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Summary
Summary
Merci Suarez Can’t Dance is a novel written by award winning author Meg Medina, about a seventh grader navigating a lot of change in her life. From her brother Roli moving away to college, working in the school store with Wilson, Tia Ines spending time with Simon, Hannah spending time with Merci’s rival Edna, and Lolo forgetting his memories, Merci’s world has changed a lot. But one this that hasn’t changed is that Merci cannot dance and events like the Heart Ball and school performances make that difficult to avoid. However, through the support of her family and friends, Merci Suarez is able to overcome her fear and dance for everyone to see.
Keywords/phrases: Dance, Alzheimer’s, Change, Culture, Family
Suggested Delivery: Independent read
Key Vocabulary
Alzheimer’s: A brain disorder that slowly destroys memory, thinking skills, and other important mental functions.
Las Casitas: A Spanish word that means a small house
Preciosa: A Spanish word that means beautiful or lovely
Muchachita: A Spanish word that means young woman
Pulgero: A Spanish word that means flea market
Impertinent: Not showing proper respect, being rude
Reading Strategies
Before
Before
I will build the students’ schema of Alzheimer’s, a brain disorder that students likely do not know much about by defining the disease, talking about warning signs, and treatment or support. This will support students’ comprehension of Lolo’s character in the novel and help them understand what he’s dealing with.
During
During
As students read, they will complete a T-chart to keep track of all of the characters in the book by writing down who they are and how they’re involved in Merci’s life. There are a lot of characters in this novel that interact with Merci and a T-chart will help the students organize all of the characters.
After
After
Students will use a One Sheet Book to create their own Spanish dictionaries. Throughout the novel, there is a handful of vocabulary in Spanish that is surrounded by context clues. The students must write down these words that they find and define them using context clues, rather than just looking up the definition.
Writing Activity
Reading Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.5.4.C – Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
Writing Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.1.C – Link opinion and reasons using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., consequently, specifically).
Activity: Students will compare and contrast Merci’s culture to their own culture addressing aspects such as family, school, nationality, traditions, etc. Through opinions and strong reasoning using words, phrases, or clauses students will be able to make a connection to the characters and content in the novel that will benefit their comprehension skills.
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