Elementary Library

Isabel and Her Colores Go to School by Alexandra Alessandri (E ALE) English just feels wrong to Isabel. She prefers her native Spanish. As she prepares for a new school, she knows she's going to have to learn. Her first day is uncomfortable, until she employs her crayons and discovers there's more than one way to communicate with new friends. Discussion Guide ●​ Before reading: Imagine being a new student in our classroom. How do you think it would feel? Why? ●​ Isabel is dreaming (page 4): What do we learn about Isabel? What is her problem? How do the illustrations help us understand Isabel’s feelings? How does she think about her feelings? ●​ Isabel’s lips wibbled and wobbled (page 8): How does Isabel want to solve her problem? Is it a good choice? Why or why not? ●​ What do you think Isable’s mother means when she says, “To bad times, a good face”? ●​ Isabel is eating lunch by herself (page 22): What do you notice about Isabel as she goes through the morning activities with her classmates? ●​ After reading: Why are colors important to Isabel? ●​ After reading: Why do you think the author used the title Isabel and Her Colores Go to School? ●​ After reading: What is helpful for new students to know to feel welcome and more comfortable in our classroom/school? The Pirates are Coming by John Condon (E CON) Tom is on the lookout for pirates! But every time he sees a ship, it turns out to be a false alarm. Everyone is fed up with Tom's warnings. So what will happen when the pirates really do arrive? This book has a repeating refrain you can have students join in reciting. Discussion Guide ●​ Endpapers: What do you notice on these endpapers? Why would the artist and publisher cover them with fish? ●​ a ship!: Do you think this is a pirate ship? Why or why not? ●​ A big ship: What do you notice the publisher did to the text on this page? [made the word bigger]. Why would they do that? Watch for more times the publisher changes the font on the page. ●​ (but not quite as quickly this time) ...: Why did the villagers hide more slowly this time? ●​ And they have a special pirate flag… : What kind of parent is Tom’s dad? How can you tell? Do you know a grown up like Tom’s dad? ●​ Just in time–everybody hid .: What do you think is going to happen next? ●​ I missed you… :What do you notice about these pirates? [some are women, they have different colors of skin, they have different kinds of families]. Are the pirates what you expected them to be? Have you ever misjudged someone or been misjudged based on what you do and what you look like? ●​ Endpapers: After reading the story, why do you think the publisher and artist designed the endpapers like this? ●​ After reading: Does this story remind you of any stories you might have heard before [Boy Who Cried Wolf] How are they the same or different? Saturday by Oge Mora (E MOR) When all of their special Saturday plans go awry, Ava and her mother still find a way to appreciate one another and their time together. Discussion Guide ●​ Saturday was the day they cherished: What does “cherish” mean? How does your family spend the weekends? Are there certain times of the day, week, year that you cherish? ●​ Their haridos were ruined: How do you feel when things don’t go your way? ●​ At the park: What do you see on this page? How can we see in the picture that this feels too loud for Ava and her momma? ●​ What if we… : How do the characters deal with difficult feelings in the story? How do you deal 73