book unit part 3 · home at 7:00. he is surprised when he sees della has cut her hair. he can only...
TRANSCRIPT
~ Page 2 © Gay Miller ~
Thank you for downloading this portion of The Gift of the Magi Book
Unit. Other book units may be found at
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Gay-Miller
his book unit will be provided in four blog posts.
The posts will include:
vocabulary comprehension
constructed response questions writing project
This packet contains three constructed response writing prompts with graphic organizers. It also contains additional
writing suggestions.
I hope your students enjoy using this book study.
The Gift of the Magi
By William Sydney Porter (O. Henry)
Genre ~ Classics & Short Stories
Grade Level Equivalent: 6.1
Lexile Measure®: 940L
Simplified Version
Grade Level Equivalent: 4.9
~ Page 3 © Gay Miller ~
Student Questions with CCSS
The next section contains the same questions without standards.
The third section contains the answer keys.
~ Page 4 © Gay Miller ~
Constructed Response – Theme
List one theme that is repeated several times in the story. List examples of this theme.
Theme ___________ Example
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Proof from Text
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Proof from Text
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Proof from Text
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CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how
the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal
opinions or judgments.
~ Page 5 © Gay Miller ~
Constructed Response – Course of Action
Explain what course of action you would take if you were in Jim or Della’s situation.
Jim or Della's Actions Your Actions
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Why would your course be a more effective course than the course they chose?
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CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.RL.4.3 Describe
in depth a character,
setting, or event in a
story or drama, drawing
on specific details in the
text (e.g., a character’s
thoughts, words, or
actions).
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.RL.5.3 Compare
and contrast two or
more characters,
settings, or events in a
story or drama, drawing
on specific details in the
text (e.g., how
characters interact).
CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.RL.6.3 Describe
how a particular story’s
or drama’s plot unfolds
in a series of episodes
as well as how the
characters respond or
change as the plot
moves toward a
resolution.
~ Page 6 © Gay Miller ~
Constructed Response – Summarizing
Select the 10 most important events from the story. Use these details to write a summary.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to
challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct
from personal opinions or judgments.
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~ Page 7 © Gay Miller ~
Constructed Response
Complete the chart to analyze the elements of the text.
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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7 Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia
presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).
Meaning
Beauty
Tone
~ Page 8 © Gay Miller ~
Constructed Response
Complete the chart to compare two titles.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7 Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia
presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).
Meaning
Beauty Beauty
Tone Tone
Meaning
1st Title _____________________________________________
2nd Title ______________________________________________
~ Page 9 © Gay Miller ~
Constructed Response
Complete the chart to compare a text to a visual or oral presentation of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.7 Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text, identifying where each
version reflects specific descriptions and directions in the text.
Text Title Presentation
~ Page 11 © Gay Miller ~
Constructed Response – Theme
List one theme that is repeated several times in the story. List examples of this theme.
Theme ___________ Example
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Proof from Text
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Example
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Proof from Text
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Proof from Text
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~ Page 12 © Gay Miller ~
Constructed Response – Course of Action
Explain what course of action you would take if you were in Jim or Della’s situation.
Jim or Della's Actions Your Actions
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Why would your course be a more effective course than the course they chose?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
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~ Page 13 © Gay Miller ~
Constructed Response – Summarizing
Select the 10 most important events from the story. Use these details to write a summary.
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~ Page 14 © Gay Miller ~
Constructed Response
Complete the chart to analyze the elements of the text.
-
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Meaning
Beauty
Tone
~ Page 15 © Gay Miller ~
Constructed Response
Complete the chart to compare two titles.
Meaning
Beauty Beauty
Tone Tone
Meaning
1st Title _____________________________________________
2nd Title ______________________________________________
~ Page 16 © Gay Miller ~
Constructed Response
Complete the chart to compare a text to a visual or oral presentation of the text.
Text Title Presentation
~ Page 18 © Gay Miller ~
Constructed Response – Theme ~ Answer Key (Answers will vary.)
