School

186
 Pe rs ua di ng
th e Pu bl ic

TEXT TO TEXT
Compare the Power of Persuasion With a partner,
compare “The Boy Who Saved Baseball” to “Persuading
the Public.” Discuss these questions: In what ways do
advertisements persuade people? How are these ways
similar to the way the media, Alabaster Jones, and Tom’s
friends use persuasion? Use text evidence to support
your answers.

TEXT TO SELF
Write a Dialogue Alabaster Jones tries to persuade
Tom to lose the big game. How would you react in a
similar situation? Imagine that you are talking to a
friend who is being pressured to do something. Write a
short dialogue that shows what you and your friend
might say to each other.

TEXT TO WORLD
Summarize an Argument Read an editorial or a
letter to the editor in a newspaper or digital
publication. Summarize the argument used to support a
claim. Tell whether the writer’s argument is persuasive.
Include examples to support your opinion.

EL A RL.6.1, RI.6.1, RI.6.8, SL.6.1c

187
 Digital Resources
Multimedia
Grammar Glossary

What Is a Verb? A verb is a word that shows an action or a state of

being. When a verb tells what the subject does, it is an action verb.
When a verb tells what the subject is or is like, it is a being verb. Some
being verbs are called linking verbs because they link the subject to a
word in the predicate. Most linking verbs are forms of the verb be.

Action Verb Linking Verb

Tom opened his sports bag. He was alone in the dugout.

He grabbed his Dreamsketcher. The stands were empty.

A verb may be more than one word. The main verb expresses
action or a state of being. The helping verb works with the main verb
but does not show action.
helping verb main verb helping verb main verb

Tom’s teammates are talking. Rachel has shared her thoughts.

Try This!
With a partner, read aloud each sentence below.
Find one sentence with a linking verb and three
with action verbs. Which sentences have a main verb and a
helping verb?

1 Tom and the others searched the night sky.

2 The moon was large and bright.

3 Tom was thinking about the threats from Mr. Jones.

4 He will play without fear tomorrow.

188
 You can make your writing clearer and more vivid by replacing vague
verbs with exact verbs.

Sentence with Vague Verb Sentence with Exact Verb

The player went to second base. The player sprinted to second

base.

Tom caught the long fly ball with Tom snagged the long fly ball
his glove. with his glove.

Connect Grammar to Writing

As you revise your response paragraph, replace vague verbs with
exact verbs.

189
 Interactive Lessons
Writing Arguments:
Introduction
Writing Arguments:
Support Your Claim

Elaboration In a response paragraph, writers state opinions,

or claims, about selections they have read. They form opinions from
the conclusions they have drawn. As you revise your response, provide
reasons and evidence to help readers understand your argument. Use
words that clearly connect your opinion with the reasons and evidence
that support it.
Jesse drafted her response about a character in “The Boy Who
Saved Baseball.” She stated her opinion first. Then she added sentences
and vivid words to draw her readers in, using a voice that shows her
personality.

Revised Draft
Writing Checklist

I agree with Rachel in “The Boy Who Saved

Elaboration
Does my writing
show my personality?
Baseball” when she says that losing feels worse
Did I use vivid and
specific words? up close; from a distance, it doesn’t seem
Purpose
Did I state my claims that bad. In fact, I think her words are very
clearly?
Organization
Did I include reasons to
wise. The reason why I believe this is that I
support my claims? bittersweet
Evidence experienced a loss. My soccer team lost a
Did I make connections
between my opinions
and the supporting home game to our biggest rival, the Westside
evidence?
Imagine how awful we felt! were limp spaghetti
Conventions Wolverines. Plus, our legs really hurt by the
Did I use a variety of
sentence types?
time we finished. The next day, our team
Did I use correct
spelling, grammar, and studied
punctuation? watched a video of the game.

190 EL A W.6.1a, W.6.1b, W.6.1c, W.6.4

 Final Copy

Lose Some, Win Some

by Jesse Ureste
I agree with Rachel in “The Boy Who Saved Baseball” when
she says that losing feels worse up close; from a distance, it doesn’t
seem that bad. In fact, I think her words are very wise. The reason
why I believe this is that I experienced a bittersweet loss. My
soccer team lost a home game to our biggest rival, the Westside
Wolverines. Imagine how awful we felt! Plus, our legs were limp
spaghetti by the time we finished. The next day, our team studied
a video of the game. We identified our weak spots and improved
our defense. I had a week to think about how to improve my
game. During that time, I didn’t feel so bad about my team’s loss
because I had the distance to see that losing isn’t the end of the
world. As a result of this, our team won an important victory the
next week. We crushed the Oaktown Titans, 3–0! Now our loss is
ancient history. Time gave us the distance we needed to see that
losing is not so bad after all—as long as you win some, too!

Reading as a Writer In my final paper, I added sentences to draw

readers into my writing and
How does Jesse draw readers
to show my personality. I used
into her writing and show her
a variety of sentence types.
personality? How can you make your
I also used vivid and specific
own writing voice stronger?
words.

191
 Le sson

1 observe 2 raucous
If you observe the Ferris The raucous cymbals of
wheel carefully, you can the marching band were
see the people who are so noisy, we had to cover
riding on it. our ears.

LANGUAGE DETECTIVE

Talk About the

Writer's Words
Work with a partner.
Take turns choosing
two of the Vocabulary
words and using them
together in the same
sentence.
3 looms 4 zany
As soon as you pass This zany clown figure
the carousel, the roller doesn't just look funny;
coaster looms in front of it is a bank in which you
you. It seems so huge! can save money.

192 EL A L.6.4a, L.6.6

 Lesson 7
Study each Context Card.
Use a dictionary to confirm
the meanings of these words.

5 gigantic 6 impressive 7 phony

The cyclists used a This outdoor sculpture I placed a phony, or fake,
gigantic rope to pull of a needle and yarn nose on my dog and
themselves across the in Milan, Italy, is very took this photo. Then
river. impressive. We all he pawed it off.
stopped to stare at it.

8 distinguish 9 intriguing 10 correspond

Knots can be hard to Watching someone The four strings of a
distinguish. It can be juggle five rings at once ukulele correspond to
difficult to tell one is intriguing. four different musical
from another. notes.

193
 TARGET SKILL
Text and Graphic Features Informational texts like “Do Knot
Enter” often provide graphic features that represent and
support the information found in the text. As you read the
selection, use the illustrations along with the information in the
text to help you understand the topic of knots. Use a graphic
organizer like this one to show how the illustrations and text
work together to give you a better understanding of the topic.

How They Go
Graphic Feature Text
Together

TARGET STRATEGY
Summarize As you read “Do Knot Enter,” stop occasionally to
briefly retell, or summarize, the most important ideas in your
own words.

194 EL A RI.6.2, RI.6.7

PREVIEW THE TOPIC

Critical Thinking

What do people do when they solve a complex puzzle? First

they analyze, or examine carefully and in detail, the shape of
each puzzle piece. Then they determine how the pieces
should be combined. This process of solving the puzzle does
not involve memorizing something; it involves using critical
thinking skills.
You use critical thinking skills every day. When you conduct
science experiments, read texts, or solve math problems, you
use critical thinking skills to help you learn. In “Do Knot
Enter,” you will learn about a math problem that involves
knots. You will also use critical thinking to figure out how
knots and unknots work.

Talk About It
What kinds of games and puzzles do
you enjoy? What problems do they
require you to solve? How do you
solve them? Share your ideas with
your classmates.

195
 Lesson 7

MEET THE AUTHORS

Ivars Peterson and

Nancy Henderson
Ivars Peterson has served as the editor of Science
Magazine for Kids and written a weekly online
column to help young people understand and
enjoy mathematics. He and his wife, freelance
writer Nancy Henderson, have collaborated on
two books for middle-school students: Math
Trek: Adventures in the MathZone and Math
GENRE Trek 2: A Mathematical Space Odyssey.
Informational text gives
facts and other information
about a topic. As you read,
look for:
graphics that help explain
the topic
facts about a subject or topic

196 EL A RI.6.3, RI.6.4, RI.6.5, RI.6.7, L.6.5a

 u re s in the MathZone
o m M ath Trek: Advent
f r
d N a n c y H e nderson
rson an
by Ivars Pete R é m y Simard
d by
illustrate

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

How can math help you

solve problems in
everyday life?
197
 Y ou are bicycling along a straight, smooth path. Suddenly the path
bends sharply. It leads you under a bridge then loops back over
itself, crossing the bridge and bending some more. It twists under
and over itself again and finally brings you to a tall yellow brick wall.
As you follow the path along the wall you begin to hear bells
dinging, motors whirring, and children laughing. At the end of the
path, you come to a massive gate made of knotty pinewood, marked
with a glaring neon sign.

The word Knot is flashing on and off. You can’t see through the
gate, but when you look up, you observe the top of a Ferris wheel.
You hear people cheering and chattering. Raucous music blares
in the background. To the right, kids are spinning around on a
crazy-looking flying saucer. To the left, a roller coaster looms
above the wall.
MathZone? It looks more like an amusement park than a
study hall!
Your eyes turn to five tangled loops of rope hanging from hooks
on the gate. To the right of the gate is an empty ticket window with
a sign that says, “Tickets Knot Required.”
Puzzled, you lock your bike to a lamppost, walk up to the gate,
and tug on one of the knotted loops.
“Hold your horses,” says a metallic-sounding voice, as a
zany-looking droid pops into the ticket window. “Your mind is
your ticket to the MathZone,” it says. “To open the naughty knotty
gate, just find the knot that is not a knot. When you untangle it, the
gate will unlock.”
ANALYZE THE TEXT
Figurative Language What types of figurative
language does the author use on this page?
What is the author trying to describe and say in
each type of figurative language used?

198
 Knot A Knot B Knot C

Which of these
tangles is not
a true knot?

Knot D Knot E

You study the five knotted loops, wondering which one you
ought to try to untangle. Can you figure out which loop is not
a knot?

Try
it 6TF
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What to do:
You Will Need: 1.

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"

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Knot C is the unknot.


 Knots and Unknots
Have you ever watched a magician tie a gigantic knot then
magically make it fall apart? Sometimes what looks like a very
impressive knot isn’t a knot at all. Magicians and escape artists are
experts at tying phony knots.
Mathematicians are especially interested in knots that can never
be undone. Mathematically, a knot is a one-dimensional curve that
winds through itself in three-dimensional space and catches its own
tail to form a loop. You can untie a shoelace and untangle a fishing
line, but you can’t untie or get rid of the knot in a mathematician’s
knotted loop. To turn a tangled shoelace into a mathematical knot
you would have to tape the shoelace’s ends together. Then you
wouldn’t be able to untie the knot.
If a loop has no knot in it and can be made tangle free to look like
a circle, mathematicians call it an unknot. Only one of the tangled
loops on the MathZone gate is an unknot.

To Be or Knot to Be
Knot theorists are mathematicians who look for patterns that
distinguish true knots from messy tangles called unknots, which can
come apart when shaken. Knot theorists also look for ways to classify
different types of knots.
How many different knots can you make? To tell one from
another, you can start putting them into groups by counting how
many times the rope or cord crosses itself. To make it easier to count,
lay each knotted loop down on a table.

200
 Knot A on the MathZone gate is called a trefoil
knot. With only three crossings, it’s the simplest
type of knot there is. In the top left diagram, the
trefoil knot on the right is a mirror image of the
trefoil knot on the left. Are they both the same
A trefoil knot has three knot? No. There’s nothing you can do to make
crossings. The trefoil knot on one knot exactly like the other without cutting the
the right is the mirror image of loop, rearranging the strand, and joining the ends
the trefoil knot on the left.
again (unless you look at it in a mirror).
Knot B on the MathZone gate is the only
type of knot that crosses itself four times.
Mathematicians call it the “figure-8” knot. Knot
D has six crossings. Most people know it as the
familiar “granny knot.” A square knot also has six
crossings. Are a square knot and a granny knot
Both the granny knot (left) and the same knot? Look at the crossing pattern for
the square knot (right) have six
crossings. The two knots are each knot to the left. Do you see the two places
not the same, however, because where the knots differ?
their crossing patterns differ. Mathematicians have identified 1,701,936
different knots with 16 or fewer crossings. It
was very tricky for them to come up with the list
because sometimes two knots can look different
but really be the same. At other times, a tangle
that looks like a knot is really an unknot.
To keep from getting fooled, mathematicians
have worked out some formulas that can serve as
shortcuts for telling a knot from an unknot and
one knot from another. They’re still searching for
Here’s an example of a a single formula that identifies all possible knots.
loop that looks knotted
but really isn’t. Magicians
sometimes use loops like
ANALYZE THE TEXT
this one in their tricks.
Text and Graphic Features How
do the illustrations and the text
work together to describe knots and
unknots?

201
 Try
it
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UP
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XJUI
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BSNT

What to do:




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GPSFBSN
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t

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PG
TUSJOH

ZPVS
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3.


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How it works:
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ANALYZE THE TEXT

Text Structure
)PX
EPFT
UIF

BVUIPShT
DIPJDF
PG
UFYU
TUSVDUVSF
IFMQ

FYQMBJO
UIF
LOPU
USJDL
Cat’s Cradle
Have you ever played cat’s cradle? You can use a loop made
from about 6 feet (2 m) of nylon cord or other smooth string. Hang
the loop on your thumbs, and pick up the loop with your little
fingers, so that the string goes across the palms of your hands.



 Cat’s cradle starts
with a loop of string
held as shown
between your hands.

Then slip each index

finger under the string
on the opposite palm and
pull your hands apart.
You can loop your fingers
in and out of the string
in different ways to form
various knotlike designs. No
matter how much you cross
the string to form different
designs, however, you can
always untangle it into the
unknotted loop you started
with. Every cat’s cradle
creation, including “Jacob’s
ladder,” is an unknot.

A complex sequence of
cat’s cradle moves leads
to this intriguing unknot
known as “Jacob’s ladder,”
or the “Indian diamonds.”

