Billie jo is the firstperson narrator of the free verse poems that make up out of the dust. Billie jo is partially responsiblefully responsible in the eyes of the communityand sustains injuries that seem to bring to a halt her dreams of playing the piano. How does the title of the book reflect on billie jo as a person. She taught billie how to play the piano, and grew apple trees since billie loved apples so much. Guide students to do a deep reading of the text, making inferences and analyzing the theme. Billie jo is the one who names franklin after fdr, who was president at the time. Arley asks billie jo to play at the palace dance revue. Here are a few slides that will help you provide historical context for the book, as well as define main characters, setting, symbolism, and. Out of the dust is a verse novel by karen hesse, first published in 1997 summary. Polly kelby ma is billie jos mother is from a higher class than her father who tries to teach her. At one point billie jo wants to escape out of the dust, but later she says, i cant get out of something that is inside me. The flower is as big as a dinner plate you know, the ones billie jo put upside down on the table to keep out the dust and is beautiful.
The book centers around billie jo, a 14yearold girl, and her family. Her father, bayard kelby henceforth called daddy, is a wheat farmer. Billie jo kelby is the strong and courageous protagonist, or main character, of the novel. While only a minor character in an early chapter in the book, billie jos best friend, livie. Character traits out of the dust winter 1934 by nicole. What is the lesson that billie jo learns in out of the dust.
After students have read out of the dust, discuss things they notice and things they like about free verse. Billie jo is a thirteenyearold girl living in oklahoma during the dust bowl era. Billies father spends most of the time digging a hole, the hole that ma once wanted. Written by karen hesse, out of the dust is about a girl named billie jo and her life in the dust bowl, a region that includes parts of kansas, oklahoma, texas, new mexico, and colorado.
Despite the continual dust storms, billie jo and her parents struggle to make the best of a grim situation by living their lives as normally as possible. The book provides a wonderful example of the power of poetry to express deep feelings and meanings. Figurative language out of the dust by nicole milton on prezi. Out of the dust quotes showing 117 of 17 the way i see it, hard times arent only about money, or drought, or dust.
In order to answer this question, the best poem to read from out of the dust would be give up on wheat. In 1998, it won a newbery medal, and other various awards such as the scott odell award. Billie jo begins practicing on the school piano for the talent show at the palaceit pays off and she wins third prize in the contest. Head the first one, event, the second one, cause, and the third one, effect. She cleaned the house constantly being forced to because of the constant dust, kept billie jo concentrated on school, and helped her husband in the fields when needed. The next morning, the flower wilts and burns up in the heat of the day. Billie jo has to try and play through the pain of her hands, the pain of losing her.
We know how billie jo changes because hesse narrates out of the dust in the first person, allowing billie jo to speak for herself. Our online out of the dust trivia quizzes can be adapted to suit your requirements for taking some of the top out of the dust quizzes. In out of the dust, during the drought, what did polly. How do the deaths affect billie jo and her fathers relationship. The terrible storms continue as billie jo and her father drift further apart. It shows that the story of billie jo kelby, a 14yearold girl with musical talent living in oklahoma during the dust bowl, is fraught with tragedy. The williams family takes up residence in billie jos classroom at school. What are some of the things that billie jo misses about. Her music makes her mother wince but shes making a name for herself with the kids at school intrigued by her wild and exuberant music. Billie jo fully intends to ride that music out of the dust.
Her father sinks into a deep depression, and billie jo retreats into numb self pity. Billie jo kelby is a 14yearold girl living in oklahoma during the dust bowl years. Billie jo is closer to her mother than to her father. How does it reflect on the general experience of people at that time. Out of the dust karen hesse winner of the newbery medal beginning. A fiery accident robs billie jo of her mother and leaves her injured and unable to. The opening of the book also describes the dust storms. You must have done a lot of research about plants and farming in order to write out of the dust. Onomatopoeia similes and metaphors idioms personification alliteration it was so cold i saw polar bears wearing jackets. Howdoes it reflect on the general experience of people at that time. Mar 09, 2012 at one point billie jo wants toescape out of the dust, but later she says i cant get out of something that isinside me. The disappointment of failing crops, the discomfort of the invasive dust, the devastation of losing friends forced from their land are softened by simple hopes rooted in the dream that rain might fall.
What are the character traits of billie jo in out of the. To find pdf versions of the storia teacher guides and links to. In out of the dust, billie jo is given a boys name for a simple reason. Out of the dust delivers a powerful message about forgiveness, hope, and healing through its sparse, poetic text. Themes courage, history, adventure problemsolving, family, responsibility, betrayal, forgiveness i. Inspiration in the dust about ala american library association. Billie jo is a thirteenyearold girl and the narrator of the story. She is often asked whether the accident in out of the dust could have actually taken place. Out of the dust is a fictional account of one girls life in oklahoma, during the hardships of the great dust bowl.
She lives near joyce city, oklahoma, located in the oklahoma panhandle, during the great depression of the 1930s, with her mother and father. Download free pdf ebook today a powerful post nuclear holocaust novel described by the author as my cry against. Out of the dust by karen hesse in a series of poems, thirteenyearold billie jo relates the hardships of living on her familys wheat farm in oklahoma during the dust bowl years of the depression. Discussion questions on out of the dust beacon learning center. A comprehensive database of more than 11 out of the dust quizzes online, test your knowledge with out of the dust quiz questions.
