Lesson 29: The Last Cuentista, Chapters 28–29

Turn and Talk

Instruct students to take out their homework annotations and their copy of The Last Cuentista. Instruct students to turn and talk with a partner to discuss the major events in Chapters 28–29.

Say these Directions: Take out your copy of The Last Cuentista. With your partner, identify the major events that occur in Chapters 28–29.

Display the following question.

• What major events happen in Chapters 28–29?

  • At the beginning of Chapter 28, Petra awakens from stasis to find herself held by Javier and hear him ask, “Do you know who you are?” (p. 271). From there, the action intensifies: Petra and the Zetas leave in the shuttle, and Javier forces Petra to go without him. When they land, Voxy reveals himself as a stowaway. They brave the winds to get to the cave to find that the rodents have eaten all the food. Suma threatens to alert the Collective, so Petra shows her her “baby book” (p. 288). Petra leads the crew toward the First Arriver’s anticipated site.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Now that you have reviewed the major events in these chapters, you will take a closer look at those events and character development. You will use word parts to unlock two science-based words that describe the world Petra and the others are entering.

Introduce New Words Using Morphology

Target Words: bioluminescent, chemiluminescent

Display the words bioluminescent and chemiluminescent.

Part 1: Decode the Word Using Morphemes:

• Say: Today, we are going to break two long science words into meaningful parts, including prefixes, suffixes, and roots, so that we can figure out the whole word’s meaning, even if we’ve never seen the word before.

Start with the word bioluminescent.

• Ask: Do you see any word parts you recognize in the word bioluminescent?

As students respond, circle the prefix bio- and the suffix -escent. Then underline the root lumin. Read the word aloud part by part, looping under each part with your finger as you say it. Then, blend the word parts together. Have students echo-read the word.

Repeat the process with chemiluminescent. Point out the similarities and differences between the words.

• Ask: Do you see any word parts in the word chemiluminescent?

Cover the word, and have students encode it.

Say these Directions: Write the word bioluminescent from memory. Use what you know about the prefix, suffix, and root to help you spell it correctly. Then write the word chemiluminescent from memory.

If the word has a cognate in your home language, you can write that version, too, and circle any morphemes that are spelled the same or similarly across both languages.

Part 2: Meaning Focus:

Display and explain the meanings of bio-, chemi-, lumin, and -escent.

• bio-: life or living organisms

• chemi-: produced by chemicals

• lumin: light

• -escent: reflecting or emitting light in a specific way

Explain that thinking about other words that use these word parts can help you identify their meanings.

• • Ask: What words can you think of that include the prefix bio-? What about chemi-?

  • biology, biosphere, bionic; chemistry, chemical, alchemist

• Ask: What words can you think of that include the root lumin?

  • luminous, illuminate, luminary

• Say: Based on the word parts, their meanings, and the other words we named, you can figure out what each word means. The word luminescent means reflecting or emitting light in a specific way. The prefixes bio- and chemi- name the specific way.

• Say: Define the target words based on the meaning of each root, prefix, and suffix.

Work with students to define the target words. Then display the definitions on the board:

• bioluminescent: producing and emitting light through the natural processes of a living organism

• chemiluminescent: producing and emitting light through a chemical reaction

• Ask: Based on the morphemes, what is the difference between bioluminescent and chemiluminescent?

  • Both words are about giving off light because they share the parts lumin and -escent. The difference is the source. Bioluminescent light comes from a living thing, while chemiluminescent light comes from a chemical reaction.

Part 3: Verify Meaning:

• Say: Check your definitions using a dictionary or other reference material. Does the definition match what we figured out? Revise as needed.

Review the meaning of both the target morphemes and the words.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: These words help readers picture the strange new world of Sagan. Now you are ready to analyze how Petra’s storytelling helps the Zetas and Voxy respond to that world.

Part A: Analyzing the Impact of Memory and Story (RL.8.3) (10 minutes)

Think-Pair-Share

Transition students into pairs. Instruct students to review and locate one moment from Chapters 28–29 that shows the impact of memory and story. When students identify their moment, they will then share their thinking about the effect the memory and story have on characters and events with their partners.

Say these Directions: With your partner, share one key moment from Chapters 28–29 that shows the impact of story and memory. Be ready to identify the moment and explain the effect it has on characters or events. Next, discuss the following questions with your partner.

Display the following questions.

• Which moment did you identify? How have memory and story impacted the character or event you chose?

  • When Petra asks Voxy why he is there on Sagan, he explains that he doesn’t want to be like Nyla and the Collective. Then he says, “And . . . and I want to have cuentos too” (p. 282). He is so moved by the stories that Petra has told that he has risked his life to come with her. When presented with the risk, Voxy declares, “Then I choose to be Voxy. Voxy who gets to have his own cuento” (p. 282). Another example is Javier rescuing Petra by sacrificing himself. As Javier takes over the controls of the shuttle, Petra sees him “cradling his Dreamers book,” which demonstrates that through his favorite book, Petra was able to remind him of who he was and what he would do for his family (p. 274).

