radio man - university of kansastopeka/thematic_units/radio_man.pdfradio man a story in english and...

Radio ManA STORY IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH

Arthur DorrosSpanish translation by Sandra Marulanda Dorros

Thematic Unit Prepared by:T&L 819 Jenny LeeAnita Curry, Instructor Lori Spencer

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Radio ManA Story in English and Spanish

Arthur Dorros

SummaryDiego and his family are migrant farm workers. When the last day of cabbage picking inTexas is over, both Diego’s family and his friend David’s family are off in search ofwork somewhere else. The boys don’t know when or where they’ll meet up again. AsDiego travels through Arizona, California and Washington, the radio is his constantcompanion. The local stations give Diego a sense of where he is and what is happeningthere. Despite frequent moves, Diego finds continuity and security in the love of hisfamily and in the companionship of the radio. When Diego arrives in the state ofWashington, he tunes into a station that broadcasts messages between farm workers.Diego sends out a message to David and he hears it.

This story lends itself well to a complete cross-curricular unit to be used with level fourreaders. It is very strong in reading, vocabulary, science, social studies, art, and mathskills. Through various reading techniques the student will explore the text, learning tomake inferences, cause and effect, draw conclusions, and make predictions.

Goals and StandardsGoal 1, Standard 2

• To use English to communicate in social settings: student will interact in, throughand with spoken and written English for personal expression and enjoyment

• Descriptors: Reading about, describing or participating in activityGoal 1, Standard 3

• To use English to communicate in social settings: students will use learningstrategies to extend their communication competence

• Descriptors: Exploring alternative ways of saying things, learning and usinglanguage “chunks.”

Goal 2, Standard 1• To use English to achieve academically in all content areas: students will use

English to interact in the classroom• Descriptors: Participating in full-class, group, and pair discussions

Goal 2, Standard 2• To use English to achieve academically in all content areas. Students will use

English to obtain, process, construct, and provide subject matter information inspoken and written form.

• Descriptors: Comparing and contrasting information, selecting, collecting andexplaining information, predicting

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Radio ManA Story in English and Spanish

By Arthur Dorros

Reading• Segment 1: Getting ready to go, pgs. 4-9• Segment 2: Returning from work, pgs. 10-

13• Segment 3: Finding more work, pgs. 14-21• Segment 4: Picking in California, pgs. 22-

29• Segment 5: Finding David, pgs. 30-39

*making inferences, compare andcontrasts, drawing conclusions, cause andeffect, noting details, making predictions,making generalizations

Science• Study gila monsters, saguaro cactus,

coyotes, monarch butterflies• Weather in Texas

Social Studies• Geography of Texas,

especially close to theMexican border

• Farm facts: cabbage andother crops of theSouthwest

• Festivals: Cinco deMayo- songs

• Timeline- daily routine

Math• Making estimates• Surveying and making

graphsArt• Illustrate poem –

pgs. 44-45 “MyParents”

• Turning trash intotreasure

• 3 dimensionalbutterflies

Vocabulary• Common and idiomatic expressions

in English and Spanish• Farming words- crops and tasks• Travel words- nouns and verbs• Communication words- identify

forms of communication

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Day 1

Introduction of the book- whole group instruction

Introducing the Themev Invite students to think about the diversity if family life in the United States.v Have students brainstorm different types of families by thinking about their own

families and those in the media. Record responses and add as necessary. Extendthe discussion to focus on goals and values important to all families.

v Point out that the kind of work people do often determine where they live andhow long they live in a certain place. Ask students to list some jobs in whichpeople might have to move in order to find work. Allow time for students tocompare lists. If farm work is not mentioned, suggest this as a kind of work.

v Invite students who have moved or traveled to discuss what happens when youmove or travel

v Read aloud the poem on page 44-45 “Mis padres/My Parents”. Encouragestudents to think about the ways in which families work and care for one another.

v Share the poem “La fresa/The Strawberry” on pages 42-43 to paint a picture offarm workers.

v Students will respond in journals with their thoughts, questions, or drawingsabout families.

Introduce Vocabularyv Write the word radio on chart paper. List the ways radio helps people

communicate. Ask why people listen to the radio. Discuss the different types ofradio programs people listen to. Begin a list of words and definitions as youdiscuss the concept of communicating through radio. Word might includebroadcast, station, tune(verb), volume, network, current events, programming.

Introduce the Bookv Give students a chance to study the cover art and describe what they see. Ask

them to tell where they think the boys are and what they might be doing.Introduce the word migrant farm worker and encourage students to define it.

v Read aloud a page that demonstrates the Spanish in English text as well as theSpanish text.

v Let students look at the illustrations. Encourage them to make predictions aboutwhere Diego and his family are going and what they will be doing.

The teacher will read the whole book aloud without stopping, and then reread it insections throughout the learning time to do a more in-depth study. If there is a Spanishspeaker in the classroom that would be comfortable reading the book in Spanish, thatwould be a definite positive experience for all of the students.

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Day 2Segment 1- pgs. 4-9

Developing vocabulary• Focus on idiomatic expressions• Point out that in any language there are phrases for all sorts of situations, such as

greeting someone, saying good-bye, inviting someone to do something.• Invite students who speak other languages than English to share expressions• On chart paper list expressions in English, Spanish, and any other language that

students speak

• Invite students to look through the pages and ask questions about the story beforereading. The questions could involve character or setting questions, or maybeeven questions about the organization of the text with the two languages.

Read pages 4-9 independently

Discussion questions:Why do you think the radio announcer speaks both in English and in Spanish?

(making inferences)Where are Diego and his family going? (making predictions)How do you know that David and Diego are going to the same place that

morning? (noting details)What do the illustrations tell you about where this story is taking place? (story

structure: setting)

Assessment:• Students can begin the journey on the worksheet Places and Radio Stations.

English Spanish

Good morning Buenos dias

Good night Buenas noches

Let’s go! Vamos!

I’m ready. Estoy listo/a.

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Extension Activities:Journaling- On page 5 of the book you can see out the window of Diego’s bedroom.What can you see from a window of your bedroom or another room in your house? Painta picture of the view that you see. Include as many details as you can.

Timeline- In the beginning of the book, you hear about the morning routine of Diego’sfamily. Think about what your family does on a typical morning. Make a timeline oryour family’s morning or daily routine. Compare timelines to other classmates.

Science- Weather report: Texas grows a lot of crops. Use the newspaper and otherresources to find out about Texas weather. Why is Texas a good state for growing crops?Research coyotes: Write a report about this animal. In your report, tell where coyoteslive, how they live, and what they eat.

Social Studies- Using an atlas or social studies book, make a map of Texas and label thecities, large towns, major rivers, and mountains. Look at the western part of the state andnote the cities that are especially close to the Mexican border.


Introducing Vocabulary-• Have students brainstorm words related to farming. Build a word web to reflect

their ideas. Students can add to the web as they read more of the story.• Example:

Read pgs. 10-13 independently

FARMING

FARM CROPSCabbages, strawberries,melons, cherries, tomatoes

FARM TASKSTurn the soil, plant,weed, water, harvest

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Strategies: Remind students that they can use their decoding skills and context clues tohelp them figure out the Spanish words. They can check their definitions in the glossaryon page 41.Discussion questions:

Why do you think migrant workers have to travel most of teach year to findwork? (cause and effect, drawing conclusions)

What does the picture on page 11 tell you about cabbage harvesting that the wordsin the story do not explain? (noting details, drawing conclusions)

How do you think the family members feel after they start to sing on the wayhome? Why? (making inferences)

From your reading so far, what have you discovered about Diego? How do youthink he feels about his work in the fields? (story structure: character, makinginferences)

Assessment:• Note whether students are using the glossary.• Students can begin the activity sheet All About Diego. They can do this in pairs.• Students can continue to work on Places and Radio Stations

Extension Activities:Top 10 list- Think about the songs your favorite radio station plays. Write a top ten listof your favorite songs. Tell why these are your favorites. Compare your list to yourfriends.

