Melanie Smith Literacy in YouTube Videos

  1. Right away the author tells us that Jason is the high school’s new “unlikely hero.” What are some reasons he could be called a hero? ***Make predictions about heroic acts.
  2. Why do you think he calls him an “unlikely” hero?
  3. What is a “likely” hero?
  4. At the beginning of the video you see on the back of Jason’s t-shirt the words “Greatness is earned – not given.” Keep that in mind throughout the video.
  5. How is the basketball team manager different than a team player?
  6. What does “suit up” mean?
  7. Why did the coach allow Jason to “suit up” for the last game of the season?
  8. What do you think the coach thinks about Jason before the last game?
  9. In the last four minutes of the game, the coach points to Jason. What does this mean?
  10. What kind of reaction does the crowd have when the coach points to Jason? How are they feeling about Jason? How do you know?
  11. What could be a reason Jason missed his first shot at the basket?
  12. How do you think Jason felt after he missed his first shot? Why do you think this?
  13. What was the coach thinking when Jason missed his first shot? How do you know?
  14. Why did the author choose to use the word “no doubter” when he described Jason shot he made for three points?
  15. After Jason makes his first three point shot, do you think the coach, players, fans think Jason will make another shot?
  16. What does “hot as a pistol” mean? What kind of figurative language is this phrase?
  17. How many shots did Jason make?
  18. What were special about the shots he made?
  19. Go back to the question, “Why do you think the author calls Jason an unlikely hero?” Has your thinking about why the author used the term “unlikely”?
  20. What is “total mayhem”?
  21. What conclusions can you draw about Jason’s relationship with the students before he played in the game? After he played in the game? How do you know?
  22. In terms of reading/writing, what genre can we classify this video?
  23. What “text structure” does this video have?
  24. What was the author’s purpose in making this video?
  25. What is the theme of this video?
  26. How does Jason’s t-shirt form the beginning of the video relate to the theme?

High School Basketball Sensation J-Mac, Five Years Later

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