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Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Saffron Ice Cream: an #ownvoices unforgettable memory

 




Saffron Ice Cream is a picture book by author and illustrator Rashin Kheiriyeh aimed for elementary-aged children and up.  It is a personal narrative of the author who moved to Brooklyn, New York from Iran when she was a little girl.  



Prior to reading the story we used the TeachingBooks.Net resource of how to pronounce the author's name and heard her tell how to remember it, "Rashin rhymes with machine!"  Our students discussed the importance of learning how to pronounce everyone's name, even if it is unusual to them.  The respect and dignity associated with a name can help a person feel more at home in a new country.

We also used a short introduction video message from the author to allow students to connect the story with a real person:



The story is a simple one:  newly arrived in America, Rashin's family decides to take a beach trip to Coney Island.  During the commute, Rashin compares and contrasts this new experience to a vivid one of her visiting the Caspian Sea with her family and friends.  




Although this looks like a simple topic, there are numerous layers to explore with readers.  From the laws in Iran that have women and adolescent girls wearing a hijab and body cover to separate beaches for women and men, the discussion that can arises about various types of governments and freedoms compared to those we have in the U.S. is worth having.  

Another layer that Rashin brings to the story is that of cuisine.  Many immigrants long for the tastes and smells of certain foods and ingredients of a home they have left behind.  Saffron is another interesting spice to teach readers about.  Our students looked at the flowers from which saffron fronds are picked and dried.  They watched a clip of my mother grinding the fronds down into a fine powder. They passed around and investigated several types of saffron packages. Finally, they looked at how the spice changes the color and taste of foods, both savory and sweet.








For fun, our students even tried out anagrams from the book title, Saffron Ice Cream, on a Google Jamboard.








One more layer of the story is how maps can tell us more about a particular place. Prior to reading the story we used Google Maps to look at how far it is from Iran to Brooklyn.  We made observations about the two main colors we see on the map and made predictions about what they may represent.  




Then we noticed the satellite view on the bottom of the screen. We discussed how satellites capture images of the Earth and send the images back to us.  Once we went into satellite view the students were mesmerized by the level of detail we were able to see.  We zoomed in on the Caspian Sea's coastal towns and were able to see photos of what Rashin remembered.
  



After listening to the story our students shared what they do when they notice someone is new to this country.  I shared a time of when I taught my cousins how to play Four-Square, since they didn't have that game in Iran.  Then our students brainstormed memories that they would consider unforgettable and used a PicCollage app on their iPads to write about that memory through photos, captions and stickers.  




Storytelling is an important skill that connects us as we find empathy and commonalities in one another's experiences.  Stories like Saffron Ice Cream show that everyone's voice matters and that we all can be a part of someone's unforgettable memory in a positive way.


Sunday, April 25, 2021

Poetry Month: 25 middle grade novels-in-verse

 April is National Poetry Month but we really celebrate the art of language all year long.  Stories that are told through verse are interesting ways to read, reflect, and listen to narratives.  Our students find that reading a novel-in-verse is another experience in reading in that it often goes by quickly and they are tempted to go back and re-read lines and phrases that stick out to them.  

All of these books listed below would be ideal for book clubs or just for reading and reflecting on one's own. From historical fiction, to biographies, realistic fiction, memoirs, immigration, religion, refugees, family, friendships, sports, school, bullying, identity and travel, these stories below have something for everyone.  

Novels-in-Verse






















Nature, survival & relationships full of healing: Echo Mountain

 




Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk is a historical fiction, middle-grade chapter book that can be enjoyed by anyone, especially adults.  Wolk is a master storyteller who takes the reader back in time to the 1920s in Maine where Ellie's family is forced from their home in town to move up into Echo Mountain and make a new way of life for themselves. They must survive on nature and learn how to barter for goods and services. Ellie copes with it by saying, "for every difficulty there had been some kind of good work we could do. So we'd done it." For three years they are able to do it but then when Ellie is 12, her father falls into a coma and she takes it upon herself to find a way to bring him back.  

Her mother, a former music teacher, is struggling to keep the family and their way of life together until her husband can rejoin them.  She doesn't trust Ellie's wild-spirited ideas for waking up her father and would rather just wait and see instead of trying any of Ellie's harebrained schemes.  Ellie finds solace and oneness in the mountain and dares to trudge up to the forbidden parts in order to get help from the elusive "hag" who her father had warned to keep away from when he was conscious. She also hopes to find the person responsible for leaving her tiny wooden carvings.  Could it be the hag who noticed Ellie and her need for connection? Wolk writes, "loneliness shared is loneliness halved."  Perhaps the hag can help Ellie and her family in more ways than one?

Ellie's journey of self-discovery and finding how to deal with her mother's struggles as well lead her to a better place.  Even if there are unexpected twists, dangers lurking in the woods, and the possibility of hurting her father more than healing him, she knows that she must listen to the heat in her chest to continue despite the risks.  Wolk concludes with the idea that "life is a matter of moments, strung together like rain.  To try to touch just one drop at a time, to try to count them or order them or reckon their worth --each by each--was impossible."  The reader can consider how this idea connects to the events from the start of the story all of the way to the end.  How did Ellie's life become like rain drops? How did her family and others on the mountain continue surviving even with major setbacks?

This story is excellent for discussion for book clubs in the middle grades all the way up to adult readers.  The fact that Ellie is without any medical supplies as she is trying to heal open wounds does lead to quite gory depictions, but they are necessary as a part of the story.  Without them, the reader could not truly empathize with Ellie's situation and what she was left to do.   I would rate this book as a must-read, along with Wolk's other books, Wolf Hollow and Beyond the Bright Sea.  










Tuesday, April 20, 2021

37 Environmental Picture and Chapter Books for Children & Middle Schoolers

How is the Earth connected to its creatures?  Why is it important for humans to be aware of the Earth's needs and be able to protect it as much as possible?  These questions and more can be discussed with readers in the following chapter and picture books that have environmental themes.  From plays to nonfiction and fiction books, there is something interesting for everyone. 





Need more ideas? Check A Mighty Girl's blog for additional titles.

Monday, April 19, 2021

52 Effort, Perseverance & Growth Mindset Books (Picture & Chapter)

 It's April and during a typical school year, this is the toughest time to keep students motivated to finish out the year on a strong note.  Now add to that the fact that this year was one full of uncertainty, trauma, different modes of instruction, and it is understandable that our students are having difficulty with showing effort during these last few months of school.  Using books can help students see others like them face difficult times and be resilient because of those circumstances.  


Picture Books






































































Chapter Books



















































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