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TEACHER’S GUIDE / ANSWER KEY Detour For Emmy True-to-Life Series
from Hamilton High
by Marilyn Reynolds
Absorbing Novel for Young Adults
Expository and creative writing activities, discussion guides, group work,
art projects, readers theater scripts, vocabulary and comprehension checks,
complete with reproducible masters.
By Marilyn Reynolds and David Doty
Detour For Emmy TeachingGuide
Copyright © 1998 by Marilyn Reynolds and David Doty
All Rights Reserved
Materials in this guide may be reproduced as needed for student/classroom use.
Emmy starts school at Hamilton High after having been a leader and an excellent student in junior
high school. She is close to her older brother, who is always at the edge of trouble. Her mother drinks
too much and doesn’t offer her much emotional support, but Emmy has strong friendships and plenty
of recognition at school so she generally does fine. Then she meets Art in her chorus class.
Art is a junior, popular, and she falls for him. They are careful always to use protection after they
become sexually active, until one night at the beach when Art convinces Emmy that the “pull out”
method is safe. The resulting pregnancy and Art’s refusal to believe that Emmy could possibly be
pregnant with his child tests their “love” to the breaking point.
Suddenly Emmy finds herself caught by demands and responsibilities beyond her years, and sees
her high school life and college dreams fade. She struggles to be a good mother to Baby Rosie and to
continue her education, though in a vastly modified manner than what had once been her plan.
Art, who is decent but weak, does not carry his share of the load with the baby, even though he
eventually admits that he is Rosie’s father. Others of the extended family help, Art’s father, Emmy’s
brother, but it is Emmy whose life has drastically changed.
The complete True-­‐to-­‐Life Series from Hamilton High Detour for Emmy
Too Soon for Jeff
Beyond Dreams
Telling
But What About Me?
Baby Help
If You Loved Me
Love Rules
No More Sad Goodbyes
Shut Up
New Wind Publishing info@NewWindPublishing.com http://NewWindPublishing.com 3 41
True-to-Life Series from Hamilton High Teaching Guide
Detour for Emmy
Chapters 1— 6, Pages 9-69
Summary
The sum m er before
E m ily M orriso n sta rts
H a m ilton Hi gh School is
spent going to the beach with
her fr ie n d s , Tammy and
Pauline, worrying about, and
being excited about, starting
high school. Emmy is a strong
student with close friendships
and a variety o f interests, in­
cluding soccer and choir. She
has little support at home,
with a mother who drinks too
much and an older brother
with problems o f his own.
A p o p u la r junior, A rt
Rodriguez, notices Emmy in
choir and invites her to a
party. Art is highly motivated
to go to college, and helps
Emmy get involved with a spe­
cial program, Project Hope,
that will enable her to get the
financial support she needs so
that she, too, can go to col­
lege when the time comes.
They are supportive o f each
other and develop a loving
relationship.
After several months o f
dating, they become sexually
active, being careful always to
use protection until one night
at the beach they get carried
away. A rt convinces Emmy
that it’s okay to use the “pull
out” method o f birth control.
Before Reading
• Getting Started
1. Have students do a QUICKWRITE (page 141, Teacher Support
Section) describing a memorable summer. If students are near
their eighth grade year, they could concentrate on describing that
particular summer after their eighth grade. If they are older, they
could recall any summer that was interesting and memorable.
2. Review with students the literary term flashback. Tell them most
of the opening chapter takes place in flashback as Emmy describes
the summer after her eighth grade graduation.
3. Discuss with students the concept of dysfunction, a term generally
used in present culture to describe family relationships. It is
important for students to understand that all families have prob­
lems and that Em my’s family problems are not unusual. Included
in the opening chapter is the fact that her brother, David, is run­
ning away and her mother drinks to excess. Both of these facts
concern Emmy very much and will be important later in the story.
(Page 39 begins a detailed description of Em my’s family life.)
4. Have students write a brief paper on their favorite school subject.
Explore what it is about that subject that most appeals to them. Is
it the fact they get good grades or they feel most successful in that
area? Emmy admits early in the novel to being a good reader and
liking the way books help her go to a different world. What
worlds do students like to explore? If they do not enjoy reading,
can they explain why? Is there any particular incident in their
school history that might be the cause of the negative feeling?
5. In a journal entry, direct students to write a short description of a
place that is their very own. Common areas include a bedroom,
locker space, a family room, a treehouse, desk space at school, a
reading comer, etc. What are the qualities of the space and what
makes this place so important?
6. Review the literary term foreshadow. Why would an author use
this technique early in a novel? (Emmy foreshadows her sexual
experiences at the end of Chapter 4, page 47.)
442
Detour for Emmy Teaching
Guide
• Vocabulary
polysyllabic
philosophical
spermicide
gravitate
arboretum
spasm
bail
fuselage
lucrative
unison
mijo
convulsion
During Reading
• Study Questions (For discussion or individual work)
1. What are Emmy’s first impressions of Art?
2. What three things seem most important to Emmy?
3. Why are Emmy, Tammy and Pauline labeled the “temerarious trio”?
4. What are some things that Emmy and Art discover they have in common?
5. What does Emmy do at the airport while waiting for A rt’s plane to land?
• Writing/Discussion Possibilities
1. Create a Summer Journal for Emmy, describing her summer between eighth and ninth grade. You
may create original entries based on Emmy’s description of the summer (page 12), or you may
use a combination of the author’s words and original writing.
