ТО THE TEACHER

Dear Colleague,

The aim of this book is to help you organize in-class Read-and-Discuss sessions while covering such subject areas as Family, Friends, Character, and Sports (Part 1) and Seasons, Holidays and Traditions, Meals and Hous and Home (Part 2).

For years, the authors have subscribed to Cricket Magazine published in the USA and read widely throughout the country and abroad. Reading Cricket stories has always been nothing but sheer joy. The stories, tender and truthful, curious and kind, weird and witty, are something we would like Belarusian teens to read in plenty. This book is an attempt to share the joy of reading Cricket with a wider readership.

Yet not only it is intended for enjoyment but also for language practice. Hence, a step-by-step program of in-class activities is of­fered. It starts with Preliminary Discussion.

The reading stage contains a variety of tasks ranging from simple tasks to sophisticated projects. The vocabulary and grammar of the stories come into play in the speech-oriented format.

Post-Reading exercises are focused on the Reader's feelings and dreams, as well as conflicting opinions and controversial facts.

Elsewhere in the legends and task content, there is a strong em­phasis on gender issues, which seems to be the point making a world of difference to in-class communication.

Good luck now. We hope you'll like — no, you'll simply love the stories! It's Cricket, you know.

TO THE STUDENT TEACHER

Dear Student Teacher,

We hope you'll find many of the problems raised in the stories more than familiar. The way you view and solve them is instrumen­tal in shaping your whole personality. We have no doubt about that. So, please, don't think that it's just another book to read. It's much more than that.

We also hope that, young and promising men and women as you are, you'll understand each other better after reading and discussing these stories. So, give each other a smile — and let's start working.

Marina & Yury Maslov

Table of contents

TO THE TEACHER

TO THE STUDENT TEACHER

PART I

I. FAMILY MATTERS

THE WOLF AND THE BUTTONHOOK (by Jennifer Adams)

BRAVING THE BULL (by Judy Silverman)

GRANDMOTHER'S EARRINGS (by Debora Case Zisk)

LAST WORDS (by David Hill)

THE QUIRIN'S SECRET (by Nancy Springer)

DISCUSSION (STORIES 1-5)

II. CHARACTER

CALIFORNIA GOES HUNTING (by Karen Cushman)

THE BLACKBERRY PIE (by Linde Pilcher)

FISTFIGHT (by Kathleen Stevens)

THE UNOPENED DOOR (by Teresa Bateman)

THE GREAT WHITE MAN-EATING SHARK (by Margaret Mahy)

DISCUSSION PROJECTS (STORIES 6 - 10)

III. FRIENDSHIPS

THE PRIVATE SMILE (by Betty Bates)

GRACE'S WHISKERS (by K.C. Tessendorf)

FLYING (by Denise Huppi)

LOOKING FOR A GHOST (by Margaret Mahy)

THE SANDWALK (by Mary Caraker)

DISCUSSION PROJECT (STORIES 11 - 15)

IV. THIS SPORTING LIFE

JUST ONE OF THE GUYS (by Donna Gamashe)

THE MARBLE CHAMP (by Gary Soto)

THE LIVELY SOCCER BALL (by Delaney Lundberg)

YANKEE DOODLE SHORTSTOP (by H.J. Hinterberg)

THE MYSTERIOUS GIRL AT THE POOL (by Juanita Havill)

OVERALL DISCUSSION

PART 2

I. SEASONS

CASTLES (by Ann M. Quellette)

BREAKUP (by Jonathan B. Stratman)

STORM WATCH (by Gayle Rosengren)

THE SILVER STREAM (by Jon Letcher)

BEANS (by Pat Snell)

DISCUSSION (STORIES 1-5)

II.TRADITIONS AND HOLIDAYS

JEREMY JAMES AND THE GINGER BEAR (by Marion D. Bauer)

THE PRINCESS WHO KICKED BUTT (by Will Shetterly)

PETER BOTTOMSLY'S GHOST (by Harvey Watson)

WEIRD, WONDERFUL MRS BECKER (by Claire Blatchford)

THE FARTHEST CHRISTMAS (by Glen Rapoza)

DISCUSSION (STORIES 6 - 10)

III. MEALS

THE STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE

OF MR STONEY'S LUNCH (by Caroline Spring)

SHNITZLE, SHNOTZLE AND SCHOOTZLE (by Ruth Sawyer)

A TASTE OF HAPPINESS (by Wayne Myers)

NEIGHBOURS (by Elizabeth Ann Hardy)

DISCUSSION

IV. HOUSE AND HOME

THE HOUSE THAT LACKED A BOGLE (by Sorche nieLeodhas)

SOME LIGHT ON THE PROBLEM (by David Hill)

THE CHAMELEON CLOTH (by Annette Couch-Jareb)

A GAME WITHOUT WORDS (by Lindy Strauss)

THE BLACK THING ON THE LANDING (by Linda Allen)

OVERALL DISCUSSION

THE WOLF AND THE BUTTONHOOK

by Jennifer Adams

I. Pre-reading

1.1. SHARE your family background with the group. Say whether you, and your parents or grandparents, come from the city or countryside.

1.2. DISCUSS, in pairs, the problem of living in the country. Especially far enough from any civilization. And during cold and freezing winters. Do you think county living is your cup of home­made juice?

1.3. SHARE, in groups of three or four, your experiences of facing a real challenge. Describe the nature of the challenge. You might even like to exaggerate a little bit, okay?

II. Reading

2.1. Understanding the title.

Here is the title of the story, The Wolf and the Buttonhook. Do you think it's another variation on the familiar Red Riding-Hood theme? Tell your partner what you expect to read about in the story.

2.2. Reading for pleasure and enrichment.

Read the story and answer the question: Did Bessie earn much more than just a pair of boots that day? Please, explain your answer.

The following words will be helpful to understand the events better.

Crunch — make a sound like something being crushed.

Decent — acceptable or good enough.

Clatter — make a loud and unpleasant noise.

Slam — shut (the door, etc.)

Round up — find and gather together.

Unsettled — worried or excited over something.

Cranky — bad-tempered or ready to cry.

Listlessly — in a tired or weary manner.

Fetch — bring something or somebody.

Reckon — have an opinion about something.

Sopping — very wet.

Hum — sing a tune by making a continuous sound.

Stiffen — become painful and difficult to move.

Crouch — lower your body closer to the ground by bending knees.

Fiercely — in a frightening way, with violent emotion.

Take charge — take control over the situation.

Tuck — push the edge of a cloth around something.

Stricken — badly affected by something.

A tall, red-haired girl crunched through the frozen barnyard, leaving two thin trails of steam from the fresh eggs sagging in her apron pockets. Peeling off her wet deerskin slippers, she hurried into the cabin.

"All a girl needs is a decent pair of boots," she grumbled, "but no, only boys get boots. Girls get wet feet."

"Bessie, I don't aim to argue this any further." Bessie jumped. She hadn't noticed Pa leaning with folded arms against the loft ladder. He shook his head at her. Bessie would have argued anyway, as cold and out of sorts as she felt, but the boys clattered in just then, bringing with them a gust of wind and snow.

"Shut the door!" Pa hollered.

"Pa, the team's ready," Evin said, cheerfully slamming the door. "Yeah, Pa, let's git," Wilson chimed in. They never let Pa's gruffness bother them any. Everyone knew it was mostly for show.

Bessie looked at them with envy. Sure enough, they were going with Pa, even though they were only nine and ten. Bessie was already thirteen, but when Mr Elliott came calling about his broken fence this morning, Bessie figured it would be the boys helping to round up his herd. Girls stayed home. Especially, she reminded herself, girls with no boots. Ma came down the ladder after the others had gone, holding up her long nightdress in one hand. She looked tired and pale.

"Bess, I know you're unsettled on account of not having boots this year, but your pa figures it can wait till spring, when you get back to school again."

"I know, I know," Bessie sighed.

She felt mean for complaining. Ma had been sick two days now, and the baby was cranky and wakeful. It wasn't Ma's fault they couldn't afford the boots.

"Go on up to bed, Ma," she coaxed. "I'll do the chores."

Bessie tidied the room, fixing a cup of tea for Ma and boiling water for the dishes. She wished she could quit mooning about school, but she did miss it so. Springtime was a long way off, with a whole slew of snow and mud in between. Even though Pa carried in her schoolwork, it wasn't the same as being there. Bessie loved the schoolroom itself, with the smells of chalk and ink — even the drafty old wood stove. She planned to be a teacher herself, when she grew up. The baby had been crying for some time before the low, mournful sound penetrated Bessie's daydreams. She climbed to the loft and picked her tiny sister up. The baby felt limp and much too warm. "Ma?"

There was no answer. Ma was lying on her bed, staring listlessly out the small window. Bessie gently laid the baby back in her cradle.

"Ma, are you awake?" she asked softly. Bessie bent to feel her mother's forehead. She felt odd doing it, as though they had somehow switched places and Ma was now the young daughter. "You've got a bad fever," Bessie exclaimed. "So does the baby. I'm going right away to fetch the doctor."

Her mother gave a slight nod, and Bessie scrambled down the ladder. Then she remembered — Pa and the boys had taken all three horses to Mr. Elliott's.

"We'll be back tonight, maybe tomorrow," Pa had said. "You sure you'll be all right, Beulah?"