203
 Lord Kelvin’s Knots
Mathematicians originally got the idea of studying knots from
William Thomson, known as Lord Kelvin. Lord Kelvin was a
famous physicist who lived more than 100 years ago in England.
At that time, scientists didn’t know that atoms consisted of particles
called electrons, protons, and neutrons. They did, however, suspect that
atoms of oxygen, hydrogen, iron, sulfur, and other elements were
not exactly alike because of their different chemical behavior.
Lord Kelvin suggested that atoms might be like little whirlpools
in an invisible fluid that fills all space. He proposed that different
elements would correspond to different knotted tubes of fluid
whirling in closed loops. For example, atoms of the simplest
element, hydrogen, might look like a trefoil knot, and those of
other elements might look like other knots. Inspired by that theory,
mathematicians started to make tables of all possible types of knots.
Mathematicians continue to study knots, although Lord Kelvin’s
theory turned out to be wrong. We now know that there is no
invisible fluid filling all space and that the number of protons in the
nucleus of an atom is what decides which element it is. Lord Kelvin
still made a name for himself in science for several discoveries and
inventions, including the Kelvin temperature scale, which was later
named for him.

204
Knots in Your Body
Would you believe that when you
catch a cold or the flu, your body could
be getting tied up in knots?
Scientists are using the mathematical
study of knots to help understand the
long, skinny, twisted loops and links of
DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid—the
molecules that determine the genetic
code for every living thing. If a single
DNA strand were magnified to become
as wide as a telephone wire, it would be
more than a mile (more than a kilometer)
long. Heaps of DNA strands sit like
microscopic spaghetti inside plant and
animal cells. Those strands may be
twisted around one another, joined
together to form loops, or tied in knots.
Molecular biologists have discovered
that when a virus attacks living cells, it
can break up unknotted loops of DNA,
then rejoin the strands to form knots.
Biologists and mathematicians are now The two tangled loops of
working together to use knot theory as a DNA, as seen under an
way to figure out how viruses work. That electron microscope (top),
both turn out to be trefoil
could lead to a cure for certain diseases—
knots (bottom).
maybe even a cure for the common cold!

205
 BE A READING DETECTIVE

Dig Deeper
Use Clues to Analyze the Text
Use these pages to learn about Text and Graphic Features, Text
Structure, and Figurative Language. Then read “Do Knot Enter”
again to apply what you learned.

Text and Graphic Features

Informational texts provide facts and other information about a
specific topic. They also provide graphic features, such as diagrams, to
support the information that is provided in the text.
As you reread “Do Knot Enter,” think about how the graphic features
work with the text to provide you with a deeper understanding of knots
and unknots. What information would you be missing without one or
the other?
Look back at pages 199 and 201. How do the diagrams of Knot A and
the text contribute to your understanding of knots?

How They Go
Graphic Feature Text
Together

206 EL A RI.6.3, RI.6.4, RI.6.5, RI.6.7, L.6.5a

Text Structure
Text structure is the way in which
an author organizes the information in
a piece of writing. Some informational
texts explain how to do or how to
make something. As you reread “Do
Knot Enter,” pay attention to how the
authors introduce, illustrate, and
develop an idea. Look for headings
that signal sections of related
information. Ask yourself how each
section of information fits in the
overall structure of the selection.

Figurative Language
Authors sometimes use figurative
language to make a text more
interesting and to help readers
understand what they read. As you
reread the selection, pay attention to
the author’s use of figurative
language. See if you can find
onomatopoeia, or a word that
imitates a sound. Examples of
onomatopoeia are hiss, buzz, and
squish. Look for figures of speech
such as raining cats and dogs, in
which the phrase means something
different from what the individual
words mean. What effect do words
and phrases like these have on the
meaning of the text?

207
 RETURN TO THE ESSENTIAL QUESTION
Review the selection with
Turn
and a partner to prepare to Classroom
Talk discuss this question: Conversation
How can math help you solve
problems in everyday life? Continue your discussion of “Do Knot
Contribute to the discussion by Enter” by explaining your answers to these
reviewing and explaining key ideas questions using text evidence:
in the selection that support your
1 Why might two knots look different
answer.
but really be the same kind of knot?

2 Why do you think knot theorists use

models, like the string models in the
selection, to study knots?

3 How is the mathematician’s knotted

loop important to the study of DNA?

DETERMINE MEANING
Use Reference Sources “Do Knot Enter”
contains words specific to the study of knots.
Choose three of the following words and find
them in the selection: theory, atom, formula,
mathematicians, particles, molecules. Look up
each word in a print or digital dictionary to find
its meaning, pronunciation, and part of speech.
Write a new sentence for each that includes a
definition. Share your sentences with a partner.

208 EL A RI.6.2, RI.6.4, SL.6.1d, L.6.4c, L.6.6

Performance Task

WRITE ABOUT READING

Response The last section of “Do Knot Enter”

explains the connection between the mathematical
study of knots and the study of DNA. What are the
most important ideas in this section? Write a
summary of how molecular biologists are using the
study of knots to help them better understand DNA.

Writing Tip
Include only the most important ideas from the
last section of the text. Use your own words to
tell the main ideas.

209
 Lesson 7
INFORMATIONAL
TEXT

GENRE
Informational Text
Writers sometimes provide
A trick with knots that will
information in the form of a dazzle your friends and family!
step-by-step activity that you
can do yourself. illustrated
by Michael
TEXT FOCUS Garland
A diagram is a type of graphic
feature that provides a clear
visual of what is being described
in the text.

210 EL A RI.6.7, RI.6.10

1
Take one thick shoelace and tie

STEP 1 loose
a loose knot in the center. Keep
that knot loose so your audience
single knot
can see a little daylight through
it. Hold the shoelace and knot
up to your audience and say:
“See that I have made a knot in

2
this shoelace!”

Let the audience examine it.

STEP 2 Then take the two ends of the

shoelace and cross them, a few
inches from the top. Tell the
audience: “I will now trap this
bottom knot in its place with a
series of tight, locking knots at

3
the top.”

Tie the crossed ends into a

STEP 3 knot, leaving some extra
shoelace to work with. Then
tie a second knot on top of the
first. Then tie a third knot on
tight top of that. You should now
knots

4
have three tight “locking”
knots at the top and still one
loose knot at the bottom.

Announce: “I will now try to

untie the bottom knot while
STEP 4 keeping all the other knots
locked securely in place.” Add:
“Even though that seems
physically impossible to do!”

211
5
Now place the knotted shoelace
STEP 5 behind your back where the
audience cannot see it. Struggle
mightily with your hands, arms,
and torso.

6
Pretend you are trying to untie
STEP 6 the knot while you are really
doing the following:
t
'FFM
GPS
UIF
MPPTF
LOPU

t
0QFO
JU
VQ

t
4QSFBE
UIF
LOPU
PVU
XJUI
CPUI

hands until it rises to the top
and joins the other three knots.

With a great flourish, return the

shoelace to the front where the
audience can see it. Hold it up and
announce: “The bottom knot, as
you can see, has now disappeared!”

Take a bow.

Only you know that the bottom

knot has not disappeared. You
simply moved it to the top!

212
 TEXT TO TEXT
Compare Activities “Do Knot Enter” and “The Knot That
Is Not” teach readers how to tie different knots. Use the
following questions to help you compare and contrast the
texts: How does each selection present the subject of knots?
How does each selection use text and graphic features?
Write an answer to each question. Use evidence from the
texts to support your answers.

TEXT TO SELF
Write a Paragraph The selection “Do Knot Enter”
provides a riddle for you to solve. Think of another time
when you used critical thinking to solve a problem. Write
a paragraph explaining the problem and the steps you
took to solve it.

TEXT TO WORLD
Reveal Magic Tricks Magicians around the world
perform tricks that involve tying fake knots. With a
partner, research another common trick that magicians
perform. Use print or online resources to find out how the
trick is done. Share your findings with the rest of the class.

EL A RI.6.1, RI.6.7, W.6.10

213
 Digital Resources
Multimedia
Grammar Glossary
GrammarSnap
Video

What Are Transitive and Intransitive Verbs? A transitive verb

is an action verb that “sends” its action to a noun or pronoun called the
direct object. Two or more direct objects make up a compound direct
object. An intransitive verb has no direct object. The same verb can be
transitive in one sentence and intransitive in another.

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

direct object

Transitive Verb Some math theorists study knots.

Knots receives the action of study.

Intransitive Verb The magician’s knot untangled magically.

Untangled has no direct object.

An indirect object usually tells whom or what was affected by the action.
The indirect object comes between the transitive verb and the direct object.

transitive verb indirect object direct object

The magician teaches the children a new knot trick.

Try This!
Read the sentences below. On another sheet of paper,
write the verb in each sentence and label it transitive
or intransitive. If it is transitive, write the direct object. Also
write the indirect object, if the sentence contains one.

1 The mathematicians identified over a million knots.

2 My fake knot fooled everyone.

3 The scientist showed the research team the results.

4 DNA exists in every living thing.

214 EL A L.6.3a
 You can vary sentence structure and make your writing easier to read
by combining direct objects from different sentences.

Separate Sentences

My sister made a simple trefoil knot. She made a Jacob’s ladder, too.

Combined Sentence with Compound Direct Object

My sister made a simple trefoil knot and a Jacob’s ladder.

Connect Grammar to Writing

As you revise your argument paragraph, look for sentences that you can
combine. Join direct objects from related sentences into a single sentence
with a compound direct object.

215
 Interactive Lessons
Writing Arguments:
Introduction
Writing Arguments:
Support Your Claim

Organization In an argument paragraph, writers introduce a

strong claim about a topic. They show their understanding of the topic
by presenting relevant reasons supported by evidence. As you revise
your argument paragraph, think about how best to influence the reader.
Organize reasons and evidence in logical order. Use words and phrases
that show how the claim, reasons, and evidence are related.
Tristan drafted his argument about the importance of using math to
solve a baking problem. Later, he revised his paragraph so that his ideas
were organized in a clear way.

Revised Draft

Writing Checklist I had always thought that math was a

Organization school subject. I added and multiplied fractions

Did I put my reasons However, last month
and evidence in a on math tests; I didn’t do it anywhere else. But
logical order?

Purpose I decided that math is a valuable tool that

Did I state my The reason I changed my mind is that
claim clearly at the can be used anytime, anywhere. I used math
beginning?
Evidence to solve a chocolate chip cookie catastrophe.
Did I support my claim
with reasons and
evidence? It began when my mom asked me to help her
Elaboration
Did I use specific words bake cookies. I measured out three cups of
and phrases to link
ideas? flour and added two eggs. Since the cookies
Did I use verbs and
objects correctly?
were for a big party, my mom asked me to
Conventions
Did I use a formal
writing style? make six dozen.
Did I use correct
grammar, spelling, and
punctuation?

216 EL A W.6.1a, W.6.1b, W.6.1c, W.6.4

 Final Copy

Math to the Rescue

by Tristan Marlborough
I had always thought that math was a school subject. I
added and multiplied fractions on math tests; I didn’t do it
anywhere else. However, last month I decided that math is a
valuable tool that can be used anytime, anywhere. The
reason I changed my mind is that I used math to solve a
chocolate chip cookie catastrophe. It began when my mom
asked me to help her bake cookies. Since the cookies were
for a big party, my mom asked me to make six dozen. I
measured out three cups of flour and added two eggs. As I
mixed in other ingredients, I noticed that the dough was very
dry. Not a problem—or so I thought. When the oven buzzer
went off, I inspected my work. All of the cookies were as
hard as rocks. Even worse, they tasted awful. Suddenly, I
realized that I had not calculated my ratios for measurements
correctly! I knew I had to make another batch. Before I
started baking, I wrote out ratio equations to help me figure
out the right amount of ingredients. As a result, math
helped me bake the perfect chocolate chip cookies.

Reading as a Writer In my final paragraph, I moved one sentence

that was out of order and
What changes did Tristan make to
added specific words and
improve his organization? In your
phrases to connect ideas.
argument paragraph, are the ideas
I also made sure that I used
told in logical order? Can you add any
verbs and objects correctly.
words or phrases to link ideas?

217
 Le sson

1 principle 2 elegant
A scientific principle, This computer processor
such as Isaac Newton’s is an elegant solution
law of gravity, is an to a scientific problem,
important rule that can resolving it in a simple,
guide future research. ingenious way.

LANGUAGE DETECTIVE

Talk about the

Writer's Words
Nouns name people,
places, things, or ideas.
Work with a partner
to identify three
Vocabulary words that
are nouns. What clues
did you use to find 3 equations 4 reluctant
them? Use these nouns
in new sentences Much of math and A scientist would be
science is working with reluctant, or unwilling,
equations, in which to handle chemicals
one thing is equal to without taking safety
another. precautions.

218 EL A L.6.4d, L.6.6

 Lesson 8
Study each Context Card.
Discuss one picture. Use a different
Vocabulary word from the one on the card.

5 detached 6 decomposition 7 specimens

A scientist may try to be The decomposition, Geologists collect
detached, like an outside or rotting, of dead specimens of rocks and
observer, in order to plants returns essential minerals. They carefully
keep an open mind. nutrients to the soil. study the samples.

8 complex 9 compromise 10 shriveled

The science of weather Lab partners may need Science can explain how
covers both simple to compromise to get a plump grape changes
and complex ideas along. They may settle into a shriveled, dried-up
that explain natural on an idea both can raisin.
phenomena. agree on.

219
 TARGET SKILL
Conclusions and Generalizations As you read “Science
Friction,” use text evidence, along with your own experiences, to
draw conclusions and make generalizations. A conclusion is a
judgment drawn from ideas in a text. These ideas may not be
stated directly. A generalization is a broad statement that is true
most of the time. Use a graphic organizer like this one to help
you combine your own experience with text evidence to draw
conclusions and make generalizations.

Conclusion or
My Experience Text Evidence
Generalization

TARGET STRATEGY
Infer/Predict Use text evidence to figure out, or infer, what the
author means, and predict what might happen in the future.

