Suggested levels for Guided Reading, DRA, Lexile, and Reading Recovery are provided in the Pearson Scott Foresman Leveling Guide.

Scott Foresman Reading Street 5.1.1

ISBN 0-328-13503-8

Reader Response1. How did the narrator change in a way that made her able

to think about her classmates differently?

2. What did you know about Emily Dickinson before reading this story? What did you learn as you read? What more would you still like to know about her? Make a chart like the one below and list what you now know about Emily Dickinson and what more you want to know.

3. Four of the vocabulary words in this bookacquainted, expanded, guaranteed, and worshippedare verbs that have been changed to end in -ed. What are the base words of these verbs? Use two of them in sentences.

4. If you were Ms. Liang, would you have felt comfortable telling the class that you had once felt like a nobody? Why or why not?

What We Know What We Want to Know

13503_CVR.indd C-D13503_CVR.indd C-D 11/15/05 3:30:10 PM11/15/05 3:30:10 PM

Editorial Offices: Glenview, Illinois Parsippany, New Jersey New York, New YorkSales Offices: Needham, Massachusetts Duluth, Georgia Glenview, Illinois

Coppell, Texas Ontario, California Mesa, Arizona

by Juna Loch

Learning from

Ms. Liang

illustrated by K. E. Lewis

13503_001-024.indd 113503_001-024.indd 1 11/15/05 3:30:45 PM11/15/05 3:30:45 PM

Every effort has been made to secure permission and provide appropriate credit for photographic material. The publisher deeply regrets any omission and pledges to correct errors called to its attention in subsequent editions.

Unless otherwise acknowledged, all photographs are the property of Scott Foresman, a division of Pearson Education.

Illustrations by K.E. Lewis

Photograph 24 Library of Congress

ISBN: 0-328-13503-8

Copyright Pearson Education, Inc.

All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication is protected by Copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. For information regarding permission(s), write to: Permissions Department, Scott Foresman, 1900 East Lake Avenue, Glenview, Illinois 60025.

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 V0G1 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05

13503_001-024.indd 213503_001-024.indd 2 11/15/05 3:30:47 PM11/15/05 3:30:47 PM

3

On Tuesday, we found out that we were getting a new teacher. The rumor was that our old teacher, Mr. Williams, had gotten sick.

Our new teacher was supposed to start Wednesday. Wednesday arrived, but the new teacher was late. We didnt mind. The whole class was sitting around and talking excitedly about the upcoming fifth-grade chorus concert. The girls were getting new dresses. The boys were going to wear suits.

Everyone was talking about it, except Lisa Linney. She just sat at her desk, her long hair hiding her face. Everyone knew that she didnt have enough money to buy a new dress. We would often talk about Lisa in front of her. People didnt try to be mean. It was just that it was easy to forget she was there. In a way, Lisa was invisible.

13503_001-024.indd 313503_001-024.indd 3 11/15/05 3:30:48 PM11/15/05 3:30:48 PM

4The new teacher finally walked in. She wasnt all that remarkable looking, and her clothes were kind of plain. But as soon as she came in everyone stopped talking. With just a glance around the room she made you want to pay attention. Even the noisy kids who sat in the back fell silent as she walked up to the blackboard.

Whats the first thing a new teacher does? She takes attendance, or writes her name on the board, right? But this new teacher didnt do that. Instead, she picked up the chalk and wrote out a poem.

Im nobody! Who are you?Are you nobody, too?Then theres a pair of usdont tell!Theyd banish us, you know.

How dreary to be somebody!How public, like a frogTo tell your name the livelong dayTo an admiring bog!

13503_001-024.indd 413503_001-024.indd 4 11/15/05 3:30:50 PM11/15/05 3:30:50 PM

5

Good morning, class. My name is Ms. Liang, the new teacher said. She picked up a copy of the book we were reading. Can someone tell me where you stopped last?

I looked around the classroom, wondering who was going to answer. Then A.J., who always liked to challenge teachers, asked, Arent you supposed to learn our names before you make us work?

