PLAN

ANALYZE & APPLY

THE STORY
MENTOR TEXT OF AN HOUR
Short Story by Kate Chopin

THE STORY OF AN HOUR ? ESSENTIAL

QUESTION:

Short Story by Kate Chopin To what degree

do we control

© javarman/
our lives?

Shutterstock; © Muamu/Shutterstock Company • Image Credits: © Flickr Select/foxline/Getty Images;

This short story serves as a mentor text, a model for students to follow when

Company
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing

they come to the Unit 5 Writing Task: Write a Short Story.
506 Unit 5

11_LVAESE474605_U5AAS4GR.indd
506

4/6/2018 6:13:12 AM

GENRE ELEMENTS LEARNING OBJECTIVES

SHORT STORY
Remind students that making predictions when reading a short
story is important because it helps you analyze the author’s
message. To do this, readers look for clues that the writer places
in the text. Instruct students to pay close attention to the point of
view the author uses to tell the story. This will affect how a reader
perceives the sequence of events, which may vary greatly if told
from another character’s point of view.
•  Analyze point of view.
•  Make and confirm predictions.
•  Research critical reviews of novels.
•  Write a short story.
•  Participate in group discussions.
•  Find meanings for multiple-meaning words.
•  Write effective sentences with varied sentence structures.
•  Language  Describe characters using lesson vocabulary.

TEXT COMPLEXITY
Quantitative
The Story of an Hour Lexile: 970L
Measures

Ideas Presented  Multiple levels of meaning; use of irony and greater demand for inference.

Qualitative Structures Used  Chronological order, mostly one point of view; some inference demanded.
Measures
Language Used  Mostly explicit but some figurative language and implied meanings.

Knowledge Required  Complex theme; some historical and cultural references.

506A Unit 5
 PLAN

Online

RESOURCES SUMMARIES
•  Unit 5 Response Log English Spanish
•    Selection Audio “The Story of an Hour” is a “La historia de una hora” es el
•   Reading Studio: short story about a woman who cuento de una mujer que recibe
Notice & Note receives tragic news and how she una noticia trágica y de cómo
ultimately responds to this news. responde a ésta a la larga. El autor
•  LEVEL  Level Up Tutorial: The author uses situational irony usa la ironía situacional para
Irony; Point of View to send a message to readers enviar un mensaje a los lectores
•   Writing Studio: about the pitfalls of relationships, acerca de las dificultades de las
Writing Narratives particularly for women in the relaciones, específicamente para
early 1900s. American women did las mujeres al principio del siglo
•   Speaking and Listening Studio: not have the right to vote during XX. Las mujeres americanas no
Participating in Collaborative Chopin’s lifetime. For survival, a tenían derecho al voto durante la
Discussions woman in her day had to rely on vida de Chopin. Para sobrevivir,
•   Vocabulary Studio: her father, her husband, or even una mujer debía depender de su
Words with Multiple Meanings the superior rights of a male child. padre, esposo, o incluso de los
derechos superiores de un hijo
•  ✔   “The Story of an Hour” Selection Test
varón.

SMALL-GROUP OPTIONS
Have students work in small groups and pairs to read and discuss the selection.

Think-Pair-Share Three Before Me

•  Have the students read the short story.
•  Ask students questions: From whose point of view
is the story being told? Why do you think the author
chose this point of view?
•  Instruct students to find a passage that supports
their answer to the following question: How
would the author’s message change if the story
had been told from the point of view of someone
else?
•  Have students think about the questions, taking
notes. Then, have student pairs discuss the
questions and develop shared responses.
•  Discuss responses as a whole class.
•  After reading the story, instruct students to
individually choose a passage and rewrite it
from another point of view. This can be the
point of view of a character or even a newspaper
reporter.
•  Have each student ask three other students to
edit his or her writing.
•  Have students make the necessary edits in a
final draft.
•  Ask volunteers to read their final passages
aloud.
•  Discuss these student passages with the whole
class, asking how they think the passages
change the meaning of the story.

The Story of an Hour 506B

PLAN

Text X-Ray: English Learner Support

for “The Story of an Hour”
Use the Text X-Ray and the supports and scaffolds in the Teacher’s Edition to
help guide students at different proficiency levels through the selection.

INTRODUCE THE SELECTION

DISCUSS MARRIAGE AND WOMEN’S RIGHTS
In this lesson, students will need to understand marriage and women’s
rights in the context of U.S. history. Explain that during the 19th and early
20th centuries, most women in the United States were not allowed to vote.
Married middle-class women were not expected to work outside the home,
and in some states, married women were not allowed to own property. While
widows also had limited rights, they often had more freedom to travel and to
make choices than married women did.
Ask students to name rights or freedoms they value. Encourage them to give
reasons why these rights or freedoms are important to them.
CULTURAL REFERENCES
The following words or phrases may be unfamiliar to
students:
•  broken sentences (paragraph 2): sentences with many
pauses or hesitations
•  telegram (paragraph 2): a written message that was
transmitted as Morse code by an electronic device
called a telegraph, then translated and written out by
the telegraph operator on the receiving end
•  peddler (paragraph 5): a person who sells goods by
going door to door
•  joy that kills (final paragraph): overwhelming joy that
causes sudden shock and results in death

