Posted on April 29, 2022 by Maureen Schlosser
When you read the title I Do Not Like Yolanda, you’re compelled to open the book. You’ll want to learn what’s up with Yolanda. But first, we meet Bianca.
Bianca loves everything about writing and sending letters. She cares about spelling and puts much thought into what she writes. She decorates her letters and envelopes with colorful pictures and adds interesting stamps.
There is one thing that Bianca does not like about writing and sending letters. She’s afraid of Yolanda, the post office clerk. Bianca makes assumptions about Yolanda while waiting in line. She decides that Yolanda doesn’t like people and wants to eat them. Bianca’s ideas about Yolanda make her afraid.
When Bianca gathers the courage to ask Yolanda for stamps, she also asks about her weekend. Bianca is surprised about what happens next. Instead of eating Bianca, Yolanda tells her all about a delicious meal she made. It turns out that Bianca had the wrong idea about Yolanda. The postal clerk was quite friendly and interesting!
Readers are going to love the suspenseful structure of this book. They’ll be captivated by the hints of Yolanda’s character as the story builds. The illustrations draw readers further into the story as they look for clues and watch Bianca’s anxiety grow.
The conclusion reminds readers that assumptions are not helpful.
AASL Standards Framework for Learners: Explore/Think V.A.2: Learners develop and satisfy personal curiosity by reflecting and questioning assumptions and possible misconceptions.
By the end of this lesson activity, learners will understand the importance of questioning their assumptions about the people they meet.
Begin by reading I Don’t Like Yolanda by Zoey Abbott. Ask learners the following questions:
Next, introduce the story of Milo Imagines the World by Matt de la Peña. Tell learners that while you read the story, their job is to watch how Milo makes assumptions about the people around him. Reflect on the story by asking the following questions:
Invite learners to reflect on the lessons from both stories. Encourage learners to share how Bianca and Milo’s stories will help them the next time they make assumptions about people.
Wondering how to structure a letter and address an envelope? Check out the endpapers in I Do Not Like Yolanda. Here you’ll find letters written by Bianca to her friends and family. The letters are fun to read!
Want to learn more about the post office? Take a virtual field trip to the post office by watching Post Office Field Trip from PBS Learning Media.
To learn about postage stamps, visit Britannia Kids. Here you’ll find interesting information about the history and purpose of stamps.
Tundra, the publisher, has a tremendous amount of fun ideas that will work for any class schedule. Click here to access #TundraTime activities for I Do Not Like Yolanda.
If you like the lesson ideas on this blog, you might want to check out my books!
I am an Amazon affiliate which means I will receive a small percentage of your purchase at no cost to you.
Category: Social Themes- Emotions & Feelings, Social Themes-Self-Esteem & Self-RelianceTags: anxiety, anxious, assumptions, community workers, letter writing, passion project, postage stamps, postal workers, United States Postal Service
Thank you for bringing this book to my attention and for the wonderful lesson! I will definitely be checking out your books.
Thank you for interpreting this book for me in a way that I can explain it to older elementary students. I saw this book at the store but read it too quickly to grasp its meaning, now I realized I should have bought it! I will use this story to introduce myself at a new school I will travel to next fall. Hopefully, it will help with students “making assumptions “ about the new lady. Thanks!
I love that idea! Good luck and have fun!