Reading 11 — Teaching Companion

What it asks It asks the student to read what Mack does not see, or what he wants. The cameraman has already filmed Ruby “with her foot roped to the bolt in the floor” when he asks, “Mind if I take a look around?” Mack waves a hand: “Be my guest.” While Mack and the woman talk, the man walks through the mall alone, stops at the claw-stick and “trains his camera on the gleaming blade.” Later, Mack is the one who turns on the TV. The news shows them all, the billboard, the mall and the ring, and then, on a line of its own, “And the claw-stick.” When the protesters come, Mack says they are protesting the wrong guy and that they are going to ruin everything. The student decides whether Mack saw nothing wrong to hide, or wanted the camera for what the news might do for his mall.

One reading

He sees nothing wrong. To Mack, the rope and the claw-stick are just part of running the mall. He waves the man on without a second look, and later he says the protesters have the wrong guy. He does not see himself as the one they mean.

• Mack waves a hand. “Be my guest.”
• Mack says they’re protesting the wrong guy.

Another reading

He wants to be on the news. Mack has agreed to an interview, and a camera means the mall on TV. He is the one who turns on the TV when the news comes on. When signs come instead of visitors, he is angry and says they are going to ruin everything.

• This evening a man and woman come to interview Mack and also George and Julia.
• Mack turns on the TV.
• He says they’re going to ruin everything.

Listen for

• Notices what the camera has already seen before Mack says yes: Ruby “with her foot roped to the bolt in the floor.”
• Hears how the news ends its list: “And the claw-stick.” on a line of its own.
• Uses what Mack does and says after: he turns on the TV, and he says the protesters have the wrong guy and will ruin everything.
• Does not say the camera or the news brought the inspector; the reading never says what did.

If stuck

• What is Mack doing while the cameraman walks through the mall?
• Who turns on the TV when the mall is on the news?
• Can a person stop seeing something wrong because they see it every day?

A strong answer A strong response might say Mack saw nothing wrong: the claw-stick is part of his mall, he waves the man on with “Be my guest,” and later he says the protesters have the wrong guy. Another might say Mack wanted to be on the news: he lets the camera go where it likes, and later he is the one who turns on the TV; when the signs come instead, he says they are going to ruin everything. A careful answer notices that the camera stops on the claw-stick, and that the news ends its list with “And the claw-stick.”

What it asks It asks the student to set two ways of getting an animal to do what humans want side by side. The woman puts an apple in the box and tells Ruby, “Don’t be afraid.” Each time Ruby touches the box, she gets a click and a piece of carrot. Bob explains: “They want Ruby to associate the noise with the treat. When she does something they want, they make that noise.” Ivan can tell Bob doesn’t approve. Later the same clicks bring Ivan to his own box, “Hour after hour, click after click,” and once he is inside, Maya says, “Good Ivan, good boy,” and gives him a sweet drink that tastes of mango “and something bitter.” The claw-stick never comes near the training; the reading shows it on the news, “the gleaming blade.” The student weighs whether a treat and a blade are opposite ways to make an animal obey, or two kinds of the same thing.

One reading

Very different. The clicker comes with apples, carrots and kind words, and no one is hurt. The claw-stick is a blade. The clicker asks Ruby to choose; the claw-stick makes her.

• “Good girl, Ruby,” she says kindly. “Don’t be afraid.”
• Each time Ruby touches the box, she gets a click and a treat.

Another reading

Not so different. Both are ways to get an animal to do what humans want, and Bob does not approve. At the end, the click and the “good boy” come with a drink that has something bitter in it.

• When she does something they want, they make that noise.
• “Good Ivan, good boy,” Maya says when I lumber into my box.
• a sweet drink that tastes of mango and something bitter

Listen for

• Uses what the clicker comes with: the apple, the carrots, “Good girl, Ruby” and “Don’t be afraid.”
• Uses Bob’s explanation, the part about doing “something they want,” and that he doesn’t approve.
• Notices that Ivan steps in for clicks and treats too, and that the clicks go on “Hour after hour.”
• Does not say the zoo will be good or bad for Ruby or Ivan; the reading shows only the boxes, the red giraffe and Maya.

If stuck

• What does the woman say to Ruby when she puts the apple in the box?
• What does Bob say the clicks are for?
• Can kindness still be a way to get someone to do what you want?

A strong answer A strong response might say they are very different: the clicker comes with apples, carrots and kind words like “Don’t be afraid,” and the claw-stick is a blade. Another might say they are not so different: Bob says the click comes “When she does something they want,” and he does not approve. Both get an animal to do what humans want. A careful answer may notice that the last click in the reading comes with “Good Ivan, good boy” and a drink with “something bitter” in it.

