Grade 8: Language Arts
Mr. Henchey
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Tuesday, 6/12/2014

Language Arts Homework

     Using your notes from class today, write one paragraph (6-8 sentences) about each of the cartoons we viewed (a 'Bugs Bunny' cartoon based on Jekyll & Hyde and a Disney 'Silly Symphony' based on Romeo & Juliet).

     In each paragraph, analyze the extent to which that cartoon stays faithful to (is the same as) or departs from (is different than) the original novel or play.

     As you evaluate the choices made by the screenwriters and directors, consider the following questions:

     * Were there any changes to the PLOT 

     * Were there any changes to the DIALOG?

     * Were there any changes to CHARACTERS or CHARACTERIZATION

     * Were there any changes to the SETTING?








Tuesday, 5/27/2014

Language Arts Homework

Use highlighters to identify text evidence in Chapters 1 and 2 which includes any of the following FOUR themes:

Your work on Each Chapter receives a seperate QUIZ Grade


Theme #1: Medical & Scientific Ethics - Dr. Jekyll’s effort to divide his body, mind and soul into two beings can be regarded as ‘trying to play God’ (just as some regard current efforts at cloning as ‘trying to play God.’)

Text Evidence to highlight: (a) Jekyll’s internal conflicts about his experiments (his Chap. 10 ‘Confession,’ for example) (b) Jekyll’s contentious relationship with Dr. Lanyon (who takes a traditional view of a doctor’s duties and limitations).


Theme #2: Social Issues - In writing about the West Side and the East End, the author alludes to the shocking inequity between the living conditions of the rich and the poor in Victorian London.

Text Evidence to highlight: (a) References to East End or Soho (where Hyde had a house). (b) References to young Henry Jekyll in the East End.


Theme #3: Religion - Jekyll tried to resolve the tension between the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ aspects of his personality by using his ‘formula’ to divide them. His experiments and their consequences frequently are framed in religious imagery.

Text Evidence to highlight: (a) Biblical allusions (Judgment Day, Cain and Abel, etc.) (b) Less specific references to ‘good and bad’ in all of us.


Theme #4: Evolution - The author suggests ‘modern’ man has not repressed all of his primitive instincts.

Text Evidence to highlight:  Animal imagery, which indirectly (and sometimes directly) references Darwin’s book ‘Origin of the Species,’ which was newly-published at that time and controversial.


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Tuesday, 5/20/2014

Language Arts Homework

ALL PERIODS:  Prepare for Thursday's Jekyll & Hyde Final TEST by completing and reviewing the Study Guide you worked on in class today.





Monday, 5/19/2014

Language Arts Homework

PERIODS 5-7:  Review Chapter 5 of Jekyll & Hyde for Tuesday's quiz.

PERIODS 8-10:  Review Chapter 6 of Jekyll & Hyde for Tuesday's quiz.

PERIODS 13-15 and 16-18:  Review Chapter 7 of Jekyll & Hyde for Tuesday's quiz.



Jekyll and Hyde: Chapter 7 - 'Incident at the Window'

                It chanced on Sunday, when Mr. Utterson was on his usual walk with Mr. Enfield, that their way lay once again through the by-street, and that when they came in front of the door, both stopped to gaze on it.

                "Well," said Enfield,"that story's at an end at least. We shall never see more of Mr.Hyde."

                "I hope not," said Utterson. "Did I  tell you I once saw him, and shared your feeling of repulsion?"

                "It was impossible to do the one without the other," returned Enfield. "And by the way, what a fool you must have thought me, not to know that this was a back way to Dr.Jekyll's.”

                "So you found that out, did you?" said Utterson. "If that is so, we may step into the court and take a look. To tell the truth, I am worried about Jekyll; I feel that the presence of a friend might do him good."

                The court was very cool and full of premature twilight, although the sky overhead was still bright. The middle one of the three windows was half-way open; and sitting close to it with an infinite sadness, like some disconsolate prisoner, was Dr. Jekyll.

                "Hello! Jekyll!" he cried. "I hope you are feeling better."

                "I am very low Utterson," replied the doctor gloomily, "It will not last long, thank God."

                "You stay too much indoors," said the lawyer. "You should be out exercising like Mr.Enfield and me. Come now; get your hat and take a quick walk with us."

                "You are very kind," the other said. "I should like to very much; but no, it is quite impossible; I dare not. But still, Utterson, I am very glad to see you. I would ask you and Mr. Enfield up to my office, but the place is really a mess."

                "Why, then," said the lawyer, "the best thing we can do is to stay down here and speak with you."

                "That is just what I was going to suggest," returned the doctor. But the words were hardly uttered before the smile was struck from his face and replaced by an expression of  terror that froze the blood of the two men looking on.

                They saw it for just a moment before the window was thrust down, but that glimpse had been enough, and they turned and left the courtyard without a word. In silence, too, they walked up the side street, and it was not until they had come into a neighboring thoroughfare that Utterson at last turned to Enfield. Both men’s faces were pale and there was a corresponding horror in their eyes.

                "Good God," said Utterson, "I can hardly believe my eyes."

                Mr. Enfield only nodded his grimly and walked on in silence.


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Jekyll and Hyde: Chapter 6  - 'Remarkable Incident of Dr. Lanyon'

                Thousands of pounds were offered as a reward for the capture of the murderer of Sir Danvers Carew, but Mr. Hyde had vanished from view as though he had never existed. The police uncovered much of his past and it was all disreputable: tales came out of Hyde’s cruelty, of his vile habits, of his strange acquaintances, and of the hatred all good people felt toward him. Of his whereabouts, however, detectives could learn nothing.

                From the moment he left his Soho residence on the morning of the murder, he simply vanished. As time went on, Utterson began to recover from his initial fears and to grow more at ease. They way Utterson saw things, Sir Danvers’ death was more than paid for by the disappearance of Hyde.

                Now that that Hyde’s evil influence was gone, a new life began for Dr. Jekyll. He came out of seclusion, and renewed relations with his friends, and while he had always been known for charities, he was now no less distinguished for religion. He was busy, he was seen much in public, his face seemed to brighten, as if with an inner consciousness of service to others; and for more than two months the doctor was at peace.

                On January 8th, Utterson dined at the doctor's house with a small party of friends; Lanyon had also been there, and Jekyll had looked from one to the other as in the old days when the trio of friends was inseparable. On the 12th, and again on the 14th, Jekyll’s door was shut against the lawyer (the doctor was “confined to the house,” Poole said, and “could see no one.”) On the 16th Utterson tried again, and was again refused.

                Having been accustomed to see Jekyll almost daily, during the preceding two months, he found this return of solitude upsetting. The following night he had in Guest to dine with him; and the sixth he ventured out to visit Dr. Lanyon.

