NYS Common Core ELA & Literacy Curriculum
10.1.2
Grade 10 • Module 1 • Unit 2 • Lesson 3
Lesson 3
Introduction
In this lesson, students read and discuss pages 164–168 of “The Palace Thief” (from “Back at St.
Benedict’s, furthermore, I saw that my words” to “and it was at this moment that I realized he was
cheating”), in which the narrator reflects on the events of the “Mr. Julius Caesar” competition. Students
explore how the decisions that the narrator makes before and during the “Mr. Julius Caesar”
competition contribute to the development of a central idea in the text. Student learning is assessed via
a Quick Write at the end of the lesson: How do the narrator’s actions in this passage develop a central
idea of the text?
For homework, students reread pages 164–168 of “The Palace Thief” and trace the development of the
central idea of expectations on their Central Ideas Tracking Tools. Additionally, students read pages
168–171 of “The Palace Thief” and continue using the Central Ideas Tracking Tool to trace the central
idea of expectations. Students also box unfamiliar words and look up their definitions.
Standards
Assessed Standard(s)
RL.9-10.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over
the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific
details; provide an objective summary of the text.
Addressed Standard(s)
W.9-10.9.a
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and
research.
a. Apply grades 9-10 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "Analyze how an author
draws on and transforms source material in a specific work [e.g., how Shakespeare
treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play
by Shakespeare]").
L.9-10.4.a
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases
based on grades 9-10 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
a. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word's
position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
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NYS Common Core ELA & Literacy Curriculum
Grade 10 • Module 1 • Unit 2 • Lesson 3
Assessment
Assessment(s)
Student learning is assessed via a Quick Write at the end of the lesson. Students respond to the
following prompt, citing textual evidence to support analysis and inferences drawn from the text.

How do the narrator’s actions in this passage develop a central idea of the text?
High Performance Response(s)
A High Performance Response should:

Identify a central idea in the text (e.g., expectations).

Identify one or more of the narrator’s actions (e.g., the narrator’s decision to cheat on Sedgewick’s
behalf by elevating his quiz grade so that he can participate in the “Mr. Julius Caesar” competition,
the narrator’s decision to continue cheating by asking Sedgewick easier questions than those he
asks of the other competitors in the “Mr. Julius Caesar” competition).

Describe how the narrator’s actions develop this idea (e.g., The narrator’s decision to cheat on
Sedgewick’s behalf develops the central idea of expectations, because his decision is motivated in
part by his high expectations of himself. The narrator describes “those students who come, under
one’s own direction, from darkness into the light” as “the honeyed morsels of a teacher’s
existence” (p. 164), referring to Sedgewick’s rise from “poor student” (p. 159) to a contestant in
the prestigious “Mr. Julius Caesar” competition. This reinforces the narrator’s belief that he has a
profound influence on the lives of his students. When Sedgewick hesitates to answer a question in
the “Mr. Julius Caesar” competition, the narrator reacts with an overwhelming sense of
responsibility for Sedgewick’s failure. He says he “felt that it was I who had put him in this
untenable position, I who had brought a tender bud too soon into the heat” (p. 166).).
Vocabulary
Vocabulary to provide directly (will not include extended instruction)

nascent (adj.) – beginning to exist or develop

umbra (n.) – shade; shadow
Vocabulary to teach (may include direct word work and/or questions)

cardinal (adj.) – basic or most important
Additional vocabulary to support English Language Learners (to provide directly)

formidable (adj.) – very powerful or strong; deserving serious attention and respect

rooting (v.) – expressing or showing support for (a person, a team, etc.)
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NYS Common Core ELA & Literacy Curriculum

Grade 10 • Module 1 • Unit 2 • Lesson 3
leapfrogged (v.) – moved ahead of or beyond (someone or something) in a very quick and sudden
way
Lesson Agenda/Overview
Student-Facing Agenda
% of Lesson
Standards & Text:

Standards: RL.9-10.2, W.9-10.9.a, L.9-10.4.a

Text: “The Palace Thief” from The Palace Thief by Ethan Canin, pages 164–168
Learning Sequence:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Introduction of Lesson Agenda
Homework Accountability
Masterful Reading
Reading and Discussion
Quick Write
Closing
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
5%
15%
10%
50%
10%
10%
Materials

Student copies of the Central Ideas Tracking Tool (refer to 10.1.2 Lesson 2)—students may need
additional blank copies

Student copies of the Short Response Rubric and Checklist (refer to 10.1.1 Lesson 1)
Learning Sequence
How to Use the Learning Sequence
Symbol Type of Text & Interpretation of the Symbol
10%
no
symbol


Percentage indicates the percentage of lesson time each activity should take.
Plain text indicates teacher action.
Bold text indicates questions for the teacher to ask students.
Italicized text indicates a vocabulary word.
Indicates student action(s).
Indicates possible student response(s) to teacher questions.
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NYS Common Core ELA & Literacy Curriculum