220 EL A RL.6.1, L.6.6

PREVIEW THE TOPIC

Experiments

In science, researchers often do experiments to learn why

things happen. Experiments are tests or trials. When scientists
conduct experiments, they want to discover or prove scientific
facts or laws.
When students conduct experiments, they may want to find
out what happens to things over time, or what results occur
when different elements are combined. In “Science Friction,”
you’ll learn how one team’s plan for a science experiment
produces some unexpected results.

Think Write Pair Share

Think about a scientific experiment
that you've heard about or that you've
conducted yourself.
▶ What did the experiment try to show?
▶ How was the experiment performed?
▶ Was the experiment successful?
Write a paragraph that answers these
questions. Then share your work with a
partner. Discuss how your paragraphs are
similar and different.

221
 Lesson 8

MEET THE AUTHOR

David Lubar
David Lubar originally aspired to
be a comedian. He sold a joke for
seventy-five cents and still has the
check. He also loves pinball and even created
an Atari pinball game. With thirteen books
(including Dog Days and Flip) and many video
games to his credit, Lubar has a remaining goal:
to write a movie or a cartoon show.

MEET THE ILLUSTRATOR

GENRE Macky Pamintuan

Macky Pamintuan was born in the
Realistic fiction has characters
Philippines. His parents found that
and events that are like people
and events in real life. As you keeping Macky busy with pencils
read, look for: and paper was the best way to keep him happy.
characters who have feelings As an adult, Pamintuan moved to California. He is
that real people have
the illustrator for the book series Weird Planet and
realistic settings and events
Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew.

222 EL A RL.6.3, RL.6.4, L.6.5c

 School Stories
ady and Other
ver the Lunch L
o m Tripping O
fr by David Lubar
selection illustrated by Macky Pamintuan

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

How can mistakes

turn into answers
to problems?
223
 When Ms. Adler assigns groups for projects in her sixth-
grade science class, she has one team member draw names
from a box. That’s how science geek Amanda finds herself
in a group with class clown Benji, Ms. Perfect Ellen, and the
mysteriously silent George.

Unlike oxygen and hydrogen, some things didn’t

combine very easily. For example argon, neon, and the other
inert gases. Or the four of us. Ellen and George didn’t move.
Ellen obviously wanted everyone to come to her. George
didn’t seem to care who went where, so I walked over to his
desk. So did Benji. Ellen had no choice except to join us.
“Hey,” Benji said, spreading his arms wide, “group hug.”
Ellen and I both went, “Ewww.” Some things were too
gross even for calm, detached scientists.
“Just kidding,” Benji said.
“Knock it off,” I said. “We need to get organized.”
“Who said you were in charge?” Ellen asked.
“I’m good at science,” I said.
“So am I,” Ellen said. “And I’m organized.” She held
up her notebook, which was disgustingly neat. My notebook
looked like the wrapper of an exploded firecracker—which
didn’t mean I wasn’t a good scientist. I’d just been too busy
to straighten it out. Though I’m sure I could never get Ellen
to believe that I knew what I was doing.
I tried to think of a scientific approach to picking a
leader. Meanwhile, George reached into his pocket and
pulled out a quarter. He flipped it into the back of his left
hand, covered it with his right hand, and looked at Ellen.
“That’s no way to pick,” she said.
He looked at me.
“Heads,” I said.
Heads it was.
“So, when shall we meet?” I asked.

224
 It turned out that they had stuff going on all week
except for today right after school. Three coin tosses and a
short argument later, we agreed to meet at my place.
“My room’s a little messy,” I warned everyone.
“Messy room, messy mind,” Ellen said.
“Empty room, empty head,” Benji said.
Much as I hated to admit it, I was starting to like him.
We met outside after school and walked to my house.
On the way, Ellen mentioned thirty-seven reasons why
she was so great and wonderful and perfect, Benji made
nineteen jokes, and George kicked a rock.
When we went inside, my mom got all excited. “Oh,
you brought friends, Amanda. How nice. I’ll make snacks.”
She seemed to think I spent too much time by myself.
“Watch your step,” I warned everyone as we approached
my room. I pushed against the door. It didn’t move. I leaned
into it and gave a hard shove.
“Eeew. You want us to go in there?” Ellen scrunched
up her face.
“Hey—it’s not dirty. It’s just messy.” I walked over
various piles of clothes, books, magazines, and other
essentials, then plopped down on my bed. Okay—actually, I
plopped down on the clothes that were on my bed.
Ellen tiptoed in, followed by Benji and George. George
sat on my hamper. Ellen perched on the edge of a chair.
“You should fire your maid,” she said. “Ours would never
leave a room like this.”
I ignored her.
“Wow. It’s sort of like you live inside a laundry basket.”
Benji walked over to the highest mound of clothes, right near
my bookcase, and reached up. “Hey, I can touch the ceiling.”
He thumped his chest and shouted, “I’m king of the laundry!”
ANALYZE THE TEXT
Conclusions and Generalizations What conclusions can be
drawn about Amanda based on text evidence?

225
 “Cut that out,” I said. “We have work to do.”
“Knock, knock.” My mom appeared with a tray stacked full of
goodies. Before anyone could speak, she’d handed each of us a plate.
Turkey sandwiches, and baby carrots with little dishes of ranch dip.
Mom made great sandwiches.
“Okay—back to the project,” I said. “What about chemistry?”
“Boring,” Benji said.
George nodded.
I took a bite of my sandwich. I really loved chemistry, but I was
willing to compromise. “Biology?” I asked.
“Not interesting,” Benji said.
George curled his lip.
I took another bite, and tried another field. After getting similar
responses from them for everything I could think of, I looked over
at Ellen, who’d been sitting quietly, eating her snack. Even there,
she was disgustingly neat. I didn’t see a crumb on her plate. She’d
finished her sandwich and started on the carrot sticks.
“You like chemistry?” I asked her.
“Astronomy,” she said, dabbing a speck of mayonnaise from the
corner of her lip with her napkin.
That figured. I bet if I’d mentioned astronomy, she’d say she liked
chemistry. We kept talking, but got absolutely nowhere. Ellen didn’t
like any of my ideas. I didn’t like any of hers. Benji seemed more
interested in touching the ceiling.
And George just sat there. Though, compared to the noise everyone
else was making, I had to admit I was beginning to appreciate the value
of silence. We only had an hour because Ellen needed to leave for a
piano lesson. When it was time to go, we agreed that everyone would
think about stuff for a week. Then we’d get back together.
“Nice friends,” my mom said after they’d left. “Wouldn’t
you like to have a neat and tidy room where
all of you could hang out?”

226
 “It’s fine the way it is,” I said. I’d rather spend my time trying to
understand the universe than straightening out one little unimportant
part of it.

We met the next week. Mom brought snacks again. And once
again, we couldn’t agree on anything. Finally, I said, “Look, we can’t
keep going like this. If we don’t pick a project now, we’re toast.”
“Planning is important,” Ellen said.
“So is toast,” Benji said.
“But we aren’t planning, we’re arguing,” I said.
“We are not,” Ellen said.
“We are too,” I said.
“Are not.”
“Are too.”
“R2-D2!” Benji shouted.
“You’re the only one who’s arguing,” Ellen said.
We argued about that until it was time for her to go.

Third week—third meeting. We might as well have been in third

grade. Ellen and I argued. Benji seemed fascinated by his ability to
touch the ceiling near my bookcase. I actually thought about moving
that pile of clothes, but I sort of hated to spoil his fun. George kept his
thoughts to himself, though he did seem interested in checking out some
of the books I’d stacked up next to the hamper, which surprised me.
We finally agreed that since we couldn’t agree on a project,
everyone would bring an idea next week and we’d vote for the best one.

Week four. I voted for my project. Ellen voted for hers. Benji
voted for Albert Einstein. George didn’t vote, but he did offer the use
of his quarter.
“Look,” I said. “It’s obvious we can’t agree. So let’s each start an
actual project. Next week, we’ll pick the best one, and everyone will
work on it.”
ANALYZE THE TEXT
Connotation/Denotation Amanda describes Ellen
as “disgustingly neat.” Does that phrase have a
positive or negative connotation? How can you tell?

227
 Week five. We each decided we needed another week . Everyone
left right after our snack . When Mom came back for the dishes, she
sniffed, looked at my piles of clothes, and said, “You really need to
think about picking up .”
She was right. It was getting a little stuffy. But I couldn’t pick
things up just then . I needed to think about my project. So I found a
more elegant solution . I opened a window.

Week six .
“What’s that supposed to be?” I asked Benji when he lugged his
project into my room .
He looked down at the pile of ice-cream sticks and coat-hanger
wires attached to a board with bits of duct tape, bent nails, and large
globs of glue. “It’s a roller coaster.”
“You’re kidding.”
He shrugged. “It sort of fell apart. I’m not great with tools.”
I figured he’d make a joke about the project, but he just sighed
and said, “Sorry I let the group down .”
I looked over at Ellen, who hadn’t brought anything. “Did you
start a project?” I’d expected her to drag in a display charting the life
cycle of designer handbags.
“I tried to spot comets,” she said. “It would be so great to discover
a new one. Dad bought me this excellent telescope last month . But
it’s been cloudy every night.”
I waited for her to say she was sorry, but she didn’t. I guess the
word wasn’t in her vocabulary. I glanced at George. He shook his
head and spread his empty hands. Then I looked at my desk, where
I’d balanced a large board that contained my experiments. I’d grown
crystals in various solutions. “I guess we’ll have to use mine,” I said.
“Notice how the copper sulfate produces a—”
Just then, Mom appeared in the hallway with a tray. She pushed
at the door. Then she pushed harder. There still wasn’t enough space
for her to get in. She gave the door a good, hard shove. I could feel the
floor shake.

228
 On my desk, the whole display started to slide. I tried to dash
across the room, but I tripped on a pair of jeans. All of my hard work
crashed to the floor.
I lay on my stomach, staring at the icky mess. Mom put the tray
down in the hall and squeezed through the doorway. “That’s it. I’ve
had it. This room is a disgrace.” She grabbed a handful of clothes
from the floor. I expected her to drop them somewhere, or toss them.
Instead, her eyes opened wide. Then she went, “Eeewww.”
I looked over. Under the clothes was . . . something. It was dark
green and shriveled. What in the world is that? I leaned closer. It was
some kind of food.
“That does it!” Mom yelled. “You are grounded until this room
is clean.”
“But—”
“Disgusting.” She shook her head and walked out.
I stood there, staring at the thing. Whatever it was, I hadn’t put it
there. I was a slob, but I wasn’t a pig.
Behind me, Ellen whispered something.
I spun toward her. “If you mention your maid one more time, I’m
going to scream.”
Ellen flinched and backed away from me. I realized I was already
screaming.
“I just wanted to tell you I was sorry,” she said.
“What?”
“I’m sorry. It’s my fault.”
“Your fault?”
She shrugged. “I’m allergic
to wheat.”

229
 I let her words roll around in my brain for a second, hoping I’d
somehow misunderstood what she meant. But the equations only
seemed to have one solution. Ellen didn’t eat bread. Ellen’s plate was
always empty. Ellen had just apologized. “Are you telling me you’ve
been stashing sandwiches in my room?”
“Not sandwiches. Just the bread. The turkey was delicious.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t want your mom to think I didn’t like her food. And I felt
kind of funny about mentioning my allergy. I try so hard to fit in, but
it’s not easy sometimes. I’m not good at it like you are. You’re just so
comfortable with stuff.”
“What?”
“You don’t worry about what people think,” she said. “I worry
so much that I always end up saying the wrong thing. And you’re so
smart. I have to study so hard. I have to keep everything so carefully
organized, or I get lost. But you—you’re so good at science.”
“Oh.” I’d definitely need to think about what she’d just said. I guess
I’d been making a lot of assumptions. But at the moment, I had a more
urgent issue to deal with. I looked at the moldy slab. “How many?”
“Every week,” she said.
“Where?”
She went to various clothes heaps in my room and revealed the
slices of bread, which ranged from slightly moldy to totally overgrown.
Benji picked up the pieces and laid them out on my desk. If the
bread hadn’t been buried in my wardrobe like some sort of ancient
Egyptian funeral offering, I probably would have found it pretty
fascinating.
“I’m sorry,” Ellen said again. “I’ll explain to your mom that this
was my fault. And I’ll help you clean your room. Okay? If there’s one
thing I’m really good at, it’s straightening up.” She looked at me like
she expected me to turn her down.

ANALYZE THE TEXT

Characters’ Motivations What were Ellen’s
motivations for acting the way she did? Why does
this surprise Amanda?

230
 She seemed really sorry. “Sure. You can help. That would be
wonderful.”
“I’ll help too,” Benji said.
George nodded.
“Thanks,” I said as we tackled the top layer. “This is great. But
we still don’t have a project.”
“Sure we do .”
I was so shocked by the voice, I just stared at George.
“We do?” Benji asked.
George nodded and pointed at the bread.
“Mold!” Ellen said. “We have a whole display of the stages of
mold growth .”
“Yeah,” I said. George was right. We had pieces of bread for each
week . “But is that enough?” It was hard to imagine a whole project
from some slices of moldy bread. Then I realized it wasn’t just about
mold growth .
“Look,” I said, flipping a piece over.
Ellen nodded. “Mayonnaise. It’s acidic.”
“Yup . We have an example of mold inhibition too. We just have
to figure out a way to display it so you can see both sides.”
“Great,” Ellen said. “But what if it’s still not enough?”
“Oh, there might be some more . . .” Benji said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Promise you won’t kill me?”
“No .”
“Promise you won’t make it slow and painful?”
“No .”
He shrugged. “I sorta don’t like turkey a whole lot.”
“Oh, please don’t tell me you’ve been stashing meat
in my room.”
He nodded.

231
 “Where?” I sniffed and looked around.
Benji pointed at the top of my bookcase.
“You slimeball,” I said as I climbed a chair to take a look.
Oh, yuck . There were five piles of turkey in various stages of
decomposition, neatly laid out from left to right. It was absolutely
disgusting. It was also pretty fascinating. And I guess I was relieved
to know the smell wasn’t coming from my clothes.
I looked over at George. “What about you? Is there anything you
don’t like?”
He lifted a stack of books to reveal baby carrots.
“Good grief. How could all of you just hide food away like that?”
“Well,” Ellen said, “the place is kind of a dump . If you don’t care,
why should we?”

