DOLLAR BOOK EXCHANGE! BOOKS! ALL FOR $1 :)

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to share with you an excellent book sale you should check out if you haven't been there already.

The Dollar Book Exchange happens once a month. They share a warehouse with Michael & Sons at 4001 Atlantic Ave.

I've been going to this sale every month for over a year now. They have a HUGE collection of books, separated into children's books, young adult/teen books, and adult books. The adult books are further separated into interest categories and genres. All the books on the shelves are $1, and they have huge bins of books you can dig through..the books in the bin are even cheaper- fill a plastic bag of books for $10!

We all know that finding books that our students are interested in is a huge part of getting our students to read. Every month, I buy at least 50 books for my classroom. I teach middle school, and I have found tons of beautiful, hard cover Sports Illustrated books, books about cars, etc.

I'm not in anyway associated with the sale (other than a loyal customer), just wanted to let you in on this amazing sale if you haven't tried it yet! :)

The hours this weekend are:
Tomorrow (Friday) 10 am-6 pm
Saturday 10 am-6 pm
Sunday 11 am-5 pm

Tackling Racism and the Idea of BELONGING 

in Gene Yang's Graphic Novel 

American Born Chinese

This year I read American Born Chinese with my sixth-graders. In ABC, author Gene Yang conveys a powerful message about racial stereotypes, identity, and the harm of personal transformation for the sake of conformation.

In his 2007 Printz Award winning graphic novel, Yang tells three stories: one about the Monkey King, another tells the story of a Chinese-American boy named Jin, and the third portrays an “All-American” teen named Danny. The stories start having very different plots, but read carefully and you will start to see connections between the narratives until the walls between stories evaporate completely.

Jin Wang is an American kid whose parents are both from China. Originally, Jin grew up in a San Francisco Chinatown and was surrounded by people just like him. When he was young, he went into an apothecary shop and heard an ominous portent from the shop owner. “ It’s easy to become whatever you want… as long as you’re willing to forfeit your soul.” 

The theme of transformation is explored in all three stories. Jin Wang becomes frustrated by the problems his race has on his fitting in when he moves to a school where he is one of the only Asian kids. Teachers constantly pronounce his name incorrectly, kids use racial slurs, and stereotypes abound.

The Monkey King vows revenge on all living creatures after he is excluded from a party of the gods because he is not wearing shoes. He leaves his mountain kingdom and the other monkeys, changes his entire personality, masters the art of growing large and shrinking small, becomes immortal, and strives to get out of Tze-Yo-Tzuh’s (the god of all things) reach.

Danny is a white teenager; he’s blond, an athlete, a popular kid. His life is basically perfect, except that once a year, his cousin Chin Kee comes to visit. Chin Kee is the physical embodiment of all Asian stereotypes. His skin is yellow. He has buckteeth. He eats cats. His hair is braided. He wears traditional Chinese clothing. He pronounces Ls as Rs. His suitcases are actually Chinese take-out boxes. 

Being confronted with a physical embodiment of all Asian stereotypes, seeing how ridiculous and hurtful they are do not make the readers laugh. We cringe.

We wonder why in the world Yang would include all of these stereotypes in his book until Danny confronts Chin Kee, knocking his head off… and we realize that Chin Kee is the Monkey King. The Monkey King asks Danny to take a hard look at himself in the mirror and the readers discover that Danny is actually… Jin.

The old lady’s warning about transformers starts to make much more sense. Jin has transformed into Danny to try to escape from the racial stereotypes that surround him. The monkey king left his fellow monkeys, started wearing shoes, and made himself tall like a human. All characters have changed themselves to become something new. But in doing so, they have ignored an important part of their identity and have therefore forfeited their souls.

The idea of transforming your personal identity to fit in is a struggle that middle schoolers deal with every day. ABC allowed my students to discuss tough issues like racial stereotypes and how we change ourselves to fit in. According to Davis, Brown, Liedel-Rice, and Soeder, "when teacher candidates read children’s literature about racism, they broaden their understanding of these important racial issues" (2005, p.177). Teaching multicultural literature is important. Students and teachers are in the classroom to learn and part of that learning is understanding that everyone has a slightly different perspective than you, has different life experiences, different lenses through which they view the world. It's important to try on a few pairs of classes and to see the world how others see it so we can understand and work with others and to develop empathy for other human beings. 

