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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781490787862 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Trafford Publishing |
| Publication date: | 03/23/2018 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 80 |
| File size: | 313 KB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
My name is Ish, short for Ishaq, and I'm 9 years old. Today I'm feeling pretty good, but for a while things were kind of rough for me. I started a new school because my mom and I moved here, from a totally different state, a few months ago. I still don't know what was so bad about where we lived, I had a great time living with my grandparents, uncle, and his dog, Harlem. But Mom said something about more space, cleaner air, better schools, a better job, blah, blah, blah. I never really paid attention to her when she discussed the move because I hated the whole idea. It really stunk! I knew I'd miss my family back home.
Sure, we do have our own place to stay now, and there is a really cool playground in this neighborhood, but I felt like I was here all alone. Mom had a couple of her best college friends here, but who did I have? I didn't have my best friends. I didn't have my favorite Uncle Mike, who is 22! And I didn't have my favorite cousins, Nigel and Ari, who were born on the same day as me. It was just me and Mom in a bigger house, where we each had plenty of our own space. To make myself feel better I'd think, "at least there will be enough room for the family when they come to visit."
Mom really tried to help me make new friends, but most of the people she knew only had daughters my age. "Why is the world filled with girls?" I would ask myself that question over and over. I mean I didn't know any nine year old boys that played with girls.
Most of the time, I would ride my bike to the playground and shoot around at the basketball courts all alone. Mom came sometimes, and we would have fun. But when a group of guys rode by on their bikes, I'd get embarrassed and wish she'd stayed home unpacking. They didn't even try to play with me, and I bet they got a good laugh. What fourth grader plays ball with his mom, even if she is good?
Let me tell you about the day when things really got bad.
What Do You Think About Chapter 1?
Why didn't Ishaq want to move to a new state?
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Is it okay for children to have fun with their parents, or should parents stick to telling children what to do?
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Would you be willing to move to a new state if it meant having better opportunities or would you prefer to stay close to your family?
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CHAPTER 2"Alright class, take your seats, and give us your attention. My name is Mrs. Elliot, and I am your fourth grade teacher. Welcome to a new year!"
"Hello class! My name is Ms. Iesha Arroyo, and I'm your student teacher. I'm in college, and I'll be assisting and teaching along with Mrs. Elliot until December. You can call me Ms. Iesha or Ms. Arroyo."
It seemed like all of the girls had rehearsed when they all said, "We like Ms. Iesha!" Then they started discussing how pretty she was and how they liked her braids.
"Is there anyone who is new to Bayside Elementary?" Mrs. Elliot asked.
"Oh great, here it comes," I thought. I had to put myself in the line of fire. I looked around, but to my surprise, there were 11 other hands up. I added mine to the count. All of the new students looked grateful that they were not alone. In fact, we made up half of the class! And then I realized I knew two of the old students, Amirah and Sade.
Amirah is one of Sade's friends, and Sade lives around the corner from our house. Her mom is my mom's college friend, Monique. I call her Aunt Nicky, and Sade calls my mom Auntie Sherry. We have to call our mom's best friends "aunt" because they think it's more personal than "Ms. or Mrs." since they are close like sisters. Aunt Nicky is married to Uncle Chris. I can't say Aunt Nicky and Mr. Chris! Before we moved, Aunt Nicky and Mom spoke on the phone every single day. She is the one who helped us move down here. Maybe I should be angry with Aunt Nicky instead of Mom.
"Now, I would like for all of the students who attended Bayside last year to stand up and walk to the front of the class. I was once a new student, and my teacher made me stand all alone to introduce myself. I nearly fainted!"
Mrs. Elliot acted like she was fainting. The whole class laughed because she is funny. One by one, students said their names aloud and then sat down.
"Now, I would like for all of the new students to walk to the front of the class to introduce yourselves."
I was seated near the back of the class, so I was the last one to get to the front. It seemed like the whole class watched me as I approached the first row. I shot a nervous glance at Sade and Amirah, and they were smiling.
After the first new student said his name, Mrs. Elliot did something peculiar and started asking him questions. "So where are you from? Is your family military? Do you have any siblings? What is your hobby?......."
When it was my turn, I wasn't even nervous anymore. I said that I liked playing basketball and art. Then she asked me what I found most difficult in school. I said I hated math, and the whole class cracked up, except for three girls, who looked shocked.
What Do You Think About Chapter 2?
How did Mrs. Elliot make it easier for the new students to introduce themselves?
