3rd Grade ECR Prompt:

Directions: Read Chapter 7: “The Death 7 of Balder” below to answer the prompt.

Mistletoe was the only thing that had not sworn to protect Balder When Loki found this out, he went and got a sprig of mistletoe He cut the mistletoe into the shape of an arrow Then, he went to find Balder He found Balder and the other gods playing their favorite game They were tossing things at Balder and laughing as they bounced away But there was one god who sat apart and did not join in the game It was one of Balder’s brothers, a god named Hod “Hod,” said Loki, “why are you just sitting there? Why don’t you join in the fun?” “Loki,” said Hod, “you know I’m blind How can I throw things at Balder when I can’t even see him?”

“Here,” said Loki, taking Hod by the hand “I will help you Place this arrow on the bow I will point you in the right direction ” Loki guided Hod into position and told Hod to shoot the arrow The sprig of mistletoe sped through the air, and, to everyone’s amazement, struck Balder in the chest Balder fell to the ground “What has happened?” cried Hod “Did the arrow bounce off? Was it funny? What are you doing, brother? Are you playing at being dead?” But Balder was not playing He was really dead Loki smiled an evil smile Then, he sneaked away When Frigga heard, she was in despair She cried and raved “I will not let my son go to the underworld!” she swore “I will not let Hel have him!”

The gods sent Hermod [haer-mood], another of Balder’s brothers, to talk to Hel, the goddess of the underworld Odin loaned Hermod his eightlegged steed, Sleipner [slep-neer] Hermod rode to the underworld Hel said that the gods could have Balder back—but only if every living thing in the world mourned for him Hermod mounted Sleipner and rode back to tell the gods Odin sent word: all things were to mourn for Balder Throughout all the halls of Asgard, the gods mourned for Balder Tyr went to Valhalla, where the bravest men from Earth feasted, waited upon by the Valkyries “Warriors!” Tyr called “Valkyries! Hear me! Odin asks that you all join us in mourning for Balder ” All the men on Earth mourned The animals mourned The plants mourned, too. All things mourned for Balder—all except for Loki He disguised himself as an old lady and appeared before Hermod “Good day, old lady,” said Hermod “I trust you will join us in weeping for Balder?” “I will not,” said Loki “What do I care for Balder? Let Hel have him!” That was it The old lady had refused to mourn for Balder Hel refused to let him return to the world of the living The gods placed Balder in a boat Then, they set the boat on fire and shoved it out on the water As the flames rose into the sky, Frigga wept for the loss of her child Her tears flowed freely, but tears would not bring Balder back Nothing could bring him back

Prompt: Explain what Loki’s actions show about his character.

Write a well-organized essay that uses specific evidence from the text and support your response with evidence from the text.

Remember to –

• clearly state your [central idea] [controlling idea] [thesis]
• organize your writing
• develop your ideas in detail
• use evidence from the [selection(s)] [article] in your response
• use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar

Manage your time carefully so that you can –

• review the [selection(s)] [article]
• plan your response
• write your response
• revise and edit your response

Write your response in the box provided.

Explain what Loki’s actions show about his character.