Slam!

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Chapters 1-3

Reading Check

1. What puts Slam at risk of losing his opportunity to play basketball?

2. Who does Slam think is the best player on the Latimer basketball team?

3. Why is Grandma Ellie sick?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What are Slam’s concerns about his family, and what do those concerns reveal about his role in the family?

2. How does Slam feel about his basketball skills? What do you suspect Slam’s teammates might think about his attitude toward his skills?

3. Why does Slam want his brother to live in a different neighborhood? What evidence supports your claim?

4. Why do you think Slam and Ice don’t get along as well as they used to?

Paired Resource

Harlem, New York

• This article explores the history behind the district of Harlem in New York.
• When was Harlem established? How did Harlem change in the 19th century? What is the Harlem Renaissance? Why did the Harlem neighborhood begin to deteriorate? How does the deterioration of Harlem have an impact on Slam and his family? How does it impact Slam’s friends?

Chapters 4-6

Reading Check

1. Who asks Slam to pose for her replica of Dürer’s Praying Hands?

2. Who sits in the back of Ice’s car with Slam?

3. Who is Slam’s assigned partner for a project?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does Coach Nipper accuse Slam of being a bad teammate? Why is Slam angry with Coach Nipper for his approach to criticism?

2. Who is Richie Randall, and why is Slam reluctant to get to know him?

3. Coach Nipper refuses to start Slam during his first basketball game. Do you agree with Slam’s claim that Coach Nipper does not like him, or do you think he has other reasons for leaving Slam on the bench?

Paired Resource

“The Social and Academic Benefits of Team Sports”

• This article explores the benefits of team sports on and off the court.
• This resource is related to the novel’s theme of The Importance of Teamwork.
• How might Slam benefit from working with a team? What skills may Slam lack? How might his involvement in sports improve his performance?

Chapters 7-9

Reading Check

1. Who is angry with Slam for kissing Kicky?

2. Who makes Slam feel good about his potential as a basketball player?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Slam believes Ice would never do or sell drugs because of all the lives they have witnessed ruined by substance abuse. What does Slam witness while filming for his documentary that portrays his statement?

2. What does Coach Goldstein advise Slam not to do during his games? Why does Slam suspect Nipper doesn’t want him to play? What advice does Goldstein offer Slam to deal with Nipper singling him out?

3. Why does Slam argue with his teammates on the court? Who do you believe is at fault for the argument?

Paired Resource

“The Components of Attitude”

• This article explores attitudes, what impacts attitudes, and how attitudes can be changed.
• This article relates to the novel’s themes of The Importance of Teamwork and The Role of Mentorship.
• How might Slam’s environment impact his behavior? What influence do friends, family, and mentors have on Slam’s attitude? What are some strategies Slam can use to change his attitude?

Chapters 10-13

Reading Check

1. Who is the source of Slam’s father’s bad mood?

2. Who is with Slam when two men approach, asking for drugs?

3. What does Slam think Ducky is afraid of?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why is Slam angry with Margie? Do you feel Slam is justified in his anger? What does Mtisha advise him to do about it?

2. Why is Slam intimidated by Mtisha, and how does he behave toward her when he is intimidated?

Chapters 14-17

Reading Check

1. What item is Slam able to retrieve from Carl’s shop?

2. Which teammate is Slam afraid will get the better of Ice in the Trinity basketball game?

3. Which of Slam’s teachers belittles him in front of his classmates, causing Slam to leave school?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How does Slam react when he does not start in the game against Hunter?

2. How has Slam’s relationship with the other players changed?

3. What does Slam realize about the teachers in his school? How might it also relate to Coach Nipper?

Paired Resource

The War on Drugs and Its Impact

• This article explores the War on Drugs in the United States and how substance abuse affect communities.
• How does illicit drug use have an impact on the United States? What examples of substance use are portrayed in the novel? How does illegal drug use impact Slam’s community and friends?

Chapters 18-21

Reading Check

1. Who does Slam draw a portrait of in art class?  

2. Who does Slam fight with after the conference championship game?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What advice does Coach Goldstein give to Slam, contradicting his earlier advice? Why?

2. When does Slam realize Ice is dealing drugs? What clues lead to his realization?

3. Who does Slam describe as “Harlem’s dead?”

Recommended Next Reads 

Hoops by Walter Dean Myers

• This novel is about a young Black man who attempts to overcome his past mistakes and circumstances through basketball.
• Shared themes include Coming of Age, The Importance of Teamwork, and The Role of Mentorship.
• Shared topics include basketball, rising above circumstances, and Harlem.
• Hoops on SuperSummary

Travel Team by Mike Lupica

• This novel is about a 12-year-old boy rejected at tryouts for his seventh-grade basketball team because of his height, prompting his former professional basketball player father to create a travel team.
• Shared themes include Coming of Age, The Importance of Teamwork, and The Role of Mentorship.
• Shared topics include rejection, basketball, and emotional maturity.
• Travel Team on SuperSummary