He went to Gettysburg College and Johns Hopkins University.

Jerry Spinelli is the author of Maniac Magee, winner of the 1991 Newbery Medal, and Wringer, named a Newbery Honor Book in 1998. By maintaining a strong sense of self through his experiences, Donald Zinkoff teaches us all about important and unforgettable lessons of self esteem and happiness. Donald faces the familiar challenges of elementary-aged children-disagreeable teachers, peer pressure, social conformity, and competition. With the encouragement of his family, he learns to approach life with a positive spirit and to enjoy all that it has to offer. Introduction: Loser is a tender story about Donald Zinkoff, a young character who demonstrates great self-acceptance and who is not afraid to fail. Introduce story: Loser by Jerry Spinelli. Activitiesĭo Now: How would you feel if someone called you a loser? Would you respond to them? Would you walk away? All of our content meets the Common Core State Standards and are written to Bloom's Taxonomy.Students will examine the point of view of the narrative voice in Loser, and will specifically focus on how the narrator's perspective affects the way the reader interprets the events and characters of the book. 'Loser' is an excellent novel which deals sensitively with the human spirit and the importance of failure. It details his important friendships, marks his relationships with different teachers, and describes how he copes with various shortcomings that everyone but Donald and his parents deem terribly important. The novel traces Donald's journey from first to sixth grade. He trips over his own feet, constantly raises his hand without ever knowing the correct answer, and falls down laughing at the mention of any unusual word. No matter what the game, Donald never wins. About the Novel: Loser chronicles the childhood of Donald Zinkoff who is one of the most unusual, endearing characters ever to grace the pages of a novel for young readers. Also included are writing tasks, graphic organizers, comprehension quiz, word search, and crossword to further develop students' critical thinking and writing skills, and analysis of the text.

Students are asked to give thoughtful consideration of the text through creative and evaluative short-answer questions and journal prompts. The After You Read activities check students' comprehension and extend their learning. They stimulate background knowledge and experience, and guide students to make connections between what they know and what they will learn. The Before You Read activities prepare students for reading by setting a purpose for reading. In every chapter, we include Before You Read and After You Read questions.

In this Literature Kit(TM), we divide the novel by chapters or sections and feature reading comprehension and vocabulary questions.

Loser spinelli