Hector Hillerman’s Favorite Things

1. Hector Hillerman’s Favorite Things A Lesson in Sorting, Selecting, and Organizing Information

2. Directions: On your own paper, respond to the prompts below. Be as specific as possible and take the time to write thoughtful responses. Bear in mind that this information will be shared with other class members. You can skip around, but you need to respond to all of the prompts. You do NOT have to write in complete sentences. Some things I have a lot of information about: Some things I particularly value or cherish: Some things I oppose or reject: Some unusual or interesting things I have seen: Something I daydream about: Some things I have learned from important people in my life: Not to brag, but three things I do well: Something that bothers me (a question, a mystery, a problem): Some unusual things that have happened to me: Unusual things about my background (places I have lived or visited, experiences of family members, family history, etc.): Something I would do if I knew I had only one year to live: Something that recently made me happy:

3. Pretend… • …that you were going to write a paragraph introducing Hector Hillerman to the rest of the class. • Since you can only write one paragraph, you will need to focus on one “thing” about Hector. • Look over the facts about Hector’s life. What things seem to be most important to him? Come up with at least three ideas for topics for a paragraph about Hector.

4. Life is not a bowl of cherries for Hector Hillerman; it’s a barrel of laughs. Hector has what he believes is a “great sense of humor”. He learned to love comedy at an early age, probably because of a father who played practical jokes. One of Hector’s first memories is of his father dressing up as a woman to be the blind date for a young bachelor friend, who didn’t appreciate the joke. He also remembers laughing at his father’s comical brother, Clayton, who played the dwarf Dopey at Disneyland one summer. When Hector was ten, his Uncle Clayton gave him a videotape of an Adam Sandler movie, and soon Hector was imitating Sandler, reciting parts of the movie for his friends and making them laugh. Later he became an Eddie Murphy fan. He admired Murphy’s ability to imitate people and to create interesting and funny characters. Someday Hector hopes to become a stand-up comedian as funny as both Sandler and Murphy. His dream is to do his routine on the Tonight Show and then sign a contract for a major motion picture.

5. Directions: • Go over your “Things” About Me sheet & see if you can add any more information. • Share your responses with your partner. Each of you must determine an area of focus for your partner, then develop at least 3 follow-up questions about the area of focus. • Interview your partner further by asking your follow-up questions. Jot notes as your partner responds. • Write a paragraph introducing your partner that contains ONLY information that supports the area of focus you have chosen. Your topic sentence should make your area of focus clear.