Save Me a Seat

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Classmate Interview”

In this activity, students will interview a peer about something that makes them different and how that makes them unique.

Joe and Ravi are interesting and well-developed characters in the novel who possess unique traits. Everyone has something that makes them different, ranging from an aspect of their culture (such as holidays they celebrate and food they eat) to a physical characteristic to a personality trait. It’s part of what makes you unique!

Directions: Pair up with another student in the class and interview them, asking the following questions:

1) What is something that makes you different?

2) How is it a strength?

3) What might be an assumption someone may make about you? What is actually true?

4) How can you support someone who is different than you?

5) What connection can you make to Ravi and/or Joe in Save Me a Seat in relation to the themes discussed?

After your interview, create a visual to present your partner to the class: a slide presentation, a poster, a one-pager, or a video, for example. Then, present your findings to the class in a 1-2 minute speech.

Teaching Suggestion:  This activity relates to the themes Being Different and Assumptions Can Be Harmful. Rather than having students pick their partners, consider partnering students with peers they do not normally work with in order to further develop the classroom community. Alternatively, you can randomize students in a variety of ways, such as:

1) Find your “sole” mate (find a partner who has the same kind of shoe).

2) Find someone with the same hair color.

3) Find someone who likes the same music/tv shows/food as you.

4) Count students off by ones and twos. State they must find a partner who was given the same number.

Differentiation Suggestion: If you have many students with presentation anxieties, it may help to do “boardroom presentations.” Rather than presenting individually to the whole class, you may decide to create groups of 5-6 and have students present in smaller clusters.

Paired Text Extension: “Peaches” by Adrienne Siu

Read the poem “Peaches” by Adrienne Siu. After you read, consider an important, cultural piece of your life. Consider music, food, holidays, religions, languages, values, etc. Then, write a short poem describing your cultural touchstone and how it relates to you.

At the end of your poem, write 2-3 sentences reflecting on how the poem relates to the theme Being Different in relation to the novel Save Me a Seat.

You may write in the style of “Peaches,” or you may utilize a different poetic structure such as the following:

• Acrostic
• Free form
• ABAB/AABB/ABBA rhyme scheme
• Sonnet
• Haiku
• Limerick

Teaching Suggestion: It would help to provide an example from your own life. For example, if camping in nature was a strong part of your life, you may decide to write a short haiku for students to better understand the assignment:

Thin tents under stars

Family comes united

With trees and mountains.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Ravi struggles to fit in at his new school after he immigrates from India to America.

• How does Ravi come to terms with the ways in which he and his peers are different? (topic sentence)
• Select at least 2 plot points that demonstrate changes in perspective for Ravi to compare. Discuss these examples, showing the change in Ravi’s character.
• In your concluding sentence(s), summarize Ravi’s main character changes from the beginning to the end of the novel in relation to your chosen plot points.

2. Joe and Ravi both face challenges when trying to fit in at their school.

• How are Joe and Ravi’s situations similar? (topic sentence)
• Compare at least 1 situation or characteristic per character that demonstrates their similarities in support of your topic sentence.
• In your concluding statement(s), evaluate the authors’ use of characterization to make Joe and Ravi sympathetic to the reader.

3. Throughout the novel, Dillon consistently bullies both Joe and Ravi for their differences.

• How does the author demonstrate Dillon’s continual bullying? (topic sentence)
• Describe at least three instances of Dillon’s inappropriate behavior toward Joe and/or Ravi. How does Dillon’s antagonistic behavior help to propel change in the main characters?
• In your concluding statement(s), evaluate the author’s effectiveness in Dillon’s portrayal of the theme The Prevalence of Bullying.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. The primary themes of the novel are Assumptions Can Be Harmful, Being Different, and The Prevalence of Bullying. Choose one of the given themes and explain with cited evidence how the authors portray this idea. Your pieces of evidence must refer to both Joe and Ravi. Then, discuss how effective the author’s choices were in emphasizing your chosen theme.

2. The story is written from two different perspectives: Joe’s and Ravi’s. Explain how alternating between both perspectives impacts the message of the novel. Include cited evidence from the novel to pinpoint your findings. Be specific about what the chosen perspective indicates about the message. Incorporate at least one example from Ravi and one from Joe. Finally, consider and analyze how the message of the story may be altered if the authors chose to write from purely one perspective.

3. The adults in the novel each have specific roles and responses to Ravi and Joe’s struggles among their peers in school. Evaluate two different adults in the novel that have the strongest impact on the main characters. Explain how you came to this conclusion. Then, describe their significance and relationship to Joe and Ravi. While citing specific evidence, explain the effect of these adults on the two main characters’ ability to learn how to accept themselves.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. What is the Indian lore based on the black spot on Amma’s tongue?

A) It implies that she can tell the future.

B) It means she will have great luck.

C) It is a birthmark passed down through generations.

D) It suggests that she is untruthful.

2. What is the biggest challenge Ravi is facing at his new school?

A) He has an Auditory Processing Disorder.

B) His accent makes it difficult for people to understand him.

C) He does not understand American culture.

D) He is only friends with Dillon.

3. What brings Joe and Ravi together?

A) A field trip to a museum

B) The school talent show

C) A group project on India

D) The need to stand up for themselves

4. What lesson do Joe and Ravi learn about friendship?

A) Friends always agree with each other.

B) Friends are there for each other during tough times.

C) Friends usually have shared interests.

D) Friends should never have disagreements.

5. In what way does Ravi’s experience in America conflict with his Indian identity?

A) He was viewed as one of the smartest students at his school in India.

B) He struggled in English before coming to America.

C) He was forced to get glasses at his new school.

D) He faced discrimination for his culture in India.

6. In what way does Mrs. Beam negatively affect Ravi’s self-identity?

A) She criticizes his math technique.

B) She mispronounces his name.

C) She suggests that he work with Miss Frost.

D) She is much taller than him.

7. What lesson is demonstrated when Ravi blames Joe for tripping him?

A) Assumptions can be harmful.

B) It’s okay to be different.

C) Stand up to bullies.

D) Always speak your mind.

8. Which of the following expresses effective usage of varying perspectives?

A) Miss Frost’s point of view demonstrates her appreciation for Joe.

B) Joe and Ravi’s perspectives demonstrate the similarities between their situations.

C) Mrs. Beam is seen as a foil to Ravi’s teacher in India.

D) Dillon’s perspective demonstrates the thought process of a bully.

9. How does this quote best characterize Ravi’s perception of himself?: “I have a photographic memory. I can still see the definition from my fourth-grade science notebook clearly in my mind” (66).

A) Ravi relies too much on his memory.

B) Ravi enjoys science as his best subject.

C) Ravi sees himself as highly intelligent.

D) Ravi dislikes English class.

10. What is the strongest significance of Bud, Not Buddy?

A) The book is used to demonstrate Joe and Ravi’s budding friendship.

B) The novel is used to emphasize the similarities between Joe and Ravi.

C) The book is used as an assignment from Mrs. Beam.

D) The novel is used to demonstrate the negative effects of bullying.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Explain the various people and actions that led to Joe’s final project choice.

2. Explain how Ravi’s perception of Joe changes through the novel.