                There he was not denied admittance; but when he entered he was shocked at the drastic change in the doctor's appearance. Lanyon had his death-warrant written upon his face. The rosy-cheeked man had grown pale; he had lost much weight; he was visibly balder and older; and yet it was not so much these signs of rapid physical decay which drew Utterson’s attention, as the look in Lanyon’s eye that hinted at some profound terror.

                At first, Utterson attributed this to Lanyon’s fear of death: “He is a doctor,” he thought. “He must realize his days are numbered, and the knowledge is more than he can bear.” And indeed, when Utterson remarked on sickly appearance, it was with certainty that Lanyon declared himself a doomed man.

                “I have suffered a shock from which I shall not recover,” Lanyon said. “It is only a matter of weeks before I am gone.”

                “Jekyll is ill, too,” observed Utterson. “Have you seen him?”

                At this, Lanyon's face darkened and he held up a trembling hand. “I want to see or hear no more of Dr. Jekyll,” he said loudly. “I am done with the man and I ask that you spare me any allusion to one whom I regard as dead.”

               “Tut, tut,” said Utterson and then, after a considerable pause, “Can't I do anything? We are three old friends, Lanyon; we shall not live to make others.”

                `There is nothing that can be done,” said Lanyon, “ask Jekyll.”

                “He will not see me,” said the lawyer.

                “I am not surprised,” was the reply. “Someday, Utterson, after I die, you may learn the truth about all this. At this time, I can tell you little, and in the meantime, if you will sit and talk with me of other things for God's sake, stay and do so; but if you cannot keep clear of the accursed name of Jekyll, then, in God's name, go, for cannot bear it.”

                As soon as he got home, Utterson sat down and wrote to Jekyll, complaining of his exclusion from the doctor’s house and asking the cause of the break with Lanyon. The next day’s mail brought him a long answer, pathetically worded and mysterious in meaning.

                The quarrel with Lanyon, wrote Jekyll, was incurable. “I do not blame our old friend,” Jekyll wrote, “but I share his view that we must never again meet. Henceforth, I intend to lead a life of seclusion – do not be surprised, nor doubt my friendship, if my door is often shut even to you. You must allow me to follow my own dark path.

                “I have brought on myself a punishment which I cannot describe to you. I will only say that if I am the chief of sinners, I am the chief of sufferers also. You can do but one thing, Utterson, to lighten this destiny of mine, and that is to respect my silence.”

                Upon reading this, Utterson was amazed. Just a  week ago, the evil influence of Hyde had disappeared and Jekyll had returned to his old habits and his old friends. The future had seemed to hold every promise of a cheerful and long life for the doctor. Now, in a moment, friendship, peace of mind, and the whole tenor of his life were wrecked. So sudden and inexplicable a change suggested some mental illness; but considering Lanyon's words, Utterson concluded that some more sinister force was responsible.

                A week later Lanyon took to his bed, and in less than a fortnight he was dead. The night after Lanyon’s funeral, Utterson went to his home office, and sitting by the light of a candle, took from his safe an envelope addressed by the hand and closed with the seal of Dr. Lanyon: “PRIVATE: for the hands of J. G. Utterson ALONE, and in case of his predecease to be destroyed unread,” read the doctor’s inscription, and Utterson dreaded to look at the contents.

                And then he brushed aside his fears and broke the seal. Inside there was another enclosure, similarly sealed, and written upon its cover were the words “Not to be opened till the death or disappearance of Dr. Henry Jekyll.” Utterson could not believe his eyes. Yes, here again – as in the mad will that he had long ago returned to its author – was the word “disappearance.” And here again, as in the will, was the idea of a “disappearance” tied to the name of Henry Jekyll.

                But in Jekyll’s will, the idea to include the word “disappearance” had sprung from the sinister mind of Hyde; it appeared there with a purpose all too plain and horrible. What could it mean when written by Lanyon? Curiosity gripped Utterson and he was tempted to disregard the prohibition, tear open the enclosure, and dive at once to the bottom of this mystery. But in the end, professional ethics and deep respect for his dead friend’s wishes won out, and the packet remained unopened in his safe.

                It is one thing to delay curiosity and another to conquer it entirely. From that day forth, Utterson no longer desired the company of Jekyll with the same eagerness. He thought kindly of him, but his thoughts were disturbed and fearful. Indeed, he even went to visit Jekyll, but he was almost relieved when he was denied admittance. In his heart of hearts, he preferred speaking with Poole upon the doorstep, surrounded by the air and sounds of the open city, rather than being admitted into that house of voluntary bondage to sit and speak with its inscrutable recluse.

                Poole had no very pleasant news to communicate. The doctor, it appeared, more than ever confined himself to the office above his laboratory, where he would sometimes even sleep. He was depressed, he had grown silent, he did not read; it seemed as if he had something on his mind. Utterson became so accustomed to the unvarying character of Poole’s reports that – little by little – the frequency of his visits decreased.


________



Jekyll and Hyde: Chapter 5   'Incident of the Letter'

                It was late in the afternoon when Utterson arrived at Jekyll's door, where he was admitted by Poole and escorted through the kitchen and across the garden to the building variously known as ‘the laboratory,’ ‘the operating theater,’ or ‘the dissecting room.’ Jekyll had bought the property from the heirs of a famous surgeon; and his interest lay in chemical experimentation rather than in training medical students to become surgeons, much of that building was now unused.

                It was the first time the lawyer had been inside that building, and he eyed the dingy, windowless structure with curiosity, gazing as he crossed the operating theatre, once crowded with eager students and now lying empty and silent. Here, too, were tables laden with chemical apparatus while the floor was littered with crates and packing straw.

                At the far end of the building, a flight of stairs led to a door upholstered with red fabric and through this Utterson entered Jekyll’s office. It was a large room, with many glass-fronted cabinets holding chemicals and furnished with a large desk and a free-standing full-length mirror. Looking down upon the courtyard were three dusty windows barred with iron.

                A fire burned in the hearth and a lamp lighted on the mantelpiece, for even indoors the thick fog had begun to gather. There, sitting close to the fire, sat Jekyll, looking deadly sick. He did not rise to meet his visitor, but held out a cold hand and welcomed the lawyer in a changed voice.

                “Have you heard the news?” asked Utterson, as soon as Poole had left the men alone.

                The doctor shuddered. “Yes, I heard the newsboys shouting it in the square,” he replied.

                “We must talk frankly,” said the lawyer. “Carew was my client, but so are you. I want you to tell me everything about this business so that I know how to proceed. You have not been mad enough harbor this fugitive, have you?”

                “Utterson,” the doctor cried, “I swear I will never set eyes on him again. I am done with him. And, in fact, he did not ask for my help. All I can tell you is that he is safe and, mark my words, he will never more be heard of.”

                The lawyer listened gloomily, and then said: “You seem pretty sure about that and for your sake, I hope you are right. If it comes to a trial, you might be involved.”

