1a. How did Roberto Clemente die? Where was he traveling? Why was he going there?
2a. Who was María Isabella Casares? What advice did she give Clemente? What did Clemente do for her when she was sick?
3a. What did Clemente achieve in baseball? About what did he brood? In what did he take pride?
4a. Examine the kinds of relationships Clemente formed with people. What did friendship mean to him? In what ways do his close friends describe him? How do those descriptions differ from the views of people who did not know him personally?
5a. How well does "Roberto Clemente: A Bittersweet Memoir" achieve the goal of giving readers an understanding about who Clemente was and what his impact on the world was? Explain your answer.
1b. What did the final actions of Clemente's life reveal about his character? Why did people gather at Puente Maldonado by the thousands?
2b. How do you think Clemente felt about Casares? What do Clemente's interactions with Casares reveal about him?
3b. In what ways was Clemente a role model?
4b. Summarize Roberto Clemente's character. In forming your answers, consider the priorities in Clemente's life and what he considered less important. Finally, conclude by considering what aspect of Clemente's character you will remember most after reading about him.
5b. How does "Searching for January" contribute to your understanding of Clemente? How does the story contribute to your understanding of Clemente's impact on the world? What statement does the story make about the legend Clemente has become?
Memoir. How did Clemente's death affect people? How did the opinions of others affect Clemente's goals and decisions?
Anecdote. Copy the graphic organizer below to examine the anecdotes in "Roberto Clemente: A Bittersweet Memoir." Select two people from the following list of people who offer information about Clemente: Mrs. Casares, Vigeraux, Rudy Hernandez, Pedron Zarilla, Bob Friend, Buck Canel, and Willie Stargell. Fill out a graphic organizer for each of the two individuals you chose and summarize their anecdotes about him. How do the anecdotes complement one another? Which offers the most insight into Clemente the baseball player? Which offers the most insight into Clemente the person?
1. Imagine the narrator in "Searching for January" reported his encounter with Clemente to the local press. Write the headline for the newspaper story.
2. Write a trivia question, and its answer, about one of Roberto Clemente's baseball accomplishments.
3. Write a tribute to Roberto Clemente for people visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
Looking at Oxymorons. An oxymoron is a combination of contradictory words. Such words or phrases often develop complex meanings despite the fact that their components contradict one another. The word bittersweet, which means "pleasant with overtones of sadness," is an oxymoron. Other examples of oxymorons include freezer burn, definite maybe, deafening silence, act naturally, and rush hour. On your own, create a list of at least five oxymorons not included here. After each item, explain what makes the term an oxymoron.
Evaluating Internet Sites: Research Log. Using the Internet, examine the homepage sites of major sports organizations in the United States. Find a site that interests you. Use this log to keep track of the sites you find, the information you find, and your reactions to what you learn.
Consider the following questions as you examine the homepage sites. What variety of information does the site offer? What information can you find about individual athletes? teams? championships? How far back in time does the site's information go? How accurate does the information seem to be? How easy is to navigate the site?
Site:
Information:
Reactions:
Verbs. The following verbs appear in "Roberto Clemente: A Bittersweet Memoir" or in "Searching for January." Use each verb in a sentence. If you need help remembering the definition of a particular word, look it up in the dictionary.
Example gesture The bank teller gestured when she was ready to assist me.
1. conjecture
2. defeat
3. recall
4. loaf
5. resent
6. scan
7. retrace
8. swarm
9. suffer
10. drift
