Teacher Guide for FAST-R Passage: FAST-R: Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading. Mid-term Break. Poetry.

Transcription

1 Teacher Guide for FAST-R Passage: FAST-R: Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading At a Glance Approximate Grade Range: Genre: Topic: Poetry The sudden death of a young man s four-year-old brother during his college vacation Author: Seamus Heaney Source: Mid-term Break Mid-term Break Poetry Difficulty Index: Considerate Challenging Structure: Purpose: Richness: Relationships: Vocabulary: Style: Lexile Measure: 1080L Mid-term Break I sat all morning in the college sick bay 1 Counting bells knelling 2 classes to a close, At two o clock our neighbors drove me home. In the porch I met my father crying He had always taken funerals in his stride 5 And Big Jim Evans saying it was a hard blow. The baby cooed and laughed and rocked the pram 3 When I came in, and I was embarrassed By old men standing up to shake my hand And tell me they were sorry for my trouble, 10 Whispers informed strangers I was the eldest, Away at school, as my mother held my hand In hers and coughed out angry tearless sighs. At ten o clock the ambulance arrived With the corpse 4, stanched and bandaged by the nurses. 15 Next morning I went up into the room. Snowdrops 5 And candles soothed the bedside; I saw him For the first time in six weeks. Paler now, Wearing a poppy bruise on the left temple, He lay in the four-foot box as in a cot. 20 No gaudy scars, the bumper knocked him clear. Note: Most FAST-R passages have a balance of Referential and Inferential questions; however, due to the style of writing in this poem, we included more inference questions. Purpose: In this narration of how a college-aged speaker deals with the news of his younger brother s sudden death, Heaney conveys the limitations of language in expressing grief. There is much description about what is happening, but almost none about the speaker s feelings. See especially: Questions 1-6, 10 Richness: This scene contains coming-of-age themes: As his father is incapacitated by grief, the old men treat the speaker as the man of the house. See especially: Questions 7-8 Style and Vocabulary: The syntax is straightforward, with simple sentences and generally accessible vocabulary. As is typical for free verse, some sentences do break across stanzas. Stanzas 3-4 contain alliteration of the s sound, which evokes the whispers of the neighbors and strangers gathered in the home. See especially: Question 8 Relationships: Readers are left to infer much about the speaker s relationship with his parents and his dead brother, as well as his broader perspective on life and death. See especially: Question 10 A four-foot box, a foot for every year. Seamus Heaney Continued on next page

2 1 hospital 2 to ring slowly and solemnly, especially for a funeral 3 a baby carriage 4 historically and culturally in many places throughout the world, it is customary to display a body in the home before burial so that friends and family can say a last good-bye. 5 white flowers that bloom in early spring Ideas for Connected Writing Activities: Write a newspaper article based on the events in the poem Write a newspaper article based on an interview with the speaker s neighbor (retellling the events from a different perspective) Write about an event that changed your own life, then change the story into a poem Spotlight On: Seamus Heaney Seamus Heaney was born in Northern Ireland in His father s side of the family came from a long line of rural cattle farmers, while his mother s side embraced the advances in technology and industry. Much of his writing deals with the tension between small town rural life and the consequences of a developing society. When he was 12 years old, he won a scholarship to St. Columb s College in the city of Derry. He was always grateful to have experienced the earth by working on his family s farm, but he considered education to be heaven. He currently lives in Dublin, Ireland and periodically teaches here in the United States at Harvard University. He was the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995.