Math: Making Estimates-Look at the picture of the cabbage rows on page 11. A farmerplants 21 cabbages per row. Diego and David figure each box holds about one half of arow. About how many cabbages does each box hold? Explain your answer.

Conversation for Two: Diego and David work together all day picking cabbages. Theytalk while they work. What do you think these two friends talk about while working?Write a conversation the boys might have had during their long working day. Ask aclassmate to join you, and role-play a conversation between Diego and David.


Developing vocabulary• Have students list different kinds of possible radio shows, such as early morning

shows, sports shows, and noontime shows, and make up names for the announcerson the shows (like the after sun down announcer in the book called Night Owl).Have the students identify and discuss the key words in their names.

• Refer to pgs. 46-49 in the book “Children’s Broadcasting’s Radio AAHS”. Findout the radio name of Jimmy Freeman, and discuss how they students think hepicked his radio name.

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Reading Strategies- Have students summarize what they had read so far and have themread aloud their favorite parts of the story.


Discussion Questions:How do you think Diego and David will next get in touch with each other? What

makes you think that? (making predictions, drawing conclusions)If you were Diego, what way might you think of to stay in touch with David?

(problem solving, decision making)How do you think the family feels about not finding work right away? (noting

details, making inferences)What does Diego learn as he moves from place to place? How do you think Diego

feels about having to change schools so often? (drawing conclusions)

Assessment:• Listen for fluency when the students are reading aloud• Observe whether the students include characters, setting, and important events in

their summaries of the story.• Students can do the activity sheet Diego’s Family• Students can continue on activity sheet Places and Radio Stations

Extension Activities:Science- Draw a picture of a gila monster. Tell why your gila monster should not becalled a monster.Science- The saguaro cactus is mentioned in the story. Do some research to find outabout the saguaro. Write a paragraph to tell where is grows, how big it gets, and how itsurvives in the desert. Illustrate your paragraph with a drawing or with clay or papermache.Radio Show- Diego hears an evening radio announcer call himself the Night Owl. Youare hosting your own radio show. It can be early in the morning or late at night. Giveyourself a name. Then, under your name, write a description of your show. List whatkinds of music you would play, what guests you would invite on your show, and whatyou would talk about with your listeners. Act out your show with a friend.


Developing vocabulary:• Diego and his family travel all over by car. Focus students’ attention on travel by

brainstorming lists of nouns and verbs associated with travel. Encourage them touse story words. Use a web to organize the words.

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Reading Strategies- Predict/infer- Remind students that Diego has not seen David sincethe families were in Texas. Invite students to predict if the boys will meet again and howthe story will end. Encourage students to explain their predictions.


Discussion Questions:Why do you think that Abuelo wakes Diego to listen to the station from Mexico?

(cause and effect, making inferences)Why does Abuelo start talking about the past? (drawing conclusions)Do you think all people who move away from their homelands feel homesick

from time to time? Why? (making generalizations)Hoe do you think Diego feels when he does not see David? (making inferences)

Extension Activities:• Social Studies- Many festivals are celebrated in Mexico. Find out about one,

such as Cinco de Mayo. Draw pictures of the festival and find out its origin andmeaning to the people of Mexico. Sing songs that are sung during thecelebrations.

TRAVEL

NOUNS VERBS

JOURNEY

MOVE

TRIP

VOYAGE

TRAVELER

DRIVE

FLY

WANDER

MIGRATE

ROAM

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“It’s Cinco de Mayo Day”sung to: “The Farmer in the Dell”

It’s Cinco de Mayo Day!It’s Cinco de Mayo Day!

