Buried Sunlight: How Fossil Fuels Have Changed The Earth

Buried Sunlight: How Fossil Fuels Have Changed The Earth

Written by Molly Bang & Penny Chisholm

Illustrated by Molly Bang

Grade Level: 2-5

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    When I was looking through my school’s science textbook I was shocked by its omission of any discussion about climate change. There’s a lesson about how humans can change the environment, a lesson about how energy conservation can help the environment, but no lesson linking the two. Omitting a discussion about global warming makes both lessons far less effective. It refuses necessary connections that our students need to make as citizens of an increasingly warming planet. It's also an act of extreme cowardice, cowing to the worst voices in politics, hungry to make a culture war out of even a children's science textbook. Thankfully, Ms. Moreira, who will be my mentor teacher next semester, had a book well suited for 3rd graders in her classroom that addresses the mechanisms of climate change directly.

    Cowritten by MIT ecology professor and National Science Medal winner Dr. Chisolm and children book author Molly Bang, Buried Sunlight forms a part of Bang's Sunlight Series. Bang illustrates Buried Sunlight in luminous watercolors, giving even complicated science diagrams a childlike sense of wonder. I especially love how carbon dioxide is rendered like a twinkling firefly. Told from the perspective of our sun, Buried Sunlight gives a detailed, nearly comprehensive look at climate change. It explains how coal and oil are "buried sunlight." Burning those resources releases carbon dioxide into the air, which forms greenhouse gasses that will heat our planet and scar the environment. The end of the book is filled with you statements, to accentuate that even young children can reduce their carbon footprint. "Will you use my ancient sunlight more slowly, find other sources of energy, and invent ways to thin the blanket of CO₂ ? The choice is yours." This book would be a perfect book to read to 3rd graders to introduce climate change to them.

   Buried Sunlight fits the Awareness Raising element of Social Justice Teaching well. Awareness Raising seeks to make our students aware of social justice issues that they face that they might not even know about. This book works to explain an extremely complicated, yet important social justice issue with clarity. In this country, we easily shunt aside "Inconvenient Truths" about how we live, even out of our science textbooks. Climate change is also an environmental and racial justice issue. As I saw in an environmental justice tour of Newark's Ironbound District, our environments are not race blind. Climate change is affecting and will continue to affect POC communities at much greater rates than white communities. Much of Newark is built on former wetlands and riverbanks. These areas are prone to flooding, especially as climate change accelerates. Climate change is intrinsically linked to social and racial justice. Although Buried Sunlight is comprehensive, one weakness is that it does not talk about these environmental justice issues. However, I think Buried Sunlight is still a great tool for Awareness Raising about the mechanisms of climate change. After being read this book, I think students will have a much greater awareness of how climate change works, and the actions in their own lives that contribute to global warming.

    I would use this book in my 3rd grader's science class, in between our textbook's lessons about environmental change and energy conservation. I would create an activity where I read them this book, and then have them write answers to some of the discussion questions written by the publisher. In future lessons, I would try to incorporate an environmental justice lens to climate change; that rich communities are the leading contributors too climate change and poor communities will be harmed the most it. I would also make sure future lessons touch on advances in green energy technology and legislation. It's one thing to raise awareness about climate change, but I think even many adults aren't aware of ways that they can take action against such a massive problem. Buried Sunlight is a great tool to raise awareness of one of the key problems of the 21st century, one America is only just now beginning to meaningfully address. 

Ayobami and the Names of the Animals

Author:  Pilar López Ávila

Illustrator: Mar Azabal 

Grade Level: Pre-K-3^rd grade

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Summary: In Ayobami’s town war had just ended and the teacher began going door to door to let everyone know school was going to reopen. Ayobami was excited until she realized the path she had to take to get to school, in order for her to get to school she had to travel through the jungle. On her journey through the jungle she meets different types of animals, all who did not want Ayobami to pass, but she made promises of writing their names on a piece of paper on her return home if they let her pass. Each animal lets her pass because not one another had seen them name written. On her journey home from school, Ayobami fulfills all her promises to the animals, but when she gets home, she does not have anything to show her parents of what she learned in school. Later at night, the wind blows all those pieces of paper to Ayobami’s home and it shows that she learned to read and write in school.

Element #5: Raising Awareness: This book captures the essence of Element #5 because it helps to make the students more aware that they things they do, such as go to school, are not guaranteed for every child their age. Some children they age struggle to go to and from school, and some do not have the opportunity to go to school for very serious reasons. This book helps to show students that there are issues others face, that they do not; bringing in the question what is fair and just? A question that can be raised about many other issues they may be passionate about.

