This formative is designed to deepen students' understanding of literary devices, vocabulary, and the craft and structure of poetry and speeches. Through strategic questioning, it encourages critical thinking and analytical skills essential for language arts mastery.
from The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry (1905, public domain, adapted)
There was nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl. So Della did it. … Della finished her cry and attended to her cheeks with the powder rag. She stood by the window and looked out dully at a gray cat walking a gray fence in a gray backyard. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and she had only $1.87 with which to buy Jim a present. She had been saving every penny she could for months, with this result. Twenty dollars a week doesn’t go far. Expenses had been greater than she had calculated. They always are. Only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim. Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him. Something fine and rare and sterling—something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim.
“Hope is the Thing with Feathers” by Emily Dickinson
(1891, public domain)
“Hope” is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –
5 And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –
And sore must be the storm –
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm –
I’ve heard it in the chillest land –
10 And on the strangest Sea –
Yet – never – in Extremity,
It asked a crumb – of me.
from The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
(1916, public domain)
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
5 To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
10 Had worn them really about the same,
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
15 And that has made all the difference.
The word solemn comes from the Latin root solus (alone). Based on this root, solemn most nearly means—
The word sacrifice has the Latin root sacri- meaning holy. What does this root suggest about the meaning of sacrifice in O. Henry’s story?
Which definition best fits the word score as it appears in Lincoln’s phrase “Four score and seven years ago”?
Read the sentence: The speaker delivered his words with great fervor, moving the crowd.
Based on context, fervor most nearly means—
The word benevolent contains the Latin root bene- meaning good or well. What does benevolent most nearly mean?
The word magnify shares the root magn- meaning great or large. In O. Henry’s story, if something is “magnified,” it is—
Which of the following sentences is in the active voice? (Choose all that apply.)
Which of the following sentences is in the passive voice? (Choose all that apply.)
Which sentence uses a verb in the interrogative mood?
Which sentence uses a verb in the imperative mood?
Revise the following sentence from active to passive voice:
The students completed the project on time.
Revise the following sentence from passive to active voice:
The award was presented to Rosa by the principal.
Which sentence contains an improper mood shift?
Rewrite this sentence to correct the verb mood error:
If she was more careful, she wouldn’t lose her keys so often.
A student is writing a narrative about a family tradition. Read the draft and the notes. Then complete the task.
Draft
Every summer, my grandmother makes peach pies. She always says they taste better when the fruit is ripe and fresh. Last July, she let me help. I thought it would be boring, but it turned out to be fun.
Notes
Grandmother tells story of learning pie recipe from her grandmother.
Family gathers every summer to eat pie together.
Speaker learns tradition is about family connection, not just food.
Task
Continue the narrative by adding one more paragraph. Use dialogue, description, and transition words to show how the tradition has meaning beyond food.
Task
Continue the narrative by adding one more paragraph. Use dialogue, description, and transition words to show how the tradition has meaning beyond food.
“Hope is the Thing with Feathers” by Emily Dickinson
(1891, public domain)
“Hope” is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –
5 And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –
And sore must be the storm –
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm –
I’ve heard it in the chillest land –
10 And on the strangest Sea –
Yet – never – in Extremity,
It asked a crumb – of me.
from The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
(1916, public domain)
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
5 To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
10 Had worn them really about the same,
…
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
15 And that has made all the difference.
Which feature does Dickinson’s poem share with all lyric poetry?
The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, then Part B
Part A: What type of poem is Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”?
Part B Which features best support your answer?
Which literary device is most clearly used to convey meaning in Dickinson’s poem?
What is one similarity between the two poems?
In Frost’s poem, the two roads most clearly symbolize—
In Frost’s poem, what does the speaker’s “sigh” in line 11 most likely suggest?
Which statement best compares the themes of the two poems?
The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln (1863, public domain)
(excerpt)
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. …
It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. … that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
he following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, then Part B.
Part A Which best describes the tone of Lincoln’s speech?
Part B Which excerpt best supports your answer?
In the phrase “that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure,” what does Lincoln imply about democracy?
The word “dedicated” is repeated several times in the speech. What effect does this repetition have?
What does Lincoln mean by the phrase “a new nation, conceived in Liberty”?
How does Lincoln connect the soldiers’ sacrifice to his audience’s responsibility?
Which rhetorical device does Lincoln use most clearly in the final line (“government of the people, by the people, for the people”)?
In which sentence does the underlined word have the same connotation as “proposition” in Lincoln’s speech?
Which point of view is the story written in?
How would the story be different if told in first person from Della’s perspective?
Which sentence best states a central theme of this story?
In Dickinson’s poem, the word abash most nearly means—
In Frost’s poem, the word diverged most nearly means—