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Introduction to Poetry

Narrative poetry is a great way to get students to appreciate and understand the many aspects of poetry while keeping them engaged in a (longer) story. We find that by guiding students through stories written in verse, students can more easily identify and understand figurative language and imagery because the story provides them with a larger context in a format that their more familiar with. As you read this lesson plan, please keep in mind that there will be more details in the beginning to support student understanding and fewer details as the plan progresses. This is done intentionally in order to gradually release the responsibility of reading comprehension to the students and away from the teacher. You will see as your book group progress, your students will become more aware of their own themes, offshoots and interests. Unless their conversation is venturing off topic, it is counter-productive to “reel” in them at this time. Rather, it is quite natural to expect that your students’ book group discussion will take on a life of it’s own. Our goal as teachers of literacy is to get students to take ownership of their literacy experience. Evidence that this is taking place is when the discussion stops being led by the teacher and begins to be led exclusively by the students. In essence, the teacher’s role is fluid as it changes from a “transmitter of knowledge” to “facilitator of discussion” ultimately to a “quiet observer”. We want to increase our students’ reading comprehension by creating an authentic reading experience by teaching students to analyze all texts within this genre. Not just to “cover” the lesson plan exactly.


Whole class Mini-lesson Suggestions for the Poetry Genre: Anchoring The Class in a Common Literary Goal Differentiating reading materials and instruction is key to teaching all students to become better readers. However, this doesn’t mean that you must forgo all whole class instruction. Having whole class discussions about a common piece of text anchors your class in a common literary focus and provides a perfect reference point for future discussions. Each genre lends itself to certain natural focus lessons. Below are some whole group mini-lesson ideas to get you started. MINI-LESSON ONE Target Students: 6th, 7th or 8th grade students Literary Focus: What are the characteristics of stories that are written in verse? Procedures:

1. Introduction: Stories written in verse often contain certain poetic elements that are present in shorter poems. When we read stories that are written in verse, we can expect some of the following things:

2. Facilitate a whole class discussion about the commonalities of stories written in verse.

3. Ask: When you read a poem, what do you notice? A LIST OF CHARACTERISTICS OF POETRY (STORIES WRITTEN IN VERSE)

• More white space on the page • Short sentences or phrases • Little or no punctuation • Use of descriptive words and phrases such as metaphors and similes. • The words create images or feelings • All different types of figurative language are present such as; Hyperbole,

alliteration, irony, tone, etc…

4. Write student responses on a piece of flipchart paper in the room to serve as a reference.

Student Task: As you read your story further, think about the characteristics we just listed. Make note of 1-2 characteristics that appear in the novel and think about how knowing this characteristic(s) helps you understand the story better. Be prepared to share your examples and interpretation with the class.


MINI-LESSON TWO Target Students: 6th, 7th or 8th grade students Literary Focus: What is a metaphor and simile? Why do poets/authors use these types of figurative language? Procedures:

1. Introduction: Poets/authors use figurative language such as metaphors and similes to describe feelings, objects and people in a story so readers can imagine what the characters are seeing or feeling.

2. Explain that a simile is a phrase, which compares two unlike objects and includes the words “like” or “as.” A metaphor is a comparison between two unlike objects that does not use the words “like” or “as.”

3. Write the following sentences on the board, ask students to take a few moments to think about what they mean. Also, ask students to identify whether or not the sentence is a metaphor or simile.

When I woke up this morning, my hair looked like spaghetti. (Simile) The football player was a tank. (Metaphor) My heart felt like it was ripped out of my chest. (Simile) He was a bear in the morning if he didn’t drink his coffee. (Metaphor)

4. Ask students to work for one minute with the person next to them to create a sentence that is either a metaphor or simile to share with the rest of the class.

5. Allow students to share their metaphors or similes for 2 minutes. Student Task: As you read your story further, notice a metaphor or simile. What is your interpretation? How does it help you understand the story better?


Poetry–Narrative Fiction Home of the Brave By Katherine Applegate Comprehension: Developing TEACHING POINTS: The following story focuses on opportunities to;

1. Analyze metaphors and similes and idioms. 2. Respond to words, phrases and lines that create feelings that engage the readers in

reflection. 3. Explore the literary device of theme.

Introduction to the Story Have you ever visited a new place and felt like an outsider? Can you imagine what it would feel like if you could never return home and had to live in a new place? Everyday, there are people coming to America to begin new lives. Everything is unfamiliar to them as they struggle to learn a new culture and a new language all at once. In this story, Kek, a young refugee boy from Sudan, comes from Africa to live in Minnesota to begin a new life. He is alone except for his aunt and cousin. His father and brother did not survive a brutal attack on his Sudanese village. He has not heard if his mother survived but has not given up the hope that he will someday see her again. Comprehension trap: Explain to students that a refugee is a person who leaves his or her country to escape war. ”Snow”, “Old Words, New Words”, “Questions” Kek’s plane lands in Minnesota and he sees snow and feels the bitterly cold air for the very first time. Dave, “the helping man” meets Kek and drives Kek to Kek’s aunt’s house. Kek notices the buildings and cars and “old dead trees.” Dave asks Kek about the plane trip and Kek struggles to respond in English. We learn that no one knows about Kek’s mother’s fate. Kek carries a piece of torn, yellow and blue cloth that belongs to his mother in his pocket. Teacher Prompts: Inferring: Why does Kek carry a blue and yellow piece of cloth in his pocket? Why do you think is Dave helping Kek? Author’s Craft: Katherine Applegate uses SYMBOLISM to make her story more interesting. Kek just learned that the trees in wintertime are not really dead and that they will come back to life in spring. After he tells Dave that he believes his mother is alive, he looks out the window at the “not-dead” trees. What could this image symbolize?


(It could mean that Kek’s mother is not really dead, like the trees he sees out his window.) Reader’s Notebook Entry: Poets use words and phrases to create images in the reader’s minds. Choose words that helped you form a picture in your mind and write about two instances of imagery in your reader’s notebook. Draw the picture you “see” in your mind next to the words. Be prepared to share your work in the next guided reading meeting. Suggestion: Use the Imagery sheet from the appendix section. “What the Heck”, ”God with a Wet Nose”, ”Welcome to Minnesota” As Dave drives Kek to his new home, Kek sees a cow in a pasture and asks Dave to stop the car. Dave replies with the phrase “What the heck!” and turns the car around to let Kek pet the cow. We learn that the cow is very important to Kek’s people and that by being next to the cow, Kek feels happy for a moment. We meet another character named Hannah who throws a snowball at Kek as he arrives at his aunts home. Reader’s Notebook Entry: Katerine Applegate uses poetic words to convey Kek’s feelings. What are some phrases that give you insight to how Kek feels? Write three phrases and describe how they made you feel. Questioning for Understanding: Readers use CONTEXT CLUES to decipher words that are unfamiliar to them. Write these words in your reader's notebook. As you come across these words in your reading, make a guess as to what you think they mean, write them in your notebook and be ready to discuss them with your guided reading group. Suggestion: Use the Using Context Clues Sheet from the appendix section.

• wary • mischief • prey • scowl • gazelle • optimist

Predicting: Do you think Hannah will become Kek’s friend? Why or why not? “Family”, ”Lessons”, ”Goodbyes” Kek arrives at his aunt’s apartment and is greeted warmly by her and her son, Ganwar. We learn that Ganwar is in eleventh grade and occasionally gets into fights. Kek learns about light switches and locks. He compares these things to his home in Sudan as he mourns his old life. As Dave leaves and Kek realizes that Dave gives him comfort and a sense of safety.


Teacher Prompts: Reader’s Notebook Entry: Katherine Applegate introduces Ganwar by revealing his past experiences to the reader. Describe Ganwar’s personality based on what you know about his past. Use examples from the story to support your claims. Inferring: Life seems much easier in Minnesota. Why do you think Kek prefers to be back in Sudan where there are no light switches, indoor plumbing, grocery stores, etc…? Predicting: Do you think Kek will be happy living in America? Do you think Ganwar and Kek will be good friends? Questions For Understanding: Why does Ganwar have six, long, scars on his forehead? (He received them as part of a village ceremony representing the coming of manhood.) “Father”, “Bed”, ”Brother” Kek remembers a song his father would sing to him. We learn that the night Kek’s father was killed he sang a song about Kek. Kek also learns about the comforts of a mattress and about indoor plumbing and the convenience of stoves. He thinks his aunt and cousin live in a castle. Kek still doesn’t feel a sense of belonging, because Ganwar is acting cool and distant. Kek remembers that Ganwar and his brother Lual, were close friends. We learn that as Kek remembers his brother and father, he is still grieving very much. Teacher Prompts: Connecting: We take many modern day conveniences for granted. Imagine what Kek must feel like as he learns about the wonders of electricity and indoor plumbing for the first time. Reader’s Notebook Entry: Think about a time when you were astounded by something new such as new technology. Write about how you felt. Compare your feelings to Kek’s feelings. How are you alike? How are you different from Kek? “TV Machine”, “Night”, “Mama”, “Sleep Story” Kek enjoys a traditional meal with his aunt and cousin. But the more he remembers home, them more he is saddened by what has happened. He learns that his aunt must leave to go to “work” to make money to buy things in America. Kek mentions that his Mama will come soon but both his aunt and cousin tell him not to hope too much. Kek has trouble sleeping so he asks Ganwar if he likes America. Ganwar tells him that the land is full of freedom, but the “ghosts” still follow him. Kek claims to still have hope that his mother is alive and Ganwar responds by saying that just hoping will not make it true. We learn about Kek’s personality through Ganwar’s stories of Kek doing silly things back in Africa. Kek remembers how much his mother loved him and how much he is like her.


