Scars
What stories do our scars tell?
Pre, during, and after
reading for The Glass Castle
Pre-Glass Castle activities will include:
• Writing prompt about bullying or being bullied
• Reading Thank you, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco*
• Formative assessment: 3-2-1 Exit Cards
During-reading activities will include:
• Mapping our own scars*
• Telling the story of one of our scars*
• “Exploding the moment” and multi-genre writing*
• Summative assessment option: Readers’ Theatre
During/After-reading activities:
• Mapping the scars of a character in The Glass Castle
• Writing an analytical paragraph about the significance of one of these scars
(Two PIEs: point, illustration, explanation)
• Crafting a final poem or another piece in the writing genre of your choice
(see A-Z taxonomy of writing genres) that “tells the story” of one or more of
the scars; creating a Glog to tell this story
The bullying continued everyday for weeks. The
tall girl, whose name was Dinitia Hewitt, watched me
with her smile while we all waited on the asphalt
playground for class to start. At lunch, I ate my lard
sandwiches with paralytic slowness, but sooner or
later, the janitor started putting the chairs up on the
tables. I walked outside trying to hold my head high,
and Dinitia and her gang surrounded me and it began.
As we fought, they called me poor, ugly, and
dirty, and it was hard to argue the point.
The Glass Castle, page 140
Pre-reading for The Glass Castle
• In your Table of Contents write “Bullies.”
• Write at least ¼ page about your experience with
bullying. Ideas:
– Perhaps you were bullied and picked on at some point
in your life. What happened? How was it resolved?
How did it make you feel?
– Maybe you were the bully. Why did you behave the
way you did?
– We have all witnessed acts of verbal or physical
bullying, big and small, write about something you
witnessed.
You will share this with the class.
(I would write/model with students)
Pre-reading for The Glass Castle
“Who here hates Lizzy Lizard?” Nick Eggert’s voice
could be heard through the whole bus. I tried to
disappear into the cold vinyl of my seat, but there was no
escape in this confined and fast moving space. I was
trapped.
I slid over to the frost covered window, put my
head down, and pretended- once again- that I could not
hear what they were saying. I hoped they wouldn’t see
the flushed red of my cheeks. I had no one to talk to so I
focused on untying and retying the laces of my figure
skates, listening as Nick and his friends made a few more
comments about my name: “I think a better name is Lizzy
Loser!” “No, we know it’s Lizzy the Lezzy!”
Pre-reading for The Glass Castle
• Write, pair, share.
• On the sheet of paper draw the face of a girl.
Use the whole piece.
• Listen actively as we read Thank You, Mr.
Falker by Patricia Polacco. Every time Trisha
has an experience that you think will leave a
physical or emotional scar, rip off a piece of
the paper. These can be conflicts she has with
other people or experiences she has on her
own.
Pre-reading for The Glass Castle
• Tape your pieces back together.
• On the “new” face, write down any words you
remember from the text that you associate
with her scars.
Pre-reading for The Glass Castle
3-2-1 Exit Cards
• Complete an exit card that you will turn in on
your way out the door. On the card write:
– 3 observations you made from the story or from
the activities of the day.
– 2 predictions you make about the plot, characters,
and/or thematic ideas in The Glass Castle.
– An answer to the following question: What do our
scars say?
Pre-reading for The Glass Castle
Jeanette Walls tells the story of her
turbulent childhood growing up in
extreme poverty. Her parents struggle
with their own compulsions and
addictions and provide little stability for
Jeanette. Instead, Jeanette and her
three siblings are regularly uprooted by
their aimless parents. Despite these
obstacles, Jeanette becomes a
successful journalist and writer who is
able to look back on her formative
years with a indifferent affection.
During-Reading for The Glass Castle
Then Dad got into an argument with the doctor. It
started because Dad thought I shouldn’t be wearing
bandages. “Burns need to breathe,” he told the doctor.
The doctor said bandages were necessary to
prevent infection. Dad stared at the doctor. “To hell with
infection,” he said. He told the doctor that I was going to
be scarred for life because of him, but, by God, I wasn’t
the only one who was going to walk out of there scarred.
Dad pulled back his fist as if to hit the doctor…
Afterward a nurse asked if I was okay. “Of course,” I
said. I told her I didn’t care if I had some silly old scar.
Pages 13-14
During Reading for The Glass Castle
• In your Table of Contents write “My Scars.”
• Open to a new page in your notebook.
• Draw a map of your body in which you identify
some of your own scars. Mark each scar with
an X or some sort of mark.
• Label each mark with a signifying word that is
symbolic of the event that left the scar.
During Reading for The Glass Castle
• Pick one of your scars, and write further about
it (1/4th page minimum). Tell the story of that
scar.
During Reading for The Glass Castle
Mrs. B’s Story: I was in 4th grade at Breck school,
and the year had not been going well. I hadn’t been
Elizabeth or Lizzy for months: I was Lizzy Loser or,
even worse, Lizzy Lezzy. I tried so hard to fit in or
just even go unseen so I would be left alone, but
everyday there was a someone who would pass me
in the hall and whisper something cruel to me.
Mr. Palmer’s science class was usually a place
where I could hide well. All we did was take notes.
There were no labs, so there was little chance for
student interaction and minimal chance for
bullying.
During Reading for The Glass Castle
• “Explode the Moment.” Review your piece, and look
for any “juicy” words. Circle three or four of these
words.
• Write the story of this scar again. This time focus on
the importance of one of the words and the details
of this word. This will change the way you begin
your story and what you write about your story.
• Use descriptive and, when possible, figurative
language.
• Optional: “Explode the Moment” using one of the
writing genres from the A-Z taxonomy.
• Readers’ Theatre possibility?
During Reading for The Glass Castle
Mrs. B’s “Explosion of the Moment” version:
Cruelty was passed out like gum when I was in
elementary school.
Cruelty was passed out like gum
On the bus, in the halls, always between classes
Phonology mattered, clarifying Loser, Lezzy, Lizzy
Broken words strung together became weapons
During/After Reading for
The Glass Castle
The bullying continued everyday for weeks. The tall
girl, whose name was Dinitia Hewitt, watched me with her
smile while we all waited on the asphalt playground for
class to start. At lunch, I ate my lard sandwiches with
paralytic slowness, but sooner or later, the janitor started
putting the chairs up on the tables. I walked outside trying
to hold my head high, and Dinitia and her gang
surrounded me and it began.
As we fought, they called me poor, ugly, and dirty,
and it was hard to argue the point.
Page 140
During/After Reading for
The Glass Castle
• In your Table of Contents write “Character
Scars.”
• Select a character and map this character’s
physical and emotional scars.
• For each mark include a word that symbolizes
the event that caused the scar.
• For each scar, include a passage from the text
that indicates why or how an event or action
created the scar. Include page numbers.
During/After Reading for
The Glass Castle
• Independent Analytic Writing Assessment: Write
one paragraph that analyzes the significance of
one scar in your character’s life. Use two PIEs in
this paragraph.
• PIE
• Point- Include a point you make that specifically
supports and expands the idea of the topic sentence.
• Illustration- Incorporate a passage from the text that
supports point.
• Explanation- Explain how the illustration supports the
point.
During/After Reading for
The Glass Castle
• Choice Writing Assessment: Tell the story of
the character’s scars. Focus on a single scar or
connect multiple scars from your character’s
map.
• Write out your story in one of the genres we
have spent time writing/reading/discussing.
• Share your story on a Glog.