2. Write an inner monologue for Emmy as she prepares and waits for Art to pick her up for their first
date. In her excitement, she changes clothes three times (page 28). Remember that an inner
monologue consists of the inner thoughts of the character and does not have an audience focus.
Write with a stream of consciousness style, focusing on the feelings of the character, rather than
actions.
3. Discuss the importance or unimportance of letter grades as an indicator of academic achievement.
Would you be willing to work equally as hard in academic subjects if there were no letter grades?
Should colleges place so much emphasis on letter grades for admission?
5 43
True-to-Life Series from Hamilton High Teaching Guide
Date
Name
Vocabulary Worksheet
Word List
polysyllabic
philosophical
spermicide
gravitate
arboretum
spasm
bail
fuselage
lucrative
unison
mijo
convulsions
Fill in each blank with the correct word from the word list.
I. When I go to visit my grandmother in Mexico City, she always calls m e ______________ and I
know she likes me.
2 . 1 felt a quick___________jolt through my back when I bent too fast to pick up the pile of wood.
3. Emmy, Pauline and Tammy enjoy playing word games, trying to u s e __________________words
to impress each other.
4. Sitting around a campfire and talking about serious ideas most often will produce a
_________________ tone.
5. Certain diseases may cause a person to go in to ____________________ and they need immediate
medical attention.
6. Our class took a trip to th e _______________________ to see plants native to California.
7. When I feel an attraction to a person, I find that I _________________toward being in their
company as much as possible.
8. Used properly, a tube o f ____________________helps kill sperm.
9. Sal’s after school job was s o ___________________he bought CDs whenever he felt like it.
10. Getting a person out of jail requires_______________ money to be posted.
II. Often the choir is required to d o __________________singing, not four-part harmony.
12. When the plane crashed in the mountains, one wing was totally separated from the
644
Detour for Emmy Teaching
Guide
After Reading
1. Divide the class into small groups and assign each group the task of illustrating one event of
Emmy’s life from the summer following eighth grade to the end of chapter six, the end of her
ninth grade year. This should be done on large illustration paper so that all sections can be com­
bined into one large storyboard for display. The individual sections are placed in chronological
order for display. Each illustration must have a caption, as well as drawings or collage work. A
variation of this is to have the students line up across the front of the room with their drawings
and place the drawings in plot sequence without discussion or talking.
2. Chapter six ends with, “But what if, I thought.” Have students write about how things would have
been different “i f ’ they had done something differently. For example, if they had not changed
schools twice in their seventh grade year, if they had not moved to a new state, if they had studied
for the math test, if they had not met their best friend. This assignment helps focus on the role of
choice and/or consequence in our lives.
3. Have students play a game of charades, assuming the role of Emmy, Tammy and Pauline. Choose
“polysyllabic” words to be acted out. Keep the game going for several rounds, changing roles as
often as necessary. Students can choose words randomly from a dictionary or the teacher can
prepare a list ahead of time.
4. Have students discuss the reason authors divide their works into the chapters they choose. How
much information should go into a chapter choice, and what is the criteria for stopping at a given
point? Review the first six chapters of the novel and have students write or discuss why they
think it makes sense to end at the point it does. If they disagree with the author’s division, tell
why and offer an alternative.
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True-to-Life Series from Hamilton High Teaching Guide
Detour for Emmy
Chapters 7— 14, Pages 70-132
Summary
By the beginning o f Emmy’s sophomore year she’s much
less childlike, both physically and emotionally. She is closer
to Art and less involved with her girlfriends, although she
and Tammy remain close. She is in the advanced choir group,
working hard at fund-raising so she can afford to go on the
choir tour to New York in the spring.
Emmy’s brother, David, returns home and reveals that
part o f the time he was away he was in a drug rehab pro­
gram. He finds work and is getting along well when he’s
arrested on an old charge.
Emmy suspects she is pregnant. She uses a home preg­
nancy testing kit which confirms her suspicions, then gets a
test at a doctor’s office.
Art denies that he has any responsibility in Emmy’s preg­
nancy and breaks up with Emmy. She wavers back and forth
between deciding to have an abortion and keeping the baby,
finally deciding against an abortion— needing someone to
love and someone who would love her.
Emmy confesses to her mother that she is pregnant. Her
mother will help Emmy with an abortion, but not with a
baby.
When the school counselor realizes Emmy is pregnant,
she says her plans fo r college must be revised, and that
Emmy will need to leave Hamilton High fo r the Teen Moth­
ers program.
Art has a new girlfriend, Amy. They will be going to
New York on the choir tour. Emmy is too fa r along in her
pregnancy to make the trip, even though she’s earned enough
money to go.
Emmy changes schools and learns about pregnancy and
childbirth, along with the additional academic subjects.
A t school, one o f the girls starts labor and Emmy real­
izes fo r the first time that there will be pain much more ex­
treme than dull backache, and she wonders who will help
her out when she starts labor.
Before Reading
• Getting Started
1. Write about a time when one of your
close friends acted differently to­
ward you with no apparent reason.
What did you do to resolve the
situation?
2. Discuss the various current options
for teen girls facing pregnancy.
Where can they turn for help and
counseling? Does your school have a
Teen Parent Program? How does it
function within the whole school
setting?
3. For a class or panel discussion,
consider the question: Should preg­
nant high school girls be
mainstreamed into the regular
program or should their education be
in a separate setting? (Be sure the
class knows it is not legal for a
student in public school to be pushed
out of school or even transferred to a
special program because of preg­
nancy. The student chooses whether
to remain in her current school or
transfer.)
