L I T E R AT U R E G U I D E
GRADES 4–8
The Great Gilly Hopkins
by
Katherine Paterson
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Written by Linda Ward Beech
Cover design by Vincent Ceci and Jaime Lucero
Interior design by Robert Dominguez and Jaime Lucero for Grafica, Inc.
Original cover and interior design by Drew Hires
Interior illustrations by Antonio Castro
Photo research by Nia Krikellas
Cover: The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson. Cover art copyright © 1987 by Michael Deas. Cover © 1987 by Harper
Collins. Used by permission of Harper Collins Publishers.
Author photo on page 4 Jill Paton Walsh
ISBN 0-590-04116-9
Copyright © 1998 by Scholastic Inc.
All rights reserved
Printed in the U.S.A.
Scholastic Literature Guide: The Great Gilly Hopkins © Scholastic Teaching Resources
Table of Contents
BEFORE READING THE BOOK
Summary ............................................................................ 3
Characters ........................................................................... 3
About the Author ................................................................ 4
Vocabulary .......................................................................... 4
Getting Started..................................................................... 5
EXPLORING THE BOOK
Chapters 1 – 5
Summary and Discussion Questions ..................................... 6
Cross-Curricular Activities: Drama
Writing, Language Arts ....................................................... 7
Chapters 6 – 9
Summary and Discussion Questions ..................................... 8
Cross-Curricular Activities: Math,
Writing ............................................................................... 9
Chapters 10 – 15
Summary and Discussion Questions ................................... 10
Cross-Curricular Activities: Language Arts,
Music, Art ........................................................................ 11
SUMMARIZING THE BOOK
Putting It All Together........................................................ 12
Class, Group, Partner, and Individual Projects...................... 12
Evaluation Ideas................................................................ 13
STUDENT REPRODUCIBLES
Getting Along with Gilly .................................................... 14
Give Gilly Advice ............................................................... 15
WANTED: A Girl Named Gilly ............................................ 16
Answers for Worksheets .................................................... 13
Scholastic Literature Guide: The Great Gilly Hopkins © Scholastic Teaching Resources
Before Reading the Book
SUMMARY
Gilly Hopkins, age 11, is brought by a social worker to live with kindly Mrs. Trotter and another foster child, William Ernest (W.E.) Teague. Gilly
arrives with a tough, negative attitude. She has
been in foster home after foster home since she was
three, and she shows her anger at the world by her
hard, brash demeanor. She calls W.E. retarded, is
rude to Mrs. Trotter, and gets in a fight at school.
She also makes a nasty card for her black teacher.
Miserable, Gilly fantasizes about a happy life with
Courtney, her mother, who is somewhere in
California and dreams up a scheme to join her
there. One day Gilly runs away with money stolen
from both Mr. Randolph, a blind neighbor, and Mrs.
Trotter. However, nothing that Gilly does causes quite the reaction she expects, and Mrs.
Trotter comes to the police station to plead with her to come back. Just as Gilly comes to
realize that Mrs. Trotter truly wants and loves her and begins to feel comfortable with
her new family, her real grandmother arrives to take her away. Helpless before the law,
a horrified and heartbroken Gilly must move once again. One day, she learns that her
mother is coming for Christmas. But when Courtney finally arrives, it is clear that she
will stay only two days and expects Gilly to remain with her grandmother. A sadder, but
wiser Gilly, telephones the best mother she’s ever had, Mrs. Trotter, for the love and
support she needs to deal with the tough situation she’s in and the pain of her new life.
CHARACTERS
Galadriel (Gilly) Hopkins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a foster child, main character
Miss Miriam Ellis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . social worker
Mrs. Maime M. Trotter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gilly’s foster mother
Melvin Trotter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mrs. Trotter’s deceased husband
William Ernest (W.E.) Teague . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gilly’s younger foster brother
The Dixons, the Nevins,
Mrs. Richmond, and the Newmans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . former foster parents of Gilly
Courtney Rutherford Hopkins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gilly’s mother
Mr. Randolph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mrs. Trotter’s blind neighbor
Mr. Evans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . principal at Gilly’s school
Miss Harris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gilly’s sixth grade teacher
Mrs. Gorman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gilly’s first grade teacher
Monica Bradley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gilly’s classmate
Agnes (Ag) Stokes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .a friend
Miss Minnie Applegate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sunday school teacher
Officers Rhine, Mitchell, and Judy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . police officers
Mrs. Rutherford Hopkins (Nonnie) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gilly’s grandmother
Chadwell Hopkins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Courtney’s deceased brother
Margaret . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . principal at Gilly’s new school
Scholastic Literature Guide: The Great Gilly Hopkins © Scholastic Teaching Resources
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Katherine Paterson has earned many awards for her fine,
sensitive books about young people. Her stories about family
life touch on difficult subjects and, like Gilly Hopkins, her
characters often face tough situations. Both Bridge to
Terabithia and Jacob Have I Loved won Newbery Medals,
while The Great Gilly Hopkins won the National Book
Award for Children’s Literature and the Christopher Medal. It
was also an ALA Notable Children’s Book and a Jane
Addams Award Honor Book.
