The Upside Down Boy Study Guide by Book-It Repertory Theatre

HOW TO USE THIS STUDY GUIDE

LITERACY OBJECTIVES

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 the Book-It Style®, literacy objectives, and hands-on activities that support the comprehension of The Upside Down Boy.

ACTIVATING PRIOR KNOWLEDGE MAKING SELF-TO-TEXT CONNECTIONS VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT BUILDING BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE REFLECTING & EVALUATING

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.

THEMES & CONCEPTS CLASS & STATUS FAMILY & COMMUNITY DYNAMICS

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.

MUSIC POETRY

THIRD: KEEP READING! 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.5, L.CCR.4, SL.CCR.2 Washington EARLs in Theatre: 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11 *Exact standards depend upon grade level, reading the text, and instructional shifts to meet the Standard Study Guide Written and Compiled by: Maddie Napel, Primary Teaching Artist Additional Contributions and Study Guide Edited by: Annie DiMartino, Director of Education Spanish translation provided by: J. Woody and Osiris Lotts

An important note on the Book-It Style® The use of narrative, particularly third-person narrative, is a hallmark and founding principle of Book-It Repertory Theatre productions since the company’s inception in 1987. Book-It’s approach to narrative text on ®stage is known throughout theatre communities regionally and nationally as the Book-It Style . Book-It adaptations provide an experience of the book unlike any other adapted work. By preserving the author’s original language, Book-It adaptations capture the essence of the novel’s original intent and tone, while celebrating the author’s unique voice. Actors in a Book-It Style production perform narrative lines in character with objectives and intentions as they would with any line of dialogue in a standard play. Narrative lines are delivered with motivation to other characters, as opposed to a detached delivery straight out to the audience as a narrator. Book-It adapters will often divide descriptive narrative amongst several characters. This arrangement and editing process is a result of purposeful exploration and development over the last 29 years of the company’s artistic history, and overseen by Founding Co-Artistic Directors Jane Jones and Myra Platt.

SCRIPT EXAMPLE: ALL Who-nee-purr! Who-nee-purr!

JUANITO Yo tenia ocho anos and about to live in a big city for the first time

PAPI Papi parks our old army truck on Juniper Street in front of

MAMA Mamá, a quien le encantan las palabras,

MAMA la casita color de rosa de doña Andasola,

PAPI who loves words

JUANITO Mrs. Andasola’s tiny pink house.

JUANITO sings out the name on the street sign- Juniper.

MAMA y PAPA We found it at last!

MAMA Who-nee-purr! Who-neepurr!

TABLE OF CONTENTS ABOUT THE STORY & CHARACTERS

Story Synopsis ................................................................................. 5 Mrs. Mumbles Activity ....................................................................... 6 Characters in the Story ....................................................................... 7 About the Author: Juan Felipe Herrera .................................................... 8 Poet Laureate of the United States ........................................................ 9 An Interview with Juan Felipe Herrera ................................................... 10 About the Illustrator: Elizabeth Gómez ................................................... 12 Artistic Influences Activity.................................................................. 13

CONTEXT

Self-to-Text: First Day of School ........................................................... 14 Self-to-Text: Unpacking Figurative Language ............................................ 16 Migrant Farm Workers and Immigration .................................................. 18

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES

Soundscapes of the Campo and City ...................................................... 20 Finger Painting ............................................................................... 21 Family Recipes ............................................................................... 22 Additional Resources ........................................................................ 23

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. 4

K-3 Activity

4-6 Activity

STORY SYNOPSIS

(from Immigration In and Out of the Classroom, www.teachimmigration.blogspot.com)

