Inferences
How does the student feel about school?
He doesn't like it.
What are the student's "babies"?
His babies are his shoes.
How do you know the student doesn't like school?
In the text it states, "Normally you don't like school."
Explain how the author saying that "Thomas Baker got feet like surfboards" shows that he means Thomas Baker has big feet.
This shows me Thomas Baker has big feet because he compares them to a surfboard and they're big and long.
How does the student describe the hallways at school?
He said they smell funny.
What does the student mean when he says his sneakers were "turned into a construction site."
He means they're really dirty.
When does the story take place?
The story takes place on the last day of summer break.
How do you know his shoes are his "babies"?
In the text it states, "licking your thumb and scrubbing the brown crust from your babies."
Explain how you knew the author was referring to his shoes as his "babies." (Evidence-"Licking your thumb and scrubbing the brown crust from your babies.")
This shows me he is referring to his shoes as his babies because his shoes were dirty and he was cleaning the dirt off of them.
How does the student think Thomas Baker gets to school?
He apparently hikes through a forest, a ditch or a swamp.
What does the student mean when he says "Thomas Baker got feet like surfboards"?
He means Thomas Baker has big feet.
How does the student feel about the first day of school?
He feels excited.
How do you know that school is not one of the student's priorities?
In the text it states, "How were you supposed to hear anything Mrs. Montgomery had to say about triangles and diameters and whatever a hypotenuse is when your sneakers are practically bleeding to death?"
Explain how the evidence (How were you supposed to hear anything Mrs. Montgomery had to say about triangles and diameters and whatever a hypotenuse is when your sneakers are practically bleeding to death?) shows that the student's priorities are his drip not school.
This shows me that the students priorities are his drip because he can't pay attention in math class because he's so upset about his shoes being dirty and how they look.
What does the student use to clean the mud off his shoes?
A protractor
Why does the student talk about Thomas Baker's commute to school?
He talks about Thomas Baker's commute to school because he's trying to figure out how he got his feet so dirty.
What can you infer about the students priorities?
The student's priorities are his drip (how he looks).
How do you know Thomas Baker has big feet?
In the text it states, "Thomas Baker got feet like surfboards."
Explain how you can infer that the student thinks he's mature based on the evidence "And you suck your teeth but in a mature way."
This shows me that the student thinks he's mature compared to his classmates because he describes their actions as immature while he describes his actions as appropriate and mature.
What does the student compare the mud on his shoes to?
A gold medal (gold medal boot mud)
What can you infer about how the student views himself?
The student views himself as mature compared to his classmates.
How old do you think the student is?
The student is a teenager.
How do you know the student is feeling excited about the first day of school?
In the text it states, "And you are ready for it. Ready."
Explain how you know the student is a high schooler based on the evidence that he's learning geometry in school.
This shows me he is in high school because geometry is a subject you learn in high school.
What does the student say his classmates do when Mrs. Montgomery sends him to the principal's office?
They moo like cows.