Hope


 * //Pursuing Hope in the Classroom://** Summaries and Literacy Connections -Kelly Brown


 * Death Be Not Proud **** (Gunther, John. Death Be Not Proud. New York: HarperPerennial, 1998. Print) **
 * Summary**: “Johnny Gunther was only seventeen years old when he died of a brain tumor. During the months of his illness, everyone near him was unforgettably impressed by his level-headed courage, his wit and quiet friendliness, and, above all, his unfaltering patience through times of despair. This deeply moving book is a father’s memoir of a brave, intelligent, and spirited boy.” (Book Jacket)
 * Connections:** Connects to the __Deadline__ (includes a terminal illness)


 * Serenity **** (Kwon, Min, and Alana Yuen. “Choosing Change”: Includes 2 Stories-Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2007. Print) **
 * Summary:** “Serenity decides that the best way to make Derek jealous is by dating other guys. But the date she arranges forces her to decide what she really wants in a relationship.” (Book Jacket)…Serenity and her date are forced to make difficult decisions. The support of others and their faith in God and hope to live a pure life provides them with a sense of direction.
 * Connections:** Connects to __Miracle on the 17th Green__ (we are in charge of our own life choices and we do have a say in our future)


 * Deadline **** (Crutcher, Chris. //Deadline// New York: Greenwillow, 2007. Print) **
 * Summary:** “Ben Wolf has big things planned for his senior year. //Had// big things planned. Now what he has is some very bad news and only one year left to make his mark on the world…First, Ben makes sure that no one else knows what is going on…he decides to become the best 123-pound football player Trout High has ever seen; to give his close-minded civics teacher a daily migraine; and to help the local drunk clean up his act. ..And then there’s Dallas Suzuki…Really, she’s the first on the list.” (Book Jacket)
 * Connections:** Connects to __Death Be Not Proud__ (Ben Wolf’s attitude is similar to that of Johnny Gunther’s)


 * Miracle on the 17th Green **** (Patterson, James, and Jonge Peter. De. //Miracle on the 17th Green: a Novel// Boston: Little, Brown and, 1996. Print) **
 * Summary:** “Travis McKinley is an ordinary man living an ordinary life—he has a job that he despises, a marriage that has lost its passion, children from whom he feels disconnected, and at the age of fifty, a sense that he has accomplished nothing of consequence with his life. But on Christmas Day, he goes out to play a round of golf, and for the first time, he finds himself in the “zone”.” (Book Jacket) Golf will change his life, his marriage, and his family forever.
 * Connections:** Connects to __To Kill a Mockingbird__ (Unpopular actions change lives; Atticus’s defense and McKinley signing up for the Senior PGA Tour)


 * To Kill a Mockingbird **** (Lee, Harper. //To Kill a Mockingbird//. New York, NY: Harper, 2010. Print) **
 * Summary:** “The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, //To Kill A Mockingbird// became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960…this book takes readers to the roots of human behavior—to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos.” (Book Jacket, 50th Anniversary Edition)
 * Connections:** Connects to __Serenity__ (The role of conscious; to see people as more than a particular race or an object of lust)