Grade 10 • Module 1 • Unit 2 • Lesson 3
Indicates instructional notes for the teacher.
Activity 1: Introduction of Lesson Agenda
5%
Begin by reviewing the agenda and the assessed standard for this lesson: RL.9-10.2. In this lesson,
students analyze how the decisions that the narrator, Hundert, makes before and during the “Mr. Julius
Caesar” competition develop a central idea in the text.
 Students look at the agenda.
Activity 2: Homework Accountability
15%
Instruct students to talk in pairs about how they applied the focus standard to their Accountable
Independent Reading (AIR) text. Lead a brief share out on the previous lesson’s AIR homework
assignment. Select several students (or student pairs) to explain how they applied the focus standard (RL
9-10.1 or RI 9-10.1) to their AIR text.
 Students (or student pairs) discuss and share how they applied their focus standard to their AIR
text from the previous lesson’s homework.
Instruct students to take out their responses to the previous lesson’s homework assignment. (Reread
pages 155–160 of “The Palace Thief” and trace the development of the central idea of the importance of
history on your Central Ideas Tracking Tool.) Instruct students to form pairs and share their notes on the
Central Ideas Tracking Tool.
 Students share text evidence related to the central ideas of the importance of history.
 See Model Central Ideas Tracking Tool sample student responses.
Instruct student pairs to share and discuss the vocabulary words they identified in the previous lesson’s
homework.
 Students may identify the following words: nascent, umbra.
 Differentiation Consideration: Students may also identify the following words: formidable, rooting
and leapfrogged.
 Definitions are provided in the Vocabulary box in this lesson.
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NYS Common Core ELA & Literacy Curriculum
Grade 10 • Module 1 • Unit 2 • Lesson 3
Activity 3: Masterful Reading
10%
Have students listen to a masterful reading of pages 164–168 of “The Palace Thief” (from “Back at St.
Benedict’s, furthermore, I saw that my words” to “and it was at this moment that I realized he was
cheating”).
 Consider pausing several times during the masterful reading to allow students time to write down
initial reactions and questions.
 Students follow along, reading silently.
 Differentiation Consideration: Consider posting or projecting the following guiding question to
support students in their reading throughout this lesson:
What is a central idea of this excerpt?
Activity 4: Reading and Discussion
50%
Instruct students to form groups. Post or project each set of questions for students to discuss. Instruct
students to continue to annotate the text as they read and discuss.
 This annotation exercise supports students’ engagement with W.9-10.9.a, which addresses the use
of textual evidence in writing.
Instruct student groups to read pages 164–165 (from “Back at St. Benedict’s, furthermore, I saw that my
words” to “one cannot overstate the importance of a public joust”) and answer the following questions
before sharing out with the class.
What has happened to Sedgewick’s behavior over the course of the text thus far? How does the
narrator explain Sedgewick’s behavior at this point in the text?
 Student responses should include:
o
o
Initially, the narrator describes Sedgewick as a “poor student” who disrupts the narrator’s
class with his bad behavior, or “puerile antics” (p. 159). Now, the narrator describes
Sedgewick’s work as “adequate,” and describes him as a student who is less disruptive than
before (p. 164). The narrator says Sedgewick is on “a struggling, uphill course” (p. 164),
indicating that Sedgewick is making an effort to improve his behavior. Although Sedgewick’s
behavior in the narrator’s class has improved, the narrator clarifies that he is not “in fact
attentive” (p. 164), indicating that Sedgewick is not yet a great student or perfectly behaved.
The narrator says, “I saw that my words had evidently had some effect on the boy” (p. 164),
suggesting that he believes that his “words,” or influence, are responsible for this change in
Sedgewick. His description of Sedgewick as one of “those students who come, under one’s
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NYS Common Core ELA & Literacy Curriculum
Grade 10 • Module 1 • Unit 2 • Lesson 3
own direction, from darkness into the light” (p. 164) reinforces the narrator’s belief that his
“direction,” or influence, has convinced Sedgewick to change his bad behavior or “darkness”
into good behavior or “light.”
What has happened to the narrator’s behavior towards Sedgewick over the course of the text thus
far?
 Initially, the narrator is upset and concerned about Sedgewick’s behavior and poor performance
in his class and he seeks to discipline him by trying to “convince” him “of his own stupidity” (p.
160). After his conversation with the senator, the narrator admits to “tak[ing] a special interest”
in Sedgewick (p. 164). He gives him the “benefit of the doubt on his quizzes” (p. 164), and only
calls on him to answer easy questions. The narrator has begun to make exceptions for
Sedgewick and no longer holds him to the same high expectations that he has of his other
students.
What effect does the phrase “I admit” (p. 164) have on the tone of the narrator’s recollections? What
does this tone suggest about how the narrator understands his own actions?
 The phrase “I admit” creates a defensive tone. This defensive tone suggests that the narrator
feels guilty about his actions, or anticipates that other people will disagree with his decisions.
