Mopponents

brutal

supposedly

gorgeous

embarrassed

obvious

typically

preliminary

sweeping

officiallyVocabulary Context

Reader Cards

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fum"mxtm fiHarsh, or bruta l ,

weather can make

runn ing on the f ie ld

very dif f icult .

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A school is supposedly,

or thought to be,

where ch i ldren learn

about the wor ld .'*

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There must be atleast two opponents,

or r iva ls , in any

compet i t ion.

Study each #,,rprn{+pw fl {""_+* p,u"d.

Use a dictionary or a glossa ry to help youpronounce the Vocabulary words.

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- - ' t be embarrassed

"shamed i f you have=J your best but

' :d to win.

' l'"r{ff ffi fr m'wm il mmm m"gr.en strangers meet,

- :k ing hands may be-e pre l iminary, or f i rs t ,

ng they do.

mmfuqpfimm,mmA clear photo of thef in ish l ine makes thewinner o f the race

obvious.

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The winner o f theelect ion made a broad,sweeping gesture tothank her suppor ters .

*yp$wan $#pPlants compete forl ight . Typica l ly , orusual ly, those that getmore l ight grow faster.

wmW'Wffwffim WffiyThe judges of f ic ia l lydeclared this lamb tobe the winner of thef i rs t -p lace b lue r ibbon.

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ffiffiffikffitrffiK#KRffiNewcomers In the next story, Elisa moves

to the Uni ted States f rom Puerto Rico. She has to overcome herfears about f i t t ing in at a new school and speaking Engl ish.

The f i rst weeks at school in a new country can be a brutal

exper ience. Some students might take a sweeping glance at theirnew classroom and feel as i f their new classmates are opponents,but, typical ly, students are cur ious to learn about one another- thehobbies they have or the gorgeous places they may have vis i ted.The new country 's customs may not be obvious, and new students 'may feel embarrassed i f they fa i l to fo l low them. Learning a

supposedly easy language that is of f ic ia l ly spoken in a new countrycan be a real chal lenge. l t is important to remember what i t is l ike

to be a newcomer.

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Ways to tr/Ia.ke Neur<rofilersFeel \lVelcrorrle

L. Introduce yourself to newcomers.

2, Invite them to sit with you at lunch or join in a game.

I. Give new students a preliminary tour of the school to helpthem feel at home,

o Which of the three ways listed above would make youfeel most comfortable? Whv?

120

#ffiffiKffiffiffifuffiffiru#ffiruffiffiar,-fuB!@ ThemeYou can determine the theme, or main message, of a story byanalyzing the main character 's qual i t ies, mot ives, and act ions.

Qual i t ies are personal i ty t ra i ts that make a character th ink and actin certain ways. A character 's mot ives are the reasons for his orher behavior. A character 's act ions show how he or she respondsto conf l ic t and to other characters in the story. As you read "El isa's

Diary," ask yoursel f what important l i fe lesson the main characterlearns. This lesson is the story 's theme. Use a graphic organizer l ikethe one below to help you determine the story 's theme.

Wffimm*mffifrmmAs you read, remember to pause and visual ize, or form a picture

in your mind of , what you are reading. Use sensory detai ls in theselect ion to help you create a v iv id mental p icture of charactersor events as you read.

IOUNIVS' Powered byD r G r r A r D E S T I N A T I O N R e a d i n g

Comprehension Act iv i t ies: Lesson 5

Charactertt

qualifies:

Character"

motives:

Characterts

actiont:

121

opponentsbrutalsupposedlygorgeous

embarrassed

obvioustypicallyprel iminary

sweepingofficially

MEET THE AUTHOR

Doris Luisa 0ronozDoris Luisa'Oronoz and hrer

family moved from Puerto

Rico to the United States.

Afterwards her childien

went through experiences

and feelings very similar

to those that Elisa goes through. Oronoz

has said that although this story is not

based on real events, the emotions of'Elisa's

character are drawn from her memory. They

are a meditation on the joys and difficulties

children encounter when they move to a

new place.Theme Examine character'squal i t ies, mot ives, and act ionsto recognize the theme of thestory.