List one theme that is repeated several times in the story. List examples of this theme.
Theme Love
Example
Della excitedly shops for Jim's gift.
Proof from Text
Oh, and the next two hours
tripped by on rosy wings. Forget the hashed metaphor. She was
ransacking the stores for Jim's present.
Example
Della saves money, so she can get Jim a Christmas gift.
Proof from Text
Only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim. Many a happy hour she had
spent planning for something nice for him. Something fine and rare
and sterling – something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim.
Example
Della welcomes Jim warmly when he comes home from work.
Proof from Text
But whenever Mr. James Dillingham Young came home and
reached his flat above he was called "Jim" and greatly hugged
by Mrs. James Dillingham Young, already introduced to you as Della. Which is all very good.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to
challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct
from personal opinions or judgments.
~ Page 19 © Gay Miller ~
Constructed Response – Theme ~ Answer Key (Answers will vary.)
List one theme that is repeated several times in the story. List examples of this theme.
Theme Sacrifice Example
Jim sells his most prized possession to have money to buy Della a Christmas gift.
Proof from Text
For there lay The Combs--the set
of combs, side and back, that Della had worshipped long in a
Broadway window. Beautiful combs, pure tortoise shell, with jeweled rims--just the shade to
wear in the beautiful vanished hair. They were expensive combs,
she knew, and her heart had simply craved and yearned over them without the least hope of
possession. And now, they were hers, but the tresses that should
have adorned the coveted adornments were gone.
Example
Della sells her most prized possession.
Proof from Text
"Will you buy my hair?" asked Della.
"I buy hair," said Madame. "Take yer hat off and let's have a sight
at the looks of it."
Down rippled the brown cascade.
"Twenty dollars," said Madame,
lifting the mass with a practiced hand.
"Give it to me quick," said Della.
Example
For weeks, Della embarrassingly shops with the butcher and grocer to try to save money.
Proof from Text
Pennies saved one and two at a
time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the
butcher until one's cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing
implied.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to
challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct
from personal opinions or judgments.
~ Page 20 © Gay Miller ~
Constructed Response – Summarizing ~ Answer Key
Della goes to
the mirror and
lets down her
long hair. This
gives her an
idea.
Select the 10 most important events from the story. Use these details to write a summary.
Della goes to
Madame
Sofronie’s and
sells her hair
for $20.00.
Della
Dillingham
Young counts
her money and
finds she has
only $1.87 to
buy her
husband Jim a
Christmas gift.
Della cries
because she
has tried to
save money for
weeks to buy a gift.
Della finds Jim
the perfect gift,
a chain for his
prized watch.
Jim arrives
home at 7:00.
He is surprised
when he sees
Della has cut
her hair. He
can only stare
at her.
A little later
Jim snaps out
of his trance
and gives Della
her Christmas
present, two
beautiful
combs for her
hair.
Della returns to
the apartment
and curls her
short hair. She
prepares a
dinner and
waits for Jim to
come home.
Della cries and
Jim holds her.
She cannot use
the beautiful
combs in her
short hair.
Della then
gives Jim the
watch chain.
The two
discover that
each sold a
prized
possession to
have money to
buy the other a
Christmas gift.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to
challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct
from personal opinions or judgments.
~ Page 21 © Gay Miller ~
Additional Writing Ideas Write an argumentative essay. Select Della or Jim to argue which character gave up the most
valuable possession.
Rewrite the story from Jim’s perspective.
Compare different versions of the story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFf3fDdtFdM (Picture Book Read)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEYKlV0vkIs (1952 black and white film staring
Farley Granger as Jim and Jeanne Crain as Della)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2VFgHGKzx4 (Bert and Ernie’s Gift of the Magi)
The next four pages contain graphic organizers that you can use when comparing the book to
the movie. I created these as part of a free Cinderella Unit that is a sample of my short story
series. I decided to just add the organizers to this unit for your convinence instead of offering
just a link.
~ Page 22 © Gay Miller ~
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