Lily's Crossing
Chapter 17 — Teaching Companion
Patricia Reilly Giff · Trailblazers 4th–6th
Coaching, not a script — and not an answer key: every question here has more than one defensible answer.
This chapter's big question
Gram tells Lily, “You can do anything if you really work at it.” Does that hold for swimming out to a troop ship, or only for learning the piano?
The tension Lily will not give the C scale an honest half hour, yet she pictures teaching Albert in one summer to swim well enough to reach a ship; and when she tries to give him something at the keyboard, “The Blue Danube” played “as nicely as she could,” he laughs, and he and Gram end up talking happily about the violin without her.
Today's focus
Watch what Lily does with the half hour at the keyboard, where her mind wanders, and how Gram’s saying stays with her after Gram leaves the room.
Two core ideas
- Gram makes Lily practice, and Lily fills the half hour with daydreams of teaching Albert to swim out to a troop ship, while Gram’s words, “You can do anything,” stay with her.
- Lily finds Albert’s river in her music book and his country in Gram’s atlas, but her musical surprise for him falls flat, and he finds an easy friend in Gram instead.
The shape at a glance
Lily is on her way to swim with Albert, the rolled-up towel with Eddie’s picture in hand, when Gram calls “Lillllyyyy” from the other end of the road. Lily hands the towel to Albert, tells him to hold on to it with his life, and walks back over the gravel in her bare feet. Gram scolds her for walking about in a bathing suit with no shoes, warns of splinters and blood poison, and says she looks like a “hoyden,” a word Lily doesn’t know. It is time to practice the piano. Poppy paid to bring the piano from St. Albans, Gram says, and the lessons were Lily’s own idea. Lily thinks Gram is right, twice, but never says so, and marches home with her head up. At the bench she watches the old alarm clock: one o’clock, and the hands hardly move. She starts the C scale and looks out at the sea, tinged with green and nearly still, a perfect afternoon to teach Albert to swim. Eyes closed, she pictures the troop ship they saw in the mist and wonders whether she could teach Albert to swim well enough to reach it from the rowboat, so he could get to Ruth. Gram asks what she is daydreaming about. “How much I hate this piano,” Lily says. “Just try,” Gram answers. “You can do anything if you really work at it. And you love music.” After Gram goes, Lily wonders, “Could she?” and then remembers the picture has to be mailed before the post office closes at four. She bangs the C scale as loud as she can and makes up boogie music until Gram calls her name. Flipping through the John Thompson book, she finds “The Blue Danube,” Albert’s river, and picks it out with one finger. In Gram’s atlas she can’t find Budapest or the Danube, but on the world map her finger runs from Hungary to France, and she remembers that Madeline was in Paris. And so was Ruth. Albert comes to the window with the towel. Lily says she can’t leave for twenty-two more minutes and plays him “The Blue Danube” as a surprise, “for you, special.” She hears a noise, wonders if he is laughing, and ends it with a crash. Gram asks Albert in for iced tea. Lily plays the piece she knows best, hits a horrible wrong note, and the kitchen goes quiet. She plays the C scale one last time, softly, and goes into the kitchen, where Gram is listening to Albert talk about his violin lessons. Ready to scream, Lily tells Albert they have stuff to do.
A way in
Before reading, ask the student how long a half hour feels when they are waiting, and how long it feels when they are playing. Then read aloud from the start to the line where Lily marches home with her head up. Ask what Lily would rather be doing, and what she has to do instead. Read on to the end, and have the student keep count of each thing Lily does to make the half hour pass.
Lesson plan
Retell The student tells the chapter back in four parts: the road, from Gram calling to Lily marching home; the clock and the daydream, from one o’clock to “Could she?”; the loud scale and the atlas, from the boogie music to “And so was Ruth”; and Albert, from the window to the kitchen. Look for the order, for each thing Lily does instead of practicing, and for what Gram says that stays with her.