LISTENING
Understand Irony
Assist students’ understanding
of irony. Explain that
situational irony is when
something happens that is
the opposite of what one
would expect. Dramatic irony
occurs when the reader knows
something a character does
not.
Read paragraphs 21–23 aloud to students. Use the following supports with students at varying
proficiency levels:
•  Remind students that irony is the expression of something unexpected. Discuss the meaning of
the word unexpected. Reread each sentence aloud to students and explain what happens in each.
Ask them to raise their hands if they think the event is unexpected. SUBSTANTIAL
•  After reading the paragraphs aloud, ask students what happens to Mrs. Mallard at the end of
the story. (She dies of heart disease.) Then ask: What causes Mrs. Mallard’s death? What do other
characters think causes her death? If needed, read the paragraphs again. Guide students to
recognize the difference between what actually causes the death (shock at seeing her husband
again) and what the other characters think caused it (joy). MODERATE
•  Have students work together in pairs to summarize the events that occur in paragraphs 21–23.
Then, have the partners discuss examples of irony in the paragraphs. Ask them to determine
whether the examples are situational irony or dramatic irony. LIGHT

506C Unit 5

SPEAKING
Describe Characters Use the following supports with students at varying proficiency levels:
Using Critical
Vocabulary
List the following
vocabulary words:
abandonment, vacant,
illumination, composed.
Guide students to use
these words in sentences
describing the characters.
READING
Make Predictions Use the following supports with students at varying proficiency levels:
Assist students as
they make and review
predictions.
WRITING
Write Prepositional List near, in, before, of, and with. Use the following supports with students at varying proficiency levels:
Phrases
Remind students that a
preposition is a word used
to show the relationship
between a noun or
pronoun and another
word in the sentence.
PLAN
•  Say aloud the following sentences about the characters, and have students repeat them. Explain the
meaning of each as needed. Mrs. Mallard wept with abandonment. Then, she showed a vacant stare.
Finally, she had a sense of illumination. SUBSTANTIAL
•  Have students say the vocabulary words. Provide sentence frames for students to use in a discussion:
Mrs. Mallard had a vacant stare when . Mr. Mallard seemed composed when . Mrs. Mallard with
abandonment when . Mrs. Mallard had a sense of illumination when . MODERATE
•  Review the meaning and pronunciation of each vocabulary word. Have student pairs compose and say
sentences using each vocabulary word to describe a character from the story. LIGHT
•  Read paragraphs 1–2 aloud and summarize details about Mrs. Mallard. Provide a sentence frame: I
predict Mrs. Mallard will feel . Help students choose a word to predict how Mrs. Mallard will feel
when she hears about her husband. Later, discuss their predications. SUBSTANTIAL
•  Have student pairs read paragraphs 1–2 and note details. Provide a sentence frame so students can
predict how Mrs. Mallard will react when she hears about her husband’s death: I predict Mrs. Mallard
will . Later, have partners discuss if their prediction was correct. MODERATE
•  Have students read paragraphs 1–2 independently and take notes. Have them write a prediction
about how Mrs. Mallard will react to the news about the accident. After students read the story, have
them compare and discuss their predictions with a partner. LIGHT
•  Display text: “Her husband’s friend Richards was there, too, near her. It was he who had been in the
newspaper office. . .” Have students write the sentences and underline the prepositional phrases. Point
out that both phrases help show where someone is. SUBSTANTIAL
•  Display the first sentence of paragraph 5. Help partners identify a prepositional phrase in the sentence.
Then, have them work together to write another sentence with the same preposition. MODERATE
•  Display the first sentence of paragraph 5. Have partners identify the prepositions and prepositional
phrases. Have them write sentences using the same prepositions. LIGHT
The Story of an Hour 506D
 ANALYZE & APPLY
TEACH

Connect to the
ESSENTIAL QUESTION THE STORY
No one has complete control of anything, of course.
Circumstances make that impossible; but some choices,
such as the choice of love and independence, make control a
OF AN HOUR
Short Story by Kate Chopin
little more possible. But within that reality, some have more
control than others, and some want more control than they
have.

MENTOR TEXT
At the end of the unit, students will be asked to write a
realistic short story. “The Story of an Hour” provides a model
of a well-planned and well-written short story. ? ESSENTIAL
QUESTION:

To what degree
do we control

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company • Image Credits: © Flickr Select/foxline/Getty Images; © javarman/
our lives?

