Use this high interest resource to combine ELA, math, social studies, and social emotional learning lessons built around the highly praised middle grade novel State of the Union.

Kirkus Reviews calls this second book in The Fina Mendoza Mysteries "a lively mystery with a touch of spookiness, an intriguing setting, an appealing family dynamic, and an enterprising Latina heroine."

The plot involves a mysterious bird that poops on the president's head during the State of the Union address and the 10-year-old daughter of a congressman who solves mysteries on Capitol Hill.

★ The Teacher's Guide was created by F. Linda Marks, a curriculum coordinator and school librarian for nearly two decades on Oahu and in Washington, D.C. She is past president of the Hawaii Association of School Librarians.

This 56 page Teacher's Guide to State of the Union by award-winning public radio veteran Kitty Felde contains information about:

• Congress

• The State of the Union address

• The First Amendment

• Immigration

• Quizzes

• Mapping tasks that require use of math skills

• Fun facts

• Writing practice

• Social emotional learning (SEL) Creative art activities

  The guide includes cross-curricular lessons, research projects, and fun activities that allow students to practice close reading, listening skills, and improve text-based vocabulary in English and Spanish. Questions challenge students to analyze and comprehend story elements. The guide also includes a writing exercise where students send a letter or postcard to their senator or representative.