OVERVIEW
AMULET BOOKS
TE CHING GUIDE
TEACHING GUIDE
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Alex is a baseball player. A great one. His papi is pushing him to go pro, but Alex maybe wants to be a poet. Not that Papi would understand or allow that.Isa is a dancer. She’d love to go pro, if only her Havana-born mom weren’t dead set against it . . . just like she’s dead set against her daughter falling for a Latino. And Isa’s privileged private-school life—with her dad losing his job and her older brother struggling with mental illness—is falling apart. Not that she’d ever tell that to Alex.Fate—and the New York City subway—bring Alex and Isa together. Is it enough to keep them together when they need each other most?
VOCABULARY
Te characters in the book are bilingual. Tey grow up speaking two languages: Spanish and English. Te novel realistically portrays multiculturalism in a cosmopolitan city like New York. It may be helpful to identify and discuss relevant vocabulary and use digital tools, such as Google ranslate (translate.google.com) or WordReference (wordreference.com), to listen to the native pronunciation of words in Standard Spanish. However, it should be noted that the characters in the book speak in a Caribbean Spanish dialect. Tey pronounce words differently depending on the region where their parents came from. It’s worth discussing any differences Spanish-speaking students notice between the dialog in the book and how they might say something.Below are some words that offer insights on the linguistic breadth of the novel:Montro (Monstruo) – Literally means monster; a term used to describe friends similar to dudeo ‘ta frío (Esto/odo está frío) – Everything is cold or this is coldGuay! – CoolAy…lo besó – Oh, she kissed himOye – Literally means listen, but it often means “Hey!”Coño – Swear wordu ‘ta loco! (ú estás loco) – You’re crazy‘Pérate (Espérate) – Wait a minuteChévere – CoolNo te debo nada – I don’t owe you anything No te preocupes – Don’t worry!oletazo – A punch; used in reference to hitting someoneVeldad (Verdad) – Te truthPa’rriba (Para arriba) – Expression¿Qué te pasó? – What happened to you?¿Cómo tu ‘ta? (¿Cómo tú estás?) – How are you?Oye Pana – “Hey, bud!”Chuleta – PorkchopDame un segundito – Give me a secondMoreno – term used for brown-skinned Hispanic people
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THIS TRAIN IS BEING HELD
Ismée Williams
AMULET BOOKS
TEACHING GUIDE
BEFORE READING
Use the prompts below to engage students in online research and discussions prior to reading
Tis rain is Being Held
. eachers will help facilitate conversation and record questions on an online bulletin board, such as Google Classroom (edu.google.com), Canvas (instructure.com/canvas), or BlackBoard (blackboard.com). Before starting some discussions of the book, teachers should talk about the importance of Black Lives Matter and police brutality at the high school level. BLM at School (blacklivesmatteratschool.com) is a great resource for teachers and students alike. Te materials included in this website are divided by grade and age. Te book includes issues of race and class, which border on fear of the police. It is imperative that educators teach lessons about structural racism, intersectional Black and Brown identities, and anti-racism. Additional resources are included at the end of this guide. As teachers, we have the obligation to teach our students to be anti-racist and to fight against the ubiquity of white supremacy. 1. Isa, the main character, speaks Cuban Spanish from her mother’s side, while Alex speaks Dominican Spanish that he inherited from his parents. Each dialect has its own distinct features, but they do share some similarities. Listen to these recording of pop culture celebrities speaking Spanish:Dominican American rapper Cardi B youtube.com/watch?v=7eHXg0BnB4g Cuban American actress Eva Mendes youtube.com/watch?v=GjOlphHWjVUCompare and contrast some of the differences you might notice. Research the history of Cuba and the Dominican Republic, and learn more about the Caribbean Hispanic population.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.6
2. In any work of literature, readers will encounter new vocabulary. Isa is a ballet dancer while Alex is a baseball player. What might be some technical terms that you might not know? Write down any unfamiliar words or phrases in your notebook to later discuss in class.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.1;9-10.4;11-12.4
3. Browse the New York City subway transit map: new.mta.info/map/5256. Identify the stops where Alex and Isa meet. Tink about how the different areas of Manhattan and surrounding boroughs are defined by class and racial differences.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2; 11-12.3
DURING READING
Ask students to keep an interactive notebook to record thoughts, feelings, questions, and concerns while reading
Tis rain is Being Held
. Use these prompts to facilitate discussion and critical analysis of the text.1. Write entries for every character that is introduced in the novel such as Isa, Alex, their family members, and friends. How do you think their stories will unfold throughout the novel?
