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Divergent Recap

Abnegation values _________________. Amity values _________________. Dauntless values _________________. Candor values _________________. Erudite values _________________. What does it mean to be DIVERGENT? ______________

___________________________________________ Who is Divergent that we know of so far? _________

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What events in Divergent do you believe will shape the

person Tris becomes in Insurgent? _________________

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Who do you think will be the main villain in Insurgent? __________________________________________

Insurgent Vocabulary 1 insurgent – rising in active revolt synonym: stable – not likely to change or fail synonym: conceal – keep from sight; hide synonym: suppress – forcibly put an end to synonym: ludicrous – so foolish or unreasonable as to be amusing synonym: conserve – protect from harm synonym: placid – not easily upset or excited synonym:

Insurgent Spelling 1

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pressure

series

foolish

stable

rough

security

medicine

occasion

determination

reflection

sew

echo

technology

insurgent

peace

disappear

Name _________________

Insurgent Vocabulary Review 1

Use the vocabulary word in the box to complete each statement. Some will be used more than once.

1. ______________________ - rising in active revolt 2. ______________________ - not likely to change or fail 3. ______________________ - not easily upset or excited 4. ______________________ - protect from harm 5. ______________________ - so foolish or unreasonable as to be amusing 6. ______________________ - keep from sight; hide 7. ______________________ - forcibly put an end to Write the vocabulary word that fits best with each group of words. 8. ____________calm, peaceful 9. ____________constant, steady 10. ____________rebel, rioter 11. ____________laughable, absurd 12. __________ protect, save 13. ____________hide, cover 14. ____________ restrain, smother

placid conserve ludicrous suppress

conceal stable insurgent

Name ____________________

Vocabulary Test 1

1. _______________ protect from harm 2. _______________ unreasonable as to be amusing 3. _______________ forcibly put an end to 4. _______________ keep from sight 5. _______________ not likely to change or fail 6. _______________ rising in active revolt 7. _______________not easily upset or excited Choose the word that makes the most sense in the sentence. 8. The Abnegation typically wore a _______ expression. a. ludicrous b. placid c. stable 9. Do not waste the water as we are trying to _________ it. a. conserve b. suppress c. conceal 10. Hannah tried to ______ her smile after Billy asked her for her number.

a. stable b. conceal c. suppress 11. Tris will ________ her weapon underneath her pillow. a. placid b. conceal c. insurgent 12. The doctor explained to the young girl’s family that she was ______ after her surgery. a. stable b. ludicrous c. insurgent Match the vocabulary word to its synonym. 12. placid 13. ludicrous 14. conceal 15. insurgent

• rebel • hide • calm • foolish

Name _________________

Insurgent Ch. 1 - 11

Answer the following questions with COMPLETE sentences. 1. The Dauntless have two choices when they can no longer perform physical tasks such as jumping onto and off of trains. What are those two choices? ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 2. The factionless plan to usurp Erudite. What does this mean? _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ 3. Who is the surprising leader of the factionless? _____________________________________________________ 4. Why is this surprising? What did we believe happened to her? _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ 5. Why did the Erudite attack the Abnegation? _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ 6. After staying with the factionless for a couple days, where does Tris and Tobias go? ______________________________________________________

7. What happens to Tris and Tobias as soon as the reach their destination? ______________________________________________________ 8. In Divergent we read that many people in this society believed in the motto “Faction before blood.” Do you think this is still accurate in Insurgent? Why or why not? ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ 9. Who do you think has changed the most throughout Divergent and Insurgent? Why? (at least three sentences) ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________

Name ____________________

Insurgent Vocabulary 2

nonchalant (p. 115) – appearing calm and relaxed usurp (p. 110) – take a position of power illegally or by force demolish (p. 111) – pull or knock down interrogation (p. 132) – the act of questioning reprimand (p. 132) – to scold, usually officially allegiance (p. 136) - loyalty or commitment infiltrated (p. 149) – gain access to an organization or place


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influence

humanity

decision

rhythm

soldier

curiosity

ridiculous

situation

ache

privacy

refugee

faucet

courage

interrupt

reassurance

Name _________________


Match each vocabulary word to its appropriate clue. 1. ________________________ - gain access to an organization 2. ______________________ - appearing calm 3. ______________________ - remove from position by force 4. ______________________ - questioning 5. ______________________ - destroy 6. ______________________ - to scold 7. ______________________ - to pledge loyalty to something

nonchalant usurp demolish

interrogation reprimand

allegiance infiltrated

Choose the vocabulary word that makes the most sense in the sentence.