What it asks It asks the student to read Bob by where he goes. When the inspector comes, Bob hides near the Dumpster: “He does not want to be a check mark.” When the boxes come, he tells Ivan, “casually, licking a paw,” that they are taking the whole lot, “some to the zoo, probably. Others to an animal shelter where humans will try to find them homes.” His voice is bright, his eyes are sad, and he does not answer Ivan’s “But … what about you?” On Julia’s last night she looks under tables, in Ivan’s cage and by the trash can, and George has not seen him. When Mack comes late at night, Bob dives under Not-Tag. On the last morning he hides behind the pool, then sneaks over to lick Ivan’s chin. The student decides whether Bob is hiding from humans, or from good-byes.

One reading

From humans. Bob belongs to no one, and humans with clipboards and boxes could take him away. He hides from the inspector, and he knows some of the animals are going to a shelter.

• He does not want to be a check mark.
• Others to an animal shelter where humans will try to find them homes.

Another reading

From good-byes. Bob talks as if it hardly matters, but his eyes are sad, and he will not answer Ivan. He stays out of sight on Julia’s last night. On the last morning, he comes out only for Ivan.

• His voice is bright, but his eyes are faraway and sad.
• I can’t tell if Bob’s just pretending to sleep, but he doesn’t answer.
• While they’re busy making sure my box is ready, Bob sneaks over.

Listen for

• Lists where Bob hides: near the Dumpster, under Not-Tag, behind the pool, and nowhere Julia can find him.
• Uses the talk on Ivan’s belly: the casual voice, the sad eyes and the question Bob does not answer.
• Notices that Mack knows where Bob sleeps (“I know you sleep in here.”) and lets him stay one more night.
• Does not say what happens to Bob after the animals leave; the reading does not say.

If stuck

• Where does Bob go when the man with the clipboard comes?
• What does Bob do when Ivan asks, “But … what about you?”
• Can someone hide from something sad, not only from something scary?

A strong answer A strong response might say Bob is hiding from humans: he hides from the inspector because “He does not want to be a check mark,” and he knows some animals are going “to an animal shelter.” Another might say he is hiding from good-byes: his voice is bright, but “his eyes are faraway and sad,” and he never answers “But … what about you?” A careful answer may notice that on the last morning Bob comes out of hiding to lick Ivan’s chin.

What it asks It asks the student to weigh one past from two sides. Late at night Mack “seems smaller somehow.” He sits on the tire swing and pulls a photo from his shirt pocket: young Ivan and Mack “in the front seat of his convertible,” Ivan in a baseball cap with an ice cream cone. Mack remembers the roller coaster and the basketball, “chuckling.” Ivan thinks, “I was a handsome lad, but I have to admit I look ridiculous. Nothing like a real gorilla.” Earlier, talking with Ruby about the zoo, he has thought, “I haven’t had much practice being a real gorilla, much less a silverback.” The student decides whether those were good days for Ivan, or days that kept him from being a gorilla.

One reading

Yes, in their way. They rode a roller coaster and played basketball, and Mack still laughs about it. Ivan calls himself a handsome lad, and Mack keeps the photo in his shirt pocket.

• We had some laughs, didn’t we, guy?
• I was a handsome lad
• Mack pulls a small photo out of his shirt pocket.

Another reading

No. It was fun the way a human has fun. In a cap, with an ice cream cone, Ivan looks nothing like a gorilla. Now, about to meet other gorillas, he has had little practice being one.

• I look ridiculous. Nothing like a real gorilla.
• I haven’t had much practice being a real gorilla, much less a silverback.

Listen for

• Uses what Mack remembers: the roller coaster, the basketball and “You had a lousy jump shot.”
• Uses both of Ivan’s words for the young gorilla in the photo, “handsome” and “ridiculous.”
• Sets the photo beside Ivan’s worry, earlier, about being a real gorilla among gorillas.
• Does not make Mack only cruel or only sorry; he says, “I’m going to miss you, Ivan,” and he doesn’t look back.

If stuck

• What is young Ivan wearing and eating in the photo?
• What does Ivan wonder when Ruby asks if the other gorillas will like him?
• Can a day be fun and still not be good for you?

A strong answer A strong response might say they were good days in their way: Mack still remembers “some laughs,” and Ivan calls himself “a handsome lad.” Another might say they were not good days for a gorilla: Ivan says he looks “ridiculous. Nothing like a real gorilla,” and he has just worried that he hasn’t had “much practice being a real gorilla.” A careful answer can hold both, and does not decide what Mack feels beyond what he says and does: he puts the photo back in his pocket, says he will miss Ivan, and leaves.

