Literacy and Bible Objectives – September 30 – October 4, 2019

Dear Families,

In the coming weeks we will begin a new award winning novel called Front Desk by Kelly

Yang. This book covers the topic of immigration through the view of a ten year old girl who is running the front desk at a motel. It goes into her life of struggling for money and adjusting to America while drawing on memories from China. The book jacket states:

Mia Tang has a lot of secrets.

Number 1: She lives in a motel, not a big house. Every day, while her immigrant parents clean the rooms, ten-year-old Mia manages the front desk of the Calivista Motel and tends to its guests.

Number 2: Her parents hide immigrants. And if the mean motel owner, Mr. Yao, finds out they’ve been letting them stay in the empty rooms for free, the Tangs will be doomed.

Number 3: She wants to be a writer. But how can she when her mom thinks she should stick to math because English is not her first language?

It will take all of Mia’s courage, kindness, and hard work to get through this year. Will she be able to hold on to her job, help the immigrants and guests, escape Mr. Yao, and go for her dreams?

The book while inspirational and thought provoking is also heavy at times as it covers immigration hardships and poverty. While not graphic, we want to make sure that all of our students feel able to talk about what we read in the book. We will discuss strategies we might use to support each other during a difficult reading (such as: taking a break from reading, talking to an adult or friend about your thoughts, journaling, or writing a note to the teacher). We encourage you to discuss this book with your child each week and ask them about their thoughts and feelings. We also encourage you to read the book as well but please do not have your child read ahead as we want to be able to prep the students and guide them through the material.

On a personal note, this book is incredibly powerful and inspiring. We suggest, if you have time, to read it so that you can have discussions with your children about the world, immigration, poverty, and love. We are so excited to have this book as part of our curriculum.

SPELLING

– Study for Spelling Test on Friday, October 4

– Group 1:

Spelling Words: circle, angle, cradle, ladle, castle, ruffle, juggle, ankle, battle, candle, fable, riddle, icicle, sparkle, jungle, tangle, marble, sizzle, paddle, handle

– Group 2:

Spelling Words: likable, removable, printable, adorable, comfortable, durable, usable, invisible, responsible, darkness, tidiness, silliness, excitement, government, requirement, loneliness, harmless, hopeless, fearless, horrible