Teaching a Text: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Paul Binkley
E 401.001
Pam Coke
Designed for junior and senior high school students at Poudre High School
Binkley 2
Table of Contents
Note: You can also use the navigation pane in Microsoft Word for easy navigation within this
document.
Teaching a Text Part 1: Text and Standards………………………………………………………1
Teaching a Text Part 2: Reading the Text………………...………………………………………3
Teaching a Text Part 3: The Six Signposts…………………………………………………..……4
Contrasts and Contradictions………………………………………………………..…….4
Words of the Wiser………………………………………………………………………..9
Again and Again…………………………………………………………………………14
Aha Moment…………………………………………………………………………..…22
Tough Question…………………………………………………………………..………25
Memory Moment……………………………..………………………………………….28
Teaching a Text Part 4: Developing Depth, Stamina, and Passion……………………………...32
Teaching a Text Part 5: Teaching Poetry……………………………………………………...…45
Teaching a Text Part 6: Media Literacy…………………………………………………………51
Appendix…………………………………………………………………………………………59
Works Consulted…………………………………………………………………………………65
Binkley 1
Teaching a Text Part 1: Text and Standards
A.
Citation
Card, Orson Scott. Ender’s Game. 1977. New York: Tor, 1991. Ebook.
B.
Colorado State Standards
11th Grade Standard 2.1.a.i: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of
what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining
where the text leaves matters uncertain. (CCSS: RL.11-12.1)
12th Grade Standard 2.1.e: Evaluate how literary components impact meaning (such as tone,
symbolism, irony, extended metaphor, satire, hyperbole) (CCSS: RL.11-12.10)
High School Science Standard 1.1.e: Identify the limitations of Newton’s laws in extreme
situations (DOK 1)
Rationale
I chose this text in part because it was one of my favorite books when I was a teenager. I thought
it was exciting, engaging, and intelligent. It is a book that I continue to recommend to people,
and I feel I would absolutely recommend to my students, particularly if they are interested in
science fiction. I also think the book has good example of science fiction incorporating science
fact. When I was young and interested in science fiction, books like Ender’s Game and the desire
to write my own science fiction novels led me to want to learn about actual science and physics
in my free time. When I feel that one of our goals as teachers is to inspire a passion for learning,
a drive for students to guide their own education, then I feel a book that may trigger that desire in
my students is one worth teaching.
The effect that books like Ender’s Game had on me has inspired by idea for the research project I
intend to work on as part of pursuing my master’s degree. I intend to design a class that uses
science fiction to build on students’ existing passions for their preferred genres of reading as a
gateway to learning in the STEM fields. English is often dismissed as something that does not
have relevant applications, as something that stands in isolation from the “real” world. In many
ways, this means that people do not readily see how it benefits future, practical careers or how it
benefits the national economy. As such, the Common Core State Standards contain expectations
for “Relevance and Application” of a content area (11). While I would certainly stand up for
English being relevant in any number of (often unquantifiable) ways, I do not feel that my view
is broadly shared. However, if I could demonstrate how reading a fictional book that incorporates
empirically true facts, that novel’s value may be more easily understood. Books like Ender’s
Binkley 2
Game can provide a context for complex concepts like the relativistic nature of time and space
(connecting to CDE’s High School Science Standard 1.1.e). The science facts that can be found
in science fiction can not only lead to other texts and other disciplines, but it allows novels like
Ender’s Game to straddle those boundaries. The Common Core expects twelfth graders to be
able to “demonstrate comprehension of a variety of informational, literary, and persuasive texts”
(7). I would like to argue that this does not require literature to be supplanted by strictly
informational texts, but that they can work in unison; one can lead to the other. I am comforted
by the fact that science fiction is listed among acceptable text types from 6th-12th grade (16).
I do not mean to suggest that I would use Ender’s Game solely for these discipline-straddling
applications. I think it is an engaging story that contains excellent examples of character
development, foreshadowing, and imagery (connecting to CCSS: RL.11-12.10). For example,
Ender’s brother Peter is an ambiguous and complex character. He is presented as both ruthlessly
conniving and emotionally vulnerable, but there is a very realistic chance that his emotional
vulnerability is an act he puts on to further his manipulative ends. Near the book’s beginning, he
vows that he will one day kill Ender, but when they find his body, Peter will be there, and he’ll
“cry and cry over him” and people will have long forgotten his vow to kill Ender (36). At the end
of that chapter, Peter comes to Ender in the night, sorrowfully apologizing and telling Ender he
loves him (37-38). However, the reader cannot shake the suspicion that this could be part of
Peter’s plot, part of the fake, loving, trustable persona he said he would create. Near the novel’s
end, Ender drams that the buggers are dissecting him, “cutting up his memories and displaying
them like holographs” (232). In the final chapter, it is revealed that the buggers, through their
telepathic abilities, had truly been looking into his memories in an attempt to communicate with
him. As a result, they construct areas on their homeworld that Ender will recognize, leading him
to the last surviving egg of a Formic queen (262-263). This is a great example of foreshadowing,
which is initially masked as a stress-induced nightmare. These are only two examples of the
literary value of Ender’s Game, and I think these could be particularly helpful in influences
students’ creative writing skills and their ability to spot literary devices. This sort so examination
connects to one of the “Prepared Graduate” Standards which expects students to be able to
evaluate the author’s use of language to create imagery, mood, and tone (7).
C.
Goals
1. By teaching/reinforcing close reading strategies, help students to identify the use of
literary devices such as foreshadowing, particularly through close reading after finishing
the novel
2. Help illustrate how an author creates moods, characters, and mental images through word
choice and narrative structures
3. Help students identify how scientific facts can be incorporated into fiction, and how this
strengthens the believability of extraordinary technology and events
Binkley 3
Teaching a Text Part 2
Teaching a Text Part 2: Reading the Text
A.
I used close reading strategies that are similar to the ideas behind Notice and Note, even if I did
not realize it at the time. This was a book I re-read two years ago, so I had some idea of what I
was looking for as I read. That means I was able to move through it fairly quickly, while keeping
an eye out for clues that something might be a signpost, and then making note of it. When
skimming through the text, I focused on identifying the Signposts, as well as looking for
instances of strong character development, foreshadowing, and uses of actual physics and
science.
B.
I had a digital copy of the text, and I used Adobe Reader to make notes as I went (mostly
because I didn’t want to mark up my physical copy). Some of my notes were brief, such as
identifying what passage I thought qualified as a signpost. In other cases, my notes were
sometimes full paragraphs, detailing why I thought a given portion was noteworthy, what about
it was noteworthy, how it ties into other parts of the book/concepts, and how I would explain it to
my students. These notes would also include the anchor question related to the particular
signpost, and then I would attempt to answer it in my note. It seemed to really vary by how much
emphasis I put on a given passage in my own mind. I also included notes for examples of real (or
realistic) physics that appears in the book and examples of foreshadowing. Since this I plan to
use this book as part of the project for my master’s, examples that seemed applicable to science
or physics were something I was looking for in particular.
Aside from my plans for my hypothetical course, I would use my notes to guide discussions in an
English classroom. Early in teaching the text, I would use these notes as examples of how I
spotted some of the signposts in Ender’s Game as I read through it. I would intend to read the
first few chapters aloud in class, and my notes would tell me when I noticed a signpost on my
own. That would give me an opportunity to model using the signposts by stopping, mentioning
why I thought it qualified as a particular signpost, and asking the related anchor question(s)
Binkley 4
Teaching a Text Part 3: The Six Signposts
A.
Contrasts and Contradictions
(Adapted from Beers and Probst 114-127)
Materials the Instructor Will Need





1 Poster-sized piece of paper
Two (or more) different colored markers
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (full film or clip), ideally from the original version
(Optional) a printed out excerpt from the Return of the Jedi script (provided below)
Your copy of Ender’ Game
Materials the Students Will Need




A notebook
A pen or pencil
Their copy of Ender’s Game
(optional) sticky noes
Begin by Explaining
(Close reading will have previously been defined for my students, and introduced as a general
concept. Now, we are moving to methods for practicing close reading)
“We previously discussed the importance of keeping an eye out for important details when
you’re reading. Today, we’ll begin talking about some of the strategies you can use to look for
some of these clues.
On a poster-sized piece of paper, write: Contrasts and Contradictions
“Are any of you fans of detective books, shows, or movies? (Give students time to respond)
When detectives in those works are trying to find out important information about suspects, they
often look for examples of the suspect behaving oddly, like doing or saying something that
seems to be unlike them, or that contradicts a story they told the detective. These clues are
important to the detective because this behavior suggests there may be something this suspect is
not telling the detective, or there might be more to the story the detective hasn’t figured out yet.
“Books can be a lot like that too. There’s a lot of meaning and content that authors put in their
stories, but it might not be something they’re telling you directly. The meaning that can be
Binkley 5
hidden inside of an author’s text is called “subtext.” Since subtext may not be immediately
obvious, you often need to look for clues in the text that might lead you to the subtext. This sort
of detective work is exactly what the Notice and Note signposts are all about.
“Today we’ll focus on a signpost that we’ll call the “Contrasts and Contradictions” signpost. One
clue to look for is when a character says or does something that is the opposite of what she/he
normally does or says. When authors put in details we don’t expect, or when they have
characters do or say something that is the opposite of what we’d expect, the author is probably
trying to give us a hint about that character or the plot. When you see something like that in a
text, that’s a good time to stop and ask yourself: Why would the character act this way?”
Write the definition of the Contrasts and Contradictions signpost in one color and the anchor
question in a different color: “When a character behaves or thinks in a way we don’t expect, or
an element of the setting is something we would not expect.” and “Why would the character
act/feel this way?” (Beers and Probst 75, 79)
By trying to answer this question, you’ll probably gain some new insight about a character, about
the plot, or maybe even about the theme of the story.”
Add to the poster: “The answer to this question can help you make predictions or inferences
about characters or plot within the book”
Move to Applying (Example Text)
“We’re going to practice spotting this signpost in a clip from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. If
you’re not familiar with the original Star Wars trilogy, I will set up the context (which will
include spoilers, unfortunately). This clip comes in about half way through the final movie of the
original trilogy. In this scene, the main character, Luke Skywalker, has surrendered himself to be
taken to the evil Emperor of the Galactic Empire. He is being taken to the Emperor by Darth
Vader, a Jedi Knight who has been corrupted by evil. At the end of the previous movie, it was
revealed that Darth Vader was actually Anakin Skywalker, Luke’s father. Luke has surrendered
himself to the Empire in hopes of saving his father from the clutches of the dark side.
“Darth Vader played a major role in wiping out the Jedi Order. He is a ruthless and intimidating
warrior. With that in mind, watch this clip and pay careful attention to what each character says.
If either of them does or says something that is the opposite of what you’d expect, jot down a
quick note. When I notice something, I’ll stop the video. I’ll let you know what I made me think
of the Contrasts and Contradictions signpost, but feel free to tell me what you spotted, too.”
Play clip:
LUKE
Binkley 6
… I know there is good in you. The Emperor hasn't driven it from you fully.
That is why you couldn't destroy me. That's why you won't bring me to your
Emperor now.
Vader looks down from Luke to the lightsaber in his own black- gloved hand. He
seems to ponder Luke's words.
VADER
(indicating lightsaber)
I see you have constructed a new lightsaber.
Vader ignites the lightsaber and holds it to examine its humming, brilliant
blade.
VADER
Your skills are complete. Indeed, you are powerful, as the Emperor has
foreseen.
They stand for a moment, the Vader extinguishes the lightsaber.
LUKE
Come with me.
VADER
Obi-Wan once thought as you do.
Luke steps close to Vader, then stops. Vader is still.
VADER
You don't know the power of the dark side. I must obey my master.
LUKE
I will not turn...and you'll be forced to kill me.
VADER
If that is your destiny.
LUKE
Search your feelings, father. You can't do this. I feel the conflict within you.
Let go of your hate.
VADER
It is too late for me, son. The Emperor will show you the true nature of the
Force. He is your master now.
Binkley 7
“When I was watching this, that last line from Darth Vader seemed different than what I’d
expect from him. Darth Vader is supposed to be the face of evil, someone fully corrupted by the
dark side and committed to the destruction of the Jedi. He calls Luke “son,” and when he says “It
is too late for me,” it almost sounded like he was sad. If Darth Vader is completely consumed by
anger and hatred, two cornerstones of the dark side, I wouldn’t expect him to feel sadness like
this, and calling Luke “son” seems more personal than I would expect the Dark Lord of the Sith
to be.
“I’d like you to turn to a partner and take a couple minutes to discuss what this contrast might
mean for these characters or the plot. Even if you have not seen this movie and you don’t know
what happens later, still make some inferences.”
Give them a couple minutes to discuss, then ask for volunteers to share what some pairs came up
with
“Alright, these are good thoughts. See how much you were able to consider from a very short
clip of a movie, a little context, and by noticing a contrast or contradiction?”
If the students don’t otherwise come up with an answer like this, you could offer: “What this
contrast made me think of was that there must be more to Darth Vader’s character that we see on
the surface. If he is sad about it being too late for him, maybe he has some regret about falling to
the dark side? Or maybe somewhere, deep down, he cares about Luke? Those are some things
this scene makes me wonder about. I’d have to keep watching and paying close attention to these
kinds of details to find out more.”
Move to Applying (Primary Text)
Introduce the following excerpts and read them aloud
“So what might the Contrasts and Contradictions signpost look like in Ender’s Game? Let’s turn
to chapter 2. I’ll read excerpts from this chapter. As I read, please read along if your own copy
and annotate parts that stand out to you (on a sticky note or in your book directly). When Ender
and Peter are playing, and Peter pins Ender to the ground and is crushing him, Peter says to
Valentine:
…someday you two won’t be together. And there’ll be an accident….
“Then, on page 36 (of the eBook), Peter says:
…there’ll come a day when you aren’t there with him, when you forget. And
suddenly you’ll remember, and you’ll rush to him, and there he’ll be, perfectly
all right. And the next time you won’t worry so much, and you won’t come so
fast. And every time, he’ll be all right. And you’ll think that I forgot. Even
though you’ll remember that I said this, you’ll think that I forgot. And years
will pass. And then there’ll be a terrible accident, and I’ll find his body, and I’ll
Binkley 8
cry and cry over him, and you’ll remember this conversation, Vally, but you’ll
be ashamed of yourself for remembering, because you’ll know that I changed,
that it really was an accident, that it’s cruel for you even to remember what I
said in a childhood quarrel. Except that it’ll be true. I’m gonna save this up,
and he’s gonna die, and you won’t do a thing, not a thing. But you go on
believe I’m just the biggest (Chapter 2, 36-37).
“Then, at the end of the chapter, Ender is in bed and Peter comes into his room. Ender
thinks Peter is coming to kill him, and he plans to lay still and wait for Peter to make his
move:
Peter walked to the bed, and sure enough, he did not life himself up to his
bed. Instead he came and stuff by Ender’s head.
But he did not reach for a pillow to smother Ender. He did not have a
weapon.
He whispered, “Ender, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I know how it feels, I’m sorry, I’m
your brother, I love you” (38).
“That ending seems like a really big contradiction to me, after Peter’s threat to kill Ender earlier.
Let’s go back to the anchor question for this signpost: ‘Why would the character act/feel this
way?’ Why do you think Peter would act this way after threatening Ender? Take a couple
minutes to talk to your partner, see what this made you each think of.”
Give students several minutes to discuss in pairs. Afterwards, bring the class back together and
see what each group came up with. At least one group will probably suggest something like this
passage revealing that Peter isn’t as mean/bad as he seems. This is definitely a valid
interpretation and should be encouraged. However, hopefully another group might suggest that
coming to Ender crying and saying he loves him is actually part of Peter’s plan to seem
innocent, making everyone trust him too much to suspect him in Ender’s eventual death. If no
one in the class suggests this alternative perspective, it would be important to introduce.
End with Reviewing
“Alright, those are some good answers. Again, you’re able to consider a lot from a fairly small
portion of a text. Doing a close reading like this may not give us all the answers; there’s a lot of
the book yet to come. My close reading of this passage made me think I should keep an eye on
Peter and try to figure out more of his motives. Maybe he really is not so bad of a guy, or maybe
he really is evil and conniving. I’ll be looking for more clues to try and figure out more about his
character.
“Not all contrasts or contradictions will be quite as apparent of a difference as we saw between
the two scenes with Peter in this chapter. For example, the Darth Vader scene was more subtle; it
depended more on just a couple words and the tone with which they were delivered. So keep this
Binkley 9
signpost in mind as you read and look for those clues (redirecting the students to the poster we
made for the Contrasts and Contradictions signpost). Remember, when you think you see a
contrast or contradiction, ask yourself: ‘Why would the character act or feel this way?’”
Hand out the Notice and Note Reading Log to each student (from Beers and Probst 209-210, see
appendix, page 60)
“As you continue reading through Ender’s Game, keep this signpost in mind. As we get through
more of the book, we’ll introduce another signpost you can use to help you conduct a close
reading of a text and piece together more about the text and subtext.”
Words of the Wiser
(Adapted from Beers and Probst 152-162)
Materials the Instructor Will Need
 1 Poster-sized piece of paper
 Two (or more) different colored markers
 Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (full film or clip), ideally from the original version
 (Optional) a printed out excerpt from The Empire Strikes Back script (provided below)
 Your copy of Ender’ Game
Materials the Students Will Need




