Notice quiet presence
Junior sees his parents and grandmother sleeping in chairs in the hospital.
“My mother and father and grandma were asleep in their chairs, but I was awake.” (Alexie 147)Read in the chapter
The aimAt the Wellpinit game, the whole gym turns its back on Junior. Who has Junior's back now, and how do you know?
Read this week
Close-reading practice
Read first. Make your own notes, then switch on the model highlights in each passage.
Words for this response
Use one word from each of 4 assigned groups. See the groups and sentence examples →
From a highlight to your writing
Notice the words
“Well, how about I stay and keep you company, then?”
Margin note
Coach changes his plan after learning Junior must stay awake. He responds to what Junior needs now, which makes this offer specific evidence of support.
My notebook
Has to stay awake → Coach changes plan → company when Junior needs it.
See note 9 beside the passage · Alexie 148
See the observation become sentences
- What it says
Coach offers to stay after Junior explains that he cannot sleep yet.
- What it helps explain
Coach listens and changes what he plans to do. His support responds to Junior’s need in the hospital, not to whether Junior wins a game.
Your turn: another detail
The family has no speech in this moment. What does being there suggest? Write an explanation that stays within what their presence can show.
Test a possible misreading
First thought: Dad saves five dollars, so the Christmas gift makes everything okay.
Keep the harm in view
Junior describes his father leaving with the family’s remaining money at Christmas.
“He took what little money we did have and ran away to get drunk.” (Alexie 150)Read in the chapter
Look again: Dad’s saved gift matters to Junior, but he also takes money and leaves to drink. Explain both sides of “beautiful and ugly”; care does not cancel the harm.
Make support visible
Person
Coach.
Action
He stays with Junior in the hospital.
What it does
His presence gives Junior company while he is hurting.
Characters
What do their choices show?
Themes
What message is developing?
Change
What is different, and why?
Your evidence is building toward a bigger question
The rez calls Junior a traitor for leaving; Rowdy ends the book calling him a nomad. Which one is he, and what proves it?
Open the evidence ledger through Week 11 →Test an interpretation
Why does Junior call the gift both beautiful and ugly?
Compare with one possible explanation
The gift is beautiful because Dad saved five dollars for Junior. It is ugly because Dad spent the holiday drinking and broke Junior’s heart. Dad loves Junior, but his actions also hurt him.
Your notebook → your Aim Response
Build your response
Choose your evidence here. Write your sentences in your notebook.
Who supports him
Name the people your response will discuss.
How you know
Explain what their actions do for Junior.
Answer the whole question
___ and ___ support Junior; their actions show this by ___.
A starting shape, not the only way to write your answer. Replace the spaces with your own thinking.
Evidence 1 + your explanation
The exact quotation, its context, and its citation will appear here.
What it saysIn my own words, this means …
What it showsThis helps answer the question because …
Evidence 2 + your explanation
The exact quotation, its context, and its citation will appear here.
What it saysIn my own words, this means …
What it showsThis helps answer the question because …
Choose two different quotations. Then check that your writing explains every part of the aim.
Connect the two details
The first detail shows … . But / So / Because … . Together, these details help explain … .
Choose the connector that matches your reasoning: but contrasts, so gives a result, because gives a reason.
See the shape in a complete model
This model answers a related question. Notice where the quotes, explanations, words, and appositives go.
Identify people who join him
Junior describes Coach and teammates laughing with him during tryouts.
“And then Coach started laughing with me. And so did my teammates.” (Alexie 144)Read in the chapter
Can help with: Who supports him; How you know.
Notice support fitted to a need
Coach offers to keep Junior company in the hospital.
“Well, how about I stay and keep you company, then?” (Alexie 148)Read in the chapter
Can help with: Who supports him; How you know.
Notice the trust that grows
Junior reflects on the hospital night he spends talking with Coach.
“That night belongs to just me and my coach.” (Alexie 149)Read in the chapter
Can help with: Who supports him; How you know.
Hold care and harm together
Junior reflects on a Christmas gift from his father.
“It was a beautiful and ugly thing.” (Alexie 151)Read in the chapter
Can help with: Who supports him; How you know.
Notice quiet presence
Junior sees his parents and grandmother sleeping in chairs in the hospital.
“My mother and father and grandma were asleep in their chairs, but I was awake.” (Alexie 147)Read in the chapter
Can help with: Who supports him; How you know.
Keep the harm in view
Junior describes his father leaving with the family’s remaining money at Christmas.
“He took what little money we did have and ran away to get drunk.” (Alexie 150)Read in the chapter
Can help with: Who supports him; How you know.
Words of the day 2 points
Use one word from each of these 4 groups. Complete all 4 groups for the vocabulary points. Words separated by “or” are alternatives.
Meaning + one sentence example
contempt (noun) — A strong feeling that someone or something deserves little respect.
Turning their backs shows contempt for Junior, but other people’s actions show support.
Original writing example · More word help
Meaning + one sentence example
endeavor (noun) — A serious effort or attempt to accomplish something.
Playing for a new team is an endeavor that brings Junior both opportunity and conflict.
Original writing example · More word help
Meaning + one sentence example
optimistic (adjective) — Hopeful that something good can happen.
Coach’s presence gives Junior a reason to remain optimistic after being hurt.
