The Blind Side

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Chapters 1-3

Reading Check

1. Which quarterback suffered a violent career-ending sack by Lawrence Taylor?

2. Who was playing left tackle for the Washington Redskins at the time?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What does the term “blind side” mean in the context of football?

2. What is significant about Tom Lemming?

3. What became the qualifications for a left tackle to block a pass-rusher like Lawrence Taylor?

4. Why does Lemming disregard Michael Oher as a possible choice for the US Army game?

Paired Resource

Tom Lemming

• This interview with Tom Lemming describes his process for recruitment in American football.
• Why do you think Lemming might be considered “old school”? How does Lemming contribute to US sports? How does Lemming determine recruitment? What connection is made between Lemming’s success and his passion for sports? What are some of the criticisms Lemming receives for his process? How is this article related to the book’s theme of The Complexity of Forces and Motives?

Chapters 3-4

Reading Check

1. Whom does the principal of Briarcrest put in charge of caring for Michael while he is enrolled at the school?

2. Who is the coach at basketball practice?

3. Who takes Michael shopping for clothing?

4. In what event does Michael break the West Tennessee sectional record?

5. Who does Michael eventually live with?

6. What position does Freeze move Michael to?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why was Briarcrest Christian School created?

2. Why is Michael enrolled in Briarcrest?

3. How does Sean Tuohy’s life compare to Michael's?

Paired Resource

Resource Equity in Education

• This page on the Chicago Public Schools site briefly defines “resource equity,” the allotment of resources in schools to create more equitable learning experiences.
• It also links to a longer paper showing the effects and dimensions of resource equity.
• How do high-poverty schools compare to their wealthier counterparts? How are high-poverty schools connected to race? How is state spending distributed to schools? What is the impact of low funding in high-poverty schools? How is this article related to the book’s themes of The Complexity of Forces and Motives, Nature Versus Nurture, and Institutional Racism?

Chapters 5-6

Reading Check

1. What was the original name for the system developed by Walsh to compensate for a weak quarterback?

2. What was the new name coined for Walsh’s system that is still used today?

3. How does Michael improve his grades in school?

4. What does Michael want Leigh Anne to help him acquire, making him the first in his birth family to do so?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How was Walsh able to use an offensive style that was seen as boring to change football?

2. What are the Tuohys’ concerns regarding Michael’s football career?

3. Why do many football spectators fail to appreciate the contribution of left tackles such as Michael? 

4. Why does Leigh Anne approach Freeze about his football strategy?

Paired Resource

“Private School vs. Public School”

• This article compares the advantages and disadvantages of private and public school systems.
• Published by US News and World Report, it is a research-based study of how public students performed in relation to their private-school peers.
• This article reports on the demographics of the private and public school systems and prompts challenging notions about access to education. What factors should be considered before deciding on a school? Why are comparisons between private and public schools tricky? What are some of the benefits of smaller classrooms in schools? How might cost be a deterrent in private schools? How is this article related to the book’s themes of The Complexity of Forces and Motives, Institutional Racism, and Nature Versus Nurture?

Chapters 7-8

Reading Check

1. Who is in the car with Michael when he has a car accident on slick roads?

2. Where does Leigh Anne want Michael to attend college?

3. Where does Michael decide to go to college?

4. What is the second most intellectually demanding position in football after the quarterback?

5. What year is Michael expected to be a starting player on the football team?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why are the Tuohys anxious about Michael’s choice of college?

2. Why did the NCAA open an investigation into the Tuohys?

3. What strategy do the Tuohys develop to improve Michael’s grades enough to get into college?

Chapters 9-10

Reading Check

1. Who made it difficult for Joe Montana to succeed against the Minnesota Vikings?

2. What do Ole Miss coaches underestimate in their loss against their Mississippi State rivals?

3. Who verbally attacks Michael?

4. What does Michael do when he sees he has injured a three-year-old boy?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why was Bubba Paris unsuccessful as a left tackle?

2. What sequence of events causes Coach Walsh’s players to lose respect for him?

3. Why was Coach O hired for his position at Ole Miss?

Paired Resource

“Class Differences”

• This article describes the psychological and behavioral differences among individuals of different socioeconomic classes.
• What are some of the habits and attitudes that are associated with social classes? How do people from different classes experience life differently? Why might it be difficult to assimilate into other classes? What do the wealthy often attribute to their successes? How is this article related to the book’s themes of Nature Versus Nurture and Institutional Racism?

Chapters 11-12

Reading Check

1. What is Michael’s mother’s name?

2. Who did Michael’s mother buy drugs from?

3. Who was Michael’s sports hero when he was seven years old?

4. What was Michael’s consequence for fighting with Antonio Turner?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What was Michael’s early life like with his mother?

2. How does Lewis explore the concept of Nature Versus Nurture in Michael’s early life?

Recommended Next Reads

I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to The Blind Side, and Beyond by Michael Oher

• This is Michael Oher’s memoir, describing his childhood up to his rookie year in the NFL.
• Shared topics include poverty, at-risk youth, and the importance of mentors.
• Shared themes include The Complexity of Forces and Motives, Nature Versus Nurture, and Institutional Racism.
• I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to The Blind Side, and Beyond on SuperSummary

Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by Buzz Bissinger

• This nonfiction book explores the role of football in a small American town: Odessa, Texas.
• Shared topics include football, race relations, and socioeconomic classes.
• Shared themes include Nature Versus Nurture, The Complexity of Forces and Motives, and Institutional Racism.
• Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream on SuperSummary