La Mariposa Study Guide

LA MA RIPOSA

ST U DY G U ID E

La Mariposa

L I T E R AC Y O B J ECT I VE S ACTIVATING PRIOR KNOWLEDGE MAKING CONNECTIONS BUILDING BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT REFLECTING & EVALUATING

THEMES & CO N C E P T S EXPERIENCING CHANGE COMMUNICATION MIGRANT WORKER EXPERIENCES

Written by Francisco Jiménez

Illustrated by Simón Silva

Adapted by Rose Cano

Directed by Roy Arauz

HOW TO USE THIS STUDY GUIDE Book-It Repertory Theatre’s Arts and Education Program closely aligns its performances and learning materials with research-based reading instruction. The purpose of this study guide is to engage students in literacy objectives and hands-on activities that support the comprehension of La Mariposa.

• FIRST: READ THE BOOK As part of Book-It’s touring package, your school has received a copy of the story that serves as a permanent resource for your library.

• SECOND: SELECT ACTIVITIES Select one or all of the activities and adjust them to fit your students and classroom needs. Some activities are designed for teachers to lead students through an interactive process; directions and support materials are included for successful facilitation. Others are handouts for independent student work or to be used for whole-class instruction; these pages do not have directions for the teacher.

• THIRD: KEEP READING! Extend the joy of reading with the “Book-It Book List”—stories with similar themes for readers grades K-6.

Standards for the Study Guide and Performance: Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts*: R.CCR.1, R.CCR.2, R.CCR.3, R.CCR.4, R.CCR.6, RI.CCR.1, RI.CCR.5, L.CCR.4 Washington EALRs in Theatre: 1.1, 1.4, 3.1, 4.3 *Exact standards depend upon grade level, reading the text, and instructional shifts to meet the standard.

Literacy & Theatre Alignment by Gail Sehlhorst. Activities by Katie McKellar, Natasha Ransom, Gail Sehlhorst. Design by Shannon Erickson Loys.

Illustrated by Simon Silva. Reprinted with permission of Simón Silva. All rights reserved.

Based on La Mariposa by Francisco Jiménez. Text © 1998 by Francisco Jiménez.

Performed by arrangement with Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Illustration © 2000 by Simon Silva from La Mariposa by Francisco Jiménez,

Study Guide © 2014 Book-It Repertory Theatre. No parts of this guide may be reproduced without express permission.

Table of Contents Information on Book-It, the Story, and the Author

Page 2 Stand Up If... Activating Prior Knowledge

Page 3 Metamorphosis Making Text-to-World Connections Page 4 Daydreaming Making Self-to-Text Connections Page 5 Life as a Migrant Worker Building Background Knowledge Instructions Page 6

Nonfiction Texts Pages 7-8 En Español Vocabulary Development Page 9 The Play & You Reflecting & Evaluating Page 10 Book-It Book List & Book-It’s Mainstage Season Pages 11-12

INTRODUCTION TO BOOK-IT REPERTORY THEATRE’S ARTS & EDUCATION PROGRAM

Book-It’s Arts and Education Program is dedicated to inspiring people of all ages to read. We tour a diverse range of stories to schools, libraries, and community venues throughout Washington state, conduct long-term residencies in schools, offer teacher professional development for school staff, and present low-cost student matinées of our mainstage shows. What you will see and hear at a Book-It performance is literature spoken by the characters as if it were dialogue in a play—actors speak both the narration and the dialogue. Book-It takes the written word back to its roots—storytelling!

OUR MISSION To provide an interactive relationship between youth and literature through diverse theatrical productions and educational programs that promote the joy of reading, enhance student and teacher learning, and inspire the imagination.

THE STORY: LA MARIPOSA Francisco, the son of Mexican migrant farmers, is starting first grade at a new school in his new home—the United States. He longs to be a part of the world around him, but struggles with an unfamiliar language and making new friends. He finds comfort in the slow-moving caterpillar that lives in a jar by his desk. Francisco knows the caterpillar will become a butterfly, but how? Gradually, the metamorphosis takes place—the caterpillar and Francisco are beautifully transformed. This autobiographical story illustrates the challenges of new beginnings. This production will be performed bilingually in Spanish and English.

THE AUTHOR: FRANCISCO JIMÉNEZ Dr. Francisco Jiménez was born in Tlaquepaque, Mexico in 1943. His family moved to California to find employment as migrant workers. Growing up, Jiménez himself was a migrant worker. Despite not having consistent schooling as a child and being held back in first grade because he didn’t speak English well enough, Jiménez attended Santa Clara University and went on to earn his master’s and doctorate from Columbia University. All of Jiménez’s works are autobiographical and include The Circuit, Breaking Through, and Reaching Out. Currently, he is a professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Santa Clara University. Jiménez has received many awards for his autobiographical works including a Parent’s Choice Award and a Smithsonian Notable Books for Children.

