New here? Just sign up with Google — your account includes Matilda, our gift book, forever.
Out of My Mind · Garden Heights
Part 2
for Out of My Mind · Part 2 · Chapters 6–10
8 Parts40 min
What Happens in Part 2
Part 2 widens the circle of people who notice what Melody can do. Her neighbor Mrs. Violet Valencia, known as Mrs. V, combines affection with high expectations: she challenges Melody’s controlled movement, expands her communication board, and builds reading practice around real words. School provides a sharp contrast. Mrs. Tracy uses audiobooks and accessible questions, while Mrs. Billups repeats the alphabet without learning what her students already know; Melody’s mother confronts that failure after Melody protests. The stories of Ollie and Butterscotch show the difference between an urgent meaning that goes unread and an alert a partner carries to help. When Penny is born, Melody watches spoken language and movement arrive quickly for her little sister. By Chapter 10, Melody’s own board is clearly too small: it cannot express a request for a Big Mac and a shake, no matter how hard she and her father try. Communication succeeds or fails through a system shared by user, tool, vocabulary, and listener.
Contrast, symbolism, flashback, and the pattern of being heard or misread
Cross-Curricular
Low-tech AAC: communication boards, partner skills, and vocabulary design
Chapter Summary
Ch.
What happens
Ch.6
Mrs. V Expects More — Melody describes her next-door neighbor and longtime caregiver, Mrs. Violet Valencia. Mrs. V treats Melody as a child with choices and the ability to learn, challenges her to develop movements she can control, and introduces experiences other adults avoid. She expands Melody’s communication board with useful words, phrases, numbers, and pictures, then builds reading lessons around flash cards and the knowledge Melody already shows.
Ch.7
Lessons That Listen — and Lessons That Do Not — second-grade teacher Mrs. Tracy notices Melody’s interest in stories and gives her audiobooks, then checks comprehension through accessible questions. In third grade, Mrs. Billups instead repeats the alphabet and children’s songs. During another painfully basic lesson, Melody’s frustration erupts; her mother arrives, identifies what Melody is trying to communicate, and confronts the teacher for ignoring the students’ records and knowledge.
Ch.8
Ollie and Butterscotch — Melody remembers her goldfish Ollie, whose small bowl seems to mirror the confinement she sometimes feels. When Ollie jumps out, Melody understands the danger and struggles to rescue him, but she cannot summon her mother in time and is initially blamed for the scene. A later fall is different: Butterscotch alerts Melody’s mother, showing how a determined communication partner can turn a signal into help.
Ch.9
Penny Joins the Family — Melody senses that her mother is pregnant even before the announcement, awakening fear and guilt in the family about the new baby’s health and about caring for two children. Penny is born healthy, while Melody watches her younger sister develop with wonder, affection, and complicated feelings. When a talking electronic doll arrives broken and is returned, Melody privately wonders whether her parents ever wished children could be returned too.
Ch.10
More Than the Board Can Say — daily routines show how much Melody and her mother understand without speech, while Penny’s growing vocabulary makes the board’s limits clearer. Melody imagines comic-strip thought bubbles that could display her ideas. When she wants a Big Mac and a vanilla shake, her father tries hard to guess, but the needed words are not available; Melody becomes frustrated and accepts another meal. Weeks later, he understands her signals as they pass the restaurant but never connects them to the earlier request.
Part 1
Vocabulary
Study 10 key words from Chapters 6–10, then answer each question.
💬Knowledge Bank · Vocabulary for a Shared Conversation
Communication · Partner StrategiesCommunication is not an object one person hands to another; it is coordinated work. A speaker sends a signal, a partner interprets it, and both people check whether the meaning arrived. To clarify is to make a message more precise, often by asking a focused question rather than starting a long series of guesses. To confirm is to check the interpretation with the speaker before acting on it. A communication system may be customized when its symbols, words, size, and arrangement fit one user’s movements and daily life. Good partners also resist the urge to anticipate every message. Prediction can save time, but a wrong guess may steer the conversation away from what the speaker chose to say. These words place responsibility on both sides of an exchange. Melody brings the meaning and selects the signal; a listener brings attention, time, and a willingness to be corrected. Understanding is therefore an achievement of the whole conversation.
customizev.Ch.6
To change something to fit a particular user or purpose
“Mrs. V helped customize the board around Melody’s real life.”
