Children's Book Press - Lakas and the Manilatown Fish

globe or world map

maps of the United States, California, and San Francisco; map of your state; map of your city or area (see Resources for online maps)

old magazines with images of neighborhood scenes (shops, schools, parks, and so on)

collection of local artifacts (menus from local restaurants, local newspapers, advertisements from local shops, photographs of the neighborhood)

Where in the World Is Manilatown?

Create a “Where in the World . . . ?” display in one part of your classroom, which includes a globe and the maps listed in the materials box.

Save an area on the display for “artifacts” that contain information about your local community in the form of local newspapers, restaurant menus, visitor brochures, business advertisements, and so on.

Additional Ideas for Getting the Classroom Ready

	Fish Stories: Make fish shapes that can be taped to the floor to lead to a reading area with a collection of fish storybooks. (See Resources for possible titles.)
	Immigrant Communities Photo Gallery: Set up a gallery of photos of immigrants to the U.S., including photos of the old International Hotel and its residents. (See Resources for some website sources of photos.)

Our Neighborhood / Our Community
Students prepare to read Lakas and the Manilatown Fish / Si Lakas at ang Isdang Manilatown by locating the story setting and their own neighborhood on a map and then discussing what they know about neighborhoods.

30 min.

whole class; partner

CA Social Studies Standard* 2.2: Students demonstrate map skills by describing the absolute and relative locations of people, places, and environments.

*Note: Grade 2 standards have been used throughout this lesson plan.

Maps listed in Getting the Classroom Ready; flipchart and markers or blackboard and chalk

Tell students that they will be reading a book about a neighborhood in San Francisco that is both similar to and different from their own. Help students share their prior knowledge by engaging them in a discussion of their own neighborhood(s).

If possible, begin this activity by having volunteers help you locate your state on a U.S. map, your city on a state map, and your neighborhood on a city or area map. Then ask students to share what they know about their neighborhood. Have them consider these questions as part of the discussion:
What types of places do people go to in your neighborhood? (For example, shops, parks, offices, schools, or churches and other places of worship.) Encourage students to look at neighborhood artifacts in the “Where in the World . . . ?” display (see “Getting the Classroom Ready”) to help them come up with ideas.
What do you know about the history of your neighborhood?
Who lives in your neighborhood? (For this question, encourage students to name specific people. Record the names on the board. Then work with students to categorize these people into groups such as Family Members, Friends, Community Workers (police, firefighters, bus drivers), Other Workers.)
What do you like about your neighborhood? What are your favorite places?

Set the scene for the story by locating the regions that play an important role in its telling. To begin, show students the location of the Philippines and the United States on a globe or world map. Then focus in on the story setting by first having students find California in the United States and then showing the location of San Francisco in California. After that, point out the Manilatown area (where Kearny and Jackson Streets cross) on the San Francisco map.

Explain that Manilatown, named after the Philippine capital Manila, is an important place in the history of the San Francisco Filipino community. During their early history in San Francisco, Filipinos weren't allowed to own property or live anywhere else in the city; as a result, they stayed in boarding houses or hotels, such as the International Hotel, which became the heart of the community. Tell students that the story you are about to read takes place in this neighborhood.

Additional Ideas for Getting Ready for Reading

	Fantastic Stories: Have students share their experiences with stories that include fantastic characters and events. Then discuss with them how to distinguish fantasy from reality in the stories they read.
	Students as Resources: If students in your classroom are of Filipino descent, provide them with an opportunity to share their knowledge of the culture and history of the Philippines and Filipinos in the United States.

Diving In

30 min.

whole class

CA Language Arts Standard 2.0: Students read and understand grade-level appropriate material. They draw upon a variety of comprehension strategies as needed (e.g., generating and responding to essential questions, making predictions, comparing information from several sources).

Introduce the book to students in a large or small group. The focus of this first reading should be reading for pleasure—encouraging students to enjoy the beauty of the book and the story it tells. In order to foster this enjoyment, try some of the following activities:

Point out to students the bilingual format of the book, with the Filipino (Tagalog) text on the left-hand page and the English text on the right-hand page. In certain instances students will be able to compare the Filipino (Tagalog) and English text and identify equivalent words. Examples include:

Filipino (Tagalog) batang (BAH-tahng) Pinoy (Pee-NOY) (p. 4)	English Pilipino boy (p. 5) (Tagalog for "Filipino")
oo (OH) or opo (OH-poh) (p. 6)	yes (p. 7)
Tatay (TAH-tai) (p. 10)	Daddy (p. 11)

Point out also how some of the text appears in bold type that sets it off from the rest of the text. Ask students why they think these words are larger and darker than the others. What does that tell them about the words?

Encourage students to explore the book further by taking a “picture walk” through the book. Have students pair up and discuss what they see in the illustrations as you turn the pages of the book in front of them. At the end of the picture walk, ask the students to share one thing they liked that they observed in the illustrations.

Once they've shared their observations about the book, ask students what questions they have about the story, as well as what story they think the book tells. List your students' questions and predictions on the board.

Read sections aloud to the large group, or have students read the book on their own, in pairs, or in small groups. As students are reading, stop them occasionally to see if they have answered their questions, or to check their predictions and have them make new ones. Once the reading is complete, return to the lists of questions and predictions and review them as a class.

