1. By: Ernesto Bethancourt
“User Friendly”
By: Ernesto Bethancourt

2. Literary Focus Cause and Effect
Characterization (including character types)
Plot Progression
Theme

3. User Friendly by T. Ernesto Bethancourt

4. User Friendly by T. Ernesto Bethancourt
Friends come in all shapes and sizes.
In this story, Kevin turns to an unusual friend to help him with a problem. His friend is Louis, his computer!

5. Cause and effect

6. Cause and effect Cause and Effect Words for this reason thus since
in order to
as a result
therefore
consequently
because
due to
on account of

7. User Friendly Reading Skills: Recognizing Causes and Effects
In a cause-and-effect relationship, one event causes another event to happen. The effect is what happens, and the cause is why the event happens.
Look at these pictures of two related events. Which is the cause? Which is the effect?

8. User Friendly Reading Skills: Recognizing Causes and Effects
In “User Friendly,” Kevin accidentally starts a chain of events that leads to trouble.
Cause
Effect/Cause
Effect
A causal chain is a series of events in which each event causes another one to happen.

9. User Friendly Reading Skills: Recognizing Causes and Effects
To help you figure out causes and effects, follow these steps:
Identify what happens first.
Ask, “What happens because of that?”
Look for hidden or multiple causes and results.
In your textbook, there are questions that will help you recognize causes and effects in the story. When you see the symbol, stop and answer the question next to the open-book sign.

10. User Friendly Reading Skills: Recognizing Causes and Effects
A graphic organizer like this flowchart can help you record the chain of events as you read.
Cause
Effect/Cause
Effect

11. Theme

12. Theme

14. Theme

15. User Friendly Literary Focus: Discovering Theme
One way to find a story’s theme is to analyze the characters. As you read, ask yourself these questions:
What important comments do the characters make?
What situations do they face?
What do they learn by the end of the story?

16. User Friendly Literary Focus: Discovering Theme
Another way to find a story’s theme is to think about the title and what it might mean.
User Friendly
To analyze the title, ask yourself questions like “What is the literal meaning of the title?” and “What related subjects come to mind?”

17. User Friendly Literary Focus: Discovering Theme
Here’s one more tip to help you discover a story’s theme: Look for key passages that seem to make important statements about life.
Friendships have their ups and downs.
Accepting responsibility is difficult.
Ambition often has a price.

18. Possible Themes: Give supporting evidence for the following:
Friends come in many forms.
People aren’t always aware of the effects their actions have.
You should treat others as you wish to be treated.
Things are not always as they seem.

19. Characterization

20. User Friendly Make the Connection: Quickwrite
Suppose someone you just met said, “My best friend is a computer.” What would that statement tell you about the person? List some character traits you’d guess that the person might have.

21. Kevin’s Characteristics
Kevin is ___________________. I know this because _______________________________.
Kevin is ___________________. I know this because _______________________________.
Kevin is ___________________. I know this because_______________________________.

22. Louis’s Characteristics
Louis is ___________________. I know this because _______________________________.
Louis is ___________________. I know this because _______________________________.

23. Ginny, Chuck, Parents- Characteristics
Ginny is ___________________. I know this because _______________________________.
Chuck is ___________________. I know this because _______________________________.
Kevin’s parents are _____________________. I know this because _____________________.

24. Comprehension questions

25. · Kevin’s father works as a —
Where does the story take place?
·         Kevin’s father works as a —
·         Kevin is worried about all of the following problems :
·         Which words best describe Kevin’s character?
·         How does Ginny Linke react to Kevin?

26. ·         What is one effect of Louis’s acts of revenge?
·         What is the effect of patching Louis to a new modem?
·         After Kevin’s father returns home and works on the computer, he —
·         How did Kevin’s father change Louis?
·         What caused Louis to act as he did?

27.  The story describes a computer named Louis that —
· The printout that Kevin’s father shows him at the end of the story probably expresses Louis’s —
·         The computer’s character is revealed to Kevin by
·         How does the title reinforce the story’s theme?