UNIT

What Matters

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Sometimes standing up
means refusing to back down.

Discuss It  Why is volunteering, engaging in sports

and hobbies, and pursing personal dreams so fulfilling?
Write your response before sharing your ideas.

Philippe Petit
SCAN FOR
254  MULTIMEDIA
UNIT 3
UNIT INTRODUCTION
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: LAUNCH TEXT
ARGUMENT MODEL

When is it right to take a stand? Freedom of the Press?

WHOLE-CLASS SMALL-GROUP INDEPENDENT

LEARNING LEARNING LEARNING
ANCHOR TEXT: MAGAZINE ARTICLE PERSUASIVE SPEECH MEMOIR
Barrington Irving, Words Do Not Pay from Through My
Pilot and Educator Chief Joseph Eyes
National Geographic Ruby Bridges

  M EDIA CONNECTION:

Barrington Irving: Got
30 Dollars in My Pocket
NONFICTION NARRATIVE POETRY
ANCHOR TEXT: OPINION PIECE from Follow the The Unknown Citizen
Three Cheers for Rabbit‑Proof Fence W. H. Auden
the Nanny State Doris Pilkington
Sarah Conly
COMPARE

MEDIA: VIDEO BIOGRAPHY

ANCHOR TEXTS: OPINION PIECES The Moth Presents: Harriet Tubman:
Ban the Ban! Aleeza Kazmi Conductor on
SidneyAnne Stone the Underground
Soda’s a Problem Railroad
but . . . Ann Petry
Karin Klein
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

PERFORMANCE TASK PERFORMANCE TASK PERFORMANCE-BASED ASSESSMENT PREP

WRITING FOCUS: SPEAKING AND LISTENING FOCUS: Review Evidence for an Argument
Write an Argument Deliver an Oral Presentation

PERFORMANCE-BASED ASSESSMENT
Argument: Essay and Oral Presentation
PROMPT:

Is it important for people to make their own choices in life?

  255
UNIT
3 INTRODUCTION
Unit Goals
Throughout this unit, you will deepen your perspective about what it
means to stand up for things that matter, by reading, writing, speaking,
listening, and presenting. These goals will help you succeed on the Unit
Performance-Based Assessment.

Rate how well you meet these goals right now. You will revisit your
ratings later when you reflect on your growth during this unit.

1 2 3 4 5

NOT AT ALL NOT VERY SOMEWHAT VERY EXTREMELY

WELL WELL WELL WELL WELL

READING GOALS 1 2 3 4 5

• Evaluate written arguments by

analyzing how authors state and
support their claims.

• Expand your knowledge and use of

academic and concept vocabulary.

WRITING AND RESEARCH GOALS 1 2 3 4 5

• Write an argumentative essay in which

you effectively incorporate the key
elements of an argument.

• Conduct research projects of various

lengths to explore a topic and clarify
meaning.

LANGUAGE GOAL 1 2 3 4 5

• Demonstrate command of the

conventions of standard English
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grammar and usage, including correct
usage of nouns, pronouns, adjectives,
adverbs, clauses, and sentence
structure.
SPEAKING AND LISTENING
GOALS 1 2 3 4 5

• Collaborate with your team to build on

 STANDARDS the ideas of others, develop consensus,
Language and communicate.
Acquire and use accurately
grade‑appropriate general academic • Integrate audio, visuals, and text in
and domain-specific words
and phrases; gather vocabulary presentations.
knowledge when considering
a word or phrase important to
comprehension or expression.

SCAN FOR
256  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS MULTIMEDIA
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: When is it right to take a stand?

Academic Vocabulary: Argument

Academic terms appear in all subjects and can help you read, write, and
discuss with more precision. Here are five academic words that will be Follow Through

useful to you in this unit as you analyze and write arguments. Study the words in this chart,
and mark them or their
Complete the chart. forms wherever they appear
in the unit.
1. Review each word, its root, and the mentor sentences.
2. Use the information and your own knowledge to predict the meaning
of each word.
3. For each word, list at least two related words.
4. Refer to the dictionary or other resources if needed.

WORD MENTOR SENTENCES PREDICT MEANING RELATED WORDS

retort 1. His grumpy retort made me sorry I contort; torture

had asked the question.
ROOT: 2. I fired off a retort so clever she
-tort- couldn’t think of anything to add.
“twist”

candid 1. Take a candid photo of us so that

we look like we do in real life.
ROOT: 2. I wish she were more candid with
-cand- me; I never know what she means.
“shine”;
“white”

rectify 1. I will try to rectify the situation, but

I think things are beyond fixing.
ROOT: 2. Don’t worry, I will rectify the
-rect- problem as soon as I get to the
“straight” office.
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speculate 1. The police did not want to

speculate as to what motivated the
ROOT: crime.
-spec- 2. When I’m reading a really good
“look“ book, it is hard not to speculate on
how it is going to end.

verify 1. Can you please verify that your

name is correct on this form?
ROOT: 2. The claim isn’t valid because no
-ver- one can verify the source of the
“truth” information on which it is based.

Unit Introduction  257

UNIT
3 INTRODUCTION

LAUNCH TEXT  |  ARGUMENT MODEL

This selection is an example of

an argument, a type of writing
in which an author states and
defends a position on a topic.
This is the type of writing you will
develop in the Performance-Based
Assessment at the end of the unit.
As you read, look at the way the
writer builds a case. Mark the text
to answer this question: What
is the writer’s position, and how
does he or she support it?

Freedom of the Press?

NOTES
1

T he First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution gives

newspapers, magazines, and other publications the right
to print whatever they see fit, without interference from the
government. The framers of the Constitution felt that a free press
is vital to a democratic society.
2 This important idea breaks down when schools are involved.
As it turns out, there is a difference between “free press” and high
school newspapers.
3 The difference is technical. The First Amendment prevents the
government from censoring the press. However, private publishers
can censor whatever they want. Since schools and school districts
pay the student newspaper‘s publication costs, they are private
publishers. This means that they can edit information as they see © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
fit. They can even refuse to publish some articles.
4 This is a tough lesson for budding journalists, some of whom
have challenged the restrictions. One case even made it to the
Supreme Court, in Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier.
5 Here are the facts. In 1983, students at Hazelwood High,
a public high school near St. Louis, Missouri, saw two pages
missing from their school newspaper, The Spectrum. They found
out that the principal, Robert Reynolds, had removed two of the
articles after finding them unfit for publication. One article, about
teen pregnancy, contained interviews with pregnant students
whose names were changed; the other article dealt with divorce.
6 Principal Reynolds said the pregnancy article was not
appropriate for a high school audience. He was also concerned

SCAN FOR
258  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS MULTIMEDIA
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: When is it right to take a stand?

that the girls’ identities would have been revealed eventually in

such a small school. His problem with the divorce article was that NOTES

it was not “fair and balanced.” He felt it criticized parents without

providing their side of the story.
7 Some students were outraged and sued the school. They argued
that the issue was not the content of the articles, but whether or
not the school had the right to suppress them.
8 In 1988, the Supreme Court ruled 5–3 in favor of the school. The
ruling said that while students “do not shed their first amendment
rights at the schoolhouse gate,” no school should tolerate activities
“inconsistent with its basic educational mission.” In other words,
when student expression is school-sponsored, it can be censored—
as long as those doing the censoring have valid educational
reasons. The law now varies from state to state. States that
disagree with parts of the ruling have their own laws that govern
students’ freedom of expression.
9 We are now left with these critical questions: Is it fair for some
students to have greater freedom of speech in their high school
newspapers when others are subjected to censorship? What does
this situation say about us as a society and a nation?
10 The framers of the Constitution believed that if governments
could censor opinions they did not like, the public would be less
educated. Given that schools are places of education, it seems
counterproductive to limit students’ free speech. The more
opinions students are exposed to, the better equipped they will be
to handle the issues they will face later in life.  ❧

  WORD NETWORK FOR TAKING A STAND

Vocabulary  A Word
Network is a collection of
words related to a topic. As
you read the selections in this counterproductive
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

unit, identify words related

to the idea of taking a stand TAKING A
and add them to your Word democratic
STAND
Network. For example, you
might begin by adding words
censored
from the Launch Text, such as
counterproductive, democratic,
and censored. Continue to add
words as you complete this
unit.
Tool Kit
Word Network Model

Freedom of the Press?  259

UNIT
3 INTRODUCTION
Summary
Write a summary of “Freedom of the Press?” A summary is a concise,
complete, and accurate overview of a text. It should not include a
statement of your opinion or an analysis.

Launch Activity
Class Statement  Think about this question: How do people determine © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
what matters to them and make their own choices in life? Consider your
response by completing this statement:
Some things people should bear in mind when making important
decisions are

• On a sticky note, record a brief phrase to complete the statement.

• Place all sticky notes with suggestions on the board; and then read
the suggestions aloud. Work together to group ideas that are related.
• As a class, decide which phrase or phrases best complete the
statement. Students may vote for one, two, or three phrases.
• Place a tally mark on the notes that indicate your choices.
• Use the tally results to create and edit a class thesis statement.

260  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: When is it right to take a stand?

QuickWrite
Consider class discussions, the video, and the Launch Text as you think
about the prompt. Record your first thoughts here.
PROMPT: Is it important for people to make their own choices
in life?

 EVIDENCE LOG FOR TAKING A STAND

Review your QuickWrite.
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Summarize your point of view Title of Text: Date:

in one sentence to record in CONNECTION TO PROMPT TEXT EVIDENCE/DETAILS ADDITIONAL NOTES/IDEAS
your Evidence Log. Then, record
evidence from “Freedom of the
Press?” that supports your point
of view.
Prepare for the Performance-
Based Assessment at the end
How does this text change or add to my thinking? Date:
of the unit by completing
the Evidence Log after each
selection.

Tool Kit
Evidence Log Model

SCAN FOR
MULTIMEDIA Unit Introduction  261
OVERVIEW: WHOLE-CLASS LEARNING

ESSENTIAL QUESTION:

When is it right to take a stand?

What issues are worth defending? In today’s complex world, it’s important to
get our priorities straight. Each of us must decide for ourselves what matters
most—a principle, another human being, or the right to express ourselves. As
you read, you will work with your whole class to explore some of the issues that
have caused people to take a stand.

Whole-Class Learning Strategies

Throughout your life, in school, in your community, and in your career, you will
continue to learn and work in large-group environments.

Review these strategies and the actions you can take to practice them as you
work with your whole class. Add ideas of your own for each step. Get ready to
use these strategies during Whole-Class Learning.

STRATEGY ACTION PLAN

Listen actively • Eliminate distractions. For example, put your cellphone away.
• Keep your eyes on the speaker.

Clarify by asking • If you’re confused, other people probably are, too. Ask a question to help your
questions whole class.
• If you see that you are guessing, ask a question instead.

© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Monitor • Notice what information you already know and be ready to build on it.
understanding • Ask for help if you are struggling.

Interact and share • Share your ideas and answer questions, even if you are unsure.
ideas • Build on the ideas of others by adding details or making a connection.

SCAN FOR
262  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS MULTIMEDIA
CONTENTS
ANCHOR TEXT: MAGAZINE ARTICLE

Barrington Irving, Pilot and Educator

National Geographic

When a poor kid from Miami learns to

fly, his life really takes off.

 MEDIA CONNECTION: Barrington Irving: Got 30

Dollars in My Pocket

ANCHOR TEXT: OPINION PIECE

Three Cheers for the Nanny State

Sarah Conly

Is being told what to do actually in our interests?

COMPARE

ANCHOR TEXTS: OPINION PIECES

Ban the Ban!

SidneyAnne Stone

Soda’s a Problem but. . .

Karin Klein
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

When food choices are regulated, we stop

thinking for ourselves.

PERFORMANCE TASK
WRITING FOCUS
Write an Argument
The Whole-Class readings focus on people who have taken a stand for or against
something they felt strongly about. After reading, you will write an essay in which you
make an argument about a problem you think is worth solving and how to solve it.

Overview: Whole-Class Learning  263

MAKING MEANING

About the Publication

National Geographic
Barrington Irving,
(originally named The
National Geographic
Pilot and Educator
Magazine) has been Concept Vocabulary
published continuously for
As you conduct your first read of “Barrington Irving, Pilot and Educator,"
more than 125 years. It is
you will encounter these words. Before reading, note how familiar you
famous for its articles on
history, geography, and are with each word. Then, rank the words in order from most familiar
culture around the world. (1) to least familiar (6).
Early in its life, the magazine
WORD YOUR RANKING
became equally celebrated
for the quality and content determination
of its photography,
which has remained a achieve
standard that many other
publications try to match. pursue

tackling

accomplish

purposeful

After completing your first read, review your original rankings. Mark
changes to your original rankings as needed.

First Read NONFICTION

Apply these strategies as you conduct your first read. You will have an
opportunity to complete the close-read notes after your first read.

Tool Kit 
First-Read Guide and
Model Annotation NOTICE the general ideas of ANNOTATE by marking
the text. What is it about? vocabulary and key passages
Who is involved? you want to revisit. © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

CONNECT ideas within RESPOND by completing

the selection to what you the Comprehension Check.
already know and what you
have already read.

 STANDARDS
Reading Informational Text
By the end of the year, read and
comprehend literary nonfiction at
the high end of the grades 6–8 text
complexity band independently and
proficiently.

264  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

ANCHOR TEXT  |  MAGAZINE ARTICLE

Barrington Irving,
Pilot and
Educator
National Geographic

BACKGROUND
One way to travel around the world is to become a pilot. In order to SCAN FOR
MULTIMEDIA
get a professional pilot’s license, a person must be at least eighteen
years old, pass a written exam, and practice flying for more than
1,000 hours. Pilots need to be able to communicate clearly, solve
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problems, observe and react quickly, and know how to use aircraft
computer and navigation systems.

B arrington Irving is very good at rising above obstacles.

Literally. Raised in Miami’s inner city, surrounded by crime,
poverty, and failing schools, he beat the odds to become the
NOTES

youngest person and only African American ever to fly solo

around the world. He built a plane himself, made his historic
flight, graduated magna cum laude1 from an aeronautical science
program, and founded a dynamic educational nonprofit. Then he
turned 28.

1. magna cum laude  (MAG nuh kum LOW duh) with high honors, from Latin.

Barrington Irving, Pilot and Educator  265

2 His message for kids: “The only thing that separates you from
NOTES CEOs in corner offices or scientists in labs is determination, hard
determination (dih TUR muh work, and a passion for what you want to achieve. The only
NAY shuhn) n. quality of person who can stop you from doing something great is you.
pursuing a goal even when Even if no one believes in your dream, you have to pursue it.”
it is difficult
The secret, he believes, is having a dream in the first place, and
achieve (uh CHEEV) that starts with powerful learning experiences that inspire kids to
v. succeed in doing pursue careers—particularly in science, technology, engineering,
something you want to do and math.
pursue (puhr SOO) v.
3 The moment of inspiration for Irving came at age 15 while he
continue doing an activity was working in his parents’ bookstore. One of their customers,
over a period of time a Jamaican-born professional pilot, asked Irving if he’d ever
thought about becoming a pilot. “I told him I didn’t think I was
smart enough; but the next day he gave me the chance to sit in the
cockpit of the commercial airplane he flew, and just like that I was
hooked. There are probably millions of kids out there like me who
find science and exploration amazing, but lack the confidence or
opportunity to take the next step.”
4 To follow his dream, Irving turned down a full football
scholarship to the University of Florida. He washed airplanes to
earn money for flight school and increased his flying skills by
practicing at home on a $40 flight simulator video game.
5 Then another dream took hold: flying solo around the
world. He faced more than 50 rejections for sponsorship before
convincing several manufacturers to donate individual aircraft
components. He took off with no weather radar,
no de-icing system, and just $30 in his pocket. “I
like to do things people say I can’t do.”
"The only person who
6 After 97 days, 26 stops, and dozens of

can stop you from thunderstorms, monsoons, snowstorms, and

sandstorms, he touched down to a roaring
doing something great crowd in Miami. “Stepping from the plane, it
is you." wasn’t all the fanfare that changed my life. It
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was seeing so many young people watching and
listening. I had no money, but I was determined
to give back with my time, knowledge, and experience.” He’s
been doing it ever since.
7 Irving’s nonprofit organization,2 Experience Aviation, aims to
boost the numbers of youth in aviation and other science- and
math-related careers. Middle and high school students attend
2. nonprofit organization  company formed to provide a benefit to the community rather
than to make money for its own gain.

266  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

summer and after-school programs tackling hands-on robotics
projects, flight simulator challenges, and field trips to major NOTES

industries and corporations. In his Build and Soar program,

tackling (TAK lihng) v.
60 students from failing schools built an airplane from scratch in dealing with or handling a
just ten weeks and then watched Irving pilot it into the clouds. problem or situation
8 “We want to create a one-of-a-kind opportunity for students
to take ownership and accomplish something amazing,” he accomplish (uh KOM plish)
notes. “Meaningful, real-world learning experiences fire up the v. carry out; finish or
complete
neurons in kids’ minds. If you don’t do that, you’ve lost them.
Purposeful, inspiring activities increase the chance they’ll stay on purposeful (PUR puhs fuhl)
that learning and career path. We’ve had one young lady receive adj. having a clear aim
or goal
a full scholarship to Duke University as a math major, and several
young men are now pilots, engineers, and aircraft mechanics.”
9 “It’s great to reach a few hundred kids every year,” he says,
“but I also wanted to find a way to inspire on a larger scale.” How
about millions of kids? Irving’s next endeavor will transform a jet
into a flying classroom that will circle the globe sharing science,
technology, engineering, math, geography, culture, and history.
“This isn’t just an aircraft; it’s an exploration vehicle for learning
that will teach millions of kids in ways they’ve never been taught
before—making them part of the expedition and research.”
10 A web-based experience will make it easy for kids to participate
at home and school, voting on everything from where Irving
should make a fuel stop to what local food he should sample. He
plans to call classrooms from the cockpit; broadcast live video
from 45,000 feet; blog with students; collect atmospheric data;
communicate with the International Space Station; and wear a
NASA3 body suit that transmits his heart rate, blood pressure, and
other vital signs. CLOSE READ
11 Along the way, kids will have a virtual window on about ANNOTATE: Mark details in
75 ground expeditions, including Machu Picchu, the Galápagos paragraph 11 that describe
Islands, the Pyramids, the Serengeti Plains, the Roman Coliseum, the "virtual window."
the Taj Mahal, and the Great Wall of China. Cameras will provide QUESTION: Why do you
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

360-degree panoramic views of destinations from ancient think the writer has listed
archeological sites to Hong Kong skyscrapers. Apps will track so many details?
adventures such as shark tagging, giving students ongoing CONCLUDE: What do
location and water temperature data. these details lead you to
12 A steady stream of challenges will let kids compete to solve conclude about the scope
problems ranging from evacuating populations after tsunamis to of Irving's project?
collecting trash in space. “We also want to create a forum where

3. NASA  abbr. National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Barrington Irving, Pilot and Educator  267

kids, parents, and teachers can speak to astronauts, scientists, and
NOTES other specialists.”
13 This “Journey for Knowledge” flight is scheduled to depart in
2013 and will make Irving the youngest person ever to fly to all
seven continents.
14 Perhaps Irving’s most compelling educational tool is the
example his own life provides. After landing his record-breaking
flight at age 23, he smiled out at the airfield crowd and said,
“Everyone told me what I couldn’t do. They said I was too
young, that I didn’t have enough money, experience, strength,
or knowledge. They told me it would take forever and I’d never
come home. Well . . . guess what?”  ❧

MEDIA CONNECTION

Discuss It  How does viewing this video add

to your appreciation of Barrington Irving's personal
accomplishments?
Write your response before sharing your ideas.

Barrington Irving: Got 30

Dollars in My Pocket

SCAN FOR
MULTIMEDIA

© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

268  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

Comprehension Check
Complete the following items after you finish your first read.

1. Name two obstacles Barrington Irving had to overcome in order to achieve

his dream.

2. What were two of Irving’s first big dreams?

3. How did Irving increase his flying skills at home?

4. What is Experience Aviation?

5.   Notebook  Write a timeline of events in the life of Barrington Irving.

RESEARCH
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Research to Clarify  Choose at least one unfamiliar detail from the text. Briefly
research that detail. In what way does the information you learned shed light on an
aspect of the article?

Research to Explore  Choose something that interested you from the text, and use it
to formulate a research question.

Barrington Irving, Pilot and Educator  269

MAKING MEANING

Close Read the Text

1. The model, from paragraph 5, shows two sample
annotations, along with questions and conclusions. Close
read the passage, and find another detail to annotate. Then,
BARRINGTON IRVING, PILOT
write a question and your conclusion.
AND EDUCATOR

ANNOTATE: These details relate to Irving’s

pursuit of his next dream.
QUESTION: Why might the author have
included these details? ANNOTATE: The
author includes
CONCLUDE: These details show Irving’s
details about
ambition, the obstacles he faced, and his
what Irving did
attitude toward those obstacles.
not have on his
solo flight.
QUESTION: Why
Then another dream took hold:
might the author
flying solo around the world. He have included
faced more than 50 rejections for these details?
sponsorship before convincing several CONCLUDE:
manufacturers to donate individual These details
aircraft components. He took off with show the
no weather radar, no de-icing system, challenges
Irving faced and
and just $30 in his pocket. “I like to do
overcame.
things people say I can’t do.”

2. For more practice, go back into the text and complete the
Tool Kit close-read notes.
Close-Read Guide
3. Revisit a section of the text you found important during your
and Model Annotation
first read. Read this section closely, and annotate what you
notice. Ask yourself questions such as “Why did the author © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
make this choice?” What can you conclude?

CITE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE

Analyze the Text to support your answers.

Notebook  Respond to these questions.

1. Paraphrase  A paraphrase is a restatement of another person’s
 STANDARDS
ideas in your own words. Reread paragraph 3. Then, paraphrase how
Reading Informational Text
• Cite the textual evidence that most Barrington Irving discovered his life’s calling.
strongly supports an analysis of what
the text says explicitly as well as
2. Make a Judgment  The author states that Irving’s life is his “most
inferences drawn from the text. compelling educational tool.” Do you agree? Explain your thinking.
• Analyze how a text makes
connections among and distinctions 3. Essential Question:  When is it right to take a stand? What have you
between individuals, ideas, or events. learned about when and how to take action from reading this article?

