"Eleven" by Sandra Cisneros

Meet the Author: Sandra Cisneros  Today we are going to begin reading the short story "Eleven" by the acclaimed Mexican-American author Sandra Cisneros. As a writer, Cisneros has often drawn on her childhood memories of her Spanish-speaking neighborhood in Chicago. Cisneros remembers being shy in school. "I never opened my mouth," she remembers, "except when the teacher called me, the first time I'd speak all day." She also remembers often feeling overlooked and misunderstood, which are feelings you may notice represented in the fictional character of Rachel in "Eleven." Before we read, listen to Cisneros share a few memories of her childhood in the video below. 

Analyzing Character Traits in "Eleven"  As we read "Eleven" by Sandra Cisneros together, your job is to pay very close attention to the characters and their traits in the story. You can determine a character's traits by, among other things, paying close attention to their thoughts, feelings, and actions. Today you will analyze the main characters in "Eleven" and their traits using the document that has been placed in your Language Arts folders. You may also find a link to the document here. (The reading selection can be found on pages 26-29 of your Language of Literature textbook.)   

Homework  Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and make a digital Reading Log entry. (Remember that your reading log has been placed in your Language Arts folders. If for some reasons you need to make a copy of the reading log, you can find a link to it here.)