Efren Divided by Ernesto Cisneros

Your KS2 learners will love this important story by Ernesto Cisneros. When his mother is suddenly deported to Mexico, seventh grader Efrén Nava must take charge of his younger siblings while keeping up with schoolwork and chores; he hopes that in doing so, the money his father earns at a second job will be enough to bring his mother home.

Genre: family, identity, bravery

Themes: family, friendship, separation, uncertainty, fear, leadership, and resilience

Age: 9-10 years old

Efren Divided by Ernesto Cisneros​ book cover

Activities

1. Inference and illustration. Draw a picture of the primary setting of the story and write two sentences to describe the scene.

2. Create a social media profile for Efren and create 3-5 ‘posts’ that retell a part of the story.

3. Choose a significant part of the story and write a journal entry from the perspective of one of the characters involved.

4. Create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast two characters’ points of view at a particular part of the story.

5. Get learners to choose a social issue that they care deeply about and write a plan on how to change it. How does it affect them, their friends or family? Why is the issue important to them? What is something they can commit to doing to make a difference?

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