- No Day but Today
Pre-Reading
- What do you think ‘live for the moment’ means?
It means to live and concentrate on that moment of time only, focus on what you are doing, and do not get distracted. Look at the small detail and not the big picture.
During-Reading
- As a teenager, the author, Mary, says that Middle School (Secondary School equivalent) is a hard time for everyone but she had to deal with more. What did Mary have to deal with?
- His father had cancer and he had to deal with her emotions, and help his father with things.
- Why would Mary have mixed feelings when her father passed away?
- She was happy about the great and wonderful times she had with her father, but was upset that her father had gone and was no longer with her to have fun times together.
- Mary said that ‘we simply loved each other and tied up many loose ends as possible’. What could these ‘loose ends’ be?
It could be misunderstandings between them, quarrels and unhappiness. Tied up means that they make up for it and explain to each other what really happened and forgave each other.
- Post-Reading
Give at least 3 advantages of living each day like your last. Can you also think of a couple of disadvantages?
You will be able to live life to the fullest as you feel that there are still things that you need to do.
You will be grateful for everything that comes in your life as you know that it is your last day and you will cherish it.
You will be able to enjoy life as much as possible, try and make the most out of it.
Disadvantage: You will have fear and anxiety of what lies ahead of you. You will be afraid of tomorrow as it is like you are going to die.
- I’m No Longer Mad
Pre-Reading
- Recall an instance you lost someone (could be through death or through separation because you migrated, etc.) or lost a pet.
- I have no such experience yet
- If you had none of these experiences, consider how you will feel if you lost someone you love dearly suddenly.
I will feel very sad and emotional, asI love and care for that person very much. I will miss him, and I would think about him or her.
During-Reading
- Why does the author claim she is no longer mad?
She has managed to let go about the fact that her father passed away.
Post-Reading
Consider the ‘five stages of grief’ by Dr E Kubler-Ross on page 101. Does this ring a bell for you in your experiences with grief or loss of a pet/someone? If yes, describe how you dealt with the loss of a loved one (could be human or animal). If you were fortunate enough not have experience grief due to the loss of a loved one, what do you think your reaction would be if you know you will be losing someone / a pet in the near future?
I think I will be very sad and emotional. A person that I loved will mean a lot to me. I think I will be a little angry, then I will slowly try to accept the fact. I must somehow try to let it go.
- My Gift of Life
Pre-Reading
- This might seem morbid but what if you were told that you were diagnosed a terminal illness or a major disease such as cancer or a failing liver… What would be your first reaction?
I would be shocked, and then I will start preparing myself. I will show my loved ones and family members that I care for them, and try to do as much as I can to do things that I enjoy. I would lived life to the fullest and will fight against my sickness to my last breadth and I shall persevere on.
During-Reading
- How many surgeries did the author, Sarah, go through in total? What were they for?
- She went through 7 surgeries in order to feel better and try to heal herself from the sickness.
- Why would Sarah be ‘embarrassed by the whole situation’ (bottom of pg. 105)?
- Because she felt that not everyone has such an illness.
- Sarah cried when she realized her mother had to spend Mother’s Day in the hospital with her. It was obvious she felt that her mom should not have been stuck in the hospital with her. What does it imply about the kind of Mother’s Day her mother should be spending?
- She should be having fun, going out to enjoy herself. Maybe do some shopping and eat delicious food.
- With kidneys that had only 10% kidney function, Sarah is still very active playing competitive softball. How is this possible?
- She persevered and ignored her suffering, and tried her best to continue and remain active.
- The few weeks before her final surgery, Sarah’s parents were crying and talking on the phone a lot? What do you think was happening & why?
They were trying to find a donor who can donate a kidney to her. It was difficult to find one and they get upset and emotional and start to cry.
Post- Reading
- If you were in Sarah’s position, with such weak kidneys, how would your parents react to your insistence on playing competitive softball? Why do you think they react that way?
They would not have allowed me to play softball. They feel that it is for my own health sake and that I should not risk my life by playing more softball, and they also do not want me to take so much pain and pressure.
- A Broken Fence
Pre-Reading
Recall a time you would have liked things to have been different.
I would like to have things to be different was when I felt that there was too much stress for me to do a lot of work within a short period of time, and I know I cannot let my group members down, and I cannot not do my everyday assignments. I was also very tired, as there was a lot of badminton training that made me very tired. I was hoping that I had not much work to do and so I would be able to complete everything within the time I was given.
During-Reading
- What vehicle did Heather and her friend ride in? What were the clues to tell you?
- They were in a car as they are in a vehicle that has 4 wheels.
- Heather said ‘ I leaned beside her, this not making sense’? What was it that didn’t make sense to her?
- She still did not know that her friend was badly injured.
- ‘She’d escaped death’s grip but the damage was done’ tells you that Heather’s friend didn’t die. However, what do you think could have been the damage that was done?
- She suffered serious injury, maybe breaking a bone in the body.
Post-Reading
- On face level, the title ‘Broken Fence’ refers the section of the fence that Heather and her friend hit and broke. However, ‘Broken Fence’ could mean more than just that. What do you think it could mean with regard to the whole accident? Explain.
It means that something strong was broken, like the fence was broken, the friend was badly injured.
- Chain Reaction
Pre-Reading
- Do the experiment on the bottom half of page 116. If you still haven’t found close friends, it’s perfectly fine and normal. Just do the exercise based on three classmates/school mates you are generally comfortable talking to.
- Ding Shan - I used to think he is a quiet boy at the start of the year. He seems to be quiet, but then as the year progresses, I realize that he is very joker like boy. He do silly things and ask ridicules things. But then, when it comes down to serious work, he takes responsibility and does his work well. We get along quite well and we often have fun times together.
Hao Ming - He is a very quiet and hardworking boy. He is very quiet in class, but he does very well in his work. He is very hardworking and he can balance between work and sports. He often play sports and still always does his work. He has a lot of discipline and I respect him for that. We get along well, and we sometimes do group work together.
Daniel - He is a very tall person. When we just started, I thought he was a bully s he is so big sized. However, he was a nice boy, who is sometimes mischievous and like to play pranks. He sometimes is not attentive in class, but his work has not suffered very much.I managed to communicate to him sometimes, he is the only person in class who has the same religion as me, who share common beliefs, so we sometimes talk to each other.
During-Reading
- If you met someone like Ashley with her hair in knots and wearing shoes covered with holes, what would the three things you would naturally think about her straightaway?
- I would think that she is poor, she does not care about herself and she has no respect for herself.
- What was the chain-reaction that the title was referring to?
Ashley’s thought of being kind spread to a lot of people, and from person to person, so that more and more people will learn to be kind.
Post-Reading
- Imagine you were Ashley’s mother. What were the words you would have said to Megan to help her cope with Ashley’s death?
- I would tell her that is is not her fault and ashley was just doing what she wanted to do, which was being kind.
- The Day an Angel was Made
Pre-Reading
- In your opinion, how old should one be at least before Death takes him/her away? Why?
- I feel that everyone should be at least 80 years old. Because there is a lot of things that everyone can do in life, and that we should accomplish it and it will take up time, and some of those things is not that easy.
During-Reading
- The two friends, Shayln and Mackenzie talked about all the fun times they all had with Devon who had recently passed away. Why do people do that?
- They wanted to remember the happy and good memories they had with Devon, to remember him and not to forget him, to try and make the people feel happy.
- How much should Devon’s brother be blamed for her death?
- Devon’s brother should not be blamed as both of them did not do anything wrong. They were just playing and an accident and misfortune happened. It was just unlucky.
- Life ‘can never be the same’ when you lose someone/ a pet you love and in this recount, Mackenzie used at least three ways to keep Devon’s memory alive. What were they?
- She remembered the happy and fun times they had together, ask Devon for help overcoming her everyday problems and thinking about Devon everyday.
- The title was ‘The day an angel was made’ and ‘the angel’ referred to Devon. What were her attributes that made Mackenzie call her ‘an angel’?
- Devon was very cheerful, she made people feel happy.
Post-Reading
- What one thing would you like to be remembered for if you had to leave this world before your friends?
I would like to be remembered to be a good and friendly friend, a kind and helpful one as well.
- My Star Girl
Pre-Reading
- When you care for someone, how do you show it? Just name one way.
- I have fun with that person and do things that we both like together.
During-Reading
- What changed Elyse for the worse?
- She shifted house and she became bad. She had drugs and she did other things that she is not supposed to and she is under pressure.
- The author of the article claimed that ‘there was nothing I could do’ and insist that ‘there’s nothing we can do when a friend takes a turn down the wrong path’ and that her friend ‘had to find her own solution to her problems’. If you had to disagree with these claims, how would you argue your opposing perspective?
We can help our friend by calling her and talking to her over the phone the right way, what she should do, and be a listening ear to her.
Post-Reading
- Complete the quiz of 5 questions on page 129 ‘Where do you stand?’ For every answer you give, give a reason why you took that stand.
- For the 1st question, I would keep an eye open as I don’t want to get too involve just in case the othe party found out, but I will make sure she is alright.
For the 2nd question, I would get involved as it is important to me as alcohol for under age people is illegal.
For the 3rd question, I would get involved, as a study buddy is a close friend and if he suddenly changes his behavior, it will be important.
For the 4th question, I would get involved as suddenly changing attitude is not common and something is definitely wrong and I will definitely help my friend.
For the 5th question, I would keep an eye open, as my friend may feel something he should not tell his friends but I know something had happened to him I would just look out for it.
- Read ‘Codependency’ Pg. 130. Are you in a co-dependent situation? If you are, then think of what you should do to get out of that state. If you are not, then what would you do to ensure you do not end up being in a co-dependent state with troubled friends?
I am not in a codependent situation and I will try to keep out of that situation, when something bad happens to my friends, I will help them, but I will not be responsible to what happen. I will make sure I am ok and nothing is wrong with me, and that I am perfectly fine before I help others.
- An Unforgettable Storm
Pre-Reading
- In your opinion, what is the best way for your friend to support you if you had a problem?
- By talking to him nicely, trying to encourage him and comfort him to do things, be positive and feel alright and normal. Tell him to tell you his problems and help him with them.
During-Reading
- When the floods came after Hurricane Katrina, people in New Orleans reacted in differently. From the article, list at least three ways people reacted in the article.
- People fled to other places,shelters and states, while some stayed behind in their homes. Others stayed behind and try to survive the storm.
Post-Reading
- Gabrielle was only going to visit her Mother and new brother for Christmas. Why do you think she isn’t she going back to New Orleans for good? She had made good friends and she studied very well and it will be difficult for her to adapt and change her learning environment.
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