Freedom Soup is part of our Starts With a Story Collection, which includes more than 550 picture book companions based on high quality children’s literature that support you in delivering highly-engaging interactive read alouds with follow up activities. Learn more about this children’s book below! - Jodi and the Starts With a Story Team
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SUMMARY
"Freedom Soup" by Tami Charles is a captivating children's book that celebrates family, heritage, and the significance of the Haitian tradition of making freedom soup, or Soup Joumou. The story follows young Belle and her grandmother, Ti Gran, as they prepare the traditional soup in celebration of Haitian Independence Day. As they cook, Ti Gran shares the history of Haiti's struggle for freedom from slavery, emphasizing the importance of preserving their cultural heritage. Through vivid illustrations and a lyrical narrative, the book showcases the rich flavors, vibrant colors, and the spirit of unity found in Soup Joumou. It serves as a reminder of the resilience and strength of the Haitian people and inspires readers to cherish their own cultural traditions. "Freedom Soup" beautifully explores themes of identity, family, and the power of food to connect generations and honor history.
 USE THIS BOOK TO TEACH:
Our read aloud lesson plans for this picture book come with reading comprehension questions (with sample student responses), 30 writing prompts, teaching ideas for grammar skills, social emotional learning discussion ideas, and more. Check out our list below to get a sneak peek at some of the skills this resource teaches.
- Encourage students to use their summarizing and retelling strategies.
- Help students to analyze what the author’s purpose for writing the book might be.
- Practice identifying figurative language in the story.
- Introduce and act out action verbs.
- Discuss the different adjectives used in the book.
- Discuss the various transition words found in the story.
NO-PREP PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES:
If you are looking for “ready to go” activities for the first day of school, be sure to check out the book companion. With it you’ll receive all of the following resources to align with this specific book:
- comprehension questions
- 30Â writing prompts with themed paper
- vocabulary activities
- word study print & go activities
- ideas for grammar lessons with focus sentence printables
- social emotional learning discussion topics
- graphic organizers to target specific comprehension skills and strategies
This book is a must have for your school or classroom library. Your students are going to love completing these activities for the book and you will be impressed with how much they learn. You will want to read this book to your class every year.
GET THE PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
ADDITIONAL BOOK SUGGESTIONS
You and your students will love the similar books listed below, which can all be found in our free picture book list.
- The Hello, Goodbye Winter by Norton Juster
- Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Pena
- Where Are Your From? by Jaime Kim
- The Empty Pot by Demi
- When Grandma Gives You a Lemon Tree by Jamie L.B. Deenihan and Lorraine Rocha
- Eyes that Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho
- Eyes that Speak to the Stars by Joanna Ho
- Squirrel’s New Year’s Resolution by Pat Miller
- Shanté Keys and the New Year’s Peas by Gail Piernas-Davenport
TRY OUT A SAMPLE COMPANION
It's hard to explain how amazing the Starts with a Story book companions are because there is just so much goodness included in each one. It's best if you experience using one for yourself. Sign up below & we'll send you an entire book companion to try out for FREE!
