C is for Chocolate Milk, Por Favor! by Maria Dismondy. Welcome back to my Inspiring All Readers with Books from A-Z blog post AND video series, where I will share with you a different story that begins with each letter of the alphabet. In each post, I will share with you some different reading strategies and skills that correlate with the story and discussion questions to ask your students after reading. I also have a FREE reading response journal AND FREE graphic organizers for you to use with each and every book A to Z…keep reading to snag your free copy!
For 26 days, one day for each letter of the alphabet, I will share with you 26 different multicultural books and authors that I recommend, which all have similar themes- each book promotes inclusion, diversity, justice, empathy, compassion, love.
Creating an inclusive classroom starts from day one of the school year and continues to the last day of school. So although these stories and lessons can certainly be used at any time of the year, I recommend that you start reading them on the first day of school, just like I will be with my own second graders! My goal in this books from A-Z series is to create a class community of engaged readers who love to read!
When choosing what books I wanted to read aloud in the first month of the school year, I wanted to make sure that I selected multicultural books that focused on building and establishing classroom routines but also creating an inclusive and welcoming classroom environment.
I have one special book to share with you today, which represents LETTER C in Inspiring All Readers with Books from A-Z series. But, before I get started, would you rather watch my video instead? If so, click below to watch my YouTube video, where I share all my fun ideas for this book that begins with the LETTER C!
In the story, Johnny is a boy who loves school, until Gabe arrives. It’s Gabe’s first day of school in America and he doesn’t speak English. At first, Johnny is very unwelcoming and even rude to Gabe.
At recess one day, Johnny watches in amazement as Gabe does a tricky soccer move. As Johnny watches Gabe make new friends, he decides to ask Gabe for help with the soccer move. Soon after, the two boys realize that although they are different, they still have many things in common, and become friends.
One of the many reasons why I love this book is because the author, Maria Dismondy, has list of discussion questions that you can ask your students after reading. Maria includes discussion questions for before, during, and after reading. Look at an example of one below!
After reading the story, some discussion questions include:
- Think about your best friend. What makes you similar? What makes you different? How can differences between people help us learn and grow?
- After reading the story, ask your students, “Why did the author title the story, “Chocolate Milk, Por Favor!”
This is also the perfect time to pass out the reading response journal, which is FREE for you, at the link at the bottom of this post!
After writing, students can share about their favorite holiday with the class during the morning meeting, or another time of the day, to get to know each other better.
Looking for some reading strategies and skills that correlate directly with this story? Check out some ideas listed below!
1. Teach about the author’s message! The author’s message is what lesson the author is trying to teach the reader, otherwise known as the text’s theme. The author’s message for this book is to celebrate our differences .
2. Teach about character traits and character changes! In this story, Johnny changes from the beginning to the end of the story. At the beginning of the story, Johnny is unfriendly and unkind to Gabe. Johnny begins to change when he realizes that he has something in common with Gabe. Johnny realized that the frustration he felt in learning the new soccer move must be very similar to the frustration that Gabe felt in learning English.
Encourage students to locate text evidence that describes how and when Johnny made this important change.
3. Teach about the main lesson that the character learned! In this story, Johnny learned an important lesson- actions speak louder than words and “that to have a friend is to be a friend.” You can ask students to think about a connection that they might have to this part in the story. Does this remind them of a lesson that they learned?
4. Teach about compare and contrast! Finding similarities and differences between various aspects of the text is an excellent way for students to better comprehend and think deeply about what they read.
You can make a Venn Diagram as a whole class and compare two characters in the story- Johnny and Gabe. They could look at personalities, physical traits, or likes and dislikes.
Then, you can extend this lesson by having the students work with a peer. Do they notice any similarities or differences? *An important ground rule for this would be to ensure there is no negative talk about differences. Make sure your students know that being alike and different from others is a wonderful thing.*
This is also the perfect time to pass out the Venn diagram graphic organizer, a freebie that you can snag at the bottom of this post!
This is a great way for students to get to know each other at the beginning of a new school year!
Like this blog post? Be sure to check back tomorrow! I have 25 more posts where I will share book ideas, free printables, and lesson plan ideas!
Don’t forget to download your free copy of the reading response journal and graphic organizers for each and every story in my Books from A-Z series! Look at the sign up form at the end of this blog post!
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