The Upside Down Boy is a memoir of the year Herrera’s migrant family settled down near San Diego, California in order to allow him to attend school for the first time. Juanito is bewildered and overwhelmed by the new school, and he misses the warmth of country life. Everything he does feels abnormal and makes him feel upside down: He eats lunch when it’s recess, he goes out to play when it’s time for lunch and his tongue feels like a rock when he speaks English. But a sensitive teacher, his loving family and the support from some neighborly chickens help Juanito find his voice through poetry, art, and music. El niño de cabeza es una memoria del año en que la familia migrante de Herrera se estableció cerca de San Diego, California para permitirle asistir a la escuela por primera vez. Juanito está desconcertado y abrumado por la nueva escuela y extraña el calor de la vida campestre. Todo lo que hace se siente anormal y lo hace sentir de cabeza: se come el almuerzo cuando es receso, sale a jugar cuando es hora de almorzar y su lengua se siente como una piedra cuando habla inglés. Pero una profesora sensible, el amor de su familia y el apoyo de algunos pollos vecinales ayudan a Juan a encontrar su voz a través de la poesía, el arte y la música. K-3   

Pre-Show Discussion Question:

After showing your students the front cover of the book, ask them what they think the book is going to be about and where do they think it will take place? Then read the book, and ask them to point out what they see in the pictures and what they think Juanito is feeling. Why do you think Juanito feels upside down? What does that mean? What are three things that help Juanito feel more confident in school?

4-6  

What do you think is the main message of this autobiographical story and why do you think the author chose to write it in both English and Spanish? There is a lyricism to the writing of this book that mirrors the poetry Juanito writes, why is this important and what other authors employ this similar style? 5

K-3 Activity

4-6 Activity

MRS. MUMBLES ACTIVITY Herrera's choice of words and the accompanying illustrations by Elizabeth Gómez tell a very important story about feeling “upside down” in a new situation in a way that young children can relate to and older students can use as a starting point for a deeper, empathetic discussion. In order to allow your students the chance to experientially understand what Juanito was feeling in a safe way, the Mrs. Mumbles Activity is a great entry point that’s appropriate for all grade bands. Materials needed: NONE How to Play: Students are seated in a circle. The objective of the game is to not show your teeth while speaking, but try to be as clear as possible. Someone starts by asking a neighbor (without showing teeth), "(Name), have you seen Mrs. Mumble?" The neighbor responds by saying, "No (Name) , I have not seen Mrs. Mumble?" again without showing her teeth. The first person then says, "OHHH!" and asks the next person..."(Name), have you seen Mrs. Mumble?" This must go around the circle without any players showing their teeth while speaking. After reading the book or book synopsis in class, and playing the Mrs. Mumbles activity, guide your students through these discussion prompts. ACTIVITY FOLLOW-UP (K-3):  



Who is this story about? We just played a game that was fun and silly, but imagine if everyday at school, you had a hard time understanding or being understood like Juanito. What do you think Juanito feels when he isn’t understood? Now imagine if instead of laughing with him, his classmates were laughing at him. How do you think that makes him feel? What are some things we can do to help our friends who may be having a hard time like Juanito? (Make a list and keep up on the wall)

ACTIVITY FOLLOW-UP (4-6):  We just played a game that was fun and silly, but imagine if everyday at school, you had a hard time understanding or being understood. How is Juanito’s understanding of language different from that of his classmates? How does being bilingual change the way he writes poetry? The way he sees the world?  Compare and contrast your family dynamic and living situation with those of Juanito. 6

CHARACTERS IN OUR STORY ACTOR 1 JUANITO: An eight-year-old boy who moves from the countryside to San Diego, CA to attend school. This character is autobiographical. Un niño de ocho años que se muda del campo a San Diego, CA para asistir a la escuela. Este personaje es autobiográfico. ACTOR 2 MAMA: Juanito’s mother. She never made it past the third grade—she left school to help her mother at home—but she remains a great lover of words and speaks “with music in her voice.” La madre de Juanito. Ella nunca pasó el tercer grado - dejó la escuela para ayudar a su madre en casa - pero sigue siendo una gran amante de las palabras y habla “con música en su voz. " MRS. SAMPSON: Juanito’s teacher. She encourages her students to express themselves through poetry and song. Maestra de Juanito. Anima a sus estudiantes a expresarse a través de la poesía y la canción. ACTOR 3 PAPA: Juanito’s father. He learned English while working the railroads by paying his friends one penny for each English word they taught him. He gives Juanito his harmonica. El padre de Juanito. Aprendió inglés mientras trabajaba en los ferrocarriles pagándole a sus amigos un centavo por cada palabra en inglés que le enseñaban. Le da a Juanito su harmónica. AMANDA: Juanito’s classmate and friend. Compañera y amiga de Juanito. MRS. ANDASOLA: The owner of the small pink house Juanito’s family stays in in San Diego. El dueño de la pequeña casa rosa en la que familia de Juanito se alojó en San Diego. GABINO: Mrs. Andasola’s canary, a puppet that will sit on the shoulder of Mrs. Andasola. El canario de la señora Andasola, una marioneta que se hallará en el hombro de la señora Andasola. 7

