Literacy Luminator - Section 5

“Anthony told me, ‘One day you’re going to hit someone. And get hit yourself. Then you’ll see. Maybe. Maybe you’ll understand life better. To understand people better. So the next day, I walked over and hit Sal. And I stood there like an idiot and waited for him to hit me back. But he just bent over and cried, and I didn’t know what to do, so I walked away. And Anthony yelled: ‘What the hell was that?’ And later at home, he said, ‘What are you hitting short kids for? Don’t you know nothing?’ He said I was hopeless. "

This passage is important because it sheds light on why Sal got hit. In the beginning of the book, the reader is left wondering why Marcus would just walk up and hit Sal for no reason. At that time the reader sees Marcus as a big bully who would hit smaller kids for no reason. Now the reader understands what happened between Marcus and his brother influenced Marcus’ actions toward Sal.

“Trying to forget really doesn’t work. In fact, it’s pretty much the same as remembering. But I tried to forget anyway, and to ignore the fact that I was remembering you all the time.” “And now I’m wondering if I should just write the letter even though you’re dead and most likely buried on that island. I wonder if I should write it anyway, if maybe then I’ll be able to stop thinking about you, once and for all.”

Miranda couldn’t forget the fact that she still needed to write her letter. As much as she may have been trying to forget, it could not slip her mind. Her journey wound not be completed until she sat down to write the letter. These quotes illuminate the fact that Miranda still had the task of writing the letter ahead of her.

Investigator: Section 5

For this section I decided to investigate the use of dental or doctor offices in the public school setting. I found it very interesting that in Miranda’s school there was a whole dentist’s office set up. I’ve heard many times of doctors or dentists visiting schools to have one day when they perform checkups on students who need them, but I was surprised to know there was an entire office devoted to this at Miranda’s school. While looking at the New York City schools website, I learned that many schools in the city do host dental clinics with services ranging from cleanings to orthodontics. What I found myself more intrigued by, however, was the creation of School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs) at 123 NYC public schools. The SBHC is essentially a complete doctor’s office on school property. These centers can serve as the student’s primary doctor or can simply serve as a first-responder to an illness when the child is at school. Depending on the SBHC, services provided may extend to include optometry, mental health, reproductive health services (high school only), and dental care. As long as a student is enrolled in NYC public schools and a parent has signed permission for him/her to participate in the SBHC, he/she will receive treatment regardless of insurance or immigration status. Assistance is offered, however, to help SBHC patients obtain low-cost public insurance. The benefits of SBHCs in public schools are decreased absenteeism and students who are healthy and better able to learn.

Discussion Director: Last Section

So what were your overall impressions of the book? Did everything end up being wrapped up?

I enjoyed it, but everything happened in the end. I wanted to know Marcus's reaction to Miranda's letter, and more about how things turned out with her and Sal.

Miranda was awfully brave to hide Marcus from the police. Do you think you could have done such a good thing as a 12 year old?

What did you think of Sal's justifications for not wanting to hang out with Miranda? I'm glad they found a happy medium of hanging out together but not hanging out too much. Do you think they are typical kids that our students could relate too?

There are so many things to discuss in this last section! What did you think of Miranda and Richard's plan to send her mom to law school? To me that was as almost as good as them getting engaged!

Connector: Section 5

The job of connector has been the most difficult for me and what I write may be a stretch but try and follow along:

As I was reading the section about the police coming to school and wanted to talk to Marcus, my mind automatically went to my sister, who is in law school, and some of the stories she has told me. If you remember, Miranda's mom came to school and basically took the place of Marcus' lawyer, she talked to the officers and found out why the wanted to talk with Marcus. Belle had called the police and reported that Marcus had pushed Sal into the street, as we know, Marcus didn't push Sal into the street. So, what I'm trying to get at, is how important point of view is. My sister told me about a case she has on her plate. A young boy in tenth grade was reported to the school resource officer because his teacher felt threatened by him. The teacher reported the boy because he has discussed guns at school, keep in mind that the boy lives in a rural county and frequently participates in recreational hunting. The teacher only reported her fear to the resource officer after the recent shootings in Arizona.

Where am I going with this? It's important for all of us, lawyers, teachers, parents, students etc. to keep in mind point of view when dealing with any situation.

Discussion Director - Section 4

In the section, we learned the significance of the words books, bag, pocket, and shoe. These were all of the places where Miranda found the letters. Why are the words etched into the blue mailbox? What is the purpose of this? Why would the laughing man leave this evidence behind?

