The View From Saturday Study Guide I. Introduction This study guide provides material to assist in the preparation of a lesson, unit, book-club discussion, or individual assignment about the novel The View From Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg. Studying this novel explores the virtue of kindness, with its attendant subject of kindness to animals, the theme of the Shevat issue of BABAGANEWZ. Through the story of an academically talented group of four sixth graders and their teacher, Mrs. Olinski, the novel tells an inspiring and funny tale of burgeoning friendships and maturing tolerance for others. Family ties blend with school friends and teachers to create an engaging tale of overcoming obstacles and evolving mutual respect and friendship. Set in Florida and New York, the book weaves the stories of the students, their parents and grandparents into a funny, emotional and ultimately triumphant guide to friendship and love. To help plan for the study of the novel, this guide offers questions for study and discussion and activities for groups and individuals arranged in the following categories: • • • • • •

Plot Characterization Theme Passages for Close Analysis Activities and Writing Activities Vocabulary Activities

II. Questions about Plot 1. The Diamondstein’s wedding is a community effort. Make a list of who does what for the wedding. 2. Make a list explaining how each of Noah’s gifts for the cat’s paw invitations keep on giving (page 19). 3. What is a B & B letter? Why is Noah’s mother so insistent he write one? When have you written any B & B notes? 4. Explain the connection between Nadia and Noah. 5. What is a “turtle walk”? 6. Loggerhead turtles are an endangered species. What does that mean? (page 33) 7. Nadia begins to feel that Margaret was responsible for her parents’ divorce. What did Margaret do that makes her feel this way?

8. Nadia sees Margaret as an interfering person. Is she? Why do you think Nadia thinks she is? 9. Julian uses clever clues to invite his new friends to tea. Make a chart or a diagram that traces the steps he takes with each friend. 10. The day after the first tea party Ethan still does not walk from the bus into school with Julian. Why not? 11. During the first performance of Annie, what did Mrs. Reynolds think was so awfully rude about the behavior of the audience? Why do you think the boys in the audience behaved the way they did? 12. By the end of the book we know how the Academic Team from Mrs. Olinski’s sixth grade class was chosen. Explain how she made her choice. III. Questions about Characterization 1. Noah takes a potential disaster (the cat’s paw invitations) and turns it into a triumph. What does this tell you about the kind of person Noah is? 2. On page 23, Mrs. Olinski says that painting Nadia’s freckles off her cheeks would have been like “brushing the cinnamon off cinnamon toast.” Why? What characteristics of Nadia make Mrs. Olinski think her a “star”? Describe the example the author gives you that makes Mrs. Olinski think Nadia is a star. 3. a. Nadia has trouble seeing Margaret as Grandpa Izzy’s wife. List several differences between Margaret and the Bubbe that Nadia remembers. b. Is Nadia giving Margaret enough of a chance, or are the problems between Nadia and Margaret caused by Margaret? Explain. 4. Describe Julian. In what ways is he different from the other children on the bus and in school, and in what ways is he very much the same? 5. What kind of person is Hamilton Knapp? Would you want him for a friend? Why or why not? 6. On page 134, the author tells us that Mr. LeDue’s smile is as genuine as a Xeroxed signature.” What does she mean by this? How genuine is his smile? 7. What are your impressions of Mrs. Olinski? How does her disability affect her character? Is she a good judge of others? Why or why not? IV. Questions about Theme 1. Why did the Diamondstein wedding become a community affair? Name some cooperative events in your community. Why do you think the community stages these events in a cooperative way rather than having them produced by individuals? 2. Why is the best gift of all for the cat’s paw invitations to “give up your gift”? (page 18). 3. On page 117, why does Julian decide to save Arnold from the poisoned treats? What would you have done? 4. Explain what the sentence, “I am a passenger on spaceship Earth” means. How did Julian use it to transform an insult into a triumph? What does this say about the kind of person Julian is?