Imitate the author After copying, the student writes two passages of their own. First, one short sentence about waiting for something slow, built the way Giff builds the clock: a comma and “but” that hold back the last word, like “still ticking, but slowly.” Second, two or three sentences that look out a window, ending on one that names something calm, then adds a comma and a phrase that tells what it would be perfect for, the way Giff turns “the slightest swell” into “a perfect afternoon to teach Albert to swim.” Look for the comma in the right place in each, and for a last word or phrase that lands.
Debate Take sides on the last written question. First list from the chapter what Gram is talking about: the half hour, the C scale, the John Thompson book, “Just try.” Then list what Lily pictures: the rowboat, the troop ship in the mist, Albert who might only keep himself afloat, Albert getting to Ruth. Have the student say which list Gram’s words fit and how they can tell. Then the student argues one side, and you argue the other. Keep the talk off whether the plan would work; the chapter only says “Could she?”
Purpose Close with the last lines. Lily plays the scale softly, “as if she knew what she was doing,” then finds Gram listening to Albert, and she is ready to scream. The chapter began with Gram calling Lily away from what she wanted to do, and it ends with Lily calling Albert away from the kitchen. Ask why Giff ends the chapter there, and whether “as if” means Lily knows what she is doing or only looks it. Leave both open; the chapter does not say.
Easier Read aloud together from the line where Albert’s face comes into view at the window to the end of the chapter. Retell Lily’s surprise and what happens in the kitchen. Talk through the fourth and sixth discussion questions, then answer the last written question aloud.
On level Talk through all six discussion questions in order, then have the student write answers to the two written questions in complete sentences, each with a reason and a line from the chapter. For the last one, have the student set Gram’s half hour beside Lily’s daydream of the troop ship.
Harder Have the student list everything Lily does during the half hour, from watching the clock to the soft last scale, and write a paragraph on which of those things, if any, is the kind of work Gram means. Then ask whether that changes their answer to the last written question. Claim nothing about whether the troop-ship plan could work.
Discussion
- Lily makes sure Gram sees her huge sigh, but twice she thinks, “Gram was right.” Why does she keep that to herself?Character
What it asks It asks about the gap between what Lily thinks on the road and what she lets Gram see. Gram scolds her about the bathing suit, the bare feet and blood poison, and calls her a “hoyden,” a word Lily doesn’t know. Lily sighs “a huge sigh” so Gram will see it. Then a stone digs into her foot and she thinks, “Gram was right.” When Gram says the lessons were her idea, she thinks it again: “The piano lessons were all her own idea.” She never says so out loud. She marches home with her head up. The student decides why she keeps her agreeing inside. It opens the hinge: the piano was Lily’s own wish before it turned slow, and Gram is the one who will tell her what hard work can do. If a student says only that Lily is stubborn, ask what she would have to do next if she agreed out loud. The card claims nothing about what Poppy thinks of the piano.
One reading
Pride. Lily is losing the argument and will not let Gram see it. The huge sigh and the march home are for show. Inside she gives in; outside she keeps her chin up.
She sighed, a huge sigh.
Head up, she marched up the road and headed for home.
Another reading
Saying it would trap her. If the lessons were her own idea, she has no excuse left. She would have to sit and practice, and the swim and Eddie’s picture would have to wait.
The piano lessons were all her own idea.
It’s time to practice the piano, Lily.
Listen for
- Tells what Gram scolds Lily about and what Lily thinks while she listens.
- Gives a reason Lily keeps her agreeing inside.
- Uses the huge sigh, the stone in her foot, the lessons being her idea, or the march home.
- Claims nothing about what Poppy thinks of the piano.
If stuck
- What does Gram scold Lily about on the road?
- What does Lily think when the stone digs into her foot?
- What would Lily have to do next if she told Gram she was right?
A strong answer A strong response might say it is pride: Lily sighs “a huge sigh” so Gram will see it, and goes home “Head up,” though inside she has twice agreed. Another might say that saying it would trap her: the lessons “were all her own idea,” so agreeing out loud would leave her no excuse not to practice. A thoughtful student may notice the lessons were her idea “last winter,” before she knew “it took forever to learn the piano.” Look for a reason tied to what Lily shows and what she hides.
