Chapters 1-2, Tunes for Bears to Dance To: Judging Others

On Friday, we began to read Tunes for Bears to Dance To by Robert Cormier.  We met Henry, a young boy who wears a cast on his leg.  He's obsessed with watching, following, and figuring out who a mysterious old man is.  We also find out that Henry's brother, Eddie, died recently.  This has majorly devastated the family and has left them fractured.  Henry contemplates, for just a second, what it'd be like to be dead so he wouldn't have to deal with the pain.

We also meet Mr. Hairston, a sour-pussed old man who runs a local store.  Henry has worked there for him, but he can't work anymore because of his leg.  Mr. Hairston makes every kind of imaginable comment about people--not good ones, though.  Nasty comments, racist comments. 

Today in class, we finished Chapter 1 and read Chapter 2.  We thought about a new skill in class.  Here is the skill, along with a sample explanation: