Conference on Teaching Race in the Classroom - Part 2

In Part 1 of this series of posts I provided an introduction to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the site of the professional learning event I attended last week entitled Let's Talk: Teaching Race in the Classroom.

Why attend an event like this? I suppose I'd respond by asking, "Why NOT?" Why don't more educators think deeply about issues of race and racism and how they impact classroom practice, the development of racial identity, and the health and well-being of children?

On our first day, after brief introductions, we worked together to develop some ground rules and group norms.

After we agreed to these norms, we spent the morning and early afternoon getting to know one another. This was painful for me and many of the other introverts in the room. These are just not activities I enjoy doing, but I understand the necessity for learning about one another, honoring our similarities and differences, making connections, and developing a level of comfort with others that allows us to view the classroom as not just a safe space, but a brave one. After this we did some active listening activities and then got into small groups to define and discuss race and racism. The small group then broke into pairs and we shared personal stories. When all the groups came back together we took some time to do a quick written reflection, and then shared one word that described how we were feeling.

We ended at 4 pm and I had the opportunity to spend the rest of the afternoon in the museum. I took advantage of the lack of a line to hit the history galleries and spent all my time on Concourse 3, reading and taking in all that I could.

On the second day we began with a gallery exploration before the museum opened. What a change from my time in the gallery the prior afternoon! I can't tell you what a gift it was to have so much time in the museum, but even more so, to have time to explore before the crowds descended was incredible. We broke into groups and participated in the Zinn Education Project activity entitled The Color Line. Each group was responsible for making a series of predictions before we entered the gallery. Here are the questions we tackled.

• Predict the measures that were taken to keep Indians and blacks from uniting, or that may have even made them to feel hostile toward one another.
• Predict laws or policies adopted to discourage white indentured servants and black slaves from running away together.
• Predict how poor whites and white indentured servants were taught to believe that they were superior to and didn’t have anything in common with blacks.
• Predict how blacks and whites were kept separate, so that whites would not even imagine getting together with blacks.
• Predict the measures adopted to ensure that on every plantation there were enough white overseers in relation to black slaves.

After our walk through the gallery it was clear that numerous colonial laws were enacted to create division and inequality based on race. The roots of race as a social construct were planted here. In examining this history it is possible to understand the origins of racism in the United States and who benefits from it.

Our day continued with two outstanding presentations. The first, Bias in Childhood: When Does it Emerge and How Do We Reduce It? was delivered by Melanie Killen of the University of Maryland at College Park. She shared the fascinating results of the work she and her graduate students have been conducting. I learned so much from this presentation. I was struck by some of the misconceptions people hold about bias in childhood. These include:

• Children are colorblind.
• Children only learn prejudice from adults.
• Children are not selfish and do not care about fairness and equality.

Melanie shared the results of a study she led that was commissioned by CNN. In this study, a group of 145 African-American and Caucasian children, ages 6 and 13, from six schools across three states were shown images that were designed to be ambiguous and asked the following questions:

• "What's happening in this picture?"
• "Are these two children friends?" 
• "Would their parents like it if they were friends?" 

The study explored how children’s interpretations of the images changed when the races of the characters were switched and found differences between the races as young as age 6. You can learn a bit about that study in this introductory video.
You can view the remaining segments on this research in Kids on Race: The Hidden Picture Part 2 and Kids on Race: The Hidden Picture Part 3.

The results were astounding and frankly, a bit depressing. We did learn that school diversity reduces implicit bias and boosts expectations for inter-racial friendships in school. We also learned that there is NO RESEARCH to suggest that a colorblind approach is effective. What we do know is that:

• We do not create bias by talking about it.
• Children already have opinions about race.
• Teachers can give children the tools to notice and reject bias and discrimination.

The second presentation of the day, Middle Childhood & Teens: Cognitive Development, Racial Identity Development, and Talking About Race, was delivered by Erin Winkler of the University of Wisconsin. Through the lens of Piaget and Vygotsky, we looked at how racial identity and bias develop. Once incredibly discouraging note from this presentation was the cyclical nature of bias. We know that society primes us for implicit bias, and implicit bias reinforces inequality in society. So, the question becomes, how do you break this cycle?

Erin shared a lot of good information about the development of racial identity for African Americans (Cross' model) and White Americans (Helms' model). We learned that taking a colorblind approach backfires because racism and bias cannot be addressed if we fail to recognize it. Children exposed to a colorblind approach often have trouble recognizing not only subtle racism and racial bias, but also explicit racism. Ultimately, colorblind language renders structural racism invisible. Let that one sink in for a moment ... This means we must get comfortable talking about race, racism, and inequality. We must normalize talking about race in the classroom.

After taking all this in, we ended our day in small groups based on grade-level affinity (I went with the elementary folks) and continued to process what we were learning in the context of the issues we face at our own institutions.

I learned so much in these first two days that I was a bit overwhelmed. I spent quite a bit of time thinking about how to share this information with preservice teachers. We teach human growth and development in our program, but I'm not sure that the formation of racial identity is something that is even addressed. You can bet this is something I'll be lobbying for.

This was just the beginning of my journey during this incredible week of learning. Stay tuned for more. I'll be back tomorrow to share the content of the conference from days 3 and 4.

Conference On Teaching Race in the Classroom - Part 1

Last week I had the privilege of and honor of spending the entire week at the National Museum of African American History and Culture for a professional learning event entitled Let's Talk: Teaching Race in the Classroom. Here is the description that led me to register for this experience:

Race is an aspect of our American culture that is often ignored, glossed over or mishandled. Additionally, to succeed in promoting equity, tolerance, and justice, childhood is the time to address these issues by understanding children’s development and encouraging positive feelings about their racial and cultural identity, as well as others’.  Working with youth makes it incumbent that educators are prepared to address issues of race whenever they surface such as in history or social studies lessons or when current events brings them forward such as events in our recent history.

Through presentations from researchers in the field, small group discussions, and reflective exercises participants will engage in conversations about race/racism, explore ways to address issues and topics that will meet students where they are in their racial development, and practice techniques for creating safe space for difficult discussions.

I walked to and from the museum each day, giving myself time to reflect and think about what I was learning. Even after a long train ride home, and a weekend to further reflect, I still have much to process. I don't think I've ever learned as much at a conference or workshop before this, and after 29 years in education, that's really saying something.

We met in the education classrooms of the museum for our sessions, but we had time each day to wander through the exhibits. Even after 5 days, I didn't get to see everything the museum had to offer.

The layout of the museum is both inspirational and metaphorical. To get to the history galleries, you descend in an elevator, moving back through time.

When the doors open on the third concourse level, it is dark and cramped, and your exploration begins with the transatlantic slave trade. This level, Slavery and Freedom, covers the years 1400-1877.

When you reach the end, you wind your way up a ramp into another time period. This level, Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation, covers the years 1876-1968.

When you reach the end of this level, you once again walk up a winding ramp, slowly moving out of darkness into the light. This level, A Changing America, covers the years 1968 and beyond.

Once you leave the history galleries, visitors can enter the "Contemplative Court" for a bit of quiet reflection. In this large open space, water cascades down from the Oculus, a glass circle on the north side of the building that allows natural light to filter down into the center of the waterfall.

The upper floors are comprised of an interactive gallery, Community galleries (L3), and Culture galleries (L4).

Being in this place, this space, was so important to understanding issues of race. In the previous years this workshop was taught, participants did not have the benefit of spending their time in the space that is the museum. I am grateful to have had this opportunity as a member of the 4th cohort.

I was struck by so many things while here, but experiencing the history in this way laid a strong foundation for the ideas I had to grapple with during the week. During our time in the exhibit spaces we were encouraged to find artifacts and stories that could serve as entry points into conversations on race. Here are a few that struck me.

Ticket stub for Washington, DC to Montgomery, AL for Selma-Montgomery March.

Denim vest worn by Joan Mulholland during Civil Rights Movement.

Straw hat worn during the 1966 March Against Fear.

Bust of Maggie Walker.

Desks, sign, and wood-burning stove from the Hope School.

Quilt made from suiting samples with embroidered flower details.

Dress designed by Anne Lowe.

Shards of stained glass from the 16th Street Baptist Church.

This is just the beginning of the story of my week. Stay tuned for more. I'll be back tomorrow to flesh out some of the content of the conference.

Constitution Day is Thursday, September 17th

In the summer of 1787, the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia to write a new plan of government for our nation. The Constitution was approved by the Convention and signed on September 17th of the same year. Once signed it was sent to the states for ratification.

In 2005, a federal law established September 17th as Constitution Day. Here are some books and additional resources to help you celebrate the law of the land in your home or classroom. Please note that these are largely focused on the elementary level.

Books

The United States Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation, written by Jonathan Hennessey and illustrated by Aaron McConnell - This graphic text provides an illustrated journey through the articles and amendments of the Constitution. Text and illustrations provide clear explanations and historical background.

Shh! We're Writing the Constitution, written by Jean Fritz and illustrated by Tomie dePaola - This book provides a highly readable account of the Constitutional Convention by describing what the framers were doing and how they did it. Readers will find the text of the Constitution, as well as several pages of explanatory notes.

We The Kids, illustrated by David Catrow - Drawing on his strengths as a political cartoonist, Catrow uses a group of friends and a backyard camping trip to make the Preamble to the Constitution understandable for readers by pairing the text with illustrations that help define phrases like insure domestic tranquility, common defense, and our posterity. For example, the illustration for "establish Justice" shows a dog wearing a helmet and standing guard while the kids play inside the tent.

A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution, written by Betsy Maestro and illustrated by Giulio Maestro - This book provides an overview of the Constitution, beginning with the initial decision to hold the convention and ending with the adoption of the Bill of Rights. The focus of the text is really on the basic decisions about the organization of the government which resulted in the Great Compromise. Also included is a final section that provides a list of the signers, chronology of events and dates, and simple summaries of the Articles and amendments.

If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution, written by Elizabeth Levy and illustrated by Joan Holub - Like other books in the If You Were There series, this one is organized around a series of questions. It begins with What is the Constitution? and then moves on to a bit of history (the war, the Declaration, the Articles of Confederation) in order to lay the foundation for understanding the document. This one answers many questions about who was involved, why certain choices were made, and how the process worked.

Picture Window Books publishes a series entitled American Symbols. In it you will find these books written by Norman Pearl and illustrated by Matthew Skeens:

• The U.S. Constitution - This book begins with James Madison introducing himself and asking the question "What is the U.S. Constitution?" What follows are a series of spreads with information about the framers and how they worked together, the document itself and the branches of government.
• The Bill of Rights - In this book James Madison looks at the Bill of Rights and explores how it came to be.

Constitution Translated for Kids, written by Cathy Travis - Written at a 5th grade level, this book provides the entire text of the Constitution accompanied by a kid-friendly translation. In addition to the side-by-side translation, readers will find a timeline of events leading up to the writing of the Constitution, a glossary, information on Constitutional compromises, a bibliography and more.

Sites for Kids

• Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids has a wealth of resources at different grade levels. The pages on the Constitution of the United States for grades 3-5 are particularly useful.
• America's Story from the Library of Congress highlights James Madison's Contributions to the Constitution.
• Congress for Kids has a site on the Constitution that includes information about the writing the document, the Great Compromise, the signers, the Bill of Rights, other Amendments and much more.
• White House for Kids also has a resource page on the Constitution.
• The Bill of Rights Institute has a flash interactive module entitled Madison's Notes are Missing. In it, students travel back in time to the Constitutional Convention, talk to the delegates (with animation and voice), and write a news article about the events.
• USConstitution.net has information on the Constitution for kids in grades K-2 and kids in grades 4-7.

Additional Web-Based Resources

• The National Endowment for the Humanities provides a number of resources for celebrating Constitution day.
• The Library of Congress also lists a variety of Constitution day resources.
• The Center for Civic Education provides lesson plans for K-12 classrooms.
• The Constitution Center has a searchable database of resources.

