Grade 5: Unit 21: Sherlock Holmes: American Literature
"The Red-Headed League"
A red-headed man experiences some strange events. Sherlock Holmes takes on his case, using his keen observational skills to find important clues.
How does the goose end up with Henry Baker?
After James Ryder put the carbuncle into the goose, it ran off among the other geese. Henry Baker picked it without knowing about the jewel.
parched: (adj.) dry
After gardening in the very hot weather, my throat was terribly parched and I needed a glass of water
hubbub: (n.) noise and confusion
After the accident, there was such a hubbub in the street that I couldn't tell what was going on.
quavering: (adj.) trembling
Annabelle's quavering voice and knocking knees told me that she was nervous.
vault: (n.) a large space used for keeping something secure
Because they are so rare and valuable, some of the ancient Egyptian texts had to be kept in a vault rather than displayed.
romantic: (adj.) marked by imagination and an emotional appeal to what is adventurous, heroic, or idealistic
Billy doesn't really have a good reason for believing that his father is a secret agent; that's just his romantic ideas.
What was the relationship between Dr. Joseph Bell and Arthur Conan Doyle?
Doyle was a medical student of Dr. Bell's.
The "real" Sherlock Holmes
Dr. Joseph Bell, was from Edinburgh, Scotland
Who is Dr. Watson?
Dr. Watson is Sherlock Holmes's partner in many of his most successful cases.
inference: An inference is a general conclusion drawn on the basis of facts and observation.
For example, Sherlock Holmes infers that Wilson has been a manual laborer based on his hands.
inferences can be taken one more step—to a deduction. A deduction is a specific conclusion based on additional facts and observation.
For example, because Holmes has inferred that Wilson is a manual laborer, Holmes may look for additional clues to deduce the specific work Wilson has done.
deduce: (v.) to use clues to make a specific conclusion
From the mess in the kitchen, Sally deduced that her brother had been cooking, not her mother.
nipper: (n.) a young boy
Grandpa O'Leary liked to tell stories about his childhood when he was a mischievous nipper in Ireland.
Why doesn't Henry Baker place an advertisement about his lost things?
He cannot afford to pay for an ad, and he assumes that the thieves who took them would not return them.
What shocking thing does Peterson discover in the goose?
He discovers the Countess of Morcar's missing blue carbuncle.
Why does Sherlock Holmes want to solve the case about the goose?
He does not want an innocent man to suffer in prison.
How does Sherlock Holmes intend to figure out who the owner of the goose is?
He intends to use the hat to find the owner. Later he places an ad in the newspaper.
Sherlock Holmes is a famous detective in literature.
He is known for his logic, his deductive reasoning, his pipe, and his deerstalker cap.
Why is Sherlock Holmes sure that the owner of the hat and goose will respond to the ad in the paper?
He is sure because the owner is a poor man and needs to have the items returned.
Why does Holmes believe Breckinridge will respond to the bet?
He sees a racing form in Breckinridge's pocket and he infers that the man will respond to a bet.
Why does Holmes make a bet that the goose is country-bred?
He wants Breckinridge to take out the ledger that contains information about the geese.
Why is Mr. Wilson's assistant willing to work for half wages?
He wants to learn the business. We find out later that he works there in order to have access to the cellar.
Why does Sherlock Holmes want to see the knees of the pants that Wilson's assistant wears?
He wants to see whether the knees of his trousers show any wear.
Why did Doyle first write a detective story?
He was desperate for money.
Holmes shows civility to John Clay. In fact, he compliments him when he says, "Your redheaded idea was very clever."
Holmes has less respect for the policeman's intelligence, but he admires Jones's courage. Holmes says about Jones, "He is incompetent, though he is brave as a bulldog and stubborn as a lobster...."
Why is Breckinridge furious when Holmes asks him where the geese are from?
Holmes is not the first person who has come to the stall to ask him about the geese.
What does Holmes mean when he says, "You know, it laid an egg after it was dead—the prettiest, brightest little blue egg ever seen"?
Holmes is referring to the blue carbuncle inside the goose's crop.
obstinate: (adj.) stubborn
I tried to retrieve my slipper from the puppy, but it was obstinate and would not let go.
sovereign: (n.) an old gold coin used in Great Britain
In Charles Dickens's novels, the characters pay for things with sovereigns.
