A Child Called “It”
Open-ended questions for Chapter 3 and Chapter 7:
Chapter 3:
Stem: While reading chapter two and chapter three, readers notice a drastic change in the way David
explains his childhood. In chapter two, he refers to his mother as, “Mom” while in chapter three she
turns into “Mother.” This change in David’s diction directly relates to the change in his relationship with
his abusive mother.
•
As David’s relationship changed for the worse, how was he able to determine the type of day he
would have? How did this make him feel? Use evidence in the text to support your answer.
•
Explain David’s motivation behind finding his mother’s “lost” treasures. Use evidence in the text
to support your answer.
•
Why was it such a shock to David when his father knelt down before leaving the house one day
and requested that he be a “good boy”?
Chapter 7:
Stem: When one is traumatized, harassed, and mentally, physically, or emotionally abused for a period
of time, he/she can suffer from a loss of identity.
 How do you know that David suffered this loss throughout reading his story? Use evidence in
the text to support your answer.
Flat characters are those who exhibit one dominant quality.
 Explain how Mother is the perfect depiction of a flat character throughout the entire
autobiographical novel. Use evidence in the text to support your answer.
 Can someone develop the same self-worth they possessed before abuse took place?
Activities for each chapter along with the guided questions
Chapter One Activity:
Think back to a time in elementary school when you were completely terrified/embarrassed in front of
your peers. Use one or more examples of foreshadowing that will draw your audience in before you
REVEAL your embarrassing/frightening/terrible elementary experience. Elementary stories must be at
least one paragraph long (5-7 sentences) AND include at least one example of foreshadowing. You must
bold or underline your example of foreshadowing. You MAY write in first-person point of view.
For example, in first grade perhaps you were waving your hand in the air incessantly during the Pledge
of Allegiance and continued to do so after the fact. You saw as your peers began to organize their desks,
take out their workbooks, and write down the date; all fully entranced with the teacher’s directions. As
the teacher sat in her desk, you stood standing. As your classmates began their days with the Pledge
and the sight of their perfect little name tags equipped with a counting line and other sorts of accessible
math resources, yours began with wet pants because you didn’t get to the bathroom quick enough.
Chapter Two Activity: Begin to design a collage of quotes and/or pictures/drawings that depict major
events in Chapter 2 on a piece of construction paper. As we proceed to Chapter 3, you will add more
material to the other side.
Chapter Four Activity: Work in pairs to write a newspaper article about David Pelzer and his abusive
mother. In this article, you must include: formal diction, a dramatic headline, the information
discovered (what was happening at home?), HOW it was discovered, the outcome of the investigation,
and an outside source to contact about child abuse. You must use a newsletter template from
Microsoft Word and e-mail Ms. Davison and Ms. Gambetta your completed projects. Step 1: Write the
draft of your newspaper article and think about the design of your newsletter. Step 2: Your group will
have one DAY in the computer lab to complete the assignment and e-mail it to teachers. If you or your
partner is absent, your work must be complete at home or in the technology lab before or after school.
No exceptions.
Teachers will then put all the articles in a PowerPoint and present them.
Chapter Five Activity: Now that you have read the majority of this autobiographical novel, simply reflect
on the back of your Chapter 2/Chapter 3 Collage.
 What are your thoughts about David’s mother?

Is she mentally ill or simply evil?
 Do you think she was only abusing David?
 Could she have been abusing his siblings and he just never knew about it?
 Add predictions for the conclusion of the novel.
Chapter Six: Child Abuse Brochure
In pairs, students will create an informative brochure about child abuse answering the following
questions:
 What are three types of child abuse?
 What are the warning signs?
 Why do so many cases of child abuse often go undiscovered? (in your opinion)
 Where can one seek help in the Central Jersey area or online? Include phone numbers,
addresses, or websites.
On the back of the brochure, include a mock interview with the author OR include a timeline of ten
significant events from the story leading up to David’s Rescue.
[Events from Chapter Seven will not be included.]