• Vocabulary
fawn
choreograph
PCP
mija
queasy
eerie
contagious
glob
disability
846
Detour for Emmy Teaching Guide
During Reading
• Study Questions
1. At the end of chapter 7, Emmy says, “It took days to shake off a feeling of deep sadness.” Why
was she sad?
2. What has David been doing during the past year?
3. What is A rt’s reaction to Emmy’s news that she is pregnant?
• Writing/Discussion Possibilities
1. Have students write a letter from Emmy to Art, describing her feelings and attitude about his
reaction to her news. It is important to remind students of his attitude through the whole section.
The letter form allows writers the opportunity to be more open and candid. Students can create
decorative stationery and envelopes. Letters should be shared in the classroom.
2. Have students discuss the author’s use of the direct statement, “I ’m pregnant,” which begins
chapter 9. Why did the author choose to begin the chapter in this manner, instead of creating a
long narrative section first, and then using the dialogue? What does it do to the structure of the
chapter to begin in this manner?
3. Use the DOUBLE-ENTRY JOURNAL format (pages 141-142, Teacher Support Section) to
have students respond to at least three entries from this section. These chapters contain several
tense moments as well as dramatic dialogue scenes, and students should choose freely. However,
the following are good resources:
“It took days for me to shake off a feeling of deep sadness.” (page 74)
“It was the big ‘what if.’” (page 76)
“. . . remember there are no easy answers in this life.” (page 89)
“We’ll always be friends, but I can’t handle this other stuff right now.” (page 96)
“How I longed for those simpler days . . . ” (page 102)
“Maybe I was just getting paranoid, though.” (page 108)
“It was bad enough I was away from my friends.” (page 122)
4. Throughout these chapters, Emmy faces several major decisions. These involve telling Art of the
pregnancy, telling her mother the same news, choices about her future in school, what to do about
the choir tour, and her personal relationships with friends. Have students choose one major
decision and write an essay agreeing or disagreeing with Em my’s choice. If they disagree, what
criteria would they suggest for a different choice? If they agree, have them explain why.
5. Emmy wishes she could go back in time and recreate the situation differently. Divide the class
into small groups and have them share with their group a situation they would like to do over and
tell what they would do differently.
9
10
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True-to-Life Series from Hamilton High Teaching Guide
Date
Name_______________________________________
Vocabulary Worksheet
Chapters 7— 14
Write the letter o f the best answer on the line provided. Please read the clues carefully before
choosing.
.1. Which word means to show lavish affection and emotion?
a. eerie
b. queasy
c. fawn
d. crusty
_2. Which word best describes a sick feeling?
a. fawn
b. queasy
c. fortunate
d. glob
_3. Which is a large mass or lump?
a. contagious
b. fawn
c. glob
d. shroud
_4. Which of the following best describes a disease which spreads easily from person to person?
a. eerie
b. contagious
c. PCP
d. woeful
_5. Which word is a Spanish term of endearment?
a. mija
b. kinder
c. operant
d. conch
_6. Which word could be used at Halloween?
a. fussy
b. resigned
c. avid
d. eerie
1. Which word suggests how a dance piece gets designed?
a. sketch
b. choreograph
c. surge
d . evade
.8. Which word is a synonym for disability?
a. expansive
b. mastery
d. fawn
c. incapacity
11
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Detour for Emmy Teaching
Guide
After Reading
1. Have the students perform the READERS THEATER script (pages 49-50) or adapt their own
from the chapters, according to GUIDELINES FOR ADAPTING MATERIAL FOR READ­
ERS THEATER (page 145, Teacher Support Section). Suggested possibilities include:
p. 80, “Do I smell sausage . . . ?”
p. 85, “Can we clear this room out?”
p. 92, “After dinner the men stood around . . . ”
p. 99, “What do you mean . . . ?”
2. The art teacher in Emmy’s high school has received a request for her students to submit a collage
that would portray teen life. These collages will eventually be placed on display in a downtown
bank. Have students create a collage from the viewpoint of Emmy, Pauline, Tammy, or Art. This
collage should be expressive of their lives at this point in the novel. The collage may use a variety
of media, drawing, painting, magazine pictures, or other available material. Students should show
and discuss their collage, then place it on display in the classroom.
3. In English class, Emmy has an assignment to write a 12 LINE POEM (page 149, Teacher
Support Section), following the pattern shown by the teacher. Students should write the poem,
using Emmy’s point of view. They should make two final copies of the poem, one for the teacher
and the other for an instant poetry bulletin board.
True-to-Life Series from Hamilton High Teaching Guide
12
49
Detour for Emmy
by Marilyn Reynolds
Chapter 8
Adapted by David Doty — Limited to classroom use
CAST:
Emmy, David, Art
Emmy:
It’s Halloween night and I was just putting the finishing touches on my Marge
Simpson costume when the doorbell rang.
David:
(back to audience) “Trick or Treat!”
Emmy:
I went to the front door and there he was. My long-lost brother. “David,” I screamed,
and he hugged me so hard I could hardly breathe.
David:
(facing audience) “God, I ’ve missed you, Little Sister. Wow! Look at you. You’re all
grown up!”
Emmy:
He looked great. When he’d left, that long ago summer night, he’d been skinny and
pale and his hands always shook. But now he looked strong and healthy. I squeezed
his gut and he laughed. “Have you been working out?”
David:
“I ’ve got so much to tell you . . . stuff I didn’t want to talk about on the phone.”
Emmy:
He sat on the edge of my bed and watched as I finished my Marge Simpson make-up
and readjusted the wig.
