Name _________________________________ Class _____________________ Date ______________________
PACKET #3
CONTEMPORARY WRITERS PACKET
Points: ____ / 75
FEATURED WRITERS: JOYCE CAROL OATES,
BRIAN DOYLE, BILL WATTERSON – FICTION / THEMES
CHECK LIST:
□ _____/10 Completed Study Guide
□ _____/10 Vocabulary Development – “Sky Blue Ball”
□ _____/8 Vocabulary Development – “Joyas Voladoras”
□ _____/8 Graphic Organizer – “Sky Blue Ball”
□ _____/6 Graphic Organizer – “Joyas Voladoras”
□ _____/8 Circular Graphic Organizer – Themes Map
□ _____/25 Selection Test
TURN IN THIS COMPLETED PACKET IN ON
DUE DATE:______________________________________
OBJECTIVE:
Students will learn literary elements definitions and begin to apply them to reading
and their own writing. Students will also read and comprehend Contemporary American writing, the
basis for such writing, as well as learn and apply new vocabulary words.
Academic Standards:
1.1.11A
1.1.11E
1.1.11F
1.1.11H
1.2.11C
1.3.11A
1.3.11B
1.3.11C
1.3.11F
1.3.11A
1.5.11D
Learning to Read Independently
Establish a reading vocabulary
Understand the meaning of and apply key vocabulary words
Demonstrate fluency and comprehension in reading
Produce work in a literary genre
Read and understand works of literature
Analyze relationships, uses, and effectiveness of literary elements
Analyze the effectiveness of author’s use of literary devices
Read and respond to nonfiction and fiction
Write short stories, poems and plays
Write with a command of the stylistic aspects of composition
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Unit 6 Resources
Name _________________________________ Class _____________________ Date ______________________
STUDY GUIDE / INSTRUCTIONS
CONTEMPORARY WRITERS:
JOYCE CAROL OATES, BRIAN DOYLE,
BILL WATTERSON – FICTION WRITERS / THEMES
►LIST THE TITLES OF THE PIECES WRITTEN BY THE AUTHORS:
1. Joyce Carol Oates wrote___________________________________________
2. Brian Doyle wrote________________________________________________
3. Bill Watterson wrote______________________________________________
►VOCABULARY:
spherical
______________________________________________
resilient
____________________________________________
volition
____________________________________________
intransigent
____________________________________________
insurmountable
____________________________________________
elephantine
____________________________________________
infinitesimal
____________________________________________
mitochondria
____________________________________________
aneurysms
____________________________________________
►LITERARY ELEMENTS:
theme
______________________________________________
►READING: “The Sky Blue Ball” – page 1254
“Joyas Voladoras” – page 1259
“Calvin & Hobbes” – page 1264
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Unit 6 Resources
Name _________________________________ Class _____________________ Date ______________________
Vocabulary Development
SKILL BUILDER
The Sky Blue Ball Joyce Carol Oates
Activity 1: Exploring Deeper Meanings
Choose the statement that provides an accurate example of the
meaning of each vocabulary word.
1. insurmountable
A) The huge numbers of marching ants overwhelmed the termite nest.
B) The nest of hornets was large, but we removed it.
2. intransigent
A) His mother’s rules were absolutely inflexible.
B) His mother’s rules changed according to the situation.
3. resilient
A) The palm trees snapped in the hurricane’s gale.
B) The aspen trees rebounded against the strong breeze.
4. spherical
A) Maria studied the marble’s interior colors with a magnifying glass.
B) Maria studied the triangular gem with a magnifying glass.
5. volition
A) She wrote occasionally, whenever the spirit moved her, and whenever nothing
more interesting was going on.
B) She wrote for two hours every morning without fail, no matter what else was
going on.
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Unit 6 Resources
Name _________________________________ Class _____________________ Date ______________________
Activity 2: Changing Contexts
Each vocabulary word from “The Sky Blue Ball” is used at least once
in the following paragraph. Fill in each word where it best fits the
context.
Example The insurmountable mountain caused Pedro to give up his
quest.
insurmountable
volition
intransigent
spherical
resilient
The frozen society of Alpha-9 was bleak. The atmosphere was poisonous, and icy
mudslides forced everyone to mount their huge, (6) _____________________
buildings on stilts, looking like giant raised bubbles floating above the muck. The
laws of the closed society were completely (7) _____________________, and the
penalties for disobeying the rules were severe. Even worse than the laws were the
customs. Under the strictly-enforced norms of behavior, anyone who acted with (8)
_______________________ was instantly outcast. Even the most cheerful,
(9) _____________________ soul was sure to wilt under the weight of tedium on
this remote outpost of Earth. It was into this world of rigid, utterly (10)
______________________ conformity that the most remarkable, original thinker in
the history of humanity was born.
