"The Leaping Match" by Hans Christian Andersen Close Reading

Support the development of close reading skills for high school and facilitate analysis of fiction with this rigorous worksheet on Hans Christian Andersen’s short story “The Leap Frog,” also called “The Leaping Match.” A variety of question types are included to help prepare for standardized testing scenarios: vocabulary-in-context questions, main idea questions, detail questions, author’s craft questions, and more. An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative, which has an estimated Lexile measure of 1100-1200, are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.

This resource may serve as the basis for small-group discussions. Through these discussions, students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development, demonstrating an ability to analyze how complex characters transform and advance the plot and themes by applying logic and citing compelling, meaningful textual evidence. They will also evaluate their peers’ reasoning and use of rhetoric to advance claims, clarifying or challenging unclear ideas. Using this resource for structured guidance, students, ultimately, will present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly, concisely, and appropriately, thereby helping their peers comprehend their thinking.

By completing this exercise, students will:

• Identify what the text states explicitly as well as implicitly
• Analyze the author’s craft to discern where and how literary devices are applied including inversion and dramatic irony
• Discern cause-and-effect relationships
• Analyze the author’s word choices to discern and explain where and how double-denotation is applied
• Analyze a character’s statements and beliefs to articulate how they are contradictory
• Interpret and explain the meaning of unique phrases in context
• Analyze the characters of the king and the frog to discern several qualities they have in common
• Discern which theme is best supported by a particular excerpt
• Cite textual evidence in support of claims and ideas
• Write with clarity and precision