Podcast Checkpoint 1: Brainstorm In this checkpoint, you will be responsible for forming an outline for your podcast. You should write everything in script format so you have less work to do later. Fill out the chart below to get started. Your podcast will be 25-35 minutes long, so pay attention to the suggested time stamps. Unless you are citing a direct quote be sure to rephrase in your own words! Benchmark Overview | Checkpoint 1 Example | Book Podcast Examples First things first= choose a colored section to be responsible for. If you decide to have some special guests (author, characters, etc) let me know and I'll help you rework your section. White sections are to be filled out by EVERYONE. Person 19398) Person 2@3008) Person 300M) Person 4QRaN®) introduction: The podcast starts with a sound/jingle and you will welcome listeners and give opening introductions and shoutouts. Podcast Name and introduction True Colors Podcast Cover Art (be sure to include the link and not just the image-that would be annoying to transfer) can be an image from the internet, a picture of you all, or some art that you made! intro music (HOUGRSRBSTONSEMBAB | introduction/sackground Music Hey listeners, welcome to True Colors where we identify the True Colors of characters in the book we are reading. In our first episode, we're going to talk about the book Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky AlbertalliIntroduce everyone Everyone should introduce someone else! You should not introduce yourself! BEBE welcome, sit back and enjoy the talk about True color and here we have BRS (1 intorducinggaD BBS (4 introducing RBM) Thank You for Introducing me. if you guys didn’t know, know this is ROEM A young swe really enjoys spending time with her family and loves to relax while listening to her favorite playli BEI: Thank you, 1’m glad to be here. love to introduce everyone to GEG He is a lemonade drinker and Netflix watcher. He's in such a mood. Take it away 9 BEB. (3 introducing [RBE) Thanks BS. Hey yall, 1am and our last guest is HERES 4 lover of cheesecake and someone who loves talking on the phone with her friends. Book Title, Author, and Publication Date and location (where was it first released?) Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. It was released June 7, 2016 in ‘America. General summary of the book- setting, characters, major themes/symbolism, conflict/plot 1-2 minutes Simon is a 16 year old closeted kid in the suburbs of Atlanta Georgia attending Creekwood High School. Though he was successfully keeping his sexuality a secret, the, main conflict comes from another student, Martin, blackmailing him and forcing him to set him and his friend, Abby, up. With his secret and his relationship with an anonymous student on the line, Simon's friendships are challenged all in the name of keeping his sexuality a secret. key and prevelant themes in this book are identity, perception and change, actions and consequences, and queer struggles/coming out. Mini Biography of Author (WITH 2 SOURCES) *look back to first impression assignment! General life: She was born and raised in Atlanta and still lives there with her ct ren*consider what in your author’s life may have impacted the book and husband. She served as coteader of a group of gender-nonconforming children in DC. She is a bisexual woman which probably gave her more insight on queer experiences. Education: Studied abroad in St. Andrews in Scotland. Majored in psychology and avoided sciences. Earned a doctorate in clinical psychology. Writing History: She wrote simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Leah on the offbeat, the upside of unrequited and What If It’s Us. Inspiration for the book/why did they write this book: MLA Works Cited: www.beckyalbertalli.com Initial thoughts on the book and how they changed. 3-5 minutes “feel free to refer back to your Role Worksheets, Double Entry Journals, and Choice Board submissions! Linitially thought the book was just like he’s getting blackmailed because Martin wants him to get him and Abby together and Simon. will just try. But, then it was deeper than that, he took his mission more serious than 1 thought and it got deeper than that. simon ends up not cooperating with his blackmailer and then he takes things to the next level. simon being blackmailed took a toll of some of his friendships also. But even after what happens people still love Simon more than he thought but I never doubted it because from. the beginning Simon just seemed like an amazing person. At the end he gets his happy ending with his anonymous lover. My initial thoughts of this book was that it was good overall. | feel like this book was different in its own way. With so many predictions | was definitely wrong most of the, time but the outcome would be very unexpecting in a good way. This book made feelings. | realized no matter how long you've| originally thought that this book would be good and had high hopes for it. It’s unique in the way that the main relationship between Blue and Simon is mostly anonymous with a couple of facts about each other being known. The fact that we don’t get to see Simon and Blue interact in real time is compensated by the virtual connection that they made with each other. | also liked that off the first few pages, Simon wasn't the stereotypical closeted man who is putward;y homphobic and toxicly masculine, which wasvery refreshing. Middle (Analysis): The host will guide the transitions. Everyone should be responding in these sections!! Not just one person does the whole thing. Chosen focu lot What is it? A sixteen year old named simon. who is holding in this big secret about who he truly is. He’s gay and hasn’t told any one yet but Blue, Blue is another gay teen who goes Creekwood like Simon and they communicate through emails. Why does it matter? simon bi blackmailed | think helped build him as a person, And what I mean by that is Simon is this quiet boy who doesn't really talk to anybody, and during the process of him being blackmailed he stopped feeding into Martin Simon became more careless and began talking to him Marting with a little tone and his responses were always smart. 