Last But Not Least ... Schoolhouse Rock!

Biographical Poetry Pairings - César Chavez

In 2008 the state of Virginia added Cesar Chavez to the standards for history and social science in third grade. Under the heading of civics instruction students learn about the importance of the basic principles of democracy and identify the contributions of selected individuals.  Chavez was added to a list that already included George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks, Thurgood Marshall, and Martin Luther King, Jr.. As this list is meant to expose children to people who worked to defend the basic principles that form the foundation of our government, I was thrilled when he was added.

If you don't know much about Chavez, here's a quick video introduction.

Today's pairing offers a glimpse into the life and work of Cesar Chavez.

Poetry Book

César: ¡Sí, Se Puede! Yes We Can, written by Carmen Bernier-Grand and illustrated by David Diaz, is a biography written in a series of 19 free verse poems. It is one of the most comprehensive and moving biographies of the man I have ever read. What is different about this work is that it does not shy away from the difficulties and injustices he faced in his life. Instead, his life story is told head on, shining a spotlight on the good and bad times. It begins not with his birth, but a poem that wonders at what and who he would become. From here the poems describe his name, his dad, his mom, happy moments of childhood, the Depression, the constant moving, working the fields, schooling, losing the family ranch, the farm workers' struggles, organizing the workers, his death, and much more.

Here is the poem that opens the book.

Who Could Tell?

¡Hijole!
Who could tell?

Who could tell
that Cesario Estrada Chavez,
the shy American
wearing a checkered shirt,
walking with a can to ease his back
from the burden of the fields,
could organize so many people
to march for La Causa, The Cause?

Who could tell
that he with a soft pan dulce voice,
hair the color of mesquite,
and downcast, Aztec eyes,
would have the courage to speak up
for the campesinos to get better pay,
better housing,
better health?

¡Hijole!
Who could tell?

Here is one of my favorite poems from the book.

Crooked Lines

"God has written in exceedingly
crooked lines."

What made César follow
Father McDonnell
from camp to camp
and Mass to Mass?

What made Father McDonnell
give César the teachings and prayers
of Saint Francis of Assisi:
"Lord, make me an instrument
of your peace"?

Why did a book about Saint Francis
mention Mahatma Gandhi,
a man of peace who won many battles
against injustices in India?

Why did César talk
to Father McDonnell
about his passion for peaceful change
and the leadership hidden deep
inside him?

What made Father McDonnell
send Fred Ross, from the
Community Service Organization,
to see César?

God's crooked lines.

Poems ©Carmen Bernier-Grand. All rights reserved.

The back matter is extensive and includes a section of notes, a glossary of Spanish terms used in the poems, a short synopsis of Chávez's life, a brief chronology, the author's sources, and a collection of Chávez's quotes. On the back jacket of the book readers will find Chavez's core values. They were: service to others, sacrifice, a preference to help the most needy, determination, nonviolence, acceptance of all people, respect for life and environment, community, knowledge, and innovation.

Nonfiction Picture Book

Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez, written by Kathleen Krull and illustrated by Yuyi Morales, is a biography of Chavez that focuses on the impact of his early years, his work in the fields and organizing the workers, and efforts to sign the first contract for farmworkers. Krull shares both the highs and lows of his life, painting him as a kind and patient man who worked tirelessly on behalf of others. Here is an excerpt from his youth.

Cesar swallowed his bitter homesickness and worked alongside his family. He was small and not very strong, but still a fierce worker. Nearly every crop caused torment. Yanking out beets broke the skin between his thumb and index finger. Grapevines sprayed with bug-killing chemicals made his eyes sting and his lungs wheeze. Lettuce had to the be the worst. Thinning lettuce all day with a short-handled hoe would make hot spasms shoot through his back. Farm chores on someone else's farm instead of his own felt like a form of slavery.

As Cesar grew older and began to work on behalf of the farmworkers, he organized them and supported a nonviolent approach. Here is another excerpt.

In a fight for justice, he told everyone, truth was a better weapon than violence. "Nonviolence," he said, "takes more guts." It meant using imagination to find ways to overcome powerlessness. 

More and more people listened. 

One night, 150 people poured into an old abandoned theater in Fresno. At this first meeting of the National Farm Workers Association, Cesar unveiled its flag—a bold black eagle, the sacred bird of the Aztec Indians.

La Causa—The Cause—was born. 

Text ©Kathleen Krull. All rights reserved.

While the book ends with the signing of the first contract for farm workers, there was still much work to be done. Krull shares some of the highlights of Chavez's continued work in an Author's Note. 

The Art

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the art in these two books. Both of these illustrators, David Diaz and Yuyi Morales, have earned medals and been honored by the The Pura Belpré Award. This award is "presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth."  HARVESTING HOPE was an honor book for illustration in 2004, while CÉSAR: ¡SÍ, SE PUEDE! YES WE CAN was an honor book for illustration in 2006. While different in style, they are both gorgeous accompaniments to the stories of Chavez.

Perfect Together
There are a number of other good biographies written for children about Chavez. These two are my favorites, in part because the illustrations are so highly reflective of the culture they represent. I also think the two pair nicely in that a number of the poems match times in the life of Chavez highlighted by Krull.

For additional resources, consider these sites.

• You can find a teacher's guide for HARVESTING HOPE at Yuyi Morales' web site.
• America's Story, a collection of interesting historical facts and tidbits from the Library of Congress, has information for kids on Cesar Chavez.
• The California Department of Education has a model curriculum and resources for teachers on Cesar Chavez.
• BrainPop has a short video on Cesar Chavez. (Please note that use of this requires a paid subscription.)
• The United Farm Workers site has a history page devoted to Cesar Chavez.

Nonfiction Monday - The Story of Salt

I love books that explore science and history from different perspectives. For example, I love the notion of learning about animals not by the groups they belong to (say a book on birds or reptiles), but by some common feature that links them together, as in Venom by Marilyn Singer, or Living Color by Steve Jenkins.

One of my favorite history books looks at how salt has shaped our world. No, this isn't a straight chronology, but rather a book that examines historical events through the lens of a very important substance. One could easily imagine a book written about tea, or silk or gold in this same fashion, but being the science lover that I am, I loved learning about salt.
I learned of this book only after reading Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky. The Story of Salt is a kid-friendly version of this work. In it, Kurlansky shares the history and science of salt. Here are some interesting things kids will learn while reading this book.

• Salt is the only rock consumed by humans.


• Salt paid for the Great Wall of China.


• Without salt there would be no mummies. (If you haven't ever mummified a chicken while studying Ancient Egypt, you should!)


• Roman soldiers were often paid in salt.


• When the Jamestown colony was started, a saltwork was established.


• When America declared independence from England, the salt supply was cut off. (Did you know you need salt to make gunpowder? Losing their supply of salt prior to war was a big problem.)


• Ghandi walked 240 miles to the sea to defy British law and make salt.


• Today, the US is the world's largest supplier of salt.

This well-written and fascinating text is accompanied by color-washed pen-and-ink drawings that add humor and interest. The book ends with a timeline of salt through the centuries. Overall, this is a well-researched piece that deserves a place on your bookshelf.

Book: The Story of Salt
Author: Mark Kurlansky
Illustrator: S. D. Schindler
Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons
Publication Date: 2006
Pages: 48
Grades: 3-8
ISBN: 978-0399239984
Source of Book: Personal copy purchased at a local independent bookstore

This review was written for Nonfiction Monday. Head on over to Simply Science and check out all the great posts highlighting nonfiction this week.

Nonfiction Monday - Smart-Opedia Junior

Smart-Opedia Junior: The Amazing Book About Everything, is the perfect book for kids who love to ask questions and their parents. The following seven chapters are divided into more than 90 topical pages:

• Our Bodies
• A House to Live In
• In the City
• History
• A World of Plants and Animals
• A Big, Wide World
• The Universe

Smart-Opedia Junior opens with an introduction that describes the features of the book. Beyond the information presented on each topic, readers will find these five fun additions (as described in the book).

• Figure It Out! - Have fun with puzzles and games. Spot hidden animals, read Egyptian Hieroglyphics, make movie sound effects.

• What About You? - You are a very special person. What are your favorite colors? What's your birthday? What was the first word you said?

• Did You Know? - Eye-opening facts about animals, plants, people, and places add more information -- to make you even smarter.

• Number Time! - Discover the size of a lion, how many blocks in a pyramid, and the speed of your sneeze!

• Kids' Question - Why does the Moon change shape? How do fish breathe underwater? Why are leaves green? Find answer to real questions like these, asked by kids just like you.

Here is a sample spread showing the What About You? feature. (Click to enlarge.)

The book covers a lot of ground in 192 pages. It includes an extensive table of contents and index. It starts small with an introduction to the child's world, and then branches out to include the community and larger world. The section on Our Bodies provides a nice introduction to many of the questions kids ask about human growth and development, as well as parts of the body and illness. I found the section on A House to Live In to be the only one that was hard to follow, with individual pieces seemingly unconnected. It begins by looking at the physical structure of the place ("How Do We Get Electricity, Water and Gas?" and "Who Built the House?") and then goes on to look at "One Day at Home" (lots of chronology and time-telling) and "What to Wear?", which looks at clothing and seasons. Next comes nutrition with "A Good Breakfast for Holly", and "Linked In Living Room", which looks at all the ways we use technology to keep us connected. It ends "In the Bathroom".

The next section, In the City, looks at the community and all it offers. The section on History is only 20 pages long, so the areas highlighted need to reflect the interests of readers this age. Need I say more than inventions, dinosaurs and pirates? The choices all make sense for the target audience. A World of Plants and Animals includes information about farming, domestic and wild animals, plants, habitats and life cycles. A Big, Wide World focuses on continents and the biomes found in them, as well as the people who live there. The final section, The Universe, examines space exploration, the solar system (correctly ending with Neptune and describing the dwarf planets of Pluto, Ceres, and Eris), and living in space.

The colorful cartoon drawings and simple sentences make this an appealing book for young readers. There is much here that curious kids will love.

Book: Smart-Opedia Junior: The Amazing Book About Everything

Publisher: Maple Tree Press
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 192 pages
Grades: K-3
ISBN: 978-1897349304
Source of Book: Review copy received from Raab Associates.

This post was written for Nonfiction Monday. The round up is being hosted by Jone (MsMac) at Check It Out. Do take some time to check out all the great posts highlighting nonfiction this week.

Books for Elementary Science and Social Studies

You may have noticed that I've been blogging lite the last few weeks. Quite simply, this semester is kicking my *ss. Not only am I swamped with work, but I've had the flu and now am seeing my son through his bout with it as well.

So, my apologies for the lack of interesting stuff here. I do miss it and you. I will get back on track in the next few weeks. In the meantime you should know that my students have been hard at work reviewing books for use in teaching science and social studies. Since January 25th they have posted more than 100 titles for use in the elementary classroom. Their reviews include a brief summary of the book, ideas for curriculum connections, and links to additional resources that support the concepts being taught. Here are links to their most recent posts.

Social Studies

• Books for economics
• Books for ancient civilizations
• Books for civics
• Books for geography

Science

• Books for earth science
• Books for life science
• Books for physical science
• Books for process skills

After spring break we'll go back at it again, and you'll have more than 100 new posts by the end of April. They're working hard, so please do visit and see what they are contributing to Open Wide, Look Inside.

Books for Elementary Social Studies - Geography

Did I mention I'm team teaching this semester? I am still teaching two sections of Integrated Curriculum Methods (pedagogical approaches to teaching science and social studies in the elementary classroom), though this time around I am thrilled to be working with a social studies consultant from a local school division. That means I get to teach all the science and she teaches all the social studies. While I do miss (just a little bit) the responsibility for the whole shootin' match, I get to focus on what I do best--math (my other class) and science.

So, one class has jumped into science while the other has begun with social studies. This means that new books suggestions coming out each week will be for two different areas of the curriculum!

This week the social studies folks have posted their reviews of books for teaching geography in the elementary classroom. They have selected some really wonderful books that span the globe, so head on over to Open Wide, Look Inside to see what they're sharing this week.

Book Review - Follow That Map!

Follow That Map!: A First Look at Mapping Skills, written and illustrated by Scot Ritchie, provides readers with an introduction to map skills while whisking them off on an adventure to find some missing pets.

The Table of Contents identifies the 14 double-page spreads that take kids through this problem-solving adventure. The book opens with a Getting Started spread. It begins this way.

Do you know how to find a hidden treasure? Do you know how far your house is from the candy store? Do you know the way to your favorite ride at the amusement park? It's easy! Join the friends below and follow that map!

This text is accompanied by a simple definition and a drawing of a map that contains a number of features that are highlighted and defined, including a compass rose, landmark, symbol, legend, routes, and a scale bar.

The next double-page spread presents the problem that begins the map-reading adventure.

Sally and her friends are playing in her backyard. Pedro notices that Sally's dog, Max, and her cat, Ollie, are missing.

Where have Max and Ollie gone? The five friends decide to find out!

Each stop along the way presents a map, a question, and some helpful information. Here is an example from the spread "In the City."

No luck on the trail. Yulee suggest going to the city zoo. Maybe Max and Ollie are visiting the animals.

Martin is getting close to the zoo. Which direction is he running?

The compass rose on a map shows you directs such as north, south, east and west.

I'm not sure what the motivation for answering the questions will be, but as a part of lesson on mapping these will be helpful tools for teachers.

Readers are introduced to 10 sights and a variety of maps along the way, including a weather map, treasure map, physical map, world map, and more. The maps are colorful, interesting, well captioned, and will be interesting for kids to explore. I did have one area of concern and that is in regards to the physical map. On the page it is called a topographical map and accompanied by this definition.

A topographical map shows the natural features of a landscape. You can use this kind of map to find rolling hills, low-lying lakes or high mountains.

The map that accompanies this text is the one on the cover of the book. My problem is not with the definition, but with the map itself and the title of the map. True topographic maps use contour lines to show the shape and elevation of the earth's surface. This map does not have these lines. That's why I referred to this map as a physical map. To avoid confusion later a teacher would likely need to explain this distinction and perhaps show examples of both topographic and physical maps of an area.

The book wraps up with the kids returning home to find the missing pets asleep under a tree. The final spread leads readers through the process of creating their own maps. Teachers will find the learning resource material (pdf) for this book to a source of useful ideas and classroom activities.

I generally liked this book, though I thought the inclusion of the map of the planets to be a bit over the top, though young readers will find it fun to look at and think about. the introductory pages alone make this one worthwhile for the clear and concise way maps are presented.

Book: Follow That Map!: A First Book of Mapping Skills
Author/Illustrator: Scot Ritchie
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 32 pages
Grades: K-3
Source of Book: Review copy received from Raab Associates.

Books for Elementary Social Studies - History

This is the last week my preservice teachers will be posting social studies book reviews at Open Wide, Look Inside. This time around they focused on US and Virginia history. You'll find books about Lewis and Clark, Jamestown, the Civil War, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, some independent dames, and more.

If you want to check out titles and topics you may have missed, follow these links.

• geography
• economics
• civics
  

This is our last set of reviews for the semester, so please stop by and check out this last installment. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Books for Elementary Social Studies - Civics

If you haven't been to Open Wide, Look Inside lately, you're really missing something. In the last few weeks my students have been highlighting books for use in teaching a variety of social studies topics. This week they're focused on civics. You'll find books on patriotism, symbols of America, government, democracy, as well as biographies of figures who have made a difference in the life of our growing nation.

If you want to check out book suggestions for other topics you may have missed, follow these links.

• geography
• economics

Each entry includes a brief summary of the book, curriculum connections, links for some supporting resources, and general information about the book. If you are looking for some ideas for homeschooling or classroom social studies, do take a look. You won't be disappointed.

Nonfiction Monday - How To Build Your Own Country

I've been holding on to this book for a while, but since I'm teaching a class tonight on how to teach civics in the elementary classroom, today is the perfect time to shine a spotlight on it.

As a child I had dreams about having my own room. I didn't have to wait long, because my sister went off to college when I was 9, but before that time there were many days when I longed to draw a chalk line down the center of the room to mark off my space, my territory. If you ever shared a room with a sibling, you know what I'm talking about. For any kid who wants to take the notion of having his/her own territory to the extreme, How To Build Your Own Country will show him/her just how to do it.

Written by Valerie Wyatt and illustrated by Fred Rix, How to Build Your Own Country is a step-by-step guide to building a country from scratch. Here's how it begins.

Suppose you stumble across a chunk of land that no one owns. You could take it over and declare it a brand new country. Your own personal country! The Kingdom of Jason! The Federal Republic of Katie! Even if it were only the size of a bathmat, it would be yours, all yours!

If you think that's highly unlikely, you're right. Unlikely, but not impossible.

What follows are three chapters that guide readers through the country building process. Wyatt uses the micronation of Bathmatia (a hypothetical country founded in a bathroom) to illustrate each point, as well as information about countries currently in existence. The book is chock-full of facts relating to topics in geography, economics, and history. However, they're so creatively woven into the text that kids won't feel like they've picked up a textbook when they crack this one open. You'll be more likely to hear kids sharing interesting tidbits with their friends. Here's an example from a sidebar entitled "One Dog, One Vote."

Duncan M. MacDonald cast his vote in a 2006 election in the United States. There was only one problem: Duncan is a dog. He was registered as a voter over the phone (his owner took the call) and received an absentee ballot in the mail. (Absentee ballots are used by voters who can't vote in person at election time.) Duncan marked his choice with a paw print, and then his owner, Jane Balogh, mailed in the ballot. Ms. Balogh was trying to make the point that it's too easy to get registered to vote because she was concerned about voter fraud. For doing so, she was convicted of making a false statement to a public official.

