Corduroy Writes a Letter

Title: Corduroy Writes a Letter

Author: Allison Inches

Illustrator: Allan Eitzen

Reading Level: Kindergarten - 3

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Resource- Corduroy Writes a Letter is used within the lessons of this overarching book.

Summary:

Corduroy Writes a Letter is about Lisa and her bear named Corduroy.  She notices that the bakery is putting less sprinkles on their cookies, so her mom suggests she write the bakery a letter.  Lisa doesn't believe that her letter will have any impact because she is just a little girl.  Instead, Corduroy decides to write a letter.  He continues writing letters to various places where he notices there are issues.  His letters do make a difference and Lisa recognizes that everyone has a voice and can write letters to make a difference.

Element 6- Taking Social Action:

This book introduces students to the idea that their individual voices can have an impact.  Although it is very small scale in its examples, Corduroy Writes a Letter proves that a young person's voice can influence others in the community.  These small steps can begin the process of students feeling important enough to address bigger issues.

Activity:

This book could be used with many grades.  I would read it as an introduction to an activity.  Students would then brainstorm issues they are passionate about.  After brainstorming, we would discuss the concept of professional letters.  Students would need to understand formatting letters in a formal manner and writing a strong and persuasive letter.  After editing each, ensuring correct grammar and proper spelling, I could allow students to actually send their persuasive letters.

The Butterfly

Title- The Butterfly 
Author & Illustrator- Patricia Polacco
SJE- Element 3: Issues of Social Injustice
Where to buy The Butterfly
Patricia Polacco's Website


Summary- The Butterfly is based on the true story of Patricia Polacco's aunt Monique and her mother Marcelle Solliliage. The story takes place in France during World War II and the Nazi occupation. Monique is aware of the war happening around her but she is not aware of her mother's role in France's resistance effort, until one night she sees a little girl at the foot of her bed. The little girl, Sevrine, and her family have been living in Monique's family's basement. Monique and Sevrine begin having nightly play dates and become good friends until one night when a neighbor sees the two girls playing in the window. The girls tell Marcelle what happened and Sevrine and her family are forced to flee the basement to try to escape to Switzerland.

Element 3: Issues of Social Justice-
This story represents the third element of SJE because it demonstrates religious intolerance and how it affected European Jews during World War II. The Butterfly shows a child's perspective on the war and makes it as relatable as possible. Not only does the story focus on the experience of a Jewish child during WWII it also shows how dangerous it was for the brave people who tried to help their Jewish neighbors and friends. This story is a good way to introduce the Holocaust to younger students who are not ready to be exposed to the more gruesome details of this topic. In addition, you could also use this story to tie together Element 3 and Element 4 because it touches upon social movements as well.

Activity- 
This book could be used in an activity where students are asked to compare and contrast the children (Monique and Sevrine) and their experiences. This activity would demonstrate the impact the war had on the two different groups (Jews and non-Jews). Students would be able to see how Jews lost all of their freedom while their non-Jewish neighbors were still able to do daily activities such as go to school. However, by comparing and contrasting the students would also notice that it was not just Jewish people who were afraid during the war, Monique and her friends were also frightened of the "tall boots" even if they did not have to fear being taken by them.

If You Lived When Women Won Their Rights

Title:  If You Lived When Women Won Their Rights

Author:   Anne Kamma

Illustrator:  Pamela Johnson

Grade: 2^nd – 5^th (Ages 7-10)

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

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Resource

Summary:  The If You book series transports children to a different time and place, and asks them, “What if you were there?” In If You Lived When Women Won Their Rights, children explore what life was like for women and girls during a time in which they could not wear pants, ride bicycles, or go to college. Children get a glimpse of what life was like for women before they had certain rights and the struggle they experienced to gain equal rights.

Element III – Issues of Social Injustice:  This book is a great introduction to Women’s Suffrage Movement and gender equality in the United States. I love that this book follows the development of women’s rights from the Revolution to 1920. It highlights women’s roles and contributions to society way before, during and after the movement. It highlights key men and women, and addresses questions that children would have about the topic. This book is a great way to initiate discussions about gender roles, feminism, and more importantly, empowerment.

Activity:  This book would complement an activity in which students engage in a debate for and against women’s rights. In groups, students would have the opportunity to independently research and find evidence that will support the side of the argument they were assigned. This would expose students to the different perspectives that surrounded the movement and affect gender equality even today.

