Middle School

1. The book is divided into four movements, just like a symphony. Each movement has its own pace and its own content. Look over the four movements in the book and discuss the following:
 •  After looking at the subtitles in each movement, what do you think is the big idea of that movement?
 •  Many symphonies move in this order: fast, slow, fast. Is that true of the movements in this book?

2. To examine the author’s use of dialogue in free verse poems, read the poems Fight Scene on pages 222-223 and Avoidance II on pages 230-232. Then, use the questions below to discuss each poem:
•  How does the title of the poem capture the essence of what is to follow?
•  How are the speakers identified? 
•  What strong views does each speaker express? 
•  What happens at the end? What isn’t resolved?
•  What is the effect of including dialogue in a free verse poem?

3.  Writing from a Different Perspective.
This book is mostly told from Mimi’s perspective. What do the other characters think? Consider writing a free verse poem from the perspective of one or more of the characters listed below:

• Mimi’s mother
• Mimi’s Father
• Ms. Miller
• Carmen
• Carmen’s mother
• Carmen’s Father
• Lee
• Anne Lowell
• Henry Lowell
• Ethan
• Kyle
• Councilmember Vaughan

4.  Multigenre Writing: Change one or more of the poems in this novel to another genre or form of writing such as a play, a newspaper article, an interview, a letter, a speech, or a song. Share your writing in a small group. Did the new form change the meaning of the poem? Share your thoughts. 

5.  What if you could read someone’s mind? This activity gives you the chance to speculate about Mimi and Carmen’s thoughts. Draw an outline of two heads—one for Mimi and one for Carmen. Using words and illustrations, draw and write about each character’s thoughts and feelings. 

You are expected to read ONE of the NONFICTION books selected from the list below. You will send an email to Teacher Kristin Parry ([email protected]), when you’ve completed your chosen book. The email should include a sentence or two about the plot along with a short review of the book including why you did or did not like the book. You must have your email sent by August 26th.

How We Got to the Moon by John Rocco	The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a 13-Year-Old Boy with Autism by Naoki Higashida	Songs of America: Young Reader's Edition: Patriotism, Protest and the Music that Made a Nation by Jon Meacham & Tim McGraw
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly	The Beautiful Struggle (Adapted for Young Adults) by Ta-Nehisi Coates	Invisible Enemies: Stories of Infectious Disease by Jeanette Farrell
Unbroken (The Young Adult Adaptation): An Olympian's Journey from Airman to Castaway to Captive by Laura Hillenbrand	Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA by Brenda Maddox	Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask: Young Readers Edition by Anton Treuer
Almost American Girl An Illustrated Memoir by Rogin Ha	The Great American Dust Bowl by Don Brown	March: Book One by John Lewis
The Girl Who Fought Back by Joshua M. Greene	Finding Wonders: Three Girls Who Changed Science by Jeannine Atkins	Becoming RBG: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Journey to Justice by Debbie Levy, illustrated by Whitney Gardner