Make Up Lesson Character Traits Evidence/Analysis

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​Instructions:

​Read/listen to the first page of the story, "Athena and the Dandelions"

Think about traits that might describe the main character.

Open Ended

Who is the protagonist of this story?

Open Ended

How would you describe Athena?

Multiple Choice

What does the following quote reveal about Athena's feelings?

"I had never seen anyone in the field with us, but I always worried that someone would notice us picking dandelions. People in America yanked dandelions from their lawns. No one wanted them." (Zouras 1).

• Athena feels anxious and concerned about being judged for picking dandelions.
• She is proud of her family's traditions.

• Athena is indifferent to the opinions of others about dandelions.
• Athena is joyful about the uniqueness of her family.

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​Instructions:

Fill out the first part of the graphic organizer. Here is how I did it.

​Embarrassed
Anxious
Self-Conscious

​"What would the new neighbors think if they found out our family ate weeds?" (Zouras 1).

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Context & Paraphrase

Context is what’s happening in the story when the quote appears.


The key to a good paraphrase is to put it in your own words, but avoid the language of the text for variety

Read or Listen to the second page of the story.

Multiple Choice

Context is what’s happening in the story when the quote appears.

Which of these might be context for the following quote?

"Time to go, Athena"

• Athena is excitedly preparing to go pick dandelions.

• Athena is reluctantly lingering on the sidewalk and swinging her book.
  

• Athena is helping her family load supplies into the car.

• Athena is talking to her new neighbor, Brigid, about picking dandelions.

Multiple Choice

Paraphrasing a quote means to put it in your own words. The key here is to make sure you are using different words from the quote. Which of these is a paraphrase of the following quote?

"‘Ela exo, Athena,’ Yia-yia said in Greek. ‘O helios thelee na se thee.’ She was saying, ‘Come out. The sun wants to see you.’"

• Yia-yia told Athena to stay inside because the sun is too bright.
• Yia-yia tells Athena to leave the car because it is time to pick dandelions.

• Yia-yia says that it’s dangerous to stay in the car for too long.

• Yia-yia tells Athena she must enjoy the sun while it lasts.

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​Instructions:

Fill out the second part of the graphic organizer. Here is how I did it.

​On the way to the
fields, Athena
worries...

​In other words, Athena is anxious that other people might find out about her family's strange eating habits.

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Analysis & Significance

This is the most difficult part of any essay. I broke it down into two boxes to help you remember that analysis means to explain what the quote reveals and the significance should talk about the broader context, or why what you're writing about may be important.

Read or Listen to the last page of the story.

Multiple Choice

Quote: “I had never seen anyone in the field with us, but I always worried that someone would notice us picking dandelions. People in America yanked dandelions from their lawns. No one wanted them.”

Analysis: What does this quote reveal about Athena?

• She feels proud of her family’s traditions.

• She is self-conscious about her family’s cultural practices.

• She believes everyone should eat dandelions like her family does.

• She is indifferent to how others view her family.

Multiple Choice

Quote: “I had never seen anyone in the field with us, but I always worried that someone would notice us picking dandelions. People in America yanked dandelions from their lawns. No one wanted them.”

How does this moment contribute to a broader theme in the story?

• It shows the importance of embracing individuality and cultural differences.

• It highlights how traditions can separate families from their communities.

• It illustrates the conflict between modern life and traditional customs.

• It emphasizes that dandelions have different uses across cultures.

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​Instructions:

Fill out the last part of the graphic organizer. Here is how I did it.

This quote shows that Athena does not embrace her culture and expects that others won't either.

This sets the stage for Athena to grow, highlighting the theme of overcoming embarrassment in order to embrace culture.