Abuela

Another book post for my grad class... enjoy!

In Arthur Dorros' Abuela, a little girl imagines she is flying with her Abuela through New York City. They see Manhattan Island, the Statue of Liberty, clouds and more as they soar above the city. The little girl and her grandmother use Spanish throughout their conversation. The story shows a beautiful bond between grandmother and granddaughter.

This is a great book to use, especially if you have Spanish/English bilingual students in your class. This story uses Spanish throughout, but uses context clues for students who don't speak Spanish.

In my grad class, we have discussed how important it is for students to have books that serve as "mirrors" for them. Think about it, most of the books in your classroom probably feature white characters. It's not your fault, most children's literature unfortunately is primary featuring white characters. These books provide a mirror for white students in your class, but not for students of other cultures. Try to expand your classroom library to include as much multicultural literature as you can!

Reading Level:
DRA: 16-18
Guided Reading: K

Themes: Family, Grandmothers, Immigration, Love, New York City, Imagination, Adventure, Fantasy, Spanish Language

Teachers... here are some resources for you.

Web Resources:

• Escape from Third Grade: This site offers an extensive list of activities to go along with Abuela.
• Study Guide: Find a study guide with comprehension questions and vocabulary here.
• Google Lit Trip: If you have google earth downloaded on your computer, you can show this lit trip to your students which shows some of the areas the characters fly to in the story.

Vocabulary: flock, harbor, glide, soar, swoop

Activities:
Before Reading:

• Have students create a word cloud for the word Abuela.

During Reading:

• Use the Google Lit Trip while reading to show what the illustrated places look like.
• As you read the Spanish vocabulary, have students create a vocab 4-square identifying the definition, using the word in a sentence and drawing a picture.

After Reading:

• Have students create a family tree.
• Ask students to write a narrative about an adventure with a family member.
• Response notebook: 
• Where would you fly if you could fly anywhere?
• Create the next adventure for Abuela and her grandchild.