ELA 9 THEORIES OF RELATIVITY NOVEL STUDY
This module will give students an opportunity to study a novel with themes of homelessness, family,
and survival.
Materials/Resources Required
•Theories of Relativity by Barbara Haworth-Attard
•Dictionary
•Thesaurus
Let's get started:
Theories of Relativity is a realistic, gritty and bittersweet book. It is about a sixteen-year-old homeless
boy named Dylan. His mother threw him out of the house with some clothes and a few spare objects.
Every single day on the streets is a struggle and a desperate fight for survival. Dylan can trust no one.
Even though he has nothing, people still try to use him towards their own ends. Dylan tries to find
ways to try to return to a normal life, but different obstacles keep on popping up in his path. Life on
the streets is tough and Dylan has to keep himself from going under.
Homelessness or transience is a situation in which a person does not have a long term or a stable
residence (officially called Relative Homelessness in Canada and "couch-surfing" by those involved),
or any residence at all (called Absolute Homelessness). While groups such as nomadic cultures,
travelers, or migrant workers are also transient, this is through choice, and some of these people may
have a permanent residence somewhere to which they ultimately can return. Homeless people may
be found in all parts of the world experiencing varying situations such as natural disasters, political
unrest, war, famine, personal misfortune, despair, or illness. Some people choose to live a homeless
lifestyle, but these typically are people who have some underlying mental illness or substance abuse
problem. However, there are some cases where a person freely chooses to live in a homeless or
transient style. (If this topic interests you and if you are a good reader, then you might enjoy reading
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls for your independent novel study.) But in most popular and
statistical senses of the word for a categorical homeless population, it refers to unwilling or otherwise
uncontrollable homelessness.
Assignment 1.1: Photo Essay
Part A: (10 marks)
Consider the idea of homelessness as you view the assigned photos. What would it look like? What
would these people say? Write captions consisting of at least 25 words for each of the following
photos.
PHOTO #1
PHOTO #2
PHOTO #3
\
PHOTO #4
Part B: (10 marks)
Personal Response – 10 marks
Write a one page double-spaced typed or 250 word personal response that gives your views on
“homelessness”. Consider the following:
 Why do you believe people become homeless?
 What responsibility does the family of the homeless have for them?
 What is society’s responsibility to the homeless?
 What is being done for the homeless in your community? (You may need to do some research
for this. Think about who will have some information on this or where you can find some
information.)
Assignment 1.2
Part A: (10 marks)
As you begin reading keep track of all of Dylan's theories. Write each one in a list on a piece of paper.
For example, in chapter 1 he lists two theories:
Dylan's Theories of Relativity
Chapter 1
1. Every fourth person will give him money (p. 1).
2. No one gives something for nothing (p.2).
Part B: Journaling Assignment (90 marks)
 Write a journal entry for every three chapters, (1-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12, 13-15, 16-18, 19-21, 22-24,
25-28), 9 in total.
 Write 250 words or one page double spaced typed minimum per journal.
 Begin by choosing passages from the story that make you think and respond.
 Copy the lines out of the novel, place them in "quotation marks", and cite the page number (p. __)
for the passage.
 Respond to the passage in your own words, using one of the reader response roles or one of the
journal responses listed above. Make sure that you use a variety of reader response roles and
journal responses in your collection by selecting a different one for each entry.
 Your journals are school assignments and they should therefore, be written in a formal manner.
In other words, avoid using MSN spelling. (i.e. ‘u’ or ‘thx', and so on.)
 Edit and proofread your journals for capitalization, punctuation, grammar usage, and spelling.
Use your spelling and grammar check.
 When you have finished nine (9) entries, bind them together and submit them for marking with
Part A (Dylan’s theories) and Part C below.
Journaling Procedure:
Over the next few weeks you will be keeping a reader response journal for Theories of Relativity. A
journal is a place where you can record your reactions to the stories you are reading. You can write
about your feelings, thoughts, ideas, and reflections about the text, topics, or experiences. You will
construct meaning as you write about and discuss the story with others (talk to your friends, family
and fellow students about what you are reading). Journal writing is rarely done to communicate with
others, but is used to explore ideas and to communicate with oneself. Journal writing is often referred
to as personal or free writing.
The purpose of the Reader Response Journal is:
•to use writing to explore ideas and to record observations, experiences and understanding
•to encourage you to take risks in manipulating language and in structuring meaning
•to provide opportunities for you to reflect upon your growth and development as a writer
There are many ways you can utilize journals during the reading of your novel. Listed below are some
suggestions for you to begin journaling.
WARNING: Only summarizing the chapters will get you a 50% mark.
