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From Elena. A novel excerpt. CONNECT TO YOUR LIFE. How important is your home and community to you? How might you feel if you were forced to leave it & go to a new land?. Key to the Novel Excerpt. Elena is a historical fiction, fiction that is set in the past, during Mexican Revolution.
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From Elena A novel excerpt
CONNECT TO YOUR LIFE • How important is your home and community to you? • How might you feel if you were forced to leave it & go to a new land?
Key to the Novel Excerpt • Elena is a historical fiction, fiction that is set in the past, during Mexican Revolution. • PorfirioDíaz was a dictator who favored the rich and stole from the poor; the Mexican people were miserable, so they rose up to make Díaz leave office. • An excerpt = a part of the novel
Building Background • Early 1900s during Mexican Revolution (1910-1920) • About 1 million Mexican were killed • Many Mexicans traveled to the United States because it was close and easy to get to; they could be safe and make a good life there. • Pancho Villa The Mexican Bandit
Story Map Beginning • Elena and her four sisters grew up in Mexico. • In Elena’s day, only boys could go to school & marriages were arranged. • Elena wanted to study and learn local priest • Elena fell in love with Pablo, an Indian. • Papá refused to let Elena marry Pablo
MIDDLE • Papá allowed Elena to marry Pablo. • They had children and were happy. • Pablo died, and Elena was filled with grief. • The Mexican Revolution began; soldiers came to Elena’s town. • Elena gave Pancho Villa Pablo’s last sombrero; his army guarded her house.
End • Elena and her children left Mexico; they made it safely to the United States. • Elena worked hard for her children; she gave them a good life.
Vocabulary Preview • Notoriousadj. well-known for bad deeds • Condolencesn. statement of sympathy & concern • Detainv. stop from leaving • Refugeesn. people who flee a country to find protection from war or political oppression • Barrion. mainly Spanish-speaking neighborhood in a U.S. city
Vocabulary Strategy: Foreign Words • Many English words taken from other languages. • Some Spanish words: a.) Campesinos = country folk b.)Patio c.) sombreros
1st CHUNK Pg. 38-39, line 1-52
VOCABULARY • As he mounted on his horse = to get on • They headed off across the rugged countryside • Down they plunged = fell off into the ravine below = a deep, narrow gap in the earth • To haul my father up to safety = to pull with effort or difficulty
THINK IT THROUGH • REREAD: How does this passage hint at what might happen in the story? • What is doctor implying in line 33? • REREAD: What is unusual about Pablo’s answer? • What great change happens to the family? • What other changes does Pablo predict?
LITERATURE • Where and when does this part of the story happen? • How does the setting affect what happens to the narrator’s father?
2nd CHUNK Pg. 39-70, line 53-70
VOCABULARY • She ran weeping into the patio
THINK IT THOUGH • What is Elena feeling? • What details tell you how deeply the narrator & her mother, Elena, miss Pablo?
3rd CHUNK Pg. 40-42, line 71-131
THINK IT THROUGH • Do you think the narrator has good reason to feel afraid of Pancho Villa? • REREAD: Why has Elena’s strength become so important? • What steps does Elena take in order to protect her family, especially Esteban?
4th CHUNK Pg. 43, line 132-160
THINK IT THROUGH • What is surprising about Pancho Villa’s action? • Why do you think the author included the scene between Pancho Villa & the narrator’s mother?
5th CHUNK Pg. 44-46, line 161-227
THINK IT THROUGH • What problem causes Elena & the children to leave home? • REREAD: What sacrifices must the family make so they can leave? • What new problems do they face when they reach Ciudad Juarez? • How do they solve their problems?
6th CHUNK Pg. 46-48, line 228-280
THINK IT THROUGH • REREAD: Why is education so important to Elena? • REREAD: What do you learn about the way Elena views herself and the world? • Compare Elena’s life in the United States to her life in Mexico. Which do you think she prefers?
7th CHUNK Pg 48-49, line 281-322
THINK IT THROUGH • REREAD: Do you think that Elena’s feelings are common among people who come to the US from other lands? • What words would you use to describe the narrator’s mother? • How does the narrator judge her mother? • Do you think Elena would return home if she could?
WRITE A LETTER • Students can pretend that they are Elena and write a letter to her sisters in Mexico. • Have them describe Elena’s life in California and tell what she misses about Mexico. • Then students can exchange letters with a classmate