The Unteachables

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Chapters 1-5

Reading Check

1. Which room is Mr. Kermit assigned to?

2. Who do the students discover Mr. Kermit once had a relationship with?

3. Which of the students helps Mr. Kermit start his vehicle?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What clues on Kiana’s first day indicate it may be chaotic in Kiana’s new classroom?

2. What political factors are at play in forcing Mr. Kermit to teach the Unteachables?

3. What are Aldo Braff’s feelings about his classmates? What does it indicate about his personality?

Paired Resource

“Are Labels Preventing Students from Succeeding?”

• This opinion piece in Education Week explores how labels could be more helpful to teachers than to the students they serve. (Teacher-facing; not student-appropriate)
• This resource might provide language and ideas for generating additional discussion in the classroom around the novel’s themes.

Chapters 6-11

Reading Check

1. Who does Mateo compare Mr. Kermit to?

2. What event are the Unteachables excluded from, causing Mr. Kermit to argue with the principal?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does Mr. Kermit insist on his class’s participation in the pep rally? How does he inadvertently make his students feel by doing this? Why is the class eventually kicked out of the rally?

2. What is Ms. Fountain’s classroom like? Why do the students view her methods as juvenile?

3. What is the scandal Mr. Kermit was implicated in? How did it affect his life?

Paired Resource

“A Sense of Belonging”

• This 6-minute video explores the importance of belonging and how to create belonging.
• Shared themes include Belief in Yourself Comes from Inside, There Are Different Kinds of Smart, and Our Decisions Affect Those Around Us.
• What are the physical and psychological benefits of belonging? Do the Unteachables feel as though they belong? How might a lack of belonging have a negative impact on the group?

Chapters 12-17

Reading Check

1. What two characters does Mateo compare Mr. Kermit to after spirit week?

2. Who comes to Mr. Kermit’s classroom in an effort to make amends?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Mr. Kermit admits that the vuvuzela disappearing ranks about sixth in all of the bad things that have happened during spirit week. What does that indicate about Mr. Kermit’s feelings toward spirit week?

2. Why do the students decide to steal the vuvuzela? What does it reveal about their relationship with Mr. Kermit?

3. How does Mr. Kermit change after the suspension? Why does he change?

Paired Resource

“Are Attitudes Contagious?”

• This article explores the effect of verbal and nonverbal signals on attitudes.
• Shared themes to connect through discussion include Our Decisions Affect Those Around Us.
• How do nonverbal cues affect the way individuals interact or think about others? What evidence of contagious attitudes can you identify in the novel? Which character do you believe have the biggest impact on attitude changes?

Chapters 18-22

Reading Check

1. How does Mr. Kermit decide to approach Parker’s dyslexia?

2. What does Kiana’s brother drop into her tea, teaching her a scientific concept?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why is Jake motivated to help Mr. Kermit? What realizations does he make while attempting to rebuild the relationship with him?

2. Why does Kiana decide she needs to get to LA fast?

3. How does Mr. Kermit attempt to assist with the learning needs of different students?

Chapters 23-29

Reading Check

1. What is the cause of Parker’s grandmother’s unusual gait?

2. Who is fired after the state science exam?

3. What does Grams remember, surprising Parker?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What rumors about Elaine are untrue? How do the rumors help Mateo? What does Mateo’s incident in the bathroom reveal about the class in Room 117?

2. What does Kiana mean by her short-timer attitude having an impact on her classmates and how is it connected to the novel’s theme of Our Decisions Affect Those Around Us?

3. How do the students plan to save Mr. Kermit’s job? What inspires Mateo with his idea for the project?

Paired Resource

Multiple Intelligences

• This 4-minute video explores the 8 intelligences defined by Dr. Howard Gardner.
• Shared themes include There Are Different Kinds of Smart and Belief in Yourself Comes from the Inside.
• What are the different types of intelligence? How do Mr. Kermit’s students exhibit different intelligences? Why might the classroom inaccurately predict student success?

Chapters 30-32

Reading Check

1. What emotion does Aldo feel when he learns his class finished second in the science fair?

2. What room does Mr. Kermit sign up to teach next year?

3. Where does Kiana plan to attend school in the fall?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What events inadvertently lead to Mr. Kermit getting his job back?

2. How do the Unteachables feel about their name based on Kiana’s discussion with her mom?

Recommended Next Reads

Schooled by Gordon Korman

• This novel is about a 13-year-old girl who must attend school for the first time when her grandmother is injured.
• Shared themes include There Are Different Kinds of Smart and Belief in Yourself Comes from Inside.
• Shared topics include bullying, adapting to new schools, and learning to get along.  
• Schooled on SuperSummary

Summer of the Gypsy Moths by Sara Pennypacker

• This novel is about two teenage girls who bond over their mutual desire to remain together after the loss of a caretaker.
• Shared themes include Our Decisions Affect Those Around Us and Belief in Yourself Comes from Inside.
• Shared topics include unlikely allies, friendship, and bonding over shared goals.
• Summer of the Gypsy Moths on SuperSummary