Activity: For classroom use, I would have students write down 2-3 things they are passionate about on separate sticky notes and place it on their desks. After that I will begin to remove the sticky notes from some of the students’ desks and begin asking them questions such as, What if I took this way from you? What if it took an extra hour to do this? What if I told you you could not do this for the next year? Beginning a conversation about some of the issues people in the world face that we may not encounter.

Separate is Never Equal

Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and

Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation

By: Duncan Tonatiuh

Summary:

Separate is Never Equal by Duncan Tonatiuh depicts the
Mendez v. Westminster School District case from the perspective
of  Sylvia Mendez and her family. Mendez V.  Westminster School District  
contributed to the desegregation of schools in America in 1947 (seven year
before Brown v. Board of Education). The text connects to elements 5 and
6 of the Six Elements of Social Justice developed by Dr. Bree Picower; the
Mendez family raised awareness in  response to the injustice of school
segregation and took social action to legally end these racist practices.
The harm caused by school segregation is illustrated through the eyes of
Sylvia Mendez. Sylvia Mendez’s family organized with other Mexican families
and social justice groups in Orange County California to file a lawsuit in response
to racism and school segregation. Through the efforts of the Mendez family and
the people who organized around their cause,  the court ruled that all students in
California could attend school together regardless of race, ethnicity or language.
The text also includes an author’s note with historical information,pictures
of Sylvia Mendez, a glossary and a bibliography of interviews, articles, films
and and websites related to the text.

This book can be ordered from:

• Montclair Booksellers
• Abrams Publishing

Additional Resources:

• Read Aloud
• Teachers Pay Teachers

Maddi's Fridge

By: Lois Brandt

Illustrated by: Vin Vogel

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Teaching Resources

Grades 2-4

Summary: 

Sofia and Maddi are best friends who play in the park every day. Sofia's refrigerator is full of food while Maddi's fridge is empty. Sofia discovers Maddi's empty fridge after playing in the park one day and learns that Maddi does not have enough money to pay for nutritious food to eat. Maddi asks that Sofia keep her secret and not tell anyone about her fridge. This story is about a young girl who struggles between keeping her best friends secret and trying to help. Ultimately doing the right thing Sofia attempts to bring Maddi food every day, until she finally tells her mother and they bring over food to stock the fridge. Overall, this book touches on the important issue of hunger and raises awareness about how to help.

Element 5:

This book falls in line with element five because it is about raising awareness on an issue that many people around the world face. Hunger is an issue that affects people from all different communities and is not usually discussed. Students may realize that people in their own classrooms can not afford to stock their refrigerators with healthy and nutritious food. This book allows children to gain an insight on whats right and wrong when it comes to helping people who can not afford to buy healthy food for their families. This book is also element five because the main character Sofia decided that she did not just want to keep Maddi's secret but she wanted to help and raise awareness about an important issue.

Activity:

One activity that can be used with this book is having the students in your class create flyers and pamphlets about hunger in their communities. They will first read the book and then discuss ways they can raise awareness about childhood hunger. Once they have decided on their ways, they can pair up or work in groups to create something that will raise awareness and hang them around their school and community. They can also put together a food drive to help local families who may not be able to stock their fridge's with healthy and nutritious food. 

The Streets Are Free

Title: The Streets are Free

Author: Kurusa 

Illustrator: Monika Doppert 

Grade Level: 3-5

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Use this book as a play in your classroom!

Reviews of this book!

Summary:

The Streets are Free by Kurusa is about a group of children in Caracas, Venezuela with no place to play. This book is based on a true story. As the city grew from villages to a large modern city, there were less and less places for the children to play. There was garbage everywhere, the children could no longer play in the fields, forest, or streams. As the city became busier and busier, the children had less and less areas to play after school. The children decide that they need to take a stand and tell the mayor that they need a place to play. The children sought help from their parents but they were too busy working to help. They seek guidance from their librarian who suggest that they go to City Hall to ask for help and for a place to play. They create signs and plans and march to City Hall ready to voice their needs. When they children reach City Hall, they are shut down and threatened that the police will come. Thankfully, their parents come to their rescue, and help them find their voice and speak to the mayor. The mayor and town keep insisting that they will help, but the children have a feeling that their playground and place to play will never be built. A report in the newspaper is written about what these children are doing, and this sparks the interest of the local politicians, so much so that they create a banner and claim a place where this playground is going to built. After a while, the children realize that this playground is not actually going to be built with the assistance of the mayor and City Hall. The children decide to take it upon themselves and work with the neighborhood to finally build this park. The children convinced the neighborhood and their parents that they needed this, and together they were able to accomplish their goal. 

