Turning Pages
Turning Pages
Book Title: Turning Pages
Book Author: Sonia Sotomayor
Book Illustrator: Lulu Delacre
This book addresses: Beliefs, justice, the power of books
Potentially Tricky Vocabulary:
Recite: repeat from memory
Jolted: moved suddenly and sharply
Diabetes: a common disease (it’s not contagious!)
Harbor: a section of water close to shore that is deep enough for ships to anchor
Flagstones: flat stones, usually making up a path
Questions to ask the student before reading:
Do you think we can learn things from books?
What kinds of things can we learn from books?
What kind of books can we learn things from?
Do you know what someone does if their job is being a judge?
Historical context to give before reading:
Sonia Sotomayor was the first Latina to become a Supreme Court Justice. That means that she is one of nine judges who hear court cases - an argument between two parties about how we should understand a law. The two parties present their arguments (with evidence!) to the supreme court judges and the judges vote on who they think the law supports.
(The questions to ask the student and historical content above are interconnected. The historical context is typically going to be a supplement to what your student might not know. Some students may already be knowledgeable about a subject, others may not know much yet. Pay attention to what your student already knows and share the historical context accordingly.)
While reading:
Keep an eye on your student to see if there’s any of Sonia’s anecdotes that they seem to connect to in particular. If there is, prompt them to tell you about it! Affirm positive experiences they’ve had with reading and lessons they’ve learned. In one part of this book, Sonia shares how the Bible helped influence her understanding of right and wrong. If your student seems uncomfortable with the mention of religion and says something about it, consider sharing something like “For Sonia, she learned morals from stories in the bible just like she learned morals from other books like Lord of the Flies and comic books”. However, if your student doesn’t say anything and doesn’t seem to be bothered by anything, continue reading.
After reading:
Were books an important part of Sonia’s life? How do you know?
What’s your favorite book? Why is it your favorite?
Follow up activity (time permitting):
Have your student create a book review for their favorite book. It should include the title, author (feel free to look it up on your phone), a drawing of the cover, a rating out of 5 stars, and a few sentences about why your student likes it. The drawing of the cover does not have to imitate the actual cover, your student can get creative!
All definitions were adapted by Karina Connolly from the Merriam Webster online dictionary.