Definition:

 Integrity is the practice of living consistently by a code of strong moral principles which includes being honest, respectful and responsible all the time, whether you’re seen or unseen.

In short:

Do the right thing, even when no one's looking.  

Summary:
Pura Belpre was an immigrant from Puerto Rico who introduced Spanish language stories into public libraries in New York City in the 1920’s. Puerto Rican children could not find any stories from their country until Pura Belpre became a bilingual librarian in one of the New York libraries. She began her career as a puppeteer, telling stories to immigrant children and finally writing books to put on the shelves of these libraries. Pura modeled how important it is to be proud of one’s culture - she cultivated  respect for and pride in her Puerto Rican heritage.  She demonstrated integrity by creating a space for the rights and needs of others. 

Lesson Objectives: 

1. Students will learn some phrases and stories from Puerto Rico. 
2. They will learn how important a person’s native culture is and gain some respect for other cultures.  
3. If there are few books in their own language at local libraries, they will persuade librarians to include those books. 

Guiding Questions: 

1. Living with integrity is about showing respect for all people and their distinct culture. How did Pura get people interested in her Puerto Rican culture? 
2. What does the word bilingual mean? Are you bilingual? 
3. There were many Puerto Rican immigrants to New York city when Pura became a librarian in the 1920’s. What did she do to help the children of these families? 
4. Do you have a favorite book that you listened to before you could read? Share about the story and how you felt about it. 
5. Do you like going to the library and taking out books? Can you get a library card at your age? 
6. What section in the library do you like to go to look for books?
7. Locate Puerto Rico on a world map. Is it close to where you live or far away? 
8. Do you like to write stories? If so, what do you like to write about?
9. Did you learn about any Spanish words after reading this story? What were they? 
10. Why do you think the author gave this book the title, “Planting Stories”?