Happy Women's History Month!

Happy Women’s History Month! We last wrote about how we recognized Women’s History Month in the classroom in 2018 when we were co-teaching in 3rd grade with this post: Womyn's/ Womxn's/ Women's Herstory Month. All of those books are still wonderful and the general tie ins with other subjects, March Book Madness, and celebrating International Women’s Day are all things I would be bringing into my classroom if I was teaching this year.

I also am intrigued by the FairPlay Home (Eq)uity Tool Kit. I haven’t used this myself and still need to investigate more, but love the idea (and the tagline “Close the Chore Gap!”). Instead of stopping at acknowledging women’s invisible labor (or expressing gratitude to all the amazing women in our lives), let’s teach kids to be aware of it and think critically about it. You know kids will find a creative solution to the “chore gap” and be reflective and flexible while they think through solutions. 

Invisible labor is an important concept to teach students. We’ve always been big fans of explicit vocabulary instruction and applying new concepts to our lives and the world around us. Students could explore potential invisible labor at their school, in their homes, or in their community and who is doing this labor and why or how it is invisible, unrecognized, and unpaid. 

March can be a stressful month with the last push before standardized testing, so if you are under pressure to prioritize test prep or other subjects, you can still welcome students each day with a reminder of Women’s History Month. The Newsela article Artist honors remarkable women in history with a drawing every day shares artist Tiffany Wong’s project (you can see more of her paintings here). You could show students one painting a day and share Tiffany’s research about the woman depicted as well as asking students to share what they know or potentially do their own research. This could be a sign in, greeting, or dismissal activity depending on when you can fit it in.

Newsela has a number of text sets (collections of articles) about Women’s History Month. Some other articles we noted are: When women were told they would be paid starvation wages, they protested and "Black Rosies:" Forgotten Black women workers of World War II.

I’ve frequently had students ask me why we have a Women’s History Month and when Men’s History Month is (or why doesn’t it exist?). Usually, I turn that question back to my class and give them time to brainstorm and discuss in small groups and as a whole class. Sometimes, I tell them we will keep learning about Women’s History Month and collecting ideas about why we celebrate this month. Often, students are able to explain to each other that we learn about men in history all the time so they don’t need a special month and that women’s contributions to history are often forgotten or omitted. 

Some books that might help students think through these realities are:

Mary Wears What She Wants by Keith Negley (pictured above). It is truly shocking (and will enrage your students) that Mary got arrested for wearing pants! Students will understand her logic that pants aren’t “men’s clothes, they are my clothes.”

Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors?: The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell will also be shocking to students who most likely know female doctors (or if they don’t, have them meet a few!). 

Marie Curie and the Power of Persistence by Karla Valenti shares about Marie Curie’s superpower! Students will love the superhero tie in (and aren’t many scientist real live superheroes?). You can also share with students that while Marie Curie was the first double Nobel Prize winner, her husband had to advocate for her to get her first Nobel prize because she was a woman.

I Dare! I Can! I Will!: The Day the Icelandic Women Walked Out and Inspired the World by Linda Ólafsdóttir has not been published yet, so I haven’t gotten a chance to read it, but I cannot wait to read it and share it with students!

These books are anthologies sharing about many different women and girls:

Lives of Extraordinary Women: Rulers, Rebels ~ and What the Neighbors Thought by Kathleen Krull is a nice counter argument to the “we aren’t ready for a female president” narrative, as women have been rulers and leaders for centuries.

Shaking Things Up: 14 Young Women Who Changed the World Kids love reading about other kids!

Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women The title says it all! Also, who doesn’t love reading stories of inventions?

You can find even more book ideas here: 30 Picture Books About World-Changing Women

Happy March and hope spring finds you soon!

Thanksgiving Activities, Gratitude, and More

It’s November! We made it through most of the Fall and the election! Thanksgiving (and a break!) is around the corner, so sharing some reminders and activities. Here are some from the past: Thanksgiving & Native American Heritage Month Resources & Reminders. 

Always center Native American perspectives however you address Thanksgiving in your classroom (and in general). For example, you and your students could look at the Native Land map to see whose land you're on and emphasize that they are still here. You could research the tribe whose land you are on and find out about where they are living now.

Also, show students the table depicting original tribal names and note that many tribal names were changed by white settlers. 

