Jiménez, Francisco. Breaking Through. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. Print.
The autobiography of Francisco Jimenez showcases his struggles as a poor, illegal immigrant English language learner. The book is about how Francisco must overcome adversity through hard work until he eventually succeeds and attends college. Many of Francisco’s problems run the gamut from money, working multiple before and after school jobs, paying for college, girls, his reading ability, living along with his brother, and difficulties with his strict father.
My students loved this book, especially my Hispanic students. This was a book that the Hispanic students would read even if they didn’t read anything else. Students can relate to Francisco’s search for a job, his struggles with reading, and some may relate to his fears of immigration officers. The fact that the book is real and not fiction means even more to the student’s when Francisco succeeds in the end. The book is a great motivator in having the students write their own autobiography and it helps me reinforce the importance of a good education and all the doors it can open up. Plus, it might inspire some lazy students to work harder!
Sounds like a book that students enjoy and I like the idea of integrating it with an autobiography. Whenever I see a teacher use the word lazy to describe students, I wonder what they mean. Do you mean non-readers? Struggling readers?
ReplyDeleteThey were non-readers/struggling readers, and I see your point that I chose a bad word to describe them, but I did have this one student that would sit at his desk and draw all day. Then, when I would give him an assignment where he could draw, and he wouldn't do anything. I think I heard a lot of teachers describe the students as lazy, and they do look lazy because many of them do not do any work, but I understand there are underlying causes as to why the work isn't being done.
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