6 Elements of Social Justice Ed.

Additional Information About This Book

Summary: Henry's Freedom Box is about a boy born into slavery who struggles to find freedom. As the boy grows older he is sold to another man, and therefore, torn away from his mother. As Henry goes through the motions of day-to-day slave life, he meets a woman and falls in love. They are lucky enough, as slaves that is, to live together and raise a family. To Henry's horror, his family is eventually sold and lost forever. His excruciating hardships and tragic losses motivate him to become his own hero and seek the freedom every "man" deserves. With the help of some friends, Henry stuffs himself into a wooden box and endures a terrifying, yet successful, journey to freedom in Philadelphia.

Element 3: Exploring Issues of Social Injustice: I believe Henry's Freedom Box presents a deep and vivid depiction of slavery. Element 3 of SJE requires teachers to move past the celebration of diversity and explore how diversity has impacted different groups of people. In this case, diversity has negatively affected the lives of African American through racism and slavery. Through its words and pictures, this book illustrates the horrors of slavery and the "not-so-happy ending" for slaves who eventually reached freedom. Most textbooks provide a sense of relief to students at the end of slavery chapters by talking about the Underground Railroad and the lives of freed slaves. This book paints the reality to students, so that they can understand the way the past continues to oppress certain groups today and forever shape racism. While Henry reached freedom by the end of the story, he still lost a great deal--his mother, wife, children, and his own childhood. This is the sad reality that students must grasp to truly empathize with others and move towards the next element of social justice.

Classroom Use: I would use this book in my classroom as an introduction to the Underground Railroad portion of a slavery unit. First, I would ask my students to create a K-W-L chart about slavery and the Underground Railroad individually. Then, I'd bring the class together to pool ideas for the class chart. After discussing the chart, I would proceed with a read-aloud of Henry's Freedom Box. Students would be given ten minutes to reflect on the story and write down their emotions as both a listener and as someone "in Henry's shoes" in their journals. To extend the activity, I would assign a writing assignment that combines the book and students' personal journal entries. Students would work over the course of a week to produce a creative writing piece on Henry's new life as a free man. For example, some students might write about the jobs or activities Henry pursues, while others might focus on his decisions and "what's next" for a man who has lost his family.

Children Just Like Me (A unique celebration of children around the world)

2012-02-14T13:15:00.000-08:00

Title: Children Just Like Me (A Unique Celebration of Children Around the World)

Author: Barnabas and Anabel Kindersley

Grade Level: Ages 7-15

Publisher: Dorling Kindersley Publishing Inc., NY, NY

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Summary: Through colorful photographs and children's own interviews, readers embark on a journey from New York to the Amazon Basin to learn about the day-to-day events, hobbies, aspirations, and values of children across more than 30 different countries. Children Just Like Me walks young readers through the days in the lives of children just like them. Children Just Like Me raises awareness of the similarities and beautiful differences amongst young children around the world; thereby helping young readers to embrace cultural differences that surpass the color of skin or clothing one wears.

Element #2- Respect For Others: Children Just Like Me tells the remarkable stories of children around the world from over 30 different countries through photographs and children's own interviews. A brief biography of the child along with easy-to-read descriptions about the child's favorite foods, family life, community, etc. are provided on each page. Each interviewee's personal taste and touch are revealed through their names written in their own handwritings and candid photos. This book teaches young readers about the cultures, values, and daily lives of other children in the world so that readers can discover that beyond the barriers of language, customs, skin colors, there are children in the world who are so relatable to themselves. Children Just Like Me stirs the desire to embrace and respect those who may, on the surface, seem so different from us.

Follow-Up Activity: As a follow-up, teachers can encourage each student to design a poster about him/herself, including photographs and descriptions about their schools, families, hobbies, dreams, daily lives, etc. The posters can be put together to form a giant class version of Children Just Like Me. Parents can be invited to the classroom for a day of festivities where students present the book and bring in different artifacts that represent their cultures.

The Sandwich Swap

2012-02-14T09:05:00.000-08:00

Authors: Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah

Kelly Dipucchio

Illustrator: Tricia Tusa

Grade Level: Pre-K-3^rd grade

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About the Author

Resources

Summary:

Lilyand Salma are best friends at school. They enjoy doing everythingtogether from drawing pictures, jumping rope, and playing on the swings toeating lunch together. Lilyand Salma realize they love doing all of the same things except-what they eatfor lunch is a little different. Lily eats a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and Salma eats a hummus andpita sandwich. Conflict ariseswhen Lily decides to help Salma by blurting out insensitive thoughts andfeelings about her sandwich. Soon,the peanut butter vs. hummus story spreads throughout the school and thestudent body begins choosing sides. The conflict escalates into students making rude remarks and insultsabout things that no longer had to do with peanut butter or hummus. After an epic food fight in the cafeteria and a visitto the principal’s office, Lily musters the courage to speak to Salma. Lily and Salma become best friends again after tastingeach other’s sandwich. Lily,Salma, and classmates learn that it is easy to dislike something new ordifferent; but once you stand in each other’s shoes, you learn something greatabout someone else and about yourself.

Element 2: Respect forOthers

The authors provide an opportunity for readers to embrace andrespect the diversity of two best friends from two very different cultural backgrounds. On one hand, you learn the value of friendshipfrom two best friends who love to do everything together. On the other hand, you learn how two peoplewho like the same things can also like things that are different. The authors depict what happens when therelationship between two best friends is torn apart because of a difference assimple as the type of sandwich one chooses to eat for lunch. Students learn empathy and the importance ofputting differences aside in order to create the possibility of learningsomething new about someone else and about oneself.

How to Use The Sandwich Swap in the Classroom to Introduce Element 2: Respect for Others

Discussion: On the firstday of school, a teacher reads The SandwichSwap aloud to his or her students in a community circle or class meetingtime. Then the teacher facilitates a classroomdiscussion about Lily and Salma’s friendship and how their relationship fallsapart. The teacher asks his or herstudents think about a time when they were treated “unfair” by a friend, sibling,or any other family member because of a difference in point of view, interest, lifeexperience. The purpose of the discussionis to set the stage for students to openly share, have respect others, andembrace differences in a safe and welcoming place.

Activity: All About MeBag.
A teacher fills a small brown lunch bag withitems that best 'describe' him or her. She or he pulls out each item and tells the children a short story aboutit. The bag might include things such as a baby picture, picture of pet, a foodhe or she does not like, something that represents their culture, an objectfrom a collection, and so on. Then students are given brown bags todecorate. For homework that night, thestudent must fill their bags with items that tell about themselves. Dependingon the number of students in the classroom, the bags are shared throughout thefirst week of school in a community circle or class meeting time. For homework the next night, the student mustdiscuss the activity with their parents or guardian and share one thing they learnedabout another student in the classroom that is different from their own pointof view, life experiences, or interests and discuss and why it is ok to bedifferent.

Learning Opportunities for Teacher &Students: This activity gives the teacher a greatunderstanding of each student right from the beginning of the new schoolyear. In addition, this activity givesthe teacher the opportunity to set the stage for each to student to safelyshare about his or her own experiences and feel embraced by his or her peersfor their differences. As the facilitatorof the discussion and activity, the teacher is a model and also sets clearexpectations for his or her students on how to learn and listen with kindnessand empathy to other students’ experiences. Lastly, the teacher has the opportunity to observe and give immediatefeedback to students which will further their ability to implement Element #2.

EJ AND THE BULLY

2012-02-14T07:48:00.000-08:00

Author: Phillip Walton

Illustrator: Tom Oswald

Grade Level: 1-3

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Resources

Summary: The story EJ and The Bully is about EJ, a student at school who is running for class president. The only problem EJ is having is his competitor and bully, Warren. Warren does not respect EJ and is always putting him down and making fun of him in front of his friends. Warren will do whatever it takes to win! EJ's old friend, Izzi, believes in him and respects him. Izzi continuously gives him great advice and EJ becomes more confident and a stronger person. Being respectful to others can go a long way! I wonder who will win class president!

Element 2: EJ and The Bully is a wonderful book that shows two friends respecting each other. Not only does it portray respect, but it also displays an awful case of bullying. Having these two sides work against each other in the story truly depicts how giving respect to others is clearly the way two people can communicate positively with one another. In the story, Izzi is always encouraging EJ to not give up and to continue to fight for what he believes in. A great quote from the story that demonstrates element two is, "If you want to earn respect, all you have to do is use good manners, be considerate, and don't threaten or hurt others."

Activity: Izzi's words of encouragement and his respect for Warren truly helped him through his struggles in this story. A great activity would be to have your students begin to complement once another. This is a sign of respect and children need lessons on this at a young age. Once they have complemented three to four of their peers, they should then start a sentence with "I respect you because...." This activity is a great way for children to have positive communication and to understand the concept of respect for others.

Angelina's Island

2012-02-13T20:21:00.000-08:00

Author: Jeanette Winter
Grade Level: K-2

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About the Author

Summary: Angelina is a little girl from Jamaica who just recently moved to New York City with her family. She has trouble adjusting to her new American life. Angelina dreams about moving back to Jamaica, which she calls her “island in the sun”. She is constantly comparing her new neighborhood to her home country. She misses her Jamaican foods, games, weather and even animals. One thing that Angelina really misses from Jamaica is Carnival. Her mother discovers that New York has a similar parade, so she enlists friends from the neighborhood to help make Angelina a Carnival costume. Angelina has so much fun at the parade that she realizes that New York really is her new home, or as she puts it, her “island in the sun”.

Element Two: Angelina’s Island is a great way to introduce element two to students. The book will help students learn more about their peers who have recently emigrated from other countries. Angelina’s Island shows the difficulty that immigrants might have acclimating to a new environment and culture. This book helps students sympathize with those individuals that have made the move to the United States. Finally, Angelina’s Island is also a good way of learning about the Jamaican culture and things found in Jamaica.

Activity: Like previously stated Angelina’s Island not only shows the struggle that some immigrants face, but it also shows aspects of the Jamaican culture. One major piece of the book was Carnival. Therefore alongside this book, students are to choose one of cultural traditions they celebrate. The students are to complete some research and write a brief summary about their chosen tradition. Students are to decorate their summary page with drawings of important elements of this custom. Once they have finished, the students will be divided into small groups where they will share their work with classmates.

How Many Days to America?: A Thanksgiving Story

2012-02-13T16:24:00.000-08:00

Author: Eve Bunting
Illustrator: Beth Peck
Grade Level: 2-4

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Summary: How Many Days to America? is a picture book that captures the immigrant/refugee experience of coming to America and several of the hardships that may ensue on such a pilgrimage. The narrator of the book is a young boy who describes how he, his little sister, his mother, and his father flee the country after the soldiers approach them one day. The father tells his young son that they must go because "we do not think the way they think," and they must leave everything behind except some money. While on board a crowded boat with many other refugees, the family experiences several obstacles on their journey including dealing with a broken sail, running out of food and water, and being robbed by thieves. When the boat finally reaches land, they are turned away, but given some food. When, the boat finally arrives in America, they are welcomed, and the family learns that it is also Thanksgiving a holiday that celebrates coming to America with a large feast.

Element: This story covers Element 2 of Social Justice Education, which focuses on respect for others and allows students to share information about their cultural backgrounds with others. In addition, this element is often the element that discusses many types of oppression that occur within society such as racism, sexism, and classism amongst a few. In a time in which immigration is such a big issue, it is important for students to gain a better = understanding of the immigrant experience-- why immigrants come to America and what they experience on their journey here. This book allows students who many not understand immigration or may have misconceptions about the topic to gain a better understanding of such experiences. On the other hand, students who may have parents who have emigrated or may have emigrated themselves can connect with the characters in this book in terms of the difficulties in leaving ones country for another. What is interesting about this book, is that it does not directly identify the ethnicity or culture of the main characters, and therefore individuals of all backgrounds who have emigrated to the US can relate to the characters in this book. After reading this book, students should be able to identify the reasons for which one may emigrate to the United States, and the obstacles immigrants may face when coming.

Activity: This story can be used in a variety of ways across the curriculum. The story could be specifically used in a unit that focuses on immigration. The teacher should discuss with his or her students reasons why someone would leave for America or any other country from their homeland. The teacher should help make connections with the students by asking them if they know of anyone who has come to America from another country and to share what they know. Students should talk about how they would feel if they had leave their homes in order to go to a new place. For specific activities, students can engage in a variety of things. The teacher can invite guest speakers from the community, such as parents, to come and share their immigrant experience with the class. Additionally, students can set up an interview with someone they know, like a family member, who has emigrated to the United States. Students will be able to ask this person why they left their homeland, what they experienced on their journey here, and what life has been like for them since they arrived in America. Lastly, to gain a better perspective on the lives of immigrants, students can write five journal entries as a young person who is emigrating to a new country. They must explain why they are leaving their home, what their experiences are on their journey, and how they feel about going to a new place.

