Essential question
Why does the squirrel feel like proof to Henry even though it cannot answer the moral question he is asking?
Marked passage
- Passage location
- Chapter VII
- Start anchor
- He threw a pine cone at a jovial squirrel, and he ran with chattering fear.
- End anchor
- The youth wended, feeling that Nature was of his mind.
The squirrel becomes evidence
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 Henry's test, the squirrel's flight, and the conclusion he draws from it.
Mark
Underline the question Henry is trying to settle about his own flight. Circle what the squirrel actually does. Draw a line to the conclusion Henry claims the behavior proves and mark the gap between them.
Instructional move
Catch motivated reasoning in the act
Notice
• What can the squirrel’s response legitimately show about instinct? • What moral question is Henry asking that the squirrel cannot answer? • Why does he accept this weak evidence so eagerly?
Strong answer
The squirrel feels like proof because Henry desperately wants evidence that flight is natural and therefore morally justified. The animal answers an instinct question, not the human moral question Henry is asking.
Think
Answer provisionally: Why does the squirrel feel like proof to Henry even though it cannot answer the moral question he is asking? Choose the strongest interpretation you can defend from this passage alone.
Watch for
Do not argue the squirrel proves nothing at all. It proves something about instinct; the error is using that evidence to settle a different moral issue.
Why this passage
Henry throws a pine cone at a squirrel and treats its flight as proof that running from battle is natural. The animal’s behavior answers a question about immediate self-preservation, but Henry uses it to justify a moral choice the squirrel cannot evaluate.
Write
Write a short evidence-based response to: Why does the squirrel feel like proof to Henry even though it cannot answer the moral question he is asking? Use at least two details from the assigned passage and explain how they support your interpretation.
Student tasks
Mark
Underline the question Henry is trying to settle about his own flight. Circle what the squirrel actually does. Draw a line to the conclusion Henry claims the behavior proves and mark the gap between them.
Notice
What can the squirrel’s response legitimately show about instinct? What moral question is Henry asking that the squirrel cannot answer? Why does he accept this weak evidence so eagerly?
Think
Answer provisionally: Why does the squirrel feel like proof to Henry even though it cannot answer the moral question he is asking?
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.