Armando and the Blue Tarp School
Presented by: Chelsea Willems
Introduction
Illustrator: Hernan Sosa
Genre: Fiction (based on true events)
Theme: Equal Opportunity and Social Justice
Awards: Nominee- California Young Reader Medal (2009-2010) Nominee, Book Link's Lasting Connections List, Picture Book Winner: San Diego Book Awards, 2008 Paterson Prize Winner, Skipping Stones Honor Book, Bank Street Best Children's Books of the Year List, Best of Year List: Cooperative Children's Book Center "Choices"
Author and Illustrator's Background Information
Edith Hope Fine
Judith Pinkerton Josephson
Hernan Sosa (Illustrator)
Illustrations (Done with masking fluid, watercolors, and ink)
Multicultural Criteria
Member of Minority Group
This book is all about the lifestyles of the Mexican people who live in the Tijuana city dump villages. This book is based on a true story, and accurately portrays the way these people must live in order to survive. The book shows actual pictures of the people that live in this dump as well as showing what their lives are like on a daily basis. (Combing through trash, scrimping to have enough money to buy food)
Cultural Accuracy (Social and Economic Status)
This book also accurately shows how the people of the Tijuana city dump must live because of their present social and economic status. Armando is very excited to find a used paint set because they gave him joy when he could not go to the "Blue Tarp School". The houses that are illustrated in the book also show how hard life is living in the dump.
Demonstrates unique language or style
This book includes many Spanish words including "mi amigo" (my friend), "el fuego" (fire), and "los pepenadores" (trash pickers). All of these words (as well as many others) are interspersed throughout out the English text.
In the Classroom
Lesson Idea
Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.3 Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
Objective:
The student will...
- Describe what Armando did after the fire and explain why he felt the way he did
Lesson Plan:
- The lesson will begin with the teacher asking students how would they feel if they lived in the city dump and had to dig through the trash in order to survive. The teacher will also ask the students how they would feel if everything their house caught on fire and everything they owned burned. (Be aware of family situations before asking these questions and adjust the lesson if necessary based on students' home life situations.)
- The teacher will then read "Armando and the Blue Tarp School" out loud to the class. During the reading, the teacher should stop and ask questions about Armando and how he feels at different points throughout the book.
- After finishing the book, the teacher will lead a class discussion about what Armando did after facing adversity throughout the book. (The teacher can also introduce this vocabulary word at this time.)
- The students will then right a short paragraph about when they faced adversity and how they overcame it.
- To further this lesson and create more of a project based activity, students can research (in teams) people facing adversity in the world like Armando. Students could then present their findings to their classmates and pick one group the class as a whole can focus on. Throughout the year, students can organize fundraisers or drives to help this group of people.