Author:  Jamie Gilson

Discussion Guide by   Pat Bowes

Setting:  Pittsfield, Illinois

Main Characters:
   : Harvey Trumble (protagonist) -- grade 7, nickname Zilch
   : Tuan Nguyen (Tom Win) -- Harvey's peer from Vietnam
   : Quint Calkins -- classmate, magician, pain  (calls Harvey  - Zilch)
   : Trumble family = Clifton (dad), Phoebe (mother), Julia (sister), Peter (brother)
   : Nguyen family = grandmother (Ba Noi), father, mother, baby, Tuan
   : Jeff Zito -- minister
   : Felix  --  computer
   : Mr. Tandy -- math teacher
   : Eric Wagner -- Harvey's best friend - moved away
   : Mrs. Broderick -- likes Big Bird bedspread
   : Taylor's -- family that was going to take in the Nguyens'
   : Caroline Quackenbush -- school friend
   : Suzanna Brooks -- school friend

Topics:
Refugees
Immigration
Cultural differences
Heroes
Friendship
Understanding
 

Note:  Add enjoyable activities that cannot be copied from thematic unit (TCM 234)
           including: Vocabulary, idioms, similes and metaphors, marbles, and magic.

1) Harvey says to himself, "Felix is good company.  We understand each other."
    Why would Harvey feel that a computer is better company than a friend or family
    member?   With all the magnificent things that computers offer us, what are some
    of negative effects of the computer age?

2) What significant difference is there in the family make up between the Nguyens'
    and the Trumbles'?

3) Referring to the Nguyens', Harvey says, "We'll be their heroes because we saved
     their lives."   What is your definition of a hero?  Does Harvey fit your description?
     Why or why not?

4)Quint says, " By the way, Zilch, the day won't come when I have to study for a
    math test.  Mr. Tandy says that I'm gifted."  What does he mean by being “gifted”? Do
    you have to study hard to accomplish your goals, or does school work simply come
    easy to you?

5) Tuan is dressed for summer weather, even though it is 45 degrees Fahrenheit in
     Illinois.  Review the weather differences in Vietnam. However, if it is 45 degrees
     Fahrenheit, what is the temperature in Celsius?  See the attached worksheet.

6) Harvey is wondering if he remembers the Heimlich maneuver.  Do you know how to
    do the Heimlich maneuver?  See the attached information and review it with your
    parents or guardians.

1) Harvey refers to the Nobel Peace Prize.  Research what the Nobel Peace Prize is
    and write a brief report about one of the winners. This report should be a minimum
    of 2 pages, including your thoughts and opinions, not just an historical summary.
    Open your report with a very brief statement about what the Nobel Peace Prize is,
    then go into who you selected, what his or her accomplishments were, when and
    why he or she received the award, then express your opinion and comments.
    Provide a separate page as your bibliography.  (Use the bibliography form as per
    the attached.)  It would be nice if your report was typed, but this is not a necessity.  If
    you do type, please double space. You will have to present your report to the class
    in a clear and concise manner.  Be prepared to respond to questions from your
    peers and me.  NOTE:  You must coordinate selections so that we hear reports
    about many different winners.  This way we will all learn more.

2) Tuan's dad got a job at the Starlight Motel, but Quint's uncle, a Vietnam veteran,
     was turned away by the motel.  Does this seem fair to you?  Why do you think this
    happened?

3) Harvey keeps referring to Tuan as, "my kid".  What does he mean by this?  What
    does Harvey do to prove that Tuan is his.  How would you feel if someone did this to
     you?

4) Harvey has a scrambled eggs sign on him.  In your opinion, what is the inner
     meaning of the author's use of the term scrambled eggs?

5) Pittsfield, Illinois is the pork capital of the world.  Cincinnati is also known as
    a pork city.  Research the reasons why Cincinnati is also known for pork and give a
    brief report.  No minimum nor maximum writing expected.  Just find the answer.
    However, cite your sources.

