Thank You, Ma’amBy Langston Hughes

Literature Circle Group:Amanda L., Nathan T., Hannah T., Alex H., Jonathan M., &

Matthew M.

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Literature Circle Positions

Discussion Leader

Connector

Summarizer

Literary Illuminator

Illustrator

Vocabulary Viewer

Discussion Leader

1. What is the setting of the story? (Knowledge)

2. Who are the main characters? Describe them. (Knowledge)

3. Why did Mrs. Jones show kindness to Roger? (Analysis)

4. Why didn’t Roger run when he had the chance? (Comprehension)

5. What do you see as another possible outcome of the story? (Analysis)

6. How would you have handled the situation if you were Roger? (Evaluation)

7. Can you construct a plot map to show the events in the story? (Synthesis)

8. Does any part of this story relate to you? (Application)

9. If you were Mrs. Jones, how would you have treated Roger? (Evaluation)

10. What was the main theme of the story? (Comprehension) Next

After reading the story, the discussion leader comes up with higher order thinking questions from Blooms Taxonomy.

Questions

Discussion LeaderThe story is set in Harlem, New York, and the time of day is in the evening.

The main characters are Roger and Mrs. Jones. Roger is a poor boy, who steals in order to support himself, and Mrs. Jones is a tough, but wise woman, who understands Roger’s situation.

Mrs. Jones probably showed kindness to Roger, because she could relate to him, and wanted to help him out.

Roger didn’t run, probably because he wasn’t sure if it was the smartest choice, and he probably knew that Mrs. Jones wasn’t a harmful person, and wanted to see how things would turn out.

Another possible outcome of the story was that Roger could’ve actually ran away from Mrs. Jones, and they would have never had a conversation. Mrs. Jones wouldn’t have been able to help him.

If I were Roger, I would’ve done the same thing he did. I wouldn’t have left Mrs. Jones’ house, and would’ve listened to what she had to say.

None of this story relates to me.

If I were Mrs. Jones, I would’ve treated Roger similarly, but I probably wouldn’t have been so rough with him like how she did in the beginning of the story.

The main theme of this story has to do with community spirit. Roger was a troubled boy, and tried to steal Mrs. Jones’ purse, but she helped Roger anyways by giving him a helpful pep talk, and by giving him some money to support himself.

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Connector

1. Do you think that I could avoid being kicked on the floor unlike Roger?

2. Would you give a poor kid money to buy things for themselves?

3. Do other people steal in order to get what they want?

4. Would you invite a poor kid to your house and offer them a meal?

5. Can you think of another movie or story where there was a similar situation to “Thank You, Ma’am”?

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The connector comes up with 5 questions that connect the text to the world, text to self, and text to text.

Questions

Connector1. My opinion is yes, because when Roger fell, he didn’t move. If I was Roger I could’ve

moved out of the way.

2. Yes, because the poor kid could buy food, shoes or supplies to survive .

3. Yes, because when people steal purses from people, they would usually by some food or other things that they need.

4. In my opinion, you should not invite poor kids in your house, because they could steal whatever they want in the house.

5. A story similar to “Thank You, Ma’am” was “Les Miserables”. In “Les Miserables,” Jean Valjean was very poor, and had starving children at home. So, he stole a loaf of bread, but was caught, and was sentenced to many years in prison. When he was released, he was a convicted criminal, and no one would hire him. One day, a priest allowed Jean to take shelter in the church, and this priest fed him, and took care of him. When everyone was sleeping, Jean stole most of the silverware including very valuable candlesticks. He escaped the church, but was caught outside. The officers knocked on the church door, and when the priest opened it, the men explained the situation. The priest surprisingly told the men that he GAVE the silverware to Jean Valjean. So, the officers left, and the priest told Jean to keep the silver candlesticks, sell them, and start a new life. So now, you can see how “Les Miserables” and “Thank You, Ma’am” are related. Mrs. Jones pretty much did the same thing the priest did, and kind of gave Roger a new look at life.

