1. The West Side
By Peggy Mann

2. Word Knowledge Blue Blew to two red read break brake
Sprint splendid stranger scream
Watch catch scratch

3. Comprehension Strategies
Clarifying
2. Summarizing
3. Predicting

4. Writing Evaluating the Author’s Writing:
Does something about the writing in this story stand out?
What made this story seem real?
Was there a particular part of the story that you especially enjoyed? If so, does that part contain a clue about what makes writing good?

5. Grammar, Usage, & Mechanics
What is the subject and verb of this sentence?
Pepe plays soccer.
The subject is the word(s) that refers to the person(s) or thing(s) that performs or receives he action of the verb.
The verb is the word that refers to the action and must agree with the subject.
Singular Subject = Singular Verb
Plural Subject = Plural Verb

6. Is Juan correct in his conclusions?
Comprehension Skills
Drawing Conclusions
Good readers often draw conclusions about a story based on information in the text. The conclusion is not directly stated in the text
Examples
Juan concludes that when the airline offers him a ticket home, he can use the ticket at any time
Juan Concludes that the West Side of New York is just like Puerto Rico.
Is Juan correct in his conclusions?

7. Comprehension Skills Drawing Conclusions (Cont.)
Readers can draw conclusions about the characters in a story. Reread the exchanges between Senor Rivera and Carlos on Pages
Draw conclusions about these two characters.
How did you come to these conclusions? What clues did you use?

8. Comprehension Skills Discussing the Selection
How do you think the West Side neighborhood was similar to Juan’s hometown? What was different?
Why do you think Juan wants to become friends with Carlos?
How has this selection connected with your knowledge of the theme of Heritage?

9. Literary Elements Analyze Character Traits Practice
Writers reveal traits about a character in different ways – by describing the character’s actions, by telling what the character is thinking, by including dialogue between the character in the story, or by revealing what others think about the character.
Practice
Create a two column chart. One side will list Juan’s Character Traits and the other side will list What We Learn About Juan.

10. Listening/Speaking/Viewing
Connect Experiences
Have you ever been in a situation similar to Juan’s? How did you feel? What did you do to feel better if you were homesick?
Answer these questions in small groups:
1. What could Juan’s Family in Puerto Rico have done to prepare him better for this trip?
2. What could Juan’s uncle have done to make Juan feel more comfortable in new York City?
3. How do you think Juan will react the next time he meets a Puerto Rican boy or girl?
4. What might happen between Juan and Carlos after their first meeting?

11. Study and Research Using Graphs
A bar graph is a graph in which quantities are shown by bars.
Practice
Create a bar graph showing the number of boys and girls in the classroom