Reading is Power!: October 2011

Thursday, October 20, 2011

So Far from Home: The Diary of Mary Driscoll, an Irish Mill Girl

So Far From Home: The Diary of Mary Driscoll, an Irish Mill Girl by Barry Deneberg

Published by Scholastic

Lexile Level: 710L

Grade Level: 6

Famine, History, Family, Friends, Labor

So Far From Home is the tale of Mary Driscoll, a girl from Ireland, who moved to America and became a mill girl. Students can read about her life through her diary entries, and it feels like they are reading an actual primary source document. Students will be able to read a fictional first hand account of what it was like to immigrate to America and work in the Lowell Mills. This is a great historical fiction book for student to read when studying immigration to America or Irish/American history.

Teachers, here are some activities and resources for this book:

Key Vocabulary:

Evict, Immigrant, Emigrate, Famine, Corporation, Quarantine, Petition

During Reading Activity:

Have students create a timeline of Mary's life, beginning with her life in Ireland all the way through her life in the United States. This will encourage students to pick out the most important events in the text and sequence the evence to promote comprehension.

Writing Activity:

Students should choose another character from the novel, or from a novel regarding a similar topic (immigration or Irish/American history) and write a diary entry from that character's point of view. This will encourage the students to make connections from one character to another.

Web Resources:

Read this interview with the author to get more insight on the making of the novel!
Read this guide about The Mill Girls before reading this novel so that students have sufficient background knowledge prior to reading.

Denenberg, Barry. So far from home: the diary of Mary Driscoll, an Irish mill girl. New York: Scholastic, 1997. Print.

Before John was a Jass Giant

Before John was a Jazz Giant by Carole Boston Weatherford & Illustrated by Sean Qualls

Published by Henry Holt

Grade Level: 4

Music, Jazz, Saxophone, Childhood

Before John was a Jazz Giant is the story of John Coltrane and his childhood before his days of fame. It explains what influenced him to become a jazz legend. Learn what shaped the musical lifestyle of this jazz superstar! Great read aloud to compliment a history lesson!

Teachers, here are some activities and resources for this book:

Key Vocabulary:

Phonograph, jitterbugs, sermons, hymns, warbling, kinfolk, saxophone, crooning, ukulele, Jazz

Before Reading Activity:

Begin by having students complete a KWL chart about jazz music. Ask them what they know, if they've ever heard jazz music, and what they would like to know. When they finish the book they will be able to fill out the last section of the chart and research any questions that remain.

Writing Activity:

After reading this book and listening to examples of jazz music, have students work in groups to create their very own jazz lyrics!

Web Resources:

Here is a great GUIDE to use before reading this book. It introduces students to the fundamentals of music that they will read about in this book!
Here is the Official John Coltrane website! Learn more about the legendary jazz musician and give your students the opportunity to listen to some of his music.

Weatherford, Carole Boston, and Sean Qualls. Before John was a jazz giant: a song of John Coltrane. New York: Henry Holt, 2008. Print.

The Forbidden Schoolhouse

The Forbidden Schoolhouse by Suzanne Jurmain

Published by Houghton Mifflin

Lexile Level: 920L

Grade Level: 2005

The Forbidden Schoolhouse takes place in Canterbury, CT. It is the story of Prudence Crandall and the difficulties she had when trying to open a schoolhouse for young girls, but turned it into a school for African American girls. The photos and storyline are sure to draw in your young readers, especially the history buffs. This is a great read aloud and if you live in CT, your students should experience this book!

Teachers, here are some activities and resources for this book:

Key Vocabulary:

prosecution, Canterbury, CT, Civil War, abolitionist, Quakers, telegram, Nat Turner, American Colonization Society, authorities, petition, prejudice, William Lloyd Garrison, Booker T. Washington

During Reading Activity:

This is a great historical book. Have students keep a timeline of Prudence Crandall's life throughout the book in order to comprehend the sequence of events in the story.

Writing Activity:

Write a letter to the mayor from the point of view of one of Prudence Crandall's African American students. Write to him focusing on why you should be able to attend school. This is a great way to incorporate persuasive writing into the reading of this book.

Web Resources:

Visit the website for Prudence Crandall Museum in Canterbury, CT. This is an informative website and includes information on planning field trips to the museum.
Use this Teacher's Guide, which gives background information, a book summary, ways to read the book, before/during/after reading activities, as well as assessments.

Jurmain, Suzanne. The forbidden schoolhouse: the true and dramatic story of Prudence Crandall and her students.. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005. Print.

Henry's Freedom Box

Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine and Kadir Nelson

Published by Scholastic Press

Lexile Level: AD380L

Grade Level: 4 to 8

Henry's Freedom Box is the story of Henry Brown, who was born into slavery. He was living happily with his wife and three children, when his entire family was sold away from him. This is when he used his imagination to find a way to get freedom.

Teachers, here are some activities and resources for this book:

Key Vocabulary:

master, slave, factory, mistress, slave market, warehouse, oil of vitriol, baggage car

Before Reading Activity:

Have students make predictions about the book. Students can make a KWL chart about information they know about slavery and the underground railroad.

Writing Activity:

Plan a creative writing activity in which students will create their own escape plan. Students can pretend that they are slaves in Virginia and plan out ideas to escape using a graphic organizer to organize their thoughts.

Web Resources:

Follow this link to see an interview with the author, Ellen Levine!
Watch this book trailer made by a student! After seeing this students can create their own!

Levine, Ellen, and Kadir Nelson. Henry's freedom box. New York: Scholastic Press, 2007. Print.

Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night

Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman

Illustrated by Rick Allen

Published by Houghton Mifflin Hartcourt

Lexile Level: 1020L

Grade Level: 5/6

Nocturnal, Wildlife, Beauty, Enchantment, Mesmerizing, Nature

Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night is the compilation of 12 poems about different animals in the night. It provides factual information about nocturnal animals that live in the forest. This is a great book for your nature and poetry buffs and the illustrations will draw in the attention of any student. This would serve as a great read aloud for science studies.

Teachers, here are some activities and resources for this book:

Key Vocabulary:

dappled, nocturnal, nimble, unparalleled, morsels, whorls, nectar, preen, mesmerizing, realm, swivel, pores, warblers, photosynthesis, sprig, pirouette, raucous, trilling, serrated, stridulation, spores, eft, don, vagabond, echolocation

After Reading Activity:

Create a Wordle using important words from the text to increase students' comprehension. Have them choose words that summarize the text and describe each animal or plant.

Writing Activity:

After reading, have students choose an animal (from the book or one that they have prior knowledge of) and create their own poem. Students can use this activity to research an animal, then use this information to write a poem.

Web Resources:

Here is a Book Trailer that would be a great resource to use before reading the book with your students. They will be introduced to some of the animals in the poems as well as the setting and tone of the writings.
Here is a Teacher's Guide, which includes questions, suggestions for read alouds, writing activities, and science activities.

"Come feel the cool and shadowed breeze,

come smell your way among the trees,

come touch rough bark and leathered leaves:

Welcome to the night."

Sidman, J., & Allen, R. (2010). Dark emperor & other poems of the night. Cookery: Houghton Mifflin Books For Children.

14 Cows for America

14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy

Published by Peachtree Publishers

Lexile Level: AD540L

Grade Level: 2 to 5

Compassion, Ubuntu, Cows, Caring, Ritual, Injustice

14 Cows for America is the tale of Maasai man, Kimeli Naiyomah and his experience with the 9/11 terrorist attack on the United States. It is a heartwarming tale that shows that everyone, no matter how small can make a difference and help. He told his village about the damage and destruction caused and they came together to send 14 cows to America because they symbolized life. This would be a great book to use as a read aloud and in a Social Studies lesson.

Teachers, here are some activities and resources for this book:

Key Vocabulary:

Maasai, tribe, embassy, mournful, Kenya, symbolism

Before Reading Activity:

Students can create a project similar to the one below using wordle.com. This will help them become familiar with main ideas and vocabulary presented in this book.

http://14cowsforamerica.com/order.html

Writing Activity:

14 Cows for America from the perspective of the cows. Encourage students to be creative and use a graphic organize to plot their ideas and organize their thoughts before writing.
Have your students write about the ceremony depicted in

Web Resources:

Have your students watch this book trailer before reading to gain some background knowledge of the book and make predictions about what the book will be about.
This website, created by Peachtree Publishers, allows students to share the inspirational message sent out by this book with others. It shares stories, information about the creators of the novel, the Maasai, cows, and ubuntu
Here is a Teacher's Guide for the book. It contains key vocabulary, main ideas, a history of Maasai culture, before, during and after reading questions, as well as activities for different content areas.

Deedy, C. A., Naiyomah, W. K., & Gonzalez, T. (2009). 14 cows for America. Atlanta: Peachtree Publishers.

Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean

Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean by Sarah Stewart Taylor and Ben Towle

Published by Hyperion Press

Lexile Level

Grade Level: 5

Courage, Adventure, History, Passion, Change, Danger

Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean is the story of a Canadian girl, named Grace and her interest in Amelia Earhart. She is intrigued that Earhart would be traveling across the Atlantic Ocean on a treacherous journey. She gets the opportunity to ask Ameliea Earhart some questions about her life and realizes how smart, brave, and independent she is. This novel explores the life of a woman in the 1920s and the difficulties they had to face because of their gender.