Katherine Paterson was born to missionaries in China and came to the United States
during World War II. Her family lived in North Carolina, and Paterson went on to
college in Tennessee and graduate school in Virginia. She then lived in Japan for four
years where she taught in a rural area. Today, she resides in Vermont with her husband. They have four grown children.
LITERATURE CONNECTIONS
Other books by Katherine Paterson include:
• The Master Puppeteer
• The Sign of the Chrysanthemum
• Of Nightingales That Weep
• Bridge to Terabithia
• Jacob Have I Loved
• Flip-Flop Girl
VOCABULARY
As with other books by Katherine Paterson, students may have to reach to understand some words. You’ll find many of these words on the following list. Have students work in groups to define the words. Suggest that they begin by writing what
they think each word means. They should then use dictionaries to confirm or revise
their definitions. You might then bring the class together for a lesson on word endings. For example, students might identify and discuss words with inflected endings
such as -ed and -ing and words with suffixes such as -y, -ly, -ence, and- ize.
4
manuever
delinquency
louse nit
flinched
seething
leering
salvage
clamor
benignly
squat
fracas
fledgling
repertory
smirked
cajoling
hefting
sidled
tamperproof
curlicues
conspiratorially
neutralize
vengeance
piously
incompetence
mock
sarsaparilla
exotic
futile
guru
chandelier
massive
vested
designated
annointed
gaudiest
pirouetting
reverently
engulfed
fluted
Scholastic Literature Guide: The Great Gilly Hopkins © Scholastic Teaching Resources
tentatively
diaphragm
appalling
perpetual
culinary
tine
ultimate
entice
belligerently
kaleidoscopic
mammoth
pretzeled
GETTING STARTED
Before students begin reading the book, you might consider some of the following
ideas:
• Write the book title on the chalkboard. Ask students to think about who the Great
Gilly Hopkins might be and what her character might be like based on the book’s
title and the illustration on the cover. Have students explain their reasoning. Remind
students to check their predictions when they read the story.
• Make a copy of the book’s table of contents and have students preview the chapter
titles. What overall impression do these titles give? What predictions can students
make based on these titles?
• Introduce and discuss the terms “social worker” and “foster child.”
• Ask students if they know what bravado is. Make a word web with their ideas on
the chalkboard. Ask students to note how the main character in the book shows
bravado and to think about the reasons why she does so.
false
bravery
BRAVADO
TEACHER
kind
of
brave
TIP
The main character in this book is an unhappy and belligerent child who has
lived in foster families for most of her life. You may wish to note your own students’ backgrounds and family situations before introducing them to Gilly
Hopkins. You may also wish to impress upon your class the importance of being
sensitive to the lifestyles of others.
Scholastic Literature Guide: The Great Gilly Hopkins © Scholastic Teaching Resources
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Exploring the Book
CHAPTERS 1 – 5
WHAT HAPPENS
Gilly arrives at Mrs. Trotter’s home in Thompson
Park, Maryland, sure that she will hate it and
determined to create trouble and make everyone
hate her. She feels she can stand anything as
long as she is in charge. In her tiny room, she
takes out a picture of her mother, Courtney, and
dreams about being with her. Unlike other foster
homes Gilly has been in, Mrs. Trotter’s house is
rundown and dusty. Mrs. Trotter is huge and
friendly and very protective of William Ernest
(W.E.), age 7, who also lives with her. Every
night at suppertime, this unlikely foster family
is joined by their blind neighbor Mr. Randolph.