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Juan Felipe Herrera Juan Felipe Herrera was born on December 27, 1948 in Fowler, California to parents Lucha Herrea Quintana and Felipe Emilio Herrera (the real life “Mama Lucha” and “Papi Felipe” in Juanito’s grade “A” poem). Herrera’s family worked as migrant farmworkers in the San Joaquin Valley before their move to the city of San Diego, CA, where, as the real life “Juanito,” Herrera attended school for the first time. In school, Herrera became interested in social activism and the arts, becoming an adept cartoonist by middle school and playing music by American folk artists and civil rights activists Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan. After graduating from high school in 1967, Herrera went on to complete an undergraduate degree at UCLA (BA, 1972), before moving on to graduate studies at Stanford University (MA, 1980). In college, graduate school, and as a young adult living in San Francisco, Herrera explored poetry, performance, and activism—influenced by poets Allen Ginsberg and Frederico Garcìa Loca and playwright Luis Valdez—becoming particularly involved in the Chicano Civil Rights Movement. In 1990, Herrera earned an MFA from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop and received his first professorial appointment at California State University, Fresno. From 2005 to 2015, Herrera held the Tomàs Rivera Endowed Chair in the Creative Writing Department at University of California: Riverside. Retired now, he lives in Fresno, California with his partner Margarita Robles, herself a performance artist and poet. They have five children. From 2012-2015, Juan Felipe Herrera served as the Poet Laureate of California, becoming the first Latino poet to hold that honor. From 2015-2016, he again became the first Latino Poet Laureate, this time of the United States of America.

A young Juan Felipe with his mother, Lucha Herrera Quintana. Copyright © 2012 by Juan Felipe Herrera. Reprinted with permission of the author. All rights reserved. Photo from JFHerrera Familia Photo Archive 1888-2012.

Juan Felipe Herrera’s father, 1904 8

4-6 Activity

POET LAUREATE OF THE UNITED STATES Juan Felipe Herrera was named the first Latino Poet Laureate of the United States in 2015. He served two terms in this position. The Library of Congress appoints each Poet Laureate. The role involves being a national advocate for poetry; the Poet Laureate “seeks to raise the national consciousness to a greater appreciation of the reading and writing of poetry.” Each nominee speaks and reads poetry at key events and also leads projects of his or her own interest. Specific examples of Herrera’s projects during his two terms can be found here: https://www.loc.gov/ rr/program/ bib/herrera/. (from Teacher’s Guide: Lee and Low Books) After Juan Felipe Herrera was named Poet Laureate in 2015, Dominican-American author Julia Alvarez wrote, "I am tickled, as I always am, when Langston Hughes is proved right, once again. Writing in pre-Civil Rights era America, Hughes claimed, 'I, too, sing America. ... I, too, am America,'" she said. "And now, with Juan Felipe Herrera’s appointment, we can add, 'We, too, sing América. ... We, too, are América! But also, we have to acknowledge that Juan Felipe isn’t just nuestro Juan Felipe. As poet laureate he belongs to all of us. That’s what’s beautiful about this. Those who write our poetry, sing our songs, tell our stories what they make belongs to all of us. The little rivers and arroyos are all feeding the one big sea, even bigger than United Estates of America, the whole multicolored human family."

Juan Felipe Herrera and Julia Alvarez

ACTIVITY: The following artists were influential to Juan Felipe Herrera and his work. Choose one, and conduct a brief investigation into their life and artwork. How was each both an artist and an activist?

