School District of Palm Beach County Department of K-12 Curriculum

Winter Break Reading & English/Language Arts High School Student Packet

School District of Palm Beach County Department of K-12 Curriculum Winter Break Reading & English/Language Arts Student Packet

Guidelines:

Middle & High School English/Language Arts teachers will distribute the Winter Break Reading & English/Language Arts student packet to all students prior to the break. Students are to complete this packet with the following recommendations:

• Grades 8 &10, in addition to completing the reading passages and multiple choice questions, will complete the writing portion of the packet.

• Grades 6 - 10 will complete the reading passages and multiple choice questions.

• Students will receive the Search & Destroy handout to assist them in practicing these strategies when completing the packet.

• Students in Grades 8 & 10 will receive the Essay Organizer handout to assist them in practicing effective writing skills when completing the writing prompt.

English/Language Arts teachers will collect these packets from all students after the Winter Break.

• The English/Language Arts teachers will review the reading (Grades 6-10) and writing portions (Grades 8 & 10) of the packets with students.

• The Reading teachers will also review and reinforce the reading portions of the packets with students.

For further questions or support contact the Department of K-12 Curriculum:

Liz Perlman, Director 561-434-8255 PX 48255 liz.perlman@palmbeachschools.org

Suggestions for Completing the High School Winter Break Packet

• The High School Winter Break Packet has reading passages followed by multiple-choice questions.

• Read the directions carefully. Ask your parents or guardians to help you understand any directions you do not understand.

• Read the passages and questions carefully. You may look back at a passage as often as you like.

• Use highlighters or pencils to underline important information as you read.

• Answer the questions you are sure about first. If a question seems too difficult, skip it and go back to it later.

• Think positively. Some questions may seem hard, but others will be easy.

• Check each answer to make sure it is the best answer for the question.

• Complete the figurative language chart which asks you to create figurative language following the example. Share your responses with a parent or guardian.

• Write a well constructed essay using the prompt provided. Be sure to include some figurative language in your essay.

• Read your essay aloud and make any corrections you think would improve your writing.

Directions: Read the passage After You’ve Stood on the Log at the Center of the Universe, What is There Left to Do? and then answer questions 1- 11.

After You’ve Stood on the Log at the Center of the Universe, What is There Left to Do?

by Grant Carrington

There used to be a log in the center of the pond on my father’s farm. It wasn’t really a log; it was

a thick branch coming off the main trunk of a submerged tree. Someone had sawed it off where

it broke water, and it was thick enough to use as a mooring place for the rowboat. But it wasn’t

strong enough to hold even a ten-year-old boy without giving a little. So naturally we all had to

try to stand on it. I was the only one who ever succeeded. It wasn’t easy standing on that log

while it sank lower and lower into the water and weaved from side to side while you flailed your

arms to keep your balance.

Legions of farm boys may have

succeeded before I did, but, if they

did, I didn’t know it. I was the first

in my world to have balanced

myself on that log. And the last, for

it wasn’t long after I’d done it that

the ship came.

Tommy Peters, my best friend, his

dog Rajah, and I were just sort of sitting by the pond trying to decide what to do with the rest of

the day. We had discussed fishing, swimming, going into town on our bikes to get a soda and

look at all the things we couldn’t afford, playing ball, but really we were pretty happy just to sit by

the edge of the pond, making dragons out of the clouds.

I think Tommy really wanted to go swimming, so he could be the second one to stand on the

log, but I wanted to savor my position as the only log-climber around for as long as possible, so

I kept putting it off.

“Wow! Look at that jet!” He said, pointing to a dot of blackness that was rapidly growing.

“Geez, it’s really moving,” I said.

“I think it’s out of control!” Tommy shouted. “It looks like it’s going to crash!”

We scrambled to our feet.

“Look!” Tommy said in a loud whisper.

It wasn’t a jet plane at all. By now we could see it and it seemed like it was coming right toward

us. Rajah started to whimper and cringe against Tommy just before we could hear the loud,

high-pitched whistle of rushing air.

“It’s a spaceship!” Tommy said.

We were rooted to the spot, unable to run, watching that silvery capsule race toward us. Then,

about twenty feet overhead, it came to a sudden impossible dead stop and drifted slowly to a

rest a foot above the water. A door opened, and a guy who looked just like an astronaut in a

spacesuit stepped out, walked over to the log, said something loudly in a foreign language,

waved to the spaceship, and attached something to the log. Then he walked back to the

spaceship and it took off just as fast as it had arrived.

That’s what I said: he walked to the log, right over the pond.

About ten seconds after the spaceship had disappeared into the sky, Tommy and I both let out

the breaths we didn’t know we were holding.

“Wow!” Tommy said.

“Let’s get out of here,” I said. I was just as scared as Rajah was.

“Come on, scaredy-cat, let’s see what they put on the log.”

Just then a jet fighter came roaring past just at treetop level. I fell flat on the ground, and Rajah

took off for home, his tail between his legs. Tommy stood his ground.

“Wow!”

Hot on the tail of the first jet came two more.

“Come on, Doug.” He was running for the rowboat. I was really scared, but I couldn’t run. After

all, I was the first to stand on the log at the center of the pond, and if Tommy went out there with

the boat while I ran for home, I’d never live it down.

At the top of the log was a silvery rectangular box-shaped object. It really glittered in the sun.

