WorksheetsMultiple Stories in We've Got a Job (Edgenuity)
Total questions: 22
Worksheet time: 28mins
Read the excerpt from We’ve Got a Job by Cynthia Levinson.
As soon as James’s group was hauled away, Bevel released the next group of fifty students. When that batch was arrested, the next group burst from the church.
"Leaving out of the basement . . . we had our signs and all, I started crying,” Arnetta said. This time she didn’t cry out of fear. "When I looked up and saw all of the people . . . the idea of what was about to take place. The . . . Movement was moving forward. It was just overwhelming.”
Each group emerged singing and clapping. Audrey’s group sang "Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round.” She later exclaimed, "The singing was like a jubilance.” Her group didn’t march as far as James’s had. "We got across the street, to the middle of the next block.” As her parents watched, she was arrested and put in the paddy wagon. Holding her game tightly, she was driven to Juvenile Hall at City Jail.
Which general statement about the Movement is most likely true?
The young people involved in the march were all members of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church.
The young people involved in the Movement had their parents permission to participate.
All of the participants in the march were crying either tears of fear or tears of joy.
All of the participants in the march were deeply inspired by the Movement.
Read this excerpt about activist Dolores Huerta.
Throughout the twentieth century, strikes and efforts to unionize migrant workers had failed to achieve real change. But the civic activism that swept through America after World War II stirred the Mexican-American community, including Huerta’s family.
In 1955, along with her mother and an aunt, Huerta became involved in grassroots organizing as a member of the Community Service Organization (CSO). She honed her organizing skills and became a lobbyist in Sacramento, helping set up voter registration drives and fighting for the legal rights of migrant workers.
Which statement is the best summary of this excerpt?
Dolores Huerta was an organizer during World War II who tried to change the migrant workers in California.
Dolores Huerta was a member of the Community Service Organization and a registered voter.
Dolores Huerta was part of the Mexican-American community and worked with her family in Sacramento.
Dolores Huerta was a hands-on leader whose goal was to improve working conditions for migrant farm workers.
Read the following excerpt from We’ve Got a Job by Cynthia Levinson.
James stood upstairs at the very front of all the marchers, next to his friend Gertrude. “We were thinking about the seriousness of what we were about to do,” he said.
At one o’clock, a DJ at WENN dropped the needle on the gospel song “All Men Created by God.” This was the cue to start the march. The double doors of Sixteenth Street Baptist swung open.
James immediately saw the trouble they were about to step into.
“When the door was opened, I was shocked at the number of people,” he said. Beyond sawhorse barricades that surrounded the church, policemen sat at attention on motorcycles. Hundreds of black adults crowded the park. “I could see reporters . . . I remember hearing a man saying, ‘They’re coming out! They’re coming out!’ There were lights and people all around.”
Which detail from this excerpt suggests that the speaker’s feelings were shared by other children involved in the march?
“We were thinking about the seriousness of what we were about to do,” he said.
At one o’clock, a DJ at WENN dropped the needle on the gospel song “All Men Created by God.”
“When the door was opened, I was shocked at the number of people,” he said.
Beyond sawhorse barricades that surrounded the church, policemen sat at attention on motorcycles.
In Cynthia Levinson’s We’ve Got a Job, students began to receive cues to leave schools. Which statement best describes how this event affected others?
Some student leaders felt that it was important to show up at school, while other student leaders felt that it was important to go to the radio station to have their voices heard.
Some teachers felt that the students were wrong, while other teachers felt that the students were doing the right thing in taking a stand.
Some student leaders knew it was necessary to give the exit signals, while other student leaders felt it was safer to remain at school.
Some teachers helped students leave by turning their backs, while other teachers helped the students by teaching lessons about segregation and integration.
Read the excerpt from We’ve Got a Job by Cynthia Levinson.
