Since that letter was read, there have been no more racial slurs from the Marsing Husky fans, at least none loud enough for the players to hear. Neto and Andy know that they and Jesse and Rigo and Johnny didn't do away with racial prejudice in their town. Many white parents still won't let their sons and daughters date Hispanics, and the two groups still don't mix much outside school. But they also know that they did what no one before them had done. "At least," says Neto, "we made it known that we wouldn't accept racism in our school or from our fans. We made a difference in the part of our lives that we really could control."
–It’s Our World, Too!:
Young People Who Are Making a Difference,
Phillip M. Hoose
What is the resolution to the story’s conflict?
The players end racial prejudice in their town.
Neto makes it known how the racism from the crowd has affected him.
Crowd members stop shouting racist comments at football games.
Just before they reached the locker room, Jesse stopped. "Aren't you getting tired of white fans yelling at us Hispanic players?" he asked Neto. "They yell we're no good whenever we mess up. Haven't you heard that at the games?"
"I never really paid attention to it," Neto replied. Something about this made him uncomfortable.
Jesse kept on, his voice rising in anger. "We shouldn't stand for it. We should quit the team. We have twenty-one players on the team, and ten of us are Hispanic. Most of the best players are Hispanic. Without us, there wouldn't even be a team. If we quit, we could wake up this whole community."
Use the two passages from the beginning and end of the text to complete the statements.
Before the conflict, Neto does not
.___
After going through the conflict, Neto realizes that it is important to
.___
Neto learns that he can make a difference, if he is willing to
.____
end: Neto and Andy know that they and Jesse and Rigo and Johnny didn't do away with racial prejudice in their town. Many white parents still won't let their sons and daughters date Hispanics, and the two groups still don't mix much outside school. But they also know that they did what no one before them had done. "At least," says Neto, "we made it known that we wouldn't accept racism in our school or from our fans. We made a difference in the part of our lives that we really could control."
–It’s Our World, Too!:
Young People Who Are Making a Difference,
Phillip M. Hoose
Use the two passages from the beginning and end of the text to complete the statements.
Before the conflict, Neto does not
✔ notice the fans’ racism
.
After going through the conflict, Neto realizes that it is important to
✔ stand up to racism
.
Neto learns that he can make a difference, if he is willing to
✔ stand up against racist situations
.
1. Read the excerpt from It's Our World, Too!: Young People Who Are Making a Difference.
When they entered the board's meeting room, Neto was terrified. They were alone with the ten white men who were the members of the Marsing school board. "I couldn't believe I was really doing this," Neto recalls. "Then I heard Baldy say, 'Neto wants to talk with you about the football team.'
"So I just started. I told them I was quitting and why. I told them word-for-word what I had heard. Only one of them looked like he was really listening. When I was finished, they thanked me for coming, but they didn't say they would do anything about it. I went home thinking, Well, at least I tried. Now they can't say nobody told them."
Which detail from the excerpt best indicates that one of the author’s purposes in writing It's Our World, Too!: Young People Who Are Making a Difference was to create suspense?
"When I was finished, they thanked me for coming..."
Only one of them looked like he was really listening.
“I couldn't believe I was really doing this," Neto recalls.
I went home thinking, Well, at least I tried
2. Read the excerpt from It's Our World, Too!: Young People Who Are Making a Difference.
At 10:30, students from all grades packed themselves into the lab. Andy stood up and reported what was happening, then read his letter aloud and asked for suggestions to improve it. There were a few. Then he asked for, and got, the students' unanimous approval to have it read at halftime.
The author’s purpose in this excerpt is to
include facts and details about what it takes to bring people together.
create a suspenseful moment that prompts readers’ emotions.
encourage readers to do something about what they believe in.
describe to readers an environment where people work together.
3. Read the excerpt from It's Our World, Too!: Young People Who Are Making a Difference.
"Look," Neto said, "if we don't take a stand now, those fans will say those things forever. Even after we graduate, they'll keep putting Hispanic players down. We have a chance to stop it now.
Finally there was no more to say. The question came: "Who votes not to play the next game?" Every player raised his hand.
That night, Neto, Jesse, and another teammate walked into the coach's office and handed him their uniforms and pads. They explained why they were leaving and expected him to understand, but they were disappointed. "The coach said, 'Quitting will just make it worse,'" Neto remembers. "He said the fans would call us losers and quitters instead of respecting us. Nothing could convince him. After a while we just walked out." Now there was no turning back.
