Find a struggle her wisdom might address
Junior describes his grief after the deaths of Grandmother and Eugene. He is considering leaving Reardan.
“I blamed myself for all of the deaths.” (Alexie 173)Read in the chapter
This week’s aim
Why can Grandmother forgive the man who killed her, and how might Grandma’s wisdom be useful to Junior?
Start here · Read
Follow the daily plan below. Tuesday: Grandmother’s tolerance and forgiveness. Wednesday: connect her wisdom to Junior’s struggles. Use the packet organizers to collect evidence.
Read this week →Before you start
Grandmother asks her family to forgive the driver who kills her. Junior later faces more loss, blames himself, and struggles to stay at Reardan. What can her example offer him?
Words to think about
“My grandmother’s greatest gift was tolerance.”
How does Grandmother’s usual way of treating people explain her final request? Where could Junior use that wisdom?
This week’s class plan
- Monday · Nov. 9
- Discuss last week’s Aim: who has Junior’s back? Share a book page and explain your evidence. Then work in Lexile Lab / Freckle.
- Tuesday · Nov. 10
- Read the assigned selections from Chapters 22–23 (pages 152–168). Use Tuesday’s organizer to trace Grandmother’s tolerance and forgiveness. Complete Reading Coach.
- Wednesday · Nov. 11
- Read the assigned selections from Chapter 24, “Valentine Heart” (pages 169–178). Use Wednesday’s organizer to connect one struggle Junior faces with a lesson from Grandmother.
- Thursday · Nov. 12
- Reading Quiz. Then use the boxed planning map and your Week 11 feedback to prepare Friday’s response.
- Friday · Nov. 13
- Write the Aim Response. Explain why Grandmother can forgive, then use a specific scene to explain how her wisdom might help Junior.
Read with both parts of the Aim in mind
First understand Grandmother’s values. Then consider how a lesson from her could help Junior with a struggle in the story.
Open Reading Coach
The join code is posted on Google Classroom.
Tuesday · Chapters 22–23 · pp. 152–168
Grandmother’s values and choices
Read the assigned selections from “Red Versus White” and “Wake.” Notice how Grandmother treats people, why she asks for forgiveness, and how the community treats Junior while he grieves.
Begin Chapter 22 · Continue to Chapter 23
Use Tuesday’s packet organizer for the book reading.
Complete Reading Coach.
LOOK AT THE DRAWING · CHAPTER 23
A circle around grief
Why place a crying face inside a circle of people? What does the wake scene tell us about how the community treats Junior?
Printed page 159 · Read in context →
Words in the drawing
There are no words in this cartoon.
Connect it to the aim
People who had treated Junior as a traitor now make room for his grief. Consider how their care connects with Grandmother’s tolerance and what Junior might learn from it.
Wednesday · Chapter 24 · pp. 169–178
A lesson Junior could use
Read the assigned selections from “Valentine Heart.” Track Junior’s grief, self-blame, and relationships. Choose one moment where Grandmother’s wisdom might help him think or act differently.
Complete Wednesday’s packet organizer. Support your connection with words or actions from the story.
For Friday, choose evidence about both Grandmother and Junior. Explain how the two details connect.
Talk it through
Say your answer out loud first. You can try it with a partner.
Connect Grandmother’s wisdom to Junior’s life
Grandmother’s value
Name a value shown by her words or actions.
Junior’s struggle
Choose a specific moment from Chapters 22-24.
A possible use of her wisdom
Explain how that value might help him respond. Use evidence about both people.
Try saying: “I think ___ because the text says ___. This shows ___.”
LOOK AT THE DRAWING · CHAPTER 23
Two feelings can belong together
How can this drawing show two feelings at once? Where does Junior struggle to find joy in Chapter 24?
Printed page 166 · Read in context →
Words in the drawing
There are no words in this cartoon.
Connect it to the aim
The image offers a connection to living with grief. Grandmother valued people and experience; consider how Junior might keep those connections while still missing her.
Need another way to think about it?
From a highlight to your writing
Notice the words
“My grandmother’s last act on earth was a call for forgiveness, love, and tolerance.”
Margin note
She wants the driver forgiven even after his terrible harm. Junior connects that choice to the love she showed in life.
My notebook
Her last request continues her values → care can shape a response to terrible harm.
See note 12 beside the passage · Alexie 157
See the observation become sentences
- What it says
Junior says that Grandmother’s final request expresses forgiveness, love, and tolerance.
