PART 1: THE WORDS
1.
“Truth, like yellow, comes in a thousand different shades,” T— declares at the end of
the first chapter. What does he mean? Give an example of a situation with different shades of
truth.
2.
At first it seems T— and Lucy would have very little in common. Yet it’s not long before
they forge a friendship. How do you explain their bond? What do they find in each other?
3.
After T— ’s accident, his parents bought him a telescope and a guitar but “the camera stuck and never let go.” Why
do you think T— has such a passion for photography? What does he mean when he writes that you can wonder about a
photograph “all you like and you won’t get any paint-by-number answers”?
4.
The Vault was T—’s secret hideaway, a sanctuary where he felt safe. Will he search for another one? Why do you think he
chose the Vault? In what circumstances do you yearn for a space that is yours and yours alone?
5.
What accounts for the pull and power Ryan had over his followers? What did he offer and what did he get in return?
6.
T—makes a life-changing choice when he decides to stay silent and save Sean rather than implicate Joined at the Hip.
Does Sean understand T—’s sacrifice? Would Sean have done the same for T— ? Do you think Sean and T— will be friends
for life or has their friendship changed forever?
PART 2: THE PHOTOGRAPHS
1.
What is your favorite photograph in the novel? Why?
2.
Ms. Karamath believes T— and Diane Arbus see the world in similar ways. Why does the work of this
celebrated photographer have such an impact on T—?
3.
We are never given a reason why Ryan stabbed Jared. What do you imagine was said between
them? Is T— right in believing that
Swing
, the photograph of Lucy, could have caused Jared to
change course and confront Ryan?
4.
The last photograph in
Young Man with Camera
shows Sean holding an orange. Sean’s
mother believes the orange represents the importance of listening. What else could the orange
symbolize?
5.
Ms. Karamath introduces T— to iconic photographs, all of which can be found online. What
factors explain the reach and impact of these photographs? Why do some photographs — most
recently the image of three-year old Syrian refugee Alan Kurdi washed up on a beach — change how
we see things on a worldwide scale?
6.
As
Young Man with Camera
draws to a close, T— describes a photograph of a group of kids
who had turned a tank into a playground. What is the effect of ending the novel this way?
BY EMIL SHER
PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAVID WYMAN
DISCUSSION GUIDE
ABOUT THE BOOK
Do pictures ever tell the whole truth? And what if the truth isn’t always the whole answer?
In
Young Man with Camera
, thirteen-year old T— stands at a crossroads, forced to choose
between the cost of revealing what he knows to be true and the price to be paid for staying
silent. This is a story about the bonds of friendship, a gifted photographer, his camera and a
singular perspective that gives him an uncommon strength.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Emil writes prose and plays for the young and the once-were-young.
Young
Man with Camera
, his debut novel, was a 2015 Governor General’s Literary
Award finalist and is a 2016 Red Maple nominee. His stage plays include
adaptations of
Hana’s Suitcase
by Karen Levine and Ian Brown’s
The Boy in
the Moon
. Works-in-progress include two picture books to be published in
2016 and 2017 and the book and lyrics (with composer Jonathan Monro) for a
stage musical of Roch Carrier’s
The Hockey Sweater
.
PART 3: THE STORIES BEHIND THE PHOTOS
As T— would be the first to point out, the photographs in
Young Man with Camera
don’t reveal the whole picture. A young
girl holds a goldfish but we don’t see her insensitive mother beyond the frame. A teen boy sits on a staircase holding a
purse, and T— wonders: did he steal it or find it? “If a picture is worth a thousands words,” he writes, “those thousand
words keep changing.”
1.
The attached photographs from the book tell only part of a story. Choose one of the photographs and write a paragraph that
describes what could be unfolding beyond the frame. What melody is Lucy playing on her harmonica, and why? What is on
Claire’s mind as she looks skyward, sidewalk chalk in hand?
2.
Read aloud and discuss your paragraph with your classmates. Consider different contexts, the lenses we wear to filter
the world around us, and whether we need to see the whole picture.
3.
Bring in a copy of a photograph that you have taken or one that you admire:
(a)
Invite classmates to discuss their thoughts on what might have happened just before or after or outside the frame that
would change how we see in the image.
(b)
Work in small groups to create and write two or three short scenarios that describe more than what we see in the
captured moment of the photographArt Lesson Tutorials
The Pear
Important Classroom Links
Online Textbook Links
Grade 5 Math Makes Sense Link
Grade 5 Math Practice and Homework Book
Grade 6 Math Makes Sense Link
Grade 6 Math Homework and Practice Book
Websites for Extra Practice
Reading websites
www.kidsclick.orgwww.wordle.com
www.kidszone.com
www.starfall.com
www.quiz-tree.com
http://storynory.com/
www.ixl.com
http://www.bookadventure.com/
http://teacher.scholastic.com/clifford1/
www.streamingeducation.discovery.com
www.jumpstart.com
www.funbrain.com
www.pbskids.org
www.kidsSpell.com
www.hoodaword.com
www.eduplace.com
Math Websites
www.coolmath4kids.comwww.mathhelp.com
www.mathplayground.com
www.aplusmath.com
www.coolmath.com
www.hoodamath.com
www.math-drills.com
http://www.vectorkids.com/vktimedflashcards.htm - add/ subtract/ multiply/ divide timed flashcards
Keyboarding Skill Development
http://www.powertyping.com/rain.shtml (letters come down like rain and will disappear when typed)
http://freeonlinetypinggames.com/free-online-typing-games/typedown (growing tower to work on speed--harder)
http://freeonlinetypinggames.com/free-online-typing-games/focal-points-game (focus game-keyboard and attention game)
http://freeonlinetypinggames.com/free-online-typing-games/typo-game (typo game-nonsense and authentic words)
Dance Mat typing http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing
http://www.ultrakey.com
http://freetypinggame.net
http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/keyboarding-games.html
http://www.typingweb.com
http://www.nimblefingers.com
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