Let’s clap our hands and sing “ole.”It’s Cinco de Mayo Day!

“Do You Know the Story Of?”sung to :”Do You Know the Muffin Man”

Do you know the story of, the story of, the story ofDo you know the story of this great and happy day?

Yes, I know that brave Juarez, brave Juarez, brave JuarezYes, I know that brave Juarez chased the French away.

The French they had no right to rule, no right to rule, no right to rule,The French they had no right to rule our lovely Mexico.

Our soldiers and the people said, the people said, the people saidOur soldiers and the people said, the French have got to go!

So Juarez formed an army troop, an army troop, an army troopSo Juarez formed an army troop to chases the French away.

That’s why we like to celebrate, to celebrate, to celebrateThat’s why we like to celebrate on the 5th of May!

• Science- Find out about monarch butterflies. Tell where they live, what they eat,how long they live, and other interesting facts about them. Put all your facts in aMonarch Butterfly book. Share your book with the class.

• Interviewing- You are going to interview Diego for a children’s radio stationsuch as AAHS. Write a list of questions you would like to ask him. Then writethe answers you think he would give. Ask a classmate to role play the interviewwith you.


Developing Vocabulary:• At the end of the story, two friends communicate through radio. Ask students to

think of other methods of communication. Build a list or web with the students.Possibilities could include telephone, letter, post card, radio, TV, telegram, e-mail, fax, ham radio … Ask students to identify methods that they have

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personally used and who did they communicate with? Working in groups orindependently, have students pick one form of communication and list words orphrases associated with this form of communication.


Discussion questions:What else have you discovered about Diego and his family? (making inferences)How do you think Diego feels as he looks at the produce in the roadside store?

(making inferences)Did you predict that Diego and David would see each other again? Why or shy

not? How does Diego use the radio to get in touch with David? (making predictions,summarizing)

What do you think will happen to the characters next? (predicting outcomes)Assessments:

• Observe students skimming the book to recall what they have read…what cluesdo they use? Illustrations?

• Students can do activity sheet Putting Food on the Table (categorizing andclassifying )

Extension Activities:• Radio message- The student will send a birthday message to someone over the

radio. Write down the message and explain who you would send it to and whyyou think he or she would hear it on the radio.

• Social Studies- When Diego sees the melons at the roadside store, he wonders ifthose were melons that he and his family had picked. How does produce get from

TELEPHONE

DIAL

LONG DISTANCE

CALL FRIENDS

CALL GRANDMA

E.T. PHONE HOME

RING

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the farm to the store? Create a flow chart to show the steps in the process. Useyour chart to explain the process.

• Personal glossary- Make your own Spanish/English words from the story thatyou want to remember. Alphabetize the words. Keep the glossary and adddefinitions and new words as you learn them.

• Science- Gentle Giants- The redwoods of California through which Diego and hisfamily drove are endangered. Do more research to find out more about thesetrees. Why are they in danger? What can be done to improve their chances ofsurvival? Prepare a written or oral report to share your information.

Culminating Activities: After reading the book, choose one or more of these activities todo by yourself or with a partner. Some of these activities lend themselves very well towork on the computer in word processing, internet research, and publishing.

Migrant Workers

Write about migrant farm workers.Use the information you havelearned from this book as well asresearch from other books andarticles.

Life on the Farm

Farming is an important part ofDiego’s life. How does farmingaffect you? Write what you knowabout farms and how they providefood and jobs here in the UnitedStates. Make sure you include anytrips to farms you have made.

Fiesta Time

Look back to the picture on page 21 of Diego’s family and others at the party tocelebrate the end of the melon picking. Notice the piñata being hit by the blindfoldedgirl and the goodies falling out. Plan a party for the class with songs and dances tocelebrate the end of reading Radio Man/Don Radio. Find directions for making pinata.Make it and fill it with balloons and other little handmade prizes. Let classmates taketurns hitting the piñata and trying to break it.

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