Williams-Garcia, R. (2010). One crazy summer. New York, New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
This book is about three young girls who live in Brooklyn with their father in 1968. They are African American and their mother left them when they were very young. The book is told from Delphine's, the oldest at 11, perspective. She writes in a very mature voice and is concerned about the safety of her two younger sisters Vonetta and Fern. They go to live with their mother for the summer in Oakland, California and the book is about their relationship with their mom. At first, their mother is awful to them. She uses their money for herself, does not provide food for them, and is not nurturing or caring in any way. She never explains the strange visitors with Afros and black berets that come to the door. She does not spend much time with them, but rather sends them to a radical Black Panthers summer camp where the girls get an interesting education. Overall, it is a funny yet powerful book about these changing times in US history.
I would use this in the classroom to talk about estranged relationships as well as different ideologies in the country during the 60's. It would be very easy to tie this book in with perhaps what they were learning in Social Studies at the time.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Same, Same But Different
Kostecki-Shaw, J. S. (2011). Same, same but different. New York, New York: Henry Holt and Co.
Same, Same But Different is a book about two boys named Elliot and Kailash. Elliot lives in American and Kailash lives in India. The book focuses on the the things that the children like and the way things are in their particular country. They are pen pals and so they write back and forth to each other, learning about the other's culture and background. They discover that they both love pets, climbing trees, going to school, and other activities. They realize that although things are different between them, they actually have quite a lot in common.
I think this book would be an awesome tool to talk about similarities between cultures. It could be a fun activity to have them actually try and write a student from a different country, or at least write what they would if they had the opportunity to ask questions of a child different from them. Letter writing is also a good exercise in general because in many ways it has become a lost art. If you wanted to make it more timely, you could have them write an email and show how to write a proper email since it seems that many students do not know how to do this. Overall, this book is a great way to facilitate discussion about our similarities with other cultures.
Same, Same But Different is a book about two boys named Elliot and Kailash. Elliot lives in American and Kailash lives in India. The book focuses on the the things that the children like and the way things are in their particular country. They are pen pals and so they write back and forth to each other, learning about the other's culture and background. They discover that they both love pets, climbing trees, going to school, and other activities. They realize that although things are different between them, they actually have quite a lot in common.
I think this book would be an awesome tool to talk about similarities between cultures. It could be a fun activity to have them actually try and write a student from a different country, or at least write what they would if they had the opportunity to ask questions of a child different from them. Letter writing is also a good exercise in general because in many ways it has become a lost art. If you wanted to make it more timely, you could have them write an email and show how to write a proper email since it seems that many students do not know how to do this. Overall, this book is a great way to facilitate discussion about our similarities with other cultures.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Moses
Weatherford, C. (2006). Moses. New York, New York: Hyperion Books for Children.
This book is about Harriet Tubman and her journey on the Underground Railroad. It depicts the faith that she had, and the hardships she went through including having to sleep for days in a potato hole. Weatherford shows how Tubman never believed she was alone, she always felt that God was with her. It talks about her 9 different trips to the South and back, trying to rescue people from the horrors of slavery. The book depicts her incredible bravery and her resilience to continue to do the right thing. The paintings and the overall writing of the book are excellently done.
The book would be great for incorporating social studies in with Language Arts. This part of history is rich with different themes such as bravery and boldness in the midst of hardship. It would be neat to talk about standing up for what you believe in and having kids ponder that question.
This book is about Harriet Tubman and her journey on the Underground Railroad. It depicts the faith that she had, and the hardships she went through including having to sleep for days in a potato hole. Weatherford shows how Tubman never believed she was alone, she always felt that God was with her. It talks about her 9 different trips to the South and back, trying to rescue people from the horrors of slavery. The book depicts her incredible bravery and her resilience to continue to do the right thing. The paintings and the overall writing of the book are excellently done.
The book would be great for incorporating social studies in with Language Arts. This part of history is rich with different themes such as bravery and boldness in the midst of hardship. It would be neat to talk about standing up for what you believe in and having kids ponder that question.
Sequoyah
Rumford, J. (2004). Sequoyah. New York, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.
This book is about a man named Sequoyah who was born in eastern Tennessee in the 1760s. He was the son of a Cherokee woman and a white man. He was a regular man that simply went about his daily duties of metalwork. He did not want his people and their voices to die away and so he wanted to invent a way for his people to be able to write, believing it would make them stronger. He began drawing symbols for each word and putting them on pieces of wood.People thought he was crazy, yet he continued to press on to develop a written language for his people. His daughter eventually learned to read and people started respecting what he was doing. People learned quickly and the Cherokee Nation was able to publish newspapers and books. It is a very interesting book and very well written.
It could be neat for a Language Arts class to think about the gift of language and reading and writing. It could be thought provoking to pose the question what would we do without being able to read and write? What are the benefits of language? What are the hardships? This book does a great job of making one ponder the beauty of language.
This book is about a man named Sequoyah who was born in eastern Tennessee in the 1760s. He was the son of a Cherokee woman and a white man. He was a regular man that simply went about his daily duties of metalwork. He did not want his people and their voices to die away and so he wanted to invent a way for his people to be able to write, believing it would make them stronger. He began drawing symbols for each word and putting them on pieces of wood.People thought he was crazy, yet he continued to press on to develop a written language for his people. His daughter eventually learned to read and people started respecting what he was doing. People learned quickly and the Cherokee Nation was able to publish newspapers and books. It is a very interesting book and very well written.
