I thought this story was a very interesting a deep one. I liked how the author developed the feelings and experiences that loss brings up even when it is not someone in their family. Children and students that are able to read this book I think will benefit because loss is a part of life and it is important to understand the depth of it. I think the way that it showed how Suzy tried to explain her friend's death and how she coped with it was very important to the story.

My heart map is about the main character Suzy. All of the different parts of the map are important things to Suzy as well as the story. The colors relate to the importance and feeling that relates to Suzy.

I think the heart map activity can be very beneficial for students because it lets them dig deeper into characters and the story they read.

How do the events that take place in the book impact the character?

What traits of the character impact the story?

What themes are related to the character's growth?

• How do each of these character traits and emotions impact the character throughout the story?

• What traits are the most important to the character?

Questions:

What experiences contributed to this characters' growth or outcome?

Can you relate to this character in any way?

I enjoyed making a heart map for Suzy and think it would be a great activity for students to do with any character from a book they read. This activity allows for a deeper look into the individual character and what makes them who they are. Students would also benefit from creating a heart map about themselves. This could serve as a brainstorming tool for writing and help them reflect on the different elements that shape their identity.

How does Suzy grow throughout the novel?

What elements of Suzy/the story do you most relate to? How do you see yourself in Suzy?

Thoughts: Beezus shows a lot of patience and growth throughout the book, especially with how she learns to cope with Ramona’s chaotic behavior. This is an essential skill for young readers to grasp and understand the importance of.

Questions: How do Beezus’s feelings change towards Ramona as the story progresses?

Heart Map Description

In my heart map, I focused on Beezus’s feelings toward her sister, Ramona, and her feelings of everyday life. The center of the heart includes Ramona’s name, symbolizing her importance to Beezus, despite the frustration she feels. Each little image that I drew includes a short description of why I chose it. For example, I added books to symbolize Beezus' love for reading.

This heart map activity is effective because it encourages students to think deeply about how the character’s feelings and relationships impact their actions. It also helps students connect with the character on a personal level and makes the story more relatable.

Discussion Questions

How does Beezus’s relationship with Ramona change over the course of the story?

In what ways does Beezus learn to balance her feelings of frustration with her love for her sister?

A Heart Map is a visual representation of what matters most to a character. I did mine from the perspective of Jordan. I drew art supplies representing his love for art and self-expression. In the top right I included his mom and dad, who have different ideas about what’s best for him. I also have his friendships, balancing between Liam and Drew. I also drew a plane for his dream to travel the world. I drew a split world with his school and home because Jordan cant decide where he belongs and has been switching his identity. This activity would be good for student because it encourages making personal connections while analyzing a character.

Jordan struggles with feeling like he has to be “different versions” of himself at school and at home. Have you ever felt like you had to change parts of yourself to fit in?

How did that experience make you feel?

Personal Response:

This story is about Suzy’s journey of dealing with grief. It made me think about how we all cope differently with loss, and how sometimes, answers aren’t as important as the feelings we experience. This story can help young students undertstand loss and how to grow from it.

Heart Map Description:

Suzy’s heart map shows the most important things to her: Franny’s death, her guilt, and her search for answers through jellyfish. The heart map also shows Suzy’s family and how science influences her. This activity helped me understand how each part of her life shapes her emotional journey. this could be effective for students because it makes abstract feelings easier to analyze.

Discussion Questions:

1. How does Suzy’s obsession with jellyfish help her cope with Franny’s death?

2. In what ways do Suzy’s relationships with her family impact her healing process?

3. What does Suzy’s journey teach us about accepting loss?

Personal Connections: Ramona and Beezus perfectly depict the highs and lows of sibling relationships, which is why I truly enjoyed it. Beezus is very likable; she is responsible, kind, and occasionally overpowered by Ramona's crazy conduct and vivid imagination. I understood how difficult it was for her to be an admirable older sibling while also being annoyed by the chaos that Ramona caused in her life. The story brought back memories of my childhood when I experienced the joys and difficulties of sibling relationships.

Description of heart map: My heart map highlights Beezus's most significant beliefs, feelings, connections, and experiences. I made her values, beliefs, feelings, and emotions the biggest parts of her heart because I believe they were the most defining parts of the story. I also added items that represent her hobbies and personality, including painting tools and library books. Because it allows students to graphically arrange a character's thoughts, feelings, and relationships, the heart map is a useful tool for students. Students can observe the character's priorities and the connections between various concepts through the use of color, size, and spatial placement.

Discussion questions:

1. If the story were written from Ramona’s point of view, how might it be different? How does perspective change the way we understand characters?

2. Beezus is responsible and mature, while Ramona is carefree and imaginative. Do you think Beezus secretly wishes she could be more like Ramona? How does this reflect the real-life challenges of growing up?

Heart Map: My heart map on Suzy's name in the middle because she is the main character. We then have themes and other important people that come across Suzys journey. I also drew a picture of a sunset over water, jellyfish, and a notebook.

Discussion Questions: How does Suzy's journey reflect on how different people grieve?

Have you ever experienced a shift in a friendship?

For the heart map, I would prioritize feelings related to self-care, perfectionism, and personal development. I would place "Balance" at the center of my heart map because it is central to what the egg learns throughout the story. I would surround it with terms like "self-compassion," "imperfection," "helping others," and "taking breaks" to illustrate the various facets of self-acceptance and the hardships of striving for perfection. The heart map activity is useful because it helps students consider their feelings and personal connections to the story's themes. It enables individuals to picture every aspect of their emotions and see how the story relates to their own experiences.

1. Why do you believe the egg felt compelled to be perfect all the time? How did the pressure influence the egg?

2. How does the story of The Good Egg teach us about self-care? Why is it vital to find a balance between helping others and helping yourself?

This story was especially compelling to me because I am currently taking a class that studies ELL students and how being unable to fluently speak a language impacts their lives, so I was able to connect some of that class's content to this story.

Some questions you could ask students to have them further explore some of the feelings and values from the Heart of the Samurai could include: 

How do you think Manjiro felt when he was first stranded on the island? Why do you think he felt that way?

What are some challenges that Manjiro faces due to being a part of a different culture? How did he handle them?

Who were Manjiro’s most important friends? How did his friends play a role in his journey?

Description of heart map: My heart map focuses on Beezus and her personality. I kind of sum up what type of a character she is: responsible, rule followers, as well as her interests like reading books or doing art. With a heat map like this, it can help students gain a deeper perspective of the book they are reading. Having information about their characters or a story.

Discussion questions :

1. Have you had similar feelings to Beezus in the book? Where does she feel frustrated and embarrassed towards someone's actions/behavior, if so, how did you act upon these feelings?

2. Where Beezus is calm, responsible, and follows the rules; Ramona is highly energetic, fun, and chaotic, which of these characters do you relate to?

Heart Map: My heart map highlights things I think are important to Jordan. In the center, I have the book's title and character. In the top left, I put Jordan's main beliefs and values, such as fairness, respect, and art. In the emotions category, I put excitement, nervousness, and frustration. I also mapped important relationships like his parents, friends, and teacher. I included his sketchbook because this helps him express himself. I also included his backpack, as he is struggling to balance home and school life. Some key events I mapped were his first day of school, facing stereotypes, and embracing his identity.

1. How do Jordan's values and beliefs shape his experiences at his new school, Riverside?

2. What challenges does Jordan face as one of the few Black students at Riverside? How does he handle them?

This book was so interesting. An amazing read to learn about life for deaf people in the early 19th century. I would love to have this book in my classroom!

My heart map includes being deaf at the center, along with Mary's family members, her community Martha's Vineyard, reading, wanting to become a teacher, sign language, and wanting change for the deaf community. The heart map activity is wonderful to get students thinking about the things that are important to them. The activity can be modified by age and used as a reading comprehension tool as well.

2 discussion questions that engage students in thinking and exploring the major themes of the story might be:

What challenges does ___ face, and how do they deal with it?

How do you think ___ felt before and after overcoming that challenge?

Written by: Margi Preus

Personal response to the story:

This story is an historical fiction about the life of Manjiro Nakahama. This tale is one of heroism, bravery, survival, identity, and belonging. A great example of the historical fiction genre and engaging for older elementary and middle school students.

Description of my heart map and the effectiveness of the heart map activity to students:

My heart map depicts some of the major events of Manjiro's life and the journey he takes in the story. It also included things of importance to him. Depicted on the map is imagery of. samurai, the Japanese flag, the American flag, a ship, a deserted island, waves, and words such as survival, identity, friendship, honor, and family.

The heart map activity is one that I believe students would connect to very well. it involves creativity and allows students to express themselves in a way that they may not often get to. It is also a useful tool to use in literacy as it can help students to get in the mindset of and understand a character from a book.

2-3 discussion questions that engage students in thinking and exploring the major themes of the story:

• Where do you consider home? Is your home the place you were born? Can someone have more than one home?

• What role do duty and honor play in this story and Manjiro's personal journey?

This book was an amazing read. We, the readers, follow a young girl named Parvana who lives in Afghanistan during war time. She and her family struggle once her father is taken away to jail. Without the father, they have no income and the women are not allowed to go outside. Eventually, Parvana cuts her hair off to make her look like a man. For me, while I know that people have had to, and still do, have to do things like this, it is astonishing to think about. This book allowed me to fully step into Parvana's shoes and watch her story play out.

My heart map has 7 sections : The middle is Parvana since this is a heart map about her. We have the scissors that cut her hair to fully go for her transformation, the handcuffs her father was taken away in, her family she wants to protect, landmines that she has to watch out for when walking, the money she has to make and save to get her father out of jail, and her shop/market stall where she makes money by selling items and offering to read or write something.

1. Why do you think Parvana felt the need to step up and take over the "breadwinner" title of the family?

2. What does the book tell us when Parvana finds another person who is a girl dressed and acts like a boy?