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1. Unit 1, Part 3 We Are All One Click the mouse button or press the space bar to continue Splash

2. Unit 1, Part 1 (pages 136–145) Before You Read Reading the Selection After You Read Selection Menu

3. For pages 136–145 7.3.A Describe multiple themes in a work of fiction. Before You Read

4. Meet Laurence Yep Click the picture to learn about the author. Before You Read

5. Connect to the Folktale How much do you enjoy taking care of animals? If given the opportunity, would you provide food, shelter, or protection for an animal? for an insect? Why or why not? Before You Read

6. Connect to the Folktale Partner Talk With a partner, talk about the meaning of the expression “We are all one.” Begin by deciding if you agree with these statements: • What happens to one person affects everyone. • Every person or thing is connected to every other person or thing; we’re all part of one family. Before You Read

7. Build Background This folktale takes place in some legendary time in China. The Chinese people who came to live in the United States brought this folktale and others with them. • Chinese people retold these tales to remind themselves of life at home and to show how to survive in a strange and often hostile land. Before You Read

8. Build Background • The folktales were meant to teach children how a Chinese person should behave. • During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the U.S. government created work projects to help the unemployed. Jon Lee was given the job of gathering and translating into English traditional stories from Chinese immigrants who were living in Oakland, California. “We Are All One” is a retelling of one of those stories. Before You Read

9. lacquer n. a liquid that is poured on wood or metal and dries to form a shiny coat. Lin’s parents bought a black lacquer cabinet in Chinatown. omen n. a sign or an event thought to foretell good or bad fortune. Some people believe that finding a penny is a good omen. Click a vocabulary term to listen to the definition. Before You Read

10. Set Purposes for Reading As you read this story, pay attention to the extraordinary individuals and animals the old peddler counts on. Before You Read

11. Set Purposes for Reading Theme The theme of a literary work is its overall message about life or about human nature. Folktales across cultures contain similar themes. For example, “friendship is important” is a theme that is common to many folktales. Before You Read

12. Set Purposes for Reading Theme Discovering the theme of a story is important because it helps you to see a work’s deeper meaning. A story’s theme can teach you lessons about life. As you read, ask yourself: What is the author’s main message? What is the author trying to tell me about life? Before You Read

13. Set Purposes for Reading Theme Click the image to view the animation. Before You Read

14. Set Purposes for Reading Interpret Plot Events Plot is the sequence of events in a story. When you interpret plot events, you use your understanding of the world to decide what events in the plot mean. Do events in the plot resemble events in everyday life? Do they suggest a deeper meaning about life? Before You Read

15. Set Purposes for Reading Interpret Plot Events When you interpret something, you decide for yourself what it means to you. To interpret plot events, think about • what you already know about human nature and about the world • what the events in the story might mean Before You Read

16. Set Purposes for Reading Interpret Plot Events As you read, list plot events and their meaning in a graphic organizer like the one shown. Before You Read

17. Set Purposes for Reading Interpret Plot Events Click the image to view the animation. Before You Read

18. Interpret Imagine that you are listening to your best friend talk about a soccer game. Your friend describes how the star player scored the winning goal. Think about how your friend’s facial expression, tone of voice, and body language help you interpret whether your friend is pleased or disappointed with the results of the match. Set Purposes for Reading Interpret Plot Events Before You Read

19. Unit 1, Part 3 Before You Read

20. Interpret Plot Events Is a mother’s advice usually right or wrong? How does that help you know that the peddler will look for the magical herb? Answer:A mother’s advice is usually right. The peddler trusts his mother’s advice that a magical herb exists. Reading the Selection

21. Interpret Plot Events What does the act of searching for the herb mean to the peddler? What does it mean to the reader? Answer:Possible responses: To the peddler, the search may mean that he wants to help someone in need; to the reader, the search means that the setting will shift. Reading the Selection

22. ThemeHow is the expression “we are all one” a clue to the theme? Answer:The expression is another way of saying that all creatures are connected and responsible for one another. Reading the Selection

23. ThemeHow does the peddler’s decision illustrate the theme of the story? Answer:He is concerned with all life, not just the life of the rich man. Reading the Selection

24. ThemeExplain how the queen’s speech reveals the theme of the folktale. Answer:The queen repeats that all creatures are connected. Reading the Selection

25. In what way do details of this picture help you better understand the story? Answer:Like the lone figure in the painting, the peddler is not like other people—he is a lone soul who cares about all creatures, no matter how small. Reading the Selection

