Radiance Descending

Teacher's Guide

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Eleven-year-old Paul Coleman is filled with embarrassment and jealousy for his Down syndrome brother until his grandfather leads him toward an understanding and acceptance of Jacob’s place in the family.
Paul Coleman’s life changes forever the day his little brother is born. Jacob, a Down syndrome child, demands a lot of attention from his parents. Paul comes face-to-face with his feelings of resentment toward his brother when the Colemans plan a special celebration in honor of Jacob’s seventh birthday. Paul rebels and refuses to go to the party. Instead, he retreats to a special hiding place in the woods—a place where he feels alone and free. Grandpa, who has a close relationship with his oldest grandson, finds Paul and offers him comfort and understanding, and leads him home where he discovers a newfound love for his brother.

ABOUT THIS AUTHOR

"I was born in New York City in 1923. When I was eight, I moved to a Cuban plantation and stayed for two years. Before and after Cuba, I seldom lived anyplace longer than a year or so.
"In Cuba, I went to a one-room school with eight other students who ranged in age from six to fourteen. I attended nine schools before I was twelve, by which time I had discovered that public libraries embodies freedom, solace, and truth. Stories took me to other places. There was no television then, of course. Reading was everything to me. Wherever I went--except Cuba--there was a library. Even though my schools changed, I'd always find a library.
"When I was a young child, I was most influenced by my grandmother and her stories of her life in Spain. Some of her tales were comic, and some were tales of dread. What I recall most about her stories, told to me in fragments over the years I lived with her, was an underlying sorrowful tone, a puzzled mourning for the past. I also lived in the home of a minister in Upstate New York. He was the great person of my childhood. He taught me to read.
"I always wanted to write, ever since childhood. But I didn't start writing until I started a job teaching troubled children. Before teaching, I worked in a wide variety of jobs. At sixteen, I was reading books for Warner Brothers, including Spanish novels. I also was a salesgirl, a model, a worker in a rivet-sorting shop, and lastly a lathe operator at the Bethlehem Steel during World War II. I wrote my first adult novel, entitled Poor George, while I was living in Greece with my family. My first children's book, Maurice's Room, quickly followed.
"As I sit at my typewriter, working, there are moments when I feel I cannot write another word, when the sheer difficulty of discovering what I mean to say and how to say it is so daunting that I want to stop forever. I haven't' yet stopped. I stay in my chair, pen in hand, yellow-lined pad on the desk next to the machine, doodling or writing down fragments of sentences, hoping some unifying principle will, like a net, draw them together. On the whole, most wiring is the questions one asks oneself. What has happened to me? Does it have meaning? It's a peculiar process. One of the nicest things about writing is that you make yourself laugh. You don't have to wait for a comedian to come along!"

TEACHING IDEAS

In the Classroom

Radiance Descending is a beautifully crafted book that explores many aspects of human emotion. In this brief novel, Paula Fox takes a jealous older brother on a journey of acceptance and hope as she conveys to young readers the conflicts that may exist in a family that has a child with special needs. Fox literally paints pictures with words, inviting her readers to celebrate the "radiance" of a special child like young Jacob. For this reason, this book is an excellent choice for reading aloud to an entire class.

Themes to explore and discuss include family relationships, acceptance of a handicap, jealousy, and freedom. This guide also provides activities that link the language arts, social studies, science, art, and careers curriculum.

Pre-Reading Activity

Invite a special education teacher to speak to the class about Down syndrome. Ask the teacher to address the following questions: What causes Down syndrome? Is it hereditary? What are the characteristics of Down syndrome? What is the life expectancy? What life skills might a person with Down syndrome learn? What are some of the problems that develop in a family that has a child with special needs?

Thematic Connections

Family and Relationships --Describe the Coleman family. Discuss Grandpa’s role in the family. Discuss what Paul’s father means when he says, "Jacob is your brother, not your friend." (p. 23) What could Dr. and Mrs. Coleman do to help Paul feel more important to the family? Paul changes at the end of the novel. Ask the class to discuss if they think Dr. and Mrs. Coleman change in the way they treat Paul. How is Grandpa more important to Paul than he is to Jacob? What role will Grandpa continue to play in Paul’s life?

