UNIT 2 READING 1 "Finding Miracles"

"Finding Miracles"
The novel Finding Miracles

is about a girl named Milly. An American family
adopted her when she was a baby. In the excerpt, Milly‘s teacher asks her class
to write a story about who they are. Milly writes about a space alien because she
isn’t ready to discover her true self. When a new student arrives, Milly feels sorry
for the boy. He dresses strangely and looks uncomfortable. But Milly is also
embarrassed. She doesn’t want anyone to know that they are from the same
country. In the interview, the author compares Milly’s story with her own
experiences as an immigrant. She talks about adapting to life in America and
feeling like an outsider both here and in her native country.

Literary Words
conflict: is a struggle or a problem, usually involving the main character or characters.

point of view: A story is usually told from either the first-person or the third-person. 
If the story is told from the first-person point of view, the author uses words like I, me, and mine. 
If the story is told from the third-person point of view, the author uses words like she, he, her, and his, and the name of the character.

Academic Words:
adapt = adjust to a new environment 
➡ After we moved, it took time to adapt to our new home.
conflict = a situation of having to
choose between opposing things 
➡ Her conflict was that she wasn’t sure if she wanted to share her secret or keep it hidden.

identity = who someone is 
➡ Being Latin American is a large part of her identity.

interpret = clarify the meaning
of something 
➡ It is easier to interpret a character’s actions when you understand his or her conflict.

issue = a subject or problem that
people discuss 
➡ They couldn’t agree on the issue and agreed to research it further.

reveal = make something known
that was previously secret 
➡ She didn’t want to reveal her secret, so she didn’t tell anyone.

Linguistic Note

Homophones
Students may be confused by the fact that the letter combination ow not only
stands for the diphthong /au/ as in now or cow, but also for the long /ou/ as in
tow (a car) or sow (seeds). Remind your students that English is not a perfectly
phonetic language. Therefore several sounds can be produced by the same letter
combination, and several different letter combinations can produce one sound
(homophones). The latter is somewhat rare with diphthongs. However, /au/ creates
a rather troublesome homophone, which is mixed up not only by English learners:
flour/flower. Ask your students which one is used for baking, and which one is
beautiful to look at.