out of my mind

out of my mind

By: Sharon M Draper

Published by Antheneum Books for Young Readers, 2010

Grade level: 3 and up

Fountas and Pinnell: S

Lexile: 700L

Accelerated Reader: 4.3

Suggested Delivery: Individual

Author: Sharon M Draper

Summary:

Eleven-year-old Melody is in a wheelchair and she cannot speak; therefore, people have always assumed that she is mentally challenged, although the opposite is true. She has a photographic memory, so her knowledge base is vast. When she is finally given the gift of language through the intervention of her caregiver and a school worker and can express herself, her intelligence is revealed.

Key Words/Phrases to Describe Book:

1. Don't judge a book by its cover

2. Heart-warming

3. Intense

4. Powerful

5. Inspiring

Key Vocabulary:

Amble: walk leisurely

Aroma: a distinctive odor that is pleasant

Astonished: filled with the emotional of overwhelming surprise

Bellow: shout loudly without restraint

Cerebral Palsy: a loss or deficiency of motor control with involuntary spasms caused by permanent brain damage present at birth

Drawl: a slow speech pattern with prolonged vowels

Resources:

Sharon M Draper's teen reads is a good online resource to find out more about the author and more of Draper's young adult reads. 

This website will help kids understand in more depth what Cerebral Palsy is.

Teaching Suggestions:

• Go over Tier II vocabulary with students and have them use a few of those words to form original sentences 
• Have the class have an open discussion about what cerebral palsy is and if they know anyone with cerebral palsy
• Have students bullet point parts of the novel that surprised them and that they learned about the disease and the life of someone with the disease

Comprehension Strategies:

Before: Ask the class if they have ever heard of the disease cerebral palsy or know of anyone with the disease. Have an open discussion letting the students ask any questions they may have pertaining to the disease.  Have the same discussion about photographic memory.

During: Have students bullet point parts of the novel that surprised them and what they learned about the cerebral palsy as well as a photographic memory.

After: Students will write in essay form how living with a handicap disease yet being a gifted individual impacted Melody's social/academic life.

Writing Activity: 

Students will write a paper in the perspective of a student who has a physical handicap with a gifted mental ability just as 11 year old Melody had.  Something other than cerebral palsy and a photogenic memory.

Bibliography:

Draper, S. M. (2010). Out of my mind. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.