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Unit 1, Part 2

Pecos Bill

Unit 1, Part 2

(pages 122–134)

Before You Read

Reading the Selection

After You Read

Unit 1, Part 2

Selection Menu

Unit 1, Part 2

Before You Read

For pages 122–134

In studying this text, you will focus on the following objectives:

Literary Study: Analyzing tone.

Reading: Analyzing story elements.

Unit 1, Part 2

Meet Mary Pope Osborne

Before You Read

Author Search For more about Mary Pope Osborne, go to glencoe.com and enter QuickPass code GL19756u1.

Click the picture to learn about the author.

Unit 1, Part 2

What does it mean to be “larger than life”? Who do you think is a modern-day larger-than-life hero?

Before You Read

Connect to the Tall Tale

Quickwrite Write down the names of people you consider to be larger-than-life heroes. What makes them special or different from other kinds of heroes?

Unit 1, Part 2

Before You Read

Build Background Some tall-tale heroes are based on real people, such as Casey Jones, a train engineer on the Illinois Central Railroad who died heroically holding his brake during a crash. On the other hand, the Paul Bunyan stories were probably made up by loggers.

Unit 1, Part 2

Before You Read

Build Background Pecos Bill had a different kind of beginning. He was not a real person, and he wasn’t made up by a group. In 1923 Edward O’Reilly wrote a magazine story with a cowboy hero named Pecos Bill. Other writers used the character and wrote more fantastic adventures featuring him.

Unit 1, Part 2

Before You Read

desolate adj. empty of people; deserted (p. 124). No life could be seen in the desolate landscape.

Click a vocabulary term to listen to the definition.

coincidence n. the occurrence of unrelated events that appear to be connected (p. 125). It is a coincidence that Claire and her best friend have the same birthday.

Unit 1, Part 2

Before You Read

parched adj. dried out or shriveled, usually from heat (p. 129). The ground was parched and cracked after many weeks without rain.

Click a vocabulary term to listen to the definition.

cyclone n. a violent windstorm in which winds move in a circle, such as in a tornado (p. 129). Our neighbor’s roof blew off during the cyclone.

Unit 1, Part 2

Before You Read

barren adj. containing little or no plant life; bare (p. 130). Animals must look hard to find food in the barren desert.

Click a vocabulary term to listen to the definition.

Unit 1, Part 2

Before You Read

Set Purposes for Reading

As you read, ask yourself how Pecos Bill is different from other cowboys you’ve read about. What qualities makes him a tall-tale hero?

Unit 1, Part 2

Before You Read

Set Purposes for Reading

The tone of a work is the author’s attitude toward a subject. For example, the tone may be eerie, threatening, serious, or light. The tone of a tall tale is usually light, humorous, or boastful. One way the author creates tone is through word choice. In “Pecos Bill,” the author uses slang, exaggeration, and funny expressions to create humor.

Tone

Unit 1, Part 2

Before You Read

Set Purposes for Reading

Tone creates an emotional response in the reader. Recognizing the author’s choice of words and details that create the tone helps you understand the story.

As you read, ask yourself, what do I think and feel about Pecos Bill?

Tone

Unit 1, Part 2

Before You Read

Set Purposes for Reading Tone

Click the image to view the animation.

Unit 1, Part 2

Before You Read

Set Purposes for Reading

Tall tales are imaginative stories of adventures or amazing feats of folk heroes. Like other stories, tall tales contain story elements such as plot, characters, setting, and theme. In a tall tale, the descriptions of characters and the events in the plot are exaggerated, but the settings are realistic. These elements work together to convey a theme.

Analyze Story Elements

Unit 1, Part 2

Before You Read

Set Purposes for Reading

Analyzing the story elements in a tall tale helps you to realize the author is entertaining you by making characters and events more amazing than they could possibly be in real life.

Analyze Story Elements

Unit 1, Part 2

Before You Read

Set Purposes for Reading

To analyze story elements in a tall tale, pay attention to

• exaggerated qualities of characters • humorous and impossible deeds in the plot • the realistic setting • the main point of the story

Analyze Story Elements

Unit 1, Part 2

Before You Read

Set Purposes for Reading

As you read, look for characteristics of tall tales: larger-than-life hero, exaggeration, and humor. You may find it helpful to use a graphic organizer like the one below.

Analyze Story Elements

Unit 1, Part 2

Before You Read

Analyze Story Elements Think about tall-tale heroes you have read or heard about such as Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed, or Davy Crockett. How are parts of the stories the same? How are they different?