At that point, things got even scarier for the marchers. Connor rolled up in a massive white car shaped and outfitted like a tank, complete with gun turrets. "Connor told them to arrest [us],” James said. "We were crammed into the paddy wagons that were meant to hold maybe eight people at the most—two in [each of] the four cubicles that they had. They crammed three and four of us into one cubicle and they continued to press the door until they got it shut and locked and [had] us taken off to jail.”
As soon as James’s group was hauled away, Bevel released the next group of fifty students. When that batch was arrested, the next group burst from the church.
Which pair of adjectives best describes the shared experience of the student groups?
peaceful, carefree
angry, aggressive
scared, determined
cautious, resistant
Read the excerpt from We’ve Got a Job by Cynthia Levinson.
On the morning of Thursday, May 2, however, his teenaged listeners heard, "Kids, there’s gonna be a party at the park. Bring your toothbrushes because lunch will be served.”
Which statement best describes the shared experience of the radio listeners?
Black listeners were frightened by the message, while white listeners were enraged by the message.
Black and white listeners alike were troubled by the message.
Black listeners were motivated by the message, while white listeners were confused by the message.
Black and white listeners alike were puzzled by the message.
Read the two excerpts from We’ve Got a Job by Cynthia Levinson.
Audrey talked quietly with her mother and father. As far as she could tell, she was the youngest child there, and she didn’t know anyone else. "My girlfriend . . . was to demonstrate, too, that day,” she said. "I had expected to see her. But she wasn’t there.” Nevertheless, Audrey said, "I didn’t have any fear.”
*****
Meanwhile, Wash had arrived at Kelly Ingram Park to watch. "[W]e saw those people willingly turn themselves over to the police . . .,” he said. His reaction: "Wow, they must be crazy.” Experience had taught Wash that "the police was vicious murderers.” He knew how much pain they could inflict on young black bodies—
Which statement best represents how the march affected Audrey and Wash?
Although Audrey was young, she was not afraid, and Wash thought a person must be crazy to not have a fear of the police.
Although Wash believed in the Movement, he knew his mind and body could not handle jail, while Audrey knew that she would find her girlfriend there.
Neither Audrey nor Wash felt that the Movement was important for the people in the community.
Both Wash and Audrey knew that by the end of the day they would be resting in a jail cell with many others.
Read the two excerpts from We’ve Got a Job by Cynthia Levinson.
Arnetta didn’t go to the mass meeting that night. She was disappointed she hadn’t been arrested. Somehow, she had gotten separated from the rest of the Peace Ponies, many of whom did get arrested and jailed. Instead, she went home and talked with her parents about the excitement of marching. They repeated their advice: "You’ve done your part. You need to leave this alone.”
*****
Meanwhile, Wash had arrived at Kelly Ingram Park to watch. "[W]e saw those people willingly turn themselves over to the police . . .,” he said. His reaction: "Wow, they must be crazy.” Experience had taught Wash that "the police was vicious murderers.” He knew how much pain they could inflict on young black bodies—as Arnetta discovered the next day.
How did Arnetta’s and Wash’s opinions about being arrested differ?
Arnetta thought everyone should have been arrested, while Wash believed no one should have been arrested.
Arnetta wanted to be arrested, while Wash did not understand why people would allow themselves to be arrested.
Arnetta thought one should be proud of being arrested, while Wash believed that being arrested was shameful.
Arnetta was scared of being arrested, while Wash knew there is nothing scary about it.
Read the following excerpt from We’ve Got a Job by Cynthia Levinson.
[Arnetta] was joyful at “seeing all those children coming out to participate in the Movement.”
In this excerpt, the reader is presented with
the voice of the author as she explains how Arnetta felt about leaving the school.
the sole voice of Arnetta as she explains that all of the children were leaving the school.
the sole voice of Arnetta as she explains how she felt about being part of the Movement.
the author’s and Arnetta’s voices to explain how Arnetta felt when she saw all of the children leave the school.
Read the excerpt from We’ve Got a Job by Cynthia Levinson.