Pdf children of the dust by louise lawrence download in pdf or epub online. Billie jo begins with how her father wants to have a son instead of a. Billie jo makes the point of saying that her mother was the one going between her and her father. The song is based on the book out of the dust by karen hesse.
Did this format help you as the reader get into the story and understand the main character. Have students begin the character analysis graphic organizer to chart the development of billie jo and. Get an answer for in out of the dust, how is billie jo emotional, musical, thoughtful and caring. Billie jo want to leave the dust bowl and escape her problems, but she is a product of the dust, a child of the panhandle. Billie jo is also a great connoisseur of applerelated dishes, and the harvest from mas apple tree is a favorite yearly event. Get an answer for what is the lesson that billie jo learns in out of the dust. In out of the dust, why was billie jo named billie jo. In out of the dust, how is billie jo emotional, musical, thoughtful. Billie jo is 14 years old when out of the dust begins. Out of the dust study guide out of the dust by karen hesse.
Billie jo s story is written through her own eyes, in the form of freestyle poetry. She demonstrates many different qualities throughout the novel. Get an answer for in karen hesses out of the dust, how would billie jo s life be different if she was a boy. Billie jo begins with how her father wants to have a son instead of a daughter, but how he loves her anyway, but treats her like the son he doesnt have, rough and tough. I can identify character traits and provide evidence to support my inference. Daddy begins showing signs of skin cancer, prompting billie jo to leave home. Polly is billy jo s mother ma, and bayard is billie jo s father daddy. Out of the dust character analysis billie jo kelby she is 14 years old when the story begins, tall and slender, with red hair and freckles, and she loves apples. Billie jo mentions more than once that she and her father dont know how to talk to each other.
How does the title of the book reflect billie jo as a person. Acclaimed author karen hesses newbery medalwinning novel in verse explores the life of fourteenyearold billie jo growing up in the dust bowls of oklahoma. The fact that were eavesdropping on billie jo s diary makes it pretty clear that shes the main character. Billie jo loves her family and her music, and she struggles when both are taken from her. Out of the dust is a verse novel by karen hesse, first published in 1997. This study guide consists of approximately 65 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of out of the dust. Billie jo imagines that it comes out at night to avoid being destroyed by the sun. Then decide what caused the event and what the effect or result was. How does billie jo s mother and brothers death affect billie jo. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Billie jo kelby lives on a farm in oklahoma with her parents during the great depression. I came too fast for the doctor, bawling as soon as daddy wiped his hand around. Her father being a farmer makes life harder, because of the lack of money. Billie jo tells of her life in oklahoma during the dust bowl.
Ma crouched, barefoot, bare bottomed over the swept boards, because thats where daddy said itd be best. Apr 29, 2011 i put this together as a final project for eng748 at salem state university in spring 2011. Out of dust paragraph in section five, the relationship between billie jo and her father can be described as joyless, depressive, and lifeless. Vibrant descriptions and spirited characters in out of the dust furnish an ideal. When the novel begins, billie jo is making the best of her life despite the dust storms, depression, and drought. Your descriptions of the wheat crops, mas apple trees, and mrs. Billie jo begins with how her father wants to have a son instead of a daughter, but how he. Out of the dust is what billie wants, never to return. Billie jo feels that this strains their relationship. The entries in out of the dust are dated as if billie jo wrote them in a journal. Study guide answers out of the dust by karen hesse. In karen hesses novel out of the dust, the narrator is billie joe kelby.
Billie jo s mother is pregnant and theyre all looking forward to the babys arrival. August 1920 as summer wheat came ripe, so did i, born at home, on the kitchen floor. Billie jo is a piano player, but in an accident that killed her mother, billie jos hands were severely burned. If your class is reading the historical fiction novel, out of the dust, then you are in luck. What does the novel show to prove that billie jo is emotional, musical, thoughtful, and caring. Billie jo and her father blame themselves and each other for the tragedy. The novel traces events in the life of billie jo, a young girl growing up in the oklahoma dust bowl from the winter of 1934 to autumn of 1935. Her appreciation for this staple in her life demonstrates an ability to look toward brighter days, no matter how much dust swirls around and clouds the sky. She also lives in oklahoma in the 1930s during the dust bowl.
Each chapterpoem is a journal entry, which means we get to be firsthand witnesses to billie jo s joys, struggles, and perseverance. In a series of poems, fifteenyearold billie jo relates the hardships of living on her familys wheat farm in oklahoma during the dust bowl years of the depression. In karen hesses out of the dust, how would billie jos. With his good looks, sultry crooning voice, and crowdpleasing personality, mad dog craddocks. A terrible accident has transformed billie jo s life, scarring her inside and out. The phrase out of the dust appears several times in the book. Cause and effect chart for out of the dust create three columns on your paper. Her experiences and actions cause her to change during the novel. Remind students that the theme is a message about life or human nature that the author expresses through the characters actions and ideas. Out of the dust, karen hesse literarynovel in verse. She begins to dream of going somewhere else, out of the dust.
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