- In Lily’s daydream, Albert might only keep himself afloat, and the ship might not be Poppy’s. Is she facing those problems, or waving them away?Inference
What it asks It asks about how Lily builds her daydream. At the piano she closes her eyes and pictures the troop ship “huge and ghostly in the mist.” She thinks, “Wouldn’t it be something,” twice: if they could get the rowboat close, and if she could teach Albert to swim well enough. Then come the two “even if”s: “Even if he could just keep himself afloat, she could help him. And even if it wasn’t Poppy’s ship, it would be going to Europe.” The student decides whether each “even if” admits how hard the plan is, or brushes the problem aside so the dream can go on. It is the dream the last written question weighs against Gram’s words. If a student says the plan would work, or would fail, bring them back to how Lily thinks it, not how it would turn out. The card claims nothing about whether the plan could work, or whether Lily truly means to try it.
One reading
Facing them. Each “even if” names something hard. Albert might only stay afloat, and the ship might not be Poppy’s. Lily is not pretending the plan is easy. She is counting what could go wrong.
Even if he could just keep himself afloat, she could help him.
And even if it wasn’t Poppy’s ship, it would be going to Europe.
Another reading
Waving them away. Every problem gets an answer in the same breath, so the dream never has to stop. It starts with “Wouldn’t it be something” and ends with Albert getting all the way to Ruth.
Wouldn’t it be something if she could teach Albert to swim well enough for that?
Albert could get to Ruth, and she—
Listen for
- Tells what Lily pictures when she closes her eyes.
- Says whether she is facing the problems or waving them away, with a reason.
- Uses the two “even if”s, “Wouldn’t it be something,” or the ship in the mist.
- Claims nothing about whether the plan could work.
If stuck
- What does Lily see when she closes her eyes at the piano?
- What two problems does she think of?
- After each problem, what does she tell herself?
A strong answer A strong response might say Lily is facing the problems: “Even if he could just keep himself afloat” admits Albert cannot really swim, and “even if it wasn’t Poppy’s ship” admits the ship may not be the one she wants. Another might say she is waving them away: each problem is answered at once, “she could help him,” “it would be going to Europe,” so the dream can run on until “Albert could get to Ruth.” A thoughtful student may notice the dream breaks off on “and she—” when Gram walks in. Look for an answer built on the words of the daydream, with no claim about whether it would work.
- Lily smiles a little when she remembers that Madeline was in Paris. What happens to that smile when she thinks, “And so was Ruth”?Tone
What it asks It asks about the atlas, and one line that stands alone. Lily pulls out Gram’s heavy atlas, which smells of the attic in St. Albans. She looks for Budapest and the Danube and finds only black lines on “a yellow blotch that looked like the piece of a puzzle.” On the world map she runs her finger from Hungary to Austria to Switzerland to France. She smiles a little: Madeline in the book had been there. Then, on a line by itself: “And so was Ruth.” The student decides whether the smile grows or fades when the storybook girl gives way to a real one. It keeps the atlas page in the talk, where Lily’s finger makes the trip her daydream wants. If a student says only that she is happy or sad, ask what a finger on a map can do that a real trip can’t. The card claims nothing about Ruth beyond that line: not why she is in Paris, and not how she is.
One reading
It grows. Lily knows Paris from a book, and now Ruth is there too. On the big map it is only a finger’s trip away. It fits her daydream that Albert could get to Ruth.
She ran her finger across it . . . from Hungary, to Austria, to Switzerland, to France.
She smiled a little.
Another reading
It fades. Madeline is a girl in a book, and Ruth is real. A minute ago Lily could not even find Budapest. A finger can cross a map in a second, but Albert cannot.
all she could find were a bunch of black lines wandering up and down on a yellow blotch that looked like the piece of a puzzle
And so was Ruth.
Listen for
- Tells what Lily looks for in the atlas and where her finger goes.
- Says what happens to the smile, with a reason.
- Uses Madeline, the yellow blotch, the finger on the map, or the line set by itself.
- Claims nothing about Ruth beyond “And so was Ruth.”
If stuck
- What can’t Lily find on the map of Hungary?
