Grade Levels

Date

Book Title

Author

Middle/High

1999

Music From a Place Called Half Moon

Jerrie Oughton

TYPE OF WRITING PIECE

Plot
Elements

Related Theme
and/or Topic

Portfolio Development Connection

Reflective
(X)

Personal
Expressive (X)

Literary
(X)

Transactive
(X)

(what the story is about)

(what the story is REALLY about)

(how writers can connect selves to the plot and/or theme through writing)

(reflecting on writing growth, influences, piece development)

(personal narrative or memoir)

(story, poem, script)

Fear

We all fear different things at different times in our lives. Brainstorm a list of personal fears you
have experienced and/or fears that other kids your age
OR YOUNGER may have experienced.

Choose one. How might a character deal with that fear?

Write a short story or picture book about a character that must face up to his/her fear.

X

Edie Jo Houp says her brother taught her about fears. She writes about
fears in her journal
Edie Jo Houp says she would believe just about  anything her
brother Jonah told her because he was her hero.

Heroism
Leadership
Role Models

What does it take to be a hero or a dynamic leader?
Brainstorm a list of hero attributes.
Examine Jonah's behavior to determine if he fits your description of a hero or role model.

Use your list of attributes to analyze popular present-day role models. Who do you think would be a good role model/leader for kids your age? Write a position piece using your analysis of attributes to convince readers that the person you identified is a good role model.

X

Throughout the book, the author shows the main character
interacting with various family members.

Family

Identify three scenes in which Edie Jo is interacting with a family member (examples include the fire scene: 9-13; the car scene with Jonah: 47-55; the porch scene with her grandmother: 57-59; and her parents' argument: 32-36). Examine the scenes as if they had been written as personal
narratives. Notice the use of dialogue, the five senses, emotional insight, and imagery.

Brainstorm a list of pivotal family interactions you've experienced. Choose one about which to write a memoir. Use some of the strategies in your memoir that Jerrie Oughton uses in her scenes between Edie Jo and her family.

X

Edie Jo's father "opens a can of worms" by
suggesting their church open Bible school to Native Americans living in their town

Differences

How does this story relate to the events between the Albanians and Serbs in KOSOVO? The shooting at Columbine High School? The removal of the Cherokees from North Carolina? The speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King?

What personal meaning does this have to you? Do you think the church should have opened their Bible school to the Native Americans? Why or why not.

X

. Edie Jo's grandmother uses music to diffuse an
argument. Edie Jo is impressed by the music Cherokee Fish Plays.

Music

Can music make a difference? Some people believe music can move people to behave in positive or negative ways. There is even a new book claiming that listening to Mozart can promote
intelligence, creativity, and relaxation. Some blame the music of a popular band for the actions of the students at Columbine High School.

What do you think? Can music make a difference?

X

Edie Jo keeps a journal. She says she doesn't just use it to "echo
back" events. She uses it to write poetry and
thoughts about things. She also says she would
like to be a writer, but she realizes that "seven
poems do not a writer make."

Journaling
Writing

Do you think joumaling is a valuable experience? What is the best use of journals. Write a "how-to" article explaining the best use of journals for kids your age.

What does it take to be a writer? Make a list of attributes of a writer. Examine your own writing history. Look over your writing pieces. Are you a writer? Are you doing what it takes to be a writer, or are there areas in which you could improve? Explain in a letter to your teacher.

X