Information about the author
More books by Eve Bunting

2012-02-13T16:03:00.000-08:00

The Colors of the Rainbow

Author: Jennifer Moore-Mallinos

Grade Level: 1st Grade

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Lesson Plan Ideas

About the Author

Summary: In The Colorsof the Rainbow, author Jennifer Moore-Mallinos uses the analogy of arainbow, with all of its different colors, to illustrate the idea that all childrenare unique. The book gives examples of how skin color, hair color, eye color andeven the foods they eat, languages they speak and emotions they feel make themall unique. Yet, the book alsoemphasizes that while they are all different, like each of the colors of therainbow, they share many similarities. For example, they all have feelings, wear clothing, use language for communication and express emotions by laughing or crying. The lesson to be learned from the bookis that, together, children of different race and cultural backgroundsrepresent a rainbow of different colors and those differences should becelebrated and respected all at once.

Element: This book corresponds with element two, because it teaches children to have respect for those that are different from them. The book gives many examples of different skin colors children may have, different foods they may eat based on their cultural background, different holidays they may celebrate and many other differences they may have. The author uses the analogy of a rainbow to send the message that people from all different cultures around the world are unique, just like the colors of the rainbow, which is referred to as a beautiful and lovely sight. This serves to instill in children that their differences should be respected and admired, just as a rainbow would be admired. The ending gives children a message of encouragement to celebrate their differences and appreciate what makes them all unique. This is exactly what element two sets out to accomplish.

Activity: The students will gather on the carpet area while the teachers reads aloud The Colors of the Rainbow. After the story, students will be divided into groups, and each team will be assigned a different color of the rainbow. Each student in the group will be given a piece of constructions paper that is the same color as their assigned color. The students will work individually to write a sentence on their construction paper that describes how they are unique, whether it is the food they eat, color of their skin, and so forth. They will then write "I will respect people who are different from me." The students will then work as a team in their groups to form a layer of the rainbow in the same color of their construction paper writings. For example, one group will form the red layer, one will form orange, etc. The teacher will hang up all of the layers on a bulletin board to form a giant rainbow. Above the rainbow, it will read "We respect all of the colors of OUR rainbow."

Element 2: The Color of Us

2012-02-13T15:23:00.000-08:00

Author: Karen Katz

Illustrator: Karen Katz

Grade Level: K-2

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Summary:

The Color of Us isa story about a seven-year-old girl named Lena who wants to paint a self-portrait,but when she goes to paint it, her mother tells her that there are alldifferent shades of brown. Lena then walksaround the neighborhood with her mother and notices that her friends and familycome in all shades of color. She notices that her best friend Jo-Jin is thecolor of honey and her friend Isabella is chocolate brown. She begins to realize that brown is just not brown;but that people come in all different shades of color. In the end she paints a portrait of all of herfriends and titles it “The Color of Us”. She now has a new appreciation forcolors and has begun her new journey learning about diversity.

Element II: Respect for Others

The Color of Us fitsinto element two as it tells a story about Lena learning about race and howeach person is different from one another. This story is child friendly as itsimplifies diversity by relating people's skin tones to types of food. This storyis also important as the reader discovers that Lena has a diverse group offriends and family that are all shades of color. It shows that Lena does notdiscriminate and how she is seeing the world through a different perspective. Itshows her the similarities and differences that people have and how people areall unique and connected.

Activity:

The teacher would read aloud The Color of Us and at the end have a discussion about diversity.The teacher will ask the students what similarities and differences do you have from your fellow classmates? Students will then make a Venn Diagram comparingthemselves and another classmate. The teacher will remind students that peopleare all different and similar in their own ways and we want to be respectfuland kind and not hurt each other's feelings. Once the assignment is completechildren will read aloud how they are similar and different from their partner.Teacher will then explain that people can be all different heights, shades ofskin, different hair colors, different faces, have the same hobbies, and etc.

Resources
About the Author

The Orphan of Ellis Island: A Time Travel Adventure

2012-02-11T19:20:00.000-08:00

Author: Elvira Woodruff

Grade Level: 3rd-6th

About the Author and her work

Summary: On a class trip to Ellis Island, Dominic Cantori, an orphan, falls asleep on the trip. When he wakes up, there is no one there which leaves him scared. When walking around looking for someone to help he picks up telephones in the display area and talks to the recorded voices of immigrants telling their stories. To his amazement someone answers him. Next thing you know he's traveled back into time, roughly to 1908 Italy. He runs through a serious events which link him to his family's past. Through these events he befriends two immigrants around his age and they try to make their way back to America. The whole time trying to get back to America he goes through the struggles that Italian immigrants had gone through to come to America.

Element: The Orphan of Ellis Island displays Element 2: Respect for Others. This element addresses respect others where classmates can learn about another's cultural background. This book is about an orphan who didn't know much about his family and shows the hardships Italian immigrants had encountered on making their way to America. When reading this in class, students will understand and learn to respect the cultural background that other students in the class may relate to. Other Students can also relate to this and have a common ground with others because Italians weren't the only ones to come to America to look for better life.

Activity: You can use this book in your class if your unit or theme was about Immigration. You can start off by giving a description of immigration and why immigrants came over to America. Then after reading this book you can do a group activity with the class and you could be able to put it up in the class or outside on a bulletin board. An activity you can construct would be to have your class draw up a big size ship that the immigrants came over from Italy to Ellis Island. You can assign groups to your class and give them a specific parts of the ship to draw up. You can start from the bottom of the ship and continue your way up to the deck. With this assignment you can show the hardships they faced while being on the ship on its voyage to America.

All Souls: A Family Story from Southie

2012-02-11T17:38:00.001-08:00

Author: Michael Patrick MacDonald
Grade Level: 8

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Resources

Summary: A native of the Old Colony projects of South Boston, author Michael Patrick MacDonald shares the shocking contradictions of living in this fiercely loyal Irish-American neighborhood afflicted by poverty, racism, violence, and death. Growing up in the 1970s, MacDonald and his siblings battled the temptations of gangs and drugs, the politics of school segregation and busing, and the stereotypes of poverty and culture.

Element: Two - Respect for Others
All Souls provides a first hand look into a dynamic neighborhood rife with the issues of poverty and racism. For some students, regardless of ethnic background or location, the themes of MacDonald's memoir will hit home. For others, the text will expose them to alternative perspectives and force them to question their own beliefs or stereotypes about the rich and poor and the black and white. After reading, students will emerge with a new sense of respect and empathy for others.

Activity: All Souls presents a perfect opportunity for students to access prior knowledge before reading. Using an Anticipation Guide, teachers present students with a worksheet that includes several statements about key concepts presented in the text. Students can choose to agree or disagree with the statements. Statements for All Souls could include: "Busing was a fair way to integrate public schools." "People born into a culture of poverty are powerless to escape it." Anticipation Guides stimulate students' interest in a topic and set a purpose for reading. Throughout reading, students may return to the Anticipation Guide to see if their opinions have changed.

Locomotion

2012-02-09T21:07:00.000-08:00

Author: Jacqueline Woodson

Grade Level: 4th and 5th grade

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Resources!

Summary: Locomotion is a short novel written in poetic form from the perspective of eleven year old Lonnie Collins Motion. Lonnie was affectionatley called Locomotion by his mother, who along with his father died in a house fire 4 years prior. Lonnie's fifth grade class is learning about poetry. Ms. Marcus, Lonnie's teacher, teaches Lonnie and classmates that poetry can be written in all forms and about anything. The book Locomotion is a collection of poems written by Lonnie that gives the reader insight on the world around Lonnie, where he is from; his feelings of being sent to a different foster home from his younger sister; his perception of how he is viewed by his teacher, foster mother and others; and the love he has for his younger sister, lili. Any students who has ever lost a parent; been in foster care or raised by someone other than their parents; grew up in an urban area; who wrote poetry in class; or who is still learning about themselves can identify with this book.

Element: Locomotion is a book that displays Element 1: Self-love and Knowledge. Element 1 address who a character is and where they come from. Through Lonnie's poetry readers will be able to learn about his up bringing and life living in an urban area. Lonnie talks about being in foster care, going to church and learning about God through his younger sister. Also in this short novel, Lonnie talks about a new kid who comes to the class from the south. The few poems written about the new kid gives readers insight on who he is, where he was raised, how he is used to dressing and the dialect used.

Activity: A poetry activity is very suitable for a book like Locomotion. In the book, Ms. Marcus encourages the students to write poetry to express themselves and the students especially Lonnie began to become confident writers and with their poetry they were able to be as creative as possible. Teachers can instruct students to keep a poetry journal. They will learn about different types of poems and creat their own poetry book with a theme of "Get to Know Me". Each student will have their own collection of poems and by the time someone finishes reading the book they will know how the student is; where they grew up; their likes and dislikes; the students community; their up bringing and home life etc. This poetry book will cover the theme of Element 1, self-love and knowledge.

Everyone Matters: A First Look at Respect for Others

2012-02-08T07:55:00.000-08:00

Author: Pat Thomas

Illustrator: Lesley Harker

Grade Level: Preschool - Second Grade

To view all books by this author of A First Look at...Series, click here!

These books promote positive interaction among children.

Click here to learn more about the author of Everyone Matters.

Summary:

Everyone Matters is a children’s picture book about the meaning of the word “respect.” From the beginning it states that “respect” is a little word but has a very big meaning. This book shows children that respect means to value the worth of other people as much as we value ourselves, treating people equally despite the fact they might look different from us. It shows that people should focus on how people are alike and not to worry much about the ways in which people are different. Everyone Matters also discusses that there are some types of respect that each person must earn for themselves--by keeping promises, by being honest in what they say and do, and being polite and respectful to others. No matter what size you are, color of your skin, handicap you have, respect always makes you feel that you are as important as anyone else. Everyone Matters also points out that even though you may disagree with someone else, you should try and understand why they believe why they think or believe something. Everyone has an equal right to their opinion. Lastly, Everyone Matters states that adults and children need to work on respect every single day in order for the world to be a happier place to work, play and live together.

Element 2:

Everyone Matters is a great book that shows respect for others (Element 2). The book takes the definition of respect and brings it into the children’s everyday lives. The illustrations show children of all colors, shapes and sizes showing respect on the playground, school, home, subway, during a town flood, passing a homeless person on the street and talking to a girl in a wheel chair. It states that respect is more than being nice to others; it means that we need to realize that no matter how someone looks, we are all equal. A great quote in the book demonstrates this element best, “Most of the differences between human beings are one we can see with our eyes. What makes us alike are the things we feel in our hearts.”

Activity:

Schools and classrooms are ideal places to help teach respect, tolerance of differences, and appreciation for diversity. An activity that a teacher can do is to conduct a read-aloud of Everyone Matters. The teacher can form groups in which children of different backgrounds are working together. As a group, the students can brainstorm on what respect means and doesn’t mean. What kinds of behavior can be considered disrespectful? The groups would then share with the class as a whole. To further promote respecting differences, the teacher can ask students to bring in a snack or an activity from their culture to share with the group. After everyone had a turn, ask if any student identified things that other students like but they do not like. This discussion is a good way to show that although you may have difference of opinions, you should treat each other respectfully.

Since parents are children’s first role models and teachers, I would also photocopy the book and send it home for the parents to read with their children. This will further reinforce the element of respect for others.

Odd Boy Out

2012-02-07T11:23:00.000-08:00

Author: Don Brown

Suggested Ages: 7-9

Lessons & Resources

Summary:

Albert Einstein’s story, from childhood to famous adulthood, is told in this simple but well-detailed picture book biography. The story highlights Einstein’s differences from his peers and the ways that his childhood shaped the scientist he would become. It also does a wonderful job of explaining Einstein’s contributions to science in language that children can understand.
Element One:
This book ties to Self-Love and Knowledge because it shows readers that “feeling different” doesn’t last forever, and that it’s important to love what makes you special. Young Einstein didn’t look like other babies, play like other little boys, or think the way his teachers always expected him to, but he went on to accomplish great things as an adult, and being the “odd boy out” certainly didn’t make him any less intelligent or successful! This book also mentions Einstein’s Jewish heritage, which would offer a “famous face” to Jewish students as a cultural role model. This book about Einstein is a great way to encourage students who are shy, into science, or who have special interests, to be themselves and embrace who they are as special – maybe they’ll be the next Nobel Laureate!

Activity:
“How I See It”
Albert Einstein saw the world in a special way, because he was interested in science and math. Because of what his interests were, he became a great physicist and mathematician. Students will write a paragraph about how they could one day change the world with their one special skill or interest – for example, a student who loves basketball might write about starting a sports program or charity – and illustrate their talent/interest in a similar way to Brown’s illustrations on the ninth and thirteenth panels of the book.