Ms. Liang answered, Im sure well get plenty acquainted as time goes by. And, as a way of getting to know my students, Ive always preferred reading together instead of just going around memorizing names. But since you were nice enough to speak up, maybe you could start reading out loud from where you left off?

A.J. muttered, I knew this would happen, and began reading.

Ms. Liang stopped him after only a couple of sentences. No, no, she said. Not like that. Youve got to place yourself in the story. Youve got to make it come alive for you and everyone else. Read as if youre telling your story.

A.J. looked puzzled. What do you mean, my story?

13503_001-024.indd 513503_001-024.indd 5 11/15/05 3:30:52 PM11/15/05 3:30:52 PM

6What I mean is, read as if the book were about you. Read as if you knew everyone wanted to hear the story of your life. Imagine that you would burst if you couldnt share your story with the class.

None of us had any idea what she was talking about. Then, just out of curiosity, I looked over at Lisa. It looked like she knew exactly what Ms. Liang was talking about.

It is essential to read with feeling, Ms. Liang went on. If you read with feeling, its guaranteed to be more interesting to the people who are listening. And it will be more interesting to you.

13503_001-024.indd 613503_001-024.indd 6 11/15/05 3:30:52 PM11/15/05 3:30:52 PM

7

Why? my friend Mary Alice asked.Because its a scientific fact that your face affects

your emotions, Ms. Liang answered.Whats that supposed to mean? A.J. suddenly

blurted out. I could tell that he was annoyed because Ms. Liang hadnt gone over our names.

Ms. Liang explained, Scientists have discovered that facial expressions influence peoples emotions. When you make an angry face, your brain floods your body with chemicals that actually make you feel angry. So if you read with feeling, you will have a better chance of experiencing the characters own feelings. Does that make better sense?

Ms. Liang then called on Lisa to continue reading. As soon as Lisa began reading, I thought, shes

acquainted with these feelings for sure. But, as well as she read, her quietness made it difficult to understand her. Ms. Liang stopped her when she saw that people were having a hard time hearing her.

Whats your name? Ms. Liang asked. Lisa Linney, was the mumbled reply.All right, Lisa, said Ms. Liang. I want you to keep

reading as youve been doing, with all that great feeling. But this time, read a little louder.

13503_001-024.indd 713503_001-024.indd 7 11/15/05 3:30:55 PM11/15/05 3:30:55 PM

8Lisa resumed her reading. Her words were full of feeling. Still, she wasnt loud enough. I realized that Lisas quietness made people forget about her more easily.

While Lisa read, Ms. Liang stood by her desk, listening carefully. Lisa blushed in reaction to Ms. Liangs close presence.

After a while, Ms. Liang stopped Lisa. Turning to face the class, she asked, Did you get that? The character Lisa was reading about said, You never understand someone until you walk around in their skin. What did that character mean?

13503_001-024.indd 813503_001-024.indd 8 11/15/05 3:30:55 PM11/15/05 3:30:55 PM

9

Its funny. If Mr. Williams had said the words walk around in their skin, someone would have said Eeew, thats gross, or made a joke. But everyone was quiet. We could tell how much Ms. Liang cared about her teaching, and nobody wanted to make trouble.

We talked about the meaning of those words for a couple of minutes. Then Ms. Liang told us to take out a piece of paper.

Heres your assignment, she said. Youre going to find this difficult, but its important that you understand this concept. I want you to write down what people would understand about you if they could walk around in your skin.

13503_001-024.indd 913503_001-024.indd 9 11/15/05 3:30:56 PM11/15/05 3:30:56 PM

10

What do you mean? asked A.J. Im sure theres been a time youve felt

misunderstood, Ms. Liang explained. So heres the question. Would the rest of the world understand you better if they knew what it was like to be you? Thats what I mean. Does that make sense?

