Round Is a Tortilla: A Book of Shapes

Posted By: Tatiana Amaro

Author: Roseanne Greenfield Thong

Illustrator: John Parra

Recommended Grade Level

Pre-K through 3rd grade

Common Core State Standards Addressed

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.1: Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, and describe the relative positions of these objects using terms such as above, below, beside, in front of, behind, and next to.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.2: Correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.CC.B.4: Understand the relationship between numbers and quantities; connect counting to cardinality.

Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practice

  CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP4: Model with mathematics.

Summary

In this lively picture book, a little girl discovers a world of shapes all around her: Round are sombreros, rectangles are flags that fly above the score board, way up high, triangles are crunchy chips for guacamole and other dips. This book teaches Spanish, shapes, and everyday objects to children.

Rating

I highly recommend this book. It is a multicultural book that introduces children to basic shapes (circle, rectangle, square, triangle, oval, star) through food and objects around them. This book helps build children’s vocabulary in English and Spanish. I especially like this book because of its lively illustrations, which allows students to make connections and moreover, it really encourages students to think about all of the everyday things in our daily experiences. It is also a rhyming book, which makes it even more fun to read!

Classroom Ideas

1. This would be a great book to introduce basic shapes to students especially to emergent bilinguals. As you read the book, the teacher can encourage students to name other objects that represent the shapes. The teacher can also invite students to find objects around the classroom.

2. As you introduce the book, emphasize the Spanish vocabulary. Write the vocabulary words on Chart paper in both English and Spanish and draw a picture next to the word.  This will help build students vocabularies in both English and Spanish. The teacher can then engage in a cooking activity with the students using foods discussed in the book that represent a shape (tortilla, cheese, humus tomatoes).

3. After reading the book, students can match shapes in the real world. The teacher can provide students with picture symbols of different shapes and objects students are familiar with and engage in a matching activity. The teacher can reinforce this throughout the day by asking students to find objects that match a specific shape.

4. Teachers can also have a show and tell with students following the book. You can invite students to bring in an object from home that reminds them of a specific shape. The students can take turns sharing this special object with their peers.