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1. Unit 1, Part 2 The Force of Luck Click the mouse button or press the space bar to continue Splash

2. Unit 1, Part 2 (pages 90–103) Before You Read Reading the Selection After You Read Selection Menu

3. For pages 90–103 7.6.B Analyze the development of the plot through the internal and external responses of the characters, including their motivations and conflicts. Before You Read

4. Meet Rudolfo A. Anaya Click the picture to learn about the author. Before You Read

5. Connect to the Folktale Think about a time when you won a game, a contest, or a prize. Was your success the result of hard work, or was it luck? Partner Talk With a partner, talk about whether success comes from a person’s efforts or from luck. Can a person have control over his or her fate? Before You Read

6. Build Background Folktales are stories that have been passed down orally from one generation to another by storytellers. Almost every culture has its own folktales. These tales help reinforce and preserve a culture’s values and traditions. “The Force of Luck” is part of the oral tradition of the Hispanic people who lived in the American Southwest. This story shares common elements with other folktales. Before You Read

7. Build Background • The story is about ordinary people. • The story takes place in a small village sometime in the past. • The story features three main events. Before You Read

8. prosperousadj. having wealth or good fortune; successful. The prosperous actor lived in a mansion high in the hills. provisions n. food or supplies. The backpackers carried enough provisions for two weeks in the wilderness. Click a vocabulary term to listen to the definition. Before You Read

9. novelty n. something new and unusual. For people living in hot climates, snow is a novelty. benefactors n. people who help, especially by giving money or gifts. With support from several benefactors, the library was able to buy new computers. Click a vocabulary term to listen to the definition. Before You Read

10. Set Purposes for Reading As you read, ask yourself, what does this folktale suggest about luck and about relying on oneself? Before You Read

11. Set Purposes for Reading Character A character is a person in a literary work. If a character is an animal, it displays human traits. A main character is the most important character in a work. A minor character is part of the story but is not the focus of the action. Flat characters reveal only one personality trait. Round characters show varied, and sometimes contradictory, traits. Before You Read

12. Set Purposes for Reading Character As you read, pay attention to what the characters think about the events in the story. Notice what they say and how they act. Look for changes in the main character. Before You Read

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

14. Set Purposes for Reading Analyze Plot When you analyze, you look at the separate parts of something to understand the whole. When you analyze plot, you look at how the parts of the plot work together as a whole. Recall that a plot has five main parts: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Before You Read

15. Set Purposes for Reading Analyze Plot To analyze plot, answer these questions: • Who are the characters, and what is the conflict in the story? • How do events in the story combine to advance the plot? Before You Read

16. Set Purposes for Reading Analyze Plot • What part of the story is most interesting or suspenseful? • What happens at the end of the story? How was the reader prepared for the ending by what came before? Before You Read

17. Set Purposes for Reading Analyze Plot As you read, fill in a graphic organizer like the one below. Before You Read

18. Analyze Every story has a plot—including the stories in movies, books, or television programs. Analyze the plot of your favorite movie, book, or television program. With a partner, discuss which events make up the story’s rising action, climax, and resolution. Set Purposes for Reading Analyze Plot Before You Read

19. Unit 1, Part 2 Before You Read

20. CharacterWhat does the miller’s statement tell you about his character? Answer:The miller accepts his situation. He is responsible with money and is humble. Reading the Selection

21. This depiction of agricultural workers provides visual clues about their lives. What kind of clothes do the workers wear? What do the workers’ clothes say about their lives? Answer:The workers wear oversized hats and faded clothes with pant legs and sleeves rolled up. The clothes show that the workers do a great deal of physical labor outside in the heat. Reading the Selection

22. Analyze PlotWhat conflict does the miller face? Answer:The conflict is that the miller does not know what to do with so much money. Reading the Selection

23. Diego Rivera is one of Mexico’s most famous artists. His subject matter often deals with life in Mexico, Mexican history, or social problems. Because Rivera believed that art should not be hidden away, he often painted large murals on the walls of public buildings. Which character in the story does the woman in the mural come closest to illustrating? Reading the Selection

24. Answer:Possible response: The woman in the mural is similar to the miller’s wife. Reading the Selection

25. A hawkis a bird of prey. Reading the Selection

26. CharacterDescribe the miller’s wife. Answer:The miller’s wife accepts their situation. She has faith that their situation will change someday. Reading the Selection

