14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy
Copyright 2009
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.
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| 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.
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