Reading Activities compiled by Eve Eddington |During Reading|After Reading| Before Connections 1. “The Contender.” Language Arts: Novel Guides. Classzone, McDougal Littell. 30 Jan. 2006 http://www.classzone.com/novelguides/litcons/contendr/guide.cfm Guide to teaching the book: lesson plans, research and discussion topics, activity ideas, and links. The site is geared to teaching seventh and eighth grade, but the topics and links would be helpful for teachers of all grades. 2. “The Contender by Robert Lipsyte.” CliffsNotes. Yahoo!. 30 Jan. 2006 http://education.yahoo.com/homework_help/cliffsnotes/the_contender/ CliffNotes version of the book. Chapter by chapter summaries, glossary of terms and slang, and discussion of each chapter’s theme. The glossary of terms helps explain some of the terms and ‘slang’ used in the book and the explanation of the themes and literary devices in the book could help jump start class discussion. 3. “2001 Margaret A. Edwards Award Winner.” American Library Association, Young Adult Library Services Association. 30 Jan. 2006 http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/margaretaedwards/maeprevious/2001awardwinner.htm Brief discussion of the Margaret A. Edwards Award, its qualifications, Robert Lipsyte’s work, and why he received the award. This can be used to get the students excited about reading the book, and also to spark discussion about what makes a good book and we have book awards. 4. Lipsyte, Robert. “Biography.” Home page. 15 Oct. 2005. 30 Jan. 2006 http://robertlipsyte.com/bio.htm Robert Lipsyte’s home page. Biography, bibliography, and a more recent picture than on other sites. It’s good to have this personal and detailed biographical information. Also, showing the students his home page can place him in context of the virtual world they know and establish firmly the work’s place in contemporary literature in their minds. 5. Toonari. “Civil Rights Timeline.” Seattle Times Company 2003. Africa Online. 30 Jan. 2006. http://www.africanaonline.com/civil_rights_timeline.htm Timeline and discussion of civil rights’ events (work and death of Martin Luther King, Jr., Harlem Riots, etc.). The Contender takes place in Harlem in the mid-sixties, and was published in 1967, right in the heart of all of these events. This information can aid students in gaining a further understanding of the history of the Civil Rights Movement, as well as the history and atmosphere of Harlem itself. 6. “Rights Revolutions of the Sixties.” Home page. U of San Diego. 24 April 2003. 30 Jan. 2006. http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/20th/1960s/sixties-rights.html Timeline and discussion of major civil rights’ events and riots. Includes links to a map of 1964 Harlem and other important photos. Also helps students understand the context of the novel. 7. Johnson, William H. “The Harlem Renaissance.” 30 Jan. 2006. http://www.fatherryan.org/harlemrenaissance/ Literature, visual art, poetry, etc., of the Harlem Renaissance. Can help students understand the history and attitude of Harlem. 8. “Harlem.” Wikipedia. 31 Jan. 2006. 30 Jan. 2006. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlem Everything Harlem. Includes history, major events, links to other articles, and influence on literature, etc. Can also help students understand the environment of the novel and the context in which it was written. 9. “Sugar Ray Robinson Biography.” Estate of Sugar Ray Robinson. 30 Jan. 2006. http://www.cmgworldwide.com/sports/robinson/biography.html The biography of Sugar Ray Robinson, a rags-to-riches boxer of the early 1900s. Can help students understand the opportunities that boxing represented to the otherwise alienated and often uneducated black population of the early twentieth century. 10. Nolan, Jenny. “The Brown Bomber–The Man Behind the Fist.” Home page. Detroit News, Review Mirror 2006. 30 Jan. 2006. http://info.detnews.com/history/story/index.cfm?id=52&category=sports Biography of Joe Louis, another “poverty to success” boxer. Discussion of how he came to be a symbol to the American people, especially African Americans. This can help students understand the prestige of boxing and a gym like Donetelli’s. Also, looking at the dates can help students better understand the timeline and popularity of boxing, giving background to several of the characters’ declarations that “boxing is on the way out.” During Connections 11. “NIDA InfoFacts: Heroin.” National Institute of Drug Abuse. 