- Where does her finger go on the map of the whole world?
- In Lily’s daydream, who could Albert get to?
A strong answer A strong response might say the smile grows: Paris is a place Lily already knows from Madeline, and on the world map her finger gets there in one move, the same trip her daydream gave Albert. Another might say it fades: Madeline is in a book, but Ruth is real, and Lily could not even find Budapest among “a bunch of black lines.” A thoughtful student may notice that Giff puts “And so was Ruth” on a line by itself, so the reader has to stop there too. Look for a reason tied to the map, and no claim about Ruth beyond the line.
- Lily isn’t sure the noise was Albert laughing. Should she have played “The Blue Danube” to the end anyway?Character
What it asks It asks about the gift at the window. Lily found “The Blue Danube” in the John Thompson book, “And that was Albert’s river.” When Albert comes to the window with the towel, she tells him, “I’ve got a surprise for you. Listen to what I’m playing. It’s for you, special.” She plays it “as nicely as she could.” Then she hears a noise and asks herself, “Was that Albert laughing again?” She ends it “with a crash” and goes back to the C scale. The student decides whether she should have kept playing, and weighs what keeping on would have risked against what stopping lost. It is the hinge’s fault line: the one time Lily works to give something at the keyboard, she quits it in a moment. If a student says Albert was laughing at her, point back to the question mark: Lily does not know. The card claims nothing about whether Albert laughed, or why.
One reading
No. It was a gift “for you, special,” and she had only just picked the tune out with one finger. If he was laughing, every note after would be laughed at too. A crash ends it before she has to find out.
It’s for you, special.
Was that Albert laughing again?
Another reading
Yes. She does not know what the noise was. The tune was his river, and she chose it for him. By crashing, she ends the gift before he can show what he thinks of it.
And that was Albert’s river.
She ended “The Blue Danube” with a crash and began the C scale again.
Listen for
- Tells what Lily plays for Albert and why it is meant for him.
- Says whether she should have kept playing, and weighs what she risked against what she lost.
- Uses “for you, special,” “as nicely as she could,” the question she asks herself, or the crash.
- Claims nothing about whether Albert laughed, or why.
If stuck
- Why does Lily pick “The Blue Danube” for Albert?
- What does she hear, and what does she ask herself?
- What does she do right after?
A strong answer A strong response might say no: the gift was “for you, special,” and if the noise was a laugh, she would be laughed at for every note after, so the crash protects her. Another might say yes: Lily only asks herself “Was that Albert laughing again?”, and the crash ends his river’s song before he can say a word. A thoughtful student may notice that “again” means Lily has heard Albert laugh before, and that this may make her quick to stop. Look for the risk and the loss both weighed, with no claim about what the noise was.
- After the wrong note, the kitchen goes quiet. Then Lily plays the C scale one last time, softly. Who is she playing it for?Inference
What it asks It asks about the last thing Lily plays. Gram has asked Albert in for iced tea, and Lily can hear them talking. She opens to the piece she knew best, “the piece she had played a million times last winter,” and hits a wrong note with her left pinky. “It sounded horrible.” For a minute the kitchen is quiet. Then she plays the C scale “one last time, but softly now, as if she knew what she was doing.” Earlier the scale was loud, and it was aimed at Gram. The student decides who this soft one is for. It brings the hinge’s question about real work into one small moment, without asking it. If a student says only that she is tired, ask why it comes right after the quiet in the kitchen. The card claims nothing about whether Lily comes to love the piano, or gives it up.
One reading
For the kitchen. Gram and Albert just heard the horrible note and went quiet. The soft scale is Lily saying she can play right after all. It is for the people listening.
It sounded horrible.
but softly now, as if she knew what she was doing
Another reading
For herself. The loud scales were for driving Gram crazy, and the Danube was for Albert. This one is not aimed at anybody. For a moment Lily plays the way Gram asked: “Just try.”
She played the C scale as loudly as she could, up and down, faster, faster.
Just try
Listen for
- Tells what happens with the piece Lily knew best and what the kitchen does.
- Says who the soft scale is for, with a reason.
