Teaching & SEL
Mr. J and the Tower That Fell Discussion Questions and Activities
Use original Mr. J and the Tower That Fell discussion questions and activities before, during, and after reading, plus five extensions.
These Mr. J and the Tower That Fell discussion questions and activities help children examine feelings, shared responsibility, disappointment, honesty, and rebuilding without reproducing the book’s text. Choose a few prompts rather than asking every question in one sitting; a read-aloud should still feel like a story.
Written by Dave Joisil and illustrated by Hafsa Asad, *Mr. J and the Tower That Fell* follows a tower project shared by Mr. J and his best friend. His delay leaves her carrying most blocks. After she leaves and the tower falls, he moves through feeling stuck, working with clay, losing coins, truth-telling, tears, and gradual rebuilding.
Illustration by Hafsa Asad: the block tower tumbling during a difficult learning moment
Before-Reading Discussion Questions
Use two or three to activate thinking without inviting plot spoilers:
- What can a tower represent besides a building?
- What makes shared work feel fair?
- What is the difference between planning to help and helping?
- When something falls, does starting over always mean making it exactly the same?
- What are safe ways to respond when a plan changes?
- How can pictures communicate an emotion without naming it?
Show the cover and invite children to support predictions with visual evidence. Record possibilities but do not mark them right or wrong yet. Introduce an option to pass or answer about a fictional character.
During-Reading Discussion Questions
Pause when the pattern of unequal work is clear:
- What pattern do you notice between the two friends?
- What could Mr. J do today instead of promising tomorrow?
- What might his friend need, and how could she communicate a boundary?
Around the fall and the period when Mr. J feels stuck:
- Which feelings could exist at the same time here?
- What part of the situation is Mr. J responsible for? What is outside his control?
- Is working with clay helping, avoiding, or both? What would make the pause useful?
Around the shopkeeper and rebuilding:
- Why can telling the truth be difficult when we regret a choice?
- What does the shopkeeper offer without solving the problem for Mr. J?
- How do tears and perseverance appear in the same journey?
- Why might one block be an effective next step?
Use wait time. A quick turn-and-talk or silent gesture can include more students than repeatedly calling on the fastest speakers.
After-Reading Discussion Questions
Move from recall to interpretation and transfer:
- Which small choice had the largest later impact?
- What is the difference between feeling sorry and acting responsibly?
- What did rebuilding solve? What might it not solve?
- How might the story change if Mr. J asked for help earlier?
- What could he say to his friend without demanding forgiveness?
- Where do you see regulation, accountability, and perseverance as different skills?
- What does “one block” mean in a non-building problem?
- Which scene best explains the title? Defend your answer.
For grades 3–5, add author’s craft: Why is a tower a useful metaphor for a relationship, habit, or goal? What can fall quickly even if it was built through many small actions? Keep interpretations grounded in story events.
Extension Activity 1: Decision Tower
Pairs receive blocks or paper squares. On each, they place one decision from a fictional setback: notice, pause, tell the truth, seek help, repair, begin. Remove one choice and ask how the response changes. Students learn that resilience is a connected process rather than a personality trait.
Extension Activity 2: Two Viewpoints
Fold paper in half. On one side, students draw or write what Mr. J might notice; on the other, what his best friend might notice. Require evidence and tentative language. This activity develops perspective-taking without asking students to decide that both characters had equal responsibility.
Extension Activity 3: Helpful Pause or Endless Delay?
Sort fictional actions into “helpful pause,” “keeps the problem going,” or “need more information.” Clay for a set period with a return plan may be helpful; leaving a partner with all work indefinitely continues the pattern. Discuss why context changes the category.
Illustration by Hafsa Asad: coins spilling at a toy shop after a mistake
Extension Activity 4: One-Block Action Lab
Give broad tasks such as repair a group project, begin a report, clean a large area, or address a misunderstanding. Teams convert each into actions that take roughly one to five minutes. Compare “fix friendship” with “ask when the person is ready to talk.” Specificity makes action possible.
Extension Activity 5: Move the Metaphor
Students use body shapes to represent building, wobbling, falling safely, pausing, and beginning. Then they narrate an emotional or academic sequence over the movements. Offer seated and nonperformance options. The activity reflects Hey! It’s Mr. J’s broader use of movement and mindfulness to support healthy, happy lives.
Facilitation Notes
Do not require children to reveal breakups, friendship losses, or family changes. The book grew from Dave Joisil’s deeply personal chapter after a painful breakup and rebuilding from emotional loss, but classroom discussion can remain with the character or invented situations. That origin can help adults recognize the metaphor’s emotional seriousness without burdening students with personal disclosure.
Correct moral shortcuts gently. The message is not merely “never give up.” Mr. J must face delayed responsibility, accept change he cannot control, regulate enough to tell the truth, and take changed action. The accountability guide develops that distinction, while the resilience book club guide expands discussion across multiple sessions.
Visit the official book page for edition and school-order information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Must I use all the questions?
No. Select prompts aligned with your goal and students’ age. Three thoughtful questions often produce more learning than a long checklist.
May students disagree about Mr. J’s choices?
Yes. Ask them to cite events, distinguish fact from inference, and discuss ideas without attacking classmates.
Can these activities work without blocks?
Yes. Use paper, sticky notes, drawings, gestures, or spoken sequences. The metaphor matters more than the material.
Bring *Mr. J and the Tower That Fell* Home
This book fits readers who want rich, open-ended discussion material and a tower metaphor that can move directly into meaningful classroom practice.
Order *Mr. J and the Tower That Fell* on Amazon or visit the official book page to learn more about the story, classroom use, bulk school orders, and author visits.
Dave Joisil—known as Mr. J—is a certified Health and Physical Education teacher and an independent Black male children's author. Supporting his independently published work helps make room for more educator-created stories and Black male representation in children's books.