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I am a Taxi by Deborah Ellis
Day 1: Chapter 1 and 2
Chapter 1
Link to audio: http://bit.ly/iamataxi
Comprehension Questions:
2. Who are the main characters?
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3. How long have they been in prison?
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4. What is the name of the prison where they are staying?
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5. Why are Diego and his family in prison?
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Chapter 2
Comprehension Questions:
2. Why hasn’t Diego been outside of the prison for a week?
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3. Who is Diego’s best friend? __________________________________________________
4. What does Diego’s mother do to earn money so that she can pay the rent and feed her children?
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Discussion Questions:
Fill in the table below to compare the Women’s Prison in Bolivia to Canada.
Prison in Bolivia
Prison in Canada
2. What do you think about the idea of children staying with their parents in prisons? Why do you think that this situation exists?
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Discussion Questions:
Diego is a taxi and a true businessman. How does he prove that he is a good businessman?
How do Diego and Mando make the best of their situation? How do they show their resilience?
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I am a Taxi
Day 2: Chapter 3 and upto p. 66 of Chapter 4
Link to audio: http://bit.ly/iamataxi
Chapter 3
Comprehension Questions:
1. What is the name of currency used in Bolivia? ______________________________________________________________________
2. Aside from being a taxi, how else does Diego make money?
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3. How do the prisoners try to make life bearable in the men’s prison?
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Chapter 4
Comprehension Questions:
Discussion Questions:
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I am a Taxi
Day 3: p.67 to end of Chapter 5 (p.83)
Link to audio: http://bit.ly/iamataxi
Chapter 5
Comprehension Questions:
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Discussion Questions:
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I am a Taxi
Day 4: Chapter 6 & 7 (p 84 - 108) Link to audio: http://bit.ly/iamataxi
Chapter 6
Comprehension Questions:
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Discussion Questions:
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Chapter 7
Comprehension Questions:
Discussion Questions:
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I am a Taxi
Day 5: Chapter 8 & 9 (p. 109 -136) Link to audio: http://bit.ly/iamataxi
Chapter 8
Comprehension Questions:
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Chapter 8
Discussion Questions:
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Chapter 9
Comprehension Questions:
Discussion Questions:
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Please ask your teacher for links to 2 videos about children in Bolivian prisons to support your reading.
I am a Taxi
Day 6: Chapter 10 & 11 (p 137-153) Link to audio: http://bit.ly/iamataxi
Chapter 10
Comprehension Questions:
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Discussion Questions:
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Chapter 11
Comprehension Questions:
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Discussion Questions:
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I am a Taxi Name:_____________________
Day 7: Chapter 12 & 13 (p.154 - 169) Link to audio: http://bit.ly/iamataxi
Chapter 12:
Comprehension Questions
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Discussion Questions:
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Chapter 13:
Comprehension Questions
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Thinking ahead…
What do you predict will happen between Smith and Diego? What do you think will happen to Diego?
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Day 1: Chapter 1 and 2
Chapter 1
Link to audio: http://bit.ly/iamataxi
Comprehension Questions:
- It is Dec 31st, 1999, in Bolivia. What are they hoping is going to happen at midnight?
2. Who are the main characters?
___________________________________________________________________________
3. How long have they been in prison?
___________________________________________________________________________
4. What is the name of the prison where they are staying?
__________________________________________________________________________
5. Why are Diego and his family in prison?
_________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 2
Comprehension Questions:
- What is a taxi in this story?
2. Why hasn’t Diego been outside of the prison for a week?
____________________________________________________________________________
3. Who is Diego’s best friend? __________________________________________________
4. What does Diego’s mother do to earn money so that she can pay the rent and feed her children?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Discussion Questions:
Fill in the table below to compare the Women’s Prison in Bolivia to Canada.
Prison in Bolivia
Prison in Canada
2. What do you think about the idea of children staying with their parents in prisons? Why do you think that this situation exists?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Discussion Questions:
Diego is a taxi and a true businessman. How does he prove that he is a good businessman?
How do Diego and Mando make the best of their situation? How do they show their resilience?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
I am a Taxi
Day 2: Chapter 3 and upto p. 66 of Chapter 4
Link to audio: http://bit.ly/iamataxi
Chapter 3
Comprehension Questions:
1. What is the name of currency used in Bolivia? ______________________________________________________________________
2. Aside from being a taxi, how else does Diego make money?
______________________________________________________________________
3. How do the prisoners try to make life bearable in the men’s prison?
______________________________________________________________________
Chapter 4
Comprehension Questions:
- How do the mornings start in the prison?
______________________________________________________________________ - Why do most of the students at Diego’s school look down on him?
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- Why does Diego put a ‘special bracelet ‘ on Corina when they are selling?
- What does Diego sell at the market?
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Discussion Questions:
- What impact does being in these prisons have on the family members?
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_______________________________________________________________________ - What do you think is Mando’s plan to make “big money”?
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_______________________________________________________________________ - In what ways is the friendship between Diego and Mando similar to the friendship between any young boys their age?
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4. On p.64 Mando says, “Laws are made by people with money to keep people like us poor.” Discuss. _______________________________________________________________________
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I am a Taxi
Day 3: p.67 to end of Chapter 5 (p.83)
Link to audio: http://bit.ly/iamataxi
Chapter 5
Comprehension Questions:
- Why was Diego distracted while Corina was drawing?
