"I like the story The First Tortilla because
it's pretty much about a girl who is trying to help her family
and her village. They need rain so they can grow squash and so
they can eat." Alyssa
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"From this story I learned about how they
get corn flour. It is cool. You have to get a large stone and
rock and corn and crush the corn until it looks like powder."
Becca
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"What I learned about corn is
you can make corn tortillas out of corn like Jade did. I also like
that you can pick corn and cook it." Jessica
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"Today I made a tortilla. Here are some steps about how to
make tortillas. First it's obvious that you need dough. Then you
pat it down as thin as it gets. Then you cook it. Last you eat it.
Mine was so so so so so delicious!!!!" Dylan
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"When Jade went to the Mountain
Spirit he gave her all the corn the ants kept in the cave. She made
tortillas from it and shared them with her village." Sydney
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Brian incorporated the fact that The First Tortilla
was bilingual by using both English and Spanish in his story "The
Pequeño Tortilla."
"Mi thought the tortillas were muy delicioso!
First I went palma, palma, palmadita! Second
mi cooked the tortilla! Third mi ate the tortilla!
¡Yum¡ ! Deliciso! Mi love tortillas!
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Students were able to identify a variety of traits exhibited by
the story's protagonist. Some of their responses included
.
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Vintonique believed Jade was
"brave because she went to the Mountain Spirit by herself,
happy because she always had a beautiful smile on her face and adventurous
because she climbed mountains and climbed back." |
Alyssa thought Jade was "kind because she shared her recipe
with the village, smart for finding the recipe for a tortilla and
brave because she climbed the mountain to see the Mountain Spirit."
Renee said Jade was "caring because she cared about
her village so much she went to the Mountain Spirit, a believer
because she believed the bird and the mountain could help her
and smart because she learned how to make tortillas."
Taylor felt Jade was "thankful because she brought
the Mountain Spirit a gift, brave because she did something very
dangerous and caring because she helped her village."
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Kristin said, "The little
ants were carrying corn. To me when Jade was there she was kind
to the ants for giving her corn. I think she was being thankful
to the Mountain Spirit for giving them rain and good crops for the
season. She was brave because she went to the Mountain Spirit and
said we need rain for our crops or we will go hungry. I think she
was being adventurous because she went through all of the weird
things that happened to her on the way like the Mountain Spirit
coming alive and talking with her." |
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Students were encouraged to use both text and picture clues to infer
the culture represented in the story. Here are some of their ideas.
Karly predicted Jade was from Mexico because of "the
dress she wears, the canyons and all the crops that grow there."
Taylor felt Jade was from New Mexico because "her
dress looks like it is from New Mexico, the symbols in the pictures,
and it is a desert there."
Renee thought the Jade was from Mexico "cause it's
hot and dry there, there are symbols in the boxes and the clothes
she wears look like Mexico."
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Mariah who drew this picture of Jade meeting
the Mountain Spirit guessed Jade was from Mexico because "they
speak Spanish in the story, they have dark skin and they dress
like Mexicans of long ago."
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