Carmen combined her imagination with what she knew about the past to write this fictional narrative. As you read Carmen’s paper, look for the corrections and improvements she should make. When you finish reading, answer the questions that follow.
(1) The family feast was finally over. (2) My parents stayed in my great-aunt Sharon’s living room to visit with relatives. (3) I went to the den, where I found a 1958 high school yearbook and started skimming through it. (4) I had heard that the 1950s was a decade of cool cars, cool hamburger joints, and cool rock-and-roll music. (5) Aunt Sharon, by her own report, had been cool then, too.
(6) I starred at the yearbook picture of my great-aunt. (7) The girl with the ponytail looked back at me. (8) Surprisingly, she waved to me, inviting me into her world.
(9) Nobody in the school cafeteria seemed to notice me, but I definitely noticed everyone else, especially Aunt Sharon and her girlfriends. (10) They all looked strangely alike in their plaid skirts, cuffed socks, and saddle shoes. (11) Their ponytails swung from side to side. (12) They talked about sock hops and drive-ins. (13) Guys with short hair and identical school sweaters winked at these girls. (14) In another part of the cafeteria, I noticed some boys who didn’t look like the others. (15) I suddenly realized that cliques hadn’t started with my generation; they had been around in the 1950s, too!
(16) After school a boy drove Sharon home named Steve. (17) Steve’s convertible was really cool! (18) I rode in the backseat with one of Sharon’s friends, but no one paid no attention to me. (19) I must have been invisible to the other teenagers in the car.
(20) After Steve pulled the car into the driveway, I followed Sharon into her house. (21) In the middle of the living room sat a huge piece of furniture that Sharon referred to as the “new” television. (22) The profile of a native american in a full headdress filled the tiny screen set in a big wooden cabinet. (23) A soft hum accompanyed the black-and-white image. (24) “Why is there always a test pattern in the afternoon,” Sharon complained loudly. (25) “I sure wish the three networks would start their broadcasts before seven o’clock.” (26) Could it be true that there were only three stations? (27) Were there really no TV programs in the daytime? (28) Were all the shows really in black and white? (29) This was definitely not cool!
(30) Sharon picked up the handset of the big black telephone, but she quickly hung up. (31) Sharon’s family shared a party line with another household, and someone else was already talking on the phone. (32) Sharon would have to wait until the line was free to make her call. (33) She turned on the radio next. (34) I expected to hear Elvis Presley or the Everly Brothers. (35) I heard a man telling a mystery story in a low voice. (36) As spooky music played in the background, my head begins to swirl with visions of ponytails, convertibles, and TV screens. (37) I happily rode the wave of images back to the twenty-first century. (38) The world of the 1950s had been a cool place to visit, but I definitely didn’t want to stay there!