chico starts a new school. theyre moving in to harvest the grapes. hes very confident.

Chico moves with his family and kids could learn how other students have to live and state what they think about Chico's life.

Summary

Chico and his family traveled to different migrant camps picking fruits and vegetables for a living. They lived in poor conditions. His first day in the migrant camp to pick grapes, Chico was afraid to go to school. He was afraid of how he would be treated by the other kids because his English was not very good. His teacher in school turned out to be very nice to Chico and that motivated him to try hard in his schoolwork. He soon surprised her with his amazing ability to add large numbers, a skill he learned fom working in the farms and adding large numbers of fruits. At lunch some troublemakers began to make fun of Chico's food. Instead of engaging in a fist fight Chico challenged them with Math questions that theycould not answer. In the end they backed off and left Chico alone. The students were proud of Chico for standing up to these bullies.

Critique

This book is a reminder that every person is gifted in one way or another and student should be encouraged to focus on that gift instead of trying to be something they are not. I believe the story is an encouragement to kids who find themselves in any kind of unfortunate situation. Chico represents a hero for them.

Prompts

p.3 Why did Chico not want to go to school? Discuss reasons why he was afraid.
p.14 Have you ever been afraid and a teacher encouraged you? Share your experience.
p.16 How did Chico's work in the fields help him to do Math?
p.22 How did Chico "fight" the bullies? What lesson can we learn from this method?

Craft Element for mini-lesson

Compare and contrast
Compare Chico's attitude toward school before he confronted the bullies to his attitude after the confrontation. Use evidence from the book to support your answer.

Summary: Chico Padilla and his family moved from one migrant camp to the next. Their current migrant camp is a camp for picking grapes. It was his parents job to pick grapes all day, while Chico job was to go to school. He was in 3rd grade at a new school. He didn't want to go to school because he felt that it was useless. He wanted to be a race car driver when he got older. But he went to school anyways. When he got to school he met a kid, named John Evans. He was nice to Chico. He even told him about the math fair that the school was having because Chico seemed to be really good at math. But Chico knew that his family would move again before the fair because they were always moving. At lunch the school bullies approach Chico's table to make fun of the new kid. Chico was ok with the bullies making fun of his food, but when they started talking about his mother he had an issue with that. He stood up and handled the issue. But he didn't use violence, he used his math ability. After other students started saying things to the bullies, the bullies left. He started the day not wanting to go, but by the end of the day he actually had a pretty good first day.

Critique: I feel that kids today could relate to this book. There are families out there who are constantly moving from home to home. This is either because parents get new jobs, or money issues. This book shows students that no matter how many schools you move to, you have to remember if you make a new friend, and enjoy yourself, then the fear of starting a new school won't be so scary.

Prompt: Think aloud- Before reading ask students to give their opinion about changing school. Have them talk about their fears. Also do a picture walk with your students. Have them tell you what they think the pictures are saying. Then after reading compare their answers to what really happened.

Craft Element:
Reading/Writing - talk to your students about bulling and explain to them how it is not ok in school. Then have students write about how they can solve a problem without using violence.

Chico has always lived as a crop migrant. Every crop season change, his family would move following the work available. This year, (3rd grade) would be grape season. And sure enough, the first day began to have its challenges. He had a grouchy bus driver, two bullies and the anxiety of being made fun of for being a migrant. Luckily, his day changes. He is invited to the Math Fair, has a great teacher and contorts the bullies at lunch. At the end of the day, he introduces himself to the bus driver and ends his day at the grapes.

This book is a good way to explain how our differences should not matter on how we treat one another. The different cultures and ways people migrated to America. The base of the Mexican-American culture in the U.S. ( )

Age: Intermediate
Genre: Realistic fiction
Review: This book is relatable to a lot of kids because it talks about trying to fit in at new schools and standing up for yourself. It ties in the reality of migrant workers, too, which adds context that is realistic. However, we don't know if it is a true story or not, but it could be.
Media: Colored pencil

Chico and his family are always moving, following the cycles of crops. The first day of third day is at a new school and is the first day of the grape harvest. Although he is nervous and unsure of his English, he makes new friends, impresses his teacher and learns to stand up for himself. ( )

This book is a Pura Belpre Honor Book that is appropriate for the third and fourth grades. The book is long and has about a paragraph written on each page. There is also some Spanish words in the book that children most likely need help with. Also older students can probably relate to this book better. Chico is a third grade boy who has had to change school multiple times because his family travels from one migrant camp to another. At school things seem to go pretty smoothly until some bullies begin bothering Chico, but he meets good friends that watch out for him. Also Chico knows just what to say to make the boys stop bothering him. At the end he is satisfied with his first day of school.
Uses in the classroom:
- Discuss how the first day of school or starting at a completely new school can be difficult. Have children share how they felt on the first day of school.
- Discuss and list how students can be welcoming to newcomers.
- After reading the book I would teach a lesson on bullies and how to deal with them.
- In the story the students do an activity where they pick a picture and write a story about it. I would prepare the same activity for my class to do. Children practice on their writing and story telling skills. ( )

