Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans

Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans

By: Kadir Nelson

Published by: Balzer + Bray

Coretta Scott King Book Award 2012: Author Winner & Illustrator Honor

Informational

 

 

This story, written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson, tells the story of African Americans in America. Much like a timeline, the story follows the life and roles in society of African Americans from the beginning of our country. The story is told from the point of view of an African American woman who's ancestors can be traced back many generations in this country. Through the many different times of hardship and injustice, readers can also read and learn about the undying determination of African Americans in this country for their freedom and equality. As much as it is a historical reference, the story is also a tale of hope and inspiration.

Reading Level:
     Grade Level Equivalent: 6.0
     Lexile Level: 1050

Suggested Delivery:
     Individual Read, Small Group Read

Electronic Resources:

http://www.kadirnelson.com/Books.html
This is the personal website of the author and illustrator of the book. There are tabs on the page to a store, his commisioned artwork, books, about the artist and news. Students can even contact the author and illustrator if they wish. This site could be used before reading to learn more about the author and his background.
http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/books/Heart-Soul-Kadir-Nelson/?isbn13=9780061730740&tctid=120
This is a page from the publishing company about the book. There is a downloadable audio excerpt, as well as a video, a note from the author, a teacher's guide and a look at Nelson's artwork. This site could be used before reading to get some background information about the book. It could also be used during or after reading in order to enhance the story using the audio or video downloads.

Key Vocabulary:
lynch, Jim Crow, Mason Dixon Line, factory porters, suffrage, draft, Emancipation Proclamation

Comprehension Strategies:

Before Reading:
This book would accompany a Social Studies lesson during black history month very well. Before reading this story, have student fill out a K-W-L chart, either in pairs or on their own. Obviously before reading the story, students can only fill in the "K" and "W" columns. If you have been studying the topic in your class recently, students will have an easier time filling in the "K" column, otherwise there might be more questions they want answered in the "W" column.

During Reading:
Have students use the questions they had about the story to guide their reading. After students have come up with their "want to knows" about the story, type them up into question form to hand out to each student. As they read, students will be like detectives trying to find the answers.

After Reading:
Since students have been answering all of their questions along the way, filling in the "L" column on the chart should be fairly simple. Using all they learned, students can make a timeline with the important events from the story. Since this is a true historical timeline, they could be hung up in the classroom to reference back to during Social Studies lessons.

 

Writing Activity:
Have students write a letter to Abraham Lincoln during the war. Students can choose what side they want to be on and then encourage the President to take their side. Have them use specific details from the story.



Nelson, Kadir. Heart and soul: the story of America and African Americans. New York: Balzer + Bray, 2011. Print.

 



Nurse, Soldier, Spy: The Story of Sarah Edmonds, a Civil War Hero

Nurse, Soldier, Spy: The Story of Sarah Edmonds, a Civil War Hero

By: Marissa Moss & John Hendrix

Published by: Abrams Books for Young Readers

Teachers' Choice List 2012

Biography

In this historical biography we learn about Sarah Edmonds who changes her identity to a man named Frank Thompson to fight for the Union in the Civil War. Sarah Edmonds had already been dressing as a man for three years to escape an arranged marriage, so this would be easy. She signed up and was assigned to Company F, Second Michigan Volunteer Infantry of the Army of the Potomac. First, Sarah was a private in the army, fighting alongside the other men in the ar. Then, Sarah became a nurse in the field, pulling injured men out of the war zone and healing their wounds. However, the most important job Sarah had was a spy for the Union. She dressed as a slave and went into a Confederate camp to learn their tactics. After working with the slaves for a few days, she went back to her camp and reported what she had found. She, a woman, had just done one of the hardest jobs in the war, and still everyone thought she was a man!

