1. Seventh Grade By: Gary Soto

2. Setting This story takes place in Fresno, California.
Fresno is located in the San Joaquin Valley, southeast of San Francisco.

3. More about the setting…
Fresno, California’s climate:
Dry, hot summers
Cool, humid winters
The climate is excellent for growing grapes
A large number of Hispanics whose families are originally from Spanish-speaking countries are employed in Fresno’s vineyards
8th largest city in California
Biggest food producer in the United States

4. Dialect
a regional variety of language. A variety of speech differing from the standard form.
I couldn’t understand what my guide was saying because he spoke in a different dialect than what I had learned.

5. About the Author Gary Soto Born in 1952
Grew up in Fresno, California in a Mexican-American community
Writes poems, essays, and novels
He also teaches and has won many awards
www,umich.edu

6. Point of View – the perspective of the one telling the story
1st Person – narrator is the character in the story
-- Look for pronouns – I, me, we, us

7. Point of View – the perspective of the one telling the story
2nd person – narrator tells story to someone
Look for pronoun – you

8. Point of View – the perspective of the one telling the story
3rd person – narrator is not a character -- Look for pronouns – he, she, it , they, them

9. Narration/Narrator
Omniscient – “all knowing” tells about other thoughts and feelings
Limited – knows only what’s in the mind of one major or minor character
Objective – does not discuss the thoughts or feelings of the characters but reports only what they DO.

10. Conflict a struggle between opposing forces
Internal Conflict: takes place inside the character
External Conflict: a character’s struggle against a force outside himself or herself