Bridge to Terabithia - The Cohen Curricula · PDF fileStudy Guide Bridge to Terabithia By Katherine Paterson Created by Pamela Cohen Name_____

Study Guide

Bridge to Terabithia By

Katherine Paterson Created by Pamela Cohen

Name_________________________________________________

Comprehension guide created by Pamela Cohen, © 2014 2

Introduction

This booklet is a resource for the study of The Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine

Paterson

Source: http://www.ulster.net/~petersne/kpat.html

http://www.ulster.net/~petersne/kpat.html


Week One

Reading - Chapters 1-2

We will:

be identifying the different characters, setting, plot and the themes of the

novel

examine the author's motivation and reasons for writing this novel

create mind maps and family trees

Worksheet One

Research and write a brief biography of Katherine Paterson.

1. When was Katherine Paterson born?

2. Where was Katherine Paterson born?

3. What was her first language?

4. Name some of the countries Katherine Paterson has lived in?

5. What did Katherine's parents do for work?

6. When did she get married?

7. Who did she marry?

8. How many children did she have?

9. When did she write Bridge to Terabithia?

10. Why did she write Bridge to Terabithia?

Take on the role of an editor who writes autobiographical entries for novels.

Use the information you have gained from answering the questions above to

write your entry. Think carefully about spelling and grammar.


KATHERINE PATERSON - A BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR

Katherine Paterson was born in China in 1932, the daughter of Christian missionaries. When Japan invaded Manchuria in World War 2, the

Paterson family returned to the United States, settling in rural Virginia, a place where many of her books are set. Chinese had been her primary

language, so when she entered the fourth grade in Virginia, she had to learn English, and this made her school year a traumatic experience. Her difficulties in reading English texts put her off writing, but these

experiences actually planted the seeds for her future career.

After the end of World War 2, Katherine finished up her studies at graduate school. She wanted to return to China, but that country had

closed its doors to Westerners at that period in time, so she decided to move to Japan for a while. Although she disliked Japan for their wartime actions against China and the U.S., she was interested in Japanese

culture and wanted to learn about the Japanese way of life. The Japanese and Chinese cultures would both influence her writing later.

When Katherine returned from Japan, she went to New York City, where

she met Presbyterian minister Reverend John Paterson. They were married in 1964, and would have four children. While working for the Presbyterian Church, Katherine began her professional writing career by

writing teaching curriculums for 5th and 6th grade parochial students. She also taught school as well. Later, in the mid 1970s, she wrote her first novel, The Sign Of The Chrysanthemum, which was a Japanese fairy

tale.

In 1977, Katherine would publish her most beloved novel to date - Bridge To Terabithia. This heart-wrenching story about the inseparable bond of

friendship between two very different children - a poor, shy farm boy and a vivacious rich girl from the city - that is cut short by the girl's sudden death, was inspired by a tragedy that hit close to home. Katherine's son

David, then 8 years old, lost his best friend, a girl named Lisa Hill, when the little girl was struck by lightning. The book is dedicated to both David

and Lisa. This beautiful novel won the prestigious Newbery Award in 1978. Surprisingly, Bridge To Terabithia soon became the subject of a censorship controversy that continues to this day. I discuss this and

other aspects of the book in detail in the Bridge To Terabithia section of this site.

Katherine Paterson has always advocated the need for contemporary, realistic children's fiction. Some of her books feature difficult themes

such as the death of a loved one (Bridge To Terabithia, Flip-Flop Girl), the tribulations of foster children (The Great Gilly Hopkins),

governmental persecution (Rebels Of The Heavenly Kingdom), and the exploitation of workers (Lyddie). She has also written on the subject of


writing for children and teenagers. Here are some quotes from her book Gates Of Excellence:

"I wrote about the difficulties of the human experience with hope because

I am a person who lives in hope. That is how I see the world and how I must wrote about it."

"When people ask me what qualifies me to be a writer for children, I say I

was once a child. But I was not only a child, I was better still, a weird little kid."

