Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros

I work in education with many children who come from a similar background as the main character of this book and who also face similar challenges. In my school it is not uncommon for students to leave school in the middle of the school year to visit Mexico. Some of these trips may be in order to reconnect with family but others may be due to a family member being deported.

Efrén is a great big brother who takes care of his sometimes pesky younger siblings. His mom and dad (whom he calls amá and apá respectively) work hard to take care of the family. They have a secret however, they are in the country illegally and the specter of deportation always hangs over them.

One day however, amá goes missing and Efrén's worst fears come true. His father must scramble to fix things and Efrén has to pick up the slack at home with the little ones while also keeping things going at school.  As if this isn't enough, David is running for school president and needs Efrén's help but Efrén isn’t 100% sure he wants to help his pal

It is a basic human desire for parents to want better for their children. Although it may not be the right thing to do legally, all throughout history people have left their country whenever things go awry due to war, conflict or disease.

Cisneros provides a comprehensive glossary of terms in the back of the book as well which is good for those who don't speak Spanish or don't understand it that well (there is much Spanish used in the book).  Books like these are good ways to introduce topics to younger readers who may see topics on the news or on social media but don't understand. A few read alikes to this book are Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan, Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez and The Crossroads by Alexandra Diaz.

Canciones para storytime

 At my library we have to do read alouds and since I speak Spanish I am responsible for a class of Spanish-speaking students. Prior to doing this I did a Spanish (not bilingual) storytime and over time I developed a repertoire of engaging songs, rhymes and finger plays to use. I will share some of them in this blog.

A classic in many languages is the Itsy Bitsy spider. This is a cute version and I like how the singer is very engaging as she sings the song, with silly sounds and hand movements galore.  For a bit of a twist on the song I could see one using a spider puppet or prop to really provide a good visual.

Jose Luis Orozco has cd after cd replete with songs for every occasion. Los elefantes is one of my favorite rhymes for children and I like it because you can use it as an action song to get kids up and moving around. Feel free to use some of these elephant prop masks or make some yourself with paper plates for example.

Another action rhyme that never fails me is El chocolate. Use the cd version or sing it yourself. I like to do exaggerated movements for the songs as the kids really get into it. The version I linked to is just one version and I know that Mr. Orozco has several. It is good to be able to switch things up as necessary so try to learn as many versions as possible.

 Back in my teaching days one of my colleagues swore that her older students would ask her to do this song that they learned back in kinder and 1st grade, such was their affection for the song.  Juguemos en el bosque is a good song in that it builds suspense, can be used to teach various vocabulary words (clothes, body parts etc.) and is just plain fun. The version here is a bit slower paced but as usual feel free to modify and adjust.

This next song is called El loro Tico Tango and to me it is more appropriate for preschool aged kids especially if you are going to use it as a flannel board as I have done. The actual cd (which comes as part of a book) has the song. The song may be a bit long so feel free to modify, skip parts etc. I found an excerpt here.  I like how the overall message of the song is sharing and caring for ones friends.

I will finish this blog with my personal favorite, Mi cuerpo as done by my namesake Josh Levine. It is a simple song to get kids up and shaking their hips and is a good break especially if you are in a storytime an the kids have been sitting for a while. Here is another bilingual version of the song. I find however that the English part lacks a little bit of the catchiness but it is still good nonetheless.

Hasta luego!!

National Hispanic Heritage Month crafts

National Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15th through October 15th and during this time we recognize the many and varied accomplishments Hispanics and Latinos have made to American culture, politics and life in general. If your city has school groups that do folkloric dance I bet those groups would be willing to perform at community events or at libraries and other community places. Such a program would be excellent and a craft would be the icing on the cake. If no such group is available then crafts are an excellent way to celebrate the month.

Some of these crafts I have done and some I am yet to try. This first craft is one of my all time favorites because it is easy and it allows for an explanation about the tradition of lucha libre in the Spanish-speaking world.




I like recycle crafts because I can teach the kids a simple lesson without being too preachy. This particular craft involves using old paper grocery bags to make sarapes.  Kids can be as creative as they want too and I usually have some made before hand as well as pictures of some so the kids can get an idea of what they're supposed to look like.




Another cool craft that is easy to make and that can be part of a craft/music program is a shaker or maraca. These can be used in a small ensemble and kids usually enjoy shaking the life out of them. Toilet paper rolls, empty tin cans, plastic cups and paper plates can all be used to make these.

