Stories and Activities

I am one of the Teacher-Authors at Creative Expressions for Teachers Pay Teachers.  I have wanted to be a writer all of my life, and I thought creating        educational products would nurture that passion, fulfill that need.  It provided a creative outlet, but it didn’t fulfill the need of writing on a daily basis.  My sister and I decided using the blog as a platform for creative writing with some activities would help nurture my spirit for creative writing. 

We will be providing a short story with discussion and writing prompts on a weekly basis.  If you would like additional activities, please let us know.  The stories can also be provided to you in Spanish with activities.   

Again, just let us know at creativeexpression@outlook.com and we will provide them for you for a minimal fee.  

You can find additional bilingual educational activities at www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Creative-Expressions

 

Early to Rise

I knew it was early.  I could hear the roosters crowing and my mom whistling one of her favorite Mexican tunes.  She rolled the dough to make fresh flour tortillas for our breakfast and lunch in the cotton fields that day.  It was 5:00 AM when I heard Mom say it was time to get ready for the day.

I could feel the pain as I tried to move my sunburned body.  Every bone ached as I tried to get out of bed.  My hands were lobster red and hurt as I tried to move my fingers.  There were scratches and blisters on my hands from the day before.  I could hear Mom’s whistling in the background.  How could she be so happy when I was so miserable about having to pick cotton?

I washed my face with cold water and brushed my teeth so that I could feel better about the day.  My cotton picking clothes consisted of bright red pants and a pink long sleeved shirt with socks and tennis shoes.  I knew I would have to wear a sun bonnet to protect my skin against the sun.  I focused on not complaining as I got myself ready for the long day ahead.

After getting dressed, I had to go to the kitchen to help pack our lunch.  Mom had enough food for an army.  There was hot coffee in a thermos to drink while we ate breakfast tacos and there was Kool-Aid to drink with our lunch tacos.  Mom was a great cook and her meals definitely made the long, hot day more bearable.

Once the breakfast and lunch tacos were packed, I went to the front porch of our house to fold my burlap cotton sack and make sure that I had my gloves to protect my hands.  As I sat there, I could see the foreman’s bright blue truck turn into our driveway.

I climbed into the back of the truck and looked for a corner so that I could avoid the cold morning air once the truck started moving.  The drive was about thirty minutes long.

I climbed off the truck as soon as we reached the cotton fields.  As I placed the sun bonnet on my head, I knew that I could count on the same painful ritual the next day.

As I bent to pick cotton, every bone in my body screamed to remind me that the only way to change the morning ritual for me was to get an education so that I could get out of the cotton fields.

I could hear Mom whistling her happy tune as she began to pick cotton.

 

 

 Discussion and Writing Prompts 

1. Why is the mother so happy and the daughter miserable and in so much pain?  Compare and contrast their outlook on life using a Venn diagram.  Explain your opinion and beliefs in a well-developed essay.

2. Is the family in the story rich or poor?  Write an essay explaining your answer and/or opinion.

2. Illustrate one of the scenes in the story.  Provide a title and subheading for the picture.

4. What is the main idea in the story?  Create a five sentence paragraph explaining the main idea of the story.

5. Create a character sketch of the daughter or mother.  Write a character sketch or draw a picture supporting your character sketch.