Unit 2 Skills Building: Yo Soy Muslim

Skills Building: Yo Soy Muslim: A Father’s Letter to His Daughter (PK-5)

Written by Mark Gonzales and illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini

Pre Reading Questions

What do you think “Yo Soy Muslim” means?
Based off of this book cover, do you think you can find more commonalities or differences with the father and daughter? Why or why not?
Why do you think this father is writing a letter to his daughter?
If you could write a letter to your future children or someone in your family, what would it say?

Post Reading Questions

What do you think it means to be human and why?
Has someone ever asked “what are you?” How did you respond? How did that make you feel?
“Our prayers were here before your borders were.” What do you think this means?
What would you say to someone who seems to look down on you and who you are?

Creative Enrichment Activity: A Postcard to Your Future Self (Pre-K-5)

Overview: In the book “Yo Soy Muslim: A Father’s Letter to his Daughter,” a father writes to his daughter about loving herself and appreciating what makes her unique even if others may not see it. In this activity, you will write and decorate a postcard to yourself. This postcard will then be collected by your teachers and given back to you at the end of the semester or the year to remind yourself of the beauty of our differences and the connection of our similarities.

Materials

● Postcard template printed on card stock (pre-cut for younger students). Download template.
● Color pencils/markers/crayons
● Scissors

Duration: 30 minutes (for staff: 5-minute pre-activity setup, 5-minute prep)

● 5 minutes: Introduce the activity
● 20 minutes: Work on the postcards
● 5 minutes: Clean up
● 5 minutes: Reflect and share

Instructions

Staff should print templates on cardstock paper prior to the activity and cut out the postcards for younger students.
Introduce the activity using the book.
Students write and decorate their postcards. Non-writers can draw pictures to represent each section or use staff or student writers to assist.
Clean up the materials.
Reflect as a group.

Reflection Questions

Share your postcard with the person next to you.
What are some similarities and differences that you notice?
Why is it important to celebrate our differences?
We are all different and unique in our own ways. What makes you unique?
You will get this postcard back at the end of the year (or the end of the semester). What do you think will change or stay the same?

Skills Building: Yo Soy Muslim: A Father’s Letter to His Daughter (PK-5)

Creative Enrichment Activity: A Postcard to Your Future Self (Pre-K-5)

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