                “I am positive,”' Jekyll replied, “though I cannot share the reason I am so sure with anyone, even with you. However, there is one thing on which I want your advice. I received a letter early this morning, and I don’t know if I should show it to the police or not. I want to leave that decision to you.”

                “Are you afraid this letter might lead the police to Mr. Hyde?” asked the lawyer.

                “No,” said the other. “I do not care what becomes of Hyde; I am quite done with him. I was thinking of my own reputation, which might be damaged by my association with Hyde and this horrible murder.”

                Utterson ruminated awhile. “Well,” said he, at last, “let me see this letter.”

                The letter was written in a strange, upright style and signed ‘Edward Hyde.’ In it, Hyde promised that his benefactor, Dr. Jekyll, whom he had long unworthily repaid for a thousand generosities, need not worry about Hyde’s safety, because he had a sure method of escape. The lawyer liked this letter, and he silently blamed himself for some of his past suspicions.

                “Have you the envelope?” he asked.

                “I burned it,” replied Jekyll, “before I realized what I was doing. But it had no postmark; it was delivered by a messenger.”

                “Shall I keep this and sleep upon it?'” Utterson asked.

                “Yes, I want you to handle it,” was the reply. “I have lost faith in my own judgment.”

                “Well, then, I shall,” returned the lawyer. “But before I go, just one more question: Was it was Hyde who dictated the part of your will that left everything to him if you disappeared for three months?”

                The doctor didn’t answer; he shut his mouth tight and nodded.

                “I knew it,” said Utterson.”He planned to murder you. You had a close call.”

                On his way out, the lawyer stopped and had a word with the butler. ”Poole,” he asked, “was a letter delivered to Dr. Jekyll by messenger early this morning? And what did the messenger look like?”' But Poole was positive nothing had come except by the mailman, “and no letters, only advertisements,” he added.

                This sent Utterson off with his fears renewed. Clearly, the letter had either come via the laboratory door; possibly, indeed, it had been written in the office; and, if that were so, this letter must be judged differently and handled more cautiously. It was, it was a tricky situation and, although he tended to be self-reliant, he began to feel a need for advice. It was not to be had directly; but perhaps, he thought, it might be fished for.

                Soon after, he sat on one side of his own fireplace with Mr. Guest, his head law clerk, upon the other, and midway between, at a nicely calculated distance from the fire, a bottle of a fine old wine that had long dwelt in the cellar of his house.

                Guest had often been to Jekyll’s house on business; he knew Poole; he could hardly have failed to hear of Mr. Hyde's comings and goings about the house; he might have drawn some of his conclusions about the mysterious man. Why should he not see a letter that could clear up much of the mystery surrounding Hyde? Above all, Guest was an avid handwriting analyst; he could hardly read such a document without offering his opinion about it; and by that opinion, Utterson might decide his course of action.

                “This is a sad business about Sir Danvers,' Utterson began.

                “Yes, sir, replied Mr. Guest. “It has elicited a great deal of public sympathy,” “The killer, of course, was mad.”

                “I would like your expert opinion about that,” said Utterson. “I happen to have a letter written by Hyde. Of course, this must be kept between you and me, for I scarce know what to do about it; it is an ugly business at the best. But here it is,” he said, placing the letter in front of the clerk, “something right up your alley: a murderer's handwriting’.”

                Guest's eyes lit up, and he sat down at once and studied it with passion. “No, sir,” he said, “not insane; but it is an odd style of handwriting.”

At that moment, a messenger entered with a note inviting Utterson to dine with Dr. Jekyll that night, written in the doctor’s own hand.

                “Is that from Dr. Jekyll, sir?” inquired the clerk, “and is it anything private,” Mr. Utterson?”

                “It is only an invitation to dinner. Why? Do you want to see it?”

                “Just for a moment, thank you, sir,” said Mr. Guest, and he laid the two sheets of paper side by side and compared the writing. “Thank you, sir,” he said at last, returning both; “it's a very interesting handwriting style.”

                There was a pause, during which Utterson struggled with himself. “Why did you compare them, Guest?” he asked suddenly.

                “Well, sir,” replied the clerk, “there's a rather singular resemblance between them; the two samples are in many points identical; only differently sloped.”

                “Quite a coincidence,” said Utterson.

                “It is, as you say, quite a coincidence,” returned Guest.

                “You must not speak about this note, you know,” said the master.

                “No, sir,” said the clerk. “I understand.”

                No sooner was Utterson alone that night than he locked the note in his safe, where it reposed from that time forward. “It is incredible!” he thought, “that Henry Jekyll would forge a letter to cover the tracks of a murderer!” And his blood ran cold in his veins.


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Jekyll and Hyde: Chapter 4 -  The Carew Murder Case’

            Nearly a year later, in October, 18_ _ , London was startled by a crime of extreme violence, made all the more newsworthy by the notoriety of the victim. A maid living alone the servant’s quarters of the house where she was employed witnessed the crime. The maid's window overlooked a street which was brilliantly lit by the full moon. As she gazed out the window that night, she saw an elderly, white-haired gentleman walking along the street; and advancing to meet him, another, very small gentleman, to whom at first she paid less attention. When they had come within speaking distance (at a spot just under the maid's window) the older man bowed and politely asked the other a question. It did not seem as if his question was of great importance; indeed, from his pointing, it appeared he was asking for directions.

           Then, her eyes wandered to the other man, and she was surprised to recognize Mr. Hyde, who had once visited her employer and whom she had instantly disliked. Hyde was carrying a heavy cane, with which he was trifling; and listened to the other man with ill-contained impatience. Then all of a sudden he went in a fit of rage, stamping with his foot, brandishing the cane, and carrying on (as the maid described it) like a madman. The old gentleman took a step back, very surprised, and at that Hyde broke out of all bounds, and clubbed the man to the earth. The next moment, with ape-like fury, he was trampling his victim under foot, and hailing down a storm of blows with his cane, under which his victim’s bones were audibly shattered. At the horror of these sights and sounds, the maid fainted.

          It was 2:00 AM when she came to and called for the police. The murderer was long gone; but his victim lay in the middle of the street, incredibly mangled. The cane with which the murder had been committed, although made of very heavy wood, had broken in two under the stress of Hyde’s attack; and one half of it had rolled into the gutter – the other, no doubt, had been carried away by the murderer. A wallet and a gold watch were found on the victim; but, no cards or papers, only a stamped envelope which he had been carrying to the post office, and which bore the name and address of Mr. Utterson.

             Eager to gather evidence, the police brought this letter to Utterson early that very morning. As soon as they told him details of the murder, however, he declined to offer any information, saying only “I shall say nothing till I have seen the body. This may be very serious.” He hurried through his breakfast and drove to the police station, where the victim’s body had been taken. As soon as he came into the cell, he nodded.