Miranda’s favorite book is A Wrinkle in Time. I have never read this book but have heard that it too is about time travel. I am now very interested to know how it relates to this novel. If you have read that book, how does it compare to When You Reach Me?

We also see Miranda become friends with Alice and Julia in this section. How is Miranda able to help Alice, do you think that this will affect how other students treat Alice? How are Miranda and Julia able to overcome the issues between then? Do you think that the girls will develop an authentic friendship?

Why do you think that the author choose to write the chapter “The Last Note” in a numbered format? What did you find to be the most meaningful bit of information revealed in this chapter?

Artist Section 4

Thoughts on this scene?

Literary Luminator: Section 4

This section was so critical and the turning point of the plot. I chose three passages that are either important to the plot or just board wise statements that make us think.

"Sometimes you never feel meaner than the moment you stop being mean. It's like how turning on a light makes you realize how dark the room had gotten. And the way you usually act, the things you would have normally done, are like the things that you everyone can see but pretends not to." p. 144

I chose this because I think it really can speak to everyone. I never really thought of Miranda as a mean girl until this passage and now that it was brought to our attention I can definitely see where Miranda would be considered a mean girl. What do you think it was that made Miranda do a 160 with her mean girl behavior?

"My brain was doing that thing where it yells at me. It was yelling "The laughing man stole Jimmy's Fred Flinstone bank? The laughing man?" p. 151

This is where things kind of started to click for me. I realized the laughing man had a much larger part in the plot than I had realized. Different parts started clicking for me, like why Colin, Annemarie and Miranda's job at Jimmy's was included in the story and the importance of Belle and the two-dollar bills.

"42. On the other side of the street I saw Marcus, still hunched over on the curb and crying hard. I could see him shaking. Behind him stood the boys from the garage, so still and silent that they looked like a picture of themselves. 43. Sal was not dead. The laughing man saved his life. 44. You saved Sal's life." p. 162

It was hard for me to pick the most important part of this turning chapter, but I think these few lines really get the main point across. How shocked were you when you read this part? I couldn't put the book down after this!

Artist Section 5

These are the pictures that I think most mattered to me in terms of what happened in this chapter...what do you think?

Investigator Section 4

For this section I decided to investigate the usage of the term "swiss miss" as a racial slur.

I had never heard this term used in a derogatory manner before, however after some internet searches and Googling I have found the term to be quite popular in the realm of politics and racism. Apparently the term has been used quite a few times in a popular NBC show and many people have started to protest that show. I could never really figure out which show it is, since there are restrictions on people using the name in their blogs...but there was a photo of a white guy painted black and making fun of black people using the term swiss miss. I think this takes racism to a whole other level because it is finding ways to talk about people's color without them knowing it, like in the book no one knew that Jimmy liked Miranda because she used that term to describe Julia, until he said it outright. I think I am also turned off by this term because it infers that anything black/chocolate can be used in a derogatory manner to defile someone...

After investigating this term, I feel that this book deals with some heavy topics that would be good spring boards for discussions in the classroom of 6-8th graders. For example you could talk about racism and racial slurs...what do you think?

Connector: Section 4

This was definitely the most difficult Literature Circle role for me. I found it hard to make connections beyond just self-to-text, but here's what I came up with: In this section we find out that Marianne's dad has a charge account at Gold's Stationery, and both Colin and Miranda seem to think this is a big deal. Obviously in current times there is no such thing as a charge account consisting of a notebook where items are written down. Instead we have credit cards and checking accounts. But what might kids have today that would cause awe and envy from their peers? Later on, during Christmas vacation, Miranda thinks over the differences between herself and Marianne and whether those differences really matter. She decides that they do. Do those differences still matter today? What differences do you (as students) think matter today between yourself and your peers? Finally, we also read about adolescents noticing the differences between themselves and their peers in American Born Chinese. Of the characters in that book, with whom do you think Miranda could most relate?

Artist - Section 3

These are the images that I chose for section three.
How are these pictures critical to the development of the story?

