I Know the River Loves Me
Presented by Sydney Brown EDEL 411 Section B
Information About the Book
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Topic/Theme: Love and respect for nature
Awards: Americas Award Honorable Mention Winner
Christina Gonzalez, M. (2009). I know the river loves me. Children’s Book Press.
About the Author & Illustrator
Criteria for High Quality Multicultural Literature
2. Themes are consistent with the values, beliefs, customs, traditions and conflicts of the specific cultural group. Spanish culture is very attuned with nature and this book represents that well. The girls hears the river calling her and knows that the river loves her. These examples are very consistent with what the Spanish culture values.
3. This book has an appealing format and is of endearing quality. With its bright colors and bold lines, this book is very relatable for students. Students will be able to see the world in this story like they see it in real like.
Lesson Idea
Grade 2
RL.2.2 – Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.
The students will be able to determine the main meaning or message in this story and apply it to their own life.
Lesson Procedure:
· I will start off the lesson by telling the students that this book is bilingual. This means that it is in English and Spanish. I will read the book in English and someone else will read it in Spanish (either one of the ELL students in my class or someone in the school that knows Spanish).
· After the story has been read we will have a class discussion. I will ask the question “What importance did the river have to the girl,” “What did it mean to her?” Students will give responses along the lines of “the river is very important because it was always there for her “(I will prompt them if necessary). I will then ask the students how the girl knew that the river loved her.
· I will now give the students a paper with a river drawn on it and room to write at the bottom. I will ask the students to think of something in their life that is always there for them. I will have them write about it on the bottom of the paper and in the river they will find ways to creatively represent that thing or person that they described. They can draw pictures or use phrases or words in the river. After everyone is done, each student will stand up and say a couple of sentences about what they chose. Then we will hang them up in the room with a title of “I Know I am Loved.”