Set Purposes for Reading Analyze Story Elements

Unit 1, Part 2

Before You Read

Unit 1, Part 2

Analyze Story Elements Read the excerpt highlighted in blue on page 124. How does Pecos Bill fit the description of a tall-tale hero?

Answer: His capabilities are highly exaggerated; babies don’t act like this.

Reading the Selection

Unit 1, Part 2

Analyze Story Elements Read the excerpt highlighted in blue on page 124. What does the verb teethed mean? How does it relate to the noun teeth?

Answer: Answers will vary.

Reading the Selection

Unit 1, Part 2

Tone Read the excerpt highlighted in purple on page 125. How does the author want you to feel when you read this sentence?

Answer: The author wants you to feel amused by this silly explanation.

Reading the Selection

Unit 1, Part 2

Look at the illustration on page 125. What does this illustration tell you about how the coyotes feel about Bill?

Answer: You may say that the coyotes seem to have adopted Bill as a member of their pack. A coyote offers Bill a share of a deer.

Reading the Selection

Unit 1, Part 2

Look at the illustration on page 125. What is unusual about Bill as a baby?

Answer: Pecos Bill already wears a cowboy hat and a bandana.

Reading the Selection

Unit 1, Part 2

Tone Read the excerpt highlighted in purple on page 126. How does this create a humorous tone?

Answer: Bill is speaking in an informal conversational style. He uses bad grammar and says Texans have fleas.

Reading the Selection

Unit 1, Part 2

Tone Read the excerpt highlighted in purple on page 126. How would you rephrase this to make it an example of good grammar?

Answer: Well, that doesn’t mean anything. A lot of Texans have fleas. The thing varmints have that you don’t have is a tail.

Reading the Selection

Unit 1, Part 2

Analyze Story Elements Read the excerpt highlighted in blue on page 126. How does the plot shift at this point?

Answer: Bill is going to leave the coyotes and live with humans.

Reading the Selection

Unit 1, Part 2

Analyze Story Elements Read the excerpt highlighted in blue on page 126. The expression “with a heavy heart” is a colorful way of describing a common emotion. What do you think it feels like to have a “heavy heart”?

Answer: You may say that you would feel sad, tired, or hurt.

Reading the Selection

Unit 1, Part 2

Tone Read the excerpt highlighted in purple on page 127. How does this affect your impression of the gang?

Answer: You may say that it makes the gang sound scary and intimidating.

Reading the Selection

Unit 1, Part 2

Analyze Story Elements Read the excerpt highlighted in blue on page 127. Why does this plot detail belong in a tall tale?

Answer: A man couldn’t carry a horse.

Reading the Selection

Unit 1, Part 2

Analyze Story Elements Read the excerpt highlighted in blue on page 127. How do you think the adjective forked is like the noun fork? How does this description add to the story?

Answer: Forked means “shaped like a fork” or “split.” It makes the snake look even more threatening.

Reading the Selection

Unit 1, Part 2

Read the excerpt highlighted in tan on page 128. What qualities make Bill larger than life?

Answer: He possesses unusual strength and courage.

Reading the Selection

Unit 1, Part 2

Tone Read the excerpt highlighted in purple on page 128. What is the tone of the gang’s response to Bill?

Answer: They are afraid. They have changed from the meanest and toughest gang to a gang terrified and in awe of Pecos Bill.

Reading the Selection

Unit 1, Part 2

Tone Read the excerpt highlighted in purple on page 128. What does the word knock mean in this sense? What kind of event might cause your knees to knock?

Answer: Knock means “bump” or “collide.” Something very frightening might make your legs feel weak and cause them to shake.

Reading the Selection

Unit 1, Part 2

Reading the Selection

Look at the image on page 129. Tarantulas are large, hairy spiders. Their bite can be painful, but it is not usually dangerous to humans.

Unit 1, Part 2

Analyze Story Elements Read the excerpt highlighted in blue on page 129. How is this event typical of a tall tale?

Answer: Bill’s actions are larger-than-life. No one could ride a cyclone.

Reading the Selection

Unit 1, Part 2

Analyze Story Elements Read the excerpt highlighted in blue on page 130. Why is a place such as Death Valley in the story?

Answer: The settings in a tall tale are realistic.

Reading the Selection

Unit 1, Part 2

Analyze Story Elements Read the excerpt highlighted in blue on page 130. How is the characterization of the woman typical of a tall tale?

