“Song of the Trees” By Mildred D. Taylor. Novel, Novella, Short Story Short story: one main plot line, one or two major characters, one important conflict,

“Song of the Trees”

By Mildred D. Taylor

Novel, Novella, Short Story

• Short story: one main plot line, one or two major characters, one important conflict, one main theme

• Novel: book-length work, many characters, many conflicts, subplots, numerous settings, several themes

• Novella: a story from 20-100 pages long, multiple characters & plot lines, but not the length of a book

Agree? Disagree?

disagree 0 1 2 3 4 agree

1. People gain self-respect by standing up for their beliefs.

2. Given the chance, most people will never take advantage of another person.

3. Some people are treated unfairly because of the color of their skin.

4. Nobody owns the earth.

finicky

• Little Man is very concerned with how he looks, which is why he is described as a finicky dresser.

• If someone or something is described as finicky, s/he is too concerned with unimportant details and small things that s/he likes or dislikes; fussy

• The finicky cat refused to eat anything not served on a crystal glass plate.

finicky

finicky

If I say something that describes

someone/something that is finicky,

say “picky.” If not, don’t say

anything.• eating anything in sight

• changing one’s clothes if they get a wrinkle

• not eating one’s chicken if it is touching any other food on a plate

What’s the word that means” too concerned with unimportant details”?

dispute

• Cassie’s brothers always argued, so Mama often had to help them settle their disputes.

• If you have a dispute with someone, you argue or disagree with them

• Not wanting to do your chores could get you into a dispute with your parents.

dispute

dispute

If I say something that involves a

dispute, say “argue.” If not, don’t

say anything.

• a football coach thinking a referee missed a holding call

• a sister who thinks her brother read her diary

• A student getting their favorite candy bar from their teacher

ambled

• As Cassie and her brothers slowly wander through the forest, they are ambling.

• If you amble, you walk slowly in a relaxed way.

• The old man came out and ambled over for a chat.

What is the word that means “to argue or disagree”?

ambled

ambled

If I say something when someone

would amble, say “walk.” If not,

don’t say anything.

• someone who is late for work

• someone who is not in a hurry to get home

• someone enjoying a sunset walk down the beach

What is the word that means “to walk in a slow and relaxed manner”?

delved

• Cassie loves blackberries and always wants the biggest one, so she delves for it in the bowl.

• If you delve, you search for something.

• She delved into her purse and brought out her wallet.

delved

delved

If I say something that would

require someone to delve into or

for something, say “search.” If not,

don’t say anything.• the red Lego brick in the bag

• last night’s homework in a messy backpack

• a black sweater in a small pile of white shirts

What is the word that means “to search”?

curtly

• The man spoke to mama curtly, showing his lack of respect for her.

• If someone speaks to you in a rude way with few words, the are speaking to you curtly.

• He curtly spoke to the man, and then stalked off.

If I say something illustrates

someone acting curtly, say “rude.”

If not, don’t say anything.

• listening to your friend and asking many questions

• shutting the door in a salesman face

• giving one or two word responses during a conversation

What is the word that means “to act rudely and respond with few words”?

skirting

• The man didn’t want to talk about their potential break up, so he kept talking about other subjects and thus was skirting the issue.

• If someone avoids talking about a subject because it is painful or embarrassing, they are skirting around the subject.

• Instead of getting to the point, Mr. Anderson was skirting the issue.

If I say something that illustrates

someone skirting an issue, say

“avoid.” If not, don’t say anything.

• immediately demanding to know why your friend didn’t call you back

• confronting your brother about stealing your money

• talking about how much fun you had in PE when asked how you did on the math test

What is the word that means “to avoid a subject because it is embarrassing”?

elude

• The thief was trying to escape from the police, so he ran down side streets and alleys hoping to elude them.

• If you try to elude someone, you try to escape from them by tricking them.

• The children hoped to elude punishment for their bold behavior.

elude

If I say something that shows

someone trying to elude someone

else, say “tricky escape.” If not,

don’t say anything.• ducking behind trashcans and trees in the

park

• walking confidently down the street

• a deer standing quietly in a tall clump of trees while a hunter walks by

What is the word that means “to escape from someone by tricking them”?

incredulously

• The man wasn’t used to being ignored, so he stared at the girl incredulously when she acted like she didn’t hear him.

• If you do something incredulously, you do it in an unbelievable manner.

• “You sold the car?” she asked incredulously.

incredulously

incredulously

If I say something that someone

would respond to incredulously,

say “wow.” If not, don’t say

anything.• asking a stranger to loan you $20

• eating all of your fundraiser chocolate and then asking your grandma for $30 to pay for it

• taking out the trash once the trashcan is full

What is the word that means “unbelievingly”?

ashen

• The man turned ashen when he opened the door and saw the killer standing there with a knife.

• If your skin is ashen, it is extremely pale.

• He turned ashen with fright.

If I say something that might

cause someone to turn ashen, say

“pale.” If not, don’t say anything.

• being out in the sun all day

• walking in on a murder scene

• being served raw cow intestines for dinner

What is the word that means “pale”?

sentries

• The men stood outside of the palace and wouldn’t let anyone enter, they were guarding the palace or being sentries.

• If you are a sentry, you are a guard.

• The sentries stood guard over the quiet landscape.

sentries

sentries

If I say something that would need

a sentry, say “guard.” If not, don’t

say anything.

• the president visiting Afghanistan

• an open safe full of money

• students in a class taking notes

What is the word that means “guard”?