Element 5: Raising Awareness

Element 5 is all about raising awareness for an issue that children feel passionate about. In this story, because of the development of the city, the children lost their places to play. Instead of just sitting back and complaining about how they had no where to play, the children raised awareness and explained this issue to several different people throughout the story. The children raised their opinions and voices to the librarian, news reporter, mayor, City Hall, parents and neighborhood. They shared their voices and opinions of an issue that they felt so passionately about. The children became advocates for this cause of not having a place to play throughout this book and spread awareness of their issue. Although this book does translate to change because the playground is built, it is still all about raising awareness and making their concerns about an issue heard. In addition, the children end up building the park for themselves, not having the town take action and make a change. 

Classroom Use:

This book can be used in the classroom in a variety of ways. In the classroom, this book can be used about teaching children to raise their voices on a matter that is important to them. This book can be used as a lesson to help children spread awareness and ask for help for a matter that they think needs attention. For example, after reading this book as a class, the class can brainstorm together an issue that they noticed in their classroom or school and begin to spread awareness about it. After deciding on an issue, for example that their school does not recycle, they can begin to spread awareness by making signs to hang up, writing a letter to the principle, or a local newspaper. This book should be used to inspire students to raise awareness about an issue that is important to them in school or in life. 

Hands Are Not for Hitting

Title: Hands Are Not for Hitting

Author: Martine Agassi

Illustrator: Marieka Heinlen

Age Range: 12 months - 4 years

Grade Level: Preschool - Kindergarten

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Best Behavior book series

Summary:

Hands Are Not for Hitting is a book from the “Best Behavior” series that explains the appropriate uses of our hands. It focuses on positive actions that can be done with hands like waving, drawing and playing.  The constant repetition of the title “Hands are not for hitting,” followed by the question “What are hands for?” is a useful technique to remind the child of the message being portrayed. Each page is accompanied by colorful illustrations that demonstrate all the acceptable, and daily uses of our hands. While there are not many words throughout the book, the simplicity is what makes the message clear to the child. This book addresses the issue of violence and makes it clear to the child that it is not an acceptable thing to practice. Additionally, at the end of the book there is a section dedicated to parents with suggestions and tips for reducing anger and violence in their child.

Note: The paperback version of this book goes into more detail about why hitting is not acceptable. It explains to the reader why we get angry and suggests different actions that can be done to cope with the anger.

Element 5: Raising Awareness:

Hands Are Not for Hitting is a great children’s book that addresses the common act of hitting in toddlers and children. Many preschool/kindergarten teachers and parents struggle with the issue of hitting with children and how to handle this so-called phase. This book addresses hitting and anti-violence in a simple way that children of a young age would understand.  Hands Are Not for Hitting uses a positive approach by providing different ways that hands are actually used for. The illustrations make it clear to the child that hitting is not something that should be done. The issue of hitting is raised in the beginning and is constantly repeated throughout the book, letting the reader know that we do not use our hands to hit.

Classroom Ideas:

This book is a great resource for setting or reminding students of classroom rules and appropriate behavior. A lesson can be formed from the title message “hands are not for hitting” and can further lead to a discussion on what can be done instead of hitting another friend or adult. Young children struggle daily with understanding their emotions, so this book can also act as a segue for learning how to control emotions and what to do when one feels a certain emotion building up. 

"Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen"

Title: "Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen" 

Author: DyANNE DiSALVO-RYAN
Illustration: DyANNE DiSALVO-RYAN

Purchase: CLICK TO BUY!

• Paperback: 32 pages

• ISBN-10: 0688152856

• ISBN-13: 978-0688152857

Target age group: K-3 (4-8 yrs)




Lesson activity/Lesson plan materials: 
"Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen" Class Play. The students each take on a role and act out the book in order to learn about it's message of hunger and homelessness awareness.
Link -> Book Play

Teaching Resources: 
Support and information for teaching the connection between wealth/poverty and race as well as other social issues that effect the instances of homelessness and lack of basic needs. This link has several sets of lesson plans as well as background information on the topics and connections to be made.
Link -> Poverty + Race

Summary:
"Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen" is a story and first person narrative of a young boy's experience with his uncle at soup kitchen and his subsequent awakening to the issue of poverty and it's related problems of hunger and homelessness. Through his experiences at the kitchen, specifically his interactions with the people who come there, he learns that hunger is not exclusively a problem that the homeless face, but rather that it affects many in many different situations and walks of life. His uncle Willie gives him insight and guidance about hungry, homelessness and poverty in their community during his visits and in result, helps the boy in developing a critical consciousness about social issues affecting the area he lives in. 