The first chapter, entitled "Stake Out Your Identity," details naming your country, finding a population, designing a flag and choosing a motto, and writing a national anthem. In addition to helpful hints for completing each task, readers will find some handy-dandy activities along the way, like the U-Name-It matching column for folks stumped for a name, or the Mad-Lib™ style fill-in-the-blanks for writing a national anthem.

Chapter two, entitled "Run the Country," explains setting up a government (autocracy, oligarchy, theocracy, single-party government, and democracy are all described), holding elections, writing a constitution, making the laws, serving your citizens, making money, and taking a holiday. Here's how this chapter begins.

Running a country is a bit like having a pet fish. You have to take care of the fish or bad things will happen (to the fish). Actually, looking after a population is a lot more work than that because your citizens won't be satisfied with just food and clean water. They will expect big things, such as a justice system, a government and an economy, and smaller things, such as roads, schools and hospitals. These are the necessities that will help them lead healthy and prosperous lives. And if your citizens are healthy and prosperous, your country will be, too.

The last chapter, entitled "Meet the Neighbors," highlights the fact that we all live in "one big world, and sometimes we need to work together on issues like peace and global warming and disaster relief." What follows is an introduction to some of our neighbors (big and small, old and new, rich and poor, etc.), international organizations, and talk of keeping the peace.

While there is no bibliography at the end of the book, there is a helpful glossary and an extensive index. Remember how I said that the book covered a range of topics in social studies? Here alone is what you'll find if you explore the index listings for the letter R.

• refugees
• religions
• representative government
• representatives
• revolutions
• rights, citizens
• rights, human
• Russia

The writing in the book is engaging and often playful (jokes and puns abound), but always straightforward and clear. Topics are broken down into easily digestible chunks so that the text never gets overwhelming for readers. The cartoon illustrations are quirky, colorful and fun, adding to the playfulness of the text. (Take a look at these spreads from the book.)

Part of the CitizenKid collection (a collection of books that inform children about the world and inspire them to be better global citizens), How to Build Your Own Country will make a fine addition to school and classroom libraries. For teachers who want to help kids better understand issues related to government, this book will serve as a useful guide to setting up a micronation in the classroom. You can even download some helpful learning resource materials to help with this endeavor. Just don't say I didn't warn you if your class decides to annex the cafeteria and demands its users pay taxes!

Book: How To Build Your Own Country
Author: Valerie Wyatt
Illustrator: Fred Rix
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Publication Date: August, 2009
Pages: 40 pages
Grades: 3-6
ISBN: 978-1554533107

Source of Book: Review copy received from Raab Associates.

This post was written for Nonfiction Monday. Hosting this week is Tina Nichols Coury at Tales from the Rushmore Kid. Do take some time to check out all the great posts highlighting nonfiction this week.

Books for Elementary Social Studies - Geography

Last week my preservice teachers posted their reviews of books for teaching economics in the elementary classroom. This week they've focused on geography. I'm amazed at the number of wonderful selections they have, including nonfiction, poetry, and some very creative picture book suggestions. Head on over to Open Wide, Look Inside this week to see what they're sharing.

Books for Elementary Social Studies - Economics

Last week my students returned to the task of reading and reviewing books for the elementary classroom, this time with an eye for the social studies. This first time around they tackled economics. You'll find books on trade, barter, wants and needs, money and more. Head on over to Open Wide, Look Inside and see what they're sharing.

Nonfiction Monday - Let It Begin Here!

While I dutifully studied history and memorized dates, names and places in high school and college, it wasn't my favorite subject. That's unfortunate, because history learning should be filled with STORY. I suppose that's why I was so enamored of Schoolhouse Rock. The videos combined music and story in a way that made me want to know more. Here's an example.

What gets lost in all these accounts, whether cleverly told in song or written in textbooks, is the story of the people involved (some might say the little people), and absolute horror that is war. Let It Begin Here!: April 19, 1775, The Day the American Revolution Began, written and illustrated by Don Brown, puts readers on the Lexington Green with the militia, facing a column of regulars (redcoats) three times their size. Brown puts a human face on the events of that day, tracing the skirmishes at Lexington, Concord, Meriam's Corner, Bloody Curve, and Menotomy (today's Arlington). When the regulars finally reached the safety of waterfront and a nearby British warship, the "road between Charlestown and Concord lay strewn with dead men and horses. Seventy-three redcoats died and 174 were wounded. The Yankees suffered 49 dead and 39 wounded."

It is this day, these events, this start to the war that Brown has described so clearly. It's not an easy story to read. The pictures are filled with the bloody imagery of war--bullets fly through victims from both sides, members of the militia are bayoneted by the regulars, a redcoat is killed with a hatchet. War is not pretty or romantic. It's an ugly thing. Brown has managed to capture these notions in his illustrations without too much gory detail.

While the illustrations on every page help bring the story to life, it is the well-written text that pushes readers forward through the story. The events unfold slowly, but once the fighting begins the story is riveting, and even though we all know how it turns out, a bit unbelievable. The militia assembled on Lexington Green are small in number and led by a man dying of tuberculosis. When dawn arrived, so did the regulars. Spectators gathered around the edges of the green. No one knows who fired the first shot, but that one shot signaled the assembled to begin firing. Before long the green was filled with smoke from the muskets. As that battle ended, here's what happened next.

They left the dead and grieving of Lexington. But as the regulars marched the six miles to Concord, thousands of militiamen from surrounding towns rallied. The lanthorns Revere had shone hours earlier had set in motion alarm riders, signal shots, and beacon fires that had spread the call to arms everywhere.

It wouldn't be an overstatement to say that the events in the book are pulse-pounding. I began racing through the text to see what would happen next.

In an interview in SLJ, Brown had this to say about the book.

We're connected to the past by a shared humanity. You can make a 21st-century connection to a loss in the 18th century because you're human. It doesn't matter if it's the Babylonian War or the Revolutionary War. [The events have a] greater impact if you use people to tell the story. The Battle of Lexington and Concord is well documented. You can put names and faces on the people involved. The man who dies on his own stoop in front of his wife and children [in Let It Begin Here!]—that's pretty rough stuff.

This is exactly why I loved this book. The battles at Lexington and Concord ARE well documented, but it's Brown's focus on the individuals involved that makes this book so compelling.

I have only focused here on the day of the battles, but Brown provides several pages of introduction that describe how the colonists got to this point in the first place, as well as a page of resolution that describes what happened to the individuals who took part in the events on April 19th. There is also a bibliography at the end of the book. I found myself wanting only two things from this book that I didn't get--page numbers (why are so many nonfiction picture books without them?!) and a map. Oh how I would have loved a map (even on the endpapers) to trace the path of the day's events.

This book would make a terrific read aloud for 4th and 5th grade students studying the Revolutionary War. Heck, I even think middle school students would be moved by the tale Brown tells. Pair this with the poem Epitaph for a Concord Boy by Stanley Young, found in Lee Bennett Hopkin's anthology America at War.

Did I mention that I loved this book? Highly recommended.

Book: Let It Begin Here!: April 19, 1775, The Day the American Revolution Began
Author/Illustrator: Don Brown
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Publication Date: December, 2008
Pages: 64 pages
Grades: 4-8
ISBN: 978-1596432215

Source of Book: Personal copy.

This post was written for Nonfiction Monday. Hosting this week is Roberta at the blog Wrapped in Foil. Do take some time to check out all the great posts highlighting nonfiction this week.

Nonfiction Monday - Pharaoh's Boat

When I was 13 I began reading Agatha Christie novels. Around the time I read Death on the Nile, my uncle (and godfather) was living and working in the Middle East for Kodak. I still treasure the picture I have of him sitting on a camel in front of the pyramids at Giza. Together, these two things (the book and the picture) started my life-long love affair with all things Egyptian.

Today I regularly spend time in elementary classrooms in Virginia where young children (second graders) learn about the contributions of ancient Chinese and Egyptian civilizations and how they have influenced the present world in terms of architecture, inventions, the calendar, and written language. I'm thrilled to report I have a new book to share with them.

Pharaoh's Boat, written and illustrated by David Weitzman, tells the story of a miraculous find near the south face of the Great Pyramid at Giza and how it was ultimately reconstructed. The book begins with a Prologue that hints at a mystery beneath the sand. With a turn of the page readers are transported back to ancient Egypt to the time of Cheops death. While Cheops had prepared for his own death by building a pyramid to house everything he would need in the afterlife, there was still a task that remained to be done upon his death.

Djedefre, Cheops's son, succeeded his father as pharaoh, and his first concerns were the rituals that would assure his father's safe passage into the afterlife. He ordered the construction of two magnificent ships: one to guide Cheops safely through the dark, perilous underworld of night, and the other to carry him up across the sky to embark on his eternal journey with the sun.

What unfolds is a description of the importance of boats to the Egyptians and the utterly intriguing tale of how such boats were built. Here are just a few of the many things I learned.

• Egyptians were expert boat builders.
• Ships were powered by woven sails of cotton and leaf-shaped oars.
• Ships had no rudder but rather large steering oars at the stern.
• Pharaoh's boat was built using cedar, sycamore, and acacia trunks.
• Master shipbuilders used no written plans.
• Workers used tools like the axe, saw, chisel, adz, and sandstone.
• Final assembly included sewing the ship together with rope woven from grass.

The science behind the shipbuilding was amazing. Here's one of the most interesting things I read.

The rope lashing did more than just hold the hull together. When sewn ships like this were launched, the wood soaked up water like a sponge and expanded. At the same time, the rope shrank as it got wet, pulling the planks together and closing any little spaces between them to make the ship watertight.

I gained a tremendous appreciation for the work of these ancient shipbuilders in reading Weitzman's description of the process. I was not, however, prepared for what came next.

While Cheops's funerary ships were being finished, workers carved two pits--each a hundred feet long, eight feet wide, and eleven feet deep--out of solid limestone bedrock at the base of his pyramid.

As soon as the boats were completed, they were taken apart and placed in the pits.

What?! To say I was flabbergasted would be an understatement. In just a few pages of description and illustration I came to appreciate the beauty and craftsmanship in these boats. Taking them apart seemed like sacrilege.

The story of the building of Pharoah's boats ends with a description of their placement in the pits and the steps taken to protect them from tomb robbers. Weitzmans' book however, does not here. Readers are taken back to 1954 and the discovery of a boundary wall in an unexpected location. The workers continued to dig and found rows of limestone blocks where there should have been bedrock. The Egyptologist in charge of the work believed the blocks to be covering boat pits. With a bit more excavation he was proven to be correct.

The text goes on to describe the work of Ahmed Youssef Moustafa, the "chief of the Restoration Department of the Egyptian Antiquities Service, and the man chose to direct the recovery, preservation, and reconstruction of the huge ancient ship--an almost impossible task that no one had ever undertaken before." This section of the book is distinguished from the rest by modern (realistic) 3-D illustrations, while the portion of the book describing the work of the ancients is rendered in the flat 2-D style seen in hieroglyphs and tomb paintings. To get a feel for the artwork you can view some sample pages from the book.

I found the story of Moustafa's research and work to unravel the secrets of ancient shipbuilders simply fascinating. While Moustafa and his workers tried to unlock the secrets held in the pieces of the boat, they assembled and disassembled it FIVE times before they were satisfied they had it right. When the boat was finally installed in a new museum in 1970 near Cheops's pyramid, it took them only three months to assemble. You can see the piece in all its glory at the end of the text where a stunning gatefold opens to reveal the completed boat. (For some actual photographs of the boat, visit Mysteries of the Nile: Pharaoh's Boat (Solar Barque).)

The Afterword provided by the author describes efforts to recover the second boat buried underneath the one Moustafa put together.

If I sound a bit starry-eyed about this book it's because I am. I find the fact that shipbuilding techniques have remained largely unchanged in more than 4000 years to be simply amazing. Weitzman reeled me in on the first page and never let me go. When I reached the end I wanted to know more. Kids will undoubtedly feel the same. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Book: Pharaoh's Boat
Author/Illustrator: David Weitzman
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Publication Date: May, 2009
Pages: 32 pages
Grades: 3-8
ISBN: 978-0547053417

Source of Book: Personal copy.

