The Journal of William Thomas Emerson

Fifth Grade (fourth grade level)
Section 3: pgs. 59-84

Discussion Director

Your job is to write down questions that your group can talk about.
- 1 cause/effect
- 1 Figurative Language
- 1 Mood
- 1 MCEOGs
- 1 your choice

Cause/Effect
What did the British do to a soldier that deserted the army? (cause)
- They marched him before a firing squad so that other soldiers would think twice before deserting. (effect)
(p. 61, par. 3)

Figurative Language
Find a Simile. Tell the two things that are being compared.
-"Queen George's as fast as a cat and as quiet as a mouse..."
Queen George, the dog, is being compared to a cat and a mouse.  She is being compared to a cat because she is fast, and to a mouse because she is quiet.
(p. 61, last par.)

Mood
Was there anything about what you just read that surprised you?  Tell why.
- The fact that Molly Davis, Mr. Davis's daughter, was the other person helping a British soldier desert, was surprising.  There had been clues that showed that Molly was spending time with a British soldier, but the author knew it would surprise the reader that the soldier was trying to desert and that the person helping him was a girl.  In the story, Will was definitely surprised!

Passage Picker

Your job is to pick passages from this section that you and your group can talk about.  Reasons for picking a passage in this section are:
- FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
- INTRIGUING
- HISTORICAL
- MORAL

1. ---
2. p. 62, par. 4
3. "Dr. Endicott gripped...be heard."
4. The passage shows Figurative Language because it contains a simile ("sound like the breaking of twigs...").
5. Q: What are the two things being compared in the simile in the passage?
    A: The sound of the bones in Mrs. Thompson's hand and the breaking of twigs in a dry forest.
6. Author's Purpose: TO DESCRIBE

1. ---
2. p. 78, par. 4
3. "What was...could see."
4. This passage is intriguing because the reader wonders what Mr. Palmer is doing in the warehouse, and also what Will is going to do with this information.  The reader is intrigued to see what happens next.
5. Q: What do you find out later is the reason for Mr. Palmer being in the warehouse?
    A:  He is a spy for the British army.  He is receiving a coded message telling him to reveal the leaders in the patriotic          movement.
6. Author's Purpose:  TO INFORM

Word Wizard

Use these words from the section to make a word wizard card so that you can teach this word to your group.

Penmanship (p. 63, par. 4)
Maneuver (p. 66, par. 4)
Astonishment (p. 79, par. 5)
Abruptly (p. 80, last par.)

1. Penmanship (p. 63, par. 4)
2. "We had my penmanship lesson today and she says that I am improving."
3. ---
4. Penmanship-the quality of handwriting.
5. noun
6. We practice our penmanship in school so that people can read what we write.
7. Student would do a Word Wizard Card.

1. Maneuver (p. 66, par. 4)
2. "He possesses special knowledge about military trainign, and once you help him get to Cambridge, he will be taken from there to teach our patriots proper military methods and maneuvers."
3. ---
4. Maneuver- Military training exercise.
5. noun
6. The U.S. Military has to practice several maneuvers in order to be prepared to go to war.
7. Student would do a Word Wizard Card.

Character Sketcher
Your job is to tell the group all about Mr. Wilson.  Find three words that describe the character.  For each word, or character trait, you will give the proof, or example (including the page and paragraph number).
    Next, tell one of your character's goals, or what the character wants to do in this section.
    Then, find one of the character's problems in the section and the solution or possible solution to this problem.
    Finally, draw/illustrate your character.

Character Traits with Proof:

p. 70, par. 2
Secretive- Mr. Wilson acts very secretive and mysterious when he goes away and does not tell anyone where he is going.

p. 71, par. 5
Admirable- Mr. Wilson spends his time writing about important issues and helping to change the world.  Will admires him for this and would like to grow up to be like him.

p. 73, par. 3
Diligent- He stays up very late writing and wakes up very early to write about the patriots' cause.

Goal:
To convince everyone to help with the patriots' cause.

Problem:
He must figure out what the letter that Will obtains, means.

Solution:
He realizes that "five" is the clue that helps to decode the letter.  The actual message is: "You must provide the names of the principal leaders of the opposition."

Summarizer
    Your job is to prepare a brief summary of today's reading.  The other members of your group will be counting on you to give a quick (one- or two-minute) statement that tells the key points or the main highlights of today's reading assignment.  If there are several main ideas or events to remember, you can use the numbered slots below.

Summary:
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Key Points:
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.