Your Anchor BookThere are many good books that would work well to support both the Big Question and the genre focus of this unit. In this unit you will read one of these books as your Anchor Book. Your teacher will introduce the book you will be reading.

Free-Choice ReadingLater in this unit you will be given the opportunity to choose another book to read. This is called your free-choice book.

Unit 1 Genre focus:

Fiction and Nonfi ction

Is truththe same for everyone?

rj09gr8_sg_u01_openers.indd 4 6/12/08 5:37:03 PM

1

rj09gr8_sg_u01_openers.indd 5 6/12/08 5:37:17 PM

Group Activity

from “Amigo Brothers” by Piri Thomas

Antonio helped. “It’s about our fi ght, right?”

“Yeah, right.” Felix’s eyes squinted at the rising orange sun.

I’ve been thinking about it too, panín. In fact, since we found out it was going to be me and you, I’ve been awake at night, pulling punches on you,trying not to hurt you.”

“Same here. It ain’t natural not to think about the fi ght. I mean, we both are cheverote fi ghters and we both want to win. But only one of us canwin. There ain’t no draws in the eliminations.”

Felix tapped Antonio gently on the shoulder. “I don’t mean to sound likeI’m bragging, bro. But I wanna win, fair and square.”

Antonio nodded quietly. Yeah. We both know that in the ring the better man wins. Friend or no friend, brother or no…”

from “The Day It Rained Cockroaches” by Paul Zindel

Tarantulas I like. Scorpions I can live with. But ever since I was three years old and my mother took me to a World’s Fair, I have had nightmares aboutcockroaches. Most people remember an exciting water ride this fair had called Shoot-the-Chutes, but emblazoned on my brain is the display thefair featured of giant, live African cockroaches, which look like Americancockroaches except they’re six inches long, have furry legs, and can pinchfl esh. In my nightmares about them, I’m usually lying on a bed in a dark room and I notice a bevy of giant cockroaches heading for me.

Thinking About What You Already Know

2

rj09gr8_sg_u01_openers.indd 6 6/12/08 5:37:39 PM

from “Always to Remember: The Vision of Maya Ying Lin” by Brent Ashabranner

In the 1960s and 1970s, the United States was involved in a war inVietnam. Because many people opposed the war, Vietnam veterans werenot honored as veterans of other wars had been. Jan Scruggs, a Vietnam veteran, thought that the 58,000 U.S. servicemen and women killed orreported missing in Vietnam should be honored with a memorial. With the help of lawyers Robert Doubek and John Wheeler, Scruggs worked to gainsupport for his idea.

from “Child of the Owl” by Laurence Yep

Phil adjusted his tie uneasily and growled, “What’re you looking at?”

I looked ahead, keeping my eyes on the glove compartment. Barney andme had never talked much about stuff like this. I knew more about racehorses than I knew about myself – I mean myself as a Chinese. I looked at my hands again, thinking they couldn’t be my hands, and then I closed my eyes and felt their outline, noticing the tiny fold of fl esh at thecorners. Maybe it was because I thought of myself as an American and allAmericans were supposed to be white like on TV or in books or in movies, but now I felt like some mad scientist had switched bodies on me like in all those monster movies, so that I had woken up in the wrong one.

3

rj09gr8_sg_u01_openers.indd 7 6/12/08 5:37:44 PM

TruthBrainstorm:

Examples from:Exampla. Science

b. Social Studies

c. Math

d. Art-Music

bef

ore

rea

din

g y

ou

r an

cho

r b

oo

k

4 Lesson 1-1

Understanding the Big Question

The struggle to fi nd the truth exists in all content areas. Nonfi ction

deals only with real people, events, or ideas. Fiction can be based

entirely on the imagination, but it can also be inspired by fact. Have

you ever described a piece of fi ction as being “real” or “believable”?

Although the characters, plot, and setting in a piece of fi ction may all

be imagined, fi ction must refl ect some truth for us to keep reading.