Classroom Application 

I read ABC with my class during our Belonging Unit. Before starting the book, the students wrote their own essential questions. 

Then we discussed the book with a Socratic Seminar and students responded in a personal way on their blogs. Below is a student's response to the book. 

“In this book, I learned that there really is real racism and stereotypes against different races.  Also, I learned that people are sensitive about their reputation.  After we read the book, our class had a socratic seminar.  I learned that people can think differently about very huge issues such as racism.  Also, I learned that many of my peers have faced the need to belong, stereotypes, and racism before.

The one thing that I pull out of the book is to never try to be someone who you're not.  Monkeys can be monkeys, and children do not have to be alike to get along.  They do not need to have the same skin color, or the way they talk does not have to be the same.  Also, people do not have to be the same academic level to get along.  People are actually more similar than they are different.”

Reading ABC with 6th graders meant that I had to do a considerable amount of preparing the students for this discussion and this reading experience. I sent home a letter to the parents explaining the value of discussing tough topics like racism and the curricular connections (common core connections) behind using a  graphic novel in my class. 
Further articles that helped me create this unit and form my opinion of American Born Chinese include: 
First Second Books - Gene Yang on Stereotypes 
The Millions: Interview with Gene Yang
Experiencing Diversity through Multicultural Literature 

Ability/Disability in the Classroom

The issue of ability versus disability is one that is critical for us to address with our students. We know that every single one of our students has a unique set of abilities, and we plan our instruction to give extra support to some and challenge to others, and try to bring out the unique potential of each child. But are we teaching our students to do this for themselves? Are we teaching them to be tolerant and to bring out the best in others? Do our students understand their own disabilities and how to capitalize on their abilities? Are we doing enough to teach perseverance?

Steven Claunch is an excellent basketball player who started on his varsity basketball team, was one of the top scorers, and won rookie of the year. He was born without fingers on one hand, and one of his legs is several inches shorter than the other. In his 2009 TED talk, Claunch shared an inspirational story of perseverance and overcoming obstacles. Despite his physical limitations, Claunch did not let himself get discouraged. He says, “I focus on what I can do, not on what I cannot do…Everybody has obstacles, a disability, a hurdle. We face a choice: let the obstacle overcome you, or overcome the obstacle.” Claunch is a charismatic, likeable story teller, and the animated video is an excellent companion to help our students visualize Claunch’s ideas. His message that “I don’t just have a disability, I have an ability” is exactly what we need every student to understand and believe about themselves and others.

A great book to address the idea of ability/disability is Freak the Mighty. This book does have some violence, so I would recommend it for upper elementary or middle school, depending on your kids. Both of the main characters, two seventh grade boys, have disabilities that limit them. Freak was born with Morquio’s Syndrome, which has left much of his body crippled. However, he has an exquisite brain, an extensive vocabulary, and an insatiable thirst for knowledge. His best friend Max is huge and extremely strong, but he has a learning disability and has always thought of himself as a “butthead”. They bring out the best in each other and allow each other to experience the world in a whole new way.

Another book to address this issue is Wonder, a story in which the main character, August, attends school for the first time in middle school with major facial abnormalities. One lesson idea could be for students to pull their favorite precepts from the story (or their own precepts) and create positive posters to hang in the classroom or around the school. Both Freak the Mighty and Wonder are excellent choices to address the Common Core State Standard for Speaking and Listening, “engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly”.

The Dolly Gray Award is “presented biennially to the author and illustrator of one picture book and one chapter book that includes a character with developmental disabilities” (Kurtts & Gavigan 2008). Although developmental disabilities are just one part of this conversation, this is a good resource for teachers to find quality literature to teach about ability/disability.

References:

English Language Arts Standards » Speaking & Listening » Grade 6. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/SL/6/

Kurtts, D., & Gavigan, K. (2008). Understanding (dis)abilities through children’s literature. Education Libraries: Childrens Resources, 31(1), 25-25.

Overcoming obstacles - Steven Claunch. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://ed.ted.com/lessons/there-s-no-dishonor-in-having-a-disability-steven-claunch

Palacio, R., & Knopf, I. (n.d.). Wonder.

Philbrick, R. (1993). Freak the Mighty. New York, N.Y.: Blue Sky Press.

