Jessy Ring
7 October 2018
Alvarez, J. (2000). The secret footprints. New York, NY: Dragonfly Books.
Your job is to be on the lookout for words that may be unusual, puzzling, or unfamiliar. Try to figure out their meaning from the context clues around the words. Look up the words in a dictionary or on your dictionary app. Write a definition in your own words. Make sure that you understand the words before you meet with the group because you will be their teacher! Lead your group through a discussion of the words and their meanings.
Page: 1
Your best guess using context clues: Mythical creature similar to a mermaid.
Definition and synonyms:
A mythological creature who lives in caves underwater or in the woods. It is similar to a mermaid or siren, only instead of a fish tail, the ciguapas are said to have backwards feet. They are believed to be beautiful but cruel creatures that lured men to their deaths.
(see-GWAH-pah)
Page: 15
Your best guess using context clues: Some type of food that is fried.
Definition and synonyms:
Cuban turnovers made from thin dough and contain meat.
(pasa-lito)
Page: 18
Your best guess using context clues: Son
Definition and synonyms:
My son in Spanish
(me-hoe)
Page: 20
Your best guess using context clues: Good bye or good night
Definition and synonyms:
Good night in Spanish.
(bwe-nahs naw-ches)
All of the unfamiliar words are Spanish, so I will introduce the word and meaning, then talk about the pronunciation.
Porsha Linder
Alverez, J. (2000). The secret footprints. New York, NY: Dragonfly Books
Your job is to develop a list of questions that your group might want to discuss about this part of the book. Don’t worry about the small details; your talk is to help people talk over the big ideas in the reading and share their reactions. Usually the best discussion questions come from your own thoughts, feelings, and concerns as you read. You can list them below during or after your reading. You may also use some of the general questions below to develop topics to your group.
1. How does the relationship between the humans and Ciguapas reflect the relationship between different cultures in our world today?
2. Guapa’s actions are opposite of the other Ciguapas, how does this reflect the impact of changing the way things have always been done? Why is this often necessary?
3. What does this story emphasize about the power of kindness?
4. Do rules always reflect what is right? How might breaking rules have a positive affect?
5. What message does this story echo about friendship?
The importance of kindness
Respecting others
Not judging what/who we do not understand
Jessy Ring
7 October 2018
Alvarez, J. (2000). The secret footprints. New York, NY: Dragonfly Books.
Your job is to dig up some background information on any relevant topic related to your book.
This is not a formal research report. The idea is to find some information or material that helps your group understand the book better. Investigate something that really interests you – something that struck you as puzzling or curious while you were reading.
What is a Ciguapa?
Alvarez, J. (2000). The secret footprints. New York, NY: Dragonfly Books.
The Ciguapa (2016, March 22). Retrieved from https://latinfolktales.wordpress.com/tag/la-ciguapa/
A Ciguapa is a mythical creature originating in the Dominican Republic. Some say they are found in caves in the ocean (Alvarez, 2000), while others believe they can be found in caves in the mountains (The Ciguapa, 2016). Sources agree that Ciguapas come out of their caves at night to find food. There is disagreement as to the behavioral nature of Ciguapas, with some saying they avoid humans (Alvarez, 2000), and others saying they are savage women who lured men to their deaths (The Ciguapa, 2016).
(The Ciguapa, 2016)
(What is a Ciguapa, 2018)
(Alvarez, 2000, p. 22)
Alvarez, J. (2000). The secret footprints. New York, NY: Dragonfly Books.
The Ciguapa (2016, March 22). Retrieved from https://latinfolktales.wordpress.com/tag/la-ciguapa/
What is a Ciguapa (2018). Retrieved from http://adventuresque.com/adventures/what-is-a-ciguapa.html
Porsha Linder
Alverez, J. (2000). The secret footprints. New York, NY: Dragonfly Books
Your job is to find connections between the book you are reading and the outside world. This means connecting what you read with your own life, to what happens at school or in the community, to similar events at other times and places, or to other people or problems. Once you have shared your connection to this section of the book, each member of your group will also relate their own connection to the book, although they may refer to a different passage.
Connection: When reading this passage, I think about mermaids and how the ciguapas have similar characteristics.
Connections: The Ciguapa’s fear of being captured and studied is something relevant to our society today. Based on humans’ actions of caging and studying animals, I find it likely that the queen’s fears would be relevant if Ciguapas were discovered.
Connections: This reflects the importance of not judging others. During times of hardship, people often reject the entire group a person belongs to, assuming they are all the same. This reflects in race in many ways in our world. After WWII, my great grandfather disliked all Japanese people. The war gave him a mismatched idea that they were all the same. In the same way, after 9/11 many people started assuming all Muslims were terrorists. It is important to remember that we are all human, and one person’s actions do not interpret the intentions of all people within their race.