It Takes a Village

Here is the final book review for my graduate class...

Set in the African village Benin, Jane Cowen-Fletcher's It Takes a Village, tells the story of a young girl named Yemi and the strong community that helps her. Yemi is asked by her mother to take care of her brother Kokou during market day. When Yemi and Kokou go for a walk, Kokou quickly wanders off. While Yemi is searching for her brother and worried he might be hungry, thirsty, warm, tired, etc., he is being taken care of by various villagers at the market. When Yemi finally finds her brother, she learns that it truly takes a village to raise a child.

This story offers an accurate depiction of the Benin culture and a reviewer on Amazon even stated that she had lived in Benin for 2 years and found the illustrations, culture and values to be extremely accurate.

Reading Level:
DRA 20
Guided Reading: L
Interest Level:
 Pre-K-2

Themes: family, community, African culture, responsibility

Teachers... here are some resources to help you to use this book in your classroom.

Web Resources:

• Scholastic Extensions:  This Scholastic page offers some discussion questions as well as ideas for connecting this story to and teaching about writing thank you notes.
• Lesson: This link will bring you to a word document that offers a lesson plan to go along with the story.
• SlideShare: This link will take you to a slideshare presentation for a lesson using this story. The lesson focuses on responsibility and good citizens and therefore offers a nice Social Studies connection.

Vocabulary: market, compound, mangos, wandered, vendor, searching, responsible, support, restless

Activities:
Before Reading:

• Ask students what they think the African proverb "It takes a village to raise a child" means.
• Take a picture walk and ask students to share what they see that seems different or the same from their town.

During Reading:

• Read the story a first time without showing the pictures. As you read have students tell about the movie in their head or draw a picture showing what they are visualizing. Then read the story showing the pictures.
• At the beginning of the story, show students Benin via Google Earth or use this link for students to learn facts about Benin. This could also be done before/after reading.
• Right after Yumi's brother wanders off, ask students to make a prediction about what Yumi might do and what might happen to her brother.

After Reading:

• Discussion Questions
• How is the setting different from your community?
• How would you feel if you lost your sibling in public?
• How do you think Yumi was feeling when she lost her brother? How do you know?
• Do you think Yumi made the right choice when she went searching on her own for her brother? Why or why not?
• Create a Venn Diagram comparing your town and Benin

Across the Curriculum: Social Studies
Use the slideshare link to help you create a lesson about community, responsibility and good citizens.

The Korean Cinderella

Book 4 from my grad-class series...

The Korean Cinderella written by Shirley Climo and illustrated by Ruth Heller is a retelling that
according to the author's note is based on 3 variations of the Cinderella tales that have been told in Korea for centuries. This Cinderella story tells a story of Pear Blossom who when her father is too old to look after her, falls victim to the mistreating of her stepmother and stepsister. When her stepmother asks her to do tasks that seem impossible, she is helped by various animals such as a frog, birds and an ox. When finishing her last impossible chore in order to go to the festival, she crosses paths with the magistrate who immediately notices her beauty. She is afraid of him and runs away, losing a sandal. He uses the sandal in the typical Cinderella-fashion to find the beauty who ran away.

 Reading Level:
DRA: 34
Guided Reading: O

Themes:
Family Relations
Perseverance
Just Rewards
Fairy Tales

Teachers: here are some resources for you...

Web Resources:

•  Find discussion questions and a lesson plan to teach this book here.
• Have students go here to learn more about the Korean culture.
• Here is an extension activity with discussion questions and information about Seoul.
• Cinderella Unit
• Beyond the Glass Slipper Unit

Vocabulary:  blossom, matchmaker, omni, feeble, tokgabi, hull, rice paddies, hastened, magistrate, palanquin, jade, ewha

Activities:
Before Reading:

• KWL focusing on Cinderella stories.
• Anticipation Guide focusing on Cinderella stories.
• Directed Reading Thinking Activity: what do we predict will happen in this story based on what we already know about Cinderella stories.

