Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

Mason’s Shirt

In this activity, students will identify Mason’s positive character attributes based on relevant scenes from the novel.

Bullies take the extra shirt from Mason’s school locker and write “stoopid” on it, referring to a mistake Mason made in a spelling bee. Ms. Blinny, seeing the shirt, calls it derogatory, places duct tape on it, and adds “Think outside the” with a picture of a box. Mason is proud to wear the new shirt that describes the way that he thinks. Consider other attributes Mason possesses and design a new shirt for Mason.

• Consider important attributes of Mason’s character.
• Create a slogan for your shirt describing one of Mason’s attributes.
• Pull examples from the novel that highlight this positive attribute.
• Include an image for the shirt that supports your slogan.

Share your shirt design with peers and explain why you chose the slogan. Use examples from the novel to support your choices.

Teaching Suggestion: Students may find it helpful to discuss Mason’s positive qualities and to share their thoughts on those qualities before starting the activity. Discussing specific examples from the text may also help generate ideas.