Teacher Guide for FAST-R Passage: How to Eat a Guava
FAST-R: Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading
At a Glance
Approximate
Grade Range:
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Genre: Autobiographical narrative
Topic: Santiago’s memories of eating guavas as a child in
Puerto Rico contrast with her adult life in the U.S.
Author: Esmeralda Santiago
Source: When I was Puerto Rican (1994)
Special Note: Book is available in both English and Spanish
Autobiographical narrative
Difficulty Index: Considerate . . . . . . . . . . . . Challenging
Structure:
Purpose:
Richness:
Relationships:
Vocabulary:
Style:
Lexile Measure: 970L
The following selection is from the prologue of the novel When
I was Puerto Rican, by Esmeralda Santiago. As you read this
excerpt, think about how the author uses the image of a guava
as a metaphor for her own life experience. When you have
finished reading, answer the questions that follow.
Relationships: This excerpt introduces relationship
themes that develop throughout the book: woman to her
home or place of origin, adult to her childhood, person
to society.
See especially: Questions 1, 7, 9, 10
How to Eat a Guava
by Esmeralda Santiago
Barco que no anda, no llega a puerto.
~
A ship that doesn’t sail, never reaches port.
1 There are guavas at the Shop & Save. I pick one the size of a
tennis ball and finger the prickly stem end. It feels familiarly
bumpy and firm. The guava is not quite ripe; the skin is still a
dark green. I smell it and imagine a pale pink center, the seeds
tightly embedded in the flesh.
2 A ripe guava is yellow, although some varieties have a pink
tinge. The skin is thick, firm, and sweet. Its heart is bright pink
and almost solid with seeds. The most delicious part of the
guava surrounds the tiny seeds. If you don’t know how to eat a
guava, the seeds end up in the crevices between your teeth.
Purpose: Suggested by the proverb in italics —
everyone must grow and experience life to realize who
they are meant to be.
See especially: Questions 10
Vocabulary: Santiago uses uncomplicated vocabulary
throughout the passage, though a few words may be
unfamiliar.
3 When you bite into a ripe guava, your teeth must grip the
bumpy surface and sink into the thick edible skin without hitting the center. It takes experience to do this, as it’s quite tricky
to determine how far beyond the skin the seeds begin.
4 Some years, when the rains have been plentiful and the nights
cool, you can bite into a guava and not find many seeds. The
guava bushes grow close to the ground, their branches laden
with green then yellow fruit that seem to ripen overnight. These
guavas are large and juicy, almost seedless, their roundness enticing you to have one more, just one more, because next year the
rains may not come.
5 As children, we didn’t always wait for the fruit to ripen. We
raided the bushes as soon as the guavas were large enough to
bend the branch.
Structure: This first flashback to childhood (¶5-7)
describes her childish enjoyment of unripe guavas
uncomplicated by “adult” concerns.
See especially: Questions 5, 6, 7
Continued on next page
FAST-R: Formative Assessments in Student Thinking in Reading. The passage text by Esmerelda Santiago is from When I was Puerto Rican. Copyright © 1993 by
Esmerelda Santiago. All other materials are Copyright 2007 by the Boston Plan for Excellence.
6 A green guava is sour and hard. You bite into it at its widest
point, because it’s easier to grasp with your teeth. You hear the
skin, meat, and seeds crunching inside your head, while the
inside of your mouth explodes in little spurts of sour.
7 You grimace, your eyes water, and your cheeks disappear as
your lips purse into a tight O. But you have another and then
another, enjoying the crunchy sounds, the acid taste, the gritty
texture of the unripe center. At night, your mother makes you
drink castor oil, which she says tastes better than a green guava.
That’s when you know for sure that you’re a child and she has
stopped being one.
8
I had my last guava the day we left Puerto Rico. It was large
and juicy, almost red in the center, and so fragrant that I didn’t
want to eat it because I would lose the smell. All the way to the
airport I scratched at it with my teeth, making little dents in the
skin, chewing small pieces with my front teeth, so that I could
feel the texture against my tongue, the tiny pink pellets of sweet.
