Guided practice: Character, Setting, Theme

Guided Practice
READ & RESPOND

THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THEME, SETTING, AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

NEED paper + pencil

DIRECTIONS: Read the short story and take notes. Answer the questions at the end. This is for a grade! Both the Quizizz and your notes will be graded.

Questions are on the handout AND on this Quizizz.

Vivianna:
A cautionary tale

Vivianna Westwood was the olive-skinned daughter and only child of Raymond Charles Westwood, a successful businessman, and Sandra von Cleef, a well-to-do couple. She was raised in the affluent, historic neighborhood of Potter's Run, where she attended the best private schools and went to the best of the best for everything; whether it was ballet, math tutoring, or sports.

Her parents adored their only child, especially since they had her later in life; Raymond was 50 and Sandra was 44, so they cherished her as a blessing.

Vivianna was given everything she ever wanted, and more. From an early age, her parents splurged on her as if it were their ultimate pleasure. They loved to see her smile and laugh. They showered her with lavish birthday parties and playdates, multiple playrooms, one with a complete castle-themed indoor playground, and all-inclusive trips to beautiful places around the world.

Yes, it seemed that life was perfect for the Westwood family, but winds of change were approaching.

Vivianna grew increasingly problematic. Before she was in middle school, she would throw a terrible fit if someone in her class got designer clothes, because she had to have the same thing, or better. Her doting parents tried to keep her happy but her demeanor only became nastier. She also got many referrals and detentions at school.
Family members were concerned. She was out of control, and she would often insult her family on her social media accounts. By the time she was in high school, she started taking their credit cards without permission and would disappear for days, spending thousands of dollars on luxury brands such as Dolce and Gabbana, Dior, and Prada.
Her father nearly had a stroke from the stress of her blocking their calls and missing for days.

Then, the final straw broke.
One night, she and some friends had stolen Raymond's car, his prized midnight-blue Maserati Quattroporte, for a joy ride to a hotel party. While en route to the party, their car veered off the side of the road, hitting another passenger vehicle directly head-on. There was a gut-wrenching silence after the collision. The city streetlights solemnly shone down below.

Shards of broken glass had cut across Vivianna's face, and there was a big gash on her cheek. Everything seemed to be in slow motion and happening all at once. She stood with mouth agape, not knowing if any of this was real, as the blurring pulse of red and blue police lights drew nearer.

Several emergency vehicles arrived on the scene. Everyone, except Vivianna, who was driving, was critically injured.

Two officers followed her to an ambulance, where they questioned her while an EMT dressed her wounds. Her mother sobbed when the officers called, but finally told them to do whatever they had to do. 

Vivianna desperately tried to tell the officers that she didn't do anything wrong, it was her friend's idea, they were just going for a ride, and so on. The officer put handcuffs on her and simply said, "Save it for the judge."

​Based on a true story

Reorder

Reorder the plot events:

• Vivianna was raised in a nice home.

• Her parents gave her everything.

• She became ungrateful as a teen.

• She stole her dad's car.

• She got arrested.

1

2

3

4

5

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Multiple Select

What context clues indicate the setting (time/place)?

Choose all that apply.

• Social media

• affluent neighborhood

• the city

• Vivanna's parent's age

Open Ended

 What is the THEME or moral in this story?

Open Ended

Last question: What should this story be titled?