Shutterstock; © Muamu/Shutterstock
506 Unit 5

11_LVAESE474605_U5AAS4GR.indd 506 4/3/2018 6:41:19

506 Unit 5

QUICK START
Have you ever gotten news that led you to expect one thing and then
something entirely different happened? Make a few notes on your experience.
Then, discuss your example with a partner.
ANALYZE POINT OF VIEW
Point of view refers to the perspective from which a story is told. “The Story
of an Hour” is told from a third-person point of view, where the narrator is
not a character in the story, but observes the action from the outside looking
in. Point of view may also be characterized by what the narrator knows or
shares. If the narrator tells readers what only one character thinks and feels,
the point of view is limited. An omniscient narrator describes the thoughts
and feelings of all the characters. Authors choose point of view carefully
because it impacts how the readers perceive the plot and conflict. Point of
view also helps convey the theme, or deeper message about life, that the
author wants to communicate through a story.
MAKE AND CONFIRM PREDICTIONS
When reading a story, you can make predictions, or anticipate events in the
story, regarding what will happen. Good predictions are based on details in
the text, including what you learn about the conflict, the characters, and the
narrator. As you read, you can confirm your predictions as events develop.
Notice the author’s use of literary elements and how they hint at what might
happen. Use the chart to record and confirm your predictions.
Students’ responses will vary.
CLUES FROM THE
PREDICTION CONFIRM PREDICTION
TEXT
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
VAESE474605_U5AAS4GR.indd 507
GET READY
GENRE ELEMENTS:
SHORT STORY
• follows a sequence of events
• usually centers around a main
conflict and resolution
• is written from a specific point
of view
The Story of an Hour
10/23/2018 11:33:57 PM
TEACH
QUICK START
If students are struggling to think of an incident where
inaccurate information affected them, suggest they think of
a time when what happened was completely different from
what they had hoped for or even prepared for. Explain that
the point is not to analyze the news but rather to analyze
their feelings surrounding a time when something happened
that was unexpected. You may want to have a brief class
discussion of why the unexpected can be unsettling.
ANALYZE POINT OF VIEW
Explain that one way to decide if the third-person point of
view is omniscient or limited is to pay attention to whose
thoughts, actions, and motives the author reveals. If readers
have no idea what most characters are thinking, feeling, or
doing, then the point of view is limited. If the text contains
insights into what multiple characters are thinking or has
statements about what multiple characters are doing, the
point of view is omniscient.
MAKE AND CONFIRM
PREDICTIONS
Explain that making and confirming predictions adds to the
enjoyment of reading a story. We enjoy wondering what will
happen next, and we enjoy the reaction when something
unexpected happens. Making and confirming predictions
is a way of processing what is being read that involves the
reader in the action of the plot. Making predictions is like
being a detective looking for clues. Using prior knowledge
from reading books, from watching movies or TV, and from
your own life all feed into making predictions.
507
The Story of an Hour 507
 GET READY
TEACH CRITICAL VOCABULARY
abandonment vacant illumination composed

To see how many Critical Vocabulary words you already know, use them to
complete the sentences.
CRITICAL VOCABULARY 1. The excited child danced to the music with .
Encourage students to think about how these words are
2. After working on the problem for years, a solution came to the
used in other contexts or to think about how parts of the mathematician in a moment of .
words might impact the meaning of the words. For example,
3. The defendant was as the verdict was read.
a vacant lot is an empty lot. Also, suggest that students think
about the part of speech for each word; two are adjectives 4. She sat looking at the TV screen with a stare.
and two are nouns.
Answers: LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS
1. abandonment Effective Sentences The patterns of words and phrases in sentences is called
syntax. Writers will use several sentence patterns in order to add variety to
2. illumination their work. By varying syntax, authors can create rhythm, convey mood, and
express ideas clearly. Notice how Chopin uses different sentence patterns and
3. composed unusual syntax in the example to express the way that Mrs. Mallard feels.
4. vacant There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy
armchair. Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical
■■English Learner Support exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into
her soul.
Use Cognates  Tell the students that all four of the Critical
Vocabulary words have Spanish cognates: abandonment/ As you read, notice the way Chopin uses a variety of sentence structures to
abandono, illumination/illuminación, composed/compuesto, convey ideas effectively.

vacant/vacante. ALL LEVELS

LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS
Effective Sentences  Relate to students that, in addition to
improving fluency, varied sentence structure makes writing
more interesting and easier to read. Sentence length should
also be included in this concept. Having a variety of sentence
ANNOTATION MODEL NOTICE & NOTE
As you read, note details that reveal the point of view. Notice clues in the text
that you might use to make predictions about what will happen in the story. This

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

model shows one reader’notes about the beginning of “The Story of an Hour.”
lengths makes writing more readable.

Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart Mrs. Mallard’s heart
ANNOTATION MODEL trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as condition makes her
possible the news of her husband’s death. sensitive to bad news. This
Remind students that annotating the text as they read—
may be important.
identifying important details or possible clues—and making It was her sister Josephine who told her, in broken sentences;
veiled hints that revealed in half concealing.
notes in the margins can help them connect better with third-person point of view
what they are reading. Point out that in this sample the
underlined words provide details that might be clues to what
will happen. The words that are circled tell us about another
character and underscore what is stated in the underlined 508 Unit 5
sentence. This type of information might help students make
predictions about the characters and about the plot. Explain
11_LVAESE474605_U5AAS4GR.indd 508 4/6/2018 6:13:15
that these are just suggestions, and students can use them
as a guideline or create their own systems. They may want to
color-code their annotations using highlighters. Their notes
in the margin may include predictions, questions about
ideas that are unclear, words to look up, or topics they want
to learn more about.

508 Unit 5
 NOTICE & NOTE
BACKGROUND TEACH
Kate Chopin (1851–1904) wrote more than one hundred short stories and
two novels. Her work features intelligent and sensitive female characters and is
often set in Louisiana where she spent her married life. Her first novel, At Fault
(1890), received little attention when it was published. Her second,
The Awakening (1899), told the story of a woman who leaves BACKGROUND
her family and eventually commits suicide. It was widely Chopin was 32 years old and a widow with six children
condemned by critics as shocking and morbid. However, since
when she began to write fiction. Her short stories appeared
its rediscovery in the 1950s, it has been hailed as an insightful
work that foreshadowed the feminist movement in literature. in respected magazines, and many were also published in
collections: Bayou Folk (1894) and A Night in Acadie (1897).
Her work was praised for its depiction of Creoles, African
Americans, and other inhabitants of Louisiana, which was
THE the focus of her work. Her work was largely forgotten after

STORY her death, but the short stories and her second novel, The
Awakening, are now widely read, having gained praise for
OF AN their depictions of sensitive women in situations they did

HOUR
not like. While best known for her fiction, Chopin also wrote
nonfiction essays and book reviews.
Short Story by Kate Chopin

SETTING A PURPOSE
Direct students to use the Setting a Purpose prompt to focus
SETTING A PURPOSE their reading.
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company • Image Credits: © Paul Fearn/Alamy; © Flickr Select/foxline/Getty

As you read, make notes about how much control Mrs. Mallard has over Notice & Note
her life and how this changes during the course of the story. Use the side margins to notice
and note signposts in the text. ANALYZE POINT OF
1
K nowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble,
great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the
news of her husband’s death.
VIEW
Remind students that the two types of third-person narrator
2 It was her sister Josephine who told her, in broken sentences; ANALYZE POINT OF VIEW are omniscient and limited. (Answer: omniscient; it allows
veiled hints that revealed in half concealing. Her husband’s friend Annotate: Mark the clues in
the reader to know more than any single character in the story
Richards was there, too, near her. It was he who had been in the paragraphs 1–3 that indicate
Images; © javarman/Shutterstock; © Muamu/Shutterstock

the point of view. knows)

newspaper office when intelligence of the railroad disaster was
received, with Brently Mallard’s name leading the list of “killed.” Evaluate: Which type of third-
For reading support for students at varying
person narrator is Chopin
He had only taken the time to assure himself of its truth by a proficiency levels, see the Text X-Ray on page 506D.
using? What is the effect of this
second telegram, and had hastened to forestall any less careful, point of view?
less tender friend in bearing the sad message.
3 She did not hear the story as many women have heard the
same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance. She
wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister’s abandonment
arms. When the storm of grief had spent itself she went away to (∂-b√n´d∂n-m≈nt) n. a lack of
restraint or inhibition.
her room alone. She would have no one follow her.

The Story of an Hour 509

VAESE474605_U5AAS4.indd 509 4/6/2018 6:13:08 AM

CRITICAL VOCABULARY
abandonment: Mrs. Mallard cried, abandoning all
inhibition.
ASK STUDENTS why Mrs. Mallard’s weeping with wild
abandonment is significant at this point in the story. (The
response suggests she is terribly saddened by her husband’s
death.)

The Story of an Hour 509

 NOTICE & NOTE
TEACH
ANALYZE POINT OF VIEW 4 There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy
Annotate: Mark text in armchair. Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion
paragraphs 4–6 that show what
that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul.
Mrs. Mallard is seeing.
ANALYZE POINT OF Interpret: How do you think
5 She could see in the open square before her house the tops of
trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life. The delicious
VIEW the author’s use of third-person
point of view hints at the story’s
breath of rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler was crying
theme, or larger message about his wares. The notes of a distant song which someone was singing
Remind students that an omniscient narrator knows what all
life? reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the
the characters are seeing and thinking, but generally reveals eaves.
only details that help tell the story. (Answer: The third-person 6 There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through
point of view enables the author to show the things Mrs. Mallard the clouds that had met and piled one above the other in the west
is noticing—lovely, life-affirming things. This suggests that the facing her window.
message might be that life goes on after a death—and may even
improve.)
For writing support for students at varying
proficiency levels, see the Text X-Ray on page 506D.

