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"But gwagala meant that nice sound to Nick, because Nick said so" (Chap 6 pg 35)

Observe: Nick discovered through his own observations that individuals construct their own meanings for words.

Notice: Nick grasped the idea that nothing is inherently fixed, and everyone possesses the capacity to formulate words based on personal experiences. Moreover, individuals can influence others to understand the intended meaning behind those words.

Wonder: With this realisation how could Nick elevate the concept for the word "frindle" to a new level?

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“Nick had no particular use for the dictionary. He liked words a lot and he was good at using them. But he figured that he got all the words he needed just by reading and he read all the time”

Observe: Nick enjoys reading.

Notice: The genre/titles of the book he reads are not revealed.

Wonder:

What kind of books does he read?

What does the kind of books he reads says about him?

What makes him think that he words he has gotten from the books he has read is sufficient?

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"Questions about stuff in the news, questions about the college the teacher went to, questions about the teacher’s favorite book or sport or hobby—Nick knew all the tricks, and he had been very successful in the past."

Observe:

Nick is good at asking questions, covering topics from current events to personal details about his teacher. He has tricks up his sleeve, and he's had success with this approach in the past.

Notice:

It's interesting to see the range of Nick's questions, from news to personal preferences. The term "tricks" suggests a deliberate strategy, and the mention of past success highlights his skill in questioning. In addition, his success shows that he knows his teachers very well.

Wonder:

Given his success, don't the teachers know what he is up to?

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"To Nick, the whole thing was just one long—and successful—science experiment."

Observe:

Nick adopts a methodical and analytical approach to his experiences.

Notice:

It's important to highlight Nick's choice of describing the situation as a "science experiment," showcasing his structured mindset. The term "successful" underscores his contentment with the outcomes.

Wonder:

What were his goals?

Was he not bothered that Miss Avery was disturbed by the noise?

Why did he not get others involved?

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"One time in third grade, Nick decided to turn Miss Deaver's room into a tropical island."

Observe: Nick seems to always have some tricks up his sleeve to challenge authority.

Notice: Notice that Miss Deaver was not angry at Nick especially after 'When Miss Deaver left the room for a while, Nick spread about ten cups of white sand all over the classroom floor. Miss Deaver was surprised again at just how creative her students could be. '

Wonder: I wonder if his ideas were pre-meditated and planned meticulously since he had time to prepare his resources as well as turn up the thermostat to turn the classroom into a literal beach. I also wonder what makes him think that he could get away with his pranks as demonstrated by Miss Deaver.

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"Lincoln Elementary needed a good jolt once in a while, and Nick was a guy to deliver it."(Pg 3 Line 2)

Observe:

Nick can be depended on to shake things up.

Notice:

Nick is someone who is able to give the school a good jolt.

His actions seem to be able to impact the whole school.

Wonder:

Does everyone in Lincoln Elementary appreciate the jolt?

What makes Nick a person who can deliver this jolt?

Why does Lincoln Elementary school 'need' a good jolt?

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"But Mrs Avery pretended not to hear the sound, and about fifteen seconds later, she slowly stood up and walked to the back of the classroom." (Ch1, p. 3)

Observe: At first, Mrs Avery did not want to look for the culprit but could have changed her mind after a while.

Wonder:

Why did she pretend not to hear the sound?

What made her change her mind?

Why did she assume that the culprit must be sitting at the back of the classroom?

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"A permanent trust fund for college scholarships had been established with a donation of one million dollars" (C15,p103)

Observe: Nick made a large sum of donation

Notice: He was particularly generous in starting the trust fund.

Wonder:

Why did Nick decide to donate such a large amount of money?

Did he have a soft spot for Mrs Granger all these while?

Would he have started the trust fund if the word 'Frindle' was not added into the dictionary?

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#1
"...He felt bad that Mrs. Avery had pounched on her" (Chap 1, pg 4)

Observe: Nick is aware that his action had inevitably gotten another innocent bystander in trouble.