04 Feb. 2006. http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofacts/heroin.html Information about heroin, its side effects, and its treatment. This could help students understand James’s addiction, how he behaves, and why Alfred takes his friends heroin use so seriously when he smoked marijuana himself. Discussion could also range into “why we don’t use drugs,” etc. 12. Lloyd, Jennifer. “Heroin.” June 2003. Executive Office of the President, Office of National Drug Control Policy, Drug Policy Information Clearing House. 04 Feb. 2006. http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/factsht/heroin Everything about heroin: its history, street terms, withdrawal symptoms, etc. This could further the students’ understanding of the characters’ decisions and actions about heroin. Prevalence rates included in the article help bring the problem home to the students. 13. “NIDA InfoFacts: Marijuana.” National Institute of Drug Abuse. 04 Feb. 2006. http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofacts/marijuana.html Information about Marijuana, its side effects, and its treatment. This could help students understand Alfred’s use of it, as well as why some consider it a more ‘harmless’ drug, and why it is still a very harmful substance. 14. Blair, Gwenda. “What’s Behind the Runner’s High? Is it Endorphins, Adrenaline, or Simply a Sense of Accomplishment? Here We Explain the Chemical Link Between Exercise and Good Mood.” Shape. Feb. 2005. LookSmart, Find Articles. 04 Feb. 2006. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0846/is_6_24/ai_n9481984#continue Explanation and description of ‘runner’s high.’ This could help students identify with Alfred’s feelings about running and how he comes to enjoy it. 15. Allen, Sueann. “Getting High On Exercise.” Top Ten Reviews, Fitness Software Review. 04 Feb. 2006. http://fitness software review.toptenreviews.com/getting high on exercise.html More information about the ‘runner’s high,’ as well as an interesting discussion as to whether or not exercise is an addiction. Could help students understand Alfred and the other boxers, as well as spark interesting discussions about running, exercise, and addictions, examples of which can be drawn from the students’ own lives and experience. 16. Katz, Michael. “Boxing History.” White Collar Boxing. 04 Feb. 2006. http://whitecollarboxing.com/boxinfo.htm Brief history of boxing and a short description of its rules. There are also some clips of people boxing. Can help introduce students the sport and its rules. The descriptions of the training procedures can help students understand Alfred’s training. 17. “Boxing Photos & Boxing Photos.” Title Boxing home page. 04 Feb. 2006. http://store.titleboxing.com/boxing photos.html Color and black and white photographs of famous boxers in and out of the ring from Sugar Ray Robinson to Muhammed Ali. These pictures can make the boxing world more real for the students. 18. “The Boxer’s Handshake.” Boxing Gyms home page. 04 Feb. 2006. http://www.boxinggyms.com/tips/handshake.htm Interesting ‘tidbit’ about how boxers shake hands while wearing their gloves. This is an interesting practice the students can take into their own lives as well help them understand some of the rituals of the ring. 19. Pilgrim, David. “The Tom Character.” Ferris State University, Museum of Racist Memorabilia. 04 Feb. 2006. http://www.ferris.edu/news/jimcrow/tom/ This site contains everything the reader could possibly want to know about the term “Uncle Tom,” its origins, its evolution over the years into a negative term, its meaning today, and other similar terms. The boys in The Contender often call Alfred “Uncle” and this article can help students understand why and what they mean by it. 20. “Public High School Dropouts and Completers from the Common Core of Data.” U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. 04 Feb. 2006. http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/pub_dropouts.asp Statistics concerning high school dropouts and completers from 1991-2002, including their job success afterwards. Often in The Contender, Alfred talks about the difficulties of finding a job after dropping out of high school and, in the end, he decides to complete his degree after all. These statistics can help students understand some of the issues that surround dropping out of high school today. After Connections 21. “History of the Hanna Center.” Hanna Community Center. 13 Feb. 2006. http://www.hannacntr.org/HannaHistory.html History of a present day recreational center. This also includes links to its current services, programs, etc. This could help students understand what Alfred means when he goes to work at a “rec center” at the end of the novel and the effect of “rec centers” on the community. 