Gone Crazy In Alabama

Gone Crazy In Alabama

Rita Williams-Garcia

2016 Coretta Scott King Award

Published by: Amistad an Imprint of HarperCollins

Copyright 2015

304 Pages

Family, Heartfelt, Tragedy, Racial Divide, Sibling Rivalry

Gone Crazy in Alabama is the amusing tale of the Gaithers’ sisters summer trip from New York to visit relatives in Alabama. When the sisters get down south they begin to realize that time slows down and society becomes divided by racial lines. Watching the KKK ride by during the night on their horses is an event that one does not experience in New York, making this trip extremely educational. The antics between the sisters is raw and will prove extremely relatable for students. Family divides will be sewn together when a natural disaster strikes creating a tragedy for the family. It is only during this time of adversity that the family learns just how much they actually care about each other. This story will rattle your emotions by allowing the reading to laugh, cry, and feel anger all in one sitting. Rita Williams-Garcia is a master at creating realistic and relatable dialogue.

Reading Level

Ages 8-12, Lexile Measure: 740L

Suggested Delivery

Independent Reading

Electronic Resources

This novel is perfect for use with a web 2.0 tool called the Breaking News Generator. This site allows students to upload a photo and then create a realistic looking breaking news snapshot. Use this to fill the world in on tussles between Vonetta, Fern, and Delphine. Or warn Big Ma of the Arrival of the girl’s mother.

Use this video to gain interest in the story by showcasing some of the points of emphasis in the novel. The video does a great job of creating suspense by talking about family rivalry, family history, US History, and the racial divide that was rampant in the south.

Key Vocabulary

·      KKK – Ku Klux Klan, A group that believes the Arian race is supreme.

·      Arrogance – Believing that you are better than someone else

·      Bigamy – The act of going through a marriage ceremony when you are already married.

·      Consternation – Feeling of anxiety towards something unexpected.

·      Rebuke – Express sharp disapproval towards someone because of their behavior.

·      Contradict – To deny the truth of one thing by saying something opposite.

Teaching Strategies

            Before – This novel does incorporate some confusing vocabulary throughout the text. To prevent confusion, I suggest creating a word wall with the words and definitions that students may have trouble with while reading the text. This strategy is useful in building vocabulary to ensure higher comprehension.

            During – Students can use the Echo or Choral reading technique to ensure fluency. This can be accomplished in pairs or small groups where students can read selections out loud to each other. Another way to incorporate some fun into the reading is to have students participate in a readers theatre activity where students can pick their favorite character and read the dialogue.

            After – Using an opinionnaire strategy for post-reading can prove highly effecting for this novel. Have students create three controversial opinions about the characters, a plot point, or a setting. Next, let the students mingle around the room and debate their opinions using facts from the books for support. Emphasize academic language as well as respectful listening skills during this activity.

Writing

Using the post reading activity, have students write down their opinions with three supporting facts as to why they feel that way. Allow students to debate (or agree) with each other and add to their opinions to make them stronger. 

The Surrender Tree

The Surrender Tree:

Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom

Margarita Engle

2009 Newbery Honor Book

2009 Pura Belpre Medal Winner

2009 Bank Street- Best Children's Book Award

Published by: Square Fish

Copyright 2008

384 Pages

Unique Structure, Historical, Slavery, Hope, Beautiful

 

The Surrender Tree by Margarita Engle, provides a look into the dark, war torn history of Cuba through a variety of different voices. Written in free verse, this text provides a unique format that is sure to challenge the students as they connect with the characters. Rosa is a medicine woman who tends to the runaway slaves who can find her hidden in the caves of the Cuban jungle. Rosa represents the promising side of freedom and eventually falls in love with a freed slave who she later marries. Lieutenant Death represents the darker side as the son of a slave hunter in Cuba. His poems depict a deeper skepticism about his role in the independence of Cuba. The Surrender Tree holds deep meaning for many in the world and is a fantastic text to incorporate with current events as the United States’ relationship with Cuba is slowly gaining momentum.

Reading Level

Ages 12+, Grade Level Equivalent: 5.2

Suggested Delivery

Read Aloud, Guided Reading

Electronic Resources

The discussion guide provided by Macmillan, is a useful resource for teachers who need direction with teaching this text. Since the text is written in free verse, it can be challenging for students to follow along. Aiding in comprehension by incorporating discussion questions is vital to the students success when reading this book.