Sitti's Secrets

2012-02-07T08:06:00.000-08:00

Author: Naomi Shihab Nye

Illustrator: Nancy Carpenter

Grade Level: Ages 4-8; Kindergarten - Grade 3

Resources on Issues Related to the Middle East

Summary: Sitti's Secrets tells the story of Mona, a young girl living in America, who misses her grandmother who lives in Palestine. Mona takes comfort in thinking that as the sun sets in America, it is just beginning to rise over her grandmother on "the other side of the earth". She remembers visiting Palestine with her father, and how at first she could not communicate with her grandmother who speaks Arabic. In time, Mona and her grandmother, "Sitti" in Arabic, learn ways to talk to each other without words. Through the story, Mona recalls more Arabic words, and the customs and way of life in the village. When Mona returns to America, she writes a letter to the President telling him about her grandmother and her growing concerns about the situation in the Middle East. This book tells the story of a strong family connection that is unbroken by language barriers, world politics, different cultures and hundreds of miles in between.

How It Relates To Element 1: This story relates to Element 1, "Self-Love and Knowledge", because it shows Mona's exploration of her Palestinian culture, something that seems foreign to her at first. The story shows the language, customs and traditions of Palestinian village life, and how Mona begins to share a strong bond with her grandmother and culture, even without words. This book allows children to gain an insight into Palestinians, as well as Arabs and even Arab-Americans, by depicting them as people who have families, play games, bake bread and live life just as we do in America. Through remembering her visit to see her grandmother, you can tell that Mona is proud of her Arabic heritage, and the letter that she writes to the President upon coming home shows her hope that Americans will be able to see her grandmother just as she does.

Activity: Discussion questions following reading this book could include: Does anyone in your family live in another country? Speak a language other than English? How do you communicate? In the story, Mona plays marbles with her cousins because they don't need to speak to each other to have fun - what are some games that you could play?

For younger children, students could create a Venn Diagram comparing Sitti's life in Palestine with their life in America. What things are different? What things are the same?

For older children, the teacher could use the book as an opening to a unit discussion the issues and politics surrounding the Middle East. Students could explore geography and time zones through looking for the Palestinian territories on a map.

Students could also be asked to create persuasive essays, to the President or another authority, on behalf of someone in their family or about another pre-determined issue.

Lesson Plan on Middle Eastern Countries and Cultures

2012-02-07T05:08:00.000-08:00

Author: Jamie Lee Curtis
Illustrator: Laura Cornell
Grade Level: Preschool & Up

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Resource 1
Resource 2

Summary: I'm Gonna Like Me- Letting off a Little Self-Esteem is a book that is told from the perspective a little boy and girl going through a whole day from morning to night. Throughout the story, we are seeing ways that they like and accept themselves for who they are. No matter what situation they are in, they appreciate who they are and know they are going to love themselves no matter what they do. This story is one of self love and acceptance. They have knowledge that they might not do everything right but that does not stop these characters from liking themselves.

Element 1- Self Love and Knowledge: Letting off a Little Self-Esteem pertains to this element because it is all about loving yourself no matter what trouble you get into or what you look like. This book encourages the readers to be themselves no matter their style, size, color or age. The book's illustrations show all types of children sharing and getting along and accepting each other for who they are. It also depicts the children doing their chores and spending time with their family. This book celebrates the children and liking themselves no matter what they do and this is an important factor when teaching the elements. This book gets to the heart of self-esteem and portraying the importance of having high self-esteem to the students that read it.

Activity: There are various activities that can be done using this book. Resource 2 is a lesson plan done in a Pre-K-K classroom. It involved puppets and group work. The children create their own puppet to represent themselves. It shows the similarities and differences of the students as the game goes on by having them name characteristics of themselves and move into groups that share those similarities. It promotes unity in the classroom but also depicts how each one of us are unique and different and through an activity like this, can promote acceptance of everyone and the celebration of our differences while boosting the students' self esteem. This is an activity that can be done at any reading time because they can save the puppets to use later on in the school year.

Loser

2012-02-06T17:32:00.000-08:00

Author: Jerry Spinelli
Grade Level: 3-6
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Resource

Summary:

Loser, a novel written by Jerry Spinelli,is a story about Donald Zinkoff, a young, unusual character, who demonstratesgreat self-acceptance and is unafraid to fail. Zinkoff faces the familiarchallenges of elementary-aged children -- disagreeable teachers, peer pressure,social conformity, and competition. At first, Zinkoff appearsto be an average child, but as he grows older, his classmates begin to view himdifferently. By the time Zinkoff is in the fourth grade, his unathletic, awkward ways become weird and annoying to his peers. In fact, Zinkoff's poorcoordination causes his fourth grade classmates to lose a race during FieldDay. By the end of the day, Donald Zinkoff has a new nickname,"Loser". Despite this new name, Zinkoff continues on and remainshappy. As fifth grade Field Day approaches however, the other children tellZinkoff that they don't want him to be a part of their team this year. As aresult, Zinkoff skips school and meets up with his neighborhood friends: anelderly lady who calls him "mailman" and a little girl named Claudia.Zinkoff eventually graduates from elementary school and enters Monroe MiddleSchool as a sixth grade student. His life goes on, with one clumsy storyafter the next, until one winter night when he finds out that the little girlacross the street, Claudia, has gone missing in a snowstorm. Immediately,Zinkoff decides to find her himself, as he bravely goes out in the cold andsearches for hours. It is after this journey that the other children view Zinkoff in anew light. By maintaining a strong sense-of-selfthroughout his experiences, Donald Zinkoff teaches us all important andunforgettable lessons of self-esteem, tolerance and happiness.

Element 1 - Self-Loveand Knowledge:

This book is an excellentrepresentation of Element 1 because it illustrates issues such as self-esteem,bullying, and self-confidence through an age-appropriate read. Most of the audience can relate to either knowing, or being, a Donald Zinkoff at somepoint in their lives. Zinkoff is the last person picked for athletic teams, hisflute consistently hits the wrong note during concerts, and he is occasionallytoo eager at the wrong times. But, despite these bumbling ways, Zinkoff iscomfortable in his own skin and learns toapproach life with a positive spirit. This book teaches students to be proud of who they are and where theycome from. It also highlights the negative attitudes of his peers, which allowsfor discussion about tolerance, stereotypes, and unnecessary judgments. Lastly, this story reinforces individuality and is a reminder to respect everyone's differences.

Activity:

Wejust finished reading this novel, as a read-a-loud story, in my fourth gradeclassroom. As I mentioned above, this book teaches children to embrace who theyare and be tolerant of others who are different from them. It also allows fordiscussion about bullying, self-acceptance and acceptance of others. While itis unfortunate that kids get labeled with names like "loser", this novelcould lead to an effective classroom discussion. During this conversation, theteacher can ask the students the following questions: what are some of thedifferent "labels" that children get assigned, what does a kid haveto do to get a label like "loser", how do you think you would feel ifpeople perceived you as that "label" every day? After thisdiscussion, students could write about the limits of their own perspectives, for example: what are some examples of times when you've jumped to conclusionsabout someone and been totally wrong? What are some ways people can expandtheir perspectives and keep their minds more open?

Something Beautiful

2012-02-06T16:15:00.000-08:00

Author: Sharon Dennis Wyeth
Illustrator: Chris K. Soentpiet

Grade Level: 1-2 grade

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Resources:

Summary: Everyday, a little girl walks through her neighborhood and notices the trash strewn about, the graffiti on her front door and the homeless lady who sleeps in a box. After studying the word "Beautiful"in school, she walks around her neighborhood again asking several people in her community what they have that's beautiful. The responses are as varied as the people she asks: fried fish sandwich, jump rope, an old stone of sentimental value, a baby's laugh, a beautiful store. The girl goes back to sit on the stoop of her building and contemplate her surroundings, then decides to take action. She fetches soap, water and a broom and cleans up the courtyard in front of her building. She scrubs the graffiti on the door, in an uplifting change of tone she writes: "When Die disappears, I feel powerful".

Element 5: Raising awareness. I chose this book because it illustrates from the child's perspective the entire journey from a feeling of powerlessness, to coming to an awareness of what bothers her, to finally figuring out how she can become an agent of change, and exert some control over the situation.

How I plan to use this in the classroom: This book provides an opportunity to talk about different neighborhoods. Children can be encouraged to draw comparisons with their neighborhoods, and make lists of the public vs private spaces in their neighborhoods. An important lesson can be taught about private vs. public spaces, and our collective responsibility to keep them clean, safe and pleasant for everyone's enjoyment. More specifically, students can explore the many ways some neighborhood residents contribute to enhancing their neighborhoods: neighborhood patrols, organizing community cleanup crews, planting community gardens, etc...

A Bad Case of Stripes

2012-02-06T12:23:00.001-08:00

A Bad Case of Stripes

Author: David Shannon

Illustrator: David Shannon

Reading Level: Ages 5 and up; Kindergarten

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Summary:

A Bad Case of Stripes is about a little girl named Camilla Cream and her struggle to gain self-love and confidence in being herself. Camilla loves lima beans, but she is too embarrassed to eat them in front of her friends because they all hate them. Camilla was so concerned about fitting in that she picked up the unfortunate ability to change colors at the will of her peers. Neither Camilla's parents or any of the expert doctors could figure out a solution. Eventually, an old woman offered the transforming Camilla some of her favorite lima beans. She couldn't stop thinking about how good those lima beans would taste, especially after all she had been through; so, she admitted to liking them and ate every last one. All of a sudden, Camilla transformed back into a "normal" little girl. Camilla was never quite the same after that. She ate lima beans in front of whoever she wanted and was proud to be her "lima bean loving" self.

Element 1: Self-Love and Knowledge

A Bad Case of Stripes portrays the common issue of "fitting in" and having self-confidence amongst peers in elementary school. I relate this topic to self-love and knowledge because it is important for children to embrace themselves for their differences just as much as for their similarities. It would be impossible to have respect for others and their cultures (needed for Element 2) without first respecting your own culture and having self-pride. Camilla Cream experienced a very colorful, and somewhat scary, adventure in order to gain self-love and knowledge. In the end, Camilla learned that being herself made her special; she embraced the real Camilla and never had a bad case of stripes again. Overall, this book opens the door for early elementary students to begin exploring their own families, cultures, and histories by illustrating the fundamental thought--everyone is special in their own way.

Classroom Use:

This book is a great resource for Kindergarten students. Teachers can read it in the beginning of the year to stress that all students are different in a positive way. As reading extensions, teachers can ask students to talk about times they have felt like the "odd man out." Conversely, they can ask students to share a unique fact about themselves in order to promote self-love and knowledge. Teachers can also get creative by inviting students to create self portraits in which students decorate their portrait with personal hobbies or cultural activities that define them. By displaying these portraits, students can show off their new self-love and knowledge and segue into Element 2 of social justice.

My Princess Boy

2012-02-06T11:59:00.000-08:00

Author: Cheryl Kilodavis
Illustrator: Suzanne DeSimone
Grade level: 1st grade

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Resources

Summary: This book is a nonfiction picture book about a four year old boy who likes to dress in girls' clothes. It was written by a mother in support of her young son's self-image using the exact words he used to describe himself: "princess boy". While the passage about his family, friends and school loving him as he is successfully models acceptance and love of diversity across gender identities, The following passage explicitly states the emotional consequences of taunting and teasing. Toward the end, the author addresses the young readers directly and provides a wonderful opportunity to teach respect for our differences, when she asks: "if you see a princess boy, will you laugh at him? will you call him a name? will you play with him? will you like him for who he is?"

Element 2: Respect for others. The book does a great job of portraying the child as a son, a brother, a friend, a loved member of his community, someone who celebrates birthdays and Halloween. It offers the readers several opportunities to see similarities and make connections to the familiar realm of their life experience, and get past his preference for dresses.

Activity: list one way you and your best friend are different? why is that OK?

Celebrate Chinese New Year with the Fong Family

2012-02-05T19:39:00.000-08:00

Authors: F. Isabel Campoy and Alma Flor Ada
Illustrator: Mima Castro
Grade Level: K-3

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Summary:

The Fong Family is a Chinese-American family that invites their friends the Sanchez, a Latino family to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Nico, a child from the Sanchez family documents his experiences and lessons learned with pictures while learning about the Chinese New Year customs and traditions. Nico takes you on his journey of learning about the the Chinese markets and the parade that occurs on the last day of the 15 day long celebration. Nico also guides readers in learning about the importance and significance of Chinese items such as fruit (signifying gold and happiness), red posters with Chinese writing (signifying good luck), incense (signifying respect for their ancestors), and the dragon (Gum Lung) in the parade. The story continues with defining the Chinese New Year, places around the world this holiday is celebrated, further traditions such as the foods that are served for dinner and their meaning. Fish signifying abundance and chicken symbolizing success are important components of the Chinese New Year dinner. The book also discusses other communities and cultures that celebrate New Year's Day (Rosh Hashanah and Songkran). The overall message expressed is a celebration of joy and well wishes regardless of your culture.

