Your job is to develop a list of questions that your group will discuss about the part of the book, pp. 32-53. You will decide important ideas and issues raised and present questions that talk about them. Today your job is to ask questions about the following that your group can talk about:
1. All of the following tell why Spoon wiggled his ears at Pa except which one?
a. He wanted to cheer him up.
A - d. pp. 33-34
Fact and Opinion
2. State two facts from this section about Gram. State two opinions from this section about Gram.
Facts:
Opinions:
Cause and Effect
3. Name three events that happened in this section (effect), and discuss why each one happened (cause).
a. Effect: Pa made a point of ruffling Spoon's hair about a dozen times that afternoon. p. 36 par. 2
b.
Effect: Spoon felt empty in every way. p. 40 par. 3
c.
Effect: Spoon knew that Pa would notice if he took a small sun. p. 46 par. 3
Mood
4. How do you think the author wanted you to feel when you finished reading this section?
A - I think that the author wanted us to feel sad and empty like Spoon. Even though Spoon had found a remembrance of Gram, there was still a strong feeling of Spoon missing her and missing the way that Pa used to be.
Main Idea
5. Tell what the most important idea is in this section of the book. Explain your answer.
Your job is to pick passages from this section that you and your group can talk about. Today we will find passages on pp. 32-53 that are:
a. p. 32 par. 2
b. "You lighten my...never stops ringing."
c. Funny/Amusing: I picked this passage because I think it is amusing. It shows Spoon's quick wit and illustrates his sibling relationship with a little sister who is a pest to him.
d. Why do you think Spoon was overly sensitive to Pa's attention to Joanie at this time?
e. The author's purpose was to amuse the reader with sibling humor.
2. Informative
a. p. 43 par. 2
b. "When in the...where she taught."
c. Informative: I picked this passage because I think it is informative. It tells the reader about Gram and her passion for collecting suns.
d. What does Gram's collection of suns tell us about her?
e. The author's purpose was to inform so that we can better understand Gram's personality.
3. Intriguing
a. p. 53 par. 5
b. "On the way...in his pocket."
c. Intriguing: I picked this passage because I think it is intriguing. It talks about the effect Gram's pack of cards has on Spoon.
d. What effect do you think Gram's cards had on Spoon while she was still alive? How do they effect him now?
e. The author's purpose was to intrigue the reader with the effect an object with special memories can have on someone after the owner has died.
4. Descriptive
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Word Wizard
Your job is to pick 4 words from today's reading and teach them to your fellow students.
Choose from the following:
a. dwindle pp. 36-37 par. 3
b. "I just don't want him to dwindle," Kay had a new habit of saying.
c. Dictionary: To waste away; diminish. My own: To get smaller.
d. verb
e. Q - How did Spoon's parents make sure Pa didn't dwindle?
2.
a. concoction p. 42 par. 3
b. Compared to his grandchildren's concoctions, Pa's lunch seemed particularly ordinary: a big salad and some crackers and cheese.
c. Dictionary: Something concocted, especially a mixture of ingredients. My own: Something made with several ingredients.
d. noun
e. Q - What concoction did Joanie make?
f. Word Wizard Card (below)
MCEOG Question:
b. He wanted to get attention from Pa.
c. He wanted Pa to wiggle his ears too.
d. He wanted Pa to play double solitaire.
a. Gram had collected more than two hundred suns from all over the world. p. 43 par.2
b. Gram had a deck of cards with sun faces on the backs. p. 48 par. 2
a. I think Gram was silly to collect suns.
b. I believe that Gram was the best at playing solitaire.
Cause: Pa wanted to apologize to Spoon.
Cause: He was starving, he missed Gram, and he missed the old Pa.
Cause: There would be a nail hole on the wall.
Passage Picker
1. Funny/Amusing
A - His grandpa was avoiding activities with Spoon that reminded him of his wife and this made Spoon feel distant from Pa.
A - Gram's choice of suns for a collection reflects the kind of person she probably was; cheerful, bright, and happy like her suns.
A - Spoon probably didn't give much attention to the cards while Gram was alive. Now the cards make him feel close to her in an electrifying way.
1.
A - Scott and Kay took him fresh vegetables and fruit and often invited him to meals.
A - Kitty soup.
3.
a. surveying p. 51 par. 6
b. "Is there anything you want, Spoon?" Pa asked, tilting his head, surveying the garage.
c. Dictionary: To look over the parts or features of; view broadly My own: Look at something overall
d. verb
e. Q - What was Joanie always surveying the ground for?
A - Bones.
4.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Character Sketcher
Your job is to find an interesting character from pp. 32-53. You will find three words that describe the character. For each word or character trait, you will give proof or an example, including page number and paragraph.
The next thing you will do is to tell one of your character's goals or what the character wants to do in this section.
Next you will find one of the character's problems in the sections and the solution or possible solution to the problem.
Finally, you get to have fun and illustrate your character.
Character: Joanie Gilmore
Character Traits:
a. Charming - Pa told Joanie that she lightened his heart and if she had a charm alarm, it would be going off every ten seconds.
b. Imaginative - Joanie was imaginative when she pretended her milk concoction was "kitty soup".
c. Insightful - Joanie was insightful when she said that fancy trees wear gold leaves and fancy cats purr when "kitty soup" gets caught in their neck with a bumblebee.
Character's Goal:
a. Joanie's goal in this section was to tag along with Spoon to Pa's to help him with his "project".
Character's Problem:
a. Joanie's problem in this section was that she was the recipient of Spoon's sarcastic remarks about her.
Character's Solution:
A solution would have been to stay away from him, but she was basically too naive to do so.
Character Sketcher Illustration
p. 32 par. 2
p. 42 par. 1
p. 42 par. 6
Activity Activator
Your job is to design a graphic organizer to go with the story on pp. 32 to 53.
Examples:
Story Map
Story Map
Setting: Pa's house
Characters: Joanie, Pa, and Spoon
Problems: Pa isn't himself
Goals: Spoon wants to find a keepsake of Gram's
Important Events -
Beginning: Spoon and Joanie were helping Pa clean up the garage
Middle: The three had a quiet lunch
End: Spoon was excited to find Gram's old playing cards with the suns on them
Resolution: Spoon decided the cards would make a great remembrance and he took them without asking Pa.
Theme: A death can bring sad changes
K-W-L
Plot Chart
Character Map
Venn Diagram