Why does Tom's testimony count as courage even though he is terrified?

Ready-to-teach lesson

TumbleTA 6-12 · TEXT-BASED LESSON

BATCH 07 · 6-8 · LESSON 132

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Mark Twain

Why does Tom's testimony count as courage even though he is

terrified?

TOTAL TIME

PASSAGE

30 minutes

Tom testifies

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 XXIII

START

“Speak up—just a trifle louder. How near were you?”

END

Crash! Quick as lightning the halfbreed sprang for a window, tore his way through all opposers, and was gone!

PASSAGE ID

sec-ts-02

THE MOVE

Measure moral courage by the cost of telling the truth

WHY THIS PASSAGE

Tom’s testimony is courageous because fear never disappears. He understands the danger of naming Injun Joe and speaks anyway, so courage is measured by action taken under cost rather than by confidence.

MARK

Underline signs that Tom is frightened before or during the testimony. Circle the factual statements he nevertheless gives. Star the moment when telling the truth creates immediate danger for him.

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NOTICE

• What would Tom gain by staying silent?

• What does he risk by identifying Injun Joe publicly?

• Why does visible fear strengthen rather than weaken the case that his testimony is courageous?

THINK

Answer provisionally: Why does Tom's testimony count as courage even though he is terrified?

Choose the strongest interpretation you can defend from this passage alone.

WRITE

Write a short evidence-based response to: Why does Tom's testimony count as courage even though he is terrified? 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

Tom's testimony is courageous because fear remains visible while he speaks. Courage is measured by the risk he accepts in naming Injun Joe, not by absence of terror.

EVIDENCE

Use Tom's hesitation or fear and the moment he gives the identifying testimony despite the danger.

WATCH FOR

Do not equate courage with confidence. The evidence of fear is part of the proof.

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.

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STUDENT PAGE · SAME PASSAGE, SAME THINKING

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Mark Twain

Why does Tom's testimony count as courage even though he is

terrified?

START ANCHOR

“Speak up—just a trifle louder. How near were you?”

END ANCHOR

Crash! Quick as lightning the halfbreed sprang for a window, tore his way through all opposers, and was gone!

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 - Underline signs that Tom is frightened before or during the testimony. Circle the factual

statements he nevertheless gives. Star the moment when telling the truth creates immediate danger for him.

• 2.NOTICE - What would Tom gain by staying silent? What does he risk by identifying Injun Joe

publicly? Why does visible fear strengthen rather than weaken the case that his testimony is courageous?

• 3.THINK - Answer provisionally: Why does Tom's testimony count as courage even though he is

terrified?

• 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.

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