We're All Human

We're All Human

Yes! We Are Latinos

by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy

Pictures by David Diaz

I'm back bloggers I apologize for the temporary disappearance but I'm back and I'm really exited and have been gathering together a huge collection of books to show you all.  My plan is to release a new post every Monday at noon so make sure to check back weekly for my newest update.

Anyways going back to the book Yes! We are Latinos is an absolutely amazing book that put together a wide collection of different stories and life experiences of varying Latinos.  The book is a great way to introduce Latino-american culture into your classroom.  The children in the book are Dominican, Mexican, Spaniards, Peruvian, Colombian, and so much more and in each scenario the students in your class get a taste of life for Latino children all around the United States and can help your class understand better what their lives are like and even help other Latino children feel more comfortable in the classroom by knowing there are people who are like them out there and who go through the same things as them.

I highly recommend introducing a story or two to the children every week as it will give them constant exposure to the book over a few months (or more specifically 13 weeks).  I can't stress enough the value of these stories for the children in the class especially if they are Latinos.

Lexile Score: 1050
Recommended Grade Level:  Grade 6

Before the Reading
Before engaging in the reading I recommend asking the class the following question, "What is a Latino" and write their answers on the board.  Once the students have gone about answering this question follow it up by asking them "Are all Latinos the same" the purpose of these two questions is to engage their prior knowledge or to help them gain a basic understanding of what a Latino is and to erase any belief that all Latinos are the same and especially that all Latinos speak the exact same language.  

During the Reading
As I said the stories really should be introduced weekly so that the book and more importantly the conversation on Latinos could span a couple months.  There are a large variety of ways to go about having the students engage with the reading but as a huge advocate for poetry engagement I believe that a great strategy would be to have them write a poem about various Latinos being discussed to describe their lives.  If possible have the students get into small groups and focus on different Latinos in each group.  The students then go about analyzing the main features of their character and based on their group notes create a 10+ line poem that describes their character.  The students can then share their poem as a group to the rest of the class who take notes on the main features of each character.  Once all the poems have been shared the students should all have various notes on the Latino community and the diverse culture of each character.

After the Reading
Once students complete the readings and have collected their various notes on the many characters discussed they can then work on determining their own definition of what a Latino is.  The students should then be asked to write a short (1-2 page) description of what a Latino is and how diverse or similar their culture is across Latin America and compared to the culture of people of America.  They should also have their own definition of what a Latino is that is based on their notes ad the readings.  The students should include quotes from the book and can use online articles or other books that the teacher has compiled for them to research and use.

Great Online Resources

http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/06/living/latino-identity-america/index.html

A great website on life in America for Latinos today

http://www.afrolatinoforum.org/

Words to go over before reading

• Biodiversity = the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
• Migrant Workers = any people working outside of their home country.
• Civil Rights = the rights that a member of a particular country has
• immigration = international movement of people into a destination country of which they are not natives
• poverty = the state of being extremely poor
• fascism = where a dictator rules over an entire country and controls the law and the way people live.

Keep at it

The Inventor's Secret: What Thomas Edison told Henry Ford

By: Suzanne Slade

Illustrated by: Jennifer Black Reinhardt

Hello Bloggers, and welcome to yet another great edition of Little Reader's Paradise.  For this week I've chosen to read the book The Inventor's Secret which peaked my interest because of how it was a picture book and dealt with science and the art of inventing which is a subject I've really lacked in my blog thus far.  I've got to say that this was a very interesting novel and it's obvious message of keeping at it and never giving up is one I highly recommend for any classroom.  Also the fact that these two great inventors were friends is a completely new concept to me so reading a novel that shows numerous examples of two friends working at it to be succesful and accomplish their dreams is without a doubt perfect story to read to a young classroom full of eager minds with tons of dreams of their own

I highly recommend this book for a read aloud whole class instruction because of how it's a simple read that's easy to follow and how the images in it fully convey everything that the text addresses, this can especially be helpful for any ELL students as the text will help convey the meaning of the words. Overall though no matter what way you teach it this is a great text for any child because it's basically saying you can accomplish your dream if you never give up on it and keep trying.