resilientadj.Ch.6
Able to recover and continue after difficulty
“Mrs. V trusts that Melody is resilient enough to attempt hard tasks.”
stimulatev.Ch.6
To encourage activity, learning, or interest
“New words and experiences stimulate questions in an active mind.”
monotonousadj.Ch.7
Repeated without enough change to remain interesting
“The monotonous alphabet lesson ignores what the class already knows.”
protestn.Ch.7
An action or statement showing strong disagreement
“Melody’s outburst becomes a protest against another pointless review.”
symbolizev.Ch.8
To represent a larger idea beyond the literal object
“Ollie’s small bowl can symbolize a life with too few routes outward.”
alertv.Ch.8
To warn or notify someone about danger or need
“Butterscotch runs to alert Melody’s mother after the fall.”
anticipatev.Ch.9
To expect something before it happens
“The family tries to anticipate how a new baby will change each morning.”
clarifyv.Ch.10
To make a meaning easier to understand
“A useful follow-up question could clarify which meal Melody wants.”
frustrationn.Ch.10
The feeling caused when effort is blocked from reaching a goal
“Her frustration grows as every guess misses the message.”
ⓘ The vocabulary words in this list are selected to help you understand and complete this workbook. Some may not appear verbatim in the original novel.
1To change a tool so it fits one particular user is to ___.Ch.6
2‘Resilient’ means unable to recover after a difficult experience.Ch.6
3A lesson repeated with almost no change may feel ___.Ch.7
4Fill in each blank with the correct word.Ch.6–7
Word choices:stimulateprotestclarifyanticipate- some words will not be used
New challenges can learning.
Her outburst becomes a against low expectations.
5‘Alert’ can mean to notify someone that help is needed.Ch.8
6When an object represents a larger idea, it can ___.Ch.8
7‘Anticipate’ means to recognize something only after it has happened.Ch.9
8Fill in each blank with the correct word.Ch.9–10
Word choices:anticipateclarifyfrustrationresilient- some words will not be used
The family tries to the new morning routine.
A focused choice could Melody’s request.
9The feeling that grows when repeated effort cannot reach a goal is ___.Ch.10
10An action that shows strong disagreement can be a ___.Ch.7
Part 2
Comprehension
Show you understood what happens in Chapters 6–10.
📋Knowledge Bank · How a Low-Tech Communication Board Works
Assistive Technology · Low-Tech AACA communication board is a form of augmentative and alternative communication, or AAC. It may hold letters, whole words, photographs, or picture symbols on paper, plastic, or another surface. The user makes a selection by pointing, looking, touching, or signaling while a partner scans through choices. Because the tool has no electronics, it does not need a battery, can survive many environments, and often serves as a backup even for someone who uses a computer system. Its power depends on design. Symbols must be large and spaced for the user’s most reliable movement, while the vocabulary must include more than requests for food or comfort. People need words for refusing, joking, asking questions, naming feelings, repairing mistakes, and discussing topics nobody predicted. A skilled partner watches the selection method, waits without taking over, speaks the chosen item aloud when useful, and checks the result. A board can be simple technology without producing a simple message; its limit is the available route, not the user’s language.
1What makes Mrs. V’s approach to Melody different from many adults’ approach?Ch.6
2Mrs. V leaves Melody’s original communication board unchanged.Ch.6
3How does Mrs. Tracy check Melody’s understanding of audiobooks?Ch.7
4What triggers Melody’s classroom outburst in third grade?Ch.7
5Write the numbers 1–5 in the boxes to show the correct order of events in Chapters 6–10. Number 1 = what happens first.Ch.6–10
Penny is born and begins reaching milestones Melody watches closely.
Melody tries unsuccessfully to save Ollie after he leaves his bowl.
Melody cannot use her board to request a Big Mac and a shake.
Mrs. Billups repeats an alphabet lesson until Melody protests.
Mrs. V expands Melody’s board and teaches her with flash cards.
6Melody’s mother discovers that Mrs. Billups has carefully used the prior teacher’s records.Ch.7
7Why can Melody not save Ollie in time?Ch.8
8Butterscotch communicates Melody’s need for help by alerting her mother.Ch.8
9What complicated concern follows the news that Melody’s mother is pregnant?Ch.9
10What does the failed food request in Chapter 10 demonstrate?Ch.10
Part 3
Literary Elements
Understanding HOW and WHY Sharon M. Draper tells the story across Chapters 6–10.
