No Talking

Dave and Lynsey are both very talkative. Suggest two reasons, aside from gender bias, why they might dislike someone else their age who also is chatty. Support your argument with evidence from the novel which reveals more about Dave and Lynsey’s characters.

The contest creates many unexpected results. Give two ways in which strict limits on talking surprise the fifth graders, and offer two reasons why the contest benefits the teachers. Support your examples with evidence from the novel.

Mr. Burton finds inspiration for his master’s degree thesis in the no-talking game. Examine at least two other instances in the novel in which the teachers learn something from the students.

What might have happened to the no-talking game if the students didn’t have a three-word exception during class time? How might this have changed the way Clements portrays the fifth graders’ relationship to authority?

If the three-word-limit actually makes learning better, why do some of the teachers and Principal Hiatt oppose it? Examine their resistance to the contest using textual evidence.

Dave yells at Principal Hiatt in front of the fifth graders. Why does he do so? Why does he later apologize? Was Dave’s outburst appropriate, according to the way Clements portrays respect and authority in the novel?

Explain how humility and respect resolve conflict in the novel by examining at least three different conflicts depicted in the story.

Examine at least two things that Dave does that make Lynsey want to end the game in a tie. Why do his actions inspire her to give up a sure victory? How does her character development differ from Dave’s?