9 Today, I stand before a stack of dark green guavas, each
perfectly round and hard, each $1.59. The one in my hand is
tempting. It smells faintly of late summer afternoons and hopscotch under the mango tree. But this is autumn in New York,
and I’m no longer a child.
10 The guava joins its sisters under the harsh fluorescent lights of
the exotic fruit display. I push my cart away, toward the apples
and pears of my adulthood, their nearly seedless ripeness predictable and bittersweet.
Spotlight On: Esmeralda Santiago
Esmerelda Santiago was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and
moved to the mainland United States when she was 13 years
old. Santiago grew up speaking Spanish, eating guavas, and
enjoying the rich culture of Puerto Rico.
Two of her novels, When I was Puerto Rican (Cuando era Puertorriceña) and the sequel Almost a Woman (Casi una Mujer),
are based on the author’s experiences of leaving her homeland
for a new life in New York City. As this passage suggests, when
someone leaves their homeland, there are memories they take
with them and much they miss.
Esmeralda Santiago has published numerous books and continues to write today. Her books are very popular with high school
students and adults throughout the country.
Structure: This second flashback to when she left Puerto
Rico (¶8) includes her more adult awareness of the
bittersweet nature of life.
Although the narrative moves between past and present,
there are textual clues to help readers navigate. Such
words and phrases include “as children,” “the day I left
Puerto Rico,” “Today.”
See especially: Questions 5, 6, 7
Style: The vivid, sensory language used to describe the
way she ate her last guava contributes to the nostalgic
tone.
See especially: Questions 8, 10
Richness: In the concluding present-tense paragraphs,
she confronts the “bittersweet” feeling of having left
her home and her childhood — and chooses not to
symbolically return to them by buying the guava.
See especially: Questions 8, 9, 10
Ideas for Connected Writing Activities:
• Imagine that you have moved to some very different
place, one where people speak a different language
and have very different customs. Write about what you
would miss most about your place of origin.
• Explain what the narrator means when she says, “But
this is autumn in New York and I’m no longer a child.”
• Explain how the epigraph relates to the narrator’s life.
• Write a descriptive passage about a food that
represents your childhood.
• Write a poem describing the experience of eating one
of your favorite foods.
Humanities Connections:
• Read more about the life of author Esmeralda Santiago.
What can be learned about the impact of leaving one’s
homeland? About adapting to a new and different
culture?
• Research the history of Puerto Rico and trace the
citizenship status of its residents.
• Explore the significance of one’s “culture,” including
the meaning of various foods, customs, and histories.
FAST-R: Formative Assessments in Student Thinking in Reading. The passage text by Esmerelda Santiago is from When I was Puerto Rican. Copyright © 1993 by
Esmerelda Santiago. All other materials are Copyright 2007 by the Boston Plan for Excellence.
Teacher Guide for FAST-R Passage: How to Eat a Guava
FAST-R: Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading
Autobiographical narrative
The annotated answer key below highlights common reasons students might choose each answer, and the sidebar gives more
insight into the questions, to help you understand patterns of student responses. Always make time to follow up with students in
conferences to ensure that the patterns you diagnose are consistent with students’ reading and thinking strategies.
1. When the passage begins, the narrator is
A. a child. (OOP1, ¶5)
 B. an adult. (¶9, 10)
C. a grocery store manager. (OOB)
D. a piece of fruit. (OOP2)
FE2: Recognize the explicit
meaning from varied wording
in the text
2. What color is a ripe guava?
 A. yellow (¶2)
B. green (OOP2, ¶6)
C. pink (OOP1, ¶2)
D. orange (OOB)
FE1: Identify evidence
explicitly stated in the text
3. According to the passage, what is likely to happen to an inexperienced guava
eater?
