Monarch Butterflies


Life in the Sanctuary Region
Children and Families Share Their Stories

A Glimpse at Daily Life in Garatachea
A Report from Noemi

Comparing and Contrasting Language and Culture
Use some or all of these reading activities as you read this bilingual story about life in the Monarch Sanctuary Region.

1) Pull up just the Spanish version of Noemi's story and share it as a class.

2) Look closely at the first picture.

  • What do you think is happening?
  • What sentence or caption would you write about the picture?
  • What questions do you have?

Do the same for other pictures in the story.

Option: Can you read any of the Spanish words or sentences? (You can look some up in a Spanish/English dictionary or translate them online.)
Option: After looking at all the pictures in the story, but not reading the English versions, write one or more paragraphs that you think describe Noemi's life. Use descriptive words.

3) Click to the English version of the page. How does it compare with your ideas about what was happening? (Note: You can always click back and forth between English and Spanish.)

4) Finally, compare and contrast your life and activities with those of Noemi and her family. Use the graphic organizer to the right (or make a Venn diagram) to show how her life compares with yours. You could compare these types of things:
  • chores and responsibilities
  • animals and pets
  • meeting basic needs (water, food, heat)
  • preparing food
  • food likes and dislikes

5) Write or tell a partner about how you would feel if you could live in Noemi's family for a while.

<< Back to Bilingual Vignettes, "Life in the Monarch Sanctuary Region"

National Geography Standards

Places and Regions
The physical and human characteristics of places.

Human Systems
The characteristics, distributions, and complexity of Earth's cultural mosaics.


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