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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did Mrs. Zajac worry about after asking Jimmy why he was so tired?

2. What was the last sharp ethnic division left in Holyoke when Mrs. Zajac was teaching?

3. What was the first social studies question Mrs. Zajac asked her class?

4. What percentage of Kelly School children came from homes receiving some form of public assistance?

5. What happened to Lisette, one of the quiet children in the room, in October?

Short Essay Questions

1. What were some of the tips Mrs. Zajac gives Pam Hunt before her three days teaching in the classroom alone?

2. What did Mrs. Zajac realize were the similarities and difference between Alice and Judith?

3. What are some of the frustrations teachers teaching today face?

4. How did Mrs. Zajac begin her school day? What did she teach in the mornings? Why was this a challenge?

5. What subject did Mrs. Zajac's students have on Wednesday afternoons? How was the behavior in the classroom different from other times as the students prepared their Halloween project?

6. Who was Alphonse Laudato? What kind of job did he have at Kelly School? Did Mrs. Zajac like him? Why or why not?

7. When and where did Mrs. Zajac have time to grade her social studies papers? What trend did Mrs. Zajac see in her students' performance? Who in particular had made real strides in class and homework? Who had not done so well?

8. Clarence continued to be a concern in Mrs. Zajac's class. What kinds of things did Clarence do that were of concern to Mrs. Zajac? How did these behaviors contrast with others in the classroom?

9. Why did Mrs. Zajac allow her students to choose their own desks on the first day of school? What message did she want to send to her students? What did she learn about the children by allowing them their choice of seats?

10. How did the fifth grade class celebrate the Christmas break? What did Mrs. Zajac give each child as a Christmas gift?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Mrs. Zajac's classroom had many Puerto Rican students in it. How were Puerto Ricans treated in Holyoke? How were they represented in the school? What were some of the things Mrs. Zajac did to honor the Puerto Rican students in her class, and their culture?

Essay Topic 2

Much of the story of Kelly School's fifth grade class involved Mrs. Zajac and her work with Clarence. Do you believe Mrs. Zajac did all she could do for Clarence and made the right call by having him removed from the class? Or, do you think she should have kept Clarence in the room and continued to try and help him? Support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

What role does Al Laudato play in Kidder's book? Is he an important part of Mrs. Zajac's success as a teacher? Why?

(see the answer keys)

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