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Unit 6 Resources
Name _________________________________ Class _____________________ Date ______________________
Unit 6: Collection 16
Vocabulary Development
SKILL BUILDER
“Joyas Voladoras” Brian Doyle
Activity 1: Exploring Deeper Meanings
Choose the statement that provides an accurate example of the
meaning of each vocabulary word.
1. aneurysms
A) The swollen wall of the bulge in the aorta was like a ticking time bomb.
B) The weakened heart muscle was rehabilitated with cardiovascular exercise.
2. elephantine
A) The tall, skinny man squeezed into a space next to the stage and stood still for
two hours.
B) The 300-pound man was like a bull in a china shop as he blundered through
the room.
3. infinitesimal
A) Most of our cells are too small to be seen clearly without a magnifying tool.
B) The largest bone in your body is the femur, or the thigh bone.
4. mitochondria
A) Small organisms invade cells in order to reproduce.
B) Small organisms act like little engines inside cells.
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Unit 6 Resources
Name _________________________________ Class _____________________ Date ______________________
Activity 2: Changing Contexts
Each vocabulary word from “Joyas Voladoras” is used at least once
in the following paragraph. Fill in each word where it best fits the
context.
Example The chances of winning the lottery are infinitesimal.
aneurysms
elephantine
infinitesimal
mitochondria
Often called “cellular power plants,” (5) _____________________ are found in the
cells of almost all living things, from the largest, most (6) _____________________
animals to the smallest, most (7) _______________________ single-celled
organisms. Their origins are controversial, and no one knows exactly where they
came from. They may have been symbiotic bacteria that simply merged into cells
sometime in the distant past. Their importance is only now beginning to be
understood. For example, it is possible that a malfunction in these cellular
powerhouses may play a part in potentially fatal
(8) ______________________ in people’s large blood vessels, such as the aorta.
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Unit 6 Resources
Name _________________________________ Class _____________________ Date ______________________
Selection Reading Focus
GRAPHIC ORGANIZER
“Joyas Voladoras” Brian Doyle
ANALYZING PATTERNS OF ORGANIZATION As you read, use the
table below to catalog the objects that Doyle discusses in his essay.
Note the facts and objects by paragraph.
AFTER YOU READ Now, fill in the second box in each row to explain
how those catalogued facts and objects affected your reading of the
essay.
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Unit 6 Resources
Name _________________________________ Class _____________________ Date ______________________
Collection 16
Graphic Organizer
Student Edition pages 1251–1265
IDENTIFYING THEMES ACROSS GENRES
The Sky Blue Ball / “Joyas Voladoras” / Calvin and
Hobbes
Themes Across Genres Map Some themes are so universal that they
are explored through different genres. Short stories, poetry, nonfiction,
novels, and even cartoons explore the questions of Who am I? and What is
the meaning of life? and What does it mean to be human?
Think about the three selections. Fill in the outer circles with notes
about the theme of the selection. Around the outside of each outer
circle, you can jot notes about images, language, and details in the
selections. In the center circle, write a theme that is common to all
three selections.
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Unit 6 Resources
Name _________________________________ Class _____________________ Date ______________________
Unit 6: Collection 16
Selection Reading Focus
GRAPHIC ORGANIZER
The Sky Blue Ball Joyce Carol Oates
READING FOCUS: INTERPRETING DETAILS As you read, use the
chart below to record the images and details that stand out to you,
and explain what those details tell you about the character or her
situation. Think about what they may symbolize in the story.
AFTER YOU READ Now that you have finished reading, review your
chart. Then, write a brief paragraph on how Oates carefully chooses
details to give symbolic meaning to the story.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
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Unit 6 Resources
Name _________________________________ Class _____________________ Date ______________________
Unit 6: Collection 16
Selection Test
READING AND LITERATURE
The Sky Blue Ball Joyce Carol Oates
“Joyas Voladoras” Brian Doyle
Calvin and Hobbes Bill Watterson
COMPREHENSION Circle the letter of the best answer to each of the
following items.
