Bad Boy

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Walter Dean Myers Bio Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=funK7DKaPwI&scrlybrkr&disable_polymer=true

Bad Boy Kahoot - https://play.kahoot.it/#/k/a104defd-d59f-4eba-95d4-c4fe33834bb5

Bad Boy Definitions - list 1

  1. Census - an official count or survey of a population, typically recording various details of individuals.
  2. Opinionated - assertive in one's opinion
  3. Kindling -  material that can be readily ignited, used in starting a fire
  4. Tenement - a room or a set of rooms forming a separate residence within a house or block of apartments; a piece of land held by an owner
  5. Equivalent - equal in value, amount, function, meaning, etc.
  6. Memoir - a historical account or biography written from personal knowledge or special sources. A memoir is French for "memory." It is a style of writing an autobiographical account of
    one's personal life and experiences.
  7. Autobiography - an account of a person's life written by that person.
  8. Biography - an account of someone's life written by someone else.
  9. Historical Context -  the political, social, cultural, and economic environment related to historical moments, events, and trends.
  10. Colloquialisms - a word or phrase that is not formal or literary, typically one used in ordinary or familiar conversation; aka "slang"

Bad Boy Definitions - list 2

 

  1. Author’s purpose--the author’s reason or intent for writing (amuse the reader, persuade the reader, inform the reader, or satirize a situation)

  2. Persuasive Writing - In persuasive writing you try to convince writers to believe or do something.

  3. Expository writing (Informative), or exposition, is a type of discourse used to describe, explain, define, inform, or clarify. It literally means "to expose."

  4. Entertain - amuse the reader

  5. Style--a writer’s style includes word choice, tone, degree of formality, figurative language, rhythm, grammatical structure, sentence length, organization---in short, every feature of a writer’s use of language.

  6. Annotation--a note of explanation or comment added to a text or diagram

  7.  Diction--a writer’s or speaker’s word choice. Diction is part of a writer’s style and may be described as formal or informal, plain or ornate, common or technical, abstract or concrete.

  8. Adage-n-a wise old saying

  9. Context Clues - hints that an author gives to helpdefine a difficult or unusual word within a book. Theclue may appear within the same sentence as the word to which it refers or it may follow in the next sentence.

  10. Contrast- to compare in order to show unlikeness or differences; 

 

Bad Boy Novel  Vocab - List 3

  1. Scoffed - speak to someone or about something in a scornfully derisive or mocking way.
  2. Mere - the smallest or slightest
  3. Stubbornly - difficult; refusal to change one's mind
  4. Unsuspecting - not aware of the presence of danger; feeling no suspicion.
  5. Emigrated - leave one's own country in order to settle permanently in another.
  6. Bawler- bellower, roarer, screamer, screecher, shouter, yeller. 
  7. Apparatus - the technical equipment or machinery needed for a particular activity or purpose.
  8. Sternly - in a serious and severe manner, especially when asserting authority or exercising discipline.
  9. Pushcarts - A cart that is pushed by one or more persons: Baggage cart · Food cart; Pastry cart, for serving pastry; Tea cart, also named teacart
  10. Elevated - raised; situated or placed higher than the surrounding area.

Bad Boy List 4 

  1. Taunted - provoke or challenge (someone) with insulting remarks.

  2. Vice - immoral or wicked behavior.

  3. Pupils - a student in school

  4. Cache - a collection of items of the same type stored in a hidden or inaccessible place;  store away in hiding or for future use.

  5. Thoroughfare - a main road in town; a road or path forming a route between two places.

  6. Spaciousness - roomy or having plenty of room

  7. Drafted (in the military) - select (a person or group of people) for a certain purpose.

  8. Orthodox - conservative, traditional, devout

  9. Manipulating - handle or control (a tool, mechanism, etc.), typically in a skillful manner; operate; work

  10. Forbidden - not allowed; banned

  11. 2. Adrift - without purpose, direction, or guidance.