270  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: When is it right to take a stand?

Analyze Craft and Structure

Characterization in Nonfiction  Nonfiction writers often adapt
techniques typically used by fiction writers to vividly portray the real-
life people who are the subjects of their works. Taken together, the
techniques writers use to portray characters are called characterization.
There are two types of characterization:

• With direct characterization, the author simply tells the reader

what a person is like. For example, the author might say a person is
stubborn, generous, shy, or brave.
• With indirect characterization, the author reveals a subject’s
personality by including his or her words and describing his or her
actions, appearance, and behavior. The author may also show how
other people feel about the person.

When an author uses indirect characterization, the reader must make

inferences, or educated guesses, to determine what the person is like.
To make inferences, connect details in the text to your own background
knowledge. For example, if an author describes someone who arrives
as arriving late and out of breath, you might infer that the person had
been running. Practice making an inference by reading this passage and
marking details about Irving. Then, note an inference you can make
based on those details.

Passage from the text My Inference

A web-based experience will make it easy for kids to participate at home

and school, voting on everything from where Irving should make a fuel stop
to what local food he should sample. He plans to call classrooms from the
cockpit; broadcast live video from 45,000 feet; blog with students; collect
atmospheric data; communicate with the International Space Station; and
wear a NASA3 body suit that transmits his heart rate, blood pressure, and
other vital signs. (paragraph 10)
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

CITE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE

Practice  to support your answers.

Notebook  Respond to these questions.

1. (a) Identify an example of direct characterization in paragraph 1. (b) What clues
in the text indicate that this is direct characterization?
2. (a) Reread paragraph 6 of the article. What type of characterization does the
author use in this paragraph? (b) What does the information in this paragraph
reveal about Irving’s character?
3. In paragraph 9, the author uses direct quotations, or Irving’s exact words, to
reveal Irving’s goals for the future. What can you infer about Irving based on the
quotations in this paragraph?
4. Reread paragraph 14. (a) How many examples of characterization appear in
that passage? (b) Which detail do you find most revealing? Explain.

Barrington Irving, Pilot and Educator  271

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

Concept Vocabulary
determination pursue accomplish
achieve tackling purposeful
BARRINGTON IRVING, PILOT
AND EDUCATOR
Why These Words?  The concept vocabulary words all relate to the
effort an individual puts forth in order to succeed. For example, according
to Irving, determination is a key factor in a person’s success.

1. How does the concept vocabulary help the reader understand the
reasons for Barrington’s Irving’s success?

2. What other words in the selection relate to success?

Practice

  WORD NETWORK Notebook  Complete the following activities.

Add words related to taking 1. What goals do you have and what will you need to achieve them?
a stand from the text to Use concept vocabulary words in your response.
your Word Network. 2. With a partner, take turns listing as many synonyms, or words with
similar meanings, as you can for each concept vocabulary word.

Word Study
Old English Suffix: -ful  The Old English suffix -ful means “full of” or
“having qualities of.” In the article, Irving says that he thinks purposeful
 STANDARDS activities, or activities that are goal-oriented, are most likely to inspire kids.
Language
• Demonstrate command of the 1. Irving says, “Meaningful, real-world learning experiences fire up the
conventions of standard English neurons in kids’ minds.” Based on this sentence and on what you
grammar and usage when writing or © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
know about the suffix -ful, define meaningful.
speaking.
• Demonstrate command of the
conventions of standard English
capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling when writing.
c. Spell correctly. 2. What other words containing the suffix -ful can you use to describe
• Determine or clarify the meaning Barrington Irving?
of unknown and multiple-meaning
words or phrases based on grade 8
reading and content, choosing
flexibly from a range of strategies.
• Demonstrate understanding
of figurative language, word
relationships, and nuances in word
meanings.
b. Use the relationship between
particular words to better
understand each of the words.

272  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: When is it right to take a stand?

Conventions
Nouns and Pronouns  Correct capitalization and spelling of nouns and
pronouns are key to clear writing. A noun is used to name a person, Pay attention to
place, or thing. A pronoun is used to replace a noun in a sentence. There capitalization and spelling
when you use nouns and
are different kinds of nouns and pronouns, such as the ones listed here:
pronouns. Remember,
• Proper nouns name specific persons, places, or things, such as all proper nouns and the
Barrington Irving. Proper nouns begin with capital letters. personal pronoun I are
capitalized.
• Possessive nouns such as Miami’s show ownership.
• Personal pronouns such as I, you, and they refer to persons or
things. The personal pronoun I is always capitalized.
• Possessive pronouns such as my, your, its, and their replace
possessive nouns and also show ownership.

Be sure not to confuse possessive pronouns with words that sound

the same: Your is a possessive pronoun, while you’re is a contraction
that stands for “you are.” Its is a possessive pronoun, while it’s is a
contraction that stands for “it is.” Their is a possessive pronoun, while
they’re is a contraction that stands for “they are.”

Read It
1. Identify the proper nouns, personal pronouns, possessive nouns, and
possessive pronouns in the following sentences from the selection.
a. To follow his dream, Irving turned down a full football scholarship
to the University of Florida.

b. Irving’s nonprofit organization, Experience Aviation, aims to boost

the numbers of youth in aviation and other science- and math-
related careers.

2. Reread paragraph 10 of “Barrington Irving, Pilot and Educator.” Mark

and then label at least one example of each of the following: proper
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

noun, personal pronoun, and possessive pronoun.

Write It 
Notebook  Revise the paragraph below. Make sure that proper
nouns and pronouns are capitalized correctly and that possessive
pronouns are spelled correctly.
When barrington irving was a young man, no one encouraged him
to pursue his dreams. In fact, he said, “Everyone told me what i
couldn’t do.” Irving started a nonprofit organization. It’s goal is to
help kids achieve they’re dreams in science and aviation.

Barrington Irving, Pilot and Educator  273

EFFECTIVE EXPRESSION

Writing to Sources
In an argumentative essay, a writer states a claim, or position, on a
subject. He or she then explains reasons for that position, and uses
evidence to show why the reasons makes sense.
BARRINGTON IRVING, PILOT
AND EDUCATOR Assignment
Write an argumentative essay in which you state a claim in response
to the following statement:
Having passion for a subject is more important than
having knowledge about it.
Be sure each piece of evidence you use to support your claim clearly
relates to the reasons you provide. Begin your essay with a clear
introduction in which you state your claim. Then, explain your reasons
and give evidence that supports them. Finally, end with a conclusion
that states your claim in a different way. Try to make that conclusion
memorable for readers.

 STANDARDS Vocabulary and Conventions Connection  Consider including

Writing several of the concept vocabulary words in your essay. Also, remember
• Write arguments to support claims to proofread your draft to correct any errors in the spelling and
with clear reasons and relevant
capitalization of nouns and pronouns.
evidence.
a. Introduce claim(s), acknowledge
and distinguish the claim(s) from determination achieve pursue
alternate or opposing claims, and
organize the reasons and evidence tackling accomplish purposeful
logically.
b. Support claim(s) with
logical reasoning and relevant
evidence, using accurate, credible
sources and demonstrating an Reflect on Your Writing
understanding of the topic or text.
e. Provide a concluding statement After you have written your argument, answer the following questions.
or section that follows from and
supports the argument presented. 1. How do you think your evidence helps support your claim?
• Conduct short research projects
to answer a question, drawing on
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
several sources and generating
additional related, focused questions
that allow for multiple avenues of
2. How might you revise the way you present your evidence so that it
exploration.
supports the claim more persuasively?
Speaking and Listening
• Delineate a speaker’s argument
and specific claims, evaluating the
soundness of the reasoning and
relevance and sufficiency of the
evidence and identifying when
3. Why These Words?  The words you choose make a difference in
irrelevant evidence is introduced. your writing. Which words did you specifically choose to clearly
• Present claims and findings, convey your ideas?
emphasizing salient points in a
focused, coherent manner with
relevant evidence, sound valid
reasoning, and well-chosen details;
use appropriate eye contact,
adequate volume, and clear
pronunciation.

274  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: When is it right to take a stand?

Speaking and Listening

Assignment
Work with a partner to conduct research on one of the educational
nonprofit organizations or programs mentioned in the article. Use
the information you gather to develop and deliver a persuasive
presentation that highlights the benefits of the organization or
program. Show why the organization deserves support, or why its
programs provide valuable experiences.

1. Evaluate Your Evidence  As you prepare your presentation,

  EVIDENCE LOG
make sure you have supported your claims about the program or
Before moving on to a
organization. Answer the following questions to determine whether
new selection, go to your
you need more supporting evidence: Evidence Log and record
• Have you described the features of the organization or program what you learned from
clearly and accurately? “Barrington Irving, Pilot
and Educator.”
• Do you explain why each feature is beneficial or exciting?
• Did you include evidence to show the organization or program
and its features are successful?
2. Prepare Your Presentation  Practice your presentation before you
deliver it to the class. Use the following techniques in your delivery:
• Speak loudly enough to be heard by the entire class.
• Maintain eye contact with your audience as you present.
3. Evaluate Presentations  As your classmates deliver their
presentations, listen attentively. Then, evaluate the presentations
to decide which one you felt was most convincing. Consider the
reasoning and evidence and the speakers’ presentation skills. Use
a presentation evaluation guide like the one shown to analyze
classmates’ presentations.

EVALUATION GUIDE
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Rate each statement on a scale of 1 (not demonstrated) to

5 (demonstrated).

The presentation was persuasive and supported by relevant evidence.

The speaker clearly explained his or her reasons.

The speaker spoke at an appropriate volume and maintained eye

contact.

Barrington Irving, Pilot and Educator  275

MAKING MEANING

Comparing Texts
In this lesson, you will read and compare two
selections that present different arguments about
the same issue. First, you will complete the first
THREE CHEERS FOR THE • BAN THE BAN!
NANNY STATE read and close read activities for “Three Cheers for • Soda’s a problem but...
the Nanny State.”

About the Author

Three Cheers for the Nanny State
Concept Vocabulary
As you conduct your first read of “Three Cheers for the Nanny State,”
you will encounter these words. Before you read, rate how familiar you
are with each word. Then, rank the words in order from most familiar (1)
to least familiar (5).
Sarah Conly holds the title
WORD YOUR RANKING
of Associate Professor of
Philosphy at Bowdoin College impose
in Brunswick, Maine. She
is the author of numerous rational
essays, journal articles, and
opinion pieces focusing on justifiable
issues of personal choice and
public policy. principle

status quo

After completing your first read, come back to the selection vocabulary and
review your ratings. Mark changes to your original rankings as needed.
Tool Kit 
First-Read Guide and
Model Annotation
First Read NONFICTION
Apply these strategies as you conduct your first read. You will have an
opportunity to complete a close read after your first read. © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

NOTICE the general ideas of ANNOTATE by marking

the text. What is it about? vocabulary and key passages
Who is involved? you want to revisit.

  STANDARDS
Reading Informational Text CONNECT ideas within RESPOND by completing
By the end of the year, read and the selection to what you the Comprehension Check and
comprehend literary nonfiction at
the high end of the grades 6–8 text already know and what you by writing a brief summary of
complexity band independently and have already read. the selection.
proficiently.

276  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

ANCHOR TEXT  |  OPINION PIECE

Three Cheers
for the Nanny State Sarah Conly

BACKGROUND
The term “nanny state” is a negative nickname for a welfare state, SCAN FOR
MULTIMEDIA
which is a model of government that takes direct responsibility for the
protection and well-being of its citizens. Welfare states offers basic
social support, such as free health care or low-income housing, but also
create laws and policies that attempt to control or influence how people
behave.

W hy has there been so much fuss about New York City’s

attempt to impose a soda ban,1 or more precisely, a ban on
large-size “sugary drinks”? After all, people can still get as much
NOTES
impose (im POHZ) v. force
a law, idea, or belief
soda as they want. This isn’t Prohibition. It’s just that getting it on someone by using
would take slightly more effort. So, why is this such a big deal? authority
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

2 Obviously, it’s not about soda. It’s because such a ban suggests
that sometimes we need to be stopped from doing foolish stuff,
and this has become, in contemporary American politics, highly
controversial, no matter how trivial the particular issue. (Large CLOSE READ
ANNOTATE: In paragraph 1,
cups of soda as symbols of human dignity? Really?)
mark the questions that the
3 Americans, even those who generally support government author does not answer.
intervention in our daily lives, have a reflexive response to being
told what to do, and it’s not a positive one. It’s this common QUESTION: Why might
the author have begun
desire to be left alone that prompted the Mississippi Legislature
the article with several
earlier this month to pass a ban on bans—a law that forbids unanswered questions?
municipalities to place local restrictions on food or drink.
CONCLUDE: What effect
1. soda ban  In 2013, New York City passed a law prohibiting soda containers larger than do these questions have
16 ounces in volume. The New York State Court of Appeals later overturned the law. on the reader?

Three Cheers for the Nanny State  277

4 We have a vision of ourselves as free, rational beings who are
NOTES totally capable of making all the decisions we need to in order to
rational (RASH uh nuhl) adj. create a good life. Give us complete liberty, and, barring natural
able to make decisions disasters, we’ll end up where we want to be. It’s a nice vision, one
based on reason rather that makes us feel proud of ourselves. But it’s false.
than emotion; sensible
5 John Stuart Mill2 wrote in 1859 that the only justifiable
justifiable (juhs tuh FY reason for interfering in someone’s freedom of action was to
uh buhl) adj. able to be
defended as correct; prevent harm to others. According to Mill’s “harm principle,”
reasonable and logical we should almost never stop people from behavior that
principle (PRIHN suh puhl) n. affects only themselves, because people know best what they
moral rule or set of ideas themselves want.
about right or wrong that 6 That “almost,” though, is important. It’s fair to stop us, Mill
influences individuals to
argued, when we are acting out of ignorance and doing something
behave in a certain way
we’ll pretty definitely regret. You can stop someone from crossing
a bridge that is broken, he said, because you can be sure no one
wants to plummet into the river. Mill just didn’t think this would
happen very often.
7 Mill was wrong about that, though. A lot of times we have a
good idea of where we want to go, but a really terrible idea of how
to get there. It’s well established by now that we often don’t think
very clearly when it comes to choosing the best means to attain
our ends. We make errors. This has been the object of an enormous
CLOSE READ amount of study over the past few decades, and what has been
ANNOTATE: In paragraphs discovered is that we are all prone to identifiable and predictable
8–10, mark the types of
miscalculations.
bias, or judgments and
prejudices, the author 8 Research by psychologists and behavioral economists,
describes. including the Nobel Prize-winner Daniel Kahneman and his
research partner Amos Tversky, identified a number of areas in
QUESTION: Why does
the author include these
which we fairly dependably fail. They call such a tendency a
explanations of different “cognitive3 bias,” and there are many of them—a lot of ways in
biases? which our own minds trip us up.
9 For example, we suffer from an optimism bias, that is we tend
CONCLUDE: How does
this information affect to think that however likely a bad thing is to happen to most
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
the persuasiveness of her people in our situation, it’s less likely to happen to us—not for
argument? any particular reason, but because we’re irrationally optimistic.
Because of our “present bias,” when we need to take a small, easy
step to bring about some future good, we fail to do it, not because
we’ve decided it’s a bad idea, but because we procrastinate.
status quo (STAT uhs kwoh) 10 We also suffer from a status quo bias, which makes us value
n. existing state what we’ve already got over the alternatives, just because we’ve
or condition at a
particular time
already got it—which might, of course, make us react badly to

2. John Stuart Mill  (1806–1873) British philosopher.

3. cognitive  (KOG nih tihv) adj. related to thinking.

278  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

new laws, even when they are really an improvement over what
we’ve got. And there are more. NOTES

11 The crucial point is that in some situations it’s just difficult for
us to take in the relevant information and choose accordingly. It’s
not quite the simple ignorance Mill was talking about, but it turns
out that our minds are more complicated than Mill imagined.
Like the guy about to step through the hole in the bridge, we
need help.
12 Is it always a mistake when someone does something
imprudent, when, in this case, a person chooses to chug 32 ounces
of soda? No. For some people, that’s the right choice. They don’t
care that much about their health, or they won’t drink too many
big sodas, or they just really love having a lot of soda at once.
13 But laws have to be sensitive to the needs of the majority. That
doesn’t mean laws should trample the rights of the minority, but
that public benefit is a legitimate concern, even when that may
inconvenience some.
14 So do these laws mean that some people will be kept from CLOSE READ
doing what they really want to do? Probably—and yes, in many ANNOTATE: In paragraph
ways it hurts to be part of a society governed by laws, given that 14, mark the example the
author uses to support
laws aren’t designed for each one of us individually. Some of us
her claim.
can drive safely at 90 miles per hour, but we’re bound by the same
laws as the people who can’t, because individual speeding laws QUESTION: Why might
aren’t practical. Giving up a little liberty is something we agree the author have chosen
this specific example as
to when we agree to live in a democratic society that is governed
support?
by laws.
15 The freedom to buy a really large soda, all in one cup, is CONCLUDE: How does the
inclusion of this example
something we stand to lose here. For most people, given their
affect the author’s
desire for health, that results in a net gain. For some people, yes, argument?
it’s an absolute loss. It’s just not much of a loss.
16 Of course, what people fear is that this is just the beginning:
today it’s soda, tomorrow it’s the guy standing behind you
making you eat your broccoli, floss your teeth, and watch
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

PBS NewsHour4 every day. What this ignores is that successful

paternalistic5 laws are done on the basis of a cost-benefit analysis:
if it’s too painful, it’s not a good law. Making these analyses is
something the government has the resources to do, just as now it
sets automobile construction standards while considering both the
need for affordability and the desire for safety.
17 Do we care so much about our health that we want to be forced
to go to aerobics every day and give up all meat, sugar and salt?

4. PBS NewsHour  television news program in the United States.

5. paternalistic  (puh tuhr nuh LIHS tihk) adj. protective, but controlling; in the manner of a
parent.

Three Cheers for the Nanny State  279

No. But in this case, it’s some extra soda. Banning a law on the
NOTES
grounds that it might lead to worse laws would mean we could
have no laws whatsoever.
18 In the old days we used to blame people for acting imprudently,
and say that since their bad choices were their own fault, they
deserved to suffer the consequences. Now we see that these errors
aren’t a function of bad character, but of our shared cognitive
inheritance. The proper reaction is not blame, but an impulse to
help one another.
19 That’s what the government is supposed to do, help us get
where we want to go. It’s not always worth it to intervene, but
sometimes, where the costs are small and the benefit is large, it is.
That’s why we have prescriptions for medicine. And that’s why, as
irritating as it may initially feel, the soda regulation is a good idea.
It’s hard to give up the idea of ourselves as completely rational.
We feel as if we lose some dignity. But that’s the way it is, and
there’s no dignity in clinging to an illusion.  ❧

© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

280  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

Comprehension Check
Complete the following items after you finish your first read.

1. What new law was proposed in New York City?

2. What is a “cognitive bias”?

3. According to the author, what do people fear they will lose as a result of the
new law?

4. According to the author, what will most people gain from the soda ban?
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

5.   Notebook  Write a summary of “Three Cheers for the Nanny State.”

RESEARCH
Research to Clarify  Choose at least one unfamiliar detail from the text. Briefly
research that detail. In what way does the information you learned shed light on an
aspect of the text?

Research to Explore  Write a research question that you might use to find out more
about the concept of the “nanny state.”

Three Cheers for the Nanny State  281

MAKING MEANING

Close Read the Text

1. The model, from paragraph 16, shows two sample
annotations, along with questions and conclusions. Close
read the passage, and find another detail to annotate. Then,
THREE CHEERS FOR THE
write a question and your conclusion.
NANNY STATE

ANNOTATE: The author begins the

paragraph with the transition phrase Of
course.
QUESTION: Why might the author have ANNOTATE:
chosen this specific transition? The author lists
activities.
CONCLUDE: The author uses this phrase
to show that she recognizes and, to some QUESTION: Why
degree, understands opposing views. does the author list
these activities?

Of course, what people fear is that CONCLUDE:

Each activity is
this is just the beginning: today it’s considered “good”
soda, tomorrow it’s the guy standing for people, and
behind you making you eat your is something we
broccoli, floss your teeth, and watch usually do at home.
PBS NewsHour every day. The list exaggerates
the idea of
government control
of our behavior.

Tool Kit 2. For more practice, go back into the text and complete the
Close-Read Guide close-read notes.
and Model Annotation 3. Revisit a section of the text you found important during your
first read. Read this section closely, and annotate what you
notice. Ask yourself questions such as “Why did the author
make this choice?” What can you conclude?
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

CITE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE

Analyze the Text to support your answers.

Notebook  Respond to these questions.

 STANDARDS 1. (a) Distinguish  What is the author’s tone, or attitude toward her
Reading Informational Text  subject and audience? (b) Support  What words and phrases does
• Determine an author’s point of the author use that create that tone?
view or purpose in a text and analyze
how the author acknowledges and 2. (a) Deduce  What is the larger issue that the author is addressing
responds to conflicting evidence or in this opinion piece? (b) Interpret  Why do you think the author
viewpoints.
• Delineate and evaluate the uses the soda-ban debate as a catalyst, or motivating force, for
argument and specific claims in a addressing this issue?
text, assessing whether the reasoning
is sound and the evidence is relevant 3. Essential Question:  When is it right to take a stand? What have
and sufficient; recognize when you learned from this text about when it is right to take a stand?
irrelevant evidence is introduced.

282  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: When is it right to take a stand?

Analyze Craft and Structure

Author’s Argument An author’s argument is his or her position on
a controversial or debatable topic or issue. In an argument, the author
makes a claim, or statement of a specific position. The author’s reason
for writing is to convince readers to share that position. To do so, the
author gives reasons for taking the position, and provides supporting
evidence that is relevant, or related, to it. The most basic forms of
evidence are facts and opinions:

• A fact is something that can be proved.