Teacher Prompts: Author’s Craft: Katherine Applegate uses similes in her writing. Similes are phrases that compare two unlike things using the words like or as to describe something. Inferring: In the poem called, TV Machine, Kek says that he feels holes where his father, brother and mother should be. He says,” Sometimes to me, a hole can be as real and solid as a boulder or a tree.” What is he really saying? Who are the “ghosts” Ganwar is referring to? Reader’s Notebook Entry: As you read further, identify three similes and write them in your notebook. Draw a picture to represent the simile. Suggestion: Use the Imagery sheet from the appendix section. Or, write about Kek’s personality traits based upon all of the silly things Kek did back home. How does Kek’s responses to Ganwar’s accusations help you understand Kek’s personality better? Author’s craft: Author’s create a MOOD when she write about the setting. Reread the poem Sleep Story. What mood is Katherine Applegate creating? Use examples from the poem to support your answer. PART TWO “Paperwork, “Information,” “School clothes” Dave takes Kek to the Refugee Resettlement Center to complete paperwork. Kek is overwhelmed by all of the questions. There is no news of Kek’s mother yet. Ganwar watches as Kek tries on his new school clothes. Kek puts on his pajamas by accident and Ganwar tells him, “You’ll be eaten alive.” Kek doesn’t understand this term and thinks American’s eat people. Ganwar explains that he’ll be beaten if he wears his pajamas to school. Author’s Craft: Katherine Applegate uses FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE to provide readers with a visual image so they understand the story better. In the poem called, Information, Kek describes the winter day by saying, The icy air kicks at my chest. We walk to Dave’s car in silence. Only the snow talks. Visualization: What picture do you get in your mind as you read the above passage? Connecting: Can you imagine how the cold feels?


Reader’s Notebook Entry: Write a short poem about any experience you had. Be sure to include language that creates a visual image for the reader evokes feeling. Be ready to share your poem in the group meeting. “Once There Was”, “New Desk”, “Ready” We learn about Kek’s school in the refugee camp in Africa and that he rarely had access to books or any school materials. He loves stories because it helps him forget his problems. When he arrives in ESL class, the room itself astounds him. He hesitates to sit in his desk because he thinks he has to pay for it. When he finds out it’s free, he can’t stop smiling. We learn that Kek is very eager to learn. Teacher Prompts: Questions for Understanding: Interpret the following phrases(similes) into your own words.

• “She tosses out a loud laugh like a ball into the air.” • “The stories would lift me up, the words like a breeze beneath butterfly wings…”

“Cattle”, “Lunch”, “Fries” Kek is asked to draw a picture to represent his home. He draws a bull. Other students in ESL class see his picture and say, “Moo.” Kek finds comfort in knowing that even though his class speaks twelve different languages, they all understand his picture. We experience a school lunch through Kek’s perspective, as he tastes cafeteria food for the first time. He loves it. Hannah introduces herself to Kek and invites him to sit by her. She also explains what a french fry is and introduces him to ketchup. Teacher Prompts: Connecting: We take many things for granted such as eating lunch in the cafeteria. When we experience lunch through Kek’s, we have a renewed appreciation for this everyday occurrence. List two ordinary things you do during a school day that Kek would find to be “extraordinary.” Reader’s Notebook Entry: Imagine that you are new to America and write about one “everyday” experience from this perspective. Be prepared to share your entry during your next meeting.


“Not Knowing”, “Home”, “Time” During lunch, Hannah asks Kek many questions about his family. He responds to her by telling her that he witnessed his brother and father being murdered by the “government’s men”. He says that he was lucky to have seen it. Hannah finds this comment strange. However, Nishan, another ESL student knows what he means and explains to Hannah that it’s easier knowing that someone is dead rather than NOT knowing where they are (as with Kek’s mother.) We also learn that Hannah knows that Ganwar is not happy in America. Back in the apartment, Kek happily tells his aunt about all of the wonderful opportunities school offers him. Ganwar tells him that he will never feel like an American because they (Americans) won’t accept him. Kek learns that his aunt is leaving to work the early shift. Before she leaves, they talk about telling time on a clock and how it is different from the Sudan because they told time by looking at the sun in Sudan. Kek notices that his aunt is tired even before she has left for work. “Helping”, “How Not to Wash Dishes”, “Not-Smart Boy” Ganwar tells Kek that it is his (Ganwar’s) job to wash the clothes. He tells Kek that it’s really fun and informs Kek that there is a washing machine downstairs. Ganwar says that he will “allow” Kek to help him someday but not now and he leaves the apartment. After seeing dirty dishes in the sink, Kek decides to help his tired and overworked aunt by washing the dishes. He carried the dishes downstairs to the laundry area and washed them in the washing machine. Hannah sees Kek in the laundry room and realizes what he did. The dishes are broken. Kek panics but then he and Hannah burst out laughing. Kek says, “Perhaps this is my punishment for trying to do the work of a woman.” Hannah tells him that in America, woman can do what men can do and calls him a “moron.” They attempt to try to glue the pieces together. Teacher Prompts: Inferring: Why do you think Kek said he was being punished for doing a woman’s job? How does this statement and Hannah’s response to it, reflect cultural differences? “Magic Milk”, “Wet Feet”, “Bus” Hannah and Kek take the broken dishes to Hannah’s apartment. We learn that Hannah is one of three foster children living with the foster parents. Kek notices the apartment is cluttered and dirty. Hannah explains that her real mom is in rehabilitation for drinking too much and that she never gets to see her.


Hannah gives Kek chocolate milk and he loves it. Kek tells his aunt about the broken dishes and she is disappointed but does not yell at him. Kek asks Dave to take him back to the cow. Kek asks Dave to help him find a job so he can pay his aunt for the broken dishes. Dave tells Kek to take things one-step at a time but reminds Ganwar that HE needs to get a job to help his mom pay rent. Kek and Hannah take the bus to visit the cow Kek saw on the way to his aunt’s home. Just moments after arriving at the farm, Kek approaches the house intent on asking for a job. Teacher Prompts: Comprehension trap: An IDIOM is a phrase whose meaning cannot be determined by the literal definition of the phrase itself, but refers to a figurative meaning that is known only through common use. In the poem Wet Feet, Dave tells Kek, “You need some time to get your feet wet.” He explains that it means to get some experience. Examples that appear later in the book: “Cutting off your nose to spite your face.” “It’s raining cats and dogs.” Reader’s Notebook Entry: Think of idiom you are familiar with and write it in your notebook. Draw a picture of it and explain what it really means in a sentence below your picture. Then as you read further, find an idiom and illustrate it and write its literal meaning. Example from the poem, “LOU”: “Wrong side of the tracks” ”LOU”, “Cows and Cookies”, “Night Talk” Kek gets a job helping Lou with the farm chores and taking care of her cow. We learn that Lou is widowed and needs help but may have to sell the farm soon. Lou offers Kek some cookies and he eats five! Kek tells Ganwar about his new job and Ganwar seems sad. He confides in Kek that he doesn’t feel like he belongs anywhere. He says he used to know what to do back home but now he doesn’t. Ganwar insists that Kek and he will never fit in. Teacher Prompts: Connecting: Have you ever felt like you did not fit in? If so, what did you do to feel better? Are you like Kek, or are you more like Ganwar? Inferring: How do you think some people in America would perceive Kek’s action of taking five cookies and eating them at once? Why?


“Cowboy”, ”Working”, “Ganwar”, “Meet Gol” In ESL class, Kek and his class practice playing a game called, “Interview”. The game requires student to question other students while pretending to be a news reporter. A student asks Kek about the cow and why it doesn’t have a name. Kek responds that he would like to name it and the entire class becomes interested in finding a name for the cow. They enthusiastically brainstorm a list that Mr. Franklin, the teacher’s aid, writes on the board. Kek suggests naming the cow, “Gol” which means “family.” Everyone votes on it and “Gol” wins. Mr. Franklin calls Kek, “cowboy” as a result. Kek is happy to work for Lou even though it’s really cold and he is not used to being so cold. On Saturday, Dave picks up Ganwar to help him find a job. But before Dave helps Ganwar, he drops Kek off at Lou’s farm. Kek insists on having Ganwar meet Gol before they leave. Ganwar seems to like the cow. “An Idea”, “The Field Trip”, “The Question” Kek gets the idea to have Ganwar help him on the farm. Lou agrees to this but reminds Kek that he will have to split his pay. Ganwar and Kek are both happier. Kek goes to the zoo with his class. As he looks at the exhibits, he notices the other children looking too. He marvels at the fact that there are many different “tribes” in America and they all seem to get along. He wishes his mother and father and brother could see this. Kek really appreciates all that he has received in America. He feels guilty and struggles with the question, “Why am I here when so many others are not?” Teacher Prompts: Author’s Craft: Author’s use METAPHOR to help their reader’s visualize a character or feeling. A metaphor compares two unlike objects. Inferring: What does the following metaphor mean? “Hunger is a wild dog gnawing on a dry bone, mad with impatience but hoping still.” What does Kek mean when he says there are many different “tribes in America?” “Apple”, Grocery Store”, “The Story I tell Hannah On The Way Home” We experience homeroom through Kek’s perspective. Although another boy is actually bullying him, he does not realize it. When the boy throws a half eaten apple at him, Kek throws it back, thinking that he is doing the boy a favor. The boy moves, the apples hits him in the nose and Kek receives a detention slip. Kek feels honored to get this slip because no one else in the class gets one! Hannah takes Kek to the grocery store. Once inside, he is overwhelmed with emotion and begins to cry because he has never seen so much food in one place before. Hannah takes