 Reading Level:

     Grade Level: 2-6

Suggested Delivery:

     Read Aloud

Electronic Resources:

http://www.californiayoungreadermedal.org/ResourceGuide2012-2013/6PBOR.pdf
This link brings you to a PDF full of ideas and activities for this story. The info in this PDF would be helpful to teachers teaching this book. There is info about the author and the illustrator, along with a plot summary, hooks for the class, connections to be made and a script for a readers' theater. There is also a list of writing prompts to go along with the story.
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/civilwar/a/sarah_edmonds.htm
This site gives a little more background information about Sarah Edmonds. The biography gives her birth and death dates, along with a brief summary of her life.
http://womenshistory.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=womenshistory&cdn=education&tm=22&gps=82_4_1280_651&f=10&tt=14&bt=0&bts=0&st=24&zu=http%3A//userpages.aug.com/captbarb/femvets2.html
Obviously, Sarah Edmonds' involvement in the war was unconventional for a woman, but women were still involved in other ways. This site gives many famous examples of women who were involved in the Civil War.
http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/civilwar/cwar.htm
This site is all about the Civil War. The site was made by a class in New York who was learning about the Civil War as well. Before reading this story, it is important for students to understand at least the basic facts about the war. This site has a timeline, the north and south informations, the Gettysburg Address, the Emancipation Proclomation and more!

Key Vocabulary:
Minie ball, anesthetic, Confederate, The Union, dolt, picket, forifications, sentries


Comprehension Strategies:

 

Before Reading:

Going over some of the harder vocabulary from the story will ensue a quick history lesson about the Civil War. Having some background knowledge about the Civil War is important for students to understand what is going on in the story. Post all of the Civil War related words on the board to begin a discussion about the words. Have students share their knowledge of each word to try to 'decode' the meanings. Introducing the story will be easier now by explaining to the students that the story is of an unconventional soldier in the war.

 

During Reading:

While reading the story aloud to students, have students try to put themselves in Sarah's shoes. What do they think it was like to be a girl in an all male army? What pride do they think she must have felt when she succeeded on her spy mission?

After Reading:
After reading students can discuss how difficult it must have been for her and how they felt, imagining themselves in her position. After getting to hear one experience of a soldier in the Civil War, the class can read a play together in reader's theatre to emphasize the importance and different view points of the war. The following link includes a play with a basic plot about the Civil War. http://www.civilwar.org/education/teachers/lesson-plans/civil-war-play/civil-war-play-lesson-plan.html

Writing Activity:
Have students think about the emotions Sarah Edmonds must have felt in her experiences during the Civil War. Have students write a journal entry as if they were Sarah, with details from the story.

 

Moss, Marissa, and John Hendrix. Nurse, soldier, spy: the story of Sarah Edmonds, a Civil War hero. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2011. Print.

Energy Island: How One Community Harnessed the Wind and Changed Their World

Energy Island

By: Allan Drummond

Published by: Farrar Strauss Giroux

Teachers' Choice List 2012

Science Nonfiction

On a small island in Denmark called Samso, lives a group of people who found a way to create their own energy. The island was using energy like everyone else in the world: oil for houses and cars, and electricity for lights. Soon this would change when the Danish Ministry of Environment and Energy chose the island to become independent of nonrenewable energy. The people on the island all worked together to come up with ways to create their own energy. Of course because the island was so windy, the number one way they did was through wind turbines. Sometimes the island harnesses enough wind to send some back to the mainland in Denmark!

This book is a real life story to show children how important and fragile our world is. Throughout the book, there are side columns explaining things like nonrenewable resources and global warming. This would be a great choice for Earth Day or to learn about helping our planet.

Reading Level:

     Grade Level: 1-5

Suggested Delivery:

     Read Aloud, Individual Read

Electronic Resources:

http://www.alliantenergykids.com/EnergyandTheEnvironment/RenewableEnergy/index.htm
This site gives definitions and examples of all different kinds of renewable energy sources. Many were mentioned in the book, like wind, biomass and solar. There is a link to 'Fun and Games' where students can "test their energy smarts" or find projects to try at home. This site would be a good way for students to look at the information from the story in a different light and maybe even apply what they learned in a practical way.
http://www.allandrummond.com/
This is the author, Allan Drummond's personal website. He writes about the different books he has written and is currently working on. He also has links to his portfolio and a biography section. This would be a nice site for students to learn a little more about the author.
http://www.kids.esdb.bg/basic.html
This is another informational site for students with facts about all different kinds of energy. There are sections about what energy is and the different places it can come from. There is also a games tab and a tab titled "New Energy" which gives information about the types of energy from the story.
http://us.macmillan.com/FSGYoungReaders.aspx
This is the website for the publisher of the book. The site has many tabs for their books and authors, as well as a link for teachers and librarians.

