Lizzie Bright And The Buckminster Boy

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Static Versus Dynamic”

In this activity, students will prove which characters are static and which are dynamic through the support of text details.

Many of the characters in Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy are dynamic—that is, they experience changes in their beliefs or ideas throughout the story. Other characters do not experience changes in their opinions, so their characterization is static.

Design two graphic organizers in which you will identify and analyze 3-4 static characters and 3-4 dynamic characters.

• Choose a representative symbol to serve as the background or frame for your graphic organizer. Each symbol should be an image from the novel; one should represent the idea of static and the other should represent the idea of dynamic.
• Design a chart, table, or other visual display to contain your information in each graphic organizer.
• The information you will compile should include: the name of the character, 2-3 analytical points to support whether that character is dynamic or static, and the page numbers to cite your supporting points.

When you share and compare your graphic organizers with the group, explain the images you chose. Explain which character of those you listed is the most dynamic; offer your rationale.

Teaching Suggestion: This Activity invites students to critically think about characterization over the course of the novel. Students might review direct and indirect characterization methods and character arcs before embarking on the activity; as students share supportive analytical points with the group, other students might determine if the supporting point constitutes direct or indirect characterization.

Differentiation Suggestion: For an approach that incorporates additional analytical and logical skills, students might rank all the characters they chose in the Activity from the most static to the most dynamic, elucidating for each a brief reason for the ranking. To incorporate additional communication and evaluation skills into the Activity, once they have determined their characters’ rankings, students might meet with a partner or small group and confer on a master ranking compilation of all characters selected.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Consider the varied viewpoints members of the Phippsburg community have of Lizzie.

• Which character or characters exhibit the strongest racist views, based on their actions regarding Lizzie? (topic sentence)
• Choose examples from the text to support your topic sentence and analyze the way in which racism informs this character’s or these characters’ actions.
• In your concluding sentences, summarize the ways in which the Phippsburg community’s overall treatment of Lizzie connects to the larger theme of Racism’s Divisive Effect on a Community.

2. Baseball is important to several characters in the novel.

• What does baseball as a game or pastime symbolize in the story? (topic sentence)
• Summarize three scenes that involve baseball. Analyze and discuss the significance of baseball’s symbolic value in the scene. What is the author trying to suggest about each scene through the inclusion of baseball?
• In your concluding sentences, summarize the overall lesson conveyed to readers through the inclusion of baseball as a symbol in the novel.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Consider the presentation of gender within the novel. How are the various female characters such as Lizzie, Mrs. Buckminster, Mrs. Hurd, and/or Mrs. Cobb portrayed? In a 3- or 5-paragraph essay, analyze and discuss the author’s messages about gender through the depiction of these or other female characters. How does the depiction of gender connect with the social norms of early 20th-century America?

2. How does Reverend Griffin’s concept of religion differ from Reverend Buckminster’s? How does Mr. Stonecrop’s view differ from Reverend Buckminster’s? In what ways does religion interact with racism in the novel? In particular, does religion combat racism or fuel it? In a 3- or 5-paragraph essay, discuss whether religion plays a positive or a negative role in the story. Use text details in your rationale.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Which phrase best describes how Turner is received by the community of Phippsburg upon his arrival?

A) With tenderness

B) With taunting

C) With disinterest

D) With compassion

2. Which reason best explains why Turner uses the word “territory” to describe various locations in the novel?

A) Because Maine had not become a state yet

B) Because Massachusetts was owned by France

C) Because any region that was rural in the US used this term

D) Because Turner desires to travel to regions outside US statehood

3. On the road outside of Phippsburg, Turner observes that “[a]ll of [the houses] had green shutters and all of them had green doors—except for one, whose shutters were as yellow as sunlight and whose door was as red as strawberries.” (Chapter 1) Which literary term is apparent in this quote?

A) Allusion

B) Dramatic irony

C) Personification

D) Simile

4. Which idea can best be associated with the motif of Turner’s white shirts?

A) Suffocation

B) Liberation

C) Emancipation

D) Satisfaction

5. In what way does Turner feel pressure in his new home?

A) He feels he should provide better support for his sister.

B) He feels he should be an example to others as the preacher’s son.

C) He feels he must learn how to speak the language of his new community.

D) He feels he must give up his old hobbies and change for the new location.

6. Climbing down to the sea, “[Turner] looked up and down the coast. If he saw even a single soul prowling the shore, he would light out.” (Chapter 3) Based on context clues, what is the meaning of the phrase “light out” in this quote?

A) Depart

B) Reveal

C) Arrive

D) Complete

7. Over which sport do Lizzie and Turner bond?

A) Hockey

B) Baseball

C) Basketball

D) Football

8. Which animal encounter has a profound effect on Turner throughout the novel?

A) Almost touching a whale

B) Consistently hearing a raven

C) Occasionally seeing a wasp

D) Firmly grasping a crab

9. Which setting detail is personified frequently throughout the novel?

A) The luminous sun

B) The pounding rain

C) The sea breeze

D) The dark forest

10. Which notable scientist has a particular effect on Turner in the novel?

A) Albert Einstein

B) Alexander Graham Bell

C) Thomas Edison

D) Charles Darwin

11. Which of the following characters is the most supportive of Turner and Lizzie’s friendship in the novel?

A) Deacon Hudd

B) Mrs. Cobb

C) Mr. Stonecrop

D) Sheriff Elwell

12. Which idea best describes what motivates Mr. Stonecrop most strongly?

A) Financial prosperity

B) Racial equity

C) Religious hierarchy

D) Constitutional monarchy

13. Which of the following words best describes Mr. Stonecrop?

A) Generous

B) Open-minded

C) Timid

D) Self-centered

14. With which of the following statements would Turner’s mother most likely agree?

A) Wives should always obey their husbands.

B) Segregation is a fundamental concept for America.

C) It is important to fight for something that you believe in.

D) Keeping the peace is the best thing to do in the face of adversity.

15. By the end of the novel, how has Turner’s relationship with Willis changed?

A) They are now enemies.

B) They are now teammates.

C) They are now half-brothers.

D) They are now friends.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. What allusions are associated with Turner in the novel? What do the particular allusions reveal about his character?

2. How do the seasons correspond with the actions in the novel? Outline the cycle of events over the course of the year and identify which season they occur in.