WebQuest presented by Sarah Griffin and Shannon Hellem

Stotan!

By Chris Crutcher

Chris Crutcher Biography Chris Crutcher lives in Spokane, Washington. He was born to an Air

Force pilot and a homemaker in July, 1946 in Dayton, Ohio and grew up in Cascade, Idaho, a tiny logging community north of Boise. Living in the rural Pacific Northwest definitely influenced Crutcher's fiction. "Everyone was into sports because there was not much else to do," he has said. But the heart of his work --- human struggle and triumph --- is universal and draws largely on his work as an educator (he was a teacher and the director of an alternative school) and, currently, as a therapist and child protection advocate. Critically acclaimed as an author, Crutcher was named the 2000 recipient of the ALA's Margaret A. Edwards Award for his ongoing devotion to young adults. He received the National Intellectual Freedom Award, given by the National Council of Teachers of English, in 1998 and has been honored twice by the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents.

More on Chris

After nine books and nearly twenty years as a novelist, Chris Crutcher has done more than prove his ability to tell a strong story. He's earned a reputation for writing fiction with a factual base --- real-life stories that ring true for readers.

Why is the truth so important to Crutcher? "[Because] I grew up with a lot of really well-meaning people telling me a lot of lies that felt good at the time," Crutcher says, "but they ended up coming back to bite me in the ass. Too often, the adults in your life don't tell you the truth --- they don't tell you what the world is really like. So a lot of what I do when I write is describe the world as I see it, rather than how I might like it to be."

With twelve years as an educator and nearly two decades as a licensed therapist and child protection advocate under his belt, Crutcher's take on the truth can be unyielding and controversial. He has witnessed brutality --- abandonment, incest, torture, rape, suicide, murder --- and much of what sees eventually finds its way into his work.

But controversy, according to Crutcher, is a byproduct, not a goal. "I don't consciously look for those subjects," he says, "but I do write about the things about which I'm passionate. I work with people who have been savaged for who they are. If they're ever going to make it, they're going to have to learn how to stand up for themselves. That starts with telling the truth as you see it."

Book Summary The story takes place in the blustery, cold town of

Spokane Washington, the last place one would expect a swimming team to thrive. Of course they are not the average swimming team, being that there is only four teammates. Walker, Nortie, Lion, and Jeff are the four members of Robert Frost High School’s very own swim team. Also best friends and by the end of the novel brothers. Max Il Song, the coach—the Mr. Miyagi figure of the novel— posts the mysterious “Stotan Week” voluntary sign up. Though none of the boys knew what Stotan meant they took a chance and signed up anyways.

Summary continued…

The boys figure out the basic definition of Stotan: a cross between a Stoic and a Spartan. But the reality of Stotan would not be real in their minds until they were united in a way they thought unattainable. Becoming Stotans forever changed their lives in ways far beyond mere swimming workouts.

Related SitesNavigate through the hyperlinks to gather

information necessary for the quiz.

• The issue of suicide comes up in Stotan just as it does in our world today. • Leukaemia strikes a main characters body

and forces those who love him to cope.• Spousal abuse and child abuse are issues

characters are faced with in Stotan.• Blatant racism is strong throughout the

novel.

QuizAnswer three of the following questions in a

paragraph long answer.• Based on the information in the website,

why do you believe Nortie’s brother committed suicide? Why didn’t Nortie commit suicide?

• If your best friend was diagnosed with Leukaemia how would you handle the news? What resources could you use to help your friend?

Quiz continued…

• Based on your reading of the novel and the websites what are five psychological effects of abuse?

• Have you ever been a victim of any type of discrimination? How does racism effect our world today?

Rubric based on the six traitsTen points per answer for a total of 30pts. Click on the following link to see

descriptive rubric for the six traits.Ideas ___/2Organization ___/2Word Choice ___/2Voice ___/2Sentence Fluency ___/1Conventions ___/1

Total: ___/10

A True Stotan

• “…the Dragon is here and he seems to have come in the form of death. He’s ugly. And, guys, what you learned about yourselves during Stotan Week can help you here. The magic wasn’t in gritting your teeth and enduring the pain with no show of emotion. It was in letting go; accepting reality; what is, as they say. That’s the only way you’ll find strength to deal with this.”