Where did the children spend all their time? Why? They gathered att the community centre to get away from drinking parents or unhappy homes.
What is a bingo orphan? Children left alone because their parents are playing bingo.
Why was school difficult? Because homelife was stressful, they couldn't concentrate.
Why was Velma's scarf so long? Because she skipped the day they learned how to cast off.
What act of rebellion did Velma show her dad? She procrastinated when he asked her to get oranges.
What did the children do the night their father was medivaced out? They washed his bedding, jumped on his bed, played late into the night.
What happened the next morning, January 4, 1973? Her father died.
Respond to these in your journal.
What does it mean to “walk on eggshells”? Write about a time you felt that you had to “walk on eggshells.”
Pretend you are Velma. Write a diary page about her father dying.
Velma says that most women from the villages were stronger than the men around them. Why?
By Christmas the children thought of their dad as the angry thing in the front room. Do you think they understood what he was doing to himself?
Learners look at the character wheel on Handout 3 and choose a person from the novel that has one of the character traits. They write a paragraph describing why that person has that trait.
Add to your timeline.