Scribbleville

Scribblevile

By Peter Halowitz

Link to where you can purchase book: http://www.amazon.com/Scribbleville-Peter-Holwitz/dp/0399243038/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205088997&sr=8-1

Summary: Scribbleville is a book about a town of people and things that are made up of wavy and curly lines – scribbles. One day a new comer comes to town that looks very different from everything in town. The man was not made of squiggles and waves, he was made all of straight lines, and so was his house and so was his yard and clothes. Everyone in town thinks the man is strange and wonders why he is there in the first place. And when one of their own scribbled villagers begins chatting and befriending the stick man, an interesting change in town begins to take place.

Reflection: Scribbleville is a great story with simple but captivating illustrations and lyrical narration. The book emphasizes the importance of acknowledging the differences between others and recognizing how these differences could be celebrated. The book offers various views of how others may see each others differences or how one may or may not respond to being viewed as different. Scribbleville carries a positive theme about the friendship and love that can be created between others no matter how different they are. Book Use/Activities/Curricular Units: This book lends itself easily to discussions in topics of individuality, the changes people can make and the acceptance of others. The book provides ideas as to how people affect one another and how the differences that are or are not noticeable can make a positive impact on others. Students can relate to the text in describing ways in which they are different from everyone and how their differences can help others.

Domain of Social Justice Education:

1) Self-Love and Acceptance: When the stickman comes to Scribbleville and is stared at and judged by the people of the town he does not let their judgments get to him and focuses on his happy life.
2.) Respect for Others- Strengthens intercultural competence. Though the Stickman is being judged by others he does not do the same to them.
3.) Exploring Issues of Social Justice- Racism, Classism, Sexism, homophobia and other forms of oppression are confronted. The scribbled Woman befriends the stickman.4.) Social Movements and Social Change- Students learn how people have struggled for social change. The scribbled woman befriends the stickman and the scribbled boy in the story takes notice and draws a picture using both straight and squiggled lines. The stickman and scribbled woman begin using straight or squiggled lines in their wardrobe and everyday life together.
5.) Taking Social Action- Students explore their own context and develop tools to work for change. The scribbled boy shares his drawing and people in Scribbleville begin using wearing straight lines in their clothing and to decorate.

Mrs. Katz and Tush

Author: Patricia Polacco



Overview:

Mrs. Katz is Larnel’s neighbor whom he doesn’t know very well, but is very good friends with his mother. All that changes however when Larnel learns Mrs. Katz’s husband passed away recently. He decides to go over by himself one day, and asks Mrs. Katz to adopt an abandoned kitten. Mrs. Katz agrees under one condition: Larnel must help her take care of the kitten. Larnel agrees and as he begins to spend more time with Mrs. Katz and the kitten whom she names Tush, Larnel learns a lot from Mrs. Katz. Mrs. Katz tells him stories about all the good times she spent with her husband and about coming to America from Poland. As Larnel grows to love Mrs. Katz, he also learns about the difficulties of Mrs. Katz past, and begins to understand the troubles and triumph black history shares with the Jewish heritage.



Reflection:

I thought this book was wonderfully written, and exposed the reader to a variety of important concepts that were weaved into the story beautifully. Mrs. Katz and Tush touches upon the relationships that are established between generations, and the importance of learning from one another and building on that. Mrs. Katz is significantly older than Larnel, and throughout the book as she shares the different types of traditions with Larnel, Larnel makes it a point to not just understand but to become a part of those traditions. Not only does this exhibit acceptance of different cultures, but it displays the respect the two have for each other. Just because Mrs. Katz was older, Larnel did not judge her or make assumptions off of that. He was open-minded and displayed a willingness to learn. The importance of tradition was also exposed throughout the book. Mrs. Katz and Larnel together go to the cemetery to place small rocks on the top of Mr. Katz’s headstone, and Larnel asks if he could spend Passover with Mrs. Katz. I believe these parts, along with other sections of the book relay that importance of carrying on traditions that are passed down from generation to generation, whether it be religious, cultural, etc. On a much larger picture, this book also touches upon difficulties two different cultures experienced in history. The point I believe that was trying to get across was, even though Mrs. Katz and Larnel came from two different backgrounds, the suffering and challenges that their people faced were similar. In addition to understanding that both cultures were faced with similar and different situations, that were harsh and unfair, the one important commonality between both groups was the feeling of pain and unfair treatment.

I also felt the pictures in Mrs. Katz and Tush expressed a lot of emotion to the reader. Each page represented emotions so powerfully, that when reading the text and looking at the pictures on the same page, I began to sympathize with the characters.