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company • Image Credits: © Jan Faukner/Shutterstock

510 Unit 5

ENGLISH LEARNER SUPPORT

11_LVAESE474605_U5AAS4.indd 510 4/6/2018 6:13:11

Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases  Explain that Chopin often uses prepositional
phrases to clarify details. A preposition is a word used to show the relationship between a
noun or pronoun and another word in the sentence. Examples include above, down, near, in,
with, and among. A prepositional phrase includes a preposition and its object and modifiers.
Help students identify a few prepositional phrases and discuss what they clarify. You may want
to supply a list of common prepositions. MODERATE

510 Unit 5
 NOTICE & NOTE
TEACH
7 She sat with her head thrown back upon the cushion of the chair, MAKE AND CONFIRM
quite motionless, except when a sob came up into her throat and PREDICTIONS
Annotate: Mark clues in
shook her, as a child who has cried itself to sleep continues to sob in
paragraph 7 that describe the
its dreams. impact her husband’s death has MAKE AND CONFIRM
8 She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke had on Mrs. Mallard.
repression and even a certain strength. But now there was a dull Predict: How do you think
PREDICTIONS
stare in her eyes, whose gaze was fixed away off yonder on one of Mrs. Mallard will cope after Remind students that connecting with previous experience
those patches of blue sky. It was not a glance of reflection, but rather learning about the death of her
indicated a suspension of intelligent thought. husband?
or prior knowledge helps with making predictions. For
9 There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, example, what does sitting alone motionless except for an
fearfully. What was it? She did not know; it was too subtle and elusive occasional sob usually mean? (Answer: Mrs. Mallard may
to name. But she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her spend a lot of time in her room, crying. She will grieve for her lost
through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air. husband.)
10 Now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously. She was beginning to
recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her, and she was
striving to beat it back with her will—as powerless as her two white
slender hands would have been. MAKE AND CONFIRM
11 When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her PREDICTIONS
slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: “free,
free, free!” The vacant stare and the look of terror that had followed it vacant Explain that a good writer will often play with what the
went from her eyes. They stayed keen and bright. Her pulses beat fast, (v∑´k∂nt) adj. blank,
expressionless.
reader is likely to know, to make predicting more difficult.
and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body. This is how writers create surprises in texts. The writer makes
12 She did not stop to ask if it were or were not a monstrous joy that
it seem like the plot is developing in one way, but the events
held her. A clear and exalted perception enabled her to dismiss the
suggestion as trivial. will take a turn in a less predictable direction. (Answer: The
13 She knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, MAKE AND CONFIRM previous text seemed to suggest that Mrs. Mallard was deeply
tender hands folded in death; the face that had never looked save PREDICTIONS grieved by the loss of her husband. Now, suddenly, she seems
Annotate: Mark details in
with love upon her, fixed and gray and dead. But she saw beyond that to be okay with it. She welcomes the years ahead on her own.
paragraph 13 that tell you what
bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong Mrs. Mallard is thinking about. She wanted to be free, and now she has her freedom. A possible
to her absolutely. And she opened and spread her arms out to them in
welcome.
Cite Evidence: Do these details alternative prediction might wonder what effect her weak heart
confirm or disprove predictions
14 There would be no one to live for her during those coming years; you made about the story?
will have on the years ahead.)
she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending Explain.
hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe
they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow creature. A
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime
as she looked upon it in that brief moment of illumination. illumination
15 And yet she had loved him—sometimes. Often she had not. (∆-l◊-m∂-n∑´sh∂n) n. awareness
or enlightenment.
What did it matter! What could love, the unsolved mystery, count
for in face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly
recognized as the strongest impulse of her being!
16 “Free! Body and soul free!” she kept whispering.

The Story of an Hour 511

CRITICAL VOCABULARY
WHEN STUDENTS STRUGGLE . . .
VAESE474605_U5AAS4.indd 511 10/23/2018 11:36:52 PM
vacant: Mrs. Mallard’s stare was without emotion or
Recognize Irony  Students may struggle with the idea of making and confirming predictions expression; like a vacant building, it was empty.
when they read paragraphs 9–11. Mrs. Mallard was just weeping at news of her husband’s ASK STUDENTS how they would describe a vacant stare.
death, but suddenly, she seems to be happy. Explain that irony is a tool writers use to surprise (looking off in the distance, not noticing anything around)
readers. To decide if something is irony, students can make a list of what they expect (the
prediction) and then what actually happens. illumination: Mrs. Mallard’s mind was illuminated in a
moment of clarity; one might say “the light went on.”
For additional support, go to the Reading Studio and assign the ASK STUDENTS what Mrs. Mallard realizes in her
following Level Up Tutorial: Irony.
LEVEL “moment of illumination.” (the fact that one cannot be in a
relationship and still live for oneself)

The Story of an Hour 511

 NOTICE & NOTE
TEACH

LANGUAGE
CONVENTIONS
Remind students that varied sentence structure adds
interest, but also note that it can help add emphasis that can
make meaning clearer. (Answer: This sentence uses repetition
to create a rhythm that conveys Mrs. Mallard’s lighthearted
feelings and joy. The repetition also emphasizes all of the days
ahead that Mrs. Mallard would enjoy all by herself.)