him outside. He tells her a heart-wrenching story about a young mother in Sudan who watched her infant die of starvation. Teacher prompts: Inferring: Why did Kek begin to cry in the grocery store? Why does Kek feel guilty for having so much in America while other people do not? “Library”, ”Going Up”, “Hearts” Kek visits the library with his class. Mrs. Hernandez, his teacher, hands him a book about cows. He mentions that his father would like this book. She questions him about his family and he tells her all about them. Kek has finally earned enough money to buy new dishes for his aunt so Hannah takes Kek to the mall. We learn that Hannah’s birthday is on St. Valentine’s day so Kek buys her a piece of chocolate candy with the money that he has left over from his purchase. “White Girl”, ”Scars”, “Bad News” Kek gives Hannah a piece of candy that he bought for her. Boys from the neighborhood walk past them and shout racist remarks. Hannah pulls Kek inside the apartment building. Kek is angry that she did that because he said he could handle a fight (even though he was unsure of what they said.) He gives the plates to his aunt who is very happy and proud of him. One day, while Ganwar and Kek are working at the farm, Kek mentions that he is jealous that he will never receive the gaar, the ceremonial scars that Ganwar has on his forehead. Ganwar assures him that the scars mean nothing in America. Ganwar explains to Kek that he will know he is a man when he owns a big house and a fine car. Ganwar also reminds Kek of how brave Kek was to come to America by himself. Lou sprains her ankle and tells the boys that she is selling the farm. Kek asks about the Gol and wonders what will happen to the cow. She explains that no one would probably want the cow. Kek storms out upset and angry. Teacher prompts: Reader’s Notebook Entry: What does Ganwar mean when he said that “you will be a man when you own a house and a car?” Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not? What does he think about American culture? Explain your answer in detail. Predicting: What do you think will happen to Gol? Why? Will Kek and Ganwar get another job?


“No More”, “Last Day”, “Summer” Kek will not return to the farm because it is too painful for him. He says he knows that Lou and Gol will be gone some day so he doesn’t want to work there any more. Kek’s ESL class celebrates the last day of school by eating a cake in the shape of the Statue of Liberty. Mr. Franklin made the cake and included a cow next the lady liberty in honor of Gol. Kek is saddened because he has not told his class about Lou having to sell the farm. Kek is happier now that summer is here. He and Hannah go to the library and find books about Africa. Kek misses his mother. Hannah understands because she misses her mother too. Kek convinces Hannah to write her mother a letter and she does. “More Bad News”, “Confession”, “Running Away” Kek receives news from Dave that Kek’s mother is still missing and Kek begins to lose hope that she will ever be found. That night, Kek has a very horrific and vivid dream about the night his village was attacked. Although he was forced to leave his mother behind, he still feels guilty for doing so. When Kek awakens, he tells in Ganwar that he believes he is a coward for leaving his own mother. Ganwar tells him that a “brave man cannot stop bullets” and ensures Kek that he did everything he could do. As Ganwar comforts Kek, they both sob. Kek decides that he will never fit in and leaves a note for Ganwar and his aunt. He runs away. Teacher Prompts: Reader’s Notebook Entry: Author write about CHARACTERS that change and grow as a result of their experiences. How has Ganwar changed throughout the story? How has Kek changed? Use examples from the story to support your claims. Suggestion: Use the Character Changes sheet from the appendix section. “Bus”, “Treed”, “Ganwar” Kek takes a bus headed for the airport. Along the way, he thinks about how he should have told Lou goodbye. He yells for the bus driver to stop and he gets off at the farm. Gol is in the field and noticing Kek, the cow walks up to him. Kek begins to cry but he sees that Lou is walking around doing her chores outside and he doesn’t want her to see him so he climbs a tree to hide from her. Gol stays close to the tree and will not move. Afraid that Lou will see him, Kek waits up there for a very long time. Ganwar arrives at the farm for work and notices that Kek is up in the tree. Ganwar climbs the tree and consoles Kek. Kek explains that he wants everything that he lost, back. Ganwar encourages Kek to be brave and to have hope.


“Talk”, “Changes” Lou finds both Ganwar and Kek sitting up in her tree and invites the boys in for cookies. She asks Kek why he was up there and he tells her that he was running away. She points to a picture of herself and her husband many years ago. Kek understands that it must be hard for Lou to leave this farm because she has lived here for so long. Kek decides to not run away but wait for his mom in his aunt’s home so his mom can find him easily. At the end of this poem, Kek gets an idea about where Gol could live. “Herding”, “Traffic Jam”, “Cops”, “Zoo” Ganwar, Kek and Hannah arrive at the farm early in the morning to take Gol. Lou is unsure about the idea but goes along with it. The boys and Hannah intend to walk Gol along the road to the zoo. Gol does not like the speeding cars and refuses to walk but Kek gets her moving again. While crossing a three-lane highway, Gol stops in the median to munch some purple flowers. The cow then decides to walk into the middle of the road, making traffic come to a complete stop. People are angry and begin to honk their horns. The police arrive and help the kids move Gol to the zoo by providing an escort for them. Once at the zoo, the zookeeper is reluctant to take Gol. However, seeing that she is a very affectionate cow, he agrees to keep her. Kek whispers to Gol, “ If you can moo, you can sing.” and leaves. The kids get a ride home by the police. Teacher Prompts: Inferring: What does Kek mean when he says to Gol, if you can moo, you can sing?” Why didn’t Kek call the zoo ahead of time and arrange for them to come get Gol? EPILOGUE “Homecoming” Kek, his aunt, Hannah, Dave, Ganwar and his girlfriend are all waiting in the airport. Many planes come and go but none of the passengers is Kek’s mother. Finally, as the last plane lands and the passengers disembark, Kek notices his mother wearing blue and yellow. He runs to embrace her and welcomes her home. Teacher Prompts: Connecting: Have you ever been hopeful about something when everyone else around you was not? If so, how did you manage to keep your hope alive? Reader’s Notebook Entry: THEME: The theme is the author’s message about human nature, life and society.


What do you think the theme of this story is? Use examples from the story to support your statement. Suggestion: Use the Understanding Theme sheet from the appendix section. (“Hope is a thing made only for people, a scrap to hold on to in the darkness and in light.”)


Poetry–Historical Fiction Out of the Dust By Karen Hesse Comprehension: Grade Level TEACHING POINTS: Out of the Dust provides opportunities to:

4. Teach the concepts of symbolism, foreshadowing and mood. 5. Respond to words, phrases and lines that create feelings that engage the readers in

reflection. 6. Explore themes.

Introduction to the Story Out of the Dust is set in Joyce City, Oklahoma in 1934. The soil is dry and dust storms are blowing in so frequently that sand mounds are covering the farms and killing the animals. Billie Jo is her parents’ only child. She loves to play the piano like her mother, and is tall and stubborn like her father. When she loses her mother to a terrible accident, her father, who is overcome with grief, will not talk about it. Billie Jo has to find a way to help herself and her father make it through a very difficult time. ”Beginning August 1920” BiIlie Jo was born in a cabin in 1920. Her father really wanted a boy. Her mother and father unsuccessfully tried to have another child for many years. Finally, another baby is on the way. We learn that Billie Jo will be fourteen when the new baby is due. Billy Jo doesn’t have much family outside of her mother and father, just Aunt Ellis and Uncle Floyd. We learn that Billie Jo loves apples and playing the piano. “Rabbit Battles” Mr. Noble and Mr. Romney are upset about how rabbits are damaging their crops. They bet on who can kill more rabbits. Billie Jo can’t stand it because she doesn’t like the thought of two grown men clubbing rabbits to death. When Mr. Romney accuses Mr. Noble of cheating, their long friendship comes to an end. Billie Jo is disgusted at their behavior but is satisfied that the rabbits were given to families who needed the meat. “Losing Livie” Billie Jo’s best friend leaves for California with her family. The town has a farewell party for them. Billie Jo is very sad to see her go and longs to be on the road out of town. Teacher Prompts: Reader’s Notebook Entry: What does the poem, “Rabbit Battles” tell you about Billie Jo’s personality? What type of person is she? Use examples from the story to support your claims. Suggestion: Use the Character Analysis sheet from the appendix section.


