This characters central trait in his personality is his kindness, which also could be described as his ability to love. Understand the idea of unconditional love and its value in a parentchild relationship. Loser is a coming of age young adult novel first published in 2002 by american author jerry spinelli. He has only gotten one a, and that was in fifth grade. Jerry spinellis novel, loser, chronicles the childhood of donald zinkoff. I would recommend this book to kids in upper elementary school or middle school students. He is brave and, despite what he cant do, this book makes you want to be him. Donald zinkoff is clumsy, enthusiastic, and often oblivious to how others perceive him but even when others are unkind, donald remains true to himself. He laughs so hard at words that he thinks are funny that he falls out of his chair and cant breathe. Loser is an unusual book, because it does not just describe the life of a boy, but reads like a case history.
Why does zinkoff s mother say, heaven help me, so often while zinkoff is home. Hes a little too enthusiastic and hes always laughing. Loser by jerry spinelli meet your next favorite book. Zinkoff has always wanted to become a mailman like his dad. Because of his offbrand sense of humor and his lack of demonstrable ability in sports, academics, or social skills, hes an outcast at school. May 01, 2018 loser is the story donald zinkoff as he moves from the first through the sixth grades. Donald zinkoff this characters central trait in his personality is his kindness, which also could be described as his ability to love. Donald zinkoff, this sweet as sugar little boy who is not the best at a lot of things is bullied.
Who in the book do you think believes that zinkoff is a loser. Donald zinkoff, the main character, is beginning first grade when the novel opens, and he is in sixth grade when it ends. I forget the storylinesof many other books i have read, but never jerry spinellis. It contains 16 pages of activities 36 total pages including the answer key, assessments, and scoring rubrics. Just like other kids, zinkoff rides his bike, hopes for snow days, and wants to be like his dad when he grows up. Donald you are such a loser this is donald zinkoff, a 10 year old boy,who is the main charter in the book loser. Charging joyously into each day, zinkoff baffles older. How does zinkoff s father make take donald zinkoff to work day special for his son. At the end of chapter four, the author writes, the thought comes to donald s teacher that donald zinkoff, in more ways than cubbyholes, will always. Zinkoff s first day zinkoff gets in trouble his first day of school. The book loser details the growth of donald zinkoff, an autistic boy. Donald takes his giraffe hat off right when he is asked to.
In fact, before he even gets to school hes in trouble. Everybody calls him a loser but he thinks hes pretty neat. The only words that i can use to truly describe this kid are eclectic and. This is a reading comprehension activity guide and answer key for loser by jerry spinelli. He laughs easily, he likes people, he loves school, he tries to rescue lost girls in blizzards, he talks to old ladies. He is so excited to enter school that he can barely stop laughing, which his classmates think is weird. Loser donald zinkoff is clumsy, enthusiastic, and often oblivious to how others perceive him but even when others are unkind, donald remains true to himself. Until the 4th gradewhen his teacher seats him in the first row. As a consequence, his classmates start calling him loser, since he makes. In the end of the book donald trys to find a little girl names cauilda who has gone missing but really, she was found and. Loser by jerry spinelli, chapters 1221 vocabulary list. Loser by jerry spinelli focuses on donald zinkoff and his travels through school. With a name like loser, i really expected to hate this book and feel sorry for the main character throughou.
Polly zinkoff polly is donald s sister that is born when zinkoff. The novel opens with a narrator notic ing a kid in the distance. Yet, as he moves on to the second and third grades, donald zinkoff has a poor record in several. Because of his offbrand sense of humor and his lack of demonstrable ability in.