**//Pursuing Hope in the Classroom://** Classroom Activities for YA Novels and Other Works – Kelly Brown


 * __MEMOIR__**
 * ** Death Be Not Proud ** (Gunther, John. Death Be Not Proud. New York: HarperPerennial, 1998. Print.)
 * Write a letter to Johnny from the perspective of a teacher, friend, or parent. What would you say to help him remain positive?
 * Write a eulogy that would be read at Johnny’s funeral.
 * __GRAPHIC__** **__NOVEL__**
 * ** Serenity “Choosing Change” ** (Kwon, Min, and Alana Yuen. //"Choosing Change": Includes 2 Stories//. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2007. Print)
 * What panel relates the most to you? Redraw this panel as it relates to your life.
 * ** Chuck ** (Johnson, Peter, Zev Borow, Jeremy Haun, and Phil Noto. Chuck. La Jolla, CA: Wildstorm Productions, 2009. Print.)
 * Create a series of panels that relate to a time in your life where you had to place hope in others. Depict the climbing action and the resolution. How this problem played out should be evident in your graphics.
 * __YOUNG ADULT NOVEL__**
 * ** Miracle on the 17th Green ** ( Patterson, James, and Jonge Peter. De. //Miracle on the 17th Green: a Novel//. Boston: Little, Brown and, 1996. Print.)
 * Create your own mock interview with Travis McKinley. You can film this by role playing with other members of the class or you can simply write a script. What answers will McKinley provide to your questions now that he is a changed man?
 * ** Deadline ** (Crutcher, Chris. //Deadline//. New York: Greenwillow, 2007. Print.)
 * Ben Wolf creates a song list on his IPod. A featured song is “//Too Old to Die Young”.// Add to Ben’s playlist by making a list of your own songs that relate to this book.
 * Create your own book trailer that highlights the storyline without giving too much away. What would you say to promote Crutcher and his book?
 * __CLASSIC__**
 * ** To Kill A Mockingbird ** (Lee, Harper. //To Kill a Mockingbird//. New York, NY: Harper, 2010. Print)
 * Conduct a Socratic Circle with your class. Discussions regarding race, misconceptions, and judgment are sure to generate from this book.
 * Compare Scout and Jem’s defense of Boo to Ben’s defense of Malcom X. What is the purpose behind their defenses? What do they teach the reader about the towns they live in? Or visually represent this.
 * ** The Giver ** (Lowry, Lois. //The Giver//. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993. Print.)
 * Each group creates a timeline for their chapter. The class will bring the timelines together to form a whole. Discuss what themes are continuous throughout the book, what would change down the line if an event did not take place, and what resolutions (if any) are made.
 * __MULTI-CULTURAL__**
 * ** The Death of Ivan Ilych- Tolstoy (Russia) ** (Tolstoy, Leo. //The Death of Ivan Ilych, and Other Stories.// [New York]: New American Library, 1960. Print.)
 * Apply Marxist criticism to this work. How does Tolstoy discuss class structure? Make a visual representation of this hierarchy. Include words that he uses to describe each class.
 * ** “On Wings of Song”- Heine (Germany) ** ("Heinrich Heine (1799-1856). On Wings of Song. Margarete Munsterberg, Ed., Trans. 1916. A Harvest of German Verse." //Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More//. Web. 26 Oct. 2011.)
 * Heine writes about wanting to transport his love to a place where they can “drink of love and peace/And dream our sacred dreams.” Create a path that shows how you will get to your ultimate goals. This can be done using a traditional poster or you can create a glog on [|www.glogster.com] that can be shared with the class.
 * __PICTURE BOOK__**
 * ** Remember the Butterflies ** (Hines, Anna Grossnickle. //Remember the Butterflies//. New York: Dutton Children's, 1991. Print.)
 * Create your own picture book based off of a theme in this book. (What do you want to teach others while you still have the chance?)
 * __POETRY__**
 * ** “When Lilacs Last in Dooryard Bloom’d”- Whitman ** ("192. When Lilacs Last in the Door-yard Bloom’d. Whitman, Walt. 1900. Leaves of Grass." //Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More//. Web. 26 Oct. 2011.)
 * This poem talks about Whitman’s wish for the North and the South after Lincoln’s death. Write a poem that explores the wishes and hopes you have for your country now.
 * ** “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” –Eliot ** ("1. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. T.S. Eliot. 1920. Prufrock and Other Observations." //Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More//. Web. 26 Oct. 2011.)
 * Who in your life was able to deliver you a much-need life lesson? Write them a thank you letter.
 * Create a make-over character profile for Prufrock. What would his life look like prior to following his advice? What would it look like after he followed this advice? You can use a Facebook profile as an example or create your own.


 * GLOGSTER LINK for Chris Crutcher's __Deadline:__**** []