Key Vocabulary:
energy, nonrenewable energy, energy-independent, renewable energy, turbine, biomass, canola, fossil fuels, global warming

Comprehension Strategies:

Before Reading:
Doing a vocabulary lesson before reading the story would be helpful to students' comprehension because the new vocabulary words are content specific to energy. The vocabulary list above gives a good sample of the "energy" words from the story. Have the class sit together and simply discuss what they think these words might mean. Some are harder concepts than others, but the teacher can help explain these harder words, while with the easier concepts, students will be able to generally explain.

During Reading:
While reading the story aloud to the class, making sure everyone is understanding these new concepts in context is important. Encourage students to raise their hand at any point if they do not understand a concept. By stopping the story to explain, it will allow that student to understand, while also reinforcing the idea with the rest of the class.

After Reading:
After reading the story, have students predict what will happen next. Will the rest of the world try to use renewable resources like the island did? Why do you think we haven't done such extreme projects in our town? (Cost?)

Writing Activity:
Have students use their imaginations to apply this idea to their community. Write about how their community could use renewable resources instead of oil and gas. Have students write their plan for how the community would switch over and how they would convince citizens of the town to agree to it.

Drummond, Allan. Energy island: how one community harnessed the wind and changed their world. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011. Print.

Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps

Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps

By: Andrea Warren

Published by: Harper Collins Publishers

Biography, Nonfiction

This intriguing true story follows Jack Mandelbaum through the trials and tribulations of being a fifteen year old Jewish boy during the Holocaust. Jack is torn from his well-to-do family one member at a time, until he is finally on his own in the Nazi death camps. The story takes the reader through Jack's journey through different concentration camps and making it through the war. Jack's only goal is to make it out alive and see his family again. But will they be there in the end to see him?

Reading Level:

     Grade Level Equivalent: 6.2

     Lexile Level: 820L

Suggested Delivery:

     Small Group Read

Electronic Resources:

http://www.ushmm.org/

Students can navigate through the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website to discover more about the Holocaust. There is an education link on the website with a section for students. Students can look at the museum's online exhibitions and even look at Auschwitz prisoner lists.

http://dornsife.usc.edu/vhi/survivorexhibit/vhfmain.htm

Recommended in the 'multimedia recommendations' portion of the book, this website is an interactive storybook that follows real people through their journey in the war. Upon entrance into the site, click on one of the four people to see, hear and read their story.

Key Vocabulary:

anti-semitism, kapo, dysentery, Joint Distribution Committee, liberation, SS(special forces), typhus, Yiddish

Comprehension Strategies:

Before Reading:

Have students look at the cover photo and the different photos scattered throughout the book. Have them predict what the story will be about.

During Reading:

During reading the story, sutdents can record anything they relate to. When this happened to Jack he was about the students' ages. When the students are done reading, they can write about how they would try to survive if they were Jack. Using the things they relate to from the story in their writing will be helpful.

After Reading:

Students can research the history of the war and compare it to the first hand account of the story. Make a venn diagram for the comparison.



Writing Activity:

Pretending they are Jack, students can write two journal entries. The first one will be after Jack's first day in the concentration camps, while the second one will be from the day Jack was freed from the camps.



Warren, Andrea. Surviving Hitler: a boy in the Nazi death camps. New York: HarperCollinsPublishers, 2001. Print.

