Knowledge and Connection Begin with Compelling Stories
WHY THIS COLLECTION?
Rising Voices: Amplifying AANHPI Narratives offers an expertly curated collection of fiction and informational texts for Grades K–5 that highlight the achievements and lived experiences of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. Designed to support purposeful literacy instruction, the collection builds understanding, supports student engagement, and provides meaningful opportunities for all learners to explore a wide range of knowledge and topics through authentic stories.
We can change the scope of education across the country by committing to the following goals:
Student Well-Being Improve participation and build student confidence with fiction and nonfiction books that celebrate a variety of experiences and feature inspiring protagonists.
Teaching with Meaning and Purpose Improve academic progress with instructional materials that ensure easy integration into any literacy block, with in-depth options for exploring each theme and its anchor text.
Stories for Everyone Expose children to high-quality, authentic literature featuring stories across a wide range of cultures and communities.
THE RISING VOICES FRAMEWORK The books and teaching materials in this collection are centered on five universal themes that all students can relate to:
Someone Like Me/Memorable Characters
Family, Culture, and Community
Heroes and Role Models
Strong and Resilient
Thinking Beyond Today
Anchor texts for each of the five themes are intended to be shared through an interactive, teacher-led read-aloud. Building on anchor text instruction, you and your students can read on in the collection, continuing to make connections and deepen exploration of each theme.
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Library Components Scholastic assembled a team of literature and literacy experts who reviewed the titles to ensure relevance for all learners. Through their exploration of books in this collection, students of all backgrounds will build knowledge, strengthen their literacy skills, and benefit from an expanded understanding of the world around them.
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Each grade-level library contains:
50 books (25 titles, including 5 anchor texts; 2 copies each) 1 welcome letter/booklist 1 Teacher’s Guide (K–2 or 3–5) 5 Teaching Cards (1 per anchor text) 2 book bins Book-labeling stickers
Using the Teaching Cards Teaching Cards for each anchor text provide discussion questions and activities that bring the theme to the forefront, promoting discussions and deep thinking.
Grade K
Amplifying AANHPI Narratives
Punky Aloha written and illustrated by Shar Tui‘asoa
Content Area Connections and Write About encourage academic growth.
Introduce • Teach these essential vocabulary terms before reading aloud the book to children. depends on (p. 13) needs downright (p. 20) absolutely, completely recite (p. 13) say from memory • Display the front cover to children and read the title. Explain that the girl on the cover is Punky Aloha. Tell children she doesn’t need glasses to see. Instead, she is wearing Grandma’s “brave glasses.” Ask: Why might Punky need to be brave? Let’s read to find out! Read Aloud Encourage children to turn and talk with partners or share their thinking with the whole group. pp. 2–7 Grandma calls Punky a “brave adventurer.” What else do you find out about Punky? What used to be hard for Punky to do? pp. 8–13 Punky has a problem. Grandma needs butter for the banana bread, but Punky is scared to go to the market alone. What is Punky afraid of? How might “brave glasses” help Punky on her journey? pp. 14–17 Punky helps a mommy pig get mangoes home to her family. How did reciting her aloha—“Be helpful. Be giving. Be brave.”—help Punky? How does Punky feel after helping the pigs? pp. 18–23 Punky is getting the hang of talking to new friends, but then her “brave glasses” break! How do you think she will help the boy she ran into? Do you think Punky will be shy again without her glasses? Why or why not? pp. 24–25 Punky helps Kai and doesn’t seem to mind that her “brave glasses” broke. Why wasn’t she upset about breaking her glasses? What has Punky learned about making friends? pp. 26–30 Punky had a big adventure and shared aloha along the way. How did sharing aloha help Punky make new friends? How can you share aloha with people in your life? At a Glance Meet Punky Aloha, a Polynesian girl who carries her culture in her heart and everywhere she goes. At first, Punky feels shy about meeting new friends. But when she has to go to the market to get butter for Grandma’s special banana bread, Punky learns how to be courageous with the help of Grandma’s “brave glasses.” Along the way, she remembers to share her aloha, helping animals and people in need. She becomes a brave adventurer and experiences the joy of making new friends on her home island of O‘ahu. Genre/Text Type Fantasy/Picture Book Content Area Connections Family, Cooking, Friendship Write About Punky’s Problems
Introduce vocabulary from the book that is critical to student comprehension of the text.
Rising Voices Theme Heroes and Role Models
Offers tips for building background knowledge and language support.
Teaching Tips Build Background The Hawaiian word aloha means to show love and respect for all living beings, including the land and yourself. Author Shar Tui‘asoa explains aloha as “I give you, you give me... It’s something we all grow together.” Aloha is also used to say hello and goodbye. Aunty Pilahi Pakī, a famous Hawaiian poet, wrote a poem to share the special meaning of aloha . Below is a simplified adaptation. A—Akahai—Kindness
Interactive read-aloud makes text accessible to all students and models fluency. Suggested prompts support deeper comprehension and encourage classroom discussion.
