6th Grade ELA Week 4

"Arachne"
(a folktale from Greece)

Athena was the Greek goddess of wisdom. She also taught women how to spin and weave. She thought that no one could weave better than she could. Then she heard that a human woman named Arachne thought her own weaving was much better than Athena’s. The goddess was furious.

Athena, disguised as an old woman, went down to Earth. She visited Arachne at her hut in the woods. Arachne was weaving a pattern using rainbow-colored threads. Athena said, "Arachne, you should not try to compete with a goddess. You should ask Athena’s pardon for the lack of respect you showed to her." Arachne replied, "Everybody knows that I am the best weaver in the world. Athena can come and have a weaving contest with me if she doesn’t believe it."

Athena was furious. She revealed her true identity and angrily told Arachne, "I accept your challenge." Arachne was stunned, yet she was sure she could weave better than Athena. She agreed to the contest with Athena. They set up their looms and went to work, weaving so quickly and skillfully that their hands seemed to fly in all directions. Athena wove scenes of gods who were angry with humans who did not respect them. Arachne wove scenes that showed the gods' weaknesses.

Athena grew angrier when she saw that Arachne's woven web was every bit as fine as Athena’s, if not better. Athena was so angry that she cut Arachne's web to pieces. Then she put a spell on Arachne that made her feel guilty and ashamed. It worked and Arachne felt so guilty and ashamed that she fell into a spell of deep despair.

When Athena saw poor Arachne, the goddess regretted what she had done to the human. Though still angered by Arachne’s lack of respect, Athena wanted to allow the human a chance to do what she loved—weave. To correct the situation, Athena sprinkled Arachne with a magic liquid and said, "You are not going to die, Arachne. Instead, you will become a spider, weaving your beautiful web forever." Arachne shrank into a tiny spider. Out of her tiny body came the silk thread with which she wove the most beautiful webs.

Which quotation supports the inference that Arachne is prideful?

• "Athena said, 'Arachne, you should not try to compete with a goddess. You should ask Athena's pardon for the lack of respect you showed to her."

• "Arachne replied, 'Everybody knows that I am the best weaver in the world. Athena can come and have a weaving contest with me if she doesn't believe it."

• "Athena grew angrier when she saw that Arachne's woven web was every bit as fine as Athena's, if not better."

• "Arachne shrank into a tiny spider. Out of her tiny body came the silk thread with which she wove the most beautiful webs."

Tags

CCSS.RL.1.10

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.K.5

"Arachne"
(a folktale from Greece)

Athena was the Greek goddess of wisdom. She also taught women how to spin and weave. She thought that no one could weave better than she could. Then she heard that a human woman named Arachne thought her own weaving was much better than Athena’s. The goddess was furious.

Athena, disguised as an old woman, went down to Earth. She visited Arachne at her hut in the woods. Arachne was weaving a pattern using rainbow-colored threads. Athena said, "Arachne, you should not try to compete with a goddess. You should ask Athena’s pardon for the lack of respect you showed to her." Arachne replied, "Everybody knows that I am the best weaver in the world. Athena can come and have a weaving contest with me if she doesn’t believe it."

Athena was furious. She revealed her true identity and angrily told Arachne, "I accept your challenge." Arachne was stunned, yet she was sure she could weave better than Athena. She agreed to the contest with Athena. They set up their looms and went to work, weaving so quickly and skillfully that their hands seemed to fly in all directions. Athena wove scenes of gods who were angry with humans who did not respect them. Arachne wove scenes that showed the gods' weaknesses.

Athena grew angrier when she saw that Arachne's woven web was every bit as fine as Athena’s, if not better. Athena was so angry that she cut Arachne's web to pieces. Then she put a spell on Arachne that made her feel guilty and ashamed. It worked and Arachne felt so guilty and ashamed that she fell into a spell of deep despair.

When Athena saw poor Arachne, the goddess regretted what she had done to the human. Though still angered by Arachne’s lack of respect, Athena wanted to allow the human a chance to do what she loved—weave. To correct the situation, Athena sprinkled Arachne with a magic liquid and said, "You are not going to die, Arachne. Instead, you will become a spider, weaving your beautiful web forever." Arachne shrank into a tiny spider. Out of her tiny body came the silk thread with which she wove the most beautiful webs.

Read the quotation.

"They set up their looms and went to work, weaving so quickly and skillfully that their hands seemed to fly in all directions."

What can you infer about Arachne and Athena from this quotation?

• They are helping each other with their weavings.

• They are trying to mess up each others weavings.

