Rock Your World

After rereading this section of the book, there are two major thoughts I have. The first is about what motivates people as seen through the characters in the novel. Specifically, thinking about the actions of Captain Schroder, Isabel, and and Samih Nasseer in these chapters. It would be interesting to direct kids back to the text to see what incited (or did not) each of these characters to behave the way they do. Each of them acts as an up stander or protector of sorts though they are motivated to do so for different reasons. I think this can be part of a larger, meaningful conversation about why and how people can be upstanders as well as what prevents people from being upstanders. The other thing that came up for me is the various obstacles faced by the characters coming up as the different forms of conflict in literature. This really stood out for me in this section - though it might be worth having students consider this from the start of the novel. Each of these characters experiences conflicts with other characters, with themselves, with nature, and with society.

I love that you're considering character motivations in this segment too, Tricia! I think this section would be an excellent place to introduce Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs as an anchor for a discussion or writing assignment about character motivations. I'm curious about how Josef, Isabel and Mahmoud are able to become 'upstanders' when they are also, for so much of their stories, in survival mode. Here's a link about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs:https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html I've also attached a great graphic to be used with students.