ANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
?Then, compare the author's purpose and use of 
persuasive techniques in "A Quilt of a Country" with 
those of "The Immigrant Contribution." About the Author
Born into a family of 
politicians, John F. Kennedy
(1917-1963) did not take 
schooling seriously and 
was known as a trickster in 
the classroom. In his junior 
year at Harvard University, 
he developed an interest 
in political philosophy and 
became more studious. After school, he served in 
the U.S. Navy during World 
War II. In 1961, he became 
the thirty-fifth president of 
the United States. Tragically, 
Kennedy was assassinated 
on November 22, 1963, in 
Dallas, Texas. NOTICE the general ideas of 
the text. What is it about? Who is involved? CONNECT ideas within 
the selection to what you 
already know and what you 
have already read. ANNOTATE by marking 
vocabulary and key passages 
you want to revisit. RESPOND by completing 
the Comprehension Check and 
writing a brief summary of the 
selection. THE IMMIGRANT 
CONTRIBUTION
A QUILT OF A COUNTRY
Tool Kit
First-Read Guide and 
Model Annotation
? STANDARDS
Reading Informational Text
By the end of grade 9, read and 
comprehend literary nonfiction in 
the grades 9-10 text complexity 
band proficiently, with scaffolding as 
needed at the high end of the range. 22 UNIT 1 o AMERICAN VOICES
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Copyright (C) SAVVAS Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. MAKING MEANING
ANCHOR TEXT | ESSAY
NOTES
BACKGROUND
John F. Kennedy wrote the book from which this excerpt was taken 
when he was a United States senator. He was a prominent supporter of 
immigrant rights, and ran for president on a platform that included the 
extension of those rights. He opposed legal distinctions between native-
born and naturalized citizens, stating, "There is no place for second-class 
citizenship in America."Read It
Read the passages from "A Quilt of a Country" and identify the precise 
adjectives and strong verbs in each one. Then, rewrite each passage, 
changing the vivid word choices to ordinary ones. Explain how Quindlen's 
original word choices contribute to the accuracy and liveliness of her writing. Use the chart to record your answers. Write It
 Notebook Revise each sentence by replacing verbs or adjectives with 
stronger, more vivid word choices. 1. The crowd yelled at the player after the game. 2. Eloise was happy when she got her driver's license. 3. The campers carried their gear through the tall grass. 4. The garbage smelled bad after it was in the sun. What is the point of this 
splintered whole? (paragraph 4)
Historians today bemoan . . . (paragraph 3)
. . . but tolerance is a 
vanilla-pudding word . . . (paragraph 8)
And there is a grudging 
fairness among the citizens 
of the United States . . . (paragraph 7)
Passage 
PRECISE ADJECTIVE OR 
STRONG VERB 
Rewrite Effect
A Quilt of a Country 21
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Copyright (C) SAVVAS Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What does it mean to be "American"?20 UNIT 1 o AMERICAN VOICES
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Copyright (C) SAVVAS Learning Company LLC.STANDARDS
Reading Informational Text
Determine the meaning of words 
and phrases as they are used in a 
text, including figurative, connotative, 
and technical meanings; analyze the 
cumulative impact of specific word 
choices on meaning and tone.Concept Vocabulary
disparate pluralistic diversity
discordant interwoven coalescing
Why These Words?He greatly influenced and inspired the immigration 
reforms of the late twentieth century.1.2.