ACTIVITIES to use with UNWIND by Neal Shustermanelasps.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/65564054/ELA English IIIC Unit 5... · ACTIVITIES to use with UNWIND by Neal Shusterman 1. ... the

ACTIVITIES to use with UNWIND by Neal Shusterman

1. Some children in the story were “storked”. Compare that to our folk legend of the

stork.

2. See what information you can find about the movie, “Playing for time”. How does

this compare to Risa‟s experience?

3. The Akron AWOL and Humphrey Dunfee are urban legends. Define “urban legend”.

Then tell about a modern urban legend you know.

4. The Admiral has posted his Ten Demandments. How do they compare to other lists

you know i.e. The Ten Commandments, the Seven Commandments in Animal Farm ?

5. Lev is a tithe. Research that word to see if it is still in use today. Write a paragraph

presenting your conclusion.

6. “Connor shrugs. „It was the last chapter in our history textbook, but we had state

testing, so never got to it.‟ The same thing may be occurring in Nebraska schools today.

Write a persuasive essay for or against the practice.

7. Look up chop shop. How is today‟s definition the same as it is used in the book?

How is it different?

8. “The Heartland War was pro-life vs. pro-choice and both sides lost.” Explain how this

is possible.

9. The situations in Unwind are futuristic yet they are realistic and identifiable with

events or issues from our past and present. Choose one of the following OR add one of

your own to research. Then explain how it relates to Shusterman‟s story.

Abortion

Adoption

Suicide bombers

Genocide

Refugee camps

Underground Railroad

Hiding from the enemy (i.e. the Jews in World War II)

Organ donation

Teen cliques

Pro-life

Pro-choice

Teen runaways

Evangelists

Red Cross blood drives

War profiteers

Racism

Homophobia

Teen angst

Orphans and orphanages

10. Parents in the book can sign an “Unwind Order” if they are having trouble

controlling their teens. Check with Health and Human Services or local law enforcement

to see what options might be available to parents in your city and state.

ACTIVITIES to use with UNWIND by Neal Shusterman

1. Some children in the story were “storked”. Compare that to our folk legend of the

stork.

2. See what information you can find about the movie, “Playing for time”. How does

this compare to Risa‟s experience?

3. The Akron AWOL and Humphrey Dunfee are urban legends. Define “urban legend”.

Then tell about a modern urban legend you know.

4. The Admiral has posted his Ten Demandments. How do they compare to other lists

you know i.e. The Ten Commandments, the Seven Commandments in Animal Farm ?

5. Lev is a tithe. Research that word to see if it is still in use today. Write a paragraph

presenting your conclusion.

6. “Connor shrugs. „It was the last chapter in our history textbook, but we had state

testing, so never got to it.‟ The same thing may be occurring in Nebraska schools today.

Write a persuasive essay for or against the practice.

7. Look up chop shop. How is today‟s definition the same as it is used in the book?

How is it different?

8. “The Heartland War was pro-life vs. pro-choice and both sides lost.” Explain how this

is possible.

9. The situations in Unwind are futuristic yet they are realistic and identifiable with

events or issues from our past and present. Choose one of the following OR add one of

your own to research. Then explain how it relates to Shusterman‟s story.

Abortion

Adoption

Suicide bombers

Genocide

Refugee camps

Underground Railroad

Hiding from the enemy (i.e. the Jews in World War II)

Organ donation

Teen cliques

Pro-life

Pro-choice

Teen runaways

Evangelists

Red Cross blood drives

War profiteers

Racism

Homophobia

Teen angst

Orphans and orphanages

10. Parents in the book can sign an “Unwind Order” if they are having trouble

controlling their teens. Check with Health and Human Services or local law enforcement

to see what options might be available to parents in your city and state.

Determine where the word or name fits in the puzzle based on the number of

letters and how it intersects with the other words. Each word should be used once.