• An opinion is a person’s judgment or belief. It may be supported by

facts, but it cannot be proved.

A successful persuasive argument relies on factual evidence. It also uses

logical reasoning, or clear thinking, that shows how an author has
arrived at his or her position.

An author’s argument and choices of supporting evidence can be

influenced by various factors, including his or her perspective. An
author’s perspective, which can also be called point of view, includes
his or her attitudes, beliefs, and feelings. If an author’s personal beliefs,
attitudes, or feelings are too prominent, an argument may seem less
convincing. In extreme cases, it may even be read as bias, which is an
unfair preference either for or against an idea, person, or group.

CITE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE

Practice  to support your answers.

Notebook  Use the chart to identify at least four facts the author uses
to support her argument. Then, answer the questions that follow.

FACTS HOW THEY SUPPORT THE ARGUMENT

© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

1. (a) What generalizations, or broad statements, does the author make about
Americans? (b) What reasons does the author give for these generalizations?
(c) Are the reasons based on facts or opinions?
2. (a) Do you think the author’s argument will benefit the health of most people?
Why or why not? (b) What evidence from the text supports your opinion?
3. Based on your evaluation, did you find the author’s argument convincing and
persuasive? Why or why not?

Three Cheers for the Nanny State  283

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

Concept Vocabulary
impose justifiable status quo

rational principle
THREE CHEERS FOR THE
NANNY STATE
Why These Words?  These concept words help the author discuss rules
and laws. For example, part of deciding whether a law is justifiable, or
defensible, is to see if it is rational, or reasonable. Rules are often based
on a principle, or idea, about cooperation or safety.

1. How is each concept vocabulary word related to the author’s argument

about the new law in New York?

2. What other words in the selection connect to rules or laws?

Practice

  WORD NETWORK Notebook  The concept vocabulary words appear in “Three Cheers
for the Nanny State.” First, use each concept vocabulary word in a
Add words related to taking
a stand from the text to sentence that shows your understanding of the word’s meaning. Then,
your Word Network. find a synonym, or word with a similar meaning, for each vocabulary
word. Confirm your understanding of each synonym by checking the
meanings in a dictionary.

Word Study
 STANDARDS
Latin Root:  -just- The Latin root -just- means “law” or “fair and right.”
Language
• Demonstrate command of the In “Three Cheers for the Nanny State,” the author refers to John Stuart
conventions of standard English Mill’s idea that preventing harm to others is the only justifiable reason for
grammar and usage when writing or
speaking.
interfering with a person’s freedom. Mill felt that this was the only “fair
• Demonstrate command of the and right” reason to interfere.
conventions of standard English
capitalization, punctuation, and 1. Think about how the root -just- contributes to the meaning of the
spelling when writing. concept vocabulary word justifiable. Then, write a sentence in which © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
• Determine or clarify the meaning you correctly use justifiable. Remember to include context clues that
of unknown and multiple-meaning
words or phrases based on grade 8 show the relationship between the root -just- and the word’s meaning.
reading and content, choosing
flexibly from a range of strategies.
b. Use common, grade-appropriate
Greek or Latin affixes and roots as
clues to the meaning of a word.
2. Using your knowledge of the Latin root -just-, explain how the root
d. Verify the preliminary
determination of the meaning of a contributes to the meaning of the following words: adjust, justice,
word or phrase. justification.
• Demonstrate understanding
of figurative language, word
relationships, and nuances in word
meanings.
b. Use the relationship between
particular words to better
understand each of the words.

284  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: When is it right to take a stand?

Conventions
Clauses  A clause is a group of words that has both a subject and a
verb. An independent clause has a subject and a verb, and it can stand
by itself as a sentence. A dependent, or subordinate, clause has a
subject and a verb, but it cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.

Subordinate clauses are classified according to their function in a

sentence. The three kinds are adverb clauses, relative clauses (also
called adjective clauses), and noun clauses.
CLAUSE DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE

Independent clause • Can stand by itself as a sentence Although many people oppose the
new law, the author supports it.

Adverb clause • Acts as an adverb Although many people oppose the

• Begins with a subordinating conjunction new law, the author supports it.
such as if, although, when, or because

Relative clause • Acts as an adjective The author supports a law that bans
• Usually begins with a relative pronoun: who, large-size sugary drinks.
whom, whose, which, or that

Noun clause • Acts as a noun The author explains how the new law
• Begins with a word such as what, whatever, will work.
when, where, why, or how

In a sentence with two or more clauses, you may need a comma between
the clauses. For example, you usually need a comma between an adverb
clause and an independent clause.

Read It
1. 
Identify whether each clause is an independent clause or a dependent
clause. If it is a dependent clause, tell which kind.
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

a. People suffer from “cognitive bias”

b. Which makes us value what we already have
c. Because we procrastinate
d. Some new laws are really an improvement

2. Reread paragraph 5 of “Three Cheers for the Nanny State.” Mark and   EVIDENCE LOG
then label one example of an independent clause and one example of Before moving on to a
a dependent clause. new selection, go to your
Evidence Log and record
Write It
what you have learned
Notebook  Write a brief paragraph about the goals of the new law from “Three Cheers for the
in New York. Make sure to use at least two independent clauses and two Nanny State.”
dependent clauses in your paragraph. Then, identify each type of clause
in your writing.

Three Cheers for the Nanny State  285

MAKING MEANING

Comparing Texts
You will now read “Ban the Ban!” and “Soda’s
a Problem but. . . .” First, complete the first-
read and close-read activities. Then, compare
THREE CHEERS FOR THE • BAN THE BAN!
NANNY STATE the arguments in these opinion pieces with the • Soda’s a problem but...
argument in “Three Cheers for the Nanny State.”

About the Authors

SidneyAnne Stone Ban the Ban!
is a freelance writer,
entrepreneur, marathoner, Soda’s a Problem but...
breast cancer survivor, and
activist. She is currently Concept Vocabulary
working on her first novel You will encounter these words as you read. Before reading, note how
and documentary. familiar you are with each word. Then, rank the words from most familiar
(1) to least familiar (6).
Karin Klein has won
awards for her editorial WORD YOUR RANKING
and environmental writing. implemented
She attended Wellesley
College and the University mandates
of California—Berkeley,
intervene
and she is now an adjunct
professor at Chapman intentions
University in Orange,
California. dictate

exemption

After completing the first read, come back to the concept vocabulary and
review your rankings. Mark changes to your original rankings as needed.

Tool Kit First Read NONFICTION

First-Read Guide Apply these strategies as you conduct your first read. You will have an
and Model Annotation
opportunity to complete the close-read notes after your first read.
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

NOTICE the general ideas of ANNOTATE by marking

the text. What is it about? vocabulary and key passages
Who is involved? you want to revisit.

  STANDARDS
Reading Informational Text CONNECT ideas within RESPOND by completing
By the end of the year, read and the selection to what you the Comprehension Check.
comprehend literary nonfiction at already know and what you
the high end of the grades 6–8
text complexity band independently have already read.
and proficiently.

286  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

ANCHOR TEXT  |  OPINION PIECES

Ban the Ban! SidneyAnne Stone

Soda’s a Problem but . . .

Karin Klein

BACKGROUND  In 2012, New York City’s Mayor Bloomberg pushed

for a law limiting soft-drink sizes as part of his focus on public health.
The law won the approval of the city’s Board of Health, but industry SCAN FOR
groups claimed it was illegal because it interfered with consumers’ MULTIMEDIA

choices. A judge ruled against the law because it excluded certain

businesses and did not apply to all beverages.

Ban the Ban!

1 When Mayor Bloomberg implemented laws banning smoking
in bars, parks and restaurants, that made sense. Whether or not I NOTES

agreed, I understood the rationale because other people’s health

implemented (IHM pluh
would inadvertently be impacted by the smoke. When he insisted mehnt ihd) v. carried out;
on calorie counts being posted, I think many of us cringed but, put into effect
again, it made sense. If you want to know how many calories
something is before you indulge, it is now spelled out for you. On
days when you feel like being especially naughty, you just don’t
look and order it anyway! That’s what life is all about, isn’t it?
Choices. Informed decisions. I respect being given information that
enables me to make an informed decision. What I do not respect is
having my civil liberties stripped away.
2 When you take away the option to order a soda over a certain
size, you have now removed my options. I no longer have a choice.
That is not what this country is all about. I agree wholeheartedly
that obesity is an issue that needs to be addressed. It is one that
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

needs to be addressed with education, compassion and support, not

government mandates. If, despite all those efforts, someone chooses mandates (MAN dayts) n.
to have a sugary drink anyway, that is their choice and their right. orders or commands
If they know all the facts and they do it anyway, that is a personal
choice. It is not the place of our elected officials to intervene. intervene (ihn tuhr veen) v.
3 We cannot allow our government to make these kinds of interfere with; take action
to try to stop a dispute or
decisions for us. I have said it before and I will say it again, once conflict
you allow the government to make choices on your behalf, it
becomes a very slippery slope. I, personally, feel that it goes against
everything this country stands for—we are a country built on
freedom. That includes basic freedoms like what you are going
to drink while watching a movie, and eating what will soon be
un-buttered and un-salted popcorn, according to Mayor Bloomberg.
Remember the days when New York was a really cool and fun place

Ban the Ban! • Soda’s a Problem but . . .  287

to live? Me too. Now a simple thing like going to the movies has
NOTES even lost its “flavor.”
CLOSE READ 4 The people of New York need to show our mayor that money
ANNOTATE: Mark the can’t buy him everything. He says he’s going to “fight back” to get
term in the fourth this pushed through. Well, it is our responsibility to fight back too.
sentence of paragraph 4 People might think it is not important because it is just soda but it
that the author repeats. is so much more than that—it is about freedom and the freedom to
QUESTION: Why do you make your own decisions about what you do and what you put into
think the author repeats your bodies. It started with soda and he has already moved on to
this term? salt. What is going to be next? If you’re reading this and you are not
a New Yorker, don’t think you are not going to be affected. You will!
CONCLUDE: What effect
It starts here and it will spread throughout the nation. I hope you
does this repetition have
on the reader?
will all start to speak up about this issue or, before you know it, it
won’t be the “land of the free and home of the brave” anymore. One
day in the not too distant future we are all going to wake up in the
land of “Big Brother”1 with a list of things we can and cannot do,
eat, drink, say, and so on, and we’ll be wondering how we got there.
Well, this is how. ❧

Soda’s a Problem but . . .

intentions (ihn TEHN shuhnz) 1 The intentions of New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg may be
n. purposes for or goals of laudable, but it’s wrong for one man, even an elected official and
one’s actions even a well-meaning one at that, to dictate to people how big a cup
dictate (DIHK tayt) v. of sugary soda they’re allowed.
give orders to control or 2 Not that I have tremendous regard for soda. It’s bad for you,
influence something especially in large quantities. The evidence against it mounts on
a semi-regular basis. But the mayor’s initiative goes further than
something like a soda tax, which might aim to discourage people
from purchasing something by making it cost a bit more but leaves
the decision in their hands. Bloomberg is playing nanny in the
worst sort of way by interfering in a basic, private transaction
involving a perfectly legal substance. In restaurants and other
establishments overseen by the city’s health inspectors, it would
have been illegal to sell a serving of most sugary drinks (except fruit
exemption (ehg ZEHMP juice; I always wonder about that exemption, considering the sugar © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
shuhn) n. permission not to calories in apple juice) that’s more than 16 ounces.
do or pay for something
3 Convenience stores such as 7-Eleven are overseen by the state
that others are required to
do or pay and would be exempt, but a Burger King across the street would
be restricted. A pizza restaurant would not be able to sell a 2-liter
bottle of soda that would be shared out among the children at a
birthday party. But they could all have a 16-ounce cup. The inherent
contradictions that make it easy to sneer at such rules have been
well-reported and were a good part of why earlier this week a
judge stopped the new rules from being implemented. But he also
pointed out a deeper problem: Bloomberg essentially made this
decision himself. It was approved by the Board of Health, but that’s
a board of the administration, appointed by the mayor. That was
1. the land of “Big Brother”  place in which the government or another organization
exercises total control over people’s lives; the term Big Brother was coined by George
Orwell in his famous dystopian novel, 1984.

288  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

an overreach that thwarted the system of checks and balances,
according to the judge: The separately elected City Council would NOTES
have to approve the law.
4 That still leaves the question of whether governments or their CLOSE READ
leaders can begin dictating the look of an individual’s meal, the ANNOTATE: Mark the
portion sizes for each aspect. There are times when government has text in paragraph 4 in
to step in on obviously dangerous situations—especially those, such which the author makes
as smoking, that affect people other than the person whose behavior exceptions to her claims.
would be curbed—but it’s my belief that we want to scrutinize QUESTION: Why might
them carefully and keep them to a minimum. For that matter, it’s the author have chosen to
not as though the mayor is moving to limit sales of tobacco to two include this information,
cigarettes per transaction. which does not support
5 Not that government has to aid and abet the situation. Schools her argument?
don’t have to sell junk foods, and, thankfully, after years of sacrificing CONCLUDE: What effect
their students’ health to their desire to raise more money, most of does the author’s inclusion
them have stopped allowing vending machines stocked with sodas. of this information have
Governments are under no obligation to sell such stuff in park or on the reader?
pool vending machines or in their offices. In such cases, government
is simply the vendor making a decision about what it wants to sell.
6 I don’t buy the argument that people are helpless in the face
of sugar and that it’s better to have the government rather than
the corporations dictate their behaviors. If people are so helpless
against soda, the mayor’s edict would be even more meaningless
because people would simply buy two 16-ounce cups. But people
are not helpless, and it’s worrisome to promote a philosophy that
infantilizes the individual. The public is simply ill-informed. It takes
a while for people to become aware, but they do and they react.
Soda consumption already is slipping nationwide.
7 Let’s not forget that scientists and even governments have at
times pushed people—with better intentions than food corporations,
certainly—into eating high levels of refined carbohydrates and sugars
by sending out word that the only thing that really matters when it
comes to obesity is to eat a very low-fat diet. ❧
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Comprehension Check
Complete the following items after you finish your first review.

1. Who is Michael Bloomberg? RESEARCH

Research to Explore 
Formulate a research
2. According to the author of “Ban the Ban!,” what is “life all about”?
question that you might
use to find out more
about other issues that
3. What does the author of “Soda’s a Problem but...” think of the relate to the concept of
argument that “people are helpless in the face of sugar”? the “nanny state.”

Ban the Ban! • Soda’s a Problem but . . .  289

MAKING MEANING

Close Read the Text

1. This model from paragraph 6 of “Soda’s a Problem but...”
shows two sample annotations along with questions and
conclusions. Close read the passage, and find another detail
BAN THE BAN! | SODA’S A
to annotate. Then, write a question and your conclusion.
PROBLEM BUT . . .

ANNOTATE: The author repeats the word helpless.

She also uses a negative word that suggests people
are being treated like babies (infants).
ANNOTATE: The
QUESTION: Why does the author stress the idea of author considers
helplessness? a premise, but
CONCLUDE: She stresses this idea to engage then rejects it.
readers’ emotions. Adults do not want to be treated QUESTION: Why
like helpless infants. does the author
structure her idea
in this way?
If people are so helpless against
soda, the mayor’s edict would be even CONCLUDE:
This structure
more meaningless because people
shows that the
would simply buy two 16-ounce cups. author considered
But people are not helpless, and it’s another point of
worrisome to promote a philosophy view, but found it
that infantilizes the individual. unconvincing.

Tool Kit 2. For more practice, go back into the text, and complete the
Close-Read Guide and close-read notes.
Model Annotation 3. Revisit a section of the text you found important during your
first read. Read this section closely, and annotate what you
notice. Ask yourself questions such as “Why did the author
make this choice?” What can you conclude?

CITE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE

Analyze the Text to support your answers.
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Notebook  Respond to these questions.

 STANDARDS 1. (a) Make Inferences  In paragraph 3 of “Ban the Ban!,” what
Reading Informational Text
• Cite the textual evidence that most
does the author mean by the phrase “a very slippery slope”?
strongly supports an analysis of what (b) Support  Which details in the text support your thinking?
the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text. 2. (a) According to the author of “Soda’s a Problem but…,” why
• Delineate and evaluate the did the judge stop the soda ban from being put into effect?
argument and specific claims in a (b) Connect  What “inherent contradictions” in the soda ban does the
text, assessing whether the reasoning
is sound and the evidence is relevant author believe the judge’s opinion reflects?
and sufficient; recognize when
3. (a) How does the author of “Soda’s a Problem but…” view the public?
irrelevant evidence is introduced.
• Analyze a case in which two (b) Make a Judgment  Do you agree with her assessment of “the
or more texts provide conflicting public”? Why or why not?
information on the same topic and
identify where the texts disagree on 4. Essential Question:  When is it right to take a stand? What have
matters of fact or interpretation. you learned about taking a stand from reading these opinion pieces?

290  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: When is it right to take a stand?

Analyze Craft and Structure

Conflicting Arguments  In an argument, an author presents a claim,
or position, about a debatable topic. He or she then explains reasons
for taking that position, and uses evidence to show why the reasons are
sound. Strong arguments rely on facts. Weak arguments may express
the author’s opinions but not use facts to support them. Weak arguments
may also have poor reasoning or rely too heavily on exciting readers’
emotions. Some types of poor reasoning or over-reliance on emotions are
called logical fallacies. Common logical fallacies include the following:

• An overgeneralization is a conclusion that overstates the facts. A

statement that includes words such as always, never, everything, or
only may be an overgeneralization.
• A slippery slope assumes that if A happens then B, C, D,…X, Y, Z
are inevitable. This fallacy says that event A, which might be minor, is
the same as event Z, which might be terrible. If you do not want Z to
occur, you must prevent A from occurring, too. The idea that such a
chain of events will definitely happen may simply be untrue.
Although two authors might express the same position, they may not
present it in the same way. Authors arguing similar positions may offer
different reasons and evidence. One may use facts and sound reasoning,
whereas another may use few or no facts and logical fallacies.

CITE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE

Practice to support your answers.

Notebook  Answer the following questions.

1. What position on the question of the soda ban do both authors
express?
2. (a) Identify one fact about Mayor Bloomberg and the soda ban that
both authors cite. (b) Note one fact that appears in one piece, but not
in the other.
3. Consider this statement from paragraph 3 of “Ban the Ban!”:
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

“Remember the days when New York was a really cool and fun place
to live? Me too. Now a simple thing like going to the movies has
even lost its ‘flavor.’” In what ways is this statement an example of
overgeneralization?
4. In the last paragraph of “Ban the Ban!” explain how the sentence
“What is going to be next?” introduces the logical fallacy of slippery
slope.
5. Which author presents a more convincing argument? Explain your
thinking.

Ban the Ban! • Soda’s a Problem but . . .  291

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

Concept Vocabulary
implemented mandates intervene
intentions dictate exemption
BAN THE BAN! | SODA’S A
PROBLEM BUT . . .
Why These Words?  The concept vocabulary words help the authors
discuss the rules, laws, and regulations involved in the soda-ban debate.
In “Ban the Ban!,” the author feels that it is not the government’s place
to intervene with an individual’s personal choice. In other words, she
feels that elected officials should not make laws that interfere with an
individual’s right to make his or her own decisions.
1. How does the concept vocabulary clarify your understanding of the
issues presented in the opinion pieces?

2. What other words in the opinion pieces connect to the concept of

rules, laws, and regulations?

Practice
Correctly complete the following sentences using a concept
  WORD NETWORK
vocabulary word.
Add words related to taking
a stand from the text to 1. Roberto’s repeated efforts to help shows that he has good .
your Word Network. 2. My school a new dress code this year that requires all
students to wear uniforms.
3. Some large companies receive a tax when they move to a
rural area in the hope that they will improve the local economy.
 STANDARDS 4. New local require that all dogs be on leashes in public
Language places.
• Demonstrate command of the
conventions of standard English 5. The doctor felt it was necessary to when he saw a patient
capitalization, punctuation, and being given the wrong treatment.
spelling when writing. © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
• Use knowledge of language and its 6. The new community council will the terms and conditions
conventions when writing, speaking, of the new development.
reading, or listening.
• Determine or clarify the meaning
of unknown and multiple-meaning
words or phrases based on grade 8 Word Study
reading and content, choosing
flexibly from a range of strategies. Notebook  Latin Prefix: ex-  The Latin prefix ex- means “out” or
b. Use common, grade-appropriate “out from within.” In “Soda’s a Problem but…,” the author is curious
Greek or Latin affixes and roots as about the reasons sales of fruit juices are given an exemption from the
clues to the meaning of a word. 16-ounce cap on soda sizes. Sellers of juice receive an exemption because
• Demonstrate understanding
the new rules do not apply to them—they are left “out” of the new laws.
of figurative language, word
relationships, and nuances in word Explain how the prefix ex- contributes to the meaning of each of the
meanings. following words: exhale, explore, exceptional, excommunicate.
b. Use the relationship between
particular words to better
understand each of the words.

292  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: When is it right to take a stand?

Conventions
Basic Sentence Structures  Good writers use a variety of sentence
structures to make their writing smoother and more interesting to the
reader. Sentence structure is defined by the types of clauses in a
sentence. An independent clause forms a complete thought or a stand-
alone sentence. A dependent clause is an incomplete thought. The four
basic sentence structures are shown in the chart. Independent clauses are
shown in bold. Dependent clauses are underlined.

Sentence Structure Example

A simple sentence has a single independent clause with at The author opposes the new law.
least one subject and verb.

A compound sentence consists of two or more The author opposes the new law, but many
independent clauses joined either by a comma and a people support it.
conjunction or by a semicolon.

A complex sentence consists of an independent clause The author opposes the new law, which bans
and one or more dependent clauses. sales of large- size sweet drinks.

A compound-complex sentence consists of two or more The author opposes the new law, which bans
independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses. sales of large- size sweet drinks, but many people
support it.

Read It
1. Identify the type of sentence represented in each lettered item.
a. If you want to know how many calories something is before you
indulge, it is now spelled out for you.

b. Soda consumption already is slipping nationwide.

© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

c. It takes a while for people to become aware, but they do and

they react.

2. Reread the first four sentences in paragraph 1 of “Ban the Ban!”

Identify the type of sentence each one represents.

Write It
Notebook  Add one or more clauses to this simple sentence to
form the type of sentence indicated in each numbered item: Sugary
drinks are unhealthy.
1. Compound sentence
2. Complex sentence
3. Compound-complex sentence

Ban the Ban! • Soda’s a Problem but . . .  293

EFFECTIVE EXPRESSION

Writing to Compare
You have studied opinion pieces that present arguments on the same
topic—the soda ban in New York City and the larger question of how
much the government should be involved in personal decisions. Deepen
THREE CHEERS FOR THE
your analysis by comparing and contrasting the arguments presented in
NANNY STATE the pro-soda ban opinion piece, “Three Cheers for the Nanny State,” and
the anti-soda ban opinion pieces, “Ban the Ban!” and “Soda’s a Problem
but. . . .”

Assignment
Write an argumentative essay in which you state a claim about
which of the three arguments you found most convincing. To support
your claim, analyze the facts and other information the three authors
BAN THE BAN! | SODA’S A include. Consider these questions:
PROBLEM BUT . . .

• What facts do all three authors include?

• Do they use any conflicting information—facts that are not the
same? If so, what are they and why are they conflicting?
 STANDARDS • Is one author’s conclusion or interpretation of the facts more
Reading Informational Text convincing than the others? If so, why?
Analyze a case in which two or more
texts provide conflicting information Include evidence from all three opinion pieces to support your ideas.
on the same topic and identify where
the texts disagree on matters of fact
or interpretation.
Writing
Draw evidence from literary or Planning and Prewriting
informational texts to support
analysis, reflection, and research.
Analyzing the Texts  Review the texts and identify facts each author
b. Apply grade 8 Reading standards uses, conclusions each author draws, and personal opinions each author
to literary nonfiction. expresses. Use the chart to capture your observations.

THREE CHEERS FOR BAN THE BAN! | SODA’S A PROBLEM

THE NANNY STATE BUT…
facts included
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

conclusion or interpretation
based on facts
author’s personal opinions
(if any)

Notebook  Respond to these questions.

1. Do the authors disagree on the facts or is it just their interpretation of
those facts that differs?
2. Are there any weaknesses in any author’s reasoning? Explain.
3. Which argument is strongest? Explain your thinking.

294  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: When is it right to take a stand?

Drafting
Write a Strong Claim  A strong, specific claim is the basis for a strong
argument. A narrower claim is usually more effective because it focuses
your argument and makes it more manageable. Consider using words
and phrases that limit the scope of your claim. These types of words and
phrases include generally, for the most part, and on average. Consider
the following examples:
Broad Claim:  Laws governing food safety do a good job of
protecting public health.
Narrower Claim:  In general, laws governing food safety do a
reasonably good job of protecting public health.
Use the space to write a working claim. As you draft your essay, you may
refocus your claim as necessary.

Review, Revise, and Edit   EVIDENCE LOG

Revising for Clarity and Cohesion  Precise word choices can clarify Before moving on to a
and strengthen your argument. Review your draft, and look for places in new selection, go to your
which you have not clearly connected your claim, reasons, and evidence. Evidence Log and record
Ask yourself questions such as: How does this fact support my reasoning? what you learned from
How does the fact in combination with my reasons support my claim? “Ban the Ban!,” and
Consider the following examples: “Soda’s a Problem but....”

Unclear Connection:  Our town should invest in computers.

Libraries that have computers are more useful.
Clear Connection:  There are many reasons why our town should
invest in computers for the library. First, libraries that have computers
provide a wider range of service. Second, libraries with computers are
used more often by the community.  STANDARDS
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Writing
In the first example, the relationship between the ideas is not clear
• Write arguments to support claims
or specific. In the second example, the relationship is clear. “Many with clear reasons and relevant
reasons” is followed by two specific examples that are set up in order of evidence.
importance. b. Support claim(s) with
logical reasoning and relevant
evidence, using accurate, credible
Edit for Word Choice and Conventions  Reread your essay to identify
sources and demonstrating an
any words that are vague or do not mean exactly what you want to say. understanding of the topic or text.
If necessary, consult a thesaurus or other resource to find other words c. Use words, phrases, and clauses
to create cohesion and clarify
that are more accurate. Make sure you are sure of a word’s meaning the relationships among claim(s),
before you use it. Then, reread your essay again, identifying errors in counterclaims, reasons, and
grammar, spelling, or punctuation. Fix any errors you find. evidence.
• Produce clear and coherent
writing in which the development,
organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and
audience.

Three Cheers for the Nanny State • Ban the Ban! • Soda’s a Problem but . . .  295
PERFORMANCE TASK: WRITING FOCUS

Writing to Sources

• BARRINGTON IRVING,
Write an Argument
PILOT AND EDUCATOR
The texts in Whole-Class reading focus on problems and solutions. For
example, Barrington Irving found solutions to the obstacles he faced
• THREE CHEERS FOR THE as he pursued his dream of becoming a pilot. In the opinion pieces
NANNY STATE about the New York City soda ban, authors discuss their responses to
a proposed solution for a public health problem. Now you will have a
• Ban the Ban! | Soda’s a
chance to write about a problem you think is important and propose a
Problem but . . .
solution you think will help.

Assignment
Write a problem-and-solution essay on these questions:
What is a problem you think needs to be solved?
How would you solve it?
Base your essay on your own observations and experiences, and
conduct research as needed. In your essay, define the problem, explain
the importance of solving it, and propose a specific solution in a
persuasive way.

Tool Kit Elements of an Argument

Student Model of an A problem-and-solution essay is a type of argument in which a writer
Argument identifies a problem and proposes at least one way to solve it. Both
elements—the problem and the solution— require the building of an
argument. The writer must convince readers that a situation is actually
Academic a problem, and that a proposed solution will make things better. An
vocabulary effective problem-and-solution essay contains these elements:
As you craft your
• a central claim about the importance of a problem and the
argument, consider using
some of the academic
effectiveness of a particular solution
vocabulary you learned • reasons, evidence, and examples that support the claim
in the beginning of • a clear and logical organization
the unit.
• consideration of opposing positions, or counterclaims
retort © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
• a formal style that conveys ideas in a serious way
candid
rectify • a conclusion that follows from and supports the claim
speculate
verify
Model Argument  For a model of a well-crafted LAUNCH TEXT
argument, see the Launch Text, “Freedom of the
UNIT
3 INTRODUCTION

LAUNCH TEXT | ARGUMENT MODEL

This selection is an example of

an argument, a type of writing

Press?”
in which an author states and
defends a position on a topic.
This is the type of writing you will
develop in the Performance-Based
Assessment at the end of the unit.
As you read, look at the way the
writer builds a case. Mark the text
to answer this question: What
is the writer’s position, and how

Challenge yourself to find all of the elements of

does he or she support it?

Freedom of the Press?

an effective argument in the text. You will have T

1 he First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution gives
NOTES newspapers, magazines, and other publications the right
to print whatever they see fit, without interference from the
government. The framers of the Constitution felt that a free press
is vital to a democratic society.
This important idea breaks down when schools are involved.

an opportunity to review these elements as you

2

As it turns out, there is a difference between “free press” and high

school newspapers.
3 The difference is technical. The First Amendment prevents the
government from censoring the press. However, private publishers
can censor whatever they want. Since schools and school districts
pay the student newspaper‘s publication costs, they are private

prepare to write your own argument.

publishers. This means that they can edit information as they see
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

fit. They can even refuse to publish some articles.

4 This is a tough lesson for budding journalists, some of whom
have challenged the restrictions. One case even made it to the
Supreme Court, in Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier.

 STANDARDS 5 Here are the facts. In 1983, students at Hazelwood High,

a public high school near St. Louis, Missouri, saw two pages
missing from their school newspaper, The Spectrum. They found
out that the principal, Robert Reynolds, had removed two of the
articles after finding them unfit for publication. One article, about

Writing
teen pregnancy, contained interviews with pregnant students
whose names were changed; the other article dealt with divorce.
6 Principal Reynolds said the pregnancy article was not
appropriate for a high school audience. He was also concerned

Write arguments to support claims

SCAN FOR
258 UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS MULTIMEDIA

LIT17_SE08_U03_LT.indd 258 16-04-29 1:26 PM

with clear reasons and relevant

evidence.

296  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

ESSENTIAL QUESTION : When is it right to take a stand?

Prewriting / Planning
Choose a Focus  Reread the prompt. Then, decide what problem you will explain and
what solution you can offer. This will be the starting point for your claim. Write your
ideas here: State your claim in a sentence:
Problem:  An important problem that demands a solution is

Solution:  The most effective solution to this problem would be

Consider Possible Counterclaims  A strong argument does not just present a claim. It
also considers opposing positions, or counterclaims. Think about reasons people might
not agree that the situation you describe is a problem, or that your proposed solution
will be effective. List possible counterclaims in the chart. Then, decide how you will
address and refute, or disprove, each one. Will be you able to provide specific details or
examples? Will you need to do some research?

COUNTERCLAIM STRATEGY ADDRESS IT

Gather Evidence From Sources  While some of your evidence can come
  EVIDENCE LOG
from your own experience and knowledge, you will probably need to do
Review your Evidence Log
some research to find specific information that supports your position.
and identify key details you
Consult a variety of reliable sources—both print and digital—to find may want to cite in your
facts, data, or expert opinions. argument.
Reliable sources are up-to-date and free from bias. The information provided
in a reliable source can be confirmed in other sources. If you see a “.gov” or a
“.edu” on the end of a Web address, that means the information comes from
a governmental or educational institution. These types of web sites are often
more trustworthy than those managed by private individuals or businesses.
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Using evidence from a variety of sources can make your argument

stronger. Study the Launch Text to identify the different types of evidence
the author uses to develop the argument.  STANDARDS
Writing
Connect Across Texts  To see how a problem can be identified and solved Write arguments to support claims
creatively, consider how Barrington Irving devised ways to help young with clear reasons and relevant
evidence.
people learn about aviation, the larger world, and their own futures.
a. Introduce claim(s), acknowledge
To consider how to deal effectively with counterclaims, review the articles and distinguish the claim(s) from
alternate or opposing claims, and
on New York City’s soda ban. For example, you might consider how the organize the reasons and evidence
authors of “Ban the Ban!” and “Soda’s a Problem but. . .” answer the logically.
counterclaim that there are already widely accepted bans in place for b. Support claim(s) with
logical reasoning and relevant
other unhealthy activities, such as smoking. The authors simply point out evidence, using accurate, credible
how cigarettes are different from soda. The harmful effects of smoking sources and demonstrating an
are not limited to the smoker—other people are affected. By contrast, the understanding of the topic or text.
drinking of large amounts of soda affects only the health of the drinker.

Performance Task: Write an Argument  297

PERFORMANCE TASK: WRITING FOCUS

  STANDARDS
Writing
Drafting
Write arguments to support claims Organize Ideas and Evidence  A logical organization can make your
with clear reasons and relevant
ideas easier for readers to follow. Some arguments present the strongest
evidence
a. Introduce claim(s), acknowledge
ideas and supporting evidence first. Others go from weakest to strongest.
and distinguish the claim(s) from Create an outline to plan a sequence for your ideas and supporting evidence.
alternate or opposing claims, and
organize the reasons and evidence • Start by introducing your problem and solution.
logically. • Add supporting reasons and evidence in a logical order.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses
to create cohesion and clarify • Use transitional words and phrases such as furthermore, additionally,
the relationships among claim(s), and on the other hand, to make clear connections from your claim,
counterclaims, reasons, and
evidence. to your reasons, to the evidence. Work to guide your readers through
e. Provide a concluding statement your ideas.
or section that follows from and
supports the argument presented. • Finish with a conclusion that restates your claim.
The outline here shows how the Launch Text is organized.

LAUNCH TEXT

Model:  “Freedom of the Press?” Argument Outline

Argument Outline INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
The claim is introduced: Freedom of the press does
not apply to school newspapers. BODY

BODY •
• High-school journalists have challenged efforts to limit
their freedom of expression. •
• Counterclaim: The Supreme Court ruled in the
school’s favor, because the censorship was for “valid •
educational reasons.”
• “Valid educational reasons” is not a clear standard. •
• Freedom of expression is an important part of
becoming educated.
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Schools should not limit students’ free speech.

Write a First Draft  Follow the order of ideas and evidence you planned
in your outline. As you write, you may see a better way to sequence your
ideas. Allow yourself to make adjustments that will improve the flow of
your essay.
As you write, use a formal, academic style. Avoid slang or expressions that
sound as though you are simply talking to someone. Instead, choose words
that convey your ideas accurately. Define terms and explain situations that
may be unfamiliar to your audience. Make sure to include transitional words
and phrases that show how your ideas and evidence connect.

298  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

ESSENTIAL QUESTION : When is it right to take a stand?

Language Development: Conventions

Revising for Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun or another pronoun.
An antecedent is the word or group of words to which a pronoun SPELLING
refers. Pronouns should agree with their antecedents in number and Make sure to spell pronouns
person. Number refers to whether a pronoun is singular or plural. Person correctly. Some are easily
confused with other words
tells to whom a pronoun refers—the one(s) speaking, the one(s) spoken
or forms.
to, or the one(s) spoken about.
• Your refers to something
that belongs to you.
Read It
You’re is a contraction for
These Launch Text sentences contain pronouns and their antecedents. “you are.”
• His problem with the divorce article was that it was not “fair and • Their refers to something
balanced.” (third person singular) that belongs to them.
• He felt it criticized parents without providing their side of the story. There refers to a place.
(third person plural) • Its refers to something
that belongs to it. It’s is
Write It a contraction for “it is.”
There is no correct use
As you draft your problem-and-solution essay, make sure your pronouns of its’.
agree with their antecedents in person and number. This chart may
help you.

PERSON NUMBER PRONOUNS

First—the one speaking Singular I, me, my, mine

First—the ones speaking Plural we, us, our, ours

Second—the one spoken to Singular you, your, yours

Second—the ones spoken to Plural you, your, yours

Third—the one spoken about Singular he, she, it, his, her, hers, its

Third—the ones spoken about Plural they, them, their, theirs

© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Some indefinite pronouns—words that take the place of non-specific

nouns or pronouns—can cause agreement problems.
• If the antecedent is a singular indefinite pronoun, use a singular
personal pronoun to refer back to it. These indefinite pronouns
are always singular: another, anyone, anything, each, everybody,
 STANDARDS
everything, little, much, nobody, nothing, one, other, someone,
Language
something. • Demonstrate command of the
• If the antecedent is a plural indefinite pronoun, use a plural personal conventions of standard English
grammar and usage when writing or
pronoun to refer back to it. These indefinite pronouns are always speaking.
plural: both, few, many, others, several. • Demonstrate command of the
conventions of standard English
• If the antecedent can be either singular or plural, match the capitalization, punctuation, and
antecedent of the indefinite pronoun. These indefinite pronouns can spelling when writing.
be either singular or plural: all, any, most, none, some. c. Spell correctly.

Performance Task: Write an Argument  299

PERFORMANCE TASK: WRITING FOCUS

Revising
Evaluating Your Draft
Use the following checklist to evaluate the effectiveness of your first
draft. Then, use your evaluation and the instruction on this page to guide
your revision.

FOCUS AND ORGANIZATION EVIDENCE AND ELABORATION CONVENTIONS

  Presents a clearly stated claim   Uses relevant, logical   Attends to the norms
about a problem and proposed evidence and reasons to and conventions of the
solution. support the main claim. discipline, especially
correct pronoun-
  Organizes supporting reasons,   Addresses and refutes antecedent agreement.
evidence, and examples in a possible counterclaims.
logical way.
  Includes language that
  Presents ideas in a clear and clarifies how claims,
formal style. counterclaims, and
supporting details are
  Includes a conclusion that supports related.
the main argument.

Revising for Focus and Organization

Maintain Formal Style  Writers that propose solutions to important
  WORD NETWORK
problems make sure that their tone—their attitude toward their
Include words from your
subject—is earnest and serious. Their goal is to persuade readers that
Word Network in your
argument. theirs is the best solution. Review your essay, and make sure your style
and tone are formal and serious.
• Avoid informal expressions and slang words.
• Use precise words to help your readers grasp your ideas easily.
• Use humor sparingly. Overall, your style and tone should be serious.

© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Revising for Evidence and Elaboration
Use Relevant, Logical Evidence  Make sure all of your reasons and
evidence directly support your main claim.
To do so, review your essay and mark your claim. Then, mark each
 STANDARDS supporting reason for your claim. Finally, mark each piece of evidence
Writing that supports your reasons. Look at your marked-up essay to determine
Write arguments to support claims
with clear reasons and relevant
if some points need additional support. Consider eliminating any details
evidence. that do not support your main claim or reasons.
b. Support claim(s) with
logical reasoning and relevant
evidence, using accurate, credible
sources and demonstrating an
understanding of the topic or text.
d. Establish and maintain a
formal style.

300  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

ESSENTIAL QUESTION : When is it right to take a stand?

PEER REVIEW

Exchange essays with a classmate. Use the checklist to evaluate your classmate’s
problem-and-solution essays and provide supportive feedback.
1. Is the claim clearly stated, and does it propose a solution to a problem?

  yes   no If no, suggest how the writer might improve it.

2. Are the reasons and evidence logical and relevant?

  yes   no If no, explain what the author might add or remove.

3. Does the argument address counterclaims?

  yes   no If no, tell what you think might be missing.

4. What is the strongest part of your classmate’s essay? Why?

Editing and Proofreading

Edit for Conventions  Reread your draft for accuracy and consistency.
Correct errors in grammar and word usage. Make sure all the pronouns
you use agree in person and number with their antecedents.
Proofread for Accuracy  Read your draft carefully, looking for
errors in spelling and punctuation. As you proofread, watch out for
homophones. A homophone is a word that sounds the same as another
word but is spelled differently, such as your and you’re, there and their,
 STANDARDS
and its and it’s. Writing
• Produce clear and coherent
writing in which the development,
Publishing and Presenting organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and
Create a final version of your essay. Consider one of the following ways audience.
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

• With some guidance and support

to share your essay: from peers and adults, develop and
• Post your essay online or on a bulletin board, along with the essays strengthen writing as needed by
planning, revising, editing, rewriting,
written by other class members. Read and comment on the essays of or trying a new approach, focusing
other class members, and respond to comments on your own essay. on how well purpose and audience
have been addressed.
• Ask your city, your school, or another local organization to help • Use technology, including the
implement the solution to the problem suggested in your essay. Note Internet, to produce and publish
any action taken and how well it worked. writing and present the relationships
between information and ideas
efficiently as well as to interact and
Reflecting collaborate with others.
Language
Reflect on what you learned as you wrote your argument. What was the Demonstrate command of the
conventions of standard English
most challenging aspect of composing your argument? What did you learn capitalization, punctuation, and
from reviewing the work of others and discussing your argument with your spelling when writing.
classmates that might inform your writing process in the future? c. Spell correctly.

Performance Task: Write an Argument  301

OVERVIEW: SMALL-GROUP LEARNING

ESSENTIAL QUESTION:

When is it right to take a stand?

What issues matter to you? Maybe they matter to other people, too. When you
stand up for what you believe in, you may find that your action inspires others
to act as well. In this section, you will work with your group to learn about
individuals who took a stand in an effort to promote the greater good.

Small-Group Learning Strategies

Throughout your life, in school, in your community, and in your career, you will
continue to learn and work with others.

Review these strategies and the actions you can take to practice them as you
work in teams. Add ideas of your own for each step. Use these strategies during
Small‑Group Learning.

STRATEGY ACTION PLAN

Prepare • Complete your assignments so that you are prepared for group work.
• Organize your thinking so you can contribute to your group’s discussion.

Participate fully • Make eye contact to signal that you are listening and taking in what is being said.
• Use text evidence when making a point.

Support others • Build on ideas from others in your group. © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

• Invite others who have not yet spoken to do so.

Clarify • Paraphrase the ideas of others to ensure that your understanding is correct.
• Ask follow-up questions.

SCAN FOR
302  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS MULTIMEDIA
CONTENTS
PERSUASIVE SPEECH

Words Do Not Pay

Chief Joseph

What meaning do words have if they are not

followed by actions?

NONFICTION NARRATIVE

from Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence

Doris Pilkington

Three girls risk everything to find their way home.

MEDIA: VIDEO

The Moth Presents: Aleeza Kazmi

A high-school student relates her ongoing
struggle for a way to describe herself.
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

PERFORMANCE TASK
SPEAKING AND LISTENING FOCUS
Present an Argument
The Small-Group readings focus on real people who took a stand in words, deeds,
or both. After reading, your group will plan and deliver an oral presentation about
whether winning or losing matters when you take a stand.

Overview: Small-Group Learning  303

OVERVIEW: SMALL-GROUP LEARNING

Working as a Team
1. Take a Position  In your group, discuss the following question:
What are some character traits of people who stand up
for their beliefs?
As you take turns sharing your thoughts, be sure to provide examples.
After all group members have shared, discuss the ways in which these
character traits are demonstrated in the actions of those who stand up
for their beliefs.

2. List Your Rules  As a group, decide on the rules that you will follow
as you work together. Two samples are provided; add two more of
your own. You may add or revise rules based on your experience
together.
• Everyone should participate in group discussions.
• People should not interrupt.

3. Apply the Rules  Share what you have learned about taking a stand.
Make sure each person in the group contributes. Take notes and
be prepared to share with the class one thing that you heard from
another member of your group.

4. Name Your Group  Choose a name that reflects the unit topic. © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Our group’s name:

5. Create a Communication Plan  Decide how you want to

communicate with one another. For example, you might use online
collaboration tools, email, or instant messaging.

Our group’s decision:

304  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: When is it right to take a stand?

Making a Schedule
First, find out the due dates for the small-group activities. Then, preview
the texts and activities with your group and make a schedule for
completing the tasks.