Answer: Sue is wild-looking, riding on a catfish, and larger-than-life.

Reading the Selection

Unit 1, Part 2

A tall tale is a humorous, highly exaggerated story, often about a legendary hero. Many American tall tales were created during the 1800s as the United States expanded westward. People made up stories about heroes who handled the same problems they faced. People added their own exaggeration to the stories, making them more humorous , more unlikely to believe, and more fun to listen to with each retelling.

Reading the Selection

Literary History

Unit 1, Part 2

Think about some of the hardships in the Wild West that are included in this story. What kind of audience might be most interested in tall tales? Why?

Reading the Selection

Literary History

Answer: Answers will vary.

Unit 1, Part 2

Reading the Selection

Look at the image of a bustle on page 131. A bustle is a pad or frame that used to be worn by women at the back of a skirt just below the waist. The bustle look was fashionable for much of the 1800s.

Unit 1, Part 2

Tone Read the excerpt highlighted in purple on page 131. How does the use of the word honey affect the tone?

Answer: When he speaks to Sue, Bill’s tone is different from when he speaks to the other characters. He is polite and tender.

Reading the Selection

Unit 1, Part 2

Tone Read the excerpt highlighted in purple on page 131. In what other ways does the tone change in this part of the story? What words signal a change in tone?

Answer: The tone becomes more serious as the reader is about to learn of something bad that has happened. The words terrible catastrophe hint at a change in tone.

Reading the Selection

Unit 1, Part 2

Read the excerpt highlighted in tan on page 132. How does Bill’s behavior show his heroic qualities?

Answer: He immediately tries to rescue Sue with a bold action that requires strength.

Reading the Selection

Unit 1, Part 2

Analyze Story Elements Read the excerpt highlighted in blue on page 132. What makes this a good ending for a tall tale?

Answer: It is an outrageous ending, perhaps the most amazing event in the story.

Reading the Selection

Unit 1, Part 2

Analyze Story Elements Read the excerpt highlighted in blue on page 132. Where are Bill and Sue at the story’s end?

Answer: They are living on the moon.

Reading the Selection

Unit 1, Part 2

Reading the Selection

Unit 1, Part 2

Answer: Coyotes raised Bill because he fell out of his family’s wagon.

Respond and Think Critically

1. Who raised Bill and why? [Recall]

After You Read

Unit 1, Part 2

Respond and Think Critically

2. What amazing feats has Bill already accomplished by the time he meets the Hell’s Gate Gang? [Summarize]

After You Read

Answer: He rode a mountain lion, carrying a horse and a fifty-foot rattlesnake.

Unit 1, Part 2

Respond and Think Critically

3. What does exaggeration add to this story? Think about a time when you exaggerated. What did exaggeration add to your story? [Connect]

After You Read

Answer: You should tell about a time when you exaggerated. You will say that exaggeration makes the story funny and interesting.

Unit 1, Part 2

Respond and Think Critically

4. Where do Bill and Sue live after their wedding? Do you think this is a good ending to the story? Explain your answer. [Interpret]

After You Read

Answer: They live on the moon. Some students may like this ending because it tops all Bill’s other feats. Others may say it goes too far.

Unit 1, Part 2

Respond and Think Critically

5. What personality traits of Pecos Bill do you admire? Are there also traits that you dislike? Explain your answer. [Evaluate]

After You Read

Answer: You may admire Pecos Bill’s strength, courage, and spirit. Some may dislike his attitude.

Unit 1, Part 2

Respond and Think Critically

After You Read

6. Why might someone be interested in tall tales about Pecos Bill? Give reasons to support your answer. [Conclude]

Unit 1, Part 2

Respond and Think Critically

TIP: Concluding

After You Read

Here are some tips to help you answer question 6. Remember, when you draw a conclusion, you form ideas about what you are reading. To conclude, group related facts together and make a decision about what they mean.

Unit 1, Part 2

Respond and Think Critically

•  Recall the characters and the setting in the story.

•  Compare Pecos Bill with a real-life cowboy.

•  Think about reasons someone might admire a hero such as Pecos Bill.

After You Read

Unit 1, Part 2

Respond and Think Critically

After You Read

Answer: You may say that people who live in the Southwest might identify with Pecos Bill.

Unit 1, Part 2

After You Read

Identify whether each pair of words has the same or the opposite meaning. Then write a sentence using each vocabulary word or draw or find a picture that represents the word.