Teachers, here are some activities and resources for this book:

Key Vocabulary:

History of Flight, Historical Fiction, Graphic Novel, Flight, Amelia Earhart

Before Reading Activity:

Prior to reading, students can research life in the 1920s and create a poster, pamphlet, or PowerPoint about what they learned. Have students research topics such as: women's rights, music, art, technology, and transportation. Great way to include a history lesson!

Writing Activity:

Give your students the opportunity to become reporters, just like Grace! Have them research a famous woman from the 1920s (such as Amelia Earhart) and write a newspaper article about them.

Web Resources:

Here is a teacher's reading guide for the novel. It includes a book review, discussion questions, projects for each content area, and information about the creators of the book.
To learn more about Amelia Earhart, visit her website! Learn about her through her biography, quotes, achievements, photos, videos, and fast facts!

Taylor, S. S., & Towle, B. (2010). Amelia Earhart: this broad ocean. New York: Disney/Hyperion Books.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring

Ballet for Martha: Making Appalacian Spring by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan

Published by Roaring Brook Press

Lexile Level: AD710L

Grade Level: 2 to 6

Ballet, Masterpiece, Collaboration, Determination, Serendipity, Art

This picture book will delight your students and show them what the product of good collaboration is. This is the story of choreographer, Martha Graham, composer, Aaron Copland, and set designer, Isamu Noguchi and how they worked together to compile Appalacian Spring, the famous ballet. Students will be amazed and motivated by the hard work that it took these three people to create such a wonderful masterpiece. Great book to use as a read aloud!

Teachers, here are some suggestions for activities and resources that go along with this novel:

Key Vocabulary:

angular, ballet, choreographer, composure, gesture, collaboration, melody

After Reading Activity:

Students can watch the dance, Appalacian Spring, looks like and connect it to the reading. Talk as a class about collaboration and cooperation. What ways did these people
cooperate to make this artwork? Do you always like to work with other people to get things done? Describe a time when you worked with a team or group. What can be hard about working together? What can be good about working together?

Writing Activity:

Prior to reading, have your students work in small groups in order to create a story or a poem. They will see the difficulties of working in groups as well as the pros of working together. Ask students how collaborating with one another helped them in their writing and creating of their stories or poems.

Web Resources:

Here is a link to the video so that students can see the actual dance that was made!
Visit the author's website to read about the authors, about the book, and find almost a dozen blogs, articles, and activities!

Greenberg, J., Jordan, S., & Floca, B. (2010). Ballet for Martha: making Appalachian Spring. New York: RB/Flash Point.

Coraline

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Published by HarperCollins Children's Books

Lexile Measure: 740L

Grade Level: 4

Supernatural, Fear, Honor, Survival, Family

Teachers, here are some suggestions for activities and resources that go along with this novel:

Key Vocabulary:

apprehensive, distorted, peradventure, petulantly, derelict, plasticine, miser, acrid, vigorously, pell-mell, ululating, momentum, dilapidated

After Reading Activity:

Using this comic strip creator, have students recreate their favorite scene of the story. This will help them sequence events and recall events from the story to aid comprehension.

Writing Activity:

When students have finished reading the novel, play the movie for them and have them keep an organizer of similarities and differences that they see in the novel and movie. Afterwards they can write comparing and contrasting the two.

Web Resources:

Here is a discussion guide to support reading for Coraline. It provides a summary, booktalk, and discussion questions for during the reading.
Use this website so that students can explore Coraline's world!

Gaiman, N., & McKean, D. (2002). Coraline. New York: HarperCollins.

Rules

Rules by Cynthia Lord

Published by Scholastic Press

Lexile Measuer: 780L

Grade: 4 and 5

Friendship, Normalcy, Life, Love, Understanding, Rules, Compassion, Diversity

Teachers, here are some suggestions for activities and resources that go along with this novel:

Key Vocabulary:

communication, conversation,occupational, therapy, connection, interaction, nonverbal, relationship, verbal

Before Reading Activity:

Students can fill out the K and W sections of a KWL chart, inserting what they know about autism and what they would like to know. After reading, they can fill out the L column with what new information they have learned about autism.

During Reading Activity:

Create and update a Voki throughout the reading in order to keep track of the character's relationships and connections to one another.

After Reading, Writing Activity:

Have students describe the top five words or phrases they would want in a “communication book” and explain why they chose these particular words and/or phrases.

Web Resources:

Here is a discussion guide for the novel, Rules. It provides questions for before, during, and after the reading, as well as author information, novels to compare and contrast, and similar websites.
Here is a webquest for the novel. It provides a project for students to complete after reading the novel regarding the rules that Catherine writes.

Lord, C. (2006). Rules. New York: Scholastic Press.