Fish in a Tree is a wonderful novel about a young girl with dyslexia. It is written for middle school aged students, and I want you to read it to analyze it and review it to see what you think about how it teaches this topic to young children. Think about yourself at that age, and how it would have impacted you.
The book is available on Amazon from $3.13 for the paperback, $2.23 for the hardcover, it is free as an audiobook with a free trial of Audible from Amazon, or free from your public library) Here is the link to the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Fish-Tree-Lynda-Mullaly-Hunt-ebook/dp/B00KWG61P0
After reading the novel, answer the following questions based on your own perceptions and interpretation. Be sure to support your conclusions with specific details from the book:
1. The title of the story, Fish in a Tree, reflects Albert Einstein’s quotation: “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” What is your interpretation of this quote? How do you think it relates to Ally’s life?
2. How would you describe Ally as a person in the first few chapters of the book? What about the final few chapters? Has she changed significantly? Are there any experiences or episodes during the story that you think had a particular effect on her? If so, how?
3. Discuss the friendship between Ally, Albert, and Keisha. How does their friendship benefit each one of them?
4. What role does Mr. Daniels play in Ally’s development during the story? How is he different from her previous teachers in his approach to teaching and how does this transform Ally’s understandings of herself as a learner? Share specific examples of things he does to encourage and motivate her?
5. Read more about author Lynda Mullaly Hunt and why she wrote this story https://www.lyndamullalyhunt.com/for-teachers/. Why is this book so important to her? How might others with dyslexia feel about the book/react to it?
6. What did you think of this novel? Was it enlightening for you as an adult? Do you think it will help impact how middle school students grow up thinking about individuals with disabilities? Do you think middle school is too late, too early, just the right time to introduce this topic?
Your paper should be between 4 and 5 pages long (double-spaced, 12 point font). Please submit this as a document attachment in the Assignments section on Black Board. This assignment is due by Wednesday, November 11th, before midnight. It is worth a total of 16 possible points. Late submissions will be deducted 4 points per day.
REMEMBER THAT ANY EVIDENCE OF PLAGIARISM WILL AUTOMATICALLY EARN A ZERO FOR THE ASSIGNMENT.