1 Key moments from the text where the theme is relevant (MLA citations): “That was so b*tchy of me. | can’t believe | said that. It was super b*tchy, | say. You're like a stealth b*tch. What did you call her? ask Martin. | swear to God, that kid pops up out of nowhere and burrows into every conversation. It’s okay, Marty. We're just messing around, says Abby” (Albertalli 97/98). I chose this quote because it shows the start of how careless Simon started to get. When Martin just barges into their conversation Simon is just like well like what the heck. Is this moment a mirror, glass door for you? I think this moment is a window because I'm viewing this from Simon's point of view. I'm viewing his experience towards Martin while indow or sli inghe’s being blackmailed, and | start to get a better understanding of why he’s star care less and less and not putting up with Martin's crap. And, this is a window because | can’t relate to it I'm just viewing into his life. Question: How do you think simon changed from being blackmailed? Answer: | think that although Simon’s fear was being outed. | also think that him being blackmailed reminded him of how much he wanted to do it himself, He didn’t want to make it a big deal, but in reality, especially given the setting, it was going to be ab deal, Martin knew that and that’s why it had so much power over Simon. Simon wasn't able to tell the people he is closest with in his own time because then it would've made his. relationships stronger and mean so much more coming from him. The blackmailing rushed his process and dulled his coming out to everyone excluding Abby and his parents. how he was wrong in the situat what he did to Abby. He realized he was wrong and that's not what real friends do. Therefore, it taught him a mini lesson. Answer: I think that after being blackmailed simon became somewhat more confident in let that get the best of hii identity and that’s what he did. This encouraged him to tell the people closest to him about his sexuality.Chosen focus: Characters 5-6 minutes What is it? Simon Spier is a teenag e boy with a big secret. He is gay, and he has kept it a secret from everyone except Blue. Blue is also a gay boy teen whos in the closet and Simon's pen buddy, whom he meets on Tumblr and with whom he communicates via email. Blue and simon both are enrolled at the same school, however they didn't know each other. Ever Since they met, they remained anonymous for months until they were comfortable meeting each other one day. Blue is also a 16 year old like Simon and he’s enrolled at Creekwood highschool. Blue parent's are separated, however he does visit his father on different occasions because he does live with his mom. Blue is the only child and he wasn't out to his parents at the beginning of the book. Later in the book he began to tell his father that he’s gay but realized he wanted to tell his mom first because they're closer and she wouldv’e felt some type of way. Blue ended up coming out to his parents just a different time. Why does it matter? Blue matters a lot in the novel because simon feels like he’s involved with him almost throughout the whole book. Blue played a big the story because everyone was curious about his true being. Also, Simon had the biggest secret. He was in the closet and he didn’t want anyone knowing that he was gay because he was in fear of getting bullied and picked on by students at hs school. However, Blue was the only one that Simon told his secret too. Which means he trusted Blue more than anyone else in the book which makes him an important character. 1 Key moments from the text that is important for this (MLA citations):“Just so you know, you being cute isn’t the reason you're easy to talk to, because it really should be the opposite.” (“Albertali” 118) | picked this quote because it shows that Blue isa special person towards Simon and even though they may not know each other in reality, they have deep trust for each other. Is this moment a window, glass door for you? Why? for, or sliding In this scene | choose a mirror. I chose that option because | experience the same situations. Whereas though, when I communicate with people and they say things that make me realize or bond and relation is deeper than what | thought. Which Blue was explaining to Simon. It just wasn’t about his looks, and him being gay. There are things that Simon doesn't even realize he says or do to make Blue feel more for him which makes them closer. Questior Simon's real identity, out himself? spired Do you think when Blue found out to come Answer: I do think that to some extent his confirmation did motivate him a little to come out and not because Simon was simon was outed and ion had no effect on Blue’s coming ink that the fact