The novel ends with a different kind of shot that makes Ghost run. Only this time, instead of running away, you are certain and hopeful that he's running free, breaking through the struggle, towards a better future.⠀ But let me tell you, my dad was lying. Wasn’t no sunflowers growing in him. Couldn’t have been. I don’t know a whole lot about sunflowers, but I know they’re pretty and girls like them, and I know the word sunflower is made up of two good words, and that man ain’t got two good words in him, or anything that any girl would like, because girls don’t like men who try to shoot them and their son. And that’s the kind of man he was. Just as he sought refuge with Mr. Charles the night his father “lost it,” Castle next stops in at the “country store.” Knowing he can trust Mr. Charles with at least the partial truth, Castle admits he isn’t in school because he was laughed out of class. Acting as a mentor figure, Mr. Charles relates his own story of adversity, explaining that his family shames him for being an underachiever, when in reality Mr. Charles is content to run his own store. In this exchange, Reynolds builds on the theme of camaraderie. Discover: In Jason Reynolds's excellent middle-grade novel, a boy learns to run when his father shoots a gun at him--and he never stops running.

Students can get a little creative and create a six-panel storyboard where they illustrate and write about a scene. They can also do an extension of a paragraph or the book. Philosophical Chairs Discussion Reynolds, Jason (2002). Let me speak---. Baltimore, MD: Mwaza Publications. ISBN 0971766347. OCLC 436734417. It is crucial that students have some fun while learning. A simple way to create some fun is by creating a “roll the dice” activity sheet. On a sheet of paper create the following activities: Through analyzing and discussing the answers to these questions, you can come to a consensus as to what the purpose is of reading a text-even if it’s just for fun! In the case of Jason Reynolds-he brings awareness of the adversities of poverty and hopefully changes our views on how one judges another who is poor- In the simplest of terms. Teach Ghost by Jason Reynolds: Sentence Starters Tia is a salesperson at Everything Sports. Tia finds Castle a pair of silver running shoes in his size for him to try on. When she is busy with another customer, Castle steals the shoes. Later in the novel, Coach Brody makes Castle apologize to Tia for stealing the shoes and she forgives him. PattyIt is highly effective to take a close reading passage from the book and have students analyze it by answering a list of carefully crafted sentences. A list of close reading sentences can look like this: Trouble is, you can't run away from yourself." Coach snatched the towel from his shoulder, folded into a perfect square, and set it in the space between us. "Unfortunately," he said, "ain't nobody that fast." a b c d e f g Reynolds, Jason (November 1, 2011). "A brief timeline of my career (so far...)". Jason Reynolds. Archived from the original on May 1, 2018 . Retrieved April 30, 2018. I knew nothing of this and I hadn't heard of Jason Reynolds and this was a fantastic surprise. A great story that has great characters, so well written, easy to read and a fast read. I loved this book and I'm going to read more of the series. I'm so pleasantly surprised. Seriously. Jason Reynolds named Library of Congress' national ambassador for young people's literature". CBS News. January 13, 2020. Archived from the original on May 23, 2020 . Retrieved May 23, 2020.

Quattlebaum, Mary (November 1, 2016). "Authors, friends share their inspiration for new books". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 2, 2016 . Retrieved June 6, 2017. Jason Reynolds always manages to squeeze numerous topics into his books without making the narrative feel over crowded. Ghost touches on thievery, drug abuse, gun violence, bullying, honesty, family dynamics, friendship, and finding healthy ways to channel anger and hurt into positive action. Author Jason Reynolds Speaks On His Latest Book, "Look Both Ways", archived from the original on July 29, 2020 , retrieved November 3, 2019 Think about the consequences Ghost faces as a result of his decision to steal a pair of running shoes. Do you think that the way that Coach punishes him is fair? What would the consequences have been if Ghost had been stopped by the police instead? What would the consequences have been if his mother had discovered the theft? What would have happened if Ghost had never been caught? Why might it have been better for him to get caught?You can ask them If you were given the opportunity to ask the author 5 questions what would they be? Write the questions below and explain why you want the answers to these questions. Let me guess, sunflower seeds, Mr. Charles practically shouts from behind the counter of what he calls his country store, even though we live in a city. Mr. Charles, who, by the way, looks just like James Brown if James Brown were white, has been ringing me up for sunflower seeds five days a week for about, let me think… since the fourth grade, which is when Ma took the hospital job. So for about three years now. He’s also hard of hearing, which when my mom used to say this, I always thought she was saying harder hearing, which made no sense at all to me. I don’t know why she just didn’t say almost deaf. Maybe because hard of hearing is more like hospital talk, which was probably rubbing off on her. But, yeah, Mr. Charles can barely hear a thing, which is why he’s always yelling at everybody and everybody’s always yelling at him. His store is a straight-up scream fest, not to mention the extra sound effects from the loud TV he keeps behind the counter—cowboy movies on repeat. Mr. Charles is also the guy who gave me this book, Guinness World Records, which is where I found out about Andrew Dahl and Charlotte Lee. He tells me I can set a record one day. A real record. Be one of the world’s greatest somethings. Maybe. But I know one thing, Mr. Charles has to hold the record for saying, Let me guess, sunflower seeds, because he says that every single time I come in, which means I probably also already hold the record for responding, loudly, the exact same way. While an undergraduate, Reynolds met collaborator Jason Griffin, who became his roommate. [11] Reynolds was also introduced to spoken word in this period [11] and began performing, [13] including eventually solo shows, and in 2001, [11] his first book came out, a poetry collection called Let Me Speak. [14] Jason Reynolds (born December 6, 1983) is an American author of novels and poetry for young adult and middle-grade audience. Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in neighboring Oxon Hill, Maryland, Reynolds found inspiration in rap and had an early focus on poetry, publishing several poetry collections before his first novel in 2014, When I Was The Greatest, which won the John Steptoe Award for New Talent. Messner, Kate (26 August 2016). "A Young Sprinter Finds His Team in 'Ghost' ". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 5, 2016 . Retrieved June 6, 2017.