The Blind Side

Explore the different factors in the book that served to hinder Michael, as well as the circumstances that aided him. You might consider these questions as you formulate your response:

• How did Michael’s upbringing shape his later life?
• How did adversity assist him in achieving his goals?
• How might his earlier experiences have hindered Michael?
• How did the Tuohy family play a role in helping Michael?
• Do you think the Tuohy family may have done Michael a disservice in some respects?
• What other mentors contributed to Michael’s success?
• What factors beyond Michael’s control played a role in his unique qualifications for his position in football?

Teaching Suggestion: Students may wish to analyze the prompt itself and divide the parts and individual questions into categories. They might work in pairs to each focus on certain questions in detail and take notes prior to responding. Listing chronologically and reviewing important details about Michael’s life might be another way to address the prompt.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students who benefit from assistance with whole-text tasks might utilize prepared sentence frames or stems or a shorter version of the prompt that includes numbered, individual questions instead of a block of text. Consider encouraging students to take notes on their thoughts and the thoughts of others for discussion, and to work as a class to craft a response together.