Dragon, Dragon

By John Gardner

Setting Up the Vocabulary Section in Your Reading Journal

Selection Vocabulary

+ — Neutral

plague (plāg)

plague (plāg)

Part of speech: Verb

Definition: continually causing trouble and suffering

Example: Even though we kept the food in closed containers, ants plagued our picnic.

Ask: Who/What plagues you in your life?

Related words: • plague (noun) - a very contagious disease which usually causes death (e.g., the Black Plague)

• plague (noun) – a large number of unpleasant things that happen at the same time

rav·age (rav′ ij)

rav·age (rav′ ij)

Part of speech: Verb

Definition: destroy

Example: Rabbits ravaged Jon’s vegetable garden, so he built a fence around it.

Ask: What types of natural disasters can ravage a town?

ty·rant (tī′ rənt)

ty·rant (tī′ rənt)

Part of speech: Noun

Definition: someone who uses power or authority in a cruel and unjust manner.

Example: Our school’s soccer coach is strict, but she isn’t a tyrant.

Ask: Who are some characters in books/movies that you would consider to be tyrants?

Related words: • tyranny (noun) - a cruel, harsh, unjust government

• tyranny (noun) – cruel, unfair treatment

• tyrannical (adjective) – being cruel and unfair toward those who are under your power

quest (kwest)

quest (kwest)

Part of speech: Noun

Definition: a search or pursuit made in order to get an object or accomplish a goal

Example: The boy was on a quest to find his misplaced homework.

Ask: What movies have you seen in which a character was on a quest?

Related words: • question (noun) – When asking a question, you are in search of an answer.

meek (mēk)

meek (mēk)

Part of speech: Adjective

Definition: 1. lacking self-assurance; not courageous 2. mild/gentle in speech and action

3. patient; not responding to wrongs

Example: Bob is bold and firm when he speaks with others; however, Billy is meek.

Ask: When would it be good to behave meekly? When would it not be good?

Related words: • meekly (adverb) – acting in the ways described above

Does your Vocabulary Notebook page look something like this?

What kinds of predictions can you make about the story “Dragon, Dragon” based on these words?

plagued

ravaged

tyrant

quest

meekly

Fiction

Realistic Fiction

Historical Fiction

Science Fiction

Fantasy

Adventure

Mystery

Fables

Myths

Legends

Fairy Tales

Folktales

What are some common characteristics of fairy tales?

Pass the

Paper!

Reading Footnotes

p. 86Now it happened that there lived in the kingdom a wise old cobbler² who had a wife and three sons. The cobbler and his family came to the king’s meeting and stood way in back by the door, for the cobbler had a feeling that since he was nobody important there had probably been some ….

_______________________________________________________________________________

² A cobbler is a person who makes or mends shoes.

As you read “Dragon, Dragon”…

• stop occasionally to check your understanding of the story by retelling the main events so far.

• take notice of the elements of a fairy tale that the author incorporates.

Happy Reading!

Italics

• p. 93 “What?” cried the dragon, flabbergasted. “You? You? Murder Me???” All at once he began to laugh, pointing at the little cobbler’s son. “He he he ho ha!” laughed the dragon....”

The cobbler’s son was annoyed. “I do come from the king to murder you,” he said.

Italics

p. 93 “Of course not, poor dear boy! But really, he he, the idea of it, ha ha ha! And that simply ridiculous poem!” Tears streamed from the dragon’s eyes and he lay on his back perfectly helpless with laughter.

•Why did the author use italics in the previous paragraphs?

•What is the reader supposed to understand?

Summarize!

Check Yourself!A smart move that we, as good readers, can make isto stop at the end of a story and try to retell the whole story(to ourselves or with a partner) to be sure that weunderstand the story and remember it correctly.

It’s really hard to answer questions about a story that youcan’t remember or don’t understand.

If you’ve finished reading an entire story, you should be ableto retell the main ideas by using the “Somebody Wanted ButSo Then Finally” framework.

Give it a try! (Use the next slide to guide your thinking as you retell “Dragon, Dragon”with a partner.)

Then

Finally

So

Somebody

Wanted

But

Fiction Summary

Sequence & Cause/Effect

Teacher: See information in “Notes” section of this slide for resource/practice information regarding sequence and cause/effect.

Stylistic Elements in Fairy Tales

What are some common characteristics of fairy tales in “Dragon, Dragon”?

Stylistic Element: Threes

•What stories/fairytales can you think of that have three of something (e.g., “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”)?•Why do you think so many stories are based upon the use/structure of threes?

It takes three things to establish a pattern.Three characters provide a nice balance (big, medium, small; oldest, middle, youngest). Three events/wishes/attempts to solve a problem are just enough to build suspense and round out the action.

Stylistic Element: Threes

•People remember things in threes better.

Documents/Speeches: “…life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Advertisements: “Location, location, location!”

Procedures: “Stop, drop, and roll.”

Sayings: “Live, love, and laugh;” “Blood, sweat, and tears”

Organizations: Executive, Judicial, Legislative branches of government

How did the author of “Dragon, Dragon” use the stylistic element of threes to develop the story?

1.

2.

3.

Purpose of Repetitionp. 89

“When and if you come to the dragon’s lair, recite the following poem.

Dragon, dragon, how do you do?I’ve come from the king to murder you.

Say it very loudly and firmly, and the dragon will fall, God willing, at your feet.”“How curious!” said the eldest son. And he thought to himself, “The old man is not as wise as I thought.”

Purpose of Repetitionp. 91

“When and if you come to the dragon’s lair, recite the following poem.