At school, Gilly is put in Miss Harris’s sixth grade and is outraged that the class is
ahead of her in most subjects; Gilly prides herself on being smart. She is also upset
because Miss Harris is black and seemingly unperturbed by Gilly’s behavior. Gilly
gets off to what she thinks is a great start by fighting on her first day. The only student who wants to befriend her is a sly girl named Agnes Stokes. One night while
looking for a book of poems at Mr. Randolph’s, Gilly finds and keeps ten dollars. She
plans to return to Mr. Randolph’s to find more money so she can join her mother in
California. To do this, Gilly decides to use Agnes, and W.E. as an unwitting accomplice. She starts being nice to him, and he soon looks up to her.
QUESTIONS TO TALK ABOUT
C OMPREHENSION AND R ECALL
1. How does Gilly feel about foster parents at the beginning of the story? (She
wants to shove her foot in their mouth; resents them; has no use for them.)
2. How does Gilly imagine things would be with her mother? (She’d be loved, protected, wanted, happy.)
H IGHER L EVEL T HINKING S KILLS
3. How would you describe Gilly’s attitude toward Miss Ellis? (Possible: insolent,
uncooperative, disrespectful.)
4. How is Mrs. Trotter’s home different from the Nevinses? (It’s dark, dusty,
unkempt, poor, but full of love and encouragement.)
5. Why does Gilly want “to be in charge”? (Possible: It gives her a sense of importance.)
6. Why doesn’t Gilly try to get along in her new home and school? (She’s angry,
misses her mother, feels abandoned, wants attention even if it’s negative.)
7. How does Mrs. Trotter feel about W.E.? (loving and protective)
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Scholastic Literature Guide: The Great Gilly Hopkins © Scholastic Teaching Resources
8. How does Gilly underestimate Mrs. Trotter in the beginning? (She thinks she
can get away with bad behavior; doesn’t recognize that Mrs. Trotter has a strong
sense of right and wrong and religious beliefs.)
9. Why does Mr. Randolph like the Wordsworth poem? (It’s beautiful; it describes
his feelings and situation. “The things which I have seen I now can see no more.”)
10. Why does Mrs. Trotter ignore Gilly’s messy hair on the first day of school? (She
knows Gilly is trying to start a confrontation; she won’t give her the chance.)
11. Why is Gilly suspicious of Agnes? (Possible: Agnes may remind Gilly of herself,
another misfit from a broken family.)
12. What is the look on Mrs. Trotter’s face (when Gilly helps W.E. fly a paper airplane) that Gilly had longed to see all her life? (Possible: a look of love; appreciation for who she was and what she did to help W.E.)
L ITERARY E LEMENTS
13. Understanding a Character’s Motives and Feelings: Why does Gilly tell
Miss Harris to call her Gilly when she told Miss Ellis to call her Galadriel? (She’s
being ornery; she’s surprised that her name means something to Miss Harris and
upset that she didn’t know its origin; she wants to feel in control.)
P ERSONAL R ESPONSE
14. What do you think about Gilly’s behavior? Why? Would you want her for a
friend? Explain.
CROSS-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
DRAMA: See the Meaning
To help students appreciate the fine, descriptive language used in the story and
strengthen their vocabulary, have students act out phrases that describe the characters. For example:
• “laboriously hefting herself to her feet” (Mrs. Trotter)
• “She tilted her head sassily...” (Gilly)
• “he lurched forward” (Mr. Randolph)
Suggest that each student find a phrase and write it down along with the page number and character it describes. Place all the phrases in a pile. Then have students
take turns picking a phrase, reading it aloud, and acting it out for the class. Ask the
class to guess which character the phrase describes.
WRITING: Good Guidelines
Discuss with the class what it feels like to be a new student in school. Encourage
students to tell how they would act if they were new at school and what they would
do to make friends. Then lead the class in writing a set of helpful guidelines for new
students and for a class that has a new student.
LANGUAGE ARTS: What’s in a Name?
Remind students that Gilly was named for Queen Galadriel, a character in a book by
J.R.R. Tolkien. As an exercise in word origins, ask students to find out the story or
meaning of their names, first and last, to share with the class. Students might also
enjoy reading Tolkien’s book, The Hobbitt or the Lord of the Rings sequel.