A. Her mother will give her castor oil. (OOP1, ¶7)
B. Her lips will purse into a tight O. (OOP1, ¶7)
C. She will buy her guavas at the Shop & Save. (OOP2)
 D. The seeds will end up in the crevices of her teeth. (¶2)
FE2: Recognize the explicit
meaning from varied wording
in the text
4. According to paragraph 4, the BEST tasting guavas are those that
A. are displayed in the produce section of the Shop & Save. (OOP1, ¶1)
B. are very sour. (OOP2, ¶7)
C. are prickly, bumpy, and firm. (OOP2, ¶1)
 D. grow after a season of rain and cool nights. (¶4)
FE2: Recognize the explicit
meaning from varied wording
in the text
5. Why did the narrator, along with other children in Puerto Rico, end up eating
green guavas?
A. They liked the green ones the best. (OOP2, ¶6-7)
B. Their mothers made them eat green guavas to punish them. (OOP2, ¶7)
C. Green guavas were given to children as medicine when they were sick. (OOB)
 D. The children were impatient and couldn’t wait for the fruit to ripen. (¶5)
MI1: Determine implicit
meaning from ideas in context
6. The purpose of paragraph 7 is to
A. show how awful a sour guava can be. (OOP2, ¶7)
 B. show how children enjoy experiencing all that life has to offer.
C. show how castor oil is used as medicine. (OOP1, ¶7)
D. show how Shop & Save guavas are better than guavas from Puerto Rico.
(OOP2)
MI2: Determine a singular
meaning from the sum total of
a particular paragraph
FAST-R: Formative Assessments in Student Thinking in Reading. The passage text by Esmerelda Santiago is from When I was Puerto Rican. Copyright © 1993 by
Esmerelda Santiago. All other materials are Copyright 2007 by the Boston Plan for Excellence.
Grade 8-10 • How to Eat a Guava • Autobiographical narrative
7. What does the narrator mean in paragraph 7 when she says, “That’s when you
know for sure that you’re a child and she has stopped being one.”
A. Motherhood is challenging in Puerto Rico. (OOB)
 B. Adults, unlike children, have forgotten the joy and excitement of eating
the first guavas of the season. (¶7)
C. Children hate to eat green guavas in Puerto Rico. (OOP2, ¶7)
D. Her mother will always be a child at heart. (OOP2, ¶7)
MI1: Determine implicit
meaning from words in context
8. Which of the following quotations best adds to a tone of nostalgia?
A. “A ripe guava is yellow, although some varieties have a pink tinge.” (OOP2,
¶2)
B. “A green guava is sour and hard. You bite into it at its widest point.” (OOP2,
¶6)
 C. “It smells faintly of late summer afternoons and hopscotch under the
mango tree.” (¶9)
D. “The guava joins its sisters under the harsh fluorescent lights...” (OOP1, ¶10)
MI5: Determine meaning by
incorporating an understanding of literary concepts
9. In this passage, the guava is a metaphor for the narrator’s
 A. life experience.
B. childhood. (OOP1, ¶5-7)
C. adulthood. (OOP1, ¶9-10)
D. motherhood (OOP2, ¶7)
MI5: Determine meaning by
incorporating an understanding of literary concepts
10. The narrator’s feelings about her life can best be described as
A. edible. (OOP2, ¶3)
B. enticing. (OOP2, ¶4)
C. exotic. (OOP1, ¶10)
 D. bittersweet. (¶10)
MI1: Determine implicit
meaning from ideas in context
FAST-R: Formative Assessments in Student Thinking in Reading. The passage text by Esmerelda Santiago is from When I was Puerto Rican. Copyright © 1993 by
Esmerelda Santiago. All other materials are Copyright 2007 by the Boston Plan for Excellence.
FAST-R
+
Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading
Name
Date
“How to Eat A Guava” • Autobiographical Narrative
Teacher/Class
The following selection is from the prologue of the novel When I was Puerto Rican, by Esmeralda Santiago.
