Thank You, M’am/ Langston Hughes/ Created by Paramount District

Unit 2

Title: “Thank You, M’am”

Suggested Time: 4 days (45 minutes per day)

Common Core ELA Standards: RL.9-10.1, RL.9-10.2, RL.9-10.3, RL.9-10.4; W.9-10.1, W.9-10.4, W.9-10.9; SL.9-10.1; L.9-10.1, L.9-10.2, L.9-10.5

Teacher Instructions

Preparing for Teaching

1.  Read the Big Ideas and Key Understandings and the Synopsis. Please do not read this to the students. This is a description for teachers about the big ideas and key understanding that students should take away after completing this task.

Big Ideas and Key Understandings

Forgiveness, kindness and empathy can have a positive impact on another person.

Synopsis

In this short story, by Langston Hughes, a teenage boy named Roger wants a pair of blue suede shoes. He tries to snatch Mrs. Jones’s purse as she is walking home. The attempt fails, and Mrs. Jones collars the boy, who is no match for his captor. She drags Roger home with her, feeds him, talks to him, and gives him ten dollars for his shoes. She ends their encounter with advice to behave himself.

2.  Read the entire selection, keeping in mind the Big Ideas and Key Understandings.

3.  Re-read the text while noting the stopping points for the Text Dependent Questions and teaching Tier II/academic vocabulary.

During Teaching

1.  Students read the entire selection independently.

2.  Teacher reads the text aloud while students follow along or students take turns reading aloud to each other. Depending on the text length and student need, the teacher may choose to read the full text or a passage aloud. For a particularly complex text, the teacher may choose to reverse the order of steps 1 and 2.

3.  Students and teacher re-read the text while stopping to respond to and discuss the questions, continually returning to the text. A variety of methods can be used to structure the reading and discussion (i.e., whole class discussion, think-pair-share, independent written response, group work, etc.)

Text Dependent Questions

Text-dependent Questions / Evidence-based Answers
On page 122, what was the woman’s initial reaction when the boy tried to snatch her purse? / The woman reacted aggressively. She “kicked him square in his blue jean sitter…she picked the boy up by his shirt front, and shook him until his teeth rattled.” She then demanded that the boy pick up her pocketbook and hand it back to her.
On page 122, Mrs. Jones says, ‘Um-hum! And your face is dirty. I got a great mind to wash your face for you. Ain’t you got nobody home to tell you to wash your face?’ What clues does the author give us about why Mrs. Jones decided to bring Roger home with her? / Mrs. Jones could have decided to take Roger home as a result of his apology, and/or she could have felt sorry him due to his physical appearance and/or the fact that he reported that there was no one at home to tell him to wash his face. In addition, she sees that he is frail and willow-wild and may want to care for him.
On page 122, the woman finally turns Roger loose, “Roger looked at the door-looked at the woman-looked at the door-and went to the sink.” Why did the author choose to italicize this part of the text? / The author may have chosen to italicize this part of the text to demonstrate Roger’s decision to stay. This is in contrast to Roger’s initial attempts to run away, and now that he has the chance to run away, he chooses to stay.
On page 122, Mrs. Jones says, “Maybe you haven’t been to your supper either late as it be. Have you?” What can we infer about Mrs. Jones’s character based on what she does next? / After Mrs. Jones asks Roger whether he’s had supper, she states that she believes that he is or has been hungry. She then prepares dinner for both of them. We can infer that Mrs. Jones is a caring person because she’s willing to feed someone who has wronged her.
On age 124, Mrs. Jones begins to tell Roger about when she was young. Mrs. Jones shares, “I have done things, too, which I would not tell you, son.” What effect does did this admission have on Roger? How did it influence his actions? / Roger probably now feels that Mrs. Jones understands him and now wants to be trusted by her. He even volunteers to go the store for her.
On page 124, the narrator states, “The woman did not ask the boy anything about where he lived or his folk.” What did she do instead? Why? / Mrs. Jones did not want to embarrass Roger so she talked about her job in a hotel beauty shop.
On page 124, Mrs. Jones states, “Shoes come by devilish like that will burn your feet.” State in your own words what Mrs. Jones meant. / Things you get wrongfully will bring you harm.
On page 124, Mrs. Jones gives Roger money. What motivates Mrs. Jones? What does she expect from him in the future? / Mrs. Jones might give Roger money because she feels sorry for him and doesn’t want him to steal again. She tells him, “I wish you would behave yourself, son.”

