Page 25 - Point 5 Literature Program Option 1 Teachers Guide (2) (1)

Cattanzara did not have any children). He wanted to help George to have a better life than he had, so he
warned George not to give up on his education, as he himself had done.
8. a. Alcohol is Mr. Cattanzara’s weakness and also his way of taking a break from the boredom of his daily life.
b. George goes to the park to be alone, to get away from his neighborhood and also to dream about the future
he would like to have.
Question 9 relates to literal and metaphorical meaning in the story.

9. a.
Literal meaning Metaphorical meaning
Change maker Mr. Cattanzara worked in a change booth on an Mr. Cattanzara helped George to make a
IRT station, New York’s first subway line. His change in his life.
job was to give people change.

b. Mr. Cattanzara showed George respect when George wanted to continue his education and did not lose faith
in him until the change actually happened.
10. We understand that he needs to continue his education so he can get the kind of job he needs to have the life he
dreams of.

11. When the neighbors smile at him and are nice to him, it makes him feel good, so he doesn’t have to go to the
park at night to dream about feeling good in the future.
12. a. They do not seem to have much to talk about as she does not read or do anything, and is content to stare out
of the window.
b. This probably boring relationship might be one of the reasons that Mr. Cattanzara tries to help George do
better for himself.

Let’s Think – Problem solving
Problem solving is not a new concept, as it has been encountered as a reading strategy.
Nevertheless, have the students work though the activities before they answer questions 13 and 14.

Answers might include:
13. George has no education, and therefore no job, no money and seemingly no future.
14. a. Without knowledge, George has no chance of a better future.
b. His knowledge base would be greatly improved and contribute towards more successful choices about his future.
15. He came to America as a poor immigrant from Italy and had to take on unskilled work in his new country, since
he did not arrive with much education. He therefore remained poor and could not better himself.
16. Although he did not read any ‘printed’ books, he learned a lot over the summer about life – about feeling ashamed
and feeling respected, about how boring an uneducated future might be.
17. If George understood what he ‘read’ over the summer and then made the decision to go to the library, there is a
good chance that he would succeed in reading the books.

Bridging Text and Context
use rubric 3 on page 88 to mark written answers.

Answers might include:
1. a. The character that fits this profile is Mr. Cattanzara.

b. This information helps me understand the reason why Mr. Cattanzara, whose conversation and reading habits
show him to be intelligent, has a boring uneducated job. He or his family probably came to America from Italy
with no money at all and so he had to work all the time and had no time to get a formal education. It also
helps me understand why he is trying to push George not to waste the opportunity he still has to make a
better life for himself.

A summer’s reAding 25