3 Teacher Guide for FAST-R Passage: FAST-R: Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading Mid-term Break Poetry The annotated answer key below highlights common reasons students might choose each answer, and the sidebar gives more insight into the question types, to help you understand patterns of student responses. Always make time to follow up with students in conferences or small groups to probe their thinking, teach in response to patterns, and help them apply effective reading and thinking strategies to their everyday reading. Note: You may find it helpful to refer to the Types and Levels of Questions on FAST-R sheet from your teacher resource folder as you examine your students responses. The icon in the right-hand column, below, corresponds to that sheet s more detailed explanations of the kinds of thinking each type of question asks of readers. 1. This poem is about A. a young man s plans for his school vacation. (OOP2, title and stanza 1) B. the busy scene at a hospital emergency room. (OOB) C. the sudden death of a young man s little brother. D. a family celebration. (OOP2) MI2: Determine a singular meaning from the sum total of a particular paragraph 2. How old was the boy when he died? A. just a baby (OOP2, confusion with baby in line 7) B. four years old C. college age (OOP2, confusion with speaker) D. there is not enough information in the poem to tell (OOP2 line 22) FE2: Recognize evidence explicitly stated at multiple locations or with varied wording in the text 3. Which detail helps readers infer how the boy died? A. it was a hard blow (line 6) (OOP2) B. coughed out angry tearless sighs (line 13) (OOP2) C. stanched and bandaged by the nurses (line 15) (OOP1) D. the bumper knocked him clear (line 21) 4. How did the boy die? A. He was hit by a car. B. He suffocated in a box. (OOP2, lines 20-22) C. Big Jim Evans hit him on the head. (OOP2, line 6) D. He died in his sleep. (OOP2, line 20) 5. The four-foot box mentioned in lines 20 and 22 is actually a A. cot. (OOP2, line 20) B. box of the speaker s books from college. (OOB) C. stretcher from the ambulance. (OOP1, line 14) D. coffin. 6. In line 15, the speaker refers to the body as a corpse, but in lines 17-21, the speaker uses pronouns such as him and he. What does this shift suggest about the speaker s state of mind? A. He is fascinated by corpses. (OOP2, line 15) B. He was beginning to accept that his brother had died. C. He believes the nurses were responsible for his brother s death. (OOP2, line 15) D. He thinks his brother is only sleeping. (OOP2, lines 16-20) FE2: Recognize evidence explicitly stated at multiple locations or with varied wording in the text

4 Grades 8-9 Poetry Mid-term Break 7. What does the second stanza imply? A. That the speaker s father is upset to see him (OOP2, line 4) B. That it is unusual for the speaker to see his father crying C. That the speaker s father and Big Jim Evans had been fighting (OOP2, lines 4-6) D. That funerals are a common part of life (OOP2, line 5) 8. Why was the speaker embarrassed by old men standing up to shake [his] hand (lines 8-9)? A. He knew they had seen his father crying. (OOP1, line 4) B. He was afraid they thought the baby s laughter was disrespectful. (OOP1, line 7) C. He wasn t used to the old men treating him like an adult instead of a child. D. He didn t mean to cause the old men to stand up when it was difficult for them to do so. (OOB) 9. The author most likely uses alliteration of the s sound in stanzas three and four to create the effect of A. a hissing snake. (OOB, a common association with alliteratives) B. whispers. C. an ambulance siren. (OOP1, line 14) D. rhymes. (OOP2, misapplication of another literary term) 10. What s the MOST LIKELY reason the author describes the events in the poem using ordinary, matter-of-fact details? A. To demonstrate that speaker has learned about journalistic writing at college. (OOB) B. To help readers share the speaker s shock at the news of his brother s death. C. To imply that the speaker didn t care about his younger brother s death. (OOP2) D. To prove to critics that you can write a good poem without using a single metaphor. (OOB) MI5: Determine meaning by using an understanding of literary concepts MI5: Determine meaning by using an understanding of literary concepts

5 FAST-R + Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading Name Mid-term Break Poetry Date Teacher/Class Read the following poem to learn how one young man returns home from college to deal with a family tragedy. Use information from the poem to answer the questions that follow. Mid-term Break I sat all morning in the college sick bay 1 Counting bells knelling 2 classes to a close, At two o clock our neighbors drove me home. In the porch I met my father crying He had always taken funerals in his stride 5 And Big Jim Evans saying it was a hard blow. The baby cooed and laughed and rocked the pram 3 When I came in, and I was embarrassed By old men standing up to shake my hand And tell me they were sorry for my trouble, 10 Whispers informed strangers I was the eldest, Away at school, as my mother held my hand In hers and coughed out angry tearless sighs. At ten o clock the ambulance arrived With the corpse 4, stanched and bandaged by the nurses. 15 Next morning I went up into the room. Snowdrops 5 And candles soothed the bedside; I saw him For the first time in six weeks. Paler now, Wearing a poppy bruise on the left temple, He lay in the four-foot box as in a cot. 20 No gaudy scars, the bumper knocked him clear. A four-foot box, a foot for every year. Spotlight On: Seamus Heaney Seamus Heaney was born in Northern Ireland in His father s side of the family came from a long line of rural cattle farmers, while his mother s side embraced the advances in technology and industry. Much of his writing deals with the tension between small town rural life and the consequences of a developing society. When he was 12 years old, he won a scholarship to St. Columb s College in the city of Derry. He was always grateful to have experienced the earth by working on his family s farm, but he considered education to be heaven. He currently lives in Dublin, Ireland and periodically teaches here in the United States at Harvard University. He was the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in Seamus Heaney 1 hospital 2 to ring slowly and solemnly, especially for a funeral 3 a baby carriage 4 historically and culturally in many places throughout the world, it is customary to display a body in the home before burial so that friends and family can say a last good-bye. 5 white flowers that bloom in early spring

6 FAST-R + Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading Name Mid-term Break Poetry Date Teacher/Class Directions: Answer the following multiple-choice questions by filling in the circle for the best answer on your answer sheet. 1. This poem is about A. a young man s plans for his school vacation. B. the busy scene at a hospital emergency room. C. the sudden death of a young man s little brother. D. a family celebration. 2. How old was the boy when he died? A. just a baby B. four years old C. college age D. there is not enough information in the poem to tell 3. Which detail helps readers infer how the boy died? A. it was a hard blow (line 6) B. coughed out angry tearless sighs (line 13) C. stanched and bandaged by the nurses (line 15) D. the bumper knocked him clear (line 21) 4. How did the boy die? A. He was hit by a car. B. He suffocated in a box. C. Big Jim Evans hit him on the head. D. He died in his sleep. 5. The four-foot box mentioned in lines 20 and 22 is actually a A. cot. B. box of the speaker s books from college. C. stretcher from the ambulance. D. coffin.

7 Name Date School Teacher/Class 6. In line 15, the speaker refers to the body as a corpse, but in lines 17-21, the speaker uses pronouns such as him and he. What does this shift suggest about the speaker s state of mind? A. He is fascinated by corpses. B. He was beginning to accept that his brother had died. C. He believes the nurses are responsible for his brother s death. D. He thinks his brother is only sleeping. 7. What does the second stanza imply? A. That the speaker s father is upset to see him B. That it is unusual for the speaker to see his father crying C. That the speaker s father and Big Jim Evans had been fighting D. That funerals are a common part of life 8. Why was the speaker embarrassed by old men standing up to shake [his] hand (lines 8-9)? A. He knew they had seen his father crying. B. He was afraid they thought the baby s laughter was disrespectful. C. He wasn t used to the old men treating him like an adult instead of a child. D. He didn t mean to cause the old men to stand up when it was difficult for them to do so. 9. The author most likely uses alliteration of the s sound in stanzas three and four to create the effect of A. a hissing snake. B. whispers. C. an ambulance siren. D. rhymes. 10. What s the MOST LIKELY reason the author describes the events in the poem using ordinary, matter-of-fact details? A. To demonstrate that the speaker has learned about journalistic writing at college B. To help readers share the speaker s shock at the news of his brother s death C. To imply that the speaker didn t care about his younger brother s death D. To prove to critics that you can write a good poem without using a single metaphor

8 Teachers: Please duplicate and use this answer sheet only for students for whom you did not receive a pre-printed answer sheet! FAST-R Answer Sheet Name School Date Grade Class Passage Title Completely fill the circle for the correct answer. Teacher Name Write your answer to the open response prompt in the lined space below. if your teacher directs you to do so. 1. A B C D 2. A B C D 3. A B C D 4. A B C D 5. A B C D 6. A B C D 7. A B C D 8. A B C D 9. A B C D 10. A B C D OFFICE USE ONLY RESEARCH: Y N OPEN RESPONSE: