All the Broken Pieces

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.

ACTIVITY 1: “Vietnam”

In this activity, students will plan, complete, and present an informative brief on some aspect of Vietnam culture or history that connects to Matt’s identity, internal conflicts, or memories.

Matt has vivid memories of Vietnam. He and his adoptive parents learn about different aspects of Vietnam through the adoption agency, but Matt’s thoughts and feelings about the country are rooted in his childhood experiences there. Research Vietnam and choose a connecting topic about the country to present to the class.

• Choose a topic about the country. Some you might consider are the geography, holidays, historical events or time periods, food, literature, art, and music. Choose a topic that connects in a literal or symbolic way to Matt’s identity, memories, or internal conflicts.
• Write guiding questions you have about the topic.
• Find research sources you trust to investigate.
• Gather information, paraphrasing your notes on the topic.
• Create a brief presentation. Add effective visuals or music.
• Rehearse your presentation, closing with the connection between your topic and Matt’s memories, thoughts, or feelings.

Present your information to the class.

Participate in the discussion about connections you make between the presentations and the novel.

Teaching Suggestion: Reviewing characteristics of strong sources for research can ensure that students include the most accurate information in their projects. Students might include a bibliography of the source(s) they use in their presentation. During the project, students who choose the same topic might have time to discuss what they are learning in their research.

Differentiation Suggestion: For advanced learners, this activity could expand to include a research paper and/or an annotated bibliography, which provides the opportunity to explain the strengths of each source they choose.

ACTIVITY 2: “Learning About Veterans’ Organizations”

In this activity, students will learn about and share information on a veterans’ organization.

Matt learns more about veterans when he attends meetings of Veteran Voices, a group devoted to recording the experiences of veterans who served in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. In this activity, learn more about organizations that exist for veterans, such as Veterans Service Organizations recognized by the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Use the questions to create 3-5 slides for presentation:

• What is the purpose of the group? What objectives or mission does the group try to fulfill?
• Who, primarily, are the members of the group? Who are others who support the group’s goals?
• How do veterans serve the goals of the group, or how do others serve the needs or concerns of veterans?
• Prepare a visual to display in class that will help others to understand the organization’s goals.

Journal about the group you researched and how it compares to Veteran Voices in the novel.

Teaching Suggestion: Discussing the implications of the draft could be important during this activity. There might be a local veterans’ organization that connects to this project. Small groups might work together to complete this activity. The class could return to this activity for Veterans Day or Memorial Day.

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. Baseball features prominently in the novel.

• How is baseball symbolic in the novel? (topic sentence)
• Determine at least 3 ways in which baseball has symbolic significance in the story. Discuss and analyze these points in support of your topic sentence. Include at least 3 quotations and additional details that develop your points.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, summarize a lesson the reader might learn from this symbolism.

2. Matt grows as a piano player over the course of the story.

• How does playing piano affect Matt? (topic sentence)
• Explain the reasons behind this idea. Use examples from a variety of places in the novel. Incorporate 3 or more quotations into your analysis that illustrate your ideas.
• In your conclusion, briefly explain how piano and baseball are connected for Matt.

3. Matt connects with veterans in different ways.

• What lesson does the novel build about the treatment of veterans? (topic sentence)
• Determine the strongest pieces of proof for this message in the story. Analyze and discuss these pieces of proof in support of your topic sentence. As you craft your essay, incorporate quotations and specific details that prove your points.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, briefly evaluate the effectiveness of the way this message is conveyed.

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. Although he is not to blame, Matt carries guilt from his traumatic childhood. How does love counteract his guilt? What role do music and sports play in his life? How do Matt’s adoptive parents try to help him? In a 3- or 5-paragraph essay, explain what helps Matt heal and the lessons the novel teaches about the theme of Guilt, Forgiveness, and the Healing Power of Love.

2. Multiple sections of the novel reference the title. What is the significance of the title? When does Matt refer to the “broken pieces?” What images do these scenes focus on? In a 3- or 5-paragraph essay, explain the meaning of the title in Matt’s life and ways its meaning shifts.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. When the boys bully Matt, why doesn't Matt tell anyone?

