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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 was the name of the neighborhood in which Kelly School was located?

2. What was the core evaluation Mrs. Zajac wanted to get started for Pedro?

3. What did Mrs. Zajac want to come back as in her next life?

4. How long did it take Mrs. Zajac to learn her students' names?

5. About how many pieces of paper did Mrs. Zajac handle daily at school

Short Essay Questions

1. What were the specific goals Mrs. Zajac had for all of her students in the fifth grade? Why did she consider these goals important?

2. What were Mrs. Zajac's concerns about Pedro? What was his behavior like in class? What plan did she come up with learn more about Pedro?

3. What were the demographics of Kelly School? Were they in line with the demographics of the community? What else do we know about the families attending Kelly School?

4. What is the subject of Kidder's story? Is it fiction or non-fiction? How does he go about learning about his subject?

5. What was the name of Mrs. Zajac's school and where was it located? What did we know about the school? What was the make-up of the student body in her classroom?

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

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

8. What are "cume" folders? Why do teachers have them? What goes into them? How does Mrs. Zajac use the cumes and why?

9. Why were Fridays good days in Mrs. Zajac's fifth grade class? How did they compare to Mondays?

10. What were the afternoons like for Mrs. Zajac? Why were they easier for her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Mrs. Zajac took her fifth grade class on a field trip to Old Sturbridge Village and had two different agendas for the field trip. What were those two agendas, and how did she work to accomplish both? Why was this trip important to Mrs. Zajac?

Essay Topic 2

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

Essay Topic 3

Teaching in America today is a challenge, but the history of teaching in America has always been fraught with challenges. What are some of the challenges faced by teachers in the earlier part of the century that are no longer a problem today? What ones remain challenges to teachers today? Why do you think this is?

(see the answer keys)

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