Tommy reached out to grab it.

“Wow!” he said. “It’s got some kind of carvings on it.”

I carefully stroked it; sure enough, on the four long sides there were tiny dots and things. The

top, opposite where it was attached to the log, was smooth as smooth could be, but not the

sides.

“It’s like the drum inside a music box,” I said.

“Or Braille1. Maybe it’s writing in Braille,” Tommy said.

Just then, we heard some voices. My father came out on the dock with a lot of men.

“Doug, what are you doing out there?”

“Just looking at the log.”

“What’s that on it?”

“Oh , nothing….”

“This spaceship came down and put something on the log,”

Tommy said, and blurted out the whole story.

My father ordered me to bring the boat back in, and then he

and some of the other adults rowed out to look at the log while

the others kept questioning us and talking about enemies and

kids’ imaginations.

I’m not sure they all believed us, but after a while my father did.

1 braille: a system of writing and printing for blind people, consisting of a series of raised dots.

“Doug’s a good boy, I believe him,” he said, after I refused to disagree with Tommy’s story.

They brought in a bunch of men and trucks and equipment, spoiling a lot of our fields and crops

(which they paid my father for, much more than he would have gotten out of them anyway), and

completely ruined the pond for swimming. They cut the log just below where the silvery

rectangular object was attached, but they didn’t move the object.

“We can’t move it, Doug; there’s some kind of a force field that keeps it in place,” Dr. Gaines

said.

“Wow! Just like in science fiction movies,” Tommy yelped.

Dr. Gaines was my favorite of all the men who had come in to look at our pond. He wasn’t very

old, though he had lost most of his blond hair and he wore rimless glasses. He wasn’t crotchety

and crabby like some of the others, who shooed us away or ordered us to leave. A couple of

times he took us out to the building that they had rigged up on a couple of army pontoons.2

They were trying to melt the object down with lasers and phasers and cannons and drills and I

don’t know what. It was really

exciting, with electricity and

flashing lights. They had built a

regular real laboratory out on our

pond.

It was about three days after the

whole thing began that I found

him sitting at the edge of the

pond, staring out at the building

over the log, looking kind of

funny.

“Hi, Dr. Gaines,” I said, sitting down and breaking off what looked like a nice juicy grass stem. It

was. “How’s the work going? Have you figured out that force field yet?”

“No, Doug, but we found out what the object is.”

“Yeah? What is it?”

2 pontoons: floating supports

“They brought in one of those high-powered microscopes yesterday, and you know that

roughness on the sides of the plinth?” (He called the object a “plinth.”) I nodded my head. “It’s

writing.”

“You mean like Braille?”

“Maybe. There might be Braille there. There’s a lot of languages on it. Languages and alphabets

we never heard of. But there’s also French and Chinese and Latin and Japanese and every

language anyone can think of.”

“English?”

“Yes. English too.”

“What does it say?”

“Come on, Doug. I’ll let you see for yourself.”

We walked out on the ramp that led to the building over the log at the center of the pond. All the

air of excitement was gone. People were walking around, doing their work, all right, but looking

kind of glum or dazed. There was this huge instrument set up in front of the object, and Dr.

Gaines showed me one of the eyepieces, sort of like a real pair of binoculars.

It was already focused on the English part of the object:

“. . . Survey Galactique 42,373,249. This plaque marks the population center of the Milky Way

Galaxy, as determined by Galactic Survey 42,373,249.”

Adaptation of “After You’ve Stood on the Log at the Center of the Universe. What Is There Left to Do?” by Grant Carrington, copyright ©1974 by Grant Carrington. Reprinted by permission of the author.

Now read the following multiple-choice questions. Decide which answer is the best response to each question. Base your answers from the passage entitled After You’ve

Stood on the Log at the Center of the Universe, What is There Left to Do?

LA.9.10.2.1.5 1. What is the central conflict of this passage?

A. the rivalry between the two boys B. the appearance of the spaceship and the space man C. uncovering the meaning of the silver box that was left behind D. the children learning how to balance on the sinking log in the pond

LA.9.10.1.6.3 2. Read this sentence from the excerpt.

It wasn’t really a log; it was a thick branch coming off the main trunk of a submerged tree.

What does the word submerged mean as used in the sentence above?

F. immersed

G. planted

H. raised

I. stable LA.9.10.1.7.4 3. According to the excerpt, balancing on the log is difficult because the log is

A. partially hidden. B. structurally weak. C. irregularly shaped. D. completely submerged.

LA.9.10.2.1.5 4. Which sentence from the passage indicates that Doug wants to maintain his

reputation amongst his friends that he is daring and courageous?

F. “So naturally we all had to try to stand on it.” G. “I was really scared, but I couldn’t run.” H. “Come on, scaredy-cat, let’s see what they put on the log.” I. “I carefully stroked it; sure enough, on the four long sides there were tiny dots

and things.”

LA.9.10.1.7.3 5. From reading the excerpt, the reader can infer that the purpose of the force

field is

A. to frighten people. B. to establish territory. C. to prevent the log from sinking. D. to protect the rectangular object.

LA.9.10.1.7.4 6. What caused Doug to change his mind about investigating the object left by

the spaceship?

F. His fear is lessened by the jet fighter. G. He decides to go rather than risk ridicule. H. His curiosity makes him disregard the danger. I. He determines that the box presents no real danger.

LA.9.10.2.1.7 7. Read the following sentence from the passage.

“It’s like the drum inside a music box,” I said.

What literary device does the writer use in the sentence above?

A. metaphor, representing the outside of the box to a music box. B. personification, portraying the drum as a person playing music C. imagery, creating a vivid picture of what the music box looks like D. simile, comparing the carvings on the side of the box to the drum inside of a

music box

LA.9.10.1.6.9 8. Read this sentence from the excerpt.

They brought in a bunch of men and trucks and equipment, spoiling a lot of our fields and crops (which they paid my father for, much more than he would have gotten out of them anyway), and completely ruined the pond for swimming.

In which sentence does spoiling have the same meaning as in the sentence

above?

F. The water stain was spoiling the painting. G. His mother was spoiling him with lots of presents. H. Food begins spoiling if it is removed from refrigeration for more than a few

hours. I. It was obvious that the boy was spoiling for a fight to prove he did see the

spaceship. LA.9.10.1.7.7 9. Dr. Gaines is different from most of the other adults in the story because he

A. is more patient. B. is more educated. C. has traveled to more places. D. has studied more languages.

LA.9.10.2.1.7 10. Read the following sentences from the passage.

“. . . Survey Galactique 42,373,249. This plaque marks the population center of the Milky Way Galaxy, as determined by Galactic Survey 42,373,249.”

What type of literary device does the author use in the sentences above?

F. hyperbole, exaggerating the importance of the plaque G. onomatopoeia, using a word that sounds like its meaning H. metaphor, comparing the plaque to the Milky Way Galaxy I. irony, expressing a contrast in the initial concern that the box was dangerous

LA.9.10.2.2.1 11. The footnotes that accompany the passage were most likely included to

A. document the evidence that this is a factual story. B. provide additional information as to the events of the story. C. help the reader understand the meaning of certain words included in the

passage. D. help the reader understand the dialogue between various characters in the

narrative.

Directions: Read the passage Elevators on the Move and then answer questions 12- 23.

Elevators on the Move by Miriam Lacob

Elevator technology is taking off in new directions, including sideways

In 1956, the visionary architect Frank Lloyd Wright sketched out plans

for The Illinois, a mile-high skyscraper that would accommodate 100,000 people, parking for

15,000 cars and enough office space to house the entire state government. Sheathed in

aluminum and stainless steel, Wright’s 528-story edifice could have been built, he believed, with

available technology. But a significant barrier stood in the way: the required elevators would

have taken up too much space. The problem continues to limit the height of the world’s tallest

buildings to less than 1,800 feet (about 549 meters).

Conventional high-rise elevators are based on the age-old technology of winches, pulleys

(called sheaves in elevator technology), and counterweights, which balance the weight of the

cab and, so, reduce the amount of energy required to raise a load. For more than 140 years,

elevators working on the same principles have proved remarkably efficient at raising and

lowering people and freight. But certain drawbacks become particularly acute when a building

reaches into the clouds.

In any size building, each elevator requires not only the cab, cables and counterweights, but

also a hoist-way—the elevator shaft—and a hoisting machine, which is usually housed in a

room of its own. In addition, tall buildings require a multitude of elevators. To provide efficient

service for a densely populated building with a lot of traffic between floors, architects usually

plan for roughly two elevators for every three floors; a 90-floor building might need about 60

elevators. The more lofty the construction, then, the more expansive and expensive the real

estate taken up by elevators becomes.

One solution to this difficulty has been to create sky lobbies, such as those that were in the

World Trade Center towers in New York City, where passengers traveled to the upper strata of

the buildings and changed elevators to reach higher floors. That strategy conserved space in

the ground-floor lobby (by cutting down on the number of elevators that traveled to the entry

level). Still, the ultimate solution would be a rope-less elevator with a self-propelling drive

system. “Getting rid of the counterweight and the ropes is the quantum leap everyone is looking

for,” says James W. Fortune of Lerch, Bates and Associates, an elevator systems consultancy.

Once unshackled from the heavy steel cables and attached counterweights

that raise and lower the cab, the elevator of the future can become a far

more versatile and efficient means of in-building transportation. More than

one elevator will be able to travel in the same shaft-way, thus saving on valuable building space.

And elevators will no longer be limited to vertical movement. Companies worldwide are working

to create elevators that go sideways as well as up and down. Joseph Bittar of Otis Elevator

envisions elevators that can glide sideways to allow passing by another car or to transport

passengers from one building to another. The mundane elevator car will thereby be

transformed into a module that could take a passenger from a remote parking lot to the 60th floor

in about 90 seconds. This prospect is especially enticing for several huge building plans on the

drawing board in Asia. Those projects include many structures of different sizes and will require

both vertical and horizontal conveyances.

Alternatives to the conventional elevator have developed slowly, mainly because the

established technology for moving the cars is reliable and remarkably energy-efficient. Among

the alternative drive systems that could ultimately lead to rope-less systems suitable for large

buildings are linear induction motors. Such units are created from electric rotary motors by

changing their geometric configuration—in effect, opening up and flattening the motor. Instead

of producing torque that spins a rotor to pull a cable, the linear motor produces a longitudinal

force that drives the elevator cab by magnetic repulsion.