Element 5: "Raising Awareness" 
The language and structure of the book is straight forward and presents these multiple elements without prejudice and in a manner that is easily digestible for students. While targeted for children in grades k-3, there is no doubt that the language and message can be readily applied as high as 5th grade. For younger children, the vivid illustrations provide clear representations of the content, dialog and events of the story as it unfolds.
Some books in this genre touch on social issues with the intention of explaining them but this book is different in that it serves to directly model the process of developing a critical consciousness that I mentioned previously. Because of this, the book itself not only serves as a resource, but as a lesson in itself. Depending on the way the book is presented, exposure to the content can serve as either or both. Children learn about the issues of homelessness, poverty and hunger as problems that transcend a singular socioeconomic status and stereotype. They are also exposed to one of the many ways that people can become active members of their community to not only raise awareness but work for change, a directive both whole fully included in element 5 and 6. In the end, the story serves to both teach becoming aware and how to make awareness an active process instead of a static definition. These are heavy focuses and elements but the language in which they are presented in, makes them naturally obtained as the child reads or is read to. The children learn that awareness is not an ability but instead, a social process requiring active participation. 

Class Activity: (Grade 5)

• Children are broken into two medium/large groups. 
• On each wall of the room, a large lined paper is hung with either the title: "hunger" or "homelessness".
• Each group is given a social issue: hunger or homelessness. 
• Groups must write down first, what the issue is, then ways they have seen or can think of for helping others effected with said issue.
• After the groups write down their responses on the large paper, swap and change station to the other groups paper.
• Now the groups repeat the process.
• After both groups write down their responses for each category, they are given a green and yellow sticky tab. Children are directed to read over the responses of each list and put a green tab for the thing they think is most important and yellow for something they don't understand or want to know more about. After all children place their tabs, the class tallies the responses for the most green and yellow. These responses are discussed further. Runner up responses are also discussed. 
• Exit card: "I can help solve hunger by..." or "I can help the homeless by..."

One

Author: Kathryn Otoshi

Illustrator: Kathryn Otoshi

Grade Level: Kindergarten and up

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Resources:

More about the Author!

More about the Publisher! 

Follow Kathryn on Twitter! 

Read an interview!

Summary

Kathryn Otoshi’s One is about a community of color palettes, each with one’s own identity. However, one color, Red, seemed to like to pick on another color, Blue. Although all colors were aware of Blue’s nice nature, they were also aware of Red’s mean attitude towards Blue. However, no one stood up to Red. Red’s bad attitude, or meanness, eventually made Red bigger, making all other colors fear Red even more. This made everyone feel like Blue. At this point, One appeared. Not only was One different in appearance, but so was One’s attitude towards Red. One stood up to Red, which better enabled all the other colors to stand up to Red. After all, every color counts, and slowly, every other color started turning into numbers except Red. As everyone turned into numbers, Red started to feel left out, then angry, which made Red even bigger. After getting so big, Red tries to run over Blue, but everyone stood up against Red. Blue realizes that Red may have been feeling like Blue, so Blue tries to bring Red back to the group and succeeds with One’s help. After all, “Everyone counts!” (Otoshi, 2008).

Element 5: Raising Awareness

Element 5, or raising awareness, is seen in Kathryn Otoshi’s One. Element 5, or raising awareness, can be described as one character raising others’ awareness. In One, One is raising awareness to an injustice that was common to the color palettes’ current system, which is Red’s bullying. No other color liked Red’s bullying, but no one was brave enough to stand up to Red so no one did. When One appeared, One stood up to Red’s bullying. One was successful in showing others that standing up to Red was possible, therefore raising all other color palettes’ awareness. When all the colors realized that they, too, have the ability to stand up to Red, they started turning into numbers, except Red. However, this made Red feel left out, and tried to roll over Blue, the color most often bullied. This is when everyone stood up to Red. Yet, this still leaves Red’s feelings unresolved. Blue initiates confrontation with Red, trying to find some sort of mutual ground; One supports Blue’s actions and helped Red realize that everyone counts and should be treated as though they do count and matter within a group or community.

Activity in Class

Kathryn Otoshi’s One is a simple story that touches upon important and relevant matters. In the classroom, Otoshi’s One can better help students reflect deeply on their own experiences regarding bullying, standing up for one’s self, and community. Issues regarding bullying, standing up for one’s self, and community should be reflected upon and thought about with a critical eye: What made them issues? Who was affected? How were they affected? Resolutions, if any, should also be reflected upon with a critical eye. If there were resolutions, students should rethink the resolution and see if it served justice for all or just certain few and if the resolution truly solved the problem. If there were no resolutions, then students should think of a plausible resolution for the everyone’s sake upon conflict reflected.  Students should consider the depth of the issue, who the issue might affect, and if the solution will “fix” the problem or cause a bigger strain. Using Otoshi’s One and what students have reflected upon regarding bullying, standing up for one’s self, and community, teachers may easily incorporate this story and these reflections to social issues and injustices from the past to act upon the present and perhaps, strive for a better future.