NAME: __________________________________________________ Primary School Teachers B1 Certification Reading Comprehension Open Questions Read the text and answer

r the questions that follow. Give short answers. Subject: The Story of Ruby Bridges On the morning of her first day at William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, Ruby Bridges' mother told her: "Now I want you to behave yourself today, Ruby, and don't be afraid." And Ruby and her mother went to the school, where there were so many people were outside, shouting and throwing things that the little girl thought it must be Mardi Gras. She remembered her mother's words as she entered the school without showing any fear at all, despite the fact that it was 1960, there were U.S. Marshals walking beside her, and she was the first black child to enter an all-white school in the history of the American South. It was in 1960 that a federal court ordered the desegregation of schools in the south, and although Ruby Bridges' father thought she could get a perfectly good education at an all-black elementary school, her mother insisted that Ruby prepare the way for other black children in the newlyintegrated school system. Charles Burks, one of the U.S. Marshals who escorted Ruby Bridges and her mother into the school building, remembers the little girl who became a hero. "She showed a lot of courage and didnt cry. She just marched along like a little soldier." The first year, all the parents of Frantz Elementary pulled their children out of school to protest against the integration. As a result, Ruby Bridges spent her first year in a class of one. Her teacher, a woman from Boston, was one of the few white instructors willing to teach a black child. She and Ruby Bridges went to school every single day that year, and they held class as if there were no angry crowd outside, no conflict over a little girl attending first grade. Ruby Bridges family suffered from the bigotry of the times. Her father lost his job as a result of the controversy, and her grandparents lost their place as tenant farmers. But the Bridges gathered together, and friends used to come in the morning to help Ruby get ready for school, or to walk with her to her classroom. By now nobody could deny the heroism of courageous Ruby Bridges, whose bravery inspired the 1966 painting by Norman Rockwell entitled "The Problem We All Live With" and the children's book The Ruby Bridges Story by Robert Coles. Brave, inspiring Ruby demonstrated the value of education to countless others and has since devoted herself to the education of the young. She raised her own four sons, her brother's four daughters, and started the Ruby Bridges Foundation "in the hopes of bringing parents back into the schools and taking a more active role in their childrens' education." Questions: 1. How did Ruby Bridges make history?

2. How did Rubys parents feel about sending her to William Frantz Elementary School? 3. What were the consequences of Ruby attending William Frantz Elementary School? (Mention at least 2 consequences) 4. Why was Rubys teacher different from the majority of teachers in the U.S. at the time? 5. Which 2 adjectives best describe Rubys character and behaviour? Answer Key 1. How did Ruby Bridges make history? She was the first black child to attend a de-segregated school. 2. How did Rubys parents feel about sending her to William Frantz Elementary School? Her father thought it unnecessary; her mother thought it a vital example to black and white communities. 3. What were the consequences of Ruby attending William Frantz Elementary School? (Mention at least 2 consequences) Any 2 of: White parents took their children out of the school; the white community protested loudly and violently; Rubys father lost his job; Rubys grandparents lost their farm. 4. Why was Rubys teacher different from the majority of teachers in the U.S. at the time? Any of: She was without prejudice; she was happy to teach a black child. She had a class with only one child in it.

5. Which (2) adjectives best describe Rubys character and behaviour? Any 2 similar to: heroic/brave/courageous/inspiring.