232
 “When in Slobovia,” Benji said, “do as the Slobs do .”
I couldn’t argue with them . All they’d done was sink to my level.
Maybe this was one area where it wouldn’t hurt for me to try to be a
bit more like Ellen. But just a bit. No way would my pens ever match
my wardrobe.

We got back to work. At five, I asked Ellen, “Don’t you have a

piano lesson?”
“It won’t hurt me to miss one.” She flipped open her cell phone
and made a call.
Right after that, George left. I figured he had some sort of
appointment he couldn’t cancel. But I was grateful he’d helped for as
long as he could.
There was still plenty to do . The rest of us kept working.
“I found it!” Benji screamed a couple minutes later.
“What?” I asked.
“The floor!”
I stared down at the spot where he pointed. “So that’s what it
looks like.”
“Nice rug,” Ellen said.
“Thanks. I forgot I had one.”
Just as we were finishing, George returned, holding a beautiful
display case with sections for the bread, turkey, and carrots. It even
had mirrors in it to show both sides of the specimens.
“Wow,” I said, “that’s perfect. Did you build it?”
He nodded.
“You’re a genius with your hands,” I said.
He smiled.
Ellen patted him on the shoulder. “And you don’t waste time
talking unless you have something to say.”
“I’ll do the captions,” Benji said. He started coming up with these
awful puns that made everyone groan, like, “Spore score and seven
weeks ago,” “Rot and roll,” and “Bacterial Girl.” But we laughed
too . And I knew Ms. Adler had a great sense of humor, so I figured it
wouldn’t hurt to use Benji’s titles.

233
 Ellen, who had beautiful handwriting, lettered the
signs. I typed a report to go along with the display. As we
all finished up the project together, I realized I’d discovered
an important scientific principle. It had nothing to do with
mold, but everything to do with chemistry. Some elements
combined quickly. Others combined slowly. And some
didn’t combine at all unless you mixed them together under
high heat and intense pressure.
We got an A. Ms. Adler complimented us on our
planning. “I’m impressed,” she wrote, “that you worked
so nicely as a group and immediately got started on a well-
planned and complex project. Your use of familiar food items
was especially clever.”
That afternoon, as I was leaving school, I found Ellen,
Benji, and George waiting for me.
“Want to hang out?” Ellen asked.
“Do you?” I asked back.
All three of them nodded. I thought about those
reluctant elements again—the ones that didn’t want to
combine. When you finally got them together, they usually
formed incredibly strong bonds.
“Seems a shame not to take advantage of all our work
cleaning your room,” Ellen said.

234
 “Good point.” I didn’t have the heart to tell them
that half the floor had vanished again. They’d find out
for themselves soon enough. On the other hand, it would
give us something to do. There was one other thing I had
to tell them, though. “This time, I think we should make
our own snacks.”
They all agreed about that too.

235
 BE A READING DETECTIVE

Dig Deeper
Use Clues to Analyze the Text
Use these pages to learn about Conclusions and Generalizations,
Connotation/Denotation, and Characters’ Motivations. Then read
“Science Friction” again to apply what you learned.

Conclusions and Generalizations

In “Science Friction,” author David Lubar includes many details about
characters and events in the plot. Sometimes he does not tell readers
everything. Readers must use text evidence and their own experience to
draw a conclusion, or make a logical guess about what is happening.
Readers can also make a generalization, or a broad statement that is
true most of the time. Look back at page 226 in “Science Friction.” Here,
Amanda’s mom asks her nicely if she would prefer a neat room for the kids
to be in. You can draw the conclusion that Amanda's mom isn’t happy and
wants Amanda to clean her room. Then later, after the project, Amanda’s
room is messy again. What generalization can you make about Amanda?

Conclusion or
My Experience Text Evidence Generalization

236 EL A RL.6.1, RL.6.3, RL.6.4, SL.6.1c, L.6.5c

Connotation/Denotation
Authors choose words carefully to
help readers understand characters.
Look back at page 225. Amanda
describes her room as messy. The
dictionary, or denotative, meaning of
messy is “disorganized.” One
additional, or connotative, meaning
of messy is “dirty.” A connotation can
be negative or positive. For example,
people who are careful about their
spending can be described as “thrifty”
(positive connotation) or “miserly”
(negative connotation).

Characters’ Motivations
Authors often use characters’
motivations to move the events of a
story along. In “Science Friction,”
Amanda says she is “good at science.”
She also probably wants to get a good
grade on her science project. Amanda
is unhappy with her team’s lack of
progress for three weeks. Finally, in the
fourth week, she takes charge. She
tells everyone to start a project and
bring it the next week; then they will
choose the best one. What is Amanda’s
motivation for doing this?

237
 RETURN TO THE ESSENTIAL QUESTION
Review the selection
Turn
and with a partner to Classroom
Talk prepare to discuss this Conversation
question: How can mistakes turn
into answers to problems? As you Continue your discussion of “Science Friction”
discuss, ask each other questions by explaining your answers to these questions:
and reflect on the ideas presented.
1 In what ways do Amanda’s feelings
Use examples from "Science
about each team member change by
Friction" to explain your response.
the end of the story?

2 Ms. Adler calls the project “well-

planned,” “complex,” and “clever.”
Why does she choose those words?

3 What would Amanda say if her mother

asked how she felt about the team and
the way the project turned out?

ONE MORE TIME?

Think Again Will Amanda and her teammates
ever work on a project together again? Write a
paragraph that explains your prediction, and
include text evidence from the story as support.
Tell what the team members might do
differently in the future. Base your prediction
on events in the story. Share your paragraph
with a partner.

238 EL A RL.6.1, RL.6.2, RL.6.3, W.6.9a, SL.6.1a, SL.6.1c

Performance Task

WRITE ABOUT READING

Response Write a summary of ”Science Friction.”
Identify the setting, the characters, and the problem.
Include only the most important episodes that lead to
the completed science project. Tell how the characters
solve their problem and what they learn. Remember
that a summary uses only details from the story and
contains no opinions.

Writing Tip
Remember that an action verb tells what the subject
of a sentence does. Use action verbs such as hide,
clean, and build to retell the story's episodes in your
own words.

239
 Lesson 8
INFORMATIONAL
TEXT

by Ed Sc
by Schu
hule
ler

You’re hungry. You grab some bread. Ewwww!

It’s moldy. This may be a question you’re reluctant to
ask, but what is mold, anyway?
GENRE
NRE Mold is a type of fungus, a microscopic organism
that grows on organic matter such as food. Mold
Informational text, such as
this science article, gives facts
eats bacteria, which, as you’ll read, can sometimes be
and examples about a topic. a good thing!
As a detached observer, you can see for yourself
how mold grows under different conditions. You
might even learn a scientific principle or two while
TEXT FOCUS you’re at it!

Directions A text may include

a set of instructions telling
how to do something, often by
instructing the reader to follow
a series of steps.

A 300x magnification of the mold

fungus Epicoccum purpurascens, often
found in decomposing foods

240 EL A RI.6.3, RI.6.10

A MOLDY EXPERIMENT
What You Need
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TMJDFT STEP 2
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241
 FLEMING’S MIRACLE MOLD
Mold once helped scientists find an elegant solution to a
big problem.
In 1928 a Scottish scientist named Alexander Fleming was
working in a hospital lab, hoping to find a way to fight bacterial
infection. To study bacteria, Fleming grew specimens in dishes. One
day, he noticed that a mold had grown on one specimen. Then he
discovered that around the mold, bacteria had died.
What had killed them? It was a chemical in the mold!
After years of further research, scientists used the mold,
Penicillium notatum, to make a drug called penicillin. At first,
penicillin was hard to make in large batches. Then scientists found
that it grew fast on corn and rotting melon.
By the mid-1940s, the United States was making 650 billion
doses of penicillin per month. Infections that once were deadly could
now be cured with an antibiotic drug made from a mold!

Alexander Fleming, 1952. The background photo on this page shows

spores of the mold used to make penicillin.

242
 TEXT TO TEXT
Compare “Mold” Texts Talk with a partner
about “Science Friction” and “Growing Mold.”
Discuss these questions: In what way does each
text tell about mold growth? How are the two
texts different? After you discuss your ideas,
work together to write an answer to each
question. Include evidence from the texts.

TEXT TO SELF
Write About Groups “Science Friction”
shows how a diverse group can work together.
Think of a time when you were part of a group
or a team. What were some of the challenges
of working together? What were the benefits?
What was the result? Write a paragraph that
answers these questions.

TEXT TO WORLD
Explain Fungi Mold is a type of fungus.
Mushrooms and yeast are fungi, too. Look up
fungus in a dictionary. What do you think is the
value of studying fungi such as mushrooms and
yeast? Share your thoughts with a partner.

EL A RL.6.1, RI.6.1, W.6.10, SL.6.1c

243
 Digital Resources
Multimedia
Grammar Glossary
GrammarSnap
Video

What Is a Coordinating Conjunction? The connecting words and,

or, and but are called coordinating conjunctions. You can use these
conjunctions to join two simple sentences into a compound sentence.

Coordinating Conjunctions in Compound Sentences

The group had its first meeting, and Amanda became the leader.

Would the group cooperate, or would it waste time on squabbles?

Amanda liked chemistry, but Ellen was more interested in astronomy.

In each part of a compound sentence, the subject and verb must agree.

singular singular coordinating plural subject plural

subject verb conjunction verb

Mold grows on bread, and meat and vegetables rot.

Try This!
Work with a partner. Identify the conjunction in each
sentence below. Then explain the subject-verb agreement
in both parts of the sentence.

1 Ellen puts her clothes away, but other students toss their clothes
anywhere.

2 Students pick topics for projects, or teachers assign topics.

3 George says very little, but Ellen and Benji talk a lot.
4 Ellen has the moldy bread, and Benji has the rotting meat.

244 EL A L.6.3a
 Choppy writing does not flow smoothly. It contains too many
short sentences, one after the other. You can avoid choppy writing by
combining separate sentences that have related ideas into a compound
sentence. Remember to use a comma before the conjunction in a
compound sentence.

Separate Sentences

Ellen hid her wheat bread. Benji hid his turkey slices.

Compound Sentence

Ellen hid her wheat bread, and Benji hid his turkey slices.

Connect Grammar to Writing

As you revise your book review, look for short sentences with related
ideas that you can combine into compound sentences. You should also
look for long sentences that you can turn into compound sentences.

245
 Interactive Lessons
Writing Arguments:
Introduction
Writing Arguments:
Support Your Claim

Evidence To write a book review, writers analyze and evaluate a

book and then give an opinion about it. You can use modal expressions or
phrasing, such as definitely or in my opinion, to show how certain you are
of your ideas. To analyze and evaluate a fiction book, ask yourself these
questions: Are the setting and characters well developed? Is the plot
interesting? Is the story enjoyable to read? To create a good argument
to support your opinion, give the reasons you believe as you do. Your
reasons should include evidence from the story.
Amy wrote a book review in which she stated her opinion about the
setting of “Science Friction.” Later, she added evidence from the story to
support her reasons clearly.

Writing Checklist Revised Draft

Evidence “Science Friction” is definitely an entertaining

Did I state my
opinion clearly and
, and t
support it? story to read. The characters are funny. The
Purpose
Did I analyze and conflict leads to a surprising ending. The most
evaluate a book?
Organization important element of the story, though, is its
Did I arrange ideas in a
logical order?
Elaboration
setting. Most of the story happens in Amanda’s
Did I use proper nouns
and coordinating
conjunctions correctly?
room. What makes her room interesting is that
Did I express my
argument in my own it is like many real teenagers’ rooms.
unique way?
It is messy, piled high with clothes, books,
Conventions
Did I include compound and magazines.
sentences?
Did I use correct
spelling, grammar, and
punctuation?

246 EL A W.6.1a, W.6.1b, W.6.4, W.6.9a

 Final Copy

The Importance of Setting

by Amy Nukaya
“Science Friction” is an entertaining story to read. The
characters are funny, and the conflict leads to a surprising ending.
The most important element of the story, though, is its setting.
Most of the story happens in Amanda’s room. What makes her
room interesting is that it is like many real teenagers’ rooms. It is
messy, piled high with clothes, books, and magazines.
Amanda’s room is also where important events in the story
take place. It is where we meet Amanda, her mom, Ellen, George,
and Benji. Amanda and her classmates meet there each week to
plan a science project, but they cannot decide on a project to do.
When Amanda’s mom brings snacks to the messy room for the
kids to eat as they work, no one notices that Amanda’s classmates
are hiding parts of the snacks they don’t like. But why? The reader
wonders why Amanda still hasn’t cleaned her room.
The setting is also the most important story element because
the team members solve their problem in that room. A project is
chosen and gets done there. This story just wouldn’t be the same
without this particular setting. I recommend this funny story so
that readers can see how a messy room can change everything!

Reading as a Writer In my final book review, I added evidence to

support my reasons. I made
What evidence did Amy add to
sure that I used coordinating
support her argument? In your book
conjunctions to form
review, what can you add to make
compound sentences.
the support for your argument
stronger?

247
 Le sson

Exploring 1 rudimentary 2 immaculately

Islands This picture of a man White sand on a tropical
on a beach gives a beach seems to sparkle
rudimentary, or simple, immaculately, as if it
idea of a castaway on an were spotless.
island.

LANGUAGE DETECTIVE
Islands
ds
Explorin
Talk about the ng
Writer's Words
Verbs are words that
express actions. Work
with a partner to find
the Vocabulary words
that are verbs. What
clues did you use to find
them? Use the verbs in 3 4
new sentences.
defy permeated
Only an emergency The sweet smells of
would force a resident tropical flowers have
of an island to defy, or permeated, or spread
challenge, a hurricane. through, many islands.

248 EL A L.6.4d, L.6.6

 Lesson 9
Study each Context Card.
Ask a question that uses one of the
Vocabulary words.

