What Are Cognates? A cognate is a word that looks similar in two different languages. For example, the Spanish word artista looks like the English word artist. Both artista and artist mean “a person who creates art.”
False cognates look similar but have different definitions. The Spanish word ropa looks like the English word rope, but ropa means “clothing.”
Use Cognates You can use cognates to better understand what you read. For example, in “The Three Chicharrones,” the name Astuto is a cognate of the word astute. Astuto and astute mean “smart.” The character Astuto in the story is smart.
Analyze Cognates Study the Spanish words in the chart. With a partner, discuss what English words they are like. Then write a sentence to show what each English cognate means.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| familia | family |
| círculo | |
| danza | |
| acción | |
| gigante |
ART
“The Three Chicharrones” is a modern fairy tale. The author told an old story in a new way. Dinero drives a sports car. The Chicharrones snack on salsa. These things are not part of the old story.
1 Plan Your Story Choose an old story to make modern. Decide how you could change the characters, setting, and events to make them new.
2 Draw a Comic Book Identify the parts of your new story. Draw each part in a storyboard to make it look like a comic book. Use speech balloons to show the characters’ speech and thoughts.
3 Discuss with a Partner Read your comic book aloud to a partner. Then compare your comic books. Explain what you changed to make your story modern.