Hey girls, I'm sorry for the delay in posting.
I am out of town and the hotel internet has been hit or miss.
See ya Monday

Literary Luminator: Section 3

I chose three quotes to study for this section of the text: Her precious watch. I'm not proud of this now, but that sound, which echoed in the tiled hallway, made me really happy. I sucked my bottom lip so that I wouldn't smile. - p.93 I thought this quote was important because it emphasized the strong feelings that Miranda has against her classmate Julia. I found it interesting that Miranda had these negative feelings after Julia had just helped her deal with Annemarie's seizure. Also, these feelings seem so hate-filled and I thought it was interesting to see such strong feelings coming from Miranda. To the general public she seems so passive and kind. "What do you mean, 'what would happen'? His nose started bleeding, that's what happened! And he almost threw up." "Besides that, besides the ordinary things." He tapped the toe of one shoe on the sidewalk. "It was dumb. Really, really dumb." "And?" "And what?" "And did anything happen? Besides the ordinary things?" He shook his head. "No-not that I could tell." - p.106 I chose this section of text because it made me think of how almost all actions have consequences beyond the "ordinary" consequences. Although we may not see those consequences unfold, they still exist and affect others in ways we may not ever know or understand. I also thought there was a connection from the earlier mentionings of a "veil" separating people from the big picture. Marcus couldn't see the big picture consequences of his actions. It was at that moment, standing next to her, that I figured out the truth. The truth was that Mom saw it too: the peeling paint, the cigarette burns on the stairs, everything. It soaked into me like water into sand, fast and heavy-making. But I still couldn't apologize for what I'd said. I wanted to, but I couldn't. I couldn't even smile at her. - p.120 To me, this section of text was important because it showed Miranda that she is potentially not alone in her embarassment of her home. I made a connection between this section and Marcelo in the Real World because in both books the children realize their parents aren't perfect, and that can be a major realization in a child's life. I thought it was also significant that Miranda still did not back down from her negative comments towards her mother. I still wonder what was holding Miranda back from showing her appreciation to her mother. What do you all think of these quotes? How did you interpret them?

Discussion Director: Section 3

After reading section 3 my interest level spiked and I had to keep reading the rest of the book. However, here a few questions that crossed my mind as I was reading:

1. A general question, but is there a significance to every chapter title including the word "thing(s)?"

2. Why do you think Julia has an interest in Miranda all of a sudden? What motives does Julia have?

3. Why do you think Colin took the two rolls from Jimmy's? Did he do it so Jimmy would think Miranda was doing an exceptional job?

4. Now that we know that Sal didn't do anything to deserve the punch from Marcus, does your reasoning behind Sal not wanting to be friends with Miranda change?

Investigator: Section 3

I decided to investigate Annemarie's special diet for her epilepsy. I have not heard that much about treating epilepsy, and found it intriguing that special foods could help stop the seizures. One of the ladies that I work with often has seizures, and I assumed that it was something that only medicine can control.

What I found out:

There is a ketogenic diet that children with epilepsy can take to help prevent seizures, if medicines do not work. This is a low carb diet, which explains why Annemarie cannot have bread. This diet has strict measures on calories, protein, and fluids. I thought it was strange that Annemarie's dad gave Miranda lemonade but gave Annemarie water. I assumed it was a way of him to watch the calories that went into Annemarie's body, which in a way, it was. This diet only helps children with seizures, and after two years on this diet, if the seizures have been controlled, then the diet can be stopped. If the child ever goes off the diet, like Annemarie did, then it would lose it’s effect. Some side effects of this diet are kidney stones, high cholesterol, dehydration, constipation, slowed growth, and bone fractures.

Since the diet is so restrictive, I think that Annemarie was happy for an excuse to get off the diet. I wonder if Miranda would have encouraged Annemarie to stay off the diet if she had known about the seizures.

Connector Section 3

This section had a lot going on in it, and I tried to think of not only things that we can connect to as adults but also things that our students will connect with. I think the main thing I am drawn to is the whole lunch situation, it kind of blows my mind that the students are allowed to leave school for lunch, I think that in this day and time that would NEVER happen...were you ever allowed to leave school for lunch? Even in high school?

Another thing is the fight between Anne Marie and Miranda, this really grabbed my attention because I feel like fights between friends are universal to all people. At one time or another in anyone's life I'm sure they have fought with a friend over something said, done, or assumed. I think the reason this particular fight between the two girls stood out to be is because the whole fight is based on assumptions made by Anne Marie about Miranda...what do you think about this, and how could we connect this with our students?

