This document provides information and assignments for a literature class focusing on the novel Housekeeping. It includes details about upcoming due dates, exams, quizzes, and homework assignments. Students are asked to complete a vocabulary paragraph, character analysis, and exam study guide. The document also summarizes key events and characters from pages 169-230 of the novel and provides new vocabulary words.

1. November 17, 2010
Literature: Novel

2. Housekeeping
Due today
• Vocabulary Paragraph, p. 169-230
• Character Assignment, Part 1 (do not hand in
yet)
Exam is next Wednesday, November 24th
• late work for the novel unit will not be
accepted after Wednesday

3. Comprehension Quiz
• Answer questions 1-10 in one or two
complete clear sentences.
• Read the questions carefully. Ask me if there
is a word you don’t know in the question.
• You have 15 minutes to complete this quiz.

4. Exam Study Sheet
• Review the study sheet
• In particular, try to do some grammar over the
weekend so that if you are having difficulties
with anything you can ask me about it on
Monday.

5. New Vocabulary, p. 169-230
• yucker (n.) – somebody who throws up before the game
• plummet, plummeting (v.) – to fall from a summit or a peak
(a great height)
• summit (n.) – the peak or highest point
• baptized (v.) – a ceremony when parents introduce their
children to the Christian religion
– she baptized me with her pain
– she “introduced me” to her pain
– “baptism by fire”
• goliath (n.) - fierce giant
• blubber, blubbering (v., n.) – to cry uncontrollably, in a
babyish way

6. Key Events, p. 169-230
• Eugene was shot by his friend and died; then the friend committed
suicide
• Gordy and Junior’s classmates stood up for him when his teacher
mocked him
• Junior learns that his sister died in a fire – he worries that his dad
will die
• Junior’s dad tells him he loves him
• He gets home to mourning chaos – his mom slaps him and says
don’t ever drink; she holds on to him the rest of the night
• Junior is interviewed by a tv reporter – junior opened up and was
honest with the reporter – was motivated to play hard
• Basketball game – rematch of Reardon vs. Wellpinit – Junior scored
3 points while playing against Rowdy – Reardon defeated Wellpinit
– Junior feels ashamed of beating his tribe
• Wellpinit then went on to lose the rest of the games that season
• Junior writes an e-mail to Rowdy and Rowdy responds
• At his sister’s burial – Rowdy wants to punch Junior – he blames
Junior for leaving and for the deaths – he misses and runs away

7. Key Events, p. 169-230 (Cont’d.)
• Junior got good grades at school
• Junior goes to his sister’s grave with his
parents – shows their love and closeness
• Junior remembers when he and Rowdy
climbed the giant tree
• Rowdy goes to Junior’s house and says he
came over because he was bored; Rowdy
finally accepts Junior’s decision to leave
Wellpinit

8. Break

9. Character Assignment Part 2
• Get out your notes for Part 1
• We will look at Junior together; then you will
do your assigned character on your own.

10. Character Part 2 – whole class
• What kind of person is Arnold Spirit Jr.? For
the next two minutes, write down as many
adjectives as you can that describe him.
Example: Brave, . . .

11. Character Part 2 – whole class
• Let’s write a sentence to describe Junior using
one of these traits:
Arnold Spirit Junior is _______________ boy.
• Now, find evidence, in your Character
Assignment Part 1 Notes , that supports
/shows this trait.

12. Junior is a brave boy.
- After Roger insults him he challenges him to a
fight; he stands up to him, p. 64
- Junior decides to transfer to Reardon, a white
school, and he goes even though he’s scared,
p. 54
- He climbed the giant tree with Rowdy even
though he was scared, p. ?
- He asked Gordy to be he friend, p. ?

13. Junior is also hopeful.
- even though he’s goes to bed hungry every night he still has dreams
of being rich one day and living like famous people, p. 3
- “I look and talk and dream differently than everybody else.” p. 110
- Junior wants to become a rich and famous artist, p. 6
- Mr. P tells junior he has been fighting all his life to keep hope, p. 43
- throwing the book at Mr. P shows he hasn’t given up, p. 31
- he sticks to his decision to go to Reardon, p. ?
- I draw because I want to talk to the world . . . I want the world to
pay attention to me, p. 6
- “they expected more of me and I expected more of myself,” to his
coach, before the rematch, p. 180

14. Finally, Junior is a smart boy.
- Mr. P said “you are a bright and shining star too,” p. 40
- p.84 “I was smarter than them . . .and I was smart,”
after he corrected the geography teacher
- p. 214 – he got a good final report card at Reardon
- p. 30 – “I am a book kisser, . . . maybe high
intelligence”
- He understood and commented on Tolstoy, p.
- Before he went to Reardon he believed most the
students would be smart, but once he got there he
realized he was smarter than most of them, p. 84

15. Character Part 2 - Individual
• Complete the Part 2 handout on your own
now. Step 3 is just like what we did together.
Ask for help as needed.
• When done, hand all your character work in to
me: Part 1 (Notes) and Part 2 (Handout).
• I will review it and give you feedback on
Monday.

16. Homework
• Work on Literary Elements Assignment for Wednesday.
• Study for the Exam (Grammar, Vocabulary, Notes)
• Complete the two handouts
– “Judging Characters”
– “Theme”
• The handouts are not worth marks, but they will help
you prepare for the exam. We will follow up on these
sheets and talk more about conflict on Monday.