The Cot in the Living Room
AFTER READING
Strategy Focus: Compare and Contrast Say: To compare and contrast two people, places, or things, think about
Ask: When the girl does get to spend the night on the cot in the living room, how is it similar to what she expected? How is it different? How do you think this experience helped her understand how the kids who stayed over felt when they slept on the cot in the living room? Invite children to turn and talk with a partner. Then as a class, discuss why it is important to consider other people’s perspectives and how that can change how we understand a situation.
• how they are alike and • how they are different.
You know more about people, places, or things when you understand how they are alike and how they are different. Revisit and read aloud page 4 and pages 22–26. Say: At the beginning of the story, the girl has a lot of ideas about why it would be fun to spend a night on the cot in the living room. But when she finally gets the chance, it’s not exactly how she imagined it would be. Extend Learning Write About Being Welcoming Invite children to imagine that a child from their community or neighborhood will be staying over at their house with their family for the night. Have them write a few sentences about what they would do or say to make that person feel welcome in their home for the night. (informative/explanatory) Book Club Discussion Have children meet in small groups to think about the text and discuss the questions below. You may wish to provide the questions on cards or print them out from the website for children to use. • Someone Like Me/Memorable Characters Once the girl in this story spends a night on the cot in the living room, she starts to see why it might be hard or even scary for the kids who stay over. How do you think the kids who stay over feel having the cot in the sisters’ bedroom instead of in the living room? Why do you think they would feel that way?
Build Social-Emotional Awareness Say: Though at first the girl is jealous of the children that come over each night and sleep on the cot, once she realizes how hard it must be for them to be away from their families, she wants to help. Why do you think she decides to move the cot into her bedroom? How do you feel when you see that someone in your classroom or community is alone or might need help? What kinds of things can you do to help someone who might feel lonely? Have children turn and talk with a partner. Then select a few children to share their thoughts with the class. ( CASEL Competency relationship skills) Plan a Sleepover At the end of the story, the girl helps the children staying over at her house feel more comfortable by making the time like a fun sleepover. Invite your class to plan a sleepover party. Have children work in groups to come up with a fun activity to enjoy during the sleepover. Then have groups take turns explaining the activity that their group came up with. Some ideas might be reading a book aloud, putting on a hand puppet show, singing a song, or playing a game.
Connect to the Internet An Interview With the Author Visit the following website to share details from an interview with the author, Hilda Eunice Burgos, about writing The Cot in the Living Room, including how the author was inspired by her own childhood to write the story: www.lasmusasbooks.com/blog/an-interview-with-hilda-eunice-burgos-on- the-cot-in-the-living-room .
Rising Voices: Elevating Latino Stories
ISBN 978-1-338-88140-0. Pack-ISBN 978-1-338-88128-8.
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