Investigator - Section 2

As the investigator, I became interested in finding out more about why Miranda’s mother called Mr. Tompkins a “frustrated architect.” Her mother explained that teachers didn’t have to go fight in Vietnam, so men that didn’t want to fight became teachers.

I knew that there were different reasons that exempted men from the draft, but never thought that teaching was one of these exemptions. Because teaching exempted men from the draft, the percentage of male teachers increased dramatically in 1970. At that time, 32.5% of teachers in the US were men. After the war was over, many of those men left the teacher profession to pursue their other careers.

A total of 1,857,304 men were drafted between August 1964 and February 1973.

When I asked my father if any of his friends had become teachers to avoid the draft, he could not recall anyone. However, he did remember many of his friends that enrolled in college to dodge the draft.

Did you know that male teachers were exempted from being drafted during the Vietnam war?
Do you have any experiences involving people who were exempted from the draft?

Artist: Section 2

I chose these three images, because I thought they were three of the most important aspects of section 2. The letter for obvious reasons, the time machine because we are first introduced to the idea of time travel and Marcus as an important character and the fire hose because I think the key missing is going to have something to do with the letters.

Section 2: Connector

In Miranda's school, free dental work is offered to students who cannot afford it on their own. Miranda says how her mom thinks health care should be free for everyone. That was a big debate in our present time. A health care bill was passed a little while ago, ensuring that everyone could get free health care. It never occurred to me that people in the late 1970s would have the same issues as we do now, especially with getting health care. Was there anything in this section that surprised you?

When I read this section, this was what really popped out me as to how to connect this to our world. It's so hard to not take something from the book and connect it to our own lives.

Section 2: Discussion Director

In this section, we see for the first time the notes Miranda has received from the mystery person. In both notes, the person mentions that he or she is on a "difficult trip." What kind of trip do you think the person means? Where might he or she be going? Continuing with all things mysterious... Every time Miranda runs into Marcus, he seems to not remember her from previous encounters. Why do you think this happens? While at their job at Jimmy's, Colin and Miranda took a risk by looking inside the Flinstone bank. So far Jimmy seems not to have noticed. Do you think there will be consequences for their actions? If so, how do you think those consequences will be brought about? Lastly, Miranda is engrossed in only one book: A Wrinkle in Time. Even when a teacher tries to push another book, Miranda rejects it. Why do you think Miranda is so interested in this particular book? Do you think the book will be significant to the plot of the story? If so, how?

Literary Luminator Section 2

For this section I have chosen three quotations that I think give light to who Miranda is writing to as well as give insight into her feelings. But the interpretation is up to you!

"'It is weird,' Mom said. She put her hands on her hips. 'But if you think about it, one thing really can't have anything to do with the other. Someone with the key wouldn't have to ask where the key is. It makes no sense.' She was right, of course. It was backward. But somewhere in my head a tiny bell started ringing. I didn't even notice it at first." p. 61

I chose this quotation because I feel like it represents Miranda's thought process very well. As a reader I can see that she is thinking through who the writer could be, how they knew where the key was, and also why the order of events is backward.

"Upstairs, a weird thing happened. After living there almost everyday of my life, I saw our apartment as if it were usually invisible to me: the stuffing coming out of the sofa in two place, the burns form Mr. Nunzi's cigarettes, the big flakes of paint hanging off the ceiling, and the black spot next to the radiator where dripping water had stained the floor." p. 65

I liked the quotation because I think it not only showed that Miranda was being critical of her house because Anne Marie was there, but it was also odd how this feeling of seeing all these things stuck out more after Miranda's house had been broken into.

"Mom says each of us has a veil between ourselves and the rest of the world, like a bride wears on her wedding day, except this kind of veil is invisible. We walk around happily with these invisible veils hanging down over our faces. The world is kind of blurry, and we like it that way."

In my opinion, this quotation relates to the previous, but also to how Miranda feels about her world and how her mom explains to her about seeing the "big stuff" as opposed to being distracted by the little stuff.



What do you think of all of these quotations and how they relate to what we have read so far, as well as foreshadow what we will read?

Connector - Week 1

Connector - Week 1

After reading this, I have struggled to find a connection beyond the self-connection. It’s amazing how much we can relate events in novels to our own lives. I think that students will definitely be able to connect with the relationship change between Miranda and Sal that has occurred since they reached middle school. I remember having a similar experience with one of my best friends who was a boy. We were best friends all through elementary school, but we grew apart in middle school. It was no longer “cool” for us to be friends. Do you remember any similar experiences from middle school?