    3. Ceremony - a formal religious or public occasion, typically one celebrating a particular event or anniversary.

    4. Communist - a person who supports or believes in the principles of communism.

    5.Recruiting (stand) - enroll, enlist in the armed services

    6. Improbable - not likely to be true or to happen.

    7. Idealist - a person who is guided more by ideals than by practical considerations.

    8. Nudged - prod (someone) gently, typically with one's elbow, in order to draw their attention to something.

    9.Versatility - ability to adapt or be adapted to many different functions or activities.

    10.  Shabby - in poor condition through long or hard use or lack of care.

     

    Bad Boy Novel Vocab (5th list from novel)

    1. Eluded - evade or escape from (a danger, enemy, or pursuer), typically in a skillful or cunning way.

    2. Recitation - the action of repeating something aloud from memory.

    3. Superficial - existing or occurring at or on the surface; appearing to be true or real only until examined more closely.

    4. Clever - quick to understand, learn, and devise or apply ideas; intelligent; skilled

    5. Reluctance - unwillingness or disinclination to do something.

    6. Dire - extremely serious or urgent; causing great fear or suffering

    7. Fragile - delicate; not strong or sturdy; easily broken or damaged.

    8. Sophisticated - having, revealing, or proceeding from a great deal of worldly experience and knowledge of fashion and culture.

    9. Certifiably - uncontrollable or insane; capable of being certified

    10. Detachment - to unfasten or separate; disengage 

     

    Bad Boy Novel Vocab (6th list from novel)

    1. Charade - someone's actions are so obviously false that they do not convince anyone

    2. Adrift - without purpose, direction, or guidance.

    3. Ceremony - a formal religious or public occasion, typically one celebrating a particular event or anniversary.

    4. Communist - a person who supports or believes in the principles of communism.

    5.Recruiting (stand) - enroll, enlist in the armed services

    6. Improbable - not likely to be true or to happen.

    7. Idealist - a person who is guided more by ideals than by practical considerations.

    8. Nudged - prod (someone) gently, typically with one's elbow, in order to draw their attention to something.

    9.Versatility - ability to adapt or be adapted to many different functions or activities.

    10.  Shabby - in poor condition through long or hard use or lack of care.

 

Bad Boy TIcket out the Door for Chapters 1-2

  1. Who is the narrator of BAD BOY?

  2. What is the reason Walter’s dad couldn’t read?

  3. Why did Walter have to go to the hospital?

  4. What happened to Walter’s sister’s watch?

  5. What happened with the Jewish boys?

 

 

Bad Boy: A Memoir by Walter Dean Myers

STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS

 

ROOTS-HARLEM

  1. What is the name of the program developed by the American government to create jobs during the Depression?

  2. How is Lucas D. Dennis related to the author?

  3. When is the author’s birthday?

  4. Whom does the author think of when he thinks of the word “mother”?

  5. Why does Herbert Dean think it would be better to move with his wife to New York?

  6. What kind of work does Florence do?

  7. Why must Walter be taken to the hospital?

  8. What happens to Gerry’s watch?

  9. With whom does Walter fight while staying with his Aunt Nancy?

  10. Who teaches Walter to read?

 

LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE FIRST GRADE- ARITHMETIC SUMMER – BAD BOY

  1.  Why doesn’t Walters’s first-grade teacher think he should be promoted early to the second grade?

  2. What does Mrs. Bower read to her class when she gets upset?

  3. What is Walter’s nickname for Mrs. Dodson?

  4. Of which interests does Mrs. Dodson disapprove?

  5. What kind of therapist must Walter see in school?

  6. Who helps Walter with arithmetic during the summer?

  7. Whom does Mrs. Parker choose to be cookie monitors?

  8. What surgical procedure must Walter have after Bunny beats him up?

  9. Walter says life in 1947 mainly revolves around which two ongoing events?

  10. Why does Walter prefer his name to be Walter Myers?

  11. How does the author explain the purpose of “beatings” when he was a child?

  12.  In Mrs. Conway’s class, whom does Walter hit for laughing at his speech problem?

  13. What is the name of the first book Mrs. Conway gives to Walter to read during class?

  14. What is the subject matter of Walter’s first published poem?

 

MR. IRWIN LASHER—I AM NOT THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE

  1.  What does Walter say was the main source of entertainment for young people in Harlem?

  2. Based on his knowledge and exposure, into what three categories does Walter place most black people?

  3. After being teased for reading, how does Walter bring books home from the library?

  4. In the summer between the fifth and sixth grades, who is Walter’s best friend?

  5. What is the name of Walter’s first male teacher?

  6. How does Walter severely injure his legs?

  7. What does Walter tell his father about his legs?

  8. When Walter jumps from the church roof, from whom is he escaping?

  9. As he approaches age 12, Walter says he wants to be good as well as WHAT?

  10. Where is Walter more comfortable than anywhere else?

  11. Why is Walter’s birthday party cancelled?

  12. What does Walter’s father do at home to pass the time as he mourns Lee’s death?

  13. In what sort of class is Walter enrolled in the seventh grade?

  14. On occasion, where does Walter’s father take the family as he tries to overcome his depression?

 

A WRITER OBSERVES--- SONNETS FROM THE PORTUGUESE

  1.  What does Walter consider one of the most beautiful areas in the world?

  2. How are Mickey and Walter different?

  3. What is the purpose of the club the boys in Walter’s class start?

  4. What do the boys in the club get in trouble for doing?

  5. Who scares the boys in class by pretending to talk to an officer in the hall?

  6. Why isn’t Walter allowed to attend Eddie’s party?

  7. What sport does Walter enjoy playing regularly?

  8. What interest does Walter hide from his teammates and friends?

  9. What is the name of Walter’s ninth-grade teacher?

  10. What is Sonnets from the Portuguese, and why is it significant to Walter?

  11. What is the name of the Japanese play that the ninth-grade class performs?

  12. What special notion does Walter believe all the SP kids take with them at the end of the school year?

  13. Why doesn’t Walter’s father comment on Walter’s poetry?

 

HEADY DAYS AT STUYVESANT HIGH--- THE GARMENT CENTER

  1.  What are the Dean family’s two unexpected financial burdens in the summer of 1951?

  2. What kind of stories does Pap like to tell?

  3. What is the academic emphasis at Stuyvesant High School?

  4. What food does Pap refuse to eat?

  5. How does Walter react when the Dodgers do not win the pennant?

  6. What is Walter’s father’s advice about race?

  7. What job does Walter’s Aunt Nancy now have?

  8. Why did someone once tell Walter he couldn’t be a lawyer?

  9. Why doesn’t Walter join the school’s track team?

  10. Why does Walter quit working at the garment factory?

  11. What does Walter do at the L. Einstein & Co.?

  12. Why can’t Walter buy the typewriter he wants?

  13. Who gives Walter a used typewriter?

  14. How does Walter respond to the notes his school sends home?

 

GOD AND DYLAN THOMAS – MARKS ON PAPER

  1.  How does Walter occupy his time when he skips school?

  2. What famous basketball player does Walter find himself playing against in a coaches’ tournament at City College?

  3. How does Walter meet Frank?

  4. What is the center of young Walter’s community?

  5. Whom does Walter see being interviewed on Seventh Avenue?

  6. Describe what Walter hopes to accomplish through his poetry.

  7. When he reenters school in September, how long does Walter’s resolve to succeed last?

  8. What draws Walter back to his school on 15th Street?

  9. During the fall of 1953, what kinds of stories does Walter want to write?

  10. Why does Walter want to learn French?

  11. What does Walter’s English teacher tell him while he sits in the guidance office?

  12. Why isn’t Walter punished for missing so many days of school?

 

THE STRANGER – DR. HOLIDAY – BEING BLACK – 1954

  1.  What will happen to Walter if he continues to miss school?

  2. Why did Frank spend much of his youth in mental institutions?

  3. What does Frank’s new job entail?

  4. Of which literary character does Frank remind Walter of?

  5. What is the name of the psychiatrist Walter must visit?

  6. What does Walter say are his sole interests?

  7. Why does Walter think he has been labeled “disturbed” rather than “rebellious”?

  8. What unexpected question does the psychiatrist ask Walter?

  9. From where does Walter get his ideas about career and maleness?

  10. What does Walter consider to be the binding forces in his Harlem home?

  11. How does Walter’s mother feel about Frank?

  12.  Why does Walter think dying in battle might not be a bad thing?

  13. When he finally decides to go back to school, what does Walter discover?

 

