Page 55 - SpringBoard_Writing_Workshop_Grade6_Flipbook

Writing Workshop 5 (continued)
My Notes
could easily see him out of the corner other eye, if she wanted to. He did not trust the woman not to trust him. And he did not want to be mistrusted now.
“Do you need somebody to go to the store,” asked the boy, “maybe to get some milk or something?”
“Don’t believe I do,” said the woman, “unless you just want sweet milk yourself. I was going to make cocoa out of this canned milk I got here.”
“That will be fine,” said the boy.
She heated some lima beans and ham she had in the icebox, made the cocoa, and set the table. The woman did not ask the boy anything about where he lived, or his folks, or anything else that would embarrass him. Instead, as they ate, she told him about her job in a hotel beauty-shop that stayed open late, what the work was like, and how all kinds of women came in and out, blondes, red-heads, and Spanish. Then she cut him a half of her ten-cent cake.
“Eat some more, son,” she said.
When they were finished eating she got up and said, “Now, here, take this ten dollars and buy yourself some blue suede shoes. And next time, do not make the mistake of latching onto my pocketbook nor nobody else’s—because shoes come be devilish like that will burn your feet. I got to get my rest now. But I wish you would behave yourself, son, from here on in.”
She led him down the hall to the front door and opened it. “Goodnight!” Behave yourself, boy!” she said, looking out into the street.
The boy wanted to say something else other that “Thank you, m’am” to Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, but he couldn’t do so as he turned at the barren stoop and looked back at the large woman in the door. He barely managed to say “Thank you” before she shut the door. And he never saw her again.
After Reading
3. Next, share your marked text with a partner and then the class. After class discussion, use the graphic organizer provided to chart responses and to consider how Roger changes. You are preparing to write a character analysis essay.
Roger’s Actions
Sample responses: “It was about eleven o’clock at night, and she was walking alone, when a boy ran up behind her and tried to snatch her purse.”
“I’m very sorry, lady, I’m sorry,” whispered the boy.
“I wanted a pair of blue suede shoes,” said the boy.”
What the Actions Tell About His Character – Interpretation
He is desperate enough to steal.
He is willing to show remorse.
He is honest. His desire is for more than just the necessities of life.
4 SpringBoard® Writing Workshop with Grammar Activities Grade 6
Character Analysis Chart
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