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A Summer of Silk Moths


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The Buck Town Book

A thoughtful, complex and moving story about loss and discovery of identity, love and the ability to change and the restorative powers of nature.

Seventeen-year-old Pete Shelton's life revolves around helping his friend Abe McMichael build Riverside, a nature preserve dedicated to the memory of Abe's brother, Paul. Then one summer a troubled runaway shows up—a girl named Nora who claims to be Paul's daughter. All her life, Nora has lived with secrets and lies, never knowing anything about her father. Although enemies at first, Pete and Nora slowly begin to piece together their shadowy pasts . . . and discover that their lives intertwine in a way they never imagined.

Essential Questions

  • How do our personal experiences shape the way we view ourselves?
  • How does family’s influence impact one’s life?
  • How does traumatic experiences impact one’s life?
  • Why runaway?
  • Does death impact life?
  • What are the elements of the Bildungsroman (coming-of-age stories), and how does this novel reflect those elements?
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A Summer of the Silk Moths Blog

Individual Work

Quick Writes

Character Notebook

Literary Terms Activity

Warning Signs in Teens Article

Extended Definition Paragraph

Coming of Age project

Socratic Seminar Questions

Remember the Titans

Coming of Age Compare & Contrast Paper

Coming of Age C&C rubric

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Team Work 

Quotations

"Open Window"

"Open Window" Activities

Literary Terms Activity

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Resources

Blog Expectations PPT

Life Cycle Chart

Interview Permission Slip

Writing the Feature Story

Feature Story Rubric

Archetypes -- Quest

Quest Rubric

Compare & Contrast PowerPoint


The Coming of Age Unit Test - Moths
The Coming of Age Essay Test

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