Up the Slide/A Glow in the Dark

Up the Slide/A Glow in the Dark

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Literary Analysis: Fictional and Nonfictional Narratives

A narrative is any type of writing that tells a story. In a fictional narrative, the author tells a story about imaginary characters and events. “Up the Slide” is a fictional narrative. Because it does not describe real events, the author had complete control over the basic story elements of character, setting, and plot.

Literary Analysis: Fictional and Nonfictional Narratives

In a nonfictional narrative, such as “A Glow in the Dark,” the author tells a story about real characters and events. The author of this work describes an event that actually happened to him. Although he cannot alter any of the details, he does emphasize some of them to give the story a kind of excitement.

Open Ended

For, coming up from the Siwash village the previous day, he [Clay] had noticed a small dead pine in an out-of-the-way place, which had defied discovery by eyes less sharp than his. And his eyes were both young and sharp, for his seventeenth birthday was just cleared.

A swift ten minutes over the ice brought him to the place, and figuring ten minutes to get the tree and ten minutes to return made him certain that Swanson’s dinner would not wait.

Just below Dawson, and rising out of the Yukon itself, towered the great Moosehide Mountain, so named by Lieutenant Schwatka long ere the Yukon became famous.

Which elements of this fictional narrative did the author make up? Identify two.

Open Ended

For, coming up from the Siwash village the previous day, he [Clay] had noticed a small dead pine in an out-of-the-way place, which had defied discovery by eyes less sharp than his. And his eyes were both young and sharp, for his seventeenth birthday was just cleared.

A swift ten minutes over the ice brought him to the place, and figuring ten minutes to get the tree and ten minutes to return made him certain that Swanson’s dinner would not wait.

Just below Dawson, and rising out of the Yukon itself, towered the great Moosehide Mountain, so named by Lieutenant Schwatka long ere the Yukon became famous.

Which details did the author borrow from real life? Identify two.

Open Ended

They were caught in the green light, curved around my legs staring at the standing form, ears cocked and heads turned sideways while they studied it. I took another short step forward and they all followed me, then another, and they stayed with me until we were right next to the form.

It was a stump.

A six-foot-tall, old rotten stump with the bark knocked off, glowing in the dark with a bright green glow. Impossible. . . . I found out later that it glowed because it had sucked phosphorus from the ground up into the wood and held the light from day all night.

What detail provides a clue that this is a nonfictional narrative?

Open Ended

They were caught in the green light, curved around my legs staring at the standing form, ears cocked and heads turned sideways while they studied it. I took another short step forward and they all followed me, then another, and they stayed with me until we were right next to the form.

It was a stump.

A six-foot-tall, old rotten stump with the bark knocked off, glowing in the dark with a bright green glow. Impossible. . . . I found out later that it glowed because it had sucked phosphorus from the ground up into the wood and held the light from day all night.

What details give the narrative a fictional feel?

Multiple Choice

Which word best describes Clay at the beginning of Up the Slide?

• playful

• confident

• fearful

• wise

Multiple Choice

Based on the events of Up the Slide, how long did Clayś trip take?

• about thirty minutes

• two days

• more than two hours

• ten minutes

Multiple Choice

Which details in Up the Slide comes from real life?

• the Yukon River

• Clayś climb

• Clayś slide down the slope

• Swanson

Multiple Choice

In Up the Slide, what does Swanson believe?

• Firewood is plentiful and easily found

• Clay is a stronger, braver man than he

• Traveling to the Yukon was a huge mistake.

• Clay will not return as quickly as he predicts.

Multiple Choice

In Up the Slide, what does Clay do with the tree after he cuts it down?

• He uses it to build a fire

• He sells it for firewood

• He leaves it on the mountain

• He uses it to build a shelter

Multiple Choice

In A Glow in the Dark, why does Paulsen run his dogs at night without a light?

• to improve the dogs'eyesight

• because he has an emergency

• because his head lamp goes out

• to get away from the glow

Multiple Choice

In A Glow in the Dark, what do Paulsenś actions after he sees the glow tell the reader?

• He is curious

• He is foolish

• He is confident

• He is cowardly

Multiple Choice

In A Glow in the Dark what does the strange shape turn out to be?

• a dog

• moonlight

• a lantern

• a tree stump

Multiple Choice

Which phrase best describes A Glow in the Dark?

• a fictional story about phosphorus

• a fictional story about a frightening event

• a nonfiction piece about the danger of traveling at night

• a nonfiction piece about an event in the author's life

Multiple Choice

Which word best describes both Clay of Up the Slide and the narrator of A Glow in the Dark at the end of the stories?

• afraid

• relieved

• puzzled

• regretful

Multiple Choice

What is true of Clay Dilham in Up the Slide and Gary Paulsen in A Glow in the Dark?

• They both exist in real life.

• They are both writers.

• They both travel by sled.

• They are both loggers.

Multiple Choice

What is true of a fictional narrative such as Up the Slide?

• It can borrow details from real life.

• It must contain only facts.

• it cannot tell a story.

• It must contain only made-up details.

Multiple Choice

Despite differences between Up the Slide and A Glow in the Dark, what is true of both works?

• They are both speeches.

• They both deal with mysteries.

• They are both adventure tales.

• they are both written in the third person.