22. “About the YMCA.” Young Men’s Christian Association. 13 Feb. 2006. http://www.ymca.net/about_the_ymca/ This is a brief description of YMCA and some statistics about its members by demographic. YMCA is the most familiar “rec center” today, and information about its programs and its presence in elementary, middle, and high schools as well as hospitals can help students understand the purpose of such centers in a community. 23. “Civil Rights Act of 1964.” 13 Aug. 1996. International Information Programs. 13 Feb. 2006. http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/laws/majorlaw/civilr19.htm Text of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The events and setting of the novel—Harlem in the mid 1960s—can be used as a springboard into discussion of the Civil Rights Act, discrimination, etc. 24. “Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954) (USSC+).” The National Center for Public Policy Research. 13 Feb. 2006. http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=344&invol=1 Actual text of the Supreme Court decision. This can help students understand the climate in schools in the time period of the novel and some of the controversies of the day. Discussion can include current issues in education and how this decision has effected schools for the past fifty years. 25. Gutierrez-Jones, Carl. “The Affirmative Action and Diversity Project: A Web Page for Research.” AAD Project home page. 07 Oct. 2005. 13 Feb. 2006. http://aad.english.ucsb.edu/ This site contains extensive articles and links on affirmative action. The site has both pro and con points of view, as well as information about quotas, current legislation, economics, etc. In the novel, Alfred’s cousin Jeff argues his father, Uncle Wilson, about getting a job with a “big corporation.” Jeff claims that they only hire “one Negro a year to look good…” (p154). This comment could be difficult to explain without going into a history of affirmative action, but can lead to a very useful discussion of the concept and its practice. 26. Froomkin, Dan. “Affirmative Action Under Attack.” WashingtonPost.com. Oct. 1998. 13 Feb. 2006. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/affirm/affirm.htm Contains a brief overview of affirmative action and links to special reports, key stories, opinions, etc. This can help further class discussion of affirmative action and explain Alfred’s cousin Jeff’s derogatory comment about it in chapter 17. 27. “Black Power.” University of Michigan. 13 Feb. 2006. http://www.umich.edu/~eng499/concepts/power.html Brief overview of Black Power movement. The article also includes a good picture of a nonviolent protest. This can help students further understand the attitudes of different characters in the novel—Major, the team trying to raise a rally, etc. 28. “Black Power.” King Encyclopedia. Stanford University. 13 Feb. 2006. http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/about_king/encyclopedia/black_power.html Another overview of Black Power movement. Includes quotes from Stokely Carmicheal and Martin Luther King that began the movement. This can further complement discussion of affirmative action, black power, and other social issues contained in the book. 29. “Back to School.” 13 Feb. 2006. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. 13 Feb. 2006. http://www.naacp.org/rat/education/back/back_index.html Description of the NAACP’s current back to school/stay in school program. The site also includes links to everything about the program: mission, history, procedures, etc. This can continue the discussion from the “During Connections” about drop-outs. This brings the problem of drop-outs, especially African American teenagers like James and Alfred from the novel, to the present day and presents a possible way to alleviate the problem. 30. Drehs, Wayne. “Boxing Mecca Needs $1M Annually to Survive.” ESPN.com. 02 Feb. 2006. 13 Feb. 2006. http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2314067 Wonderful article about a one-time famous boxing gym struggling against going out of business. This article discusses the gyms history, prestige in the boxing world, and the value of boxing to ‘give people a chance’ and keep them ‘off the streets.’ This gives the students an example of a modern, true-life Donatelli’s Gym and shows how people see boxing as a way to get opportunities and ‘be a contender.’