Issue 4 - Alma Flor Ada

Smiles & Butterflies
Words of inspiration for teachers
Alma Flor Ada & F. Isabel Campoy
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American Reading Company
A Magical Encounter
Creative Reading
The Owl
F. Isabel Campoy
Reading can do more than
entertain or inform us.
It can make us stronger,
more courageous, kinder,
more understanding,
better human beings if we
reflect on what we read.
Encourage a creative
dialogue with students of
any age.
DESCRIPTIVE PHASE —
Who, when, where, what,
why questions ascertain comprehension. The
dialogue may begin here but must go beyond.
PERSONAL INTERPRETIVE PHASE — Establish
comparison and contrast between book content
and students’ lives: Have you ever seen/experienced
something similar? Have your experiences been
different? How would you feel if this happened to
you? What would you do?
From the book ¡Muu, Moo!
CRITICAL/MULTICULTURAL/ANTI-BIAS PHASE
The essential questions: Is this just? Is someone
excluded? Who benefits; who suffers? What other
possibilities exist? What would be the consequences?
CREATIVE/TRANSFORMATIVE PHASE — After
reading/hearing this story/poem: What will I do
differently in my life? What do I understand now
about interacting with others? What can I do in a
similar situation?
For the theory that informs this practice, and
multiple examples, see Alma Flor Ada’s A Magical
Encounter: Latino Children’s Literature in the
Classroom. [Allyn & Bacon]
Cultural Enrichment
Art has been a fundamental cultural value in the Spanish-speaking culture. Some of the world’s most
prominent painters are of Hispanic origin. Joan Miró and Fernando Botero; Francisco de Goya and Wifredo
Lam; Pablo Picasso and Frida Kahlo; the great Mexican muralists Rivera, Orozco and Siqueiros and Amalia
Peláez all have contributed their personal vision of the world to create an extraordinary body of art.
We have shown our appreciation for their gifts by creating four books that reproduce some of their paintings.
In Blue and Green, Diego Velázquez invites us to enter the world of Las Meninas, and Héctor Poleo makes us
part of the conversation of a family under the light of the Andean sky. In these books young readers will travel
through time over diverse landscapes, learning to find beauty in art, in nature, and within their own hearts.
Volume 1, Issue 4
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Page 1
Smiles & Butterflies
•
Volume 1, Issue 4
Inspiring Words
Words are always ready to tell
a true story.
Write a page of yours!
Alma Flor Ada & F. Isabel Campoy
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Page 2
Home/School Interaction
Traditional Wisdom
Students ask their parents or relatives to share
traditional sayings, proverbs, or refranes. These
words will be gathered in a collective book: Our
Families’ Wisdom. All the contributing parents’
names will appear.
Books, CDs, & Videos
Extra! Extra! Fairy-Tale News from Hidden Forest
¡Extra! ¡Extra! Noticias del bosque escondido
The stories in this book are told through the articles of a newspaper. Invite students to:
• Identify the different sections of a newspaper.
• Tell the three stories that are hidden in the articles.
• Contrast the different viewpoints in the editorial and op-ed articles.
A culminating project could be the creation of their own classroom newspaper.
Tales Our Abuelitas Told
Cuentos que contaban nuestras abuelas
The 12 favorite folktales from diverse areas of the Spanish-speaking world in this book
have traveled far. They reflect the rich and diverse heritage of Latinos since some of the
stories have Indigenous, African, Arab, Hebrew, Basque and Spanish roots.
Encourage your students to:
• Ask their relatives to tell them a favorite folktale and then retell that story (orally
or in writing in the class).
• Collaborate in creating a classroom anthology of folktales.
CD—El camino de tu risa: Música amiga 9
This CD offers 12 poems by outstanding poets with music created and sung by Suni
Paz. They include: “La rosa blanca” by José Martí, “Los loros” by Jaime Ferrán, “Día de
las madres” and “Alto bien alto” by Isabel Campoy, and “Lo que vamos a ser” and “Mi
amiga, la sombra” by Alma Flor Ada.
Learning these songs will enrich students’ vocabulary, giving them added tools for
success. Invite them to interpret the message of the poems and to share the feelings the
songs inspire in them.