"And if we marvel at the artist who has written a great book, we must also marvel at those people whose lives are works of art and who don't

even know it."

"I do believe that those of us who have grown up have something of value to offer the young."

"A great novel is a kind of conversion process. We come away from it

changed."

"The reason I began to write fiction was not that I believed myself to be one of those enviable artist, the 'born story teller,' but that I loved stories

so much I wanted to be on the inside."

"Looking back, I don't seem to have ever created a character that some corner of my soul does not personally claim. I am all of them."

"I believe that the reading of fiction has helped me not only to come to terms with the weird little kid I was but also to realize that almost

everyone I meet has a weird little kid tucked away inside."

"When I write a story, it is not an attempt to make children good or wise -- nobody but God can do that. I am trying in a book simply to give

children a place where they may find rest for their weary souls."

"It is not simply living with my four children that keeps me from an idealistic view of childhood; it is the memory of myself as a child. I was not of the superior breed. Nor was I gifted or beautiful. I was scared an

lonely and dumb."

"I want children to know that despite all the evidence that the world seeks to crush them with there is room for hope. That good life, far from

ending in childhood, barely begins there."




Worksheet Two

Chapter One Questions

1. Why does Jesse sneak out of bed?

2. What are Jesse's sisters' names?

3. Why does Jesse get up so early in the morning?

4. What is the name of Jesse's cow?

5. What is the author telling us about Jesse's relationship with his mother in

this chapter?

6. What does this chapter say about Jesse's dad? What language techniques

are used?

7. Where does Jesse go to school?

8. Draw a map of the playground at the school using the information

provided in the first chapter?

9. What is the author's intention when she provides the responder (you)

with Jesse's thoughts on his older sisters, Ellie and Brenda?

10. What is Jesse's big ambition?

11. Jesse is afraid of being called a 'bragger', why? What language device is

used here?

12. What happens at the end of this chapter that will change Jesse's life

forever?


Worksheet Three

Chapter Two Questions

1. What did Jess and his little sisters have for dinner?

2. What does 'pudgy' mean?

3. What did Jess like to draw?

4. What kind of drawing is this?

5. Why can't Jess show his drawings to his dad?

6. Describe Miss Edmunds?

7. What does jess think of Miss Edmunds? Provide some textual examples

from the novel. Remember to put quotes in inverted commas.

8. The author mentions five songs in this chapter. What are they? What do

they tell us about the era this novel was written in?

9. This chapter uses some onomatopoeic text. What is it and what does it

mean?

10. Who is Leslie Burke? What is interesting about this character?

Extension Activities

Find the lyrics to any one of the songs mentioned in Chapter Two. Research

when it was written and what was happening in the world at that time. Draw a

cartoon based on the song lyrics and your research and write a short rationale to

help your teacher and classmates interpret the image in relation to the novel.


Week Two


We will

examine the importance of school in this novel

examine the relationships Jess Aarons has with other students

examine the issues that are raised in the novel about learning, going to

school, dealing with bullying and with the seriousness, fun and energy of

competition.

Worksheet One

Chapter Three Questions

1. Who is Mr Turner?

2. Who is Mrs Myers?

3. What year is Jess in at Lark Creek Elementary School?

4. What is implied when the author has Jesse reflect on Mrs Myers 'first-

day-of-school-smile? What is another term given for her smile in this

chapter?

5. What are the names Jesse is thinking of using for his book of drawings?

6. Who is Gary Fulcher?

7. What are the names of some of the other runners in the Year 5

competition?

8. Why didn't Gary Fulcher want Leslie to run against the boys?

9. Why did Jesse sit next to May Belle on the bus on the way home?

10. What does Jesse mean when he thinks that Leslie's running reminds him

of 'wild ducks in the autumn'? What language feature is this?


Worksheet Two

Chapter Four Questions

1. Why did running cease to be fun for Jesse?

2. What descriptions of Miss Edmunds are given in this chapter? Use

textual evidence to support your answer. Remember if you quote straight

from the text you must use quotation marks.

