Boomgarden-English Until They Bring the Streetcars Back
Welcome to Until They Bring the Streetcars Back! Here you will find: 1. Reading Schedule 2. Assignments for each reading assignment 3. Blog questions & responses I hope you enjoy this virtual classroom experience! Please let me know if you have any questions, issues, concerns, or problems with the site.
Ms. Boomgarden
SETTING: Historical Background After WWII Harry S. Truman, president, elected to second term in 1949 Up until this time, streetcars were the main source of transportation in St. Paul. In the late 1940s, GM began introducing city buses to St. Paul. By 1954, all of the streetcars were gone in St. Paul. Background Info Setting: St. Paul, Minnesota (1949-1950); St. Paul Central High School. Narrator: Calvin "Cal" Grant, senior at Central, athlete Cal's family is middle class; dad drives streetcars Plot: Begins at the end, then Cal tells story. This story is fictional, but is based loosely on historical events.
Day One: Introduction to Until They Bring The Streetcars Back. 1. Complete viewing guide in class. 2. Overview of reading & assignment schedule 3. Modeling use of this wiki 4. Read Chapter 1 in class
Chapters 1-4:
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Boomgarden-English Until They Bring the Streetcars Back
Introduction Blog Response: How old are you? During what year will you graduate from school? List ten issues and concerns today's teenagers face? List the classes you currently take. Which are easiest? Which are the most difficult? Why? Are you involved in school activities? Which ones? Pop Culture Sheet UTBTSB Pop Culture.pdf Vocabulary Sheet #1 UTBTSB Vocabulary list.pdf Chapters 1-4 Questions UTBTSB Chapters 1-4 Questions.pdf
Chapters 5-10 Chapters 5-10 Questions UTBTSB Chapters 5-10 Questions.pdf Chapters 5-10 Blog: Choose one. Does Gretchen remind you of anyone you know? Explain Have you ever had a crush on someone, but he/she thought you wre just friends? How did you feel? What do you think Gretchen means when she says, "I don't want to go crazy?"
Chapters 11-15 Chapters 11-15 Questions UTBTSB Chapters 11-15 Questions.pdf Chapters 11-15 Blog: Choose one. Judging by the reactions from Cal's father, what do you think the beliefs were about child abuse in the 1950s? Compare that with today's views. What does Cal mean about Gretchen when he says, "I felt danger around her"? Have you ever felt guilty about something that you knew you couldn't really prevent or stop, but you felt guilty anyway? How do you feel about Gretchen and her father right now? Use details.
Chapters 16-20 Chapters 16-20 Questions UTBTSB Chapters 16-20 Questions.pdf Chapters 16-20 Blog: Choose one. What would happen if everyone, including you, decided it was someone else's job to help those who can't help themselves? Describe that world. If Gretchen asked you to help her, how would you do it? List the step you could take to help Gretchen in today's world. What do you think Cal means when she says, "I loved her too much to go on pretending that I loved her"? Explain how she is feeling about Lola right now. To Gretchen, the Nut-Goodie seems like the best gift she ever received. What is the best gift you have ever received? Why was it so special?
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Boomgarden-English Until They Bring the Streetcars Back
Cal's dad shocks us by calling the Humane Society on McClusky. has anyone ever shocked you by being kind when you thought they were mean? Explain.
Checkpoint Number One (December 11): Chapters 1-20 Completed Chapters 21-25 Chapters 21-25 Questions UTBTSB Chapters 21-25 Questions.pdf Chapters 21-25 Blog: Choose one. Discuss the change in Cal's father's attitude. Why do you think he's changing? Discuss Steve's suicide attempt. Why do you think he did this? What were his friends' reactions or actions?
Chapters 26-30 Chapters 26-30 Questions UTBTSB Chapters 26-30 Questions.pdf Chapters 26-30 Blog: Choose one. Does Cal really love Lola? Why or why not? Explain what love really is. What does it mean to "bite off more than you can chew"? Explain what that means to Cal and then explain if that has ever happened to you and what the end result was. Have you ever had someone show up to support you when you thought no one cared? Explain. Cal's dad is really set on him attending college. He says it is because he never got to go and wants Cal to have the advantages he never had. Can you think of things that your parents, or other kids' parents, want their kids to have that hey didn't have "back in the day"? Write about why you think they want these things for you.
Chapters 31-35 Chapters 31-35 Questions UTBTSB Chapters 31-35 Questions.pdf Chapters 31-35 Blog: Choose one. Cal is attacked in this chapter. Peggy saves him. Has anyone ever "saved you"? Write about this time. What was Cal's plan to save Gretchen? How did it go wrong? What would Cal's punishment be today? Describe what might happen to Cal is he had done this in our time. What does it mean to be loyal? Do you consider yourself loyal? Do you have any loyal friends or family members? Spence says, "Surprise, surprise. I think, finally, the love we need most is our own...we never learn to love ourselves." What do you think he means? How would this apply to you?
Chapters 36-46 Chapters 36-46 Questions UTBTSB Chapters 36-46 Questions.pdf
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Boomgarden-English Until They Bring the Streetcars Back
Chapters 36-46 Blog: Choose one. How is Cal's responsibility to take care of his family different from today? Describe in detail. Cal says, "I was no longer a schoolboy." What does he mean? how does this apply to you? Explain & describe. Cal says, "...since my dad died I felt like I owed something back for my life, like I figured my dad could see what I was doing and he's know he raised me right." What does this mean? Explain what you think Cal was thinking given the events of the book. Cal says that "loving Lola was like having polio--you end up with a limp." Explain what he means. How is love like polio?
Checkpoint Number Two (December 19): Streetcars Quiz
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