8. Police were conducting an __________________ of witnesses. allegiance infiltrated interrogation 9. Mikey is going to ______________ the house made of Legos. demolish nonchalant allegiance 10. Peter looked ____________ after being accused of stealing. usurp reprimand nonchalant 11. The teacher will ______________ Kristen for not turning in her homework. demolish infiltrated reprimand 12. Jeanine’s _____________ lies with Erudite. interrogation allegiance nonchalant 13. Bill wants to ___________ Raymond’s position as mayor. nonchalant usurp allegiance

Name ____________________

Insurgent Vocabulary 3 callous – showing or having an insensitive and cruel disregard to others Which character is callous? erratic – unpredictable or unsteady Recall a time a character has demonstrated erratic behavior. malice – the intention or desire to do evil Which character is filled with malice? negotiate – try to reach an agreement or compromise by discussion with others salvage – rescue or save dawdle – waste time; be slow Why would you dawdle to class the day of a test? inept – having or showing no skill; clumsy Who is more inept: Al or Edward? ultimatum – a final demand or statement of terms, the rejection of which will result in retaliation or a breakdown in relations


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desperate

purpose

especially

launch

insistent

value

position

structure

leader

policy

instinct

require

suggest

nominate

popular

Name _________________


1. ______________________ - example: “Finish your vegetables or I’m not cooking the rest of the week!” 2. ______________________ - example: falling over your own feet 3. ______________________ - example: slowly packing your lunch, slowly putting on your shoes, and slowly walking to school 4. ______________________ - example: trying to get your mom to let you stay out a half hour past your curfew by saying you will do the dishes for the rest of the month 5. ______________________ - unpredictable behavior that makes people suspicious of you 6. ______________________ - save or rescue 7. ______________________ - Peter is this way to others 8. ______________________ - example: intentionally doing something cruel to an animal

callous erratic malice

negotiate salvage dawdle

inept ultimatum

Name _________________

Insurgent Vocabulary Test 3

Match each word to its definition.

1. ______ a final demand that will result in

retaliation if rejected

2. ______ clumsy with little skill

3. ______ unpredictable behavior

4. ______ wasting time by moving slowly

5. ______ intentionally do something evil

6. ______ an attempt to reach an agreement

or compromise with another person or group

7. ______ showing insensitivity to others

8. ______ save

Complete each sentence with the appropriate vocabulary word.

9. After the house fire, the family tried to _______anything they could from the remains. a. erratic b. salvage c. inept 10. Coming to school in a clown outfit is an example of _____behavior. a. dawdle b. ultimatum c. erratic

a. inept

b. dawdle

c. callous

d. salvage

e. negotiate

f. malice

g. erratic

h. ultimatum

11. Jack Kang attempted to _______ with the Erudite by meeting with a representative of Jeanine. a. ultimatum b. negotiate c. malice 12. Tris could see the _______ in Eric’s eyes. a. salvage b. inept c. malice 13. After trying to negotiate with the Erudite, Max gave Jack Kang an ________. a. callous b. negotiate c. ultimatum 14. When walking from class to class, teachers appreciate it if students do not _________. a. dawdle b. inept c. callous 15. The _____ remark from another student hurt Sheri’s feelings. a. inept b. ultimatum c. callous 16. Give an example of malice behavior. ________________________________________________________ 17. Give an example of erratic behavior. _______________________________________________________ Extra Credit Use any of the vocabulary words correctly in a complete sentence. ______________________________________________________

Name ____________________


translucent – allowing light, but not detailed images to pass through beckon – make a gesture with a hand, arm, or head to encourage someone to come near or follow vague – of uncertain or unclear meaning repercussions – an unintended consequence occurring some time after an event or action fragile – easily broken, damaged, or destroyed nuance – a subtle difference in or shade of meaning, expression, or sound abundance – a very large quantity of something


relief

fierce

involve

increase

apartment

presence

muscles

guilt

definite

disappointed

motivate

behavior

curious

recognize

piece


Match each vocabulary word with its synonym or clue.

1. ______________ consequences

2. ______________ transparent

3. ______________ plenty

4. ______________ motion

5. ______________ indistinct

6. ______________ slight difference

7. ______________ brittle

8. After a successful harvest season, the farmers shared an __________________ of corn and

potatoes with their family and friends.

a. beckon b. vague c. abundance

9. Evelyn __________________ Tobias to talk with her at the factionless house.

a. abundance b. nuance c. beckoned

10. The explanation of the assignment seemed ____________ to the confused students.

a. vague b. fragile c. repercussions

11. The ___________ of your inappropriate actions will be discussed when you serve the

detention this afternoon.

a. nuance b. repercussions c. translucent

12. Please don’t touch any of the porcelain teacups as they are very ___________.

a. vague b. fragile c. beckon

a. translucent

b. beckon

c. vague

d. repercussions

e. fragile

f. nuance

g. abundance

Name ____________

Insurgent Vocabulary Test 4

Match each vocabulary word with its definition.

1. _______ allowing light to pass through 2. _______of uncertain or unclear meaning 3. _______make a gesture with a hand, arm, or head to encourage someone to follow 4. _______an unintended consequence 5. _______ a large quantity 6. _______ easily broken or damaged 7. _______ a difference in or shade of meaning

Read each question and choose the best answer. 8. What is an example of something that is transparent? a. a marker b. a window c. a movie theater

a. abundance

b. vague

c. beckon

d. repercussions

e. nuance

f. translucent

g. fragile

9. What is an example of a repercussion for accidentally breaking a window at home? a. getting expelled from school b. having to pay for the window out of your allowance money c. buying and installing a new window without telling your parents 10. Which of the following would be considered fragile? a. a microwave b. a reading homework assignment c. an old figurine made of glass 11. Which conclusion can be drawn from this sentence? After Halloween, my family had so much candy leftover! a. The family had an abundance of family after Halloween. b. The daughter beckoned many children to come to their house for candy.

c. The family’s repercussion was having leftover candy after Halloween. 12. When Johnny raised his hand during the test, the teacher ____ him to come to her desk to ask the question. a. beckon b. fragile c. vague

Name ____________________


i l logical – lacking sense or clear, sound reasoning relinquish – voluntarily cease to keep or claim; give up destination – the place to which someone or something is going or being sent mockery – an absurd misrepresentation or imitation of something distinguish – recognize or treat someone or something as different categorize – place in a particular class or group silhouette – the dark shape and outline of someone or something visible against a lighter background, especially in dim light oppress – keep someone in hardship by the unjust exercise of authority


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replace

surprise

ready

experience

surround

information

impress

gesture

memory

demonstrate

already

provide

accurate

threat

Name _______________

Insurgent 5

Vocabulary Test

Choose the appropriate vocabulary word in each of the following sentences. 1. Luke hired a secretary to _____ his files. a. oppress b. categorize c. illogical 2. The ____ of African Americans led to the Civil Rights Movement. a. destination b. mockery c. oppression 3. As I was camping with my family I saw the ____ of a large animal approaching. It terrified me until I figured out it was our dog! a. distinguish b. silhouette c. illogical 4. This vocabulary test will help me ____ between the students who studied and the students who did not study. a. oppress b. mockery c. distinguish 5. The route you chose is ____ because you didn’t know where you were going, we got lost, and ended up being late to the birthday party.

a. oppress b. relinquish c. illogical 6. The president of the organization has ____ control to the vice president because of health issues. a. relinquished b. distinguished c. categorized 7. As Tris left the Dauntless compound, she made her way to her ____ of Erudite Headquarters. a. silhouette b. destination c. mockery 8. What was once a respected company ended up becoming a ____ of the business world after the CFO carelessly spent their funds on nonessential material things. a. illogical b. oppress c. mockery

Choose the word does that does NOT fit in the group of words.

9. categorize sort unreasonable 10. give up shadow relinquish 11. unreasonable mockery illogical 12. oppress silhouette shadow

Cause/Effect Teacher Guide

• Create cause/effect graphic organizers that include 1 event and 3 things that happened because of that event

• Example: o EVENT: Evelyn left Marcus and Tobias when Tobias was a young boy

POSSIBLE EFFECT: Evelyn became a leader of the factionless POSSIBLE EFFECT: Marcus physically abused Tobias for years

of his childhood POSSIBLE EFFECT: Tobias left Abnegation for Dauntless

o EVENT: Tris accidentally pushed Peter out of the way during the Erudite

attack. POSSIBLE EFFECT: Peter saved Tris’ life and made Jeanine

believe she was dead. POSSIBLE EFFECT: Peter helped Tris and Tobias escape from

the Erudite compound. POSSIBLE EFFECT: Peter left Erudite to stay with the factionless.

o EVENT: Tris chose to leave Abnegation for Dauntless.

POSSIBLE EFFECT: She met Tobias. POSSIBLE EFFECT: She learned what it means to be

“Divergent.” POSSIBLE EFFECT: Al and Will died.

o EVENT: Erudite developed the simulation serum. POSSIBLE EFFECT: Abnegation was attacked by Erudite-

controlled Dauntless. POSSIBLE EFFECT: Tris had to kill Will. POSSIBLE EFFECT: Tris lost her parents.

Writing a Friendly Letter

A friendly or personal letter has 5 main parts.

HEADING: Includes the address and the date. In some cases, it is OK to just write the date. GREETING: The greeting usually starts with ‘Dear’ and is followed by a person’s name and then a comma. BODY: After skipping a line, you begin the body of your letter, which is the main text of your letter. Indent each new paragraph. CLOSING: The closing includes a short capitalized expression such as ‘Sincerely’ or ‘Love’ and is followed by a comma. Skip a line after the body before writing your closing. SIGNATURE: You sign your name beginning directly below the closing Sometimes you may add a POSTSCRIPT at the end of your letter. You write P.S., add a note and then end it with your initials. What kind of things might you write in your friendly letter?

• Tell your friend about something fun you recently did. • Congratulate your friend on a job well done for a recent

accomplishment. • Ask your friend some questions. • Ask for advice.

We are going to write a letter to Veronica Roth, the author of our FAVORITE books Divergent and Insurgent. Veronica is known to respond to fan mail. I’m not promising she will respond to us, but I have high hopes! What are some things to include in your letter?

• Tell Veronica some information about yourself. What grade are you in? What kind of stuff are you interested in? What type of books do you typically like to read? Do you have any book suggestions for her (besides Divergent and Insurgent of course!)

• Be sure to tell Veronica how much you love her books! Use colorful adjectives to describe how you felt as you were reading it. Both books were full of suspense, mystery, romance, family, courage, and selflessness. I felt each chapter revealed shocking discoveries and I didn’t want to put the book down. If you felt this way too, tell Veronica that! I’m sure she loves to hear from fans who love her work.

• Do you have any questions for Veronica? I know I do! For example, I’ve been dying to know if Tris or Tobias are based on real people in Veronica’s life. If she had to choose a faction, which faction would she choose? Could she leave her family to discover her true self or would she stay and live the life she was used to?

We’re going to be sending these very soon and I want to make sure you are proud of your letter. That means we will be CHECKING, REWRITING, DOUBLE CHECKING, RE-REWRITING, TRIPLE CHECKING, AND RE-RE-REWRITING this letter over the next two weeks. Veronica will read that you are in junior high and I’m sure as a professional writer, she would cringe if you forget capitalization or punctuation or made careless spelling and grammar mistakes. Let’s show her how great our writing skills are! I’m looking forward to sending these to Veronica Roth. I can’t wait to see if she takes the time to respond to us, but in the mean time we can always check out her online blog:

http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com

Name ___________________

Insurgent Quotes

Read each quote from Insurgent. Explain in your own words what you think the quote means. “Cruelty does not make a person dishonest, the same way bravery does not make a person kind.”

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________________________________________________________________ “We both have war inside us. Sometimes it keeps us alive. Sometimes it threatens to destroy us.”

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________________________________________________________________ “No matter how long you train someone to be brave, you never know if they are or not until something real happens.” ________________________________________________________________

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________________________________________________________________ “Like a wild animal, the truth is too powerful to remain caged.”

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“The Candor sing the praises of the truth, but they never tell you how much it costs.”

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“Do you remember, though, that sometimes the people you oppress become mightier than you would like.”

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June 19, 2012 Interview: Veronica Roth, author of 'Insurgent' Comments By Serena Chase, USA TODAY

