Taco Falls Apart Imagineerz Learning

SEL Read Aloud: Taco Falls Apart by Brenda S. Miles

Summary

“Taco Falls Apart” by Brenda S. Miles delves into the struggles of Taco, who feels overwhelmed by expectations to always be perfect. Taco reaches his breaking point, falling apart both literally and emotionally, reflecting the pressure he feels to maintain composure. Through the support of his food friends, Taco learns about the “Think-Feel-Do” cycle, which helps him understand how his negative thoughts intensify his distress. Guided by Nacho and other ingredients, Taco learns to shift his mindset to focus on his strengths, ultimately helping him to reassemble both his confidence and his structure. The story teaches children about resilience, the power of positive thinking, and the importance of emotional support from friends.

Comprehension Questions

Six questions aligned to Bloom’s taxonomy for teacher’s to evaluate students’ comprehension

Remembering: What does Taco do when he feels overwhelmed and falls apart?
Understanding: Explain what the “Think-Feel-Do” cycle means according to Nacho.
Applying: How would you use the “Think-Feel-Do” cycle to help a friend who is feeling down?
Analyzing: Discuss the role of support from friends in Taco’s journey to feeling better. How essential is it?
Evaluating: Decide if the ending of the story provides a long-term solution for Taco’s problem or just a temporary fix.
Creating: Design a new character who could be introduced in the story to provide additional support to Taco.

CASEL Discussion Questions

Five questions aligned to the CASEL competencies for teachers to foster an engaging discussion and foster social-emotional learning

Self-Awareness: How does Taco realize his own feelings and thoughts are affecting his behavior?
Self-Management: Can you identify a time when Taco could have used a different strategy to manage his stress better?
Social Awareness: What could Taco learn about the needs and feelings of others from this experience?
Relationship Skills: How might Taco’s relationships with his friends change after this experience?
Responsible Decision Making: How does Taco evaluate each option given to him by his friends before acting?

Design Thinking Challenge

Take students’ learning even further by incorporating the Imagineerz design thinking framework

Create a Taco Stabilizer

Understand

Begin by reading “Taco Falls Apart” by Brenda S. Miles. Discuss the main issues Taco faces, particularly his physical instability that leads to emotional distress. Focus on how Taco’s tendency to fall apart symbolizes his emotional breakdowns.
Initiate a class discussion on the metaphors used in the book and how they relate to Taco’s feelings of inadequacy and frustration. Explore questions like: What causes Taco to fall apart both literally and figuratively? How do his friends help him regain his stability and confidence?

Ideate

Encourage students to brainstorm ideas for a practical device that could help Taco maintain his stability, prevent falling apart, or easily reassemble if he does fall apart. Prompt them to think about simple mechanical solutions like a taco holder or balancer that could physically support Taco in moments of instability.
Ask students to consider additional features that might symbolically boost Taco’s confidence, such as a mirror to reflect his ‘best self’ or a compartment for motivational notes.

Prototype

In small groups or individually, students will create a prototype of their “Taco Stabilizer” using classroom materials such as cardboard, popsicle sticks, rubber bands, and fabrics. They should design their device to physically support a taco-shaped object and include elements that could metaphorically represent emotional support.
Encourage creativity in constructing devices that not only prevent Taco from tipping over but also offer interactive features to engage users in positive self-reflection.

Test

Students will present their prototypes to the class, explaining their design process, how their stabilizer works, and its intended benefits for Taco both physically and emotionally. Demonstrate the device’s functionality by testing it with an actual taco or a taco-shaped model to see if it can effectively prevent it from falling or help it easily stand back up after tipping over.
Gather feedback from classmates and teachers: Does the stabilizer effectively prevent the taco from falling? Is it easy to use? What improvements could enhance its functionality or make it more supportive for Taco’s emotional well-being?

Read Aloud

If you appreciated getting to read this book with your class, you might also want to share this book with them!

Additional Resources

- Taco Falls Apart on Amazon