Reading Guide - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Reading Guide

The Watsons Go To Birmingham - 1963Christopher Paul CurtisSlide2

Chapter 1: Introduction – Setting and Character

Sketch/note details about the setting (time and place of the story)

AND

Sketch/note details about the main character, Kenny. Be sure to include details about his

AppearancePersonalityEmotionsNote how the author uses thoughts and dialogue to reveal these detailsSlide3

Chapter 1: Introduction – Setting and Character ExampleSlide4

Chapter 1: Introduction - Conflict

Identify the main conflict of the story and the events that lead to the conflict

Sketch/note them hereSlide5

Chapter 1: Introduction - ConflictSlide6

Chapters 2-3

Label the top bar with an episode title based on the plot events that occurred in this section of the novel

Number the plot events that occurred in this section of the text.

Note do, say, think, describe, and feeling details for each event.

If the author introduced an important character, sketch/note the details the author provided to make the character come aliveSlide7

Chapters 2-3

ExampleSlide8

Chapters 1-3

Text Dependent QuestionsWhat impact does the figurative description

in the first three paragraphs have

on

your understanding of the setting of the story?Reread the following excerpt:“If, instead of trying to intimidate your young brother, you wouldemulate him and use that mind of yours, perhaps you’d find thingsmuch easier.” (p.24)What is the meaning of

emulate? How does the context of the word emulate help you determine its meaning?Which lines of dialogue in the first chapter reveal the differences between Flint and Birmingham? Slide9

What inference about Kenny is supported by the following excerpt from the text?

“I could have done a lot of stuff to him. If it had been me with my lips stuck on something like this he'd have tortured me for a couple of days before he got help. Not me, though, I nearly broke my neck trying to get into the house to rescue Byron.” (p.13)

In

chapter 2, Kenny recalls being taken to different classrooms to read and then recalls

Byron’s advice about his lazy eye. Why are these incidents important for the development of the plot?What inference is supported by the following excerpt from the text?"I've often told you that as Negroes the world is many times a hostile place for us." I saw Mr. Alums walking back and forth whacking a yardstick in his hand. "I've pointed out time and

time again how vital it is that one be able to read well." (p.23)Chapters 1-3

Text

Dependent QuestionsSlide10

Reread the excerpt from the text:

Every other time someone was late he’d just laugh at them and tell the rest of us, "This is the only way you little punks is gonna learn to be punctual. I hope that fool has a pleasant walk to school.” (p.28)

What is the meaning of

punctual?

How does the context of the word punctual help you determine its meaning?Why does Kenny refer to the new kid on the bus as his personal savior? In the middle of chapter 3, Kenny interrupts the narration about Rufus and Cody to tell the story of the world’s greatest dinosaur war. Why is this incident important for the development of the plot?

Chapters 1-3 Text Dependent QuestionsSlide11

Chapters 1-3

Text Dependent QuestionsReread the following excerpt:

Rufus might as well have tied me to a tree and said, "Ready, aim, fire!" I felt like someone had pulled all my teeth out with a

pair

of rusty pliers. (p. 45)What impact does this figurative description of have on your understanding of Kenny’s feelings?Reread the following excerpt: [...] all of a sudden I remembered that Rufus and Cody were the only two kids in the whole school (other than Byron and Joey) that I didn't automatically look at sideways. (p. 45)

What can you infer about how Kenny feels about Rufus and Cody from this statement?Slide12

Chapters 4-7

Label the top bar with an episode title based on the plot events that occurred in this section of the novel

Number the plot events that occurred in this section of the text.

Note do, say, think, describe, and feeling details for each event.

If the author introduced an important character, sketch/note the details the author provided to make the character come aliveSlide13

Chapters 4-7

ExampleSlide14

Reread the following line of dialogue:

You’d have to be pretty tough to stand around giving people Maytags on a day as cold as this with those skimpy clothes on

! (p. 61)

What

is the meaning of skimpy? How does the context of the word skimpy help you determine its meaning?What inference can you make about Larry Dunn based on this and other details in the text?Reread the following excerpt:

I hated watching this. Byron was the only person in the world who could make you feel sorry for someone as mean as Larry Dunn. […] I wished I hadn’t told Byron about what happened, I wished I just could have gone the rest of the year with one glove. I couldn’t stand to see how the movie was going to end, so me and Rufus left. (p.62)What do these lines reveal about Kenny? Why does he feel sorry for a bully like Larry Dunn?

Chapters 4-7

Text Dependent QuestionsSlide15

Which lines from Kenny’s narration reveal why he thinks Momma’s punishment of Byron after the

Flamethrower of Death incident was fair?Reread the following excerpt:

“I can’t believe it. You really

gonna

start serving welfare food in this house? You really gonna make me go embarrass myself by signing a welfare list for some groceries like a blanged peon?” (p. 76)What does the word peon mean? How does Byron’s covnersation with Kenny help you understand the word?What inference can you make about Byron based on his reaction?