David:
“I ’ve been in rehab, Em.”
Emmy:
“Rehab? But I ’ve been talking to you almost every week.”
David:
“It was a modem place. You know, toilets, stoves, phones.”
Emmy:
“B u t . . . ”
David:
“I couldn’t tell you over the phone. But it’s absolutely the best thing that ever hap­
pened to me. For the first time in a long time, I have some hope for my life.”
Emmy:
He unraveled the whole story and when he was done, he said,
David:
“I know it was stupid. I ’m lucky I ’m alive and still have a few brain cells left.”
Emmy:
We heard three short beeps from the driveway, A rt’s signal that he’d arrived. David
followed me out to the living room and stood watching as I greeted Art with a kiss.
He was a strange looking Bart with his dark skin and his funny blonde wig. “Art, this
is my brother, David. H e’s here.”
13
50
Detour for Emmy Teaching Guide
Art:
“I see.”
Emmy:
The three of us talked for a few minutes, then Art said,
Art:
“We’d better be going, Em.”
Emmy:
“David and I still have a lot of catching up to do.”
David:
“No, go ahead. I ’ve been traveling for a long time. I ’m going to crash hard, and then
tomorrow sometime you and I are going to have a long heart-to-heart.” (Back to
audience)
Emmy:
(onstage focus) Art and I left to go to Hamilton’s Haunted House.
Art:
“Is he staying in our room tonight?”
Emmy:
“H e’s staying in his room.”
Art:
“Did you get our stuff out?”
Emmy:
“What stuff?”
Art:
“You know, Em. The condoms and the foam.”
Emmy:
“No. I didn’t even think about it.”
Art:
“This is going to be very embarrassing.”
Discussion
1. How had David changed while he was in rehab?
2. Why do you suppose he couldn’t tell Emmy where he was when they talked on the phone?
3. Why did Art call David’s room “our” room?
4. How do you think Emmy’s brother will react when he sees condoms and foam in the room he
hasn’t used for several months?
14
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True-to-Life Series from Hamilton High Teaching Guide
Detour for Emmy
Chapters 15— 21, Pages 133-185
Summary
Emmy is delighted to finally get a phone call
from David again. He is very critical o f Art fo r not
being supportive o f Emmy at this time. She feels
like defending Art and wonders why.
Emmy’s body has changed significantly— big
belly, swollen breasts and ankles, loss o f muscle
tone.
She asks her mother to attend childbirth classes
with her and to coach her through labor. Her
mother reluctantly agrees, but is not around when
Emmy starts labor.
Tammy takes Emmy to the hospital, and Emmy
goes through the experience with only strangers
fo r support. When the baby is born she names her
Rosemary, after her (Emmy’s) grandmother.
On the way home from the hospital, Emmy de­
mands that her mother not smoke with the baby in
the car. Her mother thinks Emmy isfoolish to worry
about a little smoke, or using a car seat.
Emmy notices that the baby has a mole in ex­
actly the same place and the same shape as a mole
o f A rt’s.
Emmy sees that taking care o f an infant is much
more difficult than she had expected.
Art calls, saying he wants to befriends, not al­
ways be mad at each other. Emmy tells him how
irresponsible and selfish he’s been and hangs up
on him, hating him, but also caught by memories
o f him during better times.
Emmy reads Anne F rank: The D iary o f a
Young Girl. Although her life is much easier than
Anne’s, she feels a commonality in that they are
both confined. Her reading helps her appreciate
her life and fight depression.
It’s been months since Emmy has been out, and
Tammy convinces her to double date with her and
her boyfriend, Bobby, and her cousin who is visit­
ing from Oregon. Tammy’s cousin, Brad, turns out
to be not such a nice guy. He nearly rapes Emmy.
She gouges his eye and escapes him.
15
52
Detour for Emmy Teaching
Guide
Before Reading
• Getting Started
1. Discuss with students their experience with babies and the general topic of birth. Find out how
many have younger siblings and their relationship to the birth of that sibling. What attitudes are in
the classroom regarding newborns, infants and toddlers? Have any students witnessed the birth of
a baby? What media have they seen describing the birth process? Are they aware of alternative
birthing methods, such as Lamaze, birthing tanks, midwives, etc.?
2. Have students do a QUICKWRITE (page 141, Teacher Support Section) about their name. Do
they know why and how their names were chosen? Do they like their names? Do they know what
their names mean? If they could, would they change their names, and if so, to what? Share these
writings in small groups.
3. This chapter offers an opportunity for students to write about their personal birthmarks. For some
students, this can be a sensitive issue, depending on the type of birthmark and where it is located.
Have students write a short journal entry or paper describing their birthmark and their feelings
and attitude toward it. If this is too sensitive an issue for some students, they may choose to write
about a birthmark they’ve noticed on another person.
4. Lead the class in a discussion on rape and its ramifications to the victim. If possible, arrange for a
speaker to come to class. Check local community resources for a Rape Hotline and its public
relations program. The speaker should make the presentation after the reading of this section or at
the end of the novel.
• Vocabulary
musty
contraction
mucus
undulated
anesthetic
guttural
raspy
scrunch
centimeter
intensify
writhing
chenille
True-to-Ufe Series from Hamilton High Teaching Guide
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During Reading
• Study Questions (For discussion or individual work)
1. How does Emmy feel about writing a journal for her baby?
2. Why does Tammy end up taking Emmy to the hospital?
3. How does Emmy’s attitude toward the school for teen mothers change over time?
• Writing/Discussion Possibilities
1. Have students write a descriptive essay entitled “The Best Party of the Year.” In this essay, they
are to describe the ideal party they would put together. Include such details as who would be
invited, the theme, food, decorations, and type of music. The object of the paper is to show a
party, not just to tell about it.