- Sets this scale beside the loud ones earlier, or uses “as if she knew what she was doing.”
- Claims nothing about whether Lily comes to love the piano or gives it up.
If stuck
- How did Lily play the C scale earlier in the afternoon?
- What happens when she plays the piece she knew best?
- What is different about the last scale?
A strong answer A strong response might say it is for the kitchen: after the note that “sounded horrible” and the quiet that follows, Lily plays softly so Gram and Albert will hear her get one thing right. Another might say it is for herself: the loud scales were a fight with Gram, the Danube a gift for Albert, but this one has no one to fight or please, and for a moment it sounds like “Just try.” A thoughtful student may notice the words “as if”: she plays like someone who knows what she is doing, which may not be the same as knowing. Look for an answer that sets this scale beside the loud ones.
- In the kitchen, Gram listens to Albert with her head to one side. Why is Lily in such a hurry to get him out of there?Character
What it asks It asks about the last scene. Lily slides off the bench and goes into the kitchen. Albert and Gram are talking about music, “but not about the piano, about violin music.” Albert is telling Gram about the lessons he has taken, and Gram, “her head to one side,” is listening and nodding. Lily, “feeling ready to scream,” says, “Come on, Albert,” and “We can’t hang around here all day.” One answer is on the page: Eddie’s picture has to be mailed before the post office closes at four. The student decides whether that is the whole reason, or whether something in the kitchen pushes her too. It keeps Gram from being only a nag: she asks Albert in for iced tea and listens to him. If a student says only that Lily is late, ask why she is “ready to scream” and not just in a hurry. The card claims nothing about whether Albert laughed at the piano, or why.
One reading
Time. Eddie’s picture has to be wrapped and mailed before four, and the half hour has dragged. Now Albert has come in for iced tea and is talking with Gram as if there were no hurry at all.
What she had to be doing was getting Eddie’s picture wrapped and mailed before the post office closed at four.
We’ve got stuff to do, remember?
Another reading
Being left out. Her surprise for Albert ended in a crash. Now he and Gram share music without her, and it isn’t even the piano. Gram listens to him more patiently than she listened to Lily all afternoon.
Albert and Gram were talking about music, but not about the piano, about violin music.
Gram, her head to one side, was listening, nodding.
Listen for
- Tells what Lily finds in the kitchen and what she says.
- Gives a reason for her hurry, and says whether the post office is the whole of it.
- Uses the violin, Gram’s head to one side, the iced tea, or the post office at four.
- Claims nothing about whether Albert laughed, or why.
If stuck
- What did Lily need to do before four o’clock?
- What are Albert and Gram talking about, and how is Gram listening?
- Why would that leave her “ready to scream,” and not just in a hurry?
A strong answer A strong response might say it is the time: the picture must be mailed “before the post office closed at four,” and Albert has come in for iced tea and is talking. Another might say it is being left out: after her surprise ended “with a crash,” Lily finds Albert and Gram talking about “violin music,” and Gram, “her head to one side,” listening to him. A thoughtful student may notice that a hurry alone would not leave her “ready to scream,” or that the chapter opened with Gram calling Lily away and ends with Lily calling Albert away. Look for a reason backed by what someone in the kitchen does or says.
Critical thinking
- Lily tells Gram she hates the piano. Gram says, “And you love music.” Which of them is closer to the truth?
What it asks It asks the student to weigh two claims about Lily with evidence from the whole half hour. When Gram asks what she is daydreaming about, Lily says, “How much I hate this piano.” Gram answers, “Just try,” and “You can do anything if you really work at it. And you love music.” Lily doesn’t answer. Then the chapter gives evidence both ways. She watches the clock, bangs the C scale to drive Gram crazy, and counts the minutes. But she also makes up “Hazel Scott boogie music,” picks out “The Blue Danube” with one finger, sees that it is Albert’s river, and chooses to play it for him. The student judges who is closer, gives reasons, and answers the other side. It goes one step toward the last written question: Gram’s saying comes with “you love music” attached. If a student says Lily hates the piano because she says so, ask what she was really daydreaming about when she said it. The card claims nothing about whether Lily comes to love the piano or gives it up.