However, for this role, I am going to stretch to make a worldly connection that I also picked up on in the story line of this book. Some of the descriptions and events that the author uses to describe the community make this story feel like it could have taken place in a small town. Although the setting was New York City, the descriptions connected me back to a small town atmosphere that I have seen in movies. When Miranda was locked out of her house, she visited with Belle at the market. This reminded me of scenes from movies that were set in small towns, particularly small towns in the south where people walk everywhere, and where children venture out on their own. Also, whenever I think about people who have known each other forever, a small town automatically pops into my head. This is because I grew up in a small community where I knew everyone, and had known most people from elementary school to high school. The tenant-meeting night also made me think of a small town meeting. I’ve never heard of a tenant meeting, but it reminded me of a small town meeting where most people don’t bother to come, except for the old people, and most of them are there to complain.

I know that there are also lots of descriptions in this section that are obviously about life in the city, but did you pick up on any descriptions or events that reminded you of a small town community?

Investigator: Week 1

After reading our first section I decided to investigate latchkey kids, because I think this is going to be pertinent to the plot of the book. I had never heard of the term "latchkey kid" and was interested in learning more about it. The term is said to have originated during and after World War II, while one parent was enlisted in the armed forces, the other had to work and often children came home to no parental supervision. Interestingly enough, when I searched "latchkey kid" on Google, most of the links referred to legal issues that arise with latchkey kids. Parents are not enlightened on an acceptable age to leave children at home alone and so often children are left alone with no supervision at too young of an age. The United States government does not establish criteria for leaving children under 18 home alone, these laws are left to state and local governments to establish and often are never established. I found the effects of being a latchkey kid interesting, a lot of latchkey kids face loneliness, fear and boredom. When latchkey kids are older they are more likely to have behavior problems and fall into such behaviors as smoking and alcohol use. There are also some positive effects associated with being a latchkey kid including independence at a young age.

As for Miranda, I think she is going to run into some problems being a latchkey kid. Now that she doesn't walk home with Sal, she faces obstacles before she even gets home (the laughing man) and her mom has hidden a key, I feel something bad coming on. "Mom's rules for life in New York City" (p. 25) also lead me to think that something is going to happen while Miranda is home alone. I'm interested to see if any of the effects of being a latchkey kid listed above affect Miranda.

For more information on latchkey kids, check out: http://www.latchkey-kids.com/

Literary Luminary: Week 1

I have three quotes that I think are significant from this first section. What are your thoughts?

pg 4: "Mom calls Richard Mr. Perfect because of how he looks and how he knows everything. And every time she calls him Mr. Perfect, Richard taps his right knee. He does that because his right leg is shorter then the left one."

I like this one because of how the author illustrates that everyone is not perfect. The mom sees Richard in a different way then Richard sees himself. This applies to everyone, you may not think you are that great, but someone else does.

pg 24: "If I'm not wrong, this is the beginning of the story you wanted me to tell. And I didn't know it yet, but it was also the end of my friendship with Sal."

Two significant events start here. We find out that Miranda is telling a story to someone, even though we don't have any other details. Also, Miranda's friendship ending is significant to the story.

pg 28: "So I figure it's because I never had a father that I don't want one now. A person can't miss something she never had."

Do you think this foreshadowing something in the story?

Artist: Week 1

Here is an image to represent a portion of the first section. What is being represented here? How do the different aspects of the image tell the story?

Section 1: Discussion Director

In this section we are introduced to the narrator, Miranda, a latch-key kid in New York City. Sal, Miranda's best friend also plays a large role in this section, until he is punched in the stomach by another boy. Another predominant character in this section is Miranda's mom who is currently training to be on a local TV show called 20,000 dollar pyramid. But amidst all the characters we do me, we are never really given any clues as to who Miranda is writing to during this time...

So my first question is, who do you think Miranda is writing to and why?


Another oddity about this section is the way Sal disowns Miranda after he gets in the fight, which leads me to ask, why do you think Sal does not want to be friends with Miranda any longer?



While the characters play a large role in the section, so does the game show that Miranda's mom is training for, so I'm curious, do you think this will continue to be present and play a large role in the future sections? Why or why not.

There are many other things in the section to be discussed as well, so feel free to add those ideas.

Welcome!

I can't wait to read your insightful discussions.