Discussion Questions for Just One Thing!
Written by Nancy Viau
Drawings by Timothy Young
Teachers,pleaseuseandadaptthesecomprehensionquestionstofit
theneedsofyourclassroom.
ThequestionsareinspiredbyStephanieHarveyandAnneGoudvis’s
StrategiesthatWork,andallowforpracticewiththefollowing
readingstrategies:MakingConnections,Questioning,Visualizing,
Inferring,DeterminingImportance,Synthesizing.
Pre-Reading Questions
Lookatthecover.Whatmightbesomeimportantpointsinthis
book?
Glancethroughthebook.Whatkindofbookdoyouthinkthisis
goingtobe(quirky,funny,dramatic,sad,mysterious,etc.)?
Readtheback.Makeapredictionaboutthetitle’ssignificance.
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1
©2016byPamelaBrunskill
www.AuthorsandEducators.com
Maybereproducedforeducationalpurposesonly.
During Reading Questions
Chapters 1-3
• HowwouldyoudescribeAnthonyCalvinPantaloni?
• WhenDidAnthony’sCloudofDoomfirstappear?Howdidit
grow?
• NancyViauusesspecificdetailstomakethesettingrealistic.
Forexample,shementionstheFifthGradeMathAssessmentat
thebeginningofchaptertwo.Whataresomeotherdetailsin
chapters1-3thatmakethesettingseemrealanddistinctive?
• WhoisCoryBennett?
• WhoisEllaWendy?
• WhatdoesAntdowiththecalligraphyset?Whatwouldyou
havedonewithit?
• WhatdidyoudrawinyourDoodlesection?Why?
• WhereisAnthony’smom?HowdoesAntfeelaboutthat?
• WhatisAnthonymostworriedabout?
WhataresomecluesinJustOneThing!
thatsupportyourbelief?
Chapters 4-6
• WhatdonoticeaboutAnthony’sdrawings?
Whendoeshedrawandwhy?
• HowwouldyoudescribeAnthony’sandMarcus’sfriendship?
• Isthebiomeprojectsimilartoanyprojectyouhavedone?
WhatdoyouthinkisgoingtohappenwithAnthony’sbiome
project?Why?
• WhydoyouthinkCoryapproachesAnthonyattheendof
chapter5?
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©2016byPamelaBrunskill
www.AuthorsandEducators.com
Maybereproducedforeducationalpurposesonly.
• Anthonyhasafewkeycharactertraitsthatmakehimdifferent
fromothercharactersinthebook.Oneofthemishowheoften
thinks,KA-BOOM!Whataresomeothertraits?(Thinkof
physicaldescriptions,personality,likes,dislikes,etc.)
• DoyouthinkEllaWendyisdramatic,agoodobserver,orboth?
Explain.
• Whatisyourfavoritescenesofar?Why?
Chapters 7-9
• Inchapter7whenMs.Dreyerislearningtheclass’snames,
AnthonyisworriedsomeonewillblurtoutAntsyPantsforhim.
NancyViauuseshumor,suchas:“Theclosershegetstome,
thedriermythroatis.It’stheSaharainthere.”Whataresome
otherexamplesofhumorthroughoutthesechapters?
• Inchapter7,AnthonyasksWendyaboutidentity.Doyouthink
identityiswrappedaroundonething?Why?
• Listoneadjectiveforeachofthefollowingcharacters:
Anthony,Mrs.Merriweather,Lexie,Alicia,Cory,Wendy,Dad
• Howdoesthetitleofthebookfitwiththesechapters?
• HowdoAnthony’sdoodleshelphimdealwiththingsthat
botherhimandwhathereallywants?Havetheychangedatall
sincethebeginningofthebook?
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©2016byPamelaBrunskill
www.AuthorsandEducators.com
Maybereproducedforeducationalpurposesonly.
Chapters 10-12
• Inchapter10,LexietellsAnthonythathe’slikeaknightin
shiningarmor.Doyouagreewiththissentiment?Whyorwhy
not?