SWEET SIXTEEN – THE TYPIST

  1.  What does Walter give his father in the veterans’ hospital?

  2. What happens to Frank in the subway bathroom?

  3. Why does Walter think that his psychiatrist has been talking to his mother?

  4. Where does Frank decide to go to avoid any further threats to his safety?

  5. What does Walter’s father give him on the day he leaves for the army?

  6. WDM says that reading led him to ideas which led him to what?

  7. Where does Walter work after his discharge from the army?

  8. What does Walter believe sending out his poems may promise?

  9. What story about the black urban experience deeply impacts Meyers?

  10. What does Myers love about his life now?

Bad Boy Unit Test Study Guide

Match the quote with who said it  (Herbert Dean, Doctor Holiday, Walter Dean Myers, Mama Florence Dean, Mr. Lasher, Mrs. Conway, Viola, Mrs. Dworkin, Manuel Bonilla, Stephanie Bena, Stuyvesant Guidance Counselor)

“In truth, everything in my life in 1951 that was personal and had value was white.”                                           “Why don’t you just marry Mama?”

“He can read on the second-grade level, but he can’t speak well enough to be in the second grade.”     “Don’t you dare throw a book in my classroom!”

“You’re a bright boy and that is what you are going to be in this class.”

“You’re a bad boy. A very bad boy. And you cannot join the rest of the class until your mother comes in.”              “Do you like being black?”

“Dabba, Dabba, Dabba!”                                                                                                                                     “Here they are, officer.”

“Lee’s dead. Not all of us.”                                                                                                                                   “You’re a big boy now. You should lock the doors when you go out, and be sure to turn off the lights.”

“What do you do with yourself all day.”                                                                                                                “You wrote stories when you were a boy. You are a man now.”

 

Vocabulary Words – Know the definition and/or be able to use it in a sentence.

  1. Census - an official count or survey of a population, typically recording various details of individuals.
  2. Opinionated - assertive in one's opinion
  3. Kindling -  material that can be readily ignited, used in starting a fire
  4. Tenement - a room or a set of rooms forming a separate residence within a house or block of apartments; a piece of land held by an owner
  5. Equivalent - equal in value, amount, function, meaning, etc.
  6. Memoir - a historical account or biography written from personal knowledge or special sources. A memoir is French for "memory." It is a style of writing an autobiographical account of
    one's personal life and experiences.
  7. Autobiography - an account of a person's life written by that person.
  8. Biography - an account of someone's life written by someone else.
  9. Historical Context -  the political, social, cultural, and economic environment related to historical moments, events, and trends.
  10. Colloquialisms - a word or phrase that is not formal or literary, typically one used in ordinary or familiar conversation; aka "slang"
  1. Author’s purpose--the author’s reason or intent for writing (amuse the reader, persuade the reader, inform the reader, or satirize a situation)
  2. Persuasive Writing - In persuasive writing you try to convince writers to believe or do something.
  3. Expository writing (Informative), or exposition, is a type of discourse used to describe, explain, define, inform, or clarify. It literally means "to expose."
  4. Entertain - amuse the reader
  5. Style--a writer’s style includes word choice, tone, degree of formality, figurative language, rhythm, grammatical structure, sentence length, organization---in short, every feature of a writer’s use of language.
  6. Annotation--a note of explanation or comment added to a text or diagram
  7.  Diction--a writer’s or speaker’s word choice. Diction is part of a writer’s style and may be described as formal or informal, plain or ornate, common or technical, abstract or concrete.
  8. Adage-n-a wise old saying
  9. Context Clues - hints that an author gives to help define a difficult or unusual word within a book. The clue may appear within the same sentence as the word to which it refers or it may follow in the next sentence.
  10. Contrast- to compare in order to show unlikeness or differences; 
  1. Scoffed - speak to someone or about something in a scornfully derisive or mocking way.
  2. Mere - the smallest or slightest
  3. Stubbornly - difficult; refusal to change one's mind
  4. Unsuspecting - not aware of the presence of danger; feeling no suspicion.
  5. Emigrated - leave one's own country in order to settle permanently in another.
  6. Bawler- bellower, roarer, screamer, screecher, shouter, yeller. 
  7. Apparatus - the technical equipment or machinery needed for a particular activity or purpose.
  8. Sternly - in a serious and severe manner, especially when asserting authority or exercising discipline.
  9. Pushcarts - A cart that is pushed by one or more persons: Baggage cart · Food cart; Pastry cart, for serving pastry; Tea cart, also named teacart
  10. Elevated - raised; situated or placed higher than the surrounding area.
  1. Taunted - provoke or challenge (someone) with insulting remarks.
  2. Vice - immoral or wicked behavior.
  3. Pupils - a student in school
  4. Cache - a collection of items of the same type stored in a hidden or inaccessible place;  store away in hiding or for future use.
  5. Thoroughfare - a main road in town; a road or path forming a route between two places.
  6. Spaciousness - roomy or having plenty of room
  7. Drafted (in the military) - select (a person or group of people) for a certain purpose.
  8. Orthodox - conservative, traditional, devout
  9. Manipulating - handle or control (a tool, mechanism, etc.), typically in a skillful manner; operate; work
  10. Forbidden - not allowed; banned

