Making Multicultural Connections
Through Trade Books

Nina's Treasures
Written by Stefan Czernecki and Timothy Rhodes
Illustrated by Stefan Czernecki

Cultural Group: Other International Cultures

Content Connection: Social Studies Grade 1

Topic : Food

Suggested Exemplars

• Guess Box: egg, seeds, cornmeal
• Picture Interpretation: Feathers in Bloom by Marc Chagall
• Collection: fruits and vegetables harvested during the fall
• Comparison Circles: real/make-believe

Learning Sequence

1. Guess Box: egg

2. Share the cover of Nina's Treasures, and the first picture that identifies the main characters.

3. Ask students to think about what might be treasures to Katerina and to Nina.

4. Read Nina's Treasures.

5. Compare and contrast the ways Nina and Katerina obtained food during each season.

6. Survey students to discover their favorite food or a food they might treasure.

7. Create a class graph of favorite foods.

Extension

• ReadChicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco to show how painted eggs were originally painted in the Ukraine.
• Have children decorate eggs (paper or real) using a continuing pattern of 2 or 3 shapes.

Technology Link

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• Use KID PIX STUDIO (Broderbund) to make Ukrainian eggs (pisanka) as shown on page 56 of the KID PIX AROUND THE WORLD ACTIVITY BOOK by Barbara Chan (Addison Wesley, 1994).

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© 1996 MCPS Department of Academic Programs, Division of Enriched and Innovative Instruction,Program of Assessment, Diagnosis, and Instruction