Character Sketcher
Your job is to identify and sketch one of the following characters:  Joey, Mom, Dad, Grandma, or Pablo.  Make sure to identify actions (traits), explain traits, identify the problem and solution in the reading, and complete a sketch or illustration of the character.

Discussion Director
Your job is to ask 6 questions, the answers to your questions, and the page and paragraph where the answers are found (if possible).  Ask good thinking questions!  Ask the following:

1 Setting
1 Prediction
1 MCEOG
1 Cause/Effect
1 Problem/Solution
1 "Thinking" Question on your own

Passage Picker
Your job is to pick 4 passages that exhibit the following:

2 Simile
1 Humorous
1 Melancholy/Sad
 

Word Wizard
Your job is to complete your role sheet for the following roles:

Chihuahua   p. 4   par. 2
Berserk        p. 13 par. 1
Amputated p. 13 par. 1
Porridge p. 29 par. 2
 

Summarizer
Your job is to briefly summarize today's reading.  Make sure to include the important main ideas and characters in this section.
 

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Discussion Director
Joey Pigza Loses Control Pgs. 1-33

1.  Where was Joey going to spend six-weeks of summer?  Why was he going to spend
      this time there?
 Joey was going to spend time with his father for the summer.  His mom and dad
 were no longer together and his dad decided he wanted Joey to spend time with
 him over the summer.

2.  After reading that Joey’s mom had mixed feelings about letting Joey spend time with
his father on page 7, and the way his father is described on page 3, what do you predict Joey’s father will be like?  How will he act towards Joey?
 After reading about Joey’s father, I predict he will be nice to Joey at first
 because he wants to make him feel like he is sorry for not being around
 but then I believe he may be mean to Joey or just not treat him like a son.

3.  What happened when Joey was left alone and was in the attic on page 13?  What
      was Joey’s excuse to his mother for his actions?
 Joey found darts in the attic and was bored so he began throwing them.  Joey
 thought it would be fun to spin and get dizzy and then throw the darts.  When
 he threw the darts after spinning, he hit Pablo, his dog, in the ear with a dart.
 Joey explained to his mom that he was aiming for a moose, and then he told
 her that his patch was wearing off.  He did not want to take responsibility for
 his actions.

4.   Why did Joey wear a patch?  What did this patch do for Joey?
 Joey wore a patch as medication to help him focus and control his behavior.  Joey
 had ADHD and his medication (patch) helped him keep control over himself.

5.  Where did Joey’s father want to take him so soon after Joey got to his house?  Why?
      What character reminded Joey’s father of himself and why?
 Joey’s father wanted to take him to Storybook Land.  He wanted Joey to see his
 favorite place.  Humpty Dumpty was the character that most reminded his father
 of himself because he was nothing more than a “teary-eyed busted-up egg” like
 Humpty Dumpty, and he wanted to make himself a better person and not be like
 Humpty Dumpty.

6.  Have you ever felt like Joey did when he felt like his dad stopped listening to him?
     How did you feel about this?
 I have felt like my parents do not always listen to me when I talk to them.
 Sometimes I just want to tell them, “Hey, I need to talk to you, will you listen?”
 I do not think they do this on purpose, but it makes me angry when they do this.

7.  All of the following describe Joey’s father except which one?

a) talks all the time
b) listens to Joey
c) loves Storybook Land
d) wants to make up to Joey for leaving him

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1.  Page 5 Paragraph 7

2.  First two words:  “Just turn” Second two words:  “the radio”

3.  The passage I chose is a great example of a simile.

4.  The simile is Pablo flipped over onto his hind legs like he was doing a wheelie then
     opened his mouth and did what I said he’d do all over the front of the radio.
     It is a simile because it compares Pablo's doing a flip to a wheelie.

5.  Have you ever been carsick?  If so, describe your experience and how you dealt with
     this experience.

I have never been carsick, but I have been around people who have been carsick
 And I know they did not feel well.  They did not feel like being in the car and was ready to get to where they were going.

6.  This passage adds humor to the story by describing what happened to Pablo when
      Joey’s mom hit the hole in the car.  This passage describes how sometimes parents
      should listen to their children!
 

1.  Page 14 Paragraph  4

2.  First two words:  “No more”
     Second two words:  “a hole”

3.  The passage I chose is a great example of a humorous passage.

4.  This passage is humorous because even after Joey knew he had done something bad
by hitting Pablo with a dart, he still asked his mother if he could have one of her hoop earrings since she would not let him pierce his ear.

5.  Why do you think it is so hard for Joey to keep from getting in trouble?  Describe a
      time you got in trouble because you could not find anything to do.

It was so hard for Joey to keep from getting in trouble because he was bored and he could not find anything to do.
He messed around and could not keep from getting in trouble.  I have gotten in trouble many times when me and my brothers
were bored.  We would always get into things we were not supposed to when we
didn’t have anything to do.

6.  I think this passage adds humor to the story and helps children understand what can
     happen when they are bored.  They seem to get in more trouble when they are bored
     than when they have someone or something to play with.  I think humor helps make
     this story relate to children in a positive way by taking events that happen to them and
     making them humorous.

1.  Page 19 Paragraph 1

2.  First Words:  "I reached"
     Second Words:  "drove off"

3.  The passage I chose is another great example of a simile.

4.  The simile is Then she turned, stiffly marched like a windup toy soldier toward the
     car, got in, and drove off.
     It is a simile because it compares Joey's mother to a windup toy soldier.