Notice: Nick is reflective of his action and has some sense of moral values to realise that he had caused someone else to be in trouble.

Wonder:
- Why does he not stand up for her and admitted his wrong doing instead of apologizing. Damage has already been done.
- Will this affect his future actions?

#2
"To Nick, the whole thing was just one long- and successful - science experiment" (Chap 1, pg 5)

Observe: Nick is a curious learner and is always looking for ways to make learning fun.

Notice: Nick's actions were very self-centered, driven by how he feels about things and what he wants.

Wonder:
- Is this way of thinking creatively was nurtured from home?
- Does Nick behave the same manner at home?

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"But that didn't stop Nick from trying to liven things up, Lincoln Elementary needed a good jolt once in a while and Nick was just the guy to deliver it." (Ch 1, p.2)

Observe: Nick appears to be someone who took the responsibility of making school better.

Notice: Why was he 'just the guy.." is not explained.

Wonder:
What's Nick's personality like?
What is he going to do to liven things up?
What the consequence of livening things up going to be?

"He felt bad that Mrs Avery had pounced on her." (Ch 1, p.4)

Observe: Nick has a conscience.

Notice: The writer is revealing Nick's personality bit by bit through his actions

Wonder:
What other things about Nick are about to be revealed

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Nick likes "experiments" - taking risks for discovery

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Nick likes "experiments" - taking risks for discovery

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"Mrs Avery never figured out who was making that sound, and gradually she trained herself to ignore it."

Observe: Nick outwitted a teacher.

Notice: Nick is a pretty intelligent boy.

Wonder:
- How was he so brave so "challenge" a teacher?

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"Miss Deaver had only been a teacher for about six months, and she was delighted."

Observe: She is a new teacher and sees Nick's impromptu plan in a positive light.

Notice: The word "only" emphasises that Miss Deaver is a beginning teacher and her reaction is likely not reflective of other experienced teachers.

Wonder:

Are more experienced teachers stricter and prefer to "follow the rule book"?

Did Nick strategically choose Miss Deaver's class, knowing that she would be ok with it?

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"One time in third grade Nick decided to turn Miss Denver's room into a tropical island. What kid in New Hampshire isn't ready for a little summer in February?"

Observe: The story is not set at place with a tropical climate. The setting is most likely at the last phase of winter or beginning of spring since it is in February.

Notice: The students' idea of summer centers around a beach holiday as they made palm trees and wore beach outfits.

Wonder: At the place where this story is set, do the students get to experience a tropical kind of summer or are their ideas of a tropical summer formed mainly through their own reading and what they see on TV?
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"Miss Deaver had only been a teacher for about six months, and she was delighted."

Observe: Miss Denver is a new teacher.

Notice: Miss Denver has a sense of fun.

Wonder: Miss Denver's age is not mentioned but it is assumed that she must be quite young. Why are young teachers portrayed as the fun-loving ones, as opposed to Mrs Avery (assumed to be older) who seemed to be more intolerant with class pranks (the 'peeep' sound made by Nick)?

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"Without taking his eyes off his book, and without moving at all, Nick put his heart and soul into the highest and most annoying chirp of all."

Observe:
Nick tries his best in the things he set out to do.

Notice:
Nick's intention of annoying his teacher is clear.

Wonder:
Was this repeated action planned or was this an idea Nick had after observing the reactions from Mrs Avery and his classmates?

How did Nick accomplish this without being noticed?

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"Nick kept reading, and he didn't make a peep." (Ch 1)
O: He could remain 'unfazed' by what is happening around him.
N: How he is actually feeling inside is not mentioned.
W: Does he feel worried about being found out?
Does he not feel the need to own up especially after Janet 'might cry'?

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Was Nick a troublemaker? Hard to say. One thing’s for sure: Nick Allen had plenty of ideas, and he knew what to do with them. (Ch 1 pg 1)

Observation: Nick has an imaginative mind and is not afraid to try out his ideas.

Notice: Nick was not described as being a troublemaker when he executed his ideas. Instead, he was kind of portrayed in a positive light - as if he was a creative and determined in his efforts to act upon his ideas.