What it asks It asks the student to set the end of the reading beside Ivan’s worst memory. When a box comes sized for him, he says, “I don’t want to go into that box.” “The last time I was in a box, my sister died.” On the last morning he gives Bob Not-Tag, “a limp rag without her stuffing,” and lumbers into his box. Maya gives him a sweet drink that tastes of mango “and something bitter,” and his eyelids grow heavy. Then: “I dream I’m with Tag and we’re swinging from vines while Stella watches.” The night before, when Ruby said she would go in her box, Ivan told her, “And I think Stella would have agreed.” The student decides whether the dream answers his fear of the box, or shows what he has lost.

One reading

A good sign. Ivan feared the box because his sister died in one. Now, in a box, he is with her again, in sun and trees, and Stella is watching. Ivan has said Stella would have agreed with going. The dream is full of fruit and light, not fear.

• I dream I’m with Tag and we’re swinging from vines while Stella watches.
• And I think Stella would have agreed.
• The sun slices through the thick ceiling of trees and the breeze tastes like fruit.

Another reading

A sad one. Tag is gone, and so is Stella, and Ivan can be with them only in a dream. He did not choose to fall asleep: the drink had something bitter in it. That same morning he gave away Not-Tag, the last soft thing that kept her name.

• Maya gives me a sweet drink that tastes of mango and something bitter.
• I want to see what happens next, but I am sleepy, so sleepy.
• I reach for Not-Tag. She is a limp rag without her stuffing.

Listen for

• Joins the dream to Ivan’s fear of the box: “The last time I was in a box, my sister died.”
• Notices who is in the dream, Tag and Stella, and that Ivan said Stella would have agreed with Ruby going in the box.
• Uses how Ivan falls asleep: the drink with “something bitter,” and his wish “to see what happens next.”
• Does not say the dream shows what the zoo will be like; the reading never says.

If stuck

• Why did Ivan not want to go into the box?
• Who is with Ivan in his dream, and who is watching?
• Can a dream about someone you lost be happy and sad at once?

A strong answer A strong response might say the dream is a good sign: Ivan feared the box because “my sister died” in the last one, and now, in a box, he is with Tag in the sun “while Stella watches,” and he has said Stella would have agreed. Another might say it is a sad one: Tag and Stella are gone, he can be with them only asleep, and he did not choose to sleep, since the drink tasted of “something bitter.” A careful answer may notice that Ivan gives away Not-Tag on the last morning and then dreams of Tag herself, and does not say where the box is taking him.

What it asks It asks the student to weigh the two reasons in one sentence. When a box comes for him, Ivan says he understands how Ruby feels: “I don’t want to go into that box.” “The last time I was in a box, my sister died.” Then his door is propped open, the box is pushed against it, and Maya clicks for hours. “I look over at Ruby. She waits to see what I will do.” He touches the box, sniffs it, and thinks, “I have to do it. Ruby is watching me from between the bars of her cage, and this box is the way out.” He steps inside. Later, Ruby tells him, “I think I’m going to go in the box tomorrow.” The student decides which reason carries Ivan past his fear.

One reading

Ruby. Ivan is afraid of the box, but Ruby is waiting to see what he will do. If he will not go in, why would she? Later, she says she will go in tomorrow.

• She waits to see what I will do.
• I think I’m going to go in the box tomorrow.

Another reading

The way out. Ivan told Ruby the box was the way out, and now he has to believe it for himself. He can’t stop staring at his open door. Julia has told him he deserves a different life.

• The door to my cage is propped open. I can’t stop staring at it.
• and this box is the way out.
• You deserve a different life.

Listen for

• Starts from the fear Ivan has to get past: “The last time I was in a box, my sister died.”
• Uses what Ruby does while Ivan stands at the box: she waits to see what he will do.
• Notices that Ivan says the same thing to Ruby in “training” and to himself in “click”: the box is the way out.
• Writes in complete sentences, with a reason and a line from the reading.

If stuck

• What does Ruby do while Maya clicks and Ivan looks at the box?
• What did Ivan tell Ruby was inside the box, back when it was hers?
• Do people sometimes do a brave thing because someone is watching?

A strong answer A strong response picks a reason and shows it with a line. A student who says Ruby might point out that Ivan is afraid, because “The last time I was in a box, my sister died,” but Ruby “waits to see what I will do,” and later she says she will go in tomorrow. A student who says the way out might argue that Ivan has to believe his own words to Ruby: he “can’t stop staring” at his open door, and Julia has told him, “You deserve a different life.” A careful answer may say Ivan needs both reasons, because one alone would not get him past the box.