1. Eluded - evade or escape from (a danger, enemy, or pursuer), typically in a skillful or cunning way.

2. Recitation - the action of repeating something aloud from memory.

3. Superficial - existing or occurring at or on the surface; appearing to be true or real only until examined more closely.

4. Clever - quick to understand, learn, and devise or apply ideas; intelligent; skilled

5. Reluctance - unwillingness or disinclination to do something.

6. Dire - extremely serious or urgent; causing great fear or suffering

7. Fragile - delicate; not strong or sturdy; easily broken or damaged.

8. Sophisticated - having, revealing, or proceeding from a great deal of worldly experience and knowledge of fashion and culture.

9. Certifiably - uncontrollable or insane; capable of being certified

10. Detachment - to unfasten or separate; disengage 

1. Charade - someone's actions are so obviously false that they do not convince anyone

2. Adrift - without purpose, direction, or guidance.

3. Ceremony - a formal religious or public occasion, typically one celebrating a particular event or anniversary.

4. Communist - a person who supports or believes in the principles of communism.

5.Recruiting (stand) - enroll, enlist in the armed services

6. Improbable - not likely to be true or to happen.

7. Idealist - a person who is guided more by ideals than by practical considerations.

8. Nudged - prod (someone) gently, typically with one's elbow, in order to draw their attention to something.

9.Versatility - ability to adapt or be adapted to many different functions or activities.

10.  Shabby - in poor condition through long or hard use or lack of care.

Take a Few Notes on Each Chapter

Roots  ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Harlem  _________________________________________________________________________________________

Let’s Hear It for the First Grade!  ___________________________________________________________________

Arithmetic Summer  ______________________________________________________________________________

Bad Boy   _______________________________________________________________________________________

Mr. Irwin Lasher  __________________________________________________________________________________

I Am Not the Center of the Universe  ________________________________________________________________

A Writer Observes  _______________________________________________________________________________

Sonnets from the Portuguese ______________________________________________________________________

 Heady Days at Stuyvesant High  ___________________________________________________________________

The Garment Center  _____________________________________________________________________________

God and Dylan Thomas ___________________________________________________________________________

Marks on Paper _________________________________________________________________________________

The Stranger _____________________________________________________________________________________

Dr. Holiday  ______________________________________________________________________________________

Being Black  _____________________________________________________________________________________

1954  ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Sweet Sixteen  __________________________________________________________________________________

The Typist _______________________________________________________________________________________

Theme(s) of the book : ____________________________________________________________________

Setting (location and era): __________________________________________________________________

Author : ___________________________________________ Type of book (memoir, biography, etc.) ___________________________

 

Audio Files for Bad Boy (Youtube audio):

Chapter 1-4 Quizizz - https://quizizz.com/admin/quiz/5762a389a83692b60b787a69/walter-dean-myers-bad-boy-ch-1-4

Bad Boy activities and classroom ideas - https://www.edhelper.com/books/Bad_Boy__A_Memoir.htm

Bad Boy questions Quizlet - https://quizlet.com/8561688/bad-boy-questions-flash-cards/