Restart by Gordon Korman is one of those novels that students love so much that they pass it around the class. Students will laugh out loud, empathize, grow angry, and want to help Chase as he struggles with a difficult situation.
Summary
Late in the summer before Chase’s eighth-grade year, he wakes up in the hospital surrounded by people who say they are his family. Chase has no memory of them or the fall from the roof of his home that caused him to be unconscious for several days. He has a severe concussion and acute-retrograde amnesia. Dr. Cooperman tells Chase he cannot participate in contact sports for a full year. This is a huge disappointment to the football team as Chase is their star quarterback.
Chase soon discovers many students in the school dislike him. Some avoid him, and others seem afraid of him. He hears tales of how he terrorized students in the school. Chase doesn’t remember any of it. Is it possible for him to change from the bully he was before the accident? Can he restart his life?
The story teaches a valuable lesson that all students should read
Activities for Restart by Gordon Korman
Restart Book Unit Samples
Check out Restart Book Unit with these free samples including:
- Vocabulary Practice for Chapters 1-2
- Comprehension Questions for Chapters 1-2
- Constructed Response Question for Chapters 1-2
You can get the free book unit sample by clicking the button.
Teaching Idea #1 – Restart Constructed Response Questions
Enjoy these four constructed response questions. The link takes you to a Google Drive file. Both full-color slides and black-and-white printable versions are provided.
You must save these files to your Google Drive to make them editable.
Explain what course of action you would take if you were in Chase’s situation with no memories of the past. Why would this be a more effective course than the course that Chase chose?
How does Chase change in the novel Restart?
Besides the fall, which event had the most impact on Chase’s character change?
How does Shoshanna change in the novel Restart?
Which event had the most impact on Shoshanna s character change?
How does Joel change in the novel Restart?
Which event had the most impact on Joel’s character change?
Teaching Idea #2 – Restart by Gordon Korman Book Trailers
Watch the trailer.
Teaching Idea #3 – Amnesia
Chase gets amnesia after he hits his head. Read about the different types of amnesia and their causes here.
Teaching Idea #4 – Comparing Books
Compare Restart to other books in which the main character is a bully or is bullied.
Crash by Jerry Spinelli is an excellent book to compare and contrast with Restart. Both stories center around main characters who are great football players. The characters change over the course of the book when something major takes place in their lives.
Other books that contain bullies include:
- Wonder by R.J. Palacio
- Schooled by Gordon Korman
- Middle School: How I Survived Bullies, Broccoli, and Snake Hill by James Patterson
- Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick
See the product that inspired this post.
Restart Novel Study includes vocabulary practice, comprehension questions, constructed response writing, and skill practice.