As you read this excerpt, think about how the author uses the image of a guava as a metaphor for her own life
experience. When you have finished reading, answer the questions that follow.
How to Eat a Guava
by Esmeralda Santiago
Barco que no anda, no llega a puerto.
~
A ship that doesn’t sail, never reaches port.
1 There are guavas at the Shop & Save. I pick one the size
of a tennis ball and finger the prickly stem end. It feels familiarly bumpy and firm. The guava is not quite ripe; the
skin is still a dark green. I smell it and imagine a pale pink
center, the seeds tightly embedded in the flesh.
2 A ripe guava is yellow, although some varieties have a
pink tinge. The skin is thick, firm, and sweet. Its heart is
bright pink and almost solid with seeds. The most delicious part of the guava surrounds the tiny seeds. If you
don’t know how to eat a guava, the seeds end up in the
crevices between your teeth.
3 When you bite into a ripe guava, your teeth must grip
the bumpy surface and sink into the thick edible skin
without hitting the center. It takes experience to do this, as
it’s quite tricky to determine how far beyond the skin the
seeds begin.
4 Some years, when the rains have been plentiful and the
nights cool, you can bite into a guava and not find many
seeds. The guava bushes grow close to the ground, their
branches laden with green then yellow fruit that seem to
ripen overnight. These guavas are large and juicy, almost
seedless, their roundness enticing you to have one more,
just one more, because next year the rains may not come.
Spotlight On:
Esmeralda Santiago
Esmerelda Santiago was born in San
Juan, Puerto Rico and moved to the
mainland United States when she was
13 years old. Santiago grew up speaking Spanish, eating guavas, and enjoying the rich culture of Puerto Rico.
Two of her novels, When I was Puerto
Rican (Cuando era Puertorriceña) and
the sequel Almost a Woman (Casi una
Mujer), are based on the author’s
experiences of leaving her homeland
for a new life in New York City. As this
passage suggests, when someone
leaves their homeland, there are
memories they take with them and
much they miss.
Esmeralda Santiago has published
numerous books and continues to
write today. Her books are very popular
with high school students and adults
throughout the country.
Continue reading on next page
FAST-R: Formative Assessments in Student Thinking in Reading. The passage text by Esmerelda Santiago is from When I was Puerto Rican. Copyright © 1993 by
Esmerelda Santiago. All other materials are Copyright 2007 by the Boston Plan for Excellence.
5 As children, we didn’t always wait for the fruit to ripen.
We raided the bushes as soon as the guavas were large
enough to bend the branch.
6 A green guava is sour and hard. You bite into it at its
widest point, because it’s easier to grasp with your teeth.
You hear the skin, meat, and seeds crunching inside your
head, while the inside of your mouth explodes in little
spurts of sour.
7 You grimace, your eyes water, and your cheeks disappear as your lips purse into a tight O. But you have
another and then another, enjoying the crunchy sounds,
the acid taste, the gritty texture of the unripe center. At
night, your mother makes you drink castor oil1, which
she says tastes better than a green guava. That’s when you
know for sure that you’re a child and she has stopped being one.
1
castor oil: oil extracted from the
seed of a castor plant; often used
medically to induce vomiting
8 I had my last guava the day we left Puerto Rico. It was
large and juicy, almost red in the center, and so fragrant
that I didn’t want to eat it because I would lose the smell.
All the way to the airport I scratched at it with my teeth,
making little dents in the skin, chewing small pieces with
my front teeth, so that I could feel the texture against my
tongue, the tiny pink pellets of sweet.
9 Today, I stand before a stack of dark green guavas, each
perfectly round and hard, each $1.59. The one in my
hand is tempting. It smells faintly of late summer afternoons and hopscotch under the mango tree. But this is
autumn in New York, and I’m no longer a child.
10 The guava joins its sisters under the harsh fluorescent
lights of the exotic fruit display. I push my cart away, toward the apples and pears of my adulthood, their nearly
seedless ripeness predictable and bittersweet.