Woody Guthrie

Bob Dylan

Luis Valdez

Allen Ginsberg

Frederico Garcìa Loca

4-6 Activity

An Interview with Juan Felipe Herrera (By Jerry Griswold, Parent’s Choice)

Q: The central moment in many of your books is the time you went to school and had trouble “fitting in” because you spoke only Spanish. But you were helped when a teacher took a special interest in you. Why do you keep coming back to that moment? A: There is so much electricity around those school moments. Ruptures, estrangements, even imprisonments. Those were vascular moments, as if blood was spurting everywhere. And they seemed at odds with the other “sentidos” or feelings I remember from my childhood: stars at night, the howling of coyotes, dew on the grass in the morning. Like a painting by Paul Klee. Soft colors. A softness on eyes and skin. Q: Is Fresno the capitol of Latino/a children’s literature? A: My parents were migrant farm workers in the Fresno area, and I eventually ended up teaching creative writing at California State University in Fresno. Other Latino/a children’s writers–Gary Soto, Pam Muñoz Ryan–are from there and write about Fresno. Even Francisco Jiménez writes about that area. There are tribes of writers and we are definitely a crew. It’s funny to say so, but Fresno has been for Latino/a children’s writers what Paris was for Hemingway and Fitzgerald. Q: Your picture books are bilingual in an interesting way. Why is it that the English and Spanish texts are not quite the same? A: Typically, I write in English first. Then I translate into Spanish. But then I look at the Spanish and see the different flavors it adds, so I translate back into English. It keeps going back and forth until I have two related but stand-alone stories in the two languages. There’s something, then, for the monolingual English reader. And there’s something for the monolingual Spanish reader. But for kids who know both English and Spanish, the result is stereo because they can see how the story in one language comments on the story in the other language. Really, more than bilingual, the experience is interlingual.

4-6 Activity

An Interview with Juan Felipe Herrera (By Jerry Griswold, Parent’s Choice)

Q: What accounts for your fascination with flying? A: Tomasito–the wheelchair-bound boy in Featherless–has a pet bird and dreams about flying. Calling the Doves is also about birds and flying. In Super Cilantro Girl, Esmeralda dreams about turning into a green, fifty-foot-high superhero who flies to her mother’s rescue. My fascination with flying is everywhere. It comes from my interest in shamans and the beliefs of native Americans. My mind is always soaring. I do five things at the same time and I write fast. I actually have to slow myself down to get things done. The art of flying is the art of writing. RIGHT-IN-THE-TEXT QUESTIONS: 1. Why does Juan Felipe Herrera write so much about his experiences in school? 2. Name two other Latino/a children’s writers. 3. What does Juan Felipe Herrera mean by calling his works interlingual? WRITING PROMPT: Compare Juan Felipe Herrera’s answer about his fascination with flying to the following passage from The Upside Down Boy: When I jump up everyone sits. When I sit all the kids swing through the air. My feet float through the clouds when all I want is to touch the earth. I am the upside down boy. How does Juanito’s sense of flying upside down and weightless above his classmates relate to his soon-to-be discovered skill as a poet? What new perspective does he gain from this alienating, exhilarating experience?

Read more by Juan Felipe Herrera Calling the Doves (2001) Memoir of Herrera’s farmworker childhood

Grandma and Me at the Flea (2002) Herrera remembers selling clothes with his grandma at the flea market, illustrating the value of community

Featherless (2002) Tells the story of Tomasito, a young boy in a wheelchair, who shows his classmates that there is more than one way to play soccer

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR: Elizabeth Gómez (from Teacher’s Guide: Lee and Low Books)

Elizabeth Gómez is an internationally exhibited painter, widely acclaimed for her brilliant use of color and fantastical imagery. Her artwork for The Upside Down Boy by Juan Felipe Herrera was praised for its “delightful humor” and “colorful metaphor.” A native of Mexico City, she now lives in Redwood City, California, with her husband and children. Find her online at http://www.elizabethgomezart.com/. For The Upside Down Boy, Gómez created 15 original paintings using acrylic on paper.

