Shared
Inquiry
The Old Man of the Sea by
Maeve Brennan
Session 1 Pre-reading
 What
is the difference between
compassion and pity? Use an instance to
define the two terms.
Compassion and Pity
 Having
compassion means you have
EMPATHY for another person. You are
Identifying With another person’s situation
and sharing a common feeling!
 Having PITY for someone means you feel
sorry for them. You may look down on
them and you may try to be nice to them,
but it’s because you feel sorry for them.
Focus on the following
concepts
 Idea—Generating
and clarifying ideas
about a selection’s meaning
 Evidence—Supporting and checking
ideas, based on what is in the text
 Response—Listening to and considering
the ideas of others
Session 1 First Reading
 Listen
as the text is read aloud, marking
places where you have questions.
 Use a question mark (?) to denote your
questions. Write your questions in the
margins or on a separate sheet of paper!
 Use an exclamation point (!) to denote
important passages.
Session 1—Recording
Questions
 All
questions will be recorded on the
board.
 Identify any vocabulary questions.
 In small groups, label questions according
to type.
Question Types
 If
the question has…
 One correct answer that comes from the
text it is a FACTUAL question.
 One reasonable answer that comes from
sources outside the text such as
encyclopedias it is a BACKGROUND
question.
 Reasonable answers based on
imagination or guessing it is a
SPECULATIVE question.
 Two (or more) reasonable answers
supported by evidence from the text it is
an INTERPRETIVE question.
How can you test a question and
determine its type?

Question—

Answer #1--
Answer #2—

Evidence:
Evidence:

Source of your answer?
Type of Question?
Factual
Background
Speculative
Evaluative
Interpretive
Source of your answer?






Session 1
 Now,
choose two questions (one
interpretive and one evaluative) that
continue to puzzle or intrigue you and
record them.
Session 2
 Share
questions according to type.
 Vocabulary—Determine word meaning
using context and outside sources.
Session 3
 Reread
the selection and mark passages
using the following prompt:
 Mark passages with a C when the mother
is compassionate.
 Mark passages with NC when the mother
is not compassionate.
Session 4
 You
will explore the text’s meaning by
discussion an interpretive question.
 You will support your ideas with evidence
from the text.
 You will be an attentive and active
listener.
 You will refer to classmates by name.
 You will expect the teacher to ask
questions and not provide answers.
How to participate in Shared
Inquiry
 What
happened that gave you that
idea?
 What part of the story supports your idea?
 What do you think about____________?
 Are you agreeing with Sam’s answer?
 So how does your idea fit with Jasmine’s
answer?
Interpretive Question #1
 Interpretive
Question: Why does the
mother lose her compassion for the man
selling apples?
 Record your answer prior to the
discussion!
Interpretive question #2
 Was
the man with the apples responsible
for the family’s change of heart?
 Record your answer prior to discussion.
Focus Question
 Why
does the mother’s attitude change
toward the old man?
Questions to Consider
Why does the old
man call through the
letter box?
Did the uncle
see the old
man on
O’Connell
Street?
Why does the
mother lose
compassion
for the old
man with the
apples?
How is the
mother
influenced by
others?
Why does the
narrator
compare the
old man with
the apples to
The Old Man of
the Sea?
If the scenario is true, how
does the story change?
The old man is
a wealthy
beggar who
makes money
by selling
apples.
• The mother is guilty
because…
• The uncle is right
because…
The old man
believes the
family
depends upon
him for good
apples
• The old man is just trying
to…
• The mother incorrectly
believes…
How is the mother affected?
Cause—The uncle
says the old man is
wealthy
Cause--The neighbor
sees the mother
hiding in the garden.
Says, “the old man
depends on them.”
• What is the effect on
the mother’s attitude?
• What is the effect on
the mother’s attitude
Cause--The mother is
four pence short
when paying…she
feels shame…
Cause--The Uncle
and Maeve compare
the old man with the
apples to the old
man and the sea.
• What is the effect on
the mother’s attitude?
• What is the effect on
the mother’s attitude
Session 4
 After
the discussion, enrich your answer
based on the evidence that was
presented during the conversation.
5th Block Questions






Why didn’t the uncle tell his family that he
knew the old man was wealthy? Cortlin
Aghast Elizabeth
Why didn’t the old man sell any more apples?
Nia
Why did the old man sell apples if he was
wealthy? ashley
Who is the old man and what does he do?
Brendan
Why does Sindbad come to hate the old man
of the sea? Monyelle
5th Block Questions




What did the narrator mean when she said
the old man had talon-like hands Trevion
Why did the old man keep coming to scam
the woman when he was wealthy?
Christopher
Why does the narrator compare the old man
selling apples to the Old Man and the Sea?
Monyelle?
Is the mother poor like the old man seems to
be? Phoebe
5th Block Questions







Is the old man wealthy? Matt B
Why did the narrator keep comparing him to the
Sindbad story? Eliz
Is the old man actually the uncle? Cortlin
Did the uncle have anything to do with the old
man to prove a point to his sister? Marquise
Why did narrator look back on her past? Isaac
Why is the narrator so gullible? Cortlin
If the old man was wealthy, why did he resort to
scams? Matt F.
7th Block Questions





What is dismayed? Dmike Disappointed
shock!
Did they not have any other transportation
besides carrying people? DS—Not relevant
Where did the old man get the money for the
suit? Jack
Where did the old man get the $ for the
apples?Morgan
What does relish mean?D mike
Enjoyment/Delight
7th block questions






Why didn’t the old man sell his apples at any of
the other houses? Joe They didn’t want to buy
them.
Where did the old man get the apples?Carly
How much was he selling the apples for? Romeo
More than McRory’s.
What does aghast mean? Teddy
Horrified/Amazed
Why is the old man so persistent? Taryn/Bc the
family is his only customer.He knows they’ll keep
buying them.
Who is Sindbad the sailor?
7th Block Questions










Why does the old man beg if he has family to
support him?Joe
Is the old man crazy?
Was the old man scamming the mother? Sam
Why did the family feel remorse when the old man
left them at the end of the story?
What does mirth mean?
Was the old man Sindbad the sailor?
Where does the old man go after he sells apples?
What does talonlike mean?
What does dismally mean?
Apalled?
8th Block Questions
 Why
was she so ashamed to bargain? JG
 What was the old man wearing when he
came to the family? AS
 What does vicinity mean? MJ
 Was the old man really poor? JR
 What does the word aghast mean?SL
 Was the old man really 90? BK
8th block questions
 Why
didn’t the family call the police? D
 What does mirth mean? K
 Why did the old man sell his apples? AS
 What was the family’s financial situation?
 Was the old man really poor? Bk
 Where was Maeve’s father? JR
 What does the uncle mean by, “I could
tell by the way she wore her hat?”
8th Block Questions
 Who
is Sindbad the sailor and how does it
relate to the story?
 Why was Maeve so obsessed with the
man’s talonlike hands? JG