January 27, 2009
Now that we have finished The Pinballs, what ideas from the novel do you think are most important? Think about the author’s purpose for writing the story. What big ideas and themes is she trying to get across?
January 27, 2009
In Chapters 17-22, Thomas J goes through some tough times. One of the Benson twins passes away, and he has to go visit the remaining twin in the hospital as well as attend Jefferson’s funeral. He and Mr. Mason have a talk in the car, and Mr. Mason shares a story about his mother that he has never before told anyone.
Put yourself in Thomas J’s situation. He has no real family, and the only people who have ever cared for him are no longer able to. How would you react if you were Thomas J? Do you think Mr. Mason’s story would help you cope with the situation?
January 21, 2009
In Chapters 12-16, Carlie and Harvey come to the conclusion that sometimes life is unfair. They obviously have some very good reasons in their own lives to back this up. The basic idea is that there are often things that happen in life that are completely out of our control. For Carlie it might be the string of stepfathers who mistreated her. For Harvey it might be his mother leaving and his father’s cruelty toward him. Thomas J was practically an orphan from the start, and one of the two people he had in his life is gone.
Share a time in your life when you felt life was unfair. Please don’t share anything too personal, but explain what happened and how you dealt with it.
January 21, 2009
We have been exploring the reading strategy, “Asking Questions”. Good readers constantly ask questions of characters, situations, and even the author as they read. Your questions may not always be answered in the text, but you are helping yourself better understand the reading when you ask questions.
Based on where we are at in The Pinballs at this point, what questions do you have for or about Carlie, Harvey, and Thomas J? For example, you might wonder about Thomas J’s real mother and why she left him on the Benson twins’ doorstep. Please also share your thoughts on what you think the answer might be and why.
January 13, 2009
In Chapters 7-11. Harvey has a difficult time writing letters because he doesn’t want to write to his dad, and he doesn’t have an address for his mom. Because of this, he begins to make a series of lists such as “Bad Things That Have Happened To Me” and “People I’m Scared Of.” This quickly becomes a sort of hobby for Harvey, and it gives him an opportunity to escape his current situation.
If you were going to make a list, what you entitle it? What kinds of things would be on this list? Why?
January 12, 2009
In chapters 5-6, we learn more about our main characters and their backgrounds. We also learn why the book is named “The Pinballs”. Carlie makes the comparison between herself, Harvey, and Thomas J to the pinballs in a pinball machine. She claims that they’re always sitting there waiting for another person to put in a dime and send them bouncing out of their control.
Has there ever been a time in your life when you felt like a pinball and your life was out of your control? Explain that experience and whether or not you think you truly did not have the option of changing that situation.
January 7, 2009
During our pre-reading activities, we discussed some of the themes that we would encounter in The Pinballs. One of those themes is “Living with Disappointments”. We can usually categorize these into mini, minor, and major disappointments.
Share a “mini” disappointment and explain how you learned from that experience. Remember not to share anything too personal.
January 7, 2009
In chapters 1-4, we meet the main characters of our story. Carlie, Harvey, and Thomas J are all foster children who come to live with the Masons.
We also started exploring the reading strategy “Making Connections”. Good readers make connections while they are reading that help them better understand the text. There are three main types of connections: Text to Self, Text to Text, and Text to World.
Have you been able to make any connections to the three main characters so far? Explain the connection and how it helps you better understand the story.
January 7, 2009
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