SELECTION ACTIVITIES DUE DATE

Words Do Not Pay

from Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence

The Moth Presents: Aleeza Kazmi

Working on Group Projects

As your group works together, you’ll find it more effective if each person
has a specific role. Different projects require different roles. Before
beginning a project, discuss the necessary roles and choose one for each
group member. Here are some possible roles; add your own ideas.

Project Manager:  monitors the schedule and keeps everyone on task

Researcher:  organizes research activities

Recorder:  takes notes during group meetings

© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

SCAN FOR
MULTIMEDIA Overview: Small-Group Learning  305
MAKING MEANING

About the Author

Words Do Not Pay
Concept Vocabulary
You will encounter the following words as you read “Words Do Not Pay.”

misrepresentations   misunderstandings

Chief Joseph was a famous Context Clues  To find the meaning of an unfamiliar word, look for
leader of the Nez Percé clues in the context, which consists of the other words that surround the
tribe. He was known by his unknown word in a text. If you are still unsure of the meaning, look up
people as Hin-mah-too-yah- the word in a dictionary. Consider this example of how to apply
lat-kekt, or Thunder Rolling the strategy.
Down the Mountain. He
was born in Wallowa Valley
Example: Good words will neither return our land nor restore our
in 1840, in what is now
way of life.
Oregon. In 1877, when the
U.S. government threatened Analysis of Clues in the Text: Good words will not return or restore
to forcefully move the Nez something that has been taken.
Percé to a reservation, Chief
Joseph refused, choosing Possible Meaning: Restore means “to return or give back.”
instead to lead leading
his people north toward Apply your knowledge of context clues and other vocabulary strategies to
Canada. Chief Joseph
determine the meanings of unfamiliar words you encounter during your
died in 1904, never having
first read of “Words Do Not Pay.”
returned to the land he had
fought so hard to keep for
his tribe. His doctor said he First Read NONFICTION
died “of a broken heart.”
Apply these strategies as you conduct your first read. You will have an
opportunity to complete a close read after your first read.

NOTICE the general idea of ANNOTATE by marking

the speech. What is it about? vocabulary and key passages
Who is involved? you want to revisit.
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

 STANDARDS
Reading Informational Text
By the end of the year, read and
comprehend literary nonfiction at CONNECT ideas within RESPOND by completing
the high end of the grades 6–8 text the selection to what you the Comprehension Check and
complexity band independently and
already know and what you by writing a brief summary of
proficiently.
have already read. the speech.
Language
Determine or clarify the meaning
of unknown and multiple-meaning
words or phrases based on grade
8 reading and content, choosing
flexibly from a range of strategies.
a. Use context as a clue to the
meaning of a word or phrase.
d. Verify the preliminary
determination of the meaning
of a word or phrase.

306  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

PERSUASIVE SPEECH

Words Do Not Pay

Chief Joseph

BACKGROUND
In 1863, the Nez Percé tribe refused to sign a treaty that would make them SCAN FOR
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

MULTIMEDIA
move from their ancestral land in Oregon to a much smaller reservation in Idaho.
Despite the refusal, the United States government sent in federal troops to force
the Nez Percé off their land. In response, Chief Joseph led his people toward
Canada in a three-month, 1600-mile flight across the Rocky Mountains. He
eventually surrendered to General Miles in 1877, under the terms that his tribe
could return to their homeland. Instead, the Nez Percé were sent to Oklahoma,
and half of them died during the trip. In one of many appeals to Congress on
behalf of his people, Chief Joseph made this speech in 1879 in Washington D.C.

I do not understand why nothing is done for my people. I have heard

talk and talk, but nothing is done. Good words do not last long unless
they amount to something. Words do not pay for my dead people. They

Words Do Not Pay  307

do not pay for my country, now overrun by white men. They do
NOTES not protect my father’s grave. They do not pay for all my horses
and cattle. Good words will not give me back my children. Good
words will not make good the promise of your war chief General
Miles. Good words will not give my people good health and stop
them from dying. Good words will not get my people a home
where they can live in peace and take care of themselves. I am
tired of talk that comes to nothing. It makes my heart sick when
I remember all the good words and all the broken promises.
There has been too much talking by men who had no right to
Mark context clues or indicate talk. Too many misrepresentations have been made, too many
another strategy that helped you
determine meaning.
misunderstandings have come up between the white men about
misrepresentations (mihs the Indians. If the white man wants to live in peace with the
rehp rih zehn TAY shuhnz) n. Indian he can live in peace. There need be no trouble. Treat all men
MEANING: alike. Give them all the same law. Give them all an even chance to
misunderstandings (mihs
live and grow. All men were made by the same Great Spirit Chief.
uhn duhr STAND ihngz) n. They are all brothers. The earth is the mother of all people, and all
MEANING: people should have equal rights upon it. You might as well expect
the rivers to run backward as that any man who was born a free
man should be contented when penned up and denied liberty to
go where he pleases. . . .
2 Let me be a free man—free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free
to trade where I choose, free to choose my own teachers, free to
follow the religion of my fathers, free to think and talk and act for
myself—and I will obey every law, or submit to the penalty.  ❧

© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

308  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

Comprehension Check
Complete these items after you finish your first read. Review and clarify details
with your group.

1. What is one problem that Chief Joseph has with the “good words” of others?

2. According to Chief Joseph, what is one thing the white man needs to do to live
in peace with the Indian?

3. According to Chief Joseph, what is one thing all men have in common?

4. What activities does Chief Joseph associate with being a “free man”?
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

5.   Notebook  Confirm your understanding of the speech by writing a summary.

RESEARCH
Research to Clarify  Choose at least one unfamiliar detail from the speech. Briefly
research that detail. In what way does the information you learned shed light on an
aspect of the speech?

Words Do Not Pay  309

MAKING MEANING

Close Read the Text

With your group, revisit sections of the text you marked
during your first read. Annotate details that you notice.
What questions do you have? What can you conclude?
WORDS DO NOT PAY

Cite textual evidence

Analyze the Text to support your answers.

Notebook  Complete the activities.

1. Review and Clarify  With your group, reread the speech. What do
GROUP DISCUSSION
you think the author means when he claims that “words do not pay”?
As you discuss the speech,
How does he use examples to support his claim?
make sure that everyone
listens respectfully to each 2. Present and Discuss  Share the passages from the text that you
other’s ideas.
found important. Discuss what you noticed in the text, what questions
you asked, and what conclusions you reached.

  WORD NETWORK 3. Essential Question: When is it right to take a stand?  How is

Chief Joseph taking a stand? Do you think his reasons for doing so are
Add words related to taking
legitimate? Discuss with your group.
a stand from the text to
your Word Network.

language development

Concept Vocabulary
misrepresentations misunderstandings

Why These Words?  The two concept vocabulary words from the text are
related. With your group, discuss the words and identify a concept they
 Standards have in common. How do these words enhance the impact of the text?
Reading Informational Text
Determine the meaning of words
Practice
and phrases as they are used Notebook  Confirm your understanding of the concept vocabulary
in a text, including figurative,
connotative, and technical
words by using each one in a sentence. © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
meanings; analyze the impact of
specific word choices on meaning
and tone, including analogies or Word Study
allusions to other texts.
Notebook  Old English Prefix: mis-  The Old English prefix mis-
Language
• Determine or clarify the meaning means “opposite,” “badly,” or “wrongly.” When added to a word, it
of unknown and multiple-meaning creates an opposing or contrasting meaning. In his speech, Chief Joseph
words or phrases based on refers to “misrepresentations,” or wrong representations, of Indians.
grade 8 reading and content,
choosing flexibly from a range of Using your knowledge of the prefix mis-, answer the following questions.
strategies.
• Demonstrate understanding
• What might happen if you have a miscommunication as to the time
of figurative language, word you are meeting a friend?
relationships, and nuances in word
meanings.
• What can happen if you misread the instructions for a recipe?
c. Distinguish among the
connotations of words with
similar denotations.

310  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

essential question: When is it right to take a stand?

Analyze Craft and Structure

Persuasive Techniques and Word Choice  Writers use persuasive
CLARIFICATION
techniques in an argument to lead an audience to agree with them.
Consulting a dictionary
These are some of the persuasive techniques that writers use:
for a word’s denotation
• Repetition consists of saying something repeatedly for effect. will help you grasp the
difference between a word’s
• Appeals to reason invite the audience to use logic as they draw
precise meaning and the
conclusions from the evidence presented by the writer. meaning suggested by its
• Appeals to emotions attempt to persuade readers by triggering connotations.
their feelings about a subject.
• Appeals to authority are references to expert opinions.

A writer’s word choice includes not only individual words but also the
phrases and expressions the writer uses. Word choice can convey tone—
the writer’s attitude toward the topic or audience. These factors influence
word choice:
• the writer’s intended audience and purpose
• the denotations of words, or their dictionary definitions
• the connotations of words, or their negative or positive associations
(For example, assertive and pushy have similar denotations but
different connotations.)

A writer’s word choice and tone can contribute to the power of the
argument he or she presents. The denotations and connotations of the words
a writer chooses as well as the phrases and expressions he or she includes
in an argument can impact the effectiveness of persuasive techniques. For
example, a writer may choose to create repetition in an argument using
words with specific connotations in order to appeal to a specific audience.

CITE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE

Practice  to support your answers.

Notebook  Use a chart like this one to analyze Chief Joseph’s persuasive
techniques. Then, share your chart with your group, and discuss any different
examples you have noted.
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Words Do Not Pay

PERSUASIVE TECHNIQUE EXAMPLES

repetition

appeal to reason

appeal to emotion

appeal to authority

Now, work as a group to identify words, phrases, and expressions in the examples
that contribute to Chief Joseph’s word choice and convey his tone. Then, discuss
whether Chief Joseph’s word choice and tone are effective and persuasive.

Words Do Not Pay  311

Language development

Author’s Style
Rhetorical Devices  Parallelism is the use of similar grammatical forms
or patterns to express similar ideas within a sentence. Parallelism adds
rhythm and balance to writing and strengthens the connections among
WORDS DO NOT PAY
an author’s ideas.

Writing without parallelism produces awkward, distracting shifts for

readers. By contrast, parallel constructions place ideas of equal weight in
words, phrases, or clauses of similar types.

N
onparallel: Dress codes are less restrictive, less costly, and
are not a controversial system.

 Standards P
arallel: Dress codes are less restrictive, less costly, and less
Writing controversial.
• Write informative/explanatory
texts to examine a topic and
convey ideas, concepts, and SAMPLE PARALLEL FORMS
information through the selection,
organization, and analysis of modified nouns bright eyes, large hands, strong fingers
relevant content.
a. Introduce a topic clearly, verb forms to ask, to learn, to share
previewing what is to follow;
organize ideas, concepts,
and information into broader phrases under a gray sky, near an icy river
categories; include formatting,
graphics, and multimedia when adverb clauses when I am happy, when I am peaceful
useful to aiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic with
relevant, well-chosen facts, adjective clauses who read with care, who act with concern
definitions, concrete details,
quotations, or other information
and examples.
f. Provide a concluding Read It
statement or section that Work with your group to identify examples of parallelism in Chief
follows from and supports the
information or explanation Joseph’s speech “Words Do Not Pay.” Underline the parallel
presented. constructions of words, phrases, and clauses throughout the speech.
• Conduct short research projects Then, discuss with your group the ways in which Chief Joseph’s use of
to answer a question, drawing on
parallelism creates rhythm and balance in the speech. How do his parallel
several sources and generating
additional related, focused constructions strengthen the connections between his ideas? Does the
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
questions that allow for multiple use of parallelism make his argument stronger and more persuasive?
avenues of exploration.
• Gather relevant information
from multiple print and digital Write It
sources, using search terms
effectively; assess the credibility Write three sentences about the speech in which you correctly
and accuracy of each source; and use parallelism.
quote or paraphrase the data
and conclusions of others while
avoiding plagiarism and following
a standard format for citation.
Language
• Demonstrate command of the
conventions of standard English
grammar and usage when writing
or speaking.
• Use knowledge of language
and its conventions when writing,
speaking, reading, or listening.

312  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

Effective Expression

Research
Assignment
Work with your group to create a research report about Chief Joseph
or the Nez Percé people. In your report, analyze the ways in which the
topic your group chooses contributes to your understanding of Chief
Joseph’s argument. Choose one of the following topics:
 a historical report on the history of the Nez Percé tribe, including
information about their beliefs and culture
 a biographical report on the life of Chief Joseph, including his
upbringing and influences

Assign Tasks  Use the chart to assign tasks for each group member.

TASK GROUP MEMBER(S) COMPLETED

Search for and take notes on reliable sources.

Organize the information.

Write the report.

Proofread and edit the report.

Conduct Research  As you conduct research, follow these guidelines:

• When researching online, choose search terms that are specific

and unique to your topic. General terms may have more than one
meaning, and therefore may produce unhelpful results.
• Make sure the sources you find are relevant and reliable, and take
detailed notes to use in your bibliography or Works Cited page.
• Include information from several different sources. Do not rely solely
on one source, even if it is a credible one.
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

• Paraphrase, or restate, information from sources, and note direct

  EVIDENCE LOG
quotations, that are particularly powerful. Remember to put direct
Before moving on to a
quotations in quotation marks to indicate that they are the exact
new selection, go to your
words of another writer. Evidence Log, and record
Organize Your Report  Organize the information from your research what you learned from
“Words Do Not Pay.”
logically. For example, in a historical or biographical report, you
may choose to present information about events and experiences in
chronological order, or the order in which the events happened.
Conclude your report by reflecting on the ways in which the knowledge
you gained from your research helped you to better understand the Chief
Joseph’s speech.

Words Do Not Pay  313

MAKING MEANING

About the Author

from Follow the
Rabbit-Proof Fence
Concept Vocabulary
As you conduct your first read of the excerpt from Follow the
Rabbit-Proof Fence, you will encounter these words.
Doris Pilkington (1937–
2014) was an Aboriginal urgently   nervously   confidently   cautiously
author best known for
her nonfiction narrative Using a Dictionary and Thesaurus  If a word is unfamiliar to you
Follow the Rabbit-Proof and you cannot understand the meaning from the context, look up the
Fence, based on her word in a dictionary or thesaurus. Most dictionaries, whether print
mother’s 1931 escape from or online, will provide the meaning of the word, its part of speech, its
the Moore River Mission. pronunciation, and its etymology. A thesaurus, on the other hand, will
Under the Aborigines Act
not provide definitions but will include synonyms of the word, or words
(1906–1954), approximately
with similar meanings. For instance, compare these two entries for the
100,000 children were
removed from their tribal
word crimson.
lands and placed in the care
of the state. In 1940, when
Dictionary Thesaurus
she was three-and-a-half crim•son (KRIHM zuhn) adj. crimson adj. dark red,
years old, Doris became one red in color bloody, cherry, scarlet, rosy,
of these children. cardinal, ruby

Apply your knowledge of using a dictionary and thesaurus as well as

other vocabulary strategies to determine the meanings of unfamiliar
words you encounter during your first read.

First Read NONFICTION

Apply these strategies as you conduct your first read. You will have an
opportunity to complete a close read after your first read.

 STANDARDS © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Reading Informational Text NOTICE the general ideas of the ANNOTATE by marking
By the end of the year, read and
comprehend literary nonfiction at text. What is it about? Who is vocabulary and key passages
the high end of the grades 6–8 text involved? you want to revisit.
complexity band independently and
proficiently.
Language
Determine or clarify the meaning
of unknown and multiple-meaning CONNECT ideas within RESPOND by completing
words or phrases based on grade 8
reading and content, choosing the selection to what you the Comprehension Check and
flexibly from a range of strategies. already know and what you by creating a storyboard of the
c. Consult general and specialized have already read. events in the excerpt.
reference materials, both print and
digital, to find the pronunciation
of a word or determine or clarify
its precise meaning or its part of
speech.

314  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

NONFICTION NARRATIVE

from Follow the

Rabbit-Proof Fence
Doris Pilkington

BACKGROUND
Aboriginal Australians are the native people of the Australian continent. SCAN FOR
MULTIMEDIA
From 1910 to 1970, many children of mixed Aboriginal and white
descent were taken from their families by the government in an effort
to train them to fit into white Australian culture. Follow the Rabbit-Proof
Fence is a nonfiction narrative account of three Mardu Aboriginal girls
who escaped a government settlement in 1931 to return home. The
Mardu are the indigenous, or native, people of the Australian desert.

T he other girls were now getting ready for school, and the
three watched quietly amidst all the activity. Bossing and
bullying was everywhere around them and there were cries and
NOTES

squeals of, “Don’t, you’re hurting my head,” as the tangled knots

were combed out with tiny, fragile combs.
2 “Oh, Mummy, Daddy, Mummy, Daddy, my head,” yelled a
young girl, who stamped her feet and tried to pull away from her
torturer, an older, well-built girl who seemed to have adopted the
girl as her baby sister. They performed this ritual together every
morning before school.
3 “Come on, you girls,” ordered Martha Jones as she passed by
their bed. “The school bell’s gone. Don’t be late on your first day.”
4 “Alright, we’re coming as soon as we empty the toilet bucket,”
answered Molly softly.
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5 ‘‘I’ll wait for you then,” said Martha.

6 “No, don’t wait we’ll follow you, we know where the school is.”
7 “Alright then, we’ll go along. Come on, Rosie,” she said as she
Use a dictionary or a thesaurus or
rushed out of the door into the cold, drizzly morning. indicate another strategy you used
8 As soon as the other girls left the dormitory, Molly beckoned to help you determine meaning.
her two sisters to come closer to her, then she whispered urgently, urgently (UR juhnt lee) adv.
“We’re not going to school, so grab your bags. We’re not staying MEANING:

here.” Daisy and Gracie were stunned and stood staring at her.
9 “What did you say?” asked Gracie.
10 “I said, we’re not staying here at the settlement, because we’re
going home to Jigalong.”1

1. Jigalong  n. region in Western Australia where the Mardu Aboriginal people live.

from Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence  315

11 Gracie and Daisy weren’t sure whether they were hearing
NOTES correctly or not.
12 “Move quickly,” Molly ordered her sisters. She wanted to be
miles away before their absence was discovered. Time was of the
Use a dictionary or a thesaurus or
indicate another strategy you used
essence.
to help you determine meaning. 13 Her two young sisters faced each other, both looking very
nervously (NUR vuhs scared and confused. Daisy turned to Molly and said nervously,
lee) adv. “We’re frightened, Dgudu.2 How are we going to find our way
MEANING:
back home to Jigalong? It’s a long way from home.”
14 Molly leaned against the wall and said confidently, “I know
confidently (KON fuh dehnt
it’s a long way to go but it’s easy. We’ll find the rabbit-proof fence3
lee) adv.
and follow that all the way home.”
MEANING:
15 “We gunna walk all the way?” asked Daisy.
16 “Yeah,” replied Molly, getting really impatient now. “So don’t
waste time.”
17 The task of finding the rabbit-proof fence seemed like a
simple solution for a teenager whose father was an inspector
who traveled up and down the fences, and whose grandfather
had worked with him. Thomas Craig told her often enough that
the fence stretched from coast to coast, south to north across
the country. It was just a matter of locating a stretch of it then
following it to Jigalong. The two youngsters trusted their big
sister because she was not only the eldest but she had always
been the bossy one who made all the decisions at home. So they
did the normal thing and said, “Alright, Dgudu, we’ll run away
with you.”
18 They snatched up their meager possessions and put them
into calico bags and pulled the long drawstrings and slung them
around their necks. Each one put on two dresses, two pairs of
calico bloomers, and a coat.
19 Gracie and Daisy were about to leave when Molly told them to,
“Wait. Take those coats off. Leave them here.”
20 “Why?” asked Gracie.
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21 “Because they’re too heavy to carry.”
22 The three sisters checked to make sure they hadn’t missed
anything then, when they were absolutely satisfied, Molly
grabbed the galvanized bucket and ordered Gracie to get hold of
the other side and walk quickly trying not to spill the contents
as they made their way to the lavatories. Daisy waited under the
large pine tree near the stables. She reached up and broke a small
twig that was hanging down low and was examining it closely
when the other two joined her.

2. Dgudu  older sister in Mardudjara, the Mardu Aborigines’ native language.

3. the rabbit-proof fence  fence that ran from the north coast of Australia to the south
coast to deter pests such as rabbits.

316  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

23 “Look, Dgudu, like grass indi?4” asked Daisy, passing the twig
to Molly to feel. NOTES

24 “Youay,”5 she said, as she gave it to Gracie who crushed the

green pine needles into her small hands and sniffed them. She
liked the smell and was about to give her opinion when Molly
reminded them that they didn’t have time to stand around
examining pine needles.
25 “Come on, run, you two,” she said sharply as she started to run
towards the river.
26 Many young people had stood under the same big pine tree
and waited while someone went into the stable or the garage to
distract Maitland, the caretaker and stableman. Then they would
give the signal that the coast was clear and everyone would dash
into the grainary and fill their empty fruit tins with wheat from
one of the opened bags at the back of the shed. Some of it was
roasted on flat tins over the hot coals, the rest was saved to fill
initials that had been dug into the sloping embankment of firm
yellow sand along the cliffs. These were left until the first rain
came, then all the inmates would rush down to inspect the cliffs.
This grass graffiti revealed the new summer romances between
the older boys and girls. But these three girls from the East Pilbara
had no intention of participating, they had a more important task
ahead of them.
27 On they went, dashing down the sandy slope of the cliffs,
dodging the small shrubs on the way and following the narrow
path to the flooded river. They slowed down only when they
reached the bottom. Molly paused briefly, glancing at the
pumping shed on their right where they had been the day before.
Turning towards it she said to Gracie and Daisy, “This way.” She
ran for about 25 meters, crashing into the thick paperbark trees
and the branches of the river gums that blocked their path.
28 Molly strode on as best as she could along the muddy banks,
pausing only to urge her young sisters to hurry up and try to keep
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up with her. She kept up that pace until she saw what she thought
to be a likely spot to cross the swift flowing river.
29 The three girls watched the swirling currents and the white
and brown frothy foam that clung to the trunks of the young river
gums and clumps of tea-trees. They didn’t know that this became
one of the most popular spots during the hot summer days. This
was the local swimming pool that would be filled with naked
or semi-naked brown bodies, laughing, splashing, swimming
and diving into the cool brown water during the long summer
afternoons. Every now and then, the swimmers would sit on
the coarse river sand and yank ugly, brown, slimy leeches off

4. indi?  “isn’t it?” (Mardudjara).