Acceptance of a Handicap -- Engage the class in a discussion about why Grandpa is the person who tells Paul that Jacob has Down syndrome. Grandpa says to Paul, "As time goes by, you’ll probably think he’s getting much more attention than you are. You’ll be right. It can’t be any other way." (p. 8) Discuss whether this is Grandpa’s way of helping Paul accept Jacob’s handicap. How does this statement foreshadow the type of life that Paul leads? Cite evidence from the novel that Dr. and Mrs. Coleman have not fully accepted Jacob's handicap. How does Paul change his feelings for Jacob at the end of the novel? Discuss what type of brother Paul might be in the future.

Jealousy-- Ask students to cite evidence that Paul is jealous of Jacob. How do Dr. and Mrs. Coleman contribute to Paul’s jealousy? How is Paul’s jealousy of Jacob different from normal sibling jealousy? Dr. Newman, a counselor, tells Paul that he is the most important person in Jacob’s life. How does this make Paul feel? What other things could Dr. Newman have told Paul that would help him deal with his jealousy? What does Grandpa mean when he says, "I think it’s time for you to give it up"? (p. 96) Engage the class in a discussion about whether Paul would be jealous of his brother if Jacob had not been born handicapped.

Freedom-- Paul feels trapped in his own house because of Jacob. Discuss how the woods give Paul the solitude and freedom for which he is searching. How does Grandpa help Paul find the freedom he needs to move on with his life? Discuss the relationship between accepting a handicap and finding freedom. How can Paul help Jacob become independent and free?

Interdisciplinary Connections

Language Arts -- Paula Fox uses figurative language to create certain images in the reader’s mind. For example, "He felt pitiful, like an orphan left out of doors in the wind and the rain." (p. 22) Divide the class into small groups and ask them to find other examples of figurative language in the novel that describe Paul’s feelings. Find examples that describe Jacob.

Paul writes an autobiography for class, but doesn’t include very much detail about Jacob. He simply describes how Jacob looks. Discuss with the class all the elements that should be included in writing an autobiography and then ask students to write their own autobiography and share it with the class.

Social Studies-- There are various advocacy groups and organizations that support the families of children with special needs. Ask students to visit the Web site for the National Down Syndrome Society (www.ndss.org) and discover the many ways that they help families. How is the Internet an important tool for raising community awareness about people with special needs and their contribution to society? The students may want to identify places in their community where families with special-needs children can go for help.

Science/Health-- Children with Down syndrome may have special health problems. Ask students to search the Internet or use reference books in the library to identify health problems that may affect people with Down syndrome during their lifetime. Have students make a brochure about these special health needs to give to families like the Colemans.

Art-- At Jacob’s birthday party, he stands at the top of the stairs in front of a stained-glass window, dressed in a gold robe. What does Grandpa mean when he whispers, "Radiance descending"? Ask students to paint a picture of Jacob titled "Radiance Descending."

Careers-- Paul’s father, Dr. Coleman, is a veterinarian. Brainstorm with students the requirements needed to become a veterinarian. Ask students if they’ve ever taken their pets to a vet and to describe the experience. Have students make a list of the differences and similarities between their doctors and one that takes care of animals.

Teaching ideas prepared by Pat Scales, Director of Library Services, the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, Greenville, South Carolina.

VOCABULARY

The vocabulary in the novel isn’t difficult, but students may wish to write down unfamiliar words and try to define them from the context of the story. Such words may include reproach (p. 23), caper (p. 27), tempo (p. 28), exhilarated (p. 39), marquee (p. 39), abated (p. 47), shards (p. 53), chagrin (p. 82), and extricated (p. 98).

REVIEWS

* "Newbery Medal winner Fox tells a perceptive, sensitive story. . . . readers will find many layers of meaning in this novel."-- Starred, Publishers Weekly
"Fox offers acute psychological insight into a boy’s feelings of anger and rejection, and his loss of ‘normal’ family life when his brother, who has Down syndrome, is born. . . . a worthwhile, poignant story." --Kirkus Reviews

FURTHER READING

If I Forget, You Remember by Carol Lynch Williams[0-385-32534-7]

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

http://www.ndss.org/