ARTIST STATEMENT

(http://www.elizabethgomezart.com/)

“In my work I search for images that convey a somewhat utopic coexistence between humans (usually women) and their environment: an ecology that ultimately does not exist. This is why in my seemingly innocent stories there is always a hint of stress. I am interested in concepts of environmental hierarchy both in the wild and in our human reality. “My work is influenced by popular arts from around the world and by surreal artists who explore reality through fantastical transformations. I love the qualities of sharply outlined cartoons that I infinitely watched as a kid. I often have in mind the Mexican retablos of my childhood. I also delight in the jewel-like Persian or Indian miniatures and medieval illuminations. I strive for work that has the honesty and directness of handmade crafts with the use of over-decoration and space-flattening pattern.”

4-6 Activity

Artistic Influences Activity “I often have in mind the Mexican retablos of my childhood. I also delight in the jewel-like Persian or Indian miniatures and medieval illuminations.” ~Elizabeth Gómez Retablo: a religious (usually Catholic) painting or sculpture, created by a Mexican folk artist for display above an altar

“Miracle of the Cloak -Virgin of Guadalupe Appearing to Juan Diego” late 1800s, anonymous, oil paint on tin

Persian Miniature: a small painting on paper, often a book illustration. Origins of Persian Miniature date back to the 13th century.

“Angel,” Persian Miniature, 1555

Medieval Illumination: Ornate illustrations— decorated with gold and/or silver—that accompanied medieval manuscripts

Scenes from the Life of David, leaf from the Winchester Bible, illuminated by the Master of the Morgan Leaf. England, Winchester, Cathedral Priory of St. Swithin, ca. 1160-80.

ACTIVITY: Compare these three artistic styles to Elizabeth Gómez’s work (pictured below and in The Upside Down Boy). Find at least one specific detail from each historical image to compare to Gómez’s illustrations. Example: The golden background in the Persian Miniature reminds me of the color of the sky, the field, and the wallpaper in Gómez’s illustrations below.

K-3 Activity

SELF-TO-TEXT CONNECTIONS: First Day of School Most people in America have at least some memory of their first day of school. It is often an important moment in a young person’s life, marking the beginning of a transition between childhood and adulthood. Your first day of school may have been challenging, exciting, and/or scary. It may have been something you looked forward to for a long time, or something that came as a surprise. Almost certainly, your experience of your first day of school was deeply affected by many factors: the language you spoke, the color of your skin, the identity of your teachers, the identity of other students in your class, your family’s relationship with formal education… the list goes on and on. Juanito describes arriving for his first day of school: I slow step into school. My burrito de papas, my potato burrito in a brown bag. Empty playground, fences locked. One cloud up high.

Use the below template to compare and contrast Juanito’s first day of school with your own. As you are writing and drawing, think about factors that might explain some of the similarities and differences.

Juanito’s First Day of School

My First Day of School

On Juanito’s first day of school, he was ____ years old. Draw a picture of Juanito at that age.

On my first day of school, I was ____ years old. Draw a picture of yourself at that age.

On Juanito’s first day of school, he got to school by ___________. Draw a picture of Juanito on his way to school.

On my first day of school, I got to school by ___________. Draw a picture of you on your way to school.

K-3 Activity

SELF-TO-TEXT CONNECTIONS: First Day of School A young Juan Felipe Herrera dressed for school year 1955-56

Juanito’s First Day of School

My First Day of School

On Juanito’s first day of school, he felt________. Draw a picture of that emotion.

On my first day of school, I felt__________. Draw a picture of that emotion.

On Juanito’s first day of school, he had _________ for lunch. Draw a picture of the food he ate.

On my first day of school, I had ____________ for lunch. Draw a picture of the food you ate.

On Juanito’s first day of school, he met ___________. Draw a picture of that person.

On my first day of school, I met _____________. Draw a picture of that person.

On Juanito’s first day of school, he wore __________. Draw a picture of the clothes he wore on his first day of school.

On my first day of school, I wore __________. Draw a picture of the clothes you wore on your first day of school.

4-6 Activity

SELF-TO-TEXT CONNECTIONS: Unpacking Figurative Language In The Upside Down Boy, Juanito uses figurative language to describe the people and places in his life. Some types of figurative language are defined below: Simile: A comparison showing similarities between two different things, using the words “like” or “as.” Metaphor: A comparison showing similarities between two different things, without using the words “like” or “as.” Personification: A figure of speech in which something non-human is described as if having human attributes.

