Multicultural Fiction: Amelia's Road
Amelia's Road tells a story about a little girl named Amelia Luisa Martinez, she is the daughter of migrant workers. Amelia hates roads also known as Los caminos. She hates them because they take her family to where they pick fruits and vegetables all day, to schools where no one remembers her name because her family moves around to work so much, and also because Los caminos take her to cabins on the work sight that she cannot consider her home. Amelia eventually finds an accidental road and discovers an old tree, Amelia wanted to belong to this place so she made that spot special to her by burying a keep safe box so that way she could have somewhere to belong.
The author uses this story to share how a child's experiences could be when their parents are migrant workers. The author shares with the reader struggles that a child can face when moving around from place to place as Amelia did.
The story provides a special view into this way of life because we are seeing it from a little girls perspective. The illustrations allow for visuals so readers can connect to how Amelia feels.
Motivational Activities
- Have students write a letter to Amelia telling them about their own special spot and explaining why it is meaningful to them.
- Have students put themselves in Amelia's place. Have a classroom discussion if they would like to live a life like hers? What are some thing's you'd like or dislike?
Reader Response Questions
- How did Amelia feel when Mrs. Ramos gave her a name tag for students to remember her name?
- Why did Amelia like her spot under beneath the grand old tree so much?
- How did Amelia feel when she was moving from the camp?
Altman, L. J., & Sanchez, E. O. (2001). Amelias road. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
You could have the children bring in something from home that represents a piece of their culture. They would then share with the class information about the piece and they would also share some background information on where they came from.
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