Page 172 - SpringBoard_ELA_Grade6_Flipbook

aCTIvITy 2.17
continued
16 When his time came last week, I knelt beside him on the floor of the animal hospital, rubbing his gray snout as the veterinarian discussed cremation with me. No, I told her, I would be taking him home with me.
17 The next morning, our family would stand over the hole I had dug and say goodbye. The kids would tuck drawings in beside him. My wife would speak for us all when she’d say: “God, I’m going to miss that big, dumb lug.”
18 But now I had a few minutes with him before the doctor returned. I thought back over his 13 years—the destroyed furniture and goofy antics; the sloppy kisses and utter devotion. All in all, not a bad run.
19 I didn’t want him to leave this world believing all his bad press. I rested my forehead against his and said: “Marley, you are a great dog.”
Second Read
• Reread the memoir to answer these text-dependent comprehension questions.
• Write any additional questions you have about the text in your Reader/Writer Notebook.
1. Craft and Structure: How do the first two sentences of the memoir contribute to the text? What is the effect of these sentences on the reader?
2. Key Ideas and Details: What kind of personality does Marley have? What details in the text illustrate his personality?
3. Knowledge and Ideas: Which evidence supports the statement that Marley’s heart was pure?
4. Craft and Structure: In paragraphs 13 and 14, what are the connotations of the words loopy and unbridled? How do these words help the reader understand Marley?
my Notes
Unit 2 • The Power to Change 145
lug: an awkward, clumsy fellow devotion: dedication
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