Gary Soto
Lesson plans for Baseball in April and other books

Baseball in April
Suggestions for follow-up activities and related readings.

"Broken Chain"
Students write about cause-and-effect relationships in the story.

Chato and the Party Animals
This lesson asks younger students to concept map "neighborhood" and "celebration."

Gary Soto
An essay on "classroom issues and strategies" for working with Soto.

Gary Soto
Biography and links to other resources from the Academy of American Poets.

The Life and Work of Gary Soto
Students complete a simple author study.

The Official Gary Soto Website
Biography and bibliography.

"Oranges" by Gary Soto
Using an online map of Fresno, students choose a landmark to use as the setting for a vinnette, a short story episode of about one page, modeled after Soto's style.

Short Stories by Gary Soto
The activities in this SCORE guide focus on "Baseball in April" and "Living up the Street."

Taking Sides by Gary Soto
Designed for grades 8 and 9, this site offers a summary, theme openers, crosscurricular activities, research assignments, and suggestions for additional reading.

Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto
Ideas for incorporating math skills into a study of the book.

Too Many Tamales
A variety of cross-curricular post-reading activities, including language arts.

Reading and Writing with Gary Soto
Using "Tortillas Like Africa" and Too Many Tamales students explore literary elements of a story or poem.

Whose Shoes?
This lesson uses "Ode to Pablo's Tennis Shoes" to teach students to draw inferences.