• They are trying very hard to win the contest.

• They cannot see what the other is weaving.

Tags

CCSS.RL.1.10

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.K.5

"Arachne"
(a folktale from Greece)

Athena was the Greek goddess of wisdom. She also taught women how to spin and weave. She thought that no one could weave better than she could. Then she heard that a human woman named Arachne thought her own weaving was much better than Athena’s. The goddess was furious.

Athena, disguised as an old woman, went down to Earth. She visited Arachne at her hut in the woods. Arachne was weaving a pattern using rainbow-colored threads. Athena said, "Arachne, you should not try to compete with a goddess. You should ask Athena’s pardon for the lack of respect you showed to her." Arachne replied, "Everybody knows that I am the best weaver in the world. Athena can come and have a weaving contest with me if she doesn’t believe it."

Athena was furious. She revealed her true identity and angrily told Arachne, "I accept your challenge." Arachne was stunned, yet she was sure she could weave better than Athena. She agreed to the contest with Athena. They set up their looms and went to work, weaving so quickly and skillfully that their hands seemed to fly in all directions. Athena wove scenes of gods who were angry with humans who did not respect them. Arachne wove scenes that showed the gods' weaknesses.

Athena grew angrier when she saw that Arachne's woven web was every bit as fine as Athena’s, if not better. Athena was so angry that she cut Arachne's web to pieces. Then she put a spell on Arachne that made her feel guilty and ashamed. It worked and Arachne felt so guilty and ashamed that she fell into a spell of deep despair.

When Athena saw poor Arachne, the goddess regretted what she had done to the human. Though still angered by Arachne’s lack of respect, Athena wanted to allow the human a chance to do what she loved—weave. To correct the situation, Athena sprinkled Arachne with a magic liquid and said, "You are not going to die, Arachne. Instead, you will become a spider, weaving your beautiful web forever." Arachne shrank into a tiny spider. Out of her tiny body came the silk thread with which she wove the most beautiful webs.

Which quotation best shows Athena's compassion?

• "Athena was the Greek goddess of wisdom. She also taught women how to spin and weave. She thought that no one could weave better than she could. Then she heard that a human woman named Arachne thought her own weaving was much better than Athena's."

• "Athena, disguised as an old woman, went down to Earth. She visited Arachne at her hut in the woods."

• "[Athena] revealed her true identity and angrily told Arachne, 'I accept your challenge."

• "When Athena saw poor Arachne, the goddess regretted what she had done to the human. Though still angered by Arachne's lack of respect, Athena wanted to allow the human a chance to do what she loved-- weave."

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

"Sticky Lump" 

Sitting in the classroom,
my brain it needs a rest,
and my anxious, antsy hands
wander under the desk.

I'm scared of what I find there,
sticky lumps galore
as gross as chewed gum might be
I hope it's nothing more.

The bell rings and I'm sprinting
to wash my hands clean,
where soap and water save me
from the disgusting thing.

Why does the narrator sprint to the sink in the last verse?

• To wash the germs off her hands.

• To find more sticky lumps under the sink.

• Because she wants to throw the sticky lumps away.

• Because she feels nervous about staying in her desk.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

"The King of the Jungle"
(a folktale from Africa)

One sunny day, the lion felt rather strong. He wanted everyone to know that he was the king of the jungle. The lion pranced out under the blue skies. He could see the high peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro in the distance. First the lion came across a monkey. The lion stopped to roar at the monkey, "Who is the king of the jungle?" The monkey bowed and answered, "You, sir."

The lion was very proud. He continued walking through the jungles of Tanzania. When he came across a hyena, he stopped to roar, "Who is the king of the jungle?" The hyena bowed and answered, "You, sir."

The lion puffed up his mane and continued on. Soon he saw an elephant twenty-feet tall resting under the shade of a Mopani tree.

"Who is the king of the jungle?" the lion demanded of the elephant.

Before the lion could finish asking the question, the elephant swept the lion off his feet and threw him against the Mopani tree. As soon as the lion came to his senses, the elephant picked him up again and threw him against a rock.

The lion managed to free himself from the powerful grip of the elephant’s trunk. He backed away and shook his head at the elephant.

"Now, now, now," the lion said. "You don’t need to be so violent just because you don't know the answer." 

What conclusion can be drawn about the elephant?

• He is afraid of the lion.

• He thinks he is the king of the jungle.

• He thinks he should be kind to others.

• He wants to eat the lion.

Tags

CCSS.RL.1.10

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.K.5