Something to Declare An autobiography by Julia Alvarez

“Something to Declare” An autobiography by Julia Alvarez C. Perez, Griffith MS

Directions: Complete the paragraph by adding the missing words. acute inspire beauty contestant anxiously feature pageant defy clue pageant Last night, I watched a beauty ________ on T. V. contestant Each state had one _________, and every girl was a real beauty ________ to look at. We looked for ________ to clues predict the winner. All the contestants looked their best, and every feature __________ of every face was pretty. One contestant defied _________ the judges and had to leave the stage. inspired Another contestant sang a beautiful song and _________ me to take singing lessons again. All the contestants had acute _______ feelings of worry as they waited anxiously _________ to see who would win.

acute • Definition: very strong and sharp • Sentence: The acute pain made me cry.

anxiously • Definition: in a worried or nervous way, afraid about what may happen • Sentence: He waited anxiously for news about the accident.

beauty • Definition: quality that makes a person or thing pleasing to look at • Sentence: She enjoyed the beauty of her lovely flower garden.

clue • Definition: sign, suggestion, or hint that something will happen • Sentence: I had no clue that there would be a surprise party for me.

contestant • Definition: person in a contest • Sentence: Each contestant wanted to be the winner.

defy • Definition: refuse to obey • Sentence: My sister always wants to defy me and mom never stops her.

feature • Definition: part of the face or body • Sentence: His eyes were his best feature.

inspire • Definition: encourage to act or feel a certain way, encourage to be creative • Sentence: Poetry and nature inspire me to paint.

pageant • Definition: colorful kind of show or event • Sentence: We clapped and cheered as we watched the beauty pageant.

How to Summarize “Something to Declare” Reading Strategy #3

How to Summarize Read the passage. 2. Record the details. 3. Check off the most important details. 4. Include them in the summary. 1.

A beauty contest is a show. Contestants are beautiful, talented women. Contestants wear lots of make-up. One woman wins the pageant. Beautiful and talented women compete in a beauty contest that has only one winner.

Collected magazines Studied their classmates Watched T. V. Wanted to look American Watched the beauty pageant each year Julia and her sisters move to America and they want to look like they belong here. They collected magazines, studied their classmates and watched T. V. to find clues on how to look American. Sisters try to change their look. They shave their legs. They straighten their hair. They buy new clothes. They wear make-up. Models shown on T. V were in college or heading there Good girls could excel outside the home and still be a winner Julia and her sisters try to change their looks in order to look American. They buy new clothes, straighten their hair, shave their legs, and wear makeup. Julia and her sisters discover from watching Miss. America that girls can also succeed by going to college and not just be housewives.

Figurative Language: Similes Sometimes a writer uses adjectives to describe someone or something. Ex: The girl’s hair was dark. To give the reader a better picture, a writer might compare the color to something else. Ex #1: The girl’s hair was as dark as night. Ex #2: The girl’s hair was like night.

Figurative Language: Similes These comparisons, which use the words like or as, are called similes. Similes are one type of figurative language that helps readers see ordinary things in new ways. Ex #1: The girl’s hair was as dark as night. Ex #2: The girl’s hair was like night.

Figurative Language: Similes Find Similes What two things does the author compare in this sentence? Every year, the queen came down the runway in her long gown with a sash like an old-world general’s belt of ammunition.

Figurative Language: Similes Practice Now add a simile to complete these sentences. 1. The girls thought the Miss America beautiful dolls contestants were as ______ as porcelain _______. 2. The girls tried to make their curly hair as straight a road ____ as ____. silk 3. They wanted legs that were like _______. 4. The clothes Mami preferred were like old-fashioned draperies _______.

Complex Sentences Unit 2 Theme 2

Complex Sentences A complex sentence has one independent clause and one dependent clause. Ex: I learned English when I came to Los Angeles. independent clause Complete Sentence: I learned English. Not a Complete Sentence: when I came to Los Angeles Independent clauses can stand alone as sentences. Dependent clauses cannot stand alone as sentences.

Complex Sentences A word that connects the two clauses in a complex sentence is called a subordinating conjunction. It shows how two parts of the sentence are related. A few subordinating conjunctions although because if as since when where until

Complex Sentences Choose a subordinating conjunction from the box to complete each complex sentence. because if until where because his 1. Francisco travels to Texas ____ father has a new job. If 2. _____ Francisco makes a new friend, he will be happy. where 3. The two friends look for a park _______ they can play soccer.