Chapter+13

Show students the yin yang symbol. Explain to them that the meaning behind the Chinese symbol is balance. Chinese philosophers used it as a reminder that ideas that seem to be opposites- day and night, male and female, high and low- are actually closely related. Do you think this idea really applies to our lives? Are the bad events that happen to us in life balanced out with some good events too?
 * ==**Pre-Reading Activity/Question:**==

**Vocabulary:**

 * coincidence (p 116)
 * impaired (p 120)
 * rash (p 120)
 * wreaking havoc (p 124)
 * reign (p 124)
 * consultant (p 127)
 * unwarranted, immoral, indignation (Related to attack on Braverman)
 * Figurative Language: "G.T. said this would be a part of his life for a while, but he was like a caged bull waiting to get free." (p 124)

**Reading Lesson Topics:**
Mini-Lesson: Conflict and It's Flip Side

Discuss the idea of conflict and chart some of the conflicts the characters are facing. Then, add another column to the chart and see if these conflicts have a "flip side" to them. For example, GT may have cancer, but it has made a positive change in the way he sees the world and has inspired him to make a difference in his community.

Possible Student Answers:
 * Lou Ellen's daughter is sick, but she is finally accepting help from other people instead of going it alone.
 * Braverman was beat up, but that made even more people angry at Millstone and his campaign.
 * Hope's mother is not in her life, but she does have Addie who is even more of a mother to her.

**Writing Activities:**
Play the song "Life is Wonderful" by Jason Mraz and give students a copy of the lyrics. Like the chapter the students have just read, the lyrics reveal the dual nature of life. (In the copy of the lyrics provided, the lines that do so are underlined in case the teacher is unfamiliar with the song. Depending on the ability of the class, the teacher can choose whether or not to keep the key lines underlined.) Have students write a response in which they answer the question: How do Jason Mraz and Joan Bauer convey the idea that all conflicts have a "flip side"? [|Life Is Wonderful.doc]
 * **Reader Response:** Think of a time when a conflict in your life had a "flip side." Describe the conflict and the good that came out of it.
 * **Journal Prompt**: How do you think Braverman being consumed with anger since the beating has changed or affected his personality/character? Use support from the text in your answer.
 * **Constructed Response:** Did Braverman's beating have a positive or negative effect on G.T.'s campaign? Use details from the text to support your answer.