This Is The Dream

Authors: Diane Z. Shore & Jessica Alexander
Illustrated By: James Ransome
Grade Level: K-3


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Resources









Summary:
This Is The Dream is a book that introduces children to the discrimination African-Americans faced before the civil rights movement, the progress that was made during the civil rights movement, and shows how our country got to be the way it is today.  This Is The Dream takes children through the times of whites only seating sections and segregated schools, teaches of the struggles and triumphs of the everyday people and extraordinary leaders that led the way during the civil rights movement, and shows how we became a nation of freedom and justice for all.

Element 3- Exploring Issues of Social Injustice:
This Is The Dream is a great book for Element 3 because it explores the issue of racism and demonstrates to children how racial discrimination has impacted African Americans in the past.  Through its creative and beautiful illustrations and rhyming dialogue, this book shows children how things used to be for the African American community by showing the separate drinking fountains, seating sections on buses and restaurants, and libraries and schools for white and colored people that existed prior to the civil rights movement. However, this book doesn't just show how things used to be for African Americans, it also takes children through the civil rights movement by demonstrating how everyday people fought for change and briefly introduces children to civil rights leaders like Ella Baker and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  The book ends by showing children the world that they are used to living in today, but children walk away from this book with the new knowledge that our country was not always this way as many people fought very hard to establish freedom and justice for all.

Activity:
One of the things I liked most about This Is The Dream was how it incorporated real pictures and people from the civil rights movement within some of the illustrations on the pages.  In fact, the book starts off with a collage representing how things were prior to the civil rights movement (whites only and colored signs, mentions of Jim Crow and the American Dream, etc.) and ends with a collage to represent today (diverse children holding hands, freedom and justice for all signs, the Statue of Liberty, etc.).  An activity I would do in a classroom in conjunction with this book would be to have students make their own collages that demonstrate what they learned about how things were prior to the civil rights movement, during the civil rights movement, and how they think our country is today.

A place where sunflowers grow

Title: A place where sunflowers grow
Author: Amy Lee-Tai
Illustrator: Felicia Hoshino
Publisher: San Francisco, Calif: Children's Book Press.
Grade level: Grade 2-5

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Resources

Summary: this is a story about a little girl Mari and her family who had been forced to leave their home in California for Topaz Relocation Center in Utah. Their new life is miserable, and Mari does not understand why. She plants sunflower seeds in hope that they would grow into the beautiful garden to make her life in a desert a little brighter. In Topaz Mari starts attending the art classes which help her make friends with Aiko. Although there is nothing good to draw at first, with the teacher's help Mari starts thinking of her happy life before Topaz. Finally, as Mari finds comfort in expressing herself through the art, the sunflowers begin to grow, and she becomes stronger and more resilient.

Element III: Exploring Issues of Social Injustice
Amy Lee-Tai tells the story of her mother, who along with other 120,000 Japanese Americans, was unlawfully sent to the internment camp during World War II . A place where sunflowers grow is a very powerful story which teaches about the evil of oppression and unfair treatment of innocent people. The story is told from a perspective of a young girl who is frightened and sad to live in unfamiliar place with no hope for the future.  
Wonderful illustrations of Felicia Hoshino help the readers to identify with the suffering characters. In the book we can see the colorful depiction of the joyful past and many dull pictures with the barbed wires representing the hardships of Japanese American families during their time in the camp.
Despite the misfortunes the people in the story support one another. They cope with the distress through the art. The sunflowers as a symbol of hope invite the reader to think of various ways to fight injustice and stay human. 

Follow up activity: 
Incorporating art into the lesson by discussing mixed media used by the illustrator Felicia Hoshino and how the illustrations align with the narrative enriching or supporting it. The illustrations include the use of watercolor, ink, tissue paper, and acrylic paint. 
The second step would be letting the students create their own artworks and discuss them in class.

A place where sunflowers grow is also a historical fiction representing Japanese American culture. The story written in English and Japanese gives a glimpse on the life style and habits of Japanese Americans. Since the book includes short introduction of the experiences of Japanese Americans during World War II students who become interested to learn more about this cultural group may use the book as a reference.  

Another activity to do with the Elementary students would be to grow sunflowers from the seeds and make observations which can enhance students' knowledge about the natural world.

The Librarian of Basra

The Librarian of Basra: A true story from Iraq

Written and Illustrated by: Jeanette Winter 

              Age Range: 4-8 years

“In the Koran, the first thing God said to Muhammad was ‘Read’” –Alia Muhammad Baker

To Purchase the Book- Click Here! 

