Academic 10.1.1.5

How does the pack feel at first about being at St. Lucy’s?

At first, the pack is happy and enthusiastic to be at St. Lucy’s, which is “new, exciting, and interesting” to them (p. 227).

How do the nuns treat the pack at first?

They give the pack “free rein” (p. 227) of St. Lucy’s and let them nap (p. 228), meaning the nuns let the pack do whatever they want and do not try to control the pack.

How does Russell use specific word choices to develop the pack’s reaction to the smells of St. Lucy’s?

The pack’s noses “ache[]” and feel under “assault” by the human smells (p. 228), suggesting that they are overwhelmed by the new scents, and that the experience is not pleasant.

How does the oldest sister react to the nuns’ approach?

The oldest sister “instinctively bristle[s]” (p. 228) at the nun’s approach, suggesting she senses something is not right and feels threatened by the nuns.

How does Sister Maria interact with the oldest sister?

Sister Maria gives her a “brave smile” (p. 228) and asks her name. After the oldest sister responds by “howl[ing] something awful and inarticulate” (p .228), Sister Maria ignores this and pretends that the oldest sister has replied, then “slap[s]” a nametag on the oldest sister and renames her “Jeanette” (p. 228).

What effect does Jeanette’s naming have on the pack?

Jeanette’s naming frightens the pack, as they begin to run “in a loose, uncertain circle.” They feel as if they should help Jeanette, but are also overcome by their “new fear” (p. 228). The pack feels a “subtler danger afoot, written in a language (p. 228) [they] didn’t understand,” meaning they feel something is wrong and threatening, but it is so unfamiliar to them that they cannot name it.

What relationship is established between the nuns and Mirabella in this excerpt?

A hostile relationship is established between Mirabella and the nuns, because Mirabella “snarl[s]” (p. 229) at the nuns and runs from them when they try to rename her. The nuns must “pin her down” (p. 229) to put Mirabella’s nametag on and Sister Maria shoots her with a “tranquilizer dart” (p. 229).

Describe the mood of this excerpt of text (pp. 227–229). Cite specific words and phrases to support your response.

• The mood at the beginning of this excerpt is happy and excited. The pack lets out a “celebratory howl,” and the narrator exclaims “There were holes everywhere!” (p. 227), showing how enthused the pack is to be at St. Lucy’s.
• The mood becomes fearful and threatened, because the girls feel “assaulted” by the human smells of St. Lucy’s and “bristle” (p. 228) out of fear at the nuns’ approach. The pack also “sense[s] some subtler danger afoot” (p. 228) when the nuns begin renaming them with human names, suggesting that they are afraid of the nuns.
• The mood is violent and threatening, as the nuns have to “pin … down” (p. 229) the youngest member of the pack to tag her, and Sister Maria shoots Mirabella with a “tranquilizer dart” (p. 229).

How does the mood of this excerpt relate to the description of Stage 1 given by the epigraph? How does this relationship develop an important idea in the text?

• The mood of the excerpt contrasts with the Stage 1 epigraph because St. Lucy’s is not just “new, exciting, and interesting” (p. 225), it is also frightening.
• The contrast between the description in the epigraph and the pack’s experience develops the important idea of what it means to live as a human versus what it means to live as a wolf, because the pack feels defensive about and “assaulted” (p. 228) by how unfamiliar human society feels. This suggests that they still identify as wolves and have not yet begun to adapt to human society.

Summarize the Stage 2 epigraph.

The epigraph says that it will take time for students to adjust to their new surroundings, and that the students may behave badly and be upset or sad for a while.

Why have the girls “never wanted to run away so badly” (p. 229)?