5 venture 6 poised 7 rigid

Few adult hermit crabs These gulls are poised In time, the trunk of a
will venture, or dare to above the sea. Balanced, palm tree grows rigid. It
go, very far from the they wait for the right is harder and stiffer than
safety of their shells. moment to snatch a fish. it used to be.

8 consequences 9 sparsely 10 array

This boy has learned Only a few people This platter includes an
to fish. One of the may be found on a array of tropical fruit.
consequences of his beach that is sparsely The fruit has been set
knowledge is that he can populated. out in an impressive
catch his own food. display.

249
 TARGET SKILL
Cause and Effect When you read “Kensuke’s Kingdom,” look
for cause-and-effect relationships as the plot unfolds and
characters respond or change. To identify a cause, ask why an
event happens; to identify an effect, ask what happens as a
result. Remember that an effect can have more than one cause,
and a cause can have more than one effect. Use a graphic
organizer like the one below to record cause-and-effect
relationships in “Kensuke’s Kingdom.”

Cause Effect

TARGET STRATEGY
Visualize Use text evidence to visualize the characters and
events, forming pictures in your mind of the plot as it unfolds
and moves toward a resolution.

250 EL A RL.6.3
PREVIEW THE TOPIC

Island Ecosystems

The living and nonliving things that interact with one

another in an area make up an ecosystem. The living things
include plants and animals. The nonliving things include air,
water, and soil. An island is one example of an ecosystem.
Imagine that you are a castaway on an island. What would
you need to survive? In “Kensuke’s Kingdom,” Michael is a
castaway whose only company is a mysterious man who
teaches him about the island’s precious resources.

Talk About It
Think about stories or movies in which
the characters must survive in an
unfamiliar ecosystem. What caused
their problems? What resources did
they use to solve them? Share your
ideas with your classmates. How were
your examples similar and different?

251
 Lesson 9
MEET THE AUTHOR

Michael
Morpurgo
British author Michael
Morpurgo runs Farms for
City Children, a program that allows children
from British cities to spend time on his
three farms. Many of his books center on an
elderly man “giving back to nature more than
he takes from it.” An author of more than
one hundred books, Morpurgo was Britain’s
Children’s Laureate for 2003–2005.

GENRE
MEET THE ILLUSTRATOR
Realistic fiction has
characters and events that are
like people and events in real
William Low
life. As you read, look for: Although he paints in
details that help the reader a dark basement, William
picture the setting Low is known for his use of
a main character who
light. He once captured a sunset kayaking
overcomes a challenge
trip so accurately, viewers assumed he’d
been there. Low’s other books include
Old Penn Station and Chinatown.

252 EL A RL.6.3, RL.6.4, RL.6.6, RL.6.10

Kensuke’s
Kingdom
by Michael Morpurgo
selection illustrated by William Low

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

What can cause people

to change how they feel
about one another?
253
 Sailing with his parents around the world, Michael and his dog, Stella,
fall overboard during a wild storm. They are washed up on an island
in the Pacific. A mysterious old man who has befriended the island’s
orangutans brings food and water to the boy and dog. But when
Michael builds a signal fire to attract a passing ship, the man stomps it
out. He draws a line in the sand beyond which Michael is not allowed
to go and forbids him to swim in the ocean. Angry, the stranded boy
waits for another chance to light a beacon.

With every day that passed, in spite of the fish and fruit and water
he continued to bring me, I came to hate the old man more and more.
Dejected and depressed I may have been, but I was angry, too, and
gradually this anger fueled in me a new determination to escape, and
this determination revived my spirits. Once again I went on my daily
trek up Watch Hill. I began to collect a fresh cache of dry leaves and
twigs from the forest edge and squirreled them away in a deep cleft in
the rock so that I would always be sure they were dry when the time
came. My beacon had dried out at last. I built it up, higher and higher.
When I had done all I could I sat and waited for the time to come, as I
knew it must. Day after day, week after week, I sat up on Watch Hill,
my fireglass polished in my pocket, my beacon ready and waiting.
As it turned out, when the time did come, I wasn’t up on Watch
Hill at all. One morning, with sleep still in my head, I emerged from
my cave, and there it was. A boat! A boat with strange red-brown
sails—I supposed it to be some kind of Chinese junk—and not that far
out to sea, either. Excitement got the better of me. I ran helter-skelter
down the beach, shouting and screaming for all I was worth. But I
could see at once that it was hopeless. The junk was not that far out
to sea, but it was still too far for me to be either seen or heard. I tried
to calm myself, tried to think . . . the fire! Light the fire!

254
 I ran all the way up Watch Hill without once stopping, Stella
hard on my heels and barking. All around me the forest was cackling
and screeching and whooping in protest at this sudden disturbance. I
readied my cache of dry leaves, took my fireglass, and crouched down
beside the beacon to light my fire. But I was trembling so much with
excitement and exhaustion by now that I could not hold my hand still
enough. So I set up a frame of twigs and laid the glass over it, just as
I had before. Then I sat over it, willing the leaves to smolder.
Every time I looked out to sea, the junk was still there, moving
slowly away, but still there.
It seemed an age, but there was a wisp of smoke, and shortly
afterward a glorious, wondrous glow of flame spreading along the
edge of one leaf. I bent over it to blow it into life.
That was when I saw his feet. I looked up. The old man was
standing over me, his eyes full of rage and hurt. He said not a word,
but set about stamping out my embryo fire. He snatched up my
fireglass and hurled it at the rock below, where it shattered to pieces.
I could only look on and weep as he kicked away my precious pile
of dry leaves, as he dismantled my beacon and hurled the sticks
and branches one by one down the hill. As he did so the group of
orangutans gathered to watch.
Soon nothing whatsoever now remained of my beacon. All about
me the rock scree was littered with the scattered ruins of it. I expected
him to screech at me, but he didn’t. He spoke very quietly, very
deliberately. “Dameda (dah meh dah),” he said.

255
 “But why?” I cried. “I want to go home. There’s a boat, can’t you
see? I just want to go home, that’s all. Why won’t you let me? Why?”
He stood and stared at me. For a moment I thought I detected just
a flicker of understanding. Then he bowed very stiffly from the waist,
and said, “Gomenasai (gah meh nah sy). Gomenasai. Sorry. Very sorry.”
And with that he left me there and went off back into the forest, followed
by the orangutans.
I sat there watching the junk until it was nothing but a spot on
the horizon, until I could not bear to watch anymore. By this time I
had already decided how I could best defy him. I was so enraged that
consequences didn’t matter to me now. Not anymore. With Stella beside
me, I headed along the beach, stopped at the boundary line in the sand,
and then, very deliberately, I stepped over it. As I did so, I let him know
precisely what I was doing.
“Are you watching, old man?” I shouted. “Look! I’ve crossed over.
I’ve crossed over your silly line. And now I’m going to swim. I don’t
care what you say. I don’t care if you don’t feed me. You hear me, old
man?” Then I turned and charged down the beach into the sea. I swam
furiously, until I was completely exhausted and a long way from the
shore. I trod water and thrashed the sea in my fury—making it boil and
froth all around me. “It’s my sea as much as yours,” I cried. “And I’ll
swim in it when I like.”
I saw him then. He appeared suddenly at the edge of the forest. He
was shouting something at me, waving his stick. That was the moment
I felt it, a searing, stinging pain in the back of my neck, then my back,
and my arms, too. A large, translucent white jellyfish was floating right
beside me, its tentacles groping at me. I tried to swim away, but it came
after me, hunting me. I was stung again, in my foot this time. The agony
was immediate and excruciating. It permeated my entire body like one
continuous electric shock. I felt my muscles going rigid. I kicked for the
shore, but I could not do it. My legs seemed paralyzed, my arms, too. I
was sinking, and there was nothing I could do about it. I saw the jellyfish
poised for the kill above me now. I screamed, and my mouth filled with
water. I was choking. I was going to die, I was going to drown, but I did
not care. I just wanted the pain to stop. Death I knew would stop it.

256
 I smelled vinegar, and thought I was at home. My father always
brought us back fish and chips for supper on Fridays and he loved to
soak his in vinegar—the whole house would stink of it all evening.
I opened my eyes. It was dark enough to be evening, but I was not at
home. I was in a cave, but not my cave. I could smell smoke, too. I was
lying on a sleeping mat covered in a sheet up to my chin. I tried to sit
up to look around me, but I could not move. I tried to turn my neck. I
couldn’t. I could move nothing except my eyes. I could feel, though. My
skin, my whole body, throbbed with searing pain, as if I had been scalded
all over. I tried to call out, but could barely manage a whisper. Then I
remembered the jellyfish. I remembered it all.
The old man was bending over me, his hand soothing on my
forehead. “You better now,” he said. “My name Kensuke. You better
now.” I wanted to ask after Stella. She answered for herself by sticking
her cold nose into my ear.
I do not know for how many days I lay there, drifting in and out of
sleep, only that whenever I woke, Kensuke was always there sitting beside
me. He rarely spoke and I could not speak, but the silence between us
said more than any words.
ANALYZE THE TEXT
Cause and Effect What does Michael do in
the fourth paragraph on page 256 that might
help explain why he is attacked by a jellyfish?

257
258
 My erstwhile enemy, my captor, had become my savior. He would
lift me to pour fruit juice or warm soup down my throat. He would
sponge me down with cooling water, and when the pain was so bad
that I cried out, he would hold me and sing me softly back to sleep. It
was strange. When he sang to me it was like an echo from the past,
of my father’s voice, perhaps—I didn’t know. Slowly the pain left me.
Tenderly he nursed me back to life. The day my fingers first moved
was the very first time I ever saw him smile.
When at last I was able to turn my neck I would watch him as he
came and went, as he busied himself around the cave. Stella would
often come and lie beside me, her eyes following him, too.
Every day now I was able to see more of where I was. In
comparison with my cave down by the beach, this place was vast.
Apart from the roof of vaulted rock above, you would scarcely have
known it was a cave. There was nothing rudimentary about it at all.
It looked more like an open-plan house than a cave—kitchen, sitting
room, studio, bedroom, all in one space.
He cooked over a small fire that smoked continuously at the back
of the cave, the smoke rising through a small cleft high in the rocks
above—a possible reason, I thought, why there were no mosquitoes
to bother me. There always seemed to be something hanging from a
wooden tripod over the fire, either a blackened pot or what looked
like and smelled like long strips of smoked fish.
I could see the dark gleam of metal pots and pans lined up on
a nearby wooden shelf. There were other shelves, too, lined with
tins and jars, dozens of them of all sizes and shapes, and hanging
beneath them innumerable bunches of dried herbs and flowers. These
he would often be mixing or pounding, but I wasn’t sure what for.
Sometimes he would bring them over to me so that I could smell them.
The cave house was sparsely furnished. To one side of the cave
mouth stood a low wooden table, barely a foot off the ground. Here
he kept his paintbrushes, always neatly laid out, and several more jars
and bottles, and saucers, too.

259
 Kensuke lived and worked almost entirely near the mouth of the
cave house where there was daylight. At night he would roll out his
sleeping mat across the cave from me, up against the far wall. I would
wake in the early mornings sometimes and just watch him sleeping.
He always lay on his back wrapped in his sheet and never moved
a muscle.
Kensuke would spend many hours of every day kneeling at
the table and painting. He painted on large shells but, much to my
disappointment, he never showed me what he had done. Indeed,
he rarely seemed pleased with his work, for just as soon as he had
finished, he would usually wash off what he had done and start again.
On the far side of the cave mouth was a long workbench and,
hanging up above it, an array of tools—saws, hammers, chisels, all
sorts. And beyond the workbench were three large wooden chests in
which he would frequently rummage around for a shell, perhaps, or a
clean sheet. We had clean sheets every night.
Inside the cave he wore a wraparound bathrobe (a kimono, as
I later knew it to be). He kept the cave house immaculately clean,
sweeping it down once a day at least. There was a large bowl of water
just inside the cave mouth. Every time he came in he would wash his
feet and dry them before stepping inside.
The floor was entirely covered with mats made of woven rushes,
like our sleeping mats. And everywhere, all
around the cave, to head height and
above, the walls were lined with
bamboo. It was simple, but it
was a home. There was no
clutter. Everything had
its place and its purpose.

260
 As I got better, Kensuke would go off, and leave me on my own
more and more but, thankfully, never for too long. He’d return
later, very often singing, with fish, perhaps fruit, coconuts or herbs,
which he’d bring over to show me proudly. The orangutans would
sometimes come with him, but only as far as the cave mouth. They’d
peer in at me, and at Stella, who always kept her distance from them.
Only the young ones ever tried to venture in, and then Kensuke only
had to clap at them and they’d soon go scooting off.
During those early days in the cave house I so much wished we
could talk. There were a thousand mysteries, a thousand things I
wanted to know. But it still hurt me to talk, and besides, I felt he
was quite happy with our silence, that he preferred it somehow. He
seemed a very private person, and content to be that way.
Then one day, after hours of kneeling hunched over one of his
paintings, he came over and gave it to me. It was a picture of a tree,
a tree in blossom. His smile said everything. “For you. Japan tree,”
he said. “I, Japanese person.” After that, Kensuke showed me all the
paintings he did, even the ones he later washed off. They were all in
black-and-white wash, of orangutans, gibbons, butterflies, dolphins,
and birds, and fruit. Only very occasionally did he keep one, storing
it away carefully in one of his chests. He did keep several of the tree
paintings, I noticed, always of a tree in blossom, a “Japan tree” as he
called it, and I could see he took particular joy in showing me these.
It was clear he was allowing me to share something very dear to him.
I felt honored by that.
In the dying light of each day he would sit beside me and watch
over me, the last of the evening sun on his face. I felt as if he were
healing me with his eyes. At night, I thought often of my mother and
my father. I so much wanted to see them again, to let them know I
was still alive. But, strangely, I no longer missed them.

ANALYZE THE TEXT

Style and Tone How does the narrator’s tone
change as his opinion of Kensuke changes? What
words does the author use to illustrate this?

