Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Chapters 1-3

Reading Check

1. What is the Spanish term Panchito uses to refer to the immigration officers?

2. When he is in eighth grade, Panchito is removed from school by immigration officers. What quintessential American text is he about to recite for the class before he is whisked away?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. As shown in Chapters 1-3, what are some of the virtues emphasized within the Jiménez family? Cite evidence from the text.

2. Adversity builds resilience in the Jiménez family. What is one example of this in this section of the book?

Paired Resource

“Francisco Jiménez”

• In 2017, the Pacific Conservatory Theatre put on a play adaptation of Breaking Through. In this brief video, author Francisco Jiménez visits the play’s cast. He discusses some of the reasons he wrote the book and the larger messaging that he hopes will transfer from the book to the performance.
• Jiménez mentions that one of the book’s core premises is to promote justice and a more inclusive society.