2. This section of the novel reveals information that could be helpful to students. On chart paper,
have students brainstorm a list of topics that the section deals with and the knowledge they gained
from reading the chapters. The chart should include birth method classes, labor, delivery of a
baby, emotional reactions to a newborn child, drug/substance abuse, party scenes, date rape,
taking care of a newborn, healing past relationships, contact with police, and close personal
support systems. Students will discover more as they brainstorm. The discussion following might
consider how readers gain information from fiction. Is it more effective to learn about issues of
personal significance from fiction or from non-fiction?
3. When Art calls Emmy (page 161) she reacts with anger. Have the students write a short essay in
which they agree or disagree with her reaction to A rt’s phone call. At this point in their relation­
ship, with a newborn child, what obligation does Emmy have to Art? What relationship is
appropriate for him? What are his obligations to their infant?
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Detour for Emmy Teaching Guide
Name
Date___________________
Vocabulary Worksheet
Chapters 15— 21
Match the definition on the right to the proper word on the left by writing the letter o f the
definition.
1. chenille
A. sound produced in the throat
2. intensify
B. to make stronger and more intense
3. writhing
C. to crush or crunch
4. musty
D. unit of measure
5. raspy
E. a soft, tufted material often used in bathrobes
6. undulate
F. twisting or squirming, often in pain
7. anesthetic
G. moldy, stale odor or taste
8. scrunch
H. a grating, grinding sound
9. guttural
I. short tightening of muscle action
10. contraction
J. smooth, wave-like motion
11. centimeter
K. drug producing loss of sensation, feeling
1855
True-to-Life Series from Hamilton High Teaching Guide
Name_______________________________________
Date
After Reading
• Comprehension Check
1. Who helps Emmy through the birth process and why?
2. What does Art mean when he says, “ . . . I called as soon as I heard you’d had your baby”? How
does this show his feelings and attitude about Emmy and the baby?
3. How does Emmy defend herself against the sexual advances of Brad?
19
20
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56
Detour for Emmy Teaching
Guide
• Writing/Discussion Possibilities
1. This section of the novel allows students to role play several telephone conversations. Place two
chairs back to back, so that the readers are not facing each other. Use a telephone prop or panto­
mime one while two students read the phone dialogues. Re-enact David and Emmy talking on
page 133 or Carl and Emmy on page 140. A more dramatic conversation is between Emmy and
Tammy on page 142 or Art and Emmy on page 161. A variation of this activity is to have students
continue the conversation beyond the printed page, using improvisation techniques. They should
consider what would be said if the phone conversation went on for another minute or two. Yet
another variation is to have the character of Emmy improvise a phone call with a student, in his/
her own identity, not a book character. How would the student relate to Emmy, and why would
Emmy be calling her/him?
2. Have students write two or three questions or subjects that they want to discuss in class. These
might cover issues raised in the story such as teen pregnancy, unprotected sex, emotional reaction
to birth, sibling and parent substance abuse, maintaining friendships in times of personal struggle,
date rape and its aftermath, responsibility factors involved in the birth of a child to a teen parent,
or motivations and events in the book. Look through the student-generated questions before the
discussion and organize into general themes or categories. The teacher or a student may lead the
discussion.
3. Students can create an ACROSTIC POEM (page 149, Teacher Support Section) for the charac­
ters involved in this section of the novel. The poems should be displayed in the room and shared
in either small or large groups. Students may choose from a variety of characters or use words
that describe the qualities of that character. Characters to be considered include: Emmy, Rose­
mary (Rosie), Art, David, Tammy, Pauline, Barb, Brad. Key words of the chapter may be ex­
plored in this poem, such as birth, rape, RAVE, loneliness, pregnancy, baby.
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True-to-Life Series from Hamilton High Teaching Guide
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2157
• Art Activities
1. Have students complete the RATE OF RISING ACTION chart (page 150, Teacher Support
Section) for this section of the novel. Brainstorm a list of all the major plot events that take place
in this pivotal section of the story. It is not necessary to brainstorm them in sequence. Then have
students state the event which is the climax of the section. (Most will agree the birth of the baby
is the climax.) Following the brainstorm activity, have students arrange the statements in chrono­
logical order and place them in the proper section of the chart. Students may find it easier to
divide the plot events into two categories: before the birth of Rosemary and after the birth of
Rosemary.
2. Members of the class may purchase or make inexpensive toys or baby gifts and bring to class to
“present” at a baby shower for Emmy. Each student should tell why the gift was selected and
share with the whole class. The gifts can then be donated to a teen parent program in the school,
or to a shelter for women and children.
3. Students can design a character tree, similar to a family tree. Provide them with large poster paper
(larger than notebook size) and have them draw a tree trunk with several large branches. Each
branch will represent one person that is important to the character. Or the branches can also
represent ideas important to the character.
Urge the students to be creative and imaginative in drawing the tree and branches. A symbol or
picture should be pasted or drawn on each branch to show the character’s feelings and relation­
ship to the person or place. For example, if a student chose Em my’s mom, each branch of her tree
would represent an aspect of her life. This would include Emmy, David, work, Rosemary, etc. On
Rosemary’s branch, the student might paste pictures of baby toys or blankets which Barb bought
for Rosie, and symbols to show her feelings about the baby.