5. Youay  “Yes” (Mardudjara).

from Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence  317

their bodies and impale them on sticks and turn them inside out
NOTES and plunge them into the hot burning mud. The next day the
swimmers would pull the sticks out of the sand and gloat at the
shriveled dry skins that once were horrible little creatures, ready
to suck all the blood from their bodies—or so the young people
were led to believe.
30 “The river is too deep and fast here, let’s try up further,”
Molly said, leading the way through the thick young suckers and
washed-up logs. They continued along the bank making slow
progress through the obstacles that nature had left in their path. At
last they came to a section in the river that seemed narrow enough
to cross.
31 “We’ll try here,” said Molly as she bent down to pick up a long
stick. She slid down the bank into the river and began measuring
its depth just as she had seen Edna Green do the previous
afternoon, while Daisy and Gracie watched patiently on the bank.
32 “Nah, too deep,” Molly said in disgust. “Not here.”
33 “Gulu,6 Dgudu,” cried the youngsters as they ran to follow her
through the wet foliage.
34 The three girls walked along the muddy banks for another
25 meters when they came to a clearing, devoid of any shrubs or
young suckers, where the floods had receded.
35 In a couple of weeks’ time, this place would become a muddy
skating rink where the girls of the settlement would spend hours
having fun skating up and down the slippery mud. The idea was
to skate by placing one foot in front of the other and maintain
your balance for a couple of meters at least. The boys had their
own skating area further up in a more secluded place amongst the
thick tea-tree shrub. Peeping toms never existed in those days. Each
group respected each other’s privacy. Nearby, a huge fire would
be lit and kept stoked. When everyone had finished skating in the
slippery mud they would dive into the icy cold river to wash off the
mud, then dry themselves by the roaring fire, dress, and return to
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the compound.
36 Molly decided to follow the paths made by the cattle. Another
attempt was made to cross the river but once again proved
unsuccessful. She walked on angrily, pushing the thick growth of
eucalyptus suckers roughly aside, at the same time urging Daisy
and Gracie to walk faster. But they decided that it was much safer
at a distance and they followed her muddy footprints in silence
without any questions, trusting her leadership totally.
37 They were still fighting their way through the tea-trees
for almost an hour when they heard Molly call out to them
somewhere down the track. “Yardini! Bukala! Bukala!”7

6. Gulu  “wait” (Mardudjara).

7. Yardini! Bukala! Bukala!  “Come here! Hurry! Hurry!” (Mardudjara).

318  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

38 Daisy and Gracie ran as fast as they could along the muddy
path until they reached her. Molly was standing near a large NOTES

river gum. As they stood gasping for wind she said, “We gunna
cross here.”
39 As three pairs of eager eyes examined it closely, they knew that
they had found the perfect place to cross the flooded river. A tree
leaned over the water creating a natural bridge for them to cross Use a dictionary or a thesaurus
or indicate another strategy
safely to the other side. you used to help you determine
40 The girls scraped mud from their feet then climbed onto the meaning.
trunk and walked cautiously to the end then swung down off cautiously (KAW shuhs lee)
the limb onto the slippery, muddy bank on the other side. They adv.
MEANING:
sloshed through the wet, chocolate-colored banks for at least
another two hours, then decided to rest amongst the thick reeds
behind the tall river gums.
41 A few minutes later, Molly stood up and told her young
sisters to get up. “We go kyalie8 now all the way.” They obeyed
without any protests. Ducking under the hanging branches of the
paperbark trees they hurried as best they could, stomping on the
reeds and bull rushes that covered the banks of the fast flowing
river. The only sounds that could be heard were the startled birds
fluttering above as they left their nests in fright, and the slish, slosh
of the girls’ feet as they trampled over the bull rushes.  ❧
8. kyalie  “north” (Mardudjara).

Comprehension Check
Complete the following items after you finish your first read. Review and clarify
details with your group.

1. At the beginning of the excerpt, where are the three sisters living?

2. Where does Molly want to go?

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3. How does Molly know about the rabbit-proof fence?

4. What does Molly try to avoid when looking for a place to cross the river?

5.   Notebook  Confirm your understanding of the excerpt by creating a storyboard

of events.

RESEARCH
Research to Clarify  Choose at least one unfamiliar detail in the text. Briefly research
that detail. In what way does the information you learned shed light on an aspect of
the narrative?
from Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence  319
MAKING MEANING

Close Read the Text

With your group, revisit sections of the text you marked
during your first read. Annotate details that you noticed.
What questions do you have? What can you conclude?
from FOLLOW THE
RABBIT-PROOF FENCE

Cite textual evidence

Analyze the Text to support your answers.

Notebook  Complete the activities.

1. Review and Clarify  With your group, reread paragraph 17 of
GROUP DISCUSSION the selection. What important information about the three girls is
As you discuss the conveyed? What is the author saying about the way the girls relate to
nonfiction narrative, ask one another?
questions that help other
group members elaborate
on their ideas. 2. Present and Discuss  Now, work with your group to share the
passages from the text that you found especially important. Take turns
presenting your passages. Discuss what you noticed in the text, what
questions you asked, and what conclusions you reached.

language development

  WORD NETWORK Concept Vocabulary

Add words related to taking
urgently   nervously   confidently   cautiously
a stand from the text to
your Word Network.
Why These Words?  The concept vocabulary words from the text are
related. With your group, determine what the words have in common.
 Standards
How do these words enhance the impact of the text?
Reading Informational Text
• Determine the meaning of
words and phrases as they are Practice
used in a text, including figurative,
connotative, and technical Notebook  Confirm your understanding of the vocabulary words by
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
meanings; analyze the impact of using them in sentences.
specific word choices on meaning
and tone, including analogies or
allusions to other texts. Word Study
• Analyze in detail the structure
of a specific paragraph in a text, Old English Suffix: -ly  The Old English suffix -ly is often used to make
including the role of particular an adjective into an adverb, or a word that describes how, when, or
sentences in developing and
refining a key concept. how often something is done. For example, adding the suffix -ly to
• Determine an author’s point the adjective urgent creates the adverb urgently. In the excerpt, Molly
of view or purpose in a text whispers urgently to the other girls because the situation requires
and analyze how the author
acknowledges and responds to immediate action. Use a dictionary to find the precise meanings of the
conflicting evidence or viewpoints. other three concept vocabulary words, which all end with the suffix -ly.
Language Then, write a sentence or two explaining how the suffix -ly contributes to
Demonstrate understanding the meaning of each vocabulary word.
of figurative language, word
relationships, and nuances in word
meanings.

320  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

essential question: When is it right to take a stand?

Analyze Craft and Structure

Descriptive Writing  A description is a portrait in words of a person,
CLARIFICATION
place, or thing. Descriptive writing uses sensory details, or language
As you analyze descriptive
that appeals to the senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch.
writing, consider the
Effective description helps readers visualize settings, events, and
ways in which an author’s
characters clearly. It also helps convey emotions and ideas. Authors use
descriptions contribute to
description to emphasize a point of view and to create mood in a the development of his or
literary work. her ideas.

• An author’s point of view is his or her perspective or unique way of

viewing a topic. Point of view is shaped by the author’s knowledge,
beliefs, and experiences. Description helps to convey that point of
view because it shows more than just what a subject looks like. It
reveals how the author sees the subject.
• Mood is the overall feeling created in a reader by a literary work.
The mood of a work can typically be described using emotion words,
such as joyous, gloomy, peaceful, or frightening. Some literary works
convey a single mood. In other works, the mood changes within the
selection.

CITE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE

Practice  to support your answers.

Analyze how the author’s use of description reveals his or her point of view and
creates a specific mood, or emotional atmosphere, in the excerpt. Note words
and phrases from the text that support your analysis. Use the chart to capture
your observations.
PASSAGE POINT OF VIEW MOOD
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from Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence  321

Language development

Conventions
Adjectives and Adverbs  Authors use adjectives and adverbs to
tell more about the nouns and verbs in their sentences. An adjective
modifies, or adds meaning to, a noun or a pronoun. An adverb modifies
from FOLLOW THE
a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.
RABBIT-PROOF FENCE
An adjective gives more information about a noun. For example, in the
sentence It’s a long way from home, the adjective long modifies the noun
way. It answers the question What kind (of way)? Look at the chart to
see examples of questions that adjectives answer.

What kind? cold, long, easy, muddy, simple

Which one? that, this, those

How many? two, many, three

How much? most, some, meager, huge

Whose? her, their, my, your

An adverb gives more information about a verb, adjective, or another

adverb. For example, in the sentence She whispered urgently, the adverb
urgently modifies the verb whispered, answering the question In what
manner (did she whisper)? Look at the chart to see examples of questions
that adverbs answer. Note that adverbs often end in the suffix -ly.

When? now, before, yesterday

Where? everywhere, here, ahead

In what manner? quietly, playfully, correctly, well

To what extent? too, absolutely, totally

Be careful not to use adjectives in place of adverbs, as shown in this

example: Incorrect: Move quick. Correct: Move quickly.
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Read It
1. Work individually. Underline the adjective in each sentence.
a. They did the normal thing.
b. They dashed down the sandy slopes.

2. Correct each sentence by replacing the adjective with an adverb.

a. Molly spoke soft.
b. Daisy tried to walk careful.
 Standards
Language
Demonstrate command of the Write It
conventions of standard English Notebook  Write a short paragraph about the excerpt. Use at least
grammar and usage when writing
or speaking. two adjectives and two adverbs in your paragraph.

322  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

eFFECTIVE EXPreSSION

Writing to Sources
Assignment
Work individually to write a fictional retelling of the excerpt from
Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence from the perspective of Molly, Daisy,
or Gracie. If needed, conduct research to find out more information
to help you create a vivid picture for your readers. Choose from the
following topics:
  Write a journal entry from the perspective of the character you
  evidence log
chose. Include the events and experiences detailed in the excerpt Before moving on to a
new selection, go to your
as well as your reflections on these events and experiences—were
Evidence Log, and record
you afraid? frustrated? sad?
what you learned from
  Write a letter to one of the girls still living at the government Follow the Rabbit-Proof
Fence.
settlement. Use details from the excerpt to describe how you
escaped, the challenges of doing so, and the obstacles you
encountered on your journey. Also, include your reflections on
these events and experiences—were you nervous? confident?
happy?

Establish Your Point of View  Decide from which character’s point

of view you will write. Then, use the first-person point of view to retell  Standards
the story. This means that your character participates in the story, relates Writing
events from her perspective, and uses the first-person pronouns I, me, us, • Write narratives to develop
real or imagined experiences or
and we. Draw on details from the text to represent your narrator vividly events using effective techniques,
and accurately. relevant descriptive details, and
well-structured event sequences.
Conduct Additional Research  To make the events and experiences in a. Engage and orient the reader by
your retelling come alive for readers, briefly research topics that will help establishing a context and point
of view and introducing a narrator
you better understand the setting and characters. For example, conduct and/or characters; organize an
research on life in the Australian Outback, the natural environment event sequence that unfolds
naturally and logically.
and wildlife of Australia, and techniques people use to survive in the
b. Use narrative techniques, such as
wilderness. dialogue, pacing, description, and
reflection, to develop experiences,
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Compare Your Retellings  Once you have completed drafting, share events, and/or characters.
your retelling with your group. Compare the ways in which your retellings d. Use precise words and phrases,
relevant descriptive details, and
are similar and different. Are you surprised at the way other members sensory language to capture the
portrayed certain characters? Comment on each other’s retellings, and action and convey experiences and
events.
offer ideas that will help others to improve their narratives:
• With some guidance and support
• Did the character’s actions and reactions make sense to you based on from peers and adults, develop and
strengthen writing as needed by
the details in the excerpt? planning, revising, editing, rewriting,
• Are there things that you found confusing or that did not align with or trying a new approach, focusing
on how well purpose and audience
your understanding of the excerpt? have been addressed.
• Conduct short research projects
Use the feedback from your group members to revise your retelling to answer a question, drawing on
before handing it in to your teacher. several sources and generating
additional related, focused questions
that allow for multiple avenues of
exploration.

from Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence  323

MAKING MEANING

About the Speaker

The Moth Presents:
Aleeza Kazmi
Media Vocabulary
These words will be useful to you as you analyze, discuss, and write
about the video.
Aleeza Kazmi is a student who
attended the Beacon School in performance: • Storytelling is the oldest form of performance
New York City. She intends to entertainment presented art.
major in Journalism and Political
before an audience, such • A storyteller can perform live or on a
Science. In her spare time,
as music or a drama recording, from notes or without notes.
Aleeza can be found with her
friends or in her backyard with • Stories can be rehearsed or improvised.
her dogs.
personal account: account • A personal account can be written, performed
of a personal experience, live, or recorded.
told from the first-person • When telling about a personal experience in
point of view front of a live audience, the storyteller (and
audience) can get caught up in emotion.
volume and pacing: • A speaker may vary the volume of his or her
softness or loudness of voice to convey emotion and to keep the
one’s voice and the rate audience’s attention.
at which one speaks (e.g., • During a performance, a speaker may change
quickly or slowly) his or her pacing by pausing, speeding up, or
slowing down to emphasize ideas or express
emotion.

First Review MEDIA: VIDEO

Apply these strategies as you conduct your first review. You will have an
opportunity to complete a close review after your first review.

H
TC
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
WA

WATCH who speaks, what they NOTE elements in the video

say, and how they say it. that you find interesting and
want to revisit.
 Standards
Reading Informational Text
By the end of the year, read and
comprehend literary nonfiction at
the high end of the grades 6–8 text
CONNECT ideas in the RESPOND by completing
complexity band independently and video to other media you’ve the Comprehension Check
proficiently. experienced, texts you’ve read, at the end.
Language or images you’ve seen.
Acquire and use accurately grade-
appropriate general academic and
domain-specific words and phrases;
gather vocabulary knowledge
when considering a word or phrase
important to comprehension or
expression.

324  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

media | VIDEO

The Moth Presents: Aleeza Kazmi

BACKGROUND
The Moth is a nonprofit organization devoted to the art and craft of storytelling. SCAN FOR
MULTIMEDIA
Established in 1997, The Moth has featured thousands of stories that showcase
a wide range of human experiences. The Moth’s storytellers present their
narratives live and without notes to standing-room-only crowds throughout the
world. Each of The Moth’s shows centers around a different theme, which the
featured storytellers explore in distinct, and often unexpected, ways. Some of
the storytellers are experienced in the art and craft of narration, whereas others
have never told a story in performance before. The stories featured in The
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Moth’s shows are recorded for broadcast and can be heard on many National
Public Radio radio stations.

NOTES

The Moth Presents: Aleeza Kazmi  325

Making Meaning

Comprehension Check
Complete the following items after you finish your first review. Review and
clarify details with your group.

1. Why was Aleeza excited about the self-portrait project?

2. Why did she think peach was a good color to use?

3. What did Miss Harrington do that upset Aleeza?

4. How does Aleeza finally take a stand?

Media Vocabulary
Close Review
Use these words as you Watch the video, or parts of it, again. Write down any new
discuss and write about observations that seem important. What questions do you
the video. have? What can you conclude?
performance
personal account
volume and pacing Analyze the Media
Notebook  Complete the activities.

1. Present and Discuss  Choose the section of the video you found © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
  WORD NETWORK
Add interesting words most interesting or powerful. Explain what you noticed in the section,
related to taking a stand what questions it raised for you, and what conclusions you reached
from the text to your Word about it.
Network.
2. Review and Synthesize  With your group, review the video. What do
you think Aleeza’s purpose was in telling her story? How does Aleeza’s
sincerity in her storytelling help viewers understand her perspective
and her experience?

3. Essential Question: When is it right to take a stand? What has

 Standards this video taught you about taking a stand? Discuss with your group.
Speaking and Listening
Analyze the purpose of information
presented in diverse media and
formats and evaluate the motives
behind its presentation.

326  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

Effective Expression

Speaking and Listening

Assignment
Take part in a group discussion about Aleeza Kazmi’s story. Choose
from the following topics: THE MOTH PRESENTS:
ALEEZA KAZMI

How does Kazmi’s story support the idea that it is important to

 
stand up for yourself and your beliefs?

How does Kazmi’s story support the idea that each person should
 
be able to determine her or his own identity?

Prepare for the Discussion  To prepare for the discussion, review the   evidence log
video and take notes on the following aspects:
Before moving on to a
• sections of the video in which Kazmi discusses specific central ideas new selection, go to your
that are relevant to your discussion topic Evidence Log, and record
• ideas that Kazmi implies, or suggests, but does not state directly what you learned from
“The Moth Presents:
• descriptive details that Kazmi uses to develop her story and capture
Aleeza Kazmi.”
her audience’s attention
• direct quotations, or Kazmi’s exact words, that are related to your
discussion topic
• the ways in which Kazmi delivers her story—changes in her tone that
indicate emotion, emphasis she places on specific words or phrases,
key points she repeats for emphasis

Review your notes and consider the ways in which Kazmi deals will both  STANDARDS
the internal and external conflicts created by her experience. An internal Speaking and Listening
conflict takes place in a person’s mind, as when he or she is struggling • Engage effectively in a range of
collaborative discussions with diverse
with opposing feelings. An external conflict takes place between a
partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and
person and an outside force, such as another person or the environment issues, building on others’ ideas and
with which they are surrounded. Consider how Kazmi’s conflicts and the expressing their own clearly.
ways in which she resolves them relate to your discussion topic. a. Come to discussions prepared,
having read or researched material
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

under study; explicitly draw on

During the Discussion  Listen to the ideas of other members of your
that preparation by referring to
group and consider the ways in which they are similar to and different evidence on the topic, text, or issue
from your own. To connect your own ideas with the ideas of other group to probe and reflect on ideas under
discussion.
members, ask questions that help to clarify the relationship between the c. Pose questions that connect
different ideas expressed. Use your notes to support your ideas when the ideas of several speakers and
responding to questions from other group members. Don’t be afraid to respond to others’ questions and
comments with relevant evidence,
change your ideas or views if another group member offers new thoughts observations, and ideas.
or information that you agree with, provided that the ideas are well d. Acknowledge new information
supported with evidence. expressed by others, and, when
warranted, qualify or justify their
own views in light of the evidence
presented.
• Analyze the purpose of information
presented in diverse media and
formats and evaluate the motives
behind its presentation.

The Moth Presents: Aleeza Kazmi  327

Performance Task: Speaking and Listening FOCUS

SOURCES

• WORDS DO NOT PAY

Deliver an Oral Presentation
• from FOLLOW THE Assignment
RABBIT‑PROOF FENCE The selections in this section present people who took a stand,
often against hopeless odds. Each one demonstrates courage and
• THE MOTH PRESENTS:
determination. Their efforts, however, are not always successful.
ALEEZA KAZMI
They raise questions about ideas of winning and losing when one
acts on principle. Work with your group to prepare and deliver an
oral presentation in response to this question:
When you take a stand, how much does winning
matter?

 Standards
Speaking and Listening
Engage effectively in a range of Plan With Your Group
collaborative discussions with diverse
partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and
Analyze the Texts  All of the people featured in the Small-Group
issues, building on others’ ideas and readings took a stand in words, actions, or both. In each case, the
expressing their own clearly. people or group they opposed were powerful, and the odds of success
a. Come to discussions prepared,
having read or researched material in opposing them were low. Review the texts and think about what was
under study; explicitly draw on at stake for Chief Joseph, the three Mardu sisters, and Aleeza Kami.
that preparation by referring to Consider how these people or groups probably viewed their chances of
evidence on the topic, text, or issue
to probe and reflect on ideas under success and why they chose to take a stand. With your group, discuss
discussion. your observations and ideas, and note them in the chart.

TITLE WHOM/WHAT THEY OPPOSED AND CHANCES OF SUCCESS

Words Do Not Pay

from Follow the Rabbit-

Proof Fence © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

The Moth Presents:

Aleeza Kazmi

Determine Your Position and Gather Evidence  As you discuss the

texts, work toward a consensus about the position you will present. Will
you argue that taking a stand is valuable, even if the result is failure?
Or will you argue that people should measure the possibility of success
before taking a stand against something? Use evidence from the texts
to support your claims. Identify passages to quote directly, details to
paraphrase, and situations to summarize and use as examples.
328  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS
essential question : When is it right to take a stand?

Organize Your Ideas.  As a group, organize the script for your skit. Each
member of the group should play a character who expresses his or her
ideas in response to the question “What can you learn from people who
have chosen to take a stand?” Each character should present evidence
from the text to support his or her points.
TASK ASSIGNED TO

Rehearse With Your Group

Practice With Your Group  Practice delivering your oral presentation.
Then, use this checklist to evaluate the effectiveness of your first run-
through. If you need to improve the content, rewrite or reorganize the
material. If you need to improve the delivery, practice again, speaking
clearly and with energy and expression.

CONTENT PRESENTATION TECHNIQUES

Claims and evidence are presented clearly Each speaker presents with energy,
   
and in a logical order. enthusiasm, and expression.
Claims and reasons are effectively Speakers do not rush through the
   
supported with textual evidence. presentation, nor do they speak too slowly.
The content engages viewers’ interest from Speakers behave with an appropriate level
   
start to finish. of formality.
Transitions from section to section are
 
smooth.

Fine-Tune the Content  To make your oral presentation stronger, you

may need to reorder ideas, add or change supporting reasons, or replace
evidence. Review the presentation, adding material or finding better ways
to phrase your ideas.
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Improve Use of Media  If you have included images or other media,

make sure they are necessary and effective. If any media choices are not
directly related to your claims and evidence, or are simply distracting, take
them out of the presentation.
Brush Up on Your Presentation Techniques  Practice your oral
presentation before you present it to the class. Pay attention to all aspects
of your delivery, including how you use your voice and how you conduct  Standards
yourself in front of the class. Speaking and Listening
Present claims and findings,
emphasizing salient points in a
focused, coherent manner with
Present and Evaluate relevant evidence, sound valid
reasoning, and well-chosen details;
When you deliver your oral presentation, make sure that all of you have use appropriate eye contact,
considered each of the checklist items. As you listen to other groups’ adequate volume, and clear
presentations, consider their claims and reasoning as you evaluate how pronunciation.
well they meet the requirements.
Performance Task: Deliver an Oral Presentation  329
OVERVIEW: INDEPENDENT LEARNING

ESSENTIAL QUESTION:

When is it right to take a stand?

