All the Broken Pieces

All the Broken Pieces
Author: Ann E. Burg
Published by Scholastic Press in 2009

Suggested Delivery: Small Group Read
Reading Level: Grade Level: 5-6
Lexile Measure: 680L
Fountas and Pinnell: Y

Key Words:

1.      Vietnam War
2.      Adoption
3.      Symbols
4.      Self-love and acceptance
5.      Bullying

Vocabulary: shrill (2), staccato (33), tamarind (41), prejudice (55), ignorance (55), divisive (144)

Summary: All the Broken Pieces follows the story of Matt Pin, a young boy who was brought to America at the age of ten, narrowly escaping the Vietnam War. Despite his supportive parents and positive living environment, Matt struggles to come to terms with his childhood before adoption. Having experienced violence, tragedy and the death of his own brother, a troubled Matt does not fit in well with his peers until he begins to take piano lessons with his tutor, Jeff, as well as join the baseball team. Through his experiences with Jeff, a fellow Vietnamese, Matt begins to confront his demons, both literally and figuratively.

Teaching Strategies

Before: Before reading this novel, students will need a basic understanding of the Vietnam War. In order to learn about the event thoroughly, students will be broken into groups that will focus on various types of information. There will be two groups for each of the following:

·  Dates and places

·  Players

·  Causes of War

·  American reaction

For the four categories, one group will utilize the school’s library books and publications for information, while the other group will utilize the Internet for their research. After gathering information, the groups will conference with each other, and present their findings to the class.

During: Throughout the novel, Matt speaks about physical symbols, which represent freedom, and his broken childhood. While reading the novel, instruct students to record the “broken pieces” Matt decides to keep with him. Examples of these include an unraveled baseball, and the “dust” of Vietnam. Questions they should consider while doing this are:

· What do the pieces make up physically?

· What do they represent to the character?

· Why does he keep them?

Additionally, Matt uses physical objects to symbolize his feelings on freedom and his own worth. For example, when writing his essay on freedom for Veteran’s Day, Matt writes, “Freedom is the color of bright read sneakers” (18).

·  Throughout the reading, have students discuss in small groups what the red sneakers symbolize, and why they have the meaning they do,

After: Children should interview a member of their family who last lived through a conflict such as the Vietnam War. During this discussion, students should ask their interviewee about specific memories of experiences in that time period. How did those experiences shape their memories? Students should present these findings in groups, and discuss what is different about their relative’s experiences, that would not necessarily be found in a textbook?

Writing: In the novel, Matt repeated distinguishes between “Vietnam” and “his Vietnam”. Because he experienced the conflict in his own land, first hand, Matt has an insight that is unknown to al but it. Imagine a place you know well. Describe it in a way that may not be obvious to a typical tourist. How have your experiences shaped your understanding of this place?

Electronic Resources:

Provides a list of possible discussion questions to extend the class’ understanding of the novel:
o  http://www.atpe.org/resources/educators/bookclubfiles/201101Grades6-8Questions.pdf
 All the Broken Pieces Book Talk
o   http://www.scholastic.com/browse/video.jsp?pID=1640149541&bcpid=1640149541&bclid=1557820328&bctid=22173406001

Burg, A. (2009). All the Broken Pieces. New York: Scholastic Press.