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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why does Codell compare teaching to a bottle cap in her poem "How to Teach Learning"?
(a) Learning is like uncapping the mind to a world of knowledge.
(b) Learning is incredibly difficult, just like trying to twist a bottle cap off.
(c) Like a soda bottle cap that might announce "You are a winner!" learning should be special and surprising.
(d) Learning is a series of ups and downs, like the ridges on the side of a bottle cap.

2. In Codell's reading group method, what role does the "literary luminary" play?
(a) Guessing what comes next in the plot of the book.
(b) Reading passages out loud.
(c) Making questions up about the book.
(d) Defining difficult words in the text.

3. Why doesn't Codell alert administration when one of her students brings a baby brother to school?
(a) She is afraid of the potential consequences for the student in question.
(b) She figures having a baby in the class will be a valuable teaching moment.
(c) She is afraid Mr. Turner might turn the baby over to Child Protective Services.
(d) She loves babies, and is happy to tend to the child for the day.

4. Why do Ozzie's grades plummet?
(a) Ozzie has joined a gang.
(b) His mother's ex-boyfriend is verbally and physically abusive.
(c) Ozzie is malnourished.
(d) Ozzie has developed dyslexia.

5. What teaching guidelines are given to the school by the Michael Jordan Foundation?
(a) The Slam Dunk Doctrines.
(b) The Championship Way.
(c) The 3-Pointers of Success.
(d) The Jordan Rules.

6. According to Jim Trelease, what kind of portrayal is Educating Esme, with respect to American education?
(a) Realistic.
(b) Satirical.
(c) Hyperbolic.
(d) Sentimental.

7. What does Jim Trelease blame for poor reading scores in "a certain western state"?
(a) Lack of library funding.
(b) Lazy teachers.
(c) Inner-city crime.
(d) Lazy students.

8. What conflict resolution does Kyle agree to with Zykrecia?
(a) Kyle agrees to never speak to Zykrecia again.
(b) Kyle agrees to return the pencil he stole.
(c) Kyle will bring her lunch for a week.
(d) Kyle agrees to bake her a cupcake for her upcoming birthday.

9. How successful is the film Codell shows for sexual education?
(a) It successfully answers most of the students' questions.
(b) It makes several students cry.
(c) It sparks a valuable debate.
(d) It leads to more confusion than clarity.

10. What is the plot of the story "The Pudding Like the Night on the Sea"?
(a) A father threatens to whip and beat his son, but it turns out that the "whipping" and "beating" involve making pudding.
(b) A pudding cup joins with other food items to defeat a rotten piece of cheese.
(c) A schoolgirl imagines that her pudding is the ocean, and she daydreams about a fantastic sea voyage.
(d) A pudding comes to life to terrorize a small town.

11. When Mr. Turner sees Codell and several of her students wearing saris, what does he think?
(a) He believes Codell is having a cultural festival.
(b) He believes Codell is mocking his own wearing of a sari two weeks earlier.
(c) He believes Codell is a terrible influence on her students.
(d) He believes Codell is performing an open act of defiance.

12. What award does Codell receive during the events in the book?
(a) The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. award for outstanding new urban school teacher.
(b) The Caldecott Silver Teaching award.
(c) The Dr. Peggy Williams award for outstanding Language Arts teacher.
(d) The Connie Porter award for reading excellence.

13. Why is Codell afraid of B. B. returning from suspension?
(a) She is afraid B. B. will return with a gun and shoot her.
(b) She is afraid Mr. Turner will doubt that the suspension was necessary at all.
(c) She is afraid B. B. will beat up Vanessa in an act of revenge.
(d) She is afraid B. B. will decide to quit school altogether.

14. How does Codell teach Melanie to control her destructive urges?
(a) Codell refuses to let Melanie check out any books from the classroom library unless Melanie stops.
(b) Codell tells Melanie to think about sitting on the beach in Hawaii, rather than committing the crime.
(c) Codell calls a parent-teacher conference to explain the issue to Melanie's mother.
(d) Codell tells her that when she has a "funny feeling" in her stomach telling her to commit a crime, she should find Codell instead.

15. Why is Codell's day spoiled on April 11th?
(a) Random gunfire erupts in the street, and a classroom window is shot out.
(b) Chicago experiences the worst rainstorm in fifty years.
(c) Mr. Turner reports her to the union for insubordination.
(d) Someone stole a pack of stickers.

Short Answer Questions

1. What activity did Codell have the class do to learn about light?

2. What activity did Codell have the class do to learn about medieval history.

3. What ultimate fear does Codell express about Melanie?

4. Why does B. B. start to misbehave around 1:20 PM every day?

5. According to the end of Part II, what is Codell's ultimate career aspiration?

(see the answer keys)

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