Scholastic Literature Guide: The Great Gilly Hopkins © Scholastic Teaching Resources
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CHAPTERS 6 – 9
WHAT HAPPENS
Gilly feels compelled to let Miss Harris
know how angry she is. She makes a
card with a racial slur and slips it into
a book on her teacher’s desk. Much to
Gilly’s surprise, Miss Harris says that
they are alike—they are both very
angry. Miss Harris thanks Gilly
because the card has enabled her to
express her anger for once. Afraid that
she will become soft because of the
kindness and understanding around
her, Gilly decides to run away as
quickly as she can. She enlists Agnes
and W.E. to help her find more money
in Mr. Randolph’s house, but doesn’t
find enough for a bus ticket to
California. So Gilly writes to her mother saying that her situation is desperate, and asks her to send enough money so she can travel to live with her in
California. When she learns that Mr. Randolph’s son, a lawyer, is about to visit, Gilly
panics thinking he will learn of the missing money. She steals more money from
Mrs. Trotter’s purse and leaves. However, the ticket agent at the bus station calls the
police. Mrs. Trotter takes Gilly home again but not without a fight from the social
worker, Miss Ellis. Deeply touched that Mrs. Trotter would argue so hard to keep her,
Gilly begins to let her guard down and spends time with W.E., teaching him to stand
up for himself in the process.
QUESTIONS TO TALK ABOUT
C OMPREHENSION AND R ECALL
1. Why does Gilly clean Mrs. Trotter’s house? (It’s part of her plan to get a ladder
so she can look for more money on the top bookshelf in Mr. Randolph’s house.)
2. How does Miss Harris treat Gilly’s card joke? (She thanks her for it; says it
gave her the chance to be angry.)
3. What is Mrs. Trotter’s source of income? (county welfare—she gets paid for
taking in foster children.)
4. Why does Gilly take money from Mr. Randolph and Mrs. Trotter? (She wants to
buy a ticket to California to be with her mother.)
H IGHER L EVEL T HINKING S KILLS
5. Why does Gilly work hard in Miss Harris’s class? (She’s behind the others and
doesn’t want to be shown up. Her intelligence is a source of pride to Gilly.)
6. Why does Gilly think she has to leave Thompson Park? (She’s afraid of going
soft which she feels she can’t afford; she thinks of kindness as craziness, she
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Scholastic Literature Guide: The Great Gilly Hopkins © Scholastic Teaching Resources
doesn’t want to trust in love from anyone because then she might be abandoned
and disappointed again.)
7. How was Gilly hurt by the Dixons? (She let herself trust them, and they left her
when they moved to Florida.)
8. Does Gilly really believe her mother will come? (Possible: Yes, she’ll never give
up hoping. No, she doesn’t think she’s worthy; her mother hasn’t come in eight
years.)
9. Why does Gilly sign a letter to her mother “Yours sincerely”? (She doesn’t really
know her mother; she doesn’t want to seem too desperate for her love; she wants to
remain in control.)
10. Why is the railroad clerk suspicious of Gilly? (She’s very young to buy a ticket
to go across the country by herself.)
L ITERARY E LEMENTS
11. Title: In what ways is Gilly great? Who thinks so? What does the author mean
by this title?
P ERSONAL R ESPONSE
12. How do you feel about the way Gilly treats Mrs. Trotter and Mr. Randolph?
What about Agnes and W.E.? Why?
13. What would you say to Gilly about her behavior toward Miss Harris?
CROSS-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
MATH: Other Strategies
Review the math Gilly used to get a one-way bus fare and have students do the
computations. “She stole $10 from Mr. Randolph. Then she took $34 more. How
much did she have? ($44) She gave $5 to Agnes and none to W.E. How much did
she have left? ($39) She stole $100 from Mrs. Trotter. How much did she have?
($139) The ticket cost $136.60. How much did she have left? ($2.40) Ask: Was
that a reasonable amount to have in her pocket when Gilly traveled across the country? Then have students suggest honest ways that Gilly might have gotten the
money she needed for her trip.
WRITING: Role Models
Remind students that W.E. begins to look up to Gilly. Brainstorm with the class what
qualities a good role model should have. Then ask students to write an essay explaining why she was or was not a good role model for the younger boy. As an alternative, students might write about why Mrs. Trotter was a good role model for Gilly.
TEACHER
TIP
The story offers an opportunity to talk about treating others with sensitivity and
respect. Despite Gilly’s pain, her words and attitude were intentionally hurtful to
others, and that is never acceptable behavior. In response, you might have students draw up a code of conduct for your classroom and elsewhere.
Scholastic Literature Guide: The Great Gilly Hopkins © Scholastic Teaching Resources
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CHAPTERS 10 – 15
WHAT HAPPENS
Everyone but Gilly gets the flu just
before Thanksgiving. She stays home
to nurse them all. One day,
Courtney’s mother appears looking
for Gilly, and suddenly Gilly realizes
she doesn’t want to leave her family
and the people who truly love her,
Mrs. Trotter, W.E., and Mr. Randolph.