Chapters 4-7 Text Dependent QuestionsSlide16

Reread the following excerpts:

The bird's head drooped backward and was rolling from side to side. Dead as a donut. [...] I looked right at By and his face was all twisted up and his eyes were kind of shut. He dropped the bird, walked over to the green-apple tree and started throwing up. (p. 83)

Leave it to Daddy Cool to kill a bird, then give it a funeral. Leave it to Daddy Cool to torture human kids at school all day long and never have his conscience bother him but to feel sorry for a stupid little grayish brown bird.

(p. 85)

Why is this incident important to the development of the plot?Chapters 4-7 Text Dependent QuestionsSlide17

In Chapter 5, Byron is caught playing with matches, but it isn’t until Chapter 7 when Byron changes his hair style that Momma and Dad become fed up with his behavior.

Why is this incident so important to them?Kenny says, “Joey was too young to understand that Byron didn’t care about anything but himself.”

What

events from the plot so far seem to

confirm or contradict this statement?Chapters 4-7 Text Dependent QuestionsSlide18

Chapters 8-10

Label the top bar with an episode title based on the plot events that occurred in this section of the novel

Number the plot events that occurred in this section of the text.

Note do, say, think, describe, and feeling details for each event.

If the author introduced an important character, sketch/note the details the author provided to make the character come aliveSlide19

Explain why Mr. and Mrs. Watson think that Byron will benefit from living

with Grandma Sands.Reread the following excerpt: “I can see you’re wondering what that is

. Well

, let me

explain. What we have here is, believe it or not, a second speaker! And I can tell by that intelligent look on your face, Mrs.Watson, that you have grasped that that speaker is not placed in the rear deck haphazardly, no, ma’am. “Some people think we just have a hole hacked in back there by any old mechanic, but nothing could be further from the truth. That opening is

scientifically and mathematically positioned by a factory-trained technician to enhance the TT AB-700’s true high-fidelity sound!” (p.112)What does the term haphazardly mean? How does the context of the word help you determine its meaning?Chapters

8-10

Text Dependent QuestionsSlide20

Chapters 8-10

Text Dependent QuestionsReread the following excerpt:

“

Well, a lot of times that’s going to be the way of the world for

you kids. Byron is getting old enough to have to understand that his time for playing is running out fast, he’s got to realize the world doesn’t have a lot of jokes waiting for him. He’s got to be ready.”Dad looked at me again to make sure I was understanding. I nodded.“Grandma Sands says it’s quiet down where they are, but we think it’s time Byron got an idea of the kind of place the world can be, and maybe

spending some time down South will help open his eyes.” (p. 123)What do these lines of dialogue reveal about what Dad’s goal is in taking Byron to the south?Slide21

Why is Joey upset by the angel that Mrs. Davidson gives to her?

Reread the following excerpt:I thought about it for a minute, then asked, "Momma,

how

come we

don’t just drive until Dad gets tired, then stop?”Dad did an imitation of a hillbilly accent.“’Cuz, boy, this he-uh is thedeep South you-all is gonna be drivin’ thoo. Y’all colored folks cain’t be jes’ pullin

’ up tuh any ol’way-uh an be ’spectin’ tuh get no room uh no food, yuh heah, boy? I said yuh

heah

what I’m

sayin

’, boy?”

Me and Joey laughed again, and even Byron kind of smiled.

This only

encouraged Dad to say some more Southern-style stuff.

“Y’all didn’t know that, boy?

Whas

a

mattah

wit’

choo

, you

thank this

he-uh is

Uhmurica

?” (p. 132)

What can you infer about the south in 1963 based on Dad’s answer?

Chapters

8-10

Text Dependent QuestionsSlide22

Reread the following excerpt from page

97 Dad stuck his hand out of the window just as the song came on and said, “Feel that coolness. It feels like you’re running your fingers through

silk.”

Me, Momma, Joey

and even Daddy Cool all did what Dad told us to do, and Dad was right, it felt great. “Wiggle your fingers in it,” Dad said. We all did, and the air seemed slippery and cool as it blew on your hand. “We’re so high and the air is so perfect that do you know what I think we’re doing?” Dad asked.

“What?” “I think we’ve got our fingers in God’s beard and as we drive along we’re tickling him.” Byron acted like he was going to throw up. As we drove down the mountain with our arms sticking out of

the windows and our

fingers wiggling in the breeze, I thought the

Brown Bomber

must look like a bug lying on its back with four skinny

brown legs

kicking and twitching to try to put it back on its feet

. (p. 147)

What impact does the figurative description of the

setting have

on the tone of the story?

Chapters

8-10

Text Dependent QuestionsSlide23

Chapters 11-13

Label the top bar with an episode title based on the plot events that occurred in this section of the novel

Number the plot events that occurred in this section of the text.

Note do, say, think, describe, and feeling details for each event.

If the author introduced an important character, sketch/note the details the author provided to make the character come aliveSlide24

Reread the following excerpt:

Dad came up on the porch and got a ton of hugs and tears too, then Grandma Sands pulled everybody together. Her little arms could only get around one person at a time but as the Weird Watsons stood there with some of us laughing, some of us crying and some of us looking cool it felt like we all were wrapped up in a big ball. (p. 159)

What effect does the figurative description have on the tone of the story?

