Dear 8th Grade Parents,
Hello! I would like you to know that we have begun reading October Sky by Homer Hickam in class this week. The #1 New York Times bestselling memoir, October Sky, is the true story of Homer "Sonny" Hickam, Jr., a boy from the mining town of Coalwood, West Virginia. In 1957, when Sonny was just 14 years old, Sputnik raced across the Appalachian sky. It left in its wake one boy's desire to build rockets; a dream that he ardently pursued with the help of those around him. In this book, the following objectives will be a dressed:
- Analyzing the theme, characters, plot, setting, tone and mood.
- Teaching and fostering the concepts of hope, passion, confidence, self-realization, and the power of following a dream.
- Character development
- Setting Goals and taking the necessary steps it takes to achieve them.
- Career choices
- Sticking with what you believe
As our class reads this novel, I would encourage you to read with your children to help instill in them the values that you would like to teach them. At Rolling Hills Charter School, we believe that it is important to be proactive in teaching our students how to interact in a society that is not perfect.
While reading this novel, we will focus on the importance of establishing good character in the face of reproach, a value of the Harbor Method. I will encourage students to talk to you at home about the topics we discuss in class. Please feel free to read this book with your child at home, and if you have any ideas that you would like to share, please email me.
Some ideas I feel would be helpful to talk about at home with your child at home are:
Discuss the concept of "civic pride." How do the Rocket Boys help the town? Why are they celebrated in the newspapers, all over town and by both sides of the unionization conflict? Why do so many attend their rocket launches? Is it just because the football team is on yearlong suspension?
Discuss the idea of "catalyst" with your students. It has many meanings within this memoir. There are the catalysts that spur Sonny to action: first the news of Sputnik and then his mother's challenge to try ("I believe you can build a rocket. [Your father] doesn't. I want you to show him I'm right." (p. 52)). There is also a catalyst, in a scientific sense, in the fuel that sends the rockets skyward. As O'Dell says, "A rocket won't fly unless someone lights the fuse. (p. 105)" How important is it to have catalysts in all endeavors? Would the boys have gotten to the science fair without them?
Thank you very much for your support!
Mrs. Nelson
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