Na m e : ___ Date: _
Directions: The story below is based on the life of Naturalist Louis Agassiz. Follow the plot to
see how an imaginative young boy turns into a Harvard professor. Then summarize
the plot. Describe the events that mark the stages in the life of Louis Agassiz.What’s the plot? Simply the sequence of events in a
story. The twists and turns of what happens as a
result are what makes a plot “thicken.”It was a warm evening in Switzerland in 1814. Company was coming to visit the Agassiz
family. Seven-year-old Louis wanted to help entertain the guests, so he offered to show them
his pets. And little Louis had quite a few to show. He sent his little brother, Augustine, to
bring down the “householders” while he, Louis, showed the guests his “chorusers” out on the
porch. When they came back in from looking at all the birds, the parlor
was covered with turtles—big ones, little ones, brown ones, green
ones. As they all scrambled to gather up the wayward reptiles, one
guest asked Louis why he called turtles householders. “Because
they hold their own houses!” Louis beamed.
As Louis grew up, he continued to collect and study all sorts of
creatures. In 1846 he moved to the United States and later became a professor at Harvard
University teaching classes in nature study. He was well known and respected for his vast
knowledge. One April Fool’s Day a student tried to trick the professor. He took various parts
of different insects, meticulously glued them together, then presented it to Agassiz asking
him to identify the fancy bug. The professor gave it a serious look, then quickly pronounced,
“Why, yes, this is definitely a humbug.”
SETTING: ____
MAIN CHARACTER(s): ____________________________________________________Event #1(Louis as a child) __________________________________________________
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Result: __________________________________________________________________
Event #2(when Louis grew up) _____________________________________________
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Result: __________________________________________________________________
Event #3(Louis as a professor) ______________________________________________
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Result: __________________________________________________________________