Since the students have historical background of Latino history and of Western history, they will be able to link the story to their background knowledge. I can use this lesson plan as a CAPT activity, because they use their critical thinking and writing skills.
"The Hammon and the Beans" by Americo Paredes is a great story about a little Latino girl, a Latino community, and an army base and the relationship between them all. The questions in this lesson will help students do a close reading. The questions will elicit the critical thinking and the analysis of the text that students should begin to do on their own. We will do this exercise aloud as a class. This way if students do not get the answer right away, I can ask probing questions that focus their thinking.
Objectives:
Students will…
-
• participate in a close reading
-
• examine the text closely for implied and hidden meaning
-
• dissect story to understand the text as a written craft
-
• discuss significant details and overall meaning of story
Questions:
-
1. What is the significance of the title of the story?
-
2. Why does Paredes begin the short story using the words "Once we lived…"?
-
3. Why does Paredes name the town Jonesville-on-the-Grande?
-
4. Who is speaking?
-
5. What is the town's relationship to the fort?
-
6. On the second page, what historical references are made? Why?
-
7. Describe Chonita.
-
8. Why doesn't the author look up to Chonita's "English" like the other children?
-
9. What does the English language symbolize and represent?
-
10. What is the significance of the "Give me" part of her speech?
-
11. How does the author let us know this story is told in retrospect?
-
12. What is the doctor's attitude towards Chonita's death and the community?
-
13. What evidence in the text allows you to come to your conclusions.
-
14. What category would you put the diseases the doctor names in?
-
15. How do we know the doctor experiences hegemony?
-
16. How does Paredes bring class into this scene?
-
17. What happened to Chonita's real father?
-
18. How is the doctor's solution for children ironic?
-
19. Why is the author finally able to cry at the end?
-
20. The last word of this story and Chonita's life is not in the boy's crying. Where is it?