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Have you ever changed schools? If so, do you have a best friend that you had to leave behind? If not, has one of your friends ever left you behind because they had to move?
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CHAPTER 3By lunchtime, I had already made four new friends. We agreed to be a team at recess. I couldn't wait to play basketball, but first I had to eat. I was starving! Mom hates it when I say I'm starving. She starts lecturing me about all of the hungry children throughout the world who literally have no food to eat.
We were dismissed to the cafeteria, so I followed everyone down the corridor. My new friends got on the food line, while I went to the table that had our room number hanging over it. I have been bringing my own lunch to school since kindergarten because I hate school lunch. Sade was already sitting down, taking her lunch out of her bag. She was talking with Amirah and four other girls, Ciara, Layla, Stephanie, and Madison.
"So Ishaq, how do you like it here? Is this school better than your last school? And how come you don't like math?" Layla asked. She was looking at me like she was the school reporter or something. Was she serious? I had only been there for three and a half hours.
With a very serious look on her face, Ciara added, "Well, I sure hope you like technology, because I would be highly offended if you didn't. I'm a big proponent of maker spaces."
It was pretty obvious that they were going to make the honor roll. Anyway, I answered, "Call me Ish; I guess Bayside's okay; long division confuses me; and actually, maker spaces are pretty cool."
"If we call you Ish, can we make a wish?" Madison asked. Then they all started laughing. Girls ... I just shook my head and got my lunch out. I hadn't even asked Mom what she had packed.
I pulled out my snacks first. Two juice boxes, a package of cheese crackers and some green grapes. Not bad. Then I pulled out my sandwich container. I wasn't even looking in the lunch bag. I was paying attention to the guys coming over because I hated being left alone with those silly girls. They came over with some of the other guys in the class that I could already tell would give me some trouble. They had been making snide remarks as the new students spoke in class earlier.
"So Ishaq, how good are you at balling?"
As Jake asked me that question, I realized that he was kind of tall. I knew because he looked to be a couple of inches taller than me. Mom always says, "You're gonna be tall, just like your Grandpa Joshua." Four more inches and I'll be five feet tall!
"Call him Ish," Stephanie, said interrupting the interrogation.
"Ish rhymes with fish," Jake laughed, and then his smile turned to this weird, turned-up lip look. "Eeww! Dude, what are you eating?"
He spoke really loud, so the next thing I knew, everyone had these strange, disgusted looks on their faces. I looked at my sandwich and wondered what was wrong.
"It's a sandwich. On wheat pita bread," I said. Faces were still looking strange. "What's the matter with you, you never saw pita bread?" I looked at them like they were strange, but suddenly I felt strange.
"That brown, round thing is bread? Excuuuuuse me! But I have never, ever seen brown, round bread before. Ish the fish is eating brown, round bread!" Jake started laughing and everyone else chimed in with him, except for the girls at the table.
"You guys are soooo immature. Pita bread is Middle Eastern and Greek. Haven't you ever heard of a gyro or falafel?" Sade looked really annoyed.
I heard some of the other kids whisper, "I thought he was Black? He looks Black to me. Wait, is African-American and Black the same thing? ..."
"Haven't you heard? This is America, not Greece? Who brings a brown, round, Greek bread sandwich to school? Oh, I know, Ish the fish, the Greek Geek! Is that your boyfriend chubby girl?" Now Jake was snapping on Sade.
"Don't call her fat!" Layla and Stephanie spoke in unison.
"Look, Snake, uh, I mean Jake, haven't you ever been any place to eat besides a burger place. Don't you have any culture?" As I spoke to Jake, I could feel my temper boiling, but Sade chuckled a little.
"Hey, I don't need culture. I'm an American, and I eat American food like frankfurters, tacos, meatballs and spaghetti, and egg rolls. Greek-Geek,
Fishy Ishy. What could you possibly know about balling? I bet you can't even swish!" Jake high-fived one of the guys that I thought was on my side.
Boy, were they clueless. But I knew it. I knew my first day would stink. Everyone finished their lunches and talked to one another. No one spoke to me.
What Do You Think About Chapter 3?
Do you think that Ishaq would have still been teased about his sandwich even if he was not new at his school?
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Have you ever been teased because you were somehow different or new to a situation? How did you respond? Did you tell anyone?
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Have you ever made fun of anyone who had a different culture, skin tone, or background than you? If, so, how did that make you feel, and do you think that that behavior is acceptable?
