from
Barrio Boy
Fiction
 Prose
writing
that tells
about
imaginary
characters
and events.
 Novels
 Novellas
 Short
stories
Nonfiction
 Prose
writing
that presents
and explains
ideas or that
tells about real
people, places,
objects, or
events.
 News
articles
 Essays
 Historical
accounts
What is prose?
Prose is the ordinary form of written
language. Most writing that is not
poetry, drama, or song is considered
prose. Prose is one of the genres, or
forms, of literature and occurs both
in fiction and nonfiction.
Literary Terms
Narrator - a person who tells
the story
Characters - the people living
the story
Dialogue - the conversations
that the characters have
Events - make up the action in
the story
Compare and Contrast
Barrio Boy
Real
characters
Both
A Day’s Wait
Characters
Imaginary
characters
reassuring
adj., having the effect of restoring
confidence
The sound of applause was reassuring to the
nervous performer.
contraption
n., device or machine regarded as
strange
I don’t think that it is safe to drive that
rickety contraption.
formidable
adj., impressive
The titles on the long summer reading list
were formidable.
epidemic
n., outbreak of a contagious
disease
The flu epidemic caused school to close.
flushed
v., drove out from hiding
The dogs flushed birds out of the bushes.
evidently
adv., clearly; obviously
The dark clouds evidently promised rain.
miserable
adj., causing great discomfort or
unhappiness
The sick and miserable boy was not able to
attend school.
various
adj., different
He had to take various medications to get
over the illness.
menace
n., a threat or danger
John had to decide if the man was a friend or
a menace.
absolutely
adv., completely; totally without
limit
He was absolutely sure this was the silliest
thing he had ever seen!
Think of a time when you had a new
experience, such as moving to a new
town or neighborhood. Maybe you
joined a sports team or joined a new
club. What did that feel like? What
were some of your thoughts both
before and during the experience?
Use some of the following words:
comprehend, focus, interpret,
respond, distort.
Ernesto Galarza 1905 - 1984
When Ernesto Galarza was eight, he and his parents migrated to Sacramento,
California, where he worked as a farm laborer. Excelling at school, he became
one of the first Mexican-Americans from a poor background to complete
college, after which he received a M.A. from Stanford in 1929, and a Ph.D. in
history from Columbia University in 1944. Galarza returned to California,
where—at the height of the Cold War and McCarthyism—he organized unions
for farm laborers, joining the effort to create the first multiracial farm worker
union. While this effort failed, it created the foundation for the United Farm
Workers Union of the 1960s. He wrote several books, most notably the 1964
Merchants of Labor, on the exploitation of Mexican contract workers, and the
1971 Barrio Boy, about his own childhood. He was nominated for the Nobel
Prize in Literature in 1976.
from
Barrio Boy
by Ernesto Galarza
Young Ernesto from Mexico had just arrived
in the United States and at Lincoln School.
On his first day, a formidable but friendly
principal and her young interpreter greet
Ernesto and his mother. His kind, supportive
teacher continues the process of welcoming
him to his new country and helping him with
his new language. Ernesto and the other
immigrant children form a bond as they
learn English and adapt to their new lives.
The school staff guides them to take pride in
their diverse backgrounds.
Look carefully at the expression on this boy’s face.
What emotions do you think he is feeling? Does
this picture convey the emotions that a child might
feel as he enrolls in a new school? Why?
What is a
Barrio?
A barrio is a part of a town
or city where most of the
people are Hispanic.
Who is the narrator of this
work?
1st person or 3rd person?
How can you tell?
Where do the narrator and
his mother go?
Where are they?
The boy and his mother have gone to
his new school. They have entered the
office of Miss Nettie Hopley, the school
principal.
Describe the classroom in the
photograph on page 72.
How does this compare with the
narrator’s impressions of school?
The classroom looks like a friendly, inviting place
with a nice teacher. This is not how Ernesto feels
about his classroom or his teacher when he first
arrives at school; at first he is scared.
withering (pg. 72)
Use context clues to determine the meaning of this
word.
“She was, to skinny, somewhat runty me, of a
withering height when she patrolled the class.
What words describe how young Ernesto
is feeling during the days at school in
this country?
Secure (when his
mother is there)
Afraid (when his
mother leaves)
What happens that makes Ernesto’s
feeling start to change?
His feelings begin to change when begins to be able
to read and speak English. He stops being afraid
and decides he really likes Miss Ryan.
What details in selection #8 on page
73 help you appreciate the
importance of the author’s actual
experience?
The teacher feels such devotion to her students that she gives
some of them private lessons in a closet.
She keeps an eye on the rest of the class while focusing on
teaching a few students in the closet.
The teacher is very dedicated to teaching English.
Which students get private
lessons with Miss Ryan?
The first graders who do not know English have
private lessons with Miss Ryan.
What have you learned about
Ernesto’s classmates?
They come from many different backgrounds and
speak different languages.
What do the details in the
paragraph at the top of page
74 tell about each character
in the narrative?
The details reveal the nationalities of the children and
the physical characteristics of a couple of the children.
Think again about the
difficulties a child might face
when moving from another
country to the U.S. Are your
original ideas similar to the
events in the story? What
new ideas did you learn?
Why does Miss Hopley
have another boy come to
her meeting with Ernesto
and his mother?
Ernesto and his mother do not
speak English
How does Miss Ryan
help Ernesto overcome
his fear of her?
She helps him learn English and
encourages him in front of the class.
What makes Ernesto similar to
several of his classmates?
There are other students in the class
that do not speak English.
Why does Ernesto Galarza
discuss the differences
between Lincoln School and
his school in Mazatlan?
He wants you to understand how
insecure he feels in the new school
in the new country.
How does Miss Ryan
encourage the students she
tutors privately?
She praises their accomplishments
in front of the class.
Barrio Boy is nonfiction and
Day’s Wait is fiction, why do
they both seem realistic?
The characters and the emotions are
both believable.
On the first day of school,
Miss Ryan’s smile is
reassuring to Ernesto. How
does she make him feel?
She makes him feel confident.