Information+about+crops

There is a lot of discussion of the various crops that Francisco and his family work to harvest in //The Circuit//. Most students (especially urban students) do not have a strong understanding of agricultural topics. This background knowledge is essential for students to comprehend the narrative in //The Circuit//. Each of these resources includes excellent photography to illustrate the details supplied in the text.

Ancona, George. (2001). //Harvest//. New York: Marshall Cavendish. This is a superb resource. The text explains details about migrant workers’ experiences in the fields accompanied by excellent photos showing specific crops and people at work.

Healy-Johnson, Guinevere. (2000). //Cotton//. Minnesota: Creative Education. Photos and text will greatly support students’ understanding of Francisco’s experiences picking cotton.

L’Hommedieu, Arthur John. (1997). //From Plant to Blue Jeans.// New York: Children’s Press. Photos show how cotton becomes the blue jeans we see in the stores. This book is important to show to students as few have any idea what a cotton plant looks like (or how jeans are made, for that matter).

Peterson, Cris. (1996). //Harvest Year.// Pennsylvania: Boyds Mills Press. Month by month photos of crops and fields around the U.S. Includes discussion, maps, and informative captions.