Original writing example · More word help
Meaning + one sentence example
intimidate (verb) — To make someone afraid or less confident, often to control them.
A hostile crowd can be intimidating, which makes the support of people nearby matter.
Original writing example · More word help
An alternative from a listed root family fills the same group. Review words in a practice model do not replace this list. Connect each word to your point; a made-up event is not evidence.
Introduce two people or ideas 2 appositives · 2 points
The words between the commas give another name for the noun.
Coach, another name for this person or idea, …
See one that works
Coach, the adult leading Junior’s team, visits him in the hospital.
“the adult leading Junior’s team” and “Coach” name the same person or idea. Keep both commas; finish with your own point.
Junior’s family, another name for this person or idea, …
See one that works
Junior’s family, the people sitting beside him in the hospital, remain close while he is hurt.
“the people sitting beside him in the hospital” and “Junior’s family” name the same person or idea. Keep both commas; finish with your own point.
Check the response in your notebook
Point to the evidence in your own paragraph before checking a box.
These boxes are a self-check, not a grade. Development reflects how your argument builds and your growth as a writer. Checks stay in this browser.
More evidence and practice
Explore the evidence
Who stands with him?
Who responds to Junior’s rejection by being present or joining him?
How do their actions prove it?
What do supporters actually do, and what need does each action meet?
Go further: support can be imperfect
How can a person show care and still hurt Junior?
Identify people who join him
Junior describes Coach and teammates laughing with him during tryouts.
“And then Coach started laughing with me. And so did my teammates.” (Alexie 144)Read in the chapterCharacters
What this detail can show
Coach and the teammates join Junior’s laughter instead of joining the crowd against him. Their response gives him company during the rejection.
Notice support fitted to a need
Coach offers to keep Junior company in the hospital.
“Well, how about I stay and keep you company, then?” (Alexie 148)Read in the chapterCharacters
What this detail can show
After learning that Junior must stay awake for medical checks, Coach offers to stay. He changes his plan to meet Junior’s immediate need for company.
Notice the trust that grows
Junior reflects on the hospital night he spends talking with Coach.
“That night belongs to just me and my coach.” (Alexie 149)Read in the chapterChange
What this detail can show
Junior keeps the night’s stories private. His words suggest that their time together matters as a personal relationship beyond basketball.
Hold care and harm together
Junior reflects on a Christmas gift from his father.
“It was a beautiful and ugly thing.” (Alexie 151)Read in the chapterThemes
What this detail can show
Junior calls Dad’s gift beautiful and ugly at once. Saving money for him can show care while Dad’s drinking and absence still hurt him.
Notice quiet presence
Junior sees his parents and grandmother sleeping in chairs in the hospital.
“My mother and father and grandma were asleep in their chairs, but I was awake.” (Alexie 147)Read in the chapterCharacters
What this detail can show
Junior’s family is in the hospital too. Their presence broadens the answer beyond Coach, even though they are asleep during this conversation.
Keep the harm in view
Junior describes his father leaving with the family’s remaining money at Christmas.
“He took what little money we did have and ran away to get drunk.” (Alexie 150)Read in the chapterCharacters
What this detail can show
Dad takes scarce family money and leaves. His later gift cannot erase this action or make his support dependable.
Find more evidence in the chapter
- Chapter 20: Find the crowd turning its back and the moment when Junior, Coach, and the teammates laugh. Mark whose actions reject him and whose actions join him; keep the groups distinct.
Choose a second quote that adds something
You explained Coach’s hospital support. Which quote adds evidence that Junior’s family is present there too?
In your notebook: explain what your second quotation adds that the first one could not show alone.
Your evidence is building toward a bigger question
The rez calls Junior a traitor for leaving; Rowdy ends the book calling him a nomad. Which one is he, and what proves it?
Open the evidence ledger through Week 11 →Reading practice helps you prepare. Your Aim Response is the paragraph you write in your notebook. Check that paragraph against the rubric →
Check yourself
Complete the explanation
Use each choice once. These are practice sentences, not quotations.
When evaluating support, record what a person does as well as what the person says. Coach offers to keep Junior after learning he must stay awake. His choice turns encouragement into time spent meeting a need. Another scene presents a harder : Dad's absence hurts Junior, yet Dad saves a small for him. Calling it both beautiful and ugly holds and harm together. A useful explanation names the evidence for each side instead of declaring a person completely good or bad. That makes the claim more and keeps difficult details visible.
- Blank 1: Someone's presence so another person is not alone.
- Blank 2: A difference between two things placed beside each other.
- Blank 3: Something given to another person, here five dollars.
- Blank 4: Concern or affection for another person.
- Blank 5: Exact and careful rather than overly broad.
Trace Coach's response to Junior's needs
Drag the blocks or use the arrow buttons. Keyboard: focus a block and press Alt + ↑ / ↓.
- Coach plans to leave so Junior can sleep, but learns Junior must stay awake.
- Coach apologizes, and he and Junior discuss the importance of the game.
- Coach praises Junior's commitment after sharing a saying about excellence.
- Coach offers to remain, and the two share stories through the night.
- Coach enters the hospital room while Junior's family sleeps in chairs.
Take it into your writing
Choose one action by a person who supports Junior and explain in one sentence what need that action meets; include a chapter citation and avoid claiming the person is perfect.
Practice feedback is for you. These activities do not submit a grade.