Enabling Text

Emily Ledbetter
Professor Morris
LIS 664
20 April 2020
Book Discussion Plan
Title: The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond by Brenda Woods
Annotation: Violet Diamond is an 11 year-old biracial girl who learns about her African
American heritage during a vacation spent with her grandma.
Introducing the Text:
 Student suggested vocabulary
 Required vocabulary
 Introduce text with visual aide and a passage reading
- Ask students if there were any words they learned, liked, or did not understand. Write these
words on the board and ask the rest of the class what they thought the word meant.
- Write the required vocabulary (listed below) on the board if it is not already up there. If it is
already written on the board, put a star next to it. Ask kids for definitions and help them use
context clues to figure out difficult words.
 Required Vocabulary:
o Biracial: having parents from two races
o Bohemian: a person (such as a writer or an artist) living an unconventional life
usually in a colony with others
o Racism: belief that certain races of people are by birth and nature superior to
others
o Reconcile: to make friendly again
o Unconventional: being out of the ordinary
- Watch this book trailer from Plainville Public Library in Connecticut and ask kids what they
thought (Was it accurate? Was there anything else that should have been included?) Popcorn
read first chapter.
Small groups:
- Assign small groups, or partners if the group is small. Have each group discuss the starter
passages. If the class is short on time, assign one passage to half of the groups, and the second
to the remaining groups.
- Students reading passage 1 should discuss framing questions 1 & 3; students reading passage
2 should discuss framing questions 2 & 3. If the groups are reading both passages, they should
discuss all three questions.
 Starter passages:
1. “To white people, I’m half black.
To black people, I’m half white.
50% black + 50% white = 100% Violet?
Is that what I am, a percentage?”
2. “Prayers and wishes should always be good, but we all think bad thoughts when
our feelings get hurt. It's human, V."
 Framing questions:
1. Who decides where you fit in? What does it mean to fit in?
2. How much power does a wish have?
3. How does Violet change throughout the book?
- After the assigned amount of discussion time has passed, call the class back together. If the
groups still seem to be discussing the passages, extend the time (if time allows).
- Have a volunteer read passage 1 to the class.
- Ask an open-ended question
 What do you think Violet means by being a percentage?
- Students should lead the discussion from this point. Answers to framing questions will likely be
brought up naturally.
- When the first passage discussion reaches a natural close, have a volunteer read passage 2.
Ask another open-ended question if none of the students are interested in starting the
conversation.
 What do you think Violet could have done instead of making a “bad” wish?
Writing journal:
- As the lesson draws to a close, assign a writing assignment:
 Choose 1 chapter that you really liked from the book. Write at least 2 pages in your
reading journals about:
o Why you like that chapter, how it makes you feel, and why.
o Are there any of the literary devices we have learned about in this chapter? What
are they? How do they affect the story?
o How does Violet feel in this chapter? Write about a time where you felt this way.
- This assignment will not be graded, but it can be used to assess student’s critical reading skills
and their level of engagement.
Lesson assessment:
- Provide the participating children with an anonymous survey that asks:
 Did you have enough time to discuss the passages with your group?
 Did everyone in your group contribute to the conversation?
 Did the librarian/teacher lead the discussion enough, not enough, or too much?
 Is there anything you wish we had talked about that we didn’t cover?
 Were you able to relate to parts of this book?
 What kinds of situations would you like to see in future book discussions?
- Children can bring this survey back during the next lesson or discussion.
Works Cited
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Biracial. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved April 8, 2020,
from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biracial
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Bohemian. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved April 8,
2020, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Bohemian
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Racism. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved April 8, 2020,
from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/racism
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Reconcile. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved April 8,
2020, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reconcile
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Unconventional. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved April
8, 2020, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unconventional
Plainville Public Library Connecticut. (2017, March 16). Linden Book Trailer 2017 - The
Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond. [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=BJ3_hI7qr4I
Woods, B. (2015). The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond. Puffin.

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