At the end of the novel, he tries to rape melinda a second time, but melinda. How do melinda s relationships change from the beginning of the book to the end. She also does poorly in school, and doesnt socialize very easily with other students. Connors talks between practice shots, musing whether she can get teachers to change melindas grades. Melinda does not give nicknames to everybody she comes in contact with, though. Lets follow melinda sordinos journey through her first year of high school and see how her ups and downs shape her identity in the novel speak by laurie halse anderson. Kristen stewart, eric lively, elizabeth perkins, d.
While melinda s smart and savvy interior narrative slowly reveals the searing pain of that 911 night, it also nails the highschool experience cold. Speak is a novel written and published by laurie halse anderson in 1999. In laurie halse andersons young adult novel speak, melinda, a high school freshman, struggles. Because of the existing teacher shortage in the united states, administrators and policy makers need to understand the factors that contribute to. Accurate descriptions of the minutiae of high school will appeal to any teen who has felt like an outsider, and when melinda is finally able to speak, readers will rejoice in her triumphs. This is the name that melinda gives her english teacher. Melinda dreams about the point where she is raped by the senior. Melinda is very perceptive and bright, but her vision is s. In speak melinda finds two areas she uses as sanctuaries. The school day continues and melinda describes the periods. The story follows the experiences of social outcast, melinda sordino, during her freshman year at merryweather high school in syracuse, new york. She names her english teacher hairwoman because of her ridiculously frizzy orangeandblack hair. The characters ordeals were based on andersons own experiences.
By the end of ninth grade, melinda finds her voice and learns to speak. Freeman is a talented artist and teacher who is angered by the. Melinda finds her english teacher passionate about english, she is obsessed with the scarlet letter, but rather scatterbrained. The questions are broken out into sections, so they focus on specific chapters within speak. The character of melinda sordino in speak from litcharts. In the book speak all melinda is wanting is to fit in.
She is 15 years old and is beginning her freshman year at merryweather high school. This worksheet has students think seriously about many of those same aspects in. Discussionwriting guide for speak, by laurie anderson 1. But the books overall gritty realism and melindas hardwon metamorphosis will leave readers touched and inspired.
Melindas ability to eventually speak out about her condition is the direct result of the inner dialogue that belies her external silence. Plot speak is the narrative of a young outcast, melinda sordino, who spends most of her freshman year of high school in silence. He rapes melinda at a party the summer before her first year of high school. Why do you think melindas best friends from middle school turned against her immediately rather than asking what happened. Two key scenes feature violence, but they are expressionistic, and most readers. She learns that the only way to counter evil is to speak out against it. Teach your students to analyze literature like litcharts does. At the end of the school year, melinda completes her art project and tells her art teacher, mr. The first place that she finds she does so consciously, and it is an old janitors closet. We would love to post or link to more speak lesson plans.
Unfortunately, melinda cannot play basketball, because her gpa is a whopping 1. The only thing missing is the end of the book test that i usually put at the end. After melinda calls the police at a party in august, her former friend group ditches her and disintegrates. Another example is when she receives crayons and a drawing book from her parents as a christmas gift, she thinks back the time where she returned home, and could not find her parents aftermath of the rape. If you think the teacher is overdoing it then ask to speak with the principal. Over the summer, she and her friends went to a party and melinda ended up calling the police, causing her friends and everyone at the party to socially reject her. Melinda mel sordino is the main character and narrator of laurie halse anderson s 1999 novel speak. Film speak sundance film festival production 2004 93 minutes directed dy. Speak up for yourselfwe want to know what you have to say. Sally tells melinda its not her fault, and that andy needs to answer for his attack 76. This scene emphasizes the way melinda draws on everything around her to find solutions to her problems.
Our football team will win the championship this year. Book summary melinda sordino begins her freshman year at merryweather high school in syracuse, new york, with a heavy secret weighing on her. He attempts to rape melinda a second time at the end of the novel, but she successfully fights him off. This scene emphasizes the way melinda draws on everything around her to.
I used this lit unit for individual reading or advanced reading groups, but it could also be used for classroom literature groups. No one, however, knows melindas biggest secret, the reason she dialed 911 over the. Neck and hairwoman describe the character in a way that is somewhat comical. Teachers guide speak overview background as a teenager.
Plot speak is the narrative of a young outcast, melinda sordino, who spends most of her freshman year of high school in. During the novel speak by laurie halse anderson, melinda gives herself a grade in her classes and other areas such as attitude and social life at the end of each grading period. Discussionwriting guide for speak, by laurie anderson. He is the main antagonist of the book, and spends much of the narrative harassing melinda in various. Describe melindas english teacher speak questions q. Laurie anderson uses the metaphor of a scarred tree throughout the book to express this pain and deal with the aftermath. Freeman quotes in speak the speak quotes below are all either spoken by mr. In the first section, what are the signs that melinda has experienced a trauma. Overworked and distracted, melindas mother is aware that her daughter has suddenly. Melindas rape permeates the text, with the author using a combination of simile and metaphor. How does melinda feel the first day of high school. Personality type impacts so much of who an individual is and how heshe relates to various life situations and events.
