LISTEN As you hear the story of Armando, put yourself in his place. Picture his home. Think about what he longs for. PRE-WRITE Do a two-minute cluster on Armando's neighborhood. Think of the five senses. Make a cluster about your neighborhood. CREATE ART Make an illustrated Word Book like Armando's with words in two languages. (See the Glossary.) Create a collage of recycled scraps. Name your art piece and sign it. Artists do. Build "recycled" sculptures, like this one, using cardboard tubes, cans, paper scraps, old yarn, and other found materials. Study Hernán Sosa's artwork. Draw a picture using his method of outlining shapes in white. ACT Like David, you can make a difference in the world. That's the Power of One. Be a roving recycler At home At school In your neighborhood Learn about what other kids in your community are doing to make a difference through volunteering and helping others. COOK Make and taste typical Mexican dishes-yum! Search a kids' cookbook or the Internet for recipes for the dishes below. homemade salsa guacamole tortilla soup quesadillas sweets-flan, banuelos THINK and DISCUSS Empathy is understanding what other people are thinking or feeling. What did Armando want more than anything? At first, how did Papa feel about Senor David's school? What changed Papa's mind? What did Papa do that made Armando happy? How did Isabella help Armando? How did Senor David show he cared about Armando and the other children? What do you and Armando have in common? What is the same and different about your home, your school, your life? How did Armando learn and grow in this book? What do you think made Señor David decide to stay for so many years? A theme is the unspoken "glue" of the story, the message that the story gives. What could the Armando theme be? EXPLORE MUSIC Sing and dance to Mexican music. Make maracas with dry beans in a cardboard tube. Learn about the instruments in mariachi bands Find some typical Mexican songs Make up a song using the Spanish numbers one to ten or other Spanish words. PLAY WITH WORDS You won't find BUH-BEEP! OR EEP-EEP-EEP! in a dictionary. Have fun making up spellings for sounds you hear every day. -A SHOOOSH of dry leaves -The VROOM of a jet -A CRAAACK of thunder -The SKREEEK of a rusty gate hinge -The SKRAAWWK of a crow Learn hello, good-bye, please, and thank you in ten other languages. Make flashcards like the ones in the book using the Glossary at the back of the book.