Teacher's Note: An Additional Assignment I Gave To Students This Year (In Place of

Teachers note: An additional assignment I gave to students this year (in place of the Autobiographical Incident Essay) was
to write the stories behind three of their chapter titles in Cisneros style. Li e !he "ouse on #ango $treet% the stories were supposed to connect in some way% be it thematically% a common symbol or issue% etc. !hough I did not include this assignment in my lesson plan% some of the students did such an outstanding &ob on this tas I wanted to include their wor . Student Sample #1: Creative Pieces Hey Kid? #e and 'obiel grew up together% my older cousin by two years. ()eah% he my cousin* I would say when people as ed% on account he couldnt spea for himself. It didnt matter because I new what he was trying to say. +e didnt need words. ,ids would be outside playing. $ome would loo and stare% others would pay no mind. I would &ust push my cousin in his wheelchair and s ate on my s ates. #e and him had our own fun. ("ey% id% thats yo brother-* some id would as . (.o% he my cousin.* I would reply. 'obiel and I have always been li e brother and sister% though% together all the time. #e and the cousin I grew up with% against the world.
Grandma,
hy?
Every year the same thing. /ne dress after another% whether you li e it or not% the same routine0 (!han you% grandma.* Christmas of 1223% everyone at my
grandparents house to collect their presents. I new it was coming% a dress fit for an old person. "ere we go% my turn. I opened the bo4 with the big pin flower on it and pulled out the dress with the soggy green loo that made you want to turn your head. (Ewwww%* I remember thin ing to myself% but the word formed into (!han you.* I mean this was my grandmother who went out of her way to buy me the ugliest dress in the store% but who can hate her- (5o try it on%* she would say. (5randma% why-* I would thin . Id stand there in the mirror with the guacamole colored dress on loo ing li e I was going to audition for a star role in the circus. (5randma% why-* I would play it over and over in my head0 +hy% why% why- !o thin Id have to wal in the outside world loo ing li e an over6 grown frog. /h well% I guess I might as well wear it a few times. )ears pass% the same thing each year. A new dress until 22 when my grandma died. .ow I say% (5randma% why- +hy wont you come bac home-*
!y "oll "ont #eed #o Com$ I can remember as a child not li ing African dolls. !he +hite ones were always better. #e and my cousin #egan would sit in the living room of my Aunties house and play with our dolls. Every time would be the same 7uestion0 (+hy you playin with that doll-* and I would answer% (8ecause my doll dont need no comb.* !hey ma e the African dolls with nappy hair that bro e your comb when
you tried to comb their hair% but not my white doll with hair so sil y li e the princesses you see in the storyboo s. "air so neat% it didnt need a comb. #y mom and sister tell me stories of how they would buy me white and blac dolls and when they proceeded to give me the dolls% I would run away from the African doll as if she had suddenly become human and reached for me. 8ut I would run to my white doll li e I found comfort% to see she was an ordinary doll.
8eing the age that I am now hasnt really changed anything. I still will play with a white doll before Ill play with an African doll. /nly now I will consider playing with both. 8ecause I choose to play with a white doll doesnt change who I am. I am proud to be me. $till% I always find myself answering the same 7uestion (+hy you playin with that doll-* with the same simple answer0 (8ecause my doll dont need no comb.*
Student Sample #%: Creative Pieces The Time & as So Sic'
I was hot li e the steam that rises when water boils% so sic that nothing came out of my mouth when I tal ed. #y whole body was burning. I wanted to &ump into water that was free9ing cold. I felt li e a house that is caught on fire.
8eing sic is li e my worst enemy. I couldnt fight it. It was hurting me. I thought it was going to last forever. It seemed li e a car stopping at a stoplight and the light never turning green for you to go. :ntil so much later.
It didnt stop until I awo e the ne4t day% feeling li e $leeping 8eauty when the prince issed her.
(ost !oney I was a little girl% age ;. #y mom offered me five dollars if I washed the dishes. I did it and when she came bac from my aunties house% she gave me the money. I wasnt smart at the time. I was sitting in my living room watching television. I didnt have any poc ets in my pants so when I left the living room to go to my room so I could sleep% I left my money where I was sitting. I came bac the ne4t day e4pecting it was going to be there. 8ut it wasnt there. I was so mad. I as ed my mom who too my money. ("ow am I supposed to now where you ept your money-* she said in Cambodian. I ept trying to find it everyday when I passed% sat% or &ust stood there li e a Californian loo ing for gold in the tunnel that would never find. I was so frustrated. I felt li e &umping into another persons body and beating them up% but there was nothing I could do about it. !hen I decided to as everyone in my family% ("ave you seen or ta en my money-* !hen they said% (I
dont now.* All of a sudden my sister said that my older brother has it. I went to confront him and he was denying it. I did believe him because I really didnt now who did and I couldnt &ust blame it on him. $o% I let it go. After all I went though loo ing for five dollars% I learned that money could come and go at any time.
!y Heart I felt li e a bug that got smashed. #y heart felt li e it was out of place% but still beating faster and faster. #y heart was beating li e I was running 2< laps non6 stop. #y heart was sad. I didnt want to live. I also didnt want to die. I &ust wanted to be left alone.

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Teachers note: An additional assignment I gave to students this year (in place of the Autobiographical Incident Essay) was

Student Sample #%: Creative Pieces The Time & as So Sic'

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