Connecting: Billie Jo says, “I couldn’t get the muscles in my throat to relax enough to tell her how much I’d miss her.” What does this mean? Have you ever had a friend or relative leave? Have you ever been so upset or sad that you couldn’t speak? How did you feel? Predicting: If the baby is not a boy, how do you think Billie Jo’s father will react? Do you think Billie Jo will ever see Livie again? “Me and Mad Dog” Arley Wanderdale, the local music teacher asks Billie Jo to perform at the Place Theater. Mad Dog is a talented singer who will perform with Billie Jo. We learn that Billie Jo has to get her mother’s permission to perform because she is not allowed to perform and stay up late on school nights. We also learn that her mother taught Billie Jo how to play the piano. “On Stage” Billie Jo describes how heavenly she feels when she is playing the piano, performing with Mad Dog and the Black Mesa Boys. Teacher Prompts: Author’s Craft: REVEALING CHARACTERS, Karen Hesse reveals new characters through Billie Jo’s perspective. We learn about them by knowing how Billie Jo feels about them and how she sees them. Inferring: How does Billie Jo feel about Mad Dog? Why? Author’s Craft: Authors use figurative language (similes) to describe how characters feel. What do the following lines mean?

• “”When I point my fingers at the keys, the music springs straight out of me.” • “Right hand playing notes sharp as tongues, telling stories while the smooth

buttery rhythms back me up on the left.” Reader’s Notebook Entry: As you read further, write down three instance of figurative language and draw a picture of it. Then, write a sentence or two explaining the literal meaning of the passage underneath your picture. Suggestion: Use the Imagery sheet from the appendix section. “Birthday for F.D.R.” Billie Jo is asked to perform for the annual FDR birthday celebration. She is very excited but explains that FDR will not really be there, it is a benefit to raise money in his name for a hospital where he once stayed when he was sick.


“Not Too Much to Ask” Billie Jo says that they have not had a good crop since 1931. However, even though they are poor and in need of food, her mother still donated cured pork and applesauce and a feed sack nightie (that she made for her baby) to the committee to help the poor. “Mr. Hardly’s Money Handling” Billie Jo sets off to buy cake ingredients for her mother so her mother can bake her father a birthday cake. Billie Jo explains that the owner of the store, Mr. Hardly is a cheap skate and always tries to cheat her out of her correct change. He mistakenly gives her four cents too much and her mother sent her back to give it to him. “Fifty Miles South of Home” Billie Jo tells about a storm that was so strong, it tore wheat right out of the ground and broke plate glass windows. Teacher Prompts: Reader’s Notebook Entry: Describe Billie Jo’s family values. What is important to her family?

• Why do you think her mother made Billie Jo give the money back to Mr. Handly? • Why do you think Karen Hesse wrote the poem, “Fifty Miles South of Home”?

What is its significance? • What do you think is important to the people of Billie Jo’s community? Name

three things. How do you know? Use examples from the story to support your claims.

Connecting: Would you have given the money back to Mr. Handly? Why or why not? “Rules of Dining” We learn just how bad the dust is as Billie Jo explains how they set the table. She says they set the plates and glasses upside down and place napkins over the silverware. Just before eating, they turn everything over to find “neat circles” or clean areas without dust. Her dad makes jokes about the “pepper” and chocolate milk. But the “pepper” is sand in their food and the “chocolate” in their milk. “Breaking Drought” There have been seventy days without rain and a little came in February of 1934. “Dazzled” Billie Jo describes how well her mother can play the piano. Her dad bought the piano for Billie Jo’s mom as a wedding gift. Billie Jo describes how “dazzled” her father is by her mother when she plays. Billie Jo wishes that she will have someone to look at her that same way someday.


Teacher Prompts: Reader’s Notebook Entry: Authors can create a MOOD by describing the setting using details. What mood is Karen Hesse creating in these three poems? Use examples from the poem to support your answer. Or, Draw a scene from a poem of your choice. Write a sentence or two describing the mood of the scene. “Debts” We learn that Billie Jo’s dad is considering taking a government loan to plant another crop of wheat. When he mentions this her Billie Jo’s mom, she is doubtful that wheat will grow because there is not enough rain. Billie Jo’s dad walks out in anger. Her mother explains that Billie Jo’s father is always hopeful because he’s a farmer. “Foul as Maggoty Stew” Billie Jo’s mother forbids her to play the piano for a performance called Sunny of Sunnyside because the rehearsals will take her out of school for two days. Billie Jo feels this is unfair and thinks her mom is jealous that she can’t perform. Billy Jo also thinks her mom could be frightened that Billie Jo will become famous and move away someday. Billie Jo follows her mother’s orders but not without feeling contempt for her mother. “State Tests” Billie Jo returns from school and announces that she scored top of her eighth grade class. She is disappointed when her mother responds with, “I knew you could.” Billie Jo craves more appreciation from her mother. Teacher Prompts: Comprehension trap: Billie Jo says that her mother “ makes me feel like she’s just taking me in like I was so much flannel dry on the line.” Explain to the students that flannel is a type of fabric, like a flannel shirt. People hung their laundry on a clothesline to dry in the wind. Billie Jo says her mother’s mundane comment about her outstanding achievement makes her feel as insignificant the chore of bringing the laundry in from outside. Reader’s Notebook Entry: Karen Hess reveals the CHARACTER of Billie Jo’s mother by showing the readers how her mother interacts with Billie and her father. List some personality traits of Billy Jo’s mom. Would you want her to be your mom? Why or why not? Do you believe everything Billy Jo says about her mom? Is she being fair in her description of her mom? Why or why not?


Inferring: Why do you think Billie Jo’s mother responds to Billie Jo’s good news with the comment, ”I knew you could”? Do you think this was an appropriate comment? Why or why not? Do you think Billie Jo may have misunderstood her mother’s comment? Why or why not? “Fields of Flashing Light” Billie Jo is awakened by the sound of wind. She steps out to the front of her house and notices lightening and wind tearing up the winter wheat. She watches until the dust turns towards her house. Her mother and father wake up and her father runs outside into the storm. She and her mother stuff wet rags in the cracks in the doors and windows. Her father doesn’t return for hours but when he does, he’s covered in mud. SPRING 1934 Teacher Note: The following summaries will be presented in groups of three to four poems. “Tested by Dust”, “Banks”, “Beat Wheat”, “Give Up on Wheat” Billie Jo and her classmate take their sixth-week test during a dust storm. After the test, all of the children were covered in dust and were coughing. Billie Jo learns from her mother that the money they lost when the banks shut down is coming back. Billie Jo is relieved that there will be money for the doctor when the baby comes. Billie Jo passes by Joe De La Flor, a rancher, while she is on the way to the store. She notices that he is dazed by the dust and seems very depressed. Mother tries to convince Baynard, Billie Jo’s father, to plant something else other than wheat. She also suggests that he make a pond. He refuses and argues that he wouldn’t ask her to give up her apple trees so she should not expect him to give up his wheat. Teacher Prompts: Readers Notebook Entry: Karen Hesse uses SYMBOLISM to make her story more interesting. What is symbolic about the image of Joe De La Flor riding despondently next to cattle that are “rib thin”? AS you read further, chart other instances of symbolism that occur. Suggestion: Use the Understanding Symbolism sheet from the appendix section. Inferring: Why do you think Billie Jo’s dad is refusing to listen to her mother and plant something else?


Connecting: Have you ever refused to change your behavior even though it would be for the best? Predicting: Do you think Baynard will eventually grow something else other than wheat? Why or why not? “What I Don’t Know”, “Apple Blossoms”, “World War”, “Apples” Billie Jo begins to feel that she is missing out on life when she learns that her teacher, Miss Freeland is singing in a play called, Madame Butterfly and she has never heard of that play. We learn that Billie Jo’s mother planted two apple trees in their yard before Billie Jo was born in hopes that the tree would bear fruit as her mother would bear more children. Billie Jo’s dad fought in WWI. He says nothing about those days other than he remembers that poppies bloomed in the trail of fighting. Billie wishes that she could see poppies “growing out of the dust”. Billie Jo’s sees apples beginning to grow on the apple trees and daydreams about the day she will be able to eat apples. Teacher Prompts: Reader’s Notebook Entry: Think of a time when you had to deal with something that was difficult. What did you think about to get you through that difficult time? Think about what Billie Jo’s father said about fighting in the war. What does the poppie symbolize? What does the apple mean to Billie Jo? ”Dust and Rain”, “Harvest”, “On the Road with Arley” A torrential downpour hits and ruins more of the wheat. The immature apples drop from the apple tree. There is still enough to have a small harvest though. Everyone’s harvest is a third of what is should be. Money is tight since Baynard will only get five bushels at 73 cents apiece. Billie Jo is asked to go on the road to play the piano with Arley. She will get paid. Her mother allows her to go and saves Billie Jo’s money in a secret spot--for Billie Jo. SUMMER 1934 “Hope in a Drizzle”, Dionne Quintuplets”, “Wild Boy of the Road”


Rain finally comes and Billie Jo’s mother’s spirits are uplifted. She is very pregnant and large. Billie Jo’s parents help a wandering boy by feeding and clothing him. The boy is walking to somewhere where the dust doesn’t come. As they watch him walk away, her parents think of how worried his parents must be and Billie Jo thinks about walking away out of the dust, herself. Teacher Prompts: Author’s Craft: Authors write using details so that readers can create pictures in their minds. Reread these poems and write about two instances of strong imagery that appeared in them. How did the imagery make you feel? Predicting: Do you think Billie Jo will ever leave her town in search of a better place to live? Why or why not? Inferring: Why does the author introduce the young boy at this point in the story? How does his situation relate to Billie Jo’s situation? “The Accident”, ”Burns”, “Nightmare” Billie Jo’s mom mistakenly pours a bucket of kerosene (left next to the stove by her husband) into the coffee pot thinking it was a bucket of water. As a result, flames shoot out and burn her. She runs out the front door screaming for Baynard. as Billie Jo follows her. Thinking about the still- burning bucket of kerosene in the house, Billie Jo runs back into the kitchen, and carries the bucket out the front door with the intention of dumping it. She accidentally pours it on her mother who was returning to the house. Her mother burst into flames and Billie Jo tries desperately to help her. Billie Jo’s hands are several burned and so is her mother. “A Tent of Pain”, “Drinking”, “Devoured” Billie Jo’s mother lay under a sheet so that nothing can touch her skin. She is in severe pain. Her father squeezes a cloth with water into her mother’s mouth. Billie Jo says she does not recognize her mother because her face is burned badly. Billie Jo’s dad finds the hidden money Billie Jo earned playing on the road and goes to the local bar to drink. All the while Billie Jo is left trying to care for her mother who is laying in agony. Billie Jo’s hands are burned and she cannot help her mother drink. Grasshoppers invade their farm, devouring everything including Billie Jo’s mother’s apples. Before Billie Jo could bring herself to tell her mother that the locust had eaten the apples, her mother died giving birth to her brother.