Wonder: To what extend would one’s determination to fulfill his/her ideation be deemed as an act of willfulness?

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"Was Nick a troublemaker? Hard to say. One thing’s for sure: Nick Allen had plenty of ideas, and he knew what to do with them." (Ch 1, p. 1)

Observe: Nick seems to have a knack for doing mischief, and he can be very creative with planning these acts.

Notice: The fact that it is "hard to say" whether or not Nick is a troublemaker seems to suggest that there are several sides to his personality.

Wonder:
1) What are the other sides to his personality?
2) What are some of Nick's ideas?
3) What kind of trouble has he been up to?

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"So Nick told her about the blackbirds, and Janet thought it was pretty interesting." Ch.1 Pg.5

Observe: Janet appears to be a sweet and docile child (in contrast to Nick), easily moved to tears (There was a catch in Janet's voice...pg. 4)

Notice: She partakes in the plan!

Wonder: How on earth did Nick manage to convince her? haha

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"Mrs Avery never figured out who was making that sound, and gradually she trained herself to ignore it. But she still looked like a hawk. To Nick, the whole thing was just one long - and successful - science experiment."

Observe: Mrs Avery sees the student who was making the high-pitched sound as a troublemaker in her class.

Notice: But Nick's intention was never to make trouble - he was merely curious and testing against Mrs Avery what he has discovered about sound and how it works in the animal world.

Wonder:
- Mrs Avery is likely to punish Nick if she found out that it was his doing all along, but would it make a difference if Nick's intentions were made known to her?

- How might Mrs Avery respond if she had been speaking to a) Mrs Deaver or b) Manny the custodian in the staffroom, before Nick's class that day?

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"Nick decided to turn Miss Deaver's room into a tropical island ... Miss Deaver had only been a teacher for about six months, and she was delighted. "That's so cute!"

Observe: Not only does Miss Deaver seem not to mind Nick's antics, she appears to be impressed by his imaginativeness.

Notice: We are reminded that Miss Deaver has only been teaching for half a year.

Wonder:
- Would Miss Deaver still take such joy if she were a more experienced teacher?

- How might Miss Deaver's colleagues or Principal view her as a teacher?

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"Mrs. Avery never figured out who was making that sound, and gradually she trained herself to ignore it. But she still looked like a hawk." (Ch 1, p.5).

Observe: Mrs. Avery was not able to find out the cause of the problem she faced so she chose to learn to disregard it over time.

Notice: Mrs Avery still did not let her guards down as the simile used by the narrator here 'looked like a hawk' infers that Mrs Avery continued to observe the class very carefully, perhaps still looking out for the culprit.

Wonder: Was Mrs. Avery still expecting the problem (the sound) to persist even though she wanted her lessons to continue as usual?
Did Mrs. Avery want to show to the class that she was still looking out for the culprit even though she had chosen to ignore the sound?
What would Mrs. Avery do if she were to catch the culprit in the act?

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"Nick was an expert at asking the delaying question - also known as the teacher-stopper, or the guaranteed-time-waster." (Ch 3, p.14)

Observe: Nick is familiar with the ins and outs of school life. He also knows the teacher well enough to ask a question the a topic that interests him/her. Very observant guy!

Notice: Nick is clever enough to use his wit to deploy this innocent method that does not get him in trouble. (and avoid getting homework at the same time)

Wonder:
- Has this method always been a success?
- Are teachers that forgetful?
- What's stopping the teachers from delegating assignments even after the bell has gone?

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"Miss Deaver was surprised again at just how creative her students could be." (Ch 1, p.2).

Observe: The italicised word creative is used to emphasise the adjective used by the narrator to describe Miss Deaver's students. It was not the first time that Miss Deaver was surprised by the antics of her students.

Notice: How they had been displaying their creativity was not expected by the classroom teacher.

Wonder: Were there other emotions felt by Miss Deaver (other than 'surprised') due to the unexpected display of creativity by her students? I wonder if Miss Deaver also felt annoyed by what the students did to their classroom.

