Thursday, March 12, 2015

Marching With Aunt Susan: Susan B. Anthony and the Fight for Women's Suffrage

Teacher's Choice Book-IRA
 Papa took my brothers hiking, but not me.
 "Strenuous exercise is not for girls, Bessie," he told me.
 "You're not strong enough," Enie said.
 " It's not ladylike," Charlie added.
 "I can ride my bicycle faster than anyone on the block,"
 I told my brothers.  "Even you."
" Girls shouldn't ride bicycles either,"
Charlie said. And they left without me.

-Bessie





Marching With Aunt Susan is: Historical, Easy-to-read, Powerful, Influential, and Inspiring




Marching With Aunt Susan: Susan B. Anthony and the Fight for Women's Suffrage
Written by Claire Rudolf Murphy and Illustrated by Stacey Schuett
Published by Peachtree 

Reading Level:
Lexile:650L
Grade Level(s):1-6
Suggested Delivery:Read Aloud, Independent, Guided Reading

Summary: All young Bessie wants is to be included in a hike with her father and brothers.  Her father did not to take her hiking because during the late nineteenth century women and girls did not participate in such activities- it was not socially acceptable.  When Bessie's mother invites Susan B. Anthony over for a suffrage tea party, Bessie learns about all the different activities that women are not allowed to participate in such as the right to vote. Quickly Bessie becomes involved in the Women's Rights Movement to earn women's right to vote. 


Electronic Resources for Educators:


Learn more about the Women's Rights Movement, about the women involved and the challenges that they faced in trying to change the law. This might be helpful for students to read some of this before reading so that they have some background information on the Women's Rights Movement.

http://susanbanthonyhouse.org/her-story/biography.php
Look at Susan B. Anthony's museum.  Learn more about her involvement in the Women's Rights Movement.  This is a great resource to help students understand Susan B. Anthony's role in the movement and the book.



Teaching Suggestions:




Comprehension Activities for the Classroom Teacher:

Before Reading Activity:Vocabulary building
Wordle.net
Pull up the wordle on your computer for all of your students to see and then hand out the following chart.


Have your students rate how well they know the words.  Then define the words for your students and give examples. Use the websites under electronic resources for educators to give students a visual and to give them a better understanding.  Give each student a set of flash cards and have them write the word on it and define it in their own words with a partner.

 During Reading an Activity: Split-Page note taking activity
Students will look or listen for the key vocabulary as they read or listen to the book. Some of the examples aren't very clear so they may need some guiding, they will also need to use their inferential comprehension skills.  As they see or hear the example of the word they will write the example down. For example:  Bessie's mom says Susan B. Anthony is coming over to their house for suffrage tea. Her mom says she fought for fifty years for women's rights. Students could write that suffrage is fighting for women's rights.





Post Reading Activity: Response writing activity-
Students free write in a journal about their response to the book.  They may have questions for the author or feelings/ideas about the Women's Rights Movement.  As long as students reflect on the reading then they are completing this activity.

Writing Activity: What challenges did women experience in the 1800s that we don't have to deal with today? Why might this have been difficult for them?

OR

If you lived during this time would you have chosen to be a suffragist, why or why not?

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Children Of The Great Depression

Orbis Pictus Award
" We lost most of our savings
at a local bank that went under.
We still had our house,
 and we were eating,
which was more than could be said
 for some of our friends.
But that was about all,
 and I guess the thought that
 he wouldn't be able to buy enough coal
to get us through the winter was just
 too much for my father to take...
Things would get worse for us later on,
and for a couple of years we were in really bad shape,
but for me the low point of the depression
 will always be the sight of my father that day,
 crying in the coal bin."

Children of the Great Depression is: Informative, contains photographs from the time, Strong Summary of the Depression, Anecdotal, and Authentic
Children Of The Great Depression
Written by Russell Freedman
Published by Clarion Books

Reading Level:
Lexile:1170L
Grade Level(s): 5-9
Suggested Delivery: Read Aloud*, Guided Reading, Independent

Summary:

During the Great Depression the life of the average child dramatically changed.  Many families lost their homes, jobs, and the ability to put a warm meal on the table. While some children were impacted less by the depression everyone was affected by it in some way. Many families became homeless and poor children were dressed in rags.  Every child had a different experience, some took to the railroads to look for work, some stopped attending school to bring extra income into their homes, and many lived in Hoovervilles with their families. The Depression was a very difficult time for many children- this book shows some photographs that let the reader see into the world of a child living in the Depression.  There are also many anecdotal accounts of childrens' experiences in the Depression. This is a great book to gain insight into the life of a child during this major economic depression.


Electronic Resources for Educators:


This website explains many of the key ideas and vocabulary within the book such as hoovervilles, breadlines, and the economic collapse. 

This is a great video to build schema for your students before they read Children of the Great Depression.


This short video features photographs from the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl.