FAST-R, the Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading, are created by the Boston Plan for Excellence for use in Boston Public Schools.
Santiago, Esmeralda. “Prologue: How to Eat a Guava,” from the book When I was Puerto Rican. Published by Random House, 1993 (pgs 3-4)
FAST-R
+
Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading
Name
“How to Eat A Guava” • Autobiographical narrative
Date
Teacher/Class
On your answer sheet, fill in the circle for the correct answer to questions 1-10.
1. When the passage begins, the narrator is
A. a child.
B. an adult.
C. a grocery store manager.
D. a piece of fruit.
2. What color is a ripe guava?
A. yellow
B. green
C. pink
D. orange
3. According to the passage, what is likely to happen to an inexperienced guava eater?
A. Her mother will give her castor oil.
B. Her lips will purse into a tight O.
C. She will buy her guavas at the Shop & Save.
D. The seeds will end up in the crevices of her teeth.
4. According to paragraph 4, the BEST guavas are those that
A. are displayed in the produce section of the Shop & Save.
B. are very sour.
C. are prickly, bumpy, and firm.
D. grow after a season of rain and cool nights.
5. Why did the narrator, along with other children in Puerto Rico, end up eating green guavas?
A. They liked the green ones the best.
B. Their mothers made them eat green guavas to punish them.
C. Green guavas were given to children as medicine when they were sick.
D. The children were impatient and couldn’t wait for the fruit to ripen.
FAST-R: Formative Assessments in Student Thinking in Reading. The passage text by Esmerelda Santiago is from When I was Puerto Rican. Copyright © 1993 by
Esmerelda Santiago. All other materials are Copyright 2007 by the Boston Plan for Excellence.
Name
School
Date
Teacher/Class
6. The purpose of paragraph 7 is to
A. show how awful a sour guava can be.
B. show how children enjoy experiencing all that life has to offer.
C. show how castor oil is used as medicine.
D. show how Shop & Save guavas are better than guavas from Puerto Rico.
7. What does the narrator mean in paragraph 7 when she says, “That’s when you know for sure that you’re
a child and she has stopped being one.”
A. Motherhood is challenging in Puerto Rico.
B. Adults, unlike children, have forgotten the joy of eating the first guavas of the season.
C. Children hate to eat green guavas in Puerto Rico.
D. Her mother will always be a child at heart.
8. Which of the following quotations best adds to a tone of nostalgia?
A. “A ripe guava is yellow, although some varieties have a pink tinge.”
B. “A green guava is sour and hard. You bite into it at its widest point.”
C. “It smells faintly of late summer afternoons and hopscotch under the mango tree.”
D. “The guava joins its sisters under the harsh fluorescent lights...”
9. In this passage, the guava is a metaphor for the narrator’s
A. life experience.
B. childhood.
C. adulthood.
D. motherhood.
10. The narrator’s feelings about her life can best be described as
A. edible.
B. enticing.
C. exotic.
D. bittersweet.
FAST-R: Formative Assessments in Student Thinking in Reading. The passage text by Esmerelda Santiago is from When I was Puerto Rican. Copyright © 1993 by
Esmerelda Santiago. All other materials are Copyright 2007 by the Boston Plan for Excellence.
Teachers: Please duplicate and use this answer sheet only for students for whom you did not receive a pre-printed answer sheet!
FAST-R Answer Sheet
Name
School Date
Grade
Class
Teacher Name
Passage Title
Completely fill the circle
for the correct answer.
1.
A
B
C
D
2.
A
B
C
D
3.
A
B
C
D
4.
A
B
C
D
5.
A
B
C
D
6. A
B
C
D
7.
A
B
C
D
8.
A
B
C
D
9.
A
B
C
D
10.
A
B
C
D
Write your answer to the open response prompt in the lined space below.
if your teacher directs you to do so.
OFFICE USE ONLY
RESEARCH:
Y
N
OPEN RESPONSE: 1 2 3
4