We are together on…
Mrs. Noyes
and
Fellow ninth graders
Begin a hero’s journey to remember…
· Analyze both of the above graphics about a hero’s journey.
· Think of a book you have read or movie you have viewed wherein you feel the main character has taken a “hero’s journey.”
· Prove the character’s journey by briefly applying each of the journey steps to him/her.
Paired Discussion 1: Do you think a person who is evil or who has at least lived a not-so-perfect life can become a hero?
Group Share
Paired Discussion 2: Drunk Driver, 16, kills girl, 18
Explain how this person might experience a “heroic journey.”
Group Share
Quickwrite: Have you ever tried to join or “fit in” but been rejected by a person or group? How did that make you feel, and what did you do about it? What were the consequences? Debrief. (Turn in.)
Read the back cover of the book. Is there something wrong with calling this character we are about to meet a “hero”?
Note that parts of this novel may be expressive, disturbing, and/or depressing; however, it WILL BE thought provoking and interesting. All of these feelings help to make us more mature people and readers!
1. Quote Log: As you read the novel, identify any quotes (phrases or sentences) which seem significant or meaningful to you. Keep a log of these quotes. (including the page number). You should identify at least one quote from each chapter.
2. Vocabulary Log: As you read the novel, write down any unfamiliar words or phrases (with page numbers). Include words or phrases that are new to you, as well as words or phrases used in unusual or confusing ways. Find out the meaning of each word or phrase. Here is a suggested format:
p. 3
careened – “lurch or swerve while in motion; rush headlong or carelessly”
“borne along by the … music” = “carried along”
p. 4
“reconnoitered his father’s … face” -- “to make a preliminary inspection of, especially in order to gather military information.”
burin – “a steel cutting tool with a sharp beveled point, used in engraving or carving stone.”
p. 5
“confronted the mirror” – “to come face to face with, especially with defiance or hostility; to come up against; encounter.”
Whirligig
Chapter One
After reading this chapter, respond to the following:
HOMEWORK:
Choose a character from the first chapter. Write a letter, an email, or journal entry describing the events from that person’s point of view.
1. Describe Brent’s physical and emotional traits and actions, drawing this from Ch. 1.
2. Identify the factors that led Brent to decide to attempt suicide.
3. Consider how another character in this chapter would view these events.
Quickwrite: List three events or factors that led to Brent’s decision to kill himself.
Quickwrite: examine these words: (moving, fitting in, rejection, embarrassment, drinking, being lost). Which ones do you think are the most relevant to this chapter and why?
Chapter 2:
“Weeksboro, Maine”
1. Summarize and explain the events in chapter two. Remember: a summary just captures the main events—an overview. Write in a paragraph format: topic sentence, detail sentences, and closing sentence.
2. Analyze and trace the author's development of time and sequence, including the use of “time shifting” up to this point in the story. Why did the author “jump forward” in time? Remember: do the BEST you can without help noting there are 2 parts that need responses!
Quickwrite (20 word minimum): Write about your reactions to the book thus far.
Chapter 3:
1. Agree or disagree with the judge’s decision in paragraph format. Explain thoroughly.
2. Discuss the reactions of Lea’s and Brent’s parents. Are these events plausible? How might other families react to a similar situation? Use at least 2 of these words in your answer: remorse, penance, and restitution.
Homework: after reading chapter 3: Write a news article about the accident (or: write an obituary or eulogy about Lea). Research what the necessary elements are in the assignment of your choice!
Time to Stop for Reflection
The Mother Writes to the Murderer: A Letter
by Naomi Shihab Nye
"Alicia didn't like sadness"
The Dallas Morning News
To you whose brain is a blunt fist
pushed deep inside your skull
whose eyes are empty bullets
whose mouth is a stone more speechless
than lost stones at the bottom of rivers
who lives in a shrunken world where nothing blooms
and no promise is kept
To whose I never saw but now see
everywhere the rest of my life
You don't know where she hid her buttons
arranged in families by color or size
tissue-wrapped in an oatmeal box
how she told them goodnight sleep well
and never felt ashamed
You don't know her favorite word
and I won't tell you
You don't have her drawings taped to your refrigerator
blue circuses, red farms
You don't know how she cried once in a field of cows
saying they were too beautiful to eat
I'm sure you never thought about that
I'm sure nothing is too beautiful for you to eat
You have no idea what our last words were to one another
how terribly casual
because I thought shewas going a block away
with her brother to the store
They would be back in ten minutes
I was ironing her dress
while two houses away an impossible darkness
rose up around my little girl
What can I wish you in return?