Author Francisco Jiménez

Sources: www.scu.edu/cas/modernlanguages/facultystaff/Jiménezhomepage.cfm www.scholastic.com/teachers/contributor/francisco-Jiménez

PAGE 2

PRESHOW

ACTIVATING PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

“Kids lined up outside the classroom doorway and then walked in quietly and took their seats.

Some of them looked at Francisco and giggled. They made him nervous.”

STAND UP IF...

HOW ARE YOU LIKE THE CHARACTERS IN THE STORY? Time: 10 minutes Purpose: To activate prior knowledge of the characters, events, and concepts in the story—specifically: language barriers, feeling misunderstood, moving to a new place, and experiencing change.

Directions: To prepare, pre-select, adjust, and/or create statements that are appropriate for the level, age, and background of students.

To begin, students sit at their desks. Read aloud a series of statements and if the statement applies to the student they should stand, scan the room, and then sit for the next statement. Begin with simple statements to get everyone moving and then transition to statements related to the content that gradually get more sensitive as the activity progresses. After the activity, engage in reflection on how the statements relate to the story and students’ lives.

Dialogue: Just like good readers think about what they already know before reading, we’re going to think about our own experiences before seeing La Mariposa in an activity called Stand Up If...

I will say a series of statements starting with “Stand up if this statement is true for you...” and if the statement is true you will stand, look around the room to see who else is standing, then sit down and listen for the next statement.

You can choose not to stand, even if the statement is true for you—that’s okay. No one comments or is allowed to say whether something is or isn’t true for another person—this is a silent activity. Let’s begin.

Stand up if this statement is true for you…

-

- I like chocolate.

- - I have a favorite sport.

- I have seen a play before.

- I have read (say the name of a book your students - - have read in class).

- (Transition into content statements)

- I speak more than one language.

- - I speak more than two languages (three, four, five…)

- I know someone who is new to this country.

- - I was born somewhere other than the United States.

- I have moved from one home to another.

Sometimes I have a hard time understanding what is going on during class.

Sometimes I feel like I can’t describe or say what I am really thinking and feeling.

Sometimes I feel like other people don’t understand me.

I have felt left out before.

I have gotten into trouble for something that wasn’t my fault.

I have said something or done something that hurt someone’s feelings.

I have become better at something that used to be hard. (ex: math, skiing, talking in front of groups, piano, etc.)

Let’s Reflect!

All of these statements relate to the play we’re about to see. How about you—what statements did you particularly relate to? Why? In the play we’re about to see, the main character, Francisco, moves to California from Mexico. During the play, watch for his experiences.

PAGE 3

PRESHOW

MAKING TEXT-TO-WORLD CONNECTIONS “He knew caterpillars turned into butterflies because Roberto had told him.

But just how did they do it? How long did it take?”

METAMORPHOSIS

FROM CATERPILLAR TO BUTTERFLY In La Mariposa, Francisco watches a caterpillar transform throughout its life cycle, eventually changing into a butterfly. The process of changing into a butterfly is called metamorphosis and has four main stages described below:

STAGE 2 STAGE 1

Adult butterflies lay eggs, usually under plant leaves.

A caterpillar hatches from each egg. They eat leaves and grow for about two weeks

STAGE 3

The caterpillar attaches itself head down to a twig and wraps itself in a chrysalis. It’s called a pupa in this stage.

STAGE 4

After about two weeks, the butterfly emerges from the chrysalis.

In La Mariposa, Francisco also goes through life changes just like a butterfly goes through a metamorphosis.

• What is Francisco like at the beginning of the book?

• How is Francisco different at the end of the book?

• Who else changes during the story?

PAGE 4

T PRE/POS W O H S

MAKING SELF-TO-TEXT CONNECTIONS “Sometimes he imagined himself flying out of the classroom and over the fields to where Papá worked.”

DAYDREAMING

TRAVELING THROUGH YOUR IMAGINATION In La Mariposa, Francisco can’t understand what Miss Scalapino is saying in English during class and he lets his mind wander. Francisco daydreams that he is flying to visit his papá who is working in the fields.

What About You? Think of a time when you imagined that you were somewhere else. Why were you daydreaming? Where did you go? What did you see there? Write or draw in the space below:

• Why do you think Francisco daydreams?

• Why do you think Francisco visits his papá in the fields during his daydream?

• What is special about that place?