Issues & Identity Blog Post- Melissa Costanzo

Illness and death are realities in life that are devastating and difficult to understand.  As educators, we need to be prepared to support our students when these traumatic events occur.  “It is important for teachers to understand the grieving process, be able to recognize symptoms of grief, and know some classroom strategies to help young children cope with their feelings” (Wood, 2008, p.28).  Children’s books are wonderful vehicles to help students relate or make them have some comfort.  The focus of this blog is to focus on students in primary grades, K-2, who are coping with illness or death.

Tomie dePaola created a book on illness that is appropriate for young children.  Now One Foot, Now the Other (1981) describes how one young boy, Bobby, copes when his grandfather has a stroke and has a long recovery.  Because the narration is primarily in the voice of the young boy, the story is relatable to younger students, while the illustrations provide further insight to the emotions in the story. I also recommend, Nana Upstairs & Nana Downstairs (dePaola, 1973) when approaching the subject of death with younger students.

Since it is helpful to find out students’ prior experiences, teachers can ask students if they ever had a family member, friend, or even a pet who were sick.  Then I would read Now One Foot, Now the Other (dePaola, 1981).  As a follow up activity, the class can write and illustrate a personal narrative of a time when they were coping when someone they loved was sick.  This reflection activity allows students to express their feelings and emotions in a positive way. Kiefer and Tyson (2014) outlined a Ten-Point Model for Teaching Controversial Issues.  One step that suggests having students write to record their thought from a lesson (p.22).  You can also extend this activity by having students share their writing in small groups, if they are comfortable doing so. 

There are many reasons to address illness or death.  On a basic level, the activity can be connected to the CCSS, such as RL.K.10, RL 1.2, or RL 2.3. However, there are reasons that are more important.  As a teacher, I had a first grade student who was battling leukemia.  A nurse came in to talk with the class to discuss the illness.  Besides reading books, having the nurse come in and answer any questions was beneficial because for the student who was sick, questions were directed at someone else and the rest of the class had their questions answered.  Personally, I lost my father when I was a sophomore in high school.   Even though my focus is a much younger age group, the supportive role that teachers play is vital with any age group.  Besides the support of my family, I was grateful for the compassion from my teachers.

References:
dePaola, T. (1973).  Nana Upstairs & Nana Downstairs. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

dePaola, T. (1981).  Now One Foot, Now the Other. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

Keifer, B. & Tyson, C.  (2014).  Charlotte Huck’s: Children’s literature: A brief guide.  New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Common Core State Standards. Washington, DC: Authors.

Wood, F.  (2008). Grief: Helping Young Children Cope.  YC Young Children, 63(5), 28-31.  http://search.proquest.com.prox.lib.ncsu.edu/docview/197595904?pq-origsite=summon

An Issue of Identity: Hair / By: Claire McIntyre

“I love my hair because it is thick as forest, soft as cotton candy, and curly as a vine winding upward, reaching the sky and climbing toward outer space.” - I Love My Hair 

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enpFde5rgmw

If asked the question, “What makes you special?” young children might provide a range of answers spanning from artistic talents, athletic abilities and super powers all the way to an response as simple as  “I love my hair”. Who you are and where you are from can often be defined by unique physical characteristics. For many students today, these differences are seen as things to be embarrassed of rather than proud of. How can parents, educators and the local community encourage their kids to be proud of their appearance and the historical importance it holds? 

In the story I Love My Hair by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley, a young girl and her mother navigate popular hairstyles worn by African-American girls. The book begins with the main character, Keyana, describing the the pain she feels while having her hair combed. Many young girls have experienced this hassle and will immediately make a personal connection. Like any loving mother would, Keyana’s tells her of the joy and beauty that can be found in all of the different ways she can style her hair. When Keyana feels ashamed for wearing it afro style to school one day, her teachers are there to reinforce how significant and important that freedom was to her when she was growing up. Good teachers model for their students how and why we are proud of our identity and what freedoms are allowed that can demonstrate to others these beliefs. It is so valuable that young children learn to see themselves in terms of what makes them unique, special, independent etc. 

In grades K-2 the  North Carolina curriculum standards require students to; (K) understand how individuals are similar and different, (1) understand the diversity of people in the local community and (2) understand how various cultures influence communities. The book, I Love My Hair could be used in all of the above grades to address any of the given standards. Besides addressing standards, it will also provides a culturally rich story that could be both a mirror or window for students understand and connect with the text and each other.