1. Technique One
 Describe the setting: (good for the early chapters).
 Identify story characters: (good for the early chapters).
 Describe character relationships: (good when conflict occurs).
 Offer your opinion of a character: (good at the beginning of the book).
 Tell whether the characters change: (good throughout the story).
 Describe the mood in each chapter: (good for times where conflict occurs).
 Summarize the events of the chapter AND predict outcomes: (good at the end of any chapter).
 Talk about the story problems and look for solutions: (good at the end of any chapter).
 Reflect on the author’s use of language: (good in any chapter) .
 Explain/tell some of the hidden meanings you have found: (good in any chapter whenever you
pick up on a sentence that makes you think about life and how to live it).
 Compare to personal experiences: (good at the end of the book).
 Explain/tell how the story made you feel: (good at the end of the book).
 Compare a character in this story to another character about whom you have read: (good at
the end of a book).
 Critique the writing.
2. Technique Two - Illustrating
Journals can also provide an opportunity for you to illustrate your readings.
 Character Maps
 Webs
 Plot Maps
 Venn Diagrams
 Sketches of Characters
 Charts
 Diagrams
3. Technique Three - Reader Response Roles
 Straight Talker: Speak directly to a character and "give your two cents' worth". If you could stop
the action at a particular point, what would you say?
 Judge: Evaluate an action or a decision by a character or characters. Do you feel a wise or a
poor decision has been made? Why? What decision would you prefer to have been made?
Why?
 Memory Keeper: Perhaps you remember a similar experience from your own life, about a time
when you kept something secret and because of that secret, events began "to snowball."
Describe that experience; explain how it relates to the story.
 Artist: What visual images come to mind as you read the story? Draw those images. Write also
what your visual image means or represents in the story.
 Palm Reader: What has occurred that you consider foreshadowing? What do you believe will
occur in the future? Why?
 Ostrich: What would you rather not think about that occurs in the novel? Is there anything that
is difficult to think about?
Part C: Dylan's Theories (35 marks)
Write a final 3-paragraph journal entry in which you list and discuss Dylan's theories. Take a stand
and decide which ones you believe are true (paragraph 1) and which ones you think are not true
(paragraph 2). In each paragraph, give examples or evidence that explain why you think of the
theories the way you do. In paragraph 3 explain the effect the theories have on Dylan's decisions and
life and the effect they would have on your own life and the decisions you would make. How much is
Dylan's trouble caused by his theories? Your journal should have the following structure.
EXAMPLE
Paragraph 1: Dylan's True (Good) Theories
Topic Sentence: Dylan had several true or good theories. These include..... I think they were good
theories because.... For example, I once (experienced / saw / heard)..... And that proves....
Paragraph 2: Dylan's False (Bad) Theories
Paragraph 3: Effect Dylan's Theories Had on His Life and Would Have on My Life
Assignment 1.3: Summary Activities
(50 marks)
A review is a popular way of sharing information about a book. You will find reviews written on the
internet so you can Google the words "writing a book review" and look up reviews through sites such
as Scholastic and Amazon.com. Write a review of the novel Theories of Relativity giving good
reasons why a friend should, or should not, read the novel. A review generally consists of 3 parts: a
brief synopsis of the plot, a lengthier examination of characters, and finally, a critical analysis of plot,
character, and theme, finished by a conclusion. You will notice reviews are written in paragraph style
so use the questions to guide your writing of the paragraphs and practice using transition words to
link your ideas together.
Part A: Activity #1—PLOT – (10 marks)
Write a short plot summary of your novel. This should be about 250 words. Include setting information
such as where and when the story happens, character information such as who is telling the story
(point of view), the nature of the conflict or problem and the plot to solve the problem. What does the
title have to do with the book?
Part B: Activity #2—CHARACTERIZATION – (20 marks)
1. Choose an important character. Write a sketch of the character and include:
 Physical appearance of the character.
 How the character acts and mannerisms.
 What the character thinks.
 How the character causes his or her own problems.
 How the character solves his or her own problems.
 Reactions of others to the character.
 Why is the character important in the novel?
 Would you like to be the main character? Why or why not?
 Would you like the main character for a friend? Give your reasons.
Part C: Activity #3-- CRITIQUE, YOUR REACTION – (20 marks)
1. Comment on whether or not you enjoyed the plot, and your reasons. A question to ask yourself is
whether the plot is believable: does it work or are there aspects of the plot that just don't fit or
couldn't have really happened?
2. For whom was the book written? Are the characters believable and real or do such people just
not exist? Do the characters relate to the people who read the book?
3. What message did you get from this book? Did the novel help you in any way? Do you think that
the author was successful in getting the message across? Why?