I was thinking knives and pistols
high voltages searing off your nerves
I was wishing you could lose your own life
bit by bit finger by toe
and know what my house is like
how many doors I still will have to open
Maybe worse would be for you to love something
and have it snatched up sifted out of your sight
for what reason?
a flurry of angels recalled to heaven
and then see how you sit
and move and remember
how you sleep at night
how you feel about mail my letter to you
all the letters passing through all the hands
of the people on earth
when the only one that matters
is the one you can neither receive
nor send …
1. In your own words, paraphrase the poem, and compare the reaction of Lea’s mother to this mother.
Homework: Identify the possible “hero’s journey steps to this point in the novel.
“Miama, Florida”
1. Before reading Chapter four “Miami, Florida,” make predictions about the likely development of the plot (next major events) and character in the novel.
Mini Book Project: due in three school days! Make sure to write down the due date and details of this project!
· Use descriptive information from the chapter to draw a picture of the first “whirligig.”
· Be creative and use colors to bring your design to life. Think about possibilities with certain graphic options and 3-D potential!
· Compose a unique “title” and “caption” for your picture.
After chapter four:
1. Summarize and paraphrase the events from Chapter 4.
2. Analyze and trace the shift in “point of view” in the novel.
3. Identify possible steps in the “Hero’s Journey” from Chapter 4.
“Twinkle,Twinkle Little Star”
1. The following excerpt from page 63 could be referred to as a rebirth in Brent’s life. Explain.
“He grinned in the darkness, unknown to those around him. He spoke the work Deneb (the brightest star in the constellation Cygnus) in his mind and felt himself to be Adam, naming the new world around him.”
2. Compare and contrast the “old” and “new” Brent as experienced up to this point and especially as portrayed in this chapter.
“Bellevue, Washington”
1. Quickwrite: What do you think is the most significant event or point from this chapter?
2. Quickwrite: What is the significance of the whirligig to Anthony?
“Apprentices”
1. Quickwrite: Why does the message from the maid bother Brian?
2. Quickwrite: Speculate how the “old” Brent might have treated the children.
“San Diego, California”
Quickwrite: What is the overall significance of this chapter?
“Everybody Swing!”
Quickwrite: Very few of us travel far or near without our favorite jeans, a cell phone, our music, or a favorite something. By now we know what objects, possessions, and important elements accompanied Brent on his journey, some physically packable, others not. Write about what Brent carried with him both tangible and intangible. Select two that you feel are especially meaningful and explain.
As you finish this last chapter, if you have forgotten any of these, just add to your writing!
Immediately after reading quickwrite: What are your immediate thoughts and feelings.
1. Brent likened Lea’s life to the weather in Maine. Explain.
2. What is the importance of the “fellow” artist in this last chapter?
3. Why is Brent not in any hurry to return home?
Novel “Test”
You will choose ONE of these projects to turn in within five days of completing this novel. Your project must clearly demonstrate your understanding of the book’s key events and themes, and must include references to specific page numbers in Whirligig for proper MLA citation.
· Create a poster depicting one of these:
· Chart of Brent’s “allies”
· Map of Brent’s “heroic journey”
· Venn diagram comparing Brent at start and end of the book
· Draw (or build) one of the whirligigs Brent made (including picture of Lea)
NOTE: each of these must have a summary paragraph OR a poem to accompany and explain your work.
a. Write a 1 to 2-page essay tracing the book’s references to one of the following, and analyzing how these references impact the overall plot and theme of the book.
· Lea
· The afterlife
· Constellations
· Time
· The prior owner of the whirligig book
b. Write the next chapter of the book. This chapter must be at least two full pages long; double-spaced with dialogue used effectively and with proper punctuation and usage.
c. Write a children’s book about a whirligig. The book should teach some type of lesson. Also, the book should include pictures and complete sentences. The book must also be at least 8 pages long. Include a cover, title, and you as the author!