Name: __________________
Gathering Blue Ch. 7 and 8 Guided Notes
Part 1: Individually read Ch. 7
Vocabulary:
Ornaments (p. 71)
Intricately (p. 71)
Disconcerted (p. 71)
Lavishly (p. 72)
Deft (p. 72)
Sparse (p. 74)
First Read Questions:
1. What is the author’s purpose for including the section about the tub on page 68?
2. Describe Thomas the Carver using evidence from the text.
3. What is the purpose of the Singer’s Robe?
4. What is significant about Kira’s new responsibility? Why is her job so important?
5. Who is Annabella? What is her purpose to Kira?
6. What are the rules of living in the Council Edifice?
7. Write a summary of chapter 7 in 3-4 sentences.
Part 2: Ch. 7
Directions: Circle Unknown words. Underline key details. Write inferences in the margins.
Close Read: P. 70
“Everyone thought it was quite amazing.” He laughed. “I guess it was”
Kira laughed a little too, but she was remembering herself, very small, finding that her fingers had a kind
of magic to them when she held the colored threads, seeing her mother’s astonishment and the look on
the face of the guardian. It must have been the same, she thought, for this boy.
“Somehow the Guardians heard about my work. They came to our cott and admired it.”
So Similar, Kira thought.
“Then,” Thomas continued, “not long after, my parents were both killed during a storm. Struck by
lightning, both at once.”
Kira was shocked. She had heard of trees felled by lightening. But not people. The people didn’t go out
during thunderstorms. “Were you there? How did you stay safe?”
“No I was alone at the cott. My parents were doing an errand of some sort. I remember that a
messenger had been sent for them. But then some guardians came and got me and told me of their
deaths. It was fortunate that they knew of me and felt that my work was of value, even though I was still
small. Otherwise, I would have simply been given away. But instead they brought me here.
“I’ve been here ever since.”
Close Read Questions:
1. What are the similarities between Kira and Thomas?
2. What is the meaning of the word “felled”?
3. What inference can you make about the values of the guardians based on this section?
4. What is meant by the phrase “her fingers had a kind of magic”?
5. Based on what you know about Thomas, make an inference as to where you believe Kira’s
future lies.
Part 3: Read Ch. 8
Vocabulary in context
Triumphantly, Matt pulled a thick wad of bread from the voluminous pocket of his baggy shorts.
“Filched this crustie from the baker,” he announced with pride.
Triumphantly (p. 77)
Voluminous (p. 77)
Filched (p. 77)
1. What do you learn about Matt’s background in this section?
2. Why do you believe that Matt has different grammar then Kira?
3. What are the differences between where Kira lives and where Matt lives in “The Fen”?
4. According to Annabella, how do you make dyes?
5. Which color is the most difficult to make?
6. Using evidence from the text, describe Annabella.
7. On page 80, what is meant by the word “agility”?
8. On page 80, what is meant by the phrase “her eyes were unclouded?”
Part 4: Ch. 8
Close Read p. 85 Directions: Circle Unknown words. Underline key details. Write inferences in the
margins.
“Can you make blue?” she asked.
But Annabella frowned. “You need the woad,” she said. “Gather fresh leaves from the first year’s growth
of woad. And soft rainwater; that makes the blue”. She shook her head. “I have nought. Others do, but
they be far away.”
“Who be others?” Matt asked.
The old woman didn’t answer the boy. She pointed toward the far edge of her garden, where the woods
began and there seemed to be a narrow overgrown path. Then she turned toward her hut. Kira heard
her speak in a low voice. “I ne’er could make it,” she was saying. “But some have blue yonder.”
1. What is meant by the word “yonder”?
2. Make an inference: what do you believe Annabella is pointing to in this section?
3. What is the author’s purpose of including the phrase “Kira heard her speak in a low voice”?
4. What is meant by the phrase “Ne’er?”
5. Make an inference: who do you believe Annabella is referring to when she says “others”?
Vocabulary Practice: First, define the words, then use them in a sentence.
Word
Coarse (p. 83)
Agility (p. 84)
Nought (p. 85)
Yonder (p. 85)
Definition
Use it in a sentence