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On My
Honor
Comprehension Guide
By Marion Dane Bauer
Trust
Friendship
Honesty
Honor
Name: _____________
Date: ___________
Name: _____________________ Date: ________________
Directions: Answer the following questions about the story On My Honor. Always use complete sentences.
Strategy Focus: Building Prior KnowledgeThis story is about two boys who seem to have opposite personalities, yet are good friends... A good reader will think about what they already know about a certain topic and then use other strategies to help build their knowledge as they read. Make a list of three characteristics that make a “good” friend. Then beside each characteristic, explain why you chose it.
Characteristic of a good friend Why I chose this characteristic
Prior to ReadingStrategy Focus: Making PredictionsGood readers will predict. Preview your book and make a prediction about what the book is about. Your prediction should be at least 2 sentences. Your prediction must include what you think the book will be about and also how you think the main character(s) will fit into the story.
On My Honor Comprehension Guide
Name: _____________
Date: ___________
Good Readers will try to find meanings from the words…
Word StudyIn order to better comprehend what they are reading, good readers will try to find the meanings of the key vocabulary in the story. Please refer to the “Word Study” sheet in the back of your packet for the words. Your job will be to either use the vocabulary words in a sentence or find their meanings. Some vocabulary words may have several meanings, so make sure that your definition fits the way you think it would be used in the story.
Please remember to be neat and skip lines between each definition/sentence. Also, if there are more than 2-3 words per day, your teacher may have you work with a partner, discuss them in a group, or provide the meanings for you.
Good Readers will use context clues…
Day 1 Reading: Chapter 1
What are the two main characters’ first and last names?
Have you ever had a friend or known someone who never seemed to want to do what you wanted him/he to do? If so, explain how you felt. If you don’t know anyone like that, explain how you would feel if it did happen to you.
Look at the cover of the book. Which boy is Tony and which boy is Joel. Using details from the story, explain how you know this.
In a couple of sentences, explain how Mrs. Zabrinsky, Tony, and Joel are sort of “related”. In your answer, you must use the following words: Joel, Tony, babysit, Mrs. Zabrinsky, drool, friends, and Bobby.
What was Joel hoping his father would say when he asked to ride his bike with Tony out to bluffs?
Good readers w
ill make inferences about w
hat they are reading…
Strategy Focus: Making InferencesA good reader will make judgments about character by how the author describes them. If someone told you they had a juicy fruit the other day that had black seeds and the part that you ate was red in color, you might think of a watermelon. If you did, you were making an inference. After reading chapter one, do the following with the descriptions below. Circle the descriptions that best describe Tony. Underline those that describe Joel. Put a box around the descriptions that describe both characters.
adventurous hates school likes school likes to have fun
practical does what he pleases follows rules sneaky
friendly gets good grades likes to swim
Explain why this book is called On My Honor?
Day 2 Reading: Chapter 2
Describe how Tony rode his bike at the beginning of the chapter.
Tony seems to have some sort of influence or power over Joel. For example, Tony and Joel both stuck out their tongues at the school even though Joel likes school. Try to find two more examples in this chapter where Tony seems to have power over Joel.
1)
2)
At the end of the chapter Tony yells to Joel, “The last one in’s a two-toed sloth!” If you don’t know already, a sloth is one of the slowest animals in the world. See if you can think of some other animals and fill in the blanks below.
“Last one in’s a __________________________”
“Last one in’s a __________________________”
“First one in’s a __________________________”
Good readers w
ill make inferences about w
hat they are reading…
Day 3 Reading: Chapter 3
When Tony was running down the steep hill to the river he ran through patches of shiny green leaves (poison ivy). Explain what could happen to Tony if he was allergic to poison ivy.
Why does Joel keep comparing the Vermillion River to a toilet?
Tony swam in the river. What dangers does a person have to be aware of when swimming in a river?
How good can you swim? Rate yourself on the scale below and explain why you rated yourself that way. Then rate how good a swimmer you think Joel and Tony are.
My Swimming0 1 2 3 4 5
I can’t really swim! I can swim okay! I’m an excellent swimmer!
Joel’s Swimming0 1 2 3 4 5
He can’t really swim! He can swim okay! He’s an excellent swimmer!
Tony’s Swimming0 1 2 3 4 5
He can’t really swim! He can swim okay! He’s an excellent swimmer!
Day 4 Reading: Chapter 4
Strategy Focus: VisualizingGood readers will visualize what they are reading in their heads. As you read chapter 4, draw some pictures in your head. Then draw one of those pictures below. Write a caption beneath your picture.
Good readers w
ill draw pictures in their heads w
hen reading…
Caption:
Joel could hear Tony “blowing and puffing like a whale” as he tried to swim out to the sandbar. Explain what the author meant by this.