PAGE 5

PRESHOW

BUILDING BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE

LIFE AS A MIGRANT WORKER DURING THE 1940s AND 1950s

This page has recommendations on how to use the nonfiction texts on pages 7 and 8 that are designed to build background knowledge for the performance of La Mariposa by Francisco Jiménez.

Titles and Topics in the Nonfiction Texts: • • • •

THE BRACERO PROGRAM: A Need for Migrant Workers MIGRATION: Traveling with the Crops TENT CITIES: A Place to Live SNAPSHOTS FROM THE PAST: A Glimpse into Everyday Life

Nonfiction Text Features: Feel free to do a mini-lesson on nonfiction text features.

Topics have headings, photos with captions, and one has a highlight box with questions for discussion.

Options to facilitate reading: Some of the vocabulary and content may be challenging for students depending on their grade and reading level.

Students can: • • • •

Read independently Read the text aloud while students follow along Read the text in pairs to support developing readers Jigsaw the texts so each group reads and discusses a topic and shares with the rest of the class

Options to facilitate discussion: Each topic lends itself to students making connections with the book and real life experiences of migrant workers and their families. They are also springboards for deeper discussions about immigration, worker’s rights, and safe living conditions.

Sources: www.ncfh.org/?pid=4&page=2 www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu/calcultures/lesson_plans/lesson-plan-child.html www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe40s/money_09.html

PAGE 6

THE BRACERO PROGRAM: A Need for Migrant Workers During World War II, the United States and their allies needed more supplies (coal, oil, and steel) and more agricultural products (fruits, vegetables, and meat). Farm owners had to produce more than before, but since a large number of American workers had left to serve in the war, there were fewer workers to meet the demand. Because of this, the United States created the Bracero Program with Mexico in 1943 to bring laborers, braceros (Spanish for “arms”), from Mexico to temporarily work in the United States. This program lasted through 1964 and employed around 5 million Mexican laborers.

Why do you think Francisco’s family moved to the United States?

Mexican migrant workers travel by train to Los Angeles, California.

Photo: www.content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/hb2m3nb10t

MIGRATION: Traveling with the Crops To “migrate” means to travel from one place to

Migrant workers in the fields.

Photo by Leonard Nadel/National Museum of American Photo: www.sites.si.edu/images/exhibits/bracero/slideshow/pages/fields_jpg.htm

another. A migrant worker is someone who travels to find work. Most of the time, they are hired to pick fruits, vegetables, and other plants. Every season brings a different plant to pick and a different town to travel to find work. Francisco Jiménez, the author of La Mariposa, worked with his family in the fields of California in the 1940s as a migrant worker. Jiménez recalls “in the summer, we picked strawberries in Santa Maria. Then we traveled to Fresno to pick grapes in early September and on to Corcoran and Bakersfield to pick cotton in the winter.” It was common for the children of migrant workers to help in the fields because schooling was not always available. Children young as 4 and 5 years old would work long days in the sun. If they attended school, it was often interrupted because they had to move so often.

What crops does Francisco’s papá harvest throughout the year?

PAGE 7

TENT CITIES: A Place to Live Tent cities are groups of tents that are built near

crops for migrant workers and their families to live.

Sometimes these tents were owned by the farm owner, and sometimes workers had to provide their own. Life in tent cities was difficult, since there was often little access to resources like safe drinking water, bathing or laundry facilities, and restrooms. In the absence of tents, farm workers had to sleep in cars or open fields.

View over a Californian migrant worker camp of tents with a wooden barn on the right.

Photo: www.braceroarchive.org/es/items/show/1906?view=full

What do you think the illustrations of Francisco’s home look like compared to this photo?

SNAPSHOTS FROM THE PAST: A Glimpse into Everyday Life

Migrant workers celebrating Mexican Independence Day, September 1943

Santiago Orange Growers Association, Orange Packers, 1948

Photo: www.kaga.wsulibs.wsu.edu/u?/wsuvan1,1649

Photo: www.content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt1p3016d8

WHAT DO YOU THINK? • How do you think families felt about moving from Mexico to the United States?

• What do you think it would be like to move 2-8 times a year to follow the crops?

• What do you think it would be like to live in a tent city?

• What do you think it would be like if you had to work in the fields instead of going to school?

Group of migrant children, 1941 Photo:www.americaslibrary.gov/aa/chavez/aa_chavez_growup_2_e.html

PAGE 8

PRESHOW

VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT “Francisco did not know what they were saying because he could speak only Spanish, and they were all speaking English.”

EN ESPAÑOL

UNDERSTANDING EACH OTHER In La Mariposa, the characters speak both Spanish and English. Below is a glossary of Spanish words and phrases that the author, Francisco Jiménez, provides for readers in the back of the book. Below you’ll find these words from the book, what they mean, and how to say them.