that it was Simon is why he came out. He always had an underlying desire for Simon and now that he knew he had already built a relationship with Simon as Jacques, it definitely gave him the courage to come out to be with simon, ‘Answer: | think that in some way, yes, Blue was inspired by Simon to come out. | think in a way that coming out to his parents was his subtle way of telling Simon that he wasn’t ashamed of himself and that he wanted tocontinue the strong connection they already had via email. He had feelings for Simon and it was obvious. By coming out he made his feelings official! also think that Simon admired this act of courage from Blue and it in turn inspired him to tell his own family. ‘Answer: No, because from the rip Blue didn’t want Simon to know who he was for even when Simon was begging to meet him. And, | feel like when he found out Simon's real identity he kind of just wanted to explore him, follow him in school see what he really looks like and if he’d still be interested in him. Blue went ghost on Simon before telling him who is wwas, so I honestly feel like he met up with Simon because he was finally ready and he was comfortable enough to do it not because he knew who Simon was. What is this? The point of view is told from. Simon’s perspective, which makes it first person, We get to view the book through Simon's eyes. This includes his thoughts and feelings. Simon has to navigate being a gay audience experiences things just as Simon does. Why does it matter? This matters because based on who's telling the story it can affect how we receive details and perceive other characters in the story. Each character has different mindsets that are unique to them. Being able to step into someone else’s shoes allows readers to gain intel and an understanding of what another person has to endure before judging them. For instance, readers may not agree with Simon for trying to set Abby up with Martin, but since we have his perspective of the situation we can see why he did what he did.1 Key moments from the text that is important for this (MLA Citations): “1 don’t even know where to begin with that. Some straight kid who barely knows me, advising me on coming out.” Pg. 3 Is this moment a window, mirror, or sliding glass door for you? Why? I'd say this is a window for me. It’s a window because I'm seeing things from simon’s perspective, as he’s gay and someone who isn’tis trying to tell him how he should come out, when he clearly doesn’t have the right to do so. 1 don’t specifically relate to this, but from ‘Simon's eyes I can agree Martin isn’t in the right to make such a statement. Martin isn’t in Simon's position and so in other words hi unhelpful and invalid. From ‘simon’s POV Martin seems ignorant. Question: How do you think this story would be different if it were told from another character's perspective? Possibly Bram or Martin? Answer: | think that the story would be completely different if told from Bram’s perspective. The story would be completely different and we could’ve learned more about Bram’s home life and how his secret effects his relationships with his friends and family. | would also love to know how much Bram fantasized about Jacques and even Simon and if he fantasized about them separately or as one person. The climax of book would've been completely different, what was the spark that made him realize who Jacques was. The conversation would definitely shift from a white gay boy being scared to come out because of his environment, to a black, gay and Jewish boy who is also challenged by his environment but with the addition of race and religion. 1 think it would definitely be a lot more thought processes and apporaches to experience.‘Answer: | think the story would be more detailed if it was told from Bram’s POV and 1 say this because it would be more like | make a comment on a post and some boy replies to it then starts to email me. We talk and | find out who he is, now I'm creeping around the halls, putting stuff in his lockers, looking at him in class and all that. So there would be more and less to the story more because there was a lot going on with Bram but also less because he doesn’t know Simon is being blackmailed. But | think it would be really interesting if it was from Bram's POV. Answer: | feel like the book will be very weird if it was told from Brams point of view. Mainly because he hi jentity the whole book. However, | feel like some areas would've been the same because Simon and Bram kind of had the same roll. Therefore we would just be hearing about Brams family and his friend group. The only reason | think it may be weird is because he eventually finds out who simon is and we never knew how long they knew each other, therefore he would be describing him knowing who he is. and what he’s doing, Kind of from a stalking point of view. (Gonelusion: Hosts should create 2-3 final fun questions to ask their guests! Wrap up question 1: What was your favorite or least favorite part of or thing about the book? ked this book, it was a great story. Despite this, my least favorite part in the book are the parts where Leah was being selfish and self absorbed. She wasn't the most supportive friend throughout the book, as she couldn't even tell simon about the post, and got upset when simon decided to come out to Abby first. Her concerns were mostly geared towards Nick and Abby's relationship, which just made her out to be jealous and problematic during the