A notebook
A pen or pencil
Their copy of Ender’s Game
(optional) sticky notes
Begin by Explaining
“Last class we talked about the Contrasts and Contradictions signpost that can help you spot
clues to the deeper meaning hidden inside of a text, like details about the plot, the characters, or
the theme.
“Today, I’m going to introduce a new signpost, called the ‘Words of the Wiser’ signpost.”
On a poster-sized piece of paper, write: Words of the Wiser
“Generally, people who are older than you, and sometime people who aren’t, often know things
that you don’t, they might have wisdom that you don’t have yet. I know when I was a teenager I
resisted that idea. Despite my personal feelings on it at the time, this is a theme that comes up a
lot in book, movies, and video games. Authors often put these wise characters in their stories
because there is something the main character doesn’t know or hasn’t learned yet, and they need
to know it to overcome a conflict, or grow as a person. So when I see this in a book, I try to pay
Binkley 10
attention to it, since it will probably show me some important idea that the author wants me to
think about.
“For our poster, I’ll define Words of the Wiser like this:”
On the poster, write the following definition: “The scene in which a wiser character offers the
main character advice that is helpful at this moment in the story but could also be helpful
throughout life.”
“When you notice a scene like this, you’ll want to stop and ask yourself: ‘What’s the life lesson
and how might this affect the character?’ This will be our anchor question for Words of the
Wiser.” (Write this anchor question on the poster in a different color than the definition).
Answering this question will probably help reveal something about character development,
conflict, plot, or theme in the text” (Beers and Probst 154).
Move to Applying (Example Text)
“We’re going to see what the Words of the Wiser signpost might look like in a text by looking at
another clip from the original Star Wars trilogy. This clip is from about half way through the
second movie, The Empire Strikes Back. In this scene, Luke Skywalker has gone to the planet
Dagobah to study under the Jedi Master Yoda. Yoda has been teaching Luke how to move
objects with the power of the Force, when his X-Wing sinks into the swamp.
“This clip will be a good example of the Words of the Wiser signpost. As we watch, keep the
anchor question in mind.”
Play clip:
Artoo waddles closer to Luke, chirping wildly, then scoots over the edge of the
swamp. Catching on, Luke rushes to the water's edge. The X-wing fighter has
sunk, and only the tip of its nose shows above the lake's surface.
LUKE
Oh, no. We'll never get it out now.
Yoda stamps his foot in irritation.
YODA
So certain are you. Always with you it cannot be done. Hear you nothing that
I say?
Luke looks uncertainly out at the ship.
LUKE
Master, moving stones around is one thing. This is totally different.
Binkley 11
YODA
No! No different! Only different in your mind. You must unlearn what you
have learned.
LUKE
(focusing, quietly)
All right, I'll give it a try.
YODA
No! Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try.
Luke closes his eyes and concentrates on thinking the ship out.
Slowly, the X-wing's nose begins to rise above the water. It hovers for a
moment and then slides back, disappearing once again.
LUKE
(panting heavily)
I can't. It's too big.
YODA
Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hm? Mmmm.
Luke shakes his head.
YODA
And well you should not. For my ally in the Force. And a powerful ally it is.
Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us.
Luminous beings are we...
(Yoda pinches Luke's shoulder)
... not this crude matter.
(a sweeping gesture)
You must feel the Force around you.
(gesturing)
Here, between you... me... the tree... the rock... everywhere!
Yes, even between this land and that ship!
LUKE
(discouraged)
You want the impossible.
Quietly Yoda turns toward the X-wing fighter. With his eyes closed and his
head bowed, he raises his arm and points at the ship.
Binkley 12
Soon, the fighter rises above the water and moves forward as Artoo beeps in
terror and scoots away.
The entire X-wing moves majestically, surely, toward the shore. Yoda stands on
a tree root and guides the fighter carefully down toward the beach.
Luke stares in astonishment as the fighter settles down onto the shore. He
walks toward Yoda.
LUKE
I don't... I don't believe it.
YODA
That is why you fail.
“The Words of the Wiser often come from older, wiser characters, and at age 899 to Luke’s 23, I
would say Yoda is both older and wiser. That was one thing that made me keep an eye out for
this signpost.
“This scene makes me think Yoda’s is trying to teach Luke both a lesson about using the Force
and a lesson about life. Yoda is suggesting that the power of the Force is in all things, and the
Force is not limited by the size of objects. Instead, Luke needs to be strong willed and confident.
This is also an important life lesson for Luke. He began the trilogy as an unconfident teenager,
who didn’t have aspirations beyond becoming a pilot. Now, he is one of the last Jedi in the
galaxy, who must face down great evil without being corrupted by it. Luke may have changed a
lot since the last movie, but his insecurity is still showing through.
“So, let’s try to answer the anchor question: ‘What is the life lesson and how might this affect the
character?’” (Give student time to answer. Different perspectives are valid, but I would expect an
answer along the lines of “You fail if you do not believe” or “size matters not”)
Move to Applying (Primary Text)
“I’m going to read a passage from Chapter 3 of Ender’s Game and I want you to keep an eye out
for Words of the Wiser. If you think you spot it, ask yourself the anchor question. Answering
that question could give you some insight into character of plot development. I’ll read an excerpt
from this chapter. As I read, please read along if your own copy and annotate parts that stand out
to you (on a sticky note or in your book directly).
“This is the scene when Colonel Graff comes to Ender’s house to recruit him, and Ender is
asking questions about Battle School, while expressing that he is anxious about leaving home. In
this moment, they are talking about his parents’ religions and Ender being a ‘Third.’
Binkley 13
But it’s more complicated than that. Your father still named you with
legitimate saints’ names. In fact, he baptized all three of you himself as soon
as he got you home after you were born. And your mother objected. They
quarreled over it each time, not because she didn’t want you baptized, but
because she didn’t want you baptized Catholic. They haven’t really given up
their religion. They look at you and see you as a badge of pride, because they
were able to circumvent the law and have a Third. But you’re also a badge of
cowardice, because they dare not go further and practice the noncompliance
they still feel is right. And you’re a badge of public shame, because at every
step you interfere with their efforts at assimilation into normal complying
society…They love you. The question is whether they want you here. Your
presence in this house is a constant disruption. A source of tension. Do you
understand? (Chapter 3, 44-45)
“Now, take a couple minutes to turn to a partner and discuss what you think the Words of the
Wiser were in this case. I deliberately chose a bit of a tougher one than what I selected for
Contrasts and Contradictions, and a tougher one than the Star Wars example. Reflecting on the
chapter we just read and looking back on anything you wrote down, underlined, or highlighted,
try to answer the anchor question and make inferences about what your answers to this question
might mean for the plot, theme, or characters.”
Give students several minutes. This is a tougher passage to piece together than others. My
thoughts primarily relate to what this reveals about the world in which Ender lives and to
Ender’s position as an outcast within his family and his world, setting up the loneliness that will
be a recurring theme thought the novel.
End with Reviewing
“Alright, those were some good idea, particularly when this was a tougher passage to work with.
Often Words of the Wiser signposts can be some of the more obvious clues, but that isn’t always
the case. Remember, when you think you see a wiser (and often older) character offer the main
character advice that could be helpful in the moment and helpful throughout life, you want to
stop and ask yourself ‘what’s the life lesson and how might this affect the character?’ Answering
that question will likely help you better understand the story’s subtext regarding plot
development, character development, or the themes.
“Keep looking for this signpost as you continue reading Ender’s Game and other books.
Remember to keep making note of them in your Notice and Note Reading Logs. Any time you
fill up one of those logs, you can always grab more out of the bottom drawer of our file cabinet,
in the folder labeled ‘Reading Logs.’”
Binkley 14
Again and Again
(Adapted from Beers and Probst 163-175)
Materials the Instructor Will Need





