The Wave Flashcards
Who is the author of The Wave?
Todd Strasser
The Wave was based on an incident that took place when and where?
1969 in Palo Alto, California
What was the motto of The Wave? These words were written on the board by Mr. Ross.
Strength through Discipline, Strength through Community, Strength through Action
What school did the students in this book go to?
Gordon High School
Name the 2 Main protagonists in the story.
Laurie Saunders and Ben Ross
Name the main antagonist in the story.
The Wave
She was editor in chief of the school paper, a smart/good student, & a serious, deep thinker.
Laurie Saunders
What was the name of the school paper Laurie was editor-in-chief of?
The Grapevine
She was Laurie’s best friend, petite, had thick curly hair, & felt like she always had to compete with Laurie.
Amy Smith
He was a well liked teacher at Gordon High, wasn’t good with technology, very concerned about his students, & was charismatic.
Ben Ross
The “class loser,” doesn’t care about school, a social outcast, & lives in the shadow of his overachieving brother Jeff.
Robert Billings
He was a tall, good looking boy, a good student, a running back on the football team, & was also Laurie’s boyfriend.
David Collins
The quarterback on the football team, David’s bestfriend, has a big appetite, is very popular but failing academically
Brian Ammon
Ben Ross’ loving & loyal wife, she understands that her husband can get very “obsessed” or “focused” with certain things.
Christy Ross
What did Christy Ross teach at the school?
Music & Choir
A French teacher at Gordon High School.
Mr. Gabondi
A student in Ben Ross’ history class who picks on Robert Billings.
Brad
One of the “biggest jokers” at Gordon High, tall and lanky, an investigative reporter for the school paper, is skeptical of The Wave from the start, & never joins it.
Carl Block
Large, towering man who smokes a pipe sometimes, always wearing a suit, usually open to new ideas but is skeptical of The Wave.
Principal Owens
The coach of the football team & teaches biology, proud of his students for taking action, but gets upset when they still lose the game.
Norm Schiller
A second-string quarterback on the football team who often is at odds with Brian and wants to take his place.
Deutsch
Who is Robert Billings mother?
Elaine Billings
A music reviewer for the Grapevine.
Alex Cooper
What was The Wave symbol?
A circle with the outline of a wave in it
How did the people of the school act in the beginning of the book?
Students didn’t care about much.
Students were late to class, didn’t do homework, & didn’t pay attention.
How did the students feel about the film Ben Ross showed in class?
They were shocked & some were close to tears. They wanted to know why and how the Holocaust could have happened
What was the big question everyone was trying to answer that started the big WAVE movement.
Why did the German’s allow Adolf & the Nazis to take over? Why didn’t they speak up & try to stop it.
What were the new rules Ben Ross put in place in his class?
- have paper & pencil for note taking
- when asking or answering a question, stand at the side of your seat
- when asking or answering a question, say “Mr. Ross” first
Why did Ben Ross start The Wave?
He wanted to show his students just how easy it was to get swept up and follow someone like Hitler
Mr. Ross’ definition of “Community”.
The feeling that you are part of something more important than yourself. You’re a movement, a team, a cause.
What was The Wave salute?
Cup your right hand in the wave shape, tape it against your left shoulder, & hold it upright.
Name some pros and cons of The Wave.
PROS
-students who were not as studious, suddenly became motivated to do better
-everyone is equal
CONS
-kids skipping class & power making them crazy
-kids threatening others who were not a part of the wave & acting superior
Who said the Holocaust film was no big deal and didn’t care much about it?
Brad
What did Laurie’s mom think about The Wave?
She felt like it was a cult and that if everyone at school kept taking it too seriously, someone would get hur
What did Robert ask Mr. Ross to be?
His bodyguard
Who becomes uneasy of The Wave first?
Laurie
Who said, “Looks like i’ve stumbled into anne frank’s attic” & what did it mean?
Carl. He was comparing Laurie hiding out in the Grapevine office to avoid the Wave to Anne Frank’s family hiding to avoid the Nazis.
Mr. Saunders tells Laurie that a boy was beaten up after a Wave rally when he refused to participate. He also beloved that targeted the boy because he was…
Jewish
Who wouldn’t let Laurie go into the bleachers unless she did the Wave salute?
Brad
What occurs as a result of Laurie taking a stand in her editorial of the Grapevine paper?
- Her & her bestfriend argue & hurtful things are said
-Robert says Laurie is a threat to The Wave
What is the turning point in David’s feelings about The Wave?
When he confronts Laurie, they argue and he grabs her & throws her to the ground. He realizes he is being controlled by the wave & knows he could have hurt someone.
What was learned from The Wave experiment?
You are responsible for your own actions, you must make your own decisions & not blindly follow a leader.
Name some themes of The Wave.
Bullying, Peer Pressure, Leadership, Power Hungry
At the end of the last wave rally, how did the students feel about having blindly followed the teachers of Hitler?
They were very surprised & disappointed that they were tricked and allowed themselves to blindly follow it.
What nervous habit does Laurie have?
Chewing on pencils & pens
How long has Mr. Ross been teaching at Gordon High?
2 years
What grade are Laurie and the students in?
12th
What topic did Mr Ross become obsessed with in graduate school?
Native Americans
Who starts to be against The Wave?
Laurie, David, Carl, Alex
What was Mr Ross going to say to Robert at the end of the book when he felt he no longer had a place after the wave was gone.
That he had it in him the whole time and only needed the motivation to do better. Just because the wave is gone doesn’t mean he can’t continue to progress.
