 CHINESE HANDCUFFS -- Suicide Prevention Safe Schools Project Adult Published Read an Excerpt Using CHINESE HANDCUFFS and YOU REMIND ME OF YOU as an anti-suicide curriculum. Excerpt The Literacy Connection Ages 14-18 years Grade 9-12 Chinese Handcuffs by Chris Crutcher Bantam Doubleday Dell Books 1989 220 pp. This is a moving and sensitive novel about two talented teenagers who have secrets that cause them great pain. Dillon Hemmingway, sixteen, is a winning triathlete. Jennifer Lawless, his best friend, is an amazing athlete and talented student. They both have secrets in their lives that that they can only share with one another. Dillons only brother committed suicide right before his very eyes. Dillon is living with the guilt of his brother's suicide, not being able to convince himself that it is not in fact his fault. He tries to make sense of his brother's suicide and work through his grief by writing him letters. Jennifer and Dillon are connected with each other through the pain they have both experienced. Dillon becomes deeply involved in Jennifers terrible secret about her stepfather who abuses her. Together Dillon and Jennifer support one another, face the horrors before them, and attempt to let go of the past that haunts them. In this novel the author emphasizes the theme that sometimes you have to face your fears in order to deal with them. Strategy: Bookmark Technique Purpose: Comprehension: to monitor comprehension while reading; to make evaluative judgments about aspects of text. When to Use: During and after reading Have students create four bookmarks by cutting 8.5" x 11" paper into four equal parts. As students read (or you read aloud), have them make decisions and record specific information on each bookmark, including the page and paragraph where their choice is located. Bookmark 1: write/sketch the part of the text they found most interesting Bookmark 2: write/sketch something they found confusing Bookmark 3: write a word they think the class needs to discuss Bookmark 4: Student choice (favorite illustration, another focus word, etc.) Use completed bookmarks to promote discussion about the text. In addition to the bookmarks, after reading a chapter or a selection, have the students complete an index card with the following information: Side 1: Students select an idea, phrase, quote, concept, fact, etc., from the text that evokes a response. It can be something new, something that confirms previous ideas, something they disagree with, etc. Students write their selection on Side 1 and indicate the page number where it can be found in the text. Side 2: Then ask the students to write their reaction to what they wrote on Side 1 on Side 2. Arrange the students into small groups (4-5 students per group) to discuss their cards. A student reads side 1 of his/her card; each student in the group responds to the information shared. The student who authored the card gets the "last word" by sharing Side 2 of his/her own card. The process is repeated until everyone in the group has shared. You Remind Me of You: A Poetry Memoir by Eireann Corrigan Scholastic, Inc. 2002 123 pp. You Remind Me of You: A Poetry Memoir is a compelling autobiographical account of the authors battle with eating disorders. In the novel we see Eireann battling with anorexia. In and out of hospitals and treatment facilities for several years, she did not feel that her life was worth sustaining despite the frantic efforts of her family and boyfriend. Through the authors unique writing style, we get inside the authors head and try to understand the bewildering chain of events and emotions that lead to her life of secrets. Her poems contain graphic details of her secret life, including descriptions of the sealed plastic bags of her regurgitated meals buried in the backyard, along with descriptions of the extreme measures she takes to convince everyone that she is gaining weight. A turning point in Eireanns life comes when her high school boyfriend, Daniel, shoots himself in a suicide attempt. Suddenly, she is on the other side of the hospital bed. In this unbelievable, heart-rending memoir, Eireann finds strength from Daniel, and his tragedy opens her eyes to making a change. She decides that she will eat if he lives. This is a courageous story about a young woman who takes an unusual path to recovery. The author takes a breathtakingly honest look at herself as she wends her way through incredibly difficult times. Strategy: What do you expect? Purposes: Comprehension: to activate prior knowledge, share personal meanings and gain a deeper understanding of the characters and message of the book. When to use: Before and after reading Before reading the book, activate students prior knowledge by brainstorming with them. Tell the students to begin to think about what they know about anorexia, bulimia, peer pressure, depression, suicide. As you brainstorm with the students, list the students responses on the board or chart paper. Encourage the students to listen carefully to each others ideas to help them form questions or get ideas from one another to share. Provide a chart/handout for each student on which they can record their prior knowledge. Students can work individually or in pairs. Tell the students that they are to write any words, ideas, phrases that they know about the topics. Provide a time limit for this part of the lesson. Then ask the students to read their lists aloud to the group as you record their responses. Discuss the information recorded and point out ideas that relate to the text/chapter that the students are going to read. If there is incorrect information on the list, such as information that may interfere with their understanding of the material they will read, you can clarify any misunderstandings. Relate and connect the students ideas to story concepts or main ideas. After reading the book or chapter, ask questions to encourage and assess comprehension. Below are some suggested questions that may be used to check for comprehension. It is okay for students to have different responses to the questions. These questions are designed to prompt students responses as they are open-ended and show that you accept and value varied responses. Where and when does the story take place? How do you know? If this story took place somewhere else or at a different time, how would it be different? What problem, conflict or situation does the author use to start the story? What does the author do to create suspense, to make you want to keep reading? Did the story end the way you expected it to? How would you like to change it? Did any of the characters change during the story? Who changed? What changed them? Did it seem believable? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: Strategy suggestions are adapted from Guided Comprehension: A Teaching Model for Grades 3 - 8 by Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen, International Reading Association, 2002, and Words and Pictures: Lessons in Children's Literature and Literacies by Nina Mikkelsen, McGraw Hill, 2000. |
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