“The Notorious Jumping Frog
of Calaveras County”
By Mark Twain
Annotation Activity
Textbook Page 679
What are we annotating?
• Realism & Literature Elements
• POV, Trickster, Local Color, Dialect, Hyperbole Regionalism
• Figurative Language
• Unfamiliar Vocabulary
Narrator
First few paragraphs before narration changes
From the East Coast
Educated
Goes to see Simon Wheeler
Thinks he’s been set up
Simon Wheeler
Good Natured
Likes to Talk
Tells the story of Jim Smiley
(Likes to gamble and will bet on ANYTHING!)
“Thish –yer Smiley had a …”
- Mare
Female Horse that was sickly and old
Always won at the end of a race
- Bull Pup
Wasn’t much to look at, but had a talent for fighting
Grab other dog by hind leg
Lost a fight to a dog without hind legs
Got discouraged and died
- Frog
Daniel Webster
Taught the frog to catch flies and jump on command
The Stranger
Bet with Smiley on jumping frogs
Tricked Smiley by filling Daniel (Smiley’s frog) with quail shot
The following link is a fun video
adaptation of the story to help with
comprehension.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXivgpLSQeo
Realism & Literature Elements
POV, Trickster, Local Color, Dialect, Hyperbole Regionalism
Figurative Language
Unfamiliar Vocabulary