Learn about land acknowledgements by watching Land Acknowledgement | Molly of Denali.  (Sidenote, Molly of Denali is a great example of representation, own voices, and a genuine character that has typical trials and tribulations as all kids do. Alaskan Native voices are involved in all aspects of production and research shows positive effects on children’s use of informational text after watching the show.)

You and your students can think about creating a land acknowledgement at your school or in your community. However, keep in mind the limitations of land acknowledgements, and talk to students about how they should just be the first step and DO NOT and CANNOT undo or “fix” past wrongs. For a more in depth analysis from a Indigenous perspective, listen to this story from Oregon Public Broadcasting: As land acknowledgments become more common, Indigenous people grapple with next steps - OPB

A new picture book that is a re-telling of the story of Thanksgiving is Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun's Thanksgiving Story. There are discussion guides online, but unfortunately the book is sold out and won’t be back in stock before Thanksgiving. However, something to keep in mind for next year! 

I try to incorporate gratitude into my classroom all year, especially towards people in the building who take care of us. There are many studies about the positive effects of gratitude and students love putting good energy out there and planning surprises or pick-me-ups for others. 

Nikki Grimes expresses it so beautifully:

Find this poem on Twitter here. Use it to inspire students and/or yourself! Another fun idea is tiny gratitude stories from the New York Times. They asked Tell Us What You’re Thankful For, in Six Words in the past. I love these ideas for so many reasons, at the very least because there are plenty of mentor texts for students and it is something quick and easy (and FUN). Students could challenge others in the building to write one as well and add it to a wall or bulletin board.

See other Gratitude Activities We Love from our post last Thanksgiving.

Happy (almost) Thanksgiving. Hope your holidays are relaxing and filled with deliciousness!

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Teaching about Elections

Happy Election Day Eve! I know many of us are feeling a lot about the election, and waiting for the results will make for an anxiety ridden late night. I often end up staying up too late for inconclusive results, so I have learned to turn off the TV, put my phone down, and go to bed! 

Two years ago, when we were all waiting for the presidential election to take place, addressing the topic on everyone’s mind and Teaching the History of Voting Rights in the USA actually gave me some relief and channeled some of all of our nervous energy into learning about participating in democracy and civil rights. Also, students were excited to share the way many of their family members voted (by mail, early voting, etc). We read Granddaddy’s Turn, A Journey to the Ballot Box for that lesson, but another great picture book to use to start the lesson is Lillian's Right to Vote: A Celebration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Teaching is inherently political as you are always choosing what to teach, how to teach, whose voices to include, and more, but depending on your school situation and whatever is best for you and your students, you can also just teach about the process and answer student questions instead of leaning into the political discussion. Remember children pick up on the anxiety adults are feeling around them and they hear, see, and notice EVERYTHING. So giving them time to talk and process and put words to the feelings going on around them and for them is always helpful. 

Also, in case election results are rough, here is a reminder from an incredibly hard day in the past: Post-Election in 5th Grade.

Newsela has some great resources too. This article: What's at stake in midterm elections? Here's what to watch before Election Day could also be a great starting place as a way to give students background information, or this text set: Midterm Elections 2022: Introduction  would work for a more in-depth exploration.

Two books that I haven’t yet gotten the chance to read, but look intriguing and potentially good fits for an election related lesson are The President of the Jungle and Equality’s Call: The Story of Voting Rights in America. For younger students, Grace for President or Duck for President have both worked well for me in the past.

One other thing to consider is talking to students about local elections, as the national elections often occupy most of the news coverage, but local issues might resonate with students more and give them more of an opportunity to relate to the lesson and see how things work in their community.

Some other useful election resources are below. The first link is a video I have not yet had the opportunity to share with students, but think it has potential for a lot of learning, discussing, and more. Some students might be very familiar with disenfranchisement of specific populations, while others will be shocked to know it takes place today.

Should People Convicted of a Crime Be Allowed to Vote?

2022 Election Teaching Resources for Midterms

The Election Collection | PBS LearningMedia

Teaching Resources for the US Elections - Facing History

Voting and Elections | Resources for a Civil Classroom

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Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Happy May! Teachers (and students!), you are so close to the end of the school year.

Before the school year ends, it is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! This year, more than ever, it is important to uplift and share AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) voices as we are facing a huge increase in hate crimes and anti-Asian sentiment. The Library of Congress hosts this site with lots of teacher resources, both historical and current. Another helpful resource is Standing Together from the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center which addresses the need to stand together against rising racism, hate, and violence. This site also provides facts and resources.