4 letters 5 letters 6 letters 7 letters 8 letters 9 letters

CyFi piano desert harvest runaways Pastor Dan

Neal Harlan unwound Missouri nice socks

future Chop Shop Happy Jack

Connor Graveyard

10 letters 14 letters

Shusterman Humphrey Dunfee

The Goldens Simon & Schuster

Texas ranch

Unwind

Clueless Crossword Puzzle

Unwind

Clueless Crossword Puzzle Answer

H A R V E S T

H

H U M P H R E Y D U N F E E

R

G

U

N

U

P A S T O R D A N

T E X A S R A N C H

I

L

E

A

A

W

A

H

M

D

S

W

L

O

P I A N O

E

E

A

U

P

R

N

N

R

Y

S H U S T E R M A N

Y

L

&

S

T

S

D

J

A

S

C

M

A

N

C Y F I

O

I

C

H

N I C E S O C K S

F U T U R E

N

S

S

C H O P S H O P

T

R

U

G R A V E Y A R D

R

R

I

1

2

3 4

5

6 7 8

9

10 11

12

13

14

15

Across: Down:

2. Who else is in CyFi's head? 1. Who did kill the five kids in the crate?

3. Lady at the antique shop 4. What did Connor often say to change the

7. A camp no one wants to attend subject?

9. body parts 5. Risa's instrument

10. the Pastor's name 6.Lev's brother who becomes his

11. Connor's nickname after escaping guardian

13. The Admiral's son 7. The teacher who helped them

14. The color of Lev's skin is called_____ 8. The Admiral's top 5

15. CyFi's skin color is called _____ 12. The three clappers are: Mai, Lev & _____

Unwind Crossword Puzzle

C

T Y L E R

E

S O N I A N

V I P

E C I

M H A R V E S T C A M P

A A S H N

O R G A N S O E O

C N C G

U D A N A K R O N A W O L

S H S L

B D

L E

H A R L A N

I S I E N N A

N

U M B E R

Across: Down:

2. Who else is in CyFi's head? 1. Who did kill the five kids in the crate?

3. Lady at the antique shop 4. What did Connor often say to change the

7. A camp no one wants to attend subject?

9. body parts 5. Risa's instrument

10. the Pastor's name 6.Lev's brother who becomes his

11. Connor's nickname after escaping guardian

13. The Admiral's son 7. The teacher who helped them

14. The color of Lev's skin is called_____ 8. The Admiral's top 5

15. CyFi's skin color is called _____ 12. The three clappers are: Mai, Lev & _____

Unwind Crossword Puzzle

2010 One Book for Nebraska Teens

Discussion questions for Unwind by Neal Shusterman

1. How would you feel if you discovered you were going to be unwound? What would you do?

If you didn't want to go along with it but couldn't run away like Connor and the others in the

novel, what other options might you have?

2. How would you feel if you were in an accident, or had a rare disease, and you could be cured

only if your damaged organs were replaced by parts taken from unwound teens? What would

you choose to do? What if you were certain to die if you refused the parts? What if it wasn't you,

but someone you loved (a parent, a sibling) who was in an accident? Would your answer be

different?

3. You just found out the person sitting next to you is going to be unwound. Come up with ten

good reasons why they should NOT be. Remember, their life may depend on it!

4. When do you think the story takes place? The book never reveals the year. How many years in

the future might it be? What clues hint at how much time has passed? What companies or

products are named? What societal norms can you point to that have changed or remained the

same? What are the similarities between the world of Unwind and our own world? What are the

differences?

5. Which of the three main characters, Connor, Risa, or Lev, do you most identify with? Why?

What traits do you have in common? Which of their traits work for them, and which make their

lives harder? Which of your own traits would you like to give up? Which would you want to

keep?

6. In the course of the book, Connor and Risa get separated from Lev, who travels for a time with

another character. Why do you think the author chose to split the narrative into two distinct

threads? What do you think this achieves? How does this affect the evolution of the characters?

7. Compare the similarities and differences of Lev's journey with Cyrus to Joplin, Missouri, in

Unwind to Huck's travel with Jim down the Mississippi River in the novel Huckleberry Finn.

