“First Words” by Varsha Bajaj: Workbook & Identity Mini-Lesson Bundled

Workbook & identity mini-lesson for “First Words” by Varsha Bajaj.

A short story from Come On In: 15 Stories About Immigration and Finding Home

Please read entire description.

CONTENTS

Pgs. 1-3      Questions & vocabulary

Pg. 3            Venn character graphic organizer

Pg. 4            Plotline graphic organizer

Pg. 5            Story review form

Pg. 6            Key

Pg. 7            Identity mini-lesson & short writing activity

WORKBOOK

> 31 reading comprehension questions

> Three types of questions:

• Short Response (complete sentences not required)
• Written Response (complete sentences required)
• True/False

> Some questions are 'no wrong answer' style - to encourage independent thinking and creative engagement.

> Story review form AND plotline graphic organizer are career-long re-usables (can be reused with no changes for stories, books, film, and epic poetry).

> Character graphic organizer is specific to the story, not generic.

IDENTITY MINI-LESSON

Pre-reading...

> Teacher may want to use the identity mini-lesson & short writing activity prior to reading the story. It can be used as a starting point for a variety of self-reflection activities having to do with identity.

> Provides definitions & detailed examples of: ethnicity, nationality, culture, and, race.
> Use to provide or clarify background knowledge 1-2 weeks before reading.
> Use it to deep dive into characters' identities when it is a story/book/play/film/poem theme.

During or post-reading...

> Use it to compare characters' self-identity to how they are treated by others characters. Use it to consider how & why a character identifies themselves. (Example questions:  If a character's nationality is Peruvian, is it "wrong" if other characters assume their race to be Mexican? How much does the protagonist care how they are identified by others? In this story, should the protagonist correct others or would that make situation X worse? What seems to carry the most weight in the protagonist's self-identity -- their ethnicity, nationality, culture, or, race?)

> The mini-lesson is a career-long reusable.

> Themes: finding one's identity, self-reflection, self-acceptance

> See more images here.

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> Purchase this resource for $3 LESS: “First Words” by Varsha Bajaj: Workbook & Identity Mini-Lesson Bundled

> Identity mini-lesson purchased separately: $13 (coming soon)

> Workbook purchased separately: $6

> Identity complete lesson purchased separately: $25 (coming soon)

<>Resources are designed for struggling learners. Perfect modified resources for special education or below-level learners. Workbook questions are not all higher order thinking (a few are); they are roughly 7-8th grade level. The extended response/essay activity is roughly 8th grade.

More Diversity-Focused Short Story Resources
Flying Lessons & Other Stories

Fresh Ink: An Anthology
Black Enough: Stories of Being Young and Black in America

Come On In: 15 Stories About Immigration and Finding Home

Related Collections
Asia & Middle East

Purchase Come On In on Amazon.