The Pinballs

Strategy – Determining Importance

Mr. Dunn — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:29:58 +0000

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?

Theme – Ch. 17-22

Mr. Dunn — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:16:20 +0000

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?

Theme – “Life is Unfair”

Mr. Dunn — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:53:41 +0000

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.

Strategy – Asking Questions

Mr. Dunn — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:42:09 +0000

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.

Theme – Chapters 7-11

Mr. Dunn — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 03:59:26 +0000

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?

Theme – Chapters 5-6

Mr. Dunn — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:33:30 +0000

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.

Theme – Living with Disappointments

Mr. Dunn — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 03:39:59 +0000

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.

Chapters 1-4 ~ Making Connections

Mr. Dunn — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 01:32:41 +0000

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.

Welcome to your blog!!!

Mr. Dunn — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 01:27:18 +0000

Welcome to The Pinballs blog! Mr. Dunn and Mr. McCarthy’s students are free to respond to any of the posts. Remember to keep your comments on topic and appropriate, and make sure you include your first name. Never give your last name or any personal information.

Click on any post to make a comment. Have fun!