In 2010 Sesame Street debuted a song called “ I love my hair” and the general public responded with praise and appreciation. NPR interviewed the head writer, Joey Mazzarino, in hopes of finding his source of inspiration for this hit song. The article can be found here if you are interested and want to read more. It is crucial that the we all (parents, teachers, community members) take an active role in providing students with opportunities to see themselves in the media, in books and in each other. It is our job as educators to teach students to appreciate their identity while at the same time valuing the unique beauty we all have. 

Tarpley, N. A. (1998). I Love My Hair . New York : Little Brown and Company. Print. 

Department of Public Instruction , P. S. of N. C. (Ed.). (2010, December 2). North Carolina Essential Standards . Retrieved from http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/docs/acre/standards/new-standards/social-studies/k-2.pdf

How Children's Books Can Address Challenging Issues by: Shellie Hubbard

            Children’s literature is a very effective method to introduce or discuss sensitive topics in the classroom. Stories can connect to students and explain or share challenging issues in a way that students understand. As explained in the article by Matali Perkins, “Straight Talk On Race: Challenging the Stereotypes in Children’s Books” (2009), the students we will be teaching are growing up in a more accepting and diverse world and the literature that is read to them needs to reflect that. As a future teacher, who would love to teach grades kindergarten-second, I see no issue with exposing this age group of children, or any age at that matter, to topics that might be deemed controversial. If the story explains the topic in an age appropriate and respectful manner then they should be reading it. If we shield students from topics not only is that inconsiderate of students who might be dealing with these issues, but it is harming them from becoming diverse and involved people.

            One text that I read recently is called Families, Families, Families!  By Suzanne Lang (2015). It talks about different kinds of families and is told using cartoon animals as pictures. This book is geared for kindergarteners and first graders, however the message that is given is important. It says that no matter what type of family you have if you love each other you are a family. This is a great way to expose children the diverse families we have today and to make students who have a “non-traditional” family feel accepted. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia (2010) has won many honors and awards, but has been banned because of its controversial topic of the Black Panther Party. It is a story about three young girls who fly from New York to California in hopes to find their mother who left them a long time ago. What they find is a whole lot more than they expected and they quickly have to learn to adjust. I personally loved this book and I learned so much about that time period as well as the culture and the party’s efforts. While I understand the controversy surrounding this book, I do think that it would be a valuable history lesson. It can also teach a lot about becoming your own self and learning about the world and your family.

            I feel that it is important to not only teach students about these topics, but to create a learning environment that is safe from judgment and is respectful of everyone’s backgrounds. An environment like this allows students to share their backgrounds and culture and for everyone to learn from each other. We are lucky because classrooms are filled with students who each have a unique background and that diversity enriches the community. As teachers it is our job to find ways to create that environment and to educate students of the diverse world they live in. Children’s literature is without a doubt a wonderful way to do so!

Sources:

Lang, S. (2015). Families, families, families.  Penguin Random House.

Perkins, M. Straight talk on race: challenging the stereotypes in kid’s books. Delacorte, 2009.

Williams-Garcia, R. (2010) One crazy summer. New York, NY: HarperCollins Children’s Books.

Segregation in the Classroom by: Elizabeth Rosinski

Segregation and racial separation is a touchy subject, but important to teach accurately and factually. I often find that these topics grab the attention of my students because they are so intrigued at the history of the world and ideas of people by the fourth grade. Starting with slavery, different ideas come up and many teachable moments happen during conversations with students about treatment of people and inequality to African Americans. This is an important concept to cover because of how it affected our country and is currently being brought up again in certain situations, as well as the importance of history starting in the fourth-fifth grade level.

Although hesitation will be apparent because of the touchiness, there are ways for teachers to approach the topic in a clear and confident way. Kiefer and Tyson came up with a ten-point model that teachers can follow in their lessons to help stay on topic and not hurt feelings or go into unknown, sketchy territory. It contains 10 steps from beginning to end of how to approach any controversial issue in a classroom. Also, this Learn NC article provides another series of steps to approach topics and includes an explanation as well. Another way teachers can approach segregation is by using books, both novels and picture books.

