Stars Beneath Our Feet

Remember

100

Question #1 

Throughout the narrative, Moore uses words such as "woofer", "glock", "ganked", "thingamajig", as well as Spanish phrases such as "cono" and "mira". What does this tell you about the characters? What does this tell you about the narrative? How do these terms impact your reading of "The Stars Beneath Our Feet"?

200

Question #2 

Summarize the plot. Describe each of the characters at length.

300

Question #3

Where is this narrative taking place? Who are the characters? How old are they? 

400

Question #4

Identify the climax of this narrative. 

500

Question #5

Why does Vega hand the narrator a gun in the beginning? 

Understand

100

Question #6

This text utilizes a first-person point of view. What do you think would be lost/gained if the text were to be rewritten in the second and/or third-person point of view? 

200

Question #7

This piece contains a lot of symbolism (The Legos, Vega's Glock, etc). Based on your understanding of the text, how would you read these important symbols? Are there any other people/places/items that you could read as symbolic within this excerpt? And, if so, how would you interpret them? 

300

Question #8

As mentioned in the introduction, this text is written for middle-grade audiences. What within this excerpt makes it clear to you that 10-13-year-olds are Moore's intended audience? What do you think would have to change within this excerpt to make the piece aimed at a younger audience (5-7-year-olds) or an older audience (14-16-year-olds)? 

400

Question #9

If you were to adapt this excerpt from page to screen what would you be sure to highlight? What do you think will be gained and lost during this adaptation process? 

500

Question #10

Is this excerpt an example of a literacy narrative?  Why or why not? 

Apply

100

Question #11

What is a discourse community? What is the narrator's discourse community within the context of this excerpt? 

200

Question #12

How does the age of the student impact the message and tone of the impact? In what ways would this story impact you, as a reader, differently than if you were in high school, middle school, or elementary school? 

300

Question #13

What discourse communities are you involved with? What is the connection between a discourse community and language, identity, and community? How does that relate back to our reading of "The Stars Beneath Our Feet"? 

400

Question #14

Moore included Spanish within this text using italics, which is commonly used in English writing to indicate non-English words to readers. Take a moment to identify the Spanish present within this excerpt. Do we consider different languages to be different discourse communities? Why or why not? 

500

Question #15

What can we say about the tone of this excerpt? Do we read the tone as humorous or ironic? Or sad? What evidence can you find within the book to support your argument?