📖Knowledge Bank · Partners in Contrast
Literary Craft · Character FoilsA writer can reveal a character by placing another person beside her who responds to the same situation differently. The pair becomes a foil: contrast makes each set of choices easier to see. Mrs. V and Mrs. Billups face the same basic question — what can Melody and her classmates learn? Mrs. V begins with expectation, expands the available language, watches closely, and raises the challenge when Melody succeeds. Mrs. Billups begins with an assumption, repeats the alphabet without consulting earlier records, and treats protest as proof that the student is the problem. Mrs. Tracy offers another useful comparison because she pairs rich material with an accessible response. These contrasts turn educational philosophy into visible action; the reader sees what each belief causes. Draper also contrasts two rescue scenes. Melody understands Ollie’s danger but cannot make her warning effective, while Butterscotch carries an alert to a person who responds. Across classrooms and emergencies, meaning succeeds when somebody treats a signal as worth following. The decisive character is often the partner.
Contrast
Mrs. V and Mrs. Tracy challenge Melody, while Mrs. Billups repeats material she already knows; the difference reveals the power of adult expectations.
Symbol
Ollie’s bowl becomes more than a setting for a fish when Melody connects its narrow boundaries to her own blocked communication.
Flashback
Melody narrates memories from different ages, arranging the early chapters by meaning rather than staying in a single present-time sequence.
1Mrs. V and Mrs. Billups function mainly as ___.Ch.6–7
2Fill in each blank with the correct literary term.Ch.6–10
Word choices:foilsymbolmeterclimax- some words will not be used
A contrasting character who reveals another’s traits is a .
An object that represents a larger idea is a .
3What larger idea does Ollie’s bowl most strongly represent for Melody?Ch.8
4A flashback presents an event that occurred earlier than the narrative’s current point.Ch.6–10
5Why does Draper place the Ollie and Butterscotch episodes near each other?Ch.8
6The repeated movement between different ages mainly allows Melody to ___.Ch.6–10
7Mrs. V is presented as effective because she makes every choice for Melody.Ch.6
8Fill in each blank with the correct literary term.Ch.6–10
Word choices:contrastflashbackrhymeresolution- some words will not be used
Placing opposite approaches side by side creates .
A scene recalled from an earlier time is a .
9The communication board symbolizes complete freedom of expression for Melody.Ch.10
10Across Chapters 6–10, successful communication most often depends on ___.Ch.6–10
Part 4
Think Deeper
Four deeper challenges — no single-word recall. Read, weigh the evidence, and reason it out.
🤝Knowledge Bank · The Listener Is Part of the System
Critical Thinking · Shared ResponsibilityCommunication is often pictured as a speaker sending a finished package to a passive listener. AAC makes the listener’s work easier to see. A partner may need to position a board, name rows during scanning, watch for the user’s agreed signal, repeat the selected message, and ask whether the interpretation is correct. These actions support access only while the user keeps control. Guessing too early, finishing a sentence, or asking the aide instead can replace the speaker’s message with the partner’s prediction. Time matters too. The delay between an idea and an expressed message is called latency, and a fast-moving conversation can exclude someone even when a board contains the right words. Skilled partners tolerate silence, offer one clear choice at a time when needed, and confirm rather than assume. They also respond to the message itself instead of praising the act of communicating. Mrs. V’s strength is not that she somehow reads Melody’s mind. She builds a process in which Melody can correct her and remain the speaker.
Think back over these chapters. Mrs. V spreads a larger board where Melody can reach it and treats each selection as the beginning of a conversation. Flash cards become words; words become choices; high expectations become evidence. At school, another adult plays the same childish lesson again and mistakes protest for inability until Melody’s mother reads the situation more carefully. Later, an urgent warning fails to reach Ollie, while Butterscotch carries a different warning straight to help. Penny begins speaking with effortless speed. Then Melody tries to request one ordinary meal, and her father’s kind guesses circle everywhere except the answer. Across every scene, the thought belongs to Melody; success depends on the route and the partner.
Original passage written for Garden Heights — not a quotation from the novel.