• WhydoesMs.DreyermakeAnthonyreadthelunchmenuon
theblackboard?
• Asimilemakesacomparisonusingthewords“like”or
“as.”Inchapter11whenAnthonyvisitstheeyedoctor,
NancyViauwrote,“Theymakemyeyesfeelgooey,like
they’vebeencoatedwithmeltedbutter.”Canyou
findanotherexampleofsimileinthesechapters?
• HowdoesAnthonyfeelabouthisnewglasses?
WhatdoesCorydo?
• Wereyousurprisedbytheendingofchapter12?
Whyorwhynot?
Chapters 13-15
• WhydoyouthinkCorycallspeoplenames?
• WhatdoyouthinkAnthony’sonethingwillbe?
• WhenDadgoestoPhillyandsayshe’llbebringinghomea
surprise,whatdoesAnthonyhopeitwillbe?Whyisthis
important?
• WhydoyouthinkNancyViaumadeEllaWendyandAnthony
cousinsinsteadofsiblings?Howwouldthatchangethestory?
• HowdoesEllaWendyhelpAnthonytoviewCorydifferently?
• WhatissignificantaboutEllaWendy’sdramateacherand
Anthony’sfifthgradeteacher?
• HowdoesAnthonyreacttoDad’snews?Doesthissurprise
you?Whyorwhynot?
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©2016byPamelaBrunskill
www.AuthorsandEducators.com
Maybereproducedforeducationalpurposesonly.
• WhatwouldyoudointhissituationifyouwereAnthony?How
wouldyouhandleit?
• HowisAnthony’sandCory’srelationshipchanging?Doyou
thinkitwillgetbetterorworse?
Chapters 16-18
• WhataresomeofdifferentthingshasAnthonyhastriedsofar
tobehis“onething?”Whydoyouthinknoneofthemare
working?Howwillheknowwhenhefindsthethinghedoes
well?
• DoAnt’sdoodleshelpyoutovisualizethestorymore?Explain.
• Whyisthecalligraphysetimportantinchapter17?
• There’safamoussaying:Appearancescanbedeceiving.How
doAnthony’sthoughtsandactionsinchapter18addressthis
quote?
• WhatdoesAnthonylearnfromCrystalaboutfindingthatone
thingtocallhisown?
Chapters 19-22
• WhydoyouthinkNancyViauincludedthehappysurprisefor
EllaWendyduringtheperformance?
• Inchapter20,AnthonyandDadaretalkingaboutAnthony’s
guitar-playingwhenthephoneinterruptsthem.Whodoyou
thinkisonthephone?
• DoyouthinkCory’sexplanationforthemascotideawas
reasonable?Explain.
• IsAnthony’sonethingrightforhim?Whyorwhynot?
• Inchapter22,NanatellsAnthony,“Howcreativeofyouto
drawyourselfsittingontopoftheworld.Speaksvolumes,
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©2016byPamelaBrunskill
www.AuthorsandEducators.com
Maybereproducedforeducationalpurposesonly.
Anthony.Volumes.”Whatdoyouthinkshemeans?Thinkback
tothescenewhenAnthonyvisitsthemuseuminPhiladelphia.
Howdothesetwopartsconnect?
• Inwhatwaysisthisendingsatisfying?
• Howdidtheendingandfinaldoodlemakeyoufeel?
Post-Reading Questions
Didyouenjoythebook?Whyorwhynot?
Ifyoucouldreadthesamestoryfromanothercharacter’spointof
view,whowouldyouchooseandwhy?
LookbackthroughAnt’sdoodles.Whichoneisyourfavorite?Why?
Lookbackthroughyourdoodles.Whichoneisyourfavorite?Share
itwithsomeone.
FormoreinformationonNancy'sbooks,schooland
libraryvisits,andhercurrentschedule,pleasevisit
www.NancyViau.com.
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©2016byPamelaBrunskill
www.AuthorsandEducators.com
Maybereproducedforeducationalpurposesonly.