Meanwhile, Wash had arrived at Kelly Ingram Park to watch. "[W]e saw those people willingly turn themselves over to the police . . .,” he said. His reaction: "Wow, they must be crazy.” Experience had taught Wash that "the police was vicious murderers.” He knew how much pain they could inflict on young black bodies—as Arnetta discovered the next day.
What does the author’s use of Wash’s quotes help readers understand?
that Wash was curious about the marchers after all
that Wash wished he had marched with the others
that Wash hoped the arrested students would not be hurt
that Wash had terrible experiences dealing with the police
Read the excerpt from We’ve Got a Job by Cynthia Levinson.
Audrey and James didn’t go to the mass meeting either. They were in jail.
Audrey was taken to a large dayroom. She didn’t know anyone, and everyone was older. Dinner was unappetizing. "They gave us grits . . .” she said. "They were horrible—all soupy, no salt.” That night, she slept on a bunk bed "on one mattress, with one sheet,” and no covers.
The first-person quotations in this excerpt help explain
Audrey’s experience in jail.
what happened to Audrey’s parents.
why James and Audrey were jailed.
how long Audrey was in jail.
Read the excerpt from We’ve Got a Job by Cynthia Levinson.
Most mornings, young people who set their radio dial on WENN might wake up to the popular black DJ Shelley Stewart warbling, "Good goobly woobly!” Or, maybe they’d hear him cry, "Timberrrr, let it fall!” as he dropped a needle onto a spinning James Brown or Sam Cooke platter. On the morning of Thursday, May 2, however, his teenaged listeners heard, "Kids, there’s gonna be a party at the park. Bring your toothbrushes because lunch will be served.”
Stewart’s white fans must have wondered what he meant. The black ones got it. This was the signal to launch demonstrations in Kelly Ingram Park, down the street from the station’s offices. They knew there was no more chance of getting lunch in the park than there was of being served a banana split at the counter at J. J. Newberry’s. But they needed their toothbrushes because, after demonstrating, they would probably be going to jail—possibly for days.
The use of Shelley Stewart’s direct quotes in the first paragraph helps readers understand that
Stewart and his audience were very much aware that the protestors would be arrested.
all of Stewart’s audience did not really understand what was going to happen later in the day.
Stewart did not agree with what many of the city’s African-American youths were about to do.
Stewart thought this march would finally end segregation and usher in an age of equality.
Read the excerpt from We’ve Got a Job by Cynthia Levinson.
The leaders were assigned to visit specific classrooms. "We never entered into the classroom,” high schooler Gwendolyn Sanders explained. "We would pass by the door . . . and give a cue, and the next thing you know, they were following us because the word was out that we were going to turn the school out that day . . . We knew which door to take them out, which route to take to the destination.”
What does the use of Gwendolyn’s direct quote help the reader understand?
that she gave a thumbs-up sign as her clue to the students
that she was organized and in charge
that she was a popular student whom others would follow
that she was her teacher’s favorite student
Read the following excerpt from We’ve Got a Job by Cynthia Levinson.
When Arnetta saw Hosea Williams, one of her nonviolence trainers, arrive at her school, she thought, “It’s here, it’s about to happen!” She was joyful at “seeing all those children coming out to participate in the Movement.” She described Dr. Bell, the principal of Ullman, as “running around like a chicken with his head cut off.”
Through the use of quotes in this excerpt, the reader is presented with
the author’s explanation of what happened at the school.
an unreliable account of the day’s events.
a description of the event as Arnetta experienced it.
a third-person point of view of what happened.
Read the excerpt from We’ve Got a Job by Cynthia Levinson.
Teachers who were concerned about students’ safety or who disapproved of their playing hooky tried to bar classroom doors. "A number of teachers told us we were wrong,” Arnetta said, "that we were breaking laws, and we were putting our parents’ jobs in jeopardy.” But, her favorite teachers, Miss Woolfolk and Mrs. Cleopatra Goree, turned around and looked at the blackboard as if they didn’t notice the students leaving their classrooms.