Newsela has a lot of articles and text sets that would work for AAPI Heritage Month depending on what you want to focus on. Also, make sure you look at a map! It’s always helpful to talk about what “Asian” actually means, learn about the different regions in Asia, and think about population, religion, languages, food (my personal favorite) and more. I often find students are confused about terminology and appreciate the clarification. For example, I share how I identify (American, Asian American, Indian American, South Asian American, etc.) and how these terms all work for me and they are just more or less specific. We look at different maps to make sure we understand exactly what these terms mean, and I explain my preferences and emphasize that how I chose to identify is unique to me, and you should always ask or let people share with you before you assume. 

Last year,  Gabby shared this post with some book suggestions for everyone from babies to adults. Here are a few more (new-ish) books that I couldn’t resist sharing that would work for so many purposes. There are so many wonderful books out there, but I challenge you to make sure your AAPI protagonists aren’t all immigrants or focusing on their immigration experience. 

Picture books:

Bilal Cooks Dal (cover photo) by Aisha Saeed and Anoosha Syed (illustrator): this one isn’t that new (from 2019), but it is such a wonderful book on multiple levels! First of all, it is very important that everyone knows about dal, it’s eaten by over a billion people and is delicious and so versatile. Also, I love this relatable story about a child who wants to share his favorite food with his friends (and is confused that they don’t already know about it and later scared that they might not like it). And there is a recipe at the back of the book! 

What I Am by Divya Srinivasan is a thoughtful and colorful response from a young girl to someone asking her “What are you?” Those of us who’ve gotten that question before and those of us who might have asked someone that question (and just all of us) could benefit from reading about her answers. This would be a great book to start a discussion or exploration about the complex facets of identify and how we can all adapt and change in varied settings.

Love in the Library by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Yas Imamura (illustrator). This new release is on my “to read” list. It’s based on a true story about love blooming in the library at the Minidoka prison camp during World War II (where Americans of Japanese descent where incarcerated). 

Drawn Together: also not that new, but such a gorgeous book! I’ve been waiting to read this book for Grandparents and Special Friends Day at our school for years now, but it keeps being canceled due to the pandemic. But you can use this book in so many ways, the theme of togetherness is not limited to language barriers and students really relate to the drawings and the idea of using your imagination. 

Middle Grade/Young Adult:

Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh: while there is so much to admire in this book, I loved the element of students fighting back against racism with actions and organization. Parts of the story are dark (mental health struggles, the protagonist learns about her grandparents’ experiences during the Korean War), but it fits with the current times in an honest, realistic, but still hopeful way. Also, it tells an immigration story, but is really a story about someone who is a third generation American, but not always perceived that way, which is an important distinction to share with students.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo: set in 1950’s San Francisco, I learned so much from reading this! And couldn't put it down. While this is historical fiction, the injustices in the book really happened. Chinatown is a legacy of days when Chinese and Chinese-American people were not welcome in any other neighborhoods. The “Red Scare” and the discrimination and intimidation that went along with it did involve threats of deportation and taking away citizenship. This is all the backdrop to Lily, the main character, coming of age, grappling with her identities and opposing loyalties, and discovering lesbian culture in San Franciso

Almost American Girl by Robin Ha: this is a fun memoir graphic novel that I read in one day. It is an immigration story, also touches on gender norms and expectations in different cultures. 

Adult:

The Fortunes of Jaded Women by Carolyn Huynh: I read this book as an eARC from NetGalley and LOVED it. From my review: There is an amazing cast of characters and we hear from all of them. The shifting narrative is really well done as each character has their own voice which is impressive as there are so many characters. Also, so many funny/relatable moments. I'm not Vietnamese-American, but as the child of immigrants, so many details rang true for me. And I loved all the descriptions of food. There was nothing predictable about this story, but so many things to enjoy: a curse, fortune tellers, lots of family and relationship drama, and other surprises I won't mention because of spoilers. Some of the family reunion scenes made me laugh out loud. 

The Verifiers: this is on my “to read” list and has so many things going for it: identity, family expectations, detective agency, potential romance, and a technology twist with a Chinese-American queer protagonist.

Happy Reading and almost summer!

