Eleven-year-old Isabella’s parents are divorced, which means that she has to switch lives every week. One week, she’s “Isabella” with her dad, his girlfriend Anastasia, and her son, Darren, living in a fancy house where they are one of the only black families in the neighborhood. The next week she’s “Izzy,” with her mom and her boyfriend John-Mark in a small, not-so-fancy house that she loves. Because of this, Isabella has always felt pulled between two worlds. Not only that—her dad is black and her mom is white, so strangers are always commenting: “You’re so exotic!” “You look so unusual.” “But what are you really?” And when her parents, who both get engaged at the same time, get in their biggest fight ever, Isabella doesn’t just feel divided, she feels ripped in two.
What does it mean to be half white or half black? To belong to half mom and half dad? And if you’re only seen as half of this and half of that, how can you ever feel whole? It seems like nothing can bring Isabella’s family together again—until the worst happens. Isabella and Darren are stopped by the police. A cell phone is mistaken for a gun—and shots are fired.
BL 4
7 Points
What does it mean to be half white or half black? To belong to half mom and half dad? And if you’re only seen as half of this and half of that, how can you ever feel whole? It seems like nothing can bring Isabella’s family together again—until the worst happens. Isabella and Darren are stopped by the police. A cell phone is mistaken for a gun—and shots are fired.
BL 4
7 Points
Activity 1- The Real You
Mr. Kazilly assigns an essay called “The Real Me,” saying, “I want each of you to consider your personal identity. . . . Each of you is uniquely wonderful. I want you to think about that as you write.” Write a four-paragraph essay using this same theme. Make sure that your essay is four paragraphs long!!
Activity 2 - Alike and Different
How are Isabella’s two families and households alike? How are they different? Create a large Venn diagram. Where the circles intersect, put Isabella/Izzy’s name and the similarities between her two homes. Label the other parts of the circles as “Mom’s House” and “Dad’s House” and fill in the space with descriptions of the differences between these two places. Do you live in a similar situation? If you do, please use your life experiences to help you fill out the diagram as well. There should be at least five things in each of the circles (except for Isabella’s name).
Activity 3 - Today's Society
Unfortunately, there have been many incidents where people are harmed, simply because they are of the wrong skin color, especially by policemen/women. That is what happened to Izzy in the book. Identify and research cases labeled in the Black Lives Matter movement. Prepare a presentation, poster, or write a paper about the facts of a police shooting of unarmed black children or teenagers. Your presentation should include the facts of the case, the effects on family and community, and the consequences, if any, for the police involved. Finish with any steps that are being done on local or state levels to address and try to prevent future incidents.
Mr. Kazilly assigns an essay called “The Real Me,” saying, “I want each of you to consider your personal identity. . . . Each of you is uniquely wonderful. I want you to think about that as you write.” Write a four-paragraph essay using this same theme. Make sure that your essay is four paragraphs long!!
Activity 2 - Alike and Different
How are Isabella’s two families and households alike? How are they different? Create a large Venn diagram. Where the circles intersect, put Isabella/Izzy’s name and the similarities between her two homes. Label the other parts of the circles as “Mom’s House” and “Dad’s House” and fill in the space with descriptions of the differences between these two places. Do you live in a similar situation? If you do, please use your life experiences to help you fill out the diagram as well. There should be at least five things in each of the circles (except for Isabella’s name).
Activity 3 - Today's Society
Unfortunately, there have been many incidents where people are harmed, simply because they are of the wrong skin color, especially by policemen/women. That is what happened to Izzy in the book. Identify and research cases labeled in the Black Lives Matter movement. Prepare a presentation, poster, or write a paper about the facts of a police shooting of unarmed black children or teenagers. Your presentation should include the facts of the case, the effects on family and community, and the consequences, if any, for the police involved. Finish with any steps that are being done on local or state levels to address and try to prevent future incidents.