Veronica Roth exploded onto the YA scene last year with her smash dystopian novel, Divergent. To promote its follow-up, Insurgent, she is touring the country this summer with several other authors on the Dark Days book tour. I had a chance to visit with Veronica while she was attending the BookExpo America convention in New York, the first stop on the tour. Serena: Welcome to HEA, Veronica! You're on a book tour with Aprilynne Pike, Elizabeth Norris and Bethany Griffin. How is the group promotion dynamic different from the "my-book-only" focus? Veronica: I really like the group tour better than going it alone. First of all, it kind of takes the pressure off a little. I'm not a naturally extroverted person. But I also like it because it brings in new fans. For example, someone who really loves Aprilynne Pike's books might pick up mine and vice versa. I think it's really good for all the authors involved. Serena: Your blog is always fun to read due to your quirky sense of humor. You even have a "joke" title and cover art for book three of the Divergent Trilogy, which features a container of laundry soap and the title, Detergent. Clearly, you are a fan of fun. Have any of your close friends or family been surprised that you would write such dark-themed books? Veronica: Yeah, I think some people were surprised about the dark themes because I'm just not a violent or a dark person, really. But I think they adapted pretty well. They know that I'm not the books or vice versa. They got over it pretty quickly. Serena: I love how the taglines for the series really set the stage for the theme of each novel and build upon one another to give the gist of the series. Divergent's is "One choice can transform you," and Insurgent's is "One choice can destroy you." Just for fun, what would the tagline for Detergent be? Veronica: I think it's "One choice can disinfect you." I like to poke a little fun at myself and my books. It's nice to have a little laugh at yourself every now and then, so Detergent is sort of how I do that. Serena: Readers have left comments on your blog such as, "I'm the one at Comic-Con who gave you the handmade (fill in the blank)." Do you have a

special place you keep all the material evidence of your fan love? Veronica: I do. I keep it in my office. And some of it is great! People make me key chains … someone attached a Dauntless symbol to a silver pen. That one is what I use to sign books. I use that a lot. I like to keep them around because they remind me that people are waiting for these books and that they really love them. It gives me motivation in those times when I'm not feeling very motivated. Serena: Do you ever cringe when readers ask questions or make statements about who lives, who dies, who's a traitor, etc., that might spoil some of the surprises for those in the crowd who have not yet read the books? Veronica: It happens a lot on the Internet, like on Twitter where things are pretty public. I try and reply, and then someone's like, "No! You spoiled it!" But spoilers are everywhere, even in reviews. So I figure if people really don't want to find spoilers they usually don't — and if they want to find them, they will. Hopefully the books aren't spoiled because of a few things you may have been told beforehand. Serena: How about when your readers refer to Tobias by his given name rather than "Four," the name he adopted when he joined the Dauntless faction (and by which he was known through most of Divergent). Do you worry it will spoil the first book for those who haven't yet read it? Veronica: Not really. It's just so hard to try to ward off those comments. And it's kind of my fault, because I keep calling him Tobias, so …? But it's not a particular spoiler. A lot of people figure it out before anyone says anything or before they've read the whole book. Serena: How would you define romance? And how does that definition apply to your writing philosophy and this series? Veronica: I think romance is friendship and attraction sort of meeting together and that does influence what I'm writing a lot. I try to establish the attraction, obviously, but I also think it's important to show the characters having actual conversations about things other than their feelings for each other — and to develop their friendship on the page. That was really important to me. And they have mutual respect for each other and I tried to establish that also. All those things that I believe about relationships and what makes a healthy relationship really made it into the book. Serena: For a novel with such serious themes, the romance between Tobias and Tris serves as an anchor to the story without slowing it down. As a writer, was it difficult to fine-tune those scenes so that a simple touch of the hand could convey such deep connection and comfort? Veronica: It did take some fine-tuning. I had to think a lot about my teenage experience of love and just how you focus so much on all the little details. How

every touch can feel like your heart's going to explode or you're going to throw up or whatever … so I had to edit a lot. It's hard, sometimes, to go back and relive that experience, but I just tried to remember how exciting everything was when I was just falling in love. Serena: And there is a sort of life-or-death feeling in the teen romantic experience that sort of plays into your story. Veronica: Right. Everything feels like life or death when you're that age. And there's some truth to that. You're making all these huge decisions and you want everything to last forever even though it can't sometimes. Trying to capture that life-or-death feeling is a little tricky. Serena: A lot of popular YA fiction creates romantic tension by the "opposites attract" factor — or authors skew the idea to pit characters against each other or separate them in some way to ratchet up the romance. You chose for Tobias and Tris to have more in common. They both reject the same faction (Abnegation) in favor of Dauntless. They are both Divergent. Was there a specific motivation behind giving your heroes so much in common? Veronica: I think that's how I see love. I see it developing from friendship. Common ground is a strong basis for friendship. My husband is my best friend and we have a lot in common even though we're admittedly different people. I think it evolves from how I see relationships working. You know, the opposites attract thing happens all the time, but so does the best friends thing. It's just a great kind of relationship in fiction. Serena: Tris has a hard time saying she loves Tobias aloud, and the first time she does, she says it in a way that he won't hear, prior to doing something that she believes could make him stop loving her. Are you, like Tris, someone who is hesitant to pronounce "I love you" too soon? Veronica: Not really. I guess I haven't had the opportunity to test it that much. (laughs) I've only been in two serious relationships and one of them ended in marriage. But yeah, I don't have huge issues with it. You have to say "I love you" knowing that the feeling you have could either change or become deeper and stronger over time. I think Tris puts a lot a pressure on herself. She has to be so sure of knowing exactly what she feels. And I don't put that kind of pressure on myself. Serena: Tobias is just the opposite; he's more open. Do you see more of yourself in his expression that way? Veronica: I kind of do. Actually, he's a lot more like me than Tris is and I've realized that over time. He's pretty sure of himself in different ways and sort of private in ways but I think he's always certain of how he feels about Tris and he just doesn't think it's a big deal to tell her exactly what the experience he's having

