Grade Levels:
3rd-5th

Standards:

Discussion Prompts

  1. Thad makes fun of Beni because of his interest in video games and comic books. But then Thad shows up at Taino Comics and Games with a special request. What did you expect Thad to do in the comic bookstore? Did your view of Thad change after this scene? Why or why not?
  2. The Venturas track a powerful hurricane as it approaches Puerto Rico, a Caribbean island where they have family living. We experience the characters’ reactions through their lines (dialogue). What is another way the audience receives information about the hurricane in these scenes? Why do you think the series creators decided to tell that part of the story in this style?
  3. Alexa and her mother visit a genealogy website to find information about members of their family. They discover something that alters Alexa’s perspective about the timestorm. What piece of information changes Alexa’s mind? How else could Alexa have searched for this information?

Fiction & Facts

Additional Resources

Newark BOE - Rafael Hernández School: nps.k12.nj.us/her/

NPS: Casa Amadeo antigua, Casa Hernández: nps.gov/nr/feature/hispanic/2001/amadeo.htm

Wikipedia: Rafael Hernández: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafael_Hernández_Marín

NPR: We've Never Gone Through This: Hurricane Maria Knocks Out Puerto Rico's Electricity: tinyurl.com/y6utfgam

NPR: With Power Out And Phones Down, A Struggle To Reach Loved Ones In Puerto Rico: tinyurl.com/yb6jb2lq