Unit 1, Part 2

After You Read

Example: cyclone and twister = synonyms

Sentence: Officials turned on the tornado sirens when someone saw a cyclone near town.

Unit 1, Part 2

After You Read

1. parched and dry

Synonym or Antonym: synonyms

Sentence: With no water to drink, I was parched.

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After You Read

2. barren and fruitful

Synonym or Antonym: antonyms

Sentence: The drought left the fields barren.

Unit 1, Part 2

After You Read

3. desolate and empty

Synonym or Antonym: synonyms

Sentence: The abandoned farm was a desolate place.

Unit 1, Part 2

After You Read

4. coincidence and plan

Synonym or Antonym: antonyms

Sentence: It was a coincidence that I ran into Missy at the movies.

Unit 1, Part 2

After You Read

The consequence of lassoing Sue as she bounced back and forth between earth and sky was that Bill got yanked into the sky too.

In the preceding sentence, consequence means “the result from an earlier action.” Think about a time when you took some kind of action. What was the consequence of the action?

Unit 1, Part 2

After You Read

Answer: Possible answer: Doing well on a test was a consequence of studying for it.

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Tone

After You Read

Answer: The tone would be different, because a textbook would be written with a straightforward, serious style.

1. If you were reading about cowboys and the American West in a history textbook, would the tone be the same as in the story? Why or why not?

Unit 1, Part 2

Tone

After You Read

Answer: The author uses a lighthearted, playful, and exaggerated tone. You know the story is intended to be funny.

2. How would you summarize the tone in “Pecos Bill”?

Unit 1, Part 2

As you learned on page 53, plot is the sequence of events in a story. The plot starts with an introduction to the characters, setting, and situation. The rising action adds complications to the story’s problems, or conflicts. The climax occurs at the most dramatic or emotional moment. The falling action leads to the resolution, or final outcome of the story.

After You Read

Review: Plot

Unit 1, Part 2

After You Read

3. Which words best describe Bill in the story?

A. sad and weak

B. shy and curious

C. brave and strong

D. polite and hopeful

Review: Plot

Unit 1, Part 2

4. Which of the following phrases best describes the character development of Bill?

A. wild child to cowboy hero

B. timid boy to bold man

C. civilized human to animal

D. criminal to law-abiding citizen

Analyze Story Elements

After You Read

Unit 1, Part 2

After You Read

Present Perfect Tense The tense of a verb expresses time. To form the present perfect tense, use the helping verb have or has and the past participle of the main verb. (For most verbs, the past participle is the same as the past tense.)

Unit 1, Part 2

After You Read

Use the present perfect tense to talk about an action or a condition that occurred at some indefinite time in the past. For example:

We learn in the story that Pecos Bill has invented tarantulas and scorpions as practical jokes.

Unit 1, Part 2

After You Read

Also use this tense to talk about something that happened and is still happening now. For example:

I have always imagined the Hell’s Gate Gang as a tough-looking bunch of cowboys.

Unit 1, Part 2

After You Read

Practice Think about Pecos Bill and what happens to him in the story. Then write your own sentences about the story using present perfect tense. Make sure your sentences are consistently in the past tense or consistently about something that is happening now.

Unit 1, Part 2

Apply Tone Think about an interesting person you know. What does this person look like? Does he or she have special characteristics or abilities? How would you describe his or her personality traits? Write a character sketch. How could you exaggerate this person’s traits to make the person into a larger-than-life hero?

After You Read

Unit 1, Part 2

Describe what your hero looks like and the amazing things this hero can do. Choose words and details that create a humorous tone.

After You Read

Selection Resources For Selection Quizzes, eFlashcards, and Reading-Writing Connection activities, go to glencoe.com and enter QuickPass code GL19756u1.

Unit 1, Part 2

After You Read

Unit 1, Part 2

Share humorous stories. In pairs, you should tell stories about humorous events that have happened to you or someone you know. What makes these stories so funny? List the elements that make your story humorous. Humor can be found in situations, relationships, and language.

Bellringer

Bellringer Transparency

Unit 1, Part 2

Bellringer Transparency

Unit 1, Part 2

Ann is my friend and yours, too.

There is no other grin like hers.

Her laugh (with its cheerful sound) makes me smile.

Bellringer Transparency

Unit 1, Part 2

That was one of the funniest movies ever!

The story couldn’t have been sillier.

The lead actor is my favorite comedian.

Unit 1, Part 2

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