Return to Sender by: Julia Alvarez

Title:  Return to Sender

Author:  Julia Alvarez

Award:  Pura Belpre Award (2010)

Lexile Level: 890L

Recommended for

Ages 8 - 12 Years

Third - Seventh Grade

Summary

In 2009, this novel was published. In 2010, this book was awarded the Pura Belpré Award. The American Library Association (ALA) states, “The Pura Belpré Award, established in 1996, is presented to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth." (About the Pura Belpré Award)

This novel is about a family that hires migrant Mexican workers to help save their Vermont farm from foreclosure. An eleven-year-old Tyler becomes friends with the oldest daughter. However, their friendship becomes challenging when Tyler discovers the migrant family may not be in the country legally. This book shows the meaning of friendship and the current issues that effect individuals, in relation to immigration.

Learning Standards

"Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text."(English Language Arts- Literacy Standards

(Grade 5).

"2.3.1  Connect understanding to the real world.

2.3.2   Consider diverse and global perspectives in drawing conclusions." (AASL).

Learning Goal

Students will identify the story elements of the novel (e.g. setting, plot, characters, conflict and theme) in detail and discuss the importance of the sequence of events that leads to the discovery of the possibility that the migrant family may not be in the country legally.

Learning Objectives

Students will identify story elements (e.g. setting, characters, etc.) and describe characters from the novel titled Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez. (Cognitive)

Learning Activity

In this learning activity, students will be in groups of three students. Each group will focus on identifying key details and events that are present in the text titled Return to Sender by: Julia Alvarez.  Students will complete worksheets to identify the story elements, the characters’ points of view and discuss how it relates to the issues present in society.

Students will be assessed based on their understanding of the cause and effects present in the text through the creation of their timeline, their teamwork and their creativity in the presentation of their timeline.

Learning Outcome

Students will understand the story elements present in the text titled Return to Sender by: Julia Alvarez, relate to our current society.

Selling Tool: Poster 

References

AASL. (2017, May 12). Standards for the 21st-Century Learner. Retrieved October 2, 2017, from http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/AASL_Learning_Standards_2007.pdf

American Library Association (ALA). (2017, February 17). About the Pura Belpré Award. Retrieved October 07, 2017, from http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/belpremedal/belpreabout

Alvarez, J. (2009). Return to sender. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Mid-Hudson Library System –Return to Sender / by Julia Alvarez. Retrieved  October 2, 2017 from

New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy. (n.d.). Retrieved October 2, 2017, from https://www.engageny.org/resource/new-york-state-p-12-common-core-learning-standards-for-english-language-arts-and-literacy