Author`s Craft Lovely Language

Author’s Craft
The Woman With the River in Her Hair
April/May 2016
Core Skills Workout
Name: ____________________________________________ Date: ________________
Lovely Language
Directions: Author’s craft is the way an author uses language to tell a story with a certain effect. In The
Woman With the River in Her Hair, the authors use similes and imagery to describe Lucia and help you
understand her better. Look at the following examples and then answer the questions.
Simile
A simile is a comparison of two things that are not normally alike, using like or as.
Example: Lucia (kneeling): Hola, little one, my name is Lucia Zenteno.
N2: Her voice is like silken whispers. (p. 18)
1. What does this simile tell you about Lucia and what she is like? _____________________________________________
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Example: N1: So, with a sigh like a summer breeze, Lucia leaves the river and moves on. (p. 20)
2. What kind of situation is Lucia facing? What does this simile tell you about her? (Hint: Think about what
summer breezes are like.) ____________________________________________________________________________________
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3. Find two more similes in the play.
a. Write one here: ________________________________________________________________________
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What does this comparison tell you? ________________________________________________________________________
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b. Write another one here: _________________________________________________________________
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What does this comparison tell you? ________________________________________________________________________
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© 2016 Scholastic Inc. Teachers may make copies of this page to distribute to their students.
Author’s Craft
The Woman With the River in Her Hair
April/May 2016
Core Skills Workout
Name: ____________________________________________ Date: ________________
Lovely Language, p. 2
Imagery
I magery is language that helps readers create pictures in their minds or feel emotions by describing how things
look, sound, feel, smell, or taste.
Example: Child 1: Hermano, see the rainbow fish?
Child 2: They never come near our shore.
Villager 3: They’re diving and weaving through the strands of her hair! (p. 19)
4. What image do you see in your mind when you read “rainbow fish”? Do you think these fish would be
friendly or mean? ___________________________________________________________________________________________
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5. What mood or feeling is created when you read Villager 3’s line? What does it tell you about how the fish
feel about Lucia? ____________________________________________________________________________________________
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Example: N2: When she reaches the riverbank, water spills from her hair.
N3: And as the fish and eels and turtles tumble out, the villagers cheer.
N1: They bow their heads to Lucia in thanks. (p. 21)
6. Why are the villagers happy that Lucia is back? _____________________________________________________________
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7. How do the lines “water spills from her hair. And as the fish and eels and turtles tumble out, . . .” add to
your understanding of how the villagers feel? How might the feeling be different if the lines had said, “Lucia
comes back, and the villagers cheer”? _______________________________________________________________________
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© 2016 Scholastic Inc. Teachers may make copies of this page to distribute to their students.