Lexile Score: 590

Recommended Grade Level: Grade 3-4

For the before and after the reading section I've included the names of two activities from an extensive teacher's guide I found, the activities go into full detail with steps on how to even make the material so I've included the link and name of the activity so you can look through and re-create the exercise in the class.  The guide can be found here

Before the Reading

Use The Scientific Method Go Fish exercise from the Teacher's guide.  This is a great way to teach the vocabulary of the scientific method and activate their prior knowledge while also preparing them for the reading.

During the Reading

As you go through the reading find the points where the book compares the two inventors and mark every point.  Then after yu read aloud those points ask the students to point out what happened to Thomas and what happened to Henry and write the two sides on the board.  Continue going and filling out the chart on the board so the students can visually see the growth of the two inventors and can re-enforce their comprehension of the material.  

After the Reading

When you finish the reading have them use the timeline on the board and write a short comparison about how both men kept on trying and how it benefited them.  Once done use the Flashlight Brightness experiment from the Teacher's guide.  This activity will demonstrate for the students the process of keeping at it to get their flashlight just right while also engaging them in the Scientific Method.

Great Electronic Resources

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/projects/thescientificmethod.html

This is a good website for teaching students about the scientific method especially before the before the reading strategy

http://kid-lit-reviews.com/2016/01/05/qa-with-author-suzanne-slade-the-inventors-secret/

This is a Q+A with the author Suzanne Slade about the book, great to share with the students after the reading

Vocabulary Words to go over:

• locomotives = trains
• stencil = a thin sheet of an outline people can fill in
• phonograph = records and reproduces sound, often used to play music
• stroke = step in creating movement in a car
• cylinders = a part in the car that creates the movement
• rattling = making a bunch of short knocking sounds

The Untold Segregation Laws

Powerful, Insightful
Creative
Unique, Informational

Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight for Desegregation

By: Duncan Tonatiuh

Hello Bloggers and welcome to another edition of Little Reader's Paradise, for this week I read the 2015 Pura Belpre award winner Separate is Never Equal.  This novel was a great read between how it opened my eyes to an issue I never was fully aware of (I was aware of segregation before but not of how it affected Mexicans as well) and revealing to a young audience the challenge that these students and families had to overcome just to enter the school system, and even the unique art style.  I really enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend it for any classroom library.  

My best suggestion would be to make this a read aloud book because of the significance of it's message.  Student's need to understand not only how cruelly people were treated because of their but also how hard people like the Mexicans had to work to just get their children into the regular schools.  The fact that Sylvia's father had to spend just about all his time working for signatures or to build their case with his lawyer and the fact that the Principal lied under oath when on the stand just to support his case really opens children's eyes in a way they need to be opened if we are ever going to prepare them for the world and for life outside of the classroom.  Sadly, prejudice, bias, and racism still exist around the world even in our colorblind society, just look at the Republican party in the Presidential Election.  If we are going to send our students out into the world then I want to ensure that they go into it understanding how hard the minorities worked for where they are now and they don't deserve any harsh words or criticism for who they are and for what color their skin is.

Lexile Score: No score

Recommended Grade Level: 3-6 (the content of this book alone makes it necessary for all grades)

Before the Reading

Because of how big the message is behind this reading it'd be a great idea to start a lesson by placing several pictures around the room that represent both equality and inequality, make sure though that you don't explain why you choose these pictures or where they are from.  Get the students into groups so that there is a group at each image and then have the groups go around and spend about 2 minutes at each image.  When at the image have them write about what the image makes them feel, what they think is going on, and what the picture represents to them.  After the students have gone to each table ask them to share their notes about the images in order of the images, so pick up image one and place it on the board and ask them the three questions about it, then the second, the third, and so on.