            `Yes,' said he, `I recognize him. This is Sir Danvers Carew.'

            `Good God, sir!' exclaimed the officer, `is it possible?' And the next moment his eye lit up with professional ambition. “This will get a lot of attention in the newspapers,' he added. `And perhaps you can help me find the man.' Briefly, he told Utterson what the maid had seen, and showed him the broken cane.

            Mr. Utterson had become worried at the mere mention of Hyde’s name; but when the cane was set before him, he could doubt no longer – broken and battered as it was, he recognized it as one that he himself had given to Henry Jekyll as a gift many years before.

            `Is this Mr. Hyde a small person?' Utterson inquired.

            `Particularly small and wicked-looking, is how the maid described him,' said the officer.

            Utterson paused; and then, raising his head, said: `If you will come with me in my carriage,' he said, `I think I can take you to his house.’

            It was now about nine in the morning, and a dense fog had lowered over London. But the wind was continually blowing the fog in different directions, so that as the cab crawled from street to street, Utterson saw a marvelous number of twilight hues. First, it would be dark like the late night; then there would be a rich, glowing brown, like the light of some strange fire. Then, for a moment, the fog would break up entirely, and a shaft of sunlight would glance in amidst the swirling mists.

            The dismal quarter of Soho, seen under these changing conditions, with its muddy sidewalks, slovenly pedestrians, and its gas street lamps – which had been re-lit to combat the fog – appeared to Utterson like some city in a nightmare. His mood was similarly dark; and when he glanced at the detective next to him, he felt that fear of the police which may, at times, assail the most honest.

            As the cab drew up before the address indicated, the fog lifted a little and showed him a dingy street, a gin palace, a shop selling two-penny salads, countless ragged children huddled in doorways, and women of many different nationalities passing out, to have a morning glass. The next moment, the fog settled down again, as brown as umber, and cut him off from his sinister surroundings. This was the haunt of Henry Jekyll's protégé –the man who was heir to millions.

           A silvery-haired old woman opened the door. She had an evil face, but her manners were excellent. Yes, she said, this was Mr. Hyde's, but he was not at home; he had been in that night very late, but had gone away again in less than an hour. There was nothing strange in that, she hastened to add, his habits were very irregular; for instance, until he appeared unexpectedly last night, it was nearly two months since she had seen him.

         `We wish to search his rooms,' said the lawyer, and when the woman began to declare that was impossible he added, `I had better tell you who this person is. This is Inspector Newcomen of Scotland Yard.'

          A flash of odious joy appeared upon the woman's face. `Ah!' said she, `he is in trouble! What has he done?'

           Utterson and the inspector exchanged glances. `He don't seem a very popular character,' observed the latter. `And now, miss, let me and Mr. Utterson look around.’

          In the entire house, of which the old woman was the sole occupant, Hyde used only a couple of rooms; but these were furnished with luxury and good taste. At the moment, however, these rooms bore every sign of having been recently ransacked: clothes lay all over the floor with their pockets turned inside out; drawers had been thrown open, and on the fireplace lay a pile of grey ashes, as though many papers had been burned. From these embers the inspector pulled what remained of a leather-bound check book. The other half of the walking stick used to murder Danvers Carew was found behind a door; and as this clinched his suspicions, the officer declared the case virtually closed. A visit to the bank, where several thousand pounds were found in Mr. Hyde’s, completed his gratification.

        `You can count on it, sir,' he told Mr Utterson. `Hyde is as good as locked up. He must have lost his head, or he never would have left the stick at his house or, above all, burned his check book. Why, no one can live without money! All we have to do now is put up ‘wanted posters’ and leave an officer at the bank to wait for him.’

        But capturing the killer was not as easy as the inspector imagined, for Hyde had few acquaintances - even the maid had only seen him twice. What is more, no relatives of Hyde’s could be located; he had never been photographed; and the few who could describe him differed widely, as ‘eyewitnesses’ tend to do. Only on one point did they agree, and that was the haunting sense of unexpressed deformity with which the fugitive impressed anyone who saw him.


________



Jekyll and Hyde: Chapter 3 – 'Dr. Jekyll Was Quite At Ease'

                A fortnight later, Dr. Jekyll had a dinner party for some five or six old friends; and Mr. Utterson stayed behind after the others had departed. As Jekyll – a handsome, prosperous man of 50 – sat across from Utterson in front of a roaring fire it was clear that the two were the best of friends.

                “I have been meaning to speak to you,” Utterson began, “about that will of yours.”

                A close observer might have noticed that the topic was distasteful to Jekyll; but the doctor did his best to appear calm. “My dear Utterson,” said he, “you are unfortunate in having me for a client and friend. I never saw a man so upset as you are by that will; unless it was that strict academic, Lanyon, at what he called my scientific heresies.” Oh, I know he’s a good fellow – you needn’t frown – an excellent fellow, and I always mean to see more of him; but didactic nonetheless; an ignorant pedant. I was never more disappointed in any man than Lanyon.”

                “You know I never approved of it,” continued Utterson, disregarding Jekyll’s attempt to change to subject.

                “You mean my will? Yes, I know that,” said the doctor, a bit sharply. “You have told me so.”

                “Well, I tell you again,” said the lawyer. “I have been learning something of Mr. Hyde.”

                At this, Jekyll’s face grew pale. “I do not want to hear any more,” said he. “I thought we agreed to drop this is matter.”

                “What I heard was abominable,” said Utterson.

                “It makes no difference. You do not understand my situation,” said the doctor, with a certain incoherency of manner. “I am in a difficult position, Utterson, a very difficult position. It is one of those matters that cannot be mended merely by talking it over.”

                “Jekyll,” said Utterson, “you know you can trust me. Make a clean breast of this to me in confidence; and I have no doubt I can get you out of this situation.”

                “My dear Utterson,” said the doctor, “I believe you; I would trust you before any other man alive, even before myself; but it isn’t what you imagine – no, it is not so bad as blackmail; and just to put your mind at rest, I will tell you something: the moment I choose, I can be rid of Mr. Hyde. I give you my word on that. And I will just add one thing, that I’m sure you’ll take in the spirit it is given: this is a private matter, and I beg of you not to get involved.”

                Utterson reflected a little, looking in the fire.

                “I have no doubt you are right,” he said at last, getting to his feet.

                “However, since we have touched upon this matter,” Jekyll added, “there is one point I would like you to understand. I really have a very great interest in poor Hyde. I know you have seen him; he told me so; and I fear he was rude. But I do sincerely take a great interest in that young man, and if I should die, Utterson, I want you to promise me that you will make sure he inherits my estate. I know you would, if you knew the whole story; and it will be a weight off my mind if you will promise.”

                “I can’t pretend that I shall ever like Mr. Hyde,” said the lawyer.

