American 24-Karat Gold (with NEW MyReadingLab) Book

RIPE FIGS A Sample Lesson

Kate Chopin “Ripe Figs”

Chapter 1 Characters and Conflicts

Kate Chopin “The Unexpected”

Is Dorothea shallow or profoundingly honest? What do you think?

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack

Pre-reading Questions

“The Unexpected”

Journal

Follow-up Questions

Discussion Questions

Writing

Eudora Welty “A Worn Path”

Old Phoenix overcomes challenge after challenge as she takes the reader on a journey to town.

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack

Pre-reading Questions

“A Worn Path”

Journal

Follow-up Questions

Discussion Questions

Writing

Amy Tan “Two Kinds”

Tensions between mother and child touch us all in this lively tale of hopes and aspirations.

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack

Pre-reading Questions

“Two Kinds”

Journal

Follow-up Questions

Discussion Questions

Writing

Edgar Allan Poe “The Tell-Tale Heart”

Edgar Allan Poe walks the reader through the homicidal mind in this classic tale of maniacal obsession.

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack

Pre-reading Questions

“The Tell-Tale Heart”

Journal

Follow-up Questions

Discussion Questions

Writing

Ray Bradbury “There Will Come Soft Rains”

Using nontraditional characters, Ray Bradbury questions humankind’s relationship with the technology it creates.

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack

Pre-reading Questions

“There Will Come Soft Rains”

Journal 88

Follow-up Questions

Discussion Questions

Writing

Chapter 2 Setting and Props

Sandra Cisneros “Eleven”

Rachel brings forth insights we can all share.

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack

Pre-reading Questions

“Eleven”

Journal

Follow-up Questions

Discussion Questions

Writing

Alice Walker “Everyday Use”

Sincerity triumphs over superficiality in this story centered around a family heirloom.

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack

Pre-reading Questions

“Everyday Use”

Journal

Follow-up Questions

Discussion Questions

Writing

Joseph Bruchac “Bone Girl”

Old traditions lead to new changes in this spirited tale.

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack

Pre-reading Questions

“Bone Girl”

Journal

Follow-up Questions

Discussion Questions

Writing

Mark Twain “Strong Temptations—Strategic Movements—The Innocents Beguiled”

Told with humor and irony, this is the classic tale of Tom Sawyer painting the fence.

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack

Pre-reading Questions

“Strong Temptations—Strategic Movements—The Innocents Beguiled”

Journal

Follow-up Questions

Discussion Questions

Writing

Edgar Allan Poe “The Cask of Amontillado”

Edgar Allan Poe walks the reader through the homicidal mind in this classic story of family revenge wherein darkness increases with the subterranean descent.

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack

Pre-reading Questions

“The Cask of Amontillado”

Journal

Follow-up Questions

Discussion Questions

Writing

Chapter 3 Plot and Foreshadowing

Langston Hughes “Salvation”

We share the narrator’s confusion as events swirl around him in this light yet introspective tale.

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack

Pre-reading Questions

“Salvation”

Journal

Follow-up Questions

Discussion Questions

Writing

Migene Gonzalez-Wippler “Yoruba”

In this lively story, Migene Gonzalez-Wippler portrays a childhood experience with a religious system that combines Christian and African beliefs, enhanced by foreshadowing.

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack

Pre-reading Questions

“Yoruba”

Journal

Follow-up Questions

Discussion Questions

Writing

Max Brand “Wine on the Desert”

Justice is brutally served in this powerful story.

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack

Pre-reading Questions

“Wine on the Desert”

Journal

Follow-up Questions

Discussion Questions

Writing

O. Henry “The Last Leaf”

We share friendship and devotion in this stirringly poignant tale.

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack

Pre-reading Questions

“The Last Leaf”

Journal

Follow-up Questions

Discussion Questions

Writing

Frank Stockton “The Lady or the Tiger?”

The reader expects resolution in a story, but Frank Stockton leaves the reader holding her or his breath.

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack

Pre-reading Questions

“The Lady or the Tiger?”

Journal

Follow-up Questions

Discussion Questions

Writing

Chapter 4 Irony

Kate Chopin “The Story of an Hour”

Kate Chopin turns marital assumptions upside down with her ironic twist.

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack

Pre-reading Questions

“The Story of an Hour”

Journal

Follow-up Questions

Discussion Questions

Writing

O. Henry “Gifts of the Magi”

Love triumphs over all as gifts are well, if not wisely, given.

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack

Pre-reading Questions

“Gifts of the Magi”

Journal

Follow-up Questions

Discussion Questions

Writing

Dorothy Parker “The Wonderful Old Gentleman”

Did you ever want to scream, “That’s unfair”? The knife of injustice slowly twists in this ironic story.

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack

Pre-reading Questions

“The Wonderful Old Gentleman”

Journal

Follow-up Questions

Discussion Questions

Writing

O. Henry “The Ransom of Red Chief”

Written in a simpler time and with continuing humor, O. Henry turns the tables.

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack

Pre-reading Questions

“The Ransom of Red Chief”

Journal

Follow-up Questions

Discussion Questions

Writing

Zora Neale Hurston “Sweat”

Zora Neale Hurston’s ever-surviving female realizes ultimate justice.

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack

Pre-reading Questions

“Sweat”

Journal

Follow-up Questions

Discussion Questions

Writing

Chapter 5 Extended Short Story Study

Jack London “To Build a Fire”

Arctic conditions test the knowledge of man and dog.

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack

Pre-reading Questions

“To Build a Fire”

Journal

Follow-up Questions

Discussion Questions

Writing

William Faulkner “A Rose for Emily”

The reader experiences the very wretchedness of William Faulkner’s decaying South through Emily and her relationships.

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack

Pre-reading Questions

“A Rose for Emily”

Journal

Follow-up Questions

Discussion Questions

Writing

Nathaniel Hawthorne “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment”

In this tale set amid dark and ominous surroundings, Nathaniel Hawthorne questions change with light humor, irony, and even a touch of sarcasm.

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack

Pre-reading Questions

“Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment”

Journal

Follow-up Questions

Discussion Questions

Writing

Herman Melville “The Bell-Tower”

In this powerful tale written long before modern machinery, Herman Melville exposes a man’s self-glorifying pride in his own resourcefulness.

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Context

Pre-reading Vocabulary—Structural Attack

Pre-reading Questions

“The Bell-Tower”

Journal

Follow-up Questions

Discussion Questions

Writing

Appendix A Judges

Appendix B How I Use This Book

Appendix C Vocabulary in Context

Glossary of Prefixes and Suffixes

Credits

Index 426