During the Reading

Since this is a perfect book for a read aloud make sure to identify points at which you stop and ask the students how they feel about what has transpired, what they notice in the pictures, and how they would feel if they were the Mexicans.  This can be done at every page, it can be done every other page but I would make sure not to give too much of a gap between stopping points because the more times you pause and reflect (as long as it's not every page) the more times you're having them think about the value of equality in our society and the cruelties of inequality which as I've said are extremely crucial teaching points and should be taken very seriously.

After the Reading

Once the students complete the reading have them write a letter to Sylvia, and this can be done in one of two ways:

1. Have them write a letter after listening to the following excerpt from a teaching guide for the book which you can find here. "Sometimes we see someone being treated unfairly, being bullied, or made to feel bad about themselves. Fear can keep us from standing up for them or offering to be a friend. Imagine that you are in Sylvia’s class on her first day at the Westminster School. You see her being bullied and treated unkindly. You know that how she is being treated isn’t right, but you’re afraid to say anything. You’re afraid that you will also be bullied if you say something. After school you keep thinking about Sylvia. You decide that you care more about being a friend to Sylvia than being bullied by the other students. You make a plan for what you are going to do at school the following day and how you are going to support Sylvia and help her to handle the bullying situation."  Once they listen to this have them explain to Sylvia how they're going to help her and support her at school in a way that fits whatever grade level they are in since I gave such a broad range for this.
2. Have them write actual letters to Sylvia explaining what her families fight meant to them and how they felt about how people treated her family.  You can also explain to them what she's done since the book to push for equality and they can include their opinions about those actions as well.  They can also write about what they would've done to help her if they were one of her classmates.

Great Electronic Resources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7-kzJVcOUw
Here's a short video in which the author explains his reasoning for writing about Sylvia and answers other questions about the book

http://sylviamendezinthemendezvswestminster.com/
This is a great website for learning more about Sylvia Mendez

Vocabulary to go over: 

• brief = a legal term that refers to a summary prepared for a lawyer at a trial
• degrading = causing a loss of self-respect
• ethnicity = a group of people who have a common national or cultural tradition
• race = skin color
• petition = a formal written document requesting a right or benefit from a person or group in authority
• inferior= of lesser quality
• integrate = to open to all members of all races, ethnicities, and other groups

The Story of Survival

Simple, Informational
Basic
Helpful, Easy to read

The Voyage of the Mayflower

By Allison Lassieur

Illustrated by Peter McDonnell

Hello bloggers welcome to another edition of Little Reader's Paradise for this week I choose to read the graphic novel about the Mayflower.  This book was definitely an educational read and is a great read for reviewing the material and introducing it to students who are struggling with the reading but I wouldn't go about saying it's a must read novel unless you're doing an intensive study of the material or you're trying to introduce a simpler reading style to a struggling reader.

I would really only recommend this book as an independent reading book for struggling readers and would only recommend it as a small group if it's an additional reading material for a unit on the Mayflower or on the early migration of colonists to the Americas.  I want to stress though that it's nothing against the quality of the book because it really is the perfect option for a struggling reader or for enhancing understanding of the material.


Lexile Score: 580
Recommended Grade Level: Grade 3-4

Before the Reading
One strategy I recommend for this book is having the students rehearse what they know about the Mayflower and go over the history before the Mayflower and setting the stage for the reading.  You can do this before the unit itself or before the book.  I recommend mapping it out for them by talking about the first settlers in Plymoth, the Spanish settlers Latin-america, and even the story of Squanto being taken by the colonists from his home.

During the Reading
For the reading of the book in small groups I highly recommend using the Reciprocal Teaching approach which requires students to take on the role of leading their discussions.  In this approach the students (in groups of four) will take on one of the four roles; summarizing, question generating, clarifying, and predicting.  This is the best way to ensure they're properly going through the reading and actually focusing on their comprehension skills when reading it and not just going through the reading.  Because it's such a quick read it's extremely likely that they will overlook a lot of essential material.