                “I don’t ask that,” pleaded Jekyll, “I only ask that you help him when I am no longer here.”

                Utterson heaved an irrepressible sigh. `Well,” said he, “I promise.”


________



Jekyll and Hyde: Chapter 2 - 'Search for Mr. Hyde'

                That evening, Mr. Utterson came home to his bachelor house in a serious mood and sat down to dinner. It was his custom on Sundays, when he had finished his meal, to sit by the fire and read until the clock of the nearby church rang out midnight, when he would go to bed.

                On this night, however, he took a candle and went into his home office. There he opened his safe, took from it a document indentified on the envelope as “Dr. Jekyll's Will,” and sat down to study its contents. The will had been composed by Dr. Jekyll himself because Mr. Utterson – although he took charge of the document once it had been written – had refused to help Jekyll write it. The will specified not only that, after the death of Henry Jekyll, M.D., all his possessions would be inherited by his “friend and benefactor Edward Hyde,” but also that in the case of Dr. Jekyll's “disappearance or unexplained absence for more than three months” Hyde would likewise inherit Jekyll's entire estate.

                This document had long been an eyesore to Utterson. It offended him both as a lawyer and as a lover of the sane side of life. Until now, it was the fact that he knew so little about Hyde thathad bothered Utterson. Now, suddenly, it was his knowledge of Hyde that enraged him and out of the shifting, insubstantial mists which had so long baffled him, there leaped the vision of a Fiend.

                “I thought this will was just foolishness on Jekyll’s part,” he said as he replaced the will in the safe; “now I fear he is being blackmailed.”

                With that he blew out his candle, put on a coat, and set out toward Cavendish Square, where his friend Dr. Lanyon had his home and office. “If anyone knows about Henry’s past it will be Lanyon,” he had thought.

               Dr. Lanyon’s butler welcomed him; and he was ushered directly from the door to the dining room where Dr Lanyon sat alone over his wine. This was a hearty, healthy, dapper, red-faced gentleman, with a shock of prematurely white hair, and a boisterous manner. At the sight of Utterson, he sprang from his chair and greeted him with both hands. These two had been good friends from grade school through college, and they thoroughly enjoyed each other's company.

                After a little rambling talk, the lawyer led up to the subject which so preoccupied him.”I suppose, Lanyon,” he said, “you and I must be the two oldest friends that Henry Jekyll has?”

                “I suppose we are,” said Lanyon, “but I see very little of him these days.”

                “Indeed,” said Utterson. “I thought you two had common interests in medicine?”

                “We had,” answered Lanyon. “But it is more than 10 years since Henry Jekyll became too experimental for my tastes. He began to go wrong, wrong in his approach to scientific research; and though I continue to take an interest in him for old times’ sake, I have seen devilish little of the man. The sort of unscientific nonsense Jekyll became obsessed with,” added Lanyon, suddenly becoming angry, “would have estranged Damon and Pythias.”

               Lanyon’s display of emotion was actually a relief to Utterson “They have only differed on some point of science,” he thought to himself, “it is nothing worse than that!” He gave his friend a few seconds to recover his composure, and then approached the question he had come to ask.

                “Did you ever come across a protégé of his – a Mr. Hyde?” he asked.

                “Hyde?" repeated Lanyon. “No, never heard of him.”

                That was all the information that Utterson brought back to the great, dark bed on which he tossed to and fro until the small hours of the morning began to grow light. It was a night of little ease to his toiling mind.

                Six o'clock struck on the bells of the nearby church, and he was still digging at the problem. Hitherto it had touched him on the intellectual side alone; but now his imagination also was engaged, or rather enslaved; and as he tossed and turned, Mr. Enfield's tale played over and over in his mind. He would imagine the great field of lamps of a nocturnal city; then see the figure of a man walking swiftly; then of a child running to the doctor's; and then these met, and that human Juggernaut trampled the child down and passed on regardless of her screams.

                 Or else he would see a room in a rich house, where his friend lay asleep, dreaming and smiling at his dreams; and then the door of that room would be opened, the curtains of the four-poster bed pulled apart, the sleeper awakened, and there would stand by his side a figure to whom power was given, and even at that dead hour he must rise and do its bidding.

                 The little man in these two nightmares haunted the lawyer all night; and if at any time he dozed over, it was but to see it glide more stealthily through sleeping houses, or move the more swiftly through the labyrinth of a lamp-lit city, and at every street corner crush a child and leave her screaming. And still the figure had no face by which he might know it, or one that melted before his eyes; and thus there grew in the lawyer's mind a strong desire to see the face of the real Mr. Hyde.

                 If he could but once set eyes on him, he thought the mystery would roll altogether away, as was the habit of mysterious things when well examined. He might see a reason for his friend's strange friendship, and even for the startling clauses of Jekyll’s will. And at least it would be a face worth seeing: the face which had inspired an enduring hatred in the mind of Enfield and so many others.

                And so, from that time forward, Utterson began to haunt ‘The Door’ in the by-street of shops. In the morning before office hours, at noon during lunch hour, and even at night under the fogged city moon, at all hours of days and night, the lawyer could be found at his chosen post.

                “If he be Mr. Hyde,” Utterson thought to himself, “I shall be Mr. Seek.”

                And at last his patience was rewarded. It was a fine night; frost in the air; the lamps, unshaken by any wind, drawing regular patterns of light and shadow. By 10 o'clock, when the shops were closed, the side street was deserted and, in spite of the low growl of London from all around, quite silent. Small sounds carried far; domestic sounds out of the houses were clearly audible on either side of the street; and the sound of any approaching pedestrian preceded him by a long time.

                Mr. Utterson had been at his post for some time when he became aware of a unique, light footstep coming nearer. In the course of his nightly patrols he had grown accustomed to the effect with which the footsteps of an approaching person, while still a great distance away, suddenly would be heard distinctly over the hum of the vast city. Yet his attention had never before been so sharply arrested; and it was with a strong, superstitious prevision of success that he withdrew into the shadows of the courtyard.

                The steps swiftly drew nearer, suddenly becoming louder as they turned the corner at end of the street. The lawyer, looking forth from the entry, soon could see the man he had to deal with. He was small, and very plainly dressed; and the look of him, even at that distance, somehow gave Utterson an uneasy feeling. The man headed straight for the door, crossing the street to save time; and as he came, he drew a key from his pocket, like one approaching home.

               Silently, Utterson stepped out of the shadows and tapped him on the shoulder as he passed. “Mr. Hyde, I presume?”

                Hyde shrank back with a hissing intake of breath. But his fear was momentary; and though he did not look the lawyer in the face, he answered coolly enough: “That is my name. What do you want?”

                “I see you are going in,” replied the lawyer. “I am Mr. Utterson, an old friend of Dr. Jekyll’s. You must have heard my name; and meeting you so conveniently, I thought you might let me in so we could talk.”

