Amelia's Road and Other Accidental Roads

"Amelia Luis Marinez hated roads." As the child of migrant workers, she travels miles and miles of our nation's roads, moving from harvest to harvest. It is not easy to make or keep friends when your family is constantly on the move. By finding an "accidental road," Amelia discovers how to have and keep a favorite place. Join us on a virtual trip of Amelia's Road and other accidental roads.

Activity One - Four-Corner Poster

Now that you have read Amelia's Road, you are ready to summarize the events of the book by creating a four-corner poster. You will need a large piece of construction paper and colored pencils or crayons for this activity.

• Draw a picture of Amelia in the center of the poster.
• In each of the four corners, write or copy statements that show an important event from the story.
• Include a small drawing or symbol to go with each event.

Activity Two - Story Map

Amelia's story is fiction, but there are many children in agricultural states such as California who travel and, out of necessity, even work in the fields. Think about the route Amelia's family might take up and down the West Coast of California.

You will need a large piece of construction paper and colored pencils for this activity.

• Draw or copy a map of California.
• Center and glue your map onto the construction paper.
• Around the borders of your poster, draw or scan pictures about California agriculture that could also be used to illustrate Amelia's Road.
• Label each illustration with your own caption or copy a sentence from Amelia's Road to go with your illustration.

Activity Three - Finding an Accidental Road

Amelia did not set out looking for a special place the afternoon she discovered her "accidental road." But when she found it, she realized "here was a place where she belonged, a place where she could come back to." Do you have a special place? Think of a place - either real or imagined - that you would want to return to again and again.

• Create a postcard drawing of your special place.
• Turn over your postcard and write a descriptive paragraph explaining what makes your special place special.

Activity Four - Diego Rivera's Road to Fame

The famous Mexican muralist Diego Rivera would probably have loved reading Amelia's Road. Much of his art was about the history and people - especially the laborers - of Mexico, the country of Amelia's ancestors. Ask your teacher or school librarian for books, magazines, CD-ROMs,and online sources that tell about the life of Diego Rivera.

Using the background information you have discovered in the above materials, you are now ready to create a mural about your school. You may want to complete this activity by yourself or with partners.

You will need a large piece of butcher paper, sketching pencils, and poster paints or colored chalk.

• Before you begin your mural, think about the topics your mural should include: the location and geography of your school site, the history of your school, special school events, and your school community.
• Plan, sketch, and paint your mural. Note: It is recommended that you hang your paper as you work on your design. Remember: you are designing wall art.

Activity Five - Cesar Chavez - A Hero's Road

It is unlikely that as a child Cesar Chavez had any idea that one day his efforts to improve living and working conditions for migrant workers would earn him a place in history. Today books and articles are written about Cesar Chavez, schools are named after him, and the US Post Office has designed a Cesar Chavez stamp. Yet, as you research his life, you will realize what a difficult road he traveled to make a difference for our nation's farm laborers. He was willing to stand up for the rights of workers like Amelia and her family.

What other people do you know who have shown the courage and commitment to walk down the heroes' road, no matter how difficult or dangerous the journey might be?

• Create a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast Cesar Chavez with your hero/heroine.
• Include a significant quote by or about each person.

Activity Six - A Final Reflection on the Migrant Experience

What do you see in this photograph?

• Is the photograph indoors or outdoors?
• Can you tell anything about the weather conditions? The season of the year? The time of day?
• What can you recognize and identify?
• What is she looking at? The photographer?
• What expression do you see on her face? Happiness? Concern? Sadness? Anger?
• What connection could this child have with Amelia?
• What connection could this photo have to the other photographs shown on this page?
• What title would you give this photo?

For more background on the migrant experience, click on the six black and white photographs shown above. Read through the Record Detail given for each photo. What have you learned about migrant children from reading Amelia's Road and traveling through this web page? What would you want other children to know about the lives of migrant children? To answer these questions, you will create a "found poem."

How to Create a Found Poem

• Choose 10-15 lines or parts of lines (words/phrases) from Amelia's Road and/or the Record Details for any of the photos that you feel are important. Choose whatever is meaningful to you in any way. Consider the way words look or sound. Is there figurative language? "Showing" writing? Strong verbs and nouns? Remember: you may choose any words, phrases, or lines you want.
• Make sure you use actual words, phrases, or lines from the Record Details and/or Amelia's Road.
• Do not try to make your lines rhyme.
• Reread your draft and highlight a key word, phrase, or line that captures the spirit or main idea of your found poem. This will be your unifying theme.
• Start and end your poem with the unifying theme.
• Edit your found poem.
• Your final poem should be 8-12 lines

When you have finished composing your found poem, illustrate it, and mount it on colored construction paper. You are now ready to present your poem to your classmates!

View Teacher Notes

Lesson developed by Gail Desler, Elk Grove Unified School District.