Directions To help you start thinking about this unit’s big question,

let’s consider the idea of “truth.”

With a partner, fi rst brainstorm for a list of words and phrases

you associate with the word “truth.”

Next, identify one truth from the subject areas listed below.

Finally, consider whether the ideas you listed below would be

considered by everyone as truth.

Partner Activity Choose one example you have identifi ed. With a

partner, talk about how this idea infl uences another subject area.

▶

▶

▶

1-1Is truth the same for everyone?

0004_rj09gr8_sg_u01_L01_bq.indd 4 10/10/08 11:19:57 AM

befo

re readin

g yo

ur an

cho

r bo

ok

5Understanding the Big Question

Directions With your partner, read and answer the questions in the

chart that follows. Then, add at least two more questions of your own.

Questions About Truth My Thoughts

Why is truth important to people?

How can the truth for one person be differentfrom the truth for another?

How can stories that are untrue help meunderstand the truth about life?

Question.” These questions appear at the end of certainlessons. As you read, remember that although nonfictionis about real people, events, or ideas, it may not alwaysbe entirely accurate or objective. Also, remember that thereis always some truth in the invented stories and charactersof fiction.

0004_rj09gr8_sg_u01_L01_bq.indd 5 2/19/08 6:45:59 PM

bef

ore

rea

din

g y

ou

r an

cho

r b

oo

k

Lesson 1-16

Introduction to

Fiction and Nonfi ction

Elements of FictionFiction began as oral storytelling. It was how people entertain

another. It was also the way a culture shared its history, belief

values. All works of fi ction share certain basic elements.

Fictional works can include make-believe people or anim

called characters. A character faces a problem, or confli

must be overcome. The made-up series of events that d

how the confl ict progresses is called the plot.

The setting is where and when the story takes place. Dg

of setting—particularly, descriptive words and images

establish the mood. Mood is the overall feeling that a

work conveys to the reader.

A speaker, called the narrator, tells the story. The nar

the story from a certain perspective, or point of view

person point of view is the perspective of a charactw

story. Third-person point of view is the perspectivw

narrator outside the action of the story.

All the elements of fi ction work together to help com

the work’s theme, which is its central message.

Types of Fiction

Short stories are brief works of fi ction. They usually focus on one main plot structured around one main confl ict and can be read in one sitting.

Novels are longer works of fi ction. Inaddition to its main plot, a novel may containsubplots, or related stories.

Novellas are works of fi ction that are shorter than novels but longer than short stories.

Historical fi ction is literature that draws in part on real people and events to tell inventedstories.

▶

▶

▶

▶

Getting Ready for Your Anchor Book

You will start reading your Anchor Book soon. The next few pages in this book give you some background information plus a reading skill.

000 _rj09gr8_sg_u01_L01_gn.indd /19/08 :44: M

befo

re readin

g yo

ur an

cho

r bo

ok

Introduction to Fiction and Nonfi ction 7

Nonfi ctionNonfi ction is writing about real people, places, or events that explains

ideas. Nonfi ction must be true.

Types of Nonfiction

Biographies tell the story of someone’s lifeand are told from the perspective of another writer.

Autobiographies and memoirs tell thestory of the author’s life and refl ect the writer’s thoughts and feelings about events.

Letters are written forms of communication from one person to another. A letter mightshare information, thoughts, or feelings.

Journals and diaries are records of daily events and the writer’s thoughts and feelingsabout them.

Essays and articles are brief written worksabout a specifi c topic. Their purpose might be to explain, persuade, or inform.

Informational texts are the writtendocuments we come across in everyday life. Examples include textbooks, applications,instructions, and articles.

Nonfi ction shares some elements with fi ction, but it also has special

features that set it apart from fi ction.

• Tells about made-up people and events and can retell historicalevents through an imagined perspective.