After the Reading
After the students complete the reading have them write an essay from the perspective of one of the pilgrims who were settling in Virginia.  Have the students write a letter to their relatives back in Europe telling them about their voyage across the ocean and their first few months in the colony.  In the letter the students should mention the an example from the voyage, an example from the first few days, and an example from the point where th town was thriving.  Also, the students should write at least two notes that demonstrates inferential comprehension.  For example, the students could write a short passage about how it felt when they finally saw land.

Great Electronic Sources

http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/voyage/

This is a good website for providing a second option for students to re-visit the infomation about the voyage on the Mayflower.

https://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/ushistory/thanksgiving/
This is a great website for educating students about the first pilgrims and about Thanksgiving, it also involves quizzes, making a map, and so much more

Vocabulary words to go over:

• sabotage = to purposefully destroy porperty to stop an activity
• voyage = trip
• pastor = the leader of a Christian group
• servants = a person who is paid to perform work for others
• plague = a serious disease that spreads quickly and kills quickly
• charter = document that gives a group the right to create a colony on a certain area of land

One Crazy Lady

Educational, Inspiring
Intriguing
Insane, Factual

The Shark Lady True Adventures of Eugenie Clark

by Ann McGovern

Hello bloggers, welcome to another fun week of learning in Little Readers Paradise, for this week I choose a book that is dear to my heart because of my passion with aquatic animals and especially sharks, Shark Lady.  This book was a very simplistic read that gave numerous illustrations to deepen the readers understanding and comprehension.  Other than being about sharks what drew me to this book was the fact that it was a biography which I haven't fully engaged in thus far but which is extremely important to include in your reader's library for a variety of reasons.  Biographies are a different type of read because they are basically long summaries of a person's life which mean unlike a Disney story or fairy tale the story that revolves around a particular main character is 100% accurate.  It's essentially a history lesson that they would likely enjoy reading about.  

I would highly reccomend this book for any type of reading style because of how it includes images and is easy to follow (perfect for whole group) it has a lot of elements which can be discussed and analyzed (small group) and is the perfect book for a student to use to enhance their comprehension skills and just get lost in (indpendent study).  If I had to pick though I would lean towards using a whole group instruction because of how much you could build into the reading, you can have students research marine animals mentioned in the book, look up the research facility Eugenie founded, look up the video of a trained shark, or even get a few pet fish to put in the class as a mascot to the book.  This book truly has a lot of potential in a classroom.

Lexile Score: 750

Recommended Grade Level: Grade 4-5

Before the Reading

To get students engaged in the topic for the reading first generate a list of types of sharks in an open discussion with the class and once you have a good number have them get into groups and decide which kinds of sharks they want to research based on the list.  From there they should spend a short while looking up as much information as they can on their shark and have them make a blabberize with pictures of their shark where the pictures of their shark educate the class on their species.  The students should gather at least six pieces of evidence regarding their shark.

During the Reading

Have them stay in their groups and assign each group a chapter to summarize (obviously max 13 groups) and when that groups turn comes have them write a paragraph of five sentences that fully encompasses the value of what transpired in that chapter of the book.  Once they finish their summaries have them place their summary in the class journal and once you complete the book read through that summary to the class.  What this will do is first it will basically involve the students in assessing a chapter for it's key information when they write the summary, it will re-engage the students in the reading a second time, and most importantly, knowing that their work will be presented to the class will encourage the students to make sure that what they submit is good.

After the Reading

When students complete the reading I recommend using a strategy known as ReQuest which goes involves a reversal of jobs with the student taking on the role of generating questions and the teacher takes on the role of answering these questions.  This activity poses a lot of potential because you know that they would love to test the teacher in any scenario but it assists reading comprehension in two different ways.  It enhances comprehension by making them analyze the text to find questions they think might trip up the teacher and then the teacher enhances their comprehension by answering their question and reinforcing the information.  Should their questions be too general then you can help teach them how to refine their question thus improving their ability to generate strong questions.

