April 14 The Gift of the Magi
April 14 ''The Gift of the Magi'' by O. Henry
Learning objective: Comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, initial interpretation, and identification of irony.
Lesson duration is: 35 minItems in this lesson
April 14 ''The Gift of the Magi'' by O. Henry
Learning objective: Comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, initial interpretation, and identification of irony.
Summarize the story in one word.
Vocabulary
Word Definition
Parsimony Being extremely careful with money; unwilling to spend.
Imputation A suggestion or accusation about someone's character.
Truant Someone who stays away from school/work without permission.
Mendicancy The act of begging for money or food.
Depreciate To lose value over time (opposite of appreciate).
Affluence Having a lot of wealth and money.
Meretricious Flashy and attractive on the surface but actually cheap or worthless.
What does 'meretricious' mean?
Subtle and understated
Genuinely valuable
Flashy but worthless
High-quality craftsmanship
Which word describes something as agile?
Slow and clumsy
Heavy and bulky
Rigid and inflexible
Quick and nimble
What does 'cascade' refer to?
A flat landscape
A calm lake
A large mountain
A series of waterfalls
Which of these is a characteristic of meretricious items?
Long-lasting and durable
Timeless and classic
Attractive on the surface
Functional and practical
What does 'parsimony' mean?
To lose value over time.
A suggestion about someone's character.
Being extremely careful with money.
The act of begging for money.
What is 'imputation' associated with?
Begging for money or food.
Losing value over time.
Staying away without permission.
A suggestion or accusation about someone's character.
Who is a 'truant'?
To lose value over time.
Someone who stays away without permission.
A careful spender of money.
An act of begging.
What does 'mendicancy' refer to?
A suggestion about character.
Being careful with money.
The act of begging for money.
Staying away from school.
What does 'depreciate' mean?
To beg for money or food.
To lose value over time.
A suggestion about character.
Being extremely careful with money.
Fill in the blanks
It is Christmas Eve. A young married couple, Jim and Della, live in a modest apartment with very little money. Della has saved only $1.87 to buy Jim a gift – far too little for something worthy of him.
Desperate to show her love, Della sells her most prized possession: her long, beautiful hair. With the money she receives, she buys a platinum chain for Jim’s most valuable possession – his gold watch, which he inherited from his father.
That evening, Jim comes home. He stares at Della in shock when he sees her short hair. Della fears he no longer finds her attractive, but Jim reassures her that nothing could make him love her less. Then he gives her his gift: a set of beautiful combs or her long hair – combs she had admired for months but could never afford.
Della smiles through tears and shows Jim the watch chain she bought for him. Jim sits down on the couch, laughs gently, and reveals that he sold his watch to buy the combs.
