Bellwork
• Take out a piece of paper and pencil and be
ready to work!
Works Cited Page
Korman, Gordon. Schooled. New York: DisneyHyperion, 2008. Print.
Spinelli, Jerry. Stargirl. New York: Ember, 2002.
Print.
Example
Not only do the novels Stargirl and Schooled both have
oddball main characters, but the stories both share the same
theme. What seems to be two strange characters actually
illustrate the importance of being one’s self. These characters
are not afraid to dress different from the crowd. For one thing,
the dress Stargirl wore, “looked like it could have been her
great-grandmother’s wedding gown” (Spinelli 2). She was not
concerened about being trendy like her peers. In addition,
Capricorn’s attire was compared to, “a social studies project
on the pioneer days” (Korman 1). He stayed true to his
upbringing and did not conform to society’s standard blue
jeans and Nike sneakers. Both are happy and comfortable in
their own skin.
Example continued..
Even though Stargirl’s and Capricorn’s behavior
seemed peculiar to their peers, their personalities
displayed the importance of being one’s self. For example,
Stargirl did not care what people wispered when she was,
“strumming away, bobbing her head and soulders,
singing” in the cafeteria (Spinelli 2). Capricorn on the
other hand did not understand the customs of public
schools. For instance, he didn’t comprehend why he was
the one sent to the office, “I was the one that got sent to
Mr. Kasigi’s office” (Korman 2). Afterall, he was only
trying to be honest unlike his classmates. Gordon Korman
and Jerry Spinelli created unique characters to teach
readers to stay true to themselves.
TBQ
• Compare the theme of determination in
Where the Red Fern Growns to one other text
we read in class this year.
- Brave Irene
- Dragon, Dragon pg. 434
- Earrings
Bellwork:
• Brainstorm examples of loyalty in the novel
Where the Red Fern Grows.
TBQ
• Throughout the novel the author uses loyalty
as a major theme. How does Billy show loyalty
to his dogs? How does Old Dan and Little Ann
show loyalty to Billy or each other? Use text
evidence to support your answer.
Prewriting
Before video: What are some other ways we
learn besides going to school and learning to
read and write?
http://birdboxstudio.com/
After Video:
• What lessons were learned in the video? How
were these lessons learned?
• Predict what you think will happen next in the
video based on details from the video.
Bellwork
• Brainstorm with your shoulder partner 3 ways
Billy learns without even going to school.
• Learns from Grandpa- how to catch coons
(page 56-57)
• Listens to other hunters for advice (page 67)
• Advice from father about erasing scent (page
61)
• Learns to handle death (Rubin- Page 151-154)
TBQ
• Early in the story, Billy’s father says, “There’s
more to an education than just reading and
writing.” How does this statement apply to
Billy? What kind of education does the boy
receive during the course of the story? Use
text evidence and in text citations to support
your answer.