Classify each of the below instances of figurative language from The Upside Down Boy, as a simile, metaphor, or example of personification. Some may fit under more than one classification. Next, draw a picture of what this language makes you imagine. Language

Simile? Metaphor? Personification?

“My feet float through the clouds when all I want is to touch the earth. I am the upside down boy” (14).

Metaphor

“The hard round clock above my head clicks and aims its strange arrows at me” (8).

“Will my voice reach the open ceiling, weave through it like grape vines” (10)?

Visual Representation

4-6 Activity

SELF-TO-TEXT CONNECTIONS: Unpacking Figurative Language Language

Simile? Metaphor? Personification?

Visual Representation

“My eyes open as big as the ceiling and my hands spread out as if catching rain drops from the sky” (18).

“I think of Mama, squeeze my pencil, pour letters out of the shiny tip like a skinny river” (24).

“M’s are sea waves. They crash over my table” (24).

Next, come up with an example of figurative language and accompanying illustration to describe your own way of speaking, way of writing, facial expression, school environment, family members, etc. Write and draw below!

4-6 Activity

MIGRANT FARM WORKERS AND IMMIGRATION 'They're Scared': Immigration Fears Exacerbate Migrant Farmworker Shortage by Melissa Block and Marisa PeĂąaloza On a recent, perfect morning at Johnson Farms in northern Michigan, workers climb wooden ladders high up into the trees, picking bags strapped across their bodies. The branches are heavy with fruit that glows in the morning sun. Their fingers are a blur, nimbly plucking fruit and filling bushel bags: about 50 pounds per load. It's hard, sweaty work. Apple season was just getting underway on Old Mission Peninsula, a finger of land poking into Lake Michigan, dotted with lush farms. The pickers range in age from 21 to 65, and all of them are Mexican. As in the rest of the U.S., growers in heavily agricultural northern Michigan rely overwhelmingly on migrant laborers to work the fields and orchards. According to the farm owners, the workers either came from Mexico on temporary H2A visas or they have paperwork showing they are in the U.S. legally. Farmers from Georgia to California say they have a problem: not enough workers to harvest their crops. It's estimated anywhere from half to three-quarters of farmworkers are in this country illegally, and some growers say that President Trump's antiimmigrant rhetoric has made a chronic worker shortage even worse. Johnson Farms' owner, Dean Johnson, 67, says it's just about impossible to find Americans to do this work. "We've tried. We really have," he says. "Sometimes people come out on a day like today and they'll pick one box, and then they're gone. They just don't want to do it." "It's really sad," adds Johnson's daughter, Heatherlyn Johnson Reamer, 44, who manages the farm. "They'll come, they'll check it out, and usually they're gone within a day or two." What's behind the farmworker shortage? For one, a stronger U.S. economy is driving many seasonal workers into better-paying, year-round work, like construction. "There's a huge need in the trades," Reamer says, "especially when we have natural disasters like we've seen these last few years with the hurricanes and everything. And we've actually lost workers who said, 'Hey, I got a job. I'm gonna go work for this construction company in Florida.' And they would leave." Another factor: The children of migrants are upwardly mobile and are leaving the fields behind. Many are going to college and finding better work opportunities in professions outside agriculture. Add to that Trump's crackdown on immigration, which many growers complain is crimping their labor supply. "As we all know, there's a pretty good number of workers in this country illegally," Dean Johnson says. "They're scared. Those people don't want to travel anymore. They're in Florida and Texas. They won't come up from Mexico."