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"I'm sorry you got yelled at during reading. It was my fault. I was the one who made that sound." - Ch 1 p.4-5

Observe: Nick felt guilty that Janet was scolded because of him. He did not feel bad for his misbehaviour- disrupting lesson in class.

Notice: He seems to know that it was wrong to disrupt the lesson but he still did it anyway.

Wonder: I wonder if he feels guilty towards his teachers since he was feeling bad towards Janet for his action.

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"Nick Allen has plenty of ideas, and he knew what to do with them." (Ch 1, p.1)

Observe: Nick was a creative and witty guy.

Notice: He knew when and where to implement his ideas to get his desired outcome.

Wonder:
- What are some examples of his ideas that were implemented perfectly? and the outcomes?
- Will there be a part in the story where he ran out of ideas or when his ideas did not work as intended?
- What will Nick do then? How will the story unfold?

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"Nick kept reading, and he didn’t make a peep." (p.4).

Observe: Nick decided to stop making a peep during the silent reading.

Notice: After Mrs Avery pounced at Janet Fisk to stop making a peep, Nick felt bad for Janet as he knew that he was the one at fault.

Wonder: Did Nick truly care for his classmates? How was his relationship like with his classmates as compared to his teachers?

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"One thing's for sure: Nick Allen had plenty of ideas and he knew what to do with them." (Ch1, p.1)

Observe: Nick was creative as he often thought about things from a different perspective and this gave rise to plenty of ideas.

Notice: Nick dared to act on his ideas even though he knew that they might not be welcomed by others.

Wonder:
-Did Nick have so many ideas because he got bored pretty quickly in school and his mind would wander often?
-Was he acting on these ideas to gain attention and popularity?
-How does he select which ideas to work on?

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"The next day during silent reading, Nick glanced at his teacher, and he noticed that Mrs. Avery's nose was curved - kind of like the beak of a hawk. So Nick let out a high, squeaky, blackbird 'peep'!"

Observe:
He seems to be easily distracted in class or disinterested in silent reading time (or possibly reading in general). He made a connections with what he had learnt from his TV show, and applied it for his own mischievous intents.

Notice:
He had a lively mind and an observant eye. He also had a daring personality to be bold enough to make the peep noise during the lesson. He was able to make connections with the world around him, applying what he had learnt from various sources. He also seemed to be quite creative in his application of knowledge.

Wonder:
How else had he applied his general knowledge for other mischievous purposes?

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ONW#1
"But that didn't stop Nick from trying to liven things up." (Ch 1, p.3)

Observe:
Nick was a fun-loving, playful and adventurous person. He was always looking for adventures.

Notice:
His peers seemed to look up to him and would follow his instructions or cues. Even though Nick was deemed as a troublemaker, he was popular among his peers.

Wonder:
Why was Nick popular in school?
Why was there a need to liven things up? For himself or his classmates?
Why did Nick find school mundane and boring and always have to spice things up?
What could Nick have done to attain the same outcome without creating troubles in school?

ONW#2
"He felt bad that Mrs Avery had pounced on her." (Ch 1, p.4)

Observe:
Although Nick was mischievous, he was actually a caring, responsible and honest boy.

Notice:
He felt guilty for getting Janet into trouble and tried to make amends. Even though Janet didn't know he was the culprit, Nick owned up to his mistake and confessed to Janet.

Wonder:
Why did Nick want to make the sound?
How close were Nick and Janet?
Why didn't Janet get angry with Nick for causing her to be reprimanded by Mrs Avery?

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"Nick kept reading, and he didn’t make a peep." (Ch 1, p.4).

Observe: Nick decided to stop making a peep during the silent reading.

Notice: After Mrs Avery pounced at Janet Fisk to stop making a peep, Nick felt bad for Janet as he knew that he was the one at fault.

Wonder: Did Nick truly care for his classmates? How was his relationship like with his classmates/schoolmates as compared to his teachers?