is. Serena: In Insurgent, the romance between Tris and Tobias has matured, both physically and emotionally, from where they left off in Divergent, yet they are still very much two teenagers in love. How do you straddle the fence of keeping their romance — and their response to romance — so age appropriate while they are dealing with life and death, adult-size horrors? Veronica: I don't really think about what's "age appropriate" for my audience because I think they can handle quite a bit, but I do try to think about what's honest and true to my characters who have grown up in situations where they've been taught to handle these things very carefully and that they're very powerful. As far as their romance goes, Tris is afraid of physical intimacy and Tobias is a little uncertain, so it would be a little unnatural for them to move very quickly. It would feel very forced. I just try to think about them and what they would actually do. And they've only been together for, like, two months, and they haven't had a lot of time to be alone. There's only so much that can go on! Serena: Summit Entertainment, the company that brought Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series to theaters, has optioned the film rights for Divergent. As an author, that has to be a huge pat on the back — the thought that someone would consider making your book into a movie … Veronica: It's really flattering and it's so shocking. I never even thought about it when the book was published. It was like, "Oh! And there's also this element?" It's pretty great. Cool. But it's so early in the process that I can't say with any clarity what is going to happen. Serena: A couple of years ago you publicly vowed (on your blog) that you would jump into a pool filled with marshmallows if you achieved success as an author (as in: signed a book deal) and … you not only did it (using a bathtub rather than a pool, of course, because that would be an incredible amount of marshmallows) but you posted the video online for all to see. What sort of fun video should we expect from you if the film version of Divergent actually makes it to the silver screen someday? Veronica: Hmm … well, I feel like I'll have to be in a tub of something else in order to keep with the theme. I've always wanted to jump into a pool of Jell-O. That may be really hard (to make happen), but for something as incredible as a movie coming out? So … yeah. I'll call it. Jell-O. Serena: And now you've said it in front of millions of USA TODAY's HEA readers, so … Veronica: Yeah. It's official now. I can't back down. Serena: Jell-O it is! You've been fairly engaged in the world of dystopian Chicago for a while now. Have you started getting an inkling about what you might write when you've finished the Divergent Trilogy? Veronica: You know, I really try to focus on what's right in front of me. So I

haven't thought very much about what I'll do next. I know that I'll be writing for young adults for a long time. Mostly because I just love the readers and the teachers and librarians that I interact with. So that's all I can really say. I have a few ideas, but nothing really solid. Serena: There's such amazing writing going on in YA right now. It's a great place to live. Veronica: Yeah. YA is a wonderful genre. There's so much room for invention and creativity. It's remarkable. Especially right now. Serena: Some reviewers and fan sites have likened the world you've created in The Divergent Trilogy to the same sort of alchemical plotting and characterization used by J.K. Rowling in the Harry Potter series. How does it feel being compared — favorably — to such a literary giant, especially by her fans? Veronica: That's nuts! It's kind of … terrifying, but an incredible compliment. I mean, if you're going to be compared to someone … she's a pretty great person to be compared to! I don't feel like, "Oh, I'm J.K. Rowling," obviously! No way. I mean, Harry Potter is the best thing. Serena: Did the philosophy of alchemy have any cognizant bearing on the creation of this series, its characters, plotting, or sociopolitical factions? Veronica: No, not really. I'm really glad someone thought of that, but it's not something I thought about. I've read a lot of analyses about the Harry Potter books and I even saw the one that mentioned Divergent. When I saw it I was just really pleased that I had accidentally done something right! Serena: Are you an outliner or do you create your stories more organically as you go? Veronica: I'm definitely what we call a "pantser," which means, "write by the seat of your pants" — so I don't outline. I had to outline the second book in order to sell the first one because they like to be sure you have a plan and that you're not really risky (for the publisher). That was hard, but I just sort of built on what had happened in the first book and let everything come. I had to do a lot of editing, because that's what happens when you don't outline (laughs), but it was a really great experience. Serena: Although you write for a mainstream YA audience, you've never hidden that you are a Christian. In Insurgent there are brief moments when Tris' doubts, questions and thoughts about God seem to resonate as someone seeking a way to combine the different factions' faith practices into something that is true to her own experience. Are you ever surprised when hints of your faith show up, unannounced, on the page? Veronica: I'm not really that surprised because I wanted to be true to the teenage experience, which often involves a lot of consideration about existence

