Vocab
ramble
talk aimlessly.
Homophones
Words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings.
Soto’s first experience with working in the fields involved
picking grapes.
irate
very angry
Elaboration
Additional information.
When Soto started his first job, he planned to use his wages to
buy things to help his family.
predicament
an unpleasant situation that is difficult to leave
The use of descriptive words and phrases to create word pictures, or images
IMAGERY
What does Soto do with the money he earns from his first job in the fields?
He buys clothes for the new school year.
stoop
bend down from the waist.
details that appeal to one or more of the five senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.
SENSORY DETAIL
Soto believed that chopping cotton was better than picking grapes because
he was paid by the hour rather than by the amount he picked.
foreman
The leader of a work crew.
Readers rely on more than an author’s words to understand a text’s complete meaning.
DRAW A CONCLUSION
What do the sensory details in this sentence tell you about Soto’s brother? “His eyes were meshed red and his long hippie hair was flecked with dust and gnats and bits of leaves.”
how he looked at the end of a day’s work