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.

“Grand Gesture”

In this activity, students create a grand gesture to support a person or a cause they believe in based on details from the novel.

At the conclusion of the novel, Bryce plants a sycamore tree in Juli’s front yard as a grand gesture to show appreciation for her and her individuality.

Consider a person or organization you appreciate and create a plan for a grand gesture for that person or organization to recognize something important to them.

• Explain how your gesture represents something important to the person/organization.
• Make connections to Bryce’s gesture in the novel by explaining the symbolic significance.
• Convey the plan for your grand gesture and what it represents with peers through video or a physical presentation.

Hold a “Grand Gesture” celebration to cap the reading of the novel, at which class members share their video or presentation and discuss the comparisons of the symbolic gestures.

Teaching Suggestion: Students may benefit from first having open and inspirational discussions of who or what they appreciate and why. Consider allowing students to brainstorm grand gestures they have seen in movies or read in books.