3. What technique is used and what does Jesse mean when he calls himself

a 'yellow-bellied sapsucker'?

4. What does the responder (you) find out about Leslie's family in this

chapter?

5. What is Leslie Burke's hobby?

6. Why would this hobby be unusual in Lark's Creek?

7. Why doesn't Leslie have a television?

8. What does this chapter tell us about Jesse's personality?

9. Where does Jesse choose to sit on the bus and why?

10. Why does Leslie say that she and Jesse need a place 'just for us'?

11. What other story is mentioned in this chapter and how does this

introduce intertextuality to the story?

12. What does the author quote from the Bible in this chapter and why?

13. Who names the secret place Terabithia and why?

Worksheet Three

Chapter Five Questions

1. The last chapter was called ‘Rulers of Terabithia’. This chapter is called

‘The Giant Killers’. Explain why.

2. Who is Janice Avery?

3. What kind of meeting do Jesse and Leslie have in Terabithia?

4. Why does Maybelle get bullied?

5. What strategy do Jesse and Leslie devise to try and stop the bullying?

6. Do you think this strategy is effective?

7. This novel alludes to other texts and stories. List these allusions and

research at least three. Determine why they are important to

understanding this novel.


Worksheet Four

Chapter Six Questions

1. Jess gets very angry at the beginning of this chapter. What makes him

angry and why?

2. Does this novel deal with gender issues? How?

3. What does may Belle want for Christmas?

4. Who and what is Prince Terrien?

5. What did everyone at Jesse's house get for Christmas?

Extension Work

Discuss the development of Jess and Leslie's friendship so far. List how it has

developed in terms of the plot (This happened, then this happened...) in a mind-

map and then write a story, poem or song about and how it has affected both

Jess and Leslie.




Week Three



We will:

examine the friendship that has developed between Jess and Leslie

look at why they are both so different and yet can be friends

look at gender and how a friendship between boys and girls is as valid as

same gender friendships

look at the mathematics and physics behind sport, time ourselves running

fast and slow, and look at the science and physics of swinging off a rope

above a creek (although not literally).



Worksheet One

This novel has two settings.

Describe each setting from the descriptions given in the novel. Try to find

at least six different descriptions for each and place them in the columns

provided.

Lark Creek Terabithia

Worksheet Two

Use the table below to graph the times and distance of six (6) of your fellow

students who will run for you. You will use this information to create a graph in

Microsoft Word or in your books and then determine the actual speed they can

run in kilometers per hour.

Student Name Distance Time Speed in km per hour


Worksheet Three

Chapter 7-10 Questions

1. What is the famous painting mentioned in this chapter?

2. What is the Golden Room? What technique is being used here?

3. Is there a difference between the way Leslie feels about her father and

the way Jess feels about his father? Provide an analytical response listing

the things each character states about their respective fathers and then

analyse those responses from Jess's perspective. Why is this important?

4. At the end of Chapter Seven, Jess uses figurative language to describe

how he feels. Identify the simile and explain what it means in the context

of Jess' experiences in this novel.

5. Why do the Aarons only go to church at Easter?

6. What happens to Jesse's dad in Chapter Eight? Predict how this might

affect the family.

7. What does everyone wear to church? Why do you think the author has

spent so much time describing the features of the clothes? Are there

other meanings behind what each person chooses to wear? What are they

and write an analysis of why they make the choices that they do.

8. This chapter makes a comparison between Jess' mother and Leslie's

mother. Why is the author making these comparisons and what effect do

they have on the responder?

9. What is the Bible story the novel makes allusions to in Chapter Nine?

Why?

10. Why is Jess afraid?

11. Write out the plot of the 'perfect day'.

12. The author uses the phrase..."He was drunk with colour and form and

hugeness...”. What is this in relation to and why would Jess be affected

in this way?

13. When Jesse comes home from his 'perfect day' he is greeted strangely by

his family. Why?

Extension Work

Using a heavy object hung on a metre of string, determine the distance it

travels. From your results, divide your own weight by the weight of the object

and try to hypothesise how long a rope you would need to swing the distance of

the creek in Bridge to Terabithia.

