Design a new cover for the story using watercolors. Provide the child with a sheet of butcher paper large enough to cover both the front and back of the book. Give him watercolors and ask him to paint his favorite part of the story on the paper. He should write the title and author on the cover. On the back, he might choose to paint a second illustration or simply include a brief summary like you might find on the back of a book cover. Wrap the book in the child's cover and place it in your personal library.
Create a cockroach book based on the main characters in "Martina the Beautiful Cockroach." Read the story and discuss cockroaches with your child. Take the student to the library and ask her to find information on cockroaches. Allow her to choose the most interesting fact and write it on a sheet of paper as well as illustrate it. Combine all illustrated fact sheets and create a book with cockroach facts.
The story of "Martina the Beautiful Cockroach" is a Cuban legend. Discuss this with your students and have them retell their own family story. Because legends are often told orally, provide the child with a tape recorder and ask him to tell his favorite family story while recording him. Create a class family legend archive and allow students to listen to each other's family legends during free time.
Use the story as a method of teaching a child about Cuba. Read the story and discuss Cuba, the place where the legend originates. Show the student maps of Cuba and talk about its history. Discuss the Spanish language spoken there, and go back through the story and point out the Spanish words throughout the book. After the study of Cuba, ask students to record five things they learned during the unit. Use this to evaluate the children's understanding of the facts presented.