Name ______Period______

Summative Graphic Organizer

PARAGRAPH ONE (Introduction)

Hook (use a type of lead learned in class to grab your readers’ attention) 1-3 sentences

What would you do if you were always second best? Would you go to extremes to be on top?

Author, Title, Summary (1-3 sentences)

In the book The Shadow Club by Neal Shusterman, Jared and Cheryl were tired of coming in second, so they formed a club with the mission to seek revenge on the “Unbeatables” who had made their lives miserable. But their schemes soon spiral out of control.

Claim(What you are trying to prove--What are two themes expressed in the novel? (1-2 sentences)

One theme addressed in this novel is that revenge is never the answer.

PARAGRAPH TWO (Explanation of Theme A)

Topic Sentence (restate first theme)
The Shadow Club delivers the message that revenge is never the answer.
Introduce Evidence #1 (explain in own words; provide context for the passage you’ll be quoting)
Throughout the story, the characters’ attempts at revenge consistently end negatively. For example, Jared’s enemy Austin ends up getting seriously hurt.
Give Evidence #1with page number (don’t forget quotation marks!)
Evidence that supports this is on page 153 when Jared reacts to learning about Austin’s injury by reflecting, “Whatever Austin has done to me in the past, he never deserved this. He was Olympics bound, and now he might never run again.”
Explanation of how evidence #1 ties to theme A
Jared shows in this quote that cares about Austin and is regretting the pranks he pulled on him. It shows that he is learning that his attempts at revenge did not pay off the way he thought they would.
Introduce Evidence #2 (Use a TRANSITION word! Explain in own words; provide context for the passage you’ll be quoting)
Another example of revenge having a negative effect on the characters is when the club nearly kills Tyson McGaw.
Give Evidence #2 with page number (don’t forget quotation marks!)
When Darren explains the story he says, “We were going to stop but a gigantic wave came and we couldn’t find Tyson. That’s when all the craziness went away” (p. 179-180).
Explanation of how evidence #2 ties to theme A
As Darren’s words show, their extreme anger with Tyson had gotten out of control. When Tyson nearly drowns, they realized they had done something very bad and started trying to undo the damage their revenge had caused.
Introduce Evidence #3(Use a TRANSITION word! Explain in own words; provide context for the passage you’ll be quoting)
Additionally, the negative effects of revenge are shown when the Shadow Club suffers consequences from their actions.
Give Evidence #3 with page number (don’t forget quotation marks!)
This is shown on page 194 when Jared says, “It was a big deal. Everyone knows about it…We all got suspended from school and now we have to pay for everything we did.”
Explanation of how evidence #3 ties to theme A
The fact that the club members are punished at home and at school for their actions show that revenge was not the answer to their problems. Their former reputations of being good kids had been ruined, and their vengeful actions will have a lasting negative impact on their lives.
Concluding Sentence (sum up this paragraph)
The Shadow Club’s obsession with revenge and the way in which that obsession backfired clearly expresses the theme that revenge is not the answer.

PARAGRAPH THREE (Conclusion)

2-3 sentences

Start with a different hook than you used in your intro.
Restate title.
Restate claim in a new way.
Jealousy…anger…secrets…revenge. What makes good kids turn bad? The Shadow Club uses the story of a group of resentful teens to show the consequences of revenge.