SPANISH WORD OR PHRASE

WHAT IT MEANS

HOW IT SOUNDS

Adios, hijos

Goodbye, sons

a-dee-OS, EE-hos

Corridos

Mexican folkloric songs

cor-REE-dos

En ingles

In English

en in-GLAYS

En primer grado

In first grade

en pree-MERR GRAH-doe

Es tuyo

It’s yours

es-TOO-yo

Gracias

Thank you

GRAH-see-ahs

¡Hola!

Hello! or Hi

OH-lah

La mariposa

Butterfly

lah mah-ree-PO-sah

Mamá

Mama

mah-MAH

Mole

Black or green chili sauce

MO-lay

Papá

Papa

pah-PAH

Pato

Duck

PAH-toh

Que Dios los bendiga

May God bless you

kay dee-OS los ben-DEE-gah

¡Qué hermosa!

How beautiful!

kay er-MO-sah

¡Qué sorpresa!

What a surprise!

kay sor-PRAY-sah

Quítatela en la clase

Take it (the cap) off in class

KEE-ta-tay-lah en lah KLAH-say

In La Mariposa, Miss Scalapino tells Francisco to only speak English—no Spanish was allowed.

• Why do you think she does this?

PAGE 9

P O ST SHOW

REFLECTING & EVALUATING “‘It’s yours,’ Francisco repeated and handed the drawing to Curtis.”

THE PLAY & YOU Pair-share…

1.

2.

3.

4.

Pair-share your favorite part of the play.

Pair-share the biggest lesson you learned from this story.

Pair-share how you think the rest of the school year will go for Francisco.

Pair-share something you didn’t understand or have a question about.

My thoughts…

In the circles below, write what you remember most about the play and support your idea with details from the story. This could be something you talked about with your partner, an event in the story, how the play was acted, the set, or the question and answer session. Write or draw your answers.

RNED...

I LEA

I LIKED...

US BECA

E..

.

W HA

S AU C BE

S AU C BE

E..

T

E...

WILL HAPPEN N K EX HIN T..

T I .

.

PAGE 10

Book-It was here!

La TMBaOriOposa

I K O O B

K LIST

If you liked La Mariposa, you might also like‌ KINDERGARTEN

The Dot by Peter Reynolds Speak Up, Tommy by Jacqueline Dembar Greene 1ST GRADE

I Pledge Allegiance by Pat Mora Here I Am by Patti Kim 2ND GRADE

Featherless/Desplumado by Juan Felipe Herrera The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig 3RD GRADE

Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson The Year of the Book by Andrea Cheng 4TH GRADE

The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin The Trouble Begins by Linda Himelblau 5TH GRADE

The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan Dancing Home by Alma Flor Ada 6TH GRADE

Yes! We Are Latinos by Alma Flor Ada Maximilian & the Mystery of the Guardian Angel by Xavier Garza

Book list prepared by Sara Lachman, Timberland Regional Library System

JUST FOR ADULTS!

In addition to Book-It’s children’s touring stories, we offer a mainstage season of literature. For our Silver Jubilee Season we’re celebrating by giving everybody a discount! All tickets are just $25.* I Am of Ireland: A Collection of Stories, Song, and Dance September 17 - October 12, 2014 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen November 25 - December 28, 2014 The Dog of the South by Charles Portis February 11 - March 8, 2015 Little Bee by Chris Cleave April 22 - May 17, 2015 Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut June 9 - July 3, 2015 *except for our holiday presentation, Pride and Prejudice

FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY! Family Fun Days Bring the whole family to enjoy a live theatre performance of a great children’s book, book-themed crafts, and an imaginative workshop where you jump into the world of the story.

• Crafts at 10:30 a.m.

• Performance at 11:00 a.m • Workshop at 12:00 noon

Get 50%

La Mariposa by Francisco Jiménez Sunday, October 12, 2014

Discou

STAT: Standing Tall and Talented by Amar’e Stoudemire Saturday, February 28, 2015

off!

nt Cod e:

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Reg a r e $ u1 l a r t ic k e t 2 adul p t s , $ 1 r0 ic e s k id s

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll Saturday, May 2, 2015

TO BUY YOUR TICKETS… Contact Book-It’s box office: 206.216.0833 or visit our website: book-it.org.

All shows are at the Center Theatre at the Seattle Center Armory.

BOOK-IT.ORG | 206.216.0833 | CENTER THEATRE, SEATTLE CENTER | 305 HARRISON ST, SEATTLE, WA 98109