The Tooth Fairy Meets El Ratón Pérez Belonging in Books™ Reading Comprehension Week-Long Unit

Belonging in Books | PreK–2nd Reading Comprehension Curriculum for Close Read and Read-Alouds

If you’re looking for a low-prep, high-impact way to bring purposeful comprehension instruction into your PreK–2 classroom or homeschool, this resource is for you! Part of the Belonging in Books curriculum, this unit supports deep thinking, joyful reading, and inclusive discussion using a powerful anchor text:

The Tooth Fairy Meets El Ratón Pérez by René Colato Laínez

This week, students will read and explore The Tooth Fairy Meets El Ratón Pérez by René Colato Laínez as they learn about cultural traditions, cooperation, and the different ways families celebrate the milestone of losing a tooth. Through discussion, vocabulary, and story analysis, students will focus on determining importance by identifying key details while comparing and contrasting tooth traditions represented in different texts. Learners will discover that cultures around the world may celebrate similar experiences in unique ways and that learning about these differences helps build understanding and appreciation for others. Students will also read Throw Your Tooth on the Roof by Selby B. Beeler as a connected text, exploring tooth-losing customs from around the world and recognizing both the similarities and differences among cultural traditions.

Each Belonging in Books unit is built around a high-quality read-aloud and carefully designed to:

✔️ Teach comprehension through rich, age-appropriate conversations
✔️ Build vocabulary and language skills in context
✔️ Explore story elements and text structures
✔️ Practice key comprehension strategies
✔️ Support synthesis using a paired companion text
✔️ Center student voices and diverse perspectives

What’s Included:
5-day lesson arc (20–30 minutes/day):

• Day 1: Connect & First Read
• Day 2: Vocabulary Exploration
• Day 3: Story Elements or Text Structure
• Day 4: Comprehension Skill
• Day 5: Paired Text & Synthesis Discussion

+Semi-Scripted daily lesson plans
+Thoughtful discussion questions
+Printable graphic organizers
+Visual Vocabulary and child-friendly definitions
+No Prep student practice sheets
+Anchor chart templates
+CCSS Alignment
+Student “I Can” statements
+Lesson plans for a culminating project or hands-on response
+Companion text suggestion and extension ideas

Each book in Belonging in Books can be a stand alone week of learning, or you can dive into an entire thematic unit of quality mentor texts that connect through themes, character experiences, comprehension strategies, and text structures.

Check out the rest of the Belonging in Books Curriculum!

This unit is part of the Unit 17 Bundle.