GRADE K
Fire! ¡ Fuego! Brave Bomberos written by Susan Middleton Elya; illustrated by Dan Santat
AT A GLANCE Fire! ¡Fuego! Brave Bomberos offers children a glimpse into an action-packed day in the life of a crew of brave bomberos , or firefighters. Using a narrative that is seamlessly infused with Spanish, reflecting the way in which some bilingual people may speak, the bilingual author conveys the excitement and tension of the day as el capitán and crew members Juan, José, Carlota, and Héctor race to put out a fuego . Just when they think their work is done, the firefighters hear a tiny meow and have to figure out how they can save a cat. Success! Fire extinguished and cat saved, the firefighters return to the station, ready to eat, relax, and sleep—only to be awakened to the sound of an emergencia.
Genre/Text Type: Realistic Fiction/ Picture Book
Social-Emotional Focus: Social Awareness Strategy Focus: Picture Clues
INTRODUCE THE BOOK Show children the picture of the fire truck and crew on the front cover and read the title. Point out the Spanish words fuego (fire) and bomberos (firefighters) . Have children echo as you read the title again. Explain that the story is about a crew of Latino firefighters and mixes in many Spanish words. Ask: What do you know about firefighters? Record children’s responses on chart paper. Let’s read to find out what makes these bomberos brave. DURING READING As you read the book, pause to discuss the questions below. Encourage children to turn and talk with partners or share their thinking with the whole group. Book pages are not numbered. The first pages of text are pages 2–3. pp. 2–5 As the book begins, we meet four firefighters in the firehouse.
Rising Voices Theme Strong and Resilient
Note to the Teacher • Read-Aloud Tip Let your voice and expression flow naturally as you read the story in rhyming verse. If you are not a proficient Spanish speaker, be sure to preview the glossary, including pronunciations, before reading aloud to children. As you read, point to details in the pictures that relate to Spanish terms used. • Language Support Know that the match of text and art offers rich context to support diverse language learners. Point out details in the illustrations and take time to let children have a good look at the images. Vocabulary coaxed (p. 19) persuaded or made to do something, in a friendly way douse (p. 12) put out with water embers (p. 24) glowing pieces of wood or coal from a fire extinguished (p. 24) put out or stopped from burning rig (p. 6) a fire truck
What happens when the sirens sound? How can you tell something serious has happened? (retell; picture clues) The firefighters point their manguera , or hose, at the house. The house is all madera , which means wood. Why do you think the author decided to use words from two languages? (author’s purpose)
pp. 6–9
pp. 10–15 What do the firefighters do once they reach the fire? How will their actions help them put out the fire? (key ideas and details; problem and solution) pp. 16–21 Oh no! The firefighters hear a cat meowing! How does Carlota solve the problem? The children look so happy that the cat is safe! How would you feel if the cat were your pet? (problem and solution; make connections) pp. 22–23 After the fire, people thank the firefighters. How can you tell the people respect the firefighters? How can you tell the firefighters like helping others? (make inferences; picture clues) pp. 24–31 The firefighters clean up and go back to the station.
What happens just as they start to fall asleep? How do these details help you understand what it is like to be a firefighter? (key ideas and details; make inferences)
Fire! ¡Fuego! Brave Bomberos
AFTER READING
Strategy Focus: Picture Clues Explain to children that the illustrations, or pictures, provide details about the story. Picture clues help readers see what things look like. The pictures can also tell more about the characters and what they do. Revisit pages 4–5. Guide children to use picture clues to clarify actions described in the text. Reread the sentence “Down the pole, they grab their gear.” Ask: How does the picture help you
understand what this sentence is telling about? Then guide children to use picture clues to figure out something the author does not directly say. Continue displaying pages 4–5. Ask: Look at the faces of the firefighters in the illustration. How does the illustration help you understand how the firefighters are feeling as they get ready to fight the fire? Have children generate a list of feelings as you record them on chart paper. Build Social-Emotional Awareness Display the illustration of happy community members and firefighters on pages 22–23. Say: The firefighters put out the fire and kept people safe. Helping others gives them a good feeling. How do you help others? What was one time you felt good after helping others? Have children turn and talk with a partner. Then select a few children to share their thinking with the class. CASEL Competency (social awareness) Act It Out Ask the children how they think the bomberos might feel after their big day putting out a fire. Then hold up the book opened to pages 28–29, showing how the sleeping firefighters are suddenly awakened by a new alarm. Invite children to act out these events. How might you move if you felt really tired and run-down? Then dim the lights and have them pretend to sleep. Goodnight, bomberos! Then, suddenly, sound the alarm! Have children act out being awakened and scrambling into action.
Extend Literacy
Draw and Write About Bravery Return to the pre-reading question: What makes these bomberos brave? Invite children to draw a picture of a brave action taken by one or more firefighters in the book. Have them write a caption that tells about their picture. (informative/explanatory) Book Club Discussion Have children meet in small groups to revisit the text and discuss the question below. • Strong and Resilient Community Helpers: Reread page 12, and display the illustration of the firefighters at work. The bomberos are working so hard! They are strong and resilient— they keep going even when it is hard for them. Imagine that our class is having a visit from a firefighter. What questions would you want to ask about how he or she gets his or her hard job done?
Connect to the Internet More About Fire Safety Share this website with children so they can find out more about fire safety: www.firesafekids.org/safety.html . Meet a Firefighter Share this website with children to hear a firefighter describe the job: www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/latina-firefighter-loves-her-challenging-rewarding-field-n744796 .
Item # 693948 Job # 2482-04 7/19
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