Mexikid,

Learning Goals

• Describe how Pedro’s feelings about his family and his grandfather, Abuelito, develop during the family’s trip to Mexico, using details from selected pages.
• Explain how panels, speech bubbles, facial expressions, and illustrations help readers understand Pedro’s experiences.
• Sequence three important moments from a selected episode in the family’s journey.
• Create a short comic about a family or community experience, combining pictures and words to communicate feelings.

Activity Steps

1. 1.Introduce Pedro Martín’s Mexikid and explain that it tells stories from the author’s childhood, including his family’s journey to Mexico to bring Abuelito home. Locate the United States and Mexico on a map. Invite students to consider how journeys can help people learn about their families.
2. 2.Read aloud a teacher-selected, age-appropriate excerpt featuring Pedro’s family on the trip or an interaction with Abuelito. Project the pages so students can examine the artwork. For K–2, use a short selection and explain unfamiliar words; for grades 3–5, invite partner reading.
3. 3.Model how to read panels in order. Ask students to identify a speech bubble, a facial expression, and an illustration detail that reveals something about Pedro’s feelings. Discuss: What does Pedro learn about his grandfather or family?
4. 4.Have students draw or write three moments from the excerpt in beginning–middle–end order. K–2 students may dictate captions; grades 3–5 students should include page details supporting their sequence.
5. 5.Invite students to create a three-panel comic about a real or imagined family or community journey, gathering, or shared activity. Include expressions and speech bubbles or captions. Finish with partner sharing: How do your pictures and words help readers understand the experience?