A) Matt is afraid the bullies will turn to physical violence after practice.

B) Matt thinks that in telling he will prove some of the taunts true.

C) Matt does not think his coach or father will believe him if he tells.

D) Matt would rather carry out revenge on them through return bullying.

2. How does Matt's Vietnam differ from the one he learns about at the adoption agency?

A) Matt learns about the food in Vietnam at the adoption agency. He remembers not having enough food growing up.

B) Matt learns about stories and celebrations at the adoption agency. He remembers beauty, pain, and tragedy.

C) Matt learns about the war in Vietnam at the adoption agency. He remembers more peaceful times than times of war.

D) Matt learns about the weather and people in Vietnam at the adoption agency. He remembers very different weather with more storms.

3. What is the symbolism of the numerous pencils Matt keeps?

A) He views the pencils as trees like those he left behind in Vietnam, connecting to his hope to return to his home country.

B) Matt’s biological mother gave him the pencils so that he could write to her, and they represent his connection to her and his brother.

C) Matt uses the pencils to draw in different colors, symbolizing the churning feelings inside of him, which he cannot speak out loud.

D) He sees value in all of the pencils, no matter how broken, representing the value in all parts of a person, even those damaged.

4.  When he overhears his parents talking about his departure, how is Matt's interpretation different from their actual idea?

A) Matt hopes they are talking about a baseball game he wants to watch, but they are planning a trip for him to Florida.

B) Matt worries they enrolled him in a piano concert, but they offer a trip to play baseball with a coach he loves.

C) Matt is afraid they are sending him away, but they are hoping he will visit a meeting of veterans of the Vietnam War.

D) Matt thinks they will take him out to his favorite restaurant, but they are orchestrating a conference with his teacher.

5. How does Matt feel about his biological mother?

A) Matt loves her and comes to realize she sent him away to try to protect him.

B) Matt cannot forgive her for her anger after his brother’s accident.

C) Matt feels somewhat indifferent toward her since arriving in America.

D) Matt’s connection with her is kept alive through the letters they write to each other.

6. What literary strategy does the author incorporate into this quotation?

“I have another brother. / Dark skin, dark eyes, / straight black hair, / and a laugh like a / babbling, bubbling, / quickly tumbling / brook.” (9)

A) Simile

B) Personification

C) Irony

D) Foreshadowing

7. What best describes Matt's relationship with piano?

A) Matt plays the piano mostly because his mother in Vietnam taught him how.

B) Matt’s adoptive parents make him take lessons, which he detests.

C) Matt finds solace in playing the piano and with practice, becomes a strong pianist.

D) Matt gladly quits playing the piano to play baseball and make his father happy.

8. Why does Matt return to the Veterans Voices meetings?

A) Matt’s parents bribe him to return.

B) Matt goes to avoid baseball practice, where he is bullied.

C) Matt wonders if he will meet his biological father there.

D) Matt realizes he needs to remember his Vietnam.

9. What is Coach Williams's goal in pairing Matt and Rob for the activity where one person is blindfolded?

A) To get Rob to listen and empathize with Matt and to help Matt share what he is carrying inside

B) To train them to stop joking around and work together in a more serious way for greater success at baseball

C) To increase their leadership skills and so that the rest of the team will see their ability to ascertain a problem and solve it

D) To get them both to recommit to the baseball team, since their interest seems to be waning

10. Which of the following best describes how Matt feels about Coach Robeson?

A) Matt dislikes Coach Robeson but ignores him.

B) Matt is wary of Coach Robeson and unsure if he should trust him.

C) Matt likes Coach Robeson but does not respect his baseball knowledge.

D) Matt deeply respects Coach Robeson and worries when he gets sick.

11. Which literary device does the following quotation include?

“War is a monster / with a mind of its own.” (205)

A) Rhyming

B) Onomatopoeia

C) Metaphor

D) Imagery

Long Answer

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

1. What happened to Matt’s brother in Vietnam?

2. Why is it important that Rob and Matt ask each other if they are going to practice?

3. At the end of the novel, what does Matt believe about his brother in Vietnam?