WHILE YOU READ OR LISTEN
“Call of duty” has a meaning in this chapter that’s not about the video game you may know. As you listen, see if you can figure out what call of duty means in the story and write it down when you think you know.
THE GOSSIP GAME
Bryson tells the boys who are messing with Ty that “Like my father always says, ‘Those that scar you are you.’” What do you think this means?
Create your own “mighty snake of gossip.” Once you’ve finished reading Call of Duty, try to retell the story to a friend or a family member. Then, have that person retell the story to another person. You can continue this chain for as long as you want! Then compare the final story to the original story of Call of Duty. How has the story changed? What parts were changed or left out completely?
In this story, Bryson and Ty both use the video game Call of Duty as a way to think about surviving school. Pick a favorite game of your own–it can be a video game, a board game, or even your favorite sport. Write a story or poem imagining what you can learn from this game.
TALK
Think about your own life. What duties or responsibilities do you have that are challenging? Why do you choose to continue them? How do they benefit you or others?
WRITE. RIGHT. RITE.
Call of Duty is a video game you might know. If you were designing a video game, what would it be like? Listen to Jason Reynolds introduce the prompt, then write!
THINK DEEPER
Reynolds explains that Ty knows “the anxiety of a kind of war.” What is the source of Ty’s anxiety and confusion? Why do you think Bryson defends him?
Other boys teased Ty and hurt Bryson because of their actions. How can you show acceptance to others who might speak, act, or believe differently than you?
