Lessons and Family Strings ECR

Lessons

by Ruben Martinez

Mrs. Graham’s long, spindly fingers dance up and down the piano. I watch them closely, trying to memorize their movements. 5 “This next part can be tricky,” she warns me, her eyes still glued to the sheet music before her. “You’ll get it, though, Ruben. 10 It will just take some practice.”

It is only my fourth month of piano lessons, and already, I have practiced, practiced, practiced: 15 lessons every Tuesday, and practice for an hour, every single day, after finishing my homework. I wish that, instead,

20 I could simply clap my hands and suddenly play the way Mrs. Graham can.

Soon, it is my turn to try the song. 25 Carefully, I put my hands on the piano. They are clumsy— two bags of sand too heavy to lift. 30 I start to play, but right away, I play a wrong note, the sweet sounds suddenly suspended. “Don’t worry, Ruben,” my teacher says, 35 her eyes warm and kind. “Give yourself a chance to make some mistakes. Before you know it, you’ll hardly be making them 40 at all.”

I smile at her, then take a deep breath. And as I have already done so many times before, 45 I place my fingers on the keys and begin again.

Family Strings

by Ellie Kinnett

In the corner of the living room stands the old guitar, its face slightly faded, its neck scratched and worn. 5 It belonged to the grandfather, who used to play it at parties and family picnics and sometimes late at night, 10 humming quietly along as his small children slept.

He then passed it down to his youngest daughter, who had always had 15 an ear for music. When she grew older and moved out on her own, she packed up her belongings and the old guitar too, 20 a gift from her father, with love. But these days, she finds she has less time to play, so her dad’s old guitar 25 sits mostly idle and quiet. Its original owner comes by now and then, fumbling its strings, 30 his hands out of practice yet still able to recall the feeling of making music.

One winter morning, the old worn guitar 35 winks at the daughter’s young son. Just seven years old and curious, he picks it up, 40 twang, twang coming from its strings. The sound it makes for him is rough and untrained, but he still feels proud that it’s a sound all his own. 45 Maybe, he thinks, it is even the beginning of a song.

Read the poems "Lessons" and "Family Strings." Based on the information in both poems, write a response to the following: Explain which poem, "Lessons" or "Family Strings," better uses Figurative Language.

Write a well-organized argumentative essay that uses specific evidence from the selection to support your answer.

Remember to-

• clearly state your claim
• organize your writing
• develop your ideas in detail
• use facts and evidence from both selections in your response
• use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar

Manage your time carefully so that you can-

• review the selections
• plan your response
• write your response
• revise and edit your response.

Write your response in the box provided.