Tier II/Academic Vocabulary

These words require less time to learn
(They are concrete or describe an object/event/
process/characteristic that is familiar to students) / These words require more time to learn
(They are abstract, have multiple meanings, are a part
of a word family, or are likely to appear again in future texts)
Meaning can be learned from context / Page 122- roomer
Page 122 – blue-jeaned sitter
Page 122 - frail
Page 124 - presentable
Page 124 - mistrusted / Page 176 – latching
Meaning needs to be provided / Page 122 – willow-wild
Page 122 – half-nelson
Page 122 – kitchenette-furnished
Page 122 – suede
Page 124 – stoop / Page 124 - barren

Culminating Writing Task

•  Prompt

Forgiveness, kindness, and empathy can have a positive impact on a person’s life. How does Mrs. Jones’s kindness to Roger change him? Explain how he changes and provide evidence from the text. Compose an argument that is one page in length. Support your claims with valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence from the text, including direct quotes and page numbers.

•  Teacher Instructions

1.  Students identify their writing task from the prompt provided.

2.  Students complete an evidence chart as a pre-writing activity. Teachers should remind students to use any relevant notes they compiled while reading and answering the text-dependent questions.

3.  Students compose a rough draft. With regard to grade level and student ability, teachers should decide how much scaffolding they will provide during this process (i.e. modeling, showing example pieces, sharing work as students go).

4.  Students complete final draft.

Evidence
Quote or paraphrase / Page number / Elaboration / explanation of how this evidence supports ideas or argument

“…a boy ran up behind her and tried to snatch her purse.”

/

120

/

We are introduced to a boy as he attempts to steal a purse.

“What did you want to do it for?”
The boy said, “I didn’t aim to.”
She said, “You lie!” / 122 / Roger tries to deny that he was trying to steal the woman’s purse.
“And your face is dirty….Ain’t you got nobody home to tell you to wash your face?”
“No’m,” said the boy. / 122 / Roger doesn’t have anyone at home to care for him. He is dirty.
“Sweat popped out on the boy’s face and he began to struggle.” / 122 / Mrs. Jones forces Roger to stay with her against his will.
“Then, Roger, you go to that sink and wash your face,” said the woman, whereupon she turned him loose-at last. Roger looked at the door-looked at the woman-looked at the door-and went to the sink. / 122 / At the moment that Mrs. Jones lets Roger go, he looks at the door and we know that he considers leaving, but makes a decision to stay.
“I have done things, too, which I would not tell you, son-neither tell God, if he didn’t already know.” / 124 / With this information, Roger begins to understand that Mrs. Jones different than what he assumed.
“The boy took care to sit on the far side of the room where he thought she could easily see him out of the corner of her eye, if she wanted to. He did not trust the woman not to trust him. And he did not want to be mistrusted now.” / 124 / Roger now wants to show that he can be trustworthy. He stays within view of Mrs. Jones.
“Do you need somebody to go to the store,” asked the boy, “maybe get some milk or something.” / 124 / Roger is now attempting to be helpful.
“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” / 124 / Mrs. Jones gives Roger ten dollars and advice for the future.
“The boy wanted to say something else other than “Thank you, m’am” to Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, but he couldn’t do so” / 124 / Roger is speechless at this unexpected act of kindness.

•  Sample Answer

In Langston Hughes’s short story, “Thank you, M’am” we see a boy who is transformed by a woman’s act of kindness after he tries to steal her purse. In the beginning of the story Roger is a thief and a liar. He attempts to steal Mrs. Jones’ purse and tries to run away. When she asks him, “What did you want to do it for?” He lies and says, “I didn’t aim to.” (122). We learn from the conversation that Roger has a dirty face and nobody at home. Roger is described as, “fourteen or fifteen, frail and willow-wild, in tennis shoes and blue jeans.” (122).