ENGLISH LEARNER
SUPPORT
Preteach Vocabulary  Many words in this story may
be unfamiliar to English learners. On page 512, words
such as imploring, importunities, unwittingly, goddess,
and descended might need to be explained to help
students understand the events in the story. Allow
students time to scan the text to identify unfamiliar
words before reading the story. Discuss and help
students understand the words before reading the text.

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company • Image Credits: © Ingram Publishing/Alamy

ALL LEVELS
LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS
Annotate: In paragraph
19, mark the sentence that
effectively conveys an idea
about how Mrs. Mallard feels.
Analyze: How does this
sentence create mood and
convey Mrs. Mallards feelings?
17 Josephine was kneeling before the closed door with her lips to the
keyhole, imploring for admission. “Louise, open the door! I beg; open
the door—you will make yourself ill. What are you doing, Louise? For
heaven’s sake open the door.”
18 “Go away. I am not making myself ill.” No; she was drinking in a
very elixir of life1 through that open window.
19 Her fancy was running riot along those days ahead of her. Spring
days, and summer days, and all sorts of days that would be her
own. She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only
yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long.
20 She arose at length and opened the door to her sister’s
importunities. There was a feverish triumph in her eyes, and she
carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory. She clasped her
sister’s waist, and together they descended the stairs. Richards stood
waiting for them at the bottom.

1
elixir of life: a medicine that restores vigor or the essence of life.

512 Unit 5

APPLYING ACADEMIC VOCABULARY

11_LVAESE474605_U5AAS4.indd 512 4/6/2018 6:13:16

❑❑ ambiguous ✔❑ clarify
❑ ❑❑ implicit ✔❑ revise
❑ ❑❑ somewhat

Write and Discuss  Have students turn to a partner to discuss the following questions.
Guide students to include the academic vocabulary words clarify and revise in their responses.
Ask volunteers to share their responses with the class.
• How does the narrator clarify the character’s feelings as the story progresses?
• How did you need to revise your expectations about the story as you read?

512 Unit 5
 NOTICE & NOTE
TEACH
21 Someone was opening the front door with a latchkey. It was
Brently Mallard who entered, a little travel-stained, composedly composed
carrying his grip-sack2 and umbrella. He had been far from the scene (k∂m-p∫zd´) adj. self-possessed;
calm.
of accident, and did not even know there had been one. He stood
ANALYZE POINT OF VIEW
ANALYZE POINT OF
amazed at Josephine’s piercing cry; at Richards’ quick motion to
screen him from the view of his wife. Annotate: Mark words and VIEW
phrases in paragraph 21 that
22 But Richards was too late. show how each character feels Remind students that this story uses the third-person
23 When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease— or what they know.
of joy that kills.
omniscient point of view. (Answer: The author uses the third-
Evaluate: How does the
person omniscient point of view to show readers what multiple
author’s use of third-person
2
grip-sack: a small traveling bag or satchel.
point of view affect your characters know or do. The text shows that Brently Mallard is
understanding of the plot and actually alive, which causes Josephine to scream and Richards
conflict?
to try to keep Mrs. Mallard from seeing him. Throughout the
story, knowing the thoughts and actions of multiple characters
creates suspense.)
For listening and speaking support for students at
varying proficiency levels, see the Text X-Ray on
pages 506C–506D.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

Answer these questions before moving on to the Analyze the Text section on CHECK YOUR
the following page.
UNDERSTANDING
1 Why do you think the short story is titled “The Story of an Hour”?
Have students answer the questions independently.
A The accident happened over an hour-long period.
Answers:
B The story takes place in an hour.
1. B
C It is all the time Mrs. Mallard needed to grieve.

D It is the amount of time it takes before she accepts the death.

2. J
3. C
2 Who informs Mrs. Mallard about her husband’s death?

F A servant
If they answer any questions incorrectly, have them reread
the text to confirm their understanding. Then they may
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

G Richards
proceed to ANALYZE THE TEXT on page 514.
H The doctors

J Josephine

3 What causes Mrs. Mallard’s death, according to the doctors?

A The fright at seeing a ghost

B Pneumonia

C Heart disease

D A broken heart

The Story of an Hour 513

VAESE474605_U5AAS4.indd 513
ENGLISH LEARNER SUPPORT 4/6/2018 6:13:19 AM

Oral Assessment  Use the following questions to assess students’ comprehension and
speaking skills. CRITICAL VOCABULARY
1. Think about the amount of time needed for the events in this story. How do you think the composed: Mr. Mallard arrived home, calm and
title of the story is related to that amount of time? (The story takes place in about an hour.) composed.
2. How does Mrs. Mallard find out about her husband’s death? (Josephine tells her.) ASK STUDENTS what is ironic about Mr. Mallard being
3. What do the doctors say caused Mrs. Mallard’s death? (She had heart disease.) composed when he returns home. (Everyone believed he
SUBSTANTIAL died in the train wreck, so it is ironic that he comes home
looking calm and composed.)