261
 In time I found my voice again. The paralysis gradually
lost its grip on me, and my strength flowed back. Now I could
go out with Kensuke, whenever he invited me, and he often
did. To begin with, I would squat on the beach with Stella and
watch him spearfishing in the shallows. So still he stood, and
his strike was lightning fast. Then one day he made me my
own spear. I was to fish with him. He taught me where the
bigger fish were, where the octopuses hid under the rocks, how
to stand still as a heron and wait, spear poised just above the
water, my shadow falling behind me so that the fish were not
frightened away. I tell you, spearing a fish for the first time was
like scoring a winning goal for the Mudlarks back home—just
about the best feeling in the world.

ANALYZE THE TEXT

Point of View From what point of view is
this story told? How do you know? How
does the author develop the narrator’s
point of view throughout the story?

262
Medusa Jellyfish: Look, but Don’t Touch!
Michael learned the hard way that the stinging tentacles
of a jellyfish can be excruciatingly painful; in fact, some
jellyfish stings can be fatal. Jellyfish, which have inhabited
the oceans for hundreds of millions of years, do not
deliberately attack humans; swimmers are stung when they
inadvertently make contact with one of these creatures as it
is drifting along.
Though many species of jellyfish are quite toxic, some
jellyfish can be exquisitely beautiful to behold, with their
simple, translucent bodies in the radial shape of a bell,
sometimes in luminescent hues of purple, pink, or blue.
Jellyfish have long tentacles trailing from the rim of their
bodies, and for this reason they are also called Medusa
jellyfish, after a monster in Greek mythology who had
venomous snakes for hair.
The tentacles of a jellyfish contain special stinging
organelles called nematocysts. When a swimmer (or more
typical prey, such as a small fish) brushes against a tentacle,
the nematocysts spring out and pierce the victim’s skin with
tiny lances. This action paralyzes the prey and allows the
jellyfish to pull the unfortunate fish into its mouth and digest
it with special enzymes—no chewing necessary!
If you happen to visit a beach where jellyfish are present,
take precautions, or avoid the water altogether, especially
if the species concerned is among the more venomous ones.
Refrain from touching a jellyfish that has washed up onto
the shore; even dead jellyfish can sting! Jellyfish are best
observed at a safe distance—or better yet, behind a thick
sheet of glass, in an aquarium.

263
 BE A READING DETECTIVE

Dig Deeper
Use Clues to Analyze the Text
Use these pages to learn about Cause and Effect, Style and Tone, and
Point of View. Then read “Kensuke’s Kingdom” again to apply what
you learned.

Cause and Effect

Being able to identify causes and effects can help you better
understand a story’s plot and its characters.
To identify a cause, ask yourself, “Why did this event happen?” To
identify an effect, ask yourself, “What happened as a result of this cause?”
Remember to look for multiple causes and multiple effects in a text.
What chain of events in the plot causes Michael and Kensuke to
become closer? What other events are connected by cause-and-effect
relationships?

Cause Effect

264 EL A RL.6.3, RL.6.4, RL.6.6

Style and Tone
An author’s word choice often
helps to reveal the tone of a story.
The story is told from Michael’s
perspective. Look back at the
following text on page 256: “I trod
water and thrashed the sea in my
fury—making it boil and froth all
around me.” At this point in the story,
Michael feels defiant—he does not
want to obey Kensuke. The author’s
use of thrashed, fury, and boil helps to
create Michael’s tone of defiance.

Point of View
The term point of view gives us a
way to identify a story’s narrator, or
speaker. In first-person point of view,
the narrator is a story character who
uses words like I, me, and my to describe
his or her experiences. This point of
view reveals only what the narrator is
able to know, as well as the narrator’s
thoughts and feelings. As you reread
“Kensuke’s Kingdom,” look for how the
author uses the first-person point of
view. For example, look for places
where the author reveals Michael’s
thoughts and feelings.

265
 RETURN TO THE ESSENTIAL QUESTION
Review the selection
Turn with a partner to Classroom
and
Talk prepare to discuss this Conversation
question: What can cause people
to change how they feel about one Continue your discussion of “Kensuke’s
another? Ask and respond to Kingdom” by explaining your answers to
questions that help you develop an these questions:
answer based on the text.
1 Why do you think Kensuke imposes
such strict rules on Michael?

2 How does Kensuke teach Michael

respect for the island and its
resources?

3 How do you think Michael’s feelings

about being rescued may change from
the beginning of the story to the
ending?

INTERVIEW A CHARACTER
Role-Play Work with others to role-play Kensuke,
Michael, and a Japanese-English translator. The
students playing Kensuke and Michael should
write a list of questions they would like to ask
each other. The translator should read the
questions in turn for Michael or Kensuke to
answer. Students playing Kensuke and Michael
should use story details and make inferences
about the characters to answer the questions.

266 EL A RL.6.1, RL.6.3, W.6.9a, SL.6.1c

Performance Task

WRITE ABOUT READING

Response Do Michael’s and Kensuke’s
attitudes toward each other begin to change at
the ending of the story? Do they begin to trust
each other more? Write one or two paragraphs
to explain whether the characters share a
mutual trust. Use stated details about how the
characters respond to story events, along with
inferences about what you have read in the
story as text evidence to support your opinion.

Writing Tip
State your opinion at the beginning of your
response. Use transition words and phrases to
link the evidence for your opinion.

267
 Lesson 9
INFORMATIONAL
TEXT
Exploring
Islands by Carole Gerber

Picture an island. What comes to

mind? Maybe it’s a sparsely inhabited
Pacific island with immaculately white
sand, where only a few seabirds venture.
GENRE Maybe it’s Greenland, the world’s biggest
island, at 822,000 square miles. It could be
Informational text, such as
the island nation of Indonesia, home to 211
this science magazine article,
gives facts and examples about million people.
a topic. Islands come in all varieties. They
defy one-size-fits-all descriptions—except
for the rudimentary one that applies to
TEXT FOCUS all islands: a piece of land completely
surrounded by water.
Diagrams Informational
text may include a diagram,
a drawing that explains how
something works or how parts
relate to each other.

Ancient volcanoes formed

the islands of Channel
Islands National Park in
California.

268 EL A RI.6.7, RI.6.10

How Islands Form
There are two main types of island—oceanic and continental.
Both types show the consequences of dramatic changes.
Oceanic islands, such as those found along the coast of Southern
California, form from the peaks of undersea volcanoes. Some oceanic
islands are created when coral reefs, made from rigid coral skeletons,
build up around these volcanoes.
Continental islands form when the sea rises and surrounds a
section of the mainland of a continent. One kind of continental island
is the barrier island. This island forms from the action of water, wind,
and tides that shape and move sand and sediment. Many barrier
islands are found along the Atlantic coast of North America.

Barrier Island Zones

Barrier islands are always poised for change. A typical barrier
island has five zones. Ocean waves bring sand to the beach. Wind
forms the sand into dunes that are held in place by plants. Storms
push water permeated with sediment over the dunes, forming a mud
flat. Ocean tides make an area of salt marsh around the mud flats.

Five Zones of a Barrier Island

1. sea

2. beach

3. dune area

5. marsh

4. overwash
area

269
 The Island Ecosystem
The Outer Banks (left) are a
chain of barrier islands along the
North Carolina coast. This island
ecosystem is the home of a rich array
of plant and sea life.
Some animals live on the Outer Banks year-round, but
others only visit. Often, the sky above the islands is filled
with flocks of snow geese and other birds that arrive for the
winter. Another visitor, the female loggerhead sea turtle,
lives in the ocean but comes ashore in summer to dig a nest
and lay her eggs.
To care for this ecosystem and protect its animals and
plants, portions of the Outer Banks have been named federal
wildlife refuges.

Female loggerhead sea turtles return to the

Outer Banks every two to three years to nest.

270
 TEXT TO TEXT
Compare Island Texts “Kensuke’s Kingdom” and
“Exploring Islands” provide information about islands. Use
the following questions to compare and contrast the texts:
Which text tells about barrier islands? How does each text
tell about island ecosystems? How does each text describe
the living things on the island? Use evidence from the texts
to support your answers.

TEXT TO SELF
Describe an Experience In “Kensuke’s Kingdom,”
Kensuke’s actions frustrate Michael. Write a
paragraph about a time when someone’s actions
surprised, puzzled, or frustrated you. What did the
experience teach you?

TEXT TO WORLD
Link Information Island ecosystems are found all over
the world. “Exploring Islands” tells about barrier islands
in North America. How does the text information and the
diagram on page 269 give you a better understanding of
the topic? Discuss why it is helpful to have information
presented in more than one way.

EL A RL.6.1, RI.6.1, RI.6.7, W.6.10

271
 Digital Resources
Multimedia
Grammar Glossary

What Is a Subordinating Conjunction? Words such as although, when,

because, if, and since are subordinating conjunctions. The part of a
sentence that begins with a subordinating conjunction is the dependent
clause. Dependent clauses are not complete sentences. A complex
sentence consists of a dependent clause and an independent clause.
An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence. It is the most
important part of a complex sentence. Use a comma after a dependent
clause that comes at the beginning of a sentence.

Subordinating Conjunctions in Complex Sentences

dependent clause independent clause

When Michael built a signal fire, the man stomped it out.

subordinating conjunction

independent clause dependent clause

Michael wept because the man had shattered his fireglass.

subordinating conjunction

Try This!
Write the complex sentences below on a sheet
of paper. Circle the subordinating conjunctions.
Underline the independent clauses, and draw two lines under
the dependent clauses.

Michael swam furiously until he was exhausted.

After the jellyfish stung him, Michael felt great pain.

Michael could not swim because his muscles had become rigid.

When Michael screamed, his mouth filled with water.

272 EL A L.6.3a
 You can vary your sentence structure and make your writing smoother
by using a subordinating conjunction to combine two related sentences
into a complex sentence.

Separate Sentences

The boy lay motionless in bed. His dog shoved her nose into his ear.

Complex Sentence

As the boy lay motionless in bed, his dog shoved her nose into his ear.

Connect Grammar to Writing

As you revise your argument next week, look for sentences that you can
combine into a complex sentence by using a subordinating conjunction.

273
 Interactive Lessons
Writing as a
Process: Plan
Reading-Writing Workshop: Prewrite and Draft

Evidence In an argumentative essay, writers present a claim, or opinion,

about a topic. The writers’ purpose in an argument is to influence their audiences
to do something or to think a certain way. Plan an argument by clearly stating an
opinion. Then think of strong reasons that will support your claim. Support the
reasons with evidence. Organize the reasons and evidence in a way that is logical
and appropriate for your audience.
Maya explored the topic of island ecosystems and decided to write about
protecting coral reefs. Once she stated her claim, she developed her argument by
listing reasons and the evidence that supports the reasons. She deleted an idea to
strengthen her writing. Later, she organized her ideas into an argument chart.

Exploring a Topic

Writing Process
Checklist
Reefs are Reefs are
Prewrite ecosystems that found around
Did I plan my argument people depend on. the world.
with my audience in
mind?
Did I begin with a Coral reefs
claim?
should be
Did I include strong
reasons? protected.
Did I include enough
evidence to support Reefs can Reefs are
each reason?
provide barriers almost impossible
Did I organize my ideas
in a clear way? around islands to replace when
Draft
and coasts. damaged.
Revise
Edit
Publish and Share

274 EL A W.6.4, W.6.5

 Argument Chart

Coral reefs are important to the environment.

People should protect them.

Reason: Evidence:
Reefs are ecosystems Reef environments
that people depend on. are home to many sea
animals that are food
sources for people.

Reason: Evidence:
Reefs can provide Reefs protect beaches
barriers around islands from the force of
and coasts. damaging waves.

Reason: Evidence:
Reefs are almost Coral reefs grow at an
impossible to replace extremely slow rate.
when they are
damaged.

Reading as a Writer When I developed ideas for my argument,

I used strong reasons and
How does Maya’s evidence support
evidence to support my claim.
her reasons? Where can you add
evidence to support your own reasons
in your argument?

275
 Le sson

1 lore 2 abundance
A tribe’s lore, or These fishermen can
collected knowledge, is feed many families
passed on by adults who with this abundance of
teach traditions to new salmon.
generations.

LANGUAGE DETECTIVE

Talk About the

Writer's Words
Work with a partner.
Choose one of the
sentences. Take out
the Vocabulary word
and replace it with a
word that has a similar
meaning. Discuss how 3 4
the sentences are the
altered sophisticated
same and different. Computers have changed This artwork is
Alaskan schools. They sophisticated. It shows
have altered how many complex details.
students learn.

276 EL A L.6.3a, L.6.6

 Lesson 10
Study each Context Card.
Discuss one picture. Use a different
Vocabulary word from the one on the card.

5 cultural 6 lush 7 teeming

A totem pole is a Every summer, the During the fall, Alaska’s
cultural work, expressing valleys of Alaska are sky is teeming with
ideas and customs of the lush, full of flowers and thousands of migrating
community. green plants. geese.

8 retains 9 heritage 10 concept

Though times change, a Traditional clothes are Many ceremonies
tribe retains, or keeps, part of the heritage, or reflect the concept, or
ancient practices such as common past, of Native idea, that sharing is
carving. Alaskans. important.

277
 TARGET SKILL
Compare and Contrast When you compare, you analyze how
things are the same. When you contrast, you look for
differences. As you read “Children of the Midnight Sun,” notice
how people, places, or historical periods are alike and different.
Look for clue words such as in common, similar, and all to help
you find likenesses. Look for clue words such as but, each, and
better to help you find differences. Use a graphic organizer like
this one to gather your ideas.

Haida Both Tlingit

TARGET STRATEGY
Question Ask questions about a selection before you read,
as you read, and after you read. Then look for text evidence
to help you answer the questions.

278 EL A RI.6.1 ELD ELD.PI.6.1, ELD.PI.6.3, ELD.PI.6.6a

PREVIEW THE TOPIC

Traditions

People of different cultures have their own traditions that

are followed and honored over time. Traditions are often
handed down from parents and grandparents to children.
Some traditions come out of the history of a people and the
places where they live. Other traditions develop as families
come together to celebrate.
In “Children of the Midnight Sun,” you’ll learn about the
culture and way of life of two native Alaskan children. You’ll
also learn about southeastern Alaska and its natural beauty
and richness.

