Lesson Plan: The Perfects

Essential Questions

• What are the risks of pretending to be something we are not?
• How do we deal with stress and fear?
• What is it like to have a parent in the military?

Literature Connection

• Novel: If You’re Reading This by Trent Reedy
• Novel: Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt 

Make Personal Connections (5 minutes)

Ask students the following questions and invite them to share their experiences: Have you ever moved to a new place? How did you feel about the move? What about it was exciting or fun? What was challenging? Let students know that in the story they’re about to read, the main character moves to a new state.

Preview Text Features (5 minutes)

Guide students to locate the story. Then preview text features with the following prompts:

• Based on the title “The Perfects,” what do you think the story might be about? What kind of family or characters do you think the “Perfects” might be, and why? Answers will vary. Students might say that based on the title “The Perfects,” the story could be about a family who seems to have a perfect life, with everything going well for them. They might also guess that the “Perfects” could be hiding some secrets behind their seemingly perfect image.
• Skim through the story and look at the side bubbles that contain questions. Read the headers, such as “Character” and “Interpreting Text.” Are there any skills you’re not familiar with? Answers will vary. 

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

• Point out the vocabulary box. Read the words (deployed, casualties, porcelain, gaping, ominous) aloud and discuss their definitions.
• Play the Vocabulary Slideshow.

Make a Plan for Reading

• Before students start to read, set a purpose for reading by telling them that they will make inferences about “The Perfects.” Explain that making an inference means figuring out something that isn’t directly stated by using clues from the text. (You may also consider showing our “Skills in Action: What Is an Inference?” video.)

• Read the story (or visit Action Online and click Presentation View to access an audio read-aloud). Then discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)

• Inference (p. 15) Mom was reading the news to keep track of the news story from where Dad was deployed. She wasn’t honest about it because she didn’t want Max to worry and also because she didn’t want him to know how sad and worried she was feeling.
• Setting (p. 16) The dark, cloudy sky makes the house seem gloomy and unwelcoming, which adds to the sense of disappointment Max and his family feel about their broken-down new home.
• Character (p. 16) The line about Mom tells us that she is feeling nervous and uncertain about the new home. She’s trying to put on a brave and positive front for her kids, hiding her true feelings, so they can be happy and hopeful about the new house.
• Compare and Contrast (p. 16) The imaginary family, the Perfects, seem like they have a happy and stable life without many problems. In contrast, Max’s family has been dealing with the challenges of military deployment, frequent moves, and a house that’s falling apart.
• Inference (p. 17) Max isn’t used to paying attention to his classmates because he has moved many times. To avoid the pain of saying goodbye, he hasn’t always bothered to make friends.
• Character (p. 17) The lines tell you that Jenny is helpful, resourceful, and calm in stressful situations. They also show that she knows about plumbing.
• Inference (p. 18) Max feels a flash of anger when Jenny calls his house a dump because it feels personal. He cares about his family and doesn’t like to hear negative comments about their home. The anger fades because Max realizes that Jenny means well and that she’s helping him.
• Interpreting Text (p. 18) The “she” Mom is referring to here is herself. She’s speaking about herself in the third person (saying she instead of I) to be funny.
• Point of View (p. 18) Max notices that Mom's smile is real because he has also noticed her forcing herself to smile a lot lately. Seeing her real smile is important to him because he loves her and because the whole family will be happier if none of them is faking their feelings.

Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

• Do you think Mom makes a good choice at the end of the story when she decides to video chat with Dad from the bathroom? Why or why not? (critical thinking) Answers will vary. Some students might say that Mom does make a good choice because Dad has a right to know what’s going on with his family and because being honest feels better than hiding the truth. Others may say she doesn’t make a good choice because being honest with Dad will cause him to worry.
• How does the flood, and getting Jenny’s help, change the way Max and his family think about the house? (inference) When the flood happens and Jenny helps, Max and Mom realize that it’s OK to share their problems. Nothing bad happens when Jenny sees what a mess the house is; in fact, she offers to help and to get her dad to help too. Hiding the problems with the house no longer seems important.

(20 minutes)

• Have students work in pairs to complete the Spotlight Skill Workout: Inference activity at the end of the play.
• Assign students to work independently on our Elements of Fiction Skill Builder. (Click here to see all your Skill Builders for this feature.)
• Writing prompt: In a paragraph or two, retell the events of parts 4 and 5 from Jenny’s point of view. Imagine what she might have been thinking about when she was mowing the lawn, how she felt when Max showed up and asked her for help, and what she thinks about getting to know Max and his family.