A variation would be to have the class design one large tree for Emmy and brainstorm and
contribute, as a whole class, the pictures and symbols for each branch.
True-to-Life Series from Hamilton High Teaching Guide
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Detour for Emmy
Chapters 22—29, Pages 186-255
Summary
Emmy asks Art to come over before he goes a new life.
A rt’s letters from college, at first lengthy and
away to college. He agrees, reminding her that he’s
always wanted to remain friends. When he visits, filled with love are tapering off. Thanksgiving, the
Emmy changes Rosie in front o f him, pointing out day set fo r Art and Emmy to take Rosie to his par­
ents’ house and introduce them, A rt keeps putting
the mole.
Art can no longer deny that Rosie is his daugh­ things off, finally saying they’d get together the
ter and is remorseful that he tried to deny it fo r so next day. Then, the following day, Art refuses to
long. Art and Emmy get back together just before answer the phone.
Finally fe d up, Emmy gets David to drive her
he leaves fo r college. Emmy wants to introduce
Rosie to the rest o f A rt’s family, but he keeps pu t­ and Rosie to A rt’s house and tells his parents
that Rosie is their granddaughter. Mr. Rodriguez,
ting her off.
Emmy returns to Hamilton High School, but can though surprised, accepts Rosie as his grand­
no longer sing in Harmonics, or stay fo r soccer daughter but Mrs. Rodriguez refuses to believe
practice, because the Infant Care hours only cover it.
Art does not stand by Emmy and Rosie. Emmy’s
a basic school day and she has to be there to take
feelings fo r him change with finality, and she
care o f Rosie.
She discovers there is a Project Hope meeting breaks up with him.
Emmy passes a high school equivalency exam
scheduled and she hasn’t even been notified. She
demands a meeting with the counselor, convinc­ and goes to Hamilton Heights Community College.
ing her that she still expects to attend college even The story ends with Emmy, having completed the
first two years o f college, enrolling at CSULA when
though she is now a mom.
David returns home, ready to get a job and start Rosie is three years old.
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Detour for Emmy Teaching
Guide
Before Reading
• Getting Started
1. Have students brainstorm a list of options available to them following graduation from high
school. This list should represent any choice that the student can think of. What skills do they
presently have which might be converted later into job opportunities? What training have they
received or are they receiving that might help them in career choices? What schooling are they
planning on? This list should help the students see that there are countless options available.
2. Have students do a QUICKWRITE (page 141, Teacher Support Section) and predict how they
think the novel will end. What kind of adjustments will Emmy have to make in her life as a teen
mother? How will this situation affect Emmy’s high school education? How will Art be a part of
Emmy’s and Rosie’s life? How will Emmy and her mother deal with their relationship? Will
David return in the story? How will Emmy’s friendships be different? Will characters introduced
earlier in the story be a part of the final chapters? What career options will Emmy consider for her
life? A variation of this activity is to have students brainstorm on chart paper a list of issues left
unresolved at the end of chapter 21 and make predictions about each of those items. This is a
good whole class collaborative project. The chart can be displayed in the classroom and items
checked off as they are resolved in the book.
3. Have students read Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” and, after discussion, write about a time
when they made a choice for their life “that has made all the difference.”
• Vocabulary
grant
secluded
bueno
pendant
horticulture
solidify
diagnostic
coo
provision
diverge
portfolio
spew
obnoxious
forlorn
jazz(ed)
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During Reading
• Study Questions (For discussion or individual work)
1. Why is Art afraid to be seen with Emmy and Rosie after he and Emmy get back together again?
2. What secret does Pauline reveal to Emmy, and how does it affect their friendship?
3. How has Emmy’s mom changed since the beginning of the novel?
• Writing/Discussion Possibilities
1. In an essay or journal entry, have students agree or disagree with the way Emmy surprises Art’s
family with the news about the baby. Is this an appropriate way to reveal such dramatic news?
What are some other ways the situation could have been handled?
2. In a small group setting, have students offer alternative solutions to Emmy leaving high school
and getting her diploma by exam. Are there other things she could have done that would have
allowed her to stay in regular high school and graduate with her class?
3. At the end of chapter 28, Emmy says, “ . . . I had new images. I ’d dreamt new dreams.” Consider­
ing this statement, discuss the literary term foreshadowing, and list possibilities as to what this
phrase might foreshadow for the final chapter. When students complete chapter 29, have them
compare the differences between their list of possibilities and the acutal events of the book.
4. Have students role-play a discussion between Emmy and Pauline in which Emmy reads A rt’s
letter (page 242). What would Emmy tell Pauline about the letter, and how would Pauline react to
Art’s attitude? The role-play can last as long as the students maintain a plausible discussion.
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Detour for Emmy Teaching Guide
Name
D ate
Vocabulary Worksheet
Chapters 22—29
Write the letter o f the best answer on the line provided. Read the clues carefully before
choosing.
1. Which would be a soft, romantic, and murmuring sound?
A. cooing
B. lofty
C. generous
D.
obnoxious
C. liquify
D.
forlorn
. 2. An antonym of solidify would be________
A. spew
B. diagnostic
3. What is a pendantl
A. a fruit
B. something attached to a necklace
D . a long waiting period
C. a portfolio
, 4. Which word can describe behavior?
