TEXT SET: MEXICO

Lindsey McGibbon
READ 520

Grade Level & Standards

Addressed
Grade Level: First Grade
Standards Addressed:
1.5 The student will develop map skills by
a) recognizing basic map symbols, including references to land, water, cities, and roads;
b) using cardinal directions on maps;

1.13 The student will understand that the people of Virginia

c) include people who have diverse ethnic origins, customs, and traditions and are united as Americans by common principles.

1.10 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of nonfiction texts.
a) Preview the selection.
b) Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning.
c) Set a purpose for reading.
d) Identify text features such as pictures, headings, charts, and captions.
e) Make and confirm predictions.
f) Ask and answer who, what, where, when, why, and how questions about what is read.
g) Identify the main idea.
h) Read and reread familiar passages with fluency, accuracy, and meaningful expression.

Dear Primo: A Letter to my Cousin

This book would be a great read aloud for this unit. Dear Primo is about
two cousins. One lives in Mexico and the other lives in New York City.
Throughout the story, the cousins are writing each other letters about their
daily lives. The cousin from Mexico uses a lot of Spanish vocabulary. Each
time, there is a label next to that item in the illustration which would be
helpful to students. The book compares and contrasts the lives of the two
boys between Mexico and America. I think this book would be great for
students to hear. Even though we learn about Mexico, there isnt always a
look at what someone their age does from day to day. They may connect
with several things that either cousin does. This read aloud could even
spark a conversation comparing and contrasting life in NY, in Mexico, and in
Virginia.

I Love Saturdays y Domingos

This book would be my SOL support choice. It is a book about a young girl who
lives in America. On Saturdays she visits her American grandparents and on
Sundays (domingos) she visits her Mexican grandparents. Each page layout is a
mirror. On one side she describes her Saturday activities and on the other she
describes a similar activity with her other grandparents. It is interesting to see how
the two experiences differ for the same child. I think that all of our students can
connect with this book. Discussing the differences between our multiple heritages
or even just two different sides of the family would be a great tie into a discussion
about how America is full of different cultures. The language in this book is simple
enough for students to understand without much explanation. I do like that it uses
some of the exact same language in English and Spanish so the reader can figure
out what the translation would be. This could be a great opportunity for the children
to repeat back the words or begin a class dictionary translating English words to
Spanish throughout the unit. This story supports the standard 1.13 in that it shows
the mixture of American and Mexican cultures in one childs life.

Welcome to Mexico
This book would be my leveled student text in this set. I could not find the
exact reading level for this book. However, it is clearly a first grade
appropriate text. The print is large, there are not too many words per page,
there is a pattern to the writing, and most of the words are one syllable or
high frequency words. I think this book is great for students to read
independently because it gives a lot of information about life in Mexico. It is
written from the point of view of a child living in Mexico. It also has nonfiction
text features such as headings, maps, a glossary, and an index. This is a book
that I would have out on the shelves for students to read at their leisure
during the unit. There are several details about the narrators life in Mexico
that I think students could relate to. This would be a great lesson about the
similarities and differences between their lives in America and the life of
someone their age in Mexico. While discussing the life of the narrator, the
class could go into a discussion about similar things from their own culture.
This book discusses the food and traditional clothing from Mexico. Im sure
there would be students in our classes who have interesting food or clothing
that their culture has. This could be the perfect time to discuss that and tie it
back into the SOL about America being full of diverse cultures and traditions.

Countries of the World: Mexico

I chose this book as the professional development portion of my text set. It
is technically a childrens book, but it is at a level much higher than first
grade. If I were using this text set in my classroom, I would read through this
book before beginning the unit. It has sections that cover the geography,
culture, foods, history, and traditions of Mexico. As teachers, it is always our
goal to know the material we are teaching. Realistically, we do not know
everything about everything. This is why I feel that this book would be a good
lesson for us to read through before beginning to teach students about Mexico.
If I were reading this book I would put a sticky note on the pages that I found
something especially interesting. It is a great lesson for students that as adults
read, we make notes of what is interesting to us. This models good reading
habits. This book is full of interesting pictures as well. If I were reading it, I
would flag a few photos to show my students during my introductory lesson
about Mexico. I also like that this book includes maps and an index. These
non-fiction features would be great to show students. Students in first grade
are working on learning the features of non-fiction books. This book is a
wonderful opportunity to show them how to use these features. I would also
leave this book out on the bookshelf in case they want to look through it later.

Say Hola to Spanish

This is a fun book for students to read and learn a few words
in Spanish. All of the Spanish words have the English translation
next to it. The English words are simple such as flower, eyes, and
hair. Each word also has a picture next to it so students can
understand. The book is written as a rhyme and has an easy
pattern to follow so students will be able to read through this
book and have some fun with it. At the back of the book is a
glossary. It features the Spanish word, a pronunciation guide, and
the English translation. I think students would really enjoy getting
to learn a few words in Spanish as they are learning about Mexico.
This would also be a great opportunity to allow an EL student who
does speak Spanish to read a book to the class. Since EL students
are usually more hesitant to read aloud to the class, this would be
the perfect opportunity for them to be able to share their culture
and gain some confidence reading aloud. It could even start
conversations between students on how to say the words.

Vamos a Cocinar Comida Mexicana: Lets Cook

Mexican Food
This is a recipe book for kids. It is also a bilingual book.
Each page has the recipe and ingredients in Spanish and
English. I would introduce this book to the class and even
ask students if any of them have eaten something like that
before. This would allow students to connect with another
culture or share their culture further, if they are Mexican. I
would have copies of a few recipes out in the classroom for
students to take home if they wanted to. This way students
could read the recipe with their parents and even try to read
it in Spanish! I think this is a great book that would interest
students a lot. If I had an EL student who was from Mexico, I
would allow them to tell us about some of the traditional
Mexican foods that they really enjoy cooking or eating. I
think this could book could lead into a great activity of
having students draw and write about their own favorite
food that their family makes. It could spark a great
discussion on culture and food differences.