The Year of Miss Agnes

IMPORTANT: Comprehension questions will be in chronological order as you read through the story. Page numbers are approximate, and will vary with different editions of the book.

Section 1: Chapters 1-4

Vocabulary
  1. harness: straps that form the gear of a working animal
  2. trap: a device used for catching animals
  3. quill: a large feather from a bird
  4. nuisance: an annoying person or thing
  5. waggle: to move while shaking
  6. moccasins: shoes made of soft leather
Vocabulary Sentences
  1. Jordan watched the leaves in the trees waggle as the strong wind blew.
  2. On cold nights I like to wear my moccasins around the house.
  3. The husky had to wear a harness in order to pull the sled.
  4. In colonial times, writing would be done with a quill because pens had not been invented.
  5. The crying child was a nuisance during the movie.
  6. We have to set out a trap every night in order to catch the mouse.
Comprehension Questions
  1. Sam tells Fred he brought her a new teacher. (pg. 5)
  2. Fred and Bertha have never seen a woman wear pants. (pg. 7)
  3. Fred is named after Dubin’s mother, Frederika. (pg. 11)
  4. The village needs a school because there are enough children in the village. (pg. 14)
  5. Bokko doesn’t go to school because she is deaf. (pg. 15)
  6. Mamma thinks everyone should be working hard instead of going to school. (pg. 20)
  7. Fred’s grandma grumbles at Mamma because she orders her parkas from a catalog. (pg. 22-23)

Section 2: Chapters 5-9

Vocabulary
  1. holler: to shout
  2. arithmetic: basic mathematics
  3. hunker: to squat down close to the ground
  4. picky: difficult to please
  5. geography: the study of the earth’s surface
  6. embarrass: to make someone feel self-conscious
Vocabulary Sentences
  1. Jill would embarrass her friend by tripping her during dance practice.
  2. Taylor would often hunker down in the living room to build with blocks.
  3. Mother had to holler so that her toddler would not run into the street in front of the bus.
  4. The 3rd grade teacher tested her students on their arithmetic every Wednesday morning.
  5. The boy was a picky eater and would not taste the tuna sandwich.
  6. While studying geography, the class learned about the many mountain ranges in the United States.
Comprehension Questions
  1. Miss Agnes gives Little Pete and Roger with a smart look. (pg. 26)
  2. Miss Agnes doesn’t believe in grades. (pg. 27)
  3. Fred makes a picture of Miss Agnes because she doesn’t know how to make a picture of music. (pg. 32)
  4. Miss Agnes tells Bertha she is ready to learn cursive. (pg. 35)
  5. Miss Agnes wants the children to learn arithmetic so that no one could cheat them. (pg. 44)
  6. Miss Agnes gives Bokko sign language books to help her learn to talk with her hands. (pg. 53)
  7. Mamma isn’t mad at Miss Agnes anymore because she sends her a loaf of bread. (pg. 58)

Section 3: Chapters 10-13

Vocabulary
  1. community: a group of people with the same interests or culture
  2. brittle: easily broken
  3. snare: to catch
  4. microscope: an instrument used to see very small particles
  5. echo: a sound heard again after being reflected
  6. phonograph: an old-fashioned record player
Vocabulary Sentences
  1. In science class, Henry was fascinated by what he could see in a drop of water while looking at it under the microscope.
  2. The sly fox was always trying to snare Little Red Riding Hood.
  3. My grandmother loves to play jazz records on her old phonograph.
  4. Little Italy is a community in New York where many Italians live.
  5. I could hear an echo when I clapped my hands loudly in the empty hallway.
  6. After the storm, there was a brittle layer of ice on the lake.
Comprehension Questions
  1. Miss Agnes takes her squeeze box out at any time of the day. (pg. 65)
  2. If the dance goes on long enough, then everyone has a best song they sing. (pg. 67)
  3. Miss Agnes makes a number line with the skinny white paper. (pg. 69)
  4. Fred’s grandfather and his friends didn’t know about World War I because there weren’t radios then. (pg. 72)
  5. Fred wants to look into the microscope forever, even if her eyes feel sore and tired. (pg. 75)
  6. Miss Agnes feels homesick when she plays the King’s Choir record. (pg. 79)
  7. The people ran our of the church screaming when they saw the bright flash. (pg. 86)

Section 4: Chapters 14-17

Vocabulary
  1. brag: to speak highly of oneself
  2. forget: to be unable to remember
  3. invent: to create something new
  4. gloomy: dark or dim
  5. priest: a person ordained as a minister
  6. country: a state or nation
Vocabulary Sentences
  1. When my uncle got married, a priest performed the wedding.
  2. John tried to invent a machine that would wash his dog.
  3. It’s not considered polite to brag, even if you do have the highest score.
  4. Mother told me many times not to forget to brush my teeth before going to bed.
  5. The stormy weather made the sky look gloomy.
  6. Brazil is a country in South America.
Comprehension Questions
  1. Miss Agnes makes books about each student for them to read. (pg. 91)
  2. Miss Agnes gives the students notebooks so they can create their own dictionaries and learn to spell. (pg. 93)
  3. Fred thinks that good English sounds wrong because she’s not used to speaking it the right way. (pg. 97)
  4. Miss Agnes leaves her books, phonograph, and records behind. (pg. 107)
  5. Fred and Bokko’s job is to hang up the fish strips to dry. (pg. 110)
  6. Fred has a lump in her throat every time she thinks about what Miss Agnes taught her. (pg. 111)
  7. Fred and Bokko discover that Miss Agnes has returned to the village. (pg. 113)