Outside Time
Lesson 1
Chapter 1-4 pp.1-52
Synopsis
Chapter 1
Orphaned sixteen-year old twins Kara and Carl Freeland are grousing about a research assignment for school. They trade stories from school about how creepy their dead Grandmother’s old house is and about the disappearance of her artist companion.
While trying to find some material for their paper they inadvertently step through a mysterious window into the wilds of 5th century Britain.
Chapter2
Immediately, they are confronted with a Celtic boy about 15, named Dayffed, and his rather large wolfhound. The door to their time has closed and they are trapped. Dayffed assumes the twins are elves as they appeared out of an ash tree in the middle of the fairly ring. For his own reasons Dayffed chooses to ignore their unusual dress and speech and offers to let them accompany him back to his home. Only he’s in a hurry to warn his uncle that the Saxon’s are one the prowl and could attack at any time.
Chapter 3
The Saxon hunter Dayffed saw is indeed part of a small war band that soon attacks Dayffed's uncle's villa. Caught outside the protective wall, Dayffed and the twins must break through the attackers to get to the safety of the villa. While Dayffed is armed with his dagger, the twins use the skills they've developed in Tae Kwon Do. Even though Carl is injured in the attack, the three manage to gain the safely of the villa with the unexpected help of Dayffed's older brother, Bedwyr.
Chapter 4
Bedwyr sees right through Kara’s disguise as a boy but agrees that for now she should keep up the pretense. Kara and Carl’s injuries are treated by the local healer and Kara gets a good look at the villa.
Before Reading
Ask students if they are familiar with the concept of Time Travel /Fantasy stories. Other Time Travel stories they might be familiar with include: (for younger readers) The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osbourn; The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis; A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline Engle; The Magic Attic Club series, and (for older readers) The Time Machine by H.G.Wells.
As with any good science fiction, once the reader accepts the situation as the author has set it up, (in this case that time travel is possible) then rest of the story should proceed logically. The book they are going to read is called Outside Time. Although a work of fiction, the story is about learning to take responsibility for your own actions and about growing up.
Choose the activity that is best suited for your class.
Option 1: Divide the class into several smaller groups. Have each group discuss some of the following questions and share their answers with the rest of the class.
Explore what it means to be a grown up.
Who determines when some one is grown up?
What are some of the differences between adults and children? What are some of the responsibilities that adults have?
What are some of the responsibilities children have?
Option 2: Discuss the previous questions as a group. After a consensus is reached, have the students consider the following:
Are the criteria for being considered an adult the same everywhere in the world?
Have the criteria for being considered an adult always been the same throughout history?
Vocabulary Development:
Authors choose specific words to help them convey a visual or emotional feeling, like painting with words. While a different word could have been used, the replacement word might not have the same image that the author saw when she wrote the scene.
The following words are from the first four chapters. The sentence and page number where the word is first used, followed by a synonym are listed below.
Reflection p.1 A pink stick-paper hung in the middle of their reflection. (likeness)
Athleticp.4 Says he doesn’t like the athletic types, just the flighty little flirts who
hang on his every word. (sporty)
Sieve Or maybe your brain is like a sieve, and I’m in big trouble. (strainer)
Barbaric p 5 There’s not going to be anything in here about barbaric warriors in
post-Roman Britain. (savage or primitive)
Manicured p.6 Outside, Grams manicured lawn looked barren, lonely and soggy.
(trimmed)
Applaud You can applaud any time now. (clap)
Morbid You’re morbid. (gruesome, gloomy)
Authentic It could be a copy from some old design or even an authentic ancient
pattern. (genuine, real)
Impressedp.7 He sounded impressed. (awed)
Hallucinating p.15 Don’t ask me, I’m hallucinating. (delirious, seeing things)
Vividp.16 This all seems pretty vivid for a dream. (clear)
Vulnerablep.17 She hadn’t felt this vulnerable since the funeral. (helpless, exposed)
Dominatingp.21 A hilly meadow stretched before them with a large low building
dominating a hill. (controlling)
Formidable p.29 The battles are formidable but the horses give us an advantage.
(terrible)
Chagrinp 38 To her chagrin, his effect on her defied reason. (embarrassment,
shame)
Grimacedp 41 Carl grimaced. “Wrong again.” (frowned, scowled)
Vocabulary Crossword (Key is given)
During Reading
Remind the students that Outside Time is an adventure story that starts in the present but the majority of the tale is set in the past. Although they may not know very much about England back in the 5th century AD the people then were still very much like us even though their beliefs were different.
Read Chapter One to the class to get them started. Ask the students: who the characters are, what their problem seems to be, what do we already know about these characters, where the characters are, when is the story taking place (time of year it is), and why should we care about these characters?
You may wish to write the answers on the board to help the students with the worksheets for the first lesson.
Assign pages 12-52 for independent reading or use one of the other management options.
Literary Concepts
Characters: Believe it or not, authors usually use a chart or list to keep their characters straight. They include things like the character’s name, male or female, how old the character is, a brief physical description, any identifying mannerism or how they act, who they are or what their job is, and their relationship to any other characters. They are even careful to not have more than one or two characters with names that start with the same letter. Characters with name that sound the same confuse readers and make it harder for them to follow the story.
Ask the students to begin filling out the Who’s Who in the Story chart.
Talking about Setting: Setting is where the story takes place and when the events are occurring. Looking at the first two pages, can you tell when the story is taking place? What time of year is it? What is the weather like? Can you tell where the story is happening—where it is set?
SETTING
Second Setting
(After Time Travel)
After Reading
Comprehension Check.
Discuss the following questions with the students. OR assign the questions for the students to answer as they read. Possible answers are included here for your convenience.
1. List two reasons why Kara is so miserable at the start of the story. Can you relate to any of these reasons in your own life? Explain.
a)She’s wet and cold.
b)Carl forgot to pick her up after school and left her to walk home in the rain.
c)She doesn’t think she fits in at their new school.
2. Compare and contrast Kara and Carl’s different attitudes at the beginning of the story.
a) She’s miserableHe’s in a good mood
b) She doesn’t like being in the He gets huffy after she mentions
house alonethe death of their parents
c) She tries to placate him about He’s angry about the assignment
the assignment.
d) She thinks things throughHe never thinks of consequences.
2. What is Kara looking for in the library?
a)A book that smells like roses.
b) A book called The Celts.
3. Why did Carl get up on the window seat?
a)To get a better view of the clearing outside the window.
b)To see where the barbarian leading the packhorse went.
4 What happens that forces all three to run for the safety of the walled villa?
a)An attack by a small force of Saxon warriors.
5. How serious are the injuries Kara and Carl received?
a)Kara was hit in the head. Left her feeling woozy.
b)Carl almost lost the use of his arm. Lost a lot of blood and needed stitches.
6. What is Uncle’s attitude toward Kara and Carl? Have you ever seen people or heard of in the world acting like this?
a)He doesn’t like elves. Had a bad run in with one years earlier. (prejudiced)
Outside Activities
1. Read an informational article about the ancient Celts or the Saxons. Write 10 interesting facts about them or the lands where they lived.
2. If you found yourself face to face with a “magic” window into the past, what would you do? Why?
3. Dayffed thought it would be a good idea for Kara to pretend to be a boy. What would be some of the advantages and disadvantages of trying to pull off the deception?