- What it helps explain
Her response fits the way she welcomed people while she was alive. The harm is real, but she asks her family to give up revenge.
Your turn: another detail
What is Junior blaming himself for? Explain one way Grandmother’s compassion might help him think about himself. Support the possible connection with the text.
Test a possible misreading
First thought: Grandmother’s wisdom means Junior should stop grieving and forgive everyone immediately.
Consider a way to keep living with grief
The classmates’ support gives Junior hope. He begins listing people and other things that have brought him joy.
“And I kept trying to find the little pieces of joy in my life.” (Alexie 176)Read in the chapter
Look again: Junior keeps trying to find small pieces of joy; the loss has not disappeared. Explain a possible way her values could help him carry grief, rather than claiming her wisdom removes it or makes every choice easy.
Your notebook → your Aim Response
Build your response
Choose your evidence here. Write your sentences in your notebook.
What does my answer need to cover?
Why she forgives
Connect her final wish to a lasting quality or value.
How her wisdom could help Junior
Name a specific struggle Junior faces. Explain how one of Grandmother’s values might help him respond.
Write your answer
Grandmother can forgive because ___. Her wisdom could help Junior when ___ by ___.
A starting shape, not the only way to write your answer. Replace the spaces with your own thinking.
Pick quote 1. Explain it.
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 …
Pick quote 2. Explain it.
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.
Name her usual value
Junior identifies a quality he valued in Grandmother.
“My grandmother’s greatest gift was tolerance.” (Alexie 155)Read in the chapter
Can help with: Why she forgives.
Connect a choice to a pattern
Junior remembers Grandmother’s way of caring for people.
“Everybody loved her; she loved everybody.” (Alexie 156)Read in the chapter
Can help with: Why she forgives.
Explain her last choice
Junior interprets Grandmother’s final request.
“My grandmother’s last act on earth was a call for forgiveness, love, and tolerance.” (Alexie 157)Read in the chapter
Can help with: Why she forgives.
Find a struggle her wisdom might address
Junior describes his grief after the deaths of Grandmother and Eugene. He is considering leaving Reardan.
“I blamed myself for all of the deaths.” (Alexie 173)Read in the chapter
Can help with: How her wisdom could help Junior.
Notice care from someone new
After Mrs. Jeremy mocks Junior’s absences, Gordy drops his textbook in protest and the classmates join him.
“Gordy showed a lot of courage in standing up to a teacher like that.” (Alexie 175)Read in the chapter
Can help with: How her wisdom could help Junior.
Consider a way to keep living with grief
The classmates’ support gives Junior hope. He begins listing people and other things that have brought him joy.
“And I kept trying to find the little pieces of joy in my life.” (Alexie 176)Read in the chapter
Can help with: How her wisdom could help Junior.
Keep the whole aim in view. Explain both Grandmother’s forgiveness and a possible use of her wisdom in Junior’s life. Pair evidence about her values with a specific struggle he faces.
DRAWING → EXPLANATION
Use a visual detail in your explanation.
- A circle around grief · page 159
Connect the circle around the crying face with one action at the wake. How might Grandmother’s openness help Junior recognize the care people offer him?
- Two feelings can belong together · page 166
Use this image as a possible supporting detail. Then explain how a specific part of Grandmother’s wisdom might help Junior with a moment in Chapter 24.
Add the assigned words
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
tolerance (noun) — Willingness to accept people whose lives or views differ from your own.
Grandmother’s tolerance is a habit of making room for other people.
Original writing example · More word help
Meaning + one sentence example
anthropologist (noun) — A person who studies human communities, cultures, and ways of life.
An anthropologist studies human societies and cultures; careful inquiry requires listening to people who know the life being discussed.
Original writing example · More word help
Meaning + one sentence example
grief (noun) — Deep sadness after a death or another serious loss.
Junior’s grief is real even when he finds moments of joy and support.
Original writing example · More word help
Meaning + one sentence example
eccentricity (noun) — A way of acting that is unusual or different from what people expect.
Grandmother welcomes eccentricity instead of rejecting people for being different.
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.
Add two appositives
Introduce two people or ideas 2 appositives · 2 points
The words between the commas give another name for the noun.
Grandmother, another name for this person or idea, …
See one that works
Grandmother, a person Junior remembers for her tolerance, asks for forgiveness.
“a person Junior remembers for her tolerance” and “Grandmother” name the same person or idea. Keep both commas; finish with your own point.
Gordy, another name for this person or idea, …
See one that works
Gordy, Junior’s friend at Reardan, stands up for him when he is grieving.