The authors website is another useful resource as it provides information into the life of Margarita Engle that well prove helpful in allowing students to determine the viewpoint of the author.

Key Vocabulary

·      Mambi – Rebel army

·      GÜIJES – Mermaids

·      Cimarron – Slaves

Teaching Strategies

            Before – Since this story is written in poetry form it is likely that students will struggle a bit with the text structure. I suggest creating a pattern guide before reading in order to allow students to create an organized list of the characters. This will allow students to take proper notes while reading and keep track of the events that happen throughout the text.

            During – This is a prime opportunity to use the CLOSE Reading technique with your students. Allow the students to pick a poem to further dissect with a partner. Each student should first come up with questions they would like answered about the poem and then work together to find those answers by using inferential comprehension.

            After – Continuing with the pairs that were created for the previous exercise, students can collect the poems from a particular character (e.g. Rosa, Jose, Lieutenant Death, Silvia ) and try to decipher a theme or emotion which that character expresses most often. This strategy forces students to use higher-level thinking and comprehension to connect with the characters and experience their feelings. Finish the unit with a class wide sharing session so that the students can express the emotions and conflicts that each character dealt with throughout the text.

Writing

Use this text in unison with a Social Studies unit on American slavery and have students compare and contrast the slavery that was taking place in the America’s with that of Cuba’s.

El Deafo

El Deafo

Cece Bell

2015 Newbery Honor Book

Published by: Amulet Books

Copyright 2014

233 Pages

Superhero, Inspirational, Engaging, Reluctant, Journey

Cece Bell has created a true masterpiece in the form of a graphic novel with El Deafo. The novel explores the challenges and rewards of being hearing impaired through the eyes of an author who actually lived it. As a young girl Cece is diagnosed with meningitis resulting in a loss of hearing. She has to deal with the struggles, both personally and socially, of wearing a hearing aid as a young child. Although this may have been enough to shut most normal kids down, Cece see’s the grace and beauty in both herself and her situation. As she becomes more comfortable she makes friends with a girl who seems to be extremely bossy. Cece is reluctant to let Laura know how she truly feels about being ordered around because at this point in time Laura is her only friend. As time goes one, Cece creates an alter ego she calls “El Deafo”. This superhero becomes the guiding light for Cece when the gym teacher accidentally breaks the microphone for her improved Phonic Ear. El Deafo uses her knowledge of lip reading to conquer the long weeks she has to wait for a replacement and eventually gains the opportunity to spend time with the new neighborhood boy who seems dreamy. Cece Bell creates an inspirational work of art that should be an integral part of every classroom to advance the strategy of inclusive learning.

Reading Level

Ages 9-14, Lexile Measure: GN420L

Suggested Delivery

Read aloud, Reading groups

Electronic Resources

El Deafo is a great novel to couple with electronic resources for use in the classroom. One great resource is www.blabberize.com, where you can use your own pictures and voice to create a talking portrait. In the example below I created a blabberize of Cece with a picture of the layout of her Phonic Ear. Students can also choose a particular part in the story and create their own blabberize in order to demonstrate comprehension of the text.

Cece as a Blabberize

The video below of Cece Bell talking about her novel is a great resource to use either during or after reading El Deafo. The video is humorous and also provides an insight into the real life El Deafo and the struggles and adversity she faced.

Cece Bell on "El Deafo"

Key Vocabulary

·      Meningitis - Inflammation of the meninges caused by viral or bacterial infection

·      Audiology – The study of hearing

·      Gestural – Using an action or physical movement to convey a message

·      Phonic – Letter/sound correspondence

Teaching Strategies

            Before – Students can use Questions for Purposeful Learning in order to spark interest and dialogue for the text. Using small groups, display a short video clip depicting the Phonic Ear and have students brainstorm questions that they have about the device. Students will post their questions on chart paper and post them in different areas of the classroom. After the completing the brainstorming, have students walk around the classroom and jot down any more questions they may have. The next step is to have the students cut the chart paper into individual questions and as a class, sort the questions into a few different categories (background questions, clarifying questions, opinion seeking questions, challenging questions, etc). This activity is useful in promoting self-monitoring for comprehension upon reading the text.