8. While being transported to possible safety, some of the kids on the run wonder, "Would it be

better to die or be unwound?" If given the choice, which would you choose? Why?

9. Another question the kids in the book discuss is, "If every part of you is still alive but inside

someone else, are you alive or are you dead?" They also wonder if consciousness can exist even

if it's spread out, and if the soul remains intact. What do you think?

10. Which adults in the story are depicted sympathetically? Which do you feel are not

sympathetic? Do any shift from one to the other? How did the author describe these characters to

make you feel one way or the other about them?

11. Risa is assigned to play in a band at a Harvest Camp, performing upbeat tunes while teens are

marched to their unwinding. Risa is conflicted: She knows playing in the band will keep her

alive longer, but it's at the expense of others, and her joy at having her fingers on a piano is

matched by the horror of knowing what's going on around her. How would you feel in this

situation? Would you accept the position? Are there any situations in history similar to this?

LikertScale Unwind Name________________________________________Readeachstatementandchooseyouropinionbaseduponyourcurrentknowledge.Statement Strongly

agreeAgree Neutral Disagree Stongly

disagreeCloningisnewtechnology.

Itiswrongtocloneanyplantoranimal.

Iamnotworriedabouteatinggeneticallyalteredvegetables.

Itisnotpossibletoclonehumans.

Itshouldbelegaltoclonepeopletohelpcuredisease.

Organdonationislegal.

Itiswrongtosharegeneticmaterialbetweenpeople.

Allreligionsareagainstcloning.

Iknowsomeonewhohasdonatedanorgan.

Cloningis“playingGod.”

Iknowsomeonewhodonatesplasmaformoney.

Itislegalforyoutopurchaseaneworganifneededtosaveyourlife.

Tile Puzzle for Unwind

Unscramble the tiles to reveal a message.

A V E

A D B

O R G A

W O U

I N D I

N O R S

H A P P

U N W

I F M

L D H

P E O P

E E N

N D O

E V E R

E N E D

O R E

L E H

N G N

Tile Puzzle Answer for Unwind

I F M O R E P E O P L E H A D B E E N

O R G A N D O N O R S

U N W I N D I N G N E V E R

W O U L D H A V E H A P P E N E D

Spoken by the Admiral, at the bottom of page 224.

UNWIND

By Neal Shusterman

Reading and Study Guide

Created by Eric Elfman

About the Book

In the not-too-distant future, teens Connor, Risa, and Lev are on the run for

their lives. Following the Second Civil War, between pro-choice and pro-life

forces, the United States now allows parents to unwind their unwanted and

difficult kids between the ages of thirteen and eighteen: their bodies are

surgically taken apart and all the organs and tissue are used in other people.

According to the law, the kids aren’t considered dead, they’re “living in a

divided state.” But Connor, Risa and Lev, and thousands of other teens

slated for “unwinding,” don’t see it that way. They choose instead to “kick

AWOL,” or run away. Unwind follows these three across the future United

States as they travel together, split up, and meet again when their destinies

cross in a “Harvest Camp” where they are slated to be unwound.

Pre-Reading Research/Activities

Research those who helped endangered people. They can study the pre-Civil

War “Underground Railroad,” a vast network of individuals who helped

runaway slaves make their way to freedom. They can also research the

stories of those who helped Jews escape the Nazi holocaust, including Oskar

Schindler, Raoul Wallenberg and Chiune Sugihara.

The novel takes places after the “Second Civil War.” The real Civil War was

fought, primarily, over the issue of slavery. Learn about recent civil wars in

other countries. What issues have they been fought over? (For example,

religion, race, politics.) In small groups, discuss the idea of a Second Civil

War in this country, and what it might be fought over. Do you think it could

happen here?

Find out how many people today elect to donate their organs after their

death. What is the process to do so. How are the organs handled and

delivered? How many lives do they save? Ask other students how many of

them intend to donate their organs. Stage a debate. Discuss whether it is a

good idea to donate organs and, if so, why do so few people do it?

Discussion Topics

• How would you feel if you discovered you were going to be unwound?