and about God and even whether you believe in a God or not. I didn't feel that Tris would be a real person unless she considered those things. I tried very hard not to have her proselytize the reader or anything like that because what I really think is that Tris is always questioning everything. She never comes to a decision about spiritual issues. My opinions don't really bleed onto the page, but the things that I think about she also thinks about. I just try to make it as honest and real as possible. Serena: In the dystopian world you've created, could it ever be possible for a divergent character to have equal aptitude in Dauntless (the faction known for bravery and lack of hesitancy to resort to violence) and Amity (the faction known for kindness and love of peace)? Veronica: Oh, I don't know … that's a good question! Anything is possible, but it certainly wouldn't be discovered by the aptitude test because it necessarily separates those two factions right from the get-go. I think someone can be brave while being kind and peaceful at the same time, but maybe not in the flawed system that Tris' world has concocted. Serena: There's a lot pressure coming at you from around the blogosphere not to "pull a Mockingjay" with the final book of your trilogy. How do you respond when readers give you specific demands concerning what "not" to do? Veronica: I try to remember that their demands come from enthusiasm, so they're not really trying to be controlling or to put pressure on, they're just trying to say, "Please don't kill this character that I love!" or something like that. And sometimes they worry about things I've never even considered! Their demands and concerns really don't play into what I'm going to do because even I don't really control it. I just let the story go where it wants to go. I have no idea what's going to happen in the end or who's going to live, so it's kind of like me saying, "I don't know, guys! Just wait." (Laughs) That's what I'm doing! Serena: How do you respond to comparisons to Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games series? Veronica: I feel like it's very flattering. Again, it's sort of like the JK. Rowling thing. She's a really talented writer and her books are really incredible and I've been a really big fan of hers for a while. So the comparison is flattering. But, again, it's a little scary. I don't want to try to live up to someone who's created something so incredible. I'm just trying to focus on what I'm doing and what I do best. It's sometimes hard to focus in and only think about my books rather than how they measure up to someone else's. But mostly it's an incredible compliment. Serena: Are you a writer who likes to read your reviews or do you try to stay away from them? Veronica: I try to stay away from them. I'll read a couple to sort of know what I need to work on. And there are people that I trust to give me good feedback in that respect, but other than that I avoid them because it can become

overwhelming and they apply a lot of pressure even if they don't mean to. Serena: Is there anything else you'd like to share specifically with romance readers who might not have thought to pick up your books before seeing them here — but who might, now that they've learned a bit about the romance angle of your story? Veronica: It's an action-based book, but I think those action-y moments make the romance even more powerful and distinct in a lot of ways. If you can put up with a lot of running around and shooting people then … you might enjoy the book!

DIVERGENT/INSURGENT CULMINATING PROJECT

Choose one of the following options as your culminating project of our Dystopian unit focusing on Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth. This project is worth 200 points and is due on Friday, May 10th. Once you choose a project, you will be given a rubric for what is expected for your choice. Option 1: Write a 2-page typed paper comparing and contrasting an aspect of Divergent/Insurgent to another book/movie/TV show you’ve read/watched. (example: compare the Dystopian faction-filled world of Divergent to the post-apocalyptic districts in The Hunger Games; compare the writing style of Veronica Roth to that of The Giver’s Lois Lowry) Option 2: Create a picture book recalling key moments of Divergent or Insurgent. Pictures may be hand-drawn or found online. The book must be at least 20 pages long and put in chronological order. Option 3: Pretend you are a book critic. Your latest assignment involves critiquing Veronica Roth’s work. You must write a 2-page typed critique of either Divergent or Insurgent. Do you give the book two thumbs up or down? Would you suggest it to a friend? Tell me why. Option 4: You are a faction leader. Prepare a PowerPoint presentation to persuade 16-year olds at the Choosing Ceremony to pick your faction. The presentation must be at least 10 pages long. Option 5: Create a movie poster for Divergent or Insurgent. The movie poster must have the movie name, tagline, stars, and a picture illustrating the movie. The poster must have an accompanied paragraph summarizing the movie (without giving the ending!).