                “You will not find Dr. Jekyll at home; he is away,” replied Mr. Hyde, slipping in the key. And then suddenly, but still without looking up, he inquired “How did you know who I was?”

                “For your part,” Utterson responded, “will you do me a favor?”

                “With pleasure,” replied the man. “What is it?”

                “Will you let me see your face?” asked Utterson.

                Hyde hesitated. Then, after a brief reflection, he turned toward Utterson with an air of defiance and the two stared at each other fixedly for a few seconds. “Now I shall know you if we meet again,” said Utterson. “It may be useful.”

               “Yes,” said Hyde, “it is good, and you should have my address,” he added, giving Utterson a street number in Soho.

                “Good God!” thought Utterson, “can he be thinking of the will?” But he  only grunted in acknowledgement of the address.

                “And now,” said the other, “How did you know who I was?”

                “By description,” was Utterson’s reply.

                “Whose description, may I ask?”

                “We have mutual friends,”said Utterson.

                “Mutual friends!” echoed Hyde. “Who are they?”

                “Jekyll, for instance,” said the lawyer.

                “He never told you about me,” sneered Mr. Hyde,with a flush of anger. “I wouldn’t have thought you would lie to me.”

                “Come,” said Utterson, “that is not fitting language.”

                The other broke into a savage laugh; and the next moment, unlocked the door and disappeared into the building.

                The lawyer stood awhile after Hyde had left him. Then he began slowly to walk up the street, pausing every step or two and putting his hand to his brow like a man in mental perplexity. The problem he was debating as he walked was the following: Mr. Hyde was pale and dwarfish; he gave an impression of deformity without any namable malformation, he had a displeasing smile, he had borne himself to the lawyer with a sort of murderous mixture of timidity and boldness, and he spoke with a husky, whispering voice. All these were points against him; but not all of these together could explain the disgust, loathing and fear with which Utterson regarded him.

                “There must be something else,” thought Utterson, perplexed. “There is something more, if I could find a name for it. The man seems hardly human, almost troglodytic! Or is it merely the radiance of a foul soul that carries through, and transfigures, the body that contains it? It is the latter, I think, for if I ever read Satan's signature on a face, it is on that of Mr. Hyde!”

                Not far from the side street where the two had just spoken, was a square of ancient, handsome houses. At the second house from the corner, which bore an air of great wealth, Mr. Utterson stopped and knocked. Presently, a well-dressed, elderly butler opened the door.

                “Is Dr. Jekyll at home, Poole?” inquired the lawyer.

                “I will see, Mr. Utterson,” replied Poole, admitting the visitor into a large, comfortable hallway, paved with flagstones, warmed by a bright fireplace and furnished with costly oak cabinets. “Will you wait here by the fire, sir?” asked Poole.

                “Thank you,” said the lawyer; and he drew near the fireplace, for tonight there was a chill in his blood; the face of Hyde sat heavy on his memory; he felt (what was rare in him) a nausea and distaste of life; and in the gloom of his spirits, he seemed to read a menace in the flickering of the firelight on the polished. He was ashamed of his relief when Poole presently returned to announce that Dr Jekyll was away from home.

                “I just ran into Mr. Hyde entering the property by the door of the old laboratory, Poole,” Utterson said. “Is that appropriate, when Dr Jekyll is not at home?

                “Quite appropriate, Mr. Utterson, sir,” replied the servant. “Mr. Hyde has a key.”

                “Your master seems to put a great deal of trust in that man, Poole,” replied Utterson.

                “Yes, sir, he do indeed,” said Poole. “We have all orders to obey him.”

                “I do not think I ever met Mr. Hyde?” asked Utterson.

                “Oh no, sir, he never dines here,” said the butler. “Indeed, we see very little of him on this side of the house; he mostly comes and goes by the laboratory.”

                “Well, good-night, Poole.”

                “Good night, Mr. Utterson.”

                And the lawyer set out homeward with a heavy heart. “Poor Henry Jekyll,” he thought, “My mind tells me he is in deep waters! He was wild when he was young; along while ago, to be sure; but in the law of God there is no statute of limitations. Yes, it must be that; the ghost of some old sin, the cancer of some concealed disgrace; punishment coming years after memory has forgotten.” And the lawyer, frightened by the thought, brooded awhile on his own past, lest by chance some Jack-in-the-Box of an old sin should leap to light. His past was fairly blameless; yet even he was humbled by the many bad things he had done, and grateful for the many he had come so close to doing, yet avoided.

                And then, returning to his former subject, he conceived a spark of hope. “This Mr. Hyde, if he were investigated,” he mused, “must have secrets of his own: black secrets, by the looks of him; secrets compared to which poor Jekyll's worst would be like sunshine.”    

                “Things cannot continue as they are. It turns me quite cold to think of this creature blackmailing Henry. And the danger! If Hyde suspects the existence of the will, he may grow impatient to inherit Henry’s millions. Yes, I must get to work – if Jekyll will only let me,” he added, “if he will only let me.” But once again he saw in his mind's eye the strange clauses of Jekyll’s will.


________


Jekyll and Hyde: Chapter 1 - 'Story of the Door'

                Mr. Utterson the lawyer was a man of a serious expression that was never lighted by a smile; embarrassed in conversation; hesitant to display emotions; dreary and yet somehow lovable. At dinner with friends, and when the wine was to his taste, something eminently human shone from his eye; something indeed which never found its way into his talk, but which spoke loudly in the actions of his life. He was austere with himself; drank gin when he was alone rather than vintage wines; and though he enjoyed the theatre, had not gone to one for twenty years.

                Still, he had a tolerance for others; sometimes wondering, almost with envy, at their misdeeds. And no matter how bad their behavior, he was always inclined to help rather than to reprove. “I incline to Cain's heresy,” he used to say: “I let my brother go to the devil in his own way.” As a result, it was frequently his role to be the last reputable acquaintance and the last good influence in the lives of down-going men. And to them he never marked a shade of change in his demeanor.

                His friends were those whom he had known the longest or those of his own family. The latter, no doubt, was the bond that united him to Mr. Richard Enfield, his distant kinsman, the well-known man about town. It was a mystery to many people what these two could see in each other, or what subject they could find in common. It was reported by those who encountered them in their Sunday walks, that they said nothing, looked very bored, and would greet with obvious relief the appearance of a mutual friend. For all that, the two men put the greatest value on these walks, and not only postponed occasions of pleasure, but even resisted profitable business appointments, so they might enjoy them uninterrupted.

                It happened on one of these rambles that their wanderings led them down a by-street in a busy quarter of London. The street was quiet on that Sunday, but it was clearly a thriving commercial area on week-days. All the stores were apparently doing well, so that even on a Sunday the street shone out in contrast to the dreary surrounding neighborhood like a fire in a forest; and with its freshly painted shutters, well-polished brasses, and general cleanliness, instantly caught and pleased the eye of the pedestrian.