The Story of an Hour 513

 RESPOND
APPLY
ANALYZE THE TEXT
Support your responses with evidence from the text. NOTEBOOK

1. Analyze Irony is a contrast between appearance and reality. What

ANALYZE THE TEXT examples of irony do you find in the story? What theme does the irony
Possible answers: reveal?

2. Evaluate What is surprising about how the narrator describes Mrs.

1. DOK 4: Josephine and Richards expect Mrs. Mallard to be
Mallard in paragraph 11 compared to the earlier description of her “heart
so upset that her heart condition might be aggravated. trouble”?
Instead, although Mrs. Mallard weeps at first, she then
3. Infer In paragraph 14, the narrator begins to reveal Mrs. Mallard’s true
imagines complete freedom without her husband. Mr.
feelings about being a widow. What does this point of view suggest
Mallard returns home expecting his wife to be happy to about the story’s theme?
see him. Instead, his wife dies from the surprise of seeing
4. Confirm Predictions Think about what happens to Mrs. Mallard at the
him still alive. The theme of the story is that freedom was end of the story. Was there evidence in the story that allowed you to
desirable (a “monstrous joy”) but unlikely in that era. predict what would happen? Explain, citing evidence in your response.

2. DOK 3: She initially had been portrayed as frail, and would 5. Connect In 1894, when “The Story of an Hour” was published in Vogue
magazine, women were expected to stay at home and care for their
likely be unable to sustain a shock due to her heart trouble.
husbands and children. What evidence can you find in Chopin’s story that
In paragraph 11, her heart sounds fine, with her pulse supports this perspective?
beating fast, pumping blood, and warming and relaxing
her. RESEARCH
3. DOK 2: Rather than being heartbroken at the loss of a RESEARCH TIP When Chopin’s second novel, The Awakening, was published, it was
husband whom she acknowledges was kind and loving, Articles and literary websites denounced by the critics, who called her work “morbid, poisonous, and
are useful sources for vulgar.” Research other classic American novels that received negative
she is revitalized by the thought of being completely free. information about written
criticism. What did the critics claim? How are these novels perceived today?
The idea that even a kind intention was unacceptable if works. A search for novels that
were criticized when published NOVEL TITLE CRITIC’S OPINION OPINION TODAY
it required her to live for someone else underscores the
may lead to lists of such books,
theme of freedom. but be sure to double-check Possible answer: The “no more than a seen as one of the
the content for credibility and Great Gatsby glorified anecdote” great 20th century
4. DOK 2: Chopin shows Mrs. Mallard as a “goddess of accuracy. novels; Jay Gatsby
Victory,” strong and independent. She has been revitalized. seen as a mythological
I predicted she would flourish now that she has the creation
freedom she desired. My prediction was not correct
because she dies when she finds out her husband is still

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Possible answer: O “is neither a skilled ahead of its time;
alive. Pioneers! storyteller nor the least proto-feminist
bit an artist”
5. DOK 4: Paragraph 14 says “There would be no one to live
for her during those coming years,” and “there would be
no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with
which men and women believe they have a right to impose
a private will upon a fellow creature.” Extend Chopin’s short story “The Story of an Hour” was originally titled “The
Dream of an Hour.” She changed the title when the story was published in
another magazine. Discuss with a partner the kind of criticism that might have
caused her to make this change.
RESEARCH
Point out the research tip to students. Add that recommended 514 Unit 5
reading lists can be useful resources as well, because these
list only books that are now well regarded. An encyclopedia
article written during the author’s lifetime may reveal whether
WHEN STUDENTS STRUGGLE . . .
11_LVAESE474605_U5AAS4RS.indd 514 4/3/2018 6:41:21

the author was accepted initially.

Extend  Reassure students that this is intended to generate
thoughts and opinions. There is no “correct” answer. You
might encourage students to think of reasons other than
criticism that could cause an author to change a title.
Reteach: Point of View  Demonstrate first-person narrative (I went to the store) and third-
person (He went to the store). Note the difference in pronouns. Then, explain that if the narrator
can tell you what everyone is doing or thinking, the narrator is said to be omniscient, which
means “all knowing.” Point out that the author uses third-person pronouns and clearly knows
what everyone is thinking, so the point of view used is third-person omniscient.

For additional support, go to the Reading Studio and assign

the following Level Up Tutorial: Point of View.
LEVEL

514 Unit 5
 RESPOND
APPLY
CREATE AND DISCUSS
Write a Short Story Write a brief story that takes place in an hour. You can Go to Writing Narratives
in the Writing Studio for
review your Quick Start notes for ideas. help.