1) Visit my web site and go to “newspapers.”  Choose any newspaper in the country
    and give a report about a current event.  Summarize the event, cite your source, and
    write a brief comment expressing your opinion about the event you chose.  It might
    be interesting for you to use your creativity and become a reporter while giving your
   report.  (Have some fun with this, but stay true to the facts.)

2) “Push factors” are the conditions or events in a country that push a person to leave.
     “Pull factors” are the conditions or events in another country that pull a person to
     that country.  What were the push factors mentioned as reasons why the Nguyens'
     left  Vietnam?  If those same factors existed in the United States, would you leave,
     or would you stay and try to change things?  If you would stay, how would you go
    about making the necessary changes to make life better?  If you left, how would you
    get out and where would you go?

3) Tuan has a hard time forgetting the past.  How does Harvey react?  Is Harvey right?
    Why or why not?  How would you have handled that situation?

4) Tuan says, "The tree is now a boat.  It cannot be a tree again."  What does this
     statement mean to you?

5) Why does Tuan's father struggle more than Tuan in his new surroundings?

6) Compare and contrast Quint and Harvey. Or, compare and contrast Harvey
    and Tuan.

7) In the story, there is a critical transitional moment for Harvey's developing
    understanding.  Cite the passage that you feel best reflects Harvey's development
    of understanding of Tuan.  (Don’t restrict your search to section #3.)

8) Using a scale of 1 through 20, with 20 being superior, rate this book and provide
     support for your rating.

When a person is choking on an object he or she was chewing,  the situation can
become life-threatening if not handled properly.  In almost all cases the food or item will become dislodged by itself.

If a person is choking ask him or her if he or she is choking.  If he or she cannot speak or cough easily, stand behind him or her and wrap your hands around his or her waist.

Make a fist with one hand and place the thumb side of the fist into the victim's abdomen above the navel and below the rib cage.

Grab your fist with your other hand and give quick, upward thrusts into the abdominal
area.

Repeat these thrusts until the object is dislodged.  Each thrust should be separate and distinct.

Review this method with your parents or guardians.

The United States is one of the few countries in the world that measures temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.  Other countries that do so include Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland.  (Britain exported this scale along with her language to her colonies.)  In most of the rest of the world, temperature is measured in degrees Celsius or centigrade. The Celsius temperature scale was named after its creator, Anders Celsius (1701 - 1744) a Swedish astronomer who invented it in 1742 (about 28 years after Fahrenheit invented his scale).

The freezing point of water was set at 0 on the Celsius scale and the boiling point of water was set at 100 so that there could be 100 equal subdivisions between them.  The convenience of 100 subdivisions made this scale ideal for scientific uses.  For a long time the Celsius scale was called the centigrade scale (cent = 100), but in 1948, the Ninth General Conference on Weights and Measures decided to abandon the name centigrade and use only "Celsius," in part to honor its creator.

     Here are some reference points tying the Fahrenheit and Celsius scales together:
98.6o F = 37o C
  68o F = 20o C

     The formula for converting Fahrenheit to Celsius is:
C = 5  (F - 32)
      9

     In this formula:
C stands for Celsius.    F stands for Fahrenheit.
The parentheses tells us to complete this operation first, and the multiplication sign is implicit.

Solve:  Convert 75o F to Celsius.  Do not move on until you have tried to solve this problem.

Question:  Which is smaller, a Fahrenheit degree or a Celsius degree? ______________________
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The answer is that it takes precisely 1.8 Fahrenheit degrees to make one Celsius degree.  This is because there are 180 Fahrenheit degrees between freezing and boiling as compared to 100 for Celsius degrees.  This gives a ratio of 180 to 100.

180  =  18  =  9  =    1.8
100       10     5

     The exact conversion formula for Celsius to Fahrenheit is:
F  =  9  C + 32
        5                    F = 1.8C  +  32                            Solve:  Convert 15o C to Fahrenheit.
 

Temperature Conversion

Practice temperature conversions by completing the following exercises.  Round to the nearest whole number.  After you complete these exercises, I will show you a shortcut that will give you a conversion response in 2 seconds ... without a calculator.

30^o F

84^oF

12^oF

102^oF

41^oC

20^oC

5^oC

32^oC