Quick Write
What makes up a culture's tradition?
Think of different examples and write
down as many as you can. Then share
your ideas with a group of classmates.

279
 Lesson 10
MEET THE AUTHOR

Tricia Brown
Tricia Brown has lived and
worked in Alaska since the
1970s. A writer and an editor,
she has published books on a
wide range of topics, including
the Iditarod sled-dog race, quilt making, and the
Alaska Highway. She has won numerous awards
for her writing and continues to write for both
adults and children.

MEET THE PHOTOGRAPHER

GENRE Roy Corral

Roy Corral has explored
Literary nonfiction tells and photographed much of
about people, places, or things
Alaska, including some of its
that are real. As you read, look
for: most remote regions. At one
factual information that tells point, he lived in a wilderness
a story area above the Arctic Circle in a log
text features such as home he built himself. His photographs
photographs and captions
have appeared in National Geographic
events organized in time
order Magazine, Sports Illustrated for Kids,
and many children’s books.

280 EL A RI.6.6, RI.6.8, RI.6.10

by Tricia Brown photographs by Roy Corral

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

What kinds of things

might two different
cultures have in
common?

281
 These portraits of two Native American children growing up
in Alaska reveal how they each celebrate their culture's ancient
traditions in the context of modern life.

Selina Tolson
Belly down on the Hydaburg dock, Selina Tolson, nine, and her
Haida
cousin Jamie peer into the shadowy water beneath them. The girls identify
seaweed, jellyfish, and salmon while they wait for Selina’s teenage brother
Charles to come with his skiff. Selina’s family left earlier on the Haida
(HY duh) Girl, her grandfather’s fifty-
six-foot commercial seiner, and the girls
are anxious to join them at a picnic
across the water.
“Look at those fish!” says Selina. “I
wish I had my brother’s rod.” She loves
to fish for salmon, although she admits
that a brother helps reel them in. Selina
has three brothers and two sisters, a cat
named Fatso, a pen pal, a treehouse, and
a chanáa (chah NAH), or grandfather,
who tells her wonderful stories.
This late August day is sunny and
dry, a rare occasion. Hydaburg, a village
of about 400 Haida Indian people, lies
in rain forest country on Prince of Wales
Island in Southeast Alaska. Each year,
the area normally gets about 150 inches
of rain and a little snow.

Rows of totem poles stand next to Selina’s

school. Some are new poles; others are very
old, collected from other places on the island.

282
 Minutes pass slowly. The girls roll onto their backs to stare at the clouds.
On Selina’s wrist are two broad, engraved silver bracelets that tinkle whenever
they touch. The Eagle clan symbol adorns one. Selina wears a silver ring too.
“My uncle gave me this ring,” Selina says. “This bracelet was my dad’s
mother’s, and when she died, he gave it to me. I don’t take them off, ever.”

Art and Culture

Artistically, the Haidas have much in common with their neighbors, the
Tlingits (KLIHNG its) and Tsimshians (SIHM shee uhns). Their styles vary so
slightly that only a clan member or a fellow artist might notice the differences.
All three groups carve totem poles and follow similar customs in clan
organization. But each group retains its own identity and tribal lore, and each
is known for its artistic specialty. Historically, for the Haidas, it was dugout
canoes, made from the biggest cedar trees in the region—found about forty
miles south on Canada’s Queen Charlotte Islands.
In Selina’s village there is an abundance of artists. Rosa Alby makes
beautiful button blankets. Her brother, Warren, carves Haida-style boats
and totems. Viola Burgess teaches Haida art to the children. Selina’s mom,
Christine, is among those who teach Haida dance.
“Our dance costume is a special blanket with our clan on it,” says Selina.
“Jamie and I are Eagle. There’s Eagle, Frog, Bullhead, and Beaver.
“We don’t use the same dance steps for every song,” she explains. “We
practice what we’re going to do. Our teachers teach us Haida words, like
kwáadaa (KWAH dah). That means ‘quarter,’ and dáalaa (DAH lah) means
‘money,’ and dúus (doos) means ‘cat.’
Háw’aa (huh WAH) means ‘thank you.’”

ANALYZE THE TEXT

Author’s Purpose What do you
think is the author’s purpose for
writing this selection? What text
evidence supports your answer?

Selina loves to fish. Although she’d rather

have a coho salmon on the end of her line,
she’ll settle for this rockfish.

283
 Next to Selina’s school is a grassy lot lined with totem poles. Life in
a rain forest means there are always plenty of large trees for carving. The
frequent rain and constant dampness speed the natural decay of these
valuable pieces of history and art. Some were moved from other places on
Prince of Wales; others were carved here. Historically, the totems served as
storytellers, memorials, or signs of clan ownership.
Finally, Selina spots Charles on the horizon and jumps to her feet.
Within minutes, he motors in and helps his passengers aboard for a twenty-
minute ride.
At the picnic, three generations of adults—Selina’s aunts, uncles,
grandparents, older cousins, and family friends—sit on driftwood logs,
talking, laughing, and feeding a bonfire. Over the flames, they roast hot
dogs and marshmallows. Tupperware containers of salads, smoked chíin
(cheen), or salmon, and desserts are opened. A few grown-ups keep their
eyes on the young ones romping in the chilly ocean. Selina can’t be tempted
to jump in, but wades instead, squealing when the cold water laps against
her ankles.
Occasionally, a shivering child runs up to a parent for a rubdown with
a towel. A few head into the woods to look for berries. Seated in nearby
lawn chairs are Selina’s grandparents, Sylvester and Frieda Peele, respected
tribal elders who are passing on stories, language, and dance, teaching the
Haida ways in daily life and in cultural heritage classes for children.

Selina poses with her mother, Christine, and grandparents

Sylvester and Frieda Peele. Because clan membership is passed
from mother to child, Frieda, Christine, and Selina are all Eagles.

284
 Haida History
Sylvester was born in Hydaburg, but his parents were not. His mother
came from British Columbia, and his father was from Kilnkwun, a village
about ten or twelve miles away from Hydaburg. Kilnkwun and another
village were abandoned in 1911 when the government forced the residents
to move to Hydaburg.
“It was mostly for school purposes,” Sylvester says gently. “But this
was a better place to live, with a river and lots of salmon.” At one time his
ancestors all lived in Canada. Some tribal stories say that about 400 years
ago there was a food shortage, and one group came north to Prince of
Wales Island.
The Alaska Haidas settled in villages that had been abandoned by
Tlingits. However, other storytellers say the new arrivals warred with the
Tlingits, driving them to the northern part of the island. Today, an invisible
boundary splits the island, with Tlingit country in the north and the Haidas
in the south. But wars? None lately.

The third largest American island,

Prince of Wales Island, lies just
across the border from Canada.

285
 The Haidas found plentiful food when they arrived: deer, berries, fish
eggs, crab, salmon, halibut, and seaweed. And even though Hydaburg’s
children can walk to the little Do Drop grocery store for candy, pop, crackers,
or other snacks, their families still mostly rely on the ocean to feed them.
“I like coho eggs and dog salmon eggs,” says Selina. “We dry them
and save them for the winter. I help pick the berries, and I help with drying
seaweed, too.
“My brothers usually go out on the boat and get seaweed on the beach
somewhere. At home, they grind it up in the grinder and lay it out on the
roof of the house to dry. Then we seal it in plastic bags.”
The picnic is wrapping up, and as mothers and aunties are replacing
lids and gathering children, the men fold up chairs and carry supplies to the
water’s edge.
In the middle of the cove, the beautiful Haida Girl waits, anchored in
the still, gray water. Charles shuttles the party from the beach to the seiner, a
handful at a time. Voyaging home to Hydaburg, Selina turns her face toward
the bow of the Haida Girl. Her long, black
hair flutters in the wind like a flag.

A member of the Eagle Clan, Selina

models her ceremonial regalia.

286
Josh Hotch Tlingit
Josh Hotch doesn’t know whom he’ll marry when he grows up, but
he knows she’ll be a Raven, so his children will be Ravens. That’s because
Josh is a member of the other Tlingit clan—the Eagle clan—just like his
mother.
“You are what your mother is,” he explains. “An Eagle can’t marry
an Eagle, and a Raven can’t marry a Raven.” Marrying within your clan
would be like marrying a member of your family.
At ten, Josh may not know the word moiety (MOY uh tee), but he
understands the concept. Throughout Tlingit territory—nearly all of
Alaska’s Southeast Panhandle—the Natives historically were born into two
moieties, or membership groups, called
Eagle and Raven, and further divided into
subclans with animal symbols such as
Killer Whale, Wolf, or Frog.
The clan shared responsibilities. If
one clan organized to build a house, the
other clan finished the work. Then the
first hosted a potlatch, a ceremonial feast
that focused on gift-giving memorials,
and displays of wealth. If a clan member
died, the other clan prepared the dead for
cremation or burial. Later, the deceased’s
clan would show their thanks by hosting
a potlatch. And so it went, back and
forth, sharing labor and gifts, with each
clan helping and honoring the other.

Josh is robed in a Chilkat blanket,

part of his dance regalia.

287
 These customs are among the ancient Tlingit traditions woven into
daily life in Klukwan, Josh’s home village of 140 people in the northern part
of the state’s Panhandle. So, too, are practices such as smoking and drying
fish, carving totem poles and masks, weaving Raven’s Tail robes and Chilkat
blankets, dancing and singing, storytelling, and celebrating in potlatches.
Nothing is done for the sake of tourists—it’s just everyday living. The residents
also drive cars and own fax machines in a village that mixes past and present in
a postcard setting.

Living with Nature

“Klukwan is a nice place,” says Josh. “We have the biggest mountains in
the U.S.A. We have evergreen and cottonwood trees and glaciers. Salmon, fish,
and deer, too. In the spring, the hooligans are here—they’re the teeny fish that
you can’t catch in salmon fishing nets. We make hooligan oil out of them. We
dip dried fish or dried hooligan in it—it’s a snack!”
Klukwan is indeed a beautiful, bountiful place to live. That’s probably
why Chilkat Tlingits have lived in this valley for thousands of years. They were
sophisticated artisans who often traded with their Athabascan (ath uh BAS
kuhn) neighbors. They also held the rights to the trails later used by the Gold
Rush prospectors headed for the Klondike.
At the edge of Josh’s backyard, beyond the swing set and the fringe of
cottonwoods, beyond the smoke house and the skiff, the Chilkat River rolls by
in a broad, braided pattern. In the distance,
snow-capped mountains tower above a lush,
green valley teeming with fish and wildlife.
The people of Klukwan depend on fish and
game as their food staples, and drive twenty-one
miles to Haines for any other groceries, to pick
up mail, see a movie, or board the ferry on the
Inside Passage. The villagers share this valley
with the largest gathering of bald eagles in
North America. Each October and November,
up to 4,000 eagles congregate to glut themselves
on late-run salmon in the Chilkat River. “Eagles
Klukwan is so small that there
are ten children in Josh’s class of
fight with eagles for fish,” Josh says.
second- through fourth-graders.

288
 Josh’s village is long and narrow, laid out parallel to the river along one
unpaved street with weathered cabins and newer frame homes sprinkled on
each side. Near the middle is the community center, used for potlatches and
other special events. Josh and his cousins like to explore, run, play hide-
and-seek, and go bike riding around town. There’s plenty of room and little
traffic. And everybody knows everybody else.

Growing Up Tlingit
Even though Josh is still young, he has learned the rules of his society,
not from books, but from the Ravens and Eagles around him. And if he’d
been born a century ago, he would have practiced another Tlingit tradition,
the “avunculate.” At about age six, Tlingit boys used to go live with their
mother’s brother, who taught them as they grew to manhood. It was
believed that fathers would be too easy on their sons, but that an uncle was
the right combination of softness and strictness.
Josh’s dad, Jones, is a tribal government leader who’s teaching his son
with assistance from a special uncle. Today, Tlingit children don’t leave
home for the avunculate, but uncles still help to instruct them, and not just
the boys in the family. When Josh’s mom, Lani, was growing up, she and
her brothers learned from their mother’s brother, Albert Paddy. And when
Josh was born, Lani gave him Uncle Albert’s Tlingit name: Kaan-kai-da
(kahn KY dah).
“He still watches out for us now, even though we’re grown,” Lani says.
“And he’s been training Josh on the fishing boat on the river. He also had
an important role in showing me how to make dried fish, along with my
grandmother, my mom, and my dad.”

ANALYZE THE TEXT

Arguments and Claims On page 288,
the author makes the c laim that
Klukwan is “a beautiful, bountiful place.”
What evidence in the text supports
this c laim?

Josh uses a spotting scope to watch for

eagles in trees along the river.

289
 Contact with non-Native settlers, gold miners, missionaries, and
educators in the last two centuries has altered the ancient ways of the Tlingit
people. Especially in the 1900s, the loss of traditional dancing, singing, and
weaving was sorely felt.
“Josh’s grandparents weren’t taught to dance and sing,” Lani says. “If
they used their language, they were punished.” And as old weavers died,
few young people were trained to follow. Only in the last decade has Lani’s
generation learned the songs and dances of their ancestors by listening
to old recordings and experimenting with movements. “We had a lot of
encouragement from the elders,” she says.

Josh and his uncle, Albert Paddy, leave the

village for a fish site on the Chilkat River.

290
 From the adults around him, Josh has learned the meaning of the
symbols on totem poles and on his special dance clothing. He’s learned how
to bead, dance, sing, and prepare salmon for smoking.
“You cut off the head, tail, and fins,” Josh says. “You use cottonwood
to burn in the smokehouse. There’s a screen so that no bugs can get in. It’s
just like how it sounds: dried fish would be dry; smoked fish would taste
like smoke. What I like are herring eggs. They’re crunchy. They’re better
than potato chips!”
On his way to becoming a man, Josh is surrounded by a village full of
Eagles and Ravens who will make sure he knows who he is: Kaan-kai-da, a
Tlingit, a son of Klukwan.

ANALYZE THE TEXT

Compare and Contrast How are
the Haida and the Tlingit cultures
alike and different? What details in
the text support your answer?