A linear motor developed by Otis is in use now, although not yet in futuristic elevators. It is

powering elevators in about 1,000 low-rise buildings in Japan. Its current incarnation still

requires ropes, but the motor is incorporated into the elevator shaft, effectively becoming part of

the counterweight that is suspended at the end of the hoisting cables. This drive system does

away with the machine room—a big advantage in Japan, where space is at a premium.

Ultimately, though, flat linear motors might be installed on elevators themselves. This

adjustment could eliminate cables and counterweights, potentially liberating the elevator from its

solely vertical existence and even allowing multiple cars to operate in the same shaft-way.

An innovated self-propelled elevator that is already run without ropes owes its strong traction to

gearing principles first developed for a vehicle that explored the surface of the moon in the

1960s. Engineered by Schindler Elevator Corporation in Switzerland and dubbed the

SchindlerMobile, this system is powered by a small motor attached to the bottom of the elevator

cab. Melding automotive and elevator technology, the motor drives two wheels with special

polyurethane tires up the tracks of two, high-strength aluminum columns. Each driven wheel is

paired with an idler wheel not pushed by motor. Constant pressure from a spring presses the

wheel pairs against the track, providing the traction that keeps the vehicle suspended and

moves it up and down the columns. The lightweight, aluminum-framed vehicle does use small

counterweights to increase its efficiency; they are housed inside the aluminum columns. And

the current version of the SchindlerMobile is small, fairly slow and designed for use in low-rise

buildings. But Schindler officials say the concept may be applied to taller buildings and higher-

capacity elevators in the future.

The high-capacity rope-less elevator awaits the creation of a drive system that can match the

speed, comfort and energy efficiency of its conventional predecessor. Meanwhile, various

elevator manufacturers are exploring ways to liberate the elevator from its purely vertical shaft-

way with current technology. Otis, for instance, is developing an advanced elevator named the

Odyssey System that combines horizontal and vertical people-moving technologies in a way

that up to now has been exploited only in sophisticated amusement rides.

The key to the Odyssey System is eliminating direct contact between the elevator cab and the

cables. This is accomplished by building a structure known as a frame, or platform that fits

around the cab. The platform holding the cab is tethered to the cables in the elevator shaft, and

the cab itself becomes mobile. This arrangement allows a platform to carry different cabs at

different times—possibly including a passenger cab that has traveled horizontally from a

different point in the building.

To transfer an elevator cab from a flatbed supporting horizontal movement to a platform for

vertical movement, or vice versa, Otis has devised a special induction motor. The motor is in

two sections such that one piece is on the platform or on the flatbed housing for horizontal

modes, and the second is on the cab. The transfer of the cab is completed when the two pieces

of the motor become locked together.

The Odyssey System and related projects foreshadow a far more complex role for the familiar

elevator. No longer limited to vertical transportation, the tetherless elevator car of the future will

travel far more widely and be considerably smarter. Without such a radically new vision for in-

building transportation, the mega-building projects being eyed for the future will be unlikely to

materialize.

Now read the following multiple-choice questions. Decide which answer is the best response to each question. Base your answers on the article entitled Elevators on the

Move.

LA.910.1.6.3 12. Read this sentence from the passage.

Sheathed in aluminum and stainless steel, Wright’s 528-story edifice could have been built, he believed, with available technology.

What does the word edifice mean as used in the sentence above?

F. a lot

G. a floor

H. a building

I. a company

LA.910.1.6.8 13. Read this sentence from the article.

“Getting rid of the counterweight and the ropes is the quantum leap everyone is looking for.”

What does the sentence above tell readers about the other way elevators are

created?

A. It will not be a big deal.

B. It will create a lot of positive energy.

C. It will be an advancement of large magnitude.

D. You will need a piece of expensive real estate for this.

LA.910.1.7.3 14. According to the article, what is the main problem with today’s elevators?

F. They move too slowly.

G. They cost too much to build.

H. They can only transport 140 people at one time.

I. They lack versatility and require too much space.

LA.910.1.7.4 15. The SchindlerMobile has NOT caused much excitement in the elevator

industry because it

A. is slow and can only transport small people.

B. transports people horizontally, not vertically.

C. requires fewer ropes, but its traction is weak.

D. is slow and can only be used in small buildings.

LA.910.1.7.3 16. How does Otis’s linear motor contribute to the elevator’s movement?

F. It produces flowing water.

G. It produces a magnetic force.

H. It pulls the ropes up and down.

I. It flattens the cables for easy sliding.

LA.910.1.7.5 17. How does Miriam Lacob organize the article Elevators on the Move?

A. She compares various types of elevators that buildings use.

B. She provides a chronological history of how elevators were created.

C. She identifies the problems of current elevators and some possible solutions.

D. She describes the differences between current elevators that are being used.

LA.910.1.7.2 18. What was the author’s purpose in writing this article?

F. to persuade others to create new elevators that go sideways

G. to demonstrate the importance of having elevators in tall buildings

H. to reveal the advances that have been made for elevator systems and explain

how there is no need for future modifications.

I. to explain the advances that have been made already on elevator systems

and the way to improve the systems in the future.

