Dailies I

THIS IS A CLASS SET: DO NOT WRITE ON THIS SHEET! DO NOT MANGLE OR DESTROY
THIS SHEET IN ANY WAY!

Read the passage, take the appropriate notes, and answer the following questions
about it. Please write all of your answers in complete sentences in your Dailies
Portfolio. Your job is to finish complete the passage/notes/questions by the end of
the week; you will be tested in this information in the near future. Please use your
time wisely!

Passage:

He was a my-way-or-the-highway, beer-drinking, cigar-smoking, cowboy-hat-wearing man

that just so happened to be my great-grandfather. He was my mom’s grandfather, the one who
practically raised her. She had told me so many stories of him from when she was little that I felt
I knew him, although I had never met him. He sounded like the ideal grandpa, and to my mom
he was. I always wanted to meet this family legend, and when I was eight, I got my chance.
There we finally found ourselves, face-to-face, but the only problem was that he was an
old, wrinkled eighty-three year old man, not the young handsome dude I’d heard about my
whole life. So after the truth had set in, I thought he would be like most eighty-three year olds—
just rocking in a rocking chair. Boy, was I wrong! After only twenty minutes of being with him, I,
too, saw that young man in my mother’s stories. He even chased his dog, and—believe me—his
young, fast dog got a run for his money. Then Grandpa saw me standing there laughing. He
turned to me and said, “Hey, boy, you want to see if you can outrun me? You want to play, too?”
So I did. We ran and played as if he were an eight-year-old like me.
When we had made the return seven-hour distance from his house to ours, I was sad. But
then years passed, and I learned to live without him. Until the news. The stroke. The heart
attack. The Alzheimer’s.
Finally, I made the seven-hour trip for the last time. This time to the hospital. After all the
family’s tears, he said, “Hey, boy, I’m gonna need someone to chase after my dog when I’m
gone. You did a good job of it last time. You want to play?” So, like last time, I said, “Sure,” and
promised I would chase his dog until I died or the dog died, just like Grandpa had done that day.
He told me he didn’t want anyone else to see him after me. He’d said everything he’d
needed to say and saw everyone he’d needed to see. He also told me he was so happy that I
was the last one he’d be with.
Since that day, I’ve never had such a tremendous honor like I had that day. And I never
will. I got to be the last one he saw, the last one to say goodbye to him, the last one who heard
his words. (Jose Campos, “The Final Goodbye”)

Reading Comprehension: Write the letter that corresponds with the correct answer,
or answer any open response questions in complete sentences.

1. Why does the narrator feel as though he knows his great-grandfather before he ever
meets him?
a. he is a very typical great-grandfather
b. he has heard many stories about his great-grandfather
c. he is an ideal great-grandfather
d. they have corresponded through letters and phone calls

2. At the end of the third paragraph, the author includes a series of fragments (incomplete
sentences). Infer the purpose of these fragments.
a. The author does not know how to write complete sentences.
b. The author is trying to vary his sentence length.
c. The author is trying to add drama by including a series of short statements.
 d. The author is attempting to use very realistic-sounding dialogue.

Literary Elements & Devices: First, write down (word-for-word) the definitions and/or
notes in the box. Then, answer the questions/prompts in complete sentences. When
you are finished, draw a blue box around this section.

Dialogue: the words spoken between people in a conversation

3. Quote one example of dialogue in this piece.

4. The second and fourth paragraphs include lines of dialogue that sound very similar to one
another. What was the author’s purpose in including such similar lines?

Vocabulary: First, write down (word-for-word) the definitions and/or notes in the box.
Then, respond to the questions/prompts in complete sentences. When you are
finished, draw a yellow box around this section.

ideal (adjective): the best or most perfect example

tremendous (adjective): extremely large, powerful, or great

5. Describe your ideal grandparent or great-grandparent. Be specific.

6. Write an original context sentence using the word tremendous.

Grammar: First, write down (word-for-word) the definitions and/or notes in the box.
Then, respond to the questions/prompts in complete sentences. When you are
finished, draw a green box around this section.

Phrase: a group of words that does not include a subject-verb pair

Clause: a group of words that includes a subject-verb pair; it may or may not be able to stand
alone as a complete thought
Independent Clause: a clause that can stand alone as a complete thought
Dependent Clause: a clause that cannot stand alone as a complete thought

7. “I always wanted to meet this family legend…” Does this group of words include a
subject? If yes, what is it? Does this group of words include a verb? If yes, what is it? Is
this group of words a phrase, an independent clause, or a dependent clause?

8. “…when I was eight…” Does this group of words include a subject? If yes, what is it?
Does this group of words include a verb? If yes, what is it? Is this group of words a
phrase, an independent clause, or a dependent clause?

Writing: Respond to the prompt, keeping in mind all of the instructions. Do your very
best writing! Put some effort into this section!
9. Write a beginning for a character sketch (like this one) that is based on a list of
hyphenated modifiers. (For example, “My best friend is an American-Idol-loving, Red-Bull-
drinking…….”) Your writing must be a minimum of ten sentences long. Include many
specific details and/or anecdotes.