The Amazing Powers of Jen Bricker

vocabulary, author’s craft, inference, supporting details, interpreting text, main idea, figurative language, descriptive language, theme, explanatory writing

The article tells about the life of Jen Bricker, a young woman who didn’t allow her disability to get in the way of achieving her dreams. The accompanying poem describes how trees endure and thrive even under difficult circumstances. Both texts explore the theme of overcoming obstacles.

Except for the opening section, the text is in chronological order. The poem has three stanzas. The second and third stanza use indentation to emphasize certain words.

Both articles include some challenging vocabulary (e.g. genetic, biological, steadfast), as well as figurative language. The poem includes personification.

The article refers to adoption, the Olympics, and Romania. The poem refers to types of trees: pine, cedar, and oak.

• Ask students to look at the headline and picture on pages 16-17. Ask: What do you think Jen Bricker’s amazing power might be? Then show the video “Into the World of Jen Bricker.” Have students complete the video activity in groups or as a class.
• Prompt students to glance at the poem’s title on page 20. Ask them how they think the poem is related to the article. Have a volunteer read aloud the Up Close box on page 16.
• Distribute the vocabulary activity to introduce challenging words in the text. Highlighted words: aerialist, feats, genetic, biological, bleak, agile, prosthetic, prodigy, obstacles, memoir
  

Read the articles as a class. Then put students in groups to answer the close-reading questions.

Discuss the critical-thinking question as a class.

“The Amazing Powers of Jen Bricker”

Close-Reading Questions

• In the first section, the author begins with a description of Jen dangling from the ceiling. Why do you think she chooses to introduce Jen this way? (author’s craft) By starting with this exciting image, author Kristin Lewis gets you interested in Jen and makes you aware of her athletic skills. When Lewis later reveals that Jen was born without legs, the story becomes more dramatic and makes you want to learn more about this impressive person.
• In the section “She Was Ours,” what do you think the Brickers mean when they say “she was ours” about first meeting baby Jen? (inference) The Brickers mean that they knew right away that they wanted Jen to be part of their family.
  
• What did doctors predict Jen’s life would be like? How accurate did these predictions turn out to be? (synthesizing) Doctors thought Jen’s life would be very difficult and suggested she would never be able to move on her own. Their predictions were absolutely wrong; Jen turned out to be a gifted athlete with a full and satisfying life.
  
• In “Can-Do Spirit,” the author writes that, as a child, Jen “felt she could do anything she put her mind to.” What examples from this section support this statement? (supporting details) Even without legs, Jen played softball, snowboarded, fished, rode horses, roller-skated, and was a state gymnastics champion.
  
• Reread the last paragraph of “It Seemed Impossible.” Explain what the author means by “it seemed impossible—and yet it made perfect sense.” (interpreting text) The author means that the chance Jen would turn out to be sisters with someone she greatly admired but had never met seemed almost impossible. On the other hand, Jen felt a special connection to Dominique while following her sports career. Also, both women are gymnasts who share a Romanian background and similar looks. These details make an unlikely situation feel normal, not surprising.
  
• In the last section, Jen says that she has no superpowers. What does she mean by this? (main idea) Jen means that she’s a regular person. Her success is the result of hard work and determination. She wants everyone to believe that “everything is possible” and hopes to inspire people to keep trying no matter what.
  

"The Mighty Tree"

Close-Reading Questions

• The word mighty means “having great strength or power.” How does the poem show you that trees are mighty? (main idea) In the poem, trees are mighty because they are strong enough to grow even when obstacles like rock and concrete are in their way. They are powerful enough to remain standing during droughts, hurricanes, and terrible weather.
• How are the trees in the poem like people? What activities do they have in common? (figurative language) Like people, the trees in the poem grow, dream, and tell their stories. Both trees and people face challenges in their lives.
  

Critical-Thinking Question

• The word mighty means “having great strength or power.” How does the poem show you that trees are mighty? (main idea) In the poem, trees are mighty because they are strong enough to grow even when obstacles like rock and concrete are in their way. They are powerful enough to remain standing during droughts, hurricanes, and terrible weather.
• How are the trees in the poem like people? What activities do they have in common? (figurative language) Like people, the trees in the poem grow, dream, and tell their stories. Both trees and people face challenges in their lives.

Distribute our synthesizing activity and have students complete it. Then have them use their answers to the activity to respond to the writing prompt on page 20.