WARM-UP SEPTEMBER 14, 2015 What are the elements of plot? Explain each one.

1. Point of view refers to who is telling the story. There are several types: First Person: told by one of the characters in the story. Reader only knows what that character knows. Uses personal pronouns I, me, my etc. Second Person: The story is from the perspective of “you”. Used mainly in instructions and poetry. Third Person limited: A third party narrator tells the story from the viewpoint of one of the characters. Third Person Omniscient: The narrator has unlimited knowledge and knows the thoughts, feelings, motivation of all characters. The Watsons go to Birmingham is told from Kenny’s point of view thus it is written in first person point of view.

2.Kenny is the narrator of the story. 3.A protagonist is the main character or “hero” of the story. Kenny is the protagonist of this story. 4.Setting is where and when a story takes place. The Watsons goes to Birmingham takes place in Flint, Michigan and Birmingham, Alabama in Tone is the author’s attitude toward the writing (character, the situations, etc). The overall tone in The Watsons go to Birmingham is humorous and encouraging or moving. 6.Character traits describe what a character is like on the INSIDE. Kenny can be described as caring, soft-hearted, and gullible. Byron can be described as conceited, mean, and selfish at the beginning of the story. Joetta can be described as caring, sweet, and quiet. Grandma Sands can be described as stern yet loving. Mama can be described as loving, emotional, and strict. Daddy can be described as loving, hard-working, and funny.

7. Kenny and Byron have a loving yet turbulent relationship. Kenny views Byron with both fear and with admiration. Their relationship changes over the course of the novel when Byron tries to help Kenny overcome the trauma of the church bombing. 8. Internal conflict is a struggle the character deals with inside himself (Character v. Self) such as Kenny’s struggle with dealing with the aftermath of the church bombing. An external conflict is when the character deals with a problem outside himself: Character v Nature: Byron getting his lips stuck to the frozen mirror Character v. Man: Kenny getting bullied by Larry Dunn Character v. Society: The family dealing with the issue of the Civil Rights Movement while in Birmingham.

9. A major issue that is described in the novel is the Civil Rights Movement occurring at that time and the Jim Crowe laws that limited the rights and freedoms of African Americans in the South during the early 60s. 10. The family left Birmingham the night of the bombing because the family did not want Joetta to hear about the bombing. 11. Byron changes over the course of the novel by going from being a “teen aged juvenile delinquent” who is a bully, angry, and uncaring to a young man who is polite, more content, uses his manners, and cares about his family. 12. The difference is climate between Birmingham and Flint was significant. While it was frigid and cold in Flint, it was warm and sunny in Birmingham.

13. On the day of the bombing, Kenny thinks Joetta died in the church because he finds one of her little shoes. He thinks he sees the Wool Pooh tugging on it. The Wool Pooh is what Kenny believes symbolizes death. Kenny also thinks he is seeing a ghost when he sees Joey at home after the bombing. 14. Theme is the universal message that the author wants the reader to take from the story. Life is not fair but we must continue to live our lives. Family support can help us through tough times. Though life has its challenges, with family and friends, we can overcome an obstacle. 15. Momma makes the kids wear so many clothes because she thinks the cold weather is dangerous.

16. Byron tells Kenny and Joetta the story about the froze up Southern folks so she will stop complaining about having to wear so many layers of Winter clothes. 17. The Wool Pooh is what Kenny mistakenly thought Grandma Sands said when she was warning him about the whirlpool at Collier’s Landing. Kenny thinks the Wool Pooh is Winnie the Pooh’s evil twin brother. This becomes what Kenny believes symbolizes death in the novel. 18. The Watsons call their car The Brown Bomber because it is turd brown. 19. Mama gets upset about Byron’s hair because he got a “conk” which means he got it straightened. He was told by Mama and Daddy that he was not allowed to get a Conk or do anything to his hair. This is another example of Byron’s rebellious nature.

20. The church that Joetta went to was bombed and several little girls died. This was done in resistance to the Freedom Marches taking place in Birmingham as part of The Civil Rights Movement. 21. A flashback is used to give the reader background information about a character or events that took place before the story occurs. EX: Kenny tells about how to survive a blizzard to illustrate that Byron is a bully and to explain why he believed Byron was trying to trick him when his lips were stuck to the mirror. 22. Cause and effect is a relationship where one event makes or is the reason another event happens. EX: Byron’s lips got stuck to the mirror because he tried to kiss his reflection on a cold Winter day. 23. A simile is a comparison between two unlike things that uses like or as. EX: Joey usually looked like a little zombie while I peeled the coats and jackets off of her. A Metaphor compares two things by by renaming. EX: The fly was still stuck and buzzing, “Oh, Mom-ma! Hel’ me! Geh me offa ‘ere!” 24. A hyperbole is an extreme exaggeration. EX: “It was so cold that if you were stupid enough to go outside your eyes would automatically blink a thousand times all by themselves.” 25. The Watsons go to Birmingham is an example of historical fiction.

WORK SESSION 1.Study Guide 2.Read the epilogue. Write a summary of what you read. This is your exit ticket!