Frindle

by Andrew Clements

PRE-READING

1.  Look at the cover. What do you think the story will be about? What made you come to this conclusion?

2.  How do you think the dictionary got started?

3.  How do you think words get included in the dictionary?

CHAPTERS 1 – 3

VOCABULARY
WORD / MEANING / STRATEGY USED
deserved
tropical
creative
hula
jolt
monopoly
reputation
battle cry
essential
chatter
sidetrack

1.  Is distracting the teacher in order to get out of homework a wise decision? Why or why not?

2.  What makes the dictionary Mrs. Granger’s favorite book?

3.  Find an example in of a metaphor in Chapter 2. What is the comparison?

4.  What happened when Nick tried to stop Mrs. Granger from giving homework?

CHAPTERS 4-6

VOCABULARY
WORD / MEANING / STRATEGY USED
origins
pit
linoleum
curb
absorbed
squinted

1.  What is so funny about Mrs. Granger’s famous “battle cry” that all her former students remember?

2.  What does Mrs. Granger mean when she says that “dog” means dog because we all agree it does?

3.  List the three important events that lead to Nick's big idea: renaming a pen a frindle.

CHAPTERS 7-9

VOCABULARY
WORD / MEANING / STRATEGY USED
launch 39
complain 48
committee 49
forbidding 51
authority 52
vandalism 53
standards 54

1.  How did Mrs. Granger try to stop kids from using the word “frindle”? How well did it work?

2.  Why do those students want to stay after school and be punished by Mrs.Granger? Why do they consider it a “badge of honor”?

3.  Why did Mrs. Granger ask Nick to sign the back of an envelope?

4.  What does Nick mean by a “thought-grenade”?

5.  What does over-reaction mean? What over-reaction is Mrs. Allen speaking about?

6.  If “ain’t” is not a proper word, how can it be in the dictionary, as Nick points out?

7.  What is Nick trying to prove when he brings this point up with Mrs. Chatham, the principal?

8.  What do you think Mrs Granger wrote Nick? On a clean sheet of lined paper, write a letter to Nick as if you were Mrs. Granger. Use proper friendly letter format. Refer to your English textbook.

CHAPTERS 10-12

VOCABULARY
WORD / MEANING / STRATEGY USED
paces 58
flecked 61
trademark 72
supplier 81
royalty 82
profits 82
simili

1.  Find the simile in Chapter 10. What is the comparison?

2.  Mrs. Granger predicts the fad will fade. How is she helping it fade?

3.  How do you think it will fade?

4.  Imagine that you are the reporter from the Wakefield Gazette, trying to get the scoop on the new word frindle. What four questions would you ask Mrs. Granger?

5.  How did Bud Lawrence help Nick to become rich?

6.  Bud Lawrence wants to own the copyright for the word frindle. What does he plan to do with it?

CHAPTERS 13-15

VOCABULARY
WORD / MEANING / STRATEGY USED
imported 85
forbidden 85
consumers 88

1.  How had Mrs. Granger been helping the word frindle become a real word?

2.  How can someone own the rights to a word? Explain how this is different from owning a bike or a pair of sneakers, or even a pet dog.

3.  How does the experience of inventing a new word and becoming a celebrity affect Nick?

4.  Why does he think twice about testing out his new idea: protesting the poor food in the cafeteria?

5.  In Mrs. Granger’s letter to Nick (which he opens years later, after he’s in college), Mrs. Granger says: “A person can watch the sunset, but he cannot slow it down or stop it or make it go backward.” What do you think this observation has to do with Nick’s word?

6.  Why does Mrs. Granger “expect to hear remarkable things” about Nick in the future? Predict — based on his creativity and his restless challenging of rules and conventions — what kind of remarkable things he might go on to do?

7.  Do you think Nick really knew what he was getting into when he started spreading the word frindle? How did Mrs. Granger — who tried to make obstacles for Nick — realize the possibility of Nick’s new word?

Activities

To be completed by everyone

(40 points possible) Write a story of two characters talking about the invention of a new word for an everyday object. Use the steps of writing.

_____Pre-write

_____Rough Draft

_____Revise

_____Edit

_____Publish

Choose 2 activities to complete.

1.  Draw a picture that will serve as an advertisement for a frindle. What will it look like — an ordinary pen, or something more unique? Come up with a catchy phrase so people will start using it. What famous people or celebrities might you get to endorse it? Use elements from the story in the advertisement. Perhaps show an angry Mrs. Granger with a caption of what she might say. Color your advertisement.

2.  Write a letter to the author. Tell the author what you liked about the story. Ask him questions you may have either about his life or about the story. Use excellent grammar and spelling.

3.  Write a letter to a former teacher telling them all the important things you got out of their class. Think of a teacher who challenged you, made life a bit difficult by pushing you to be creative, or work harder. What important lessons did they teach you that you didn’t want to learn? How did their being strict pay off for you? Tell your teacher how much progress you have made since you were in their class.

4.  Write a summary of Frindle to be posted on the class wiki. You must have at least 2 paragraphs with 4-5 complete sentences.