The inspiration for our play came to us from Ricardo Alegría’s book Cuentos folclóricos de Puerto Rico, in which he compiled some of the island’s folktales that have been passed down through generations. Alegría was a Puerto Rican journalist, cultural anthropologist, and archaeologist. He was responsible for establishing museums, rebuilding towns, and preserving historical landmarks in Puerto Rico.
Alexander Vidal
Play,
True Colors
A story about what it really means to be a friend
By Sari Bodi and Karen Trott, based on the folktale compiled by Ricardo Alegría
From the May / June 2019 Issue
Learning Objective: As students read this Puerto Rican folktale they will identify the big idea about how real friends treat each other.
Featured Skill:
Key Ideas and Details,
Other Key Skills: Big idea, key details, character, text features, main idea, inference, plot, compare and contrast
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Can't Miss Teaching Extras
Fun Fact
Fun Fact
The frog in our play was based on the coquí. The coquí is found mainly in El Yunque rainforest and is the official symbol of the Puerto Rico. It gets its name from the sound the male frog makes in the evenings (ko-KEE). Listen to this one-minute soundbite!
Check It Out
Find more amazing artwork from the illustrator of this play, Alexander Vidal. Which illustrations do your students like best?
Fun Fact
Students might be surprised to hear that Puerto Rico has been a territory of the United States since 1898. Spanish and English are both official languages.
More About the Article
Content-Area Connections
ELA: Folktales
Social studies: World cultures
Social-emotional learning: Self-awareness (identifying emotions); social awareness (empathy); responsible decision-making (solving problems); relationship skills (social engagement, relationship building, teamwork)
Key Skills
Big idea, key details, character, text features, main idea, inference, plot, compare and contrast
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
1. PREPARING TO READ
Set a Purpose for Reading / Explore Text Features (5 minutes)
- Look at pages 20-21 with the class. Point to the labels “Play” and “Read-aloud folktale.” Explain that a folktale is a story that’s been told in a country or area of the world for many generations. Folktales were first spoken to groups of listeners before they were written down and collected. Folktales often teach listeners and readers an important lesson about life.
- Read aloud the title and subtitle. Point to the illustration on pages 20-21. Explain “true colors” is also an expression that means a person’s real character— who they are on the inside, rather than how they seem to be on the outside.
- Read aloud the Scene 1 subhead with the class. Point to Puerto Rico on a classroom map. Explain that a large tropical rainforest is located in northeast Puerto Rico.
- Point to the scene headings on pages 22-24. Remind students that an Epilogue is a scene that takes place after the main events in the play. It explains how the story ended, often long after the main action.
- Call on volunteers to read aloud the Think and Read box on page 21 and the Think and Write box on page 25. Ask students to look for plot details that describe how Manny treats the other animals in the rainforest.
Introduce Vocabulary (15 minutes)
- While the play does not include definitions of vocabulary words in the text itself, a vocabulary activity previews challenging terms and allows students to list other words. Project or distribute the activity to review the terms. You may also play our Vocabulary Slideshow.
- Challenging terms: boa constrictor, persuade, drab, pluck, vivid, compliments, striking
2. FOCUS ON FLUENCY
Bridging Decoding and Comprehension
Remind students that the stage directions in parentheses tell a reader or actor how to say a line or perform an action in the play. Then point to the words in tiny voices and hisses in column 2 on page 21. Read the dialogue aloud with appropriate expression or action. Have students repeat after you.
3. CLOSE READING
Reading and Unpacking the Text
- Before reading: Point to the Characters box on page 21. Remind students that this is a list of all the characters in the play. Point out that almost all the characters are animals. Direct students to the phonetic spellings of iguaca and múcaro. Read the words aloud and ask students to repeat after you.
- First read: Continue reading the play as a class.
- Second read: Project or distribute the Close-Reading Questions. Discuss them as a class, rereading lines or scenes as necessary.
- Separate students into groups to discuss the Critical- Thinking Question. Have groups share their answers with the class. (Both Close-Reading and Critical- Thinking Questions are now available in Google Forms on our site, so students can type in their answers and email them to you.)
Close-Reading Questions (30 minutes)
- In Scene 1, why does La Grande bring all of the rainforest animals together? (key details) She wants each of them to help with the big party that night. Why is Isabel chosen to persuade all the animals to attend the party? She’s kind, easy to talk to, and a good listener. She has a sweet spirit.
- In Scene 2, Isabel offers to help Manny. What does that show about her character? (character) Her offer shows that she cares about others and wants to help.
- In Scene 3, how does Manny treat the other guests at the big party? (main idea) He is rude and conceited. He accepts their compliments and lies about how he got his feathers.
- In Scene 4, after Manny talks to the fireflies, why does the Narrator say, “The fireflies glance at one another, shaking their heads”? (inference) The fireflies don’t like how Manny is bragging.
- In Scene 5, what happens when the birds look into Isabel’s nest? (plot) They find her shivering and unable to fly. How do they help her? They collect feathers from all the birds and attach them to Isabel.
- Why do the birds of the rainforest help Isabel? (big idea) They want to repay her for her kindness to them and for being such a good friend.
- Read the “Epilogue.” What was Manny’s life like years later? How does that compare to Isabel’s life? (compare and contrast) Manny still had Isabel’s feathers, but only flew at night so that the other animals wouldn’t see him. He was ashamed of what he had done to Isabel. Isabel was happy to have her new feathers, and glad she meant so much to her friends.
Critical-Thinking Question (10 minutes)
- What did Isabel and Manny learn about friendship in this play? (big idea) Isabel learns the true meaning of friendship: Her friends help her because she is important to them and they want to repay her for being a kind, thoughtful friend. Manny learns that it’s wrong to trick and lie to a friend. His selfishness destroyed his friendship with the other animals and left him isolated and alone.
4. SKILL BUILDING
Big Idea (30 minutes)
Have students complete the Big Idea Activity. They should also write a response to the Think and Write question on page 25.
Differentiate and Customize
For Small Groups
Divide your class into groups and assign each group one scene from the play. As students practice their lines, remind them to work on their fluency skills by paying attention to stage directions and punctuation marks. Groups can make masks or simple props for different characters. Each group will perform the scene in class.
For Struggling Readers
Read aloud as students follow. Have them pay attention to punctuation marks and underline stage directions. Discuss any they don’t understand. Then have them take turns reading each scene aloud.
For Advanced Readers
This play connects to the fiction story, “Glow.” Have students discuss the message of each. Then have them write a paragraph comparing and contrasting Manny in the play with Trina from “Glow.”
Text-to-Speech