LA.910.1.7.3 19. From reading this article, the reader can infer that elevator systems will

A. remain stagnant.

B. continue to improve.

C. go back to a pulley-type system.

D. decline as we start using better transportation.

LA.910.1.7.7 20. A major difference between the SchindlerMobile System and the Odyssey

System is that the Odyssey System

F. is slower and less efficient.

G. can carry different cabs at different times.

H. is designed for use only in low-rise buildings.

I. does not require a motor to move the elevator.

LA.910.6.1.1 21. According to the diagram on the last page of the article, whether you go up

or down in a hydraulic elevator is dependent upon the

A. path in which fluid is forced to flow.

B. time it takes for the elevator valve to close.

C. amount of fluid contained in the reservoir tank.

D. amount of power generated by the rotary pump.

LA.910.6.2.2 22. Use both the article and the illustrations to answer this question. The safest

and most efficient elevators of today are powered by

F. rope traction systems.

G. hydraulic fluid systems.

H. small flat motors that move horizontally.

I. hydraulic cylinders and horizontal platforms.

LA.910.6.2.2 23. What is the strongest evidence in the article to support that there is much

interest in changing today’s elevators?

A. The Hydraulic elevator system is simple and very effective.

B. Roped elevators are much more efficient than other elevator systems.

C. Companies want to create sky lobbies in the future to conserve space.

D. Companies all over the world are working to create elevators that go

sideways.

Directions: Read the passage Women Who Shaped the Constitution and then answer questions 24-35.

Women Who Shaped the Constitution by Rosalynn Carter

Revolutionaries

When the Founding Fathers met in Philadelphia in 1787 to draft

the Constitution, they did not have women’s rights on their

minds. They did not grant women the right to vote or a voice in

the government that was being formed. There was a simple

reason for this neglect: both the Constitution and the Bill of

Rights were based on an eighteenth-century concept of justice

and equality that was an exclusively white, male system of law

and order. The Founding Fathers were simply the patriarchal3

products of their time.

The prevailing thought of the day was that the American voter

must be independent and uncoerced. Men without property

could not be independent and uncoerced because they were

vulnerable to their landlords. Married women were subject to

their husbands’ wishes, so it followed that they could not be

independent voters. Under this reasoning, one would think that unmarried propertied women

would have the vote, but as John Adams said, “You have to draw the line somewhere!”

Our Constitution was not perfect when it was signed; it is not perfect today. But our forefathers

had the wisdom to make it possible for us to amend it. Thus, even without formal constitutional

rights and lacking the right to vote throughout most of our history, the influence of women on the

constitutional process, from the beginning, has been significant.

3 patriarchal: relating to a family, community, or society governed by men

Who are these invisible women who struggle to protect our rights---or to demand them? They

need to be remembered so they can be institutionalized as contributors to our democratic

heritage.

Abigail Smith Adams is one of

the few women of the

eighteenth century who has

remained in the public eye.

There are several reasons for

the continued interest in her

life. Hundreds of the letters

she wrote over her lifetime

were preserved by her family.

She also lived during an

important era of American

history and was related to

famous men. Her husband, John Adams, was one of the founders of the nation and the second

president of the United States. Her son, John Quincy Adams, was the sixth president, as well

as a diplomat and member of Congress for more than two decades.

Abigail was a woman of her times and believed that a woman’s role was domestic. But she was

intelligent, self-educated, and articulate and could understand and comment upon political

issues, as her letters show. And although she did not shape her husband’s policies, her

correspondence with him, as illustrated in the following excerpt, informs us of the desire of some

women of that period to be included in affairs of state.

Abigail Adams to John Adams, as he sat at the Second Continental Congress, March 31st,

1776.

[I]n the new code of laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make; I desire you

would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors.

Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember, all men would be

tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined

to format a rebellion, and will not

hold ourselves bound by any laws

in which we have no voice, or

representation.

One woman who influenced

thinking of the day when the

Constitution was being written was

Mercy Otis Warren. She was born

into a politically prominent family

in Massachusetts, and at a time

when other females were learning

flowery letter writing, she was sharing her brother’s Harvard College class work. She married a

Massachusetts legislator who encouraged her involvement with public affairs, and she was

known by most of the farmers and founders of the Constitution, including George Washington,

Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson. She corresponded

with them about social and political issues, the ideals and ideas of the day.

During the growing protest among the Colonies against British rule, Warren and her husband

were part of a small circle of patriots, including Samuel Adams, John Adams, and John

Hancock, who met in their homes to exchange ideas about forming a government for this new

country, debating the structure, function, and processes of colonial, confederate, and

constitutional governments.

Although she never strayed far beyond Boston, Mercy Warren’s extensive correspondence,

satirical plays, poetry, and anti-Federalist tracts were read and discussed in all the states and in

Europe. Her writings reflected on the very essences of liberty and democracy as she argued for

the complete protection of human rights. She influenced the language of the Constitution even

though she was not allowed to be present at the convention that adopted it. Influenced by her

reading of John Locke and other Enlightenment philosophers, Warren once wrote that “man is

born free and possessed of certain unalienable rights” – a principle now etched in the

Declaration of Independence.

Abridgement of “Women Who Shaped the Constitution” by Rosalynn Carter from A Voice of Our Own, Nancy M. Neuman, ed., text

copyright © 1996 by Jossey-Bass, Inc. Publishers.

Now read the following multiple-choice questions. Decide which answer is the best response to each question. Base your answers on the article entitled Women Who

Shaped the Constitution. LA.9.10.1.7.3 24. Which statement best expresses the main idea of the article?