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-

Visualize Use text details toform pictures in your mind ofwhat you are read ing .

Realist ic Fict ion is a storywith events that could happenin real l i fe .

Set a Purpose Set a purposefor reading based on thegenre and your backgroundknowledge.

MEET THE ILTUSTRATOR

Byron GinByron Gin lives near

Chicago, l l l inois with !

his wife and two cats,

Bear and Kathe. Born i,n - :.California, Gin worked - r

\ r ;as an i l lustrator and \ ,nt

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printmaker before becom ing ;

Street Series, ca

people Gin hds gl

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a ful l-t ime painter. Onen,f;"".t i ;

group of his paintings, ,-6$fl

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H,ssentialQuestionHow does a

character learn animportant lesson?

123

"Today is the saddest day of my lifei Elisa wrote in

her diary on March 25th. She was going to continue,

but her father knocked on the door and said, "lt 's nine

otlock, dear. Turn off the l ights and go to sleepJ' Elisa

put her pen and notebook away in her backpack and

promptly obeyed.

"i:,f.T. In the semidarkness she could just make out the,i rl#

ii;l$ objects in her room. She had been here before, but

#$, it seemed to her as though it were the first time. The

ffi, bright, vivid colors of her bedspread, which she liked so

ryt much, now seemed cold and muted.H# Elisa looked at the little porcelain squirrel and

remembered the day it was given to her. lt was the first

t ime she visited this country. She had come to spend

some time with her grandmother. One night she heard

a sound like something scratching under the eave of

the house. She became frightened thinking that it

might be mice and she ran to ask her grandmother.

Grandma took her to the patio and motioned to her

to be very quiet. When they reached the back, she saw

two squirrels playing on the roof right above her room.

They were sl id ing down a branch and jumping onto the

roof t i les to gather acorns. Then they would run back

S"ifftffi to the branch and do it all over again.

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Elisa was ten years old. Her brother Francisco was twelve. She would

have liked to have gone to the same school as he. That way she would

feel protected. But of course, boys at that age typically don't want

anything to do with their l i tt le sisters.

"He's unbearablei 'she thought aloud. Just then, her brother came in.

"Who's unbeara ble?" asked Francisco.

"Youi' answered Elisa, holding nothing back.

"Oh? Why is that?"asked her brother, surprised.

"Because you leave me alone al l day whi le you're out running around."

"lt 's obvious that you're afraid to go outi 'answered her brother. "Look,

l 've met some neighbors and they're niceJ''And in what language do you speak to them, huh?"

"Wel l , in Engl ishJ'

" l can imagine the crazy th ings you come up withl '

"But at least I tryi 'answered her brother. "What you have to do is

make an effort. lf they don't understand me, I talk with my hands unti l

something happensl '

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"l write well in English. And when I read, I understand a rot. But nowwhen they talk to me, I don't understand a wordj,

"Listen, the woman who lives in the house on the 6sy11s1.-,,"Which one?" interrupted El isa."The one who gave me two dollars to take care of her catj,"What about her?"

"she told me that she used to l isten to the news on the radio and gotused to hearing English that way. And then, l i tt le by l itt le, she understoodEnglish better and better."

" l don' t l ike the radioi 'declared El isa."Turn on the TV, then. But not to those lovey-dovey soaps in Spanish

and all that sil ly stuff you l ikeJ'"What do you want me to watch, then?""Things from here, l ike baseball, football . . .""Football is brutal. I hate sports!""Oh wel l , i f youd rather be ignorant. . . ""O.K., forget it."

Elisa regretted ever having wanted to be in the same school as her

know-it-all brother. Shed have to solve her problem on her own, but how?