• Told from the point of view of a fi ctional character, an all-knowing narrator,or limited narrator.

• Have a setting, a timeand place.

• Convey a mood, or overall feeling.

• Feature the writer’s unique style, a characteristic way of usinglanguage and expressing ideas.

• Deals exclusively with real people, events, or ideas. Nothing is made upor invented.

• Almost always told from the point of view of the writer, who is a real person.

Fiction Nonfi ction

Strategies for Reading Fiction and Nonfi ction Use this strategy as

you read fi ction and nonfi ction.

Visualize Picture the characters, setting, or other elements of the text in

your mind. Allowing yourself to “see” what you are reading will help

you to understand it better.

Both

000 _rj09gr8_sg_u01_L01_gn.indd 7 /19/08 :44: 5 M

bef

ore

rea

din

g y

ou

r an

cho

r b

oo

k

8 Lesson 1-2

1-2 Reading SkillsMaking Predictions

Academic Vocabulary

Word Meaning Example Sentence

anticipate v.Related words: anticipating, anticipation

to look forward to, expectI anticipate that Tommy will join ethe team.

modify v. Related words:modifi ed, modifying

to changeBecause of these new details, I have tomodify my original prediction.y

verify v.Related words:verifi ed, verifying

to confi rmI had to bring my license to verify myyidentity.

Making predictions helps you make connections between events and

actions. When you predict, you anticipate future events and possible

outcomes.

How to Make PredictionsPreview the selection by looking at graphic representations and w

text structures such as the title, chapter titles, captions, photos,

organization, and headings to anticipate what the selection will

be about.

Formulate a prediction by using what you know about the topic

of the selection, related personal life experiences, and knowledge

of other similar selections.

Verify your predictions as you read, andy modify them y

when necessary.

▶

▶

▶

0008_rj09gr8_sg_u01_L0 _s .indd 8 /19/08 :4 :0 M

befo

re readin

g yo

ur an

cho

r bo

ok

9Making Predictions

Previewing a TextDirections Preview the excerpt from a social studies textbook below

and observe how a student completed the chart after previewing text

features. Then, make a prediction based on the previewed information.

Throughout this book, you will see student models, like the one below,

that show you what applying a skill looks like.

Student Model

My Prediction:

29.2%

35%

35.7% 39.8%

34.4%

25.7% 42.4%

33.9%

23.8%

45 years and over18-44 years0-17 years

1960 2007 2050

Percent of Total U.S. Populations by Age Group, 1960-2050

A Changing Society

The face of aging in the United States is changing, according to a new U.S.

Census Bureau report. Higher levels of education, which are linked to better

health, higher income, more wealth and a higher standard of living continue

to increase among people 65 and older. Today’s older Americans are living

longer and more active lives. Future generations of the elderly will further

challenge our understanding of what “being old” means.

Tell(s) Me

Title Society is changing

Images Chart shows elderly population is growing

0008_rj09gr8_sg_u01_L0 _s .indd 9 /19/08 :4 :0 M

bef

ore

rea

din

g y

ou

r an

cho

r b

oo

k

10 Lesson 1-2

Directions Now that you have learned how to make predictions,

try it for yourself with the selection on the next page. Preview the

selection and then make predictions in the chart below. If you have

background knowledge related to the topic, use it to help you.

Text Feature to Preview Tell(s) Me

Title

Captions

Images

My Predictions:

Prediction 1

Prediction 2

0008_rj09gr8_sg_u01_L0 _s .indd 10 /19/08 :4 :10 M

The memorial had been authorized by Congress “in honor

and recognition of the men and women of the Armed Forces

of the United States who served in the Vietnam War.” The law,

however, said not a word about what the memorial should be or

what it should look like. That was left up to the Vietnam Veterans

Memorial Fund, but the law did state that the memorial design and

plans would have to be approved by the Secretary of the Interior,

the Commission of Fine Arts, and the National Capital Planning

Commission.