26. Cultural History The story alludes to the legend of the great emperor Yü and his taming of the great floods. According to the legend, about 4,000 years ago in ancient China, Yü built canals that led a river into the sea, thereby preventing flooding that had previously caused great damage. Yü is believed to be the founder of China’s oldest dynasty, called Hsia. Why does the queen refer to this story when speaking to the peddler? Before You Read

27. Cultural History Answer:Possible response: You may conclude that the reference indicates the importance of the peddler’s mission. Before You Read

28. A centipedeis a long, flat insect with many pairs of legs. Reading the Selection

29. Interpret Plot Events The peddler protects the centipede. How might this act help the peddler later in the story? Answer:The centipede might do something to reward the peddler for his kindness. Reading the Selection

30. Landscape differs from the other artwork in that the landscape is green rather than yellow, gray, or brown. How does this detail relate to the story’s theme? Answer:Possible answer; Green is the color of nature, and it is nature that helps the peddler meet his goal. Reading the Selection

31. ThemeHow does the centipede prove that “we are all one”? Answer:The centipede helps the peddler by revealing where he will find the magic bead. Reading the Selection

32. How does this painting help you picture the setting? Answer:Possible response: The old peddler and his wife may have lived in a village like the one in the painting. Also, they might have worn clothes like those shown in the painting. Reading the Selection

33. Whom or what is the peddler able to count on in this story? Answer:The peddler can count on the ants and the centipede to help him. Reading the Selection

34. Language History The Middle English word bede comes from the Old English word gebed, meaning “a prayer.” To keep track of repeated prayers, people used a string of small round balls (today called a rosary). Because each round ball stood for one bede (or prayer), the word eventually came to mean the round balls themselves. Today, bead means a small object that can be threaded on a string. What do you think is the nature of the herb that the peddler will find? Before You Read

35. Language History Answer: Possible response: The herb will answer one’s prayers. Before You Read

36. ThemeThe gatekeeper and the peddler are different. How might this difference relate to the story’s theme? Answer:Unlike the peddler, the gatekeeper does not treat every form of life as equal. This difference emphasizes the story’s theme of the importance of treating everyone equally. Reading the Selection

37. ThemeWhat advice does this folktale offer? Answer:Because we are all one, you can make a difference in others’ lives. Help those in need, and your kindness will be rewarded. Reading the Selection

38. Unit 1, Part 3 Reading the Selection

39. Respond and Think Critically 1. What is the peddler’s first act of kindness toward another creature? Describe it. [Recall] Answer:He saves the ants’ nest. After You Read

40. Respond and Think Critically 2. When the rich man sees the peddler at the gate, what does he say? What do the rich man’s first words tell you about his personality? Explain. [Infer] Answer:The rich man says that the peddler will be beaten if he is wasting the rich man’s time. The rich man’s first words make him seem impatient. After You Read

41. Respond and Think Critically 3. How does the story end? How do you think the peddler will act, now that his life has changed? Explain. [Analyze] Answer:The peddler is rewarded for helping the rich man. You may suggest that the peddler will not change because he is kind, and money is not important to him. After You Read

42. Respond and Think Critically TIP: Analyzing Here are some tips to help you analyze how the story’s title relates to its theme. Think about what the author shows you through the events, characters, and dialogue in the story. After You Read

43. Respond and Think Critically • Think about when the title phrase is stated in the story. • What do the characters do after saying the phrase? • How do the characters’ actions fit the theme and the phrase? After You Read

44. 4.Theme How does the title, “We Are All One,” relate to the story’s theme? Explain. [Analyze] Respond and Think Critically Answer:If we act as though we are all one, then all will benefit. After You Read

45. 5.Interpret Plot Events Review your chart of plot events. Which events do you think are most important to the story’s theme? Explain. [Evaluate] Respond and Think Critically Answer:The peddler’s acts of kindness toward the ants and the centipede are the most important events. These events reveal the importance of treating every creature kindly. After You Read

46. 6. Who or what is the extraordinary individual in this story? Use details from the story to support your answer. [Interpret] Respond and Think Critically Answer:You may suggest that the peddler is the extraordinary individual because he treats all creatures with kindness. After You Read

47. Respond to these questions. 1. Which item might be covered bylacquer — a shield or a dress? Answer:A shield could have a coat of lacquer; a dress would not. After You Read

48. 2. What might be seen as a goodomen — a star shooting across the sky or a dead flower in the grass? Answer:A star shooting across the sky might be seen as a good omen; a dead flower has negative connotations. After You Read

49. Write a Blurb A blurb is a short piece of writing that praises and promotes something, such as a book or a movie. You often see a blurb on the cover of a book. What does “We Are All One” say about life? Write a blurb in which you answer this question. The story’s title can help you answer the question. After You Read

50. Unit 1, Part 3 After You Read