Vocab
What is a short story?
can be read in a single sitting. They describe one incident, or a chain of incidents. They leave us with a powerful message or mood.
What happens in Charles?
A boy named Laurie is starting Kindergarten and experiences a rude, disruptive classmate named “Charles.” Charles disrespects the teacher, hits a classmate with the see-saw, and he kicks the teachers friend.
When his parents attend parent-teachers meetings, the teacher states “there is no Charles in our class”
How are the characters in Charles?
Laurie: seems fresh - spills milk, calls father an “old dust mop”
Parents: disconnected from their children
Teacher: seems strict, but a different time period
Describe dystopian.
is a fictional community that is oppressive (government control), dehumanizing, and causes its members to live in misery.
What is the theme in charles?
Identity - perception vs. reality
What is fiction?
literature that is invented or imaginary.
What happens in click clack the rattle bag?
Plot: A boy asks his sisters’ boyfriend to walk him upstairs to bed in a large, old house. Many of the lights in the house do not work. As they walk upstairs, the boy pivots the discussion towards Click-Clack the Rattlebag stories. He introduces that they “drink” humans. The sister’s boyfriend lets his guard down and is lured into the attic where we find out the boy himself is a Click-Clack.
How are the characters in click clack the rattle bag?
The boy: “precocious”, and secretly a Click-Clack
The sister’s boyfriend: inattentive/unaware of surroundings
What do they eat in autumn time at breakfast?
Synthetic milk and toast
What is the theme in autumntime?
take care of nature or it will disappear.
What is a theme?
the central idea, message, or purpose in a short story - the meaning/message.
What happens in Thank you ma'am?
Plot: Mrs. Jones is walking alone at night when Roger attempts to steal her purse. The weight of the purse causes Roger to stumble and fall. Mrs. Jones grabs him by his shirt. Roger admits that he would run if released and that he wants to buy blue suede shoes. Mrs. Jones comments that Roger is unclean and unkept before dragging him into her home. Mrs. Jones asks Roger to clean his face before she feeds him a meal of lima beans, ham, and cocoa. Mrs. Jones confesses that she had a similar childhood. After they eat, Mrs. Jones gives Roger $10 to buy the shoes and wishes that he will behave better in the future. Roger says thank you and never sees her again.
How are the characters in Thank you ma'am?
Roger: timid, misguided, destitute
Mrs. Jones: strong, generous, empathetic
Charles whacks the teachers ____.
Friend
What is the theme in Thank you ma'am?
The power of generosity and kindness
What is the exposition of a story?
The start, or introduction, of a story that introduces the context - plot, characters, theme, and conflict.
What happens in Examination day?
Plot Overview: Dickie wakes up on his twelfth birthday and is informed that he needs to take a government issued test. Both of his parents are nervous and expressing this in their own ways. Dickie is reading his comics and begins asking his dad several questions. As readers, we see that the father is relatively uneducated and find out about the peppermint serum given before the test. Both parents continuously assure Dickie that everything will work out. The family arrives for the Government Education Building appointment 15 minutes early. Dickie is brought into a cold, bland testing room by a man dressed in an insignia-less tunic. Dickie is assigned the classification number 600-115 and is given the serum before being brought into a testing room. Dickie sits in a wooden armchair facing the computing machine and passes the test. His family is informed that his intelligence quotient is too high and are asked what they would like to do with his body. There is a ten dollar fee for a government burial.
How are the characters in Examination day?
Dickie: age 12, curious and does well in school
Father: uneducated, hiding emotions leading up to the test
Mother: emotional and nervous leading up to test
What part of the babysitters body did the kid pull into the attic?
His finger
What is the theme in Examination day?
Fear of government control, dehumanization
What is a climax?
the turning point of the story, the culmination of the conflict that transitions into falling action.
What happens in autumntime?
: The narrator introduces that they saw their first tree at the East Boston Urban Center. In this futuristic society, there are only plastic trees as result of urbanization. The family has a breakfast of toast and synthetic milk before taking a series of public transportation (elevator bus, air track, subway) from Brooklyn to Boston to see the O’Brien House. The O’Brien house is an old, wooden home that has been passed down for generations in a wealthy family - this is how they have avoided government inspection. When the last relative dies, a backyard and Oak tree are discovered - both are illegal. The Dad pays the admission fee and they are unimpressed by the old home. In the backyard, the narrator describes the tree to be similar to the plastic trees, except with much more detail and a unique scent. The narrator is brought to tears. As the family travels home, the narrator reads that the house and tree will be destroyed, and that they took an acorn from the backyard.
How are the characters in autumntime?
Narrator: young and curious
Mother: interested in seeing tree, limited description.
Father: leads family on trip to see tree, limited description.
What does Charles call his dad in the story?
"Old dust mop"
What is the theme in click clack the rattle bag?
Imagination, the power of storytelling, and fear.