“By the Waters of Babylon” By Stephen Vincent Benét

Missouri Communication Arts Grade-level, course-level expectations R1E: Develop vocabulary through text. Understand and use suffixes.

Missouri Communication Arts Grade-level, course-level expectations R1H: Apply post-reading skills to comprehend and interpret text questions to clarify, reflect, analyze, draw conclusions, summarize, and paraphrase. Draw conclusions.

Missouri Communication Arts Grade-level, course-level expectations R2C: Use details from text to analyze character, plot, setting, point of view, and development of theme, evaluate proposed solutions, analyze the development of a theme across genres, evaluate the effect of author’s style and complex literary techniques. Understand first-person point of view. Analyze point of view. Understand and analyze setting. Write a short story from the first-person point of view.

“By the Waters of Babylon” An allusion is a reference to a statement, person, place, thing, or event from another text or from history or culture. It is only effective if the reader is familiar with whatever is being alluded to. “By the Waters of Babylon”

“By the Waters of Babylon” Authors generally trust readers to recognize or discover the connection between an allusion and its purpose in the writing. “By the Waters of Babylon”

“By the Waters of Babylon” Allusions add another layer of meaning. Think about how the title of this story to add another meaning to it. “By the Waters of Babylon”

“By the Waters of Babylon” The story is told from first-person point of view. The person who tells the story is called the narrator. A first-person narrator uses the pronoun “I” to refer to himself or herself. “By the Waters of Babylon”

“By the Waters of Babylon” In first-person narratives, the author may adopt an identity--or persona. This persona allows the author to present the setting through a distinct character’s eyes. “By the Waters of Babylon”

“By the Waters of Babylon” Stephen Vincent Benét uses a persona named John to guide readers and point out significant details to introduce them to a bizarre future world. “By the Waters of Babylon”

“By the Waters of Babylon” First-person narrators can only tell what they themselves know--their own feelings, thoughts, experiences, and their observations about other characters. “By the Waters of Babylon”

“By the Waters of Babylon” First-person narrators can’t see into the mind of another character or know what is happening in faraway places. “By the Waters of Babylon”

“By the Waters of Babylon” Authors imagine the setting and then use details to help the reader see it. The details the narrator points out can help to establish tone and character. People usually notice things that are important to them or that reflect their moods or attitudes. “By the Waters of Babylon”

Chart the Setting Date/Time Weather Locations Buildings Plants Animals Other

“By the Waters of Babylon” Activity #1 Analyze the setting. Use the text and your own knowledge to identify what John is really seeing when he describes setting details on the chart on the p. 99 Skills Practice sheet. “By the Waters of Babylon”

“By the Waters of Babylon” Activity #2 Sequence the stages of John’s journey. John returns home and tells his father what he saw in the city. John walks for eight days to reach the river. John builds a raft and crosses the river. John reaches the city. John studies to become a priest. John begins his journey to the Place of the Gods. “By the Waters of Babylon”

“By the Waters of Babylon” Activity #3 Match each word with a suffix to make a new word. Review and write the meaning of each suffix from page 187. Explain the meaning of the new word. danger --wise zoo --hood child --logy priest --ous prosper clock “By the Waters of Babylon”

“By the Waters of Babylon” Activity #4 Complete Vocabulary and Comprehension, p. 91 “By the Waters of Babylon”

“By the Waters of Babylon” Activity #5 Complete Additional Vocabulary Practice, p. 92 “By the Waters of Babylon”

“By the Waters of Babylon” Activity #6 Complete the short story elements sheet for this piece of literature Climax Complications Characters Resolution “By the Waters of Babylon”

“By the Waters of Babylon” Activity #7 In a one-page writing, create the opening of an exciting short story that uses first-person point of view. Be sure to include details about the setting to make the tone clear. Proofread for technical correctness. Be creative! “By the Waters of Babylon”

“By the Waters of Babylon” Activity #8 Tone The author artfully makes the language of the character John sound primitive and strange. Readers will recognize the language as English, but the context and subject matter make it feel unfamiliar. How does each of the following words contribute to the tone of this story? 1. purification p. 176 4. tongues p. 181 2. enchantments p. 179 5. company p. 184 3. anteroom p. 181 “By the Waters of Babylon”

“By the Waters of Babylon” Activity #1 Activity #2 Activity #3 Activity #4 Activity #5 Activity #6 Activity #7 Activity #8 “By the Waters of Babylon”

“By the Waters of Babylon” Concept Quiz • Can you define the following terms? • Can you identify them in a piece of literature? • Can you analyze them in a piece of literature?

“By the Waters of Babylon” Concept Quiz: Define, identify, analyze Persona

“By the Waters of Babylon” Concept Quiz: Define, identify, analyze Allusion

“By the Waters of Babylon” Concept Quiz: Define, identify, analyze Conclusion

“By the Waters of Babylon” Concept Quiz: Define, identify, analyze Point of view

“By the Waters of Babylon” Concept Quiz: Define, identify, analyze Suffix

“By the Waters of Babylon” Concept Quiz: Define, identify, analyze Setting

“By the Waters of Babylon” Concept Quiz: Define, identify, analyze Suspense

“By the Waters of Babylon” Concept Quiz: Define, identify, analyze Catastrophe

“By the Waters of Babylon” Concept Quiz: Define, identify, analyze Ritual

“By the Waters of Babylon” Concept Quiz: Define, identify, analyze Fasting

“By the Waters of Babylon” Concept Quiz: Define, identify, analyze Tone

“By the Waters of Babylon” Concept Quiz: Define, identify, analyze Character

“By the Waters of Babylon” Enrichment & Re-teaching Day

“By the Waters of Babylon” Enrichment & Re-teaching Day Test scores Divide into two groups Begin activities Homework for re-teaching group “By the Waters of Babylon”

“By the Waters of Babylon” Enrichment & Re-teaching Day A quick lesson in dialogue: “Hello,” Bob said. “Are you tired?” “No,” the woman on the park bench answered. “By the Waters of Babylon”

“By the Waters of Babylon” A quick lesson in dialogue: “Are you sure?” Bob said. “’Cuz you’ve been running through my mind all afternoon.” “By the Waters of Babylon”

“By the Waters of Babylon” Enrichment Follow the instructions on your handout. Re-teaching Day Listen to your teacher, then follow the instructions on your handout. “By the Waters of Babylon”