Title: I Lived on Butterfly Hill
Author: Marjorie Agosin
Illustrator: Lee White
Copyright: 2014
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Reading Level:
Fountas and Pinnell: Level T
Lexile: 770 L
Accelerated Reader: 4.7
An emotional and thought provoking story of fear, friendship, loneliness, and family that will make you think about your life from a different perspective.
Suggested Delivery: Independent read or small group
2 electronic resources to extend/support the text:
This is a link to the Pura Belpre award speech that Marjorie
Agosin gave when this book won. She explains her reason for writing and gives
background about her own childhood, which is comparable to the one outlined in the novel. This is a good way to introduce the story and to help students understand that stories similar to this happen all over the world.
This is a link to a pinterest page about the book that
includes reviews, activities, and resources for students and teachers to use to
help literal and inferential comprehension while reading the text. This resources also gives information about the
actual historical events that happened during the time period that this book
was written so that students can learn more about the true parts of the story.
Key Vocabulary:
1.sopaipillas- A deep fried pastry that is typically square,
eaten with honey or
sugar as bread. This dish is popular in Spanish regions of the Americas.
2. pendulum- A weight hung from a fixed point so that it can
swing freely back
and forth.
3. Eucalyptus- A fast-growing evergreen Australasian trees
that is valued for its
timber, oil, gum, resin, and as an ornamental tree.
4. Diurnal- Something that occurs each day or during the
day.
5. subversive- A person who is seeking to make trouble or go
against an
established system or institution, such as the government.
6. refugee- A person who has been forced to leave their country in order to
escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.
Before Reading Strategy:
Before reading, have a class discussion about what it would
be like to be a refugee and explain what that means. Connect the discussion to
current events such as the Syrian Refugee crisis in the United States or other
situations that are similar. Have students talk about how they would feel if
they had to leave their family and country for their safety. The students can
also free write about their thoughts and feelings and keep these ideas in mind
while reading the story.
During Reading Strategy:
This book was translated from Spanish to English and the
translation has left some of the original Spanish words which could be
confusing to some students who are not familiar with Spanish words. In order to
help them keep track of the Spanish words to make sure that they are not taking
away from their comprehension, students can create a canvas on the class linoit
website (http://linoit.com/home) Where
they create a sticky note for every Spanish word they encounter. They will write a definition and include a picture on the sticky note for future reference. The students can also make
connections, post their comments or questions, and interact with the text using the same canvas.
After Reading Strategy:
After reading the story, students can create a venn diagram
to compare and contrast the settings in the story. The students will compare
and contrast Chile to Maine and will also compare the thoughts and feelings
that Celeste had in both of those places.
Writing Activity to demonstrate inferential comprehension:
After reading the book up to “A Horrible Trick” take a
second to pause and write notes about what has happened so far and what you
think will happen throughout the rest of the story.
Using those notes,
you will write a diary entry told from Celeste’s point of view. You should
include:
a) A short summary of what is happening in her life
at this moment and
what changes have occurred.
b) 2 emotions or feelings that Celeste has about
what is happening with
evidence from the text.
c) Include two hopes that Celeste has for the
future either in Maine
or for when she gets back to Chile.
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