“Blame”, Birthday ”, “Roots”, “The Empty Spaces” They buried Billie Jo’s mother along with her baby on the hill that her mother loved to gaze at through the kitchen window. The neighborhood women came to help clean the house. As Billie Jo stayed upstairs, she could over hear them saying that “Billie Jo threw the pail” and ‘”An accident”. Billie Jo feels they are blaming her. The president instructs everyone to plant trees on their land to stop the soil from being blown by the wind. Billie Jo thinks this is a bad idea and comments that trees don’t belong here. She feels out of place and abandoned by her father. Teacher prompts: Inferring: Do you think Billie Jo should feel guilty? Do you think the neighborhood ladies were being unkind and blaming her? Predicting: What will Billie Jo do now? Do you think she will ever play the piano again? Visualizing: What mood is the author trying to convey when she writes about the images Billie Jo sees as she walks into town in the poem called, Birthday? Reader’s Notebook Entry: What is symbolic about the locust eating the apples from the tree? Suggestion: Use the Symbolism sheet from the appendix section. “The Hole ”, ”Kilauea”, “Boxes ”, “ Night Bloomer”, “The Path of Our Sorrow” Billie Jo’s father spends his days ignoring her by working on digging a hole for a pond and building the windmill her mother always wanted. Billie Jo realizes she will never forgive him for leaving the pail of kerosene next to the stove. Billie Jo looks through a box of her belongings from her life. She promised her mom she’d go through it and discard the things she didn’t need but she never got to it. Now, her hands hurt and she doesn’t’ t have the heart to do it. Mrs. Brown’s cereus flower blooms and she invites Billie Jo to see it. Billie Jo sets out to Mrs. Brown’s house at 3 am and reaches her destination just before daybreak. Billie Jo is amazed that a flower could bloom in all this dust and wind. She couldn’t bear to see if wither in the sun. Billie Jo’s teacher, Miss Freeland, teaches her class about how a series of decisions in the past have affected what is happening now. She said that this situation and depression was caused by a series of decisions driven by the demands from around the world. Billie Jo


realizes the sorrow she feels now which seems to have arrived suddenly, was heading her way for a long time. Teacher prompts: Comprehension trap: The cereus flower is a member of the cactus family that blooms only one night each year. It is rare to see it since it happens in the middle of the summer in the night.

A picture of the cereus flower in bloom.

Inferring: What is symbolic of the cereus flower? Why did the author write about it in her story? AUTUMN 1934 “Hired Work”, “Almost Rain”, “Those Hands”, “Real Snow” Billie Jo’s Father takes a job at “Wireless Power” doing excavation work. Billie Jo s hopeful he will be happy working and making money. Billie Jo says that it almost rained on Saturday. She could smell it and was hopeful, but it never came. Billie Jo notices that no one mentions her hands anymore. Only Arley Wanderdale talks about how she could play the piano again if she would try. It snowed in November and it was real snow. There was no wind and Billie Jo and her father were happy. Teacher Prompts: Reader’s Notebook Entry: The poem called Almost Rain appears in this section. Why do you think the author wrote it at this part in the story? What could it symbolize? Predicting: Do you think Billie Jo will play the piano again?


“Dance Revue”, “Mad Dog’s Tale”, “Art Exhibit” Billie Jo agrees to play piano for Arley’s dance revue. She realizes that Mad Dog does not see her as someone who needs pity and treats her the same as he always has. Mad Dog is surrounded by girls who ask him how he got the name Mad Dog. He explains that he was given the name because he would bite anything when he was two years old. Billie Jo goes home and asks her dad if he knew Mad Dog’s real name and he just stared at her. She thinks her mom would have known. Billy Jo visits an art exhibit and gets a feeling that she has to get out of the dust. Teacher Prompts: Inferring: Do you think Billie Jo likes Mad Dog? Is she jealous of his talent? Why or why not? WINTER 1935 “State Test Again”, “Christmas Dinner Without the Cranberry Sauce”, ”Driving the Cows”, “Hayden P. Nye”, “First Rain” As Billie Jo finishes another round of state exams at school, and finds out her class topped the entire state of Oklahoma, she wishes she could run home and tell her mom. Miss Freeland steps in for Billie Jo’s mom at the school Christmas dinner. Billie Jo makes dinner for her father at home but forgets to make her mom’s special cranberry sauce. As they eat in silence, both are missing the baby and BiIlie Jo’s mom. The government had to put down several of Joe De La Flor’s cows because they were suffocating on dust. Joe drove what was left of his cattle to the Cimarron River to get them water. It rained and everything that was covered in dust turned to mud. Billie Jo wanted to stand outside in the warm moist air rather than go to school. The wheat seemed to stand taller and everyone was grateful that they were free of dust. “Scubbing Up Dust”, “Outlined By Dust”, “The President’s Ball”, “Lunch” Billie Jo decides to beat the dust out of everything even thought her hands are hurting because her mother would have done it. Billie Jo notices that her father sings as he works all day long. He also stares at her while she works at the sink washing dishes. Billie Jo wishes she looked more like her mother. She misses her mother badly and regrets that she acts and looks liker her father rather than her mother.


Billie Jo and her father attend the Presidents ball and have a good time. We learn that even though the community is struggling financially, they raised 33 dollars for infantile paralysis. Teacher Prompts: Connecting: Have you ever lost someone who was close to you or had a pet pass away? If so, how did you feel and how did you cope with your feelings? Inferring: Why did Billie Jo say that Christmas diner would have been perfect if only she had made her mother’s special cranberry sauce? Do you think that was the real reason? Why or why not? What does the action of Billie Jo scrubbing and breaking up the mud that was caused by the dust symbolize? What does Billie Jo mean when she says that her mom is haunting her in the poem called, Srubbing Up Dust? Reader’s Notebook Entry: THEME: The theme is the author’s message about human nature, life and society. What do you think the theme of this story is? Use examples from the story to support your statement. Suggestion: Use the Understanding Theme sheet from the appendix section. “Guests”, “Family School”, “Birth”, “Time to Go” Billie Jo and her classmates arrive to school one morning to find a family that no one knew, living in the schoolhouse. The woman is very close to giving birth so they had to take refuge in the schoolhouse. Miss Freeland tells them they can stay as long as they want. All of the students eat a little less at lunch and share their food with the family. They bring in more food and clothing and toys for the children. To show their appreciation for the generosity of the students, the man repairs the school playground. The grandma takes the school children out to play when the dust does not blow. In the meantime, the family listens to the daily lessons along with the students. Billie Jo gives the woman the feed sack nighties that were made by her mother for her baby brother. The woman gives birth to a baby girl and Billie Jo finds it hard to deal with since her own baby brother was still born. As the family drives out of town, Billie cries out for them to wait for her because she doesn’t want them to leave her and she doesn’t want the baby to go.


“Something Sweet from Moonshine”, “Dreams”, “The Competition”, “The Piano Player”, “No Good”, “Snow” Ashby Durwin and his friend Rush get arrested for making moonshine. The sheriff discards the rye and the mash used for making the moonshine but confiscates the sugar and gives it to Miss Freeland. He tells her to bake sugary goodies for all of the children. Billie Jo dreams of winning a talent show competition so she practices the piano everyday after school. Not only does she want the money prize, she wants people to see her as a great pianist not as a burn victim. She says she also needs to win to feel better about herself. Billie Jo wins third prize in the talent show. She cannot hold the ribbon because her hands hurt all the way up to her elbows. She doesn’t notice because she feels like she’s “part of something grand.” Arley asks Billie Jo to play at another show in one week. Billie Jo declines because her hands are swollen and hurt badly. He is persistent and she says she will try because she doesn’t want people to say, “ Billie Jo plays like a cripple.” Teacher Prompts: Comprehension Trap: Moonshine is home-distilled alcohol. It got its name because it is an illegal practice and the smugglers would work at night or by the light of the moon. Inferring: Why do you think it was such a treat for the children to get sugary treats made from the sugar the sheriff gave Miss Freeland? Why is it so important for Billie Jo to play well and win the competition? Connecting: Have you ever pushed yourself to the point of pain to win something? If so, why did you do it? “Night School”, “Dust Pneumonia”, “Dust Storm”, “Broken Promises” “Motherless”, “Following in His Steps” Billie Jo’s father announces that he is going to attend night school so he can get an education in case the farm does not work out. Billie Jo thinks he is going because he needs the company of the ladies who also attend night school. Billie Jo feels uneasy and turns her back on him to walk over to her mother’s piano as he walks out the door. Pete Guymon, a man who delivers fresh produce to Mr. Hardly’s store, dies of dust pneumonia. The truck sits in front of Pete’s shack because no one knows how to drive it. Mr. Hardly calls a new supplier before evening falls without giving a second thought to Pete even though Pete and Mr. Hardly’s son, Calb were friends.


