A Burned Manuscript and Thin Ice (Novel Excerpt)

Read the setup note and glossary together before students start an older excerpt. Ask for a quote in every written answer, as the sheets do, and compare answers on the irony questions in pairs.

Chart the plot of the thin ice scene from Little Women and explain what Jo decides next. The directions on the page read: Read the note and the excerpt on pages 1 and 2. Then complete the chart and the questions on page 3. An answer key is included.

Yes, both. We made it for 8th grade paragraphs & passages, and it works the same at home or at school. At home, a student can work through it alone and then go over it with you, which shows quickly what is solid and what needs another look. In class it works as independent practice, homework or a warm-up, and you can print one copy or a full set.

Excerpts come from Dracula, White Fang, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Treasure Island, Little Women, The Wind in the Willows and A Little Princess. Two more come from The Star by H. G. Wells and The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame.

Harker and the Count's Mirror and The Rope Bridge at Dusk both let readers know more than a character. Students explain what the reader knows and how that gap builds suspense.

Yes. The Flattered Prince Retold for Today sets a summary of the tale of Prince Hyacinth beside a modern story about a student council speech. Students compare the two heroes, quoting both texts.