Learning with 'Armadillo Ray'

"Armadillo Ray," by John Beifuss, is the tale of a young, curious armadillo who wants to know what the moon is. He is joined in his quest by snakes, prairie dogs, sage grouse, and owls. The beauty of the book is its simplicity, illustrations and landscapes, and its potential links to reading, geography, science, and mathematics. In this article, the authors describe how they used "Armadillo Ray" to help non-English speaking students learn and understand English. The authors present a set of lessons they have developed for kindergarten and first-grade migrant students in Statesboro, Georgia, and non-English speaking students in Oaxaca, Mexico. Throughout the lessons, the authors suggest teachers to ask students to review what they are learning and have them talk about their own artwork and about what was accomplished.