Teaching Suggestions:

Key Vocabulary:

Comprehension Activities for the Classroom Teacher:

Before Reading Activity-Padlet- 
http://padlet.com/wall/u75lf6ujoxae
You will need access to computers to participate in this activity.  Use this padlet to find out what your students know about the Great Depression.  After students respond to the padlet, ask them about their answers.  Then show the following video that will explain the Great Depression to your students so that they will understand what they are reading.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtUjpUW09qc


During Reading Activity-Jigsaw Activity-
I would read the book aloud to your students.  Assign your students to a heterogeneous home group and then divide your students into expert groups. The expert groups should each focus on one aspect of the book and get a very thorough idea of their topic. They will then go back to their home group and teach them about their topic.  If you read a chapter a day then the students that are assigned to that chapter will work with each other to deepen their understanding of the chapter. For example: Assign five children to one home group and each student in the group will be assigned to a different chapter.  After you read the chapter to the class, the group of students assigned to the chapter will look through the chapter again and research more about the topic and then they will share their findings with their home group.

 Post Reading Activity-Popcorn Review-
This is a strategy where a the entire class holds a discussion by saying statements one person at a time about the book.  Students can add comments on to the statement and the students correct incorrect statements. This is a strategy that encourages reflection and critical thinking. My hope for this activity is that students will grapple with all the key information included in the book and demonstrate an understanding of children's experience in the Great Depression.

 Writing Activity-Why do you believe that it is important to learn about the experience of the children who lived in the Great Depression? What did you learn about their experience from reading Children of the Great Depression?

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Always Remember Me: How One Family Survived World War II

ALA Notable Book + Teacher's Choice Book
“ First Anni, then Sabina, and finally me, 
we all came to this country.  
We didn’t have much to bring with us:
 my yellow star, 
Anni’s blue numbers tattooed on her arm 
by the guards at Auschwitz, 
Sabina’s scar from the bullet. 
  It didn’t matter.  
We were a family again.”  


Always Remember Me is: Inspirational, Heartrending, Empowering, Thoughtful, and Astute





Always Remember Me: How One Family Survived World War II
Written by Marisabina Russo
Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Reading Level:
Lexile: 720L
Grade Level(s): 1-5
Suggested Delivery: Read aloud

Summary:

Every Sunday at Rachel’s family dinner, her Oma shows her two albums: one of her old life and one of her new life.  Oma always skips over the “sad part” until finally, at this meal she is ready to share her story with her granddaughter.  Oma and her three daughters had lived in Germany when Hitler came into power.  Oma shares with Rachel her experiences as a Jew in a country where she and her children were not welcome.  This is wonderful, sensitively written book to introduce children to the Holocaust and the Jewish experience.  Readers will see that even though this family endured very difficult times they survived because of their determination and love for each other.

Electronic Resources for Educators:

Please take time to preview the following websites and videos prior to showing this to your students.  Find pieces of the videos that are appropriate for your classroom.
Use the following websites before you read the book to your students.  Students will comprehend the text better if they have an understanding of what the Holocaust was and how it affected the Jews in Eastern Europe.

http://www.ushmm.org/learn/students
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website is a great resource to share with your students.  It has a timeline of events, introduction to the Holocaust, many online activities, as well as tons other great learning tools for you to take advantage of.  Please look through it before you assign students to use the site.  There could be some graphic photographs or information that is not appropriate for elementary students.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/history.html
This is a website for the teacher to read a summary of the events of the Holocaust and to refresh your memory.  It is important for you to be able to answer your students questions about this serious topic.

http://www.yadvashem.org/
Yadvashem is the Holocaust museum in Israel. It is a valuable resource for research and to get a better understanding of the Jewish experience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sArJ-CLHPXI

Listen to Marion Blumenthal Lazan, a Holocaust Survivor's experience in the Holocaust.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeixVrnS7r8

Etta Katz's incredible story of survival.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FONfCP4NyQ4

Elie Weisel and Oprah Winfrey tour Auschwitz.


Teaching Suggestions:

Key Vocabulary:


Discrimination-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discrimination
Rabbi-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rabbi
Haberdashery-http://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/haberdashery
Jew-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jew
Judaism-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/judaism
Concentration camp-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/concentration%20camp
Anti-Semitism-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anti-semitism

Comprehension Activities for the Classroom Teacher:

Before Reading Activity: I would explain what the Holocaust was in kid friendly terms.  I would also use this time to introduce the key vocabulary that you choose to touch on during the reading.  You could use pictures from google or a video from one of the Holocaust sites to provide a visual for your students.  If possible it would be incredible for your students to get to meet and listen to  a Holocaust survivor's story. Unfortunately, many survivors have passed away due to old age, so you could also invite their children or grandchildren to speak to your class. Another way to personalize this experience for your students would also be to watch a video/interviews on the Holocaust. I have included a few interviews in the electronic resources for educators section.

During Reading Activity:Fishbowl Discussion-
Divide the class into two groups. One will make a large outer circle and the other group will sit on the inside of the outer circle in a smaller circle. The outer circle will at first be observers while the inner circle discusses what they have read thus far in the book. The teacher needs to model how to discuss this literature as well as share his/her expectations for the activity. The teacher should ask questions to get students thinking.  After the inner circle discusses the book, let the outer circle have a turn. I would make sure that both groups talks about the Jewish experience and that they think about how scary and difficult Oma and her daughters lives were while they were in Germany. What were the differences between Rachel's aunts experiences? Why might Oma have not shared her old album with Rachel before this particular meal?