Ma had reassured him, as always. She never complained, Bessie realized, feeling a jolt of panic. She must be terribly ill, to forget that Bessie had no means of riding for the doctor.

"Reckon I'll have to go on foot," Bessie decided. Only two miles to town; surely she could make it. She eyed Ma's tiny button shoes, standing neatly by the stove. Not much chance of squeezing her big feet into those. And her own slippers wouldn't be much use; they were still sopping. Bessie looked at her bare feet and whispered a prayer. Then she pulled on Ma's warm overcoat and slipped out the door.

Bessie ran down the hill to the road. The snow was knee-deep where it had drifted, but on the roadway it barely covered her ankles. She set a steady pace, puffing white breath-clouds into the gray afternoon. Bessie hummed to herself as she raced along. On one side of the road, the dark forest crowded in. Don't stop, don't stop. The words marched through her head in time with the blows of her frozen feet on the snowy road.

But Bessie was slowing down, her feet raw and tired. Finally, she did stop. She threw off the heavy coat and stood on it, panting. "Oh well," she said to herself, "at least I won't be walking back." She knelt to rub her sore feet.

A faint, snuffling noise in the silence made her stiffen. Out of the woods padded a large, gaunt timber wolf. Bessie sucked in her breath. The wolf heard her and stopped short, one foot suspended in the air. He was no more than ten yards away, staring at Bessie with unblinking yellow eyes.

"Folks claim a lone wolf won't never attack a human. Hogwash!"

Pa's familiar warning rang in her ears as Bessie crouched in the snow, eyes fixed on the horrible creature. It began cautiously moving toward her. The fur around its jaws was stained dark red. Bessie started slowly backing away.

"Ouch!" she yelped. She had stepped on Ma's buttonhook, used for doing up the row of buttons on her shoes. It must have fallen from the coat pocket. Bessie snatched up the hook and faced the wolf, waving the small instrument.

"Go ahead!" she yelled. "Try it!"

The wolf paused, eyeing her thoughtfully. Bessie grabbed the overcoat.

"Go on! Git! Scram, you varmint!" She rushed at the animal, fiercely beating the air with the coat. The wolf ducked his head and trotted into the forest. Bessie fled down the road, pulling the coat on as she ran, cold feet entirely forgotten. Ma's buttonhook lay behind in the snow. Another twenty minutes put her on Doc Millard's back porch. It was a great relief to let Doc and his wife take charge. Mrs. Millard gave Bessie hot coffee and a slab of bread and jam, while Doc readied his team. In the wagon, Doc tucked a blanket around Bessie's cold legs, frowning at her bare feet. It was snowing hard as they set out. When they passed the spot where she had met the wolf, Bessie noticed a confusion of hoof prints leading into the trees. It was already dark when Doc reined in his team at the cabin. A fresh deer carcass hung from the porch, torn and bloody on one side.

The door burst open. "Bessie! Thank the Lord you're all right!"

Pa ran to the wagon and swept his daughter off the high seat. Doc followed them into the cabin. While he examined Ma and the baby, Bessie told her story, sitting on Pa's lap like a child. The boys were wide-eyed as she described her escape from the wolf.

Doc Millard came down the ladder.

"They'll be fine, the both of them, in a day or so. Fever is down, and the baby is sleeping. Now," he turned to Bessie, "let's see those feet."

Pa looked stricken. "Doc Millard, there's no harm done," Bessie said quickly. Doc insisted on having a look-see anyway.

"You're a strong girl, Bess," he soon admitted. "Nothing here that a good Epsom soak won't cure." Then he added, "Best to get yourself a pair of boots, though." Bessie opened her mouth to explain about the money, but Pa spoke up first.

"Bessie'll have her boots," he said gruffly. "She earned them to­day." He dug into his pocket and held up Ma's buttonhook. "You'll be needing this, Bessie." Bessie smiled as she took it from him. "Thank you, Papa," she whispered.

2.3. True of false?

Bessie, age thirteen, was the only daughter in the family.

She was always ready to help her mother with the chores.

But it was very often that Bessie sincerely wished she were a boy.

The family couldn't afford to buy a lot of clothes or footwear.

Bessie was a most conscientious student at school.

Her mother, though sick at that time, was also tall and strong.

It was not seldom that Bessie fought timber wolves in the woods.

Doctor Millard was concerned greatly with Bessie's health.

Bessie's father didn't want the doctor to know about their situation.

Life will probably be a bit different for Bessie in the future.

In Bessie's family everyone always had to earn everything.

2.4. Points of view.

Scan the story and try to explain what the characters might mean.

Bessie: "Only boys get boots. Girls get wet feet."

Daddy: "You'll be needing this, Bessie."