❏ Decide what point of view you will use to tell your story. Think about CREATE AND DISCUSS
what impact the point of view might have on how you reveal events.
Write a Short Story  Review the differences among the
❏ Include a main conflict and a resolution. various points of view, giving examples of each. Make sure
❏ Create realistic characters and an interesting setting. students understand the difference between third-person
❏ Think about the theme, or message, you want to share. Consider how limited and third-person omniscient. Because the Quick
the resolution of the conflict can suggest the theme. Start activity focused on something that happened to the
Discuss with a Small Group Take turns reading your stories aloud. Then, students, reassure them that an interesting setting is simply
give one another feedback. Go to Participating in
Collaborative Discussions a setting that is well crafted, with details that make it vivid.
❏ Offer one thing that the author did really well. in the Speaking and
Listening Studio for
The setting does not need to be exotic to be interesting.
❏ Describe something the author might do differently or clarify for help with having a group
discussion.
readers. Discuss with a Small Group  Encourage students to listen
❏ Revise your story based on the feedback you receive. attentively, so their comments are based on characteristics
of the writing. Suggest they listen primarily for what the
story is and whether it holds their attention. Once the story is
understood, fine points of style can be discussed.

RESPOND TO THE
RESPOND TO THE ESSENTIAL QUESTION
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
To what degree do we control UNIT 5
RESPONSE LOG
Use this Response Log to record information
from the texts that relates to or comments on
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY Allow time for students to add details from “The Story of an
our lives? As you write and discuss
the Essential Questions in Unit 5.

? Essential Question Details from Texts

what you learned from the Hour” to their Unit 5 Response Logs.
short story, be sure to use the
Gather Information Review your To what degree do we
control our lives?

Academic Vocabulary words.

annotations and notes on “The Story of an Check off each of the words
Hour.” Then, add relevant information to Why do humans cause
harm?
that you use.
your Response Log. As you determine which
information to include, think about: What are the
consequences of
change?
❑ ambiguous
❑ clarify
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

• what Mrs. Mallard thinks will happen to her

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

What makes a place

unique? ❑ implicit
• how Mrs. Mallard feels about her life so far ❑ revise
Response Log R5

• what happens to Mrs. Mallard 11_LVAESE474605_EMU5RL.indd 5 3/29/2018 4:23:23 AM

❑ somewhat

The Story of an Hour 515

VAESE474605_U5AAS4RS.indd 515 10/23/2018 11:40:42 PM

The Story of an Hour 515

 RESPOND
APPLY
CRITICAL VOCABULARY
WORD BANK Practice and Apply Write a short answer for each of the following questions.
abandonment Explain your responses.
CRITICAL VOCABULARY vacant
illumination 1. What outdoor activity is likely to inspire wild abandonment?
Possible answers: composed
2. What might cause a person to have a vacant stare?
1. horseback riding; riding a horse might make you feel free,
3. How might a scientist experience a moment of illumination?
excited, and a bit reckless
4. When is it helpful to maintain a composed demeanor?
2. a boring movie; a boring movie might cause you to be lost
in your own thoughts VOCABULARY STRATEGY:
Multiple-Meaning Words
3. by recognizing a problem in an experiment and then
Go to Words with In the English language, many words have more than one meaning. The
figuring out the solution Multiple Meanings in the
Vocabulary Studio for
meaning of a word often changes according to its part of speech. For
4. before a big game or speech; it is important to be calm and help. example, the vocabulary word composed means “self-possessed” and “calm”
collected to do well when used as an adjective to describe someone. Compose is also a verb. The
past tense verb composed can mean “created a literary or musical piece” or
“arranged aesthetically or artistically.”

VOCABULARY STRATEGY: When you come across a multiple-meaning word, first, think about how it is
used in the sentence. For example, is it an adjective or verb? Then, use context
Multiple-Meaning Words clues—examples, synonyms, or antonyms—to help you determine what it
Possible answers: means in the sentence. It is useful to refer to an online or print dictionary to
find all of the word’s meanings and see which one best fits the sentence.
1. time: to record the speed or duration of; a duration or
Practice and Apply Find two meanings for each of the words below. Use a
period
dictionary to check your work. Then write sentences for both meanings.
The coach will time the runners to see who is fastest.
What time are we going to the movies? 1. time

2. patches: small pieces of cloth used to mend a hole or tear;

small plots or pieces of land
Mother sewed patches over the knees of my torn jeans.
2. patches
We looked for clear patches of grass in the wooded area.
3. spread: a cloth covering for a bed, table, etc.; a banquet of

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

food; to open to a fuller extent or width; stretch
The spread for my bed is a paisley pattern. 3. spread
If you spread out the blanket, we can sit on the grass.
4. fancy: highly decorated; to have a liking or enthusiasm for
The fancy restaurant was a real treat.
I fancy a bit of classical music. 4. fancy

516 Unit 5

ENGLISH LEARNER SUPPORT

11_LVAESE474605_U5AAS4RS.indd 516 10/23/2018 11:40:43

Vocabulary Strategy  Give students practice determining meanings of words using prefixes
and suffixes. Point out that both abandoned and abandonment appear in the story. Knowing
that the root word is abandon, that the suffix -ed shows the past tense, and that the suffix -ment
means “the action or process of” can help students understand the meaning of abandonment.
Display the words inability, countless, reflection, suspension, suggestion, persistence, and
unsolved. Have student pairs use a print or digital dictionary to identify and define prefixes and
suffixes. Then, have them create definitions for each word.
ALL LEVELS

516 Unit 5