Gustavo, the Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago is a heartwarming story of bravery, friendship, and self-expression—making it a rich mentor text for writing exercises across various disciplines. With its themes of shyness, the supernatural, and the courage to be seen, Gustavo’s journey offers endless opportunities for deep reflection and creativity in classrooms. Let’s explore how you can use this story as a springboard for disciplinary writing in all subject areas!

How to Start Incorporating Picture Books as Mentor Texts in Your Teaching Routines

Using picture books like Gustavo, the Shy Ghost as mentor texts can offer students fresh perspectives while connecting deeply with emotions, themes, and subjects across the curriculum. Here are some practical tips to start incorporating picture books into your teaching routines:

1. Start Small: Begin by choosing one picture book, like Gustavo, that aligns with the themes you’re teaching. Use it for a single writing prompt or class discussion. Over time, expand to other books that tie into different units or subject areas.

2. Make Connections to Curriculum: Look for picture books that naturally align with the topics you're covering. For example, if you’re teaching about cultural traditions in social studies, a book like Gustavo can spark conversations around holidays and social customs.

3. Use Visuals and Texts Together: Picture books often have rich illustrations that can serve as visual writing prompts. Ask students to analyze both the artwork and the text. What do they notice? How do the visuals help tell the story? This can lead to discussions about storytelling and perspective.

4. Model Writing Using the Book: Read the picture book aloud and share your own reflections or writing inspired by the story. Demonstrating how you would respond to the book’s themes shows students how they can do the same.

5. Integrate Across Disciplines: Don’t limit picture books to language arts. As shown with Gustavo, the Shy Ghost, books can be integrated into science, social studies, math, art, and even physical education. Encourage students to think critically and creatively about how stories connect with different subjects.

6. Create a Mentor Text Library: Build a collection of picture books that can serve as mentor texts for various writing exercises. This makes it easy to pull out a story whenever a writing opportunity arises.

Example Mentor Text Prompts Across All Subject Areas

English Language Arts: Exploring Character and Emotions

In ELA, Gustavo provides a wonderful foundation for students to explore character development and emotional themes. You can ask students to write about:

• Character Analysis: How does Gustavo change throughout the story? Use textual evidence to explore his growth in confidence and bravery.

• Personal Connection: Have students reflect on moments when they’ve felt shy or nervous like Gustavo. How did they overcome these feelings? What strategies did they use to find courage?

• What If Questions: Gustavo asks, What if no one shows up? What if they don’t like my music? Ask students to generate their own "What if" questions based on personal experiences or characters from other texts. This exercise helps develop critical thinking and empathy.

Social Studies: Understanding Traditions and Community

The story is set against the backdrop of the Day of the Dead, a tradition rich in cultural significance. In Social Studies, use this as a gateway to discussions and writing prompts around community, traditions, and social interactions.

• Cultural Reflection: Have students research the Día de los Muertos and write a comparison between how Gustavo’s experience reflects cultural traditions and how their own family traditions bring people together.

• Historical Figures and Loneliness: Like Gustavo, many historical figures faced loneliness or struggles with fitting in. Assign students to write a “ghost story” about a historical figure who felt unseen but eventually made a significant impact.

Science: Investigating Emotions and the Brain

Gustavo’s shyness and anxiety about making friends provide an opportunity to connect literature with neuroscience and the biology of emotions.

• Emotional Responses: Ask students to research what happens in the brain when we experience shyness, nervousness, or fear. They can write an on-demand prompt explaining the science behind Gustavo’s feelings, supported by research on the brain’s response to social situations.

• Scientific Inquiry: Explore the idea of glowing as a metaphor for self-confidence. Students can research and write about real-life phenomena where living things “glow” in nature, such as bioluminescence in marine life or fireflies. How does Gustavo’s emotional glow compare to these natural examples?

Mathematics: Problem Solving and Patterns

Though Gustavo is not directly about math, its narrative can still be used to practice problem-solving skills and mathematical thinking.

• Patterns of Behavior: Ask students to analyze the patterns in Gustavo’s attempts to be noticed and make friends. How many times does he try, and what strategies does he use? Chart these attempts and discuss which one was successful and why.

• Probability Writing: What were the chances that Gustavo’s plan would work? Have students write about probability in a real-world scenario, using Gustavo’s “what if” questions as inspiration. For example, students can calculate and write about the probability of an event in their own lives going the way they hoped.

Art: Expressing Emotions through Creativity

Gustavo finds joy in playing the violin—an act that makes him "glow." This idea of expressing oneself through an art form is an important theme in the book.

• Art Reflection: Ask students to write about something they love so much that it makes them "glow" inside. What hobby, skill, or talent helps them feel visible? After writing, students can create their own art piece that visually represents this feeling.

• Artist Biography: Explore famous artists or musicians who, like Gustavo, felt invisible or struggled with shyness. Have students research an artist’s biography and write about how their art allowed them to connect with others.

Physical Education and Health: Bravery and Emotional Wellness

In PE and health, Gustavo’s courage to let others see him offers a great opportunity to discuss emotional wellness and overcoming personal challenges.

• Bravery Journals: Encourage students to keep a "bravery journal," where they reflect on moments when they were brave, just like Gustavo. How did they feel before and after the moment? Use this as a daily writing activity that fosters self-awareness and emotional growth.

• Teamwork and Friendship: In physical education, students often face fears about being judged or left out, just as Gustavo did. Have them write about a time when they were nervous to join a team or participate in an activity, and how they overcame it.

Foreign Language: Expressing Identity Across Cultures

Gustavo, the Shy Ghost can also be incorporated into foreign language learning, particularly when discussing cultural customs like the Day of the Dead.

• Cultural Writing: Ask students to write about how shyness or courage is viewed in different cultures. How do customs around friendship and bravery differ across countries? Students can write a comparative essay in the foreign language they are studying.

• Personal Essay in Another Language: If students are learning a foreign language, they can write a personal reflection on what makes them feel invisible or brave—practicing vocabulary related to emotions, self-expression, and community.

Using Gustavo, the Shy Ghost as a mentor text offers a multi-disciplinary approach to writing in the classroom. Gustavo’s journey from invisibility to self-confidence resonates with students of all ages, making it a powerful tool for exploring themes of identity, courage, and emotional growth across subjects. Whether through character analysis in ELA, cultural exploration in Social Studies, or reflections on bravery in health, this gentle ghost story encourages students to think deeply and write meaningfully.

By incorporating Gustavo into writing exercises, you can create a classroom environment where students feel seen, heard, and empowered—just like Gustavo himself.