Thursday, September 28, 2017

Assessing Themes 8.3 and Inferences about the Elements of Fiction 8.6

8.3 analyze literary works that share similar themes across cultures

8.6 Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of fiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding.

A teacher asked me to find a myth and to create some questions. I used the lead4ward snapshot and the IQ to develop questions.

I used these Texts:








(1) There once lived a very rich king called Midas who believed that nothing was more precious than gold. He loved its soft yellow hue and comforting weight in the palm of his hand. The chink of gold coins dropped into a leather purse sounded sweeter to him than the songs of his finest musicians. There was only one thing that Midas loved more, and that was his daughter, Aurelia.
(2) “Aurelia,” he often told her as she played by the throne, “someday I shall bequeath to you the greatest treasury of gold in all the world.”
(3) There had been a time, however, when King Midas loved roses as much as he now loved gold. He had once called together the best gardeners in his realm, and the garden they created for him became renowned for the beauty and variety of its roses.
(4) But in time the delicate fragrances and exquisite colors meant nothing to Midas. Only Aurelia still loved the garden. Every day she would pick a bouquet of the most perfect roses to adorn the king’s breakfast table, but when Midas saw the flowers, he would think, Their beauty lasts but a day. If they were gold, it would last forever!
(5) One day the king’s guards found an old man asleep under the rosebushes and brought him before King Midas.
(6) “Unbind him,” Midas ordered. “Without my gold, I would be as poor as he. Tonight he shall dine with me!”
(7) So that night the old man sat at the king’s table, where he was well fed and entertained by the king himself. And after a good night’s sleep, the old man went on his way.
(8) That morning, as he often did, Midas went down into his dungeon. With a large brass key, he unlocked the door to the secret chamber where he kept his gold. After carefully locking the door behind  him, he sat down to admire his precious wealth.
(9) “Ah, I do love it so,” he sighed, gazing at his riches. “No matter how hard I work, no matter how long I live, I will never have enough.”
(10) He was lost in these thoughts when the chamber suddenly filled with light. King Midas looked up and was amazed to behold the glowing figure of a young man. Since there was no way into the room but through the locked door, Midas knew that he was in the presence of magic.
(11) “Do you not recognize me, friend?”
(12) Midas shook his head. The mysterious stranger smiled at him, and it seemed that all the gold in the dungeon glittered even brighter.
(13) “I am the old man from the rose garden. Instead of punishing me for trespassing, you entertained me at your table. I had thought to reward you for your kindness, but with so much gold, you must surely want for nothing.”
(14) “That’s not true,” cried Midas. “A man can never have enough gold.”
(15) The stranger’s smile broadened. “Well, then, what would make you a happier man?”
(16) Midas thought for only a moment. “Perhaps if everything I touched would turn to told,” he said.
(17) “That is your wish?”
(18) “Yes, for then it would always be at my fingertips,” Midas assured him.
(19) “Think carefully, my friend,” cautioned the visitor.
(20) “Yes,” replied Midas. “The golden touch would bring me all the happiness I need.”
(21) “And so it shall be yours.”

(22) So beings this imaginative and breathtaking retelling of the myth of the man with the golden touch. To his delight, Midas’s wish is granted and he soon sets about transforming his ordinary palace into a place of golden beauty. But to his dismay, when he accidentally turns his beloved daughter into a golden statue, Midas learns that was at first seems a blessing can also become a curse.

  1. The description of the father in paragraphs 1 and 4 are important to the excerpt because it -
  1. reveals Midas’s character traits that foreshadow the problem
  2. demonstrates the great wealth of Midas’s kingdom
  3. shows the importance of King Midas’s daughter in the story
  4. explains how much Midas loves gold

2. Which sentence best illustrates the conflict?
  1. There had been a time, however, when King Midas loved roses as much as he now loved gold.
  2. “That’s not true,” cried Midas. “A man can never have enough gold.”
  3. I had thought to reward you for your kindness, but with so much gold, you must surely want for nothing.”
  4. “Think carefully, my friend,” cautioned the visitor.

3.  “Think carefully, my friend,” cautioned the visitor.
This line from the excerpt conveys that the visitor --
  1. is happy to grant such a big wish for Midas’s kindness
  2. feels unsure that he can grant Mida’s wish
  3. believes the wish might have consequences Midas didn’t consider
  4. knows that there are many wishes Midas could request

4. Which idea from the excerpt suggests that King Midas will not have a happy ending to his conflict?
  1. King Midas believes that gold will bring him happiness.
  2. Midas learns that what he thought was a blessing is a curse.
  3. Midas believes that gold lasts longer than roses.
  4. Midas wishes for everything he touches to turn to gold.

5. The author builds tension in the excerpt by -
  1. suggesting that the visitor felt grateful to Midas
  2. hinting early in the story about how much he loves Aurelia
  3. Indicating that King Midas no longer enjoys roses
  4. Implying that the palace guards were cruel to the visitor

6. Which event initiates the rising action of the excerpt?
  1. The guards find an old man in the garden, whom the king invites to dinner.
  2. Midas tells his daughter he will give her more gold than any other kingdom.
  3. The magic visitor returns to reward King Midas.
  4. Midas wishes for the golden touch.

7. Midas’s love and desire to support Aurelia contributes to the development of the plot because it --
  1. allows the reader to empathize with the king when he accidentally turns her to gold
  2. causes the reader to focus on the setting and the wealth of the kingdom
  3. provides a contrast when the king is generous with the visitor
  4. creates tension between Aurelia and her father

8. The historical context of this excerpt emphasizes the idea that kings in this era often --
  1. welcomed visitors for dinner and overnight stays
  2. built their wealth to pass on to their children
  3. imprisoned those who trespassed
  4. believed in magic


King Midas and His Daughter by Marilyn Singer

Because he help out Silenus, this satyr (half-man, half-goat) granted Midas his wish - the power to change anything he touched to gold. Midas made the terrible mistake of touching his daughter. In this version, much time has passed after receiving the golden touch. The daughter longs for the embrace of her father...

The Daughter to her Father...

1   Golden
2   Girl,
3   alas, my
4   good father
5   still dares to call me,
6   who
7   would never offer a gentle hand.
8   what kind of  man would for years not give a caress?
9   I must confess
10 I suffer much.
11  today -
12 so needy
13 so greedy -
14 for one magic touch.

Midas after his mistake…

15  For one magic touch -
16  so greedy,
17  so needy -
18  today,
19  I suffer much,
20  I must confess.
21  What kind of a man would for years not give a caress,
22  would never offer a gentle hand
23  Who
24  still dares to call me
25  “good father?”
26  Alas, my
27  girl!
28  Golden.
8. Which line from the poem best express Midas’s feelings?

  1. I must confess, I suffer much.
  2. Who still dares to call me “good father?”
  3. What kind of man would for years not give a caress?
  4. So greedy for one magic touch.

9. Aurelia in “King Midas and the Golden Touch” and the speaker  in “King Midas and his Daughter” both --

F. enjoy the royalty and gardens of King Midas
G. represent the royal daughter of King Midas
H. establish that innocent people can be the victims of choices
J. feel angry and betrayed by King Midas’s focus on gold


10. Through the voices of King Midas and His Daughter, the author explores the idea of -

  1. Greed
  2. Suffering
  3. Innocence
  4. Relationships

11. Based on both the story and the poem, what can the reader conclude about the consequences of greed? (Short answer)

12. What statement best expresses the main theme of both excerpts? (Short answer)

13. Complete the statement with your own interpretation: The repetition and rhyme  in lines 12 and 13 and again in 16 and 17 suggest that the speakers each

know…
believe…
want…
Or
feel…

14. The metaphor in the first line is used to emphasize ---
  1. the irony that she was his favorite and now is literally made of gold.
  2. tension that the daughter cannot be the heir to the throne as a golden statue
  3. character traits of the royal family and roles in society
  4. the falling action of the story after she has been turned to gold


No comments:

Post a Comment