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Crime and Punishment: read and explore
It follows Rodion Raskolnikov, an impoverished former law student in Saint Petersburg…
About this reading
- Author
- Fyodor Dostoyevsky
- Form
- novel
- Catalog year
- 1866
Choose this reading by interest and comfort with the language. This catalog does not assign a school grade. Preview the text before reading with a child; classic works can contain unfamiliar language and historical attitudes.
Read Crime and PunishmentPreview the language: Chapter 1
On an exceptionally hot evening early in July a young man came out of the garret in which he lodged in S. Place and walked slowly, as though in hesitation, towards K. bridge. He had successfully avoided meeting his landlady on the staircase. His garret was under the roof of a high, five-storied house and was more like a cupboard than a room. The landlady who provided him with garret, dinners, and attendance, lived on the floor below, and every …
Choose a phrase from this opening. What does it suggest, and which words support your interpretation? Read on to test your first impression.
A reading activity for Crime and Punishment
- Before opening the text, read the title and this catalog description: “It follows Rodion Raskolnikov, an impoverished former law student in Saint Petersburg…” Write one question you hope the reading will answer.
- Read a short passage. Choose one sentence that helps you understand what is happening and explain which words support your interpretation.
- Choose one unfamiliar word. Guess its meaning from the surrounding words, then check a dictionary or discuss it with a reading partner.
- Return to your original question. Explain what the passage answered and what you still need to read to find out.
These are suggested discussion tasks, not a scored assessment or a claim that finishing the text establishes mastery.
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Source edition: Project Gutenberg record for Crime and Punishment. This link identifies the catalog source; it does not imply endorsement.
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Educators and independent learners
Learning goal: Read Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, then support an interpretation with words from the text.
Before you begin: Preview the language and historical context. Select a passage appropriate for your learners.
Check understanding: Ask for one observation, the evidence that supports it, and a question to investigate next.
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