4-6 Activity

MIGRANT FARM WORKERS AND IMMIGRATION Because of the farm labor shortage, many farms across the country are relying more heavily on workers from Mexico, brought in through the H2A temporary visa program. The workers earn $12.75 an hour, at minimum, plus transportation and housing. Farmers complain that the program is cumbersome. There's a lot of red tape, with multiple federal agencies involved, and it's expensive: It can cost about $2,000 in fees for each worker they bring in. But the growers need the help. Nationwide, the H2A program has grown by 81 percent over the past five years. Across Grand Traverse Bay, a migrant worker named Marcelino — who asks that we not use his last name because he fears being deported — is at home in the trailer he shares with his two daughters and his wife, Leticia, who is busy making tortillas for dinner. Marcelino and Leticia are both undocumented; they work side-by-side in the fields. Their daughters are U.S. citizens, born in Michigan. Marcelino tells me he grew up in the Mexican state of Guerrero. "My home is in the rural, rural place," he says, a village of 20 homes, so small it doesn't even have a name. He crossed the border illegally in 1989, when he was just 14, to work in the fields. He has lived in this country ever since. In the winter, the family lives in Florida, where Marcelino and his wife pick oranges. Come March, they head north to Michigan for field work — cherries, grapes and apples. The girls switch schools, back and forth. Marcelino has been making the trip for 28 years now. In the past, he says, migrant families would drive north in a long caravan, seven or eight vehicles, all filled with workers. Now, he says, "Nobody wants to come." They're too afraid, Marcelino says, and he's fearful, too. His friends in Florida tell him he's crazy to make the trip, but he needs the work, and, he says, he doesn't want fear to rule his life. Asked what he would say to people who argue that the U.S. is a nation of laws, and that undocumented workers are taking jobs away from Americans, Marcelino says: "I'd tell them, come work with us, and if you like the work, and if you produce as much as we do, then here is your job." He notes that one of his bosses tells him he would need to hire 10 people to do the work he does. Looking ahead, Marcelino dreams of a better life for his daughters, who have a boost up as American citizens. One wants to be a police officer; the other, a surgeon. He warns his girls: Pay attention in school and study hard, or else you could end up like us, coming home from the fields, all dirty and stinky. He pushes them, he says, because "I want them to be better than us."

RIGHT IN THE TEXT QUESTIONS: 1. How many pounds of apples do workers pick in a load? 2. What percentage of current migrant farmworkers is it estimated came to this country illegally? 3. Name two reasons that growers are struggling to find enough workers to pick their crops. 4. Where does Marcelino’s family live in the winter? In the spring? How many years have they been commuting back and forth? 5. What does Marcelino want for his daughters? 19

K-3 Activity

SOUNDSCAPES OF THE CAMPO AND CITY When Juanito moves from the mountains by Lake Wolfer to the city of San Diego, one of the first things he notices are the differences in ambient sound. Read this stage direction from the beginning of the play: The ensemble stands on stage. We hear the noises of the campo, the buzz of crickets, the wind through the fields, the sound of campesinos working in the field. The ensemble: Mama, Papi y Juanito are working in the fields together, humming, sometimes singing a song in Spanish. In this activity, students will practice listening and collaboration to create the sounds of two different environments: the Campo— the countryside— and the city of San Diego. It is safe for a teacher to use without any prerequisite knowledge. This activity is ideal for groups of 8 - 20 performers or students of any age.

DIRECTIONS Invite students to close their eyes and imagine they are outside, in the country. They can hear crickets buzzing, wind rustling through the fields, and the sound of people humming as they work. Students may open their eyes and try (as a group) making each of these sounds in turn. Now, invite students to consider what other sounds they might hear in that environment. Give students a little bit of planning time to come up with their own original sound, their contribution to the environment of the countryside. Begin with only one student making their sound. Slowly, add students’ sounds until the whole group is involved. Invite the soundscape to get louder and softer, following your gesture. For older groups, you may invite students to consider how their sound might change if it were… nighttime, early morning, midday, evening, etc. Explore these variations. Repeat the exercise for the environment of San Diego. Inform students that this is a major city, so they should hear the sounds of people and traffic. It is also by the ocean, so they may hear some of those sounds as well. Explore with variations. QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION 1. How were both of these soundscapes similar? Different? How did each soundscape make you feel? 2. Imagine that you are Juanito, traveling from one soundscape to another, arriving at your new home. What might excite you about your new environment? What might you miss from your old home?