Based on what the narrator says explicitly, as well as your understanding of his character and tone,
what reason(s) might the narrator have for his change in behavior towards Sedgewick?
 Student responses may include:
o
o
The narrator explains that he chose to make exceptions for Sedgewick because he was
“trying to encourage … a boy who … was struggling gamely from beneath the formidable
umbra of his father” (p. 164). This explanation suggests that the narrator takes it easy on
Sedgewick because he feels that Sedgewick is at a disadvantage because of the difficulty of
growing up under the shadow of such a powerful father.
The defensive tone that the narrator uses in his justification of his choices suggests that he
may have other more selfish reasons for cheating on Sedgewick’s behalf. The narrator
describes Sedgewick’s progress as one of “the honeyed morsels of a teacher’s existence”
and believes that it is his job to help students “understand the importance of character and
high ideals” (p. 163), suggesting that his decision to cheat on Sedgewick’s behalf might have
something to do with fulfilling his own expectations of himself as a teacher.
 Differentiation Consideration: Consider deepening students’ analysis by posing the following
question:
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NYS Common Core ELA & Literacy Curriculum
Grade 10 • Module 1 • Unit 2 • Lesson 3
What does the narrator’s description of the “Mr. Julius Caesar” competition suggest about the
significance of this game to the narrator and his students?
 By describing the competition as a “mythic ritual” or a revered “public joust” (p. 165), the
narrator compares the contemporary competition to a historical contest, but highlights that it is
still popular among students today. This description emphasizes how important the contest is to
the narrator and his students.
Lead a brief whole-class discussion of student responses.
Instruct student groups to read pages 165–168 (from “That year I had three obvious contenders” to
“and it was at this moment that I realized he was cheating”) and answer the following questions before
sharing out with the class.
What is the narrator’s “first mistake” (p. 165)?
 The narrator’s “first mistake” is his decision to break “one of the cardinal rules of teaching” (p.
165) and cheat on Sedgewick’s behalf by giving “him an A on a quiz on which he had earned only
a B” (p. 165). This allows Sedgewick to be a contestant in the “Mr. Julius Caesar” competition,
although he does not truly deserve to be.
 Differentiation Consideration: If students struggle, consider providing the followings scaffolding
question:
What words and phrases clarify the meaning of the phrase “cardinal rules” in this paragraph (p.
165)?
 The narrator’s emphasis that breaking this rule was a “mistake” (p. 165) suggests that the
phrase “cardinal rules” refers to very important rules.
 Consider drawing students’ attention to their application of L.9-10.4.a through the process of using
context to making meaning of unknown words and phrases.
What does the narrator’s response to Sedgewick’s hesitation on page 166 and Sedgewick’s success on
page 167 suggest about his reasons for breaking the “one of the cardinal rules of teaching” (p. 165)?
 Student responses should include:
o
On page 166, the narrator reacts to Sedgewick’s hesitation while answering a question by
worrying about his own role in Sedgewick’s failure, saying he “felt that it was I who had put
him in this untenable position, I who had brought a tender bud too soon into the heat.” The
narrator’s emphasis on his own role in Sedgewick’s failure suggests that he went against his
principles and broke “one of the cardinal rules of teaching” in order to fulfill his own
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o
Grade 10 • Module 1 • Unit 2 • Lesson 3
expectations of himself as a teacher who inspires struggling students to improve, or move
“from darkness into the light” (p. 164).
On page 167, the narrator reacts with “delight[]” at Sedgewick’s success in the competition
and explains, “Not only was he proving my gamble worthwhile but he was showing the
twittering boys in the audience that, under fire, discipline produces accurate thought” (p.
167). The narrator is delighted because Sedgewick’s success validates his own questionable
decision to cheat on Sedgewick’s behalf, and proves to the other students that the
narrator’s emphasis on discipline in his classroom is well founded. The narrator’s attitude
towards Sedgewick’s success is shaped by his own desire to be recognized as a successful
teacher who, as he explained to the senator earlier, imparts “the importance of character
and high ideals” (p. 163) upon his students.
What important idea in the text develops through the narrator’s realization on page 168?
 The narrator’s realization that Sedgewick is also cheating demonstrates that both the narrator
and Sedgewick are willing to cheat to fulfill others’ expectations of them. The narrator cheats to
fulfill his high expectations of himself as a teacher who imparts upon his students “the
importance of character and high ideals” (p. 163), while Sedgewick cheats to maintain his status
among his classmates and to escape “the formidable umbra of his father” (p. 164). Both
instances of cheating demonstrate that expectations of oneself and others can be damaging or
cause unintended negative outcomes. For example, rather than demonstrating an
understanding of “character and high ideals” (p. 163), Sedgewick repeats the narrator’s immoral
actions.