This post was written for Nonfiction Monday. Hosting this week is Pam Coughlan, AKA MotherReader. Do take some time to check out all the great posts highlighting nonfiction this week.

Nonfiction Monday - Exploring the Big Numbers of Population

I've been a trainer for Population Connection for some time now. I like the emphasis their curricular materials place on understanding human impacts on the environment. They also strive to help kids understand really big numbers. In my professional development workshops I always bring along the book If the World Were a Village: A Book About the World's People. Written by David J. Smith and illustrated by Shelagh Armstrong, this book imagines the population of the world as represented by a village of just 100 people.

First published in 2002, the text was updated in 2008 to reflect new population statistics. Here's how the book begins.

Earth is a crowded place, and it is getting more crowded all the time. As of 2008, the world's population was 6 billion, 660 million -- that's 6,660,000,000. Thirty-one countries have more than 40 million (40,000,000) people. Eleven countries each have more than 100 million (100,000,000) people. China has over 1 billion, 300 million (1,300,000,000), while India has over 1 billion, 100 million (1,100,000,000).

Numbers this big are hard to understand, but what if we imagined the whole population of the world as a village of just 100 people? In this imaginary village, each person would represent 67 million (67,000,000) people from the real world.

Upon entering the global village, readers first learn about the people who live here and where they come from. Given the numbers in the introduction, it shouldn't surprise you that 61 of the inhabitants come Asia. In fact, more than half of the people in the village come from the 6 most populated countries.

The text continues by exploring the village in terms of languages spoken (21 speak a Chinese dialect, 9 speak English, 9 speak Hindi, and 7 speak Spanish), ages of inhabitants, religions (33 are Christians, 21 are Muslims, 13 are Hindus, and 15 are non-religious), schooling and literacy, money and possessions, and more. Beyond these pages that describe the backgrounds and circumstances of the villagers, I find those on the distribution of food, air and water quality, and availability of electricity to be the ones that generate the most discussion. For example, here's what readers learn on the page about food.

There is no shortage of food in the global village. If all the food were divided equally, everyone would have enough to eat. But the food isn't divided equally. So although there is enough to feed the villagers, not everyone is well fed:

50 people do not have a reliable source of food and are hungry some or all of the time.
16 other people are severely undernourished.

Only 34 people always have enough to eat.

You can see why these facts lead to so much discussion. It's difficult for many children to comprehend the lack of such basic necessities.

The book ends with a look at the village in the past (how many people lived there in 1650? 1800? 1900?) and a look at the village in the future. There is an extensive page of notes about teaching children about the global village and notes on sources and how calculations were made. This is a fabulous book that can be used in many areas across the curriculum.

I am happy to report that Smith and Armstrong have followed up this work with If America Were a Village: A Book About the People of the United States. Since the U.S. hit 300 million in 2006, it seems only fitting that Smith tackle the subject in this manner. An author's note at the beginning confirms that the use of the word America for the purposes of the book refers only to the United States. Here's how it begins.

There are more than 306 million people in the United States today. This huge number is hard to imagine and even harder to analyze. And America never stays still--it is always changing and growing. There is 1 birth about every 8 seconds and 1 death about every 12 seconds, which means that 1 or maybe even 2, were added while you were reading this paragraph.

To find out more about America and Americans, we are going to reduce the whole population of America to a village of 100 people, the imaginary village you see here. Each person in this village of 100 will represent more than 3 million Americans in the real world.

I was interested to see how the American village numbers compared to the global village. Here's what I learned.

• 13 are foreign-born
• 75 are white, 12 are black, 1 is Native American, and 4 are Asian.
• 82 speak English as their first language, 10 speak Spanish, 1 speaks Chinese, 1 French, and 1 German. Other languages are spoken, but not widely enough to represent 1 whole person in the village.
• In 1900, 40 people lived in towns and cities and 60 lived in the country. Today, 80 live in towns and cities and 20 live in the country.
• 82 are Christian, 2 are Buddhist, 1 is Jewish, 1 is Muslim, and 10 are non-religious.
• Americans own a lot of STUFF. There are 81 cars, more than in any other country. (NOTE: In the global village, there would be only 13 cars!) There are also 73 cell phones, 74 televisions, 200 radios, 76 computers, and 39 bicycles.

Other topics explored include family structure, employment, age, wealth, energy and water use, and health. In many cases the American village numbers are compared to the global village for some perspective (and perhaps a bit of humility and gratefulness). As with the first book, there is an extensive endnote on helping children understand American, as well as a note on sources.

In both books, Armstrong's illustrations are bright and colorful. The images in the newest book focus more on people and faces than the first, but given the diversity of the global village, this is an understandable choice. Since the the second book is about a topic closer to home, it also makes more sense to focus more heavily on the people.

Like its predecessor, this new book does an admirable job of making large numbers understandable for kids. The facts will provide fodder for discussions and will leave young people and their teachers with much to think about. For use in math, science, and social studies instruction, I highly recommend both titles.

If you would like some additional materials to support your use of these books, check out these resources.

• Learning Materials for If America Were a Village (PDF)
• Learning Materials for If the World Were a Village (PDF)
• Population education resources
• David Smith's site Mapping the World by Heart
  

Finally, check out this video excerpt from If the World Were a Village. It will give you a feel for the wonderful illustrations and the content of the text.

Book: If the World Were a Village: A Book About the World's People
Author: David J. Smith
Illustrator: Shelagh Armstrong
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Publication Date: 2002
Pages: 32 pages
Grades: 3-8
ISBN: 978-1550747799

Source of Book: Personal copy.

Book: If America Were a Village: A Book About the People of the United States
Author: David J. Smith
Illustrator: Shelagh Armstrong
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Publication Date: August, 2009
Pages: 32 pages
Grades: 3-8
ISBN: 978-1554533442

Source of Book: Review copy received from Raab Associates.

This post was written for Nonfiction Monday. Hosting this week is Diane Chen from Practically Paradise. Do take some time to check out all the great posts highlighting nonfiction this week.