What would the memorial be? What should it look like? Who

would design it? Scruggs, Doubek, and Wheeler didn’t know,

but they were determined that the memorial should help bring

closer together a nation still bitterly divided by the Vietnam War.

It couldn’t be something like the Marine Corps Memorial showing

American troops planting a fl ag on enemy soil at Iwo Jima. It

couldn’t be a giant dove with an olive branch of peace in its beak.

It had to soothe passions, not stir them up. But there was one thing

Jan Scruggs insisted on: The memorial, whatever it turned out to be,

Preview the various text features, such as the title, introduction, and conclusion. Then, read this magazine article. Guiding Question: What is the most important

truth in this article that you would share with someone?

Always to Remember:

The Vision of Maya Ying Lin by Brent Ashabranner

In the 1960s and 1970s, the United States was involved in a war in Vietnam. Because many people opposed the war, Vietnam veterans were not honored as veterans of other wars had been. Jan Scruggs, a Vietnam veteran, thought that the 58,000 U.S. servicemen and women killed or reported missing in Vietnam should be honored with a memorial. With the help of lawyers Robert Doubek and John Wheeler, Scruggs worked to gain support for his idea.

Making Predictions 11

0008_rj09gr8_sg_u01_L0 _s .indd 11 /19/08 :4 :1 M

bef

ore

rea

din

g y

ou

r an

cho

r b

oo

k

� The Vietnam Veterans Memorial

12 Lesson 1-2

0008_rj09gr8_sg_u01_L0 _s .indd 1 /19/08 :4 : 0 M

Jan C. Scruggs, President of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, and Project Director Bob Doubek, display the final design for the memorial with Maya Ying Lin.

Mall. Remarking upon the “simple and forthright”

materials needed to build the winning entry, the

report concludes:

This memorial, with its wall of names,

becomes a place of quiet refl ection, and a tribute

to those who served their nation in diffi cult

times. All who come here can fi nd it a place of

healing. This will be a quiet memorial, one that

achieves an excellent relationship with both the

Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument,

and relates the visitor to them. It is uniquely

horizontal, entering the earth rather than

piercing the sky.

This is very much a memorial of our own

times, one that could not have been achieved

in another time and place. The designer has

created an eloquent place where the simple

meeting of earth, sky and remembered names

contain messages for all who will know this place.

The eight jurors signed their names to the report,

a unanimous decision. When the name of the winner

was revealed, the art and architecture worlds were

stunned. It was not the name of a nationally famous

architect or sculptor, as most people had been sure

it would be. The creator of Entry Number 1,026 was

a twenty-one-year-old student at Yale University.

Her name unknown as yet in any field of art or

most important design competitions ever held?

How could she beat out some of the top names

in American art and architecture? Who was Maya

Ying Lin?

The answer to that question provided some

of the other answers, at least in part. Maya Lin,

reporters soon discovered, was a Chinese-American

girl who had been born and raised in the small

midwestern city of Athens, Ohio. Her father,

Henry Huan Lin, was a ceramicist of considerable

reputation and dean of fi ne arts at Ohio University

in Athens. Her mother, Julia C. Lin, was a poet and

professor of Oriental and English literature. Maya

Lin’s parents were born to culturally prominent

families in China. When the Communists came to

power in China in the 1940’s, Henry and Julia Lin

left the country and in time made their way to the

United States. Maya Lin grew up in an environment

of art and literature. She was interested in sculpture

and made both small and large sculptural fi gures,

one cast in bronze. She learned silversmithing and

made jewelry. She was surrounded by books and

read a great deal, especially fantasies such as The

Hobbit and t Lord of the Rings.1

But she also found time to work at McDonald’s.

