Page 93 - SpringBoard_ELA_Grade6_Flipbook

aCTIvITy 1.14
continued
a day of Change: developing the Story
hiccup: a sound in the throat that comes from uncontrolled muscle movements in the chest
my Notes
19 That’s when everything I’ve been holding in since this morning, since when Mrs. Price put the sweater on my desk, finally lets go, and all of a sudden I’m crying in front of everybody. I wish I was invisible but I’m not. I’m eleven and it’s my birthday today and I’m crying like I’m three in front of everybody. I put my head down on the desk and bury my face in my stupid clown-sweater arms. My face all hot and spit coming out of my mouth because I can’t stop the little animal noises from coming out of me, until there aren’t any more tears left in my eyes, and it’s just my body shaking like when you have the hiccups, and my whole head hurts like when you drink milk too fast.
20 But the worst part is right before the bell rings for lunch. That stupid Phyllis Lopez, who is even dumber than Sylvia Saldívar, says she remembers the red sweater is hers! I take it off right away and give it to her, only Mrs. Price pretends like everything’s okay.
21 Today I’m eleven. There’s a cake Mama’s making for tonight, and when Papa comes home from work we’ll eat it. There’ll be candles and presents, and everybody will sing Happy birthday, happy birthday to you, Rachel, only it’s too late.
22 I’m eleven today. I’m eleven, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, and one, but I wish I was one hundred and two. I wish I was anything but eleven, because I want today to be far away already, far away like a runaway balloon, like a tiny o in the sky, so tiny-tiny you have to close your eyes to see it.
Second Read
• Reread the short story to answer these text-dependent comprehension questions.
• Write any additional questions you have about the text in your Reader/Writer Notebook.
1. Key Ideas and Details: What can you infer about the conflict of the story? How is it both internal and external?
2. Craft and Structure: How does Cisneros show the transition from one event to another?
3. Craft and Structure: What is the effect of a sentence that repeats short phrases such as “Not mine, not mine, not mine?” How does this sentence type help develop the story?
66 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6
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