27. CharacterAre both the miller and his wife resigned to poverty? Explain. Answer:Possible answer: The miller copes with poverty by living modestly. His wife seems to hold out hope for change. Reading the Selection

28. Analyze PlotIn what way does the man’s action advance the plot? What do you think will happen to the money? Answer:The additional money advances the plot because the reader wants to know what will happen to the miller and his money. The miller may lose the money again or may become prosperous. Reading the Selection

29. CharacterWhat did the miller learn from his last experience with the money? Answer:The miller learned to be more careful with money by protecting it. Reading the Selection

30. Earthenwareis made from clay that is heated until it is hard. Reading the Selection

31. Analyze PlotIn what way might the lead affect the events in the story? Answer:An item of no worth may prove valuable later in the story. Reading the Selection

32. Cultural History Hispanic Legends Rudolfo Anaya writes about a culture that is rich in legends. The tale of La Llorona, the Weeping Woman, for example, is a well-known ghost story. According to legend, La Llorona haunts rivers and lakes searching for her children. Why do people pass legends down from one generation to another? Before You Read

33. Cultural History Answer:Possible answer: Passing down legends is a way of keeping a culture and its traditions alive from one generation to the next. Before You Read

34. Analyze PlotWhat are some clues that the glass may prove important to the plot? Answer:The passage mentions that the miller knows nothing about jewels, which suggests that the “glass” is actually a diamond. The glass is so bright and shiny that it must be valuable. Reading the Selection

35. Analyze PlotThe miller’s lack of knowledge could lead to more “bad” luck.How would the miller know that the “glass” was actually valuable? Answer:Possible answers: He could judge from other people’s responses. He could ask a knowledgeable person. Reading the Selection

36. CharacterWhat does the jeweler’s wife’s statement tell you about her character? Answer:The jeweler’s wife knows that the glass is a valuable jewel, and she probably wants to keep it. Reading the Selection

37. CharacterDoes the author find fault with the behavior of the jeweler’s wife, or does the author see her as a good businessperson? Answer:Possible response: The author indicates that the jeweler’s wife is greedy. Reading the Selection

38. Analyze PlotWhy might this event be part of the story’s climax? Answer:By selling the glass, the miller may find that his life will change dramatically. This is part of the climax because it is the most interesting and suspenseful part of the story. Reading the Selection

39. Language History Etymology The word mill comes from the Latin root word molere, which means “to grind.” The word meal, which means “coarsely ground seeds,” shares the same Latin root. Why have the words mill and meal developed from the same Latin root? Answer:They have similar meanings: to mill something is to grind it, and meal is coarsely ground seeds. Before You Read

40. Whom does the miller count on? Answer:The miller is cautious and counts on himself to continue to work hard in case he somehow loses the money. Reading the Selection

41. Analyze PlotHow can you tell that the plot has now reached the falling action? Answer:This part of the story occurs after the climax. These details lead to the story’s resolution. Reading the Selection

42. CharacterWhy would the man not believe the miller? Answer:The man who had given money to the miller believes that money makes a man successful. He does not believe in luck. Reading the Selection

43. The eagle image is part of a huge series of murals painted by Diego Rivera, beginning in 1923. Rivera painted the murals on the walls of the Ministry of Public Education building in Mexico City. Rivera’s murals depicted not only Mexico’s agriculture and industry, but also the art and culture of the Mexican people. Why is an eagle an appropriate image for a building devoted to education? Reading the Selection

44. Analyze PlotHow does the man’s doubt provide a clue to what will happen in the story’s resolution? Answer:The man’s doubt provides a clue that the miller will show that he is an honest man by discovering the lost money. Reading the Selection

45. CharacterHow do you think the miller feels about finding the money? Answer:The miller probably feels happy to have finally proven his honesty. Reading the Selection

46. Unit 1, Part 2 Reading the Selection

47. Respond and Think Critically 1. What are the two wealthy men trying to prove? Explain. [Recall] Answer:They want to prove whether luck or money makes a man prosper. After You Read

48. Respond and Think Critically 2. Explain how the miller loses his first gift. [Summarize] Answer: A hawk grabs the miller’s first $200. After You Read

49. Respond and Think Critically 3. What values do you think are promoted by this folktale? Explain. [Infer] Answer:The miller’s story reinforces the values of hard work, honesty, and kindness to neighbors. After You Read

50. Respond and Think Critically TIP: Inferring When you infer, you combine clues and details from the text with your own background knowledge. Think about what details and events in the story suggest about the best way to live. After You Read