Look at the two photographs.

With a partner invent a story in which

the two are related.

This story is set in a city in the USA. The boy in the story is very
young and has never been to school before.

The First Day of School

He was a little boy named Jim, the first and only child of Dr Louis
Davy, 717 Mattei Building, and it was his first day at school. His
father was French, a small heavy-set man of forty whose boyhood
had been full of poverty and unhappiness and ambition. His mother
5 was dead: she died when Jim was born, and the only woman he
knew intimately was Amy, the Swedish housekeeper.
It was Amy who dressed him in his Sunday clothes, and took him
to school. Jim liked Amy, but he didn't like her for taking him to
school. He told her so. All the way to school he told her so.
10 I don't like you, he said. I don't like you any more.
I like you, the housekeeper said.
Then why are you taking me to school? he said.
He had taken walks with Amy before, once all the way to the
Court House Park for the Sunday afternoon band concert, but this
15 walk to school was different.
What for? he said.
Everybody must go to school, the housekeeper said.
Did you go to school? he said.
No, said Amy.
20 Then why do I have to go? he said.
You will like it, said the housekeeper.

1
 He walked on with her in silence, holding her hand. I don't like
you, he said. I don't like you any more.
I like you, said Amy.
25 Then why are you taking me to school? he said again.
Why?
The housekeeper knew how frightened a little boy could be about
going to school.
You will like it, she said. I think you will sing songs and play
30 games.
I don't want to, he said.
I will come and get you every afternoon, she said.
I don 't like you, he told her again.
She felt very unhappy about the little boy going to school, but she
35 knew that he would have to go.
The school building was very ugly to her and to the boy. She
didn't like the way it made her feeL and going up the steps with him
she wished he didn't have to go to school. The halls and rooms
scared her, and him, and the smell of the place too. And he didn't
40 like Mr Barber, the principal.
Amy despised Mr Barber.
What is the name of your son? Mr Barber said.
This is Dr Louis Davy's son, said Amy. His name is Jim. I am
Dr Davy's housekeeper.
45 James? said Mr Barber.
Not James, said Amy, just Jim.
All right, said Mr Barber. Any middle name?
No, said Amy. He is too small for a middle name. Just Jim Davy.
All right, said Mr Barber. We'll try him out in the first grade. If
50 he doesn't get along all right we'll try him out in kindergarten.
Dr Davy said to start him in the first grade, said Amy. Not
kindergarten.
All right, said Mr Barber.
The housekeeper knew how frightened the little boy was, sitting
55 on the chair, and she tried to let him know how much she loved him
and how sorry she was about everything. She wanted to say some thing
fine to him about everything, but she couldn't say anything, and she
was very proud of the nice way he got down from the chair and stood
Glossary beside Mr Barber, waiting to go with him to a classroom.
60 On the way home she was so proud of him she began to cry.
despised (1.41):
Miss Binney, the teacher of the first grade, was an old lady who
thought very was ali dried out. The room was full of little boys and girls. School
badly of smelled strange and sad. He sat at a desk and listened carefully.
first grade (1.49): the He heard sorne of the names: Charles, Ernest, Alvin, Norman,
first year in 65 Betty, Hannah, Juliet, Viola, Polly.
primary (grade)
school in the USA He listened carefully and heard Miss Binney say, Hannah Winter,
kindergarten (1.50): a what are you chewing? And he saw Hannah Winter blush. He liked
class or school for Hannah Winter right from the beginning.
children younger Gum, said Hannah.
than first grade
(i.e. under six) 70 Put it in the waste-basket, said Miss Binney.
dried out (l.62): He saw the little girl walk to the front of the class, take the gum
wrinkled and tired from her mouth, and drop it into the waste-basket.
And he heard Miss Binney say, Ernest Gaskin, what are you
2
chewing?