Answers

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SummarizerThis story, “Thank You, Ma’am,” is about a teenage boy, named Roger, and a middle-aged woman, named Mrs. Luella Jones, who live in the poor city of Harlem. At the beginning of the story, Roger tries to steal Mrs. Jones’ purse, but failed to take it. Then, the woman told Roger to go over to her house with her. At the house, Roger was told to get cleaned up. Next, Mrs. Jones gave him some dinner. After, she told Roger to sit next to her, and she gave him a pep talk about how he should stop stealing, and start making good decisions in life. Finally, Roger left, and simply said, “Thank you, ma’am.”

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The summarizer creates a plot map showing the important events in the story, and writes a summary essay of the story.

Literary Illuminator “There’s nobody home at my house.” (Hughes 32) This shows that Roger had no one to take care of him, and he had no one to look up to. This caused him to steal, and make bad choices.

“I wanted a pair of blue suede shoes.” (Hughes 32) This quote shows why Roger tried to steal Mrs. Jones purse. He wanted money to buy himself some new shoes. In the end, Mrs. Jones gave him money anyway.

“I were young once and I wanted the things I could not get.” (Hughes 32) Mrs. Jones was telling Roger how she could relate to him, since when she was about his age, she also wanted things. She told Roger that he shouldn’t make any more poor choices.

“Now, here, take ten dollars and buy yourself some blue suede shoes.” (Hughes 33) This shows that even though Mrs. Jones was a little stern with Roger, she was also generous. She helped him out by giving him some money. She understood what Roger was going through.

“Thank you, ma’am.” (Hughes 33) Roger was very thankful to Mrs. Jones for all her help and kindness. He had never met someone like her before. He wasn’t sure what to say to her, so he just said, “Thank you, ma’am.”

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The literary illuminator locates 5 passages from the story, and writes a paragraph reflection on each passage.

Illustrator

One cold night, Mrs. Jones was walking down the street. Suddenly, a young boy, named Roger, came up to her and tried to snatch her purse. Roger was put into a half-nelson by Mrs. Jones, and she told him to go with her to her house. Roger got himself cleaned up, and Mrs. Jones provided the boy with dinner. After the meal, Mrs. Jones gave Roger some money to buy a pair of shoes. The boy thanked the kind woman, and left.

Mrs.JonesHome

The illustrator draws a picture of an important event in the story and writes a paragraph explaining why the picture is important.

Vocabulary Viewer• frail (adj.): delicate; weak & fragile

Antonym: strong Synonym: intricate “He looked as if he were fourteen or fifteen, frail and willow - wild in tennis shoes and blue jeans.” (Hughes 31)

• suede (noun): leather with a soft, fuzzy surface Antonym: hard Synonym: smooth “I wanted a pair of blue suede shoes,” said the boy. (Hughes 32)

• presentable (adj.): fit to be seen by people Antonym: unseen Synonym: decent “You might run that comb through your hair so you will look presentable.” (Hughes 32)

• mistrust (verb): to have no confidence in Antonym: confident/believe Synonym: unsure “And he did not want to be mistrusted now.” (Hughes 32)

• barren (adj.): empty; deserted Antonym: full Synonym: gone “...he turned at the barren stoop and looked back at the large woman in the door.” (Hughes 33)

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The vocabulary viewer locates at least ten words from the story and writes the part of speech, definition, antonyms, synonyms, and the sentence the word is contained in, and as well as the page number.

Vocabulary Viewer• pocketbook (noun): a woman’s purse or handbag

Antonym: pocket Synonym: purse “...and you snatch my pocketbook!” (Hughes 32)

• Spanish (proper noun): of or pertaining to Spain, its people, or their language Antonym: English Synonym: language “...blondes, red-heads, and Spanish.” (Hughes 33)

• stoop (verb): to bend head/shoulders/body Antonym: stiff Synonym: stretch “...stoop and looked back...” (Hughes 33)

• pause (verb): to stop/rest Antonym: play Synonym: stop “There was a long pause.” (Hughes 32)

• slung (verb): simple past tense/past participle of sling Antonym: wear Synonym: sling “...it slung across her shoulder.” (Hughes 30)

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Thank you M’am Video

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