 Post Reading Activity:·      -ReQuest Activity- 
In this activity students and teachers use reciprocal questioning by asking each other questions after reading, this assists with reading comprehension. The goal is to form a conversation through questioning. The students and teacher should ask questions that make one reflect on the events and meaning of the book.


 Writing Activity: If you were Rachel and your Oma told you this story at a family dinner, how might your opinion of your Oma change and why?


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Monday, March 9, 2015

Helen Keller: Her Life In Pictures

" Annie took one of Helen's hands
 and placed it in the cool flow of water.
In the palm of the other hand,
she spelled out w-a-t-e-r.
Instantly, Helen's face brightened.
 Suddenly, I felt [as if] somehow
the mystery of language was revealed to me.
I knew then that 'w-a-t-er'
meant the wonderful cool
something that was flowing over my hand."


Helen Keller: Her Life In Pictures is: Biographical, Astonishing, Unique, Engaging, and Original






Helen Keller: Her Life In Pictures
Written by George Sullivan
Published by Scholastic Non-Fiction

Reading Level:
Lexile: 770L
Grade Level(s): 2-5
Suggested Delivery: read aloud, independent, guided reading

Summary: This book is about the remarkable life of Helen Keller. It begins with young Helen Keller who was an angry child because she was unable to interact with the world around her. Helen was both deaf and blind.  When Helen was young, her parents hired a woman who would teach her how to live and function in the world with her disabilities. Helen did not let her disabilities put limitations on her life and instead found ways to make the world accessible to her. Sullivan shows photographs and describes Helen's educational journey and how she learned to live with her disabilities.  He highlights her role in politics and bettering the world.  Helen was a very influential, powerful woman who changed peoples views on the blind and deaf because of her determination and will to not let her disability define her. 

Electronic Resources for Educators:

Give your students the opportunity to explore more about Helen's life accomplishments.  This is an online museum for children and it is all about Helen Keller. This is a great resource to build schema and to get your students excited to read about Helen.

One of the most important people in Helen's life was Anne Sullivan Macy, learn more about her here. Helen credited much of her success to her infamous teacher.  It is important for students to understand the impact that Anne had on Helen Keller's life.  This might be a good website to look at with your students after you read the book because then they will understand Macy's importance in Keller's life.

Teaching Suggestions:

Key Vocabulary:


Comprehension Activities for the Classroom Teacher:

Before Reading Activity: Anticipation Guide 
One way to get your students thinking about Helen Keller's life would be to use an anticipation guide.  This is a great way to set a purpose for reading about a book and for you, the teacher to determine students' prior knowledge on a topic.  I would distribute the following handout to students and then depending on their reading levels I might read the questions aloud to them.

1.  Helen Keller was a woman who was both deaf and blind.

True or False

2.  Helen could understand what someone was trying to tell her if they spelled words out in her palm.

True or False

3.  Helen learned to read and write even though she couldn't see or hear.

True or False

4.  Helen was a symbol of courage for many who faced major challenges in their lives.

True or False

5.  Helen Keller lived during the 21st century.

True or False

6.  Helen worked to better the lives of the blind and deaf.

True or False

7.  Our class is reading about this book to learn about a very important woman who changed the way people with disabilities are viewed today.

True or False



During Reading Activity: Split-Page Notetaking
What I want students to take away from this book is an understanding of who Helen Keller was, how she dealt with her disability, her success in life, and what her contributions to society were. A way for students to organize their thoughts and to look for these key ideas and details is to use the split-page note taking strategy.  Explicitly say to students what you're expecting them to look for as they read and then model this behavior for them.  One example I might use to model is on page 16.  The text reads "By this time in her life, she knew she was different from other people. The spoke with their mouths. Being deaf and blind, Helen could not.  She got angry as a result.  She cried, kicked, and screamed.  Her parents were unable to control her."  In key terms/Big ideas, I wrote: Ways Helen handled having a disability.  In the details column, I wrote: Page 16- She cried, kicked and screamed.  Maybe Helen felt frustrated that others couldn't understand her and that she couldn't understand them.  I would clearly state the big ideas that you're looking for.  Big Ideas: Ways she handled her disability, contributions to the world, and personal achievements. Explain to your students how they might look for the details as they read.






Post Reading:
Make a timeline of Helen's life with your class. Identify the most important events/people in her life and spend some time thinking about how these events or individuals impacted her life or the lives of others.

-use http://www.dipity.com/ to create your timeline.

-http://www.afb.org/annesullivan/default.asp- One of the most important people in Helen's life was Anne Sullivan Macy, learn more about her here. Helen credited much of her success to her infamous teacher.  It is important for students to understand the impact that Anne had on Helen Keller's life.  This might be a good website to look at with your students as you create the timeline.


Writing Activity:
Depending on the grade level of your students, you can rephrase this question in a more age appropriate manner. The length of the writing piece will also depend on the grade level. Question:   How do you think Helen Keller influenced the lives of disabled people in today's world?

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