Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin

Title: Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin

Author: Duncan Tonatiuh

Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers

Copyright: 2010

Reading Level: Lexile 610

Summary:

This short read is about two cousins, or primos, who write letters to each other about their daily lives. Charlie is American and his cousin Carlitos is Mexican. They write about their home environment, methods of transportation, favorite sports, food and cultural traditions. The book exposes the readers to some Spanish words and amazing pictures that were influenced by the art of the Mixtecs.

Suggested Delivery:

Read aloud along with class discussions.

Electronic Resources:
1- Duncan Tonatiuh- This is the author's webpage and it is a useful resource for students to view after the reading. The website includes illustrations, the author's biography, and other interesting activities for young readers.

2- Your Dictionary- This website can be utilze by both the students and teacher during and after the reading. It is easy to navigate and has a lot of activities that can enhance student's Spanish vocabulary.

Teaching Suggestions:

1- Vocabulary- Skyscrapers, Subway, Dribbles, Papalote, Cohetes, Reatas

2- Reading Strategies-

Before Reading: Ask students to make predictions about the book based on the cover page. Ask them what they know about Mexico and write it down on a white board.

During Reading: As you come across the vocabulary words, ask students to use context clues and visualization to identify the definition of the word. Create a graphic organizer with the student’s definition. Add a picture next to the Spanish words to help struggling students.

After Reading: Ask students to talk about the book using the new vocabulary words. They can talk about what they liked or disliked about the book, the illustrations, their feelings, prior experience, etc. Make sure students are using the new vocabulary appropriately.

3- Writing Activity- Ask students to write a letter to their foreign cousin. As in the story, have students write about their home environment, methods of transportation, favorite sports, food and cultural traditions here in the United States. If they do not have a foreign cousin, have them write a letter to Carlitos.