Story Summary:

Nuria Casado thinks she has the strangest family living in Barcelona, Spain. They are Catholic, yet inside their home they practice weird traditions that none of her friends' families do. Nuria's mother calls them “our own ways.”  The strangest customs always begin late Friday afternoon. While Nuria decides to investigate, her Abuela – grandmother – realizes that she has to address her granddaughter's curiosity. Resorting to a very dramatic method, she reveals a deeply hidden family secret to Nuria and her parents.

Lesson Plans

- Be a Detective! What are the tools a detective needs? What constitutes a clue? What is the detective connection to this story? Comes with a Youtube link, plus gripping classroom “Clue” activities connected to the story.

- Story Discussion includes reading the story and putting it in a historical context by providing brief information on the Spanish Expulsion. Keeping in the spirit of the story's secrets, this unit comes with a “hidden” Word Find activity.

- Mapping Activity comes with a blank map of Spain and its place on the world's globe. Includes mapping of important Spanish cities in Jewish history, as well as information on important Spanish Jewish personalities (e.g. Maimonides, Luis de Torres, etc). 

- Tzedakah and Maimonides' Ladder of Giving comes with interesting activities relating to the important Jewish value of Tzedakah. Includes an active understanding of Maimonides' different levels of giving.