Octopus Stew by Eric Velasquez Read-Aloud Activities and Book Companion

Looking for a fresh, funny, and light-hearted picture book to read aloud for Hispanic Heritage Month? Octopus Stew by Eric Velasquez is the perfect pick! This delightful tall tale, filled with humor and adventure, celebrates Latino culture and will have your students hooked from the very first page.

This picture book companion is a complete supplemental resource for the book Octopus Stew, by Eric Velasquez.

With 58 print-and-go reading activities to choose from, this resource is ideal for customizing learning to your student’s specific needs and academic abilities. Students will identify story elements, determine the theme, analyze characters, compare and contrast, make predictions, inferences, and connections, answer questions that require them to think within and beyond the text, and so much more!

This Resource Includes:

• Reader Response Questions (1 page) – short-answer response questions
• Story Elements Graphic Organizer (1 page) – Students will fill in each box with words and pictures to represent each story element.
• Character Traits Graphic Organizer (2 pages) - Students will analyze the boy and/or grandmother in the story by identifying their dialogue, thoughts, actions, and feelings.
• Character Trait Showcase (1 page) - Students will choose the most important character trait that describes each of the characters in the story. Then, for each character, they will give 1-2 examples of why they picked that trait.
• Character Summary (1 page) - Students will summarize a character of their choice, focusing on challenges, responses to challenges, flaws, positive characteristics, and completing a timeline of 5 events that showcase their character’s behavior.
• Retell the Story - BME (1 page) – Students will retell the beginning, middle, and end of the story Octopus Stew with text and illustrations.
• Create a Comic (1 pages) - Students will create or retell a favorite story as a comic, with speech bubbles, words, and illustrations.
• Story vs Author’s Note (1 page) - Students will compare and contrast the author’s note to the story using a graphic organizer.
• Book Review (1 page) – Students will rate and write a review for the book Octopus Stew.
• My Family Memory (2 pages) – Students will choose a family memory or story and write it as a fantasy story with illustrations.
• Long Research Project on Sharks or Octopuses (8 pages each) - Students will choose to research either sharks or octopuses. They will complete graphic organizers, answer questions, draw and label an illustration, record fun facts, define and illustrate new vocabulary, and complete a summary report.
• One-Page Research Project on Sharks or Octopuses (1 page each) - Students will choose to research either sharks or octopuses. They will complete a one-page report with facts regarding their animal’s habitat, features, diet, movement, and interesting facts.