Draw up a table and record your results.


Week Four


Source:http://www.ulster.net/~petersne/kpat.html

We will:

look at grief and what it means to lose a friend

examine the metaphor of the title of the novel and explore some ways of

building bridges, both literally and metaphorically

examine the lyrics to Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge over Troubled Water and

ask ourselves if this would be a good song to play in a stage production of

Bridge to Terabithia.



Worksheet One

Write Chapter 11 out in your own words expressing how you feel about what

has happened.

You may choose to write out the events by copying the flow chart on the

website or creating your own flow chart based on the five stages of grief and

then summarise how you feel about Leslie's death.

The five stages of grief are:

DENIAL AND ISOLATION - "NO, NOT ME, IT CANNOT BE

TRUE." ANGER - "WHY ME.".

BARGAINING - "YES ME ... BUT"

DEPRESSION - "YES ME."

ACCEPTANCE - "IT'S OKAY."

Examine Chapters 11-14 and identify if Jess goes through some or all of

these stages of grief and whether he creates any specific coping strategies

to help him come to terms with losing his best friend.


Worksheet Two

Chapters 11-14 Questions

1. The title of this novel is significant. Why? What happens in these final

chapters that introduces the idea of the need for a bridge to Terabithia?

2. The word bridge has a metaphorical meaning in this novel. What are

some of the things people do with bridges that are metaphors for the way

they deal with issues and events in their lives?

3. Read the lyrics on the website to Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge Over

Troubled Waters. If you were going to write a musical drama about the

novel Bridge to Terabithia (this has been done by the son of Katherine

Paterson), would you use this song in your show? If so, where would

you use it (what scene in the book) and who would you have sing it

(which character)? Write three reasons as to why, or why not, this song

applies to this novel.

Worksheet Three

Katherine Paterson wrote this story because her son, David, lost his best friend,

Lisa Hill, when she was killed by lightening. When Paterson wrote the book

and put the dedication in it her son asked her to add Lisa Hill's name to the

dedication. How does this knowledge help you to understand the context of this

book? Does it make the book seem more real to you? Are the experiences more

genuine? Does it make the emotions of the novel more real?

Write a journal (diary) entry here, putting yourself in Jesse's position. Write

about what you would be feeling if you were Jesse one day after the accident

and then, using the work you did on Jesse and his coping with grief through the

five stages of grief process, write what you might be feeling one year after the

accident.


Week Five

Watching a film: My Girl

Source: Source:My Girl at Video Universe

We will:

be completing a comparative study with the film My Girl within which we

will be examining how children create secret places, explore friendships, deal

with loss and how childhood is represented both in the film and in the text.

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?PID=1181531


Worksheet One

Watch the film My Girl carefully. You will be completing a quiz about the film in our

next lesson.

Fill in the table below with similarities (comparisons) and differences (contrasts) between

the novel Bridge to Terabithia and with the film My Girl.

Comparisons Contrasts

(things that are the same or similar) (things that are different)


Worksheet Two

The novel Bridge to Terabithia is a story about the power of the imagination.

Would you agree or disagree?

Write either:

a five paragraph essay - an introduction, three paragraphs of a single

point each and a conclusion

a five stanza poem, or,

create five paintings or drawings that reflect an imaginative response to

the novel

create a book of cartoons such as those drawn by Jess in the novel

Bridge to Terabithia and give it an imaginative title

build a model of Terabithia and a bridge that records the processes of

imagination and development in the novel

a costume (or drawing of a costume) that you might wear as the king or

queen of Terabithia

Your work is to be based on your interpretations of Jess and Leslie's fantastical

castle at Terabithia. Your work should reflect descriptions from the text and

demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of the idea of fantasy and the power

of the imagination but the work you create must be original in content and

design.



Documents

Bridge to Terabithia - The Cohen Curricula · PDF fileStudy Guide Bridge to Terabithia By Katherine Paterson Created by Pamela Cohen Name_____