What it asks It asks the student to judge what Ivan keeps back at the last good-bye. On the last morning Ruby enters her box first and calls, “I’m scared, Ivan,” and “I don’t want to leave you.” Ivan tells the reader, “A part of me doesn’t want her to leave either, but I know I can’t tell her that.” Instead he says, “Think of all the amazing stories you can share with your new family”. Ruby falls silent. After a long pause she says she will tell them his elephant joke, and “I’ll remember everyone,” “Especially you.” Then, “Before I can say any more, they roll her cage out to a waiting truck.” Earlier, Ivan told her the mall “is your prison” while he remembered “with a shudder the last box I was in.” The student decides whether keeping his sadness back was the kind thing to do, or whether Ruby needed to hear it.

One reading

Yes. Ruby tells Ivan she is scared and does not want to leave him. He answers with something cheerful, and she goes quiet. She says she will remember him most of all, and her cage rolls away before he can say any more. He may not get another chance to tell her.

• “I’m scared, Ivan,” she calls from inside the box. “I don’t want to leave you.”
• Ruby falls silent.
• Before I can say any more, they roll her cage out to a waiting truck.

Another reading

No. Ruby is already in her box and is going either way. Telling her would only make the good-bye harder. So he gives her something to look forward to, and after a long pause she plans what she will tell her new family.

• Ruby enters her box first.
• Think of all the amazing stories you can share with your new family
• I’ll tell them your elephant joke

Listen for

• Quotes what Ivan keeps back: “A part of me doesn’t want her to leave either, but I know I can’t tell her that.”
• Uses what Ruby does after his cheerful line: she falls silent, then plans to tell his elephant joke.
• Notices the timing: she is already in her box, and her cage rolls out before Ivan can say any more.
• Writes in complete sentences, with a reason and a line from the reading, and does not say what the zoo will be like for Ruby.

If stuck

• What does Ruby call out from inside her box?
• What does Ivan say to her instead of what he feels?
• Can hiding a sad feeling be a kind thing to do?

A strong answer A strong response takes a side and shows it with a line. A student who says yes might point out that Ruby says, “I don’t want to leave you,” Ivan answers with a cheerful line, and “Ruby falls silent.” Her cage rolls away before he can say any more, so he never gets to say it. A student who says no might argue that Ruby is already in her box and is going either way, so telling her would only make leaving harder; after a long pause she plans to tell her new family his elephant joke. A careful answer notices that Ivan kept a feeling back once before, when he called the mall her prison: “I remember with a shudder the last box I was in.”

What it asks It asks the whole question of the reading. In the section titled “training”, Ruby says, “I want you and Bob and Julia. This is my home.” Ivan answers, “This is your prison.” But even as he talks her toward the box, he remembers “with a shudder the last box I was in,” and when a box comes sized for him, he says, “suddenly I understand how Ruby feels.” The reading gives Ruby’s side weight: her friends are here, and every good-bye costs someone something. It gives Ivan’s side weight too: Ruby’s foot “roped to the bolt in the floor,” the claw-stick on the news, the protesters shouting “Free Ruby!” The student weighs what each one sees and decides which counts for more. The written question before this one asked whether Ivan should have told Ruby he did not want her to leave either; this one asks whether he was right about the mall itself.

One reading

Ruby, about what makes a home. Home for her is her friends, and they are here. Even Ivan, once a box comes for him, understands how she feels. Leaving hurts everyone in this reading.

• I want you and Bob and Julia. This is my home.
• suddenly I understand how Ruby feels
• “I’m scared, Ivan,” she calls from inside the box. “I don’t want to leave you.”

Another reading

Ivan. Her friends cannot untie the rope on her foot or take away the claw-stick. The camera, the news and the protesters all see a cage. Julia, who loves them, says this is a good thing.

• He films Ruby in her cage, with her foot roped to the bolt in the floor.
• And the claw-stick.
• But this is a good thing, really it is. You deserve a different life.

Listen for

• Weighs what each one sees: Ruby sees her friends; the camera finds the rope, the bolt and the claw-stick.
• Uses Ivan’s own fear, “suddenly I understand how Ruby feels,” as evidence, not only his words to Ruby.
• Notices that Ivan and Julia both call leaving good while they are sad to part.
• Writes in complete sentences, gives a reason and a line from the reading, answers the other side, and does not say what the zoo will be like.

If stuck

• Who does Ruby name when she says the mall is her home?
• What does the man with the camera film when he first comes?
• Can a place be a prison and a home at the same time?

A strong answer A strong response takes a side, gives a reason and answers the other side. A student who says Ruby might argue that home is where your friends are, and hers are here: “I want you and Bob and Julia. This is my home.” Even Ivan, when a box comes for him, says, “suddenly I understand how Ruby feels.” A student who says Ivan might argue that her friends cannot untie the rope: the camera finds Ruby “with her foot roped to the bolt in the floor,” and the news ends with “And the claw-stick.” A careful answer may say each of them sees something true, and weigh which counts for more for Ruby.