Also known as it or andy beast to melinda, andy is the primary antagonist in speak. The remainder of the student body dislikes her for being a snitch. Melinda called the police at a summer party because a boy she didnt. It tells the story of yearold melinda, who was raped at an endofsummer party and feels she can tell no one about it as she begins her freshman year. This is a great resource to use while teaching the book. Throughout the book speak by laurie halse anderson, the reader learns that melinda gives a lot of characters nicknames. What makes speak so very readable is the realistic portrayal of high school life cliques and bitchiness, coldshoulders and indifferent parents and teachers and more of a focus on melinda s school performance than her radical personality change. It was also made into a movie of the same name in 2004. Book summary speak examines the painful issue of sexual assault and its destructive effects on victims.
Teacher burnout is a contributing factor to ones stress, satisfaction, and continuation in the career of education. A great book like speak incites thinking in readers, and the classroom should be an ideal place for views to be discussed. Need help on characters in laurie halse andersons speak. Another symptom is the recollection of distressing dreams of the event. Book summary over the summer, she and her friends went to a party and melinda ended up calling the police, causing her friends and everyone at the party to socially reject her.
A popular and handsome upperclassman, andy evans raped melinda at a party the summer before speak begins. This worksheet has students think seriously about many of those same aspects in their own lives and grade themselves. From the first moment of her freshman year at merryweather high, melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. Speak is taught in schools around the united states and canada, from eighth grade through college. Speak is the story of melinda sordino, who is raped at a party the summer before her freshman year of high school. When melinda approaches the foul line, she is able to make over forty shots in a row, earning the respect of her gym teacher, ms. Melinda sordino is the main character of the book speak. Melinda s only friend is heather, a new student, who tries to get melinda involved in her schemes to gain popularity.
Rachel and melinda have been best friends since grade school at least. This is a literature unit for the award winning book, speak, by laurie halse anderson. Melinda mel sordino is the main character and narrator of laurie halse andersons 1999 novel speak. Hairwoman is melindas english teacher, so named for the crazy hairdo that covers her face ms.
You will have time to get to your class before the bell rings. Below youll find links to teacher resources, online classroom guides, and links relating to the subject of the book. The protagonist of speak, melinda begins high school and the novel traumatized by a rape that occurred at the hands of upperclassman andy evans at a party the summer before. Understand the basic elements of a good literary analysis essay to help you organize your ideas, a graphic organizer may be just what you need there is a basic pattern to this kind of essay. Speak study guide contains a biography of laurie halse anderson, literature. In speak, what is heathers plan, and how does melinda react. Essay about laurie halse andersons speak 1277 words. Now that winter has settled over syracuse, gym class is held inside. Two key scenes feature violence, but they are expressionistic, and most readers will be prepared for them. As soon as i started reading this book and looking at the names of the characters i had to giggle a little bit, it really made the book fun.
In laurie halse andersons young adult novel speak, melinda, a high school freshman, struggles with the aftermath of rape alone. What are melindas teachers real names in the book speak. A teacher is a mandated reporter and can question a child if neglect or abuse is suspected. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on litcharts. In the book, speak, melinda sordino, an incoming freshman at merryweather high, starts her year off with a terrible start. Speak deals with underage drinking, bullying, selfmutilation, and sexual assault. Melinda calls her hairwoman because it s difficult to see her face through her hair. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Freeman, melinda sees art as a way to speak out about issues and finds this idea invigorating, going so far as to suggest that she would like to be an artist someday. Learn about essays and strategies for writing good essays. This is a gritty, powerful book that teachers and parents could use to. At the end of the book, melinda begins to tell him the story of her rape. Shes important to the story because shes important to melinda. How do melindas relationships change from the beginning of the book to the end.
Since shes also the narrator, everything we learn about the other characters is filtered through her. Trace melindas personal growth over the course of the novel. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one. Parents need to know that speak is a graphic novel adaptation of the acclaimed novel by laurie halse anderson, with art by emily carroll. The critically acclaimed, awardwinning, modern classic speak is now a stunning graphic novel. Laurie halse andersons young adult novels offer a respectful and honest view of the difficult issues faced by teens today. Speak, published in 1999, is a young adult novel by laurie halse anderson that tells the story of high school freshman melinda sordino.
Previous second marking period, winter breakhard labor. She is explaining all the things she did to fit in. Jerrys contributes to the discussion by telling melinda to speak up 76. Relationship between teacher personality type and burnout. Speak characters from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. The way melinda nicknames characters puts you into the story. While melindas smart and savvy interior narrative slowly reveals the searing pain of that 911 night, it also nails the highschool experience cold. He is a sleazy, but attractive, senior boy with a reputation for inappropriate behavior with girls. Neck and a whole bunch of other weird teachers like her english teacher of who she calls, hairwomen, because of her crazy, uncombed show more content. Powerful and evocative speak perfectly explores a dark theme with great understanding and respect at an end of summer party, just before starting high school, melinda sordino suffers a traumatic incident. Shes stuck with a mean history teacher, by who she calls mr.
Instant downloads of all 1291 litchart pdfs including speak. Melindas only friend is heather, a new student, who tries to get melinda involved in. How to describe the main characters from speak pen and. From the first moment of her freshman year at merryweather high, melinda knows this is. What are melinda s teachers real names in the book speak. Characterize melindas relationship with her family. Her last name, sordino, is an italian word that can be translated as deaf. The creators of sparknotes speak characters from litcharts. When she discovers the closet it is only a place to hide from teachers when she is skipping class.
Wildly popular with teens and teachers alike, andersons novels tackle deep, devastating topics such as rape, eating disorders. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in speak, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Use these questions for quizzes, homework assignments or tests. May, 2017 melinda finds her english teacher passionate about english, she is obsessed with the scarlet letter, but rather scatterbrained.
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