5.  What does the author mean when he compares Joey's mom to a windup toy soldier?
      How do you think Joey's mom felt when she had to leave Joey?
 The author meant that as Joey's mom was walking back to the car, she walked
 straight up and stiff and marched to the car.  I think his mom was worried and sad
 when she had to leave Joey.  I think she wanted to leave him, but she also wanted
 him to come with her.

6.  The author includes many similes throughout the book.  I think this figurative
     language helps children picture a particular event in their minds, as well as, make
     the story more fun to read when things are being compared to other objects.
 

1.  Page 22 Paragraph 2

2.  First Words:  "Grandma clamped"
     Second Words:  "the horse"

3.  This passage is a sad type of passage.

4.  This passage is sad to me because I feel sorry for a child who has to be around
     someone who talks about their mother/father right in front of them.  That child
     has already been through enough and does not need to have to listen to someone
     put down or talk about their mother/father.

5.  Have you ever been around someone who talks about someone you love?  How did
     this make you feel?
 I have been around many people who talk about someone I love.  I hate
 to hear this because I do not like for people to put other people down or talk
 about other people in any way.  I have heard my dad be mad at my mom and
 my mom be mad at my dad and talk to me about each other.  I felt like I was
 caught in the middle.  I do not like to be in this position and when put in it, I
 nicely ask them to quit.

6.  This passage adds to the story because it allows the reader to understand Joey's
     situation between his mother and father.

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1.  Chihuahua  Page 4 Paragraph 2

2.  But then Pablo, my Chihuahua, started yapping nonstop.

3.  Chihuahua- noun- a type of dog

4.  Chihuahua-  a breed of very small dog with large pointed ears.

5.  This word adds meaning to the story because it describes what type of dog Joey
     owns.  This dog, Pablo, is very special to Joey and knowing what a Chihuahua is will
     help students draw a mental picture of what a Chihuahua is.
 
 
 

p. 4  par. 2
 

Chihuahua

Chihuahua- a breed of a very small dog with large pointed ears.
 
 

1.  berserk  Page 13 Paragraph 1

2.  He went berserk, and I got worried the hole might get infected and he would have to
     have his ear amputated and go to his own special-ed for disabled dogs, so I wrapped
     him up and carried him down to the hair salon to get Mom's opinion on if we should
     take Pablo to the vet or just put one of my old patches on him.

3.  berserk- adj.- crazy

4.  berserk- into a violent rage

5.  This word describes what happened to Pablo when Joey hit him with a dart.  It
     describes for the reader how Pablo felt and what his reaction was to the dart.
 
 

1.  amputated  Page 13  Paragraph 1

2.  He went berserk, and I got worried the hole might get infected and he would have to
     have his ear amputated and go to his own special-ed for disabled dogs, so I wrapped
     him up and carried him down to the hair salon to get Mom's opinion on if we should
     take Pablo to the vet or just put one of my old patches on him.

3.  amputated- verb- cut off

4.  amputated- to cut off

5.  This word is used to describe Pablo's condition after Joey hits his ear with a dart.  Joey
     was worried Pablo would have to get his ear amputated (cut off) due to his injury.
 

1.  Porridge Page 29 Paragraph 2

2.  We can learn so much about each other here.  How hot do you like your porridge?

3.  Porridge- noun- type of food like grits

4.  Porridge- food like cereal or meal cooked in water or milk

5.  This word describes characters choice of food.  This information could be used to get
      information about the location someone is from, from what kinds of foods are
     described.
 
 

p. 29  par. 2
 

Porridge

Porridge-food like cereal or meal cooked in water or milk.

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Character Traits
1. curious-  p. 3 par. 1
 Joey was curious about what his Dad would be like.  He had many questions for
 mother about his dad.

2. energetic- p. 11 par. 1-2
 When Joey was left alone, he was real energetic and got in trouble because he was
 playing with the wrong toys.  He threw rocks and busted something over the
 fence and then threw a dart through Pablo's ear.

3. nervous- p. 31 par. 1
 When Joey realizes he has left Pablo in the glove box of his mother's car, he is
 very nervous because he does not know if Pablo will be all right.  He does not
 Want anything to happen to Pablo and he is very worried about him.

4.  Character goal:
 Joey is anxious to spend time with his dad over the summer; but is a little worried
 at the same time because he is not sure what his dad will be like.  He wants to
 have fun with his dad and be good so his dad will like him.

5.  Problem:
 Joey is nervous about meeting his dad.  When he meets him, he wants his dad to
 listen to him but his dad will not stop talking.  Joey thinks his dad does not care
 to listen to him, so he stops listening to his dad.  What will happen with Joey and
 his dad?

6.  Solution or Possible Solution:
 A possible solution for Joey is for him to talk to his dad about what is bothering
 him.  I think this would turn out to help their situation and help the two of them
 to get along better.

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 In the fist section of Joey Pigza Loses Control, Joey's mom is taking Joey to his dad's house to spend six-weeks of the summer with him.  Joey is anxious about spending time with his dad.  He wants to know everything about his dad before he goes to visit him.  Joey also wants his dad to know that he can behave and he is a good child.  Joey's dad wants to show Joey that he is not a bad dad and he wants to make up what he has done badly to Joey in the past.  When Joey arrives at his dad's house, the first place his dad takes him is to Storybook Land.  This is Joey's dad's favorite place, because that is where he decided to turn his life around.  In the end of this section, Joey is tired of listening to his dad when his dad will not listen to him.  This is a problem Joey and his dad are going to have to work on.