The CircuitSpanish words in the reading:Place your cursor over the word to get a definition.
braceros farm workers carcachita old car/jalopy listo ready mi olla my pot Tienen que tener cuidado be careful
Vámonos Let's go quince fifteen corridosMexican songs
After reading the whole chapter, prepare to answer and discuss these questions.
1. In this story, Papá, Roberto, and Francisco are working for , the sharecropperA poor farmer who farms someone else's land and gives part of the crop to the owner in payment.. (click for definition)
2. Why were the braceros disappearing? What does the word "peak" mean in this context? (73)
3. What metaphor poetically signals the end of a long work day and the waning the last days days of the strawberry harvest? (73)
4. In this story, what do "cardboard boxes" signify? Underline the sentence that expresses how Francisco felt about the upcoming move to Fresno and the hard labor he would be doing there. (74)
5. What metaphor on the same page expresses the burden the work put on him.
6. Papá was dependent on his carcachita to move the family from one camp to the next. Underline the line with a simile that creates an image of him carefully selecting his old Plymouth.
7. What inference does he make about the car's previous owner? On what does he base this inference?
8. In as much detail as possible, describe the following aspects of life and work in the Fresno vineyards.
• season of the year
• work hours and earnings
• physical effects of the work and the heat
• family's living quarters and conditions
• Impact on Roberto's and Francisco's education
9. On page 78, circle a noun that refers to the buzzing sound of insects.
10. Who was Francisco's best friend in school that year? What was this friend willing to do for him?
11. Explain how this chapter captures the main theme of the whole book. (Hint: What happens in the beginning and at the end of the chapter?) Can you think of words or phrases used earlier in this or earlier chapters that would describe Francisco's feelings at the end of this chapter? Write them down.
Word Bank: Add new words to your word bank. Continue to follow the directions listed in "Under the Wire."