Element 1: Self- love and Knowledge

This book is a great representation of Element 1 because it introduces children to teaching others about your culture. The Fongs were excited and proud to teach the Sanchez about their culture. This book also demonstrates through the characters of Nico and the Sanchez family the aspect of acceptance of a culture and traditions that differ from your own. The book also brings the element of similarities across differing cultures when there is a discussion of the Jewish celebration of Rosh Hashannah and the new year celebration, Songkran, in Thailand which each have their own customs but result in the same outcome- a hope for a new year that is positive and full of joy!

Activities:

After reading this book to the class, I would first discuss the concept of traditions, cultures and the significance of New Year's for my students. The activities that I thought would be interesting and promote element 1 in my students are: Making a class book with pictures and drawings of how each student celebrates the New Year in their homes with their families and their culture's traditions. This could be accomplished through family interviews. Another activity could be a research project in which the students can research the New Year celebrations of a culture different from their own. The class can come together to make posters, pamphlets, and have a cultural fair in which students can visit each stand to learn more about their culture and others.

Let's Talk About Race

2012-02-05T18:30:00.001-08:00

Author: Julius Lester

Illustrator: Karen Barbour

Grade Level: 1st + (Age Level: 6+)

Additional Teacher Resource

For more information about Julius Lester and other stories he wrote, please click here

Summary: Julius Lester's narrative openswith, “I am a story. So are you,” the beginning of a short book about racialidentity and how it affects the way we view one another. He begins by writingabout his hobbies and what he likes amongst other things. Then, Julius leadsinto the topic of race; he explains the different races and how people tend todislike others simply because of their race. The book explains that despite ourrace, we are all the same under our skin and have no reason to judge anotherbased on their skin color. He discusses how we all are much more than our raceand have many elements in our stories such as family name, family places, likesand dislikes. Lester writes about what makes each individual special. The bookends with Julius Lester asking the reader, “I’ll take off my skin. Will youtake off yours?” pertaining to not to judge others.

Element 1 (Self-Love and Knowledge): This book is a great choice to use for Element 1 as it is intended for young children and its concentration is about race. The author, Julius discusses many different things about himself and what makes him unique. He discusses his race of which has great importance and meaning to him, although it does not define who he is. The book is centered on racial identity and characteristics that make individuals who they are, different, yet alike. Most importantly, the book emphasizes how we are all the same under our skin, we share similar life stories, events, and characteristics, which teaches acceptance of oneself and of one another. In addition, the book emphasizes how we all are much more than just our race and are made up of many elements, race just being one and minor detail. Nonetheless, it is also centered around what makes each individual special.

Activity: One of many possible follow-up activities may be engaging students in a classroom discussion not only about race, but about things that represent themselves and their "story" as individuals, their families, religion, culture, community, etc. Following, the teacher will explain to the class that they will have a “Show and Tell” multi-cultural lesson where each student will be required to bring in one item that represents themselves, their family, religion, culture, etc. This “Show and Tell” lesson will help inform and motivate the students to be open and share with one another about their backgrounds and to understand, learn, and accept others. “Students learn about different aspects of their identity and history associated with it” (Picower). This lesson will also allow the students to learn about who they are and where they came from.

Dumpling Soup

2012-02-04T09:34:00.000-08:00

Author: Jama Kim Rattigan
Illustrator: Lillian Hsu-Flanders
Grade Level: K-3

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Resources

Summary: Seven-year-old Marisa is an Asian American girl who lives in Hawaii. As part of her family's New Year's Eve tradition, everyone goes over to her Grandma's house and eats dumplings at midnight. For the first time this year, Marisa will help her Grandma, aunts and mother make dumplings for the family's New Year's Eve celebration. Marisa carefully tries to emulate the way her aunt makes them, but is concerned that nobody will eat her funny-looking dumplings (mandoo). Dumpling Soup celebrates the food and customs of Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Hawaiian cultures. Marisa says that her Grandma refers to the family as "chop suey"which means "all mixed up" in pidgin.

Element 1: Self-Love and Knowledge: I believe this book is a great representation of Element 1 because it introduces children to a little girl who is clearly proud of her family tradition and cannot wait to be a part of the whole process. Her family in Oahu comes from different cultures and they all celebrate their food, customs and languages together.

Activities: On the author's website, she discusses many different ways that a teacher can incorporate this book into the classroom. From the ideas that she mentions, I have a few favorites that I would select. After reading this book to the class, I would first discuss the concept of "mixing" or "blending" as cited in the book. I would use examples such as the mixture of races in the family and the ingredients in the soup and dumplings. The activities that I thought would be very worthwhile are the following: 1) Making a class book and asking each child to contribute a word representing his/her ethnic origin; 2) Researching other types of New Year's celebrations and creating a mural illustrating these; and 3) Interviewing family members to find out if there are any kinds of family celebrations or special traditions and those sharing those orally or on paper.

And Tango Makes Three

2012-02-02T12:50:00.000-08:00

Authors: Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell

Ages: 4-8

Summary:
This picture book tells the true story Roy and Silo, two male penguins in the Central Park Zoo. Roy and Silo do everything together, just like the other penguin couples. One day, however, Roy and Silo realize that the boy and girl penguin couples can do something that they cannot - have babies. Roy and Silo try sitting on a rock the way the other penguins sit on their eggs, but no baby penguin hatches. Finally, Mr. Gramzay, a zoo worker, finds an egg that needs a home and places is it in Roy and Silo's nest. Roy and Silo sit on the egg, keeping it warm until little Tango hatches. The three become a family and continue to live happily together in the zoo.

Element 1: Self-love and Knowledge
This book is great for exploring element one, self-love and knowledge, because it introduces children to the idea that there are many types of families in the world and that each is special. Roy and Silo are an example of a family with two fathers. The zoo setting allows for the different animal groups to stand in for families of different cultural and racial backgrounds. Children are able to see that not only are there families within the different animal groups, but there are can be different types of family structures (two daddies, two mommies, single parents, foster parents) within a group. Children can use this as a jumping off point to explore the how their own families are unique.

Classroom Activity:
After reading this book, students can make a family member chart. You can either use a blank graphic organizer (http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/pdf/cluster_web3.pdf) or have students create their own charts by drawing a circle for each family member. Inside the circles, have students write the name of each family member accompanied by a drawing. Then, on the lines connecting the circles, they can write the relationship between members. On the back of the chart, students can list activities they do with their families, just like Roy and Silo in the book.

Lesson Plans:

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/and-tango-makes-three-lesson-plan

http://www.teachervision.fen.com/childrens-book/printable/56941.html

Buy It Here for $11.55:

http://www.amazon.com/Tango-Makes-Three-Justin-Richardson/dp/0689878451

Real Kids, Real Stories, Real Change: Corageous Actions Around the World

2011-12-13T12:01:00.000-08:00

Title: Real Kids, Real Stories, Real Change
Author: Garth Sundem
Foreword By: Bethany Hamilton
Publisher: Free Spirit Publishing Inc.
Grade Level: 4+ (Ages 9+)

Summary: Garth Sundem has created a great resource for encouraging young students to take social action in anything they are passionate about. This book highlights the stories of children all around the world, as young as six, taking social action in our society to make a change. This books includes stories about an 11-year old taking action and warning her neighbors that a tsunami was coming, a six-year old named Ryan raising $800,000 for water wells in Africa, to a fifteen year old student named Malika fighting against segregation in her Alabama school district. This book not only tells our students that these young individuals have made a difference, but what exactly they did in order to accomplish change in their passionate pursuit. Thirty TRUE, life-changing, encouraging, breath-taking, inspirational stories about REAL youngsters making a difference around the world.

Element 6: Sundem's compilation of stories makes for a great introduction to social action for your students in the classroom. This story touches upon issues that many students can relate to on a passionate level: racism, natural disasters, poverty, environmental awareness, etc. Hearing the stories of other young students actually making a difference in society will inspire your students to do the same. Hearing stories about individuals that have taken social action (like Martin Luther Kind, Rosa Parks, Abraham Lincoln) is great, but students need something they can relate to. This book does not only focus on one social issue, as do many social action books. This book opens the students' eyes to a plethora of different issues around the world that are very much prevalent in our society.

Activity: After reading some of these children's stories to the class, have the students pick their own topic, in groups of 4-5, that they are passionate about: it can be an issue that's as crucial as racism/segregation or it can be as simple as wearing uniforms in school. Regardless the issue, encourage students to be creative and original when choosing their topic. Students will be able to pick a topic they heard about in Real Kids, Real Stories, Real Change, but they must create an original way to change the issue on their own; they can not say they will take social action in the same way the child in the story did.
After choosing their topic students will right a proposal of how they will change his issue in their society and make a difference. Along with that proposal there will be an attached petition page with a list of 20 blank lines; students are to get twenty signatures of people they know that will be willing to make a change about this issue. After completing their petition signatures students will act out the change they chose to make whether it is a protest, writing a letter to a superior, raising money through a fundraiser or donations, etc.

Miss. Rumphius Element five

2011-12-12T18:43:00.000-08:00

Miss. Rumphius

Written and Illustrated by Barbara Cooney

Grades 1-5

Summary: Miss. Rumphius, written and illustrated by Barbara Cooney is an American Book Award winning book that should be a staple in every classroom. Alice Rumphius is a young girl living in America with her grandfather who is an artist. He tells her that he must do something to make the world more beautiful. Although Alice does not understand it at the time, she accepts the challenge. Once Alice is grown up, she moves away and decides to plant flowers around her beach house she is living in. By the time the next spring comes around, Miss. Rumphius is very ill. However, her flowers still bloom and she longs to plant more the next year, unfortunately she is still unable to. When she finally felt better she went for a walk and upon the hill that she had not been on in almost a year, her favorite flower that she planted around her house, lupins, were blooming all over! Miss. Rumphius discovered how she was going to make the world a more beautiful place in honor of her promise to her grandfather; she would plant lupines all over town! Years later her granddaughter listens to the stories she tells of the lupines. Miss. Rumphius carries on the tradition and tells her granddaughter that she too must do something beautiful to make the world more beautiful.

Element Five: Miss. Rumphius very easily relates to element six, taking social action. Miss. Rumphius is told from when she was a little girl that she needed to do something to make the world more beautiful. Although it took her years to figure it out, she discovered that planting flowers and helping the environment is how she was going to do this task. She not only helped the environment but did something that she loved and something that her neighborhood loved. She also passed the tradition on to her granddaughter to do something different to make the world beautiful when she becomes an adult. Helping the environment is something very important in today's world. Having our students help out and understand the concept is even more important. Miss. Rumphius did not have to do this environmentally friendly action, she chose to; and that is what we need to instill in our students heads. That doing something nice whether it be for the environment or not, should not be something you are told to do, but something you want to do.

Activity: There are numerous activities that can be created as a post lesson to reading Miss. Rumphius. to give one example, we can have the students begin with a class discussion if they or their families have ever engaged in any type of social action or movement to help the environment and what they do at home to help the environment. Once we have this discussion the teacher will distribute seeds of flowers that the students will take outside and plant in the school yard. The will be responsible for the life of this flower. When the flower is planted they will write or discuss why they think planting flowers is important for our Earth and what they plan to do in the future to continue helping our environment.

The Lorax

2011-12-05T20:48:00.000-08:00

Author: Dr. Seuss

Grade Level: 1-6

Summary: The Lorax is one of the many classic stories written by Dr. Seuss. The story begins when a young child asks the Once-Ler to tell him the story of the Lorax. The Lorax is a tree-loving creature who lives very happily surrounded by Truffula trees and various creatures such as Brown Bar-ba-loots and Humming-Fish. One day the Once-Ler moves into town and cuts down a Truffula tree and makes a Thneed. A thneed is a fine-something-that-all-people need! The Lorax confronts the Once-ler and says that he speaks for the trees and asks him to please not chop them down. The Once-ler ignores the Lorax and continues to chop down the Truffula trees and make thneeds and build a thneed factory. As the Once-ler's business expands all the creatures that once lived happily are forced to leave and the Lorax continues to explain to the Once-ler the damage he is doing. The Once-ler ignores his warning again. Eventually, all the Truffula trees are chopped down and everyone leaves except the Lorax and the Once-ler. Finally, the Lorax decides to leave and when he does he leaves behind a pile of rocks with the word "UNLESS" written on it. The Once-ler never realized what it meant until he looked at the young child that he was telling the story to. The Once-ler leaves the fate of the land in the hands of that child, giving him the last Truffula seed and encouraging him to plant it so that one day the Lorax and all the other creatures will return.