1 Poster-sized piece of paper
Two (or more) different colored markers
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (full film or clip),
ideally from the original version
(Optional) a printed out excerpt from the Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Empire
Strikes Back scripts (provided below)
Your copy of Ender’ Game
Materials the Students Will Need




A notebook
A pen or pencil
Their copy of Ender’s Game
(optional) sticky noes
Begin by Explaining
“An important skill in the sciences is the ability to identify patterns in data. If you cannot find a
pattern, or if there isn’t a pattern, it becomes difficult to use those data to draw defensible
conclusions. On the other hand, if you’re seeing something crop up in your data again and again,
there’s probably sometime going on. Likewise, if an experiment can’t be replicated consistently,
you may not be able to make confident claims. Repetition is important. You must be able to
observe something, or produce a result, again and again if you want to draw strong conclusions.
“Reading is very similar. The more something happens in a story, the more patterns you can
recognize, the more confidently you can infer that the author put something in there for a specific
reason. If it comes up a lot, it is probably connecting to something important or giving hints
about some part of the plot or character development that will come up later. This connects to the
signpost that we will call the Again and Again signpost.”
On poster-sized paper, write the definition of the Again and Again signpost in one color: “When
you notice a word, phrase, object, or situation mentioned over and over again”
“When you see something come up over and over again, you want to ask yourself why the author
put it in there so many times. The anchor question for the Again and Again signpost is: ‘Why
does this happen again and again?’” Write this on the poster in a different color.
Binkley 15
“Trying to answer this question will often give you more insight into character, the plot, or the
theme. If something is in there a lot, there’s also a good chance it is meant to foreshadow
something that will come up later, too.”
Move to Applying (Sample Text)
“We’re going to look at more clips from the original Star Wars trilogy to illustrate this point.
These clips are pulled from both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Often the
Again and Again signpost will come up in just one book or one movie. If it’s in more than one
book/movie, then that might mean it’s all the more important to the themes of the entire series.
This first scene comes when is first trying to get Yoda to train him to be a Jedi”
Play first clip:
CREATURE
(irritated)
I cannot teach him. The boy has no patience.
Luke's head spins in the direction the creature faces. But there is no one there.
The boy is bewildered, but it gradually dawns on him that the little creature is
Yoda, the Jedi Master, and that he is speaking with Ben.
BEN'S VOICE
He will learn patience.
YODA
Hmmm. Much anger in him, like his father.
BEN'S VOICE
Was I any different when you taught me?
YODA
Hah. He is not ready.
LUKE
Yoda! I am ready. I... Ben! I can be a Jedi. Ben, tell him I'm ready.
Trying to see Ben, Luke starts to get up but hits his head on the low ceiling.
YODA
Ready, are you? What know you of ready? For eight hundred years have I
trained Jedi. My own counsel will I keep on who is to be trained! A Jedi must
have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind.
(to the invisible Ben, indicating Luke)
Binkley 16
This one a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away... to the
future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was
doing. Hmph. Adventure. Heh! Excitement. Heh! A Jedi craves not these
things.
(turning to Luke)
You are reckless!
Luke looks down. He knows it is true.
BEN'S VOICE
So was I, if you'll remember.
YODA
He is too old. Yes, too old to begin the training.
Luke thinks he detects a subtle softening in Yoda's voice.
LUKE
But I've learned so much.
Yoda turns his piercing gaze on Luke, as though the Jedi Master's huge eyes
could somehow determine how much the boy had learned. After a long
moment, the little Jedi turns toward where he alone sees Ben.
YODA
(sighs)
Will he finish what he begins?
LUKE
I won't fail you - I'm not afraid.
YODA
(turns slowly toward him)
Oh, you will be. You will be.
“In this scene, I noticed a couple different themes coming up. Yoda seems very
concerned about Luke being impatient and reckless. When looking at the Words of the
Wiser signpost, we concluded that Yoda was older and wiser than Luke, and if he thinks
something is important or troubling, then there’s probably good reason for him to feel
that way. I don’t quite know what is being focused on again and again yet, but this has
me noticing some themes. Now I’ll keep ‘reading’ to see what comes up again as the
story continues
Binkley 17
“In this next scene, Luke has foreseen an image of his friends being in grave danger, and
he hastily prepares to leave Dagobah to try and rescue them. Yoda, and the Force ghost of
Luke first Jedi Master, Obi-Wan “Ben” Kenobi, try to stop him.
Play second clip:
YODA
You must not go!
LUKE
But Han and Leia will die if I don't.
BEN'S VOICE
You don't know that.
Luke looks toward the voice in amazement. Ben has materialized as a real,
slightly shimmering image near Yoda. The power of his presence stops Luke.
BEN
Even Yoda cannot see their fate.
LUKE
But I can help them! I feel the Force!
BEN
But you cannot control it. This is a dangerous time for you, when you will be
tempted by the dark side of the Force.
YODA
Yes, yes. To Obi-Wan you listen. The cave. Remember your failure at the
cave!
LUKE
But I've learned so much since then. Master Yoda, I promise to return and
finish what I've begun. You have my word.
BEN
It is you and your abilities the Emperor wants. that is why your friends are
made to suffer.
LUKE
And that is why I have to go.
BEN
Binkley 18
Luke, I don't want to lose you to the Emperor the way I lost Vader.
LUKE
You won't.
YODA
Stopped they must be. On this all depends. Only a fully trained Jedi Knight
with the Force as his ally will conquer Vader and his Emperor. If you end
your training now, if you choose the quick and easy path, as Vader did, you
will become an agent of evil.
BEN
Patience.
LUKE
And sacrifice Han and Leia?
YODA
If you honor what they fight for ... yes!
Luke is in great anguish. He struggles with the dilemma, a battle raging in his
mind.
BEN
If you choose to face Vader, you will do it alone. I cannot interfere.
LUKE
I understand.
(he moves to his X-wing)
Artoo, fire up the converters.
Artoo whistles a happy reply.
BEN
Luke, don't give in to hate - that leads to the dark side.
Luke nods and climbs into his ship.
YODA
Strong is Vader. Mind what you have learned. Save you it can.
LUKE
I will. And I'll return. I promise.
Artoo closes the cockpit. Ben and Yoda stand watching as the roar of the
engines and the wind engulf them.
Binkley 19
YODA
(sighs)
Told you, I did. Reckless is he. Now matters are worse.
BEN
That boy is our last hope.
YODA
(looks up)
No. There is another.
“I’m seeing some of the same themes appear again. Impatience, fear, and anger are all very
concerning issues to Yoda and Obi-Wan. If this is coming up so often, and coming from these
two wise teachers, these themes must be important to this story. There must be good reason for
Luke to beware the dangers of impatience and fear, and not heeding these warnings will probably
lead to bad things.
“Now, in the last clip from this movie, Luke is facing Darth Vader in combat on Cloud City,
having some to try and rescue his friends. Darth Vader is more powerful than Luke. Luke has to
be on the defensive, and Vader is attempting to goad Luke into embracing anger.
VADER
Obi-Wan has taught you well. You have controlled your fear... now release
your anger.
Luke is more cautious, controlling his anger. He begins to retreat as Vader
goads him on. As Luke takes a defensive position, he realizes he has been
foolhardy. A quick sword exchange and Luke forces Vader back. Another
exchange and Vader retreats. Luke presses forward.
VADER
Only your hatred can destroy me.
“Here are the themes of fear, anger, and hatred again. Now, they’re coming from the bad guy in
this series, and he’s encouraging Luke to be angry, hateful, and afraid. If the villain is
encouraging these and the wise teachers are warning against them, fear and anger must be a very
serious concern in this series.
“The last clip I have is from the first third of Return of the Jedi. In this scene, Luke returns to
Yoda to continue his training as promised. When he gets there, he finds Yoda sick and dying.”
Play the third clip:
Binkley 20
YODA
Remember, a Jedi's strength flows from the Force. But beware. Anger, fear,
aggression. The dark side are they. Once you start down the dark path,
forever will it dominate your destiny.
He beckons the young Jedi closer to him.
YODA
Luke...Luke...Do not...Do not underestimate the powers of the Emperor, or
suffer your father's fate, you will. Luke, when gone am I (cough), the last of
the Jedi will you be. Luke, the Force runs strong in your family. Pass on what
you have learned, Luke...
(with great effort)
There is...another...Sky...Sky...walker.
“Now, we have a more direct statement of why Luke needs to avoid anger, fear, and aggression;
they lead to the dark side. In this film, Luke will have to face down both Darth Vader and his
master, Emperor Palpatine. He will be at even higher of a risk of falling to the dark side.
“These themes have come up so much that they make me wonder why it was important to repeat
them. It makes me think the authors of these movies are trying to tell us something beyond just
the plot of the films. I’m willing to bet they want to communicate a theme here. Maybe they
want to encourage the audience to not give themselves over to anger and hate? Sure, we aren’t
about to be corrupted by a literal dark side of the Force, but maybe they think we can still be
harmed or destroyed if we give into anger, fear, and hate?
Move to Applying (Primary Text)
“Now let’s turn to Ender’s Game and see how we can apply the Again and Again signpost to that
text. Beginning in Chapter 6, Ender gets stuck on a particular part of a video game. In this
portion, he is presented with a no-win scenario. In this part of the simulation, a giant offers him
two drinks, and no matter what choice he makes, he dies. As I reread some of these passages,
read along and try to think why this might be in the book again and again.
“It is first mentioned between Graff and Anderson at the beginning of chapter 6:
He’s stuck at the Giant’s Drink in the mind game. Is the boy suicidal? You
never mentioned it (69).
“The last few pages of this chapter are particularly focused on the giant’s drink problem:
Ender knew that whatever he chose he would die. The game was rigged. On
the first death, his figure would reappear on the Giant’s table, to play again.
On the second death, he’d come back to the landslides. Then to the garden
Binkley 21
bridge. Then to the mousehole. And then, if he still went back to the Giant and
played again, and died again, his desk would go dark, “Free Play Over” would
march around the desk, and Ender would lie back on his bed and tremble
until he could finally go to sleep (76).
“After trying many more times and becoming frustrated, on page 76, Ender:
…instead of pushing his face into one of the liquids, he kicked one over, then
the other, and dodged the Giant’s huge hands as the Giant shouted “Cheater,
cheater!” He jumped at the Giant’s face, clambered up his lip and nose, and
began to dig in the Giant’s eye. The stuff came away like cottage cheese, ad as
the Giant screamed, Ender’s figure burrowed into the eye, climbing right in,
burrowing in and in.
“Through the Giant’s eye, Ender finally reaches “Fairyland,” which is made up, in part, of the
Giant’s body.
“When I read this chapter, this all seemed pretty odd to me. Ender became really fixated on this
game. He kept trying again and again to beat the Giant’s drink challenge. Thinking particularly
about what the author might be wanting to tell us about the plot or characters, take a minute to
talk to a partner and try to answer the question: ‘Why does this happen again and again?’ Why
did Orson Scott Card put so much emphasis on this challenge?
The students will have read through Chapter 7 by this time as well, the beginning of which makes
reference to the Giant’s drink being “the most perverted part of the whole mind game” with
Anderson asking “this is the one we want to put in command of our fleet?” (77). This may give
students a possible clue to the Giant’s drink’s meaning. This comes up again later in the book,
when the Buggers are reading Ender’s mind and attempting to recreate images from this game
(241, 249 Chapter 14). The repetition of this mind game is also foreshadowing, but students will
not know that yet.
Give students several minutes. They may not be able to come up with confident answers yet, but
they should be encouraged to make guesses based on their interpretation of textual evidence.
End by Reviewing
“The exactly meaning behind an Again and Again signpost may not always be apparent. If it is
something repeated through a text, it usually won’t be explained right away, and it may never be
explained directly. That’s why it’s important to keep an eye out for repeating words, themes, and
events. When you spot them, ask yourself why they are being repeated again and again. Then,
just like if you were working with data sets, keep an eye out for any more occurrences of this
trend and try to form a hypothesis – an inference – as to what this matter might mean. I can tell
you that the Giant’s drink and events related to it do come up again, so keep reading closely.”
Binkley 22
Aha Moment
(Adapted from Beers and Probst 128-139)
Materials the Instructor Will Need
 1 Poster-sized piece of paper
 Two (or more) different colored markers
 Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (full film or clip), ideally from the original version
 (Optional) a printed out excerpt from The Empire Strikes Back script (provided below)
 Your copy of Ender’ Game
Materials the Students Will Need