291
 BE A READING DETECTIVE

Dig Deeper
Use Clues to Analyze the Text
Use these pages to learn about Compare and Contrast, Arguments and
Claims, and Author’s Purpose. Then read “Children of the Midnight Sun”
again to apply what you learned.

Compare and Contrast

In “Children of the Midnight Sun,” author Tricia Brown presents two
portraits of Native American children in Alaska. Comparing and contrasting
can help you understand the subjects and their unique cultures. To
compare, identify similarities between details in the two portraits. To
contrast, identify the differences between details.
Look back at the selection. One aspect of the portraits is the author's
description of what the subjects like to do. The author includes details
about activities that Selina and Josh enjoy. What do Selina and Josh like to
do that is similar? What does each like to do that is different?

Selina Both Josh

292 EL A RI.6.1, RI.6.6, RI.6.8

Arguments and Claims
Authors of informational texts
often state a claim, or an opinion. To
convince readers to share the opinion,
authors develop an argument. A
strong argument contains reasons and
evidence. As you read informational
text, look for the author’s claims and
the evidence that supports them.
Evaluate the strength of an argument
by identifying the claims that are
supported by evidence and those that
are not.

Author’s Purpose
Tricia Brown had a reason, or
purpose, for writing about Native
American children in Alaska. Although
h
her reason for writing is not stated in
the selection, readers can use text
evidence such as details and descriptive
e
words to figure out whether the
author’s purpose is to inform, persuade,
e,
or entertain readers. Look back at
page 291. Tricia Brown includes Josh’s
opinion that herring eggs are
“crunchy” and are “better than potato
o
chips.” Why does Brown include these
e
details? How do these details help you
u
figure out the author’s purpose?

293
 RETURN TO THE ESSENTIAL QUESTION
Review the selection with
Turn
and a partner to prepare to Classroom
Talk discuss this question: Conversation
What kinds of things might two
different cultures have in Continue your discussion of “Children of
common? As you discuss, reflect the Midnight Sun” by explaining your
on answers and ask questions of answers to these questions:
each other to clarify.
1 How do the photographs and captions
support the author’s purpose for
writing?

2 What do the words honor and respect

mean to Selina and Josh?

3 In what ways would the selection be

different if the author had chosen to
write it as interviews with the two
children?

LAND AND CULTURE

Write an Explanation Both Selina and Josh
live in the Alaskan Pacific Northwest. How
does this location shape the way of life for
both the Haida people and the Tlingit
people? Write an explanation of how the
two groups are affected by the place where
they live. Use text evidence in your
explanation.

294 EL A RI.6.1, RI.6.2, RI.6.7, W.6.9b, SL.6.1a, SL.6.1d

Performance Task

WRITE ABOUT READING

Response With a partner, choose who will
write about the Haida and who will write about
the Tlingit. Then write a summary of the
culture you chose. Use information from the
selection. When finished, trade summaries with
your partner. Be sure to avoid personal
opinions or judgments. Rely entirely on the
information presented in the selection.

Writing Tip
As you write, make sure you use correct
punctuation and capitalization. Ask yourself if
each sentence makes sense.

295
 Lesson 10
Native
American
Poetry
T
he Native American poems in this selection
connect to a rich cultural past. The Makah Nation
of Washington State retains tribal dancing as
an important part of its heritage. “Song” honors that
tradition. “Twelfth Song of Thunder” celebrates the
GENRE Navajo of the American Southwest and their connection
Poetry uses the sound and to all living things above, on, and below the land. The
rhythm of words to suggest Maidu of California’s Sierra Nevada are represented in
images and express feelings in a “Lesson in Fire,” a poem teeming with dreamlike images
variety of forms.
that recalls the lore of making fire.

TEXT FOCUS
Imagery Poetry includes
figurative language so readers Song
can picture the images the poet
wants to evoke.
Mine is a proud village, such as it is,
We are at our best when dancing.

Makah

296 EL A RL.6.4, RL.6.10

 Twelfth Song of
Thunder
Navajo Tradition
The voice that beautifies the land!
The voice above,
The voice of thunder
Within the dark cloud
Again and again it sounds,
The voice that beautifies the land.

The voice that beautifies the land!

The voice below,
The voice of the grasshopper
Among the plants
Again and again it sounds,
The voice that beautifies the land.

297
 Lesson in Fire
by Linda Noel
My father built a good fire And how the eyes
He taught me to tend the fire And faces look out
How to make it stand At us
So it could breathe Burn up for us
And how the flames create To heat the air
Coals that turn into faces That we breathe
Or eyes And so into us
Of fish swimming We swallow
Out of flames All the shapes
Into gray Created in a well-tended fire
Rivers of ash

Write a Community Poem

The concept of community is an important theme in
poetry. Use “Song” as a model to write a short poem about
a community you belong to, such as school, family, a sports
team, or any other group. In your poem’s first line, describe
the community. In the second line, tell when this group is
at its best. Here is an example.

Mine is a cool school, full of cool people.

We are at our best when helping each other.

298
 TEXT TO TEXT
Compare and Contrast Compare and contrast how
“Children of the Midnight Sun” and “Native American
Poetry” tell about Native American traditions and culture.
In what ways do the forms of writing impact how the
information is presented? Discuss with a partner.

TEXT TO SELF
Describe Favorite Activities Selina and
Josh enjoy doing many activities with their
families and people from their villages. What
activities do you enjoy doing with your own
family, friends, or neighbors? Write a
paragraph describing those activities.

TEXT TO WORLD
Plan a Visit Imagine that your class can visit a Native
American community in the United States. Choose a
region to visit, and identify one or more native groups in
the area. Do research on the Internet and in other media.
Analyze the graphics, headers, and captions as you find
information. Create a map and an itinerary, or plan, for
your trip. List highlights of what you might see and learn.
Share this information with a small group.

EL A RL.6.1, RI.6.1, RI.6.5, RI.6.7, W.6.10

299
 Digital Resources
Multimedia
Grammar Glossary
GrammarSnap
Video

What Is a Compound-Complex Sentence? You have learned that two

simple sentences can be joined by a coordinating conjunction to form a
compound sentence. You have also learned that two simple sentences
can be joined by a subordinating conjunction to form a complex
sentence. A compound-complex sentence is a long sentence created
by joining a compound sentence and a related complex sentence.

Complex Sentence Although no official dividing line is visible,

the people live separately.

Compound Sentence The Tlingits live on the northern part of the

island, and the Haidas live on the southern part.

Compound-Complex Sentence Although no official dividing line is visible, the

Tlingits live on the northern part of the island,
and the Haidas live on the southern part.

Try This!
With a partner, read aloud each sentence below.
Identify each sentence as compound, complex, or
compound-complex. Then identify the coordinating and
subordinating conjunctions.

1 Prince of Wales Island is in Alaska, and the Queen Charlotte

Islands are in Canada.

2 When the Haidas needed trees for dugout canoes, they traveled
to the Queen Charlotte Islands.

3 Because the biggest cedar trees in the region grow on the

Queen Charlotte Islands, the Haidas traveled there often, but it
was a long journey.
4 The Haidas carve totem poles, but their specialty is dugout canoes.

300 EL A L.6.3a
 You can avoid choppy writing and vary your sentence structure by
using conjunctions to combine simple sentences into longer sentences.
When you create a compound sentence, a complex sentence, or a
compound-complex sentence, be sure that your new sentence is
clearer than the short sentences you combined. Also, be sure to use
commas correctly.

Separate Sentences

The people in Klukwan The village is their home. Its traditions enrich
must work hard. their lives.

Compound-Complex Sentence

Although the people in Klukwan must work hard, the village is their home, and its
traditions enrich their lives.

Connect Grammar to Writing

As you revise your argument, look for sentences that you can combine to
form compound, complex, or compound-complex sentences. Check to see
that each longer sentence you write is clear and properly punctuated.

301
 Interactive Lessons
Writing as a
Reading-Writing Workshop: Revise Process: Plan
and Draft

Conventions To write a strong argument, begin by clearly stating a

claim (an opinion or belief). Support that claim with reasons. Use facts,
examples, and other details as evidence for each reason. When you revise,
ask yourself: Are the development and organization appropriate for my
task, purpose, and audience? Have I paid attention to sentence structure
and my spelling, grammar, and punctuation? Make your writing smoother
by using conjunctions to combine two related simple sentences.
Maya wrote a draft about coral reefs. Feedback from her teacher and
other students suggested that all pieces of her argument should support
the statement "Coral reefs are important to the environment." When she
revised her draft, Maya tried a new approach to focus more on animals
than on people.
Revised Draft

Writing Process
Checklist Coral reefs are important to the
Prewrite , so t
Draft
environment. They need to be protected.
Revise animals
Did I introduce a claim
One reason why is that so many people depend
and support it with a place to live.
reasons and evidence? on reefs for food and making a living. The
Did I organize my
reasons and evidence
clearly? protective reefs serve as safe nurseries for
Did I use words,
phrases, and clauses to fish and other marine animals that have their
clarify relationships?
Did I vary my sentences
and use correct
young there.
spelling, grammar, and
punctuation?
Did I end with a
conclusion?
Edit
Publish and Share

302 EL A W.6.1a, W.6.1b, W.6.1c, W.6.1e, W.6.4

 Final Copy

Saving Coral Reefs

by Maya Owens
Coral reefs are important to the environment, so they need to
be protected. One reason why is that so many animals depend on
reefs for food and a place to live. The protective reefs also serve
as safe nurseries for fish and other marine animals that have their
young there.
Second, reefs can provide barriers around islands and coasts.
The reefs protect the beaches and coasts from the waves’ force
during severe storms. As a result, the reefs save the habitats
of beach and marine animals from being flooded, eroded, or
destroyed.
A third reason why coral reefs need to be protected is that they
are almost impossible to replace when they are damaged. Reefs
grow at an extremely slow rate, and animals that rely on the reefs
cannot “wait” until they grow back. Reef managers are currently
working to rebuild reefs destroyed by warmer waters, higher sea
levels, pollution, and intense storms. However, if sea life cannot
be sustained, animals will likely die.
It is very important that fragile coral reefs are protected.
Without them, animals of this ecosystem may not survive.

Reading as a Writer In my final paper, I tried a new approach

based on the feedback I
Which changes did Maya make to
got. I also added words to
her draft to try a new approach and
connect my ideas. I made
strengthen her writing? What can
sure my argument had a
you change to reflect feedback you
claim supported by reasons
get from others?
and evidence.

303
 Interactive Lessons
Performance Task Writing Arguments:
Support Your Claim
Writing Arguments:
Provide a Conclusion

Write an Opinion Essay

TASK In this unit you've read texts that express a variety of ideas
in a variety of voices. In your opinion, which selection was best?
Which was the least successful?
Review all the texts and choose two: the one that you think
is the best and the one that you think is the worst in the unit.
Reread these selections and find text evidence, such as quotes and
details, that supports your opinion. Then write an opinion essay
that expresses your claim and persuades others to agree with
your viewpoint. Your audience includes your teacher and your
classmates, so keep them in mind as you develop your argument.

Make sure your essay

¥ includes an introduction, body, and conclusion.
¥ clearly states your opinion, or claim.
¥ presents reasons that support your argument in a logical way.
¥ provides relevant text evidence for each of your reasons.
¥ includes a variety of sentence types.

PLAN

Use the annotation

Gather Information What qualities influenced your overall tools in your eBook
opinion of each text? Did you find the topic interesting? Did the to gather evidence to
support your claim.
author use an engaging style? Was the story thought-provoking or
entertaining? Why or why not?

Reason

Evidence

Evidence

304 EL A W.6.1a, W.6.1b, W.6.1c, W.6.5, W.6.10, SL.6.4, L.6.2a, L.6.2b, L.6.3a
DRAFT

Write your rough draft

Write Your Opinion Essay Now begin working on your argument. in myWriteSmart.
Focus on getting your
Use the flowchart and what you have already learned about
ideas down rather
writing an argument to create your draft. than perfecting your
word choices.

INTRODUCTION

Write the introduction for your essay. Start by grabbing

readers' attention with something engaging, such as a
question or a quote. Identify the titles and authors of
the texts you're writing about. Then clearly state your
claim, or opinion, and tell a bit about how your essay will
support that opinion.

BODY

The body of your essay will present the reasons for your
opinion. Organize your reasons into a logical sequence.
Then develop a paragraph for each reason by providing
strong, text-based evidence to support it. Your ideas
should flow smoothly in varied sentences that contain
transitions. Make sure that the reasons and evidence in
your argument connect clearly to your opinion. As you
write, remember to focus on your purpose: to convince
your audience to share your opinion.

CONCLUSION

In your conclusion, restate your claim and summarize

the strongest points in your argument. Close by briefly
explaining why the reader should agree with your
position.

305
 Performance Task

REVISE

Have your partner

Review Your Draft Remember that the revising and editing review your argument
in myWriteSmart and
steps give you a chance to look carefully at your writing and note where your claim
make changes. Work with a partner to determine whether your needs clarification
or more support.
essay includes a clear opinion statement and text-based, logically Discuss how to make
organized support. improvements.

Purpose and Organization Evidence and Elaboration Conventions

Will my introduction grab Have I included reasons Does my essay include

readers’ attention? and text-based evidence to a variety of complete
support my opinion? sentences?
Does my introduction
include a clear statement Did I use transitions to link Did I use quotation
of my opinion? reasons and evidence to my marks when providing
opinion and to connect ideas? direct quotes from a
Does the body of my
text as evidence?
essay contain ideas Did I use precise language?
that flow well and are Is my spelling,
logically organized? punctuation, and
capitalization correct?
Does my essay have
a strong, memorable
conclusion?

PRESENT

Create a Finished Copy Write or type a final copy of your opinion

essay. You may want to include a relevant illustration or graphic.
Choose a way to share your essay with your classmates. Consider
these options:
1. Read your essay aloud to your classmates, using appropriate
tone and expression.
2. Gather your essays and publish them in a class newspaper or
magazine.
3. Present your essay as part of a debate with a classmate who
has written about the topic from a different perspective.

306