Great Electronic Sources

http://www.sharksider.com/types-of-sharks/

This is the perfect website for the research activity and includes a full list of every type of shark, with each page having a larger summary of the shark.

www.blabberize.com

This is the website where students can make pictures talk I included an example for the project below
(example will be added soon, my computer is having issues recording)

Vocabulary words to go over

• dissect = to cut open to study the insides
• Ichthyologist = the area of science that focuses on fish
• horizontal = a flat line that goes from left to right
• Vertical = a straight line that goes from the top to the bottom
• Facility = a building or site
• Thimbleful = a very small amount of liquid

The King who was Famous for Being Forgotten

Organized, Well-presented
Informational,
Amazing, Fascinating

Who Was King Tut?

By Roberta Edwards

Illustrated by True Kelly

Hello Bloggers and welcome to the latest edition of Little Reader's Paradise, for this week I choose to indulge in another biography book for a school assignment and stumbled upon one of the famous "Who Was" books so of course I jumped at the chance and grabbed the book off the shelf.  At first I honestly thought I knew so much about King Tut but as I thought more and more about it I actually realized that all I knew about him was that he was a young pharaoh.  Needless to say this book was a very educational read for me but I can certainly say that I see why these books are such valuable non-fiction books for children.  Between the informative images to guide my reading, the interjectory pages that went into detail on any historically significant figures or events mentioned (example the Pyramids of Giza) and even the way they summarized a wealth of information into such a small book in a language that young readers could fully comprehend.

I highly recommend this book for a small group research project because of how easily you can tie in research projects and group activities that involve reciting and reviewing the information.  Should you chose to use it as an independent study be sure to have a form of summative assessment going on to check in on the students nd ensure that they are comprehending the material and attacking the book in a beneficial way.


Lexile Score: 690
Reccomended Grade Level: Grade 3-4 (3 would be at the end of semester or for a stronger group)

Before the Reading
To build their schema and get them in the mindset of the reading have them go over as a class what they know about egypt and what they know about pharoahs and the pyramids.  Write down their information on the board.  When everything is on the board have them come up with questions they would like to have answered in the reading and make predictions about what they think will happen to King Tut.  By doing this we're really focusing their thoughts on the topic while also tying in their prior experience and prior knowledge.

During the Reading
This book is a great opportunity to use the Jigsaw teaching strategy.  With this strategy divide the class into groups of 5 and assign chapters to students individually in each group.  The students then read their chapter and assess the information, taking notes on any important information.  The student's then share their information with their groups so that everyone basically hears the whole of the book without reading the whole book.  Students then get into groups based on chapter so that they can share their collected information on their designated chapters and finalize a new reflection of the information presented.  Finally the students come together as a whole class discussion and present their groups information chapter by chapter, thus rehearsing the book for a second time.  This strategy is extremely beneficial because of how it has the students constantly re-looking at the chapters and rehearsing the information presented.

After the Reading
After students complete the Jigsaw activity have them explain in their own words if they think King Tut was important to History or if he was just another Pharoah.  Have them cite the text and use their notes from the Jigsaw activity.

Great Electronic Resources

http://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/
This is the perfect website for having them research and look up more information on any of the material learned as well as a general understanding of the Ancienct Egyptian culture

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmkDPaHSBzg
This is a really good factual website for learning and reviewing the information about King Tut

Vocabulary to go over

• barge = a boat
• Underworld = where people go when they die
• reed = A tall grasslike plant
• CAT scan = an xray that makes pictures of the insides of your body
• decaying = rotting away
• antechamber = smaller chamber room you enter into

Crippled, Not Stupid

The War that Saved my Life

by: Kimberly Bradley

Hello everyone, I apologize for the huge gap in time between my posts and I'm hoping to get on a regular schedule soon but to be honest preparing for tests that ensure my certification to teach and apply all of this in a classroom took up the time for posting blogs but not the time for reading books.  I've been typing up blogs and am only now uploading them because I finally have the time to go back and edit them before releasing them into the public eye.  ANYWAYS...this book without a doubt is an eye-opener and really jerks the readers emotions around once it gets you hooked.  The story talks about a girl named Ada who is trying to survive not only thee bombings of WWI but also the cruel punishment her Mother puts her through every day of her life for having a club foot.  As the bombers approached every child in London got sent out into London and Ada sneaked onto the train with her brother while her abusive mother was asleep.   This book won the 2016 Newbery Award and without a doubt meets the qualifications of a Newbery winner because of how well witten it is and how well it explains to students the cruelties cripples went through (although I pray that scenarios like Ada's extremely rare because of how cruel it was).

