Reaching Out

Abandoning family to attain a college education..this biography gives you insight as to why such a choice is worthwhile.

Leading a life of poverty amongst his family dedicated to migrant, Jimenez can only hope for a better future. When he is given the opportunity to attend college at Santa Clara University, Frank is quickly hesitant but after a lot of consideration accepts. Fearing he will be much unlike the rest of his classmates, he endures the drive to the university in the company of his entire family. Moving into his dormitory and meeting his roomate is one of the many obstacles he is able to overcome. Though each day comes with a new struggle he is persistent with his work and is kindly rewarded in the end.

Websites

• Continuing with the biography of his life, this website informs the eager readers about who Francisco Jimenez is today and the reasons he crafted each of the novels about his life.
• A teacher may use this website if they wish to teach about migrant workers and their presence during Jimenez's young life.

Vocabulary

Much of this biography speaks about the lifestyle of being a migrant worker and what it entails. Vocabulary such as emigration, migrant worker, poverty, border patrol, and other similar terms will help students to further understand the content.

Reading Activities

Before Reading

There are two biographical novels about Francisco Jimenez that come before Reaching Out. In the classroom it may be helpful to find these books and provide the students with a summary of the events which occurred in our characters life before this point. Explicitly teaching this and providing the class with this reference material may assist in furthering comprehension as you begin reading.

During Reading

In the beginning of the biography we experience the hardship of Francisco as he leaves his family to pursue a college education. He is sure that he will miss his family and as he settles into his dormitory he finds himself slightly homesick. Question the students about times in their life where they have found themselves to be homesick. What happened and what they do to cope with the situation? Have them make a pamphlet with a description of what it might feel like to be homesick. Inside they may offer suggestions on how to relieve such feelings and have a reflection on a personal experience and how these suggestions were successful for them.

After Reading

Having the students conduct interviews may be a successful activity to pursue when reading Reaching Out. They can approach people that they are familiar with, family or close friends, and ask them about the difficulties that they faced when attending college. What were the goals that they set for themselves? What sorts of careers were they pursuing? In addition to collecting to this information, you may ask them to write an essay which compares the situation of their interviewee to that of Francisco Jimenez.

HOLOCAUST: The Events and Their Impact on Real People

I have always been interested in the Holocaust but this book opened my eyes to things not even I knew.

There is an incredible amount of content in this book for you to share with students. It addresses what life was like for those who were discriminated long before Hitler took power and began the genocide. It also helps you to discover what life might have been like for the members of Hilter's army, a group of people that we often do not focus on. Throughout the book their are letters written in regards to the Holocaust by survivors and those involved as they reflect on their experiences and the ways in which the remarkable event impacted their lives. This nonfiction book does a great job to cover a wide range of material in way that makes it very comprehensive for all audiences.

Websites

• This resource is dedicates itself to providing all the resources necessary for teaching about the Holocaust.
• The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum also does well to explain Holocaust. There is article upon article of information here that your students can use a resources to assist in their understanding.

 Vocabulary

There is a multitude of content specific vocabulary that you can teach with the use of this book in the classroom.

• Assimilation
• Aryan
• Chancellor
• Dehumanization
• Euthanasia
• Genocide
• Ghetto
• Holocaust
• Judaism
• Nationalism
• Prejudice
• Scapegoat

All these terms are relevant and may taught explicitly to those students who are struggling to form an understanding.

Reading Activities

Before Reading

Be sure that your students are aware of the terminology that is associated with the content. In doing so you may create a KWL chart where students write about what they already know in regards to the Holocaust, what they want to know, and once you have finished reading, what they have learned from the provided literature.

During Reading

Teachers may wish to make use of the DVD that is provided with this text. It can make the experience seem even more realistic for students when they are presented with the faces and conversations of the people the Holocaust had impacted. It is important the DVD is used as a conversational piece and that students are given the opportunity to speak on their reactions to what they have viewed, especially because of the emotionally heavy nature of the topic.

After Reading

Reflecting on what they have learned from this book students may be asked to write an essay which emphasizes their personal reaction to the information and demonstrates what they may have felt having been presented with a similar situation. Not only does this provide the teacher with an understanding of what their students are comprehending but also creates a situation where they can make sure their students are emotionally stable after a heavy topic.