• How has Petra’s storytelling, over the course of the novel, influenced the other characters in these chapters?

  • Over the course of the novel, Petra’s storytelling helps people recover identity, memory, and choice, including herself. Storytelling is no longer just Petra’s private gift; it becomes something that shapes how other characters think about responsibility and the future. Javier risks his life to send Petra and the others off to Sagan. He says, “If this small part of my journey is to give everyone else a chance, then that is what will make our parents and ancestors proud.” Without Petra’s gift of the Dreamers book, he would never have taken the actions he did to help her and the others escape the Collective (p. 273).

Part B: Analyzing Themes from the Novel (RL.8.2) (20 minutes)

Collaborative Idea Board

Organize students into groups of three or four, and provide each group with several sticky notes, a whiteboard or chart paper, and markers.

Say these Directions: In your group, you are going to identify themes that are conveyed throughout the novel. You will analyze how a theme is developed over the course of the text, with special emphasis on the culmination of that theme in Chapters 28 and 29.

Instruct each group member to write on a sticky note a theme that has developed over the course of the novel. If students need support in writing their themes, you can provide the topics from the novel: storytelling, identity, humanity or human connection, memory, and cultural knowledge.

If necessary, briefly model the process. For example, record the theme “Storytelling creates and reinforces cultural identity.” List Petra’s recollections of Lita’s stories, told in a mixture of Spanish and English; Petra’s subconscious calling upon a traditional Mexican folktale (Quetzalcoatl and el Conejo); and Voxy’s abandonment of the Collective because of their lack of identity and stories.

• Say: Each group member individually writes a theme on their sticky note.

• Say: The first person in your group will place a sticky note on your group board, read it aloud, and then explain the theme by using evidence from the text. Group members can add their own observations to that theme.

• Say: When the first theme is fully discussed, move on to the next person in the group, who will then share their theme and relevant text evidence.

• Say: When you are finished sharing ideas, review your idea board and choose the theme you think is best supported with text evidence and clear reasoning. You will share that sticky note on the class version of the collaborative idea board.

  • Stories that are passed down through generations hold important memories.

  • Stories can affirm who we are.

  • Storytelling can help people remember who they are and affirm their cultural identities.

  • Erasing individual identity means erasing humanity and cultural knowledge.

  • Storytelling can be an act of resistance.

Reconvene the class for collaboration and synthesis. Have group members place their chosen sticky notes on the class version of the collaborative idea board. Then read through the themes they have listed. Group similar themes on the board.

• Say: Let’s draw connections between the themes analyzed in the small groups.

• Ask: How are these themes connected? What supporting evidence might they share?

  • The themes of storytelling inspiring memory, stories reinforcing cultural identity, and stories inspiring characters to act are all related to the impact of storytelling. All of these themes could be supported by examples of characters acting, such as Voxy stowing away on the shuttle, Petra recalling Lita and sharing stories in both Spanish and English, or Javier remembering who he is and saving Petra as a result.

• Ask: How does Higuera show a shift from Petra’s individual responsibility to collective responsibility in Chapters 28–29? What theme does this support?

  • Higuera conveys the shift through Javier’s choice to stay behind and fend off the Collective in order for Petra and the others to enjoy freedom. He says, “I have to stay. Please understand” (p. 273). Now, Petra is not alone in fighting the Collective as she had been before. When Petra finds Voxy has come along, he joins in the responsibility of creating a new community based on stories. He declares, “I choose to be Voxy . . . who gets to have his own cuento” (p. 282). The presentation of the baby book to Suma brings in yet another person who helps Petra find a way to escape and survive as well as save Rubio and Feathers. When Petra tells her she needs help, Suma says, “Let’s go, then” (p. 290). She continues to provide support for Petra throughout the harrowing trip. These shifts convey the theme that stories can create human connection, which can help us take action and responsibility as a collective.

Provide students with a confidence continuum (i.e., 1–5). As needed, model how to demonstrate a level of confidence using the continuum.

Quick Write

Instruct students to write a Quick Write response to the following prompt.

Say these Directions: Today, we traced how Petra’s storytelling changes people and how Chapters 28–29 further develop several themes in the novel. In your Quick Write, name one theme discussed in the lesson, and support it with one example from Chapters 28–29.

• One theme is that storytelling helps create and reinforce community. By telling stories throughout the novel, Petra has endeared the Zetas to her as well as Voxy. She engages Suma’s help by revealing Suma’s history to her.

Instruct students to read Chapter 30 of The Last Cuentista and take notes in their Journal on the following prompt:

As you read, annotate for the following:

• How does the role of storytelling change over the course of the text, from helping characters survive to helping them build a community?