What would you do? If you didn’t want to go along, but couldn’t run away

like Connor and the others in the novel, what other options might you have?

• How would you feel if you were in an accident, or had a rare disease, and

you could only be cured if your damaged organs were replaced by parts

taken from unwound teens. What would you choose to do? What if you were

certain to die if you refused the parts? What if it wasn’t you, but someone

you loved (a parent, a sibling) who was in an accident? Would your answer

be different?

• You just found out the person sitting next to you is going to be unwound.

Come up with ten good reasons why they should NOT be. Remember, their

life may depend on it!

• When do you think the story takes place? The book never reveals the year.

How many years in the future do you think the story take place? What clues

hint at how much time has passed? What companies or products are named?

What societal norms can you point to that have changed or remained the

same? What are the similarities between the world of Unwind and our own

world? What are the differences?

• Which of the three main characters, Connor, Risa or Lev, do you most

identify with? Why? What traits do you have in common? Which of their

traits work for them, and which make their lives harder? Which of your own

traits would you like to give up? Which would you want to keep?

• In the course of the book, Connor and Risa get separated from Lev, who

travels for a time with another character. Why do you think the author chose

to split the narrative into two distinct threads? What do you think this

achieves? How does this affect the evolution of the characters?

• Compare the similarities and differences of Lev’s journey with Cyrus to

Joplin, Missouri, in Unwind to Huck’s travel with Jim down the Mississippi

River in the novel Huckleberry Finn.

• While being transported to possible safety, some of the kids on the run,

considering their fate, wonder, “Would it be better to die or be unwound?” If

given the choice, which would you choose? Why?

• Another question the kids in the book discuss is, “If every part of you is

still alive but inside someone else, are you alive or are you dead?” They also

wonder if consciousness can exist even if it’s spread out, and if the soul

remains intact? What do you think?

• Which adults in the story are depicted sympathetically? Which do you feel

are non-sympathetic? Do any shift from one to the other? How did the

author describe these characters to make you feel one way or the other about

them?

• Risa is assigned to play in a band at a Harvest Camp, performing upbeat

tunes while teens are marched to their unwinding. Risa is conflicted: she

knows playing in the band will keep her alive longer, but it’s at the expense

of others, and her joy at having her fingers on a piano is matched by the

horror of knowing what’s going on around her. How would you feel in this

situation? Would you accept the position? Are there any situations in history

similar to this?

• What positive consequences you can imagine would be realized by a

society where unwinding exists? What are the negatives? Do you think the

negatives outweigh the positives, or the other way around?

• A euphemism is a mild word or phrase that’s used to refer to something

unpleasant or embarrassing. “Living in a divided state” is a euphemism

officials in the novel use in place of “being unwound”.. Another euphemism

in the novel is “harvest camps” in place of “unwinding facilities.” Can you

think of any commonly used euphemisms in real life? Why do you think

people use euphemisms?

• In the novel, unwinding becomes big business, as there’s a lot of money to

be made from ill people and accident victims requiring fresh organs, and the

population looks the other way, not considering the source. Are there any

present-day situations you can think of where ethics have been compromised

because of money, or because it’s simply easier not to think about it? Predict

a situation in the future where greed or denial could defeat morals.

• Imagine that you are approached to join the Clappers, the novel’s futuristic

terrorists. How would you respond? What would you tell them?

• Connor’s anger and lack of impulse control is often a problem for him,

until he learns to control and channel his emotions. Do you ever feel like

your impulses are stronger than your will? What strategies do you use to

control your feelings? Do they work?

• The bully, Roland, makes life hard for Connor and Risa from the time they

meet him. What do you think of his ultimate payback? Did you think it was

fair? Was it satisfying, or did it make you squirm. Or both? Why?

Activities

In the novel, Sonia, the owner of the antique shop, has each of the teens she

helps write a letter to someone they love. Write your own letter to someone

you love and, like the kids in the novel, put everything you want to say to

that person, good and bad, in the letter. Would you be willing to show this

letter to the person you wrote it to? Why or why not? What about in three or

four years?