F. Women have had political influence since the Revolutionary period.

G. Women have accepted their political roles since the Revolutionary period.

H. The Revolutionary period was a time when women achieved political equality.

I. The Revolutionary period was a time when women increased their political

power.

LA.9.10.1.6.3 25. Read this sentence from the article

The prevailing thought of the day was that the American voter must be independent and uncoerced.

What does the word uncoerced mean as used in the sentence above?

A. unbiased

B. unconcerned

C. uneducated

D. unforced

LA.9.10.1.7.3 26. According to the article, which phrase best describes participation in

democratic government in the eighteenth century?

F. available to some men

G. available to citizens only

H. available to some women

I. available to property owners

LA.9.10.1.6.8 27. Read this sentence from the article

Men without property could not be independent and uncoerced because they were vulnerable to their landlords.

What does the sentence above tell readers about the situation between the

landlords and the men?

A. The men are able to be injured by their landlords.

B. The men are unable to escape from their landlords.

C. The men are likely to be influenced by their landlords.

D. The men are susceptible to attack from their landlords.

LA.9.10.6.2.2 28. What action was John Adams justifying when he said, “You have to draw the

line somewhere”?

F. denying voting rights to women

G. requiring property ownership for voting

H. writing a new constitution for the country

I. restricting constitutional privileges of men

LA.9.10.6.2.2 29. Abigail Adams’ letters are important today because they

A. influence the language of the Constitution.

B. changed opinions of the Founding Fathers.

C. provide insight into early United States history.

D. established policy for John Adams’ administration.

LA.9.10.2.2.1 30. The picture that is shown on page two of Women Who Shaped the

Constitution was most likely included to

F. illustrate the letter that Abigail Adams wrote to her husband.

G. symbolize the struggle women faced in being treated equally.

H. portray the arguments that Abigail Adams had with her husband since she

didn’t believe in what he was doing.

I. represent the debate the Founding Fathers had regarding if they should allow

women to participate in creating the Constitution.

LA.9.10.6.2.2 31. In his response to Abigail Adams’ letter of March 31, 1776, John Adams

wrote the following:

Your letter was the first intimation that another tribe, more numerous and powerful than all the rest, was growing discontented.

Based on information in Abigail Adams’ letter, what is the “tribe” to which John

Adams is referring?

A. ancestors

B. husbands

C. ladies

D. tyrants

LA.9.10.1.7.7 32. What was true of BOTH Abigail Adams and Mercy Otis Warren?

F. They attended Harvard University

G. They favored more rights for women.

H. They were first ladies of the United States.

I. They influenced language in the Constitution.

LA.9.10.1.6.9 33. Read this sentence from the passage

Her writings reflected on the very essences of liberty and democracy as she argued for the complete protection of human rights.

In which sentence do rights have the same meaning as used in the sentence

above?

A. She tried to say the right thing at the right time.

B. The man tried to right the lamp he bumped into.

C. As children we are taught the rights from the wrongs.

D. Freedom of Speech is one of the many rights of all Americans.

LA.9.10.1.7.5 34. How is the article Women Who Shaped the Constitution organized?

F. It is written from the personal experiences of the author.

G. It is written as a comparison of how men and women earned the right to

vote.

H. It is written as a description of how two women helped changed the rights for

women.

I. It is written as a chronological history of when women’s rights were granted to

everyone.

LA.9.10.2.2.1 35. Based on the article, which caption would be most appropriate for the picture

on the first page of the article?

A. Men will never let women have full equality.

B. Women can stand up for their rights, but it is futile to do so.

C. Women will be confined forever to follow behind man’s footsteps.

D. Women can break free from their bondage if they stand up for themselves.

Directions: Read the article C. H. Lander, First Principal of Delray Schools and then answer questions 36-45.

C. H. Lander, First Principal of Delray Schools

by Dorothy W. Patterson Delray Beach Historical Society

While teaching in an Ohio high school in 1904, C.H. Lander, first

principal of the 1913 school (School #6) in Delray, wrote a small

biology text book. He chose four quotations for the front of the

text to set the mood for the studies to follow:

“We must look a long time before we can see.” Henry David

Thoreau

“The Greatest thing a human soul ever does in this world is to see something and tell what it

saw in a plain way.” John Ruskin

“Nature study is learning those things in nature that are best worth knowing, to the end of doing

those things that make life most worth living.” C.F. Hodge

“To learn what is true in order to do what is right is the summing up of the whole duty of man.”

T.H. Huxley

C.H. Lander had a good education. He was a graduate of the University of Michigan and earned

a Masters degree from Harvard. He used his education not to enrich himself financially (his

salary was $137.50 a month in 1913), but to serve a small south Florida farm town, settled only

18 years before, as a school principal and teacher.

We know more of his legacy because the Delray Beach Historical Society preserved

handwritten, sepia-ink illustrated notebooks from his Harvard classes, pamphlets and articles he

wrote including his botany thesis, texts he studied from, and 30 copies of Lessons in Biology,

the book he wrote in 1904. One of the pamphlets in Principal Lander’s collection, published in

1899, is titled Suggestions to Teachers Designed to Accompany Plant Relations~A First Book of

Botany. One of the suggestions, stated in the old classical style of teaching, is: Instruction for

teachers: Drawing and the taking of notes should be insisted upon constantly, as in no other

way will accurate observation be secured. Field trips should be taken. Does this echo the

philosophy of the quotations Mr. Lander chose for the first page of his biology text?

