Educator’s Guides

Here you will find Vamos a Leer Educator’s Guides, materials that consist of lesson plans and activities meant to accompany the books featured in our monthly book group, Vamos a Leer. Each book is chosen because it engages in some way with Latin America, the Caribbean or Latinos in the United States. Each Educator’s Guide includes background on the author and book, thematic lessons and activities, and resources to support or extend the use of the book in the classroom.  The lesson plans and activities encourage the teaching of literacy through the content areas and are linked to the Common Core Standards used in New Mexico.

Picture Books

Tonatiuh, Duncan. Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote (Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2014) | Mexico and United States

Tonatiuh, Duncan. Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation (Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2015) | United States

Grades 3-5 | Ages 8-11

Alvarez, Julia. Return to Sender / Devolver al remitente  (Yearling, 2010) | United States/Mexico | Available in Spanish

Diaz Gonzalez, Christina. The Red Umbrella (Yearling, Random House, 2012) | Cuba

Dorris, Michael. Morning Girl (Scholastic, 1992) | Caribbean

Garcia McCall, Guadalupe. Summer of the Mariposas (Tu Books, 2012) | Mexico

Jiménez, Francisco. The Circuit / Cajas de cartón (University of New Mexico, 1997) | United States/Mexico | Available in Spanish

Joseph, Lynn. The Color of My Words / El color de mis palabras (HarperCollins, 2001) | Dominican Republic| Available in Spanish

Manzano, Sonia. The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano (Scholastic, 2012) | United States

Muñoz Ryan, Pam and Peter Sís. The Dreamer / El soñador (Scholastic, 2010) | Chile | Available in Spanish

Resau, Laura. What the Moon Saw  (Yearling, 2008) | Mexico

Grades 6-8 | Ages 11-14

Alegría, Malín. Estrella’s Quinceañera (Simon & Schuster, 2007) | United States

Alire Sáenz, Benjamin. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Simon & Schuster, 2012) | United States

Alire Sáenz, Benjamin. He Forgot to Say Goodbye  (Simon and Schuster, 2010) | United States

Alvarez, Julia. Return to Sender / Devolver al remitente (Yearling, 2010) | United States/Mexico | Available in Spanish

Alvarez, Julia. Before we were Free /Antes de ser libres (Laurel Leaf, 2004) | Dominican Republic | Available in Spanish

Bowles, David. They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid’s Poems (Cinco Puntos, 2018) | United States/Mexico

Brown, Skila. Caminar (Candlewick, 2014)| Guatemala

Burg, Ann. Serafina’s Promise (Scholastic, 2013) | Haiti

Calcines, Eduardo F. Leaving Glorytown: One Boy’s Struggle Under Castro (Farrar, Strauss & Giroux, 2009) | Cuba

Cameron, Ann. Colibrí / Colibrí (Laurel Leaf, 2005) | Guatemala | Available in Spanish

Canales, Viola. The Tequila Worm (Random House Books, 2007) | United States

Engle, Margarita. Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir (Atheneum, 2015) | Cuba and the United States

Engle, Margarita. Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck (Henry Holt & Co, 2011) | Caribbean

Engle, Margarita. Jazz Owls: A Novel of the Zoot Suits (Atheneum, 2018) | United States

Engle, Margarita. The Lightning Dreamer: Cuba’s Greatest Abolitionist (HMH Books, 2013) | Cuba

Engle, Margarita. Silver People: Voices from the Panama Canal (HMH Books, 2014) | Panama

Engle, Margarita. The Surrender Tree / El árbol de la rendición (Henry Holt and Company, 2010) | Cuba | Available in Spanish

Garcia McCall, Guadalupe. Under the Mesquite (Lee & Low, 2011) | United States

Jaramillo, Ann. La Línea (Square Fish, 2006) | Mexico

Jiménez, Francisco. The Circuit / Cajas de cartón (University of New Mexico, 1997) | United States/Mexico | Available in Spanish

Manzano, Sonia. The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano (Scholastic, 2012) | United States

Medina, Meg. The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind (Candlewick, 2012) | Latin America

Medina, Meg. Merci Suárez Changes Gears (Candlewick, 2018) | United States

Medina, Meg. Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass (Candlewick, 2013) | United States

Muñoz Ryan, Pam and Peter Sís. The Dreamer / El soñador (Scholastic, 2010) | Chile | Available in Spanish

Older, Daniel José. Shadowshaper (Levine, 2015) | United States

Pellegrino, Marge. Journey of Dreams. (Frances Lincoln, 2009) | Guatemala

Resau, Laura. The Queen of Water (Delacorte, 2011) | Ecuador

Grades 9-12 | Ages 14-18

Alegría, Malín. Estrella’s Quinceañera (Simon & Schuster, 2007) | United States

Alire Sáenz, Benjamin. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Simon & Schuster, 2012) | United States

Alire Sáenz, Benjamin. He Forgot to Say Goodbye (Simon and Schuster, 2010) | United States

Alire Sáenz, Benjamin. Sammy & Juliana in Hollywood (Cinco Puntos, 2004) | El Paso

Alvarez, Julia. Before we were Free / Antes de ser libres (Laurel Leaf, 2004) | Dominican Republic | Available in Spanish

Ortiz Cofer, Judith. The Meaning of Consuelo  (Beacon, 2005) | ages 14 and up | Puerto Rico

Danticat, Edwidge. Krik? Krak! (Vintage, 1996) | Haiti

de la Peña, Matt. Mexican WhiteBoy (Ember, 2010) | United States

Engle, Margarita. Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir (Atheneum, 2015) | Cuba and the United States

Engle, Margarita. Silver People: Voices from the Panama Canal (HMH Books, 2014) | Panama

Engle, Margarita. The Surrender Tree / El árbol de la rendición (Henry Holt and Company, 2010) | Cuba | Available in Spanish

Garcia McCall, Guadalupe. Under the Mesquite (Lee & Low, 2011) | United States

Lake, Nick. In Darkness (Bloomsbury, 2012) | Haiti

Medina, Meg. Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass (Candlewick, 2013) | United States

Miller-Lachmann, Lynn. Gringolandia (Curbstone, 2009) | Chile

Older, Daniel José. Shadowshaper (Levine, 2015) | United States

Pérez, Ashley Hope. Out of Darkness (Carolrhoda Lab, 2015) | United States 

Quintero, Isabel. Gabi, A Girl in Pieces (Cinco Puntos, 2014) | United States

Stork, Francisco X. Marcelo in the Real World (Scholastic, 2011) | United States

Torres Sanchez, Jenny. Because of the Sun (Delacorte, 2017) | United States