Children’s Lit: Farolitos for Abuelo April 20, 2010

Title: Farolitos for Abuelo
Author: Rudolfo Anaya
Publication Year: October 15, 1999
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Keywords: Christmas, People & Places, Death, Mexican American Traditions, Social Issues, Family Life, Nonfiction, Grandfathers, & Spanish Language

Summary: This is a story of death and how good can come from it. Luz’s grandfather saves a little boy from the cold river but dies shortly after. Luz is sad and tries to keep his memory alive by working in the garden. She wants to do something special for her Abuelo and decides to put farolitos around her grandparent’s grave. Soon this becomes a tradition and the entire cemetery is filled with the glow of farolitos. Some Spanish words and phrases are incorporated throughout.

Classroom Extension: I love that this book uses another language and yet the reader can still understand what is going on. This is book would be a great one to read to your class especially if you had ESL kids. The ESL kids could shine in giving the rest of a class a quick vocabulary lesson. In the 50 Social Studies Strategies they talk about Guest Speakers, since when can’t one of your students be just that. I feel that this would also create a better community with in the class. Students could also talk about what they do at family events and how their ceremonies are special to them. I know that death and dying are not talked about a lot but with the help of this book and students own scenarios the topic would be easier to bring up.

Questions: What type of traditions does your culture have? Are there any that may be similar to someone else in this class? Do grandparents play an important role in your family life today? What have you learned from someone older than you? Where is Mexico? The reason Abuelo died is because he saved a young boy from freezing water, how important is water safety around Idaho?

Integration: In this book they celebrate death and we could talk about other cultures that celebrate death like the Mayans and the Egyptians. Talking about different cultures way of dealing with death integrates not only social studies but health as well. Reading about different groups of people and how their society is built on top of graves or that the whole town is shut down upon someone’s death would give our students a look into the past. They could compare then to now and make a time line of events for a specific group of people. Death is all around us and really would be inserted into a variety of places. Looking at Earth science and the layers of rock, using math for the Egyptian’s pyramids that housed the dead kings and queens… really death is everywhere its just not talked about enough.

Children’s Literature Group Book Choice January 31, 2010

The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco

With this book I had to investigate whether or not it has been criticized or praised for its portrayal of characters and events. So my search began with the library chat help thing-a-ma-bob. You see while at home I could not get into any of the book reviews through the library sight so I had some help. A nice lady librarian in Indiana sent me one of the links I was looking for! (Our Library class is being more and more helpful!) On Tuesday the 20th of April I will be sharing what it is that I found and how there could be some concerns with using it in the classroom. Below is my review:

Title: The Keeping Quilt
Author: Patricia Polacco
Grade Level: PreK- 3
Publication Year: April 3, 2001
Publisher: Aladdin
Keywords: People & Places, Social Issues, Russia, Emigrants & Immigrants, Holidays, Festivals, & Religious

Summary: This is a story about the authors own Jewish family and how they made a quilt from all the past clothing of family members from Russia. The story goes on and tells the reader how that same quilt was used at many memorable occasions, generation after generation. The best thing is that this story is true, all the characters and events really happened.

Classroom Extensions: I feel that this book is a great way to start talking about people and cultures. Asking the question:” What can we learn from studying craft concerning cultures around the world?”, will bring kids to their own cultures and pasts. This will help students to identify multiple roles of families, differences and similarities between families and cultures. Having kids share their own family traditions or artifacts that are meaningful will make this lesson memorable. Plus, what a great way to incorporate art that is practical in the classroom.

Questions: How can we apply what was read to our lives? Can you analyze some similarities and differences between communities or cultures? If you had a family quilt what important dates, colors, pictures would be on it? What can we learn about people by looking at their quilt? How does this cross over to representation of art?

Integration: Art is the obvious one to insert but I was also thinking about math. If they were to build a classroom quilt they would have to measure how long the quilt needed to be, the size of squares so that everyone’s would fit, and also some geometric design. This book is also rich in vocabulary, you could integrate technology and have the students use the Visual Thesaurus online to look up the Russian words they might not know.

Children’s Literature January 29, 2010

In the “Book Reviews” category I will be showcasing 3 books. 2 of which are books I’ve chosen and 1 that is from a set list (The Keeping Quilt). I really enjoy children’s literature so this assignment is one that I am pretty excited about! I will put up pictures of the book along with some author links. My very favorite children’s literature author is Rachel Isadora- she has a very unique way of illustrating and always brings a new perspective to an old tale!

Title: Rapunzel
Author: Isadora, Rachel
Grade Level: PreK-3 (This is not to say that a person who is 23 wouldn’t enjoy it!)
Publication Year: October 16, 2008
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Keywords: Africa, Explore the World, Fairy Tales, Fiction, Folk Tales, Rapunzel.

Summary: The fairy tale of blonde Rapunzel gets a new twist when Rachel Isadora creates an African adaptation to the classic. Rapunzel must let down her long, beautiful black hair so the evil sorceress can climb in and out of the tower. The African setting and illustrations throughout this book are wild and colorful, this is a must read!

Classroom Extensions:
-Ice breaker for a discussion on cultures and how they are similar and different
-Taking a fairy tale and having students write their own life version of a classic
-Looking at the illustrations and discussing cultural art
-Viewing the identity of people, discovering race and uniqueness

Questions:
-How is this Rapunzel the same as the blonde Rapunzel?
-Is the moral of the story still the same? Explain?
-Why is Rapunzel locked away? Is this a form of racism? Discrimination?

Integration:
Science- Students could showcase different seasons within the story
Health- The prince looses his sight this is great time to bring up our five senses
Language Art- Drawing 5 scenes from the story and putting them in sequence
As with any book be sure to read it before you open it in front of your students. The illustration in this book are captivating and hold a lot of texture through each page. I would also be concerned if reading this book to a class of all one race but a single child. I worry that the students might explain their ideas and use the student of minority as an example. Be cautious of this and simply redirect your students into the direction you are going. Ask the students about their thoughts on the sorceress and her stealing the baby from the family. Is the sorceress a helpful person in the community? Because I know the kindergarden social study standards I would cover standards dealing with individuals having similarities and differences, being unique, cultural traditions, those that are helpful and that people have wants and needs. (K.SS.1.1.3| 1.1.4| 4.1.2| 4.3.1| 4.3.2| 5.1.1.)

Rachel Isadora Biography