An article in the Peabody Journal of Education, “General Intelligence and Mechanical Ability,”

written by C.H. Lander while he was teaching at Peabody in 1924, reveals his interest in

vocational education and his strong support of classes where students who were not

outstanding in academic subjects would have a chance to shine in manual arts. The next year,

1925, Lander returned to Delray Beach, this time to lead the new Delray High School built due

to the increase in population during the mid-1920s Florida real estate boom. Here he made his

beliefs concrete by starting the first manual training department in the state. He stopped

teaching Biology and spent his later years teaching Industrial Arts classes at Delray High School

from 1936 to 1941 and mechanical drawing and shop work at Palm Beach High School. The

Delray Beach Historical Society Archives contain some of the work made in his classes, such as

a small arts and crafts style wooden box and art deco style jewelry.

Lander’s former students remember that he wore crepe-soled shoes and silently patrolled the

school’s hallways, sometimes surprising pupils and teachers who did not know he was there.

He carried a thermometer in his pocket. In those days schools had few frills like central heat. If

the thermometer dropped below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, school was dismissed. Pupils and

teachers just had to endure the hot days. One student, on the subject of how quiet and

observant Lander was, tells a story of a Halloween trick: A group of students took a teacher’s

Austin (a small car) and carried it to the second floor of the high school building. The next day

the principal came in and said, “I found a car on the second floor. I need six volunteers to help

put it outside.” Then he chose six volunteers. Five of the six were the same students who had

been involved in moving the car in the first place. We learned never to underestimate his

powers of perception. Professor Lander was an avid sports fan. In 1928 he posed for a

photograph with the basketball team after they had won the East Coast Championship. (Note: It

was common to call a teacher or principal “Professor” in those days.)

During World War II, newspaper clippings in Lander’s scrapbooks

reveal that he closely followed the fates of his former students who had

joined the armed services. C.H. Lander remained in Delray Beach until

the end of his life. After retirement he continued to take an active part

in community organizations like the Parent Teachers’ Association

(PTA) and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. In 1961, the year before he

died, Mr. Lander wrote an article for All Florida Magazine called “The

Sea Bean ~ Pilgrim from Afar.” Like Clarence Walker and S.D. Spady

at School #4 five blocks away, C.H. Lander left Delray Beach a legacy

of excellence and service.

Now read the following multiple-choice questions. Decide which answer is the best response to each question. Base your answers on the article entitled C. H. Lander, First

Principal of Delray Schools. LA.9.10.1.7.2 36. What was the author’s purpose in including the four quotations from the front

of Lander’s Biology textbook?

F. to inform the readers of Lander’s early history

G. to persuade the readers that Lander was well educated

H. to entertain the reader with sayings from famous people

I. to highlight the profound beliefs Lander had about learning

LA.9.10.1.6.7 37. Read this sentence from the article.

He used his education not to enrich himself financially (his salary was $137.50 a month in 1913), but to serve a small south Florida farm town, settled only 18 years before, as a school principal and teacher.

The word enrich comes from the Middle English word rīce, which means

“wealthy.” Based on the meaning of the root word, the sentence implies that

A. The town benefited from Mr. Lander’s knowledge.

B. Mr. Lander used his salary to pay for the principal at the school in Delray.

C. Mr. Lander was rich from the amount of money he received each month for

his salary.

D. The town was poor because Mr. Lander did not make enough money to help

educate the small town.

LA.9.10.1.7.3 38. Which sentence from the article best summarizes Mr. Landers view on the

proper way to educate students?

F. We must look a long time before we can see.

G. Here he made his beliefs concrete by starting the first manual training

department in the state.

H. Drawing and the taking of notes should be insisted upon constantly, as in no

other way will accurate observation be secured.

I. After retirement he continued to take an active part in community

organizations like the Parent Teachers’ Association (PTA) and St. Paul’s

Episcopal Church.

LA.9.10.1.7.4 39. According to the article, what is the result of Lander’s beliefs about

vocational education?

A. Vocational education was tried and then rejected by other educators.

B. Vocational education became a popular alternative to traditional classes.

C. Students who did not excel academically were able to train for an occupation.

D. Students were reluctant to take the new vocational classes over traditional

ones.

LA.9.10.1.7.3 40. According to the article, which subject did Mr. Lander’s NOT teach during his

career as a teacher?

F. Biology

G. Chemistry

H. Industrial Arts

I. Mechanical Drawing

LA.9.10.1.7.4 41. What caused Mr. Lander to be able to pick five of the six students

responsible for carrying a car to the second floor as a prank?

A. The guilty students had confessed to him.

B. Mr. Lander knew his students extremely well.

C. Some other students informed Mr. Lander who committed the crime.

D. A teacher had witnessed who the students were and told Mr. Lander.

LA.9.10.1.6.3 42. Read this sentence from the article.

We learned never to underestimate his powers of perception. What does the word perception mean as used in the sentence above?

F. information

G. intelligence

H. observation

I. omission

LA.9.10.1.7.2 43.The author of this article would most likely make the statement that Mr.

Lander’s is a principal that

A. most people detested because he changed so many aspects of education.

B. people should feel sorry for, since he did not make very much money and

could not support himself.

C. should be admired for his active role in making changes to better the school

experience for all students.

D. we should denounce, because his changes do not make sense and we do

not use them today in the school systems.