4. Any other good and bad points about your novel: is the language readable? is the novel structured
well so it doesn't get boring? is the novel part of a series or is it the only one by the author? will
you read any more by this author?
5. INCLUDE EXAMPLES FROM YOUR NOVEL TO SUPPORT YOUR REVIEW.
Assignment 1.4: Final Projects
(100 marks)
Think about the main themes of this story. To show your understanding and insight regarding the central ideas
of this story pick TWO of the following projects to complete for your final project. Because each option is
different, each option is worth 50 marks.
OPTION 1 - Interviews
Prepare a set of 10 questions that you can use to interview someone in your local community about
homelessness. You might contact and make an appointment with someone at the Friendship Center, or the
Salvation Army. Other people who might talk to you include your Community Policing Office or Social Services.
You can also talk to people who manage the local shelters and so on. I suggest you ask to record your
conversation so that you will have ready access to notes but be sure to ask permission first. You can use a
hand-held taping device or your laptop computer with video recording or sound recording. Write a report about
homelessness in your community. This report will likely be about 5 pages long by the time you discuss all the
answers you have obtained.
Part A: The list of questions and contact information for your interview source. (15 marks)
Part B: The Report (35 marks)
OPTION 2 – Photo Essay
Create a collage of newspaper/magazine articles or photographs related to the subject of homelessness and
write an explanation of how it relates to your novel. You can access your local on-line newspaper and search
for articles on homelessness in your community or SK that include photos. Note: a collage is not just a few
pictures glued helter-skelter on a piece of paper with lots of white space. All white space is covered. A second
option is to use your own camera and go on a photo shoot of people and locations. Most homeless people
have to leave their shelters by 8:00 A.M. That means you can observe, photograph, and report. Although in
Canada you have the legal right to photograph people in public places, in this case be careful that you prefer
locations and the backs of people, not the fronts. Write a brief one-page commentary about how you found this
experience. Ensure that you include connections between the novel and the "real" world: what is the same and
what is different?
Part A: Photos (35 marks)
Part B: Commentary (15 marks)
OPTION 3 - Writing the Short Story
Find an appropriate website that gives ideas on how to write a short story. Look specifically for ideas about
setting, character, plot and theme development. Write a one-page summary of ideas from her the website that
you found useful. Next, write a short story based upon the same theme, subject, or characters as in Theories
of Relativity. You might write a new story from the perspective of another character in the novel. Or, you might
know a relatively homeless person yourself (someone who is couch-surfing perhaps) and write a story from
their perspective. In this case be sure to use a pseudonym not their real name. Most short stories are about 5
pages long so be careful how you introduce the setting (a few lines), characters (less than a page), problem (a
few lines), and plot (several pages) to solve the problem and reach resolution (a paragraph).
Part A: BlogSpot ideas (15 marks)
Part B: The Short Story (35 marks)
OPTION 4 - Newspaper Writing
Write a two-page newsletter in which you include a news-story about what happened during a part of, or at the
end of, Theories of Relativity. This will be a news story so the news article must be written in journalistic news
style. Include photos and headlines. You must also write a brief editorial article telling your opinion about
homelessness by going back to section 1.1 and rewriting your opinion about homelessness. I expect your
ideas will have changed and shifted so don't just toss in the original paragraph you wrote. Research other
types of writing and advertisements that may be included in a newsletter, and decide which to create to
complete this activity.
Part A: Newsletter Structure (15 marks)
Part B: Newsletter content(35 marks)
OPTION 5 - The Setting
Draw a map of where the story takes place and label all of the important places. This map should be a quality
product in which you use neat printing, colour, location pictures from Google Images and Maps. Chapter one
and further describes some of the things that Dylan sees. On a separate sheet of paper, write a paragraph in
which you explain how the places were used in the novel. How effective is the setting in telling the story?
Would this story have changed in a different setting?
Part A: The Map (35 marks)
Part B: The Paragraph (15 marks)
OPTION 6 - Songs of Homelessness
Use the appropriate technology to find five songs that relate to the theme of homelessness in Theories of
Relativity. Google and include the lyrics to the songs in a song book and create a CD front cover that lists the
songs included with a representative picture. Ensure that your CD cover design relates to the theme of the
novel. Include a personal minimum 250 words back cover response for the CD that explains how the songs
and the cover design relate to the theme of the novel.
Part A: Songs (15 marks)
Part B: CD front and back cover. (35 marks)
OPTION 7 - Your Own Extension Activity Idea
If you have a good idea for an extension activity that gets you beyond the plot of Theories of Relativity then
phone or email me to obtain approval.
Part A: (15 marks)
Part B: (35 marks)