Reread the following excerpt:

“Well, there ain’t too many animals wilier or tougher than a old coon. Most people think you just chase ’em up a tree and pop ’em, but that ain’t half the story.

“Toddy’d trailed this coon all the way out to this lake, and the coon went in the water. Now most of the time a dog’ll stop right at the water, they know better than to go in, but Toddy must’ve just dove right

in after that coon. He

musta

been a half mile ahead of me

when I

heard him holler and then get real quiet.”

“

What happened?”

“

The coon got him in the water and held his head under till

he

drowneded

him

.”(p. 163-164)

What does the term

wilier

mean

? How does the context of the word help you determine its meaning?

Chapters 11-13

Text Dependent QuestionsSlide25

What lines of dialogue and narration reveal that Byron’s behavior has changed since his arrival in Birmingham?

What effect do the following lines have on the reader?It also seems like the worse the trouble is that you get into, the more steps it takes to get there. Sort of like you're getting a bunch of little warnings on the way; sort of like if you really wanted to you could turn around.

(p.173)

Chapters 11-13

Text Dependent QuestionsSlide26

Reread the following excerpt:

That's when he came swimming real slow out of the deep, and even though my head was underneath the dark water I could see him coming right at me. He didn't look like he was related to Winnie-the-Pooh at all, he was big and gray with hard square-looking fingers. Where he should have had a face there was nothing but dark gray. Where he should have had eyes there was nothing but a darker colder-looking color. He grabbed my leg and started pulling me down. (p. 176)

What effect does the description have on the tone?

What inference about Byron is supported by the following lines?

Byron was shaking like he was getting electrocuted and crying like a baby and kissing the top of my head over and over! (p. 179)Chapters 11-13Text Dependent QuestionsSlide27

Chapters 14-15

Label the top bar with an episode title based on the plot events that occurred in this section of the novel

Number the plot events that occurred in this section of the text.

Note do, say, think, describe, and feeling details for each event.

If the author introduced an important character, sketch/note the details the author provided to make the character come aliveSlide28

Reread the following excerpt:

I felt it more than heard it. The giant old magnolia tree shook one time like something had given it a hard snatch by the roots. Then there was a sound like a far-off thunderstorm coming. Except it only

thundered one

long time.

It seemed like every animal and bird and bug in Birmingham stopped making noise for about two seconds. It seemed like everything that was alive stopped whatever it was doing and was wondering the same thing: What was that noise? (p. 182)What impact does the figurative description of the noise have

on the tone of the story?Chapter 14-15 Text Dependent QuestionsSlide29

Since the story is written from the Kenny’s perspective, the details about the bombing are conveyed to the reader as he perceives them in his delirium and not as they really are. For example, on page 184, he says,

He had on the same thing Dad did, a T-shirt and pajama pants, but it looked like he’d been painting with red, red paint

.

The reader has to infer that the “paint” that Kenny sees on the man’s shirt is actually blood.

Reread Chapter 14 to examine other ways in which Kenny describes his perception of the bombing.What impact do these figurative description have on the tone of the story?

Chapter 14-15Text Dependent QuestionsSlide30

What inference is supported by the following excerpt from the text

?Momma started trying to force me to do more things with Rufus but it seemed like he'd changed while we were gone and wasn't as much fun to be with. Him and Cody got real happy when I gave them my pillowcaseful of dinosaurs. I was getting too mature to play with toys anymore.

(p. 195)

Which lines of dialogue from Byron’s talk with Kenny in the bathroom reveal that he

has “got an idea of the kind of place the world can be”?Kenny still believes that the Wool Pooh is real even though Byron tells him that he made it up. What does the Wool Pooh represent figuratively?Chapter 14-15

Text Dependent QuestionsSlide31

Reread this excerpt from the text:

"If you been spending so much time thinking about how you didn't save Joey why don't you stop and think about why she wasn't in that church, why don't you spend some time thinking about who it was that led her away?" (p. 201)Why is this line

of dialogue important to the development of the plot?

Kenny goes behind the couch to let the magic powers, genies, and angels heal him the way they sometimes healed the family pets. What does Kenny finally conclude are the real “magic powers” that can heal him?

Chapter 14-15Text Dependent QuestionsSlide32

The story closes with the following lines:

I had to think of a way to get at least half of my dinosaurs back from Rufus.“Come on in, Joey.” (p. 206)

What

inference about Kenny

is supported by this excerpt from the text?How do the small acts of violence and bullying relate to the bombing at the end of the story?Chapter 14-15Text Dependent

QuestionsSlide33

Closing

What do the main characters learn/understand at the closing of the story?

What is the central message or theme of the story?Slide34

Compare/Contrast Novel - Movie

Use the chart provided to note the ways that the movie producers stayed

true to the story

and the

elements that they changed. Evaluate the decisions the producers made. Write a brief explanation to support your evaluation. Be sure to include evidence from your notes.

Faithful elements to the novel

Departures from the

novel