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Earth Day Read Alouds

April is flying by, which means it is almost Earth Day! I’m a proponent of including conservation and environmental responsibility in our learning as naturally as possible (shout out to the Science teachers at my school who do some amazing work with students covering water testing, erosion, soil analysis, invasive plants, and more). However, it’s always worth acknowledging Earth Day and joining in the celebration. We wrote a post last year with some  Earth Day picture book favorites, and here are a few more options for this year.

Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney: I’ve had this book since I was a child and now have a t-shirt to match! It’s worth a read for the gorgeous illustrations alone and is also a great goal setting/resolutions read too. However, make sure you address the “Indians” her grandfather was carving to put in front of cigar shops. It’s a stereotypical image of American Indians. There is such little representation of American Indians in children’s literature so we don’t want to reinforce a stereotype with one of the few images students might see. You can read more from Debbie Reese on her invaluable blog, American Indians in Children’s Literature, here.

The Curious Garden by Peter Brown: I met Peter Brown at an author visit at Books Are Magic and have visited the High Line (in NYC) which is the inspiration for the book. Those are both fun anecdotes to share with students, but really this book is such a great read for so many reasons! It appeals to city kids in particular as many Earth Day books do not take place in urban settings. I’ve used it for so many purposes and students love finding Liam, the gardener and main character, on each page. 

Ada's Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay by Susan Hood and Sally Wern Comport: this is a true story! While this book is on my “to read” list, I love the opportunity to learn about Paraguay and find it on a map, as well as think about socio-economic concerns and how not everyone can afford to take music lessons on top of the clear environmental message of recycling and turning trash into treasures.

One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia by Miranda Paul and Elizabeth Zunon. Another true story that is still on my “to read” list, this book shares the story of Isatou Ceesay in Njau, Gambia. She fought against the idea that young women can’t be leaders and created an amazing movement focused around reusing plastic bags to benefit her community. 

Rebel Girls Climate Warriors: 25 Tales of Women Who Protect the Earth by Rebel Girls. Another Rebel Girls series, this one focuses on sharing stories of women all over the world fighting for climate justice.

The Last Straw: Kids vs. Plastics by Susan Hood is yet another book I still want to read, but the excerpts I’ve seen include lovely nonfiction poems about kid activists fighting to protect the environment. Plus, the book includes a timeline, author’s note, further resources, and more to encourage students to keep learning. (I included this as well as the next book in our National Poetry Month post as they work on both fronts!)

Mii maanda ezhi-gkendmaanh / This Is How I Know by Brittany Luby and illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley is a bilingual Anishinaabemowin and English book showing how a young girl and her grandmother know when a new season is starting. This book is also on my “to read” list, but seems like it has potential to be a wonderful mentor text. The sense of being aware of the earth as well as grateful for the changes each season bring make this a lovely Earth Day read aloud. The author is of  Anishinaabe descent and the illustrator is of Ojibwe descent.

A New Green Day by Antoinette Portis is a book full of nature riddles! Gabby recommended it as something fun and a great potential mentor text.

If You Come to Earth by Sophie Blackall is a gorgeous book celebrating our planet and our shared humanity. Perfect for Earth Day and for little ones, it reminds us to take care of each other and our planet.

Happy Earth Day!

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April is National Poetry Month

Happy April or National Poetry Month! Poetry is something to infuse into your classroom (and life) everyday, but if you don’t have time to teach a standalone poetry unit, you can use it as a morning greeting, introduction to a topic or subject, or a way to share information. There are so many different types of poems. We don’t have a poetry unit as part of our 3rd grade curriculum, but we make sure to have plenty of poetry books in our classroom. I’ve learned that students who read one novel in verse often want to try others, so I always include them on my “teacher recommendations” shelf. Novels in verse also make wonderful read alouds, too. They sound beautiful when read aloud and are relatively quick reads.

Here are some ideas for teaching poetry that we shared in 2019. Many of these could be standalone lessons or part of a larger poetry unit.

In the past, Gabby read This is a Poem That Heals Fish by Jean-Pierre Siméon (translated from French) to our 3rd graders and asked them to write their own poem starting with, “A poem is..” as many characters in the book do. She played music while they were writing, and when the music stopped, students rotated to a different desk and continued that poem. The results were lovely, hilarious, and sometimes surprisingly dark (see the cover photo for an example). It was a fun activity that would work for an introduction to a poetry unit, National Poetry Month, and building collaboration or thinking about different writing voices. You can read more about the book and see some of the beautiful illustrations here.

Here are some other new (ish) books for National Poetry Month:

Kiyoshi's Walk by Mark Karlins is another beautiful resource for introducing poetry or thinking about where to find writing inspiration. A child asks his grandfather where poems come from, and his grandfather helps him find out by taking him on a walk around the city!

Unsettled by Reem Faruqi (yes, I can’t stop recommending books by Reem Faruqi!) is a must for the classroom. Nurah moves to Georgia, USA with her family from Pakistan and the novel follows the ups and downs of their big move. Nurah loves her family, swimming, and art. She’s thoughtful, determined, and brave, an excellent MC. Through her eyes we see the ups and downs of other characters’ lives too from colorism/xenophobia/racism, relationship physical abuse/ bullying, miscarriages, and mental health( depression, Alzheimer’s). All of these pieces are included in a way that felt both real enough, but still light enough for middle grade— which is a true feat in itself. (I’m quoting from Gabby’s Goodreads review as this book is still on my “to read” list!).

My Thoughts Are Clouds: Poems for Mindfulness by Georgia Heard is another book on my “to read” list, but it looks beautiful and very helpful for everything we are all managing in the classroom right now! 

Mii maanda ezhi-gkendmaanh / This Is How I Know by Brittany Luby and illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley is a bilingual Anishinaabemowin and English book showing how a young girl and her grandmother know when a new season is starting. This book is also on my “to read” list, but seems like it has potential to be a wonderful mentor text. The author is of  Anishinaabe descent and the illustrator is of Ojibwe descent.

Samira Surfs by Rukhsanna Guidroz is another middle grade novel in verse on my “to read” list. Samira is a twelve-year-old girl who is a Rohingya refugee. She and her family had to flee their home and are now living in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Samira starts learning to surf, but has to overcome many obstacles to do so. The book includes an author’s note explaining the situation in Myanmar. I want to read it myself as it sounds like it has so much potential for a read aloud and something to recommend to my students. 

The Last Straw: Kids vs. Plastics by Susan Hood is yet another book I still want to read, but the excerpts I’ve seen include lovely nonfiction poems about kid activists fighting to protect the environment. Plus, the book includes a timeline, author’s note, further resources, and more to encourage students to keep learning. Seems like a great book for Earth Day or everyday.

Happy reading and writing!

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MLK Day 2022: Reminders & Ideas

Photo credit: https://www.childrensbookworld.com/book/9781629799391 

Another 3rd grade teacher I know had a colleague forward her a link to an Art of Teaching post I wrote 4 years ago (a slightly modified version of this post on our blog) about teaching MLK day! It was a nice surprise and funny coincidence, as well as a welcome reminder to use primary sources with my 3rd graders.

This year, however, we went with a different approach as my co-teacher (who is new to me this school year!) had the brilliant idea of widening our focus to Dr. King’s legacy and movement and thinking about the people who came before and after him.

I also always remind educators to tie Dr. King’s work back to today and future work. This is not a one lesson or one day reminder, it is something you should think about all year. Two obvious examples of this work continuing are Black Lives Matter at School Week and Black History Month, but you don’t have to stop there.

My co-teacher helped my students (and me) learn about other people who contributed to the movement. The examples are endless, but here are a few with links to related pictures books:

• Lizzie Jennings: I had never heard of Lizzie Jennings, but she fought for her right to ride a streetcar in New York City in 1854 (100 years before Rosa Parks!). This is a wonderful story for so many reasons, but might help students conceptualize that the fight for equal rights on public transport was not limited to the South.

• Claudette Colvin: she was a 15 year old who was arrested and dragged off the bus in Montgomery for refusing to give up her seat nine months before Rosa Parks triggered the bus boycott.

• Georgia Gilmore: she sustained the Montgomery bus boycott by selling food and collecting donations. She also protected the members of her organization from employer retaliation. We read this book last year as part of work we did during Black Lives Matter at School week

Picture books are a wonderful medium for students of any age, but they are not the only option! Even if a picture book about something doesn’t exist, you can use photos, video clips, Newsela articles (or write your own!). You can always adapt materials that aren’t accessible for your students and explain to them how you did so. 

As always, we would love to hear how other educators (or families) addressed this topic or commemorated the holiday. If you didn’t have a chance due to so many factors complicating our day to day lives, remember it is never too late!

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