What happens to Henry's idea of courage once he sees brave-looking men run?
The Red Badge of Courage
30 minutes total
ByStephen Crane
Grade6-8
Time30 minutes
Essential question
What happens to Henry's idea of courage once he sees brave-looking men run?
Marked passage
Passage location
Chapter VI
Start anchor
A man near him who up to this time had been working feverishly at his rifle suddenly stopped and ran with howls.
End anchor
He ran like a blind man.
Passage focus
The line breaks and Henry runs
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
Use the men's apparent steadiness before the break, the first flight, and Henry's own movement with the panic.
Mark
Underline the details that made the men seem committed or brave before the break. Circle the first signs of flight. Star the moment Henry stops evaluating others and joins the movement himself.
Instructional move
Track panic as it replaces a character's earlier self-story
Notice
• What did Henry expect brave soldiers to do under pressure? • How does watching another man run change what feels possible or acceptable? • Why does panic spread faster once the first apparently courageous men break?
Strong answer
Henry's idea of courage becomes unstable when men who looked brave suddenly flee. Their behavior makes panic seem normal and gives him a new story about what soldiers do under pressure.
Think
Answer provisionally: What happens to Henry's idea of courage once he sees brave-looking men run? Choose the strongest interpretation you can defend from this passage alone.
Watch for
Do not say Henry logically changes his definition. Panic spreads through observation and identification faster than deliberate reasoning.
Why this passage
Henry has imagined courage as a stable personal quality, but seeing apparently brave soldiers suddenly flee turns courage into something unstable and contagious. Panic replaces the story he had been telling himself about how soldiers behave.
Write
Write a short evidence-based response to: What happens to Henry's idea of courage once he sees brave-looking men run? Use at least two details from the assigned passage and explain how they support your interpretation.
Student tasks
Mark
Underline the details that made the men seem committed or brave before the break. Circle the first signs of flight. Star the moment Henry stops evaluating others and joins the movement himself.
Notice
What did Henry expect brave soldiers to do under pressure? How does watching another man run change what feels possible or acceptable? Why does panic spread faster once the first apparently courageous men break?
Think
Answer provisionally: What happens to Henry's idea of courage once he sees brave-looking men run?
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 07 · 6-8 · LESSON 135
The Red Badge of Courage
Stephen Crane
What happens to Henry's idea of courage once he sees brave-looking
men run?
TOTAL TIME
PASSAGE
30 minutes
The line breaks and Henry runs
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 VI
START
A man near him who up to this time had been working feverishly at his rifle suddenly stopped and ran with howls.
END
He ran like a blind man.
PASSAGE ID
sec-rbc-01
THE MOVE
Track panic as it replaces a character's earlier self-story
WHY THIS PASSAGE
Henry has imagined courage as a stable personal quality, but seeing apparently brave soldiers suddenly flee turns courage into something unstable and contagious. Panic replaces the story he had been telling himself about how soldiers behave.
MARK
Underline the details that made the men seem committed or brave before the break. Circle the first signs of flight. Star the moment Henry stops evaluating others and joins the movement himself.
page 1
NOTICE
What did Henry expect brave soldiers to do under pressure?
How does watching another man run change what feels possible or acceptable?
Why does panic spread faster once the first apparently courageous men break?
THINK
Answer provisionally: What happens to Henry's idea of courage once he sees brave-looking men run? Choose the strongest interpretation you can defend from this passage alone.
WRITE
Write a short evidence-based response to: What happens to Henry's idea of courage once he sees brave-looking men run? 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
Henry's idea of courage becomes unstable when men who looked brave suddenly flee. Their behavior makes panic seem normal and gives him a new story about what soldiers do under pressure.
EVIDENCE
Use the men's apparent steadiness before the break, the first flight, and Henry's own movement with the panic.
WATCH FOR
Do not say Henry logically changes his definition. Panic spreads through observation and identification faster than deliberate reasoning.
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
The Red Badge of Courage
Stephen Crane
What happens to Henry's idea of courage once he sees brave-looking
men run?
START ANCHOR
A man near him who up to this time had been working feverishly at his rifle suddenly stopped and ran with howls.
END ANCHOR
He ran like a blind man.
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 the details that made the men seem committed or brave before the break.
Circle the first signs of flight. Star the moment Henry stops evaluating others and joins the movement himself.
2.NOTICE - What did Henry expect brave soldiers to do under pressure? How does watching
another man run change what feels possible or acceptable? Why does panic spread faster once the first apparently courageous men break?
3.THINK - Answer provisionally: What happens to Henry's idea of courage once he sees
brave-looking men run?
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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