As Billie Jo leaves the Palace after attending a show, she finds herself caught in one of the worst dust storms she has ever experienced. She walks home, stopping only once at a neighbor’s home. Her father has gone out to look for her. While she is waiting for him to return, Joe De La Flor stops by around 4 am to say that two boys died in the storm. When her father finally returns home, he is covered in dust, Billie Jo makes breakfast but it’s covered in dust before they can eat it. It rains everywhere but in her town and Billie Jo is really missing her mom. Haydon Nye’s wife dies of dust pneumonia just two months after her husband. Billie Jo thinks it’s because she couldn’t go on without him. Billie Jo says that she used to feel that way about her mom, but as the days go on, things are getting easier. However, she desperately wants to get out of the dust. Teacher prompts: Reader’s Notebook Entry: What does the author do to create a hopeless mood in this story? Think about how the author changes the setting or have characters relate to each other. Suggestion: Use the Discovering Setting sheet from the appendix section. Connecting: If you were Billie Jo, what would you do? Predicting: Do you think the dust storms will ever stop? Why or why not? Reader’s Notebook Entry: Research the “Dust Bowl” of 1933. Find out what happened to the farmers who stayed in the Oklahoma Panhandle. SPRING 1935 “Heartsick”, “Skin” “Regrets” “Fire on the Rails”, Mail Train” BIlie Jo likes Mad Dog and is upset because Mad Dog is popular with all of the girls. Billie Jo is frustrated that she can’t talk to her dad about her feelings like she could with her mom. Billie Jo notices that her father has spots on his skin. She knows it must be skin cancer because his relatives had it. The mail train was late because dust blew over the tracks and it couldn’t pass. Billie Jo receives a letter from her Aunt Ellis asking her to come live in Lubbock Texas. Billie wants to get of the dust but does not want to go live with her aunt. She asks her father what to do and he replies, “ We’ll wait and see.” “Migrants”, “Blankets of Black”, “The Visit” Many people are leaving town to get out of the dust. Billie Jo says that before they leave they all promise that they will be back and ask her to remember them. There are so many people leaving that there is no way she will be able to remember them all.


During a clear day, Billie Jo and her father attend a funeral. While in the procession, a dust storm hits and all of the people have to take refuge in a nearby home. Billie Jo and her father make it back to the farm to find their home filled with sand. The piano is buried and the animals are sick. The truck won’t start due to the dust. Mad Dog stops by to say goodbye because he is leaving to Amarillo to sing on the radio. Teacher Prompts: Predicting: Do you think Billie Jo should live with her aunt? Inferring: Why didn’t her father say that he wanted her to stay with him? Do you think Billie Jo craves more attention and love from her father? Why or why not? How do you think Billie Jo feels when she notices skin spots on her father’s face? Why won’t Billie Jo’s father go to the doctor? Author’s Craft: Authors use FORSHADOWING to give the reader’ clues to what will come next in the story. In the poem, Migrants, Billie Jo mentions that everyone is leaving. Then a few poems later, Mad Dog leaves. Reader’s Notebook Entry: What is symbolic about Billy’s mother’s piano getting buried in dust? “Freak Show”, “Help from Uncle Sam”, “Let Down”, “Hope”, “The Rain’s Gift” Billie Jo tells about how a famous photographer from Ontario named James Kingsbury came down to take pictures of the dust. Billie Jo remembers how he took pictures of the Dionne Quintuplets which made them “famous” and displayed like a freak show. Billie Jo wonders what will happen to her when he finishes taking pictures of the dust. FERA (Federal Emergency Relief Administration) offered loans to all of the farmers to help them feed their animals and plant new crops. The farmers did not have to pay a cent back until the crop came in. If the crop failed, they didn’t have to pay. Billie Jo’s dad accepted the loan and placed the paperwork on the shelf beside her mother’s poetry book and Aunt Ellis’ invitation. Billie Jo was invited to play the piano at graduation but couldn’t because her fingers wouldn’t move. She says that she will go to Doc Rice and ask him what she can do to get her hands to work again when her father goes to see Doc Rice about his skin spots. Billie Jo admits that it will probably not happen and feels like she and her father are both turning to dust. A good soaking rain brings life and hope to the farmers. Joe De La Flor is singing in the saddle again because his cows can graze on real grass and Billie Jo’s father worked on his tractor and got it running again.


A dust storm blows in smothering all hope. The federal government is taking applications for the CCC, (Civilian Conservation Corps). The CCC was a public work relief program for unemployed men that focused on natural resource conservation from 1933 to 1942. Billie Jo wishes she were a boy so she could leave Joyce City to work for the CCC. Teacher Prompts: Inferring: In the poem, Help from Uncle Sam, Billie Jo says, “He keeps that invitation from her glowering down at me from the shelf above the piano.” How does Billie Jo feel about the invitation from Aunt Ellis and her father’s response to it? Why do you think Billie Jo’s father will not go to the doctor about his skin spots? Readers Notebook Entry: What do you think Billie Jo should do about her hands and her father’s skin spots? “Sunday Afternoon at the Amarillo Hotel”, “Baby”, “Old Bones” Everyone in Billie Jo’s community gathered at the Joyce City Hardware and Furniture Company on Sunday to hear Mad Dog sing on WDAG radio station. Everyone was proud of him and cheered as if they were the ones on the radio. Billie Jo was too choked up with envy to cheer for him. A Baby was left on the north front steps of the church. Billie Jo asked her father if he could adopt it, but her father said he could not offer the baby anything, not even a ma. To make up for him saying no to adopting the child, her father gave Billie Jo the box of clothes her mom was keeping for Franklin and told her to give it to the baby. In the same box, Billie Jo finds the dimes her mother was saving for her to go to Panhandle A and M to study music. Billie Jo sits at the piano thinking of a song for her mother and her baby brother. SUMMER 1935 “The Dream”, “Midnight Truth”, “Out of the Dust”, “Gone West”, “Gone West”, “Something Lost, Something Gained”, “Homeward Bound”, “Met” Billie Jo has a dream about how the piano reminds her of her mother and the solace she gets from it when she plays. Billie Jo is bitter because of all the things that have happened to her. She feels her father he is not a good father and that he is “digging his own grave.” Since she thinks he is content to die by not getting his skin spot checked, she decides to leave before he does and walks out with a handful of biscuits and a pocket full of the dimes her mother saved for her. Billie Jo hops on a boxcar and heads West on a train.


She spends two days on the train and meets a man who tells her his story of failure and how he left his family because he couldn’t feed them. She shares her biscuits with him and tells him her story too. In the morning, she awakens to find the man gone along with the rest of her biscuits. Left in their place is a picture of the man’s family. Billy Jo is determined to send the photo back to his family so they know he is alive. She exits the train in Flagstaff, Arizona and calls Mr. Hardly’s store, (the only place with a phone) and tells him to let her father know that she is coming home. She realizes how lonely she was without her father. When Billie Jo arrives home, she meets her father and talks about everything that is on her mind. She tells him that she can’t be her own mother or father and asks him to go see the doctor about the skin spots. They talk like they used to. He tells her the pond is finished and tells her about his plans to stock it with fish. As they walk together talking, Billie Jo begins to forgive him for the pail of kerosene and forgives herself “for all the rest.” Teacher prompts: Reader’s Notebook Entry: Reread the poem called, The Dream and analyze the metaphor of the piano being a silent mother. What images does this poem evoke for you? What emotions? Draw a picture to go along with your interpretation of this poem. Think about the poem called Met. Create an alternate title for this poem and tell why you chose the title. Inferring: Why did Karen Hesse name the book after the poem, Out of the Dust? What is the literal and figurative meaning of the phrase “Out of the Dust”? AUTUMN 1935 “Cut it Deep”, “The Other Woman”, “Not Everywhere”, “My Life or What I Told Louise After the Tenth Time She Came to Dinner”, “November Dust”, “Thanksgiving List”, “Music”, “Teamwork”, “Finding a Way” Billie Jo and her father go see Doc Rice and the doctor cuts out her father’s skin spots. He tells Billie Jo that she should stop picking her hands and rub ointment on them every night.. Billie Jo and her father go through two old boxes of her mother’s things. He confides in Billie Jo that he wanted to run away when he was young but didn’t have the guts to do it. Billie Jo sees that she is much more like her father than just having his hair and long legs. He also tells her that he was never going to let her go live with Aunt Ellis. Billie Jo meets Louise, a nice woman who helped her father when Billie Jo ran away. Billie Jo likes Louise and confides in her about Billie Jo’s desire to play the piano again


but is cautious not to let Louise get between Billie Jo and her father. Billie Jo will not let Louise visit her mother’s grave with them. Even though dust storms still blow in, the pond and apple tree and wheat are surviving. Billie Jo is thankful for many things on Thanksgiving day and especially thankful that Louise didn’t make cranberry sauce. (Like her mother did). Billie Jo’s father walks Louise out to her mother’s grave to let “ma” know his intentions of marrying Louise. Billie Jo doesn’t object and looks forward to the time when Louise will stay for good. Billie Jo is playing the piano again and she and Louise are bonding. Louise was Billie Jo’s father’s teacher at night school. Things are returning to normal for Billie Jo. Her father decides to grow sorghum or cotton as well as wheat and makes plans to plant sod too. Louise puts apples in a bowl next to the piano, just like Billie Jo’s mother did. Billie Jo plays the piano every night as Louise watches and appreciates her talent and Daddy finishes his chores. Teacher Prompts: Inferring: In the poem called, Finding a Way, Billie Jo says, “The way I see it, hard times aren’t only about money, or drought, or dust. Hard times are about losing hope, and what happens when dreams dry up.” What does she mean? Inferring: What is the author’s message (THEME) in this story? Explain using details from the story. Connecting: What have you learned from reading this story? How will you think about the choices you make as you go through difficult times?