The summer came to an end and the school year began. That's when

she met ios6. That day she wrote in her diary,

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.#'1*;' The fact is that she didn't l ike the school one bit. The second day of

c lasses, the Engl ish teacher cal led her name, which sounded more l ike'Alisha" than "Elisai' She got up from her desk expecting a disaster. And

that's exactly what happened. She was asked a question that she didn't

understand. When it was repeated, she understood even less. She was

so nervous that she could only stammer a few syllables "eh, ah, ah, uh'i

She couldn' t cont inue and she col lapsed in her seat in f ront of those

forty faces-her opponents-some disbelieving, some mocking. How

embarrassing!

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,.:-11''; tn: r;ad what she had written and added, "l think l'm going to like this

128

T

Around noon, Jos6,s turn came. He got up and hespoke shyly of the customs and traditions of his country.He mentioned the quetzal-a bird with soft feathers, agreen crest, and a red chest. He told how this gorgeousbird was the symbol of power for the Maya and that todayit is officially the nationar bird of Guatemara. Finaily, heshowed them a coror drawing and tord them proudry thatthe quetzal on the Guatemalan flag was an emblem ofnational l iberty.

Everyone clapped. He sat down, and, as always,he put his head down and went back to drawing.

STOP AND THINKVisual ize How does the imagery inEl isa's descr ipt ion of Jose help youunderstand why El isa adds the lastl ine to her d ia ry en t ry?

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In the afternoon each student wrote a composition. Elisa wrote about

her home, Puerto Rico. Like Jos6, she described its customs and traditions

and explained the symbolism of Puerto Rico's shield-a lamb, the emblem of

peace and fraternity, appears in the green center. Above the lamb is a bundle

of arrows, symbols of the creative force. And above these is a yoke which

represents the joining of forces necessary to attain success. She thought it

turned out pretty well, but writ ing was one thing and talking was another.

That night she didn't open her diary. She was tired of complaining, even if

it was only to her diary.

The next morning Elisa smiled for the first t ime since classes had started.

She got a good grade on her composition. She wanted to show it to everyone

so that theyd see that she wasn't so dumb, but she didn't do it. Maybe she'd

show i t to Jos6, though. Yes, to him. So dur ing recess she cal led to him and

proudly showed him her paper. He looked at it and, lowering his eyes, he said

with a brief smile, "Congratulationsi'

130

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"Thanks." said Elisa. 'And how did you do?""o.K':'"No doubt you got an A and you don't want me to be embarrassedj,"No, it 's not that, Elisa. lt 's that... l picked up English by l istening. you

know bn the streeti I never took English in school. I write it l ike I hear it, andeverything comes out wrong."

El isa read the paper that he handed her and in one sweeping glance shesaw what he meant. She didn't know what to say.

"But you speak i t very wel l i 'El isa t r ied to console him."Speaking is one thing and wri t ing is another."'And vice-versai said Elisa.'And the oppositel ''And the other way around."

They laughed so hard that the rest of the kids came over to see what wasso funny. But they didn't tell anyone their secret. That afternoon, they madea deal . she would help him with wr i t ing, and he, in turn, would help her wi thpronunciat ion.

Twelve years later, Elisa was getting ready for work. she pulled down a boxof shoes from the top shelf of her closet. In the rush, several things fell on topof her. one of them was her old diary. lt fell open to the last page. she pickedit up and read,

ToAay I receiveA -y h igh school Aip loma.

WhenI looked af myself in the miruor with

my ca? and gown anA my golA honort tassels,

I remembereA the who arr iveA here

I 'm happy now.con{useA, scareA, and saA.

STOP AND THINKAuthor 's Craft In the fourth paragraph,Jos6 uses the idiom "on the street." Howdoes the id iom he lp h im exp la in the wayin wh ich he has learned Eng l ish?

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131

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She put away the notebook, got dressed,

and headed for work. When she entered the

classroom, her students looked at her-some shy,

some confused, some scared. . . . She saw those

sad, preliminary, f irst-day-of-school looks that she

knew so well.