As you have learned from the selections you have read so far, “taking a stand”
can be defined in many ways—it can be small or large, personal or political,
for the benefit of an individual or an entire community. In this section, you will
choose one additional selection about this topic for your final reading experience
in this unit. Follow these steps to help you choose.
Look Back  Think about the selections you have already read. What more do
you want to know about taking a stand?

Look Ahead  Preview the selections by reading the descriptions. Which one
seems most interesting and appealing to you?

Look Inside  Take a few minutes to scan through the text you chose. Choose a
different one if this text doesn’t meet your needs.

Independent Learning Strategies

Throughout your life, in school, in your community, and in your career, you will
need to rely on yourself to learn and work on your own. Review these strategies
and the actions you can take to practice them during Independent Learning.
Add ideas of your own for each category.

STRATEGY ACTION PLAN

Create a schedule • Understand your goals and deadlines.
• Make a plan for what to do each day.

Practice what you • Use first-read and close-read strategies to deepen your understanding.
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
have learned • After you read, evaluate usefulness of the evidence to help you understand the
topic.
• Consider the quality and reliability of the source.

Take notes • Record important ideas and information.

• Review your notes before sharing with the group.

SCAN FOR
330  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS MULTIMEDIA
CONTENTS
Choose one selection. Selections are available online only.
MEMOIR

from Through My Eyes

Ruby Bridges

A young girl’s story about breaking the segregation

barrier takes place in the context of one of the most
important historical events of our time.

POETRY

The Unknown Citizen

W. H. Auden

A renowned poet criticizes a society that no longer

values individuals and their emotions and beliefs.

BIOGRAPHY

Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the

Underground Railroad
Ann Petry

An escaped slave risks her freedom and her life to

lead others to safety.
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

PERFORMANCE-BASED ASSESSMENT PREP

Review Evidence for an Argument
Complete your Evidence Log for the unit by evaluating what you have learned and
synthesizing the information you have recorded.

SCAN FOR
MULTIMEDIA Overview: Independent Learning  331
INDEPENDENT LEARNING

First-Read Guide Tool Kit

First-Read Guide and
Model Annotation
Use this page to record your first-read ideas.

Selection Title:

NOTICE new information or ideas you learn ANNOTATE by marking vocabulary and key
about the unit topic as you first read this passages you want to revisit.
text.

CONNECT ideas within the selection to RESPOND by writing a brief summary of

other knowledge and the selections you the selection.
have read.

© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

 STANDARD
Reading  Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

332  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: When is it right to take a stand?

Close-Read Guide Tool Kit

Close-Read Guide and
Model Annotation
Use this page to record your close-read ideas.

Selection Title:

Close Read the Text Analyze the Text

Revisit sections of the text you marked during Think about the author’s choices of patterns,
your first read. Read these sections closely structure, techniques, and ideas included in
and annotate what you notice. Ask yourself the text. Select one, and record your thoughts
questions about the text. What can you about what this choice conveys.
conclude? Write down your ideas.

QuickWrite
Pick a paragraph from the text that grabbed your interest. Explain the power of this passage.
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

 STANDARD
Reading  Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

Independent Learning  333

MEMOIR

from Through
My Eyes
Ruby Bridges

About the Author

SCAN FOR In November 1960, Ruby Bridges (b. 1954) became
MULTIMEDIA
the first African American child to attend an all-white
elementary school in the South. She founded the Ruby
Bridges Foundation in New Orleans in 1999—its motto
is “Racism is a grown-up disease and we must stop
using our children to spread it.”

BACKGROUND
In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that separate schools are
“inherently unequal.” There was huge resistance to change, so much
so that in 1957, more than 1,000 army paratroopers were called to
protect nine black students scheduled to attend a white high school in
Arkansas. Throughout the 1960s, the federal government had to force
many Southern school districts to comply with the law.

One Year in an All-Black School

NOTES © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
1

W hen it was time for me to start kindergarten, I went to the

Johnson Lockett Elementary School. My segregated1 school
was fairly far from my house, but I had lots of company for the
long walk. All the kids on my block went to Johnson Lockett. I
loved school that year, and my teacher, Mrs. King, was warm and
encouraging. She was black, as all the teachers in black schools
were back then. Mrs. King was quite old, and she reminded me of
my grandmother.
2 What I didn‘t know in kindergarten was that a federal court in
New Orleans was about to force two white public schools to admit
black students. The plan was to integrate2 only the first grade for
1. segregated  (SEHG ruh gay tihd) adj. separated on the basis of race.
2. integrate  (IHN tuh grayt) v. open to people of all races.

IL1  UNIT 3 Independent Learning • from Through My Eyes

that year. Then, every year after that, the incoming first grade
would also be integrated. NOTES

3 In the late spring of my year at Johnson Lockett, the city school

board began testing black kindergartners. They wanted to find
out which children should be sent to the white schools. I took the
test. I was only five, and I’m sure I didn‘t have any idea why I was
taking it. Still, I remember that day. I remember getting dressed up
and riding uptown on the bus with my mother, and sitting in an
enormous room in the school board building along with about a
hundred other black kids, all waiting to be tested.
4 Apparently the test was difficult, and I‘ve been told that it was
set up so that kids would have a hard time passing. If all the black
children had failed, the white school board might have had a way
to keep the schools segregated for a while longer.
5 That summer, my parents were contacted by the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
The NAACP is an old and well-respected civil rights organization.
Its members work to get equal rights for black people.
6 Several people from the NAACP came to the house in the
summer. They told my parents that I was one of just a few black
children to pass the school board test, and that I had been chosen
to attend one of the white schools, William Frantz Public School.
They said it was a better school and closer to my home than the
one I had been attending. They said I had the right to go to the
closest school in my district. They pressured my parents and made
a lot of promises. They said my going to William Frantz would
help me, my brothers, my sister, and other black children in the
future. We would receive a better education, which would give us
better opportunities as adults.
7 My parents argued about what to do. My father, Abon, didn’t
want any part of school integration. He was a gentle man and
feared that angry segregationists might hurt his family. Having
fought in the Korean War, he experienced segregation on the
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

battlefield, where he risked his life for his country. He didn’t think
that things would ever change. He didn’t think I would ever be
treated as an equal.
8 Lucille, my mother, was convinced that no harm would come
to us. She thought that the opportunity for me to get the best
education possible was worth the risk, and she finally convinced
my father.

9 Ruby was special. I wanted her to have a good education so she could
get a good job when she grew up. But Ruby’s father thought his child
shouldn’t go where she wasn’t wanted.

UNIT 3 Independent Learning • from Through My Eyes  IL2

10 There were things I didn’t understand. I didn’t know Ruby would
NOTES
be the only black child in the school. I didn’t know how bad things
would get.
11 I remember being afraid on the first day Ruby went to the Frantz
school, when I came home and turned on the TV set and I realized
that, at that moment, the whole world was watching my baby and
talking about her.
12 At that moment, I was most afraid.
—Lucille Bridges

My Mother Breaks the News

13 When September came that year, I didn’t start first grade at
William Frantz. The lawmakers in the state capital, Baton Rouge,
had found a way to slow down integration, so I was sent back to
my old school. I didn’t know I was ever supposed to go to school
anywhere else, so being back at Johnson Lockett was fine with me.
14 All through the summer and early fall, the state legislators
fought the federal court. They passed twenty-eight new anti-
integration laws. They even tried to take over the public school
system. The Louisiana governor, Jimmie H. Davis, supported the
segregationists. He said he would go to jail before he would allow
black children in white schools. He even threatened to close all of
the public schools rather than see them integrated.
15 The federal court, led by Federal District Court Judge J. Skelly
Wright, unyielding3 in his commitment to upholding the law
of the land and in his dedication to equal opportunity for all
Americans, would block the segregationists again and again. J.
Skelly Wright struck down the state’s new anti-integration laws as
unconstitutional. School integration would proceed. Praise
the Lord!
16 The judge couldn’t enforce his order in time for the start of
school in September, but he set a new deadline for Monday, © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
November 14.
17 The anger all across New Orleans convinced Judge Wright that
things might grow violent. He asked the U.S. government to rush
federal marshals to New Orleans to protect the black first graders.
18 There were four of us in all. There was a fifth girl originally,
but her parents decided at the last minute not to transfer her.
Three of the remaining children, all girls, were to go to a school
named McDonogh. I was the fourth child. I was going to integrate
William Frantz Public School, and I was going alone.
19 On Sunday, November 13, my mother told me I would start at
a new school the next day. She hinted there could be something
unusual about it, but she didn‘t explain. “There might be a lot of
3. unyielding  (uhn YEEL dihng) adj. not giving way to pressure.

IL3  UNIT 3 Independent Learning • from Through My Eyes

people outside the school,“ she said. “But you don‘t need to be
afraid. I‘ll be with you.“ NOTES

20 All I remember thinking that night was that I wouldn‘t be going

to school with my friends anymore, and I wasn‘t happy about that.

November 14, 1960

21 My mother took special care getting me ready for school. When
somebody knocked on my door that morning, my mother
expected to see people from the NAACP. Instead, she saw
four serious-looking white men, dressed in suits and wearing
armbands. They were U.S. federal marshals. They had come to
drive us to school and stay with us all day. I learned later they
were carrying guns.
22 I remember climbing into the back seat of the marshals’ car
with my mother, but I don’t remember feeling frightened. William
Frantz Public School was only five blocks away, so one of the
marshals in the front seat told my mother right away what we
should do when we got there.
23 “Let us get out of the car first,” the marshal said. “Then you’ll
get out, and the four of us will surround you and your daughter.
We’ll walk up to the door together. Just walk straight ahead, and
don’t look back.”
24 When we were near the school, my mother said, “Ruby, I want
you to behave yourself today and do what the marshals say.”
25 We drove down North Galvez Street to the point where it
crosses Alvar. I remember looking out of the car as we pulled up
to the Frantz school. There were barricades and people shouting
and policemen everywhere. I thought maybe it was Mardi Gras,
the carnival that takes place in New Orleans every year. Mardi
Gras was always noisy.
26 As we walked through the crowd, I didn’t see any faces. I guess
that’s because I wasn’t very tall and I was surrounded by the
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

marshals. People yelled and threw things. I could see the school
building, and it looked bigger and nicer than my old school. When
we climbed the high steps to the front door, there were policemen
in uniforms at the top. The policemen at the door and the crowd
behind us made me think this was an important place.
27 It must be college, I thought to myself.

The First Day at William Frantz

28 Once we were inside the building, the marshals walked us up a
flight of stairs. The school office was at the top. My mother and I
went in and were told to sit in the principal’s office. The marshals
sat outside. There were windows in the room where we waited.

UNIT 3 Independent Learning • from Through My Eyes  IL4

That meant everybody passing by could see us. I remember
NOTES noticing everyone was white.
29 All day long, white parents rushed into the office. They were
upset. They were arguing and pointing at us. When they took
their children to school that morning, the parents hadn’t been sure
whether William Frantz would be integrated that day or not. After
my mother and I arrived, they ran into classrooms and dragged
their children out of the school. From behind the windows in the
office, all I saw was confusion. I told myself that this must be the
way it is in a big school.
30 That whole first day, my mother and I just sat and waited. We
didn’t talk to anybody. I remember watching a big, round clock on
the wall. When it was 3:00 and time to go home, I was glad. I had
thought my new school would be hard, but the first day was easy.

Going Home
31 When we left school that first day, the crowd outside was even
bigger and louder than it had been in the morning. There were
reporters and film cameras and people everywhere. I guess the
police couldn’t keep them behind the barricades. It seemed to take
us a long time to get to the marshals’ car.
32 Later on I learned there had been protestors in front of the
two integrated schools the whole day. They wanted to be sure
white parents would boycott4 the school and not let their children
attend. Groups of high school boys, joining the protestors,
paraded up and down the street and sang new verses to old
hymns. Their favorite was “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” in
which they changed the chorus to “Glory, glory, segregation, the
South will rise again.” Many of the boys carried signs and said
awful things, but most of all I remember seeing a black doll in a
coffin, which frightened me more than anything else.
33 After the first day, I was glad to get home. I wanted to change
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
my clothes and go outside to find my friends. My mother wasn’t
too worried about me because the police had set up barricades at
each end of the block. Only local residents were allowed on our
street. That afternoon, I taught a friend the chant I had learned:
“Two, four, six, eight, we don’t want to integrate.” My friend and I
didn’t know what the words meant, but we would jump rope to it
every day after school.
34 My father heard about the trouble at school. That night when he
came home from work, he said I was his “brave little Ruby.”

4. boycott (BOY kot) v. refuse to buy, sell, or use a product or service as a form of protest.

IL5  UNIT 3 Independent Learning • from Through My Eyes

35 Leaving the school each day seemed even more frightening than
NOTES
arriving in the morning.
36 I always drove to work and kept my car on the playground behind
the school building. The police had turned the playground into a
parking lot because it was the only area they could protect.
37 On leaving school in the afternoon—even with a police escort—you
were always fearful of how the people gathered along the sidewalks
might choose to protest that day as you drove past them. The New
Orleans police were supposed to be there to help us, but they very
much disliked being the ones to enforce integration, so you never could
be confident of their support and cooperation.
—Barbara Henry, Ruby’s First-Grade Teacher
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

UNIT 3 Independent Learning • from Through My Eyes  IL6

POETRY

The Unknown
Citizen
W. H. Auden

About the Poet

SCAN FOR Wystan Hugh Auden (1907–1973) was born and
MULTIMEDIA
educated in England, where he established himself as a
major poet. He moved to the United States in 1939 and
eventually became an American citizen. Auden
authored more than 400 poems, as well as plays,
essays, travel writing, and criticism.

BACKGROUND
Auden wrote this poem five years after the passage of the Social
Security Act of 1935, which was designed to give workers pensions,
or scheduled payments, after retirement. The system required that
each citizen be assigned a unique number. For skeptics like Auden,
the system symbolized a frightening new world controlled by the
government.
(To JS/07 M 378 This Marble Monument Is Erected by the State)

© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

He was found by the Bureau of Statistics to be
NOTES
One against whom there was no official complaint,
And all the reports on his conduct agree
That, in the modern sense of an old-fashioned word, he was a
saint.
5 For in everything he did he served the Greater Community.
Except for the War till the day he retired
He worked in a factory and never got fired,
But satisfied his employers, Fudge Motors Inc.
Yet he wasn’t a scab or odd in his views,
10 For his Union reports that he paid his dues.
(Our report on his Union shows it was sound)

IL7  UNIT 3 Independent Learning • The Unknown Citizen

And our Social Psychology workers found
That he was popular with his mates and liked a drink. NOTES

The Press are convinced that he bought a paper every day

15 And that his reactions to advertisements were normal in every
way.
Policies taken out in his name prove that he was fully insured,
And his Health-card shows he was once in hospital but left it
cured.
Both Producers Research and High-Grade Living declare
He was fully sensible to the advantages of the Installment Plan
20 And had everything necessary to the Modern Man,
A phonograph, a radio, a car and a frigidaire.
Our researchers into Public Opinion are content
That he held the proper opinions for the time of year;
When there was peace, he was for peace; when there was war, he
went.
25 He was married and added five children to the population.
Which our Eugenist1 says was the right number for a parent of his
generation,
And our teachers report that he never interfered with their
education.
Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd:
Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard.

1. Eugenist  (YOO juh nihst) specialist in eugenics, the movement devoted to improving the
human species through genetic control.
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

UNIT 3 Independent Learning • The Unknown Citizen  IL8

BIOGRAPHY

from Harriet Tubman:

Conductor on the
Underground Railroad
Ann Petry

About the Author

SCAN FOR Ann Petry (1908–1997) was the first African American
MULTIMEDIA
woman to publish a best-selling novel—her book The
Street sold more than a million copies. Petry’s
grandfather Willis James was a fugitive who had
escaped slavery in Virginia and settled in Connecticut in
the 1800s. Petry’s parents encouraged Petry to be
confident and proud of her heritage by telling stories of
her ancestors. These stories later helped Petry capture the voices of history
in her own writing.

BACKGROUND
By 1850, the United States had acquired new territory in the West.
To calm antagonisms over the legality of slavery in the new states or
territories, Congress reached the Compromise of 1850, which said
that California would be admitted as a “free” state and that citizens
of Utah and New Mexico territories would decide the slavery issue for
themselves. This series of acts also included the controversial Fugitive
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Slave Law, which denied due process of law to recaptured slaves and set
heavy fines for those who aided them.

The Railroad Runs to Canada

NOTES
1

A long the Eastern Shore of Maryland, in Dorchester County,

in Caroline County, the masters kept hearing whispers
about the man named Moses, who was running off slaves. At first
they did not believe in his existence. The stories about him were
fantastic, unbelievable. Yet they watched for him. They offered
rewards for his capture.
2 They never saw him. Now and then they heard whispered
rumors to the effect that he was in the neighborhood. The woods
were searched. The roads were watched. There was never

IL9  UNIT 3 Independent Learning • from Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad
anything to indicate his whereabouts. But a few days afterward,
a goodly number of slaves would be gone from the plantation. NOTES

Neither the master nor the overseer had heard or seen anything
unusual in the quarter. Sometimes one or the other would vaguely
remember having heard a whippoorwill call somewhere in the
woods, close by, late at night. Though it was the wrong season for
whippoorwills.
3 Sometimes the masters thought they had heard the cry of a
hoot owl, repeated, and would remember having thought that the
intervals between the low moaning cry were wrong, that it had
been repeated four times in succession instead of three. There was
never anything more than that to suggest that all was not well in
the quarter. Yet when morning came, they invariably discovered
that a group of the finest slaves had taken to their heels.
4 Unfortunately, the discovery was almost always made on
a Sunday. Thus a whole day was lost before the machinery of
pursuit could be set in motion. The posters offering rewards for
the fugitives could not be printed until Monday. The men who
made a living hunting for runaway slaves were out of reach, off
in the woods with their dogs and their guns, in pursuit of four-
footed game, or they were in camp meetings1 saying their prayers
with their wives and families beside them.
5 Harriet Tubman could have told them that there was far more
involved in this matter of running off slaves than signaling the
would-be runaways by imitating the call of a whippoorwill, or a
hoot owl, far more involved than a matter of waiting for a clear
night when the North Star was visible.
6 In December, 1851, when she started out with the band of
fugitives that she planned to take to Canada, she had been in the
vicinity of the plantation for days, planning the trip, carefully
selecting the slaves that she would take with her.
7 She had announced her arrival in the quarter by singing the
forbidden spiritual2—“Go down, Moses, ’way down to Egypt
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Land”—singing it softly outside the door of a slave cabin, late

at night. The husky voice was beautiful even when it was barely
more than a murmur borne on the wind.
8 Once she had made her presence known, word of her coming
spread from cabin to cabin. The slaves whispered to each other,
ear to mouth, mouth to ear, “Moses is here.” “Moses has come.”
“Get ready. Moses is back again.” The ones who had agreed to go
North with her put ashcake and salt herring in an old bandanna,

1. camp meetings  religious meetings held outdoors or in a tent.

2. forbidden spiritual  In 1831, a slave named Nat Turner encouraged an unsuccessful slave
uprising by talking about the biblical story of the Israelites’ escape from Egypt. Afterward,
the singing of certain spirituals, songs based on the Bible, was forbidden for fear of
encouraging more uprisings.

UNIT 3 Independent Learning • from Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad  IL10
hastily tied it into a bundle, and then waited patiently for the
NOTES signal that meant it was time to start.
9 There were eleven in this party, including one of her brothers
and his wife. It was the largest group that she had ever conducted,
but she was determined that more and more slaves should know
what freedom was like.
10 She had to take them all the way to Canada. The Fugitive Slave
Law was no longer a great many incomprehensible words written
down on the country’s lawbooks. The new law had become a
reality. It was Thomas Sims, a boy, picked up on the streets of
Boston at night and shipped back to Georgia. It was Jerry and
Shadrach, arrested and jailed with no warning.
11 She had never been in Canada. The route beyond Philadelphia
was strange to her. But she could not let the runaways who
accompanied her know this. As they walked along she told
them stories of her own first flight, she kept painting vivid word
pictures of what it would be like to be free.
12 But there were so many of them this time. She knew moments
of doubt when she was half-afraid, and kept looking back over
her shoulder, imagining that she heard the sound of pursuit. They
would certainly be pursued. Eleven of them. Eleven thousand
dollars’ worth of flesh and bone and muscle that belonged to
Maryland planters. If they were caught, the eleven runaways
would be whipped and sold South, but she—she would probably
be hanged.
13 They tried to sleep during the day but they never could wholly
relax into sleep. She could tell by the positions they assumed,
by their restless movements. And they walked at night. Their
progress was slow. It took them three nights of walking to reach
the first stop. She had told them about the place where they would
stay, promising warmth and good food, holding these things out
to them as an incentive to keep going.
14 When she knocked on the door of a farmhouse, a place where
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she and her parties of runaways had always been welcome,
always been given shelter and plenty to eat, there was no answer.
She knocked again, softly. A voice from within said, “Who is it?”
There was fear in the voice.
15 She knew instantly from the sound of the voice that there was
something wrong. She said, “A friend with friends,” the password
on the Underground Railroad.
16 The door opened, slowly. The man who stood in the doorway
looked at her coldly, looked with unconcealed astonishment and
fear at the eleven disheveled runaways who were standing near
her. Then he shouted, “Too many, too many. It’s not safe. My place
was searched last week. It’s not safe!” and slammed the door in
her face.

