The Meaning of My Lunch

What meal does Nilsa bring to school for lunch?

• 1. ropa vieja

  
  

• empanadas

• 1. sancocho de gallina

  
  

• 1. arroz con pollo

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CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RI.4.9

CCSS.RI.5.9

CCSS.RI.6.2

How does Nilsa feel about sancocho de gallina at the beginning of the story, before lunchtime?

1. 
   

• 1. She is excited to eat it because it’s one of her favorite dishes.

  
  

• 1. She is nervous to eat it because she doesn’t know if other people like it.

  
  

• 1. She is angry that her mother didn’t give her more stew because she’s so hungry.

  
  

• 1. She is confused because she doesn’t know where to get a spoon from.

  
  

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CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.2.3

CCSS.RL.4.4

CCSS.RL.2.10

CCSS.RL.2.2

Nilsa’s classmates are unfamiliar with sancocho.

What evidence from the text supports this conclusion?

• 1. “Codi glanced at the bowl full of chicken, yams, corn, and more, and scoffed, ‘That doesn’t look like any stew my mom makes! It’s more like a science experiment.’"

  
  

• 1. “Sancocho was one of Nilsa’s favorite dishes, something she usually only ate on special occasions like her birthday or when a family member came to visit from Panama.”

  
  

• 1. “You could tell them sancocho tastes great, and that our family has been eating it for hundreds of years. Your great-grandmother taught your grandmother who then taught me.”

  
  

• 1. “Ignoring them, Nilsa scooped up a big spoonful and smiled; it was delicious! She then looked over at her friends and asked, ‘Anybody want a taste?’”

  
  

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CCSS.RI.4.1

CCSS.RI.5.1

CCSS.RL.4.1

CCSS.RF.4.4C

CCSS.RL.3.1

Nilsa tells her mom that her classmates made fun of her lunch. What strategy does Nilsa’s mom suggest when Nilsa says that everyone will make fun of her if she brings in sancocho de gallina to school again?

1. 
   

• 1. Her mom thinks that Nilsa should ignore everyone and not talk to them anymore.

  
  

• 1. Her mom thinks that Nilsa should share more about the history and importance of the dish in her family.

  
  

• 1. Her mom thinks that Nilsa should transfer schools and start over with a new group of classmates.

  
  

• 1. Her mom thinks that Nilsa shouldn’t bring the dish to school anymore and should only bring sandwiches.

  
  

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CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.3.6

What is the main idea of this story?

1. 
   

• 1. At first, Codi, Nilsa’s classmate, makes fun of her lunch of sancocho de gallina, a traditional Panamanian dish, because he’s unfamiliar with it, but later he grows to like it.

  
  

• 1. Most of Nilsa’s classmates bring meals like pizza and meatloaf to school because those are the foods that they eat at home, and Nilsa brings the food that she eats at home with her family.

  
  

• 1. Sancocho de gallina is an important Panamanian dish, but it’s not as well-known as ropa vieja, which is a shredded beef stew, or arroz con pollo, which is a chicken and rice dish.

  
  

• 1. Nilsa brings a traditional Panamanian dish to school for lunch and is made fun of, but she eventually becomes confident in her heritage and traditions and teaches her classmates about the meal.

  
  

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CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RI.3.2

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CCSS.RI.5.2

Read these sentences from the text.

“'You know, hija, there really is no such thing as 'normal' or 'weird' food,' Nilsa’s mom said. 'What’s weird to one person may be delicious to another. And sometimes people learn to love a food they find yucky at first. Even if you’re not used to something, you should try it before you judge it.'”

What does “judge” mean as it’s used here?

• 1. to celebrate someone or something

  
  

• 1. to decide whether or not you like something

  
  

• 1. to introduce someone to something new

  
  

• 1. to smile at someone and be nice

  
  

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CCSS.RL.4.4

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RI.4.4

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RL.5.4

Choose the answer that best completes the sentence.

Nilsa decides to bring sancocho de gallina to school again _____ her classmates made fun of her the first time.

• 1. even though

  
  

• 1. as a result

  
  

• however

• eventually

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CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.3.6

When Nilsa brings sancocho to school the second time, her classmates act like her food is gross. How does Nilsa respond to them?

• Some of them liked it, some of them didn’t.

• She asks if anyone wants a taste of her meal.

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CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.2.3

CCSS.RL.3.3

How do Nilsa’s classmates react once they eat sancocho de gallina?

• Some of them liked it, some of them didn’t.

• She asks if anyone wants a taste of her meal.

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CCSS.RI.4.1

CCSS.RI.5.1

CCSS.RL.4.1

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CCSS.RI.6.1

What lesson does Nilsa try to help her classmates learn?

• Some of them liked it, some of them didn’t.

• She tries to help them understand that it’s good to try new things, and that just because something is unfamiliar to them, that doesn’t mean it is bad or weird.

  
  

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CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.3.9

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.9