Strategy Focus: PredictionExplain what you think happened to Tony at the end of the chapter and what you think will happen next in the book.
Strategy Focus: VocabularyGood readers w
ill find out the meanings of diff
icult words…
Good readers w
ill draw pictures in their heads w
hen reading…
Use the following vocabulary words to complete the sentences below. The words will be from chapters 1-4. You may need a dictionary.
flailing (p. 17) eddied (p. 28) agitated (p. 26)
emerging (p. 19) intention (p. 10) hovering (p. 4)artificial (p. 20) obviously (p. 6)realigned (p. 25) encounter (p. 12)
1. The flower was ______________________________ from the ground.
2. It was my _____________________________to do the dishes.
3. The fruit on the table isn’t real, they are all ___________________________.
4. When a mosquito constantly buzzes around my ear I get ___________________.
5. The ship began to sail of its original course but eventually ___________________ itself.
6. The water _______________________ around us as we swam.
7. I had a(n) _________________________ with my baseball coach.
8. Jimmy was ________________________ his arms when he was swarmed by bees.
9. It is raining, so ___________________________ you will need an umbrella.
10.The helicopter is _______________________ over the buildings.
Good readers w
ill find out the meanings of diff
icult words…
Day 5 Reading: Chapter 5
Strategy Focus: Making ConnectionsGood readers will make connections between what they are reading to their own lives. Tony could be playing a trick on Joel. Describe a time when you played a trick on someone? Explain what happened when the person found out it was a trick.
Swimming in a river isn’t always the safest thing to do. If you were to make a sign, warning people about the dangers of a river, what would your sign look like? Put your thoughts on the sign below.
Strategy Focus: SequencingGood readers will organize events in their heads. This is called sequencing. Put the following events in order in which they occurred in the story. Place a number 1 in the blank for the event that happened first.
_____ Far above Joel, a car rumbled across the bridge.
_____ Joel turned toward home and began to run blindly up the middle of the
Good readers w
ill try to organize events in order to make
sense…
highway.
_____ When Joel dove for the fourth time he found himself caught in the grip of the water. It sucked at him, grinding him against the silty river bottom.
_____Joel made a lunging dive, pulling himself forward and under with both arms, his eyes opening and smarting in the murky water.
_____ Joel called out, “Made it.” When his hand scraped the bottom of the sandbar.
_____ Joel stood there over his pile of clothes and then looked back to the river.
_____ By the side of the highway, Joel doubled over, vomited again, and then stood erect.
_____ Joel couldn’t breathe. His lungs were a sharp pain. The air came bursting from his chest like an explosion.
Day 6 Reading: Chapter 6
None of the chapters in this book have titles. If you could give Chapter 6 a title, what would be three possible choices? Explain why you chose this title.
1)
2)
3)
Strategy Focus: QuestioningGood readers will ask questions when they read to better understand the story. What would be question that you would have at this point in the story? An example question might sound like this: “Why do you think Joel ran blindly toward home up the middle of the highway?”
Day 7 Reading: Chapter 7
Strategy Focus: Word Study
Good readers w
ill try to organize events in order to make
sense…R
emem
ber, reading is thinking…
Draw a picture about each vocabulary words below. Your pictures should relate to how the word is used in the story. Have fun!
Embankment (p.51) Gaze (p.52)
Haphazardly (p.52) Supplication (p.52)
Newspaper Headline: For this chapter you will need to create a newspaper headline about the events that have happened so far for Tony and Joel. Write a headline and then include at least four sentences about the headline. You should also include a picture with a caption for your newspaper. You should also create a name for your newspaper.
Day 8 Reading: Chapter 8
Rem
ember, reading is thinking…
Think about it: Should Joel have told his dad right away about
Tony…
When Joel’s dad walked in his room he asked Joel, “Where’s Tony?” How would you have answered this question?
In the story, Joel told his dad that Tony was “On the road to Starved Rock”. Why do you think Joel doesn’t want to tell his dad about what he feels happened to Tony?
What did Tony lie to his mother about?
Strategy Focus: Making ConnectionsGood readers will make connections to what they are reading to their own lives. Joel doesn’t want anyone to know what really happened. Describe an experience that you have had when you knew something but didn’t want to get in trouble for it.
Strategy Focus: Making PredictionsGood readers will make predictions when they read. How do you think Joel’s dad will react when Joel tells them about Tony?
Day 9 Reading: Chapters 9 & 10
Strategy Focus: Making ConnectionsGood readers will make connections to what they are reading to their own lives. At the beginning of Chapter 9, Joel was taking out his anger and frustration on his brother, Bobby. Describe a time when you really didn’t know what to do with your emotions. Did you take it out on someone else? Did you talk to someone about it? What did you do?