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Mrs Avery jerked her head up from her book and looked around. She couldn't tell who did it, so she just said,"Shhh!" to the whole class. (Ch 1, p3)

Observe - Mrs Avery was silently reading that she was caught off guard when Nick made the sound.

Notice - She was teacher-modeling silent reading, just like us teachers. Sometimes we could be engrossed in a book and looked up when someone interrupted with funny sounds. Sometimes we could not even catch the culprit, and then decided to let the matter go and continue reading.

Wonder - What other shenanigans would Nick be up to in class? Would there be a teacher who could keep Nick in check?

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Nick said,"Hey Janet - I'm sorry you got yelled at during reading. It was my fault. I was the one who made that sound." (Ch 1, p4-5)

Observe - He was an honest friend, and even caring.

Notice - Janet did not seem upset that Nick had caused her to be in trouble.

Wonder - How close were Janet and Nick? What did Janet think of Nick? Would the both of them be in cahoots in future mischiefs?

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"One thing’s for sure: Nick Allen had plenty of ideas and he knew what to do with them. " (Ch 1, P.1)

Observe:
Nick was seen as someone who’d have tricks up his sleeves. These tricks showed a witty side of Nick, and he had a reason for his ideas.

Notice:
People around Nick would go to him whenever they needed help.

Wonder:
- What were the ideas that Nick had?
- How did people feel about his ideas?
- Why did they think that Nick “knew what to do with" with the ideas?

"But she still looked like a hawk." (Ch 1, P.4)

Observe:
Mrs Avery was still trying to figure out who made the sound. Even though she couldn't find out who it was, she was still on a lookout.

Notice:
Mrs Avery probably wanted to maintain a certain image of herself as a teacher. So, even if she couldn't find out who it was, she wanted to make it seemed like she had not given up.

Wonder:
- Did Nick do this action in other classes too?
- Why didn't anyone inform Mrs Avery?
- How did the class think of Mrs Avery when she looked like a hawk? Were they frightened or were they used to it?

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"About a  year later, Nick made the great blackbird discovery" (Ch. 1, Pg.3)

Observe: Nick noticed Mrs Avery's beak-like nose after the discovery above.

Notice: His discovery that 'hunter birds are clueless as to the source of the blackbirds chirping.'

Wonder: Did Nick had already in mind Mrs Avery's unique characteristic nose before even watching the TV show such that he made an immediate connection with it? Or was this plan of his an afterthought? If it was not, it was pretty prescient! haha!

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The day after that Nick turned the classroom thermostat up to about ninety degrees with a little screwdriver he had brought from home.
.
.
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And when Miss Deaver left the room for a minute, Nick spread about ten cups of fine white sand all over the classroom floor. (Ch 1, pg 2)

Observe: Nick is someone who is resourceful and able to get his hands on items to carry out his tricks.

Notice: Nick has knowledge about how to adjust a controlled thermostat and carries out tricks that are well-planned.

Wonder: Where did he get the white sand from? How did he manage to bring the sand to school without anyone noticing? Why did efforts to stop Nick from causing trouble not work?

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Mrs Avery pounced. "Janet Fisk, you stop that this instant!" (Ch 1, pg 4)

Observe: Mrs Avery seemed to have thought that Janet was the culprit.

Notice: It was unclear if Janet was sitting near or in front of Mrs Avery(It was stated that Janet was sitting four rows away from Nick.)

Wonder: Why did Mrs Avery assume Janet was the culprit and a female?
Did Janet have a record of being a troublemaker?
Did Mrs Avery know about Janet's background?

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"To Nick, the whole thing was just one long and successful science experiment." (Ch 1, p.8)

Observe: Nick likes to test out his discoveries (i.e. the TV show that he watched on red-wing blackbirds giving out a high-pitched chirp when it senses danger)

Notice: What may seem like annoying behaviour to Nick's classmates/teacher, is something that Nick sees differently i.e. he noticed his teacher's nose was curved which resembled that of a hawk and so that triggered his wanting to test out how the way sound travels affects Mrs. Avery (hawk)

Wonder:

Why did Nick not think that his 'science experiment' would annoy others?

Why did Nick perceive it to be a successful science experiment? Was it because Mrs. Avery was clueless about who made those high-pitched sounds till the very end?

What other successful science experiments has Nick done?

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For the rest of Nick's fourth -grade year, at least once a week, Mrs. Avery heard a loud "peeeep" from somewhere in her classroom - sometimes it was a high-pitched chirp, and sometimes it was a very high-pitched chirp. (Ch1, p.5)

Observe: There are two different chirps now.

Notice: It was not told if the chirps are both by Nick or someone else.

Wonder:

Was the very high-pitched chirp by Janet?

If so, why did she decided to join Nick?

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"But that didn't stop Nick from trying to liven things up. Lincoln Elementary needed a good jolt once in a while and Nick was just the guy to deliver it." (Ch 1, p5)

Observe: Nick was the trouble maker of the school as he made things happen.

Notice: The students went along with Nick whenever he had an idea. They were supportive of whatever he did.

Wonder:

Why did Nick feel that he had to be the "guy who delivers it"?

Did he get into trouble for the things he did at school?

Why did the students listen to him?

Was school life so boring that Nick had to "liven things up?

"In language arts, Mrs Granger has a monopoly- and a reputation." (Ch 2, p6)

Observe: Mrs Granger was in control of the subject and everyone knows it.

Notice: There is a built-up on Mrs Granger's character as there is an entire chapter (Chapter 2) dedicated to letting the readers  know more about her.

Wonder:

How did she get to have the monopoly over the subject?

What did she do to earn her "reputation"?

Was it a good or bad reputation?

Will the readers adore or dislike Mrs Granger?

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"Was Nick a troublemaker? Hard to say." (Ch 1, Pg 1)

Observe: Nick was deemed a troublemaker by some, yet his antics could not be seen in a negative way entirely.

Notice: It seemed there was a grey area between Nick causing trouble and being creative with his ideas.

Wonder:
- What were some of his antics that made others exasperated yet impressed with him?
- Who  were the characters who could accept his antics and who were the ones were simply annoyed by him?
- Did his antics benefit anyone?

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"To Nick, the whole thing was just one long—and successful—science experiment."

Observe: The 'trick' that Nick played on Mrs Avery is described as a 'science experiment' to Nick.

Notice: It is described as a 'long and successful ' science experiment.

Wonder:
-Why is it a 'science' experiment, to Nick?
-Why is the 'science' experiment described as 'successful'?

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"A minute later Nick did it again, louder. "Peep!"

Observe: Nick seemed to have repeated the action several times in class

Notice: I noticed that his classmates (Janet for example) seemed to not be aware of the culprit.

Wonder:
- What is Nick's motive?
- Why the other children are unaware of Nick's behaviour?
- Is the class really that big that the teacher is unable to notice Nick's action?

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“Nick decided that giving this report could actually be fun. He could make it into

something special.”

Observe: He has thought of a way to make the giving of the report fun.

Notice: The fact that he says “giving” of the report, that means that he is focusing on the act of presenting the report.

Wonder:

How is he going to make a mediocre presentation “fun”?

What does he mean by “fun”?

What will be the implications of his plan to make it “fun”?

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“But if all of us in this room decided to call that creature something else, and if everyone else did, too, then that’s what it would be called, and one day it would be written in the dictionary that way. We decide what goes in the book.”

Observe: Mrs Frindle explaining how a word gets accepted by the general community

Notice: The writer went to great lengths to make this response by Mrs Frindle as clear as possible to readers

Wonder: What is the purpose of the writer’s deliberate thorough explanation of how a word is formally accepted in a dictionary?

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"Nick deserved a list all his own" (Ch 1, p.1)

Observe: Nick is said to be unlike others

Notice: How he is different is not told.

Wonder:

Why does he deserve a list of his own?

What sort of list could it be?

What does it say about him?