Home at Last
Picture Book Read Aloud
book summary
Ana and her family moved from Mexico to the United States. It’s a big change for the family, especially because of the cultural and language differences. Ana begins to learn English in school, and her dad does the same while working at his new job in a factory. However, Ana's mom speaks no English. The book tells of some of the day to day struggles her mom faces, such as being overcharged at the grocery store and not being able to explain what happened to the cashier because she isn’t able to communicate in English. After Ana’s little brother gets sick and her mom has trouble getting the help she needed for him, Ana's mom decides she wants to learn English and begins attending night classes. Ana and her father are incredibly supportive of her and truly show the meaning of family. After learning English, Ana’s mom is proud of her accomplishment and begins to feel more at “home at last” in the United States.
suggested teaching point
On page 1, review with students the structure of narrative text.
Narrative texts, such as this one, tell stories with beginnings, middles, and ends. Each part of the story has a specific purpose in the plot. The job of the beginning of the story is to show the readers who the characters are and what the setting and the problem in the story will be. In this text, the readers are shown the characters, the setting, and the problem on the very first page. Turn to your partner, and share who the characters in this book are going to be. What is the setting? What is the problem?
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