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What is your favorite food? Is it an American dish? Do you enjoy trying new foods?
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CHAPTER 4On my way to recess, I wondered how the game would go. After that incident, I didn't even want to play with anyone. I felt like something was wrong. There was — I hated my stinking school, and I hated my stinking town! I walked towards the courts and threw my lunch bag down near the fence. The guys that I was supposed to play with looked at me nervously. I knew they didn't want me to play with them anymore. And that was fine with me. I decided that once the balls were given out, I would shoot alone. I needed to practice my jump shot anyway; I wanted to try out for the school's team.
I saw a teacher coming from the school with a big mesh sack hanging over his back. I knew it was the recess bag because it was full of balls, frisbees, and jump ropes. I just needed a basketball, so I jogged in his direction. He blew his whistle, and a bunch of children came running over.
"You were first, what do you play?" He had his name stitched onto his varsity jacket, Coach T.
"That brown, round bread, big, round head boy doesn't play, he swims. He's Ish the fish!" Jake shouted from the back of the crowd.
Everyone howled with laughter. Jake had the whole fourth grade laughing at me. I was humiliated. Coach T. blew his whistle. Everyone stopped laughing.
"Jake, you can take a seat for the rest of recess. Not a good start for the school year. Need I give your dad a call?"
"Uh, no sir," Jake stammered. Coach T. looked at me and winked. I grinned a little.
Jake mumbled something, sucked his teeth, and then walked over to the benches. Coach T. looked at me again and asked what I played.
"B-ball, sir."
"You new here?"
"Yes."
"What's your name?"
"Ish, uh, I mean Ishaq."
"Oh, I get it now, name jokes. My nickname was Pickle Juice, and don't ask why! But I got joked plenty when I was coming up. You'll be okay, I promise." He smiled at me, rubbed my head, and then gave me a ball.
I dribbled over to the end court and started shooting around. I dribbled and shot. Shuffled side-to-side, shot. Turned around, shot. Faked a play, shot. Made lay-ups. I tried to block out all the bad stuff that happened in the cafeteria, then I glanced over at Jake. Some of his friends decided to play near him so they could poke fun at people. He pointed over at me. I looked away and shot. Missed. The ball flew over the backboard and onto the grass. Jake and his buddies cracked up. I shouldn't have shifted my focus. The ball rolled over by Sade and her friends.
"Everybody's not messy like Jake and his friends you know." Sade picked the ball up and passed it to me. The ball came straight to my hands, she knew how to pass! She smiled, and I kind of smiled back and thanked her. She'd defended me in the lunchroom and knew how to pass a ball. I began thinking that maybe a girl could be cool. And, she wasn't chubby.
What Do You Think About Chapter 4?
Why doesn't anyone want to play with Ishaq?
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Why is it important for teachers and school staff to know about conflicts or challenges that students have with each other in school?
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Before Sade passed Ishaq the ball at recess, what information from the text can you use to prove Ishaq really never gave Sade a chance to demonstrate that girls and boys can be friends?
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Everyone has times when they feel that they're alone. Ishaq decided to play basketball by himself. When you're feeling lonely, what do you do? How does it help you?
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CHAPTER 5The rest of the afternoon was okay, I guess. We didn't stay in the classroom much because we had to meet our other teachers. We lined up for our in-school outing. Our first stop was the library and media center. Mrs. Elliot led us in, reminding us that we must remain silent. It was pretty big, bigger than the one at my last school. We also had a male librarian named Mr. Norman. I had never seen a male librarian before. Mr. Norman gave us a tour and showed us how to log onto the computers and find databases for our research assignments.
Then we were off to the gymnasium. It was huge! I had never seen such a large gym in an elementary school. It even had bleachers! I saw Coach T. in the office. Once he heard our class enter, he came out to greet us.
"Welcome back to school guys!"
Madison and Layla cleared their throats.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Brown Round Bread Sandwich"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Sherry Babette.
Excerpted by permission of Trafford Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Wait! Before You Get Started ....................1Words to Know - Vocabulary List....................2
Chapter 1....................7
Chapter 2....................9
Chapter 3....................12
Chapter 4....................15
Chapter 5....................18
Chapter 6....................21
Chapter 7....................26
Chapter 8....................31
Chapter 9....................37
Chapter 10....................41
Chapter 11....................45
Figure It Out!....................49
Use It in a Sentence ....................50
Preview of Ishmael's Next Story....................52