L—Lōkahi—Being together as one O—‘Olu‘olu—Friendly and gentle
H—Ha‘aha‘a—Humble A—Ahonui—Patience
Language Support Explain to children that writers can use sound words to help readers feel like they are hearing what the characters hear. Preview and explore the sound words with children: oink (p. 13), bzz (p. 17), crash (pp. 22–23), and yum (p. 24). Reading Aloud You may wish to read the book twice. First, read it all the way through and invite general reactions. Then, reread it, using the questions to guide discussion and deepen comprehension. As you read, briefly define unfamiliar words and terms when you come to them in the text.
Punky Aloha
Writing in response to reading helps students strengthen their understanding of what they have read.
After Reading
Write About Punky’s Problems Say: Sometimes a character has problems in a story that he or she tries to fix or solve. These are called solutions. Noticing how characters solve problems can help us get to know the characters better. First, revisit and read aloud pages 14 and 15. Say: Punky meets a pig who needs help. What problem does the pig have? How does Punky help the pig? Have children turn and talk with a partner about how the pig needs to carry the mangoes and how Punky uses her skateboard to help. Select a few children to share their thinking with the class. More to Explore Book Club Discussion Have children meet in small groups to think about the text and discuss the questions below. Read aloud, display, or share copies of the questions with children. • Heroes and Role Models A role model is someone you admire, or look up to, because he or she does good things. What do you admire about Punky? What do you admire about Punky’s grandmother? Who is someone in your life you look up to as a role model? Enhance Well-Being and Build Life Skills Punky thought it was hard to make friends. But on her journey to the market, she realizes that making friends feels good, especially when you share aloha. How did trying something new help Punky? How did Punky’s adventure also help others? Why is it important to try new things? Have children turn and talk with a partner. Then select a few children to share their thinking with the class.
~/Documents/WoodWingStudio.noindex/InDesign/181122 Reread pages 18 and 19. Ask: What is the bee’s problem? How does Punky help solve the bee’s problem? Have children share with a partner about how the bee needs to collect pollen and how Punky helps with her lei. Finally, ask: How does Punky solve her own problem of making friends? Guide children to discuss how Punky made friends. Invite children to draw a problem from the story and how it’s solved. Ask them to label their drawings with words that tell about the problem or solution. They may choose to write words such as Punky , bee , skateboard , or lei. Practice Fluency: Repeated Reading Display and model reading page 13. Then, invite children to repeat Punky’s lines: “Be helpful. Be giving. Be brave. This is how we share our aloha.” Show children how to take a pause at each period and read expressively in Punky’s voice. Ask children to share how reading it a few times helps them read more fluently. Activity: Make a Brave Accessory Tell children that Punky’s glasses remind her to share her aloha. Set out materials such as crayons, paper, pipe cleaners, paper tubes, clips, craft sticks, and tape. Have the class brainstorm and create “brave” accessories, such as wrist bands or badges they can tape or clip on their clothing. Encourage them to include a word or phrase that reminds them to be like Punky. Spotlight: Shar Tui‘asoa Shar’s father and grandmother are from Tonga, a part of Polynesia. She based Punky Aloha on her own childhood experiences growing up in Hawai‘i. Grandma in the book is a mix of Shar’s grandmothers: Grandma Joan loved baking, and Grandma Langi was “the best friend of the grandchildren” and looked just like the grandma in the book.
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Practice fluency and deepen comprehension .
Students can further their comprehension and strengthen their oral language skills .
Creative cross-curricular activity extends concepts from read-aloud.
Offer prompts for discussion and reflection.
Spotlight feature provides more insight on the author or illustrator.
Promote text-to-text connections with other books in the Rising Voices Library.
Connect to Other Texts Preview or review other texts in this or any other Rising Voices library that are also linked to the theme Heroes and Role Models. Invite children to explore or revisit one of these texts with you or a partner to discover what the people in these books have in common with Punky. Ask: What do you admire most about the people in these books?
ISBN 979-8-225-07436-4. Pack ISBN 978-1-5461-0564-0.
Amplifying AANHPI Narratives
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Teacher’s Guide The Teacher’s Guide provides: Strategies for integrating the texts into your classroom library Suggestions for using Teaching Cards during read-aloud discussions Tools to facilitate whole-class read-alouds and literacy instruction that meet students where they are Inspirational essays written by the mentors to educate and inspire Guidance for robust literacy instruction, with support to broaden students’ understanding of the world around them Tips to help educators share information with families to connect the classroom materials to learning at home
MEET OUR AANHPI NARRATIVES MENTORS
Joanna Ho Joanna Ho is a New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of children’s books, including Eyes That Kiss in the Corners , We Who Produce Pearls , and The Silence That Binds Us . She is an educator and equity- focused leader with a master’s from UC Berkeley and extensive experience across K–12 education.
Dr. Erika K. Cravalho-Meyers Dr. Erika K. Cravalho-Meyers is an educator and instructional leader with over 20 years of experience serving Native Hawaiian communities. She is also the co- founder of EAmai Co-Lab, which supports learning communities in reexamining professional norms and practices.
Dr. Don Vu Dr. Don Vu is an educator and school leader with 24 years of experience. A Vietnamese refugee who arrived in the U.S. in 1975, his work centers on the power of literacy and storytelling. He is the author of Life, Literacy, and the Pursuit of Happiness and serves as a Director in the School of Education at the Sacramento County Office of Education.
For more information, call us at (800) 387-1437 or visit scholastic.com/risingvoices .
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