Which idea from this excerpt further complicates Neto’s conflict?
Neto urges the players to take a stand against the comments.
All of the players raise their hands to boycott the next football game.
Neto and his teammates talk to their coach about the problem.
The coach doesn’t support Neto, Jesse, and the other teammate.
4. Events that make a conflict more difficult are called
causes.
complications.
reactions.
resolutions.
5. Read the excerpt from It's Our World, Too!: Young People Who Are Making a Difference.
Since that letter was read, there have been no more racial slurs from the Marsing Husky fans, at least none loud enough for the players to hear. Neto and Andy know that they and Jesse and Rigo and Johnny didn't do away with racial prejudice in their town. Many white parents still won't let their sons and daughters date Hispanics, and the two groups still don't mix much outside school. But they also know that they did what no one before them had done. "At least," says Neto, "we made it known that we wouldn't accept racism in our school or from our fans. We made a difference in the part of our lives that we really could control."
Which statement best describes how Neto has been affected by the conflict he experienced?
Neto feels frustrated because racism still exists in his community.
Neto now knows that he can make a difference if he decides to take a stand.
Neto now wants to take a stand against other forms of racism in his town.
Neto is happy that he worked with Andy, Jesse, Rigo, and Johnny.
6. Events that set up the conflict in the beginning of the story are called
causes.
complications.
reactions.
resolutions.
7. Read the excerpt from It's Our World, Too!: Young People Who Are Making a Difference.
In his small Idaho school, football meant everything to Ernesto ("Neto”) Villareal, sixteen, the team’s star running back. And yet when he heard fans screaming racial insults at him and his Hispanic-American teammates, he wondered how he could keep playing for fans who felt that way. The insults also bothered Andy Percifield, a white student leader. When Neto and Andy teamed up, each using his own special power, fans began to feel heat they had never felt before.
The details of this excerpt reveal the author’s purpose by
explaining why the fans acted like they did.
including facts and details about the topic.
encouraging the reader to believe in something.
expressing opinions about a topic.
8. Read the excerpt from It's Our World, Too!: Young People Who Are Making a Difference.
Soon there was even worse news for Neto and Jesse. Most of the players who had voted not to play had suddenly changed their minds. Even the Hispanic players. They could barely look at Neto and Jesse as they explained that they loved football too much to give it up. In the end, only four players—Jesse, Neto, Rigo Delgudillo, and Johnny Garcia—were committed to staying off the field.
The more Neto thought about it, the more determined he became. "I knew we were right," he recalls. "I didn't care what anybody else thought. And I also knew the team couldn't afford to lose me. If the school really wanted me, the fans had to stop saying those things. Only then would I play. Not until."
Which statement best describes the change in Neto since the beginning of the conflict?
Neto realizes that he loves football too much to give it up.
Neto is determined to stay off the field until the conflict is resolved.
Neto decides that he no longer likes to play football.
Neto becomes angry with the other players for playing in the game.
9. What were the author’s purposes in writing It's Our World, Too!: Young People Who Are Making a Difference? Check all that apply
to entertain readers with the antics of young high school students
to persuade readers that all students are equal, regardless of race
to inform readers about the ways young people are changing the world
to entertain readers with a story about high schoolers who made a change
to persuade readers that racism still exists in today’s society
to inform readers about different ways that changes can be made
10. Read the excerpt from It's Our World, Too!: Young People Who Are Making a Difference.
The players sat down together on the benches in the locker room. Jesse and Neto repeated the words they had heard and said it hurt too badly for them to play in the next game.
"Yeah, I've heard those things, too," said one player. "Sure it's terrible, but you can't quit! If you guys leave, it will destroy our team."
"Look," Neto said, "if we don't take a stand now, those fans will say those things forever. Even after we graduate, they'll keep putting Hispanic players down. We have a chance to stop it now."
Finally there was no more to say. The question came: "Who votes not to play the next game?" Every player raised his hand.
In the story, racism is at the heart of the problem. Which idea complicates the conflict?
Neto wants to play, but not for disrespectful fans.
Neto has a difficult time convincing the team of Jesse's claims.
Neto believes the problem will never have a solution.
Neto does not want to lose his friendship with Jesse.
3 answers