5. When the contest is over, Mrs. Olinski feels a sense of loss (page 155). Why? 6. Toward the very end of the book, Mr. Singh tells Mrs. Olinski that The Souls found kindness in each other and learned how to look for it in others. Explain how each of The Souls found kindness in each other and give two or three examples of how they looked for kindness in others who were not members of The Souls. Name two ways in which you could begin looking for kindness in others. 7. What role do animals play in the novel? What do the characters in the novel learn about human behavior and relationships from their observations of and interactions with the various animals throughout the book? V. Passages for Close Analysis 1. On the top of page 22, Mrs. Olinski thinks about a reference from Alice in Wonderland. The Cheshire Cat says to the king, “A cat may look at a king.” Read the entire paragraph at the top of the page, write down what is happening in the book at this time, and then explain what that comment by the king means, and what the Cheshire Cat means by his reply. 2. On pages 55-57, how does Nadia compare her life situation to young sea turtles in a storm? Read the pages carefully and explain how the comparison develops. What realization does she come to about herself and the turtles? 3. On page 64, Ethan says, “Dirt is the working layer of the earth.” Read the paragraph carefully. Then explain what he means. VI. Activities 1. Divide the class into groups of four. Have them carefully read over the following descriptions. Then, using the images described on the page, have the groups draw each event or place. Then have the students compare their drawings with other groups or with the entire class. Allen Diamondstein tripping over the wagon holding the wedding cake

Page 15

The turtles going toward the ocean

Page 32

Shillington House

Page 64

The line of busses waiting headlight to taillight

Page 117

2. Find and examine carefully a map of New York state. On a large sheet of paper draw an outline of the state of New York and then create the boundaries for the Academic Contest. Create the regions of: Long Island Sound region Finger Lakes region The Hudson River region The State Capitol region The New York City region The Niagara region The Pocono’s region The Tappan Zee region The Cooperstown region

3. Have the students create forty questions and answers for an Academic Quiz in their class. Choose four topics (or have them choose four from a list you provide), then have students research the topics and write ten questions for each topic. Have the students organize the quiz in class, making sure that the contestants have the topics beforehand so they can prepare. The best way to organize this is to make sure almost all the students are contestants and answer each other’s questions. 4. Writing Activity Animals play a significant role in this novel, both wild animals such as the sea turtles and tame animals such as Ginger and Arnold. Research an endangered species other than the sea turtle. Try perhaps tigers, elephants, California condors or many other species. Write a two to three page paper about efforts that are currently underway to save the species and encourage breeding and growth. 5. Writing Activity Both Nadia and Ethan grow and change quite a bit in this novel. Choose one of them and write three one-page journal entries that each might have written throughout the course of the events described in this book. Write the entries in the first person (I form) relating what the character was feeling and thinking at the time. Choose incidents that the reader learns about from one of the other characters, not the one you have chosen. For example, if you choose Nadia, write about her feelings about her grandfather’s wedding, even though we get the description of the wedding from Noah, not from her. Imagine what she would have been thinking and feeling about the wedding. Then, if you have chose Nadia, write the journal entries about two additional incidents we learn about from other characters. VII. Vocabulary Lessons Here is a list of forty-four vocabulary words with the page numbers on which the words are found. There are many activities you can do with these words. The first activity should be one of definition. Have the students find each word on the page number listed and try to define it using context. Then have students go to the dictionary to check their context definitions and make any additions or corrections to their definitions. Once that is complete, the possibilities for activities and lessons abound. For example: illustrate a glossary of twenty words; create a crossword puzzle; create a Pictionary or board game; have a spelling bee; write sentences for several of the words; create a secret code that other groups in the class would have to unravel. There are many other possibilities. Allow the students to create some activities of their own with this list of words. Epiphany

2

Commissioner

3

Calligraphy

4

Chupah

17

Visible

17

Thorough

17

Exhausted

18

Accountant

19

Civilization

20

Aisle

21

Podium

21

Precision

21

Onyx

21

Multiculturalism

22

Diversity

22

Tendrils

23

Terminally

26

Hovered

26

Prepubescent

27

Mechanism

55

Internal

55

Shrub

61

Paraplegic

68

Hybrid

83

Defective

88

Scavenger

91

Chartreuse

123

Animated

125

Conferred

126

Trounce

127

Profound

127

Mediocre

127

Culled

127

Vanquished

128

Sovereign

132

Pretext

134

Humble

135

Caryatids

136

Translucence

137

Anemia

137

Phalanx

138

Incarnation

142

Coif

148

Frieze

153