GRA: “The Treasure of Lemon Brown”
Prentice-Hall, pp. 175-83
Answer the following questions in your READING JOURNAL...
PREVIEW: Get a sense of a story by thinking about the title, by asking yourself what you know about the author, and by studying any pictures, pull quotes, and headings. Preview page the first page only of the story (p. 175) and write two questions you want answered.
(1)
(2)
HOOK: The first lines in a story are very important. They are intended to get your attention, to “hook” you into the story. Read the first sentence of the story. What effect does the author want the first sentence to have on you, the reader?
PREDICT: Read the first four paragraphs. STOP. What do you predict Greg, the main character, will do? Write your prediction.
VOCABULARY: Your will read on page 176: “Some of the guys had held an impromptu checker tournament [in the old, abandoned tenement] the week before, and Greg had noticed that the door, once boarded over, had been slightly ajar.”
Write a definition for the two underlined words. Do not use a dictionary. Tell how you figured out the meaning of these two words.
Impromptu –
Ajar –
Study the meaning of these words before you continue reading the story...
HARLEM – a mainly African American neighborhood in New York City
VAULTED – jumped over
MUSTY – stale, damp smell
BLUES – songs with a sad theme
BECKONED – called over to someone to come closer
GNARLED – rough in appearance from old age or injury
CLIPPINGS – stories cut out from newspapers
EERIE – creepy, scary
VISUALIZATION: As you read, you picture in your mind what the characters are doing and the setting. READ the story up to the point on the top of page 178 that ends in the line “sharp enough to cut a week into nine days.” STOP and describe the scene you see in your “mind’s eye” in your.
Continue the story all the way through. Don’t hesitate to re-read any lines to help keep clearly visualizing what is taking place in the story.
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS – answer on lined paper. Discuss, then edit, revise, and type up your answers in complete sentences.
1. Why did Greg go into the tenement?
2. What was Greg’s reaction upon meeting Lemon Brown?
3. What did Greg think at first when Lemon Brown told him he had a treasure? Quote a line to support your answer.
4. What danger did Greg and Lemon Brown face?
5. “Maybe, the thought came to Greg, the scene could be even eerier.” (p.181) Explain what was going through Greg’s mind. What was Greg planning to do and what actions did he take?
6. Why did the men finally leave the building?
The following two questions require you to make an interpretation based on the story details...
7. What was Lemon Brown’s treasure?
8. Why did Greg smile at the end of the story?
ESSAY. Lemon Brown tells Greg, “Every man got a treasure. You don’t know that, you must be a fool!” Think about your most positive qualities. What are your talents and interests? What is your treasure? What physical object represents your treasure?
Write an essay with the title “My Treasure.” Your first copy must be written on lined paper on every other line (10+ lines). Edit your work, and then type your essay, double-spaced, 7+ lines, Times Roman font, and 12-point font size. Include a picture of the object that represents your “treasure.”
GRA: “The Treasure of Lemon Brown”
M. Beilin 2012