Thanks for working quickly and quietly.
Session 5
11.20.2014
Day 5
Writer’s
Workshop

Asking Probing Questions to
Strengthen and Deepen Our Thinking
Why do you think the
pretties make her feel safe?
How does Jade act differently when she is in the presence of the pretties because she feels safe?
How has being around the pretties empowered Jade? In other words, what impact have they had on
Jade’s character or her life?

3. How has #8 impacted her life or her character?
1. WOW! This statement is intriguing. I want to know more about your analysis.
Why do her decisions revolve around him [#8]?
:
4. How does the character’s personality influence other story elements?(plot, conflict, etc..)
2. These statements are not as interesting because they are just plot summary. What could you change to make it more interesting?


Complete 1 chapter for your Companion Book today.

Use the checklist , probing questions , and example chapters to help you
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If you want to talk with your partner, please sit in mini-lesson area. Otherwise, work quietly at your table.

Conference with Mrs. Carter
The important thing about your reading is that you take the words and ideas and stories and experiences that are there on the page, and you make something of them that adds up, that matters to you, that stays with you!

Step One: Ladder (Big Idea)

What are some of the BIG IDEAS from “The
Stolen Party”
Big Idea:
Rosaura and her mother have different perceptions about their reality
Mother: “That one’s not your friend. You know what you are to them? The maid’s daughter, that’s what” (1).
Rosara: “For an instant, Rosaura thought that she’d
[Senora Ines] give her two presents: the bracelet and the yo-yo” (5).
(Specific) Concrete: Rosaura trusts others without question but her mother believes that they have a particular
‘place’ that cannot be altered.

Deepening and Changing Thinking)

Original: When I first read “Stolen Party” I thought Senora Ines was kind because she thanked Rosaura for all her help and said, “You really and truly earned this” (5). Senora seemed appreciative of Rosaura’s help with passing out the cake and helping the magician at the party.
Re-reading and Deeper Thinking: However, when I re-examined the story, I thought differently about
Senora Ines. The way she faced Rosaura and her mother, offering two bills instead of the coveted party favors, was insensitive . When I re-read the part where the narrator says, “Senora Ines, motionless, stood there with hand outstretched. As if she didn’t dare draw it back,” (5). I was infuriated . Senora was looking into the eyes of a little girl who had shown so much joy as she attended the same party as the other children. How cruel of Senora to stare back into Rosaura’s eyes and hold firm to that
“delicate balance” (5). She seemed completely oblivious to the feelings of the little girl standing before her. The offering of the two bills was symbolic to the class differences between the two women/girls .
As Rosaura’s mother placed her hand on Rosaura’s shoulder and stayed silent, it was as if she knew was comforting her daughter for the harsh realities that she was clearly experiencing for the first time .

Rosaura and Senora Ines — Same Party, Different Worlds (one page double spaced on Google Docs)
Throughout the party scene in “The Stolen Party,” Senora Ines asks Rosaura to help. The way she asks
Rosaura hides what she is really doing, which is getting the maid’s daughter to help serve at her own daughter’s party. This sets up a conflict between Senora Ines and Rosaura that Rosaura doesn’t even know is there, but that the author lets the reader see. This conflict builds until the end of the story when the truth about Senora Ines comes out and Rosaura is devastated. When Rosaura first arrives, Senora Ines treats her as she would any other guest. She says, “How lovely you look today, Rosaura ” (2). But quickly,
Senora Ines puts Rosaura to work. She says Rosaura is the only one of the children allowed in the kitchen because the others are “too boisterous” (2). Then she asks Rosaura if she can handle the orange juice jug. These conversations hide the fact that Senora Ines is using Rosaura. Rosaura is tricked into thinking that she is special and that Senora Ines actually feels closer to her than to the other children. This manipulation is effective, because Rosaura enjoys the jobs she’s given, including serving hot dogs and passing out cake (3). By the end of the party, Rosaura feels like she is on top of the world. She truly believes that she has fit into Luciana’s world and has even started to convince her mother of this. The two of them are getting ready to say goodbye, when Senora Ines makes a final move that changes everything. Rosaura’s mother is already worried because Senora Ines has asked them to “Please wait here a second” (4). Just as Rosaura is picturing which party favor she is going to receive, Senora Ines reaches into her purse and pulls out money, which she hands to Rosaura with the words, “You really and truly earned this.” And then, “Thank you for all your help, my pet” (5). Rosaura goes from being a
“countess” to a “pet” in just a few minutes, which shatters her joyful mood. Her face says it all, and
Senora Ines is forced to face the damage she’s done. The story ends in a freeze frame, with Rosaura’s
“cold, clear look” staring at Senora Ines, and Senora Ines with her arm still hanging in the air. This ending leaves us realizing that they are not close, and they never will be.