Moon Over Manifest

Moon Over Manifest

By: Clare Vanderpool

Published by Delacorte Press, 2010

Recipient of the 2011 Newberry Medal

Historical Fiction

Without many answers, Abilene Tucker is put on a train to Manifest, Kansas by her father for the summer. Knowing her father had lived in this town for a part of his life, Abilene makes it her mission to find out about her father's childhood. The town is the epitome of a dustbowl town and is not what Abilene was expecting. To her surprise though, Abilene finds a box of mysterious treasures under a floorboard in her room; sending her on a hunt for a spy named Rattler. On her journey she learns about the history of the town and of her father. And of course who the Rattler was.

Reading Level:

     Grade Level Equivalent: 5.3

     Lexile Level: 800L

Suggested Delivery:

     Read aloud, Small group read

Electronic Resources:

http://www.clarevanderpool.com/moonovermanifest.html

This is the author's personal website with a page about 'Moon Over Manifest.' The website has links to information about the book, a bio on the author and even teaching resources for teaching the book in the classroom.

http://history.knoji.com/facts-about-the-dust-bowl/

This site explains why Manifest, Kansas was so dusty and dry. In 1936, the Dustbowl was in full swing and Manifest was right in the middle of it. This site will help students understand why Abilene was so dissapointed at the sight of Manifest and the many references to water and heat throughout the story.

http://library.thinkquest.org/07aug/00841/GREAT%20DEPRESSION/facts%20on%20the%20great%20depression.htm

This site gives students simple straight forward facts about the Great Depression. The story is not onlt set in the portion of the country that suffered from the dust bowl, but the Great Depression is going on as well. 

Key Vocabulary:

perdition, auxiliary, libations, serendipity, prohibition, depression

Comprehension Strategies:

Before Reading:

In order to understand the historical references in this story, it is important for students to know the history of the time the story is set in. The story has two parts: the present, which takes place in 1936, and the past, which takes place in 1918. Put students in pairs or small groups to research the historical significance of these time periods. Have students present to the class some highlights of these periods and record them on chart paper for future reference.

During Reading:
Keep track of Abilene's journey and the stories Miss Sadie tells. Each chapter not only has a title, but a date. With the date, have students write a few sentence summary of the chapter and plot it on a timeline. There will be two timelines: one for Abilene's story and one for the stories Miss Sadie tells.

After Reading:
Continue the story. After Hattie Mae retired from her newspaper column, Abilene took over for her. Predict what happened in Manifest after the story was over and write two more columns for the local newspaper.

Writing Activity:
Students can write the story that Abilene was assigned to write by Sister Redempta. Although it might be a very similar story to the storyline of the book, it will force students to put it into their own words and condense it into the important things.

Vanderpool, Clare. Moon over Manifest. New York: Delacorte Press, 2010. Print.





The Shadow Children

The Shadow Children

By: Steven Schnur

Illustrated by: Herbert Tauss

Published by Scholastic Inc. 1994

Recipient of the 1994 Sydney Taylor Book Award

Historical Fiction





Every summer Etienne travels to his grandfather's farm in Mont Brulant for a summer of relaxation away from the city. However, this summer, Etienne discovers something in the small town's past that seems to have been a sadly kept secret. During World War II, Jewish children from all over traveled to this small town for safe hiding, but when the Nazis threatened the citizens lives over the children, the townspeople gave the children up. The 'shadow children' now hide in the woods near the train tracks that took them away, but what Etienne can't understand is that these children are just ghosts. Why is he the only one who can see them?

Reading Level:

     Grade Level Equivalent: 5.1

     Lexile Level: 850L

Suggested Delivery:

     Small Group Read

Electronic Resources:

http://www.museumoftolerance.com/site/c.tmL6KfNVLtH/b.5759983/k.6B50/Children_of_the_Holocaust/apps/nl/newsletter2.asp

This website allows students to read about the histories of real life children from the Holocaust. By clicking on a child's name, you are lead to a small biography about that child. Although the children in the story are fictional, being able to see that this did happen to real children will help students understand the historical aspect of the story.

http://www.pocanticohills.org/amprogress/holocaust.htm

This is a very simplified version of why and what the Holocaust was. Although the story centers around World War II, it takes place after without giving much detail on what and why the war exactly happened. As part of a class project, this website was written by a student making it even more easily understood for students.