“It was about the only way to make money in the

summer,” she said.

the Rings mythical novels by the, J.R.R. Tolkien (1892–1973), chroni-

n various good and evil kingdoms for g that can shift the balance of power

13Making Predictions

0008_rj09gr8_sg_u01_L0 _s .indd 1 /19/08 :4 : 4 M

bef

ore

rea

din

g y

ou

r an

cho

r b

oo

k

14

0008_rj09gr8_sg_u01_L0 _s .indd 14 /19/08 :4 :4 M

befo

re readin

g yo

ur an

cho

r bo

ok

15Making Predictions

Thinking About the Selection

Always to Remember: The Vision of Maya Ying Lin

Verify Look at your predictions. Were you right? Identify thedetails that supported or contradicted your predictions.

Connect Before reading this selection, did you have prior knowledge about the Vietnam War Memorial? How did this knowledge, or lack thereof, affect your predictions?

Predict Based on Maya Ying Lin’s accomplishments, what do you predict will happen to her next? What might she do?

Evaluate What was the author’s purpose in writing thisarticle? How well did the author fulfi ll this purpose?

Conclude Why is reading informational materials important? What can you gain from reading articles such as this one?

Write Answer the following question on a separate piece of paper.

6 Assess What is the most important truth in this article thatyou would share with someone?

1

2

3

4

5

About the AuthorVisit: PHSchool.comWeb Code: exe-8101

0008_rj09gr8_sg_u01_L0 _s .indd 15 9/ 0/08 10:41:4 AM

bef

ore

rea

din

g y

ou

r an

cho

r b

oo

k

Lesson 1-316

1-3 Vocabulary Building StrategiesPrefi xes and Suffi xes

Prefix Root Suffix

A prefi x is one or moresyllables placed before the root to change its meaning.

A root is the basic meaningof a word.

A suffi x is added to the end of a root to change its meaning or part of speech.

Common Prefixes

pre- before,e in advance predict: to tell in advance

re- back, k again renew: make new again

ex- from, out extract: take out

in- in, into indent: bite into

inter- between international: between nations

mis- wrong misunderstand: understand incorrectly

Common Suffixes

-yzeThe suffi xes -yze and -ize change words to verbs.

When you make an analysis, you analyze something.e

-ize When you make your decision fi nal, you fi nalize it.e

-tionThe suffi xes -tion and –sionchange verbs to nouns.

When you educate people, they receive aneducation.

-sion When you persuade someone, you use persuasion.

001 _rj09gr8_sg_u01_L0 _ .indd1 1 /19/08 :41:57 M

befo

re readin

g yo

ur an

cho

r bo

ok

17Prefi xes and Suffi xes

Directions Figure out the meaning of each word below. Identify the prefi x or suffi x, then write your guess on the fi rst line. Check your answers by looking up each word in either a bound or online dictionary, and write the defi nition on the second line.

misinterpret

My guess:

Dictionary meaning:

inflame

My guess:

Dictionary meaning:

location

My guess:

Dictionary meaning:

What to Do When You Encounter Unknown WordsDon’t be held prisoner by words whose meaning you don’t know. Remember that you have many tools, or strategies, to help you.

Skip it! The word’s meaning may be explained later.

Still struggling with the word? Try one of these steps.

Use what you know about letters, sounds, and phonics to sound the word out to see if it is a word you know.

Read the paragraph the word appears in aloud. See if you can use cueing systems, like context clues, to help you decode the word’s meaning.

Think about what you are reading. How might this word connect to the topic?

Use the sentence structure to decide what part of speech the word may be.

Associate the parts of the word (prefi xes, root words, suffi xes) with words you know.

Is not knowing the word’s meaning preventing you from under-standing the main idea of the reading?

Look it up! Use a dictionary, thesaurus, glossary, or online resource to help you identify the word’s meaning and pronunciation.

You may wish to keep a list of new words you have learned and identify connections among them (such as synonym, antonyms, or words used to describe the same concept).

11

22

33

001 _rj09gr8_sg_u01_L0 _ .indd17 17 4/18/08 : 0:5 M