For more information on the author and her inspiration for the book click here!

 

Lesson Plan Ideas for elementary classrooms involving the Iraq War.

Other books by Jeanette Winter!

Summary: 

                This unique story is about Alia Muhammad Baker. She is the librarian in Basra, Iraq. Her library was a safe haven for those who shared Alia’s love of book, in which they would discuss all matters. Soon, the once creative conversation turned to only nervous talk about war. Worried about the rare and classic books held in the library, Alia asked the governor for permission to move them somewhere safe, but was denied. Alia would not stand for this. Each night when no one was around she began transporting the books from the library to her home. Once war struck, soldiers and government offices took over the library. With little hope left Alia asked her friend Anis Muhammed for help and they moved the books into his restaurant. Soon after they did this the library was destroyed by a fire. Alia kept moving the books, keeping some at her house and the homes of her friends. Alia is dreaming of peace and a new library, but is just happy to know the books are safe. 

Element 3: Exploring Issues of Social Injustice

                I found this story to be very unique. Not only does it bring up Middle-Eastern culture, but discusses the sensitive topic of war at a young age. It is a true story about how war hit Basra, Iraq and the heroic efforts of Alia in saving the books from the library. It addresses the ability of one person (even someone previously seen as powerless) being able to make a difference and stand up for their beliefs even in times of hardship. The main reason I chose this book is because I felt it opened up students to understanding how the Iraq war affected the people of the Middle East and the troubles they face experiencing war in their homeland. I also liked how it showed heroine as a woman, which is not usually common in that particular culture.  

Classroom Activity: 

                Grades applied- 3^rd grade

                Begin a simple class discussion to open up the students to talking and thinking about the different impacts of war. I would describe war as “when two or more countries don’t get along about something, sometimes they start fighting in a really bad way. This can help or hurt the countries in many different ways, like how Alia and her friends lost their library.” I want to then ask the students what is something they value and have them try and imagine putting themselves in Alia’s shoes- “What is something that you guys really like, that you would not want to lose?”, “What would you do if you had to save ____”, “What are some other things you think people would lose during a time of war?”, etc.

Encounter

ENCOUNTER

by Jane Yolen

Ages: 6–12

Grades: 1–5

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Yolen's Teachers' Resources

Summary:

Encounter, by Jane Yolen, presents the perspective of a young Taino boy’s encounter with the arrival of Columbus. His Island, Guanahani, or present day San Salvador, was bountiful in natural resources. He dreamt a warning of these men with ‘moon skin’ and ‘serpent smiles.’ No one listened to his cries of caution, because he was "only a child." He too forgot about his dream when the strange men gave the villagers beautiful beads and weaponry. When he remembered his dream, and observes the actions of the newcomers, he sees their greedy hands only touching the villagers’ gold jewelry. Again he warns his people, and again no one listens to him. He is taken aboard the strangers' ship with other boys, and later jumps off at see. He wanders the rest of his life cautioning the tribes that he encounters of the men that took his people and their riches. Yolen provides more detail about the conquest of the Tainos in her Author’s Note.

Element 3:

            This book is perfect for introducing Element Three: Exploring Issues of Social Injustice. Slavery, genocides, and colonization are underlying issues in the history of Columbus’ arrival in the “New World,” and a deep part of our nation’s history. Instead of presenting a heroic figure of Columbus, like most children’s books and textbooks do, it shows how an indigenous boy felt as he saw the conquest of his people unravel. The oppression of the native peoples is not often thought about on days such as Columbus Day. Columbus Day is one of the two federal holidays named after men; surely students should know the truth of who this person is. Yolen acknowledges the devastation brought to the Native Americans in a way that is not very gruesome. The last page is not a “Happily Ever After” page, but a great one for sparking critical thought and empathy of their struggles.

Follow-Up Activity:

            Creating a Compare-and-Contrast chart as a class would be a beneficial way to incorporate this book as a literacy activity. For a Compare-and-Contrast chart you would go through the ideas and preconceptions everyone holds of Columbus, and write them on one side of the chart. You would then read Encounter together as a class, and the author’s note last. Give the children time to process their thoughts and new knowledge, and have them brainstorm compare-and-contrast statements for the chart in small groups. You can then ask the groups to share what they came up with and add it to the chart. At the end, discuss how different or similar the preconceptions were to the knowledge gained after reading Encounter.

