Whale Talkby Chris Crutcher is not your typical sports book. T.J. is as athletic as they come, but he wants nothing to do with organized, high school sports. And at Cutter High School, that's almost a crime. After some encouragement from his English teacher, and a little motivation of his own, T.J. pulls together a new boys' swim team made up of a spectrum of misfits. This novel tells of their journey in the water and out, painting a portrait of true heroism.
This novel is a bit different than the others. You will need to track T.J.'s relationships with multiple adults and the part each of them play in his growth.
Add to these questions at the end of EACH section:
(G) Describe T.J. Include both physical and personality traits. Discuss the changes that take place in his character throughout the story and how those changes develop. Some of your thoughts may center around events that happened before T.J.'s senior year. (We should see this answer develop and change as you read the novel.)
(G) Describe Mr. Simet. Include both physical and personality traits. Discuss the traits that you believe are most important to his influence over T.J. Does he have much influence over him? (We should see this answer develop and change as you read the novel.)
(G) Describe Georgia. Include both physical and personality traits. Discuss the traits that you believe are most important to his influence over T.J. Does she have much influence over him? (We should see this answer develop and change as you read the novel.)
(G) Describe T.J.'s dad. Include both physical and personality traits. Discuss the traits that you believe are most important to his influence over T.J. Does he have much influence over him? (We should see this answer develop and change as you read the novel.)
(G) How do the relationships between T.J. and each of these adults develop? Be Specific.
Section One:
(G) What is T.J.'s state at the beginning of the novel? Give some background about his life/circumstances. (This will be your base to see how much he changes.)
(G) Summarize the first meeting between T.J. and Mr.Simet (Chapter 3). What are the circumstances? What are T.J.'s first impressions of his future teacher and coach?
(I) Predict how you think their relationship will develop based on this meeting.
(G) Are there any other characters that influence T.J.? How?
Section Two:
(G) What are the adult's expectations for T.J.? How do they help T.J. achieve their expectations and his own goals? Be specific.
(I) How would you respond to their's expectations? Do they seem reasonable to you?
(G) What is most important to T.J.? Explain.
Section Three:
(G) Do T.J. and Mr.Simet have a relationship outside of class? Does it matter?
(G) Do we see a change in T.J. in this section? What about other characters?
(I) Choose a quote/paragraph that has been most stirring for you thus far (Sections 1-3). What impression did it leave?
Section Four:
(G) What is the most important event or decision that leads to T.J.'s growth in the novel? Why? Would this event or decision be different if any of the three adults had not influenced T.J.?
(G) There is a second, unintentional mentorship that develops in the novel. Who is involved? How does this relationship impact each person involved?
(I) What is your response to the resolution? Is it believable?
Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher is not your typical sports book. T.J. is as athletic as they come, but he wants nothing to do with organized, high school sports. And at Cutter High School, that's almost a crime. After some encouragement from his English teacher, and a little motivation of his own, T.J. pulls together a new boys' swim team made up of a spectrum of misfits. This novel tells of their journey in the water and out, painting a portrait of true heroism.
Instructions
This novel is a bit different than the others. You will need to track T.J.'s relationships with multiple adults and the part each of them play in his growth.
Add to these questions at the end of EACH section:
(G) Describe T.J. Include both physical and personality traits. Discuss the changes that take place in his character throughout the story and how those changes develop. Some of your thoughts may center around events that happened before T.J.'s senior year. (We should see this answer develop and change as you read the novel.)
(G) Describe Mr. Simet. Include both physical and personality traits. Discuss the traits that you believe are most important to his influence over T.J. Does he have much influence over him? (We should see this answer develop and change as you read the novel.)
(G) Describe Georgia. Include both physical and personality traits. Discuss the traits that you believe are most important to his influence over T.J. Does she have much influence over him? (We should see this answer develop and change as you read the novel.)
(G) Describe T.J.'s dad. Include both physical and personality traits. Discuss the traits that you believe are most important to his influence over T.J. Does he have much influence over him? (We should see this answer develop and change as you read the novel.)
(G) How do the relationships between T.J. and each of these adults develop? Be Specific.
Section One:
(G) What is T.J.'s state at the beginning of the novel? Give some background about his life/circumstances. (This will be your base to see how much he changes.)
(G) Summarize the first meeting between T.J. and Mr.Simet (Chapter 3). What are the circumstances? What are T.J.'s first impressions of his future teacher and coach?
(I) Predict how you think their relationship will develop based on this meeting.
(G) Are there any other characters that influence T.J.? How?
Section Two:
(G) What are the adult's expectations for T.J.? How do they help T.J. achieve their expectations and his own goals? Be specific.
(I) How would you respond to their's expectations? Do they seem reasonable to you?
(G) What is most important to T.J.? Explain.
Section Three:
(G) Do T.J. and Mr.Simet have a relationship outside of class? Does it matter?
(G) Do we see a change in T.J. in this section? What about other characters?
(I) Choose a quote/paragraph that has been most stirring for you thus far (Sections 1-3). What impression did it leave?
Section Four:
(G) What is the most important event or decision that leads to T.J.'s growth in the novel? Why? Would this event or decision be different if any of the three adults had not influenced T.J.?
(G) There is a second, unintentional mentorship that develops in the novel. Who is involved? How does this relationship impact each person involved?
(I) What is your response to the resolution? Is it believable?
(I) What will you remember most about this novel?