How would I use the book towards curricular units:

A whole unit can be done on hardships different cultures have faced, and students can identify that people of different cultures have been treated poorly and put in unfair situations but they’ve all experienced the same feeling of pain and suffering.
Students can learn about the importance of their traditions and values, along with the respect and acceptance of other traditions.


Domains of Social Justice:

1) Domains of self-love and acceptance: Students identify their own traditions and learn to appreciate and accept the values and traditions exhibited in their families, culture, etc.

2) Respect for others: Students learn to appreciate the traditions and cultures of others.

3) Exploring issues of social justice: Students research and learn about different time periods where cultures were faced with oppression. More importantly, students explore and understand that suffering still occurs today, throughout the world.

4) Social movements and social change: Change the rules around in the classroom and ask students if they wanted the rules to go back to the original way, what actions could they take. Identify how different groups in the past responded to injustice.

5) Taking Social Action: Students explore an issue of injustice- look up an organization that speaks out for social change and identify ways they can become a part of it.

Kids' Multicultural Cookbook

Title: The Kids' Multicultural Cookbook: Food and Fun Around the World
Author: Deanna F. Cook

Summary: This book emphasizes that cooking is a fun way for kids to learn about cultures around the world. Just by looking at the ingredients kids will get a sense of what foods are available in other countries. Also, in more careful reading of the recipes, kids will discover how foods are prepared differently in other countries. Each recipes includes fun facts and figures about the country of origin. It often highlights the ways that kids help their families prepare food and participate in their countries' traditions. By the end of the book students have traveled to 41 countries thinking they have only used their taste buds, but really it involved so much more.

Reflection: I chose this book because of its initial colorful, fun appeal. It is very kid-friendly and engaging. It breaks down recipes into easy steps and offers reason why a culture may eat this food. It attributes unique and interesting facts and foods to each country to make exciting reading. I also liked how children from each country are highlighted among the recipes so students can see children like themselves also participating in cooking.

How I could use this book: This book is excellent in units of study about food, restaurants or various topics about other countries. My 1st grade class is currently using this book in their restaurant theme study. They will talk about restaurants, foods and customs first in their own families and the local area and then branch out internationally. This would be a great resource of student's to take home and try or choose a recipe to cook as a class. It would be fun to have an international tasting day where students could bring a dish to share from their family's country of origin. Yoko is another book that could be used with this book in order to expose children to new foods and cultures.

Domains of Social Justice: This book definitely hits the first tow levels of social justice, Self-love and Acceptance and Respect for Others. I think its so important that children are exposed to new cultures and foods as early as possible so they can continue to grow and learn with an open mind. I think that I wasted so much time as a child eating chicken nuggets and I'd want my students to experience what else is out there way early than I was. They will also develop a new respect of their family's traditions and have pride in themselves.

The Name Jar

Title: The Name Jar

Author: Yangsook Choi

Summary: In this book a young girl, Unhei, comes to America with her family and must leave behind her life and grandmother in Korea. One thing that she brings with her is a wooden stamp with Korean characters on it that spell out her name, Unhei. This is something that Unhei cherishes because it reminds her of her grandmother and Korea.

When she arrives in America she begins school right away. When she tells children on the bus her name they can not pronounce it, make fun of it, and wonder why it is so different. Due to this experience Unhei tells her class that she does not have a name and needs to pick one out. From there her classmates decide to create a name jar which she can use as help in picking out a name. They decide they will all write names on pieces of paper and Unhei can choose the one she likes best as her new name. During this time she meets a young boy who befriends her and learns her Korean name.

The following day the name jar goes missing and after searching for it Unhei tells her classmates she is ready to introduce herself. She explains to the class that her name is Unhei and also helps her classmates pronounce her name correctly. After this the young boy admits that he stole the name jar so that Unhei would pick her Korean name over the other names. The boy shows her that he has a character stamp too. This stamp says friend. His acts and hers lead to her class learning how to accept others and take part in social justice.

Reflections: I liked this book because it is very versatile and could be used within many grades. It is simple enough to be read to first graders but could also be used in older grades. It is a short book but it presents an important lesson which is that acceptance is something that you have to have for your self and others. It could be used for a read aloud and then be branched off into conversations of different levels of intensity regarding the age of students. Regardless of the conversation and the material that is included along with the story, the book will create a powerful reaction on the part of students as they learn about Unhei’s journey to accept herself and have others accept her as well.