If you enjoyed his other books, then you will probably like this one, too. It details the growth of donald zinkoff, who is branded a. Iam able to recount each character and the circumstances thatwere important in their lives. What happens in the book loser when zinkoff is in the fifth. Donald zinkoff starts out as a little energetic first grader that wants nothing but to make others happy. Then comes the day when they stand alone on their front steps, blinking and warming in the sun like pups of a new creation. Donald zinkoff zinkoff is a clumsy boy that the story follows most of the way. Would you rather go with andrew or donald s father on take your kid to work day. Donald zinkoff is one of the greatest kids you could ever hope to meet. If you hear these sounds, you are sure to find donald zinkoff running around somewhere. Zinkoff is one of the most unusual, endearing characters ever to grace the pages of a novel for young readers. But donald doesnt really notice, for he is blessed with an abundant amount of love and acceptance from his family. He is awkward and seemingly unaware of social norms at school. Loser chronicles the childhood of donald zinkoff who is one of the most unusual, endearing characters ever to grace the pages of a novel for young readers.
When he blows a race for his team, however, his transition to loserdom is complete. Even when they dont his kindness and positive energy is an inspiration. Donald zinkoff is the star of loser and he goes to school but isnt really noticed until fifth grade, when everyone notices him as a loser. Thanks for exploring this supersummary plot summary of loser by jerry spinelli. From the very start, its clear that zinkoff, as he is called, is rather different from other children. He doesnt get other kids, really, but most of the time he has so much fun with his life that it doesnt really matter. This adapted literature resource is available through the. The book loser is about a boy named donald zinkoff, but everyone calls him zinkoff who just started school. Zinkoff always messes up and doesnt do anything right. What happens in the book loser when zinkoff is in the fifth grade. After failing horribly in a track and field race, hes branded loser which kinda sticks with him for years, even into middle school. Loser book king county library system bibliocommons.
What happens in the book loser when zinkoff is in the. Jerry spinellis book loser is a comingofage tale about donald zinkoff, known to other kids simply as zinkoff. Like the other neighborhood mothers of firstday, firstgrade children, mrs. Adapted from the original text, loser, by jerry spinelli, harper collins books donald zinkoff is a boy who lives in his own world. Some adjectives i would use to describe him are clumsy, friendly, determined and kind. Loser by jerry spinelli now has a character map for the main. Hes not smart or athletic, and the other kids know it. Childrens literature in the elementary curriculum licensed for non. This classic book is perfect for fans of gordon korman and carl hiaasen. It was a suspenseful book, we never knew what would happen next. Buy the book share learn explore the words assign start learning with an activity.
People all describe zinkoff as a loser, but zinkoff is too caught up in his own world to hear it. Loser by jerry spinelli paperback scholastic book clubs. Beginning with donald zinkoff s early days of invisibility and ignorant bliss maybe it annoys you that he seems to be having even more fun than you, but its a onesecond thought and its over, says the omniscient narrator in the opening chapter, the narrative follows the. The other kids have their own word to describe zinkoff, but he is too busy to hear it. Describe how zinkoff reacts to his new freedom in chapter 2. What rule does zinkoff have a hard time following while delivering mail. Challenge students comprehension of the novel with a variety of question styles and a final quiz. During those years, he changes and yet remains the same, as do all young people. Loser is a very appropriate title for the books if of a boy named donald, who is seemingly a nice kid, enjoys going to school, talks to old ladies and laughs. Students describe zinkoff s selfimage as it appears in the novel. Donald laughs over any strange word he hears, had horrible hand writing, and always raises his hand, but gets the answers all wrong. On the first day of first grade, donald shows himself to be a.
As donald zinkoff went through school he became older, but not wiser. Loser is a tender story about donald zinkoss, a young character who demonstrates great selfacceptance and who is not afraid to fail. The book starts with donald zinkoff in first grade, and. Create a comic strip to highlight a brief incident from the story.