Element Five: The Lorax is a great story for element 6, raising awareness, because it focuses on the important issue of sustainability and saving the environment. While the Lorax tried very hard to make a change himself, he was unable to succeed in doing so. The ending of the story calls on a child to take the matter into his own hands and make the world they live in a better place. This story allows a teacher to show students that they are capable of making changes and taking social action, even if it is by doing something as small as planting a tree.

Activity: The Lorax is a great book to read around Earth day and there are numerous activities that can be done with the book. One simple activity is to have students, as a class, compose a list of Earth-friendly actions that they can take part in. For example, turning the water off while brushing their teeth or switching to energy-efficient light bulbs. Another activity that can be done, with permission from the school, is that students can plant a tree on the school's campus and observe its growth as the year goes on.

The Three R's Reuse, Reduce, Recycle

2011-12-05T17:08:00.000-08:00

The Three R’s: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle

Author: Nuria Roca

Illustrator: Rosa M. Curto

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Summary: This children’s book introduces garbage and recycling. The illustrations help match some words that may be new to young readers. It explains where garbage is from, where it goes, and what we can do to reduce it. The Three R’s also gives examples of different places we can practice recycling such as at school, at the supermarket or at home. The book informs children of how items can be reused and that not everything needs to be thrown away. The Three R’s is a good introduction to how to recycle and reduce pollution.

Element 6: This book pertains to element 6 because it shows children what they can do to make a difference in the world. “Going Green” is widely talked about and this gives children insight into how they can help. There are great guidelines and approaches that are spoken about, some as simple as just remembering to turn off the faucet. In the back of the book it even gives some examples of activities the student can do on their own.

Activity: Even though there are some examples located at the end of the book, there are other activities a teacher can do with his/her class. Of course the class can place recycle bins around the school and community. One other thing that can be done is making an elephant pencil holder so that they can use it in class. The steps to accomplish this are:

1.Cut a piece of paper large enough to cover the outside of the can. Tape it to the can.

2.Fold a (6" x 4" ) piece of gray paper in half. Cut out an ear shape. (When you unfold it, you'll have two ears that are the same size and shape.) Make a fold about 1/4 " wide down the "inside" part of the ears. Make a cut halfway down the fold and bend one part of the inside part forward and one part backwards. When you glue them to the can, it will make the ears "stand up."

3.Cut out the trunk. Use a pencil to "curl the trunk" so that it will stand out from the can instead of laying flat. (You take a pencil and the end part of the trunk and roll the paper gently around the pencil about halfway up the trunk.) Draw nostrils on the part that will be turned up, and wrinkles along the trunk. Make a 1/4" fold at the top and glue the trunk to the can.

4.Glue on two wiggle eyes or use the white paper and a black pen to make your own eyes and glue them on the can on either side of the trunk.

5. Draw the elephant a mouth below the trunk. Add any other details you would like your elephant to have (wrinkles, tusks, etc.)

"Have You Filled A Bucket Today?"

2011-12-05T16:11:00.000-08:00

Author: Carol McCloud

Illustrator: David Messing

Grade Level- k-5

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Preview the book here

Summary:

"Have You Filled a Bucket Today?" is a story that promotes positive social interactions. It explains how each person has an invisible bucket that they carry with them each and every day. This magical bucket holds your good thoughts and good feelings about yourself. When it is full, it makes you happy! When it is empty, you are sad! To have a full bucket you need to fill other people's buckets. A bucket filler is a loving caring person who does nice things to make someone else feel special. This means, by saying hello to someone with a smile, doing a good deed for someone else, or asking the new kid at school to play with you, are all great bucket fillers! However, sometimes people dip into other people's buckets and make you feel sad. This person is called a bucket dipper. Bucket dippers are people who make fun of someone or say mean things or even ignore someone. A bully is a bucket dipper. Many bucket dippers have an empty bucket. When you fill someone else's bucket you fill your own too. All day long we are filling each other's bucket. The story ends with asking the readers to ask themselves each day "Did I fill a bucket today?" This story is great for promoting positive, healthy social habits to change our society one small step at a time.

Element 6:

"Have You Filled a Bucket Today," is a good representation of Element 6 because this is a great story for a teacher to branch off of and provide the students with opportunities to take action on this issue of "bullying," and to promote kindness. This book's message is similar to the movie "Pay it Forward," where the characters did one small kind gesture for one person and then they would do the same for another, and the cycle goes on. By being kind to others, we are "filling their buckets," which can encourage others to fill buckets too! Element 6 is about taking social action, and using this story, the students will remember to "fill buckets" everywhere they go which will promote positive feelings in other people and in themselves.

Activity:

In the classroom on a wall, or on a bulletin board, you can have each child decorate a small bucket or paper bucket, and hang them on the wall/board. The students can write messages to each other to make each other feel good about themselves. The teacher can even have a bucket too! This is a great tool to promote friendships! The picture below is a good example!

taken from http://teacherweb.com/SC/bells/madden/apt13.stm

Giant Steps to change the World

2011-12-05T11:25:00.000-08:00

Author: Spike Lee & Tonya Lewis Lee

Illustrator: Sean Qualls

Grade level: 2-4

Summary: Giant Steps to Change the World is a children book that depicts the challenges people throughout time have undergone. It does this as a means to show what we can do to create change in the world just the way these people in history have. It is an inspiring book that let's children know that they can make a difference just like others before them in time did by daring to make their dreams come true despite the hard days. The book uses the illustrations of a boy climbing giant stair steps to symbolize them as the steps one takes in life in order to make the world a better place. The book represents fear as one of the obstacles on these steps, but encourages one to push through and be courageous for that is the foundation that makes the real impact to create social change.

Element 6: Element 6 is illustrated in this book, since it fosters in children not only awareness but a need to want to create change in an unjust world. This book shows that one person can make a difference in trying to create social change. Children learn about different circumstances in history and how ordinary people stood up for what they believed in despite of the oppression they may have faced. An example it says "There will be dark days and lonely nights. Press on through the darkness and keep going-the way to freedom fighter encouraged the enslaved to ride the railroad to safety so that all could be free." This excerpt is referring to Harriet Tubman helping African slaves escape the South, and how children should see this as an example to motivate them to see that they can also press through hard times just like the people in the underground railroad did.

Activity: An activity, a teacher can do with her students is have them write in a journal about a time they have had a fear that has kept them from doing the just or right thing. Then have them write what they feel they could have done differently and why it was important to aid them in creating change by performing such social action. After the children can be partnered into groups to discuss what they have written. This discussion will then lead into a class discussion on choosing a topic they will begin to research in order to begin making a plan to create a social movement to help create change.

Social Justice How you can make a difference

2011-12-04T13:35:00.000-08:00

Author: Lynn Bogen Sanders
Illustrator:Veronica Bianchini
Grade Level:4th and 5th Grade

Purchase the book here
Resouces

Summary: In this book are motivating and inspiring stories from children engaged in social justice. They are engaged and are helping out in areas such as: human rights, people who suffered from earthquakes, and political activism. This book shows that it does not matter what age you are, if you want change you can make it happen. In the beginning of the book the author gives ways of how to get started on a project. Overall an informative book that encourages children that no matter what age you are, you can go out there and make a difference. In the book a child stated how activism isn't just a project, it's a way of life.

Element 6: This book pertains to element 6 because it shows real life examples of kids of different ages going out in the world and making a difference. In this book there are tips and strategies to help children get involved. It lays down the foundation of getting started and thinking of different areas that children can choose to get involved. For example, brainstorm problems. Also shows that any problem-doesn't matter the size-is important.

Activity: After students have finished reading the book, we will go over the steps presented in this book on how to get involved. Students may get different ideas in this book from reading other children's stories of social justice. Students will brainstorm ideas on the board of things that interest them and want to help out. When the list is done I will ask children to put their name to one that inspires them the most. If more than one student is interested in a topic, I will put those students in a group. As a class we will do the steps together. When all the steps are completed, I will ask the students to do a presentation of their topic and how they helped out. During this process I will ask students (if they can) take pictures of them during this process. At the end we will create a board that is called Social Justice-make it happen.

The Unofficial Official Handbook of Good Deeds

2011-12-03T12:07:00.000-08:00

Author: L.L. Buller and Boy Scouts of America

Illustrator: Lee 55

Grade levels: 3-5

Purchase it here

Find out more about the Boy Scouts of America

Summary: The Unofficial Official Handbook of Good Deeds is just what it claims to be, a book of more than 300 things you can do to make the world a better place. The book is not just a listing of good deeds but actually explains different things you can do to help your community. Some of the ones that stuck out to me the most were clean up your classroom, plant a tree, knit a hat or scarf for a homeless person, have a clean up party in the park, collect canned goods for a food back, meet with your principal and ask how you can help, adopt a highway, beach or park, recycle, and collect trash at school. The book explains how to go about these acts of kindness and why you should. For example, "Have a Clean-up Party in the Park" lists the different things you can do to help improve the park like planting flowers or picking up trash. The section explains how to first get permission by contact the parks department. It then explains what you will need to accomplish the various tasks such as rakes, seeds, or trash bags. Along with this, it explains why you should should clean up parks in your community by reminding students of their love for the play ground growing up.

Element six: This relates to element six because after a problem or social issue is identified, you can then use this book to help come up with ways of how to address it. Whether the issue is school involved or just something the students feel particularly passionate about this book can be used to help guide students to create change. Even if students are just looking for a way to create a positive change in their community book, this book will assist them in finding ways to go about that.

Activity: For the activity following this book, first see what the students wanted to take social action on. The issue addressed should either be prompted by the teacher for the students to come up with issues in their community or even an issue that came up during other class time that students were interested in. Once a issue is decided on, as a class go through this book observing the different options for addressing that issue. For example, if students are concerned with homelessness, knitting a hat or scarf for a homeless person or collecting mittens might be a good place to start. Theses lessons would probably be long and involved but the end result would certainly be a beneficial thing for students to get involved with. Another thing that might be a fun project with this book, would be just to have it the classroom and see how many of the deeds can be accomplished before the end of the school.

Chester Raccoon and the Big Bad Bully

2011-11-29T06:27:00.000-08:00

Author: Audrey Penn
Illustrator: Barbara Gibson
Grade Level: 1st

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Resources

Summary: Chester Raccoon, his brother Ronny and best friend Cassy begged Chester’s mom, Mrs. Raccoon to not make them to go school. When mother asked why they did not want to go, Chester quietly said there was a bully at school, who is horrible, big and mean. The boys then described the bully to Mrs. Raccoon, but insisted that things could be worked out and told the boys to be brave. Once school ended that day, Chester, Ronny and Cassy explained to Mrs. Raccoon about how mean the bully was at recess. They told her about how he snatched the ball, squashed fingers and made a skunk spray everyone else. Mrs. Raccoon explained that some animals act like that because they do not know any other way. She told the boys to gather their friends and bring them to the tree. Once all of the animals reached the tree, Mrs. Raccoon started telling a story about a blue stone that was found in a secret forest. All of the other stones were yellow, but this one was rough and dull with prickly points. The animals took the blue stone to the middle of the forest waiting to see if it would turn yellow. Finally a wise old snake explained that the stone was blue because that is the color it is meant to be. He then told the animals they would have to work together to smooth out the sharp stone. Mother Raccoon compared the stone to the bully and told the young animals that the bully is a badger and that is the way he is meant to be. She told the animals that if they worked together, they will be able to smooth out the badgers bullying ways. At school the next day, the animals, who were all huddled together, approached the bully, holding a ball. When the bully saw them coming, he exclaimed "I’ll get one of you!” However once the large group of animals got closer, the badger began getting scared. He thought they were coming to get him. The bully waited there with a scared and nervous expression. When Chester finally reached the bully, he held up the ball and simply asked "Want to play?” The bully was shocked. He could not believe what they were asking him. The bully replied "I’ll play!" In that quick moment, the badger ended his bullying days and became a friend. When Chester looked back, he saw his mother watching from afar with a proud expression on her face.

Element 6: This book represents "Taking Social Action" on a very basic level through the use of animals. Chester Raccoon and the Big Bad Bully provides its reader with insight on a common problem among school districts. Bullying occurs for different reasons depending on the actual bully. In this case, the teacher who is Mrs. Raccoon retells a story to the young animals, which later helps them take social action against the bully. The young animals, which can represent students, have identified an issue that is taking place in their school and they want to find a solution that will end bullying. Mrs. Raccoon helps the animals learn different skills which will hopefully change the environment at their school. I think it is very important for students of any age to find a way to stand up against an issue they do no approve of, which is exactly what the animals did.