The direct quote is included to help readers understand
how qualified the teachers of the school were.
how strongly many of the teachers opposed the children’s march.
that many of the teachers supported the protest.
that many teachers did not notice when the students left.
Which statement should be included in a summary of We've Got a Job by Cynthia Levinson?
The book is mainly told in the third-person point of view.
The book includes stories from kids who marched in the 1963 Children’s March.
The book explains that defying the law and getting arrested is a terrible idea.
The book relates very entertaining and interesting stories to its readers.
Read the summary of a book.
Theo Rodrigo’s book Dust onto Dust is a historical narrative about the 1930s Dust Bowl. The author describes how a combination of poor farming techniques and a lack of rain created a disaster for farmers in the Great Plains region of the United States. Farmers who lived during that period share their hardships and how they changed their farming techniques in response to this environmental disaster. Rodrigo also includes many pictures and maps to help readers understand his ideas.
Which sentence should be removed from the summary?
Theo Rodrigo’s book Dust onto Dust is a historical narrative about the 1930s Dust Bowl.
The author describes how a combination of poor farming techniques and a lack of rain created a disaster for farmers in the Great Plains region of the United States.
Farmers who lived during that period share their hardships and how they changed their farming techniques in response to this environmental disaster.
Rodrigo also includes many pictures and maps to help readers understand his ideas.
Which is the best list of categories for an idea web about Cynthia Levinson’s We’ve Got a Job?
cue the marchers, take a stand, nonviolence, jail time
James’s parents, Arnetta, Audrey’s parents, Wash
Alabama, Bull Connor, King, the Movement
nonviolence, weapons, leaders, church
Which idea should be included in a summary of We’ve Got a Job by Cynthia Levinson?
The marchers were made aware that they did not have a permit to march for their cause.
The conflict is heightened when the marchers are stopped by the chief of police and Bull Connor.
Although they were faced with jail time, the marchers were prepared to act nonviolently.
Hearing the cueing signals, marchers filled out into the streets by the hundreds.
Based on We’ve Got a Job by Cynthia Levinson, which sentence is a minor detail that should be left out of a summary?
Students and student leaders participate in the progression of the Movement.
Jamie Moore is the unkind police chief during the Movement march on May 2.
Cues are given to the Movement participants through radio announcements, songs, and signals.
Organizers instruct all participants that nonviolence is key to the Movement.
Which sentence best belongs in a summary of We’ve Got a Job by Cynthia Levinson?
Though many of the students decided to participate in the children’s march, some, like Wash, had endured too much pain at the hands of the local police and decided to watch rather than participate.
There was a march in the 1960s that involved a lot of school-aged children who thought they needed to take a stand against laws that were unfair to a large part of the population.
Set in Birmingham, Alabama, the book describes the experiences of several young people as they participated in the children’s march of 1963 to take a stand against racial segregation
Because the book contains so many quotes that relate first-person experiences, it is an immensely moving, entertaining, and educational book to read.
Read the following excerpt from We’ve Got a Job by Cynthia Levinson.
“They asked us if we had any weapons,” James said. “They passed the basket around . . . Nobody put anything in . . . They said, ‘We’re going to pass the basket around again. Because, if you don’t go along with [nonviolence] totally, then don’t go at all.’ They passed the basket again.” This time, James dropped his fingernail clippers into the basket. After the second circuit, he said, “It was full with pocketknives; somebody had brass knuckles, any little thing that people thought would give them an edge . . . We didn’t know if we were going to be mixed with the jail population. So you’re wondering how you’re going to fit in with the guys who have been in there twenty years. There were a lot of unanswered questions.”
Which statement best summarizes the content of this excerpt?
The second time the basket was passed around, we all dropped our weapons into it even though we were scared of going to jail.
The second time the basket was passed around it was filled with pocket knives, brass knuckles, and nail clippers.
It was a good idea that the students gave up their weapons since the protest could have become violent.
Though they were worried about their fate in jail, the students relinquished all their weapons to ensure that the march remained nonviolent.