“Junior’s friend at Reardan” and “Gordy” name the same person or idea. Keep both commas; finish with your own point.
See more evidence
Explore the evidence
Why she forgives
How do Grandmother’s earlier words and actions help explain her last request?
How her wisdom could help Junior
Which of Grandmother’s values might help Junior face a real struggle in these chapters?
Name her usual value
Junior identifies a quality he valued in Grandmother.
“My grandmother’s greatest gift was tolerance.” (Alexie 155)Read in the chapterCharacters
What this detail can show
Tolerance means making room for people who are different. Junior presents it as a lasting quality, so her final request is not a sudden change of character.
Connect a choice to a pattern
Junior remembers Grandmother’s way of caring for people.
“Everybody loved her; she loved everybody.” (Alexie 156)Read in the chapterCharacters
What this detail can show
The repeated word “everybody” makes her care sound wide and open. Compare that habit with her final request for forgiveness.
Explain her last choice
Junior interprets Grandmother’s final request.
“My grandmother’s last act on earth was a call for forgiveness, love, and tolerance.” (Alexie 157)Read in the chapterCharacters
What this detail can show
Junior connects her last request to three values. This tells us how he understands her choice; it does not excuse the driver’s harm.
Find a struggle her wisdom might address
Junior describes his grief after the deaths of Grandmother and Eugene. He is considering leaving Reardan.
“I blamed myself for all of the deaths.” (Alexie 173)Read in the chapterCharacters
What this detail can show
Junior turns his grief into blame against himself. Feeling guilty does not prove he caused the deaths. Consider how Grandmother’s compassion might help him judge himself more fairly.
Notice care from someone new
After Mrs. Jeremy mocks Junior’s absences, Gordy drops his textbook in protest and the classmates join him.
“Gordy showed a lot of courage in standing up to a teacher like that.” (Alexie 175)Read in the chapterCharacters
What this detail can show
Gordy stands up for Junior when Junior feels too hurt to defend himself. Grandmother encouraged Junior to meet new people. This action gives him a reason to stay open to those relationships.
Consider a way to keep living with grief
The classmates’ support gives Junior hope. He begins listing people and other things that have brought him joy.
“And I kept trying to find the little pieces of joy in my life.” (Alexie 176)Read in the chapterThemes
What this detail can show
Junior looks for joy while his losses still hurt. His lists include people who care for him. Consider how Grandmother’s love for people could guide what he notices and chooses.
Find more evidence in the chapter
- Chapter 22: Find how Grandmother responds to Junior’s choice of Reardan. What does she value about meeting people?
- Chapter 24: Find a moment of grief, self-blame, support, or joy. Which of Grandmother’s values could help Junior in that situation? Explain the link.
Choose a second quote that adds something
After explaining Grandmother’s tolerance, which quotation best identifies a problem that her compassion might help Junior face?
In your notebook: explain what your second quotation adds that the first one could not show alone.
Check your paragraph
10 points total · 2 points in each area
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.
Your paragraph goes in your notebook. Follow your teacher’s directions for turning it in. Nothing on this page submits your work.
Extra reading practice
Check yourself
Complete the explanation
Use each choice once. These are practice sentences, not quotations.
Grandmother’s greatest gift is : she makes room for people who are different. Her final request asks her family to the driver who killed her. Junior later struggles with and blames himself for the deaths. When a teacher mocks his absences, Gordy shows by standing up for him. Junior then searches for small pieces of . These moments let us consider how Grandmother’s values might help Junior live with loss and accept care.
- Blank 1: Making room for people and differences.
- Blank 2: Give up revenge against someone who caused harm.
- Blank 3: Deep sorrow after a loss.
- Blank 4: Strength to act even when it is difficult.
- Blank 5: A feeling of happiness that can exist alongside sadness.
Track Junior’s response to grief
Drag the blocks or use the arrow buttons. Keyboard: focus a block and press Alt + ↑ / ↓.
- Mrs. Jeremy mocks his absences in front of the class.
- Junior feels some hope and starts looking for small pieces of joy.
- Junior blames himself for the deaths and thinks about leaving Reardan.
- Gordy drops his textbook in protest.
- Other classmates join Gordy and walk out.
Take it into your writing
In your notebook, pair one detail showing Grandmother’s values with one detail showing Junior’s struggle. Explain why she can forgive and how one of those values might help him.
Practice feedback is for you. These activities do not submit a grade.