All the Broken Pieces

The novel focuses on the effects of the Vietnam War on different characters. Generally, throughout the novel, what messages and tone are conveyed with regard to the Vietnam War? What lessons might be intended for readers? It may be beneficial to reflect on these questions as you prepare a response.

• What does Matt remember about Vietnam?
• What circumstances bring Matt to America?
• How has this war affected veterans?
• What guilt does Matt carry and how do his parents try to help him?

Teaching Suggestion: Revisiting the Short Activity from the Before Reading section and exploring any connections in the novel might be beneficial. Students might write journal entries or lists on points learned about the war from the novel. Finding quotations that illustrate their ideas will give students a chance to practice citing evidence. For a different approach to this topic, students could list key quotations, find patterns in the quotations, and write lessons the patterns and specific words are developing. An additional question to discuss or journal about might include reasons these lessons are important to learn for the characters and for all readers of the novel.

Differentiation Suggestion: English learners, students with dyslexia, and those with attentional or executive functioning differences might benefit from support with finding evidence in the text.