Study Guide for Greyling and My Heart Is In the Highlands



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Study Guide for “Greyling,” “My Heart Is In the Highlands” and Genres

Use your book (p. 8 – 12 & 15 – 16) to respond fully and provide relevant details.

1. Use this key to mark each statement about fiction and nonfiction.

F – fiction N – nonfiction B – both fiction and nonfiction

F contains made-up elements N has only facts and ideas

N all events and characters are real B includes the opinions of the author

B has details that support the main idea F has imaginary characters and events

2. List the genres that are included in works of fiction. (Know the definitions.)

• realistic fiction – stories with people and events that could happen, but are not real

• historical fiction – stories that take place in the past that include made up characters and/or events but are historically accurate

• science fiction – stories involving scientific phenomena, such as aliens, time travel, space or the future

• mystery – stories with a puzzling event that characters try to solve or figure out

• fantasy – stories with elements that could not really occur, such as magic powers, talking animals, or mythical creatures

• drama – stories intended to be acted out for an audience

• folktales – stories retold from person to person over time, including legends, tall tales, fairy tales, myths, etc.

3. What kinds of works and genres are considered nonfiction?

letters, essays, journals, speeches, reference books (dictionaries, atlases, etc.)

informational, biography, autobiography

4. What is the difference between a biography and an autobiography?

An autobiography is written by the subject of the book; a biography is written by someone else.

5. Is a historical fiction novel true? Explain.

No, but it must be historically accurate, so it may contain historical people and true events, along with some imaginary elements.

6. What makes a written work realistic fiction?

If all of a story’s characters and events could be true or real and the story takes place in modern times, it is realistic fiction.

7. What types of stories are passed down by retelling from one generation to the next?

Folktales

8. Explain what happens when the fisherman and his wife want a child in “Greyling”.

The fisherman finds a seal pup separated from the others and wraps it up to take it home. He knows his wife really wants a child and thinks they can care for the seal until they can return it to the wild. When he arrives home and hands the bundle to his wife, they realize that the seal is a selchie and has turned into a baby boy.

9. The character Greyling “longs for” the sea. Why is this a problem?

The fisherman and his wife don’t want to lose Greyling and know that if he goes into the sea, he will turn back into a seal.

10. What causes Greyling to disobey his mother’s rule about not going into the sea?

His father is drowning in a storm on the sea and no one else will save him.

11. At the end of the story, the fisherman and his wife realize something important about loving Greyling. What is it?

They realize that if you love something, you have to set it free and be happy for the time you had together.

12. Give 2 examples of details from “Greyling” that show it is a work of fiction.

The seal turns into a boy, the boy turns into a seal after shedding his skin in the sea, the seal returns to the fisherman and his wife every year to tell them stories of beyond.

13. Describe the setting in “My Heart is in the Highlands”.

Different villages in the highlands of Scotland in the 1980s.

14. How does Jane Yolen using stones and buildings to describe the writing process?

She says authors reuse and reshape memories, much like stones, and build them into new stories.

15. How does Jane Yolen develop characters in her stories?

Her characters are developed from her experiences, observations, and people she knows.

16. Give the genre of both “Greyling” and “My Heart is in the Highlands”.

“Greyling” is a folktale and “My Heart…” is an autobiography.

17. Where does Jane get the ideas for her writing?

She uses her own memories, experiences and knowledge, along with taking notice of everything around her to shape her stories. Authors write about what they know.

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