            As a drama-play, you could have the students bring a special item from home into the classroom and reenact what Columbus’ men did to the Tainos. Taking away personal things without asking, the teacher would just walk up to a desk and take what the student brought in and place it on a table. Tell the students that you are taking these object with you back to your house, and they cannot do anything about it. Once this part of the exercise is finished you can lead a discussion revolving around empathy one might feel for the Tainos after the ‘skit’ by the teacher.

At the end of one of these activities you can have a discussion about how the behavior that came with colonization during the time of Columbus would play out in this day and age. 

• What would other nations do? 
• Would the UN get involved? 
• What is/are the United Nations? 
• What are the people’s options for defending themselves? 
• Does our country help? 

–are all good lead in questions. 

Author: Ken Mochizuki
Illustrator: Dom Lee
Reading Level: Grades 3 & Up


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In the Classroom

More from Mochizuki



Summary: Baseball Saved Us brings to life the harrowing experiences that Japanese Americans endured post Pearl Harbor. Shorty's world is turned upside down when his family and him are forced to move into an internment camp in the middle of the desert. The only salvation is a baseball field built by Shorty's father and other members of the camp. In the moments that Shorty is on the diamond, he forgets about the harsh conditions he is forced to live in. Once released, Shorty turns back to baseball to help him face the continued ill will and injustice toward his community.

Element 3: Baseball Saved Us tackles the social injustice that Japanese Americans faced during World War II. Shorty and his family were labeled as a threat to homeland security by the United States, the country they called home, based on their nationality alone. They were sent to internment camps with deplorable conditions and treated as war criminal for no legitimate reason at all. Even after being allowed to leave the camp, citizens like Shorty were still isolated, taunted, and blamed for the attacks on Pearl Harbor. The United States eventually deemed the internment camps as a wrong doing and offered some retribution to the detainees. However, the impact that this mindset had on the lives of Japanese Americans can never be reversed or altered.

Application: In the classroom, Baseball Saved Us can act as a starting point to explore other periods in history where governments detained and mistreated groups of people based on their cultural identity. Students could compare and contrast the experiences of Japanese Americans in the United States and Jews during the Holocaust. This book can also be used as a bridge for Element 3 and 4. Teachers can address the impact that sports play in curbing injustice and spearheading social change. Students can explore this reoccurring theme through examples like Jackie Robinson and the integration of African Americans in baseball, Billie Jean King in the Battle of the Sexes, the emergence of the Iranian and Saudi Arabian women's soccer teams, the LGBT Olympic movement in Russia, and many more.

Jenna Stampone- Element Three- Due: October 16

Grace For President 

Author: Kelly S. DiPucchio
Illustrator: LeUyen Pham
Grade Level: 1st - 3rd Grade

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Grace For President

Resource: Relative Book To Element Three: 

Players In Pigtails 

 

Summary:

Grace, an elementary school student, was surprised when her teacher shows the class a timeline that shows all the presidents were men. Grace couldn’t believe her eyes. She and her teacher come together and suggest an election at the elementary school. She confidently believes she has what it takes to become president. When the classes combine, Grace gets discouraged by her opponent Thomas Cobb. They both campaign, competing for the top spot, Presidency. They go through all procedures that the President would and leave it up to their peers to vote. While Thomas concentrated on the activities he was already involved in, Grace strives for things that would build a community and that would help the school as a whole. Grace won over her opponent Thomas and becomes a great female leader for Woodrow Wilson Elementary.

Element 3:

Grace For President sends a great message that goes along with element 3. In some cases, sexism, is still prevalent and remains an issue amongst society. Grace is surprised and taken back when she discovers that presidents have only been males. This book connection to element three shows that everyone should have equal opportunity and the sex of the person shouldn’t tell as much as their character should. This book can teach the students that women are not inferior to men and they are capable of attaining a leadership position; and just because they haven’t yet, doesn’t mean they ever will. The moral of the book is that there is always going to be a barrier between men and women for certain things, but the children can be the change they want to see and begin to display action of being just and unbiased.

Follow Up Activity:

A follow up activity that would link Grace For President and element three that I would like the students to do is to put on skits for the class. The groups will be mixed leaving it easier for the students to show both sides. In small groups of four, the students will come up with scenarios where men or women are more likely to be involved or are more popular in a certain sport, job, position, etc. The gender that is being either discriminated against or less favored will explain how it made them feel. This will allow the students to be creative and come up with situations on their own and be able to express the other side, which shows the emotional side of the students, one being empathy. I think this is a great way for students to think critically, learn from the moral of the story, and educating their peers while having fun.