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.3, 9-10.3, 11-12.3
2. On page 29, Alex is reading Pablo Neruda’s collection of poems,
One Hundred Love Sonnets (Cien sonetos de amor)
. Read Love Sonnet XI: phys.unm.edu/~tw/fas/yits/archive/neruda_lovesonnet11.html. Underline the parts included in the novel and write down how they fit within the context of the poem. Research different types of sonnets. Keeping in mind that this sonnet is a translation from Spanish, consider the type of sonnet Neruda’s Love Sonnet XI is. What do you think Alex means when he says, “Neruda’s words are music and color”?
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.10, 11-12.10
3. Isa apologizes to Alex for having crossed a line. She says on page 36, “Listen, I’m sorry about that night. What I did, that wasn’t cool. I shouldn’t have, you know, touched you. Not without asking permission.” Te novel opens up the question of consent. What do you think about the importance of consent? How were the events leading to this apology structured in the novel?
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3, 11-12.3
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THIS TRAIN IS BEING HELD
Ismée Williams
AMULET BOOKS
TEACHING GUIDE
4. When Alex and Isa meet once again on Tursday, November 24, Alex expresses fear when he sees a police officer examining everyone in the subway. Write down specific evidence from the book that demonstrates Alex’s true fear of the police and how it develops throughout the novel.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1, 11-12.1
5. On page 42, Isa’s brother Merrit discloses that his ex-girlfriend is dating a Korean American boy named Connor Rhee. Isa thinks to herself, “Please be OK.” What do you think this means at this moment? What do you think will happen later in the novel?
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.5, 11-12.5
6. “You said most schools in the city are on the Upper East Side. Most
private
schools are. Tere are public schools all over the city (page 55),” Alex tells Isa. What does this say about their class difference? How does it speak to Isa’s privilege and how unaware she is of it?
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2
7. Alex is concerned that Isa’s mother is Cuban, and his friends note, “How is this blondie a Cubana? (page 63).” Tis passage highlights the difference between race and ethnicity. Research these terms and think about how they come into play in the novel.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2, 11-12.2
8. On page 65, Isa tells Alex, “Tey could have gotten out of Cuba earlier.” What is the importance of “getting out of Cuba”? Research Cuban history during the Fidel Castro regime and find the context for this quote.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1, 11-12.1
9. Food is such an important part of Hispanic culture, especially within each national group. On page 65, the main characters discuss their thoughts on tostones and flan. Research these two different types of food and think about some family dishes that are important to you and your family’s cultural background. Write down any other unfamiliar culinary details that the characters in the novel discuss.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3, 11-12.3
10. Listen to the first movement of the Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto no. 2 op. 18: youtube.com/watch?v=rEGOihjqO9w. How does listening to the music help to contextualize Chrissy’s comment from page 75, “Do you know he can span eleven keys? Tat’s only one less than Rachmaninoff, who had possibly the biggest hands of any composer.” Ballet is a highly technical form of dance that was developed into a concert dance form in Russia and France. Compare the live performance of Rachmaninoff’s concert to the live recording of the Mariinsky ballet: youtube.com/watch?v=NldECS f33Rg . What is the importance of these different dance forms? What does it tell us about art, beauty and entertainment within the context of the novel?
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.7
11. On page 80, the reader gets a glimpse at Alex’s poetry. Closely read his poetry the same way you read Neruda’s poem. What are some of the defining aspects of his poems? Do they rhyme? Are they solely written in English? Search for the definition of a free-verse poem and discuss whether or not Alex’s poem corresponds with that definition.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.7, 11-12.4
12. Isa’s brother Merrit struggles with a condition called bipolar disorder. Te diagnoses for this mental health condition varies. How did the author foreshadow the diagnosis at the beginning of the book? How does Isa deal with her brother’s condition?
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.5, 11-12.5
13. Compare Alex’s poems from pages 95, 177, and 217 to what is being specifically structured in the plot of the story. What is the significance of each poem depending on what is happening in his life?
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.5, 9-10.7; 11-12.5
14. As you know, the book contains many references to ballet, classical music, baseball, and literature. Watch this scene from Te Nutcracker: youtube.com/watch?v=SlI9GxIlurc. Tink about the importance of this artistic medium in Isa’s life. How does it compare to Alex’s interest in poetry?
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.7
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