Draw up a “will,” but instead of your possessions, it’s your personality that

you’re giving away. List your personality traits. What parts of your

personality would you give, and to whom? (your sense of humor, your

determination, etc.)

Prepare testimony to Congress as they begin hearings on the status of Bill of

Life. Write your testimony from the point of view of either a teen slated to

be unwound, or from someone whose life was saved by receiving body parts

from an unwind. Hold hearings, where several students share their testimony

with the class. Then debate whether the law should be changed or not.

Risa’s band plays “Don’t Fear the Reaper” among other songs for the teens

who are going to be unwound. Put together a set list of songs your band

would play if you were performing at a Harvest Camp. Explain your

choices.

In the novel, the characters arrive at “the graveyard,” a safe refuge for teens

facing unwinding. In a group, invent another location where teens have

gathered. Describe how your own make-shift community functions, and

what each of your jobs is. Create a list of ten rules for getting along, in the

spirit of the Admiral’s “Ten Demandments.”

At the novel’s end, when different people who obtained parts from a single

individual are brought together, they begin to act as a unit. In a group, try

performing the acting exercise know as “the Machine.” One person does a

single repetitive motion, over and over again. Then a second person joins the

first, repeating a different but complementary motion. Then the others join,

one at a time. In the end, you will have a “machine” with a number of

different parts, all doing separate but related motions, acting as a single

entity.

Try telling a story in which every person, one after another, gets to donate

only one sentence. The goal is not to throw the story off track, or to be

funny, but to make the story coherent. Can it be done? Did the story make

sense?

Write a newspaper article dated one year after the end of the novel. What

news event has just happened? (For example, a new election, a riot, a new

terrorist attack.) Has it changed anything fundamental about the society or

the Bill of Life? Has the law been repealed?

Characters

Connor Lassiter - a 16 year old troubled kid. When he learns his parents

have signed an unwind order, he runs away in search of a place to hide until

he’s 18 years old.

Risa Ward - 15 years old, an orphan at a State Home. She runs away when

the administrators sign the order to have her unwound, and out of necessity

joins Connor in seeking safety.

Lev Calder - the tenth and youngest child of his religious family, a “tithe”

who was born to be unwound when he reached his thirteenth birthday. He is

“kidnapped” by Connor, who means to save him from his fate.

Pastor Dan - Lev’s minister and his spiritual advisor, Pastor Dan gives Lev

support as he approaches his unwinding, but at the moment Connor frees

Lev, he urges him to run.

Hannah Steinberg - the high school teacher who hides Connor and Risa in a

classroom

Sonia - an antique store owner who hides AWOL teens in her basement, the

first step on their roundabout journey to safety.

Mai - an AWOL Asian girl who Connor and Risa meet while in hiding.

Roland - a manipulative, ruthless AWOL bully who has continuing

confrontations with Connor

Hayden - a snarky but thoughtful AWOL with attitude

Cyrus Finch (CyFi) - a runaway teen encountered by Lev. Cyrus, who

received a piece of brain from an unwind, is searching for something the

unwound kid in his head is trying to tell him.

The Admiral - the adult, former U.S. Navy man, who runs “the graveyard”

where many AWOL teens stay for safety, the Admiral was one of the

drafters of the Bill of Life.

Unwind Slang

AWOL - a runaway teen, scheduled to be unwound, hoping to survive to age

18, said to be “kicking AWOL.”

Bill of Life - the law instituting unwinding.

Boeuf - a soldier, male or female (from the French word for Beef – also the

derivation of the word “buff,” as in muscular).

Chop Shop - the operating room where teen’s bodies are surgically taken

apart.

Clappers - suicide-terrorists who have replaced their blood with a

nitroglycerin blend. They blow themselves up by clapping their hands.

Harvest Camp (formerly called “unwinding facilities”) - where teenagers

awaiting unwinding are housed, as well as where the procedure is performed

Humphrey Dunfee - urban legend about an unwind whose parents go crazy

from grief and kill all the recipients of their son’s body parts, in an attempt

to reassemble their son.

Juvey-cops - Police officer specializing in taking down AWOLs.

“Living in a Divided State” -a euphemism for being unwound.

StaHo - State Homes, orphanages where wards of the state stay until their

18th birthday or they are sent to be unwound

Storked - babies who are left on doorsteps. The homeowner is obligated to

keep and raise the child.

Tithe - a child of a religious family who is born and raised to be unwound, as

an act of charity.

Umber - the socially acceptable way to describe someone who is Black. (In

contrast to sienna, the socially acceptable way to describe someone who is

Caucasian.)

About the Author

Neal Shusterman has written about a gazillion novels for Young Adults,

including Everlost, Full Tilt and Downsiders, which was nominated for

twelve state reading awards and was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults

and a Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. He also writes

screenplays for motion pictures and television shows, including Pixel

Perfect for the Disney Channel. He lives in Southern California with his four

children, none of whom will ever be unwound. Or so he says.

This Reading Group Guide has been provided by Simon & Schuster for

classroom, library, and reading group use. It may be reproduced in its

entirety or excerpted for these purposes.

Written by Eric Elfman, author of many books for children and young adults

and several Study Guides for the Mark Taper Forum/P.L.A.Y.

S C N L N E S S I E N N A Y S T C R E G I E A

M H E A A D C L O S A L A M O I V U T B L I A

O A E U M S I P D L M M F H A T R A D I R F Q

O R T H R B L A R I M D A E M H T K W P M N T

W V R Z E A N H A T T R N P R E J E L U P A A

U E I N T L T C O Y R A I K U D S A Z M E G R

N S H U S M I B G P C W N S O R N E Z B L I I

W T T I U R S S D T P A E A T E S C L E E R Z

I C E W H P T R T X V S F T B U G I H R I R O

N A V I S C A I D O W I N Z A V A L T I G E N

D M E M V Y Z T U G R R T H T R J A C F H K A

K P S K E Z N E D A R K E Z E R C H U I T Y E

I D O V L O R C Z J T E E I L I K A V N E E M

L R A E L F L A S D R O X D A H M N G J E W I

M R R W C O N N E R Q T E P T J O P L I N E T

G S F I W O R C L A P P E R S V O X R Z S D A

Find each of the following words, they will appear either forwards, backwards, vertical or diagonal:

UNWIND STORKED UMBER

SHUSTERMAN ADMIRAL JOPLIN

HARVESTCAMP GRAVEYARD TITHE

CONNER THIRTEEN ARIZONA

CLAPPERS EIGHTEEN AIRPLANE

CRATE RISAWARD SIENNA

Unwind Word Search

S C N L N E S S I E N N A Y S T C R E G I E A

M H E A A D C L O S A L A M O I V U T B L I A

O A E U M S I P D L M M F H A T R A D I R F Q

O R T H R B L A R I M D A E M H T K W P M N T

W V R Z E A N H A T T R N P R E J E L U P A A

U E I N T L T C O Y R A I K U D S A Z M E G R

N S H U S M I B G P C W N S O R N E Z B L I I

W T T I U R S S D T P A E A T E S C L E E R Z

I C E W H P T R T X V S F T B U G I H R I R O

N A V I S C A I D O W I N Z A V A L T I G E N

D M E M V Y Z T U G R R T H T R J A C F H K A

K P S K E Z N E D A R K E Z E R C H U I T Y E

I D O V L O R C Z J T E E I L I K A V N E E M

L R A E L F L A S D R O X D A H M N G J E W I

M R R W C O N N E R Q T E P T J O P L I N E T

G S F I W O R C L A P P E R S V O X R Z S D A

Find each of the following words, they will appear either forwards, backwards, vertical or diagonal:

UNWIND STORKED UMBER

SHUSTERMAN ADMIRAL JOPLIN

HARVESTCAMP GRAVEYARD TITHE

CONNER THIRTEEN ARIZONA

CLAPPERS EIGHTEEN AIRPLANE

CRATE RISAWARD SIENNA

Unwind Word Search Answers