Short Story ("Ball Hawk")
From what point of view is "Ball Hawk" told?
First-person point of view
*Make sure you know first person point of view, third person (limited), and third person (omniscient)
What can you infer about how Josh feels about JB’s growing interest in girls?
He is worried JB is becoming less focused on basketball.
What is a central idea of the section "Making Sports Work For Us"?
Sports and play can become meaningful parts of life and even careers.
Games can ___ (affect / effect) our lives by helping us build skills, learn teamwork, and handle challenges.
How can you figure out the meaning of an unfamiliar word using context clues?
You can figure out the meaning of an unfamiliar word using context clues by looking at the words and sentences around it to find hints, such as definitions, examples, synonyms, or details that explain what the word means.
What can you infer about how Mitchell is feeling in the beginning of the story?
Mitchell is feeling frustrated and discouraged about his baseball performance, especially because he keeps striking out and thinks he is letting others down.
What is the effect of Kwame Alexander's use of personification in lines 8-15 in "The Crossover"?
The personification in lines like “the fiberglass trembles” shows how powerful Josh’s dunk is. It makes the moment feel more exciting by suggesting even the basketball hoop reacts to the play.
What sentence from "Different Sports for Different Folks" (paragraph 4) provides the central idea?
“Both team and individual sports have advantages and disadvantages, but most people find that from an early age, they are drawn toward one or the other.”
Is this sentence correct? If it is incorrect, how can you fix it?
In many video games, players improve their skills by practice over time.
In many video games, players improve their skills by practicing over time.
Read the lines from "The Crossover":
“My stomach is a roller coaster. My head, a carousel.”
What does this comparison reveal about Josh?
He feels nervous and anxious during the game.
Read the sentence from “Ball Hawk” (paragraph 78)
“The pitcher reared back and let it fly. It was a curveball. I saw that clearly as it came toward me.”
What does this description reveal about the narrator?
It shows that the narrator is very focused and observant during the game, noticing small details about the pitch as it comes toward him.
Find a line from "The Crossover" that best shows that competition between Josh and JB is both exciting and tense.
Possible Responses:
What does the chronological organization of paragraph 2 help the author emphasize?
How sports have developed and evolved over time from survival activities to the organized modern sports we play today.
In many video games, ______ (its/it's) important for players to practice regularly to improve their skills.
In many video games, it's important for players to practice regularly to improve their skills.
How can you tell the difference between third-person limited point of view and third-person omniscient point of view when reading a text?
How does paragraph 27 help develop the character of Uncle Tommy?
It emphasizes his compassionate nature. (Uncle Tommy took care of sick and injured birds)
A narrative poem tells a story like a story, and provides characters, a plot, and conflict, but it is written in poetic lines and uses poetic devices like rhythm and figurative language.
How does the author use a descriptive text structure in "Making Sports Work For Us"?
The author uses a descriptive structure by giving different kinds of information about sports and play—such as examples, an expert quote, and general facts—all to explain the idea that sports and play are meaningful in people’s lives.
The word soar comes from the Greek root aura, which means “breeze.” Why does the word soaring fit as a way to describe an eagle’s flight? (from "Ball Hawk")
The word soaring fits because eagles glide on air currents, like a breeze.
How can you identify cause-and-effect structure in a text, and what words or clues help you recognize it?
You can identify cause-and-effect structure by looking for what happens (the effect) and why it happens (the cause). Signal words like because, so, therefore, as a result, and since often help show the relationship between causes and effects.
Provide one example of an internal conflict and one example of an external conflict from "Ball Hawk".
Possible Responses:
Internal: Self-doubt about his abilities, pressure and anxiety during games, identity and motivation struggle
External: Man vs. Team/Other Players, Man vs. Situation (the game itself), Pressure from expectations (from his mom, Uncle Tommy, teammates, etc.)
What is a theme (life lesson or message) in "The Crossover"?
Possible responses:
Sibling rivalry can be strong, even between people who care deeply about each other.
Identity is shaped by what you love and how you express yourself.
Competition can bring both excitement and tension in relationships.
What is the central idea of paragraph 7 "Forgetting the Fun"?
Sports are not always fun or positive because competition, pressure, and unfair treatment can take away enjoyment and affect people emotionally.
Is this sentence correct? If not, how can you fix it?
Players gain experience by compete against stronger opponent regularly.
Players gain experience by competing against stronger opponents regularly.
What does it mean to make an inference or "infer"?
To make an inference means to figure out something that is not directly stated in the text by using clues from the text and what you already know.