            During – While reading, students can use the Questions for Purposeful Learning activity and combine it with a Directed Reading-Thinking Activity. This can be accomplished with the help of a three-column work sheet with the questions on the left. The middle column should be a prediction section where students can guess what the answer is to each question. The last column is to be filled in as they find the answers to their questions. Students should be aware of their predictions and determine why they were correct or incorrect.

            After – Questioning the author is fantastic after reading strategy for El Deafo. Since Cece Bell wrote this story based on her own experience, you can use the story to further expand knowledge and learning by creating questions that the students still have after reading the novel. Have your class come up with the five best questions that are not answered by the text and create a well-designed email to send to Cece.

Writing

 After completing the reading, students can create text to self-connections and write their own memoir of a challenging time in their life. This can go a long way with teaching about respecting the work and life of others and also provide insight into the lives of your students. If you have access to technology it is beneficial to let the students illustrate their memoirs in the form of a graphic novel.

Trapped

TRAPPED

How The World Rescued 33 Miners From 2,000 Feet Below The Chilean Desert

Marc Aronson

CBC/NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book

Atheneum Books For Young Readers

Copyright 2011

144 Pages

Inspirational, Enlightening, Motivational, Community, Hope

Trapped by Marc Aronson is an easy reading non-fiction text that discusses the Chilean mine collapse that captivated the world in 2010. The book takes the unique perspective of including what was happening both underground as well as above ground in order to help the 33 men trapped. The text is written in a chronological format and provides a great deal of facts about the tragedy. The objective outsider view that is taken by Aronson allows the reader to understand the sheer magnitude of the problem while maintain a grasp on the difficulties of solving the problem. Students will be able to sympathize with the miners as you learn that they were only able to eat a capful of food every three days at one point, as well as the fact that they had no way of taking a bath or shower until help arrived. Although the miners were ultimately able to escape, the adversity that those men faced is something students can use as motivation in their own life when times get tough.

Reading Level

Ages 10-14, Lexile Measure: 1070L

Suggested Delivery

Read Aloud, Group Read

Electronic Resources

This non-fiction selection is great for producing an interactive electronic infographic using a site such as piktochart.com. Below is an example of an inforgraphic that can be created using a timeline format and incorporating the important facts and/or events that occur throughout the book.

Another useful resource is the youtube video found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rW6Rtv9S8-k that shows the first miner exiting the mine through the Phoenix capsule. Using this in unison with the final chapter in the text is a phenomenal way to harness excitement and motivation for learning more about Chilean mine disaster. This video subtly shows just how emotional the rescue was for everyone involved while also showing just how ingenious the solution truly was.

Vocabulary

(Complete glossary in back matter)

·      Powerlessness – Having no control or power

·      Antagonize – Cause someone to become hostile

·      Bore – The inside diameter of a hole or drill bit

·      Feldspar – Mineralized rock often made as lava flow cools

·      Percussion – Loud sounds

Teaching Strategies

            Before – Using a KWL before reading Trapped by Marc Aronson is a great way to gain an understanding of what students already know about the San Jose mine collapse, what students want to learn about the disaster, and after reading, what the students have learned from the text. This comprehension strategy forces students to ask questions before reading and then monitor their comprehension during reading by ensuring that they answer those questions. This would be a great time to teach a mini-lesson on split page note taking in unison with modeling the KWL.

            During – While reading the text, model split page note taking using important dates and events throughout the text as a foundation for the left column. On the right provide supporting details that are found directly from the text in order to create a cohesive and focused note taking experience. After modeling the split page note taking strategy, divide students into small groups and allow them to read independently to create their own split page notes. After students have read a selection, allow them to share what they have within their group in order to add details.

            After – Students can participate in collaborative conversations by taking the point of view of reporters, trapped miners, or the rescue team. The three groups will converse with each other using their split page notes on ways to solve the mine collapse. By allowing students to take a role in the rescue of the miners they will be forced to use recall and schema thus increasing comprehension of the text.

Writing

Students can participate in creating an email to one of the parties involved in rescuing the miners. This can be directed towards a mining company, NASA, drill companies etc. Students will use the notes that were taken during reading to help them draft, revise, edit and finally publish (the teacher can even create fake email addresses to send the emails to and respond) their work.