“Contents of the
Dead Man’s Pocket”
By Jack Finney

Missouri Communication Arts
Grade-level, course-level expectations
R2A: Recognize the text features of fiction in grade-level text
Understand time and sequence
Analyze time and sequence

Missouri Communication Arts
Grade-level, course-level expectations
R1G: During reading, utilize strategies to self-question and correct, infer, visualize, predict …
Understand cause and effect.
Analyze causes and effects.

Missouri Communication Arts
Grade-level, course-level expectations
R1E: Develop vocabulary through text.
Understand and use prefixes.

Missouri Communication Arts
Grade-level, course-level expectations
W1: Apply a writing process in composing text.
W2: Compose well-developed text using standard English conventions.
W3A: Compose a variety of texts using narrative features.
Write an autobiographical narrative.

“Contents of the
Dead Man’s Pocket”
The story is written in chronological order. The events unfold slowly at almost the same pace as real time.
The entire story covers less than one hour in the main character’s life.

“Contents of the
Dead Man’s Pocket”
The story contains many words that describe time and the way time passes. Jack Finney uses words like postponed, immediately, indefinitely, momentarily, instantaneous, abruptly.

“Contents of the
Dead Man’s Pocket”
Activity #1
Understand and use prefixes.
A prefix is a word part added to the beginning of a base word, or root, to create a new word with a different meaning.
Complete the prefix worksheet.

Activity #2
Cause
Tom looks down.
Tom becomes very afraid.
“Contents of the
Dead Man’s Pocket”
Effect
Tom opens the window.
Tom goes out on the ledge.
Tom decides to break the window.
Tom laughs at the end of the story.

“Contents of the
Dead Man’s Pocket”
Activity #3
Compose a variety of texts using narrative features.
Using the computers, complete the activity #3 instruction sheet. This is a timed activity so that everyone will get the chance to use the computers.

“Contents of the
Dead Man’s Pocket” Climax
Complications
Characters
Resolution
Activity #4
Complete the short story elements sheet for this piece of literature

“Contents of the
Dead Man’s Pocket”
Activity #5
Tom’s problems arise from an internal conflict.
He would really like to go to the movies with his wife, and he feels bad for not going, but he feels obligated to stay and work. He wants to work hard because of his ambition and his dreams of a better job and a better life for him and his wife.
In a one-page minimum writing, discuss a time when you had an internal conflict . Describe the cause of the internal conflict and the effects it had on you and others. Walk the reader through the conflict as you experienced it.

“Contents of the
Dead Man’s Pocket”
Activity #6
Make a timeline of events in the story. Include a minimum of 10 events.

“Contents of the
Dead Man’s Pocket”
Concept Quiz
• Can you define the following terms?
• Can you identify them in a piece of literature?
• Can you analyze them in a piece of literature?

“Contents of the
Dead Man’s Pocket”
Concept Quiz:
Define, identify, analyze

“Contents of the
Dead Man’s Pocket”
Concept Quiz:
Define, identify, analyze

“Contents of the
Dead Man’s Pocket”
Concept Quiz:
Define, identify, analyze

“Contents of the
Dead Man’s Pocket”
Concept Quiz:
Define, identify, analyze

“Contents of the
Dead Man’s Pocket”
Concept Quiz:
Define, identify, analyze

“Contents of the
Dead Man’s Pocket”
Concept Quiz:
Define, identify, analyze

“Contents of the
Dead Man’s Pocket”
Concept Quiz:
Define, identify, analyze

“Contents of the
Dead Man’s Pocket”
Concept Quiz:
Define, identify, analyze

“Contents of the
Dead Man’s Pocket”
Concept Quiz:
Define, identify, analyze

“Contents of the
Dead Man’s Pocket”
Concept Quiz:
Define, identify, analyze

“Contents of the
Dead Man’s Pocket”
Concept Quiz:
Define, identify, analyze

“Contents of the
Dead Man’s Pocket”
Concept Quiz:
Define, identify, analyze

“Contents of the
Dead Man’s Pocket”
Concept Quiz:
Define, identify, analyze

“Contents of the
Dead Man’s Pocket”
Concept Quiz:
Define, identify, analyze

“Contents of the
Dead Man’s Pocket”
Concept Quiz:
Define, identify, analyze

“Contents of the
Dead Man’s Pocket”
Concept Quiz:
Define, identify, analyze

“Contents of the
Dead Man’s Pocket”
Concept Quiz:
Define, identify, analyze

“Contents of the
Dead Man’s Pocket”
Vocabulary review
Define; use in a sentence.
projection interminable confirmation rebounded irrelevantly incomprehensible unimpeded imperceptibly