How does Fanny change Mr. Dashwood's promise without ever directly telling him to break it?
Sense and Sensibility
30 minutes total
ByJane Austen
Grade9-10
Time30 minutes
Essential question
How does Fanny change Mr. Dashwood's promise without ever directly telling him to break it?
Marked passage
Passage location
Chapter II
Start anchor
He did not stipulate for any particular sum, my dear Fanny; he only requested me, in general terms, to assist them
End anchor
They will be much more able to give you something.
Passage focus
Fanny talks three thousand pounds down to nothing
Ways to teach it
Listening
Listen to the exact passage; visual following is optional. Same question and evidence demand.
Solo
Read the exact passage independently.
Supported
Use narration and sentence highlighting while reading the same passage.
Teacher guide
Close
Name the single detail that most changed or sharpened your interpretation, and explain why.
Evidence
Track at least three stages in the reduction from the original promise toward nothing.
Mark
Write the amount Mr. Dashwood first intends to give. Number each reduction or reframing Fanny introduces. Star the step where helping them becomes unnecessary rather than merely smaller.
Instructional move
Track persuasion through incremental reframing
Notice
• What does Fanny change first—the promise, the amount, or the definition of need? • Why is gradual reframing more effective than directly saying 'give them nothing'? • How does each small concession make the next one easier?
Strong answer
Fanny changes the promise by a sequence of small reframings: reduce the amount, redefine what the women need, reinterpret generosity, then make help seem unnecessary. No single step sounds like breaking the promise.
Think
Answer provisionally: How does Fanny change Mr. Dashwood's promise without ever directly telling him to break it? Choose the strongest interpretation you can defend from this passage alone.
Watch for
Do not skip directly from promise to betrayal. The lesson is about how incremental concessions change the moral decision.
Why this passage
Fanny never orders her husband to break his promise. She reduces the amount, redefines what the Dashwood women need, and gradually turns generosity into the claim that they may even be better off without help.
Write
Write a short evidence-based response to: How does Fanny change Mr. Dashwood's promise without ever directly telling him to break it? Use at least two details from the assigned passage and explain how they support your interpretation.
Student tasks
Mark
Write the amount Mr. Dashwood first intends to give. Number each reduction or reframing Fanny introduces. Star the step where helping them becomes unnecessary rather than merely smaller.
Notice
What does Fanny change first—the promise, the amount, or the definition of need? Why is gradual reframing more effective than directly saying 'give them nothing'? How does each small concession make the next one easier?
Think
Answer provisionally: How does Fanny change Mr. Dashwood's promise without ever directly telling him to break it?
Write
Write a short response using at least two pieces of evidence from this passage. Use evidence from the assigned passage. Show what you noticed and how the text supports your interpretation.
Ready-to-teach lesson
TumbleTA 6-12 · TEXT-BASED LESSON
BATCH 09 · 9-10 · LESSON 176
Sense and Sensibility
Jane Austen
How does Fanny change Mr. Dashwood's promise without ever
directly telling him to break it?
TOTAL TIME
PASSAGE
30 minutes
Fanny talks three thousand pounds down to nothing
FIND THE ANCHOR TEXT
Use the Anchor Text Table of Contents in the Enhanced Reader to open the START anchor. Then use the dropdown to select the END anchor.
SECTION / LOCATION
Chapter II
START
He did not stipulate for any particular sum, my dear Fanny; he only requested me, in general terms, to assist them
END
They will be much more able to give you something.
PASSAGE ID
sec-ssens-02
THE MOVE
Track persuasion through incremental reframing
WHY THIS PASSAGE
Fanny never orders her husband to break his promise. She reduces the amount, redefines what the Dashwood women need, and gradually turns generosity into the claim that they may even be better off without help.
MARK
Write the amount Mr. Dashwood first intends to give. Number each reduction or reframing Fanny introduces. Star the step where helping them becomes unnecessary rather than merely smaller.
page 1
NOTICE
What does Fanny change first—the promise, the amount, or the definition of need?
Why is gradual reframing more effective than directly saying 'give them nothing'?
How does each small concession make the next one easier?
THINK
Answer provisionally: How does Fanny change Mr. Dashwood's promise without ever directly telling him to break it? Choose the strongest interpretation you can defend from this passage alone.
WRITE
Write a short evidence-based response to: How does Fanny change Mr. Dashwood's promise without ever directly telling him to break it? Use at least two details from the assigned passage and explain how they support your interpretation.
CLOSE
Name the single detail that most changed or sharpened your interpretation, and explain why.
STRONG ANSWER
Fanny changes the promise by a sequence of small reframings: reduce the amount, redefine what the women need, reinterpret generosity, then make help seem unnecessary. No single step sounds like breaking the promise.
EVIDENCE
Track at least three stages in the reduction from the original promise toward nothing.
WATCH FOR
Do not skip directly from promise to betrayal. The lesson is about how incremental concessions change the moral decision.
SOLO
Read the exact passage independently.
SUPPORTED
Use narration and sentence highlighting while reading the same passage.
LISTENING
Listen to the exact passage; visual following is optional. Same question and evidence demand.
page 2
STUDENT PAGE · SAME PASSAGE, SAME THINKING
Sense and Sensibility
Jane Austen
How does Fanny change Mr. Dashwood's promise without ever
directly telling him to break it?
START ANCHOR
He did not stipulate for any particular sum, my dear Fanny; he only requested me, in general terms, to assist them
END ANCHOR
They will be much more able to give you something.
Use the Anchor Text Table of Contents in the Enhanced Reader to open the START anchor. Then use the dropdown to select the END anchor.
OPEN THE MARKED PASSAGE IN TUMBLELIT
SOLO: read independently. SUPPORTED: use narration + highlighting. LISTENING: listen to the exact passage. The question and evidence task stay the same.
1.MARK - Write the amount Mr. Dashwood first intends to give. Number each reduction or
reframing Fanny introduces. Star the step where helping them becomes unnecessary rather than merely smaller.
2.NOTICE - What does Fanny change first—the promise, the amount, or the definition of need?
Why is gradual reframing more effective than directly saying 'give them nothing'? How does each small concession make the next one easier?
3.THINK - Answer provisionally: How does Fanny change Mr. Dashwood's promise without ever
directly telling him to break it?
4.WRITE - Write a short response using at least two pieces of evidence from this passage.
Use evidence from the assigned passage. Show what you noticed and how the text supports your interpretation.
page 3
Original printable PDF
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