Activity: For an activity, the teacher can lead a group discussion with their students about bullying. The teacher may ask students "What is a bully?" or "Why are people bullied?". Once the discussion is over, the students can break off into small groups. Each group with be given a simple situation and asked to act out a positive way of dealing with bullying. However, depending on the students, the dramatic role playing may be too much, so posters can be created instead.

element 5: raising awareness: Whoever you are

2011-11-21T17:50:00.001-08:00

Title: Whoever you are

Author: Mem Fox

Illustrator:Leslie Staub

Link to buy book: http://www.amazon.com/Whoever-You-Reading-Rainbow-Books/dp/0152060308/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321926798&sr=8-1

Reading level: ages 3 and up

Summary: This is a story of raising awareness of a multicultural world. It shows you the different types of people in this world. It allows you to see all the ways which people of different cultures differ from you. People from different cultures are different in many ways it a This book shows how the languages are different, the lands are different, the schooling is different. It allows you to see how the lives of different cultures are so different from your own. This is a book that anyone can connect to. It makes you aware of the fact that although people all around the world are different from you they are the same in ways too. They have hearts, smiles, and laugh just like you.

Relation to element: This story relates to element 5 which is raising awareness. This book shows people from all over the globe. It allows the children to see that people are not always like they are. This book raises multicultural awareness. It teaches the children that not only can people look alike but they can speak differently, learn differently, and live differently. It is important to raise multicultural awareness in a country that is extremely multicultural. Through raising this awareness children can see that people are from different backgrounds and have different color skin, speak differently, and live differently. However it allows the children to connect to one another by explaining that everyone smiles, and laughs and have hearts. It is important to make connection for children so that the children can understand more deeply and realize there are differences among their peers.

How I would use this book:

I would use this book in order to raise awareness about cultures. I would allow the children to each make a poster of their own cultures. They can put whatever they would like on these posters that would exhibit their culture. The students would create their posters at home. They would then bring their posters into class to share with their peers. They would go around the room sharing their posters allowing the other students to learn about new cultures. Not only will they learn about new cultures but they will discover how those cultures differ from their own.

The Great Kapok Tree

2011-11-21T17:50:00.000-08:00

The Great Kapok Tree

A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest

Written and Illustrated by Lynne Cherry

Buy It Here!!

Grades: 4-5

Resources!

Summary: One day a young man goes into the Amazon Rain Forest and begins to chop down a Kapok tree. After working for a while he rests and soon falls asleep. While he is sleeping the animals of the forest come up to him and ask him him to stop chopping down the tree. The animals, including a boa constrictor, monkeys, many bugs, birds, a jaguar, and even a young boy of the Yanomaono tribe, all have their reasons to ask the sleeping man to stop chopping down the tree. The man wakes suddenly to find himself surrounded by all the creatures who had spoken to him. He notices their beauty and the beauty and wonderment of the forest around him. As he gets up to begin working he looks around again, dropping the axe he leaves the forest.

Element 5: This book demonstrates raising awareness through the actions of the animals. All the animals love and care about the tree and do not want the man to cut it down. Every animals gets their chance to tell the man why the tree should stay. The whole point of raising awareness is to spread the word about issues. When the man came into the forest and began to cut down the tree this presented a troubling issue for the animals who live in and depend on the tree. To raise awareness is to ask others to "look upon us all with new eyes," like the little boy asks of the man. It also shows that if you present your issue something might get done about it.

Activity: After introducing students to the idea of deforestation I would use this book to introduce the students to a way they can help save the rain forest. I would have the students explore the websites of prominent organizations that help save rain forests. such as AIRR or STARO. The students could then come up with a fundraiser to be able to make a donation or to adopt an animal who is endangered because of deforestation. ( WWF )

Mommy, What Is Celiac Disease?

2011-11-21T16:07:00.000-08:00

Mommy, What Is Celiac Disease?

Written and Illustrated by: Katie Chalmers

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Additional Resources

Grades 2-4

Summary: This book was written by a mother who was diagnosed with Stage 14 Celiac. Her hope was to raise awareness through this book for other's who have been diagnosed. Mommy, What Is Celiac Disease is an easy to understand book which will help children on their journey to a healthy future. Chalmers reminds readers in this story of the many things which they will still be able to enjoy as a person with Celiac. She teaches her daughter that having this disease makes you "special" and that it can have many advantages including being introduced to many new yummy foods. In the book, a mother is explaining to her daughter who was just diagnosed with the disease, that having Celiac means that gluten is an enemy to the body. Gluten can be found in many grains like wheat, barley, and rye. It is important to avoid these foods because they will give you a tummy ache and cause other problems which you may be unaware of. In this story, the mother explains to her daughter that she will have to continue to be aware of what she eats in order to stay healthy. This can be traumatic news for a child who is not educated appropriately. This book is a good tool to use when teaching young children about the disease because it highlights the things children can still eat while informing them about what they will need to stay away from in order to keep their body happy and healthy.

Element 5 - Raising Awareness: Mommy, What Is Celiac Disease? raises awareness about important health issues which are becoming more and more relevant among young children today. Like allergies, Celiac Disease is becoming more common among children, and it is important that children understand what it means to be be a Celiac. There are a few important things which children must understand about being diagnosed with a disease. In the case for social justice education, children must understand that they have no need to be ashamed of having a disease such as Celiac. This may be something that children would fear when learning that they have a disease. Reading this book with a class will hopefully eliminate that fear of being excluded from groups or made fun of.

Many people are actually unaware that they have Celiac, and unless they get tested, they will continue eating foods which are really hurting their bodies. This disease is hereditary, and parents with the disease need to have their children tested. Chalmers wrote this book so that parents like herself would have a way to inform their children in a positive way that would not scare them. Raising awareness about this disease will help others stay healthy and take the right steps to find the "special" foods they can still eat. This book is a great choice for informing children about Celiac disease and shedding the positive light on living a gluten-free life.

Activity: Teachers can use this book to raise awareness in the classroom in a health lesson. Children must learn at a young age that there are things that make each and every one of us unique. Having Celiac Disease makes one unique. Everyone deserves to be treated equally no matter what they are diagnosed with. As a class or in groups, students could research about another disease which children are being diagnosed with everyday. They can brainstorm ways in which to educate and raise awareness about this disease to others. Students could write a book similar to this one, or write a short public service announcement they can act out and present to the class. This will incorporate technology while allowing them to use their creativity to make light of otherwise scary topics for children.

Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters

2011-11-20T20:36:00.000-08:00

Author: Barack Obama

Illustrator: Loren Long

Grade Level: 2-4

Summary: "Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters" is a book that our president wrote initially for his daughters, Malia and Sasha. This book displays the diversity in America, showing how everyone has something special to offer, whether it be athleticism, artistic ability, or courage, and that todays children are the future. The book encourages readers to shine and to follow their dreams and goals in such a diverse world. It sends this message to readers by looking at important historical figures who have done something great for our nation.

Element 5- Raising Awareness: Obama highlights 13 different histrical figures that have impacted our nation in some way to show the diversity and talent that our nation holds. The president honors figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. for his wisdom and strength, Helen Keller for her courage and determination, Neil Armstrong for his bravery, and Jane Addams for her compassion. Obama really exemplifies how diverse our nation is and how important it is for the children of today to keep fighting for what they believe in, display their talents and creativity, and make a difference in our nation like those honored in the book did. The book makes readers aware of how much potential everyone has to make a difference because all different people, no matter what race or religion, were able to do such great things in the past by sharing their gifts.

Activity: In order to reinforce the lesson about diversity and that the children of today can achieve great things, teachers could have students draw a self portrait of himself/herself and write about what they would like to do for our country in the future; what special talents of theirs would they like to put into action? Students can first read more about the 13 figures that were shown in the book and learn more about their achievements. After doing this, students can then think more about what their talents are and what they would like to have changed in the future to make our nation be even better. Students can share these portraits and writings with their families and friends and then display them in the hallways so others can think about certain things they would do to make an impact in our future.

Harvesting Hope

2011-11-20T11:05:00.000-08:00

Written by: Kathleen Krull

Illustrated by: Yuyi Morales

Additional Resources

Grades: 3-4

Summary: Harvesting Hope tells the story Cesar Chavez and how he decided to speak up and raise awareness. He lived with his family on a ranch in Arizona and had a great childhood. When a drought hit Arizona, he and his family were forced to move and find work elsewhere. They ended up becoming migrant farm workers and moved many times throughout California. He saw how cruelly the landowners treated their workers. He and his family were paid very little and were often abused or beaten. He dropped out of school after 8^th grade and continued to work full time to help his family. During his twenties, he decided to dedicate his life to fixing this issue. He inspired other workers to join him and told them that the truth was a much better weapon than violence, just like his mother had always taught him. Using this philosophy, he organized a march which went on for over three hundred miles. Cesar’s perseverance and determination paid off because while on the march, he was asked to sign the first contract for farm workers in history. He raised awareness about the negative treatment of farm workers in America and it resulted in a positive outcome.

Representation of Element 5:
The story shows many examples of raising awareness. Cesar felt very passionately about the negative treatment of farmers and went to others to share his feelings. People were hesitant to join him and didn't take him seriously at first, but because he felt so strongly about this, he was able to convey the importance of the issue and get others to join him, therefore raising awareness about it. As an individual, he dedicated his life to this cause and he was very calm and levelheaded, but stubborn when it was necessary. He reached out to people one by one. These qualities allowed him to get through to people, and he put so much effort into informing others about the issue at hand by talking to them individually. He would tell other farm workers and "outsiders" what really went on behind closed doors and expressed the importance of it being stopped. He organized meetings, encouraged nonviolent action, and put together the march. Also, the fact that he encouraged truth and nonviolent action, even though some who were on his side were using physical action to solve the problem, definitely worked in his favor. The way Cesar carried himself and treated the situation impacted his ability to raise awareness, and he most definitely succeeded.

Use in class: I think this book it a great representation of Element 5. As an activity, I would have the students research other historical figures that raised awareness nonviolently, like Martin Luther King, Jr. for example. The class would research a person that appealed to them the most and would write a short report about their findings, but also create a corresponding presentation. This presentation would be delivered through the character’s point of view and the students can even dress up as the person they picked. While one person is presenting, I will have the rest of the class take notes on the presentation so everyone walks away from this lesson learning something new about historical figures.

Michael Recycle

2011-11-20T10:26:00.000-08:00

Author: Ellie Bethel
Illustrated by: Alexandra Colombo
Grade Level : P-2

Buy it Here!
Resources

Summary:
Michael Recycle is a book about the importance of recycling. Michael comes to a town called Abberdoo- Rimey, to teach the residents about recycling because they have turned their town into a mess by not recycling. He tells them his plan to help them clean up their town and the residents soon listen. Michael tells them what will happen if they keep the town as dirty as it is, so they start taking his advice. Before they know it their town is "going green" and Michael Recycle is ready to help the next town in need. At the end of the book, there are several tips on how and what to recycle.

Element 5:
This book relates to element 5 because it raises awareness about recycling and pollution. It shows children the causes of pollution and ways that recycling can help stop it. It does it in a funny, rhyming way so that it is easy for children to understand. After reading this book, children should want to go home and recycle or do simple things that will help protect the enviroment which is how it helps raise awareness in them. It gives a clear image of pollution and than a clear image of what one's environment will look like once they start recycling.

Activity:
After reading this book to my class, I would ask them to write down in their journals, a few ways that they can protect the classroom environment and how they can keep their classroom clean . Than I would have a group discussion about the ways that we can recycle in the classroom and document the most important ones on poster paper to hang up in the class as a constant reminder throught the school year. As a homework assignment, I would have my class document for one week in a journal or a chart, ways that they used recycling in their homes.

Ants in Your Pants, Worms in Your Plants!

2011-11-18T12:20:00.000-08:00

Author: Diane deGroat

Grade Level: P-3

Resource

Summary: Gilbert’s class is working on poems about spring time. This inspired their teacher to take the class on a picnic. When they got to the picnic area they saw trees have been cut down and there was garbage everywhere. The class decided to clean up the area and continue with their picnic. Their teacher explained how great it was to clean up the area and asks the children to start projects that would help the environment for Earth Day. Gilbert was having trouble thinking of an idea until he sat under his favorite tree and a great idea came to him. He decided to plant a tree at their picnic area to replace the one that had been chopped down, he also explained the benefits trees provide for the environment.

Element 5: This book pertains to element 5 because it raises awareness about pollution and will teach children ways to take care of the environment. They will be more aware of why littering is bad for the environment and notice how it can ruin outdoor activities such as picnics. This could inspire students to clean up around their school and community. Not only would they become more aware about the issue of pollution but they would make their families and community members aware as well.