Divergent/Insurgent Culminating Activity: Picture Book

Score

Levels

Content – 100 pts. Conventions – 60 pts. Organization – 20 pts. Presentation – 20 pts.

Full Credit 4

• Includes all required elements: Title page + 20 pages

• Pictures are in chronological order

• Is well-‐thought out

• Includes appropriate pictures and captions for each picture

• No spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors

• High-‐level use of vocabulary and word choice (at least 5 vocabulary and 5 spelling words from unit)

• Information is clearly focused in an organized and thoughtful manner

• Project is completed on-‐time

• Project is turned in with rubric

• Student initiated consult with teacher for a pre-‐grade

• Format enhances the content

• Presentation captures audience attention

• Presentation is organized and well laid out

3

• Includes most required elements: Title page + 15 pages

• Pictures are in chronological order

• Includes appropriate pictures and captions for at least 15 pictures

• Few (1 to 3) spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors

• Good use of vocabulary and word choice (3-‐4 vocabulary words and 3-‐4 spelling words from unit)

• Information is focused in an organized manner

• Project is one day late

• Project is turned with rubric

• Teacher prompted student to initiate consult

• Format is appropriate for the content


• Presentation is well organized

2

• Includes some required elements: Title page and at least 10 pages

• Some pictures are not in chronological order

• Has some factual errors or inconsistencies

• Minimal (3 to 5) spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors

• Low-‐level use of vocabulary and word choice (1-‐2 vocabulary words and 1-‐2 spelling words from unit)

• Information appears to have a pattern, but the pattern is not consistently carried out in the project

• Information loosely supports the solution

• Project was not turned in with rubric

• Project is 2 days late

• Teacher reminded student of consult

• Format does not suit the content

• Presentation does not capture audience attention

• Presentation is loosely organized

1

• Does not include title page

• Includes less than 10 pages

• Chronological order is not apparent

• Has significant factual errors, misconceptions, or misinterpretations

• More than 5 spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors

• Poor use of vocabulary and word choice (no vocabulary or spelling words from unit)

• Content is unfocused and haphazard

• Information has no apparent pattern

• Project was incomplete or 3 days late


• Student did not have a consult

• Presentation appears sloppy and/or unfinished

• Format does not enhance content

• Presentation has no clear organization

Divergent/Insurgent Culminating Activity: PowerPoint

Score

Levels


Full Credit 4

• Includes all required elements: Title page + 9 pages of slideshow


• Includes appropriate information to persuade faction transfers




• Project is completed on-‐time

• Project is turned in with rubric

• Student initiated consult with teacher for a pre-‐grade




• Pictures and graphics are included to entice audience

3

• Includes most required elements: Title page + 7-‐8 pages of slide show

• Is well thought out and supports the solution

• Is accurate with appropriate information to persuade tranfers



• Information is focused in an organized manner

• Project is one day late

• Project is turned with rubric

• Teacher prompted student to initiate consult




• Some pictures and graphics are used

2

• Includes some required elements: title page, 6 pages of slide show







• Project is 2 days late

• Teacher reminded student of consult




• Little pictures and graphics are used

1

• Does not include required elements (no title page or 5 or less pages)

• Provides inconsistent information for solution






• Project was incomplete or 3 days late


• Student did not have a consult




• No pictures or graphics are used

Divergent/Insurgent Culminating Activity: Movie Poster

Score

Levels


Full Credit 4

• Includes all required elements: movie name, tagline, actors/actresses of major characters


• Includes an appropriate cover/picture related to the book

• Paragraph with summary of the movie




• Poster is turned in on-‐time

• Poster is turned in

• Multimedia is used to clarify and illustrate the main points




3

• Is well thought out and supports the solution

• Has clear goal that is related to the topic

• Is pulled from several sources

• Is accurate



• Information supports the solution to the challenge or question

• Multimedia is used to illustrate the main points




2

• Supports the solution

• Has application of critical thinking that is apparent

• Has no clear goal

• Is pulled from a limited number of sources




• Project has a focus but might stray from it at times



• Multimedia loosely illustrates the main points




1

• Provides inconsistent information for solution

• Has no apparent application of critical thinking

• Has no clear goal

• Is pulled from few sources





• Information does not support the solution to the challenge or question



• Multimedia is overused or underused



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