The pack “had never wanted to run away so badly” (p. 229) because they feel out of place and uncomfortable at St. Lucy’s. Claudette describes the difficulty of adapting to human culture, saying that the pack cannot get used to “cold toilet seats and boiled tomatoes” and have trouble “willing [their] tongues to curl around [their] false new names” (p. 229). Claudette also describes her difficulty with the walking drills, as she keeps having to remind herself: “Mouth shut, shoes on feet” (p. 229). As a result of this, the pack feels “irritated, bewildered and depressed” at St. Lucy’s, where they are all “uncomfortable and between languages” (p. 229).

How would the girls “betray” their parents by “going back to them” (p. 230)?

The pack would betray their parents by returning to them because their parents sent the girls to St. Lucy’s “for [their] own betterment” (p. 230). To return before completing their time at St. Lucy’s would be to disappoint their parents, who were so kind to them growing up, who “loved [the pack] at [their] hairless worst” (p. 230).

What is the “sly, human taunt” Claudette describes on page 230?

The “sly, human taunt” is the ease with which the girls could escape from St. Lucy’s if they chose to do so. Claudette describes the lowness of the walls around St. Lucy’s. The girls know they are “all easily capable” of jumping over the walls, and they want to (p. 230). Similarly, Sister Josephine leaves the wooden gates “wide open” (p. 230), and the nuns unslat the windows at night “so that the long fingers of moonlight beckoned us from the woods” (p. 230). However, the girls know that they cannot return to the woods and their families without severely disappointing their parents. Although no one is forcing them to stay, the girls feel as though they must remain at St. Lucy’s despite their unhappiness, so the low walls and open gates and windows feel like a “taunt” (p. 230).

How does Claudette’s description of the “sly, human taunt” develop a central idea in the text?

The “taunt” develops the central idea of human identity vs. wolf identification, because the girls choose to stay at St. Lucy’s even though they feel “irritated, bewildered, depressed” (p. 229) and know they are “easily capable” of jumping St. Lucy’s low walls. The wall “taunt[s]” (p. 230) the girls by showing them how they could escape if they wanted to, but not unless the girls “want to break the mother’s heart” (p. 230). The girls are struggling to let go of their wolf identification while they develop their human identity by staying and becoming “civilized” (p. 230).

GOAL!

Closing

• Consider the effect created by Russell’s use of epigraphs by analyzing the Stage 1 Epigraph.
• Use the Epigraph Effect Tool to structure your analysis.

Quick Write

Respond briefly in writing to the following prompt:

How does Russell introduce a central idea in this excerpt?

• Identify a central idea in the text
• Analyze how Russell introduces this central idea

Reading and Discussion

read pp. 229–230 of “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” (from “Stage 2: After a time, your students realize that they must work” to “It all felt like a sly, human taunt”) and answer the following questions

Reading and Discussion

Reread pages 227–229 of “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” (from “That first afternoon, the nuns gave us free rein” to “careful aim with her tranquilizer dart. ‘It can be a little overstimulating’”) and answer the following questions.

How does Russell introduce a central idea in this excerpt?

Central Ideas Tracking tool

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sQn2r3Sw5F2dSggekiE4vUpnSFbKdT7SDbA5XgoADTY/edit

Vocab

• rein (n.) – the ability to control something
• delectable (adj.) – enjoyable
• improvised (v.) – made or fabricated out of what is conveniently on hand
• infirm (adj.) – weak in body or health
• bristled (v.) – rose up and became stiff; showed signs of anger
• tranquilizer (n.) – a drug that has a calming effect
• dislocation (n.) – the state of being put out of place
• beckoned (v.) – signaled, or directed by a gesture of the head or hand

Homework Accountability

• Share the vocabulary words you identified and defined for the previous lesson’s homework.

Standards:

• RL.9-10.2
• RL.9-10.5
• SL.9-10.1.c

Learning Target:

• I will be able to...
• Identify a central idea in the text and...
• Analyze how Russell introduces this central idea

Lesson Agenda

• Homework Accountability
• Central Ideas Tracking (CIT) tool
• Reading and Discussion (in groups)
• Quick Write
• Closing