How would I use the book/curricular units: As mentioned above, this book could be used for students as young as first graders and span in use to third and fourth grade classrooms. I would use it in the beginning of the school year during the first week of class. It could be read aloud to students and then lead into a conversation about acceptance. Students could talk about how they would define acceptance and how it is shown in the book. The book could also be used in literacy lessons in which students can write about their names and what they think someone would have to do to show acceptance towards it. The students could read these responses and create a list of acts that show acceptance from all their ideas. The teacher can chart these ideas and then post them in the class as goals that all students should follow. The book could also be used in a cause and effect lesson. After reading the book, students could point out causes in the book and then figure out the effects. When this is complete then other events could be used as examples and students could continue work on cause and effects.

Domains of Social Justice:

1. Domain of self love and acceptance:

Students will lean about how Unhei comes to find acceptance of herself and her name. They will get to go on her journey and see the importance of loving oneself and appreciating others. Even though Unhei had to leave Korea and go to a school where people were not the same as her, she found out that it is important to be proud of who she is. This will enable students to see how important it is for them to appreciate and care about who they are.

2. Respect for Others:

In this book students get to see examples of how people do respect others and ways that they do not. During Unhei’s first bus ride to her new school, her peers show examples of how people do not respect others. However, later the students are introduced to the young boy who gets to know Unhei. He wants to know about her Korean name and all about her culture. His acceptance of who she is and her culture spreads through out the classroom when she tells her classmates her Korean name.

3. Exploring Issues of Social Justice:

In this book students are introduced to the harm that comes from not accepting others and how it is an issue of social justice. Our name is a part of our culture, and our cultures should be accepted by all. If this is not the case people are often left feeling bad about themselves and do things such as denying their name such as Unhei did.

4. Social Movements and Social Change:

While reading this book, students learn about how to appreciate others and how to create this acceptance in others. They learn about how the young boy accepts and appreciates Unhei and her culture and then see how he helps others do this as well. By taking away the name jar, the young boy pushes for social movement by helping Unhei introduce herself and educate her classmates about who she was and about her culture. Students are able to see the positive results of this and also see how they can do this their selves.

Mrs. Katz and Tush- Patricia Polacco

Moonstick

Moonstick: The Seasons of the Sioux
Author: Eve Bunting
Illustrator: John Sandford
Grades: K-5

Summary:
This book describes how the Sioux Indians used a Moonstick as a type of calendar, marking a notch on a stick for each of the 13 moons of the Sioux year. Each moon marks an important change in nature, such as the time when buffalo give birth to calves, which usually indicates an important event in the culture. For the narrator, an unnamed Sioux boy, the moons mark the time that must pass before he can hunt, dance, and wear snowshoes like his father and older brothers. Each of the 13 moons is described as a notch is added to the illustration of the moonstick, with a short poem-like description for each season. In the end, the reader is brought to a more modern time, and the Sioux boy is now an old man that lives in a town and sells headdresses and beadwork, while his brother works in a barbershop. It is a sudden and drastic change from the rest of the book, which depicted the Sioux in traditional dress and activity. The pictures on the last two pages show farms, roads, telephone lines, and tractors, revealing that within the man's lifetime, there were drastic changes. It seems as if the traditions and culture of the Sioux are gone, until the last page when the old man passes a Moonstick to his grandson, showing that tradition can live on, even if the world around them is changing.

Review:
I thought this a beautifully written and illustrated book that provides a sensitive and truthful view into the Sioux culture. The book seeks to show that although ancestral traditions have passed, there are ways to continue learning and carrying on traditions. As the father of the young narrator notches a moonstick at the beginning of each of the 13 moons of the Sioux year, and the boy notes his father’s words. The father observes philosophically that "life cannot be without sadness," for buffalo or for Sioux when discussing the hunt, which foreshadows the ending of the book. At one point, when the boy notices the land covered in snow, his father says, “changes come and will come again. It is so arranged.'' Soon it is time for a new moonstick, but then the book jumps to the boy as an old man, wearing more modern clothing, and the reader realizes that many moons have passed. Throughout the book, traditional Sioux dress and decoration are depicted for each event as the speaker celebrates the activities and ideas proper to each month. The two final pictures are a bit unexpected as it goes from a traditional depiction of Native Americans, wearing headdresses and living off the land, but the end shows the young boy, now an old man, in present day, with the words, "Many winters have passed.” He now lives in town and does not hunt. At first, this was very saddening to see, as the man looks out the window and explains how his culture is gone, but it is more uplifting when the narrator takes his small grandson to cut a stick, to pass on his father's wisdom and note that changes will come again. This really made me think about how important it is to carry on tradition, and also how sad it is that many people don not realize that Native Americans still live today, although small in population, they are part of the present. This book makes that connection and brings awareness to the changes in our country that greatly impacted the Native Americans way of living and the existence of their people.