A. diverge
B. grant
C. portfolio
D.
obnoxious
D.
guilt
D.
jabber
5. A synonym for horticulture i s ____________________ .
A. care of plants
B. animal skin
C. ravenous
6. When things are forced out in a fa st stream, th e y ____ .
A. seclude
B. spew
C. provide
. 7. How would you most likely use buenol
A. as a title
D . as an argument
B. as a name
C. as a descriptive word
. 8. Which would you most likely carry in your hand?
A. a spew
B. a nuzzle
C. a portfolio
D.
a grant
C. one
D.
apart from
others
C. diverge
D.
nuzzle
. 9. Which is a synonym for secludedl
A. fearful
B. chosen
10. Which of the following would be to deviate?
A. grant
B. forlorn
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True-to-Life Series from Hamilton High Teaching Guide
N am e______________________________________
Date
Comprehension Check
Answer the following in brief paragraph form.
1. In what ways did having a baby change Em m y’s plans for the future?
2. How was Emmy’s senior year of high school different than it would have been if she hadn’t had a
baby?
3. Why does Emmy sometimes get discouraged?
4. What is the feeling and tone at the end of the novel? What does Emmy see for herself?
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Detour for Emmy Teaching
Guide
After Reading
1. Write a letter to Emmy, discussing your reaction to her life and circumstances. With what parts of
her life do you feel empathic? What would you like to discuss with Emmy if she were in the
classroom? Please share your letter in a small group.
2. Create a series of “What I f . . . ” statements that would be appropriate to Emmy’s life. Consider
the dramatic changes that her life took, and examine how things would have been different if she
had not become pregnant, or if she had had an abortion, or if she had decided to abstain from sex,
etc. After listing the what if statements, choose one or two and tell the class how Em m y’s life
might have turned out differently. This should be an oral activity, using extemporaneous thought.
3. In a small group setting, have each group create a Treasure Box for Rosie, using either real items
or pictures of objects that Emmy will save for Rosie. These items should reflect things that Emmy
collected from the time of pregnancy to the end of the novel. Suggestions include pictures of
family members, baby gifts from Tammy, Pauline, David, and Em m y’s mom. Or students can
create a Treasure Box of items they would give to the baby. After collecting the materials, each
student should either write or tell why they feel that item is important to Rosie’s Treasure Box.
4. At the end of the novel, the last paragraph foreshadows a relationship with Carl Saunders. Have
students write another chapter of the novel, which takes place one year later. Students may choose
the point of view of Emmy or Carl. What happened with them? Did they date? Did a serious
relationship develop? If so, how, and what is its future?
5. Choose an event or happening from this section of the novel, such as Emmy taking Rosie to Art’s
family or David’s arrival home. Have students write down what happened in their own words.
Mention all the people and events involved. Then have the students complete the following causeeffect statements.
a. What was the initiating event? What prompted this event?
b. What was the reaction of the character to the event? What did the character in this situation
do?
c. To what course o f action would this event lead?
d. What were the consequences or outcome of this course of action?
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Detour for Emmy — Whole Book Activities
The following suggestions are given to be used when students have completed reading the novel. The
various assignments allow fo r a variety o f learning modes.
Writing/Discussion Possibilities
1. Students can better understand how characters solve problems by analyzing the major problem of
the novel, in this case, Em my’s pregnancy and its effect on her school and personal life. Have
the students choose a problem or dilemma from DETOUR FOR EM MY and complete the
PROBLEM SOLVING CHART (page 151, Teacher Support Section).
2. Predict Emmy’s future life by imagining her reflecting back on her life after graduation from
CSULA. Now that she has completed her educational goals, what might she be planning for the
future? What is the quality of her life now? O f Rosie’s? How has Rosie grown in the past five
years?
3. Choose a character in the novel that you would like to spend a day with and describe that day.
Where would you go? What would you do? Who would you include? Encourage students to be
inventive for this activity and to consider characters other than Emmy. Many students may relate
well to David, Art, Mr. Rodriguez, Emmy’s mom, Pauline, or Tammy. Students should share
their writing in a large group setting.
4. Early in the novel, Emmy writes a journal entry for her unborn baby. Have students create at
least ten to twenty journal entries for Rosie, considering dramatic events that happened. Students
might include the Teen Mom program, future plans, and college.
5. In a large group setting, using chart paper or the board, list information and ideas from the novel
regarding teen pregnancy. Have students write an essay in which they explore their own feelings,
attitudes, and experiences related to teen pregnancy. What insights on this subject did they gain
from reading DETOUR FOR EMMY1
6. Have students create a list of community resources available for a variety of teen problems
including, but not limited to, teen pregnancy. The list should be displayed in the classroom.
7. Have students select seven to ten adjectives that describe the novel and write a short paper
stating their reasons for choosing those words. Students can use supporting evidence from the
novel, where appropriate. For example, if a student wrote “exciting,” have them suggest a place
in the novel that was “exciting.” They can either paraphrase the author’s words or use the
original text.
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Detour for Emmy Teaching
Guide
8. Have students complete the sentence, “Being a teenager means . . . writing at least ten endings
from the point of view of one of the characters in the book. After completing the individual list,
students should make a larger list on the board or chart paper. Display the list in the classroom.
9. A writing assignment might focus on the positive experiences that Emmy has with the baby,
Rosie. What does Emmy enjoy about being a parent? What kind of support system does she
experience?
10. Students can write a comparison/contrast paper about Em my’s life before and after the baby.
Using the VENN DIAGRAM (page 144, Teacher Support Section) can help students organize
the paper.
11. If the students have read more than one novel of the Hamilton High series, have them look for
common themes that the author explores in the books. How are the characters alike? What
characters are most alike? Different? How are parents treated in the novels? Siblings? Settings?
