The Clay Marble Student Guide
The Clay Marble Student Guide
The Clay Marble Student Guide
NAME: ___________________________________
Genre: _____________________________________
BACKGROUND
In this section, narrator Dara enjoys listening to the stories and folktales that her new friend
Jantu tells. Cambodian folktales do not usually tell about noble or mighty heroes. They are often
about peasants outsmarting authority figures, animals outsmarting people, or small, clever animals
such as monkeys and rabbits outsmarting larger, more powerful animals like crocodiles and
elephants.
BUDDHISM
In this section, Dara and her mother speak to the Buddha in prayer. The Buddhist religion,
which started in India, spread to Cambodia about two thousand years ago. It is based on the
teachings of Gautama, who was a prince born in India more than 2,500 years ago. He became
known as the Buddha, or Enlightened One. The Buddha taught that all people, through methods
of behavior and thinking, could overcome suffering and be enlightened, or gain great understanding
of the spiritual world. Buddhism was popular in Cambodia in the sixth and seventh centuries
and after 1200. When the Khmer Rouge Communists took over Cambodia in 1975, all forms of
religion were condemned. Monks were killed or forced to work as farm laborers, and wats, or
monastaries, were destroyed. In the early 1980s, with the Vietnam invasion, Cambodians were
free to practice religion again. Today 95 percent of the Cambodian population is Buddhist.
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Demurely:________________________________________________________________________
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Meager: _________________________________________________________________________
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Relent:___________________________________________________________________________
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Shrapnel:_________________________________________________________________________
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Sinewy: _________________________________________________________________________
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Belligerently:______________________________________________________________________
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Flux: ____________________________________________________________________________
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Insolent: _________________________________________________________________________
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Mobilize: _________________________________________________________________________
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Subdued: ________________________________________________________________________
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Winnow: _________________________________________________________________________
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Maimed: _________________________________________________________________________
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Ominous:________________________________________________________________________
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Retreat: _________________________________________________________________________
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Sentries: ________________________________________________________________________
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Stifle: ___________________________________________________________________________
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Strenuous: ______________________________________________________________________
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Focus Activity:
Journal Entry:
Write about a time when a friend or family member was especially important to you.
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0701.8.6: Characterization
How does the author characterize Pol Pot & the Khmer Rouge?
Dara
Sarun
Their Mother
Nea
Grandpa Kem
Jantu
Chany
Chapter 2:
Chapter 3:
1. What simile does Ho use near the bottom of page 23? ________________________________
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2. What is your first impression of Jantu? ____________________________________________
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Why? ______________________________________________________________________
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3. Use the graphic organizer below to explain what life is like in the refugee camp:
4. Jantu leads Dara somewhere she herself goes with the baby every day. Where is this?
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Why is this important? _________________________________________________________
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5. Write a brief summary of the events in chapter 3. ___________________________________
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3 4
Across:
5. To urge strongly
6. Fragments from an exploded artillery shell, mine, or bomb
7. Deserted, lifeless
8. In a way that is rudely brief or abrupt
Down:
Chapters 1-3: Discuss the main theme of this book with a partner and write it on the line.
Theme: __________________________
Now, think of a scene from chapters 1-3 that best illustrates the theme of the importance of friends
and family. Create a drawing of that scene in the space below.
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Chapter 4:
3. Why is Dara feeling hopeful? (Cite actual evidence from the book with the page number)
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Chapter 5:
2. After Chnay ruins the mobile, what item does Jantu make and how does Dara feel about it?
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4. Why do you think he destroys things? (use details from the story to support your answer)
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5. Jantu is a great storyteller. She tells stories and sings songs that her mother sang to her. She
is carring on the oral tradition of storytelling. Why is this important? _____________________
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7. What analogy does Jantu use to describe the Cambodian government? _________________
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Chapter 6:
1. According to Jantu, why are she and Dara no longer part of “real” families? _______________
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2. What do Jantu’s clay dolls reveal about the girls’ attitude toward family and their hope for the
future? _____________________________________________________________________
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What plans do the girls have for creating a “real” family? ______________________________
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3. Discuss the sadness expressed by both Dara and Jantu in this chapter. __________________
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1. Food and the feeling of community at Nong Chan lift Dara’s spirits but cannot erase her strong
feelings of sadness. Why is she sad, and how does the author show this sadness?
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2. After reading this section, how do you feel about the fighting in Cambodia? Explain your
feelings. ___________________________________________________________________
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Chapter 7:
1. Dara doesn’t want to leave despite the shelling, but Jantu tells her something that makes
her feel better. What does she tell her? _______________________________________
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3. What does Jantu tell Dara about the little girl with the broken doll who is crying for her
mother? ________________________________________________________________
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4. If I were to tell you that this is foreshadowing, what could you infer? _________________
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6. Explain how Dara and Jantu become separated from their families. (give details)
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Chapter 8:
3. Would you leave a best friend behind in a situation like this? _________________________
Chapter 9:
1. What does Dara find when she returns to the stone beam? ___________________________
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Chapter 10:
1. What important information does Chnay share with Dara when they are at the stone beam?
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2. Why do you think that Dara feels sorry for Chnay for the first time?
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Chapter 11:
1. Dara believes the marble gives her strength and courage. How did she use the marble in this
chapter? ___________________________________________________________________
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2. Why does Dara ask for a job in the General’s kitchen? _______________________________
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3. What character trait does she show in her conversation with the General? ________________
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Chapter 12:
Chapter 13:
2. How has the family reacted to Sarun’s change and decision? __________________________
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Chapter 14:
Chapter 15:
1. What happens to Nea, Jantu, Dara, and Baby as they are returning to their camp?
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Chapter 16:
1. What does Jantu tell Dara about the magic marble? __________________________________
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Chapter 17:
4. What is Sarun’s reaction to the way Dara influences her family? ________________________
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Chapter 18:
3. What is the lesson that Dara learns about the magic marble? __________________________
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