Dragon, dragon, how do you do?I’ve come from the king to murder you.

Say it very loudly and firmly, and the dragon will fall, God willing, at your feet.”“What an odd thing to say!” thought the middle son. “The old man is not as wise as I thought.”

Purpose of Repetition

p. 93 “When and if you come to the dragon’s lair, recite the following poem.

Dragon, dragon, how do you do?I’ve come from the king to murder you.

Say it very loudly and firmly, and the dragon will fall, God willing, at your feet.”

“Are you certain?” asked the youngest son uneasily.“As certain as one can ever be in these matters,” said

the wise old cobbler.And so the youngest son set forth on his quest.

Purpose of Repetition

p. 93

As loudly and firmly as he could manage, the youngest son cried –

Dragon, dragon, how do you do?I’ve come from the king to murder you.

“What?” cried the dragon, flabbergasted. “You? You? Murder Me???” And all at once he began to laugh . . . . and then he lay dead.

Purpose of Repetition

p. 93

The two older brothers crawled out and thanked their younger brother for saving their lives. “We have learned our lesson,” they said.

THINK/PAIR/SHARE:What lesson about life did the brothers learn?

How does the use of the repeated lines/events in the story develop that theme (message about life)?

Purpose of Repetition

p. 93

The two older brothers crawled out and thanked their younger brother for saving their lives. “We have learned our lesson,” they said.

THINK/PAIR/SHARE:What lesson about life did the brothers learn?

How does the use of the repeated lines/events in the story develop that theme (message about life)?

Inference

Inference

Let’s apply the inference skills that we practicedwith comic strips to our fairy tales.

In “Dragon, Dragon,” the author never directlystates that the cobbler is a practical man. However, we can make that inference based onhow the cobbler acted and what the cobblersaid.

“Dragon, Dragon” InferenceThe four statements below all sound like inferences. However, only one ofthem can be supported with clues from the text. • Talk with a partner and see if you agree. • Show your partner clues from the text that support your thinking.• Explain why you believe that the incorrect answers can’t be supported.

A The cobbler probably liked his youngest son the best.

B The reader can tell that the cobbler was a practical man.

C The wizard most likely never made any more mistakes after his wizard’s book was returned.

D The reader can conclude that the oldest and middle brothers were envious of the younger brother’s success.

“Dragon, Dragon” Inference

“Dragon, Dragon” InferenceB The reader can tell that the cobbler was a practical man.

Even though the word “practical” was never used in the story to describe the cobbler, we can make that inference by examining how the author acted and what he said. For example:

p. 86 “…the cobbler had a feeling that since he was nobody important there had probably been some mistake, and no doubt the king had intended the meeting for everyone in the kingdom except for his family and him.”

p. 87 “’…It’s all very well to talk about it – but how are you going to do it?’”

p. 87 “Meanwhile the cobbler stood with his hands in his pockets, sighing at the waste of time. ‘About the dragon . . .’ he began.”

p. 88 “’It’s not enough,’ said the cobbler. ‘…How would an ordinary person support [the princess]? Also, what about those of us that are already married?’”

p. 88 “’It’s a good enough kingdom…, but it’s too much responsibility.’”

p. 92 (After his youngest son asks him if he’s certain that saying the poem will help kill the dragon) “’As certain as one can ever be in these matters,’ said the wise old cobbler.”

Importance to a Story

Have you ever made a quick trip to the kitchen for a snack or had

some other interruption while watching a TV show or movie,only to return to the show to realize that you had missedsomething really important? Without the knowledge of thatparticular missed scene or piece of dialogue, the rest of theshow/movie didn’t make sense.

THINK/PAIR/SHARE: Have you ever…

Or perhaps you don’t realize until you get to the end of themovie that something that happened earlier (a scene, a line of dialogue, a clue in the setting) was actually an important cluethat the writer/director included to help you begin to figure outthe storyline.

THINK/PAIR/SHARE: Have you ever…

Or maybe you find yourself yelling at the TV, “Don’t go to thewoods!” because you know that if the character does go there,something bad will happen. You know that that particularsetting will be a source of problems for the character.

THINK/PAIR/SHARE: Have you ever…

Important to the Story

An author’s (or movie director’s) decisions to include certainevents, descriptions, or dialogue is always purposeful.

Sometimes a specific part of a story is important for reasonssuch as:• it helps the reader understand something about the character

(e.g., the character’s emotions, traits, or changes)• it helps the reader understand something about the main

problem/goal in the story – or perhaps it helps create or provide circumstances for the problem to occur

• it helps the reader understand how the characters are trying to solve the problem/reach the goal and reach a resolution

THINK/PAIR/SHARE:• Refer to your plot chart and/or your literature

book to help you remember the important events in “Dragon, Dragon.”What do you think is an important setting, event,

or line/lines of dialogue in the story? Write it on an index card, and write the reason

why it is important on the back of the card. (Each person should have their own index card.)

Important to the Story

THINK/PAIR/SHARE:• When your teacher gives the signal, walk

around the room and show the front of your card to one other student at a time.

• Do others agree that your chosen setting/dialogue/event is important to “Dragon, Dragon”? Do you both agree why it is important?

Important to the Story

Author’s Purpose

What’s the Purpose?

The author probably wrote this selection to…

•entertain the reader with a humorous story about ___.

•demonstrate that ____________________________.

•share a story about ___________________________.

•illustrate how _________________________________.

•tell about ____________________________________.

•compare ____________________________________.

•warn readers about ____________________________.

Think about the theme(s) of the story!