It could be neat for a Language Arts class to think about the gift of language and reading and writing. It could be thought provoking to pose the question what would we do without being able to read and write? What are the benefits of language? What are the hardships? This book does a great job of making one ponder the beauty of language.
Poetry for Young People
Hughes, L. (1994). Poetry for young people. New York, New York: Sterling Publishing Company.
This is a book of poems by Langston Hughes and illustrations by Benny Andrews. It is a beautiful book with poems ranging from a mother and son relationship all the way to a poem about a pretty girl named Sue. The poems are illustrated in a way that helps the student understand the content of the poem. They are fairly short poems and above the poem is a little hint about the meaning of it. There are extremely powerful poems about dreaming for change as well as a poem about Hughes attempting to understand his African heritage more. In my opinion, this is a must read book for anyone interested in literature.
I think it is of utmost importance to incorporate classic authors into curriculum. I think as English teachers, we would be doing a disservice to our students if we did not make them read authors that changed American literature and history. Hughes is one of these. The book is challenging yet attainable for 7th graders to read. I think it would be interesting to incorporate this classic author with a more modern voice and issue and see the similarities and the differences between the voices.
This is a book of poems by Langston Hughes and illustrations by Benny Andrews. It is a beautiful book with poems ranging from a mother and son relationship all the way to a poem about a pretty girl named Sue. The poems are illustrated in a way that helps the student understand the content of the poem. They are fairly short poems and above the poem is a little hint about the meaning of it. There are extremely powerful poems about dreaming for change as well as a poem about Hughes attempting to understand his African heritage more. In my opinion, this is a must read book for anyone interested in literature.
I think it is of utmost importance to incorporate classic authors into curriculum. I think as English teachers, we would be doing a disservice to our students if we did not make them read authors that changed American literature and history. Hughes is one of these. The book is challenging yet attainable for 7th graders to read. I think it would be interesting to incorporate this classic author with a more modern voice and issue and see the similarities and the differences between the voices.
I live in Tokyo
Takabayashi, M. (2001). I live in tokyo. New York, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.
This book is a very educational book about life in Tokyo. The story centers around a girl named Mimiko who is seven years old. She talks about the special events that take place in Tokyo as well as the different terms that talk about the city and downtown life. She talks about her family. Her mother practices calligraphy and he likes to practice it too because it makes her feel calm. The book goes through different things that happen each month. She talks about starting second grade and her fears and excitement about school. She also spends time talking about her favorite meals and holidays. It is a great book because it truly gives insight into a year of life for a child growing up in Tokyo.
It is a great book that is perhaps aimed towards younger students. I do think it would be awesome to have students write their own "I live in ____" book, and perhaps read it to a younger group of students at a nearby elementary school. It is definitely below their reading level, but it would be a good exercise to have them contemplate the holidays and traditions that they love about the culture that they have grown up in. It would also be a good opportunity to compare their traditions to the traditions of other cultures.
This book is a very educational book about life in Tokyo. The story centers around a girl named Mimiko who is seven years old. She talks about the special events that take place in Tokyo as well as the different terms that talk about the city and downtown life. She talks about her family. Her mother practices calligraphy and he likes to practice it too because it makes her feel calm. The book goes through different things that happen each month. She talks about starting second grade and her fears and excitement about school. She also spends time talking about her favorite meals and holidays. It is a great book because it truly gives insight into a year of life for a child growing up in Tokyo.
It is a great book that is perhaps aimed towards younger students. I do think it would be awesome to have students write their own "I live in ____" book, and perhaps read it to a younger group of students at a nearby elementary school. It is definitely below their reading level, but it would be a good exercise to have them contemplate the holidays and traditions that they love about the culture that they have grown up in. It would also be a good opportunity to compare their traditions to the traditions of other cultures.
Kira Kira
Kadohata, C. (2004). Kira kira. New York, New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
This novel is a John Newberry Medal Winner. It takes place in Iowa in the 1950's. Katie is a girl who lives with her parents and her older sister Lynn, whom she looks up to very much. Her parents' Japanese supermarket goes out of business and their family ends up moving to Georgia. Part of the book is about her transition in being accustomed to a new culture. Most of the book, however, is about dealing with grief. The book takes a serious tone when Lynn is diagnosed with lymphoma. Her personality becomes affected by this as does her relationships with her family. She dies, and the family is left to deal with their enormous loss. Kira Kira is a saying that means glittering, and this saying reminds Katie to always look for the positive and magical things about life.
This novel is a John Newberry Medal Winner. It takes place in Iowa in the 1950's. Katie is a girl who lives with her parents and her older sister Lynn, whom she looks up to very much. Her parents' Japanese supermarket goes out of business and their family ends up moving to Georgia. Part of the book is about her transition in being accustomed to a new culture. Most of the book, however, is about dealing with grief. The book takes a serious tone when Lynn is diagnosed with lymphoma. Her personality becomes affected by this as does her relationships with her family. She dies, and the family is left to deal with their enormous loss. Kira Kira is a saying that means glittering, and this saying reminds Katie to always look for the positive and magical things about life.
OverOverall, the book would be a wonderful tool to discuss grief and dealing with hard circumstances in life. It is very sad, so it would have to be given to a mature group of students or maybe specifically recommended to a student. The author does a wonderful job of incorporating things about Japanese culture, showing how the family deals with the loss of their daughter and sister. Ultimately it is a positive book that could open and allow for interesting class discussion.
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