The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child

In "Inside Out," A young boy experiences a language barrier as he attends school for the first time.

Assign this text to students as an opportunity for independent practice. Have students read the short story “Inside Out” independently or in pairs, and consider the ways in which Francisco Jimenez’s first involvement with United States schools may influence his other experiences, outcomes, and feelings as the book unfolds. Which of Jimenez’s experiences in first grade are most helpful and potentially most hurtful? Which experiences do you think will have a lasting effect on his future feelings about and performance in school? Have students answer these questions in a well-constructed paragraph using details from the story to support their argument.

Anzia Yezierska (1880-1970) was a Jewish-American immigrant and novelist known for her writing on immigration, assimilation, and Jewish-American lives. "America and I" is Yezierska's short essay about her struggles adapting to her new country.

Have students read this memoir after finishing the chapter “Inside Out.” Have students compare and contrast the experiences of Anzia and Panchito as new immigrants. What are their views on America before arriving there? How does it contrast to the treatment they receive as non-native English speakers once they arrive? How is Anzia experiences with the Americans she meets different to Panchito’s experiences with Americans?

"ICU" is a poem that explores the difficulty of understanding the loss of a loved one.

Have students read this text after they have completed the chapter “Miracle in Tent City,” to explore how setting can influence character. Ask students to compare the speaker in Chua’s poem to Panchito’s reactions in tent city. Both texts express an emotional reaction to a loved one. ICU is set at a hospital whereas Panchito only sees his ill brother at tent city. How do these different settings affect the way illness is viewed and treated?

Claude McKay was a civil rights activist and Jamaican American writer. In "On Broadway" (1922), a speaker longingly looks at a bright city scene from which he feels isolated.

Have students read this poem after finishing the chapter “El Angel De Oro,” in order to generate a discussion on how isolation can be illustrated in different ways. Ask students to compare the surroundings and different feelings of the speaker in the poem to how Panchito feels at the end of “El Angel De Oro.” Francisco is alone with the fish by the end of the chapter, but the speaker in “On Broadway” appears to be surrounded by people and movement. Ask students to compare these different versions of loneliness.

In "The Stolen Party," Liliana Heker tells the story of a girl who is invited to her friend's party, whose family also employs her mother as their housekeeper.

Introduce this text after students have finished the chapter “Cotton Sack.” Have students discuss what Panchito wants to prove. Have students read “The Stolen Party” to gain insights on what it means to grow up. Ask students to consider the ideas of age and maturity. How are Panchito and Rosaura trying to prove or disprove their maturity?

In the TED Talk "Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance," Angela Lee Duckworth discusses the role that grit plays in success.

Have students read this speech after they have read up to the chapter “To Have and to Hold.” In this and the previous chapters “The Circuit” and “Learning the Game,” Panchito displays the passion and perseverance that Duckworth describes in her talk. Have students decide which Panchito best exemplifies grit (working with Mr. Lema in the classroom, standing up to Carlos and his work in the librito) using quotes from both Duckworth and the previous three chapters to support their views.

This informational text describes the hard lives of Mexican-Americans and immigrants who became migrant workers throughout the 20th century in the United States.

Introduce this text after students have completed “The Circuit,” in order to provide them with context on the experience and culture that created and sustains migrant workers. Ask the students to pick one statement from the article and find an example in the Circuit that highlights that statement. Have students write about why the passage from “The Circuit” is tied to the article.