I Wish I Had Glasses Like Rosa
Written
by
Kathryn Heling and
Deborah Hembrook
Illustrated by
Bonnie Adamson
(Raven Tree Press, 2007)
Book Description
“A lesson in accepting others and oneself, packaged in an easy-to-read story in both English and Spanish (a plus for bi-lingual or home school families) with illustrations that shine with the laughter of friendship and love.” Recommended.
Author’s Choice Reviews: Reviewer Carolyn R. Scheidies
Abby wishes she had glasses like her best friend, Rosa. How far will Abby go to be just like Rosa?
I Wish I Had Glasses Like Rosa is a true story about best friends.
Purchase I Wish I Had Glasses Like Rosa at Amazon.com >>
(Book available in both bilingual and English-only versions.)
I WISH I HAD GLASSES
LIKE ROSA
Extension Activities for Educators and Families
MATH
Graphing Fun — Create a graph of how many people you know have glasses.
Make comparisons from the information on your graph, such as ‘How many more boys than girls have glasses...”
Create math problems from the information on your graph, such as “There are 4 girls with glasses and 6 boys with glasses in 2nd grade. How many more boys than girls have glasses?” or “What is the percentage of students in 2nd grade who wear glasses?”
Gather an assortment of glasses and sunglasses. Sort them by color of frame, thickness of lens, etc.
LANGUAGE ARTS
What's in a Pair? — Why are glasses referred to as a “pair of glasses?” Find out and write about it.
List other things come in pairs. Put your list in alphabetical order.
Story Starter — Abby wishes she had glasses. Use the sentence starter “I wish I had...” to write a story about yourself.
Act out your favorite part of I Wish I Had Glasses Like Rosa, using glasses as props.
En Espanol — reading aloud the Spanish/English vocabulary lists at the end of the book. How many new words can you learn?
SOCIAL STUDIES
Who's Who — Find out about famous people who wear (or wore) glasses. Choose one and make a report or poster about that person.
History of Glasses — Find out about the history of glasses. When were they first invented? Who invented them?
Chain of Compliments — Rosa’s best friend thinks Rosa’s glasses make her look beautiful. What is something that you really like about your friend? Write a compliment to that friend on a strip of paper. As a class, create a paper chain of compliments to and from each other. Drape the chain around the classroom.
ART
Look at You — Draw a pair of glasses on heavy cardboard or tagboard. Cut them out and use colored cellophane to make the lenses of the glasses. Decorate the frames any way you like.
SCIENCE
Color Fun — “Borrow” the glasses from someone who used a different colored cellophane than you did. Wear both pairs of glasses at once. What do you discover about the ‘new’ color? (crossover with art)
Eye Facts — Research and diagram the human eye. How does it differ from the eye of a cat; a fly; etc.?
OTHER
Follow the recipe for Abby’s Sparkle Clay to make glitter glasses like Abby did.
Abby’s Sparkle Clay Glasses:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. cooking oil
2 teas. cream of tartar
Food coloring
Mix and heat until ingredients form a ball. When cool, add glitter and form into glasses.Special Visitor — Invite an optometrist to visit your class and talk about why some people need glasses.
Check Up — Create an “eye doctor” center in the classroom with an eye chart and other pertinent items.
Eye Wear — Discuss the various types of eyewear and eye protection that people use, i.e. safety glasses, goggles, reading glasses, magnifying glasses, etc.