The class nodded together.Good! Ms. Liang said. Then go ahead and start

writing. Oh, and make sure not to sign your names.I took out my paper and stared at it. Then I looked

up at the poem on the chalkboard. I didnt know what to write. What didnt people know about me? I thought. Everyone knows everything there is to know. Im me. Im popular. I do okay. I have a reputation for nice clothes. What else would anyone need to know?

13503_001-024.indd 1013503_001-024.indd 10 11/15/05 3:30:59 PM11/15/05 3:30:59 PM

11

Lisa was sitting in the desk to the right of me, writing quickly. I tried to peek at what she had written, but it was difficult. She had her whole body shielding the paper, as if her words were top secret.

A few minutes went by. Still, I couldnt find anything to write about. Then I heard A.J. in the back, making some mean remark about Lisa. It made me think about the times hes said mean things to me. Then I thought about the time Katie Lee Clinton and her friends had stopped talking and laughed when I came into the classroom. That had definitely made me feel like a nobody.

I looked back up at the words on the chalkboard: Im nobody! Who are you? No doubt, I felt like that sometimes. There were many times when I felt like my class was filled with people who had no idea who I was. Usually that feeling disappeared after a couple of moments. But still, I knew what it was like.

13503_001-024.indd 1113503_001-024.indd 11 11/15/05 3:31:01 PM11/15/05 3:31:01 PM

12

My thoughts inspired me to start writing. I know that, at times, Ive felt like the person talking in the poem. Does anyone else feel that way? Do other people in the class ever feel like theyve been forgotten? I wrote.

I wrote about how those feelings were worst on days when I felt sad. Everyones had those days. Theyre the days when your mother yells at you before school, or your best friend says something really mean. Theyre the days when you do poorly on a test. Like I said, everyones had those days.

I wrote, If people really knew me, if people could walk around in my skin and feel lonely like I do sometimes, they wouldnt say I was stuck up or standoffish. One day, Katie Lee Clinton told me that I was both of those two things. It made me feel like a nobody.

13503_001-024.indd 1213503_001-024.indd 12 11/15/05 3:31:03 PM11/15/05 3:31:03 PM

13

After we wrote for ten minutes, Ms. Liang collected our papers. A.J. had questions as usual.

Whats the deal with that poem? he asked. And why didnt you want us to sign our names?

I just thought you might find the poem interesting, Ms. Liang told him. As for not signing your name, I use procedures like that to protect students feelings. Some of the students might have felt embarrassed if I knew who had written what.

The rest of the day went by slowly. Ms. Liang went over our math and science homework. Finally, the bell rang for us to go home. As I walked out of class, an incredible thought occurred to me: We had shared more with Ms. Liang in one day than we had with Mr. Williams in a whole year!

13503_001-024.indd 1313503_001-024.indd 13 11/15/05 3:31:05 PM11/15/05 3:31:05 PM

14

The next day the poem was back on the chalkboard. I knew it wasnt left over from the day before, because this time it was written in a different color chalk.

Why do you keep writing that poem on the board? A.J. asked Ms. Liang.

Ms. Liang answered, As I told you yesterday, I find it interesting. She continued, Now take out your assigned reading, please. Did everyone finish chapter five?

I raised my hand. This isnt about chapter five, but did you read what we wrote yesterday? I asked.

Ms. Liang laid down her book.I did, she answered.And what did you think? I was incredibly curious.

13503_001-024.indd 1413503_001-024.indd 14 11/15/05 3:31:07 PM11/15/05 3:31:07 PM

15

After a long pause, Ms. Liang answered, What you wrote tells me that you all have a lot to learn about each other. It tells me that there are a lot of people in this class who feel like their classmates dont understand them at all. Its important that you learn more about how your classmates feel. Once you do, youll find that youll be treating each other better.

What do you mean? Mary Alice asked defensively. Are you saying that were mean? Are you saying that we dont treat each other well enough in the first place?

Ms. Liang smiled. Im saying that all of us are mean sometimes, without even realizing it.

Mary Alice made a face. You think that if we really knew each other, we would like each other more? I know a lot of people. I dont like them any better than other people just because I know them.