K-3 Activity

FINGER PAINTING We are finger-painting. I make wild suns with my open hands. Crazy tomato cars and cucumber sombrerosâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; I write my name with seven chilies. Before Juanito has the English words to communicate with his classmates, he finds a way to express himself through visual art. As a complimentary activity to reading The Upside Down Boy, create your own expressions of visual identity through finger painting with homemade, edible paints. Materials Enough newspaper/ brown paper bags to cover the art-making area Paper Tape Corn Flour Water Salt Food Coloring Small Sealable Containers Making the Paint 1. Add one cup of corn flour and one tablespoon of salt to saucepan and slowly add three cups water, mixing with a whisk until all combined. 2. Keep stirring over a medium heat, until mixture is smooth and thick. 3. Once mixture has thickened remove from heat and allow to cool. 4. Once cooled, separate the fingerpaint into small containers and colour with small amounts of either food coloring or tempera. If using tempera powder add a little water to combine. 5. If paint is too thick, add small amounts of water and mix thoroughly, until you get the desired consistency. Painting 1. Tape down a piece of paper for each student and arrange containers of paint around the space. Distribute tubs of water for hand rinsing mid-project. 2. Read the above passage from The Upside Down Boy and encourage students to be inspired by Juan Felipe Herreraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s poetry. Invite students to paint people and places that are important to them. 3. Paint! Optional: Play symphony music while students paint, just as Mrs. Sampson does as her students are writing poetry. 4. Wash hands.

4-6 Activity

FAMILY RECIPES “My teacher says my voice is beauuuuutiful,” I sing, dancing with a tiny dough ball stuck on my nose. “Si, si,” Mama laughs. “Let’s see if your buñuelos come out beautiful too.” In The Upside Down Boy, Juanito makes buñuelos (fried sweet cinnamon tortilla chips) in the kitchen with Mama and Mrs. Andasola. Family recipes often serve as a reminder of home and a connection to one’s heritage. In this activity, students will interview family members to discover recipes important to their family and heritage. INSTRUCTIONS: Send students home with a mission: interview a family member or close family friend about a recipe that is important to them. Time permitting, cook the recipe with your family member or close family friend as you ask questions to learn more about your family history. Return to class (possibly with something delicious you cooked, at least with a new recipe in hand) prepared to share what you learned. MAKE JUANITO’S BUNELOS:

https://www.mexgrocer.com/502-bunuelos-bunuelos.html

Ingredients 3 cups flour, sifted twice 1 tbsp baking powder 1 tbsp salt 1 tbsp sugar 2 eggs 3/4 cup milk 1/2 cup butter or margarine oil for frying Directions In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, beat one tbsp sugar, eggs and butter. Stir in milk. Add milk mixture to flour. If dough is too dry, add a few more drops of milk. Knead dough until it is very smooth. Shape into 20 balls. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes. Heat oil one-inch deep in large skillet to 360 F. Roll each ball out on a lightly-floured board into very thin six-inch circle. Fry buñuelos until golden brown, turning once. Drain on absorbent towels. Sprinkle with sugar-cinnamon topping while warm, or drizzle with syrup or Miel de Piloncillo. These can be frozen. Wrap separately in freezer bags. Defrost and place in a 350 F. oven for a few minutes until crisp (makes 20).

The Upside Down Boy Study Guide Sources: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/authors/juan-felipe-herrera/ http://www.elizabethgomezart.com/about/ https://www.leeandlow.com/uploads/loaded_document/420/ The_Upside_Down_Boy_Teacher_s_Guide.pdf https://www.mexgrocer.com/502-bunuelos-bunuelos.html https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/09/27/552636014/theyre-scaredimmigration-fears-exacerbate-migrant-farmworker-shortage http://teachimmigration.blogspot.com/2015/07/juan-felipe-herrera-offers-insightand.html https://abc30.com/entertainment/photos-the-life-of-juan-felipe-herrera-/983526/ http://www.parents-choice.org/article.cfm?CFID=e6f3443a-037b-49db-bdb87a2c77c28dda&CFTOKEN=0&art_id=295&the_page=editorials http://blueflowerarts.com/artist/juan-felipe-herrera

Book-It Repertory Theatre would like to thank the following Arts & Education Program Supporters

Norcliffe Foundation