Fly Away Home: Lesson Ideas { A Must Read Mentor Text }

Today I am linking up with the Collaboration Cuties for their Must Have Mentor Text linky. 

I absolutely LOVE Eve Bunting. I especially love Fly Away Home. Just looking at the title and cover you could possibly think this book is about a father and son taking a plane back home, maybe coming from a vacation or a relative's house. It is not that at all! This book is actually about a homeless boy who lives in an airport with his father, moving from terminal to terminal trying not to be noticed. 

There are so many amazing teachable moments in this book. Why are they homeless? Where is the mother? Why don't they go to a shelter? Why can't Dad work?

We plan on using it this year for our first unit (that Robyn and I rewrote this summer). We are focusing on homelessness. This is a great mentor text because students get to know this completely normal boy, who happens to be homeless. They understand it can happen to almost anyone and it leads us to the big question what makes a home? It really triggers empathy in my students and I love that it empowers the students to want to help others. Homelessness is a difficult subject to teach and talk about to young kids because you don't know everyone's past and history. In fact, in my eight years as a teacher, I have had some students who lived in local homeless shelters while coming to class everyday. 

 

I also love this book because it is something the students really have to think about to understand. The students take the story very seriously. 

Besides teaching about the subject matter, I'm sure you all agree that all Eve Bunting books are filled with descriptive language, amazing illustrations, and a touching story plot. I think all Even Bunting books bring out emotions when I read them. Some of my favorites that I read every year are A Wednesday Surprise, In a Day's Work, A Train to Somewhere, The Wall, The Other Side, and A Memory String.  

Anyone know of any other books that discuss homelessness? I'd love some ideas to implement into our first unit! :)