Roger struggles and tries to get away, but he is not strong enough. Mrs. Jones puts him in a half-nelson and drags Roger up the street. After they arrive at her home, she asks his name and directs him to wash his face. She turns Roger loose and though he considers running, Roger chooses to stay. He washes his face like she asks, but Roger is still unsure about what to do next, or what will happen next. “”You gonna take me to jail?” (124).

Mrs. Jones does not take Roger to jail. Instead, she begins to talk to him about herself. She shares that she “ha[s] done things too” in her past. At this point Roger seems to understand that Mrs. Jones is different than what he assumed; maybe he feels that she understands him. Roger no longer tries to get away, on the contrary, he now wants to be trusted by Mrs. Jones. He stays within view so she will know he is not going to take her purse anymore, he even offers to go to the store for her. “Do you need somebody to go to the store,” asked the boy, “maybe to get some milk or something?” (124).

Mrs. Jones is generous with her food and shares a meal with Roger. She does not try to embarrass him, but talks about herself during the meal. At the end, She gives him the ten dollars for the shoes and advises him to “behave [him]self.” (124)

Roger is speechless and is barely able to say “Thank you” at the end of the story. Roger never sees Mrs. Jones again, but we are left with the feeling that he probably tries to live up to her expectations. Roger has changed from someone who is thinking only about himself, willing to steal money for shoes, into someone who yearns to be trusted and helpful, and is thankful for money given to him.

Additional Tasks

·  On page 122, Mrs. Jones says, “You ought to be my son. I would teach you right from wrong.” Find all the examples in the text that demonstrate how Mrs. Jones treats Roger like a son.

Answer: On page 122, “Least I can do right now is wash your face.” On page 124, Mrs. Jones tells Roger, “You might run that comb through your hair so you will look presentable.” On page 124, Mrs. Jones tells Roger, “Eat some more, son.” On page 124, Mrs. Jones says, “Now, here, take these $10 and buy yourself some blue suede shoes.” On page 124, Mrs. Jones says, “But I wish you would behave yourself, son, from here on in.”

·  Imagine that Roger is now a grown man and he writes a letter to Mrs. Jones explaining what that night meant to him.

Answer:

Dear Mrs. Jones,

Over twenty years ago, I crossed your path and my life has never been the same. You may not remember me, but I will never forget the events of that evening when I was a skinny, unkempt, self-centered, and irresponsible teenager.

I saw you walking down the street and now I realize that I underestimated you. You looked tired and distracted and I assumed you were an easy target, so I charged up from behind and snatched your purse. I will never forget how stunned I was when you grabbed me, and dragged me to your home.

The fear of being turned in to the authorities consumed me. My parents had died seven years before and my brothers and sisters had been divided among relatives. I was living with an uncle who had threatened to kick me out if I got in trouble with the police one more time. He was tired of the constant stream of ordeals that I put his family through and he had just warned me that he was at the end of his rope. He had no more to give, and he reminded me that I wasn’t his responsibility anyway.

When you took me home and made me wash up and shared your meal, I couldn’t believe that you were willing to look past my offense and give me another chance, like a parent would. At that point in my life, I had lost hope in people and most of all in myself. Before I met you, the people whose money I stole were nameless strangers who somehow deserved to experience even a monetary form of loss. Your act of kindness renewed my faith and motivated me to better myself.

I can’t say that I didn’t make any more mistakes after that, but our encounter reminded me of my mother and father and I told myself that if they were still around they too would forgive me, give me advice, and provide a home. During difficult times I would walk past your house and imagine a conversation between us, but I never had the courage to knock on your door.

I’m grown now and I have kids of my own and they make mistakes as well. I have learned that to offer forgiveness and to withhold judgment is the best I can do as a parent. Thank you for the life lesson.

Sincerely,

Roger

Thank You, M’am/ Langston Hughes/ Created by Paramount District