LA.9.10.1.7.3 44. Which statement best expresses the main idea of the article?

F. Lander started a manual training department in the state.

G. Lander left Delray Beach a legacy of excellence and service.

H. Lander followed the fates of his former students who joined the armed

services.

I. Lander, first principal of the 1913 school in Delray, wrote a small biology

textbook.

LA.9.10.2.2.1 45. Based on the article, which caption would be most appropriate for the picture

on the second page of the article?

A. a celebration of life

B. remembering fallen soldiers

C. Veteran’s Day remembrance

D. paying respect to past students

Directions: Read the poem Annabel Lee and then answer questions 46-51.

Annabel Lee by Edgar Allen Poe

It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea, That a maiden there lived whom you may know By the name of Annabel Lee; And this maiden she lived with no other thought Than to love and be loved by me. I was a child and she was a child, In this kingdom by the sea; But we loved with a love that was more than love- I and my Annabel Lee; With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven Coveted her and me. And this was the reason that, long ago, In this kingdom by the sea, A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling My beautiful Annabel Lee; So that her highborn kinsman came And bore her away from me, To shut her up in a sepulcher1

In this kingdom by the sea. The angels, not half so happy in heaven, Went envying her and me- Yes! –that was the reason (as all men know, In this kingdom by the sea) That the wind came out of the cloud by night, Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee. But our love it was stronger by far than the love Of those who were older than we- Of many far wiser than we- And neither the angels in heaven above, Nor the demons down under the sea, Can ever dissever my soul from the soul Of the beautiful Annabel Lee. For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride, In the sepulcher there by the sea, In her tomb by the sounding sea. _______________________________________________ 1sepulcher: a place of burial such as a tomb

Now read the following multiple-choice questions. Decide which answer is the best response to each question. Base your answers on the poem entitled Annabel Lee.

LA.910.1.7.3 46. What is NOT another possible title for the poem Annabel Lee?

F. Love For All Eternity

G. Annabel Lee, My One True Love

H. Growing Old Together, Side By Side

I. Even Death Cannot End My Perfect Love

LA.910.1.6.3 47. Read the following lines from the poem.

With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven Coveted her and me.

What does the word seraphs mean as used in the lines above?

A. angels

B. butterflies

C. cupids

D. demons

LA.910.1.6.8 48. Read these lines from Annabel Lee.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven, Went envying her and me-

Based on the rest of the poem, which sentence best restates the meaning of the lines above?

F. The angels were unhappy that Annabel Lee had died.

G. The angels were unhappy that they were in heaven and not on earth.

H. The angels were jealous of the love that existed between Annabel Lee and the

narrator.

I. The angels were happy in heaven and wanted all the best for Annabel Lee

and the narrator.

LA.910.2.1.7 49. Read these lines from the poem.

That the wind came out of the cloud by night, Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

Which literary device does the author use in these lines?

A. alliteration, repetition of beginning consonant sounds

B. hyperbole, exaggerating the speed of the wind

C. personification, portraying the night as a person who killed Annabel Lee

D. symbolism, representing the cloud as a house

LA.910.2.1.5 50. Which line from the poem Annabel Lee most clearly reveals its theme?

F. To shut her up in a sepulcher

G. Can ever dissever my soul from the soul

H. And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side

I. But we loved with a love that was more than love—

LA.910.1.7.4 51. According to the poem, what caused Annabel Lee to die?

A. She committed suicide.

B. She died from an illness.

C. Her family’s kinsman killed her.

D. She was swept out to sea and drowned.

Figure of Speech

Definition Example My Example

Simile A comparison of two things using the word ―like or as‖

My English teacher is as creative as Shakespeare.

Metaphor A comparison of two things without using the words like or as

The sun is a flower.

Hyperbole An exaggeration to create a strong response

The new driver waited an eternity to make a left turn.

Personification Giving human qualities to a non-human.

The tree watches him sleep.

Onomatopoeia Using words to imitate the sounds they name.

Boom, crash, sizzle, buzz

Alliteration The repetition of the same initial letter, sound, or group of sounds in a series of words.

Spiky stones spotted the sidewalk.

Vocabulary Activity

Literary Devices/Figurative Language

Authors use many different literary devices to express themselves in original ways. Figurative language in your writing can add your voice as well as paint a clear picture of what you are expressing to your reader. Look at the definitions and examples below of some of the more common types of figurative language. Then add an original example of each type of figurative language in the space provided.

As you write to the prompt on the next page, use figurate language to express yourself.

High School Writing Prompt

The school board is deciding to add a new school holiday.

Think of a day you would choose as a new school holiday.

Now write to convince the School Board to accept your choice of a new school holiday.

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES

Improving your Writing

1 Return to your essay. Highlight any areas where you used figurative language in the essay.

2 Circle the sentences that support your main idea 3 Circle the strong verbs that make your meaning clear.

Improving your Vocabulary

Did you know the more often you use a word, the more likely you are to remember it? Look at the words below and choose five that you would like to add to your vocabulary. Find the definitions and make an effort to use each of those five words at least 10 times before you return to school after the Winter Break. If you do that, you will own the word.

1. Auspicious 2. Belie 3. Equinox 4. Hubris 5. Incognito 6. Kinetic 7. Lexicon 8. Plagiarize 9. Sanguine 10. Tempestuous