I recommend this book with haste because this is a book that is meant for a mature elementary classroom (wow that's an oxymoron) where the teacher knows the students can handle the content of the book.  It might even be a good reader for a student whose going through a similar struggle and needs something to relate to.  This book, especially the beginning, has some very dark points where I found it hard to continue reading but in my opinion the payoff is worth it especially if a student relates to Ada or any of the other characters in any way.

Lexile Reading Score: 580

Reccomended Grade Level: 5

Teaching Suggestions: I recommend this book for an independent read where students get together as a whole class to discuss the reading.

Before the Reading

A great way to engage the students into the reading beforehand is to give them a questionnare to fill out which asks them about their opinions on the major concepts of the reading, this is a great way to get their minds focused on the content before they dig into the reading and it is a great thing for them to look back on once they finish their reading to see how the book changed their opinions if it did at all.  These questions which I located from an article on Penguin.com titled "An Educator's Guide to the War that Saved my Life" are quotes from the book and include the following: 

• Everyone deserves freedom and the right to make decisions about their lives
• A person who tells lies is a lier, no matter what
• There are different kinds of truths, not just one "real" truth
• Sometimes we start to believe what other people think of us.

During the Reading

As the children read each section of the text have them write their feelings in a journal every day about the section they read, tell them to explicitly point out what parts of the texts stirred their emotions with examples.  The teacher will review the journals every night and give his/her response to the section as well.  After the student's finish writing in their journals have them get together and have a whole-class discussion on the content of the book and their feelings of what took place.  The benefit of the whole group instruction is the teacher can much more easily moderate the discussion and ensure that no one is being offended or hurt by what is said.  After the students finish discussing the section introduce them to an image that relates to what happened in that section (for example: in the chapters where the children are all boarding the train to Kent show a picture from that time period of the mass of children boarding the train.  Once the children have gotten a chance to look the picture over have them write in their journal how the image they see conveys what happened to Ada in that section, this is a great way to check in to make sure they are fully comprehending the book.  

After the Reading

Once the children complete the reading have them write a letter to the local judge as Ada, Jamie, or Miss Smith requesting that he grant custody of Ada and Jamie to Miss. Smith.  In the letter the students will need to give multiple examples which support their argument.  You can even have them put it in an envelope as if they were sending the letter off.  If you can get your principal or assistant principal to join in they can take on the role of being the judge and with the teachers help write a response letter to the children.  Should the principal not be interested you can always take on the role of judge yourself or find someone else.

Great Electronic Resources

http://www.kimberlybrubakerbradley.com/

The Author's website, this has a great amount of detail and is simple to navigate, perfect for a research project for the children.  They can aso look into her other majr novel "Jefferson's Sons"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/kent/content/articles/2006/06/27/history_kent_during_ww2_feature.shtml

This is a great article which documents the history of Kent (where Ada stayed) during WWII and the important role it played during the British retreat from France.

http://www.penguin.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/WarThatSavedMyLife_Guide_15_4p_LR.pdf

The website with teaching strategies for this book

Important Vocabulary Words to Go Over

Flat = an apartment

Impudent = Not showing due respect to someone

Shillings = The basic currency in Britain during WWII

Shivery = shaking as a result of cold

Barricaded = block with a stronger wall

Mollified = To help someone whose angry or anxious calm down and feel better

Requisitioned = To demand someone give you what you need in order to do something