This is a sample of reading and discussion questions from a curriculum guide, available for free download in the Resources and Downloads tab.

Key Ideas & Details

1. I Dissent begins with this sentence: “You could say that Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s life has been...one disagreement after another.” What ideas has she disagreed with?

2. What did Ruth learn from her mother? Ruth’s mother took her to the library. What did she learn there?

3. Why did Ruth decide to become a lawyer? What did other people think of this idea?

4. Even though Ruth became a brilliant young lawyer, no one wanted to hire her. Why not?

5. Describe how Ruth Bader Ginsburg got along with Justice Antonin Scalia.

6. Many people think of Ruth Bader Ginsburg as a hero. Do you agree? Explain your thinking.

Craft & Structure

Interesting Sentences: Sometimes authors use ordinary words in interesting, surprising ways. Discuss how author Debbie Levy does this in the sentences below. Pay attention to the underlined words.

• “On the shelves [of the library] were stories of girls and women who did big things....Ruth read her way into this world.”

• “She was a woman....She was a mother....She was Jewish....Three strikes against her. But Ruth was not out.”

• “Ruth, her family knew, had mastered the art of burnt pot roast."

• “Her voice may not carry a tune, but it sings out for equality.”

For many more discussion questions and extension activities based on I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark by Debbie Levy, check out the Curriculum Guide below in the Resources and Downloads tab.