1Claim: “Mrs. V supports Melody’s agency by increasing the choices Melody can make rather than making choices in her place.” — choose the two details that best prove it.Claim & Evidence
2Partner supports the message, or Partner takes over the message? Tap each detail to send it left or right.Sort into two
◄ Partner supports the messagePartner takes over the message ►
3Match each cause to its result. For each cause, pick its result.Cause & Effect
Mrs. V adds familiar names, verbs, and phrases to the board→
Mrs. Tracy pairs audiobooks with accessible questions→
Mrs. Billups repeats lessons without reading prior records→
The board lacks the words for Melody’s restaurant request→
4Fill both blanks to complete the reasoning.Build the Argument
Melody’s father cannot identify her food request because , which shows that .
Part 5
Standardized Test
Reading passage · A Board Is a Conversation · Central Ideas & Prose Summary · SAT & TOEFL-style practice
🎯 You already have the skills from the sections above — this is just a fun way to meet real SAT & TOEFL-style questions. Read the passage (the highlighted words are tested below), then answer the questions below. Tap an answer to select it, then tap it again to confirm — you can change your choice until you confirm.
A low-tech communication board places letters, words, photographs, or symbols where a person can select them without speech. Selection may happen through a finger, eye gaze, or partner-assisted scanning, so the layout must match the movement a user controls reliably. A useful board also needs robust vocabulary: not just yes, no, food, and bathroom, but words for questions, opinions, jokes, refusals, and unfamiliar topics. The user must be able to say something a designer did not expect.
The communication partner is part of this system. A partner may hold the board within view, move through rows aloud, or repeat a selected item to confirm it, but the user remains the author of the message. Shared context can make a selection faster because both people know the topic; it can also tempt a partner to guess and finish the message too soon. Effective partners wait, treat mistakes as repairable, and direct questions to the user rather than to a nearby helper.
Paper boards offer important advantages: they require no charging, tolerate many environments, and can back up an electronic device. Their limits are equally real. Space restricts how many items remain easy to locate, and building a sentence may create latency while a conversation continues moving. Designers respond with organized categories and frequently used core words, then personalize the rest. No layout is ever finished, because a person’s vocabulary grows with new people, places, interests, and decisions.
Original passage written for Garden Heights — not a quotation from the novel.
1What is the main idea of the passage?SAT · Central Ideas
2According to the passage, what should determine a board’s layout?TOEFL · Factual Information
3In the first paragraph, robust most nearly means ___.SAT · Words in Context
4Which action keeps the user in control of the message?TOEFL · Factual Information
5The word context in the passage refers to ___.TOEFL · Vocabulary
6Which detail best supports the claim that paper boards remain useful?SAT · Command of Evidence
7In the third paragraph, latency most nearly means ___.SAT · Words in Context
8Prose Summary (TOEFL).The passage explains how low-tech communication boards support a user’s language. This TOEFL task lists six sentences; choose the THREE that best capture the passage’s main ideas. The other three do not belong — they state minor details or ideas the passage does not present.TOEFL · Prose Summary
9What can be inferred about a board containing only basic requests?SAT · Inference
10Why does the author state that no layout is ever finished?SAT · Author’s Purpose
Part 6 · Optional
Creative Writing
A bonus challenge to practice your English. Take your time and have fun with it.
About This Section
This writing task is optional and is not part of your auto-graded score. The feedback below checks only the basics — length, spelling, and grammar — not whether your ideas are right or wrong. It is meant for classroom discussion and creative practice, so feel free to use your imagination!
Writing Task — Part 2 “The Missing Word”
Melody’s board can express many basic choices, but not the meal she actually wants. Imagine that you may communicate for one day using a board with only twenty words or symbols. Which items would you choose, what important message would still be difficult, and how should a partner help without taking over? Write 6–10 sentences. End by naming the first new word you would add.
You can start with: “I thought twenty choices would be plenty until...”
0 / 40 words minimum
🗣 Teach It · Just for Fun (optional)
No right or wrong — close the screen and tell someone nearby what happened in this part. Can’t find anyone? Tell yourself out loud. The moment you teach it, you truly understand it.
Part 2 Complete!
You finished Chapters 6–10 of Out of My Mind.
Here are your auto-graded results:
-
points out of 100
Your Writing
Your writing was checked automatically for length, spelling, grammar, and whether you included the key parts of the scene. Scroll back to Part 5 anytime to read your feedback and improve your work.
Independent study guide by Garden Heights. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Sharon M. Draper. Contains original analysis only; no text from the novel is reproduced. Reference text: This workbook follows Sharon M. Draper’s classic text (the standard Puffin edition sold worldwide). Revised 2023 UK editions change some wording and may not match the vocabulary studied here.