 


Learning a language is learning a culture and part of that is knowing what certain words are and their significance. A small picture dictionary is a fun way for kids to increase their vocabulary as well as solidify their letter knowledge. 



Ojo de dios are classic crafts and kids of all ages can complete them with a little help and a short demo.




Addtional resources:

Scholastic's Hispanic Heritage Month site has games, information about famous Latinos as well as a teacher's guide.

Time for kids is another excellent site with crafts, activities, printables and profiles of influential Hispanic Americans.

Here are some fantastic books to share with children about Hispanic Heritage month.

The National Education Association (NEA) has a trove of lessons, activities and other ways to celebrate the month.

Learn español with music!

I used to be a Spanish teacher and I was fortunate to have a smartboard with huge speakers which I would use to blast tunes for my kids. Over the years I found that kids of all ages liked to listen to and sing along with music. The younger kids like bright, funny videos with simple lyrics while the older students, especially after studying the language for a few years could handle slightly more nuanced songs.


Some Spanish teachers start by teaching every one the alphabet. If you are looking for a good vid for that I recommend this one by PreRaph. The singer's voice isn't the most melodic but this song is extremely catchy and I also like that it also breaks down the vowel sounds as well.

There are many ways to say Hello in English and just as many ways to do so in Spanish. This video from Plaza Sesamo (a version of Sesame Street set in Mexico) introduces many ways to say hello with a catchy song that little ones are sure to be singing for a while. With older students you can talk about the ways in which the phrases differ and the context.

Many young ones are kinestehic learners and let's face it, Spanish class has to have a little fun every now and again right?  A good way to teach verbs in a way the students are sure to remember is through a song where the singers or characters do the actions. I am yet to meet a child who did not engage with the vid below. It is a winner.

For the basic greetings and daily phrases I like this video. It shows the words on the screen which is always a good thing.

For other vocabulary I like this video because not only does it show the body parts but the song is also catchy. There is also a karaoke version on Youtube.

In terms of conversation and dialogue between characters this next set of videos are fantastic. This one is created by PBS and features a tween called Noah who has many zany adventures due to his inability to fully comprehend Spanish.

This series was featured on HBO Latino several years ago but thanks to the interwebs it has gained new life. Perro (dog) y gato (cat) are two friends who speak in English and Spanish to each other as they go on zany adventures. Each episode teaches a variety of vocabular (verbs, nouns, adjectives) and the words are shown in English and Spanish so that is good.

That's all for now, I will post some more of my favorites in the next few months.  Hasta luego!

Crossing the wire by Will Hobbs

  Last week I reviewed Far from Gringo land by and I mentioned that as I checked the list of read-alikes  Crossing the wire by Will Hobbs was one that came up so I determined to rad it.  The immigration problem is one that perhaps will never fully be resolved due to various historical, political and economic factors that we won't discuss here. Crossing the wire is the story of a teen aged Mexican boy who learns his best friend Rico is going to make the trip to the USA to meet up with his brother in Tucson. Although Victor is sad to see his friend go the situation at his home keeps devolving and eventually he himself resolves to make the trip.


















The story is not simply a recount of the trip across the border, in fact Victor makes it over is sent back to a border town and tries again before he is successful. I mentioned in my review of Far from Gringo Land that it showed the town and by extension the country mostly from the eyes of a middle class white kid. Hobb's novel on the other hand gives all the grimy details and shows just how terrifying the trip can be. Although immigrants from Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua are usually the ones who travel by train through Mexico, Victor Flores ends up hopping on the train since he cannot produce documents when travelling by bus. He sees first hand just how dangerous this mode of travel can be.  Hobbs does a good job of including characters who serve as mentors to Victor as he is very naive. As the novel wears on however he becomes more jaded.

It is good to see the many different perspectives of the border situation. Often, US Border Patrol agents are demonized but we must bear in mind that they are doing their job. Often some of them are second and third generation Mexican Americans themselves. Victor understandably does not have much interaction with Americans although the few he does meet are highly sympathetic characters. Through anecdotes from other characters  we learn more about the good treatment meted out to Mexicans by citizens at the border.

This novel would be a good read for ages 13 and up. It is written in a fast paced, descriptive style that is sure to keep the interest of a reluctant reader or a picky reader. Victor tells his story and although at times a first person narrator lacks credibility, somehow I was inclined to believe his story. Hobbs mentions in the afterword that he drew heavily on anecdotes provided by his own niece after she stayed with a Mexican family.  This book is well worth the read, I enjoyed it.