Marigolds
By: Eugenia W. Collier`
Fill in the Blanks (Emerging, Expanding & Bridging)
Maryland,1929. The Great Depression. _____________and ___________are
facts of life. Fourteen-year-old Lizabeth leads a group of friends to a colorful
flowerbed of __________. These flowers belong to Miss Lottie, who tends to
them with love everyday. Affronted by such beauty, Lizabeth throws rocks at the
flowers, encouraging her friends to the same. Miss Lottie watches in
____________. Will there be the ___________ for such behavior? How will this
event change Liz abeth’s life ___________? Find out. Read “Marigolds” by Eugenia
Collier.
Previewing Texts
1. Preview the text by looking at the pictures and reading the captions. What do
you predict this story will be about?
1
2. Fill out the T- Chart below. Write down what did you discover about. Write down what
did you feel after they experience..
What I Discover
What I Felt
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
4.
4.
Think Aloud: Pre-reading Vocabulary
3. Directions: Write the definition next to each of the following words. Next,
write a sentence that properly uses each word in context.
1. Vigor:
Sentence clues: __________________________________________________
Definition:______________________________________________________
Sample Sentence:________________________________________________
2. Futile:
Sentence clues: __________________________________________________
Definition:______________________________________________________
Sample Sentence:________________________________________________
3. Amorphous:
2
Sentence clues: __________________________________________________
Definition:______________________________________________________
Sample Sentence:________________________________________________
4. Lure:
Sentence clues: __________________________________________________
Definition:______________________________________________________
Sample Sentence:________________________________________________
5. Abstract:
Sentence clues: __________________________________________________
Definition:______________________________________________________
Sample Sentence:________________________________________________
6. Malicious:
Sentence clues: __________________________________________________
Definition:______________________________________________________
Sample Sentence:________________________________________________
Questions For Thought
https://reader.activelylearn.com/authoring/preview/703510/notes
Directions: Answer the following questions in complete sentences. Be sure to
proofread your answers and be prepared to share.
1. Why does Kristen say “Lizabeth is a little monster”?
2. What does Daniela say the setting revolves around?
3
3. How does Daniela know Lizabeth is not in jail?
4. Why does Isiah say “so she is saying she felt like an animal trapped in a cage?
5. According to Isiah, what three things to the flowers represent?
6. What does Kirsten say is the opposite of growing?
7. How does the end of Lizabeth’s innocence allow her to see Miss Lottie
differently?
8. What are the reasons do the students provide for those emotions? Which
reason do you think is the most significant?
9. How does Lizabeth change after she “looks into Miss Lottie’s face” and ”sees an
actual person there”?
4
Analysis
10. Kirsten says, “ Lizabeth is a little monster.” What does Kirsten mean by this How do
Brad and Daniela respond to Kirsten’s comment?
11. Isiah asks, “What about the flowers? What do they represent?” What are all of the
different responses the group comes up with?
12. Daniela returns to the story’s metaphor of a “wild animal in a cage” and Brad states
that the flowers might be “the wild animal decorating the bars of his cage. “ Do you
agree with this claim? Does he extend the metaphor too far? What other purpose
might the flowers serve for the wild animal?
Literary Focus
Directions: Answer the following questions about the following literary terms.
1. What is indirect characterization? How does Collier utilize this literary
technique in “Marigolds?”
Critical Thinking
Directions: Why do you think Lizabeth thinks of herself as an adult after
destroying Miss Lottie’s Marigolds? What lesson do you think Lizabeth learns
as she works through her own internal conflict?
5
6
Pre-reading Form
Directions: Use this form to help you preview the text. Previewing can help you to better
understand and analyze a reading. Be an active reader by thinking about questions such
as: What can I figure out even though it is not stated? What do I already know that will help me
understand this reading? How would this scene or event look if I were to imagine it in my mind?
Title:
Author:
Questions about the text:
My thoughts:
What is the title of the text? What do
you suppose this text might be
about?
Does this text have any pictures? If
so, what are they? Do the pictures
give any hints as to what this text
will be about?
Who is the author of this text? Do
you know anything about this
person?
Are there any questions that come
to mind about the text?
What is your purpose for reading this
text?
7
8