6th Grade Springboard ELA Activity 1.2

Read the excerpt from the short story "The Circuit."

I woke up early that morning and lay in bed, looking at the stars and savoring the thought of not going to work and of starting sixth grade for the first time that year. 

Using context clues, which word most nearly means the same as "savoring"?

• enjoying

• 
  fearing

• 
  considering

• 
  questioning

Answer explanation

Jiménez enjoys the idea of going to school like the other kids his age.
Although Jiménez may have struggled in school, he was not fearful of returning to school.

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

Which of the following excerpts from the short story “The Circuit” best demonstrates an internal response to a conflict?

• 
  "The pot had many dents and nicks, and the more dents and nicks it acquired the more Mamá liked it."

• "Early next morning Mr. Sullivan showed us where his crop was, and after breakfast, Papá, Roberto, and I headed for the vineyard to pick."

• "Around nine o’clock the temperature had risen to almost one hundred degrees. I was completely soaked in sweat and my mouth felt as if I had been chewing on a handkerchief."

• "I sat at the table across from Roberto, but I kept my head down. I did not want to look up and face him. I knew he was sad. He was not going to school today. He was not going tomorrow, or next week or next month."

Answer explanation

Panchito feels conflicted because only he can go to school; his brother has to work even though he wants to go to school. This conflict moves the plot forward.  

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

After reading both "The Circuit" by Francisco Jiménez and "Schools Hustle to Reach Kids Who Move with the Harvest, Not the School Year," by Peter Balonon-Rosen, answer the following question. 

Which is a similar idea explored by both authors?

• The traveling lifestyle of migrant farm workers makes it difficult to send their children to school.

• Migrant worker families believe that it is more important for their children to work than attend school. 

• Working hard is just as important as getting a good education.

Answer explanation

Both authors make it clear that it is challenging for children to attend school on a regular school year calendar when their families frequently move from one job to the next.

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.7

CCSS.RI.6.7

CCSS.RL.5.7

CCSS.RL.6.9

CCSS.RL.7.7

Which excerpt from “Fish Cheeks” best demonstrates an internal response to an internal conflict, or a struggle within the character?

• 
  “On Christmas Eve, I saw that my mother had outdone herself in creating a strange menu.”

• “Robert grunted hello, and I pretended he was not worthy of existence.”

• “Dinner threw me deeper into despair.”

• “The minister managed to muster a quiet burp.”

Answer explanation

The narrator’s internal conflict (wanting to fit in, being embarrassed by her family and customs) leads her to feel (internally) despair.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

Read the following excerpt from "Fish Cheeks" and use context clues to define the word in bold.

And then they arrived—the minister's family and all my relatives in a clamor of doorbells and rumpled Christmas packages. Robert grunted hello, and I pretended he was not worthy of existence.

• a sudden crowd.

• an unexpected crowd.

• a chaotic, noisy crowd.

• an undisciplined crowd.

Answer explanation

“The minister’s family and all my relatives” suggests several people arriving at once or back-to-back (the narrator says “doorbells” plural). The narrator has also already expressed fear that her “noisy Chinese relatives” will make Robert uncomfortable, and the “rumpled” (wrinkled or messy) presents suggest disorder.

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

Which choice best describes the importance of the final paragraph of “Fish Cheeks”?

• It shows the narrator realized how important it was that Robert’s father attempted to follow her family’s customs.

• It highlights that the narrator cannot forget how embarrassed she was by her mother’s menu that night.

• 
  It demonstrates that the narrator now thinks differently about that night because she no longer has romantic feelings for Robert.

• 
  It illustrates that the narrator recognizes the wisdom in her mother’s encouragement and the reasons she chose that particular menu.

Answer explanation

The narrator eventually recognizes that her mother was right: She should be proud of who she is. The narrator also realizes that her mother chose all her favorite foods for dinner that evening, which was an act of love and pride in their shared Chinese heritage.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

The setting establishes the ______ and ______ the action of a story occurs.

• characters, conflict

• plot, characters

• time, place

• place, plot

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

In "The Jumping Tree", the _______ is that Rey wanted to impress his cousins so he accepted a challenge to jump out of a tree. In the end, he broke his wrist but viewed his injury as a badge of honor.

• setting

• theme

• characters

• plot

Answer explanation

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.4.9