Think about it: Should Joel have told his dad right away about
Tony…
Strategy Focus: Making ComparisonsGood readers will compare as they are reading to better understand the story. Joel had a paper route. What would be enjoyable about having a paper route? What would not be so enjoyable about having a paper route? List at least two ideas in each category.
Enjoyable Not Enjoyable
Why do you think Tony always told Joel “that he was like an old grandmother, fretting all the time”?
Joel talked about pooling his money together with Tony. What did they want to save their money for?
On page 69, what do you think the Marion Jane Bauer meant when she wrote that Joel saw his parents and the Zabrinski’s in the yard and “shifted his gears one last time, slumped his shoulders, and pulled his head in, like a turtle retreating into its shell. Then he stepped out into the staring light of the driveway.”? Explain your thoughts.
In chapter 10, Mrs. Zabrinsky says, “I suppose I shouldn’t worry, but you know what Tony’s like. I guess I worry more about him than all the rest of the kids rolled up together.” What did she mean by this statement?
Why do you think Joel didn’t tell his mother about Tony?
Day 10 Reading: Chapters 11 & 12
Think about it… W
hat would you do if you w
ere Joel?
The police came to the door and asked Joel about what had happened. What would you have done if you were Joel at this point?
When Mr. Zabrinsky asked Joel about if he knew that Tony went down to the river, how did Joel answer?
What did Joel’s dad mean when he put his arm on Joel’s shoulders and told everyone that Joel is an “honorable boy”?
Why do you think Joel tell his father that he hated him?
Do you think that Joel made the right decision not to tell anyone when he first knew about Tony?
Strategy Focus: VisualizingGood readers will visualize what they are reading in their heads. As you read chapter 12, draw a picture of Joel and his dad in Joel’s bedroom. Write a caption beneath your picture.
Think about it… W
hat would you do if you w
ere Joel?
On-Going ActivityElements of Fiction
A fiction story will contain certain parts (elements) such as setting, characters, main events (ideas), problem, and a solution. Fill in the chart below about the elements of fiction.
Setting In the space below, describe where the main setting of the story takes place. If there is more than one setting, try to include those also. In your setting description(s) try to include the year (time period such as Industrial Revolution), time of the year (season), and a specific place.
Example: Fall of 1955 in the town of Germantown on the east coast of the United Sates.
CharactersAs you read, include as many details about at least four of the main characters in the chart below.
CharacterCharacteristics
(Describing words)Character’s Importance
to the Story
Example:Mrs. Jangles
Example:Hard worker, Patient,
Nice
Example:Mrs. Jangles was the mother of
the main character, Ezra.
Main Events (Plot)As you read the story, add as many main events as you can in the space below. You should have at least ten events when you are finished with the story.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
ProblemThere is always a problem (or problems) in a story. Maybe the main character is trapped in a hole or has an annoying brother that he doesn’t know what to do with. No matter what story you are reading, there is a problem. In the space below, write down the problem(s) that some of the main characters are facing.
SolutionAfter reading the story, explain how some of the main problems were solved.
Strategy Focus: SummarizingGood readers will summarize what they have read based on the story elements. With your classmate or teacher, summarize the story that you have read. You may also be asked to write out your summary.
On-Going ActivityMood, Emotions
Directions: Throughout this story there were many emotions that the characters encountered. Fill in the chart next to each emotion and give an example of how the character displayed that emotion. If you were unable to find an emotion for at least 5 of the choices below, write your own emotion from the story.
Fear
Loneliness
Anticipation
Wonder
Sadness
Excitement
Happiness
Importance
On My HonorEnd of Novel Project Choices
The following choices will be due at the end of the novel. I will give you some time in class to complete this, but you may have to do some at home.
Promises Make a list of 25 things that you would promise to do in the next two days. Write at least two sentences for each promise. Your first sentence should explain the promise and your second sentence should explain how you will go about keeping the promise.
Interview a CharacterPretend you are a talk show host interviewing a character from the book. Your interview must include ten events that happened with this character in the book.
Song
Write a song about the story. Your song must contain ten events that happened in the book. You can also sing this song to the class for extra credit!
Artful ArtistThere were many amazing events that happened in this book. Use your artistic talents to create three scenes from the story onto white paper. Each scene should include the setting, main characters, and the problem, if there is one. Then on the back of the paper, you should include 5 sentences about each scene.
IPod TouchDesign your own IPod Touch. Your IPod Touch should include ten “Apps”. You will need to create a colorful IPod. You will also need to write two sentences for each application explaining what the application is and how it relates to the story. You will need to get the IPod sheet from your teacher.