However, by law Gilly has no choice;
she has to go live with her grandmother. Deep down, Gilly knows that
it was her letter to Courtney that has
brought about this final heart-breaking move. Courtney hasn’t come, but
has sent her mother in her place.
Gilly learns that Nonnie, her grandmother, has experienced many losses
too—her son, killed in Vietnam, her husband who died, and Courtney who left home
13 years ago and never told her parents she was pregnant. After a tearful good-bye,
Gilly writes to her former foster family and to Miss Harris who sends her Tolkien
books. Then Gilly learns that Courtney is coming for Christmas. But the reunion isn’t
what Gilly has dreamed of. Her mother was paid by Nonnie to come, will only stay
for two days, and she won’t be taking Gilly with her when she goes. Gilly calls Mrs.
Trotter who comforts her. She says that life isn’t bad, but it’s tough. There’s “nothing
to make you happy like doing good on a tough job.”
QUESTIONS TO TALK ABOUT
C OMPREHENSION AND R ECALL
1. How does Gilly act when everyone gets sick? (She nurses them all; is very
responsible.)
2. How do Mrs. Trotter and Gilly differ about treating W.E.? (Gilly thinks he needs
to be tough—he’s a foster child. Mrs. Trotter tiptoes around trying to protect him
because he’s so vulnerable.)
3. Why does Gilly’s grandmother suddenly show up? (Courtney has written to her
after getting Gilly’s letter. She wants Gilly to live with her mother.)
4. Why didn’t Gilly’s grandmother come before? (She didn’t know she had a
granddaughter.)
5. Why doesn’t Gilly have a choice about going to her grandmother’s? (Legally,
she has to do what her family wants.)
6. What kind of losses has Nonnie had? (She’s lost her husband, son, daughter.)
H IGHER L EVEL T HINKING S KILLS
7. Why doesn’t Gilly want to live with her grandmother? (She “belongs” at Mrs.
Trotter’s and considers them family. She didn’t even know she had a grandmother.)
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8. Why is Gilly impressed when Nonnie introduces her to people? (They are all
shocked that Nonnie has a granddaughter. They sneer and ask questions, but
Nonnie faces them down; she’s gutsy.)
9. Why does Gilly lie to William Ernest in her letters? (Possible: She’s protective of
him. She wants him and Mrs. Trotter not to worry and to think she is having a
great time and that her life is okay.)
L ITERARY E LEMENTS
10. Significant Detail: How has the author suggested that Courtney doesn’t really
care about her daughter the way Gilly dreams she does? (She hasn’t seen Gilly in
eight years; her one postcard is very short; her grandmother comes to get her.)
P ERSONAL R ESPONSE
11. How did you feel about Gilly’s meeting with her mother? Were you surprised?
Explain.
12 Was Gilly right about being tough? Explain.
13. How did Gilly’s personality change by the end of the book? What do you think
caused her to change?
14. Do you agree with Mrs. Trotter’s philosophy of life? Why or why not?
CROSS-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
LANGUAGE ARTS: The Words of Wordsworth
Remind students that Mr. Randolph liked the poetry of William Wordsworth and
gave Gilly his prized copy of The Oxford Book of English Verse as a going-away
gift. Tell students that the poem quoted in The Great Gilly Hopkins is from
Wordsworth’s “Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early
Childhood.” Consider reading the work aloud to the class. Talk about the verses that
Gilly read to Mr. Randolph and the line that she quotes to herself: “Trailing clouds of
glory as I come.”
MUSIC: Song of Promise
Point out the chapter titled, “She’ll be Riding Six White Horses (When She Comes).”
Do students know this refers to a song? Ask: “What image comes to mind when you
think about someone riding six white horses? Why do you think the author used
this title?” Discuss why the last three words in the chapter title are in parentheses.
(Possible: to show that there is some doubt about her—Courtney—coming.)
Conclude by leading the class in singing the song.
ART: A Room for Gilly
Recall with students the room that
Gilly lived in at Mrs. Trotter’s and the
room she lives in at her grandmother’s. Then suggest that students
design a room that Gilly would really
like. Remind students to think about
Gilly’s interests as they work. Display
the finished designs around the classroom.
TEACHER
TIP
Miss Ellis refers to flower children suggesting that Courtney was one of
them. You may need to explain this
reference to a lifestyle of the 1960s to
the class.
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Summarizing the Book
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
The activities on these pages will help students review and summarize the book. You
may wish to use one or several, depending on the interests of your class.