Many picture books provide accurate information, as well as pictures to help students visualize this time period. Lowering the reading complexity allows students to focus more on the theme or topic being presented, helping them to learn through reading. One book that is excellent to use when teaching segregation is Sit In: How Four Friends Stood Up by, Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney. This story recounts the day in Woolworth’s store in North Carolina where four courageous African Americans sat at a counter meant for all whites and waited to be served, peacefully at the beginning of the civil rights movement. With simple language and flowy, abstract looking photos made entirely of sketched pictures of curled strokes, Pinkney teaches this historic moment to children of all ages. Sit In is a great book for teachers to use as a support text for Social Studies in a cross-curricular sense. For example, students read the book which opens up to a reader’s theatre where students are forced to take a perspective of a main character, whether it is a worker in Woolworth or a college student at the counter; in this way, “social and emotional bonds between classmates are promoted, building interpersonal and collaborative skills in the classroom” (Thibault) which will help with the way discussions and questions flow and feelings are in the class. 

Finally, teachers need to show perspectives and other stories from this era in order for children to get a fully rounded and deep understanding of segregation. Here is a link providing teachers with a list of other books, both picture and novels that are great to use when teaching this controversial topic. List of Segregation Books for a Variety of Ages

Kiefer, B. Z., & Tyson, C. A. (2014). Charlotte Huck's Children's Literature: A Brief Guide (Second
     ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. 

Pinkney, A. D., & Pinkney, B. (2010). Sit In:How Four Friends Stood Up By Sitting Down. New  

      York, NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.  

Addressing Challenging Issues By: Natalie Hudson

Envision your favorite children’s book. Are the characters white or have white characteristics? Research shows that most characters within children’s books are of Caucasian decent.  Kyle Zimmer, CEO of First Book, a non-profit organization that gives books to children in need, shares some shocking information while being interviewed by NPR. “..the number of books by and about African American kids is about 1.3%. Books by and about Latino is about 3.3%. So the disconnect is profound” (Zimmer).

This is somewhat ironic news since most classrooms within the United States today are "melting pots". So what does this mean for all of our children who are mainly reading about white characters?  Will they be able to relate to the books we are reading to them? Matali Perkins, author of young adults books, believes there is no excuse for not reading books to children that are ethnically rich.  “These days, it doesn’t make sense to steer clear of the subject. We serve a generation of young people who experience race differently from how we grown-ups did” (Perkins, p.1). Perkins recalls her teachers reading books with little or no multiethnic characters. This disconnected and discouraged her as an Indian student.

As a kindergarten teacher, I find quite often my students are unaware of their differences. Although this is part of their innocence, it is our responsibility as educators to share we all come from different backgrounds, families, and ethnic groups. We should also share that this is what makes us unique and special.

A book I feel is appropriate to share at the kindergarten level on this topic is I’m Your Peanut Butter Big Brother by Selina Alko. This story is about a little boy who is expecting a new baby in his family. He wonders what his new baby brother/sister will look like, a common thought of all family expecting a new infant. However, through the illustrations, the reader sees the little boy is part of a bi-racial family, and his ideas about his family are spectacular. “I blend from semisweet dark Daddy chocolate bar and strawberry cream Mama’s milk...” (Alko, p. 3) is just one great example to show the little boy’s pride about his family’s background.

Within North Carolina’s curriculum, one social studies goal for kindergarten includes understanding how individuals are similar and different. This would be a great area to touch on in the first nine weeks of school when students are getting to know their peers and figuring out their new school environment. One idea you could implement within the kindergarten classroom includes taking photographs of each student or having students draw a self-portrait, using skin colored crayons. Next, start a discussion during circle time using the photos or illustrations. Compare various children, and talk about ways the friends are the same and different. Through this activity and read aloud, students will feel included no matter what their race and/or background is. It is our job as educators to make all children feel comfortable in their own shoes.

Alko, Selina. I'm Your Peanut Butter Big Brother. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2009. Print.

 http://www.slj.com/2009/04/standards/straight-talk-on-race-challenging-the-stereotypes-in-kids-books/#_

Perkins, Mitali. "Straight Talk on Race: Challenging the Stereotypes in Kids’ Books." School Library Journal. SLJ Theme on Genesis Framework, 1 Apr. 2009. Web. 01 June 2015.

http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=312839624&m=313618329

"New Initiative Aims to Encourage Diversity in Kids' Publishing." NPR. NPR, 18 May 2014. Web. 01 June 2015.