A notebook
A pen or pencil
Their copy of Ender’s Game
(optional) sticky notes
Begin by Explaining
“Today we’ll be introducing a new signpost. This one is called the ‘Aha Moment’ signpost. I
think this is one of the signposts you’re probably most likely to experience in your everyday
lives – I certainly hope you do at school, at least. An Aha Moment is when you suddenly realize
something, or when you suddenly understand something. For example, when I was fourteen or
so, I liked to believe I was really into politics and really understood how the world worked. In
actually, that was pretty far from the truth, but it’s what I believed. I was all anti-war and thought
the invasion of Iraq was definitely just for economic gains. At about the same time, I read
George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. If you haven’t read that book, it’s about a government
that spies on and brainwashes all of their citizens. Near the end of the novel, Winston, the main
character, picks up a book supposedly written by the “Brotherhood” that fights against this
totalitarian government. Nineteen Eighty-Four includes many pages from this fictional book, and
in its reasoning, my fourteen-year-old self felt I suddenly really understood how the world
works. This section describes the concept of the war machine: constant war to have a constant
demand for more good and a constant distraction to keep the people ignorant of their oppression
by their own government.
“Maybe that didn’t have anything to do with the real world I was living in, but for me this was
all a dramatic realization. Everything I was already believing about politics, economics, and all
that, suddenly came together and it all made sense. This realization only reinforced what I
already believed, but it helped me understand and articulate those beliefs so much better than
before.
Binkley 23
On a poster-sized piece of paper, write the definition of an Aha Moment in one color: “Aha
Moments are those moments when a character realizes or suddenly understands something, and
that realization will probably change his or her actions in some way.”
“In real life, those moments might not be scripted, but they can still have a big impact on
ourselves and our lives. When you’re reading and you spot one of these moments, the author put
that in there for a reason, and examining those sections can probably give you more insight about
the story of characters, maybe your own aha moment. When you see a moment when a character
suddenly realizes something, or finally understands something, ask yourself the anchor question
for an Aha Moment: ‘How might this change things?’ (write this anchor question on the poster
in a different color) Answering this question can often lead you to make inferences about what
will happen in the story next, or what will happen to the characters.
Move to Applying (Example Text)
“As an example, we’re going to look at one of the most famous Aha Moments of all time, from
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. In this scene, Luke is battling Darth Vader in Cloud City.
Luke has been overpowered by Vader, who has just cut off Luke’s right hand (and his lightsaber
with it).
Play clip:
VADER
There is no escape. Don't make me destroy you. You do not yet realize your
importance. You have only begun to discover your power. Join me and I will
complete your training. With our combined strength, we can end this
destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy.
LUKE
I'll never join you!
VADER
If you only knew the power of the dark side. Obi-Wan never told you what
happened to your father.
LUKE
He told me enough! It was you who killed him.
VADER
No. I am your father.
Shocked, Luke looks at Vader in utter disbelief.
LUKE
No. No. That's not true! That's impossible!
Binkley 24
VADER
Search your feelings. You know it to be true.
LUKE
No! No! No!
“Now that was an unexpected twist! That twist really begs the question: how might this change
things? That’s a tough one to answer with only this much information. I could guess that it will
confuse Luke and complicate his fight against the Empire. He’s wanting to become a Jedi in no
small part to follow in his father’s footsteps. Now that he knows those footsteps led to the
creation of Darth Vader, will he still want to follow that path? Will he still be able to fight for the
Rebel Alliance? After that Aha Moment, I know I’d have to pay close attention to how Luke and
Vader might act differently now. For example, think back to the first signpost we went over,
Contrasts and Contradictions, in the scene where Luke had surrendered to Vader. Does the idea
that Luke would surrender in hopes of saving Vader have a different meaning now? And might
you realize a little more of the gravity of Vader calling Luke “son” and seeming to regret his own
fall to the dark side?
“Sometimes answering the anchor question will help you understand a solution that a character
has just come up with, or sometimes it may add a new, dramatic complication to the conflict, as
it did in this case.
Move to Applying (Primary Text)
Ender’s Game has several that I would call Aha Moments, but you recently read one in particular
that I want to focus on as an example. I think this one is particularly good for connecting to the
anchor question, so as I read this excerpt, keep that question in mind. Read along in your copy,
and jot down thought your have in the margins or on a sticky note. This passage comes just after
Ender killed Bonzo and was told that he now has to fight two armies at once, where they had a
significant head start:
Everything they can do to beat me, though Ender. Everything they can think
of, change all the rules, they don’t care, just so they beat me. Well, I’m sick of
the game. No game is worth Bonzo’s blood pinking the water on the
bathroom floor. Ice me, send me home, I don’t want to play anymore
(Chapter 12, 187).
“Now, from the passage and your notes, turn to a partner and discuss: How might this change
things? What does this realization mean for Ender? What does it mean for the plot?”
Binkley 25
This is another one where student may need to read more before they could be certain what it
means, but there has been enough information in the book so far that they should be able to
make some inferences. To me, this is significant because Ender is finally understanding that
Battle School is designed to break him. He has seen through ploys and he knows exactly what
they’re trying to do. This sets the stage for what becomes his final test at Battle School. However,
first his future hangs a little in the balance, as he seems to be on the brink of just giving up
completely. It’s hard to know which way he’ll fall, but it’s easy to see that this scene and those
soon after it will have a lot of importance for Ender and the plot.
End with Reviewing
“Alright, those were some good ideas. This is clearly an important thing for Ender to realize.
Having finished the chapter, you know Ender doesn’t give up completely here. Instead, this
makes him realize that he can break the rules if they’re breaking the rules. You’ll have to keep
reading and see how else this Aha Moment has changed Ender. Keep an eye out for Aha Moment
in the rest of Ender’s Game (there are more to come) and in other texts you read. When you see
one, stop and ask yourself: How is this going to change things?
Tough Questions
(Adapted from Beers and Probst 140-151)
Materials the Instructor Will Need
 1 Poster-sized piece of paper
 Two (or more) different colored markers
 Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (full film or clip), ideally from the original version
 (Optional) a printed out excerpt from The Empire Strikes Back script (provided below)
 Your copy of Ender’ Game
Materials the Students Will Need




A notebook
A pen or pencil
Their copy of Ender’s Game
(optional) sticky notes
Begin by Explaining
“There are lots of questions asked in day-to-day life, in science experiments, and in stories. Some
are fairly insignificant, like ‘what step it next?’ on an experiment. However, some questions out
there are very complex ones with no easy answers. For example, scientists like Robert
Oppenheimer and Albert Einstein surely had some small questions when working on the
Binkley 26
Manhattan Project like: how heavy will the bomb casing be? But they had some very, very tough
questions to answer as well. I can imagine many people involved regularly stopped to ask
themselves if building the atomic bomb was the right thing to do, when they had every reason to
think it would probably be used. That’s a tough question and there is no easy answer.
“Often these tough questions, like the ones the members of the Manhattan Project likely had, are
internal conflicts, something that was bothering them. Novels often have questions like this too.
A character might ask it when they’re confused, worried, or thinking deeply about something.
Often authors show you these questions in a pretty straightforward manner. The character might
ask the question directly, out loud or in their head. These could be questions like “why is the
happening to me?” or “is this the right thing to do?” or it might begin with “I wonder if…”
Write the definition of Tough Questions on a poster-sized piece of paper in one color: “When the
main character asks another character or herself/himself a question that doesn’t have an easy
answer”
“This signpost might connect to other ones. For example, if they’re asking this tough question to
a character who is wiser than they are, the other character’s answer may be something like the
Words of the Wiser signpost. Whenever you spot a Tough Question in your reading, stop and ask
yourself the anchor question: ‘What does this make me wonder about?’ (Write this anchor
question on the poster in a different color). Maybe it makes you wonder about exactly the same
thing the character is asking, or maybe it makes you wonder about something a little different.
Stopping and considering what the character’s question makes you wonder about could lead you
to better understand a conflict within the story, to better understand the character, or to make
inferences about what might happen later.
Move to Applying (Example Text)
We’ll look at another scene between Luke and Yoda. This comes in the middle of Luke’s
training on Dagobah. Yoda is instructing Luke on the philosophies of the Jedi:
Play clip:
YODA
Run! Yes. A Jedi's strength flows from the Force. But beware of the dark
side. Anger... fear...aggression. The dark side of the Force are they.
Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark
path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will, as it did ObiWan's apprentice.
LUKE
Vader. Is the dark side stronger?
YODA
Binkley 27
No... no... no. Quicker, easier, more seductive.
LUKE
But how am I to know the good side from the bad?
YODA
You will know. When you are calm, at peace. Passive. A Jedi uses the Force
for knowledge and defense, never for attack.
“I think Luke asks a tough question here, in and outside of Star Wars. What is right and what is
wrong are not always obvious. Particularly when there are forces like anger and fear involved
that can make it harder to tell. Yoda, wise as he is, gives and answer, but it’s not a very thorough
answer. This question makes me wonder if I could confidently know the difference if I was in
Luke’s place. If the dark side is quicker, easier, and more seductive, could I have the will to
resist using it? That also makes me wonder how this relates to the real world. Doing the wrong
thing can often be easier, even more profitable, than doing the right thing. For example, stealing
someone might be easier than working for the money necessary to buy it, but that doesn’t make it
the right thing to do. This makes me wonder how much I chose the easier choice instead of the
right choice in my life.
Move to Applying (Primary Text)
Ender’s Game has its share of Tough Questions, but they’re not always obvious. There’s one that
recently came up when you read chapter 13 that I think it worth revisiting. As I read this excerpt,
read along in your own book. Once I’ve finished, I want to you to take a bit of time to consider
what this question makes you think about. This scene comes near the end of Chapter 13 as Ender
and Graff are traveling to Command School:
“What’s all the secrecy for, anyway?” [Ender asked.]
“Because we’ve taken some terrible risks, Ender, and we don’t want to have
every net on earth second-guessing those decisions. You see, as soon as we
had a working ansible, we tucked it into our best starships and launched
them to attach the buggers’ home systems.”
“Do we know where they are?”
“Yes.”
“So we’re not waiting for the Third Invasion.”
“We are the Third Invasion.”
Binkley 28
“We’re attaching them. Nobody says that. Everybody thinks we have a huge
fleet of warships waiting in the comet shield –“
“Not one. We’re quite defenseless here.”
“What if they’ve sent a fleet to attach us?”
“Then we’re dead. But our ships haven’t seen such a fleet, not a sign of one.”
“Maybe they gave up and they’re planning to leave us alone.”
“Maybe. You’ve seen the videos. Would you bet the human race on the chance
of them giving up and leaving us alone?” (213, chapter 13)
I think that last question is one with no easy answer. What do you think? What does it make you
wonder about, within the universe of Ender’s Game or in our own world? Take a couple minutes
to write down some thoughts and then share those thoughts with a partner.
Even without the context of the rest of the book, student should have some sense that pre-emptive
strike against the Buggers is likely. That will probably some interesting questions about the
morality of a pre-emptive strike, and those questions have no easy answers.
End with Reviewing
You’ll probably run into a lot of tough questions in books you read. There are more to be found
in Ender’s Game, too. Keep an eye out for times when a character is asking a difficult question
that has no easy answer. Since there is no easy answer, you may not be able to answer it yourself,
but it’s important to consider what this question makes you wonder about. This will let you dig
deeper into the characters, plot, and themes of the book. It also might be a good way to start
making connection between the novel and your own life and world, or other stories you’ve read.
Keep track of these signposts in the reading log.
Memory Moment
(Adapted from Beers and Probst 176-187)
Materials the Instructor Will Need





1 Poster-sized piece of paper
Two (or more) different colored markers
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (full film or clip), ideally from the original version
(Optional) a printed out excerpt from the Return of the Jedi script (provided below)
Your copy of Ender’ Game
Materials the Students Will Need
Binkley 29