During Reading:

• Question-Answer-Relationship: Ask questions from each level...
• Right there Questions:
•  What did the mom and dad wish for?
• What did Omni keep saying to Pear Blossom?
• Who does Pear Blossom marry?
• Think and Search
• Which animals help Pear Blossom and how do they help her?
• What tasks did Pear Blossom have to do around the house?

After Reading:

• Question-Answer-Relationship
• Author and You
• How is Pear Blossom alike or different from you?
• How is this Cinderella story the same or different from other Cinderella stories you have read?
• On Your Own
• Do you think the magistrate would have found Pear Blossom without the sandal?
• What do you think would have happened if the animals were mischievous instead of helpful?

Climo, S. (1993). The Korean Cinderella. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.

Going Deskless and Letters

As promised back in a mid-March Five for Friday link-up, here is my post about going deskless...

I am also linking up with Five for Friday today :)

I am also linking up with Friday Freebie. You'll find a letter writing freebie on number 3.

I've wanted to go deskless for a while. Last year, I felt my desk area took up too much space and this year it was my "dump off zone." I used to sit at my desk last year because every teacher had a desktop and my desktop was on my desk. This year, each teacher has a laptop (I have my personal laptop hooked up to everything because it's easier to have everything in one place) so I NEVER sit at my desk. My reading table is so much roomier, and after a couple months I even moved my comfy desk chair to my reading table.

Here is my desk before the year started. I didn't even have my beloved mac set up on the school network yet...

In a pretty small room, my desk just took up way too much space. So, after much reorganizing, and my new easel holding our meeting area supplies instead of my rolling drawers, going deskless was possible!

Here's what the area looks like now... I'm thinking I have lots of possibilities when I rearrange my room for next year!

Wondering what I did with all the stuff in and on my desk? Well the drawers in the background of the above picture as well as the drawers near my reading table pictured below. The drawers used to be by our meeting/rug area, but with my new easel I didn't need the drawers.

I also found that rearranging the closet in our coat room opened A LOT of space for the things I didn't use on a daily basis/extra supplies.

I am LOVING the deskless-ness of my room! The room feels more open and I don't miss the desk at all, I mean honestly, I NEVER sat at it. When I use my reading table, I just put my laptop on the back counter and boom, we have a reading table!

If you aren't a facebook follower, you probably didn't get to hear about the April Fool's prank one of my grade level partners pulled on me. We had our common planning time and he decided while going to drop something off, he'd stop in my room and hide my new and beloved easel in the teacher's room across the hall. Those third graders played it off SO well when I came around asking where the easel was (it was hidden in their coat closet!)

Sorry for the terrible quality, I was probably shaking with anger when I took it ;) Did I mention I reallllly don't like April Fool's Day!?

We started our letter unit in writing and we are reading Dear Mr. Henshaw in reading so we are all about letters! Here's a fun anchor chart I modeled off one I found somewhere in the world of pinterest.

Check out a letter writing freebie I created for one of my grade level partners here.

I downloaded the Daily 5 book to my iPad to read over April vacation while we're flying to our cruise launch destination! I couldn't help myself and read a couple chapters and am HOOKED... I might end up having to download the CAFE book for the flight because I'll be done with the Daily 5!

One of the teachers in my grade program brought in Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson for our weekly book review. I loved it so much I bought it at our book fair.

In the story, a new girl moves into a school and the main character and the other students are unkind to her because she is different than them. The girl then leaves to go to another school and the teacher demonstrates the "ripple effect" with a bucket of water and a stone, telling students that each kind thing we do ripples into the world. The main character then realized the missed opportunity in having not been kind to the new girl because she could never take the unkindness back.

This week we had conferences and I must admit I am very happy for it to be Friday. And in even better news, I get to meet my new niece tonight :)

Abuela

Another book post for my grad class... enjoy!

In Arthur Dorros' Abuela, a little girl imagines she is flying with her Abuela through New York City. They see Manhattan Island, the Statue of Liberty, clouds and more as they soar above the city. The little girl and her grandmother use Spanish throughout their conversation. The story shows a beautiful bond between grandmother and granddaughter.