13503_001-024.indd 1513503_001-024.indd 15 11/15/05 3:31:08 PM11/15/05 3:31:08 PM

16

You might not like the person better, Ms. Liang answered, but you might dislike the person less. Understanding people does not excuse whatever poor actions they may take. But the more you understand them, the more you might appreciate why they do what they do. It might even make you see things from their point of view, as if you were in their skin.

Ms. Liang then told us our homework assignment for that night. This time, she wanted us to sign our names because she was going to grade what we wrote. She wanted us to write a paragraph about trying to get inside the skin of someone we didnt like. To protect peoples feelings, she didnt want us to use anyones real name.

13503_001-024.indd 1613503_001-024.indd 16 11/15/05 3:31:10 PM11/15/05 3:31:10 PM

17

I had a hard time with the assignment. I wanted to write about A.J. because hed been mean to me. But I had no idea why hed been mean, so I couldnt get inside his skin, like Ms. Liang wanted us to. Then I remembered the time when I had been mean to someone, like A.J. had been mean to me.

Mary Alice and I had been standing in the school hallway. We had been talking about Lisas clothes and laughing at them. Right then, Lisa came around the corner. She had heard everything we said. It was awful. Lisa turned pale, and ran away.

Mary Alice and I just kept laughing. I dont know why I laughed at Lisas clothes. I dont know why I didnt say anything to try to make her feel better so she wouldnt have run away. The memory of that time made me feel so bad that I couldnt make myself write anything.

13503_001-024.indd 1713503_001-024.indd 17 11/15/05 3:31:12 PM11/15/05 3:31:12 PM

18

The next day, everyone was talking about the fifth-grade chorus concert again. Like last time, the girls were talking about the fancy dresses their mothers were going to buy for them. Of course, Lisa wasnt part of those conversations. But I noticed that she had stopped hiding and pretending she wasnt there. Instead, she was sitting up straight, with her homework on her desk, waiting for Ms. Liang to arrive.

I was waiting too. I wanted Ms. Liang to come in and tell us what the poem meant. When she came in, I asked.

Its a poem by Emily Dickinson, she answered.But what is it? I mean, what does it mean?Ms. Liang thought for a minute before answering.

Well, what do you think it means? she finally asked us.

13503_001-024.indd 1813503_001-024.indd 18 11/15/05 3:31:15 PM11/15/05 3:31:15 PM

19

Nobody answered at first.Well, she prompted, which would you rather

bea somebody or a nobody?A somebody, we all said. Who wants to be a

nobody? A.J. added.Of course, said Ms. Liang. But how does the poet

talk about somebodies?That was when Lisa raised her hand. In the past she

had always been too shy, but now her hand was high in the air.

The poem says that somebodies are like frogs, she said. Frogs that sit around all day doing nothing but boasting.

Is she really talking about frogs? Ms. Liang asked.No, Lisa continued. She means that people who

are full of themselves are as silly as frogs. Their talk is just like ribbeting. Because of that, Emily Dickinson is proud to be a nobody.

13503_001-024.indd 1913503_001-024.indd 19 11/15/05 3:31:17 PM11/15/05 3:31:17 PM

20

How could you be proud to be a nobody? We didnt understand. But Lisa Linney, our own sort of nobody, did understand. She looked at Ms. Liang like she worshipped her. Ms. Liang smiled back. It was just like the poem. Ms. Liangs face seemed to say, Hey, Lisa, do you want to be a nobody with me?

You know, Ms. Liang said, looking right at Lisa, we are all somebodies, though too often the world forgets it. She sighed. When we treat other people like they are nobodies, we hurt them.

The room became very quiet after Ms. Liang said that. I bet no one ever treated you like a nobody, Mary Alice said, breaking the silence.

