Polacco, Patricia. (2001). The keeping quilt. Illus. Patricia Polacco. New York, New York: Simon and Schuster.
This is a true story about a Russian family that migrates to the United States. In this story, a quilt is created that is passed down from mother to daughter. The quilt was designed because “it will be like having family in Russia back home dance around us at night.” In this quilt carries clothes from their family and their traditions. The quilt becomes a blanket for newborns, tents for children to play in, a wedding canopy, and even a quilt to comfort the dying. This is a heart-warming story that teaches family values. The illustration is unique with the drawings in black and white; however, the quilt is beautifully colored.
Patricia Polacco
Grade Level: 3-5
Readers who will like this: Children learning about tradition and importance of family, children that have moved
Response/Rating (1-4): 4
One question you would ask before a read aloud: What is family tradition? Or, what is one tradition your family has?
Reading Strategies Connection: I think the perfect reading strategy/connection for this story is Tompkins' Quilt Lesson. The Quilt strategy focuses on comprehension and content. Students would make a quilt after reading this story and learning about family tradition. This instructional strategy is a good visual project for students. After they have completed the project, I would have each one speak in front of the class about their quilt. The students can bring in pieces for their quilt or write on the construction paper provided. This will also improve their speaking and writing skills.
I don't think you can get a more perfect connection between a response strategy and the content of a book! I've used the quilt strategy from Tompkins before and it's quite effective.
ReplyDeleteYou can think about creating a class quilt, too, with kids each making ONE square for the whole quilt. It's a good approach for reflecting on field trips, too, and makes a great gift to the people that hosted the trip.