La Mariposa

In his first year of school, Francisco understands little of what his teacher says. But he is drawn to the silent, slow-moving caterpillar in the jar next to his desk. He knows caterpillars turn into butterflies, but just how do they do it? To find out, he studies the words in a butterfly book so many times that he can close his eyes and see the black letters, but he still can't understand their meaning. Illustrated with paintings as deep and rich as the wings of a butterfly, this honest, unsentimental account of a schoolchild's struggle to learn language reveals that our imaginations powerfully sustain us. La Mariposa makes a subtle plea for tolerance in our homes, our communities, and in our schools.

Made You Look

Made You Look: How Advertising Works and Why You Should Know

By Shari Grayden   Annick Press   2003

This is an old book, and it has been rendered perishable by out of date references and changes in technology over the past ten years.

Nonetheless, I still deem this to be a very valuable resource. The underlying information is still relevant, and the book remains a good guide to thinking critically about advertising.

The liabilities of this book can be turned into assets. You can have students update the archaic references with current information. Students can also add in subsequent developments in advertising that the book failed to anticipate. For example, students could assess how online advertising has developed in the time since this book was printed. By undertaking these tasks, students will practice using multiple sources, and make text to self, and text to world connections.

The book engages active thinking about the information that it presents by encouraging the reader to engage in activities throughout  the text.

One such exercise is “Will Rodgers vs Winston Churchill”. The following quotes are presented.

“Advertising makes you want spend money you don’t have for something you don’t want.” 

Will Rodgers  

“Advertising nourishes the consuming power of men. It sets up… the goal of a better home, better clothing, better food… It spurs individual exertion and greater production.”  Winston Churchill

After presenting these quotes, the readers are asked questions about their personal experiences with advertisements and the feelings and reactions that they provoked. Then, they are led to consider which quote they agree with and why.

Metacognitive thinking processes are modeled throughout this book as part of its structure. Oftentimes, books that encourage critical thinking excel on encouraging students to assess the information that they are given, yet they neglect to teach their readers to analyze their own thinking process. This book excels on both counts.

There is also very good information on the historical background and context of  advertising.

Other notable subjects addressed in the book include…

Logo fashions            Cross promotional tie-ins      How & why ads are aimed at kids

Advertising in schools

Overall, the book gives a great break down of how you are targeted by ads, why you are targeted, and what techniques are used to persuade you.

Once again, the examples used in the book are dated, but on a fundamental level, the information is still very good. A student project to update this book would be a fine means for students to cross over into authorship. I would suggest chunking it into sections on the installment plan for either reading or project work.

By no means is this book perfect. It can get a little tedious at times, and the format gets a little chunky; however, it still compares favorably to other books that I have seen on the subject.    

Birmingham, 1963

Birmingham, 1963        Carole Boston Weatherford         Wordsong 2007

This poem uses a fictional narrator to recount the events in Birmingham before and after the 16^th Street Baptist Church bombing.

Along with the poet’s voice, the accompanying photos give context and lend impact to the events depicted. The book as a whole is an excellent answer to the question of how do you use fiction to tell a nonfiction story.

The information on the photos used is given in the back of the book. Some photos have clear documentation about their content and context, while others do not.

It would be a very good exercise to have kids find the missing information for the photos that lack clear documentation. Students can check the digital archives of the Birmingham Public Library. Also, this may provide an opportunity to introduce the kids to reverse search engines.

The author’s note in the back provides historical background and context for the presentation, and it is the logical starting point for presenting this book to students

Breaker Boys: How a Photograph Helped End Child Labor

Breaker Boys: How a Photograph Helped End Child Labor     By Michael Burgan

Compass Point Books    2012

Firstly, I must state that I love this series. I especially like having kids visually analyze photographs and illustrations. Kids are incredibly visually savvy, and with a little bit of effort and prompting, they are able to leverage those skills in order to pull out previously unknown information in an organic way.

Sometimes images are so powerful that the reactions they provoke can galvanize social movements and change history.  Such is the case with the photography of Lewis Hine’s photos of child labor.

The featured photo appears on the cover of the book, and it is extraordinarily haunting. This is the photo that I would pair with the picture that appears on the cover of “Kids On Strike”. On that photo, striking kids are demanding access to school, as well as improved working conditions.  The haunted faces and dire circumstances of the young coal miners provides a stark contrast, and illuminates why kids would beg to be in school.

Often times, kids today wish they did not have to attend school. The photos contained in “Breaker Boys” outline the stark reality of the alternative.

Stand out photos include…

Stark conditions at a Penn. Coal mine field hospital    p.14

Coal miners’ housing –It would be a good exercise to compare with tenement housing.       p. 17

Breaker boys at work – evocative of a Roman slave galley    p.31

A mule driver standing    p.32

Injured and dead   p.38

The text outlines the dangers kids faced when working in the coal mines, both in the immediate term, as well as the long range health impacts. Also, the economic exploitation of the workers through such means as paying workers in company scrip, overpriced company stores, and high rent, substandard housing.

One interesting thing to consider when studying these photos is the nature of the equipment that Hine used. Its limitations helped dictate what could be photographed. The camera equipment weighed up to 50 pounds, and took time to set up. Also, his film was slow exposure – he could not capture moving objects clearly.

It is always interesting to consider what could have been left out of Hine’s depiction due to these limitations.

Where On Earth: Geography As You Have Never Seen it Before

Where On Earth: Geography As You Have Never Seen It Before     DK  2013

This is an extremely versatile atlas that is divided into six sections

Section 1:    Land, Sea, and Air

In this section, you get all of the standard, expected views that one would expect from the format, plus many exciting features that do not ordinarily appear in atlases.

The panels are distributed on double page spreads that incorporate infographic style elements. For example, the spread on global earthquake distribution has a layout of a world map that shows recorded quakes of the last 100 years and their relative intensity. The 5 strongest and the 5 deadliest earthquakes on record are identified and detailed in information boxes. This visual layout is especially strong in    

highlighting connections and relationships.

The format is uniformly fantastic throughout the section. Other notable parts include…

A Map of the Ocean Floor

A Map of Global Ocean Currents

Major Rivers of the World

Global Climate

Rain & Snowfall

Hurricanes

Time Zones

Section 2:     The Living World

Notable sections include…

Predators,         Dangerous Creatures        Invasive Species    Bird Migration

Biodiversity        Unique Wildlife     Endangered Animals    Extinctions Due to Human Activity

Section 3:     People & Planet

Notable sections include...

Global Population Density    The Median Ages of People Throughout the World

Life Expectancy       Global Poverty    Global Distribution of Billionaires 

Food Production         Food Intake    Literacy     Poolution

Garbage and Waste Production     Fossil Fuel Distribution  Climate Change Impacts

Section 4:     Engineering and Technology

Notable sections include...

Air Traffic     Global Shipping Routes     Armed Forces

A View From Outer Space of the Space Junk Orbiting the Earth

Section 5:   History

Notable sections include...

Fossilized Human Remains     Prehistoric Cultures     

Ancient Wonders (Includes 7 wonders of the ancient world & others that were unknown to the Greeks)

Medieval Wonders        Medieval  Empires       Historic Battles   The Last Empires

Revolutions

Section 6:     Culture

Notable sections include... 

Languages    Religious Sites     Distribution of World’s Religions

Density of TV Ownership Around the World

Simply put, there is a tremendous wealth of information presented in this book that lends itself to a staggering number of potential uses. The format is easily digestible, yet it can illuminate some complex connections and interactions.

Looking Closely Inside the Garden

Looking Closely Inside the Garden     By Frank Serafini      Kids Can Press 2008

The format is the same as the others in the series. Please refer to the review of

“Looking Closely Along the Shore” for details.

Though the format is the same, there is one important difference in this book. Since we have urbanized kids, the other habitats that are treated in this series may be more or less abstractions. Students may not have had a chance to visit the forest or the desert, and though they live in San Francisco, they may not be intimately familiar with the seashore.

The objects that are covered in this book are more likely to be extraordinarily familiar to urbanized kids. These are objects that the kids have seen up close, touched, and felt many times. Whether it is in the context of school gardening programs, playing in the park, or on a lawn, or even a random patch of dirt, students have extensive background knowledge and experience with the contents of this book.

However, this familiarity does not mean that the close up photos are readily apparent. Some require a bit of thought and imagination to guess correctly – even when the object is very familiar. I strongly feel that this further drives home the point that there in wonder inherent in the details that are all around you.