SMALL STEPS

CharactersArmpit

After spending time at camp Green Lake Juvenile Correctional Facility for getting into a fight at a movie theatre, Armpit, whose real name is Theodore, takes the advice of a counsellor and makes a conscious effort to turn his life around.

X-Ray

Like Armpit, X-Ray has served time at camp Green Lake. He has a talent for “verbal persuasion” and reenters Armpit’s life with an illegal moneymaking scheme that temporarily pulls Armpit off course.

Kaira Deleon

Kaira is a spoiled teen pop sensation, who is blind to the corruption of her team, managed by her stepfather, El Genius. Off stage she is often lonely staying in hotel suites and rarely meets the public.

Ginny

Ginny is a 10 year old girl with cerebal palsy who lives with her single mother in a duplex apartment next door to Armpit..

Cherry Lane

Ms Lane is the Major of Austin, Texas, who is briefly introduced to Armpit when he is working in her yard for the Raintree Irrigation and Landscaping Company. She recognises him at the Kaira DeLeon concert and comes to his defence.

You will be completing a series of activities as we read the text. Be creative in your presentation. You will select your best work to burn on your compilation CD. Make sure you save all work in a folder named “SMALL STEPS’ under your English folder.

Chapters 1 & 2

Achievement X-ray’s business proposal.

Armpit feels that the way to turn his life around is to set goals. Why did he set these goals?

1. Graduate High School

2. Get a job

3. Save money

4. Avoid violent situations

5. Lose the name Armpit

Explain the metaphor “his life would be like walking upstream in a rushing river.” (pg. 4)

Draw up 2 columns. What are the “Pro’s &

Con’s” of X-ray’s business proposal.?

Do the maths.

Pro Con

Chapters 1 & 2

Making a Connection Relationship Map

Who would be the present day Kaira DeLeon?

Do a relationship map for the people in the story – like a family tree!

On the connecting lines say what the connection is.

Aileen Armpit

Cathy Spears El Genius

Fred (Doofus) Ginny

Jack Dunlevy John Spears

Kaira DeLeon Polly

Tatiana Xray

Chapters 1 & 2

Kaira Deleon Tour Using the map of the USA,

map Kaira DeLeon Tour. Design a poster/billboard

advertising her tour .

You will need to find a suitable pic of a singer that could stand in for Kaira.

Decide on what information needs to go on a tour promotion poster.

Chapter 3

Austin, Texas

You are the tour travel coordinator.

Find out what Austin, Texas, is like. What sort of city is it? What will you find? Use your five senses to describe it.

Provide a profile of what to expect in this city. The good, bad & the ugly.

Chapter 3

Research Report What if.......

Ginny has Cerebral palsy. Find out about Cerebral Palsy .

www.cerebralpalsyinfo.org

Use the template on the following link & write a report.

Write a paragraph discussing.....

What if you were drug tested daily by

your parents? Pg. 24-25

How would you react? If you were in Armpit’s shoes,

how would you react? What words made you feel that? What words made mum & dad

react? Collect evidence.

The Craft of Writing

Novels are narratives about people and are usually told from one main

point of view. Who is telling the story? ……………………………………………

Which point of view is it? First, second or third

Find evidence from the book to support this. ……………………………………………………………………………

Why do you think the author has chosen to write it from this point of view?……………………………………………………………………………

How do we know how the character feels or sees things?…………………………………………………………………………

How does the author shift from Armpit to Kaira etc?…………………………………………………………………………

Chapter 4

Kaira On Tour

How is Kaira feeling about the tour? (the emotions on the right might be helpful!)

What evidence can you find.

apprehension disgust

excitement fear

sadness happiness

rage distress

shame pride

panic anger

anticipationenthusiasm

elation horror

sadness despair

hate hope

love terror

anxiety contempt

guilt sorrow

Chapters 3-5 QAR

Question type

Characteristics

Right –There The answers to these questions can be found right in the book. These are the Who? What? Where? and Why? type questions.What is the name of the company Armpit works for in the book?

Think-and-Search

These answers are also in the book, but the reader needs to be more thoughtful. The answer might be spread over several paragraphs/pages.Why doesn’t Armpit like to be called by his nickname?

QAR continuedQuestion type

Characteristics

Author-and-Me

Here you have to combine information from the book as well as from your own knowledge.Why do you think that Armpit was nervous about agreeing to spend his savings to purchase the concert tickets? What do you think could of gone wrong?

On-My-Own Here you have to think beyond the content of the book and relate it to your own life.Why is it that people who are considered by the mainstream population to be different are often ridiculed and mistreated? Has this ever happened to you or someone you know? Describe the incident or incidents?

Chapter 7

Characterisation Choose a character –

Armpit/Xray. Visualise what you think

they looks like. Choose 6 traits, both positive & negative to describe him.

Find evidence to support your characterisation of him.

Use the paragraph guide to write a characterisation of your character.

Draw your character/find a pic.

Chapters 9

Ruler of the World Choose a soft toy/animal for

your ruler of the world speech. What traits does your animal

have that would make it a good ruler of the world?

Find evidence to support your characterisation of your animal.

Use the paragraph guide to write a campaign speech for your animal. Remember you want your animal to be elected “ruler of the world”.

Draw your character/find a pic and come up with a slogan.

Chapters 10

What’s your opinion........

All these people have an opinion of

the Kaira De Leon tour......The Band membersBack Up singersKairakaira’s motherHer fans

What might that opinion be?

Choose the appropriate text type for the expression and write a piece that that demonstrates that opinion.

Example. Band – conversation they

would have with their tour manager Kaira – a diary entry Her mother – conversation

with her tour manager, Aileen Fans – letter to a

magazine/blog on the tour

Find a song that you think might sound like a Kaira De Leon song.

Chapter 14

Prediction ! Predict how Ginny

is going to be at her first concert?

What fears might you have if you were Armpit? Why? (page 95)

Different views How does Ginny’s

mother see Armpit?

How does Armpit’s mother see him?

Compare and contrast.

CHAPTER 16

“Growing Up Black in America”

Chapter 16 gives us some insight into what it is like growing up as a “black American”.

Compare what it is like growing up being Armpit (Afro-American) and Cherry lane’s son