Activities:
I think this book can be used across a wide range of grades because it sparks many questions and gives rise to different interpretations and ideas. The language and writing is simple, although there are several Native American words and ideas that mat be explained, but overall, I think students can read, listen to and appreciate this book. It can be used to introduce the Sioux culture and learn about traditions and special events they celebrated, such as when a boy is old enough to hunt.
This can also lead into discussions about what happened to the Sioux Nation, and why the changed occurred at the end of the story. The students will explore the reasons for the decrease of the Native American population and how colonization, westward expansion, and industrialization affected their lives.
Students will interview a Native American, or have a speaker come in to discuss their culture and history. The students can research and write letters to organizations to support Native American reservations and their communities. They can organize a rally or protest during elections or meetings about laws and acts involving Native American or other groups they know about that have been treated unjustly.
The students can think about their own cultures and research traditions of their ancestors through books, oral histories and interviews. They can make connections to their cultures by learning about which traditions are no longer observed and which traditions they still carry on.
The book can also provide insight into different calendar systems. The students can learn about different calendars and create their own based on the changes they see, or important event in their lives.

Domains of Social Justice:
1) Self-love and Acceptance: Student of Native American background may identify with the story and the changing of their culture, while other students will learn to appreciate their ancestral culture and traditions, and connect the traditions they follow with their ancestors.

2) Respect for Others: Students will learn about the Sioux nation and discuss their traditions and beliefs presenting in this book. They will learn that the Sioux were one of the many Native American tribes that inhabited the land we live on today, and they have a rich culture to share.

3) Exploring Issues of Social Justice: Students will discuss what happened to the Sioux Nation, as well as other Native American nations and tribes. They will discuss how racism affected the Native American population, and how European settlers and white pioneers sought to “reform” and oppress these indigenous people.

4) Social Movements and Social Change: Students will learn how Native American resisted oppression and fought to stay on their land. They will learn about laws that took land away from the Native Americans, as well as recent laws that have tried to counteract these now that the U.S. has realized the impact of their actions.

5) Taking Social Action: Students will be able to meet and talk to a Native American that is active in changing the laws and proving for his community. They will learn more about what types of laws there are, and what people can do to support Native American communities and reservations to help their society thrive. They can write letters provide support in other ways, not only on issues regarding Native Americans, but also other cultures that they have researched and found that their people are being oppressed.

The Mighty by Rodman Philbrick

Title: The Mighty
Author: Rodman Philbrick
Summary: This novel is about 2 very different individuals who become best friends. Max, who is known as the giant because of his size, is made fun of as stupid and slow because of he has a learning disability. Kevin, the genius, but is made fun of because he is tiny and has a leg brace on. When Kevin was asked to tutor Max, they become the best of friends, and together they fight their way through their struggles and live a happy several months together, until Kevin leaves the world forever.
Reflection: The story of this book takes a somewhat different approach into social justice than a lot of the other books that I have found/read about. Likewise to the other books, this one talks about 2 individuals who are considered "different" from others. However, unlike the other books that talk about race, gender and so forth, this one talks about disabilities: learning and physical. This book brings a strong message to readers, emphasizing the power of being different and unique, but more importantly, the importance of self and peer acceptance. When one accepts who they are and who their friends are, it really does not matter what disabilities they have.
How would I use the book/curricular units: This book, I will use for upper elementary grades, 5-6. Of course, this book serves as a good resource to use for character development and character comparison lessons. This can also be a good unit for friendship, respect, being different and learning about disabilities. Students can discuss how they are unique, when they have been made fun of, and role playing can be used to represent these situations, extended with strategies and how people should treat others.

Social Justice:
1. Self-Love eand Acceptance: students learn to accept who they are and their uniqueness. They learn to understand that everyone is unique in their own ways and it's okay.
2. Respect for Others: Students learn that in addition to accepting themselves for who they are, they need to learn to understand and accept others for who they are. For some students, this may be an easier task than accepting themselves. However, for both 1 and 2, by students first starting to think about acceptance by taking role as either Max or Kevin, then slowly transitioning to their own lives may make these tasks easier.
3./4.Exploring Issues of Social Justice/Social Movements and Social Change: Students will role play and make videos of appropriate ways of treating others who are different than they are. They will make PDAs of respect, disabilities and other topics that stems out from this book.
5. Taking Social Action: Students can send letters to companies and places that discriminates against the disabled.