Going Home
by Eve Bunting
Illlustrated by David Diaz

Meet the Author

Meet the Illustrator
 

Respond to this book on the Powers Ferry blog

station wagon

opportunities

stammer

Consider using the Frayer Model to organize your discussion of these words.
 

Curriculum Connections
 

If you were to go home to visit family, where would that be?  What are your favorite memories of home?  What are your holiday traditions?

Literacy/Language Arts

Procedural Writing - recipes (for favorite holiday dishes), directions from one place to another (see Neighborhood Map Machine below)

Dialogue - Using quotation marks, new paragraphs for new speakers

Descriptive language - Many examples from the text:

• sparkles with excitement
• sun-filled winter sky
• sun pushing down between the rows of tomatoes
• sheep, thick with their winter wool
• Christmas-coming moon
• scattering of houses
• skinny woman with wide black hair.  She looks like an umbrella
• terrible ache in my chest
• wall bulge with talk and rememberings
• Mama said in a choked voice

Reading Strategy:  Making Connections - After reading Going Home students can make text-to-self, text-to-text and text-to-world connections.  For more information on this strategy visit Making Connections Web Resources.  Have students use Kidspiration to publish their work.

Social Studies

Map Skills - Have students mark on a map where "home" is for them.

Modes of  Transportation and Travel - What mode of transportation would you use to travel home?

Immigration/Becoming a Citizen

Activities Integrating Technology
 

Neighborhood Map Machine - Create a map and then practice your procedural writing skills as you write directions from one place to another.

Kidspiration/Inspiration -

• Create word webs for the following topics:  things to pack for a trip, ways to travel, favorite/holiday foods (categorize by food group).
• Create a graphic organizer to record student connections (See reading strategy above).
• Compare/Contrast Going Home with The Relatives Came one of our previous books of the month.

Graph Club - The following questions could be asked in order to create graphs:

• How do you get to school?
• Where will you spend the holiday?
• What is your favorite holiday food?

Video Streaming - Listed below are titles that are available at www.unitedstreaming.com. Please preview any videos before using them with students.  You may also want to import the video into PowerPoint and then create questions to use with Beyond Question. 

• Away We Go:  All About Transportation
• Holiday Facts and Fun: A Multicultural Christmas - There is one segment on Mexico.  Ask Hispanic students if this is a true reflection of how they celebrate.
• Moving to America:  Then and Now

Podcasting - Use the attached Reader's Theater script to create a podcast that can be uploaded to your blog. 

Related Websites
 

Culture Thematic Unit - Designed for second grade, this thematic unit explores various cultures.

Mexican Family Lesson - This lesson begins by reading the book Going Home.  Good for primary grades.

Updated On:  November 2, 2006