She opened her lesson planner, thought a

moment, and then shut it. She stood up and

wrote on the board, "The joining of forcesJ'

Then she said,"l 'm going to tell you the story

of a quetzal that came down to the plain with the

gentleness of a lamb, and a lamb that soared to

great heights on the wings of a quetzalJ'

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^nIW srOp AND THINKTheme How does E l i sa 'sin t roduc t ion to "The jo in ing o ffo rces" show the lesson she learnedwhen she was a s tudent? Whymight she want to share the s to rywi th her s tudents?

132

s

Short Response Elisa's school l i fechanges when she meets Jos6.

Th ink about how E l isa and Jose

are ab le to learn f rom and he lp

each other. Then wri te aparagraph descr ib ing a t imewhen you and a f r iend jo ined

forces to help each other.

PERSONAL RESPONSE

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f l 'DesiSn a Flag or Shield In "El isa's

I D ia ry , " E l i sa and Jos6 te l l about

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their countr ies' customs, symbols,and tradit ions. Work with apartner to choose a symbol thatrepresents your community.Design and i l lustrate a f lag orshield that incorporates thesymbol. Then create a l ist ofcustoms or tradit ions celebratedin your communi ty . PARTNERs

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.$.+*+;uu- mm $ru+* .$""m$"r1 '$.q,*g*;scpwn,uThink about the moment

when E l isa reads her d ia ryentry about receiv ing her high schooldiploma. With a partne; discuss anotherselect ion, book, or real- l i fe exper ience inwhich someone overcomes a chal lengeand f inds happiness or success. ldent i fythe important l i fe lesson that thesecharacters or people learn. THEME

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Informational text, suchas this newspaper art icle, givesdetai ls, facts, and examplesabout a top ic .

In format ional text may inc ludegraphic sources that giveaddi t ional in format ion andshow how different facts andnumbers relate to each otherand the text.

Media Literacy Newspaperart icles and websites about thesame topic use different typesof language. Newspapers oftenuse more formal words than dowebsite art icles or blogs.

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134

Later th

TODA EMONDAYJUNE 14

From Tragedyto Triumphby Jennifer Johnson

One day, while waiting for a train in

Philadelphia, twenty-seven-year-old April

Holmes fell onto the tracks. The oncoming

train ran over her left leg, which had to be

amputated below the knee.

For most people, a brutal accident

like that would mean the end of a running

career; for Holmes it was the start. Holmes

had been a track star in high school and

college, specializing in the short races known

as sprints. At the time of the accident,

she no longer ran competitively. Inspired

by magazines about Paralyrnpics athletes

that a doctor gave to her in the hospital,

she decided to run again. She was not

embarrassed or ashamed to wear a prosthetic

leg. She began training as a sprinter only

seven months after her accident.

"When r-ou fall down in life you need

to get back up and keep on going," Flolmes

says. "Whether that be with a prosthesis,

with crutches or rvith a wheelchair, my spirit

is sti l l the same."

Triump

Todar-.''the worldofficially tnis obvious irrny standar

In 2001Paralympic:

spring dar.. I'weeping mirst place in

place

EWS CommunityFind out aboutyour neighbors.

ClossifiedsBuy, sell, and help

wanted section

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my spirit

Triumph on the Track

Today, Holmes bills herself as"the world's fastest amputee." Is that

rfficially true! It is hard to say. What

s obvious is that she is a top athlete by

rny standard.

In 2002, Holmes entered her first

Paralyrnpics track meet. On a gorgeous

.pring day, her arms pumping in a

:weeping motion at her side, she took

:irst place in the 100-meter dash and

recofld place in the 200-meter race.

Later that year, Flolmes competed

in the International Paralyrnpics

Committee (IPC) championships. She

set two new records for American

athletes! In 2003, she sprinted past her

opponents to two new world records.

In 2004,Holmes competed in

the Paral)rmpics Games in Athens,

Greece. They take place in the same

year as the Olympics and typically in

the same place. She made it through

the preliminary rounds of the 100- and

20O-meter sprints. She ran in the final

rounds of both races. She also won a

bronze medal in the long jump.