This is a great book to use, especially if you have Spanish/English bilingual students in your class. This story uses Spanish throughout, but uses context clues for students who don't speak Spanish.

In my grad class, we have discussed how important it is for students to have books that serve as "mirrors" for them. Think about it, most of the books in your classroom probably feature white characters. It's not your fault, most children's literature unfortunately is primary featuring white characters. These books provide a mirror for white students in your class, but not for students of other cultures. Try to expand your classroom library to include as much multicultural literature as you can!

Reading Level:
DRA: 16-18
Guided Reading: K

Themes: Family, Grandmothers, Immigration, Love, New York City, Imagination, Adventure, Fantasy, Spanish Language

Teachers... here are some resources for you.

Web Resources:

• Escape from Third Grade: This site offers an extensive list of activities to go along with Abuela.
• Study Guide: Find a study guide with comprehension questions and vocabulary here.
• Google Lit Trip: If you have google earth downloaded on your computer, you can show this lit trip to your students which shows some of the areas the characters fly to in the story.

Vocabulary: flock, harbor, glide, soar, swoop

Activities:
Before Reading:

• Have students create a word cloud for the word Abuela.

During Reading:

• Use the Google Lit Trip while reading to show what the illustrated places look like.
• As you read the Spanish vocabulary, have students create a vocab 4-square identifying the definition, using the word in a sentence and drawing a picture.

After Reading:

• Have students create a family tree.
• Ask students to write a narrative about an adventure with a family member.
• Response notebook: 
• Where would you fly if you could fly anywhere?
• Create the next adventure for Abuela and her grandchild.

Yeh-Shen A Cindrella Story from China

Here is this week's multicultural book for my grad class...

Yeh-Shen A Cinderella Story from China retold by Ai-Ling Louie is of course a Cinderella story…A long time ago, a beautiful girl named Yeh-Shen was being raised by her stepmother. Her stepmother and step sister were unkind to Yeh-Shen and made her do all the housework. She didn’t have any friends except for a fish she had taken as a pet and would give her anything she wanted. When her stepmother kills and eats the fish, Yeh-Shen thinks she will never have a friend again. But the spirit of the fish lives on through its bones to help Yeh-Shen. When the Spring Festival comes and her stepmother won’t allow her to attend, Yeh-Shen turns to the bones of her fish and finds herself in a beautiful gown and glass slippers. Will Yeh-Shen find her love at the festival?

Reading Level: DRA Level 38
                   Guided Reading P

Teachers: here are some resources for you...

Web Resources:

• Cartoon Version: Check out the cartoon version of Yeh-Shen at this link. It could be argued that there is some evidence of stereotyping, so view before showing your class and decide what your opinion is (and what the opinion of your parents may be) This could also be used as a conversation starter asking if there is evidence of stereotypes and/or comparing and contrasting to the book.
• Cinderella Stories: This link provides a list of a bunch of Cinderella stories as well as information about each story.
• Worksheets: Find worksheets on vocab, comprehension and more to go along with a reading of Yeh-Shen.
• History: I found some interesting information about the history of this story as well as a link to a neat video showing cave dwellings like Yeh-Shen lives in in the story.

Vocabulary: stepmother, undaunted,  finery, fond, marveled, banquet, ivory, glimpse

Activities:
Before Reading:

• Discuss: What is a fairy tale? How do we know a story is a fairy tale? What fairy tales have we read before?
• Teach Fairy Tale Elements, check out my post about fairy tales here.

During Reading:

• While reading, ask students to consider how this story makes them think of other Cinderella stories they have heard.
• Ask students to use think marks (sticky notes) while you read to keep track of their thoughts, connections, questions, etc. Get the think mark bookmarks I give my students to help them remember what to put on their stickies here.

After Reading:

• Read another Cinderella story (or if you already have...) and compare/contrast Yeh-Shen and the other version of Cinderella.
• Use a comparison matrix or simple chart as can be seen on my fairy tales post to identify which fairy tale traits are and are not in Yeh-Shen.