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- Why was it such a big deal that Diego had lost track of Corina?
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- What else happened that caused Diego a lot of trouble?
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Discussion Questions:
- What things happen at the end of Chapter 4 and beginning of Chapter 5 that make Diego waiver and start to ‘consider’ Mando’s idea of earning “big money”.
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- “Being in prison is not what any of us would want. By governing ourselves, we try to make this horrible place a little more livable. This committee was elected by the inmates to keep order and settle disputes. Not for the sake of the guards or the administration, but for the sake of each other.” p. 80 Discuss how this system works when there aren’t any guards or administrators to oversee the process.
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- “Our rules of supervision are so strict because the world is short on compassion.” p. 81 Explain.
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I am a Taxi
Day 4: Chapter 6 & 7 (p 84 - 108) Link to audio: http://bit.ly/iamataxi
Chapter 6
Comprehension Questions:
- What does Diego tell his mother in the note in order to hide the fact that he is leaving to make “big money”?
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- “He could smell them from across the pathway as they passed a plastic glue pot around, breathing deeply” Who is Diego referring to?
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Discussion Questions:
- How do circumstances play a role in people making wrong decisions?
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- Where do you think the boys are being taken?
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- Why is Diego starting to feel nervous about being away from the prison?
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Chapter 7
Comprehension Questions:
- What are the names of the 2 men who have brought the boys out?
______________________________________________________________________ - What are the names of glue-sniffers?
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- Where are they at the end of the chapter?
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Discussion Questions:
- “Be proud to be yourself. Bullies don’t know how to deal with people like that, and they will leave you alone.” p.103. Comment on this advice that Diego’s father had given him. Do you agree?
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- On p. 106 Rock says, “We don’t need smart boys. We need stupid boys with strong backs and strong legs.” Why does Rock say this?
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I am a Taxi
Day 5: Chapter 8 & 9 (p. 109 -136) Link to audio: http://bit.ly/iamataxi
Chapter 8
Comprehension Questions:
- How did Diego trick Rock into taking the lead in the jungle?
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- How did Diego’s math skills come in handy?
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- What was in the cigarettes Rock gave the boys?
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- What is the huge bug that crawls up Diego’s leg? (Rhinoceros beetle)
Chapter 8
Discussion Questions:
- On p. 117, Diego observes “stupid people could be dangerous”. What does he mean? Do you agree? ______________________________________________________________________
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Chapter 9
Comprehension Questions:
- Why can’t Diego fall asleep?
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- Why wasn’t the paste, the most valuable thing in the camp, hidden away?
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- What was writhing under Diego’s skin? P. 133- 134
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Discussion Questions:
- P.128 “This (cocoa) leaf is a gift to my ancestors, Aymara, and to your ancestors, the Inca, from Pachamamma, the mother of our earth. To us it is sacred. It is something we respect and that nurtures us.” What does the old lady mean?
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Please ask your teacher for links to 2 videos about children in Bolivian prisons to support your reading.
I am a Taxi
Day 6: Chapter 10 & 11 (p 137-153) Link to audio: http://bit.ly/iamataxi
Chapter 10
Comprehension Questions:
- Why does Mando appear to be cozying up to Rock?
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- What does Smith do that appears to be helpful for the boys?
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Discussion Questions:
- At the bottom of page 142, Smith says “Empire of Cocaine. Weeds into an empire. Straw into gold. No wonder we run the world.” P.142. Compare this to what the old lady said on p. 128. (Discussion question from Chapter 9)
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Chapter 11
Comprehension Questions:
- Who are the campesinos? (p.146) Tip: Use the glossary!
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- “We’ve got gringo legs,” Roberto said, “and hands.”(p.147). Explain what this means.
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- On p.150, it says “At that moment Diego realized his grave mistake.” What was the mistake that he had made?
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- How does Diego demonstrate his courage when dealing with Rock?
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Discussion Questions:
- On p.146 Smith says, “Drugs buy guns, guns buy people, and when you buy people,you can buy power...with enough power, you can even buy a president”. What does this mean? Discuss whether you think this is true or not.
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I am a Taxi Name:_____________________
Day 7: Chapter 12 & 13 (p.154 - 169) Link to audio: http://bit.ly/iamataxi
Chapter 12:
Comprehension Questions
- What is Diego’s big idea that he shares with Mando while gathering firewood?
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- What are some examples of chores that Diego did to “make himself useful” ? (Give 3)
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- On p.160, “The rhythmic thump-thump-thump of the helicopter was coming closer and closer”. What is happening?
- At the end of this chapter, there are ‘no more friendly conversations’ between Rock and Mando. WHY?
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Discussion Questions:
- P. 154 “All roads led somewhere. All trails would lead somewhere, too.” These two sentences can be interpreted literally and figuratively. How could this give Diego hope?
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- P.158 “He (Diego) had seen men and women in prison who gave up, stopped washing or working or doing anything to make their lives better. A deadness took over their eyes and eventually their faces and whole bodies”. Discuss the significance of this quote.
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Chapter 13:
Comprehension Questions
- What is Diego’s plan for getting out?
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- How do the boys distract Rock so that they can run?
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- What has happened to Mando at the end of this chapter?
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Thinking ahead…
What do you predict will happen between Smith and Diego? What do you think will happen to Diego?
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