Daddy: "There is no harm done."

Bessie: "Hogwash! Go ahead! Try it!"

Daddy: "She earned them today."

2.5. Verbs in focus.

Scan the story again. There are several words in the text that imitate sounds or convey strong emotions. Could you list them in the table below?

Sounds	Strong emotions
slam
	yelp

2.6. Storing vocabulary.

Make sure you can paraphrase the following sentences using the expressions taken from the story.

Nobody wanted to argue for all felt tired and weary after a hard day.

He seemed to be angry but we knew he simply pretended to be.

It goes without saying that everything will turn out well.

She was overexcited because of the good news she had received.

The girl prepared a sandwich and a cup of coffee for breakfast.

Fear immobilized the traveller who simply couldn't step away.

They didn't know what to do, seized by a wave of panic.

We had some doubts before but they told us it would turn out well.

The kids guessed easily the Christmas presents were in store for them.

Nobody could say who would come to the party and who wouldn't.

Expressions to choose from: to make one stiffen, to feel a jolt of panic, sure enough, to be reassured, to be out of sorts, to do something for show, on account of, to fix something, to figure.

2.7 Crying out according to the cultural canon.

In the story, Bessie cries out when she steps on a buttonhook. What exclamations do the speakers of Russian and English make in an emergency? (God forbid meeting a lonely wolf in the woods, of course!) Fill in the table below.

Exclamation meaning	Russian	English
A jolt of pain	Ай!	Ouch!
A great surprise	Ого!	?
A great delight	Ух!	?
?	Эй!	?
?	?	Phew!
?	Ш-ш!	?

Choose from the following: Wow! Thcfiy! Hush! Boo! Hey! Gosh! Ah!

2.8. Colloquial English.

There are several phrases spoken by the characters in colloquial English. Could you possibly convey them into literary English?

Wilson, Bessie's brother, says, "Yeah, Pa, let's git!"

Bessie thinks, "Reckon I'll have to go on foot."

Bessie cries out, "Git! Scram, you varmint!"

Doc Millard says, "Best to get yourself a pair of boots, though."

2.9. Studying grammar.

Let's have a session of Wishful Thinking. Bessie wished she could quit mooning about school. What else did she think about? Now try to describe the girl's ideas about life using the table below.

Bessie wished

she she her father her baby sister her family school

were a boy. had ... … … …

If you have used all the possible variants the table offers, suggest something of your own making.

2.10. More grammar.

Bessie's buttonhook must have fallen from her pocket. A lot of other things must have happened on that snowy day that we didn't read about in the story. Let us suggest as many of such things as we can. Work in pairs.

Bessie's mother ...	(to run a high temperature) must have felt very sick. (to be unable to help herself)
The 13-year-old girl	(to freeze her feet) ___________
The yellow-eyed wolf	(to be frightened)__________
Doc Millard	(to be angry with)____________
Bessie's father	(to think about the worst)_______
That evening Bessie	(to be in the seventh heaven)_______

III. POST-READING

3.1. Feelings.

They say girls are sensitive. In pairs, discuss the changes in Bessie's state of mind. Match her feelings and their reasons, and then explain why exactly the teenager felt so.

She felt …	because she…
mean	thought about her father
odd	was safe and in comfort
determined	got to the Doc's home
panic-stricken	had complained about boots
relieved	felt as if she were Mother
anxious	wanted to reach town
full of peace	had never confronted a wolf

3.2. Dreams, dreams, dreams...

Bessie planned to be a teacher, when she grew up. Do you think she could make a dedicated village teacher? Say why, or why not. What about you, Reader? Do you dream of Becoming a teacher?

Write down five good reasons why you'd want to be a teacher. Even if you don't, in fact.

1.

2.

3.

4.

Last but not least

Compare your list with those of other students. Discuss differences in the opinions.

3.3. ROLEPLAY.

Interview Bessie, a 13-year-old heroine of the human interest story you are going to write for a local newspaper. Beforehand, write down at least 10 profound questions you'd like Bessie to answer during the interview.

3.4. Should girls stay home?

In a group, hold a debate using the above statement (one of Bessie's thoughts) as a starter.

3.5. Poetry corner.

Enjoy the following poem written by Isabel J. Glaser, and say if the advice is worth paying attention to.

ADVICE TO HIKERS

If you find yourself in a darkish woods,

Beneath a darkish tree,

And you hear a growl from some place

Near, from something you can't see –

If you gaze between some darkish leaves

With your sharpest hiker's stare

And discover, looking back at you,

A somewhat darkish bear –

Don't stick around to analyze.

Don't stay for one more stare.

Don't pat his darkish pudgy nose.

Do this – GET OUT OF THERE!

BRAVING THE BULL

by Judy Silverman