CLASS PROJECT: The Many Faces of Gilly
Remind students that Gilly has many faces and smiles which she uses in various situations. For example:
• the “who, me?” look
• the “barracuda smile”
• her “old lady principal smile”
• the “crooked politician smile”
• the “celebrity-in-a-parade-face”
• the “300-watt smile”
Discuss why Gilly has developed these faces and when she uses them. Then have
students choose one of these faces or another from the story to illustrate. Students
should indicate the name of the face and why Gilly uses it. Use the finished portraits
to develop an overall picture of Gilly.
GROUP PROJECT: Path of Pictures
Assign students to groups of six. Provide the groups with six events from the story
or have each group come up with its own. Possible events might be: Gilly’s Arrival
at Mrs. Trotter’s, Hurting Miss Harris, Teaching W.E., Running Away, Thanksgiving
at Last, Meeting Courtney. Have each member of a group illustrate one event and
write a caption for it. The groups then arrange the pictures in sequence on mural
paper to retell the story. You might have each group retell the story for the class
while displaying their illustrations.
PARTNER PROJECT: Thinking About the Theme
Have students work with a partner to discuss the book’s theme of loss as a part of
life. Ask students to list how different characters deal with their loss. For example,
how does Mr. Randolph deal with his blindness? Mrs. Trotter with the loss of her
husband? Nonnie with the loss of most of her family? Gilly with the abandonment
by her mother? Bring the class together to share students’ ideas.
INDIVIDUAL PROJECT: Another Chapter
Ask students what they think happens to Gilly after her mother returns to
California? Does she adjust to her new school? Learn to love her grandmother? Ever
see Mrs. Trotter, W.E., and Mr. Randolph again? Stay in touch with Miss Harris?
Develop any kind of a relationship with Courtney? Have students write the next
chapter in Gilly’s life. Set aside time for students to share their work.
EVALUATION IDEAS
Invite the class to develop a set of rubrics to use in assessing one of the summariz-
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ing projects. For example, a rubric for the Path of Pictures might include these
objectives:
• Did students focus on important events in the story?
• Did students show originality in their illustrations?
• Did students include well-written captions for their illustrations?
• Did students display their pictures in sequence?
Possible Answers for Worksheets
page 14: Answers may vary. Possible: 1. Gilly has no respect for her and thinks
she is a freak. Gilly loves her and asks her for advice. 2. Gilly is mean to him
and tries to use him. Gilly spends time with him and helps him gain self-confidence. 3. Gilly thinks she is beautiful and that life with her will be wonderful.
Gilly realizes her mother is too self-centered to care much about her. 4. Gilly
takes advantage of him and steals from him. Gilly nurses him when he is sick. 5.
Gilly doesn’t want to live with her. Gilly respects her and begins to understand
that Nonnie has been through a lot too.
page 15: Students’ advice will vary.
page 16: Students’ posters will vary, but should include descriptions of Gilly and
reasons why each character wants her to return.
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Name: ____________________________________________________
Getting Along With Gilly
In a good book, the characters grow and change by the end of the story. One way to
see how Gilly changes is to look at her relationships with other people. Fill out the
chart below to see how Gilly grows. Write two sentences about each relationship.
Beginning of Book
End of Book
1. Gilly and
Mrs. Trotter
2. Gilly and
William Ernest
3. Gilly and
Courtney
4. Gilly and
Mr. Randolph
5. Gilly and
Nonnie
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Scholastic Literature Guide: The Great Gilly Hopkins © Scholastic Teaching Resources
Name: ____________________________________________________
Give Gilly Advice
Pretend that you have met Gilly. Give her some tactful advice for each of
the following:
1. Making friends:: ___________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Getting along with her foster family: _________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Dealing with her mother: ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Handling her anger: ________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
5. Succeeding at school: _______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
6. Adjusting to life with her grandmother: _______________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Scholastic Literature Guide: The Great Gilly Hopkins © Scholastic Teaching Resources
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Name: ____________________________________________________
WANTED: A Girl Named Gilly
When Gilly runs away, she finds that she is really wanted at Mrs. Trotter’s. Fill out the wanted poster below.
WANTED! Gilly Hopkins
Describe Gilly.
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
Tell why these people want Gilly to come home.
Draw a picture here.
Mrs. Trotter: ____________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
W.E.: __________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Mr. Randolph: __________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
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Scholastic Literature Guide: The Great Gilly Hopkins © Scholastic Teaching Resources