Poetry–Realistic Fiction Make Lemonade By Virginia Euwer Wolff Comprehension: Advanced TEACHING POINTS: The following story presents opportunities to:

7. Analyze metaphors and similes. 8. Teach the aspects of character development as it enhances the story’s theme. 9. Respond to words, phrases and lines that create feelings that engage the readers in

reflection. 10. Analyze symbolism.

Guided Reading Introduction to the Story Make Lemonade is about Jolly, a 17-year-old single mother of two who has had a difficult life. She is trying to make her life better for the sake of her children, but she doesn’t know how. Jolly places an ad on a bulletin board for a baby sitter and LaVaughn, a 14-year-old young woman with an unshakable goal to get out of the inner city by going to college, answers her advertisement. It is through LaVaughn’s help that Jolly’s life begins to turn around. 1.-5. LaVaughn is the narrator of this poem and she is remembering the past. The entire story is a flashback from LaVaughn’s perspective. LaVaughn answers Jolly’s babysitter ad and sets up a time to meet Jolly and her children at Jollly’s apartment. When she arrives at the apartment, which is in a very rough part of town, LaVaughn can’t help but notice how messy and stinky it is. Jolly explains that she has to return to work at the plant as soon as possible or risk losing her job. She says that she “can’t do it alone” three times. As LaVaughn walks around the apartment familiarizing herself, Jeremy, the two-year-old boy, takes LaVaughn’s hand. LaVaughn says that she would like to take the job, but needs to ask her mom. Jolly can’t believe that anyone would have to ask their mom to take a job but respects LaVaughn’s decision to call her back later that night. LaVaughn’s mom really wants her to attend college because no one in the entire building or in her mother’s family has ever gone to college and she wants LaVaughn to be the first one. LaVaughn’s mother never lets her forget this. LaVaughn must raise most of the money by herself but her mom will help out. We learn that LaVaughn’s mother is the tenant council representative and is an advocate for safer living conditions. The surrounding area is dangerous. LaVaughn practices her speech to convince her mother to let her take the babysitting job at Jolly’s apartment.


Teacher prompts: Inferring: What does LaVaughn mean when she says, “My mom is big, a big mom.” Why do you think Jolly was shocked that LaVaughn had to ask her mom to take a job? Why do you think Virginia Euwer Wolff name one of the main characters, “Jolly”? Reader’s Notebook Entry: Virginia Euwer Wolff reveals her CHARACTERS by telling the reader what they say, think and do and by describing how they look. As you read the story further, describe Jolly, LaVaughn and one other character by identifying their character traits. Suggestion: Use the Character Analysis sheet from the appendix section. Predicting: Do you think LaVaughn will convince her mother to let her baby-sit for Jolly? 6.-10. LaVaughn’s mother agrees to let her take the job only if her grades stay up. If they slip, she will have to quit. LaVaughn’s friends see LaVaughn doing her homework during lunch and predict that she won’t get paid and that her grades will fall. They implore her to work with them at a better job. LaVaunghn says her mind is made up and will not quit. Jolly’s apartment is filthy and there is nowhere for LaVaughn to put her book down. She complains that Jilly, the baby, cries very loudly and Jolly is often crabby and defensive. Being at Jolly’s apartment only fuels LaVaughn’s desire to get out of this place (the surrounding neighborhood) by going to college and being successful. Teacher prompts: Author’s Craft: Authors use symbols to give depth to their stories. What could the following passage from page 22 symbolize? …”A spider web is spun and it’s got no fly or anything caught yet. It’s that thready place of air. When Jilly hollered really bad and I thought I was going to crack open with the sound of it. The web would move just so you could hardly see it but it moved. I wondered what Jilly would do if she knew she could shakes a spider’s whole style of life just by her sad hollering.”


11.-15. LaVaughn brings lemon seeds over to Jolly’s apartment and plants them in a pot. Jolly tells Jeremy that if he wants something beautiful to grow, he has to water the seeds, give them sunlight and talk to them. LaVaughn likes the idea and begins to talk to the seeds. La Vaughn’s grades are slipping and Jolly does not return to the apartment for two days causing LaVaughn to miss a day of school. LaVaughn’s mother warns her that this will never happen again. Jolly returns home and pays LaVaughn. When LaVaughn tries to get help on the school work she missed, no one can help her because none of her friends really listen in school LaVaughn successfully potty trains Jeremy and is pleased with this accomplishment and her own determination to teach him. Jolly comes home with her face bleeding. Apparently, she was attacked on the street. Jeremy and Jilly are upset to see their mom bleeding. LaVaughn learns that Jolly doesn’t have any parents to call for help. Teacher Prompts: Inferring: What is the significance of the lemon seeds in the pot? Why do you think Jeremy takes such a strong interest in the lemon seeds? Predicting: What will happen to the seeds? Do you think it’ll grow into a plant? Why or why not? Connecting: Have you ever been determined to do something that you knew very little about? What made you stick to the task? Were you successful? Why or why not? Reader’s Notebook Entry: As the entire family is crying, LaVaughn notices a cockroach crawling slowly up Jolly’s wall. It looks as if it is following a younger cockroach towards the light. What could this scene SYMBOLIZE? Suggestion: Use the Understanding Symbolism sheet from the appendix section and chart other instances of symbolism as you read further. 16.-20. LaVaughn calls her mom to help Jolly clean her face. La Vaughn can see her mother looking at the dirty apartment and is afraid that she will make her stop watching the kids. La Vaughn’s mom tells LaVaughn that Jolly needs to “take hold”, try harder, and make something of her life. LaVaughn thinks her mother is being hard on Jolly but says nothing.


La Vaughn and Jeremy spend a day cleaning the apartment and LaVaughn teaches Jeremy to make his bed. Jolly and LaVaughn bond by spending an evening making up funny stories and laughing. LaVaughn looks at a picture of her father, her mother and her having a picnic. She explains that she barely remembers her father and cannot imagine how it must feel to not have ANY parent, like Jolly. Teacher Prompts: Reader’s Notebook Entry: As you read this story of Jolly and LaVaughn’s lives, reflect upon your own life and the choices you make. How do the choices you make affect your success? Think of a moment of failure, perceived or otherwise, that you have experienced. How did this moment help you learn? Have you changed your behavior as a result? Why or why not? 21.-27. Lavaughn sings a song about a little girl with a curl and lists out all of the good things Jilly does and all of the bad things she does. Jeremy listens intently. Later that night, when LaVaughn thinks they are sleeping, Jeremy gets the scissors and cuts the curl and the rest of Jillly’s hair off. We learn that LaVaughn’s dad died while playing basketball. He was caught in gang related cross fire. Jolly tells LaVaughn that she used to live in a box with other homeless kids. Jolly loses her job at the plant after she fought off and injured her boss because he made inappropriate advances towards her. She must look for another job now. LaVaughn learns that Jolly is illiterate. Jolly asks for a loan from LaVaughn and LaVaughn says no. LaVaughn is intent on keeping the money Jolly has paid her for her college. LaVaughn tells Jolly that she should go on welfare and go back to school. Jolly screams that she won’t go on welfare because the state will take her babies away. She refuses to listen to LaVaughn so LaVaughn leaves. Teacher Prompts: Inferring: Do you think La Vaughn should have helped Jolly by giving her money? Why or why not? Why do you think LaVaughn took offense when Jolly called her mom, “Big Mom”? Why would the state take Jolly’s children away?