Home life? What common things do the characters gain from their experience? This would be a
good classroom experience to place on chart paper. Display the chart when completed.
12. Both Art and Emmy’s mom put a lot of pressure on Emmy to have an abortion. What were their
reasons for wanting her to do that? What would the advantages have been if Emmy had followed
their advice? What would the disadvantages have been? Do you think Emmy made the right
decision? Explain your answer fully.
Art Activities
1. Have the students complete a large collage recreating Emmy’s life from the beginning of the
novel to her future plans. Students should spend time planning the collage, keeping her life in
sequence from left to right on the paper. Use a variety of media on the collage, including maga­
zine pictures, original drawings, paint, tom paper, 3-dimensional items. This activity provides a
check on understanding the novel and sequence of action.
2. Have students create a MANDALA (pages 152-154, Teacher Support Section) for one of the
characters in the novel, allowing students to explore characters other than Emmy. The mandala
creates a visual/symbolic interpretation of the character and takes several class periods to com­
plete or may be assigned as homework.
3. Working in small groups, have students find a section in the novel they would stage in a tableau or
“frozen scene.” Have a leader place the “actors” in the scene, using as many class members as
necessary. When the scene is set, have the leader say “freeze,” after which the others remain
frozen. The leader will tap each person in the tableau, and that character will tell what s/he, as the
character, is thinking or feeling during this scene. The character stops talking when tapped again
by the leader. This strategy allows students to go beyond the written text and interpret motivation
and action.
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Detour for Emmy
Answer Key: Chapters 1— 6
Study Questions, page 42
1. Emmy is almost overwhelmed by Art when she first
meets him. She finds him attractive and wonders how
he could be attracted to her. She often feels breathless
and nervous in his presence. She gets “weak in the
knees” and “gushy.”
2. Student answers will vary, but the author stresses that
Emmy places importance on friends, her brother David,
and her school. She takes pride in all three, especially
her academic grades.
3. Emmy, Tammy and Pauline are called the “temerarious
trio” by Miss Cheng because their eighth grade behavior
was often “reckless and rash.”
4. Emmy and Art share several things in common,
including having brothers who are in trouble, and they
talk about what it is like being the good kid in the
family.
5. At the airport, Emmy creates a scene when she asks for
a glass of water to comfort Mrs. Rodriguez. When the
bartender refuses to serve her, Emmy screams and
creates a scene.
Vocabulary Worksheet, page 43
1-mijo; 2-spasm; 3-polysyllabic; 4-philosophical;
5-convulsions; 6-arboretum; 7-gravitate; 8-spermicide;
9-lucrative; 10-bail; 11-unison; 12-fuselage
Answer Key: Chapters 7— 14
Study Questions, page 46
1. Emmy was sad because Art acted mean and jealous
when she got lots of attention for her Harvest Concert
solo.
2. David has been hanging out with drug dealers and users
and finally went into a drug rehabilitation program.
3.
Art does not believe that it is possible for Emmy to be
pregnant. He is also suspicious of home pregnancy tests.
Vocabulary Worksheet, page 47
l-c; 2-b; 3-c; 4-b; 5-a; 6-d; 7-b; 8-c
Answer Key: Chapters 15— 21
Study Questions, page 53
Vocabulary Worksheet, page 54
1. At first it seemed silly to Emmy to write a journal for
her unborn baby.
l-e; 2-b; 3-f; 4-g; 5-h; 6-j; 7-k; 8-c; 9-a; 10-1; 11-d;
2. Emmy’s mom is partying in Las Vegas when Emmy
needs to go to the hospital.
3. Eventually, Emmy realizes what she is learning at Teen
Moms is as important, maybe more so, as anything she
had learned at Hamilton High.
Comprehension Check, page 55
1. Tammy takes Emmy to the hospital because Emmy’s
mother can’t be found when Emmy goes into labor.
2. Art’s comment infers that he considers the baby to be
Emmy’s responsibility.
3. She fights with him and finally gouges his eyes.
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Detour for Emmy Teaching
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Answer Key: Chapters 22— 29
Study Questions, page 61
Comprehension Check, page 63
1. Art is afraid to be seen with Emmy and Rosie because
he says he is not used to being a father and “not ready
to deal with it yet.”
1. Emmy’s future plans changed drastically. She couldn’t
go away to college. She had to consider a career
adaptable to Rosie’s needs. She was unable to go on
choir tour or complete her senior year of high school at
Hamilton High.
2. Pauline reveals that she had an abortion, but Emmy
feels she won’t be able to be close to her again because
she ignored Emmy when Emmy needed her.
3. Emmy’s mom has become more accepting of Rosie and
is trying to adjust to Emmy’s new way of life and sense
of responsibility. Emmy admits her mother is a better
grandmother than Emmy thought she would be.
Vocabulary Worksheet, page 62
1-a; 2-c; 3-b; 4-d; 5-a; 6-b; 7-c; 8-c; 9-d; 10-c
2. She finished her high school requirements by getting a
General Education Diploma. She skipped her senior
year of high school and went to a community college
early. She missed her prom, being involved in sports
and music, graduation with her friends, and all of the
festivities that went with being a senior.
3. Emmy gets discouraged because it is difficult to do all
she has to do to be a good mother, a good student, and
to have any fun for herself.
4. Answers will vary, but most will agree there is a tone of
optimism. Emmy sees that she is in charge of her life
and is responsible for what happens to both herself and
Rosie.