RL.8.3: Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.

Earl’s scrunched-up I-just-ate-half-a-lemon look told Lee that he was upset, but didn’t tell him why.

Lee, unwilling to admit anything until he knew he was caught, tried to get Earl to talk without being too obvious about it. “What did Ms. Manuel do, Earl?”

Earl spat out the words, “She accused me of cheating!”

Lee tried to appear upset, “Why would you, the smartest kid in class, cheat? Hey, do you want me to talk to her? I’m your friend, after all, and I can tell her that you would never cheat!”

Earl smiled a little, “I’m pretty sure that telling her that would only make it worse.”

Lee forced a look of confusion onto his face.

Earl pulled a piece of paper from his folder, “this is the exam that she thinks I cheated on, and those red Xs mark the answers that she claims that I copied . . . off of your exam.”

“Earl,” Lee laughed a little, “you know, I was having trouble on that test, and I just thought . . . I mean, how was I supposed to know that she’d think you were the one who cheated?” Lee, glancing behind him, saw a door, and said, “I’ll go tell her just as soon as I. . .” as he began racing towards it.

Question: Lee's actions throughout this text can be best described as

• dishonest, because he tries to avoid telling Earl that he copied Earl’s exam.

• supportive, because he offers to go talk to Ms. Manuel about the exam.

• clever, because he makes Ms. Manuel think that Earl cheated on his exam.

• a good friend, because he admits to Earl that he copied off of Earl’s exam.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Earl’s scrunched-up I-just-ate-half-a-lemon look told Lee that he was upset, but didn’t tell him why.

Lee, unwilling to admit anything until he knew he was caught, tried to get Earl to talk without being too obvious about it. “What did Ms. Manuel do, Earl?”

Earl spat out the words, “She accused me of cheating!”

Lee tried to appear upset, “Why would you, the smartest kid in class, cheat? Hey, do you want me to talk to her? I’m your friend, after all, and I can tell her that you would never cheat!”

Earl smiled a little, “I’m pretty sure that telling her that would only make it worse.”

Lee forced a look of confusion onto his face.

Earl pulled a piece of paper from his folder, “this is the exam that she thinks I cheated on, and those red Xs mark the answers that she claims that I copied . . . off of your exam.”

“Earl,” Lee laughed a little, “you know, I was having trouble on that test, and I just thought . . . I mean, how was I supposed to know that she’d think you were the one who cheated?” Lee, glancing behind him, saw a door, and said, “I’ll go tell her just as soon as I. . .” as he began racing towards it.

Question: By telling the story from Lee’s point of view, the author reveals that...

• Lee feels bad about getting Earl in trouble and is willing to help Earl by admitting that he cheated.

• Lee knows what happened to Earl, but doesn’t want to say anything about it for fear of getting in trouble.

• Lee is both upset and confused because he does not know what his good friend Earl is so upset about.

• Lee is a friend to Earl and only has Earl’s best interests in mind when he offers to talk to Ms. Manuel.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Earl’s scrunched-up I-just-ate-half-a-lemon look told Lee that he was upset, but didn’t tell him why.

Lee, unwilling to admit anything until he knew he was caught, tried to get Earl to talk without being too obvious about it. “What did Ms. Manuel do, Earl?”

Earl spat out the words, “She accused me of cheating!”

Lee tried to appear upset, “Why would you, the smartest kid in class, cheat? Hey, do you want me to talk to her? I’m your friend, after all, and I can tell her that you would never cheat!”

Earl smiled a little, “I’m pretty sure that telling her that would only make it worse.”

Lee forced a look of confusion onto his face.

Earl pulled a piece of paper from his folder, “this is the exam that she thinks I cheated on, and those red Xs mark the answers that she claims that I copied . . . off of your exam.”

“Earl,” Lee laughed a little, “you know, I was having trouble on that test, and I just thought . . . I mean, how was I supposed to know that she’d think you were the one who cheated?” Lee, glancing behind him, saw a door, and said, “I’ll go tell her just as soon as I. . .” as he began racing towards it.

Question: What does taking out the marked exam reveal about Earl?

• He is not angry with Lee for copying off of him.

• He is upset about being accused of cheating.

• He does not do well on Ms. Manuel's exams.

• He already knows that Lee copied his exam.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.1

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.7.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.2