Armando and the Blue Tarp School
Edith Hope Fine and Judith Pinkerton Josephson, 2007. A Mexican boy in Tijauana longs to attend an informal school taught by Senor David. Armando must forgo an education to instead help his father with the family business, trash-picking. His father eventually determines that an education is more important so his son can pursue a better life. Based on a true story.
Total score: 15/15
Curriculum matches: poverty, Mexico, education, David Lynch
Resources to teach: Click here to view a video of the story presented by the non-profit group that supports the work of David Lynch (Senior David). Click here for more information on David Lynch and the real Blue Tarp School.
View the file below to see a teacher-created lesson plan on this book!
Total score: 15/15
Curriculum matches: poverty, Mexico, education, David Lynch
Resources to teach: Click here to view a video of the story presented by the non-profit group that supports the work of David Lynch (Senior David). Click here for more information on David Lynch and the real Blue Tarp School.
View the file below to see a teacher-created lesson plan on this book!
| central_america_lesson_plan.docx |
Today is the Day
Nancy Riecken, 1996. This family focused story conveys the difficult life of Mixican farmers. A family awaits the arrival of their father who has been gone for six months to find work in the city after a terrible drought. This sensitive story depicts a true picture of Mexican families.
Total Score: 15/15
Curriculum Matches: Poverty, Family Values, Mexico,
Additional Information: click http://www.allaboutmexico.com/people.html
to learn all about Mexico click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Mexico
To learn about the culture of Mexico, click www.wintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/mexico-country-profile.html.
Total Score: 15/15
Curriculum Matches: Poverty, Family Values, Mexico,
Additional Information: click http://www.allaboutmexico.com/people.html
to learn all about Mexico click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Mexico
To learn about the culture of Mexico, click www.wintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/mexico-country-profile.html.
Colibri
Ann Cameron, 2003. This story depicts the life of young girl who was kidnapped in Guatemala City. Though the girl remembers and yearns for her parents, she is forced to start a new life with “Uncle.” Because fortune-tellers have convinced Uncle this young girl will bring him great luck and treasure, he has kept her with him for many years. Eight years have passed and Uncle becomes desperate for his treasure, creating a tumultuous and dangerous world for the young girl.
Total score: 15/15
Curriculum matches: Guatemala, Hispanic/Latino, Religions of the world
Resources to teach:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guatemala for the location and history of Guatemala
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1129.html to learn more about the rise of kidnappings in Guatemala
http://www.larutamayaonline.com/guatemala_facts.phpfor more information about the people and economy of Guatemala
Total score: 15/15
Curriculum matches: Guatemala, Hispanic/Latino, Religions of the world
Resources to teach:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guatemala for the location and history of Guatemala
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1129.html to learn more about the rise of kidnappings in Guatemala
http://www.larutamayaonline.com/guatemala_facts.phpfor more information about the people and economy of Guatemala
Mexican Whiteboy
Matt de la Pena. This book deals with a boy who is half white and half Mexican living in San Diego. He faces the prejudices of preconceived ideas of who he is. To quote the cover, "The struggle to find your identity in a world of definition". He spends the summer with his dad's family in Mexico. He develops an unlikely friendship with an Afro American boy who are competitors on the baseball field. This friendship helps to define who he is and where he belongs.
About the author: He attended the University of Pacific on a basketball scholarship and went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing. This is his second novel.
Rating: 15/15
Curriculum Match: Social Studies: Mexican Culture, Friendships,
Writing- What Makes a Good Friend, What is Prejudice?
About the author: He attended the University of Pacific on a basketball scholarship and went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing. This is his second novel.
Rating: 15/15
Curriculum Match: Social Studies: Mexican Culture, Friendships,
Writing- What Makes a Good Friend, What is Prejudice?
8th Grade Super Zero
Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, 2010. Deciding he can possibly make a real difference at his school and in his community, Reggie "Pukey" McKnight decides to run for school office. Despite the bullying he endures at school and the hardships his family faces as Jamaican immigrants, Reggie works against his circumstances to build a better life for others with little regard for himself.
Total Score: 15/15
Curriculum matches: bullying, homelessness, volunteerism, African-American, Jamaican
To learn more information about the author, go to www.olugbemisola.com. To learn more information on the new novel go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FLjaX5HA18
Total Score: 15/15
Curriculum matches: bullying, homelessness, volunteerism, African-American, Jamaican
To learn more information about the author, go to www.olugbemisola.com. To learn more information on the new novel go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FLjaX5HA18
Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale
Retold by Carmen Agra Deedy, Illustrated by Michael Austin, 2007. This Cuban folktale depicts the life of a beautiful, iridescent green cockroach named Martina Josefina Catalina Cucaracha. She has reached the ripe old age of 21 days and is now in search of a suitor for marriage. Can she ever find true love? With the unusual advice of Abuela, her grandmother, her quest to find the perfect suitor becomes uncomplicated; Martina must simply administer The Coffee Test. This test provides surprising results! Michael Austin’s exquisite illustrations will leave you with a new insight into the image of the Cuban Cockroach, Panclora nivea.
Total Score: 15/15
Curriculum: Social Studies, Science, & Folk Tales
Resources to teach: http://carmendeedy.com/http://dpi.wi.gov/rll/wrlbph/latinofolktales.html
http://bugguide.net/node/view/15740
Total Score: 15/15
Curriculum: Social Studies, Science, & Folk Tales
Resources to teach: http://carmendeedy.com/http://dpi.wi.gov/rll/wrlbph/latinofolktales.html
http://bugguide.net/node/view/15740
Traditions from the Caribbean
Paul Dash, 1999. This factual book portrays the Caribbean culture including music, food, clothing, religious festivals, storytelling and games. The photographs help readers visualize what life is like in the Caribbean. The author, Paul Dash, was born in Barbados and lived there until he was eleven.
Total Score: 14/15
Curriculum Match: social studies, culture, traditions, customs
Resources to Teach: Click here to listen to samples of Calypso music.
Click here for a map of the Caribbean.
Click here for authentic Caribbean recipes.
Click here for facts about the Caribbean:
Total Score: 14/15
Curriculum Match: social studies, culture, traditions, customs
Resources to Teach: Click here to listen to samples of Calypso music.
Click here for a map of the Caribbean.
Click here for authentic Caribbean recipes.
Click here for facts about the Caribbean:
