short story of the month reading literature

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"The Smallest Dragonboy" by Anne McCaffreyShort Story of the Month Reading Literature

Activity 4

Apply: Plot Pyramid

When a puppy wanders onto her property, Doris wants to keep it. She quickly grows attached to the dog, but her parents will not let her keep it. After her father sees the conditions and reality of the pound, he changes his mind about letting Doris keep the dog.

Doris’s mother and father will not consider letting her keep the stray dog. Her parents feel that they cannot afford to adopt a pet.

Doris

“Stray” Cynthia Rylant

Story:Author:

Diagramming a Story



Skill: Recall Details

Comprehension QuizChoose the best answer.

Activity 5

1. How are dragonriders matched with hatchlings?

a. The Weyrleader makes the matches.b. The dragonriders choose, in order from

oldest to youngest.c. They are matched randomly.d. The hatchlings choose their riders.

2. What was Keevan able to do better than the other boys?

a. runb. liftc. wrestled. none of these

3. What quality in a rider Impressed a dragon?a. sizeb. strengthc. determinationd. no one knew exactly

4. The most desirable dragon among the hatchlings were the _________ dragons.

a. greenb. bronzec. goldend. blue

5. Why was Keevan almost ineligible for this hatching?

a. he was only old enough by one dayb. he’d barely passed the strength testc. both of thesed. neither of these

6. Why was Keevan worried after listening to the dragonriders talking at dinner?

a. He was worried that no dragon would ever choose him.

b. He was worried that he would not be allowed to participate in the Impression.

c. He was worried that he would never be as accepted as his father.

d. He was worried that he would be passed up in his first Impression.

7. Who broke Keevan’s skull and leg?a. K’lastb. L’velc. Beterlid. Mende

8. How did Keevan know that the Impression was starting?

a. No boys had come to visit him.b. He heard a humming sound.c. The only white robe in the chamber was

his own.d. all of these

9. Why did the bronze hatchling try to leave the Hatching Ground without making an Impression?

a. It was hungry.b. It was looking for Keevan.c. Beterli was not at the hatching.d. none of these

10. How do the dragons communicate with their riders?

a. using telepathic communicationb. through osmosis, only when the rider sits

atop the dragonc. through a complicated system of noises

with various pitchesd. all of these



Activity 9

Analyze Text Evidence – Beterli the Bully

Skill: Analyze Text Evidence

In ”The Smallest Dragonboy,” the reader can easily infer that Beterli is a bully. Read each piece of text evidence below and decide if it supports this inference about Beterli. If the excerpt includes evidence that Beterli is a bully, circle YES. If it does not, circle NO.

1. YES NOJust as he knew many other things that his foster mother told him he ought not to know, Keevan knew that Beterli, the most senior of the boys, set that spanking pace just to embarrass him.

2. YES NO“Maybe if you run fast enough,” Beterli had jeered on the occasion when Keevan had been goaded to boast of his swiftness, “you could catch a dragon. That’s the only way you’ll make a dragonrider!”

3. YES NOYes, being the smallest candidate was not an enviable position. It was therefore imperative that Keevan Impress a dragon in his first hatching.

4. YES NOEveryone leaned forward and nodded thoughtfully. That particular egg was the one Beterli had marked as his own, and no other candidate dared, on pain of being beaten by Beterli at his first opportunity, to approach it.

5. YES NOKeevan was positive that the wingsecond’s eyes rested on Beterli, who’d been stood off at so many Impressions already. Keevan tried to squinch down so the wingsecond wouldn’t notice him.

6. YES NO“I don’t know why you’re allowed in this Impression, Keevan. There are enough of us without a babe,” Beterli said, shaking his head.

7. YES NO”You’d better make sure a dragon sees you this time, Beterli,” Keevan replied. “You’re almost overage, aren’t you?”

8. YES NOThe argument ranged from one table to the other all through dinner, with some favoring a weeding out of the candidates to the most likely, lopping off those who were very young or who had had multiple opportunities to Impress.

9. YES NO“Heard the news, babe?” Beterli asked. He was grinning from ear to ear, and he put an unnecessary emphasis on the final insulting word.



Activity 9

Analyze Text Evidence – Beterli the Bully

Skill: Analyze Text Evidence

10. YES NO“I’ve no time for guessing games,” Keevan managed to say with indifference. He began to shovel black rock into the barrow as fast as he could. “I said guess.” Beterli grabbed the shovel.

11. YES NOWith a sudden, unexpected movement, Beterli rammed the handle into Keevan’s chest, knocking him over the barrow handles. Keevan felt a sharp, painful jab behind his left ear, an unbearable pain in his left shin, and then a painless nothingness.

12. YES NO“I merely want to know what happened from you, too. Mende said she sent you for black rock. Beterli – and every Weyrling in the cavern – seems to have been on the same errand. What happened?”

13. YES NOBitter, bitter disappointment turned the warm broth sour in his belly. Even the small voice telling him that he’d have other opportunities failed to alleviate his crushing depression.

14. YES NOSuddenly he wished that he hadn’t left his bed, that he’d stayed away from the Hatching Ground. Now everyone would see his ignominious failure.


"The Smallest Dragonboy" by Anne McCaffreyShort Story of the Month Vocabulary

Focus: Constructed Response, Words in Context

Activity 10

Read each excerpt and answer the questions that follow. Use a dictionary if needed.

1. What is the meaning of sloth as used above?

a. evil, shrewdnessb. spirited, attentivec. reluctance, laziness

Dragonriders, even if they were still only hopeful candidates for the glowing eggs which were hardening on the hot sands of the Hatching Ground cavern, were expected to be punctual and prepared. Sloth was not tolerated by the Weyrleader of Benden Weyr. A good record was especially important now.

2. Which words from the passage give clues about the meaning of sloth by showing a contrast?

a. punctual, preparedb. good, especiallyc. hopeful, glowing

3. Using the word sloth, construct a scenario, using at least three sentences, that involves homework and shows the meaning of this word.

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4. What is the meaning of imminent as used above?

a. happening soon, impendingb. convenient, simplec. delayed, avoidable

“Impression time is imminent, candidates,” the wingsecond was saying as everyone crowded respectfully close to him. “See the extent of the striations on this promising egg.” The stretch marks were larger than yesterday.

5. Which words below are antonyms for imminent?

a. happening soon, impendingb. convenient, simplec. delayed, avoidable

6. According to your local weatherman, a hurricane is imminent. Should you be concerned? Explain why or why not.

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"The Smallest Dragonboy" by Anne McCaffreyShort Story of the Month Vocabulary

Focus: Constructed Response, Words in Context

Activity 10

7. The word incredulous contains the root word cred, which means believe, and the prefix in-, which means not. What is the definition of incredulous?

a. certainb. disbelievingc. a lie

Someone sniggered, and Keevan, incredulous, knew that he must’ve been dropped from the candidacy.

8. If you were watching television, which type of program below would be most likely to leave you feeling incredulous?

a. an interesting documentaryb. a boring dramac. a shocking news story

9. Imagine that you’ve just watched the type of program that you chose in question #8 above. Using at least three sentences, describe what you saw, and explain why it made you feel incredulous.

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10. What is the meaning of alleviate as used above?

a. allow; to permitb. make less severe; relievec. cause; to make happen

Bitter, bitter disappointment turned the warm broth sour in his belly. Even the small voice telling him that he’d have other opportunities failed to alleviate his crushing depression. This was the Impression that mattered! … He twisted in bed, fighting against the tears that threatened to choke him.

11. Which words below are antonyms for alleviate?

a. discourage; endb. increase; intensifyc. ban; deny

12. If you are experiencing pain, what can you do to alleviate that pain? Give at least two examples of ways to alleviate pain.

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Activity 11

Analyze Contrasting Points of View

Skill: Analyze Different Points of View

In ”The Smallest Dragonboy,” many characters have strong opinions about the rules and requirements for candidates. Using the chart below, analyze positions and motivations of these three characters.

L’ve

lF’

lert

he W

eyrl

eade

r

Point of View: What is the character’s stance, or position, on the issue of who should be allowed to be a candidate?

Text Evidence: Cite text evidence that definitively shows the character’s stance.

Explain: Why does the character feel this way about the issue of candidacy? Are there experiences that shaped his point of view?

K’la

st



Activity 12

A: Theme + Text Evidence

Skill: Theme + Text Evidence

Read each piece of text evidence and decide if it supports the stated theme. If the evidence does support the stated theme, highlight or circle it. If it does not, draw an x over it. Then, at the bottom of each box, briefly explain your reasoning.

Theme #1 Integrity and a good work ethic are more important than size and strength.

Although Keevan lengthened his walking stride as far as his legs would stretch, he couldn’t quitekeep up with the other candidates. He knew he would be teased again.

It was very near hatching time, when the baby dragons would crack their mottled shells and stagger forth to choose their lifetime companions.

Keevan was forced to wonder why being small was so reprehensible. People were always calling him “babe” and shooing him away as being “too small” or “too young” for this or that.

Besides, no one knew exactly what Impressed the baby dragons as they struggled from their shells in search of their lifetime partners.

Keevan was constantly working, twice as hard as any other boy his age, to prove himself capable.

”I don’t believe that F’lar, or Weyrleader, was all that tall when bronze Mnementh chose him. And Mnementh was the only bronze dragon of the hatching.”

Green dragons were small and fast and more numerous. There was more prestige to Impressing a blue or brown than a green.

Keevan smiled, because he had already touched it – every inspection day, when the others were leaving the Hatching Ground and no one could see him crouch to stroke it.

He hobbled to the door and hung on to the curtain to steady himself. The weight on his leg was unwieldly. He wouldn’t get very far without something to lean on.



Activity 12

B: Theme + Text Evidence

Skill: Theme + Text Evidence

Read the theme below. Choose three pieces of text evidence from Part A that support this theme. Then, find three more pieces of text evidence that strongly support this theme. Be sure to explain how each piece of text evidence supports the theme.

Theme #2With courage, persistence, and determination, you can accomplish anything.

short story of the month reading literature

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