An Editor s Eye & an Empathetic Heart: A Diabetes Dialectic and Paired Reading Activity Student Data Page 2C-Appendix 2 Manage Me: A Diabetes Story s for Narrative Positively Aging /MORE 2004 The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio 44 Directions: On your own paper, respond to each prompt Make sure you use the paragraph number and the prompt letter to identify your response Section 1 Paragraph by paragraph responses Paragraph 1 (a) When you hear the phrase, she had attitude all over, what behaviors, facial cues, or posture changes come to mind? (b) Draw what you think Claire might have looked like (c) In 10 words or less, tell what you know about Claire so far (d) What do you think will happen next? (e) What do you think the phrase diabetes onset means? (f) What other responses do you have to this text? 2 (a) What do you think paragraph two has to do with Claire s diabetes? (b) What other responses do you have to this text? 3 (a) What do you think the phrase oral medication means? (b) What kind of answers do you think Jose was looking for? (c) Tell about a time you played rock, scissors, paper to help make a decision about something (d) What other responses do you have to this text?
4 (a) What do you think these darkened rough spots are? Have you ever seen such spots on the back of someone s neck? (b) Tell why it might be a sensitive issue for someone if you said anything about their dark patches (c) In what ways can you identify with Claire? Has there been a time when you asked the question, Why me? (f) What other responses do you have to this text? 5 (a) How is Raven like someone you know - someone you just can t miss? (b) What kind of activities do you like that you think Raven might enjoy? (c) What are s mores? (d) Would you like to be (or have you been) a camp counselor or a junior volunteer at a place where you get to help younger children? (e) What do you think of Raven so far? (f) What other responses do you have to this paragraph? 6 (a) Why had Sharla been crying? (b) Summarize this paragraph 7 (a) What is the it that Claire is referring to? (b) How do you think Claire was feeling towards Sharla? Positively Aging /MORE 2004 The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio 45
8 (a) What do you think Raven meant when she told Claire that it was as if the Raven she knew had died and a new Raven had begun? (b) Tell about a time you have felt mad and didn t really know why you were mad or about a time when you felt like everyone was watching How long did it take you to figure out what was going on? (c) Why do you think it was important to Raven to have friends who knew about her diabetes? 9 (a) Define reminiscence (b) What do you catch yourself reminiscing about? (c) Why was Claire s mind wandering? (d) What other responses do you have to this text? 10 (a) What kind of humor is Claire using? (b) Try your hand at writing such an imaginative food diary entry 11 (a) Draw the look that you imagine Claire s mom had on her face (b) What would you like to say to Claire at this point in the story? 12 (a) What responses do you have to this paragraph? Find out later: What are beta cells? What does it mean for a diabetic to be hypoglycemic? Where does the word hypoglycemic come from what affixes and/or root words make up this important medical term? Positively Aging /MORE 2004 The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio 46
13 (a) Draw a picture of this scene (b) What do you think will happen next? Positively Aging /MORE 2004 The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio 47 (c) What other responses do you have to this paragraph? 14 (a) What responses do you have to this paragraph? 15 (a) What questions do you have about what Frank has said and what he has shown the campers? (b) How do you feel about what he has done and said? (c) What does Frank mean when he says that at first he was drowning in self-pity? (d) What are some of the new or unfamiliar words that you read in this passage? (e) What other responses do you have to this paragraph? Find out later: Why does having diabetes create a risk for limb loss (amputation)? 16 (a) Who was an influential person in Frank s life? (b) Has anyone influenced your life in a positive way? (c) What health professions might you be interested in pursuing? (d) Draw a picture of what Claire was imagining (e) What other responses do you have to this paragraph? 17 (a) What responses do you have to this final paragraph in the narrative?
Section 2 Summing up the story On your own paper, write what you think happens next in the story THEN read what really happens! After reading what really happens next, compare your ending with the real ending? What really happens next: Claire seems re-born! She asks Mrs Stein and Frank lots of questions Frank is concerned that she may be obsessing too much Claire pals up with Raven quite a bit She participates in every activity and starts jogging when there is nothing else to do Raven steers her to different resources and takes time to chat about the roller coaster of feelings that Claire is experiencing She shows Claire her secret weapon the insulin pump she just started using a year ago Raven helps Claire understand that the freedom in diabetes is the freedom to make your own management choices The end of the first week at camp culminates in a parent s Night and Talent Show Claire is looking forward to her parents being present for the evening s event Why? Because she is dying to see the look on her mom s face; she knows it is going to change to an even funnier one when Clair hits her parent with the news that she wants to get an insulin pump! (Claire the kid who didn t even want to take insulin shots, now wants an insulin pump; that ll shock her parents) Over the weekend, the camp counselors set up a big sister/big brother event a young teen is matched up with a pre-teen Claire draws Sharla s name and really rises to the challenge She makes a great big sister for Sharla The last week of camp is a blur of events, more classes, and more fun Claire and Sharla really bond and promise to keep in touch with each other when camp is over Claire is even thinking about signing up to be a camp counselor next year When Claire s parents arrive, she notices the look on her mom s face but it is a different look this time and it makes Claire feel more confident than she has ever felt, more free She thinks that she is more free to make choices more free to manage me Positively Aging /MORE 2004 The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio 48