                Two doors from one corner, on the left hand going east, the line of shops was broken by the entry of a court; and just at that point, a certain sinister block of building thrust forward. It was two stories high; had no window, nothing but a door on the lower story and a blind forehead of discolored wall on the upper; and bore in every feature the marks of prolonged negligence. The door, which was equipped with neither bell nor knocker, was stained. Tramps slouched into the recess and struck matches on the panels; children kept shop upon the steps; and for nearly a generation no one had tried to drive away these random visitors or to repair their ravages.

                Enfield and the lawyer were on the other side of the street; but when they came abreast of the entry, the former lifted his cane and pointed.

                “Did you ever notice that door?” he asked; and when his companion replied in the affirmative, “It is connected in my mind,” he added, “with a very odd story.”

                “Indeed,” said Mr. Utterson, with a slight change of voice, “and what was that?”

                “Well,” replied Mr. Enfield, “I was coming home about three o'clock on a dark winter morning, and my route lay through a part of town where there was literally nothing to be seen but street lamps. Street after street, and all the folks asleep - street after street, all lighted up till at last I got into that state of mind when a man listens and listens and begins to long for the sight of a policeman.

                “All at once, I saw two people: a little man who was walking along eastward at a good pace, and the other a girl of perhaps eight or ten running as hard as she could down a cross-street. Well, sir, the two ran into one another predictably enough at the corner; and then came the horrible part of the thing; for the man trampled calmly over the child's body and left her screaming on the ground. It doesn’t sound very bad as I am telling it to you, but it was hellish to see. It wasn't like a man; it was like some damned juggernaut.

                 I gave a shout, ran after him, collared the man, and brought him back to where there was already quite a group about the screaming child. He was perfectly cool and made no resistance, but gave me one look, so threatening that I broke out in a sweat. The people who had come around were the little girl's own family; and pretty soon a doctor, for whom she had been sent, arrived. Well, the child was not much the worse, more frightened, according to the doctor; and you might have supposed that would have been the end of it. But there was one curious circumstance.

                I had taken a loathing to the little gentleman at first sight, and so had the child's family. But the doctor's attitude was what impressed me. He was like the rest of us: every time he looked at that man, I saw that doctor turned sick and white with the desire to kill him. I knew what was in his mind, just as he knew what was in mine; and murder being out of the question, we did the next best thing. We told the man we could and would make such a scandal out of this, as should make his name stink from one end of London to the other. If he had any friends or any credit, we swore that he would lose them. And there was the man in the middle, with a kind of sneering coolness – frightened too I could see that – but carrying it off, really, like Satan. ``If you choose to profit from this accident,'' said he, ``I am helpless. Any gentleman wishes to avoid a scene,'' says he. ``Name your figure.''

                Well, we got him up to a hundred pounds for the child's family, and at last he agreed. The next thing was to get the money; and where do you think he carried us but to that place with the door? He whipped out a key, went in, and soon came back with the ten pounds in gold and a check for the balance on Coutts's Bank, made out as ‘Payable to Bearer,’ and signed with a name that I can't mention, though it's one of the points of my story, but it was a name very well known and one that often appears in newspapers. I pointed out to the man that the whole business looked suspicious; and that a man does not, in real life, walk into a cellar door at four in the morning and come out with another man's check for nearly a hundred pounds.

                But he was quite casual and sneered: ``Put your mind at ease. I will stay with you till the banks open and cash the check myself.'' So we all set off, the doctor, the child's father, ‘our friend’ and myself, and passed the rest of the night in my house. The next day, went as a group to the bank. I handed the teller the check myself, and told him I believed it was a forgery, but the check was genuine.”

                “Tut-tut!” said Mr Utterson.

                “I see you feel as I do,” said Mr. Enfield. “Yes, it's a disturbing story. For this little man was a fellow that nobody would want to have anything to do with, a really damnable man; and the person whose name was on the check is highly respected. It is a case of blackmail, I suppose; an honest man paying for some of the misadventures of his youth. In consequence ‘Blackmail House’ is what I call that place with the door,” and having said that, fell into a thoughtful silence.

                He was suprised by Mr. Utterson asking rather suddenly: “And you don't know if the strange little man actually lives there, do you?”

                “It seems a likely place for him to live, doesn’t it?” returned Mr. Enfield. “But I noticed his address; he lives in another part of London.”

                “And you never asked about ….the place with the door?” said Mr Utterson.

                `No, sir,' was the reply. `I feel very strongly about asking questions; it seems too much in the style of the Day of Judgment. When you ask one question, it's like starting a stone downhill. You sit quietly on the top of a hill; and away the stone goes, startling others; and eventually some bland old fellow (the last you would have thought of) is knocked on the head in his own back garden, and the family have to change their name. “

                “A very good rule,” said the lawyer.

                “But I have investigated the place by myself,” continued Mr. Enfield. “It scarcely seems to be a home. There is no other door, and nobody goes in or out of that one, except – once in a great while – the strange little man from my story. There are three windows looking on the court on the first floor; none below; the windows are always shut, but they're clean. And then there is a chimney, which is generally smoking; so somebody must live there. And yet it's not so sure; for the buildings are so packed together about that court, that it's hard to say where one ends and another begins.”

                The pair walked on again for a while in silence; and then – “Enfield,” said Mr. Utterson, “that's a good rule of yours.”

                “Yes, I think it is,” returned Enfield.

                “Nevertheless,” continued the lawyer, “there's one thing I want to ask: what is the name of that little man who trampled over the child.”

                “Well,” said Mr. Enfield, “I can't see what harm it would do. His name is Hyde.”

                “Hmm,” said Mr. Utterson. “What does he look like – how could I recognize him?”

                “He is not easy to describe. There is something unsettling about his looks; something displeasing, something downright detestable. I never saw a man I so disliked, and yet I can’t say why. He must be deformed somehow; he gives a strong feeling of deformity, although I couldn't specify in what way. He's an extraordinary-looking man, and yet I really can name nothing unusual about him. No, sir; I can make no sense of it; I can't describe him. And it's not lack of memory; for I swear I can see him this very moment.'

                Mr. Utterson walked some way in silence, and obviously in deep thought. “You are sure he used a key?” he inquired at last.

                “My dear sir...“began Enfield, surprised by the question.

                “Yes, I know,” said Mr. Utterson, “I know it must seem a strange question, but the fact is, if I do not ask you the name of the other person involved, it is because I know it already. You see, Richard, I know much more about the story than you might imagine. If you have been inexact in any point, please correct it.”

                “You might have warned me,” said the other, with a touch of sullenness. “But I have been exact. The fellow had a key; and, what's more, he has it still. I saw him use it, not a week ago.”

                Mr. Utterson sighed deeply, but didn’t say a word; and the young man presently resumed. “I should have followed my own advice and said nothing,” said he. “I am ashamed of my long tongue. Let us make a bargain never to refer to this again.”

                “With all my heart,” said the lawyer, “I shake hands on that, Richard.”





Thursday, 5/15/2014

Language Arts Homework

ALL PERIODS: Tomorrow you are completing Summaries of Chapters 1-8 in class -- these will receive a test grade.

For homework tonight, review the modernized versions of Chap. 1-8 (see below

This will help insure that you earn the highest grade you possibly can on your Chap. 1-8 Summaries. 


Wednesday, 5/14/2014

Language Arts Homework

PERIODS 5-7 only:  Review Chapter 4 of Jekyll & Hyde (scroll down) to prepare for Thursday's quiz.

PERIODS 8-10 only:  Review Chapter 5 of Jekyll & Hyde (scroll down) to prepare for Thursday's quiz.

PERIODS 13-15 and 16-18:  Review Chapter 6 of Jekyll & Hyde (below) to prepare for Thursday's quiz.

Friday, 5/9/2014

Language Arts Homework

No homework this weekend for all L.A. Periods (5-7, 8-10, 13-15, 16-18)


Thursday, 5/8/2014

Language Arts Homework

PERIODS 13-15 and 16-18 only: Review Chapter 3 of Jekyll & Hyde (below) to prepare for Friday's quiz.

PERIODS 5-7 and 8-10 only: Review Chapter 2 of Jekyll & Hyde (below) to prepare for Friday's quiz.




Monday, 4/28/2014

Last-Minute ASK Prep:


Section 1: Explanatory/Informative Prompt Writing (30 min.)


Getting Started

          You will be asked to explain a quote in your own words and to write about how that quote relates to your life as well as to a favorite book, TV show, movie, historical character, sports legend, etc.

NOTE: The quote is almost certain to be about “perseverance” (that is: “never giving up,” “quitters never win,” etc.) Because you know this beforehand, focus your efforts on memorizing facts about two items (books, scientists, political figures, etc.) that will be your “go to” topics for two of the paragraphs in this essay.

            Your “go-to” topics could include Michael Jordan, Martin Luther King, Jr., Thomas Edison, J.K. Rowling, Marie Curie, the hero of a fictional sports movie such as Remember The Titans, rapper Eminem or a hundred other people – just be sure you know your subjects well (consider memorizing a quote from each of them.)


Writing the Essay

SAMPLE PROMPT: Confucius once said, “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” In other words, once you set a goal for yourself you should never give up because quitters never win.

Write an essay about how about the value of perseverance in life.

______________

Paragraph 1Restate the quotation and then explain it in your own words

Paragraph 2Explain how the quote relates the 1st of your “go-to” topic choices. Include as many biographical details and information as you can about this person’s personal struggle and perseverance to overcome the odds and eventually succeed.

Paragraph 3Explain how the quote relates the 2nd of your “go-to” topic choices. Include as many biographical details and information as you can about this person’s personal struggle and perseverance to overcome the odds and eventually succeed.

Paragraph 4 (optional) – Explain how the quote relates to a struggle that you or a family member or friend has experienced. Again, include as many details as possible.

Paragraph 5Wrap up your essay with a simple paragraph such as: “These examples clearly illustrate what Confucius was referring to when he said [here, you restate the quotation]. The sentiment is as true today as it was when he said it, and the examples of [mention Para 1 topic here] and [mention Para 2 topic here] and [mention Para 3 topic here] are evidence of that.”


Section 1: Reading Comprehension (30 min. x 4 tasks)

Reading Comprehension consists of:

(2) 30-minute Reading Comprehension Tasks on Monday

(2) 30-minute Reading Comprehension Tasks on Tuesday

Combined, these four (4) 30-min.tasks account for 70% of your ASK score.

Make the most of your time – use the techniques we practiced in class:

(1) First, read the Open-Ended Response (OER) questions at the end.

(2) Then read the passage, underlining sections of the text that answer the OER questions.

(3) Next, answer the 10 Multiple-Choice questions.

(4) Finally, answer the Open-Ended Response questions, remembering to:

  • Use what you underlined in the text (you can 'quote' it and paraphrase it).
  • Answer each ‘bullet point’ with a separate paragraph (two paragraphs, if you can). 


_____________


Section 3: Persuasive/Argument Essay (45 min.)


Getting Started

FIRST– Read the Prompt and determine T.A.P. (Topic, Audience & Position– 5 min.

(Sample PromptCurrently,many high school and college students earn credits for taking online courses. Now, a group of parents in your town has proposed that elementary and middle school students (particularly disabled and chronically ill students) should likewise be able to take online courses rather than attending school. However, your Board of Education and many professional educators do not support this proposal, arguing that the quality of online education is not as high as that offered in schools.

(Sample WritingTaskWrite a letter to the Department of Education stating your position on this issue. Be sure to include reasons, facts, examples, and/or other evidence to support your position.

Based on the prompt above…

Your Topic would be: “Should chronically-ill and disabled students in elementary and middle school be allowed to take online courses instead of attending school?”

Your Audience would be: the Department of Education and you are writing a letter to them.

Your Position: you would decide on after creating a ‘T’-Chart.


NEXT – Create a ‘T-Chart’ of ‘Pros’ and ‘Cons’ and decide your Position: – 10 min. (max.)

(Do you Agree OR Disagree with offering Online learning for disabled and chronically ill.?)

_____________ 

Writing the Essay (Template)

Write Paragraph 1, including the following:

(a) Start with a Salutation: “Dear Board of Education,”

(b) Add your HOOK “_________________.” (Choose from the list [+] following this template).

(c) Include Background Info: (you can get this from the prompt)“I know that educators and the Department oppose on-line education for these students for a variety of reasons, including….”

(d) Finally, state your position: “However, this letter will make clear that – in my view.... ________________”


Write Paragraph 2, which must support your Position“For example, _________________________”

Write Paragraph 3, which must support your Position“In addition, ___________________________”

NOTE: In Paragraph 4state the Opposing Position and rebut it: “I know others don't agree with me  ______”

Write Paragraph 5, stating your Final Thoughts on the issue (restating your Position): “While some feel that __”

OR “I feel that … OR “I recommend…” OR “I believe… _______________________________”


+ You can write a strong Hook for Paragraph 1 of your letter by choosing from the following styles:

  • State a fact (“Studies prove that on-line education works.”)

    Exclamatory (“I can’t believe you even considered on-line education for these children!”)

    Make a List (Higher grades, lower costs and fewer problems – that is on-line- education.”)

    Picture this (Picture this: A disabled student works comfortably at home with expert on-line help.)

    Pose a Question to the reader: (“How would you feel if you were a chronically ill student….”)





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