3
 75 Gum, said Ernest.
And he liked Ernest Gaskin too.
They met in the schoolyard, and Ernest taught him a few jokes.
Amy was in the hall when school ended. She was sullen and angry
at everybody until she saw the little boy. She was amazed that he
80 wasn't changed, that he wasn't hurt, or perhaps utterly unalive,
murdered. The school and everything about it frightened her very
much. She took his hand and walked out of the building with him,
feeling angry and proud.
Jim said. What comes after twenty-nine?
85 Thirty, said Amy.
Your face is dirty, he said.
His father was very quiet at the supper table.
What comes after twenty-nine? the boy said.
Thirty, said his father.
90 Your face is dirty, he said.
In the morning he asked his father for a nickel.
What do you want a nickel for? his father said.
Gum, he said.
His father gave him a nickel and on the way to school he stopped
95 at Mrs Riley's store and bought a package of Spearmint.
Do you want a piece? he asked Amy.
Do you want to give me a piece? the housekeeper said.
Jim thought about ita moment, and then he said, Yes.
Do you like me? said the housekeeper.
100 I like you, said Jim. Do you like me?
Yes, said the housekeeper.
Do you like school?
Jim didn't know for sure, but he knew he liked the part about
gum. And Hannah Winter. And Ernest Gaskin.
105 I don't know, he said.
Do you sing? asked the housekeeper.
No, we don't sing, he said.
Do you play games? she said.
Not in the·school, he said. In the yard we do.
110 He liked the part about gum very much.
Miss Binney said, Jim Davy, what are you chewing?
Ha ha ha, he thought.
Gum, he said.
He walked to the waste-paper basket and back to his seat, and
115 Hannah Winter saw him, and Ernest Gaskin too. That was the best
part of school.
lt began to grow too.
Ernest Gaskin, he shouted m the schoolyard, what are you
chewing?
,su/len (l. 78): in abad mood,
unhappy 120 Raw elephant meat, said Ernest Gaskin. Jim Davy, what are you
unalive (1.80): dead, or chewing?
feeling dead Jim tried to think of something very funny to be chewing, but he
nickel (1.91): a five cent couldn't.
coin (100 cents = 1 Gum, he said, and Ernest Gaskin laughed louder than Jim
dollar)
raw (l.120): not cooked 125 laughed when Ernest Gaskin said raw elephant meat.
(Ernest is making a joke)
4
 lt was funny no matter what you said.
Going back to the classroom Jim saw Hannah Winter in the hall.
Hannah Winter, he said, what in the world are you chewing?
The little girl was startled. She wanted to say something nice that
130 would honestly show how nice she felt about having Jim say her
name and ask her the funny question, making fun of school, but she
couldn't think of anything that nice to say because they were almost
in the room and there wasn't time enough.
Tutti-frutti, she said with desperate haste.
135 lt seemed to Jim he had never befare heard such a glorious word,
and he kept repeating the word to himself all day.
Tutti-frutti, he said to Amy on the way home.
Amy Larson, he said, what, are, you, chewing?
He told his father all about it at the supper table.
140 He said, Once there was a hill. On the hill there was a mill.
Under the mill there was a walk. Under the walk there was a key.
What is it?
I don't know, his father said. What is it?
Milwaukee, said the boy.
145 The housekeeper was delighted.
Mill. Walk. Key, Jim said.
Tutti-frutti.
What's that? said his father.
Gum, he said. The kind Hannah Winter chews.
150 Who's Hannah Winter? said his father.
She's in my room, he said.
startled (l.129): surprised Oh, said his father.
tutti frutti (l.134): an Italian After supper he sat on the floor with the small red and blue and
ice cream flavour (fruit) yellow top that hummed while it spinned. It was all right, he
Milwaukee (l.144): a city in
155 guessed. lt was still very sad, but the gum part of it was very funny
the US State of Wisconsin
my room (l.151): my class and the Hannah Winter part very nice. Raw elephant meat, he
top (l. 154): a child's toy thought with great inward delight.
hummed (l.154): the noise Raw elephant meat. he said aloud to his father who was reading
sorne tops make the evening paper. His father folded the paper and sat on the floor
spinned (l.154): a top
balances upright and goes 160 beside him. The housekeeper saw them together on the floor and
round very fast, or spins for sorne reason tears carne to her eyes.