Trapped

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.

“School Survival 101”

In this activity, students will make a handbook for surviving a snowstorm in the school.

The main characters are faced with surviving for days in their school, trapped by a snowstorm. Drawing on details from the novel, ideas in other resources from the unit, your own knowledge, and additional research, develop a snowstorm survival handbook.

• Brainstorm and list possible dangers.
• Identify items and procedures that could help protect students against each danger.
• Plan your survival handbook. Consider the best medium for your project: video, electronic document, paper handbook, etc.
• Create your final artifact.
• Prepare to share with your group.

Share artifacts in small groups.

Write a journal about how your handbook connects to the list of items your group decided on before reading the novel.

Teaching Suggestion: Connecting with the pre-reading question and activity offers a chance to reflect, make connections, and find new insights. Students could evaluate their previous choices based on what they now know about the novel. It might benefit the class to complete part of this activity—like the first two steps—together. Also, talking about the purpose of handbooks or looking at examples could provide students with a starting point to create their own. Adding a class discussion at the end of this activity would provide a way to share ideas and practice speaking and listening skills in a different format. The discussion or journal could become opportunities to reflect on themes; Taking Action Yields Results and The Power of Nature connect most obviously, but Labels Don’t Define People could be integral as well. Full-group opportunities to present and offer shout-outs to peers can also grow the classroom community.

Differentiation Suggestion: For advanced learners, consider extending the activity to include additional research and a bibliography. Students can review what makes a credible source and MLA format.

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. A chain of events and different decisions lead to Weems’s rescue, which might have led to the others getting to safety.

• Which character deserves the most credit for this rescue? (topic sentence)
• As you write, clarify your reasoning and incorporate three or more quotations and additional details to support your argument.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, list other characters who deserve some credit too and succinctly explain why the character you chose earns the most praise.

2. Snow is an integral part of the setting of the novel.

• How does the snow also function as a character in the novel? (topic sentence)
• As you craft your response, include three or more quotations and additional specifics to develop your analysis.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how making the snow a character impacts the story.

3. The book ends in the beginning of the rescue operation, without explaining if—and how—most of the characters survive.

• What is the effect of not revealing the fate of many of the characters? (topic sentence)
• As you write your essay, include at least three quotations and other details that build your analysis.
• In your conclusion, evaluate how effective the ending is.

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 setting. How does the time and place affect the novel? Where does most of the novel take place? Over what time period does the action span? How does the location impact the main characters? How does the setting contribute to the mood of the novel? Write a 3- or 5-paragraph essay analyzing how the setting develops the themes of Labels Don’t Define People and The Power of Nature.

2. Reflect on Weems as narrator. What is the effect of building the story from his perspective? How reliable is Weems? When does he appear most honest? When does he seem to miss details or ideas? From what time period is he narrating the story? How would the novel be different if it were told from multiple characters’ perspectives? Craft a 3- or 5-paragraph essay analyzing the impact of the novel’s point of view on the characters, plot, and mood.

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

Multiple Choice

1. When the snowstorm begins, what is Weems most worried about?

A) The basketball game getting canceled

B) His grade point average

C) The trip home through the snow

D) His upcoming summer vacation

2. What best describes Weems’s motivation to stay out of trouble at school?

A) His mother saying she will ground him

B) The principal calling his job about detention

C) Not wanting to miss basketball practice

D) Hoping to get an academic scholarship

3. Which type of figurative language does this quotation include?

“Every now and then the lights would blink out, but as quickly as my brain could process the loss, the snowflakes that were lining up to block my view would shift and open, and the lights would be visible again. And then, briefly, there was a flash of red light.” (Chapter 7)

A) Imagery

B) Metaphor

C) Allusion

D) Alliteration

4. Once they realize they are trapped at the school, how do the characters approach their situation?

A) They panic and separate and then vote to decide who will stay where.

B) They form two factions that fight against each other, with one finally winning.

C) They work to find the basics they need to survive and approach hope in different ways.

D) They decide to continue school day schedules, and two characters act as teachers.

5. What plot point most builds the theme of Taking Action Yields Results?

A) Weems argues against breaking into the cafeteria.

B) Jason works steadily on the snowmobile.

C) Krista continually checks her cell phone.

D) Elijah reasons through their situation.

6. Which plot point most breaks apart Weems’s categorization, revealing Labels Don’t Define People?

A) Les breaking into the cafeteria

B) Elijah making the others laugh

C) Jason working in the shop

D) Julie getting sick

7. How are the loud noises the group hears from the roof an example of foreshadowing?

A) The noises cause the snowmobile to tip later, leading to tragedy.

B) The noises hint at the looming fight between Les and Pete.

C) The noises help the helicopter to find them, only to make it unable to land.

D) The noises are caused by the snow’s weight on the roof, which later collapses.

8. How is the radio important to the characters?

A) The radio gives the characters a connection to the outside world and information.

B) The radio allows the characters to communicate with their families and the police, finally leading to rescue.

C) The radio is a symbol of who is in charge at any given time, adding to power struggles.

D) The radio reveals that the snowstorm is only over a small area, leading to hope for imminent rescue.

9. What literary term is the following quotation an example of?

“He was moving across the snow in smooth, even strides, while I was stomping across it like I was mashing potatoes with my feet.” (Chapter 38)

A) Hyperbole

B) Simile

C) Interjection

D) Symbol

10. When the snowmobile tips and throws off his friend, what best describes Weems’s reaction?

A) Weems cries and collapses to the floor, unable to move for a long time.

B) Weems yells at Jason, blaming him for the snowmobile design.

C) Weems immediately jumps out of the window and tries to run through the snow.

D) Weems races to get his own invention to try to save Pete.

Long Answer

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

1. Why do the characters rarely talk about their families?

2. How is Weems rescued?