135

136

SECTION IV. TODAY'S NEWS

SPORTSMONDAYJUNE 14

Helping 0thers

When April Holmes is not racing or

training, she is busy with the April Holmes

Foundation. Holmes started the foundation

in 2002 to help other people with disabilities.

Losing a limb is supposedly a handicap, but

Flolmes says it does not have to be. "Your

dreams shouldn't change," she says.

Through her foundation, Holmes

raises money for special sports equipment

for people with disabilities. She also pays

personal visits to people who have lost

limbs. She shares her story and helps them

see how they, too, can lead physically active

lives. "Everybody has a purpose in life,"

Flolmes says, "and I've always felt that my

purpose is to help people.". Examine the graph below. What is the

difference between the record Holmes set in

2002 and the record she set in 2006?

Holmes deaotes much of her time tohelping others zuith disabilities.

Since 2002, April Holmes has set four paralympicworld records for the 1-00-meter dash.

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Write About a Chal lenge Both El isa in "El isa's Diary" and Apr i lHolmes in "From Tragedy to Tr iumph" had to overcome chal lengesin order to be successful . Think of a chal lenge you have had toovercome. Wri te a short composi t ion descr ib ing the chal lenge youovercame, your feel ings, and what you learned about yoursel f .

Discuss Points of View "El isa's Diary" is narrated inthird-person l imi ted point of v iew with a focus onEl isa. "A Package for Mrs. Jewls" is narrated in th i rd-person omniscient point of v iew with a focus on thethoughts and feel ings of many characters. With apartner; d iscuss why you think each point of v iew isappropr iate for each story. What might change aboutthe select ions i f the points of v iew were reversed?

Read Onl ine News Find and pr int an onl ine art ic le aboutApr i l Holmes or another athlete. Circ le examples ofin fo rmal o r fo rmal language used in the ar t i c le . Wi th apartner; d iscuss how formal or informal language is useddi f ferent ly in the onl ine art ic le and the newspaper art ic le,"From Tragedy to Tr iumph. "

ffiftwffiffiffi.ffiKffiwKffiffiHow Are Plural Nouns Formed? A noun that

names only one person, place, or th ing is a s ingular

noun. A noun that names more than one person,

p lace , o r th ing is a p lu ra l noun. Most p lu ra l nouns

are formed by adding -s or -es. A few are formed in

other ways.

Rob in made one shot in the f i rs t ha l f .

The coach spoke at a ral ly.

The man runs l ike a deer.

Academic Language

singular noun

plural noun

collective noun

She made a total of f ive shots in both

ha lves.

The coaches spoke at ra l l ies.

The men run l ike deer.

IFJ,

IA col lect ive noun names a group of people, animals, or th ings that

act as a uni t . A col lect ive noun is t reated as a s ingular noun, unless i t

names more than one group or co l lec t ion .

s ingular co l lect ive noun plura l co l lect ive nounI

, r * ' ' r ' - ^ l - - " - " 1

Our loca l team wins the tough games. Our loca l teams w in the tough games.

Copy each sentence onto another sheet of paper.

Change underlined singular nouns to plural nouns.

The new s!ud_e1-t greeted the teachers.

During recess, fr iends sat on the bench.

The frisky ;ggl1-rel gathered acorns.

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ff rtre new books are on the shelf.

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games.

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139

word choice You have learned how to use singular and plurallouns to show exact ly what you mean. Using exact nouns in your,vr i t ing wi l l create c lear pictures for your readers. l t a lso wi l l helpnake your wr i t ing interest ing and easy to understand.

A fan brought

meet.

pet to the track A fan brought h is iguana to thetrack meet.

Connect Grammar to WritingAs you revise your fictional narrative, look for nouns that you canreplace with more exact nouns. Remember that exact nouns canbe singular or plural. They create clear pictures in your wri t ing.

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