First day is a big day, and mothers know how scary it can be to a sixyearold. But zinkoff also raises his hand with all the wrong answers, trips over his own feet, and falls down with laughter over a word like jabip. Donald zinkoff cant sit still, cant stop laughing, falls over his own feet, adores school and silly words and his family, is prone to throwing up due to a defective stomach valve, is impervious to peer pressure, and never frets about being perennially last in any competition just as hes last in the alphabet. When he blows a race for his team, all of his all of his previously ignored quirks become a focal point and brand him as a loser. Listen to loser audiobook by jerry spinelli and steve buscemi.
It details the growth of donald zinkoff, who is branded a loser by his classmates due to his clumsiness, poor performance in school. What are some of zinkoffs character traits loser questions. Students deal with the concept of the human spirit and the importance of failure. Zinkoff is discovered by these critical eyes that don t understand his humor or perspective. Polly zinkoff polly is donald s sister that is born when zinkoff is 6 years old. Stargirl here enters the consciousness of the social pariah. The book starts with donald zinkoff in first grade, and takes him up until sixth grade. Loser is unique for being written in the second person. Loser chapters 15, pages 78100 discussion questions 1. I decided to write about zinkoff after reading the book loser. But in the end he starts to change and not be a loser anymore.
Jerry spinelli has also written the books who put that hair in my toothbrush, fourth grade rats and maniac. But donald doesnt really notice, for he is blessed with an. Donald zinkoff is a social outcast based off the fact that he is oblivious to everything around him, he runs off his creativity and happiness, and has a hard time understanding people, in his mind. Until fourth grade, zinkoff s uncontrollable giggling in class, sloppy handwriting, horrible flute playing, bad grades, clumsiness, and ineptitude at sports go largely unnoticed.
Even though his classmates from firstgrade on have considered him strange and a loser, daniel zinkoff s optimism and exuberance and the support of his loving family do not allow him to feel that way about himself. It is written to describe what donald zinkoff from loser by jerry spinelli evolves as a person in this story. Hewants to sit in that first seat in class, and yet his last name dooms him to the last seat in the last row. Donald zinkoff has to deal with the teasing and name calling of his peers every day. Jerry spinelli has also written the books who put that hair in my toothbrush, fourth grade rats and maniac mcgee. Aug 14, 2016 answered by aslan 5 years ago 8142016 8. Zinkoff wants to be like his dad when he grows up, a mailman. Other kids have their own word to describe him, but zinkoff is too busy to hear it. His giraffe hat, his love for school, his uncontrollable giggles, his belief that he runs so fast. Other kids have their own word to describe him, but zinkoff is too busy. It concerns donald zinkoff, who is clearly on the spectrum somewhere but arent we all. It details the growth of donald zinkoff, who is branded a loser by his classmates due to his clumsiness, poor performance in school and athletics, and sometimes clueless enthusiasm.
Adapted from the original text, loser, by jerry spinelli, harper collins books. Zinkoff as others know him possesses an inner joy that baffles most people. With the encouragement of his family, he learns to approach life with a positive spirit and to enjoy all that it has to offer. Donald faces the familiar challenges of elementaryaged children disagreeable teachers, peer pressure, social conformity, and. Teachers and students all know that theres something different about zinkoff, but they arent sure exactly what it is.
We don t yet have a fulllength study guide for this book. This character is an old woman who lives on willow street, and uses a walker. Characters donald zinkoff is the main character of the story, he is six years old at the. Sep 20, 2018 loser by jerry spinelli, character traits, donald zinkoff, character map, novel studyloser by jerry spinelli now has a character map for the. May 01, 2002 donald zinkoff is a really special kid. On the first day of first grade, donald shows himself to be a peculiar child. Table of contents loser rainbow horizons publishing.
All the other kids have their own words to describe him but zinkoff doesnt. Donald zinkoff zinkoff is a spunky with an awkward personality. Wringer, stargirl, and now loserare among my alltime most special books. In the early grades, zinkoff may be a little odd but his peers have not yet learned how and why to exclude certain children. Students give their impressions of the teachers speech on zinkoff s first day of school. Donald zinkoff character analysis 1851 words internet public.
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