Reader’s Notebook Entry: What does the following statement mean? “ …you can’t be blamed for your burdens, your burdens are things not your fault, you didn’t do them but you carry them around.” Write a paragraph in your notebook and be ready to discuss this in the next meeting. PART TWO 28.-32. LaVaughn goes back to Jolly’s while Jolly looks for a new job. On the fourth day of finding no work, LaVaughn asks Jolly how she was injured that one night. Jolly explains that she ran into some of the people she used to live with (in the boxes). They wanted to know where she lived and she wouldn’t tell them so they beat her. LaVaughn’s mother is not happy that LaVaughn continues to go back to Jolly’s apartment. LaVaughn explains that Jolly has just had bad luck and needs help. LaVaughn knows that Jeremy is upset that the lemon seeds are not growing. Knowing that he is dealing with a lot of negative things since his mom lost her job, LaVaughn takes him out to buy shoes. She buys Jeremy’s shoes with her own money and feels good about it. La Vaughn remembers her father but remembers her mother becoming the center of her life. She refers to this as her mother becoming “huge” meaning that her mother filled the void and became both parents to LaVaughn. Teacher Prompts: Inferring: Why was LaVaughn angry that her mom finished La Vaughn’s thought and said that Jolly was in the “gutter”? Connecting: Would you continue to go back to help Jolly? Why or why not? Predicting: Do you think Jolly will get a new job? What will happen to the children? 33.-38 LaVaughn takes Jeremy to the grocery store and he rides in the bottom of the cart. LaVaughn imagines all that he sees from below. LaVaughn takes Jolly to her ‘Steam” class and notices how Jolly is acting defensively and is shutting down by not participating. LaVaughn begins to see herself, Jolly, Jilly and Jeremy as a family.


LaVaughn is washing new lemon seeds to take to Jeremy when her mother begins to nag her about helping Jolly and not getting paid. Her mom is concerned that LaVaughn not be “pulled down” by Jolly. Jolly and LaVaughn argue about the lemon seeds. Jolly wants LaVaughn to sneak them into the pot so Jeremy thinks his original lemon plant blooms. LaVaughn disagrees. Jeremy walks into the conversation, takes the seeds and plants them himself. LaVaughn asks Jolly about the fathers of her children. She feels if Jolly could contact them, they could help out financially. Jolly dismisses the idea. LaVaughn gets advice from the “Steam” teacher who helps LaVaughn see that she is taking advantage of Jolly by taking her money for babysitting when Jolly only has a minimum wage job. LaVaughn gets a number for Jolly to call to get back into school and get free daycare. Teacher Prompts: Inferring: How is it that LaVaughn is taking advantage of Jolly? Do you agree with the “Steam” class teacher? Why or why not?

• Do you think it’s Jolly’s fault that she is in this type of trouble? Why or why not? • Do you think Jeremy’s self esteem will be affected by his experiences at this

young age? • Do you think he will have a chance to get out of the inner city? • Why is it important to let Jeremy plant his own lemon seeds? • Why does Jolly say that these new seeds will grow when she really doesn’t know

for sure? • Do you think LaVaughn’s mom is being fair to Jolly when she says to LaVaughn

that Jolly needs to pull herself up by the bootstraps and help herself? Author’s Craft: The THEME is the author’s message about life. What do you think the theme of this story is so far? Suggestion: Use the Understanding Theme sheet from the appendix section. 39-43 LaVaughn calls Barbara to find out how to get Jolly enrolled in the classes. She arranges a meeting on Tuesday. Jolly overhears the phone conversation and she storms out of the room. Jolly confides in LaVaughn that she feels like an astronaut that is lost and floating alone in space. LaVaughn doesn’t get it and promises to help Jolly get a better job by taking her to the “Moms Up” program. Jolly is reluctant but does call Barbara to get reassurance that her children will not be taken away from her.


Jolly calls La Vaughn at home to ask for help in filling out the paperwork that is needed for her to get in the classes. La Vaughn tells Jolly to lie and say that she was laid off rather than fired from her last job. LaVaughn’s mom is not pleased with LaVaughn. Teacher Prompts: Inferring: What was Jolly trying to say to LaVaughn when she talked about having no connections, like a floating astronaut? Reader’s Notebook Entry: Think about and write about your own fears about life such as Jolly feeling alone in the world. Explain how you deal with your fear. Predicting: Do you think Jolly will be successful in the “Mom’s Up” program? Why or why not? Support your answers with evidence from the story. PART THREE 44.-50. Jollly successfully attends the “Mom’s Up” program and is getting good grades until she misses three days of class because Jeremy gets the chicken pox. When the teacher asks Jolly why she did not tell them that Jeremy was sick, Jolly said she didn’t know that she should tell them. LaVaughn sees the connection between what has happened to Jolly and the fact that she has no one around to tell her things. LaVaughn’s teacher notices that LaVaughn is doing better in school (because she is not watching Jolly’s children) and talks to her about going to college. LaVaughn is unhappy because she misses Jilly and Jeremy terribly. The “Mom’s Up” counselor requests LaVaughn’s presence at a brief meeting with Jolly. Jolly is having trouble finishing her homework. Jolly can get a Home Care Helper for one hour a day to help her watch the kids while she finishes homework. Jolly wants LaVaughn but LaVaughn has not received the training that would allow her to be part of the program and get paid by the center. They allow her to do it as long as she takes the classes next semester. Jeremy needs glasses and Jolly is upset because she cannot afford them. When she learns that public assistance will pay for them, she is angry because she thinks it is “welfare”. We learn that Jeremy’s lemon seeds have not grown yet. While watching the children, LaVaughn notices that Jolly only does things halfway. When LaVaughn notices that Jeremy’s clothes are still wet because Jolly did not dry them all of the way, she gets angry and asks Jolly is she does everything “halfway” and accuses Jolly of taking her birth control “halfway.” Jolly gets very upset and alludes that she was a victim and tells LaVaughn to leave. Before LaVaughn leaves, she stops to pick up a broken doll and grabs hold of Jolly’s legs. They both sink to the floor crying. Jilly, crawls from the behind the chair to Jolly. This is the first time Jilly has crawled. Jolly


picks her up and hugs her and LaVaughn leaves, thinking how Jolly can be two different people. One is a good mother and the other is a lonely, child. 53.-56. One morning, LaVaughn tells her mom that she “ain’t” got her social studies done. Her mother lectures her about how she should never say, “ain’t” and blames LaVaughn’s poor grammar on Jolly. Jolly has an assignment to write a business letter for her ‘Mom’s Up” class and decides to write a letter to the billionaire in the newspaper who gives money away to people who need it. LaVaughn notices that Jolly has made a mistake and left a word out. LaVaughn tells her what word she missed and expects Jolly to get mad. To LaVaughn’s surprise, Jolly just fixes her mistake and finishes her letter without complaint. We learn that Jolly lived in a refrigerator box since she was 12-years-old. She didn’t have anyone around to tell her about menstruation. When she began to menstruate, she thought she was dying. We learn that Jolly used to live with her grandmother until her grandmother passed away. We also learn that Jolly named Jeremy after her grandmother’s friend who was always kind to her. Teacher Prompts: Inferring: Why is LaVaughn’s mother so bitter about LaVaughn helping Jolly? Was LaVaughn doing the right thing by baby-sitting for free? Why doesn’t Jolly consider money from the billionaire to be the same as “welfare”? Do you think LaVaughn is fair in her assessment of Jolly for not following through on her chores and homework? Connecting: Imagine what life would be like if you lived in a box. How does knowing that Jolly actually lived in these harsh conditions, help you understand Jolly’s personality? Do you think Jolly has been successful or unsuccessful in life so far? Predicting: Do you think the lemon seeds will grow? Why or why not?


PART FOUR 57.-66. Jolly takes a CPR and swimming class and is making good progress towards earning her GED. She does her homework and finds a way to make it enjoyable. LaVaughn realizes that Jolly is “taking hold” in her own way. Jolly tells LaVaughn a story that she heard in “Mom’s up” class. It’s the story about a blind lady who bought an orange for her starving children. The lady gets attacked on her way home and one of the attackers gives her a lemon in place of the orange without her knowing it. When the blind lady returns home, she is disappointed that she was duped by the attackers but makes lemonade with the lemon and serves it to her children. Jolly sees the connection to her own life and is angry but determined not to let anyone take advantage of her any more. Jilly walks for the first time. La Vaughn is motivated and begins to teach Jeremy his numbers. She buys a new pot and potting soil along with new lemon seeds for Jeremy. Jolly receives 5 dollars from the billionaire who claims he will send her more once she receives her GED. Jilly swallows a piece of a rubber spider and cannot breathe. Jolly immediately begins the Heimlich maneuver and saves her daughter’s life. Jeremy even pushes 9 on the telephone to help call 9-1-1. La Vaughn and Jeremy witness the whole ordeal. Jolly and Jilly are taken to the hospital by an ambulance and LaVaughn brings Jeremy home to stay overnight with her. LaVaughn’s mom praises Jeremy for being a hero and knowing his numbers. LaVaughn no longer watches the children because Jolly is in a babysitting pool with other moms from the “Mom’s Up” classes. LaVaughn sees Jolly in the hallway and Jolly tells her that the lemon seeds bloomed. In the last poem, LaVaughn reflects about the time she spent helping Jolly and remembers all of the happiest times. Although, she worries about the well-being of Jeremy (and Jilly), she remembers the good times and Jeremy’s laugh when her mother praised him for being a “hero”. Teacher Prompts: Reader’s Notebook Entry: Authors use symbols to give the story more depth and make it more interesting. What is the significant of the lemon seeds? Why do you think the author chose to have the seeds not bloom until the third try? How are the lemon seeds a metaphor of Jolly’s life? Inferring: What is the THEME of the story? How does the climax of the story reflect the theme?


Why did the author write about LaVaughn wanting to speak to her father? Predicting: What will Jolly’s life be like in four years? Where do you see LaVaughn in four years?

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