 Consider giving students the term expectations to talk about characters’ feelings or beliefs that
something will happen or is likely to happen, or their feelings and beliefs about how successful,
good, etc., someone or something will be. This emerging idea of expectations, both of oneself and
others, becomes central to the analysis of “The Palace Thief” and the other texts that students read
over the course of the module.
Instruct students to review pages 165–168 (from “That year I had three obvious contenders” to “and it
was at this moment that I realized he was cheating”) and use the Central Ideas Tracking Tool to record a
few examples of how the text supports the central idea of expectations.
 Students review passage and record evidence and analysis on Central Ideas Tracking Tool.
 See Model Central Ideas Tracking Tool for possible student responses.
Lead a brief whole-class discussion of student responses.
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NYS Common Core ELA & Literacy Curriculum
Grade 10 • Module 1 • Unit 2 • Lesson 3
Activity 5: Quick Write
10%
Instruct students to respond briefly in writing to the following prompt:
How do the narrator’s actions in this passage develop a central idea of the text?
Ask students to use this lesson’s vocabulary wherever possible in their written responses. Remind
students to use the Short Response Rubric and Checklist to guide their written responses.
 Students listen and read the Quick Write prompt.
 Display the prompt for students to see, or provide the prompt in hard copy.
Transition to the independent Quick Write.
 Students independently answer the prompt using evidence from the text.
 See the High Performance Response at the beginning of this lesson.
Activity 6: Closing
10%
Display and distribute the homework assignment. For homework, instruct students to use the Central
Ideas Tracking Tool to trace the development of the central idea of expectations on pages 164–168 of
“The Palace Thief” (from “Back at St. Benedict’s, furthermore, I saw that my words” to “and it was at this
moment that I realized he was cheating”).
Also for homework, instruct students to read pages 168–171 of “The Palace Thief” (from “I had come to
this job straight from my degree” to “my ‘Outline’ pressed against the inside of his garment”). Instruct
students to use the Central Ideas Tracking Tool to continue tracing the central idea of expectations. Also,
direct students to box any unfamiliar words and look up their definitions. Instruct them to choose the
definition that makes the most sense in context and write a brief definition above or near the word in
the text.
 Students follow along.
Homework
Reread pages 164–168 of “The Palace Thief” (from “Back at St. Benedict’s, furthermore, I saw that my
words” to “and it was at this moment that I realized he was cheating”), and trace the development of
the central idea of expectations on your Central Ideas Tracking Tool.
In addition, read pages 168–171 of “The Palace Thief” (from “I had come to this job straight from my
degree” to “my ‘Outline’ pressed against the inside of his garment”). Continue to use the Central Ideas
Tracking Tool to trace the development of the central idea of expectations. Also, box any unfamiliar
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NYS Common Core ELA & Literacy Curriculum
Grade 10 • Module 1 • Unit 2 • Lesson 3
words and look up their definitions. Choose the definition that makes the most sense in context, and
write a brief definition above or near the word in the text.
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NYS Common Core ELA & Literacy Curriculum
Grade 10 • Module 1 • Unit 2 • Lesson 3
Model Central Ideas Tracking Tool
Name:
Class:
Date:
Directions: Identify the central ideas that you encounter throughout the text. Trace the development of
those ideas by noting how the author introduces, develops, or refines these ideas in the texts. Cite
textual evidence to support your work.
Text:
“The Palace Thief” by Ethan Canin
Page #
Central Ideas
Notes and Connections
Page 155
The importance of history
The narrator says he is telling the story “in the event
that the brief candle of his days may sometime come
under the scrutiny of another student of history”; he
believes someone in the future will find it valuable to
study the events of the story.
Page 156
The importance of history
The narrator reflects that it is sad that boys “abandon
the moral endeavor of Plato and embrace the
powerful, pragmatic hand of Augustus,” suggesting that
he believes that the different periods of history
emphasize different qualities, and that he values the
“moral” aspects of the age of Plato more than the
“pragmatic” aspects of the age of Augustus.
Page 157
The importance of history
The narrator explains that he has the quote from
Shutruk-Hahhunte above the door to his classroom to
emphasize “the irony that history bestows upon
ambition.” The narrator believes that studying history
makes it clear that even accomplishments that people
believe are important becomes forgotten over time.
Page 157
The importance of history
The narrator has his students read “Ozymandias” so
that they will understand their “own insignificance
before the sands of time,” suggesting that he believes
studying history provides an important sense of
perspective for his students.
Page 158
The importance of history
The narrator tells Sedgewick, “[T]his is a serious class,
and I expect that you will take it seriously,” expressing
the importance he places on studying history.
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