Name:
Date:
Period:
The Scarlet Ibis
By: James Hurst
Previewing Texts
1. Preview the text by looking at the pictures and reading the captions. What do
you predict this story will be about?
2. Fill out the first two boxes of the K-W- L Chart below. Now that you’ve previewed the
text, write down what you know about the topic in Box #1. Write down what you want
to find out in Box #2. When you finish reading the story, write what you’ve learned or
discovered in Box#3.
What I KNOW now
Box #1
1. The color scarlet is a
deep red.
What I WANT to find out
Box #2
What I LEARNED
Box #3
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
4.
4.
2.
3.
4.
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Pre-reading Vocabulary
Directions: Write the definition next to each of the following words. Next, write
a sentence that properly uses each word in context.
1. Sullenly: gloomily
2. Imminent:
3. Iridescent:
4. Serene:
5. Infallibility:
6. Blighted:
7. Doggedness:
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8. Reiterated:
9. Precariously:
10. Mar:
Questions For Thought
Directions: Answer the following questions in complete sentences. Be sure to
proofread your answers and be prepared to share.
1. What is the setting of the story?
2. What mood is created by the narrator’s description of the garden?
3. What does the narrator mean when he says that his brother is “all there”?
4. What does Aunt Nicey think about Doodle’s nickname? What does this reveal
about her character?
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5. How does Doodle get around? How is the narrator involved?
6. Describe Doodle. What are some of his character traits?
7. Why is the narrator sometimes cruel to Doodle? How is it related to love?
8. The narrator shows Doodle the coffin in the barn. What do you suppose this
might foreshadow?
9. What is Doodle’s favorite lie?
10. Why is the peacock important in his lie?
11. What is the narrator’s “development program” for Doodle like? Why do you
suppose he develops this program for Doodle?
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12. Why do you think the narrator and Doodle felt that everything would be all
right after they heard their father cursing?
13. What are some signs that Doodle is getting weaker?
14. How does the bird remind you of Doodle?
15. How might the ibis’ death foreshadow future events?
16. Why does Doodle take such pains to bury the bird?
17. Why does the narrator leave Doodle behind?
18. What does the narrator call his dead brother? Why is this significant?
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Literary Focus
Directions: Answer the following questions about the following literary terms.
1. What is a symbol? What do you think the ibis symbolizes in the story?
2. What is figurative language? Give an example of a simile from “The Scarlet
Ibis.”
Critical Thinking
Directions: What do you think is the theme of James Hurst’s “The Scarlet
Ibis?” How does his use of symbolism and foreshadowing lead to the
development of his message?
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