Talk of the Town
Students preview key story vocabulary to develop meanings in context; students practice using additional strategies to understand unfamiliar words.

20 min.

whole class

CA Language Arts Standard 1.1: Recognize and use knowledge of spelling patterns when reading; 1.8: Use knowledge of individual words in unknown compound words to predict their meaning.

Flipchart and markers

Introduce students to important story words by reading the words in context. Guide students to use structural cues (for example, compound words, prefixes, and suffixes) and surrounding words to figure out new vocabulary:

amazed (p. 9)

dream, barbershop (p. 11)

shears, shivered (p. 13)

market, tanks (p. 15)

international, café, drugstore, pool hall (p. 23)

shoulders, piggyback ride (p. 25)

bay (p. 27)

stew (p. 31)

Point out the Tagalog words that appear in the English text. Help students figure out possible meanings of these words, based on context.

Hoy (HOY): used to get someone's attention (p. 5)
manong/manang (MAH-nohng/MAH-nahng): Filipino man/woman (p. 5)
Pilipino (Pee-lee-PEE-noh): Filipino, person from the Philippines (p. 5)
sinigang (SEE-nee-gahng): a stew with rice, tomatoes, and chili pepper (p. 17)
adobo (ah-DOH-boh): pork or chicken stew, considered the national dish of the Philippines (p. 3, in introduction for adults)

Work with students to compile a Filipino (Tagalog) / English glossary. Use the words above as a starting place. List them on your flipchart, and then add other words students can figure out by comparing the English and Filipino text on facing pages. For this activity, draw on the knowledge of your Filipino students. You may also want to consult a Filipino (Tagalog) / English dictionary to confirm meaning. (See Resources at the end of the document for online Tagalog / English dictionaries.)

Additional Vocabulary Development Activity

Onomatopoeia: Work with students to examine the author's use of onomatopoeia (language and words that mimic sounds). For each story word listed below, guide students in using the surrounding text to help them identify to what each sound refers. Write their responses on the board. After you have worked with the story words, you may want to ask students to add other sound words they know to the list.

snip, snip (p. 13)

smack (p. 19)

toot (p. 21)

skreech (p. 23)

splash (p. 27)

gurgle-gurgle (p. 29)

The Chase Is On
Students use a story map to follow the sequence of events, paying special attention to the multiple changes in setting.

30 min.

small groups or pairs

CA Language Arts Standard (Reading) 3.0: Students read and respond to a wide variety of significant children's literature. They distinguish between the structural features of the text and the literary terms or elements (e.g., theme, plot, setting, characters).

Story Map Worksheet (one copy for each group of students / click to download); index cards

Have students work together in pairs. For each pair, duplicate a copy of the Story Map Worksheet.

Ask students to read the story together. Have them use the story map to record the main characters, the story problem, and the main events. When pairs have finished, ask them to share their results.

Next, ask the pairs to summarize each set of events from the story map on a separate index card (omitting the page numbers). Then, ask them to shuffle the cards thoroughly. Have pairs exchange their sets of cards and try to put their neighbors' cards in order, retelling the story as they go.

Additional Reading Comprehension Activity

Reality/Fantasy: Have students work in small groups to review the story, spread by spread. As they do so, ask them to create a list of events that could happen in real life and a list of the events that are make-believe. Then have students discuss the mix of reality and fantasy in the story.

Manilatown on Stage
Students create and follow a script for a dramatic performance of the story.

30 min. each day for 4–5 days

whole class

CA Language Arts Standard (Listening and Speaking) 2.1: Recount experiences or present stories: move through a logical sequence of events, describe story elements (e.g., characters, plot, setting).

paper, pencils, completed story map worksheet from Reading Comprehension activity; materials to make stick puppets (craft sticks, glue, construction paper, markers, and so on); heavy paper; tape

Divide the class into eight groups. Assign each group one of the settings / sets of events from the story map worksheet they completed previously. (If they have not yet completed the map, work together with the class to recreate and complete the story map on the board.)

Guide each group to create a simple script for their part of the story. To do so, have them reread the story, identify the characters' actions and words, and then translate those into script form. Use this example for pages 10–11 of the story as a model for them to follow. Explain the conventions for writing dialogue and stage directions.

When groups have finished their scripts, compile them into a single script.

Alternatively, print out the Reader's Theater script and duplicate for students.

Have students take on the roles of the various characters and perform the script for another class or with cross-grade Reading Buddies. You may want students to act the performance themselves, or you may want to create stick puppets by making copies of the book's characters, gluing them to stiff paper, and cutting them out. Students can then color in the drawings and paste them to craft sticks.

Additional Literary Response and Analysis Activities

Accordion Book: Have small groups of students create accordion book versions of the story by illustrating each scene (from the story map worksheet) on a separate sheet of heavy paper. Ask them to add a sentence or two summarizing the events in this scene. They can then attach all the pages together with transparent tape to make an accordion book.

Author's Purpose: Engage students in a discussion about why they think the author wrote this story. To prepare for this activity, you may want to read for yourself the author's note to grownups on page 3 of the book and read to students the notes about Manilatown on page 32. Ask students how knowing a little about the history of Manilatown and the International Hotel affects their ideas about the author's purpose or purposes.