Key Vocabulary:

refugee, bookbinder, guilt, cattle car, Monsieur, embankment

Comprehension Strategies:

Before Reading:

Before reading, students need to familiarize themselves with the history behind the story. Have students read and research online the Holocaust and write down two reasons why it happened, two important things about the war and two reasons why it ended. Discuss as a group everyone's answers and decide which are truly the most important.

During Reading:

Have students try to make connections with the text as they read. At the end of each chapter have students write a paragraph about something they connected with in that chapter. Obviously the connections may be very simple at times, but being able to feel a part of the text will make students more apt to read the story.

After Reading:

We only know what happened with the children during the war from stories Etienne was told. Use these stories and write a newspaper article about what Mont Brulant was like during the war. Some students could write about when the refugee children first came and other could write about what happened when the Nazis came and the children were given up.

Writing Activity:

Imagine you are Issac, the schoolteacher who Grand Pere had a great bond with. Issac went with the children to the Nazi camp and died. Write a letter to Grand Pere from the future. What would Issac say?

Schnur, Steven, and Herbert Tauss. The shadow children. New York: Morrow Junior Books, 1994. Print.

Hana's Suitcase

Hana's Suitcase

By: Karen Levine

Published by Second Story Press, 2002

Nonfiction, Historical Fiction

The Tokyo Holocaust Center received a mysterious suitcase to put on display in 2000. This true story follows the investigation of Fumiko Ishioka into the life of Hanna Brady, the owner of the suitcase. As the reader follows Fumiko's investigation, we also follow the life of Hanna Brady and her family, Jews in the Holocaust.
The story allows the reader to get a first hand account of what the Holocaust was like. With alternating chapters of Fumiko's point of view and then Hanna's it is easy to feel like you're truly there.

Reading Level:

     Grade Level Equivalent: 5.2

     Lexile Level: 730L

Suggested Delivery:

     Small Group Read

Electronic Resources:

http://www.hanassuitcase.ca/

This resource is the Brady Family website. The site offers a plethora of information about Hana Brady's life and family. With links to a family tree, a timeline of her life and memories of her life, students have the opportunity to learn more about the main character of the story. For teaching purposes, students could use this resource before reading to learn some history of Hana Brady or during reading to expand upon what they read.

http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/doczone/hanassuitcase/experience/index.html

This is an interactive website for students to learn more about Hana and Fumiko's stories. The website is not only based off of the book, but a documentary made in 2011 called Inside Hana's Suitcase. The site could be used by students to build on their reading as a during reading activity. The site allows students to navigate through their environment and click on glittering images to hear a story with pictures.

Key Vocabulary:

ghetto, Holocaust, refugee, Zyklon B, Theresienstadt, Terezin

Comprehension Strategies

Before Reading:

The different places in the story can be very confusing to sort out in the reader's head. Have students find on a map where Tokyo, Japan, Nove Mesto, Czechoslovakia, Terezin, Prague and Toronto, Canada are. Print pictures of what these places looked like during the time period of the story and attach them to the map as well. Have this map displayed in the classroom throughout the reading of the story so students can refer back to where these places were.

During Reading:

As students read the story, have them plot the important events on a timeline. In order to help students understand the two timelines in the story (Fumiko's in 2000 and Hana's in the 1930's and 40's) students will have two seperate timelines of events. At the end of each chapter, students will decide which events are most important and plot these on the appropriate timelines.

After Reading:

Students could work together to think of questions to ask Fumiko and her students at the Tokyo Holocaust Center. The students could write a letter to the center and send it to Japan for more information about Hana Brady and the story.

Writing Activity:

Students can pretend to be Hana Brady and write a journal entry as if they were her. The portion of the story told about Hana is not told from her point of view, giving students the opportunity to spin the story this way. Have students include historic details from the story. By having them write what they think Hana may have been feeling, they will show their true understanding of the story.

Levine, Karen. Hana's suitcase: a true story. Morton Grove, Ill.: Albert Whitman, 2003. Print.