Why is Saturday the best day for breaking into the bank?
It would be two days before the money would be discovered to be missing.
dejected: (adj.) sad in spirits
Jerome really wanted to play Romeo in our production of Romeo and Juliet, so he felt dejected when he learned he was cast as a townsperson.
Why is John Horner being held for the crime?
John Horner, a plumber, is being accused of the crime because an attendant at the hotel took Horner into the room on the day the jewel vanished. Horner had been convicted of robbery before.
Why does Holmes tap on the pavement and floor?
Sherlock Holmes is testing to determine whether there is a tunnel underneath.
What is Mr. Wilson's one complaint about his assistant, Vincent Spaulding?
Spaulding spends a lot of time in the cellar developing his photography
Freemason: (n.) a secret club for grown men
The Freemasons meet in the town hall, but nobody knows what they do when they meet.
vulnerable: (adj.) open to attack or damage
We didn't want to build our house too close to the river because we were afraid that we would be vulnerable to flood damage.
intrusion: (n.) an act of coming or going without an invitation
When Mrs. Whaler unexpectedly burst into our living room, she shouted, "Excuse my intrusion, but there's been an accident outside!"
What does Baker do that proves he was not involved in the crime?
When Sherlock Holmes offers him the feathers, legs, and crop of the original goose, Baker does not want them. If he had known about the jewel, he would have been eager to get the crop back.
vacancy: (n.) an empty space or position
When my mother got her new job, she filled a vacancy in the accounting office.
souvenirs: (n.) reminders or keepsakes
When the Taylors visited the Grand Canyon, the kids bought postcards as souvenirs.
dissolved: (v.) ended
When we turned 11, we dissolved the club we'd had in our backyard for 5 years because we thought it was for babies
How does Sherlock Holmes know Jabez Wilson has done manual labor?
Wilson's right hand is a size larger than his left because his muscles are more developed from manual labor
expedition: (n.) an outing or trip with a purpose
Mountain climbers go on expeditions to climb to new heights.
lime-cream: (n.) a hair styling cream with a distinct smell
Mr. Howard walked into the house after his haircut, and his wife laughed and said, "They put lime-cream in your hair this time!"
asthmatic: (adj.) having asthma, which is a disorder that makes breathing difficult and causes coughing and wheezing
Mrs. Pizzler was so asthmatic that she could not go to the movies because her coughing distracted the other moviegoers.
perched: (v.) sat on gently
My aunt's hospital had so many flowers in her room that I perched on the end of her bed to keep from knocking anything over.
bob: (n.) a nod
My grandpa gave a bob of his head to tell me that I had spelled the word correctly.
List three examples of Dr. Bell's deductive reasoning. Answers will vary.
Possible answers include the following: the reddish clay on the golfer's shoes, the worried man who knocked four times, and the soldier who had been stationed in Barbados.
Why do John Clay and his partner create the Red-Headed League?
The Red-Headed League is a way of getting Wilson out of his office so John Clay can dig a tunnel to the bank.
carbuncle: (n.) a large jewel
The biggest carbuncle I'll ever own is a fake one from the gumball machine.
crop: (n.) a part of a bird's neck that stores food
The butcher showed us the crop of the turkey he had butchered for us.
billycock: (n.) a man's felt hat
The hero in the old movie always wore his billycock upon his head when he was tracking the criminals.
deerstalker: (adj.) a hunting cap with a flap on the front and back
The hunters gathered their rifles and their deerstalker hats before leaving on the Thanksgiving hunt.
bashful: (adj.) shy
The little girl felt bashful in front of her parents' guests and did not want to sing the alphabet song for the company.
bulged: (adj.) jutted out; swelled
The little girl was so astonished by the magician's show that her eyes grew wide and bulged out.
grizzled: (adj.) gray
The old grizzled horse lived years longer than we expected.
dingy: (adj.) dirty and run-down
The white sweater Janine got for Christmas last year is already getting dingy; it looks almost gray.
Sherlock Holmes lives at 221B Baker Street in London.
There is a Sherlock Holmes museum at the address today!
Point of view is the perspective from which a story is told.
This story is told from Watson's point of view because he is the narrator.
What do detectives do? What is the root word of detective?
Tip: Detecting means noticing things that are not easily seen.
