Did you understand?
What challenges does he face in his new home? How does he respond?
He must get used to living in a city, eating different foods, and learning to speak English
What are the buildings doing in the last stanza?
They “pick up stars/from the ground/and put them in the sky.”
what does the speaker describe hugging his family?
Hugging his family feels like being in a big nest with all the birds gathered together
Why does the speaker sometimes get mad at his shadow?
(because the shadow moves faster than he does)
How did the author feel about his homeland when he first came to the United States?
(He missed El Salvador.)
What message, or theme, does the author want to share?
Moving to a new country can be challenging, but it can also present new opportunities.
What languages does the speaker know?
(Spanish, English, Nahuatl)
What languages does the speaker know?
(Spanish, English, Nahuatl)
Is “My Bicyle” about a happy or a sad memory? How can you tell?
(It’s about a happy memory because the speaker describes the bike in a fun, exciting way.)
How did he feel about his new home?
(He felt grateful to be alive and living in San Francisco.)
To what does the speaker compare jumping on the cardboard boxes?
(jumping on a trampoline)
The speaker describes hugging his family is like being in a nest...What feelings does this comparison suggest?
(warmth, safety, happiness, love)
What details from the story and the illustrations on the story that help you visualize the city.
women carrying bouquets of flowers; trains traveling through a tunnel; trees; colorful buildings
To what does the speaker compare the stars in “Soup of Stars”?
(The speaker compares the stars to soup.)
What step can a student take to feel comfortable in a new home?
(They can share their culture with new friends.)
To what does the speaker compare his grandmother’s stories? Why does he make this comparison?
(to mountains; because her stories and the mountains are both old)
According to the speaker’s grandmother, where did Nahuatl come from?
(from the birds)
To what does the speaker compare the truck filled with a stack of cardboard?
(a pyramid on wheels)
What does the speaker say happened “many nights” in El Salvador?
(He would go to bed without eating and look up at the stars.)
What steps might a person who moves to a new country take to stay in touch with their friends?
(stay in touch with people through emails, phone calls, letters, or video chats)
How does the speaker help his father after school?
(He helps his father collect cardboard boxes and flattens them so they will fit in back of the pick-up truck.)
What words and phrases does the author use to describe Papa’s truck?
(“Vrrooommm!”; “orange”; “roars”; “a pyramid on wheels”)
how does the speaker describe the flowers?
as “Gardens that walk by
What happened as a result of the war in El Salvador?
(People stayed indoors behind metal doors, and children did not go outside to play.)
In what ways can learning a new language help someone who has moved to a new country?
(Learning a new language can help people gain confidence and feel comfortable enough to express themselves, to meet new friends, to find their way around, and to stay safe.)