5th Grade (4th grade level)
Section 1 (p. 5-32)

Discussion Director

Your job is to write down questions that your group can talk about.
- 1 Problem/Solution
- 1 setting
- 1 point of view
- 2 your choice

Problem/Solution
When Will is living with the Marshes, what is his main problem?  How does he solve this problem?
-Mr. Marsh drinks a lot and he beats Will black and blue.
-After two years, Will runs away.  He meets Wilson who takes him to a new home in Boston.
-p. 6

Setting
Where and when does this novel take place? (Where is Will "now"?  What is "now"?)
-Boston, Massachusetts in 1774.  Will lives in a tavern on the corner of King Street and Pudding Lane.
-p. 8

Genre
What genre is this book?  How do you know?
-Historical Fiction.  It shows what life was like during colonial times before the Revolutionary War.  However, it is not true, so it is fictional.

MCEOG/Point of View
From whose point of view is this book written? (b)
a. Henry Moody
b. Will Emerson
c. Mrs. Thompson
d. Mr. Wilson
* How do you know this?
-"My name is..."
MCEOG
All of the following describe Mr. Wilson except which one? (c)
a. soft-spoken
b. powerful writer
c. talkative
d. impatient
 

Passage Picker

Your job is to pick passages from this section that you and your group can talk about.  Reasons for choosing passages in this section are:
Historical
Cause/Effect
Descriptive
Informative
Interesting

1.a) ---
b) p. 23 par. 3
c) "Mrs. Thompson...recently arrived."
d) This passage is HISTORICAL because it describes how provisions are getting scarcer because the British have closed the harbor.  It also tells about what kinds of resources and foods are coming from Connecticut.  The author tells the reader about certain conditions during the pre-Revolutionary war period.
e) What are some much needed provisions that have just come from Connecticut?
-sheep, corn, wheat, rice, flour
f) Author's Purpose: TO INFORM

2.a) ---
b) p. 26, last paragraph, p. 27, first paragraph
c) "Henry told...eyes out"
d) This passage is INFORMATIVE because it shows what people who were loyal to the king were treated like.  They were treated terribly.  They were seen as traitors to the patriots.
e) What did the crowd do to Mr. Carlisle's portrait?
-They smashed the doors with axes, tore up the floor boards, and ripped down the curtains.
f) Author's Purpose: TO INFORM

3.a) ---
b) p. 13, par. 3
c) "The night...him so."
d) This passage is DESCRIPTIVE because it describes the night  with the stars twinkling and the moon full.  We could actually see Henry and Will lying there in the burying ground.
e) What are some descriptive words the author uses to describe the sky?
-stars twinkling, moon full.
f) Author's Purpose: TO DESCRIBE

4.a) ---
b) p. 22, par. 1-2
c) "We hurried...for more."
d) This passage shows CAUSE/EFFECT.  Because a burglar took some stockings that were in a shop, he was whipped publicly.
e) What did Will hit the burglar with?
-Will hit the burglar between the eyes with a rotten egg.
f) Author's Purpose: TO DESCRIBE

Word Wizard

Your job is to look up these words and make a word wizard card for each of them so that you can teach the group your words.
Trodden (p. 7, par. 1)
Circumstance (p. 6, par. 2)
Heathens (p. 14, par. 1)
Diligent (p. 18, par. 2)

1. Trodden (p. 7, par.1)
2. "I walked the trodden path till daybreak, heading, I hoped, for Boston."
3. ---
4. Trodden- previously walked on or trampled on.
5. Adjective
6. The dirt road needed to be improved because it was trodden from horses and carriages.
7. (see below)
 
 

1. Circumstance (p. 6, par. 2)
2. "It was not a happy circumstance."
3. ---
4. Circumstance- state of affairs.
5. Noun
6. Because of unfortunate circumstances, the boy was unable to perform in his school play.

1. Heathens (p.14, par. 1)
2. "The howling heathens, their hair smeared with bear grease and their bodies painted all over, had poured out of the forest in the middle of the night and swooped down on her village."
3. ---
4. Heathen- an uncivilized person.
5. Noun
6. My mother used to say that we kids ran around the house wrecking everything like heathens.

1. Diligent (p. 18, par. 2)
2. "Be diligent with my learning."
3. ---
4. Diligent- Characterized by earnest effort.
5. Adjective
6. Teachers are very appreciative when their students work diligently.
 
 

Character Sketcher
   Your job is to find an interesting character from this section.  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.

William Thomas Emerson

Character Traits w/proof:
1. p. 6, last par.
   Determined- Will escapes from the Marshes' home to find a new life in Boston.

2. p. 16
   Knowledgeable- Will knew exactly what to do when Henry got a snake bite.

3. p. 47
   Patriotic- Will wants to help Mr. Wilson with the independence effort.

Goal:
One of Will's goals in this section is to find a new home and new friends.

Problem:
His friend, Harry, gets a snake bite.

Solution:
Will uses his knife to cut open the skin around the bite so that the snake bite could be cured.

Character Sketcher Map:
 

Investigator

Your job is to research dig up information about what life was like in the years right before the revolutionary war.  This information will be similar to the way Will's life was in the book and will help your group to understand this topic better.  Specific things to look for are:

1.  What was life like for people who lived in Boston in 1974?

The Revolutionary War Homepage:  This website shows what life was like in the prelude to the Revolutionary War.

2. What are some major events in history that led up to the Revolutionary War?
The History Place- Revolutionary War:  This website shows a timeline of the specific events before the revolutionary war.