One reading
Gram. When nobody is making her, Lily plays. She makes up boogie music and picks out a tune by ear, and she wants to give music to Albert. It is the practice she hates, not the music.
making up some Hazel Scott boogie music as she went along
She picked the music out with one finger.
Another reading
Lily. The whole half hour she watches the clock and makes noise to annoy Gram. She answers Gram’s question right away. Loving music does not make a C scale any less slow.
It would take forever to get to one-thirty.
How much I hate this piano.
Listen for
- Takes a position on who is closer to the truth and gives at least two reasons from the chapter.
- Weighs what Lily says against what she does at the piano.
- Answers the other side: someone who reads Lily the other way.
- Writes in complete sentences, and claims nothing about whether Lily comes to love the piano.
If stuck
- What does Lily say when Gram asks what she is daydreaming about?
- What does Lily play when no one tells her what to play?
- Was Lily really daydreaming about the piano?
A strong answer A strong response takes a position and answers the other side. A student might argue Gram is closer: Lily makes up “Hazel Scott boogie music,” picks out the Danube “with one finger,” and plays Albert’s river for him “as nicely as she could,” so it is the slow practice she hates, not music. Another might argue Lily is closer: she watches the hands until they seem not to move, and to annoy Gram she plays “The loudest C scale anyone had ever heard” on purpose. A thoughtful student may notice that “How much I hate this piano” was her answer to what she was daydreaming about, and she was really dreaming about the troop ship. Look for what Lily says and what she does both weighed.
- Gram tells Lily, “You can do anything if you really work at it.” Does that hold for swimming out to a troop ship, or only for learning the piano?
What it asks It asks the whole question of the chapter. Gram says it about practice, a half hour of the C scale with the John Thompson book. Lily will not give that half hour her full effort: she watches the clock, bangs the scale and opens the atlas. But in her daydream she pictures teaching Albert to swim well enough to reach a troop ship, “huge and ghostly in the mist,” from a rowboat. After Gram leaves the room, her words stand alone on the page, “You can do anything,” and then, “Could she?” The student judges whether Gram’s saying stretches as far as Lily stretches it, gives reasons, and answers the other side. It is not a practice-makes-perfect lesson: the chapter leaves the stretch open. If a student says yes because Gram said “anything,” ask what Gram was talking about when she said it; if a student says no, ask why Lily asks “Could she?” at all. The card claims nothing about whether the troop-ship plan could work, or whether Lily truly means to try it.
One reading
Only the piano. Gram says it about practice, and piano work comes a little at a time: a scale, a half hour, a piece played a million times. A boy who can barely float and a ship in the mist are not like that. Hard work cannot shrink the sea.
You can do anything if you really work at it.
Even if he could just keep himself afloat, she could help him.
Another reading
For the ship too. Lily hears “anything,” and the words follow her after Gram goes. If she worked at swimming the way she won’t at the piano, she might teach Albert. The question she asks herself is still open.
You can do anything.
Could she?
Listen for
- Takes a position on how far Gram’s saying reaches and gives at least two reasons from the chapter.
- Weighs what Gram was talking about against what Lily makes of the words.
- Answers the other side: someone who judges the saying the other way.
- Writes in complete sentences, and claims nothing about whether the plan could work.
If stuck
- What was Gram talking about when she said it?
- What does Lily picture when she closes her eyes at the piano?
- Does Lily work hard at the piano in this chapter?
A strong answer A strong response takes a position and answers the other side. A student might argue it holds only for the piano: Gram says it about practice, where work adds up a half hour at a time, while Albert might only “keep himself afloat” and the ship is “huge and ghostly in the mist.” Another might argue it holds for the ship too: Lily hears “You can do anything” and asks herself “Could she?”, and nothing in the chapter answers no. A thoughtful student may notice that Lily won’t give the C scale an honest half hour, yet pictures teaching Albert to swim well enough to reach a ship, and ask whether she has tested Gram’s words at all. Look for Gram’s meaning and Lily’s stretch both weighed, with no claim about whether the plan would work.