A notebook
A pen or pencil
Their copy of Ender’s Game
(optional) sticky noes
Begin by Explaining
“Can you think of a time that you told a member of your family or one of your friends about a
memory you have from years ago? There can be lots of reasons people share these memories, but
often they are because something that is going on in your life now reminded you of it, and that
memory was relevant. Often the memories you choose to tell people are important memories too.
Authors write characters with those same sorts of thing in mind. If a character is thinking back to
a particular memory, or telling someone else about that memory, it’s probably something that is
relevant to what the characters are going through now, and it’s probably a memory that is
meaningful to the character who is recalling it. When you see this in a story, that’s a signpost that
we’ll call a Memory Moment.”
On a poster-sized piece of paper, write the definition of this signpost in one color: “When the
author interrupts the action to tell you about a memory.”
“Sometimes these Memory Moments will be easy to spot; they will have words in them like
‘remember,’ ‘memory,’ or ‘remind.’ When you see one of these Memory Moments, you want to
stop and ask yourself the anchor question: ‘Why is this memory important?’ Answering that
question could give you some useful insight about the characters or plot, and it might give you
some hints about how the author is foreshadowing future events.:
Move to Applying (Example Text)
Some films have direct flashbacks that tell you this is a memory moment that the author thinks is
important. Star Wars doesn’t have flashbacks, but I was able to pick out a scene that I think is a
particularly important Memory Moment. This scene comes just before the very first Star Wars
clip we watched. Luke is about to surrender himself to the Empire. Before he does, he meets with
Leia outside the Ewok village.
Play clip:
LUKE
Leia... do you remember your mother? Your real mother?
LEIA
Just a little bit. She died when I was very young.
LUKE
What do you remember?
Binkley 30
LEIA
Just...images, really. Feelings.
LUKE
Tell me.
LEIA
(a little surprised at his insistence)
She was very beautiful. Kind, but...sad.
(looks up)
Why are you asking me all this?
He looks away.
LUKE
I have no memory of my mother. I never knew her.
“In this scene, you can see that this question is really important to Luke. Even Leia seems caught
off guard by how much this question seems to matter to him. That makes me think there’s a lot
more going on in this scene that it might appear. Thinking back to what we discussed earlier,
when someone shares one of their memories, it probably has something to do with what the
characters are going through now (Beers and Probst 85). We know from the clip Luke is asking
because of he has realized that Leia is his sister, and that he is soon to face their father, Darth
Vader. This is significant because Luke hopes this could be his chance of knowing one of his
parents as they once were, since he must face the man his father has become without ever
knowing the man he was. Luke is seeking this memory because it is important for him to know
before what comes next, and he is also asking it to lead Leia to the revelation that they are
brother and sister. The memory moment has important implications for the present and future.
Move to Applying (Primary Text)
“Now that we have that example, let’s look at a Memory Moment in Ender’s Game. As Ender is
first plugged into the ‘simulator’ at Command School, he’s reflecting on how the ‘real war’ will
be different from Battle School when the war finally comes:
“Ender remembered his battle against two armies at once. And I thought they
were cheating. When the real war begins, it’ll be like that every time. And
there won’t be a gate I can go for.” (228)
“Now that you’ve finished Ender’s Game, you might read this a little differently than you would
have before. Take a couple minutes to ask yourself the question: ‘Why might this memory be
Binkley 31
important?’ Turn to a partner and discuss your thoughts, and I’ll ask a few of you to share what
you came up with.”
Since the students have finished the book by this point, they may well identify this as an example
of foreshadowing as well as a memory moment. This line (and the preceding example with the
gate) foreshadows his eventual decision to use the “Little Doctor” to destroy the Buggers’
homeworld.
End with Reviewing
We’ve now worked through six different signposts that can be used to help you conduct close
readings. We’ve applied them to clips from movies as well as passages from books. As we move
on to other novels, you will need to continue to employ your close reading skills. These signposts
aren’t designed to produce a single right answer. Instead, they’re to give you tools for knowing
when a part of a story calls for a close reading to be able to really dissect its meaning. Different
readers can analyze the same passage and walk away with different interpretations. That’s
perfectly fine. The goal is that the signpost will help you to be more efficient, effective readers in
and outside of this course. You’ve done some great work so far. We’ll continue to use the
signpost in the class-wide texts for this course, and you’ll also be expected to make use of these
strategies during your outside reading. I’ll continue to have these reading logs available in our
file cabinet, which (alongside your sticky notes and annotations) can help you organize the
signpost you notice.
Remaining Questions
My biggest remaining concern is how well I’m balancing the need for direct instruction and
validating students’ voices. There are likely many things they do need me to lead them a little
directly through, but the objective here is to equip them with tools to help them make meaning
on their own. That is why I want to ensure that I’m giving them enough guidance, but not so
much that this seems too restricted. I have no shortage of thoughts on these concepts and texts,
and I often run the risk of over privileging my own voice and ideas over that of my students. I
hope that when I implement this plan, I would strike a good balance, but from the plan alone I
am not sure whether I have it well balanced just yet.
Binkley 32
Teaching a Text Part 4: Developing Depth, Stamina, and Passion
A.
Setting Goals
At the beginning of the school year, I will have students read silently from Ender’s Game for 10
minutes, keeping track of how many pages they get through in that amount of time. Once that is
measured, we will multiply it by 6 and then by 2 to determine how many pages they should be
able to read in two hours of reading a week. The result of this calculation will be the target for
their outside reading each week, and I will use a similar measure to estimate about how quickly
they should be able to get through the class-wide books we will be reading (like Ender’s Game).
Every two weeks after that, I will aim for them to increase their outside reading goal by a
minimum of 5%.
I will encourage them that “some people are naturally slower readers, and that’s okay. I feel like
I’m slower at reading than a lot of my colleagues. It’s not because I struggle or that I’m bad at
reading, it’s just the pace at which I read. That does mean I need to dedicate a little more time to
it, and I have been working over the years to increase my speed a little bit, but don’t be
embarrassed if you’re a little slow at reading. Don’t be discouraged either. We all start
somewhere.”
In the first quarter, students will be expected to read three class-wide books: Ender’s Game by
Orson Scott Card, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? By Philip K. Dick, and Feed by M. T.
Anderson. These three books amount to about 900 pages over the first 9 weeks, or just 100 pages
per week (later quarters will include longer and more difficult books). For every 3 class-wide
books we read, I would encourage my students to read a minimum of 2 outside books, but their
reading rate will determine this more specifically. While I want to encourage students to read
book they’re passionate about, I will also strive to have those books connected to the overall
theme of the course. I will ask each student to tell me what book they want to read, and I would
hope to establish how that might connect to the themes of either the STEM fields of science
fiction (which is a very broad genre). I would not forbid a book if it did not fall into this genre,
but in the interest of the course’s theme, I would push them towards science fiction of scientific
texts. One major way I would do this would be through book talks (see Part B of this section).
Tracking Students’ Reading
I will use an adapted version of Kittle’s weekly recording sheet from page 29 to gain some
insight into how students are doing with their outside reading each week (see appendix, page 62).
This will allow me to see how much they’ve been reading, and it will allow students to see what
books their peers have been reading. I will briefly confer with students as this log is passed
around during silent reading time, particularly students who might be falling behind their goal, to
see how I can help restore/redirect their interest, or help with any other challenges.
Binkley 33
I will also track students’ reading by reviewing their entries in the 9 “Big Idea” notebooks
(adapted from Kittle 118-119 and my Assessment Portfolio):
I will present the 9 notebooks to the class, explaining that each is meant to be a place for
communal writing on each of the signposts/textual connections. This is to help them see the
many different ways of spotting signposts and different connection their peers might make, even
when reading the same text. For each chapter they read in Ender’s Game, they will be asked to
write at least once in one or more of the signpost notebooks and one of the textual connection
notebooks about something they noticed. In addition, they may also respond to someone else’s
entry, but this may not be done in place of creating a new one.
Penny Kittle’s “Rules for Civil Discourse in Community Writing,” or similar rules, will be
printed on the first page of each book:
1. Be respectful. Do not use profanity. Do not use someone else’s name without
permission.
2. Trust the writer inside you (Kittle 118).
Note: As these entries will be assessed by me, they will be required to attach their name
to their entry.
Setting Goals for the Year
Based on students’ reading rates, I will help each of them set a reading goal for the year. Using
the calculation above to determine their initial weekly outside reading goal (pages read in 10
minutes x 6 x 2), and the goal of increasing that amount by a minimum of 5% every two weeks,
we will be able to determine their year-long goal.
For example, if a student read 8 pages in 10 minutes, 8 x 6 = 48 pages in an hour x 2 = 96 pages
a week as their starting goal. Two weeks later, with an increase of 5%, the new goal would be
100 pages. At this increasing rate, the goal for weekly reading by the end of the school year
would be 220 pages a week.
What Will be Graded
I would follow Kittle’s model of assigning a grade for completing their reading goal, but giving
no less than half credit if they did some of their outside reading (Kittle 32-33). Like Kittle, I
would emphasize that this is to reward their hard work and downplay the idea of grading as
punishment (I would always emphasize that grading is never punitive). For the class-wide
reading, they will be graded on their entries in the “Big Idea” books for each chapter, their
weekly reading reflections, and their conferences at the end of each class-wide book. The “Big
Idea” books will be graded on completion, while a rubric will guide my grading of their weekly
reflections (see appendix, page 63). See Part C below for more details on conferences.
Binkley 34
Increasing Complexity over Time
One way I will increase the complexity of students’ reading over time will be by having
increasingly complex class-wide books. The beginning books will be fairly easy; Ender’s Game,
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, and Feed are all fairly quick and easy reads. Other text
we will read later, like Dune by Frank Herbert are much longer and more complex.
Through conferences and quarterly reading reflections will also be used to (self-)monitor their
reading and give me an opportunity to make recommendations and encourage them to take on
new challenges and more complex books (see Part D and E below). Increasing complexity and
taking on books a student might not otherwise read is at the heart of this course’s objectives.
Students will be expected to branch out into fields they might not otherwise explore (the STEM
fields if they are more unfamiliar to the student, or English and the arts if they are more
comfortable with the STEM fields). Pushing them in this direction will be both a goal of the
assigned reading, which will include non-fiction texts, and an objective I would pursue
individually in conferences. These conferences would include making reading recommendations
for that specific student, based on their reading preferences and other details that I can learn
about them.
B.
Book Talk Image:
Binkley 35
Book Talk Hook
Aliens have attacked Earth twice already. After on devastating strike by the aliens, humans
narrowly won thanks to the strategic genius of a commander, Mazer Rackham. That was eighty
years ago. Now, Rackham is gone and humanity is running a special Battle School to find the
next great battle commander. Andrew “Ender” Wiggin might be humanity’s only hope to win in
the when the next attack comes…
Short Excerpt to Read Aloud
Graff leaned over and took Ender’s hands in his. “Ender Wiggin, if it were
just a matter of choosing the best and happiest future for you, I’d tell you to
stay home. Stay here, grow up, be happy. There are worse things than being
a Third, worse things than a big brother who can’t make up his mind
whether to be a human being or a jackal. Battle School is one of those worse
things. But we need you. The buggers may seem like a game to you now,
Ender, but they damn near wiped us out last time. They had us cold,
outnumbered and outweaponed. The only thing that saved us was that we
had the most brilliant military commander we ever found. Call it fate, call it
God, call it damnfool luck, we had Mazer Rackham.
“But we don’t have him now, Ender. We’ve scraped together everything
mankind could produce, a fleet that makes the one they sent against us last
time seems like a bunch of kids playing in a swimming pool. We have some
new weapons, too. But it might not be enough, even so. Because in the eighty
years since the last war, they’ve had as much time to prepare as we have.
We need the best we can get, and we need them fast. Maybe you’re not going
to work out for us, and maybe you are. Maybe you’ll break down under the
pressure, maybe it’ll ruin your life, maybe you’ll hate me for coming here to
your house today. But if there’s a chance that because you’re with the fleet,
mankind might survive and the buggers might leave us alone forever – them
I’m going to ask you to do it. To come with me” (45-46, chapter 3).
Book Talk Records
I would maintain a poster in my classroom that recorded each book talk, broken into primary
setting categories: Space, Earth, Distant Planets, and Alternate Universes. Depending on where
the book is set, I would list it under that category. For example, Ender’s Game takes place
primarily in space, so I would write the title and the author under the “Space” category.
If I am permitted to do so, I would also maintain a poster in the library that recorded the books I
have book talked in my classroom, though it would not be classified by category, since students
outside of my classroom may not understand the significance of each category.
Accepting Help
Binkley 36
I would eagerly seek any input I could find on books to book talk. As much as I know about
science fiction, it is a genre I will never read the entirety of – not by a long shot. It is also a very
diverse genre and many different texts could arguably fall into it. I would seek input from my
colleagues at my school, who would likely at least be familiar with some classic, mainstream
science fiction like Frankenstein and Nineteen Eighty-Four, and hopefully they would have other
recommendations as well. I would reach out to my school librarian as well as local librarians for
more recommendations. I also would hope to stay in at least occasional contact with my
colleagues at CSU, professors and students alike. I know some of my colleagues, like Kelsey
Hatly, have some interest in science fiction. It would also be very helpful to maintain occasional
contact with professors like Leif Sorensen, since science fiction is one of his fields of expertise. I
would also consider joining or creating a listserv that would be dedicated to teaching science
fiction, and potentially receive recommendations from other teachers across the country, who
teach a variety of age groups.
C.
(The following section is primarily adapted from my Assessment Portfolio)
When I Would Conference
Students will be asked to write weekly reading reflections on the assigned, class-wide texts, or
on texts they read outside of class during that week. Students will be encouraged to pull from
entries they wrote in the “Big Idea” books about the signposts of textual connections (see Part A
above). I will collect these weekly reflections as assess them using a rubric (see appendix, page
63) prior to the conference. By the time they finish Ender’s Game, the students will have each
completed 3 weekly reflections. Before conferencing with the students, I will assess these
reflections, looking in particular to chart trends of strengths and areas that need improving in
their reading and analyzing skills, as well as looking for signs of growth. After the students
complete future texts, I will have a larger set of data with which to chart these trends.
The conferences would be conducted over the span of a week during silent reading time.
Length of Conferences
The average class size at Poudre High School, and presumably my class as well, is 19 students.
In order to work through every student within that week, conferences would only last about 10
minutes per student. I want to have time to meet with every student within that week, and I do
not want to overwhelm the student with too many different questions in a single conference.
There will be several conferences throughout the school year, so different topics can be focused
on in different conferences, depending on what the student needs most at that time.
Categories Addressed in Conferences
Binkley 37
I would focus primarily on questions that would help encourage students to more complex
reading, while also gaining insight on how the reading has been going for them so far.
noted above, I will not address every category or question in a single conference. These represent
many options to choose from, depending on what is best suited to the student’s needs at the time
of the conference.
Questions for Conferences
The following are examples of questions I would choose from when conferencing with a student:





How did the reading go for you?
Was this an easy text for you, or a hard one? How do you know?
Was there a particular part of this book that was confusing for you? What did you do to
get yourself back on track?
What questions are at the heart of this book? What questions might the author be trying to
answer through the struggles of these character?
What textual evidence do you think you could cite (in relation to their answer above)?
Referring to their written reflections:





What strategy did you use when close reading this text? Was any one of them easier than
another? Was one of them particularly confusing or difficult for you to implement for this
text?
(If the student cited textual evidence) What strategy did you use for finding passages to
cite in your reflection? Did you find a passage that inspired the reflection you wanted to
write, or did you begin planning the reflection and then look for a passage to go with it?
(If the student had little or no use of textual evidence) What was the most significant part
of the book for you? What was most interesting? What sort of reaction did you have to
that? (Following their answers) Did you have a difficult time turning that into a
reflection, or finding ways to support that reaction?
Did you feel like you saw any growth or change in your as a reader through this unit and
these reflections?
What do you think your greatest strength as a reader is? What aspect do you feel you
need to work to improve/refine the most?
I will also ask them a few, brief questions designed to help lead them to further reading:



Did you enjoy this book? If so, what did you enjoy about it? If not, what did you not like?
Do you usually read books from this genre? Have you read anything by this author
before?
Would you want to read more books like this one? If so, can you think of any that you
think might be similar to this one?
Binkley 38

What books have you really enjoyed?
(Adapted from Kittle 78-85 and my Assessment Portfolio)
Conference Records
As soon as I can after the conferences, I’d work with the information collected from this
conference, and particularly these final questions, to recommend a few books to each student.
Between conferences, I would make sure I have thorough notes on how the conference went with
each student. I would store these notes with the file that is charting that student’s work and
growth.
The assessment of this plan will be conducted while charting trends across the students’
reflections, during the conference itself, and in my own reflections afterward. The conferences
will be aimed at fostering students’ abilities to self-assess. The success or failure of that pursuit
may not be immediately apparent, though some indication of one or the other will likely be seen
during the conference.
I will compare trends between units during/after future conferences. By looking for growth
across units and between conferences, I will be able to get a better sense of how successfully or
unsuccessfully each student has reached the reading goals we set over the course of this class.
D.
Questions to Drive Response
The following questions would be used to encourage response and engagement from students
(adapted partially from Kittle 103). Some of these questions (particularly the third one) would
require more time for thought than a discussion would provide. Students would be given this
question in advance:

Trace the changes of a central character, like Peter or Ender, over the course of the novel.
You may want to consider: How do they change? In what ways do they remain the same?
What causes these changes?

What scientific principle or science fiction tropes/technology is most interesting to you?
Why?

If you had to try and explain how this technology could really work, what might you
suggest?
Passages for Response
Binkley 39
Students will be asked to select passages before coming to class in response to the questions
above. They will be given a Response to Quotation organizer (adapted from Kittle 105, see
appendix, page 64) to help them select and examine quotations.
Example Passages
The following are two example passages a student might select. The first one represents a change
in a major character (Peter) and the second represents Card employing certain scientific
principles to enhance the believability of his science fiction.
Passage 1:
“Val, listen to me. I know how you feel about me, you always have. I was a
vicious, nasty brother. I was cruel to you and crueler to Ender before they
took him. But I didn’t hate you. I love you both, I just had to be – had to have
control, do you understand that? It’s the most important thing to me, it’s my
greatest gift, I can see where the weak points are, I can see how to get in and
use them, I just see those things without even trying. I could become a
businessman and run some big corporation, I’d scramble and maneuver until
I was at the top of everything and what would I have? Nothing. I’m going to
rule, Val, I’m going to have control of something. But I want it to be
something worth ruling. I want to accomplish something worthwhile. A Pax
Americana through the whole world. So that when somebody else comes
here to defeat us, they’ll find we’ve already spread over a thousand worlds,
we’re at peace with ourselves and impossible to destroy. Do you understand?
I want to save mankind from self-destruction.”
She had never seen him speak with such sincerity. With no hint of mockery,
no trace of a lie in his voice. He was getting better at this. Or maybe he was
actually touching on the truth. “So a twelve-year-old boy has his kid sister are
going to save the world?”
“How old was Alexander? I’m not going to do it overnight. I’m just going to
start now. If you’ll help me.”
“I don’t believe what you did to those squirrels was part of an act. I think you
did this because you love to do it.”
Suddenly, Peter wept into his hands. Val assumed that he was pretending, but
then she wondered. It was possible, wasn’t it, that he loved her, and that in
this time of terrifying opportunity he was willing to weaken himself before
her in order to win her love. He’s manipulating me, she thought, but that
doesn’t mean he isn’t sincere. His cheeks were wet when he took his hand
away, his eyes rimmed in red. “I know,” he said. “It’s what I’m most afraid of.
That I really am a monster. I don’t want to be a killer but I just can’t help it”
(126-127, chapter 9).
Binkley 40
Passage 2:
“Eros? But I thought that the buggers burned that to a radioactive –ah. When
did I receive security clearance to know this?” [Ender asked.]
“You didn’t. So when we arrive at Eros, you will undoubtedly be assigned to
permanent duty there.”
“…by the way, you should be aware, in case you’re one of those who relies on
visuals for docking, that Eros has been blacked out. Its albedo is only slightly
brighter than a black hole. You won’t see it” (221, chapter 13)
How Students Would be Asked to Respond
Students would be asked to fill out the provided “Response to Quotations” organizer for their
selected passages and then answer the attached question in a minimum of 100 words. These
responses would lead into analyzing the craft of writing below.
Analyzing the Craft of Writing
These questions would lead them to begin analyzing the craft of writing in science fiction.
Character development is crucial to all forms of fiction, and scientific principles (either relatively
within realism or stretched to the extreme) are often important parts of science fiction.
During this time, I would also introduce the concept of foreshadowing:
“Foreshadowing is a hint that an author puts in a story about something that will happen later.
Often these clues are most clear when you’re rereading a text. These are often used to set up plot
twists, dramatic reveals, or Aha Moments later in the text. When foreshadowing and reveals are
managed well, the reveal will still be a surprise, but it also won’t come out of nowhere; you can
look back and see the clues and the steps that led to this reveal.”
Model Thinking About These Themes - Foreshadowing
“As an example, let’s look at another clip from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. This clip
comes near the middle of the movie, before it has been revealed that Darth Vader is Luke’s
father: Here, Vader is being contacted by the Emperor (who looks significantly different in this
film than he does in Return of the Jedi, but they are meant to be the same character)”
Play clip. Note: This must be done with the original version of the film. The most recent re-edit
significantly changed the dialogue in this scene, removing any subtly from the foreshadowing.
EMPEROR
We have a new enemy – Luke Skywalker.
VADER
Yes, my master.
Binkley 41
EMPEROR
He could destroy us.
VADER
He's just a boy. Obi-Wan can no longer help him.
EMPEROR
The Force is strong with him. The son of Skywalker must not become a Jedi.
VADER
If he could be turned, he would become a powerful ally.
EMPEROR
Yes. Yes. He would be a great asset. Can it be done?
VADER
He will join us or die, my master.
“The dialogue in this scene is left somewhat ambiguous. If I didn’t know what was happens at
the end of this movie, this scene might not seem all that significant. Who is “the son of
Skywalker”? Are they worried about Luke’s son? But they were just talking about Luke, himself.
I probably would shrug this scene off the first time through, but when I come back and watch it
again, which is to say I “reread” this portion of the movie, I realize they’re talking about Luke
the whole time. “The son of Skywalker” means Anakin Skywalker’s son, not Luke’s. That also
adds more significance to Vader’s vow to corrupt or kill Luke, his own son. This makes me think
Vader is completely evil. He obeys the Emperor unquestioningly, even being willing to murder
his own son if his son won’t embrace evil.
“Now let’s take a scene from Ender’s Game and see what foreshadowing is hidden in this
passage:
“The buggers may seem like a game to you now, Ender, but they damn near
wiped us out last time. They had us cold, outnumbered and outweaponed.
The only thing that saved us was that we had the most brilliant military
commander we ever found. Call it fate, call it God, call it damnfool luck, we
had Mazer Rackham.
“But we don’t have him now, Ender…” (46).
And on page 111:
“Your grandparents weren’t born yet when Mazer Rackham wiped [the
buggers] out” (111).
Mazer Rackham comes up a lot throughout the novel. Sure, he’s famous and he has a lot to do
with the buggers, but the author is probably bringing him up so often for a reason. Maybe there’s
Binkley 42
more we have yet to find out about him? By the end of the book, we know why they brought him
up so much. It was all foreshadowing for his eventual return. Card works hard to drive home the
idea that Rackham’s victory was so long ago that there’s no way he’s alive so we know how
necessary Ender is, and so we’ll be surprised when he shows up. This also serves to highlight
just how Rackham is still alive: traveling really fast and undergoing the effects of special
relativity – something we’ll talk more about later.
Model Thinking About These Themes – Science and Science Fiction
“As we’ve talked about, most science fiction incorporates some degree of scientific fact. This
helps root the fantastical and absurd elements in reality, to a point. Let’s look at an example from
page 221:
“Eros? But I thought that the buggers burned that to a radioactive –ah. When
did I receive security clearance to know this?” [Ender asked.]
“You didn’t. So when we arrive at Eros, you will undoubtedly be assigned to
permanent duty there.”
“…by the way, you should be aware, in case you’re one of those who relies on
visuals for docking, that Eros has been blacked out. Its albedo is only slightly
brighter than a black hole. You won’t see it” (221, chapter 13)
“This sounds pretty science-y to me. One question I might have is what ‘albedo’ means. Is it a
word Card is making up? To figure that out, I’d start by looking up the word.”
Model looking up the word. In this case I used the Oxford English Dictionary online.
“Alright, so it is a real word. Albedo means “the proportion of incident solar light that is
diffusely reflected by the surface or surface material of a planet or other celestial object”
(“albedo, n.”). In other words, albedo is the percent of incoming light an object in space reflects.
So when they say Eros has an albedo near zero, it means it will reflect as good as no light.
“From what I know about astronomy, that seems important, since astronomy depends almost
entirely on light (either from the visible or no-visible spectrum). So to be able to stop all light
from reflecting back off or Eros is as good as making it invisible to anyone that might be looking
for it. That seems like a pretty neat idea, and it seems like Card did his research when he set out
to make the technology in this book sound more plausible.”
E.
Quarterly Reading Reflections
By the end of our first quarter, students will be expected to have read three class-wide books
(Ender’s Game, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, and Feed) and a minimum of about two
outside books, depending on the students’ determined reading rate and reading goals.
Determining Text Difficulty
Binkley 43
(Adapted from Kittle 125-127)
Part of students reflecting on their reading will be to consider how difficult the books they’ve
read so far have been. Students will be asked to rank their books in difficulty. Before ranking
their books, students will be broken up into groups of 3 and given 5-10 minutes to brainstorm
what sorts of things make a book difficult. After this time, each group will share what they came
up with, and I will write these criteria on the board. With those criteria in mind, students will be
instructed to rank the books they’ve read this quarter from most difficult to least difficult (more
difficult being 1). We will return to these lists after each quarter and they will add to this list as
they read more in this class.
Determining Reading Rate
(Adapted from Kittle 126-128)
Looking back at the books they have read so far, students will be asked to write down the page
length of each book and how much of the book they truly read. I will explain to them that this is
not to catch them in a lie or reprimand them, it is only to construct and accurate picture of their
reading in the past quarter.
They will add up all of the pages they read and divide it by 9 to see what their average weekly
reading rate was. Looking at that weekly reading rate and how much they read through the
quarter, they can compare it to the goals we laid out at the beginning of the year and see how
well they have met those goals.
Write Mini-Reviews of the Favorite Books
(Adapted from Kittle 128-129)
As part of reflecting on their reading, students will be asked to write mini-reviews of a few books
they read this quarter. These could be books they loved, or ones they didn’t like so much. These
will be designed to improve students’ summary writing skills as well as a means to build a
stronger community of readers. These reviews should be a minimum of 100 words each. They
must include objective summary and a subjective review of what they thought (define these terms
for the class as needed).
These reviews will be made available to all of the students in the class. So if one student loved
one of their outside reading books and another student is looking for a new book, these reviews
could be useful tools for discovering new books to read. I will collect and assess these reviews.
As I read through them, I will look for a few students to ask to do book talks about their outside
reading, particularly if they read books I am not familiar with.
Set Goals for Next Quarter
(Adapted from Kittle 129)
Binkley 44
As students look back at their reading rate this quarter and compare it to their initial goal, they
will be able to see how well they’ve met that goal so far. I will walk around the room and briefly
confer with students about this quarter’s reading and future goals. If they have met it easily, they
will be encouraged to take on longer and/or more complex books. If it has been difficult for
them, I will see what factors might have stopped them from reaching that goal and how those
factors could be addressed. I will do everything I can to ensure that the student meets their
minimum goal, working to address any roadblocks, rather than lowering our expectations.
Short Essay Reflecting on their Writing
Students will be asked to write brief essays reflecting on their experiences with reading this
quarter. Topics they will be asked to consider include:



What sort of reader did you see yourself as at the beginning of this course? How do you
see yourself as a reader now? Has there been change? Why or why not?
What was your best reading experience this quarter? What was the most difficult? How
did you address that difficulty?
What skills, knowledge, or interest do you want to make sure you carry with you into the
next quarter?
These essays should be a minimum of 200 words. I will reinforce that I don’t want them to tell
me what they think I want to hear. This should be honest, and it is primarily for themselves as a
tool to reflect on the reading in this course so far. I will collect these short essays and record
information from them into the records I will use in conferences to track their growth and change
in this course (see Part C above).
Binkley 45
Teaching a Text Part 5: Teaching Poetry
Before Reading
(The poem is provided below)
Why I Admire this Poem
“Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
I appreciate this poem because I find its language to be beautiful and I find a great deal of irony
in its tone and theme. Tennyson means to celebrate the gallantry of the Light Brigade, but to me
it is horrendously tragic and a celebration of blind obedience in the face of obvious death. I know
this is a virtue in soldiers, all the more so in a more romantic era, but I think it is hardly
something to celebrate.
Special Words to Address
The Light Brigade (introduce after first reading) – A British cavalry unit that fought in the Battle
of Balaklava in the Crimean War, 1854. This battle was fought to protect the supply lines to the
British and French port on the Black Sea in southeastern Europe. The Light Brigade was order to
attack a Russian artillery position on the ridges overlooking a valley. The orders were
misunderstood and the Light Brigade charged down the middle of the valley, suffering heavy
artillery fire. This charge resulted in 40% of the Light Brigade being killed (“Balaklava, Battle
of.”)
It may also be relevant to explain the connection between the Crimean War and the current
upheaval in the Ukraine. Crimea is still a crucial access point to the Black Sea and, through it,
the Mediterranean. When the leader of the Ukraine was recently overthrown, Russia was
concerned it would lose access to the crucial ports in Crimea and it proceeded to invade and
annex Crimea.
Cossack – “Name of a warlike Turkish people now subject to Russia, occupying the parts north
of the Black Sea. From them the Poles organized a body of light horsemen, in which capacity
they formed an important element of the Russian army” (“Cossack n.”)
First Reading
I think this poem will be difficult for students to thoroughly understand a first time through. It is
clear that the poem is celebrating the Light Brigade, but students may not understand why this is
something to be celebrated, or at least why Tennyson would celebrate it. I think it would be
helpful to have them read it through once and then introduce the context. By reading it first
without the context, I hope that students will be confused on some points, that they will have
questions. I want the students to wonder about its meaning before being given the context.
Binkley 46
Close Reading
The second time through, I would ask two groups of students to underline particular words or
ideas. They will be reminded that even when reading poetry, you should take note of anything
that stands out to them as significant:


One group would underline any phrase or word that is repeated
The second group would underline any action words
This is an action heavy poem, and one that has a significant amount of repetition. I would hope
to get students to consider why certain phrases are repeated, why so many action words are used,
and what overall feel this imbues on the poem. This will explore how word choice constructs the
tone of poetry (and other forms of writing).
The following questions will be projected alongside the bullet points above as students read
through the poem the second time:



Does the word choice/repetition make the poem more triumphant? More celebratory?
Does any other word choice/repetition make the poem more grim, or make it seem more
critical of this situation?
How does repetition support/is supported by the structure of the poem?
I feel the repetition is primarily meant to drive home a triumphant, bold spirit, with only
tangential acknowledgement of the tragedy and horror. Repetition is very important to how
Tennyson structure the poem; repetition of “the six hundred” keeps the poem clearly focused on
the Light Brigade themselves, and almost always in honorific terms.
That said, I would be curious to see where students might disagree with my interpretation and
why.
Students will be instructed to answer these questions individually on a sheet of paper and then
share it within their group.
After Reading
Say It Out Loud
The class will be broken into 6 groups (which means 2-3 student per group). Each group will
read a stanza, but the entire class will read the last line of every stanza out loud. This will be an
effective way to see the repetition in the poem. Students will also be encouraged to read their
stanza in whatever tone they think is most appropriate. This could be an auditory way to
demonstrate what different interpretation we might have within our class about what tone the
poem should rightfully have.
Binkley 47
Writing Prompts
Students will be asked to write a response to the following question for homework:

How does this poem relate to Ender’s Game? How might it relate to games in the Battle
Room? How might it relate to the “simulated” battle at the end of the book? What does
your interpretation suggest about the books attitude regarding war?
Your response should be at least 200 words and should include at least 2 examples from
Ender’s Game, including correct MLA citation. You may also refer to other texts from
this course, including the companion poem “Boy Soldier” by Fred D’Aguiar.
Suggestions for Further Reading
Companion Poem
The companion poem I have chosen for this piece is “Boy Soldier” by Fred D’Aguiar. This is a
significantly darker poem and a darker perspective on war. It describes a child soldier and the
acts he commits without really comprehending what he is doing. I want to use this poem, and
“Charge of the Light Brigade,” to help students think about the evils of war, which are
particularly strong when it comes to child soldiers. Ender’s Game is effectively about raising
child soldiers and ordering soldiers into the “jaws of Death,” but much of this is glossed over
(particularly since the real war is presented initially as only a series of simulations). Because the
final assault on the buggers’ homeworld is believed to be a simulation, Ender, like the child
soldier in the poem, commits horrendous acts of violence without initially comprehending what
he is doing.
Book Bridge
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
As noted above, this book is about war and child soldiers. By the book’s end, the horrors of war
and humanity’s inclination to destroy itself (and other species) are briefly touched on, but I feel it
is not given the gravity it deserves. These two poems highlight two perspectives on war: the
glory of soldiers rushing toward their deaths (and the irony of that glory) and arguably war’s
darkest side in the uncomprehending violence carried out by child soldier
Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
Starship Troopers focuses on a dystopian future that is centered almost entirely around war. A
person must volunteer to serve (usually serve in the military) to receive any rights within this
future society. As such, all facets of society begin to revolve around war and the book debates
the morality of war in great depth. Rico and his fellow soldiers are continually taught that
support for the status quo is the most important duty, philosophically and militarily. Unlike the
film, this book features almost no aliens, and spends its time primarily philosophizing. This is a
Binkley 48
fairly short book, but a tougher read than Ender’s Game, with only a minimal plot and minimal
character development to carry it through its moral posturing. It is, however, extremely relevant
to the differing perspectives presented in the books above and to many of the questions raised
(less directly) in Ender’s Game.
Binkley 49
The Charge of the Light Brigade
By Alfred, Lord Tennyson
I
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
“Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!” he said.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
II
“Forward, the Light Brigade!”
Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
Someone had blundered.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
III
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of hell
Rode the six hundred.
IV
Flashed all their sabres bare,
Flashed as they turned in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wondered.
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right through the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reeled from the sabre stroke
Shattered and sundered.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.
V
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell.
They that had fought so well
Came through the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.
VI
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!
Binkley 50
Boy Soldier
by Fred D’Aguiar
What a smile! One large lamp for a face,
smaller lanterns where skin stretches over
bones waiting for muscle, body all angles.
His Kalashnikov fires at each moving
thing before he knows what he drags
down. He halts movement of every
kind and fails to weigh whom he stops
dead or maims, his bullets
like jabs thrown before the thought
to throw them, involuntary shudders
when someone, somewhere, steps over
his shallow, unmarked, mass grave.
But his smile remains undimmed,
inviting, not knowing what hit him,
what snuffs out the wicks in his eyes.
Except that he moves and a face just like
his figures like him to stop all action
with a flick of finger on the trigger.
Binkley 51
Teaching a Text Part 6: Media Literacy
(This section is in need of revision, but I did not have time to revise it too much)
A.
Colorado State Education Standards
Colorado Science Standards

High School Science Standard 1.1: Newton’s laws of motion and gravitation describe
the relationships among forces acting on and between objects, their masses, and changes
in the motion – but have limitations (DOK 1-2)
Colorado Reading, Writing, and Communicating Standards