Award: Pura Belpre Honor Book
Appropriate grade level 2-3 grade the vocabulary is more advanced and also it has figurative language.
The book First Day in Grapes is about a boy named Chico that was in third grade. His migrant worker family traveled from one migrant camp to another, picking fruits and vegetables. Chico was not excited to go to school, he was always the “new kid” he thought this was one of the reasons why other children pick on him and maybe because he speaks Spanish. But his first day was not how he expected; his encouraging teacher helped him find that self-confidence. Ms. Andrews distinguishes his brilliance in math. Chico confronted the fourth grade bullies with a strong strategy that he felt comfortable in. Chico does not resort to fighting. His strategy was asking the bullies math problems. This was a unique and effective nonviolent way. At the end of school day Chico felt confident of himself that he even approaches the school bus driver with a friendly greeting in spanish.
This book can be used in a classroom to explain:
• Nutrition (Vegetables, Fruits )
• Language (Spanish, English)
• Bullying
• Discrimination
• Education
• Farming
• Immigration
• Culture
• Overcoming Obstacles
• Self Esteem
• Identity

L. King Perez based this book on her husband's school experiences as a child of migrant farm workers. The main character in the story, Chico, is dreading yet another first day in a brand new California school. He has had so many first days before..."first days in artichokes, first days in onions, first days in garlic. Now his first days in third grade would be in grapes." He tells his mother he doesn't want to go to school because kids pick on him and sometimes call him names. She indicates that he needed to "stand tall". Chico finds out that his new school is not really so bad after all. He is able to demonstrate his advanced math ability and stand up to a couple of bullies. He even introduces himself to the grouchy bus driver. This book will probably be very appealing to students who are children or grandchildren of farm workers or even to a child who has had to go to a new school. Agriculture is a big business in California and many of the farmers' employees have children experiencing the same things Chico experiences in this story. Casilla's watercolor, colored pencil, and pastel drawings earned him a Pura Belpre Honor Award and are particularly good at capturing characters' expressions. ( )

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Media: painting ( )

Good to introduce students to the first day of school especially with hispanic children who may not be comfortable in a new school. This also helps address the bullying in schools and how teachers can help children.
Not overly impressed with the book, but I think it is a good resource for diversity. ( )

First Day in Grapes tells a typical first day of school story where a boy meets a new teacher, adjusts to a class, and has to deal with a bully. However, Chico has a first day of school as often as the crops change, since his parents are migrant workers. The book is relatable from both sides, and opens discussions about feeling comfortable in school as well as the life of migrant farm workers. ( )

This is a good example of realistic fiction because migrant families do move a lot. Due to this factor, their children often change schools several times as well, which can be hard for the kids.

Media: watercolor, colored pencil, pastels ( )

Chico and his family move from camp to camp to pick vegetables and fruits from fields in California. In this book, he has his first day of school in "Grapes". ( )

This is a realistic fiction book, it is about a boy who moves a lot because his parents are migrant workers. The issue at hand is how he is teased so much at all of the schools he goes to. I would use this for the primary grade levels. In the classroom I would use this to bring up the issue of teasing and to help students resolve their own conflicts at school. ( )

Chico is a boy from a migrant family where his family travels from farm to farm during different seasons. He arrives for grapes and has to deal with the struggles of a new school. He really connected with his teacher and learns to handle bullies through using his strengths instead of fighting. After standing up for himself, he is like a new boy! ( )

Chico and his family move along with the different crops. He goes to school in the various towns and he does not like how people make him feel until one day in "grapes" he decides to stand up and reach out. He finds friends, gets rid of bullies and makes an old man smile!

This would be a good book to include in a classroom library. It incorporates aspects of another culture, as well as, deals with real issues that students might face. The boy learns how to be courageous and finds happiness in finally being accepted and having friends, while just being himself.

Chico is an example of a dynamic character. He has his fears and worries, but he overcomes them. Chico changes from a boy who dreads going to school to a boy who is excited about school.
This is an example of realistic fiction because there are many children of migrant workers who have to change school several times as their parents find new work. Changing schools is very difficult for children especially if they speak another language. These children need a chance to gain self confidence and feel accepted like Chico.
Media: Mixed Media- watercolor, colored pencil, pastel ( )

This book features a Latino character that is starting his first day of 3rd grade. Some third graders have a hard time settling differences or fights; this book uses a nonviolent way to solve the problem of bullying. Chico shows that he is strong in other ways(in math). This book streches across curriculums because the main character is great at math and solves math problems in the text.