Guiding Comprehension

Visualize • Inferential

How do you think Francisco's
face might have looked when
he realized his mistake?

Possible responses: sad,
scared, disappointed.

Character • Inferential

What kind of person do you
think Francisco's abuelo is?
Why do you think so?

Possible response: Honest; he offers to work an extra day without extra pay to fix their mistake.

then… use the skill and strategy instruction on
p. 189.

If… students are unable to identify what Francisco's abuelo is like,

Character

Predict • Inferential

Ben is pretty angry with
Francisco and his abuelo.
How do you think the story
will end?

Responses will vary; look for
responses that are a logical
conclusion based on the events
and the characters in the story.

SKILLS

STRATEGIES IN CONTEXT

Character Visualize

TEACH

Tell students that if we understand characters in a story, we usually better understand the story as a whole.
Remind students that often we have to look at the details in the story in order to understand the characters.
Tell students that active readers look for details that help them see the character, or sense what he or she feels. This gives us information about the character too.

MODEL Until now, we haven't read much about Francisco's abuelo. He offers to fix the mistake by working an extra day without pay. He is also upset with Francisco's lie. I think he must be an honest person.

PRACTICE AND ASSESS

Have students describe how they think Francisco's abuelo or Ben looks. To assess, check that their descriptions can be supported by details in the selection.

"A Day's Work"
by Eve Bunting

Student Edition
Unit 2, pp. 178–191

This Snapshot is a story that could really happen.
It is realistic fiction.

Francisco and his abuelo (grandfather) shivered in the early morning air. They were waiting to be chosen to work for the day. Trucks and vans drove by the parking lot.
Francisco's grandfather had just moved from Mexico. He came because Francisco's father had died, and Francisco and his mother were alone. Francisco was with his abuelo today to translate from Spanish into English for him.
A van marked "Benjamin's Gardening" drove up. Francisco ran to be first in line. He motioned toward his grandfather and showed Benjamin his excitement. He called, "You will get two for one."
Ben told Francisco and his abuelo to climb in the back. He would pay them $60 for their work, he said.
Abuelo, in Spanish, said that he didn't know a thing about gardening. He was a carpenter. But Francisco told him gardening is easy. When the van stopped, Ben said they were to weed a big bank of land. He would come back for them at 3:00 p.m.
Francisco pulled up a spiky plant and showed Abuelo. "Just do this," Francisco said. They left the flowers where they were. They worked fast and hard in the hot sun. They had the lunch and water Mama had packed. Francisco thought of how proud she would be. Sixty dollars could buy many things.
He and Abuelo finished pulling all of the weeds. They sat down to wait for Ben.
When he came, he looked at the bank and was shocked. He grew angry and slammed his cap against the van. They had pulled out the good plants and left the weeds!
Abuelo knew something was very wrong. He told Francisco with anger and sadness that the man had hired them on a lie. They knew nothing about gardening.
He told Francisco to tell Ben that they would come back the next day and do the job right. So Francisco told Ben what his grandfather had said. If they came early the plants would survive. They would replant them all and pull out the weeds they had left.
Ben said he would pick them up the next morning. Abuelo let Ben know they wouldn't accept money until they finished the job. And Ben told Francisco that he could use a good man for more than one day's work as a gardener.
Abuelo already knew the most important things about life, Ben said.



	Close
	Living Things There are several species of chickweed, which gets its name from the fact that chickens like to eat it. Common chickweed grows in most parts of the United States. Chickweed is a low-growing plant that prefers grass and lawns, or open areas, and does well when there are no taller plants blocking its sun. It is easy to confuse with garden flowers if you are not familiar with it because it has small, white flowers and a small, whitish fruit. The leaves are small and light green.

"A Day's Work"by Eve Bunting

"A Day's Work"
by Eve Bunting