Book Companion Activities: "Funny Bones" (Hispanic Heritage)

Are you seeking interactive and significant activities for reading aloud during Hispanic Heritage Month or while commemorating Día de los Muertos? This is the right resource for you!

This companion for the picture book includes 21 ready-to-use reading exercises that complement "Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras" by Duncan Tonatiuh. This resource was designed for students in 3rd to 5th grade and has a focus on reading comprehension. Students will be asked to analysis and think critically in order to demonstrate their whole understanding of this book.

There is little to do to prepare this resource for your students, simply print them and have them ready for each of the activities.

"Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras" is a biography that recounts the key events in Lupe's life and elaborates on the varied art techniques he employed. It serves as an excellent choice for reading aloud not only during National Hispanic Heritage Month or Día de los Muertos but also for classes examining political illustrations or the history of art.

The activities included in this Book Companion Activities: "Funny Bones" (Hispanic Heritage) will prompt students to engage in character analysis, identify story components, ascertain the main message, organize the narrative's events, assess the impact of the setting on the plot and character evolution, compose a literary calavera poem or narrative, and much more!

Your students will surely engage their cognitive abilities and demonstrate textual evidence to substantiate their thoughts.

Some of the resources Included are:

• K-W-L Chart (1 page): Before reading, students will note down their existing knowledge about Día de los Muertos, their inquiries, and subsequently, their newfound knowledge after completing the book.

• Agree/Disagree Pre-reading Exercise (1 page): Initially, students will agree or disagree with certain assertions. Post-reading, they will indicate the pages containing pertinent information, assess the accuracy of their initial responses, and contemplate their findings.

• Vocabulary Study (3 pages + Answer Key): Students will define and illustrate terms from the narrative. (Answer Key - 1 page)

• Word Search (1 page): Students will locate narrative-related words concealed within the puzzle. (Word Search Answer Key - 1 page)

• Reader Response Queries (1 page): Students will respond to brief queries.

• Story Elements Graphic Organizer (1 page): Students will populate the organizer with words and images that depict the narrative's elements.

• Sequencing (1 page): Students will craft sentences and illustrations to accurately portray the narrative's sequence of events.

• Character Traits (1 page): Students will select traits that characterize the individuals in the narrative and cite text-based examples that support their selections.

• Character Summary (1 page): Students will recap the evolution of a character throughout the narrative.

• Character Transformation (1 page): Students will delineate the character's transformation over the course of the narrative.

• Influence of Setting on the Plot (1 page): Students will analyze the impact of the setting on the plot and character evolution.

• Making Connections (1 page): Students will choose a narrative event and establish connections.

• Sensory Details (1 page): Students will select a narrative event and describe it from the character's viewpoint, employing sensory and figurative language.

• Theme (1 page): Students will respond to queries to ascertain the narrative's theme and supply text-based evidence.

• Comparison of Story and Author's Note (1 page): Students will contrast the author's note and the text using a graphic organizer.

• Wait... There's More! (1 page): Students will craft an additional page for the book's conclusion, featuring a few sentences and vibrant illustrations akin to those in the narrative.

• Literary Calaveras (8 pages): Students will select one of Posada's calaveras and compose a poem or narrative to accompany the image (includes 36 image cards, student response handout, and a sample).

• Acrostic Poem (1 page): Students will craft an acrostic poem to convey information about the Day of the Dead.

• Calaveras on Instagram (1 page): Students will devise two Instagram posts for contemporary calaveras, inspired by Posada's calavera illustrations.

• Biography Report (1 page): Students will conduct further research on José Posada's life, inspirations, and artwork.

• Día de los Muertos Research Report (1 page): Students will delve deeper into the Día de los Muertos celebration.

BONUS FREEBIE!!!!!

• Día de los Muertos Coloring Book - 35 pages!

💡Need ideas for different ways you can implement these activities?

• Focus on different reading skills each day for targeted instruction, and have students complete a corresponding printable to check for understanding.

• During centers, students can independently read the story again and complete an activity that reviews a previously taught concept.

• Work with students on a reading concept they struggle with during guided reading or strategy groups.

• Students work with a partner or in literature circles to complete additional reading activities.

The book is not included in this resource.

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