story.Answer: | just want to say the book was a great book and it had me very entertained. However, | feel like my least favorite part when Simon had to find out about the post about him being gay on his own. At that his friends know what he was about to walk into and let him do that on his own. I feel like they were being very selfish and inconsiderate at the moment because Nick and Leah knew Simon for a while and they still let him find out about the post himself. A friend doesn’t deserve that, especially if they knew he wasn't expecting it after they split off with him. Answer: My favorite part about the book is the end and how well simon and Bram hit it off. They really did love each other and there was no bad tension between them it was lovely. They really connected with each other and their love language was definitely touch and it ike they couldn’t get enough of each other. Also, them knowing who one other really was made their relationship even better. Answer: My favorite part of the book is when Simon ate Martin up in the parking lot. Throughout the book, there is this heavy weight that Simon holds and it’s mostly due to Martin, Martin really doesn’t understand the severity of the situation and the outing, so for Simon to finally express himself and his. resentment towards Martin is good for him. He gets to get his anger off of his chest and it is one of those moments where you outwardly support what the main character said or di Wrap up question 2: Did you guys like the ending of the book? ‘Answer: | did enjoy the ending of the book. it was heartwarming to see Simon finally get hi: happy ending after enduring some hardships. Simon and Blue had a great relationship each other. I'm also glad to see that whenAnswer: Yes, | really liked the end of the book, the feelings between Simon and “Blue” aka Bram really spiced up. | found it interesting that even after all the emails their feelings haven't changed for each other even without knowing one another personally and they hit it right off, no awkwardness. | think it shows all Simon's growth and the hard time out his life, from trying to come out to the world. ‘Answer: | liked the ending of the book. | think it was a part of Simon's development and growth. Someone who, rightfully so, has some ill feelings towards coming out and the idea of it. It’s not that he doesn’t think it’s an important part of himself, but he doesn’t want his sexuality to be his brand and havethe other qualities of his character and personality be boiled down to his sexuality. In the last moments and even the last sentence, he still hasn’t changed his stance on the idea of coming out, but he did acknowledge how his sexuality is just as important as anything else regarding him. ‘And although he thinks coming out shouldn't be this big formal conversation with the people you love, just because you're gay because it shifts how everyone sees you, he considers embracing his sexuality within an accepting space a big deal. A review of the book. Would you recommend this book to others? Why? You can use a star rating system or create your own for the novel. Everyone should give the book a rating and decide if they would recommend the book {including hosts) I would recommend this book to others. if you are starting to read stories about gay men, then this is definitely a starter book. Not much of a thought provoking book and more of a relatable high school experience and journey. Out of 5 stars, iwould give this book around the 4 area. Could be better and more diverse, but it’s definitely enjoyable to read and necessary for its time. I would recommended this book because at many point in it, it has you on the edge of your seat. Like are you ever watching a movie or show and you're getting so nervous on what is about to happen you just have to. pause it. That’s how itis but its so good you keep going. Yes, | would definitely recommend this book to others because not only is it a good book, it possibly could help someone in their personal life in many ways. | would give the book a 4 out of 5 stars because there are areas where certain parts could've been better. Yes, overall | did enjoy the book. I find it very fitting and modem to our generation. | would recommend this book to people of my age group or people who enjoy books about theLGBTQ+ community. I'd give the book about a 4 out of 5. | loved the idea of it and it was relatable and understandable, however some of the plot was a little predictable. Overall a good read. ‘A recommendation or two for people who fed the book. What else would they like? Given the themes of this book like queer identites, romance, and identity, | would recommend any book by Adam Silvera. He also writes many stories about queer children and he even wrote a book(s), because it’s a series, with Becky Albertalli called “What If It’s Us,” and “Here's To Us.” Concluding thoughts Hosts should have the last word and create a signature sign off (complete with a sound igle) I think overall we liked the main story and plot of the book. Though the characters, like Leah, can be unbearable to the point where we wanted to close our books, the author did a great job at resolving every problem that Simon had or created. We were able to see why characters act the way they act and how their actions affected the people around them. That is it for this episode of True Colors where we identify the True Colors of the characters of the books we read. See yall real soon.