1. The tone of “The Sky Blue Ball” is—
A) calm
C) somber
B) menacing
D) thoughtful
2. After reading the first paragraph of “The Sky Blue Ball,” the reader is immediately
pulled into the story by—
A) suspense over plot developments
B) the happy mood the reader feels
C) detailed characterization
D) the weirdly unique writing style
3. The first-person narrator of “The Sky Blue Ball” is motivated by—
A) self-satisfaction
C) self-discovery
B) duty
D) love
4. Which vocabulary word best expresses the theme of “The Sky Blue Ball”?
A) resilient
C) insurmountable
B) spherical
D) volition
5. The metaphoric importance of our own hearts in “Joyas Voladoras” is that—
A) they are highly vulnerable to human emotion
B) they all will beat about the same number of times
C) they have four chambers, like other mammals
D) they keep beating, without stopping, all our lives
6. The comparison between the size of a hummingbird’s heart and a blue whale’s heart
in “Joyas Voladoras” is meant to emphasize that—
A) the world of living things includes an awesome variety
B) lifetimes are measured in numbers of heartbeats, not size of hearts
C) a blue whale lives many more years than a hummingbird
D) the largest heart of all is found in a mammal, not a bird
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Unit 6 Resources
Name _________________________________ Class _____________________ Date ______________________
Unit 6: Collection 16, Selection Test continued
7. The four simple panels of the “Calvin and Hobbes” cartoon use one square of a
sidewalk as a metaphor for—
A) the many decisions we must
make in our lives
C) the many questions we have
about the origins of life
B) life and our passing through it
D) the brevity of childhood as
opposed to maturity
8. The characters in “Calvin and Hobbes” are frozen in place by the questions posed in
the third panel of the cartoon because—
A) the questions have completely
confused them
C) the questions about the
purpose of life are so
overwhelming
B) they are waiting for an outside
source to answer the questions
D) they are afraid to step out of
the sidewalk square
VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT Match the definitions in the left
column with the correct word in the right column. Write the letter of
the word on the line next to the definition. Not all words will be used.
_____
A) volition
9. indefinitely or exceedingly small
B) elephantine
_____ 10. able to return to original form after being
bent, compressed, or stretched
C) infinitesimal
D) insurmountable
_____ 11. huge, ponderous, or clumsy
E) intransigent
_____ 12. uncompromising
F) mitochondria
_____ 13. conscious choice, will, or determination
G) resilient
LITERARY FOCUS Circle the letter of the best answer to each of the
following items.
14. The wall in “The Sky Blue Ball” is symbolic. It might represent—
A) the hope most people harbor for the future
B) the troubles experienced in the past
C) the barrier to communication with others
D) the ever-present weight of authority and convention
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Unit 6 Resources
Name ________________________________ Class ____________________ Date _______________________
15. In “The Sky Blue Ball,” the ball also symbolizes several things. For example,
it is a symbol of—
A) the narrator’s school
B) the narrator’s father
C) the narrator’s childhood
D) the town of Strykersville
16. How does the catalog structure of “Joyas Voladoras” affect its theme?
A) Hummingbirds and whales compare to other animals in an interesting way.
B) The lifespans and heart sizes lead naturally to comparisons with insect life.
C) Each creature’s heart compares to the human heart in terms of structure.
D) The emotional vulnerability of a human heart makes it “largest” of all.
READING FOCUS Circle the letter of the best answer to each of the following
items.
17. Which image from “The Sky Blue Ball” gives the reader a sense of the narrator’s self-image in
the first half of the story?
A) “A game, I thought. You can’t quit a game.”
B) “. . . I’d cut my knees that were bare . . .”
C) “. . . we . . . were perceived inferior . . .”
D) “I was fourteen years old.”
18. The organization of “Joyas Voladoras” suggests that the human heart is—
A) between a hummingbird and a blue whale in size
B) largest of all because of the emotions humans feel
C) the smallest and weakest of all animal hearts
D) subject to diseases and injury that do not affect animals
19. What words from the end of “The Sky Blue Ball” reveal what has happened to the narrator’s
attitude?
A) “somewhere on the other side,” “at last”
B) “stubbornly,” “heat of indignation,” “snatched it up in triumph”
C) “like my own ball,” “discovered the ball,” “faded and cracked”
D) “wall . . . insurmountable,” “no longer sky blue,” “smelled of nothing”
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Differentiating Instruction
Name ________________________________ Class ____________________ Date _______________________
CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE (6 points)
20. One consistent element in all three selections is the vulnerability of human life. Below,
compare how each selection treats this subject. Use evidence from the selections to support your
answer.
HINT: Be sure to use at least one specific (quoted) example from each selection. Explain how your
examples show the vulnerability of human life.
________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
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_________________________________
_________________________________
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Differentiating Instruction