11th Grade Standard 2.1.a.iii: Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to
develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is
ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed). (CCSS: RL.11-12.3)
Colorado Research and Reasoning Standards
 11th Grade Standard 4.2.d: Analyze and assess the logic of the interdisciplinary domains
inherent in reasoning through complex situations (No CCSS citation provided by CDE).
B.
Rationale
The National Association for Media Literacy Education defines media literacy as “the ability to
access, analyze, evaluate, and communicate information in a variety of forms – is
interdisciplinary by nature.” I believe this claim lends itself well to the purpose of my course: to
help students explore the interdisciplinary connections present in science fiction. Since one of
my objectives in choosing this book is to teach students about scientific principles that are
presenting in Ender’s Game, I chose a video that highlights some of the scientific concepts. The
Battle Room in Ender’s Game is a three-dimensional arena with no gravity. The combat that
happens in this room depends on a variety of laws of physics in zero gravity, all of which are
identical on Earth (though the resultant behavior of objects is different without gravity). The first
clip I chose is one of Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide demonstrating physics in microgravity
(effectively zero G, but still in orbit around Earth). I selected the particular part of this clip where
he is causing two blocks to collide with one another to demonstrate inertia and mass. One block
is made of wood; the other is made of metal. He demonstrates that the inertia of the heavy block
overpowers the wooden block, even though they have the same dimensions and velocity. In the
Battle Room, large objects are used as cover and obstacles, and Ender’s team finds ways to make
Binkley 52
use of these objects and one another for maneuvering. Because these large objects have a larger
mass than the children, they can be used as stable points that allow even large numbers of
children to repel off of them without moving them from their location. Since there is no gravity,
these large “stars” do not fall and gravity does not keep them where they are. Instead, it is their
mass and inertia that keep them in place, even when children push against it with all their
strength. The Battle School is training the children to be commanders who can deal with unusual
situations and command battles in space. Part of this training is getting them to not only think
about physics without the influence of gravity, but also to find ways to use this to their
advantage. I want to show my students that these ideas are not just fantasy; Card is accurately
depicting how these forces would behave, granting the novel and Ender’s strategic, out-of-thebox thinking more plausibility. To contrast this real-world demonstration and Card’s use of
physics, I will also show a clip from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and ask student to explain the
differences between these three, as well as what makes one of the two pieces of fiction more
plausible than the other.
The behavior of objects in zero- or micro-gravity is likely hard for students to picture accurately
when reading a text, fiction or non-fiction. Some Newtonian laws can be seen on Earth, and
some students may be able to extrapolate how they may look with no gravity, but many likely
would not. Object’s behavior in zero gravity can do a superior job at demonstrating Newtonian
physics in many ways. Hands-on experience, or at least direct observation, can be very important
for helping students to grasp abstract concepts, particularly for students with little relevant prior
knowledge (Olympiou, Zacharias, and deJong 591). Physics outside of Earth’s gravity is not
something that students can personally experiment with, and this video is the next best thing.
Since the specific behavior objects in micro-gravity is difficult to imagine, having this visual aid
will greatly aid in students developing mental images of this sort of behavior in the future in both
English and science texts.
The first clip runs from the 3:14 mark to 5:10.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMJq4v5VQzY#t=03m14s
The second clip if from near the end of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. It is currently available
here. The entirety of this video would be used:
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW_hGOFukMQ
C.
Modeling
Below are images selected from each video clip. The set of images on the left is one experiment
from the first link provided above, and the set of images on the right is from Return of the Jedi.
Binkley 53
Image 1: Hoshide throws the wooden block at
the metal block
Image 2: The two blocks collide
Image 3: The wooden block bounces
backwards, while the metal block is barely
moved
Image 1: An A-Wing fighter crashes into the bridge of the
super star destroyer
Image 2: The super star destroyer lists and falls
Image 3: The super star destroyer crashed into the Death
Star’s surface and explodes
Both of the series of images above demonstrate instances of objects in motion in zero- or microgravity. The demonstration by Hoshide shows how objects would more realistically behave; they
require an outside force to move them (Newton’s First Law) and equal force is exerted on both
objects when they collide (Newton’s Third Law). However, since the metal block has a greater
mass, it also has a great inertia and does not move as far as the wooden block when subjected to
the force of the collision.
Binkley 54
The motion of the super star destroyer is less realistic. When a star fighter crashes into the bridge
of the massive ship, it suddenly begins to plummet to the Death Star’s surface, even though its
engines were undamaged. Being the size of a moon, the Death Star would have a gravitation
field, but this force wasn’t strong enough to pull down the star destroyer before the bridge was
damaged. While gravitation forces seem to be at work, and the much more massive Death Star is
unmoved by the comparatively small mass of the star destroyer, this is generally an inaccurate
representation of Newtonian physics.
Both Star Wars and Ender’s Game are works of science fiction, but when they are compared to
the factual demonstration in the first clip, only one of the two works measures up well to realworld physics. The Hoshide clip is meant to model the real motion of objects in micro-gravity,
while the Star Wars clip is meant to contrast the relative realism of Ender’s Game.
D.
Assignment Sheet
Name:____________________________
Newtonian Physics in Reality and in Ender’s Game
In this assignment, you will watch two video clips and compare the information to them to a
passage from Ender’s Game. All of these “texts” focus on Newton’s laws of motion in regards to
objects of differing masses. By using prediction strategies and observing these demonstrations,
you will be able to more thoroughly evaluate the believability of the physics used depicted in
Ender’s Game.
Following the procedure provided below, you will make a prediction about the motion of the
objects in these videos, you will record your observations while watching the videos, and you
will write a conclusion comparing your predictions to your observations. Lastly, you will use the
information from the real-world demonstration to reflect on Orson Scott Card’s depiction of the
laws of mass and inertia in Ender’s Game.
Instructions:
Video #1 demonstrates the behavior of two blocks in micro-gravity (the nearly-zero gravity that
is experience in Earth’s orbit). The blocks are equal in size. One is made of wood, the other is
made of metal.
1. Predict what you think will happen when these two blocks collide. Explain why you think
this will happen.
Binkley 55
2. Now watch video #1, beginning at 3:14 and ending at 5:10. Record your observations
below
Video #1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMJq4v5VQzY#t=03m14s
3. Video #2 is from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. This video features three different objects
in space. One is a small space fighter that is about 9 meters long. The second object is a
super star destroyer that is about 19,000 meters long. The third object is the second Death
Star, which is about the size of a small moon (160 kilometers, or 160,000 meters, in
diameter).
At the beginning of this video, the super star destroy is floating in place above the Death
Star. The space fighter then collides with the bridge.
Based on this information (pretend you have no seen this clip before if you are familiar
with it) write your prediction of what you think will happen. Explain why you think this
will happen.
4. Now watch video #2 and record your observations of how these objects interact.
Video #2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW_hGOFukMQ
Binkley 56
5. Now look at page 113 (of the eBook) in Ender’s Game. In this passage, Ender leads his
soldiers through a maneuver he calls a “Nova,” where they squat with their feet together
and hold hands to form a star shape. The solider then push off against one another at the
same time. In page 113, what happens when they push off against one another?
Based on the demonstration in the first video, what should happen if the soldiers are all
approximately equal in mass and push off with approximately equal force?
Does this scene in Ender’s Game seem to be accurately representing Newton’s First and
Third Laws? (Note: students will have previously been introduced to these Laws, if they
were not otherwise familiar with them)
For Homework
Using the information you recorded above, write a short essay comparing the depiction of the
laws of classical motion in Ender’s Game and in the provided clip from Star Wars to the realworld demonstration in the Video #1. The essay is due at the end of this weekend on Monday.
Your essay should include:








A thesis statement (the central claim you are making in your comparison)
Reasons to support the claim made in your thesis
Quoted examples from Ender’s Game (you must include at least one other example other
than the one provided on page 113)
The essay should compare and contrast the believability/accurate depictions of physics in
Star Wars and Ender’s Game using Video #1 as a reference.
You must include specific evidence or information from the videos provided
Your essay should address how believability affects storytelling and world building in
science fiction stories like Ender’s Game.
All evidence, paraphrasing, and quotes must be cited in proper MLA style. Consult
Purdue OWL’s guide to review as needed:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
You must include a works cited page, in correct MLA style.
Binkley 57


Your paper should be typed, double spaced, size 12 Times New Roman or Arial font.
Put your name and the date in the upper left corner of the first page.
E.
Assessment
The following rubric will be used to assess the students’ essays:
Content and
Reasoning of
Argument
(12 points)
Use of Evidence
(8 points)
Excellent
The essay includes all the
required information.
A thesis is present and
supported by reasons.
The videos and novel are
all addressed in a logical,
interconnected manner.
Includes thorough
discussion of the role of
believability in science
fiction.
Demonstrates awareness
of Newtonian physics and
applies those Laws to an
analysis of fiction (DOK
1-2).
(7-8 points) Textual
evidence in incorporated
to support major reasons
and thesis.
Evidence is described and
cited in sufficient detail; it
is not too abstract or
vague.
When evidence is
provided, it is also
explained (rather than
letting the evidence
“speak for itself”)
All quotes, paraphrasing,
and other evidence is
correctly cited in MLA
format.
A works cited page is
present and correct.
Good
Essay includes the
required information.
A thesis is present, as
are some reasons.
Some of the videos
and the novel are
addressed in a logical
manner, connections
are made.
Some mention of
believability’s role in
science fiction.
Demonstrates
awareness of
Newtonian physics in
relation to fiction.
(6-4 points) Textual
evidence is
incorporated to
support some reasons.
Evidence is provided
by not always
explained, the
connections are not
always made clear.
Quoting,
paraphrasing, and
other evidence is
attributed, but MLA
format is not used
correctly.
Works cited page is
present with some
errors.
Needs Improvement
Some required
information is
missing.
Thesis is unclear or
absent.
Videos and novels are
not connected
Little or no discussion
of believability in
science fiction
Little or no discussion
of Newtonian physics
in relation to
analyzing fiction.
(3-1 points) Little or
no evidence is present
to support reasons and
thesis.
Claims that are made
are vague and
connections are
unclear.
Citation is no present.
Works cited page is
not present.
Binkley 58
Style,
Convention, and
Formatting
(5 points)
(5 points) All formatting
guidelines are followed.
Little or no mistakes in
spelling and punctuation.
Meaning is clear.
(3-4 points)
Formatting guidelines
generally followed.
Occasionally spelling
and punctuation errors
are present, but they
do no seriously
impede the reader’s
understanding.
(1-2 points)
Formatting guidelines
have not been
followed.
Spelling and
punctuation errors
make the essay
difficult to
understand.
Binkley 59
Appendix
Notice and Note Reading Log…………………………………………………………………....60
Weekly Class-Wide Reading Record………………………………………………….…………62
Weekly Reflection Assessment Rubric………………………………………….……………….63
Response to Quotation Organizer……………………………………………………………..…64
Works Consulted……………………………………………………………………………..…..65
Binkley 60
Notice and Note Reading Log (Beers and Probst 209-210). I apologize for the crookedness.
Binkley 61
Binkley 62
Weekly Class-Wide Reading Record
(Rotate this sheet and expand table before printing)
Date
Student
Name
Book Title
Mon.
Tues.
Wed.
Thur.
Fri.
Total
Pages
Binkley 63
Weekly Reflection Assessment Rubric:
Excellent
Depth of analysis and Reflection may
logical development
demonstrate a
of argument (10
thorough exploration
points):
of this passage and
makes a logical
argument about how
this connection
explains or expands
on larger themes
within the book,
literature, and life
Citation and use of
All passages are cited
textual evidence (10
correctly in MLA
points):
format. Textual
evidence is carefully
chosen and clearly
supports overall claim
Organization, fluency,
style and convention
(5 points):
Argument has a
logical progression
from beginning to
end, tone is
appropriate, no style
and convention errors.
Satisfactory
Reflection explores
some aspects of this
passage in depth.
Some connections
made are surfacelevel. Argument is
supported by some
logical connections.
Passage is connected
to some larger issues
outside of the text.
All passages are cited,
but citation may not
be in proper MLA
style. Textual
evidence connects to
overall claim.
Some style and
convention errors, but
none that interfere
with the reflection’s
clarity. Organization
mostly makes sense;
some portions may
not quite flow
together.
Needs Improvement
Reflection focuses
solely on surface level
analysis. Few
connections are drawn
between passage and
larger issues beyond
the text. Major claims
made are not well
defended by evidence.
Little or no citation is
present. Or, little or
no textual evidence
may be present.
Textual evidence does
not clearly connect to
the argument being
presented.
Argument is not
structured in a logical
way, points are
difficult to follow.
Style and convention
errors that are present
impede
understanding.
Binkley 64
Response to Quotation Organizer
(Adapted from Kittle 105)
(It may also be helpful to rotate/expand this page before printing)
Name:___________________________
Book:__________________________________
Quotation/Page
Number
What I Think
Author:____________________________
What it Says About
this Book/Other
Books
(Text-to-Text
Connections)
What it Says About
the World
(Text-to-World
Connections)
Binkley 65
Works Consulted
“albedo, n.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2014. Web. 11 May 2014.
“Balaklava, Battle of.” Encyclopedia Britannica Deluxe Edition. Chicago: Encyclopedia
Britannica, 2012.
Beers, Kylene and Robert E. Probst. Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading. Portsmouth,
NH: Heinemann, 2013. Print.
Binkley, Paul. “Assessment Portfolio.” n.p. 27 April 2014. Print.
Card, Orson Scott. Ender’s Game. 1977. New York: Tor, 1991. Ebook.
Colorado Department of Education. “Colorado Academic Standards: Reading, Writing, and
Communicating, 12th Grade.” Denver: CDE, 2010. PDF file.
Colorado Department of Education. “Colorado Academic Standards: Science, High School.”
Denver: CDE, 2009. PDF file.
D’Aguiar, Fred. “Boy Soldier.” 2013. The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 2013. Web. 28
May 2014.
Janeczko, Paul B. Reading Poetry in the Middle Grades. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2011.
Print.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. “Try Zero G 2 by Japanese Astronaut Akihiko Hoshide.”
14 March 2014. Web. 29 April 2014.
Kasdan, Lawrence and Leigh Beckett. Star Wars Episode V: Empire Strikes Back. Revised Final
Script. 1980. Internet Movie Script Database. Web. 9 May 2014.
Kasdan, Lawrence and George Lucas. Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Revised Final
Draft. 1981. Internet Movie Script Database. Web. 9 May 2014.
Kershner, Irvin, dir. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Twentieth Century Fox,
1980. Film.
Kittle, Penny. Book Love: Developing Depth, Stamina, and Passion in Adolescent Readers.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2013. Print.
Marquand, Richard. Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Twentieth Century Fox, 1983.
Film.
“Media Literacy Defined.” National Association for Media Literacy Education. National
Association for Media Literacy Education, n.d. Web. 5 May 2014.
Binkley 66
Olympiou, Georgios, Zacharia Zacharias, and Tom deJong. “Making the Invisible Visible:
Enhancing Students’ Conceptual Understanding by Introducing Representations of
Abstract Objects in a Simulation.” Instructional Science 41.3 (2013): 575-596. Springer
Standard Collection. Web. 11 May 2014.
Tennyson, Alfred. “The Charge of the Light Brigade.” 1854. Poetry Foundation. Poetry
Foundation, n.d. Web. 27 April 2014.