Activity: I would read this book to my students in the beginning of the school year. The first part of the activity would be to discuss ideas to help the environment. Then each student would make their own list of ways to help the environment and we can implement these ideas into our classroom as well as sharing them with student’s families and communities. The second part of the activity would be to plant our own class tree. By conducting this activity at the beginning of the school year the children will be able to watch their tree grow as the year continues. There can also be a new student monitor every month to measure the tree and record how much it has grown.

Don't Throw that Away

2011-10-31T16:17:00.001-07:00

Author: Lara Bergen
Illustrator: Betsy Snyder
Grade Level: P-1
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Resources

Summary:

“Don’t throw that away” by Lara Bergen, is about a little super hero girl who shows children how to reuse their trash to make other treasures with them. Instead of discarding old toys, cans, clothes, bottles etc, she gives children suggestions of how you can reuse those objects to make brand new and exciting things to play with and be environmentally friendly at the same time. The little girl gives kids ideas of turning an old jar into a vase or cans into musical instruments and much more.

Element # 5:

This book raises awareness to children on how important it is to be environmentally conscious. It is a beginner’s book in learning about our environment and the impact recycling has on it. It provides excellent examples on how we can make our everyday life more environmentally friendly by recycling and reusing our things. It gives children an opportunity to think and figure out ways of reusing their material things such as turning old clothes into costumes, boxes into cars and turning plastic jugs into bird feeders. The book gives a whole different perspective to children about things that they take for granted and how they can be creative with reusing their things. It is an opportunity for them to learn that they can make a difference.

Activity:

A great activity that can be used in class (or at home) based on this book is to give an opportunity to children to find objects in the classroom (or home) that they can reuse in some way. Have them explain to classmates what their object is and what creative ideas they came up with in order to reuse and recycle this object.

"The Story of Ruby Bridges"

2011-10-25T09:06:00.001-07:00

"The Story of Ruby Bridges"

By Robert Coles

Illustrated by George Ford

Buy Online! http://www.amazon.com/Story-Ruby-Bridges-Robert-Coles/dp/0590572814

This story is about a girl who helped change history through the education system. In New Orleans, white and black children were not allowed in the same school, or to receive an equal education. Ruby, A six-year-old girl was the first black student to be sent to an all white-girl school. Her family anticipated that this would be difficult, but prayed to get through any trouble. As six-year-old Ruby entered the school, marshals needed to escort her daily. Gangs of people would follow her, call her names, threaten to hurt her, and even kill her. Ruby never spoke back or felt nervous. She simply said prayers for them as she passed. Her teacher supported her. Ruby continued to stay calm and pray for them as the weeks went on. In an effect of Ruby's actions, two boys then joined the school the next year. This caused another commotion. Although this lead to even more children attending the school. This began the movement to give all children the right to an equal education.

This represents element four, a social movement which leads to a social change. This is a great example because a young girl at the age of six, really made an important statement and change in history. It is also a wonderful example to follow for children because there is no violence represented from Ruby. She just keeps relaying a positive message and actions. As Ruby grew up, she became a successful businesswoman and began her own Foundation with hopes to increase parental involvement in schools. This is called the "Ruby Bridges Foundations" located in Illinois.

As an extended activity I would have the children brainstorm about any issues they would like to see changed in their schools. This could range from any change in the classroom to playground. I would have the children create a small campaign of how to change the situation, and why it matters to change. They would present this to the class, and possible in an assembly to the entire school.

Sit In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down

2011-10-25T04:49:00.000-07:00

Author: Andrea Davis Pinkney

Illustrator: Brian Pinkney

Grade Level: 3rd

Summary: Four friends sat down at the Woolworth's lunch counter on February 1st, 1960, hungry for a doughnut and coffee. Everyone else was served and they were ignored. The sign on the door said, "WHITES ONLY," and David, Joseph, Franklin, and Ezell were not white: they were African-American. The men came back every day, each day as peaceful as the day before, and everyday they stayed hungry. The four men inspired sit-ins across the country until thousands of hungry African-Americans were using Dr. Martin Luther King's peaceful ways as inspiration. Find out how everyday people used peace and perseverance to satisfy an entire culture's appetite!

Element 4: Sit In relates to Social Movements and Social Change because it tells the true story of everyday people acting against social injustice. While Dr. Martin Luther King provides inspiration to the people, the book highlights how it was students who took social action. Also, the book stresses the importance of peaceful demonstrations rather than violence. It shows how sitting, normally seen as a passive activity, can be more aggressive and effective than any punch, insult, or weapon.

Activity: Because the book has a running theme of food, ingredients, and recipes, I would have the students made their own recipe for an injustice they would like the change. Students can model their recipes from the one on the last page of the story. Ideas might range from ending bullying, treating others with respect, and embracing other cultures. More ambitious topics might be legalizing gay marriage or changing immigration laws. Students will come up with 8-10 steps for their "recipe," decorate, and display!

2011-10-24T21:16:00.000-07:00

Title: March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the Word

Author: Christine King Farris

Illustrated by: London Ladd

Publisher: Scholastic, Inc

Reading Level: ages 9-12

Resource

Summary: This book, written by Martin Luther King Jr.'s very own sister Christine King Farris, illuminates his infamous march and movement that changed our country forever. Farris highlights Martin's upbringing and how that had an affect on his modest personality. She describes, in detail, how his march began and progressed as individuals of all creeds, races, and backgrounds from around the country came together to follow Dr. King's movement. She describes how Martin put his all into his speeches and was well aware of how crucial his words were in order to get the right message across to his listeners. Farris touches on Martin's efforts to connect with other leaders that shared his same passion for civil rights. The illustrations and powerful words, including actual dialogue that occurred the day of the march. create a realistic image of what actually took place on that day, the day Martin Luther King Jr. made his infamous "I Have a Dream" speech.

Element Four: The story of Martin Luther King Jr. is the perfect example of element four: social movements and social change. This particular individual envisioned a dream that, at the time, seemed impossible to accomplish. However, with his courageous attitude he set out to start a movement that would change American's lives forever. He was one man with a large dream; he set out to address an issue of social injustice by uniting a group of people to create change. He inspired a countless number of Americans to join the civil rights movement by organizing a march and delivering a speech, that would eventually become one of the most famous speeches ever heard.

Activity: This story would be most appropriately read during black history month, or specifically on Martin Luther King Jr day. This story is a great way to inspire children to make their own change in our society. After a read aloud of this story, students (ages 9-12) will write a reaction piece as two why and how Dr. King made a social change in America. Questions that could be addressed could involve, but are not limited to, if you were alive during the civil rights movement would you have been an activist of the movement? How would you have been involved and what would have inspired you the most to do so? Do you think you would have been a social-change icon like Martin was or would you be a supporter (marcher) of the movement? Why?

Daddy's Roommate

2011-10-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

Title: Daddy's Roommate
Author: Michael Willhoite
Illustrated by: Michael Willhoite
Reading level: Ages 4-8 / Grades K-3
Publisher: Alyson Publications

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Summary: Daddy's Roommate is a book about a little boy whose parents recently got a divorce. He lives at both of his parent's houses, and goes back and forth between the two. His father has a roommate named "Frank," and Frank and his father are a gay couple. Throughout the story, we see Frank and his Dad doing almost everything together, for example, eating, shaving, and sleeping. The little boy also explains how Frank is just like his Daddy; he reads to him, tells him jokes, and chases nightmares away. This book has an important message that "Being gay is just one more kind of love, and love is the best kind of happiness." I found this message to be very powerful because it teaches young children that it should not matter who we love, it is being able to experience love that matters.

Element #3: I found this book to represent Element 3 because the overall topic is about a homosexual relationship and how it has impacted a young boy's life. This story gives students a chance to learn about the different types of family structures, and about homosexual relationships. This is a great example of how we are all different from one another, and it is important to recognize those differences in the classroom. This gives students an opportunity to relate if they usually find it hard to relate to the standard story characters. Daddy's Roommate introduces a diverse family structure. Gay relationships has been a topic that was overlooked and frowned upon for many years in our society. We have taken small steps recently to help create change and allow for homosexuals to be able to live as fearless and equal individuals. Students will learn that there is nothing wrong with being gay, it is just "one more kind of love."

Follow-Up Activity:
For a follow-up activity I would have the students create their own picture book of what their family unit's are like and the activities that they all do together. We can share and discuss them in our classroom. They could be displayed on a bulletin board or around the room and students will have the opportunity to walk around and observe their classmate's drawings.

This lesson is also creative and is what inspired me to think of this.

Susan B. Anthony: Fighter for Freedom and Equality

2011-10-23T19:12:00.000-07:00

Author: Suzanne Slade

Illustrator: Craig Orback

Grade Level: 2nd - 3rd

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Summary

Susan B. Anthony is the focus of the biography titled “Susan B. Anthony Fighter for Freedom and Equality”. She is a historical figure that is famous for her work within the women’s rights movement. Susan was raised in a Quaker family which believed in equality and the right to an education for all. As a young girl Susan experienced inequality inside the classroom. This experience, combined with Susan’s passion for learning inspired her to become a teacher. As a working adult, Susan continued to experience inequality and discrimination. For example, a man was paid four times the amount she was paid for doing the same job. After continuous experience with discrimination, Susan B. Anthony decided to become active in the fight against discrimination. The first movement that she joined was the Temperence Movement, which sought to reduce the use of alcohol because of its negative effects on society and women. Elizabeth Cady Stanton helped propel Susan B. Anthony to the front of the women’s movement. They met in 1851 and shared similar beliefs. Elizabeth would write many of Susan’s speeches, which Susan used as a way to communicate the issues created by inequality in America. Susan’s efforts against inequality continued through the Civil War. Susan was able get 400,000 signatures on a petition during the Civil War, which helped create support for the 13^th Amendment, leading to the emancipation of slaves. After the Civil War, Susan B. Anthony continued her fight against inequality, this time focusing on women’s rights. Susan would give about 200 speeches per year. Susan and Elizabeth started a newspaper called The Revolution, which was used as a means to communicate ideas that supported equality for men and women, including granting women the right to vote. As a result of Susan’s efforts, mainstream Americans began to focus more attention on the issue of inequality in America. She can be given credit for paving the way to equality for women and African-Americans.

Element Four: Social Movements and Social Change

The book “Susan B. Anthony Fighter for Freedom and Equality” is a wonderful picture book that addresses the issue of social injustice. It gives a background to the issues created by inequality in America, including sex and race discrimination. This book teaches students that regular people can create change within the world around them. Susan B. Anthony experienced inequality and decided to take action to create social change. Susan’s life provides an example of how to stand up against social injustice. It gives hope and inspiration to common people, thus inspiring a belief that they too can stand up for their rights and fight for equality.

Activity

After our Susan B. Anthony read-a-loud, the students would write in their journals to express their feelings toward our reading. Once the students are done writing, I would have them do a “think-pair-share” discussion on their thoughts, feelings, and what they have learned from the reading. As the students are discussing I would walk around and observe the students thoughts.

Dreams: The Story of Martin Luther King, Jr.

2011-10-23T09:14:00.001-07:00

Author: Peter Murray
Illustrated By: Robin Lawrie
Grade Level: K-3

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Summary:
Dreams:The Story of Martin Luther King, Jr. was about his life leading up until his famous “I have a Dream” speech in 1963. As a child Martin Luther King experienced quite a few moments of segregation. In the book, he recalls one particular time when two of his white friends told him they were not allowed to play with him anymore because he was black. He was forced to give up seats on the bus and even in a shoe store because those seats were reserved for “whites only”. His father was a reverend and Martin Luther King Jr. admired him and what he stood for. One of the most important things he learned from his father was the phrase “You can’t be afraid of doing what’s right.” So when he got to college he decided he wanted to become a minister. Eventually King got married to Coretta Scott, and he decided he wanted to live in the south, despite the Jim Crow Laws that were in effect there. He soon moved there with his wife and became a pastor in Alabama where he preached his thoughts on the unfairness of the Jim Crow Laws. During this time, Rosa Parks took her stand against the buses and King was right there to help her out . In 1955, he helped set up the boycott of the Montgomery bus company in which he gained a lot of fame. Even though he was arrested for the boycott he was able to get rid of segregation on the bus, which was a major civil rights victory in his eyes. Before he knew it, King had become a Civil Rights Leader of America. This all led up to his famous speech in 1963, in which he proclaimed his wishes for an equal society where everyone is treated the same and segregation does not exist and everyone is free. Unfortunately in 1968, King was killed outside a hotel, but his famous speech and civil rights movement will live on forever.

Element 4:
This book relates to Element 4 because it is about one man's journey to create the Civil Rights Movement. Martin Luther King, Jr. took social injustice to a whole new level when he stood up for what he believed in and ultimately died for it in the end, which is what this element represents. Through sit ins, boycotts, civil rights marches and his famous speech he took a stand for the social injustice that was occuring at the time.

