Pre-Reading Activities -- "La Bamba"

Introductory Activities for

"La Bamba" by Gary Soto

​Don't Get Confused!!!

• ​"La Bamba" was originally a song by the late Ritchie Valens.

• ​La Bamba is also a movie biopic, starring Lou Diamond Phillps as Ritchie Valens.

• ​"La Bamba" is ALSO a story by Mexican-American author, Gary Soto.

  • You might remember Soto also wrote "Seventh Grade".

  • "La Bamba" is set in the same world as "Seventh Grade" and has some of the same characters/settings.

  • ​Both stories are chapters of the novel, Baseball in April.

The Original Song...​

​"La Bamba" by Ritchie Valens

Tier 2 Vocabulary From the Story, "La Bamba"

​scuffed

​limelight

​pantomime

​debut

​commotion

​maneuvered

​record

Open Ended

​scuffed; ​limelight; pantomime; debut; commotion; maneuvered; record

Based on what you know of the song and the vocabulary listed, what do you PREDICT the story, "La Bamba" will be about?

​Vocabulary Preview

Draw

Draw a picture of the shoe in this situation:

My mother got mad because my shoe was scuffed.

​scuffed

marred or scratched by scraping or hard use

Open Ended

What are other objects that can be scuffed?

Open Ended

The actor on stage enjoyed the limelight.

Use context clues to determine the meaning of "limelight".

​limelight

the center of public attention, interest, observation, or notoriety

​

​Origin: The color of the spotlight on a stage used to be created with a lime-green lens.

Poll

Who would be willing to pantomime me as a teacher?

• Me!

• No Way!

• I have no idea what "pantomime" means!

​pantomime

the art or technique of conveying emotions, actions, feelings, etc., by gestures without speech.​

​debut

noun

1) a first public appearance on a stage, on television, etc.

2) the first appearance of something, as a new product.​

Poll

Which Period makes the biggest commotion in class each day?

• P1

• P2

• P3

• P4

• P5

​commotion

noun

violent or tumultuous motion; agitation; noisy disturbance:

What's all the commotion in the hallway?​

Open Ended

If a random celebrity was to walk through the door right now, who would you make the biggest commotion for?

Multiple Choice

The young man __________ to better position in line in order to sit by his crush in first period.

• ignored

• maneuvered

• avoided

• forgot

​maneuvered

​verb

to change the position of​

Poll

What is the oldest technology listed here that people use to listen to music?

• compact disc (CD)

• walkman

• record

• iPod

​record

​a vinyl phonograph record played at 33 1/3 rpm and typically containing seven or more tracks, or one or more long classical pieces.