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Maine Samplers Part II Gift of the Girl Who Couldn't Hear
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Morrow, 1991 Summary: Seventh grader Eliza has dreamed for years about starring in the class musical. Now she has lost her confidence and can't bring herself to try out. Her best friend Lucy, deaf since birth, announces her plan to try out for a singing role and asks Eliza to teach her how to sing. Level: Grades 5 - 7 Themes:
Activities: 1. Eliza says Lucy doesn't understand the cruelty of girls, the complicated and competitive life of girls in seventh grade. She is "innocent of their unkindness." [Page 122] Should Eliza tell Lucy 2. The author says on page 7: "This is not a true story exactly, but it is a true story inexactly." What does she mean? Have you read any other books that are true stories inexactly? Tell what they are and what they are about. 3. Write why you think the author chose the title for the book. Describe Lucy's gift. 4. parents insisted she learn to lip read, and refused to let her learn sign language. Explain. Research the ways deaf people communicate. Describe them and include their strengths and weaknesses. Find out about new equipment that helps deaf communication and add this information to your report. Research magazine and newspaper indexes and learn about recent controversies about helping deaf people to hear, using advanced technology. What are the issues in this situation? [A group could design an interactive hypercard stack about these approaches for other students to explore. Or they could create an Eyewitness type of book to become a library resource.] 5. Watch the television program Reasonable Doubts which stars a deaf actress as a deaf lawyer. Sometimes she lip reads, sometimes people sign to her. Sometimes she uses an interpreter to speak for her, sometimes she speaks, sometimes she signs. Look for these differences and note the occasions. Write your ideas about the circumstances and how the circumstance might influence the difference. 6. Watch your favorite TV program with the sound turned off. Take notes about your reactions. When it is 1/3 over, turn up the sound and turn down the brightness so you cannot see the picture. Take notes about your reactions. When it is 2/3 over, have both sound and picture on. Take notes. Now compare the three experiences. Among other observations, note which was the most frustrating for you and why you think this was so. 7. Eliza's mother says people are afraid of differences. [Page 41] Do you think that is true? Give some examples to support your position. Compare your examples with others in your group. Together, design a survey for others to answer anonymously. It could be in the form of a database that students could fill in on a computer, or it could be a questionnaire to send via telecommunication to students in other schools, or you could publish it in your student newspaper. Look at the computerized results and draw some tentative conclusions. Now test out your conclusions by manipulating the data. What are the results? If you need more information to test your hypothesis, what is it? Have the group evaluate this activity. What worked well and what could be improved? What advice would you give another group planning to conduct a similar survey? 8. Who does Mr. Blake think is the best teacher at Marywood? Explain his choice. List your own criteria for a good teacher. Who do you think is the best teacher at your school? Explain 9. Eliza says her mother "listens to what I say and to what I really say." [Page 58] What does she mean? Do you ever hear what someone "really says"? Give examples.
0. List ten different adjectives that Eliza uses to describe herself. (Note page numbers.) List ten different ways that show how others see Eliza. (Note page numbers.) Make a web showing how Eliza describes herself and another web showing how other people in the book see her. Add at least one adjective you would use to describe Eliza, and identify it as yours. Now write a comparison of the two webs and give your idea of the reasons for similarities or differences. 11. Eliza lives in a row house. What is a row house? If there are any row houses in your town write a paragraph about them. Draw a picture of row houses. Resources
Prepared by Linda Hazard, Belfast, Audrey Conant, Wayne; Marie Benner, Waterville. |
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