IL11  UNIT 3 Independent Learning • from Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad
17 She turned away from the house, frowning. She had promised
her passengers food and rest and warmth, and instead of that, NOTES

there would be hunger and cold and more walking over the frozen
ground. Somehow she would have to instill courage into these
eleven people, most of them strangers, would have to feed them
on hope and bright dreams of freedom instead of the fried pork
and corn bread and milk she had promised them.
18 They stumbled along behind her, half-dead for sleep, and she
urged them on, though she was as tired and as discouraged as
they were. She had never been in Canada but she kept painting
wondrous word pictures of what it would be like. She managed
to dispel their fear of pursuit, so that they would not become
hysterical, panic-stricken. Then she had to bring some of the fear
back, so that they would stay awake and keep walking though
they drooped with sleep.
19 Yet during the day, when they lay down deep in a thicket, they
never really slept, because if a twig snapped or the wind sighed
in the branches of a pine tree, they jumped to their feet, afraid of
their own shadows, shivering and shaking. It was very cold, but
they dared not make fires because someone would see the smoke
and wonder about it.
20 She kept thinking, eleven of them. Eleven thousand dollars’
worth of slaves. And she had to take them all the way to Canada.
Sometimes she told them about Thomas Garrett, in Wilmington.
She said he was their friend even though he did not know them.
He was the friend of all fugitives. He called them God’s poor. He
was a Quaker and his speech was a little different from that of
other people. His clothing was different, too. He wore the wide-
brimmed hat that the Quakers wear.
21 She said that he had thick white hair, soft, almost like a baby’s,
and the kindest eyes she had ever seen. He was a big man and
strong, but he had never used his strength to harm anyone,
always to help people. He would give all of them a new pair of
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shoes. Everybody. He always did. Once they reached his house in

Wilmington, they would be safe. He would see to it that
they were.
22 She described the house where he lived, told them about the
store where he sold shoes. She said he kept a pail of milk and a
loaf of bread in the drawer of his desk so that he would have food
ready at hand for any of God’s poor who should suddenly appear
before him, fainting with hunger. There was a hidden room in the
store. A whole wall swung open, and behind it was a room where
he could hide fugitives. On the wall there were shelves filled with
small boxes—boxes of shoes—so that you would never guess that
the wall actually opened.

UNIT 3 Independent Learning • from Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad  IL12
23 While she talked, she kept watching them. They did not believe
NOTES her. She could tell by their expressions. They were thinking. New
shoes, Thomas Garrett, Quaker, Wilmington—what foolishness
was this? Who knew if she told the truth? Where was she taking
them anyway?
24 That night they reached the next stop—a farm that belonged
to a German. She made the runaways take shelter behind trees
at the edge of the fields before she knocked at the door. She
hesitated before she approached the door, thinking, suppose that
he, too, should refuse shelter, suppose— Then she thought, Lord,
I’m going to hold steady on to You and You’ve got to see me
through—and knocked softly.
25 She heard the familiar guttural voice say, “Who’s there?”
26 She answered quickly, “A friend with friends.”
27 He opened the door and greeted her warmly. “How many this
time?” he asked.
28 “Eleven,” she said and waited, doubting, wondering.
29 He said, “Good. Bring them in.”
30 He and his wife fed them in the lamplit kitchen, their faces
glowing, as they offered food and more food, urging them to eat,
saying there was plenty for everybody, have more milk, have
more bread, have more meat.
31 They spent the night in the warm kitchen. They really slept, all
that night and until dusk the next day. When they left, it was with
reluctance. They had all been warm and safe and well-fed. It was
hard to exchange the security offered by that clean, warm kitchen
for the darkness and the cold of a December night.

“Go On or Die”
32 Harriet had found it hard to leave the warmth and friendliness,
too. But she urged them on. For a while, as they walked, they
seemed to carry in them a measure of contentment; some of the
serenity and the cleanliness of that big warm kitchen lingered on © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

inside them. But as they walked farther and farther away from
the warmth and the light, the cold and the darkness entered
into them. They fell silent, sullen, suspicious. She waited for the
moment when some one of them would turn mutinous. It did not
happen that night.
33 Two nights later she was aware that the feet behind her were
moving slower and slower. She heard the irritability in their
voices, knew that soon someone would refuse to go on.
34 She started talking about William Still and the Philadelphia
Vigilance Committee.3 No one commented. No one asked any

3. Philadelphia Vigilance Committee  group of citizens that helped escaped slaves. Its
secretary was a free black man named William Still.

IL13  UNIT 3 Independent Learning • from Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad
questions. She told them the story of William and Ellen Craft
NOTES
and how they escaped from Georgia. Ellen was so fair that she
looked as though she were white, and so she dressed up in a
man’s clothing and she looked like a wealthy young planter. Her
husband, William, who was dark, played the role of her slave.
Thus they traveled from Macon, Georgia, to Philadelphia, riding
on the trains, staying at the finest hotels. Ellen pretended to be
very ill—her right arm was in a sling, and her right hand was
bandaged, because she was supposed to have rheumatism. Thus
she avoided having to sign the register at the hotels for she could
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not read or write. They finally arrived safely in Philadelphia, and

then went on to Boston.
35 No one said anything. Not one of them seemed to have
heard her.
36 She told them about Frederick Douglass, the most famous of the
escaped slaves, of his eloquence, of his magnificent appearance.
Then she told them of her own first vain effort at running away,
evoking the memory of that miserable life she had led as a child,
reliving it for a moment in the telling.
37 But they had been tired too long, hungry too long, afraid too
long, footsore too long. One of them suddenly cried out in despair,
“Let me go back. It is better to be a slave than to suffer like this in
order to be free.”

UNIT 3 Independent Learning • from Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad  IL14
38 She carried a gun with her on these trips. She had never used
NOTES it—except as a threat. Now as she aimed it, she experienced a
feeling of guilt, remembering that time, years ago, when she had
prayed for the death of Edward Brodas, the Master, and then not
too long afterward had heard that great wailing cry that came
from the throats of the field hands, and knew from the sound that
the Master was dead.
39 One of the runaways said, again, “Let me go back. Let me go
back,” and stood still, and then turned around and said, over his
shoulder, “I am going back.”
40 She lifted the gun, aimed it at the despairing slave. She said,
“Go on with us or die.” The husky low-pitched voice was grim.
41 He hesitated for a moment and then he joined the others. They
started walking again. She tried to explain to them why none of
them could go back to the plantation. If a runaway returned, he
would turn traitor, the master and the overseer would force him
to turn traitor. The returned slave would disclose the stopping
places, the hiding places, the cornstacks they had used with the
full knowledge of the owner of the farm, the name of the German
farmer who had fed them and sheltered them. These people who
had risked their own security to help runaways would be ruined,
fined, imprisoned.
42 She said, “We got to go free or die. And freedom’s not bought
with dust.”
43 This time she told them about the long agony of the Middle
Passage on the old slave ships, about the black horror of the holds,
about the chains and the whips. They too knew these stories. But
she wanted to remind them of the long hard way they had come,
about the long hard way they had yet to go. She told them about
Thomas Sims, the boy picked up on the streets of Boston and sent
back to Georgia. She said when they got him back to Savannah,
got him in prison there, they whipped him until a doctor who was
standing by watching said, “You will kill him if you strike him
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again!” His master said, “Let him die!”
44 Thus she forced them to go on. Sometimes she thought she had
become nothing but a voice speaking in the darkness, cajoling,
urging, threatening. Sometimes she told them things to make them
laugh, sometimes she sang to them, and heard the eleven voices
behind her blending softly with hers, and then she knew that for
the moment all was well with them.
45 She gave the impression of being a short, muscular,
indomitable4 woman who could never be defeated. Yet at any

4. indomitable  (ihn DOM uh tuh buhl) adj. not easily discouraged.

IL15  UNIT 3 Independent Learning • from Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad
moment she was liable to be seized by one of those curious fits of
sleep, which might last for a few minutes or for hours.5 NOTES

46 Even on this trip, she suddenly fell asleep in the woods. The
runaways, ragged, dirty, hungry, cold, did not steal the gun as
they might have, and set off by themselves, or turn back. They sat
on the ground near her and waited patiently until she awakened.
They had come to trust her implicitly, totally. They, too, had come
to believe her repeated statement, “We got to go free or die.” She
was leading them into freedom, and so they waited until she was
ready to go on.
47 Finally, they reached Thomas Garrett’s house in Wilmington,
Delaware. Just as Harriet had promised, Garrett gave them all new
shoes, and provided carriages to take them on to the next stop.
48 By slow stages they reached Philadelphia, where William Still
hastily recorded their names, and the plantations whence they had
come, and something of the life they had led in slavery. Then he
carefully hid what he had written, for fear it might be discovered.
In 1872 he published this record in book form and called it The
Underground Railroad. In the foreword to his book he said: “While
I knew the danger of keeping strict records, and while I did not
then dream that in my day slavery would be blotted out, or that
the time would come when I could publish these records, it used
to afford me great satisfaction to take them down, fresh from the
lips of fugitives on the way to freedom, and to preserve them as
they had given them.”
49 William Still, who was familiar with all the station stops on the
Underground Railroad, supplied Harriet with money and sent her
and her eleven fugitives on to Burlington, New Jersey.
50 Harriet felt safer now, though there were danger spots ahead.
But the biggest part of her job was over. As they went farther and
farther north, it grew colder; she was aware of the wind on the
Jersey ferry and aware of the cold damp in New York. From New
York they went on to Syracuse, where the temperature was even
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lower.
51 In Syracuse she met the Reverend J. W. Loguen, known as
“Jarm” Loguen. This was the beginning of a lifelong friendship.
Both Harriet and Jarm Loguen were to become friends and
supporters of Old John Brown.6
52 From Syracuse they went north again, into a colder, snowier
city—Rochester. Here they almost certainly stayed with Frederick
Douglass, for he wrote in his autobiography:

5. sleep . . . hours  When she was about thirteen, Harriet accidentally received a severe blow
on the head. Afterward, she often lost consciousness and could not be awakened until the
episode ended.
6. John Brown  white antislavery activist (1800–1859) hanged for leading a raid on the
arsenal at Harpers Ferry, then in Virginia (now in West Virginia), as part of a slave uprising.

UNIT 3 Independent Learning • from Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad  IL16
53 “On one occasion I had eleven fugitives at the same time
NOTES under my roof, and it was necessary for them to remain
with me until I could collect sufficient money to get them to
Canada. It was the largest number I ever had at any one time,
and I had some difficulty in providing so many with food
and shelter, but, as may well be imagined, they were not very
fastidious in either direction, and were well content with
very plain food, and a strip of carpet on the floor for a bed, or
a place on the straw in the barnloft.”
54 Late in December, 1851, Harriet arrived in St. Catharines,
Canada West (now Ontario), with the eleven fugitives. It had
taken almost a month to complete this journey; most of the time
had been spent getting out of Maryland.
55 That first winter in St. Catharines was a terrible one. Canada
was a strange frozen land, snow everywhere, ice everywhere,
and a bone-biting cold the like of which none of them had ever
experienced before. Harriet rented a small frame house in the
town and set to work to make a home. The fugitives boarded
with her. They worked in the forests, felling trees, and so did she.
Sometimes she took other jobs, cooking or cleaning house for
people in the town. She cheered on these newly arrived fugitives,
working herself, finding work for them, finding food for them,
praying for them, sometimes begging for them.
56 Often she found herself thinking of the beauty of Maryland,
the mellowness of the soil, the richness of the plant life there.
The climate itself made for an ease of living that could never be
duplicated in this bleak, barren countryside.
57 In spite of the severe cold, the hard work, she came to love
St. Catharines, and the other towns and cities in Canada where
black men lived. She discovered that freedom meant more than
the right to change jobs at will, more than the right to keep the
money that one earned. It was the right to vote and to sit on juries.
It was the right to be elected to office. In Canada there were black © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

men who were county officials and members of school boards. St.
Catharines had a large colony of ex-slaves, and they owned their
own homes, kept them neat and clean and in good repair. They
lived in whatever part of town they chose and sent their children
to the schools.
58 When spring came she decided that she would make this small
Canadian city her home—as much as any place could be said to be
home to a woman who traveled from Canada to the Eastern Shore
of Maryland as often as she did.
59 In the spring of 1852, she went back to Cape May, New Jersey.
She spent the summer there, cooking in a hotel. That fall she
returned, as usual, to Dorchester County, and brought out nine
more slaves, conducting them all the way to St. Catharines, in

IL17  UNIT 3 Independent Learning • from Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Canada West, to the bone-biting cold, the snow-covered forests—
and freedom. NOTES

60 She continued to live in this fashion, spending the winter in

Canada, and the spring and summer working in Cape May, New
Jersey, or in Philadelphia. She made two trips a year into slave
territory, one in the fall and another in the spring. She now had
a definite crystallized purpose, and in carrying it out, her life fell
into a pattern which remained unchanged for the next six years.  ❧
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UNIT 3 Independent Learning • from Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad  IL18
INDEPENDENT learning

Share Your Independent Learning

  evidence log Prepare to Share
Go to your Evidence Log, When is it right to take a stand?
and record what you learned Even when you read something independently, you can continue to grow
from the text you read.
by sharing what you have learned with others. Reflect on the text you
explored independently, and take notes about its connection to the unit.
As you take notes, consider why this text belongs in this unit.

Learn From Your Classmates

Discuss It  Share your ideas about the text you explored on your
own. As you talk with your classmates, jot down ideas that you learn
from them.

Reflect
Mark the most important insight you gained from these writing and © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
discussion activities. Explain how this idea adds to your understanding of
the topic.

 Standards
Speaking and Listening
Engage effectively in a range of
collaborative discussions with diverse
partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and
issues, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly.

334  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

PERFORMANCE-BASED ASSESSMENT prep

Review Evidence for an Argument

At the beginning of this unit you took a position on the following question:

Is it important for people to make their own choices

in life?

 evidence log
Review your Evidence Log and your QuickWrite from the beginning of the unit.
Has your position changed?

 Yes  NO

Identify at least three pieces of evidence that Identify at least three new pieces of evidence that
convinced you to change your mind. reinforced your initial position.

1. 1.

2. 2.

3. 3.

State your position:

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Identify a possible counterclaim, or opposing position:

 Standards
Writing
Write arguments to support claims
Evaluate the Strength of Your Evidence  Consider your argument. Do with clear reasons and relevant
you have enough evidence to support your claim? Do you have enough evidence.
evidence to refute a counterclaim? If not, make a plan. a. Introduce claim(s), acknowledge
and distinguish the claim(s) from
alternate or opposing claims, and
  Do more research   Talk with my classmates organize the reasons and evidence
logically.
  Reread a selection   Ask an expert b. Support claim(s) with
logical reasoning and relevant
evidence, using accurate, credible
 Other: sources and demonstrating an
understanding of the topic or text.

Performance-Based Assessment Prep  335

performance-based assessment

sources Part 1
• WHOLE-CLASS SELECTIONS Writing to Sources: Argument
• SMALL-GROUP SELECTIONS In this unit, you read about various people who take a stand for what
matters. In some cases, they are the authors themselves, writing to
• INDEPENDENT-LEARNING
SELECTION
convince others to adopt their point of view. In others, the authors or
their subjects are discovering what matters to them.

Assignment
Write an argument in which you state and defend a claim in response
to the following question:
Is it important for people to make their own choices
in life?
Use examples from the selections you read, viewed, and researched
in this unit to support and verify your claim. Organize your ideas so
that they flow logically and are easy for readers to follow. Use a formal
style and tone.

  WORD NETWORK Reread the Assignment  Review the assignment to be sure you fully
understand it. The task may reference some of the academic words
As you write and revise your
presented at the beginning of the unit. Be sure you understand each of
argument, use your Word
the words in order to complete the assignment correctly. Also, consider
Network to help vary your
word choices.
using the academic vocabulary words in your argument. These words
may help you to clarify your claims.

Academic Vocabulary

verify speculate rectify

candid retort

Review the Elements of Effective Argument  Before you begin

writing, read the Argument Rubric. Once you have completed your
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first draft, check it against the rubric. If one or more of the elements is
missing or not as strong as it could be, revise your argument to add or
strengthen that component.

  Standards
Writing
• Write arguments to support claims
with clear reasons and relevant
evidence.
• Draw evidence from literary or
informational texts to support
analysis, reflection, and research.
• Write routinely over extended time
frames and shorter time frames for
a range of discipline-specific tasks,
purposes, and audiences.

336  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

essential question: When is it right to take a stand?

Argument Rubric
Focus and Organization Evidence and Elaboration Language Conventions
The introduction engages the The sources of evidence are The argument intentionally
reader and establishes the claim in a relevant and credible. uses standard English
compelling way. conventions of usage and
Logical reasoning is used to mechanics.
The claim is supported by logical connect specific supporting
reasons and relevant evidence, and evidence to specific claims. The argument intentionally
opposing claims are addressed. uses transitions to create
The tone and style of the cohesion.
The reasons and evidence are argument is formal and
organized logically so that the objective.
4
argument is easy to follow.
Words are carefully chosen
Clearly shows the relationships among and suited to the audience
claims, counterclaims, reasoning, and and purpose.
relevant evidence.

The conclusion supports the argument

presented and provides a new insight
that follows from the information in the
argument.

The introduction is somewhat The sources are relevant. The argument demonstrates
engaging and states the claim clearly. general accuracy in standard
Logical reasoning is used to English conventions of usage
The claim is supported by reasons and connect supporting evidence and mechanics.
evidence, and opposing claims are to claims.
acknowledged. The argument uses transitions
The tone and style of the to create cohesion.
Reasons and evidence are organized so argument is mostly formal
3 that the argument can be followed. and objective.

Shows the relationships among claims, Words are generally suited to

counterclaims, reasoning, and relevant the audience and purpose.
evidence.

The conclusion restates the claim and

supports the argument.

The introduction states the claim. Some sources are relevant. The argument demonstrates
some accuracy as well as
The claim is supported by some Logical reasoning is minor mistakes in standard
reasons and evidence, and opposing sometimes used to connect English conventions of usage
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claims may be briefly acknowledged. supporting evidence to claims. and mechanics.

2 Reasons and evidence are organized The tone and style of the The argument sometimes uses
somewhat logically. argument is occasionally transitions to create cohesion.
formal and objective.
The conclusion relates to the claim.
Words are somewhat suited to
the audience and purpose.

The claim is not clearly stated. Reliable and relevant evidence The argument contains many
is not included. mistakes in standard English
The claim is not supported by reasons conventions of usage and
and evidence, and opposing claims are The tone and style of the mechanics.
not addressed. argument is informal.
1 The argument does not use
Reasons and evidence are disorganized Vague words are used transitions to create cohesion.
and the argument is difficult to follow. and word choices are not
appropriate to the audience or
The conclusion does not relate to the purpose.
argument presented.

Performance-Based Assessment  337

performance-based assessment

Part 2
Speaking and Listening: Oral Presentation
Assignment
After completing the final draft of your argument, use it as the
foundation for a short oral presentation.

Instead of reading your argument aloud, take the following steps to

make your oral presentation lively and engaging.
• In your argument, annotate the most important claims and
 Standards supporting details from the introduction, body paragraphs, and
Speaking and Listening conclusion.
• Present claims and findings,
emphasizing salient points in a • Include visuals or other media that add interest to your presentation.
focused, coherent manner with • Refer to your annotated text to keep your presentation focused.
relevant evidence, sound valid
reasoning, and well-chosen details; • Deliver your argument with confidence. Look up from your annotated
use appropriate eye contact, text frequently, and make eye contact with listeners.
adequate volume, and clear
pronunciation.
• Integrate multimedia and visual Review the Oral Presentation Rubric  Before you deliver your
displays into presentations to clarify presentation, check your plans against this rubric. If elements are missing
information, strengthen claims and
evidence, and add interest.
or not as strong as they could be, revise your presentation.

Content Organization Presentation Techniques

The introduction engages the The speaker uses a variety of media The speaker maintains
reader and establishes a claim in a effectively to support the claim. appropriate eye contact
compelling way. and speaks clearly and with
Ideas progress logically, with adequate volume.
The presentation has valid reasons clear transitions so that listeners
3
and evidence for support and can easily follow the argument. The speaker presents with
answers counterclaims. strong confidence and
The speaker uses time effectively energy.
The conclusion offers fresh insight by spending the right amount of
into the claim. time on each part.

The introduction establishes the The speaker uses some media to The speaker sometimes
claim. support the claim. maintains appropriate eye
contact and speaks somewhat
The presentation includes some Ideas progress somewhat logically, © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
clearly and with adequate
valid reasons and evidence with transitions among ideas so that volume.
2 to support the claim and listeners can follow the argument.
acknowledges counterclaims. The speaker presents with
The speaker mostly uses time some confidence and energy.
The conclusion offers some effectively by spending almost the
insight into the claim and restates right amount of time on each part.
important information.

The introduction does not clearly The speaker doesn’t use media to The speaker does not
state the claim. support the claim. maintain appropriate eye
contact or speak clearly with
The presentation does not Ideas do not progress logically. adequate volume.
include reasons or evidence to Listeners have difficulty following.
1
support the claim or acknowledge The speaker presents without
counterclaims. The speaker does not use time confidence or energy.
effectively, spending too much time
The conclusion does not restate on some parts of the presentation,
information about the claim. and too little on others.

338  UNIT 3 • WHAT MATTERS

unit
3 reflection

Reflect on the Unit

Now that you’ve completed the unit, take a few moments to reflect on
your learning.

Reflect on the Unit Goals

Look back at the goals at the beginning of the unit. Use a different
colored pen to rate yourself again. Then, think about readings and
activities that contributed the most to the growth of your understanding.
Record your thoughts.

Reflect on the Learning Strategies

Discuss It  Write a reflection on whether you were able to improve
your learning based on your Action Plans. Think about what worked,
what didn’t, and what you might do to keep working on these strategies.
Record your ideas before joining a class discussion.

Reflect on the Text

Choose a selection that you found challenging and explain what made it
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difficult.

Explain something that surprised you about a text in the unit.

Which activity taught you the most about standing up for what matters?
What did you learn?

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MULTIMEDIA Unit Reflection  339