Tough Questions

Which of the following are tough questions Salva asked himself? (choose all that apply)

• "Where is my family?"

• "When will I have cell service again?"

• "How can I go on without them?"

• "But how can I not go on?"

• "Where are my shoes?"

When we think about the tough question facing a character, it will often tell us something about their _____________ and may help to _____________.

• internal conflict, foreshadow

• external conflict, foreshadow

• internal conflict, summarize

• external conflict, answer a RACE

Alyssa is in math class and working hard on her test. Suddenly, she looks at the desk next to her and notices that Myles is up to something. She can see that written on the inside of his hand are all of the answers to the test. Alyssa can't believe Myles would be cheating! He is the president of school council and is supposed to be an example for the rest of the class. She starts to sweat. Alyssa so badly wants to be on school council this year, but if she tells on Myles, will she make an enemy for life? She keeps glancing at Myles, and glancing at the math teacher, so uncertain of what to do.

• Alyssa

• Myles

• The math teacher

Alyssa is in math class and working hard on her test. Suddenly, she looks at the desk next to her and notices that Myles is up to something. She can see that written on the inside of his hand are all of the answers to the test. Alyssa can't believe Myles would be cheating! He is the president of school council and is supposed to be an example for the rest of the class. She starts to sweat. Alyssa so badly wants to be on school council this year, but if she tells on Myles, will she make an enemy for life? She keeps glancing at Myles, and glancing at the math teacher, so uncertain of what to do.

• should Alyssa pull the teacher into the hallway to talk, or tell him in front of the entire class?

• should she ask Myles for the answers too, or do the test on her own the best she can?

• should she tell on Myles for cheating, or risk having problems trying to be on the school council?

• should she tell on Myles for cheating, or guarantee she is on school council this year?

Joey sat in front of everyone at the party, with his karate gold medal hanging around his neck. His father called out, "Attention everyone, attention. I would like to thank you all for coming and say just how proud of Joey we all are. He has trained for months and his dedication to karate makes me such a proud father. These memories with Joey are something I will treasure forever." Even though Joey's dad was saying such nice things, Joey had a pit in his stomach and started sweating. How was he going to tell him? Joey loved karate, but he was getting older and so sick of traveling all the time for competitions. Now that he won the championship, he wanted to try a new sport like soccer or football. He couldn't bear to think of his dad's face when he would tell him the news. It broke his heart to disappoint him. What is the tough question Joey faces?

• How will Joey get as good at soccer as he is at karate?

• How will Joey tell his dad he wants to play football in front of the entire party?

• How is he going to be able to tell his dad he doesn't want to do karate anymore?

• How is Joey going to be able to stop sweating in front of all the party guests?

When we come across a tough question in the text, we should stop and ask ourselves.....

• What happened before this moment?

• When will the story end?

• What does this make me wonder about?

• Why is the character acting this way?

Which signpost has this anchor question? "What does this make me wonder about?"

• Aha Moment

• Memory Moment

• Contrasts and Contradictions

• Tough Questions

Which of the following sentences contains a tough question?

• A) Why is the sky blue?

• B) How can I ever forgive myself?

• C) What time is it?

• D) Where is the nearest store?

In literature, a tough question often reveals a character's...

• A) external appearance

• B) internal conflict

• C) favorite hobby

• D) daily routine

Identify the tough question in this scenario: Sarah is deciding whether to move to a new city for a job opportunity. She asks herself...

• A) What should I pack?

• B) How will I adjust to a new environment?

• C) What is the weather like there?

• D) How long is the flight?