Code of Honor

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.

“Presentation on a Famous Soldier”

In this activity, students will compile research and create a product such as a report on famous soldiers or military personnel and share it with the class.

Throughout the novel, Gratz introduces characters affiliated with the military or interested in enlisting. In this activity, you will choose a famous soldier or military member throughout history and share information on their life and impact with the class. As you compile your information, note ways in which the novel’s central characters compare to the figure you’ve chosen. Use the questions below to guide your research.

• Who was this famous soldier?
• When and where did they live?
• Why are they famous?
• What do you believe this person’s definition of patriotism is?
• How do they relate to the phrase “code of honor”?
• What traits or actions compare in some way to one of the central figures in the text?

Finally, share your information with the class, along with visuals, in the form of a report, slideshow, or other product. Discuss as a class how the book’s characters share direct or indirect characterization traits with some of the key figures researched.

Teaching Suggestion: This activity invites students to use research skills to report on a famous soldier in history. Remind students that reports should be unbiased in nature, as opposed to preferential. Based on the appropriateness of the class, this activity can be done as either an individual project or as group work.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students who might benefit from an interpersonal learning experience may also select a veteran they know and interview this person about their life and involvement in the military. In this vein, the activity may be structured as a report/interview style, where students may receive help formulating interview questions and taking notes on the interview, including using and incorporating quotations.