Introduction:
Shades of Gray is a historical novel written by
Carolyn Reeder. It is a wonderful book that helps readers get an
idea of how it was to live during the Civil War. The story is about
a twelve year old boy named Will Page. The Civil War is over, and
Will is an orphan. His father and brother were killed by Yankees,
and his mother and sister died as well. Will is forced to move in
with his aunt, uncle, and cousin Meg. He is very hostile towards
his uncle for not fighting in the war and thinks of him as a coward.
Will learns to adapt in a new lifestyle, and soon realizes that his uncle
is not a coward. For more information on this book click
here
Discussion Director:
Directions:
Out of the five questions you are going to ask, make sure to include
a question about problem/solution, cause/effect, setting,
and MCEOG, and one that you make up on your own.
1. Problem/Solution
Question: What is the problem that arises as Will and Meg are
walking home after they are done fishing? What is the solution?
Answer: Problem- page 33 par. 11. Meg and Will run into
Hank, Patrick, and Amos. The three boys want the fish that Meg and
Will caught.
Solution- page 34 par.1. Will told Meg not to act scared.
He walked by the boys and acted like he was not bothered by them at all
and he was very sarcastic to them. As Meg and Will walked along,
the boys left them alone.
2. Cause/Effect
Question: Why does Will have to move in with his aunt and uncle?
(effect)
Answer: page 1 par. 4. Because it is what his mother wanted
if anything happened to her and Will's father. (cause)
3. Setting
Question: Where does this story take place?
Answer: page 1 par. 3. Virginia Piedmont
4. MCEOG
Which word does not describe how Will is feeling about his Uncle Jed
because he did not fight in the war?
A. Upset
B. Hostile
C. Understanding
D. Angry
Answer: C. Understanding
5. Made-up question on own
Question: Who is the first relative Will comes in contact with
and when does this happen?
Answer: The first relative he sees is his cousin Meg. She
is walking along side of the road and Doc Martin asks her for directions.
This takes place when Will is on his way to his new home at his aunt and
uncle's (page 3 par. 1.).
Passage Picker
Your job is to pick out four passages. These are the reasons for choosing your passages:
1. Page 7, par. 1. "I wish....do fine." Reason: It
shows how Doc Martin is caring/encouraging towards Will. He wants
to let him know that everything will be okay.Question: How
does Doc Martin try to let Will know everything will be okay?
Answer: He keeps telling him that he will be okay. He lets
him know that his relatives are good people
Author's purpose: to persuade
2. Page 18, par. 2. "Will set....twelfth trap."
Reason: This passage shows how Will is very determined and clever.
Question: Why is it important for Will to find his way back to
his house?
Answer: He wants to show his uncle that he can meet any challenge.
Author's purpose: to entertain
3. Page 29, par. 1. "I guess....for long."
Reason: This passage shows how controversy between Meg and Will.
Question: Why are Meg and Will fighting?
Answer: Because they are both defending their fathers.
Author's purpose: to entertain
4. Page 8, par. 4.
Reason: I chose this passage because it really gives you an idea
of where Will is going to be living and it tells you how different it is
from his old house. It is very descriptive.
Question: How is Will's house now different than the house he
used to live in?
Answer: His old house was bright with upholstered furniture.
Author's purpose: to describe
Word Wizard
Find these 4 words in your section of reading. Give the page and paragraph
where you found the word and the sentence in which the word appears.
Give you own definition of the word and also the part of speech in which
the word is being used. Then make up your own sentence with the word
in it.
For two of the words, you are going to make a word card with the word
on one side along with the page and paragraph of where the word was found.
On the other side of the card, write the word, the definition, part of
speech, and a picture.
2. Desolation: page 7, par 6. "As the buggy began
to roll down the lane, a felling of desolation almost overcame Will."
Definition: a feeling of unhappiness
Part of speech: noun
Word used in a sentence: The feeling of desolation showed when
Will found out that he had to live with his aunt and uncle.
3. Elated: page 26, par. 1. 'Will was elated.
"I'll go dig some worms for bait!"'
Definition: feeling overjoyed/excited
Part of speech: adj.
Word used in a sentence: Will was so elated when he caught a
fish!
4. Monotonous: page 1, par1. "Will sighed and tipped
his hat so the brim shaded his eyes from the late afternoon sun.
Now, if only he could block out the monotonous creaking of the buggy wheels."
Definition: dull
Part of speech: adj.
Word used in a sentence: Will was almost put to sleep by the
sounds of the monotonous wheels.
Character Sketcher
Directions: Pick out a character that interests you. Choose three words to describe this character. For each trait, you will give proof (an example) from the book (write down page and paragraph). Also write out the character's goals, problems, and solutions (page and paragraph). Last, you will draw a picture of your character.
Character: Will
Character traits:
1. Angry. Page 19, par. 3. In this passage Will shows
he is angry by not wanting to call Jed "Uncle Jed." He is mad at
him for not fighting in the war.
2. Determined. Page 25, line 3. In this passage Will
is convincing himself that he is going to be fine at his new home and he
is going to show his relatives that he is not useless.
3. Sad. Page 1, par. 5. This passage shows how upset
Will is about moving to his aunt's when he is talking to Doc Martin in
the buggy.
Character Goals:
To show his relatives that he will work hard (page 25, line 3).
To make sure the three boys leave Meg and him alone (page 34, par.
1).
Character's Problems:
Will does not is very angry towards his uncle, and does not understand
why he did not fight in the war (page 29, par. 5).
Will is mad/frustrated with the boys bothering Meg and him (page 34,
par. 1).
Character's Solutions:
Will gets the boys to leave Meg and him alone by acting sarcastic and
not acting scared (page34, par. 4).
Summarizer
Directions: Summarize what happened during this chapter and discuss major issues up to this point of your reading.
Summary:
Will's parents and sisters died during the Civil
War and he is going to live with with his mom's sister. It is a very
hard time for everyone. Food is scarce and everyone has to work very
hard. Will's family had slaves and living at his aunt's will be a
huge adjustment for Will. He is learning to work with his uncle and
he is also learning how to do things from his cousin Meg. Will is
very angry towards his uncle right now for not fighting in the Civil War.
Key Points:
1. Will is very unhappy about moving to his aunt and uncle's.
2. He won't call Jed his "uncle".
3. He is arguing with Meg about their fathers' and the war.
4. He goes fishing with Meg and runs into three boys who are
giving him a hard time.