After a rotten report card, Zack fakes a learning disability to gain sympathy. He quickly discovers that dyslexia is no joking matter in a special episode of “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.”
“Smart and Smarterer” airs Sunday, Oct. 16, on The Disney Channel at 6 p.m.
Report-card day means different things to the twins who menace the Tipton hotel. Cody (Cole Sprouse, left) gets straight A’s and teachers comment that he’s “a joy to teach,” while his brother, Zack (Dylan Sprouse, right) earns the comment “could work harder” but simply doesn’t care to try.
If things don’t improve academically for Zack, his mother threatens to send him to summer in school where he’ll be forced to eat vegetables. When Zack notices a boy being allowed extra time and assistance while taking a test, he decides to mimic dyslexia and get the same treatment.
The misguided twin quickly discovers, though, that the land of jumbled letters and ridicule by classmates isn’t the place to be. “Smart and Smarterer” provides a glimpse of life at a different desk and will make them more compassionate to those who sit there.
Jumbling priorities and letters …
–Mr. Moseby, the manager of the Tipton, resorts to charades to communicate when he gets laryngitis. Play charades with your family. Communicate something fun such as, “It’s time to eat ice cream.”
–When Esteban wants to communicate with Mr. Moseby, he acts out both sides of the conversation. Have your family write situations on slips of paper, draw them from a hat and act out both sides.
–Sit down with your children and help them work out a homework plan. How can they most effectively improve what they do in school? Are their homework routines as effective as they can be?
… in search of the easy route.
–Why did Zack act as if he had dyslexia? Why didn’t he just spend more time working on his schoolwork?
–Have you ever tried to take the easy way out of a situation? What happened? Has it ever worked for you?
–What would you have done if you were in Zack’s situation? In what way could he have made a better choice?