Activity: An activity that could be done using this book in a classroom, is to have the children each right their own personal “I have a dream” speech about something that they hope will change in their lifetime. Children will be able to think as if they were Martin Luther King Jr. and write about something they believe strongly about that should be changed in some way or another. In helping them think of ideas to write about, teachers should ask them questions such as "Why is that so important to you?" , or "How will that change the world we live in?"

Frederick Douglass

2011-10-22T19:35:00.000-07:00

Frederick Douglass

Author: Catherine A. Welch

Illustrations: Lerner Publications Company

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Grade Levels: Kindergarten-Grade 2

Summary: This biography is written about Frederick Douglass. He was an African American man who escaped slavery. His encouraging speeches led other men, women, and children to freedom. This book encompasses the horrors of slavery and the pain Douglass had to endure during early 1800's. Fredrick's life is exposed and illustrates his dream of freedom, literacy, and rights for all including women. He was a passionate leader and speaker who involved himself with President Lincoln to create equal rights for blacks. A violinist, author, father, and husband, Fredrick Douglass finally helped free the slaves and assisted in making the country a better place.

Element 4: Frederick Douglass started his life as an average slave. Determined to abolish slavery, Frederick understood the wrongs done to him and African Americans through real life experience and reading literature about freedom. Douglass believed it was worth risking his life to speak on behalf of others who could not. Little by little, Frederick Douglass proved that black men and women were just as smart as white people. This book is a true example illustrating by putting effort towards the better good, positive impacts on society may be made. By recognizing that there were crimes committed against humanity and taking action with others, Frederick Douglass made a severe impact on the equality of man. This demonstrates societal movement and change and is well represented in Frederick Douglass by Catherine A. Welch.

Activity: For school aged children, a great activity would be to have each child speak about a positive point from their own heritage. The children could make a poster to hang in the classroom on the topic of their choice. This way, the students can see that everyone is special in their own ways and that each child should be proud of who they are. Then they can do a follow up research on a man, woman, boy, or girl from their cultural or ethnic background who did something, big or small, and have a group discussion of their findings.

Rosa

2011-10-22T08:58:00.000-07:00

Author: Nikki Giovanni
Illustrator: Bryan Collier

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Grade level: 3-5

Summary: This book is a wonderful picture book. Rosa Parks is
the lead character, it tells her story about how she stood up for herself on the bus when she was sitting in the neutral sits. It displays her courage especially when she was getting yelled at by the bus driver. She was sick and tired of being treated poorly because of her color. In the book she talks about being tired of "colored" entrances and "colored" drinking fountains. Most of all she was tired of not being treated equal. Rosa got arrested after not moving from her seat that is when the people she knew in her town created posters saying "No riders today support Mrs. Parks stay off the bus, walk on Monday." At the end Martin Luther King spoke, people from all over the country came to see. On November 13,1956 segregation became illegal.

Element 4: This element is all about people coming together to address the issues of social injustice. This book represents element 4 because it shows how ordinary people can create change in the world. Rosa Parks is an example of how one extraordinary person in this world went down in history because she stood up for what was right.

Acitivity: An activity that you can do after reading this book is at the end of the book there is a quote. " The integrity, the dignity, the quiet strength of Rosa Parks turned her no into a yes for change." You can ask your students what they think is the meaning of this quote. You can also ask them if they agree with it. They can work together or individually or even have them have a journal and ask them to write their opinion of that quote on paper.

Rosa

2011-10-21T16:04:00.000-07:00

Author: Nikki Giovanni

Illustrator: Bryan Collier

Grade Level: K-3

Summary: Rosa by Nikki Giovanni is a story about Rosa Parks, the African American woman who refused to give up her seat on the bus on December 1, 1955. The story begins by talking about Rosa's personal life. Rosa is an excellent seamstress and works very hard. Rosa is also taking care of her mother who is ill and she loves her husband dearly. One day, Rosa is allowed to leave work early, she is in a wonderful mood as she goes to get on the bus. Upon getting onto the bus, Rosa notices that the colored section is full, so she sits in one of the seats in the neutral section. Rosa is then asked to give up her seat for a white rider. She refuses. This refusal then leads to Rosa's arrest and helps to kick off the Civil Rights Movement. The story goes on to discuss the chain reaction that occurred after Rosa was arrested. The Women's Political Council gathered to make flyers to get the word out to boycott the buses. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. also got involved in letting African Americans know to boycott the bus. African Americans boycotted the bus and after many months, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation on bus is unfair.

Element 3: This book relates to Element 3, exploring issues of social injustice, because it is all about segregation and how African Americans were once viewed as lesser citizens. It shows the kind of social injustice that African Americans had to endure on a daily basis. However, it also shows how they stood up and fought for what was right and ultimately brought about change.

Activity: This book can provide an excellent opportunity for a teacher to discuss segregation and various types of social injustices that have occurred or may still be occurring in today's society. An excellent activity for students to do is have them pretend to be news reporters during this time period and write a series of articles regarding Rosa Parks' arrest and what occurred after she was arrested, the boycott.

The Boy with Pink Hair

2011-10-17T19:35:00.000-07:00

Author: Perez Hilton
Illustrator: Jen Hill
Grade Level: K-2

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Summary: The Boy with Pink Hair is a story about a little boy who is born with pink hair. No one could figure out exactly why his hair was pink even after doing numerous tests. Eventually, it was stated that he was simply born that way. The boy with pink hair never seemed to mind that he had pink hair until he went out in public and people would stare, laugh, and make rude comments. Fortunately, the boy's parents explained to him that it was a good thing to be different and it would end up helping him make a difference in the future. One day, it was time for the boy to start elementary school, he was not worried until he actually got to school and the kids made fun of him. Especially one little boy who would call him a "weirdo" for having pink hair. The boy with pink hair felt sad and lonely when this happened, but shortly after that he made a friend who said her favorite color was pink! He became quick friends with the little girl and would cook her all types of pink foods, the boy with pink hair loved to cook and was very good at it. When it was the little boy's open house at school, he got his moment to shine. The stove had broken and the principal asked the boy with pink hair to save the day and make food for everyone. The boy with pink hair made lots of different types of food very quickly and without using a stove and had all his friends help him, even ones that had not been so nice to him in the past. Later, that day the little boy met one of his friend's parents who asked if he could have some of the little boy with pink hair's recipes for his restaurant! In the end the boy with pink hair realized that he could be different and make a big difference just like his parents had said.

Element 2: The Boy with the Pink Hair relates to element two because it shows the other students that no matter what the little boy looks like he is no different than the rest of them. Specifically, the one little boy who was very mean to the boy with pink hair learns to respect him and they become friends.

Activity: A teacher can use this book to bring the students' attention to bullying and explain that it is okay to be different and it is important to respect one another. Also, after having a meaningful discussion like that, the teacher can have the children create some type of pink food on their own just like the boy with pink hair did in the story. For example, with parents permission of course, children could work together to make pink cupcakes or pink ice cream!

Virgie Goes to School with Us Boys

2011-10-17T16:54:00.000-07:00

Author: Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard

Illustrator: E. B. Lewis

Grade Level: 2

Summary: Virgie goes to school is a story about an African American girl, who lived during the time period when blacks were not allowed to attend school, therefore not receiving the proper education in order to learn to read and write. In the beginning of the story it discusses how recently thanks to Abraham Lincoln setting them free, a school for black people was just opened. Virgie has five brothers that begin to attend the school, but she begins to wonder why she can’t go to school as well. Some of her brothers tell her the reason is because girls don’t need school, but her brother C.C. thinks differently from his brothers and defends Virgie by saying that girls need to learn to read, write and do ‘rithmetic just like boys do. Throughout the story Virgie insists and questions why she can’t go to school, that her parents finally give in and tell her she can attend when classes start again after summer. The school is seven miles away and as she travels with her brothers, there are instances during their journey that depict how Virgie is treated differently or stereotyped for being a girl. As the story unfolds, it shows that Virgie is no different from her brothers just because she is a girl and in the end her brothers' realize this. Virgie arrives at the school and experiences this whole new world, this place has to offer and converses to her brother C.C. how she can’t wait to go home to tell their parents how they’re learning to be free.

Element 3: This book depicts element 3 “Exploring Issues of Social Injustice,” in that it intertwines the issues of racism and sexism. Racism is illustrated when the book discusses how when African Americans were slaves, they were not allowed to attend school. Even after they were freed thanks to Abraham Lincoln, they still faced the social injustice of being segregated in view that that the school that opened was just for blacks. This is an important illustration of everything blacks have endured to get equal rights, but yet somehow some till present day may still feel segregated in some way. In addition to exploring the concept “learning to be free,” through the visual lens of a little girl the book demonstrates sexism and how although they tell Virgie that girls do not need school, she questions and fights to get the equal opportunity like her brothers to learn how to read and write. The book does a great job at illustrating in different parts how girls are stereotyped and treated distinctly based on their gender through the way Virgie was treated by her brothers. At the end it shows how the brothers’ thinking is altered and realize Virgie should have the right to learn how to read and write no matter what her gender is.

Activity: As a follow up activity after reading the book, the teacher can have the class define the word stereotype and have them write about some they may have encountered, whether it is based on race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status or religion and how these can influence people’s way of thinking as well as how this makes them feel. Then collect these writings, shuffle them and hand them out to different students. After passing them out once again, have the students discuss in groups what is written on their sheet and have them come up with ways they could alter this stereotype or actions that can take place to help fight these social injustices.

Henry's Freedom Box

2011-10-17T11:23:00.001-07:00

Author: Ellen Levine, Kadir Nelson

Grade Level: 2-5

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Summary: This is a true story about a man named Henry Brown. He was a slave and he was not allowed to know his own birthday. Him and his family worked as slaves for their master until he was sold and he worked for a new master. During that time he meet a girl named Nancy they eventually got married and had kids. Henry's master was low on cash he decided to sell Henry's wife and kids. Henry watched carts carrying away his family, a few weeks later he decided he wanted to be free. He put himself into a shipping box to be shipped to Philadelphia. He arrived in Philadelphia march 30, 1849 which was his first day of freedom.

Element 3: This book represents Element 3 because by students reading this book they learn the history about slavery and what people like Henry went through. This book is a good example of social injustice because it shows examples to students about racism and what African Americans went though while slavery was going on.

Activity: A teacher can use this book to discuss themes with their students. The theme would be slavery, the students would have to research important people who had an impact on slavery. Each student will gather information on one person. They will each have a poster board with pictures and a summary of what their person did and then they will display and explain it to their fellow classmates.

Terrible Things

2011-10-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

Title: "Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust"
Author: Eve Bunting
Illustrator: Stephen Gammell
Grade Level: 1- 3

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Summary: Terrible Things, explores the social injustices of the Holocaust by using animals in a forest setting. The different types of animals, such as the birds, squirrels, rabbits, and frogs represent the groups of people that suffered through the Holocaust. When "the Terrible Things" come, they take away one animal group at a time, depending on certain characteristics they have. For example, the Terrible Things come and state, "We have come for every creature with feathers on its back." Little Rabbit and Big Rabbit are the main characters in the story. Little Rabbit is always questioning why the Terrible Things are taking the animals. For example he asks, "Why did the Terrible Things want the birds, what is wrong with having feathers?" Big Rabbit never asks questions and encourages Little Rabbit to not ask any either, his main focus is not making the Terrible Things mad. One line that Big Rabbit says is, "...but the Terrible Things do not need a reason, just mind your own business, we do not want to make them mad." As the story unfolds, all the animal groups are taken away by the Terrible Things. The only animal left is Little Rabbit who manages to hide under a rock. At the end of the story, Little Rabbit runs into to the lifeless, silent forest and thinks to himself that he wished everyone had stuck together because things would have been different.

Element 3: Terrible Things, by Eve Bunting is related to element 3 because it portrays the issues of the social injustices involved with the Holocaust. For any age, the Holocaust is a very complex and difficult topic to explore in World History. Eve Bunting's words and Stephen Gammell's illustrations make the Holocaust understandable for younger children. This book would make a great introduction to exploring the social injustices associated with the Holocaust, but would need to be followed with a factual account (age appropriate). Children can begin to understand how the oppressions and injustices of this historical event have shaped people's present day lives.

Activity: This book would make great introductory material for a lesson about discrimination. Before the book is read, a brief class discussion explaining and conversing about how each individual is different and these differences make everyone unique. After reading the book, children can get into groups to make a poster of what they would do if they were Little Rabbit in the story.

You Forgot Your Skirt Amelia Bloomer!

2011-10-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

Title" "You Forgot Your Skirt, Amelia Bloomer!"

Author: Shana Corey

Illustrator: Chesley McLaren

Grade Level: k-3