13503_001-024.indd 2013503_001-024.indd 20 11/15/05 3:31:19 PM11/15/05 3:31:19 PM

21

Ms. Liang sighed and looked sad. When I was your age, I was a nobody, she told us. Theres no way I could have been anything but a nobody. I didnt fit in. Because my family was poor, I didnt have any of the toys or clothes that the other children cared about. My clothes were old, and I didnt have the money to go places with the other kids. Of course, it didnt really matter, because I was a nobody in the first place. So no one ever asked me to go anywhere with them.

Ms. Liang looked directly at Lisa. I know what its like to be around people who act like those proud frogs. The other students would talk about parties I hadnt been invited to. Theyd talk as if I werent there. So by the time I got to high school, I decided not to be there. I dropped out. What did I need school for? In my mind, all I needed was money. If I had money, I thought it would hide the fact that I was a nobody. The worst part was, I was so invisible that no one even noticed I had dropped out.

Ms. Liang stared out the window. No one said a word.

13503_001-024.indd 2113503_001-024.indd 21 11/15/05 3:31:22 PM11/15/05 3:31:22 PM

22

It was the dumbest thing Ive ever done, Ms. Liang said. After dropping out, I worked ten years. Still, I was treated like a nobody. I would look at my future, and all I could see was more of the same.

Ms. Liangs tone suddenly brightened. But then I started working for a nice lady. To my shock, she liked me. She refused to let me throw my life away. Go back to school, she told me. I never would have gone back without her encouragement.

She went on, I had to work two jobs to make enough money to live on. I studied whenever I could find the time. It wasnt easy. I often found myself behind in my studies. All I could think about was how much easier it would have been if Id stayed in school.

13503_001-024.indd 2213503_001-024.indd 22 11/15/05 3:31:26 PM11/15/05 3:31:26 PM

23

Ms. Liangs tone was now triumphant. But that woman believed in me and encouraged me. She forced me to see myself as a somebody. She taught me that Dickinson poem. As soon as I heard the poem, I knew I didnt need money to be somebody. I knew then that I wanted to be a teacher, and a good one. I knew I would run into students who thought they were nobodies. When I met them I could be a good teacher and tell them, I thought I was nobody too! Tell me about yourself, and Ill prove that youre not a nobody.

Everyone in the room was looking at Lisa, remembering times they had been mean to her. We all felt like nobodies for the way we had treated her. Now, because of Ms. Liang, we knew that Lisa was a somebody.

13503_001-024.indd 2313503_001-024.indd 23 11/15/05 3:31:29 PM11/15/05 3:31:29 PM

24

Many people like to spend time by themselves. But there are some people who withdraw entirely from society. One such person was Emily Dickinson.

Emily, the daughter of a Massachusetts politician, came from a wealthy family. In 1848, at age eighteen, she came home from what is now Mount Holyoke College, complaining of homesickness. From that point on, she seldom left her parents home. Emily rarely saw visitors. Instead, she read, wrote letters, and composed over two thousand poems.

You might think that someone who never left home would have nothing to write about. But Emily did. Looking at only the things in her house, she gained new insight into lifes great themes. Tell all the truth, but tell it slant, she wrote. And that is what she did. In her private world, Emily Dickinson managed to see more than some of the most adventurous world travelers.

Emily Dickinson

13503_001-024.indd 2413503_001-024.indd 24 11/15/05 3:31:30 PM11/15/05 3:31:30 PM

Reader Response1. How did the narrator change in a way that made her able

to think about her classmates differently?

2. What did you know about Emily Dickinson before reading this story? What did you learn as you read? What more would you still like to know about her? Make a chart like the one below and list what you now know about Emily Dickinson and what more you want to know.

3. Four of the vocabulary words in this bookacquainted, expanded, guaranteed, and worshippedare verbs that have been changed to end in -ed. What are the base words of these verbs? Use two of them in sentences.

4. If you were Ms. Liang, would you have felt comfortable telling the class that you had once felt like a nobody? Why or why not?

What We Know What We Want to Know

13503_CVR.indd C-D13503_CVR.indd C-D 11/15/05 3:30:10 PM11/15/05 3:30:10 PM

previous:

next: