Walk for Water

On Friday, our school's entire 5th grade (450-500 students) took a mile long walk to donate water to our local food pantry and a local church that provides a free meal once a month.  Why?  Because we read A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park.  The story is part true, part realistic fiction.  Two stories are told in the book, that of Nya, a young African girl living in South Sudan and that of Salva Dut, a young boy in the 1980s during the Sudanese Civil War.  Nya must travel hours each day to gather water in a 50 lb. jerry can to take back to her family.  It's the closest water source to their village and it's dirty.  Because of this, Nya cannot attend school, as she is the sole water provider for her family.  Salva Dut lost his family in the Sudanese war in the 1980s.  He fled from his village and eventually became one of the "lost boys" of Sudan.  He eventually made his way to the United States and started an organization, Water for South Sudan, in which he and other people drill wells in remote parts of Africa.  Nya and Salva's story eventually meet up with a rewarding ending.  Watch the book trailer!  

Our 5th graders were riveted by the harsh life of several million people around the world.  It's hard for them to imagine not having water in their homes, let alone dirty water they had to walk hours to get twice a day, like Nya.  Upon finishing the book, I introduced the idea of collecting fresh gallons of water to donate to our local food pantry for those in need.  Needless to say, the gallons started rolling in.  I proposed the idea of a walk to the other 5th grade teachers and they picked it right up and ran with it!  We all loved seeing the enthusiasm and empathy the book created amongst our students.  They were committed to making a difference!  

How did all of this come about?  Nerdy Book Club, of course!  Davide Etkin and Holly Mueller (who happens to be not only my good friend and former teaching partner, but also my writing partner for Choice Literacy and a book venture we're embarking upon) planted the seed in their joint Nerdy Book Club post, Long Walk to Water.  Check it out!  I guarantee you'll be inspired, too!

Now, onto some of the pictures from Friday!  The weather was gorgeous~a crisp, cool fall day in the Cincinnati area.  Perfect for a walk in which we think about those less fortunate than us and look forward to helping those in need.  What a way to kick off November, a month in which we reflect on everything we're thankful for.  These kids and teachers deserve a huge shout-out.  They ROCK!!

Lined up at Berry and ready to walk Lebanon!

These are my yahoos!  They're amazing!!  

These are mine too.  Again, fabulous!!

On our way to the food pantry!

Having fun...and realizing we're glad our gallons don't weigh 50 lbs., like Nya's!

We've arrived!

Donating

Look at all that water!  Wonderful!

I challenge you to take a look at the world water crisis.  It does really exist and it's something we can all get behind to make a difference.  Be thankful for what you've got.  There's always someone with less.  

It's Monday! What are YOU reading?

Well, it's a little late, but better than never, right?

I'm participating in a meme created by Book Journey and Teach Mentor Texts.  I'll be reviewing both children's literature and adult literature.  

MIDDLE GRADE NOVELS:

The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp by Kathi Appelt, narrated by Lyle Lovett

This was the tale of a pair of scout raccoons, a boy of 12 years of age, a swamp man (related to the Yeti) and a rich, young swamp owner.  Young Chap (the boy) is learning to deal with the loss of his grandfather, swamp lover Audie.  Chap and his mom can't afford to keep their pie business and house upon his grandfather's death and they know Sunny-Boy Beaucoup will take over the swamp unless they can show him proof of the Sugar Man, the local legend who has lived in the swamp since the beginning of time.  The two raccoons, Bingo and J'Miah are involved in keeping the Sugar Man safe, especially from the pack of feral pigs that are after the sugar in the swamp.  All of the tales come together in a moving climax that not only demonstrates coming-of-age, but also has undercurrents of ecological soundness.

YOUNG ADULT NOVELS:

Endangered by Eliot Shrefer

"You don't have to ignore a lesser suffering because there's a great one out there--that's a sure route to paralysis," so says author Eliot Schrefer. Endangered is the story of Sophie, the daughter of a Congolese woman and American man, and her bonobo Otto. Sophie travels to Congo one summer from America (her parents are now separated) to visit her mother at the Bonobo Sanctuary she runs. On her way to the sanctuary, Sophie encounters an infant bonobo being paraded on a Congo street. She pays the "owner" American money and takes the bonobo to her mother. Shortly thereafter her mother leaves to release bonobos in a remote part of Congo. Sophie is left to care for Otto (the young bonobo she saved from the streets) while her mother is gone. However, war strikes and Sophie must choose between being rescued by the UN or keeping the young bonobo safe. This is a story of love, hope, and perseverance. Sophie is a character of strong-will, wittiness, and courage. She takes on the roll of parent, when her own parent is gone. You'll root for her and Otto throughout the book! This is a great story to introduce the topics of empathy and human and animal rights, and whose rights are more important.

ADULT NOVELS:

Me Before You by JoJo Moyes

"Knowing you still have possibilities is a luxury." Will Traynor, financial-whiz, risk-taker, traveler, was injured in an accident in which he was hit by a motorcycle. His spinal injuries resulted in paralysis from the neck down, with limited use of one arm. He became a quadriplegic. Louisa Clark, a 27 year old woman, lost her job at a local bakery and went through the unemployment agency, only to find a job taking care of someone that was unable to assist himself. So begins the six month journey of Lou and Will. They change each others' lives immeasurably. They experience anger, frustration, cattiness, fondness, and love. Lou and Will are perfect for each other, but are they enough for each other? A startling look at what it means to live life to the fullest, this book is a reminder to do something you love each day. 4.5 stars!

Hope you've read something good this week, too!  Here's what I'm currently reading and what's on deck:

CURRENTLY READING:

The Illuminated Adventures of Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo

A Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian

ON DECK:

The Real Boy by Anne Ursu

Wake Up Missing by Kate Messner

Happy Reading!!

I finally started a class blog tonight for my fifth graders.  Check it out!  www.mrsginthersreaders.blogspot.com  I know the kids are going to be so excited and I can't wait to get them started on the meme "It's Monday!  What are you reading?"  I would love to tackle the "Nonfiction Wednesdays" meme, too.  We'll see how anxious they are to stretch their reading muscles and type up a few reviews.  We may even throw in a "Slice of Life" piece and some Wonderopolis stuff.  They sky's the limit, right?

My books are calling me so that I, too, can fulfill the "It's Monday! What are you reading?" weekly requirement.  Check out the new blog.  The kids would be so excited you did so!

It's Monday! What are YOU Reading?

I'm participating in a meme created by Book Journey and Teach Mentor Texts.  I'm reviewing what I've read over the last several weeks in an attempt to catch up!

I've been negligent recently in posting on my blog.  Life has been a little overwhelming!  But, it's returning to a normal routine.  We're settling in nicely to a new home, figuring out new commute schedules, I'm writing a series of articles with Holly Mueller for Choice Literacy, my daughter is enjoying her first few weeks of preschool, and I'm up to my eyeballs in teaching reading to my 5th graders.  It's a great place to be!  I'm ready to hop back into blogging.  Let's get started with what I've been reading over the last few weeks.

MIDDLE GRADE BOOKS:

The Boy on the Porch by Sharon Creech

Oh, wow! This was such a little book with so much to say! A childless couple finds a young boy on their porch. They have no idea where he came from or who he belongs to. There is a note with the boy that states someone will be back to get him someday. John and Marta (the couple) aren't sure if they should seek out the parents of the boy or not. The boy (Jacob) is mute and loves to paint and play music. John and Marta grow to love the boy and face a hard choice when the boy's father shows up. This book is full of meaning: the meaning of one's name, the meaning of family and love, and the meaning of taking care of those that are left uncared for. I can't wait to get it in the hands of my fifth graders to see what they think!

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos

I don't know how I haven't before read this book all the way through, but I'm sure glad I listened to the audio! I have a book group reading this at school, as I thought it fitting for our empathy unit. I know they'll love the tales about Joey trying (and often failing) to control himself both in and out of school. The audio version was read by Jack Gantos, which was great. Fun read!

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

I don't know how I haven't read this book until now. It's a wonderful coming-of-age story of Esperanza, a priveledged Mexican girl whose circumstances are changed dramatically upon the death of her father. She and her mother are forced to move to the United States and become migrant workers. Her mother falls sick and it's up to Esperanza to make money for the family. She comes to realize just how important staying together as a family is, even without the luxuries she is used to.

ADULT BOOKS:

The Apple Orchard by Susan Wiggs

I listened to this novel.  It's the story of a young professional woman who discovers she has a family she was unaware of in Sonoma County, CA.  Through her discovery of her "new" family, she finds a different lifestyle and a realization there is more to life than work.

CURRENTLY READING:

Endangered by Eliot Schrefer

The Illuminated Adventures of Flora and Ulysses

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

ON DECK:

The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp by Kathi Appelt

Wake Up Missing by Kate Messner

Empathy in the Classroom

This school year I decided to kick off the year with a study of empathy.  I thought today was an appropriate day to post about empathy, as we reflect on 9/11.  My students have been busy learning about empathy through a study of animal and human rights.  They're even reading book group novels and finding examples of empathy or lack of empathy by collecting sentences.  Today, I thought I'd share some of the titles I've been using and some of the pictures I've taken so far this year that shows my kids putting themselves in someone else's shoes and understanding (or at least trying to understand) what it might feel like to have a less than fortunate circumstances.  These kids have done an amazing job so far and we still have a lot of ground to cover!

On a side note, you can find more of the information about how to go about teaching a theme unit on empathy in an article Holly Mueller and I wrote for Choice Literacy.  If you're not currently a member of Choice Literacy, I highly recommend joining.  For less than $100 a year, you can find a wealth of ideas and information about teaching ELA in any grade level.  If you just want a sneak peek, you can sign up for the weekly newsletter, The Big Fresh, and have access to several free articles a week.

I started the year by reading several picture books that dealt with bullying and simple examples of how being empathetic to someone could have helped that person out.  We also talked a lot about characters that show lack of empathy.  Here are some of the titles I shared with my 5th graders:

All these books provided students with concrete examples of what empathy and lack of empathy looked like and sounded like.  As we read Each Kindness, we even collected sentences that showed empathy or lack thereof by marking specific lines with post-it notes.  

Once I was convinced my students had a decent understanding of empathy, we moved on to our first read-aloud, the Newbery Award winner, The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate.

If you haven't read this book, you MUST!  Take a look at the book trailer below.  You'll be sold!

We're over half way through Ivan and we've been talking not only about empathy, but also how empathy and animal rights are connected.  We read another story of animal rescue by Kriby Larson and Mary Nethery, called The Two Bobbies.

This is a sweet story of a dog and cat that save each other in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  We talked about the rights animals have (or should have).  We tied that into The One and Only Ivan and we had a classroom full of opinions about rights that all animals should be entitled to.  These strong feelings naturally led to some contemplation and writing.  

Here's what we did:

1. I put the kids into groups and they had to come up with 3-5 rights they felt all animals should have.  This was easy for some groups, but hard for others that were less likely to compromise with each other. Another lesson in empathy there.

2. After the groups came up with their 3-5 rights, they put it on chart paper in whatever format they wished to use.

3.  Each child took a marker with them and responded to each group's poster of animal rights.  We had a big discussion about how a comment like, "I agree" doesn't go deep enough.  They listened!  Check out some of the charts below:

4. After responding to others' charts, each student chose a right they felt strongly about and made a claim, backed up by evidence (in this case, their opinions).  Here are a couple of examples:

These did a great job of making the connection between animal rights and empathy.  We've had a lot of discussion about how to treat others and animals.  Next week, we're moving on to a discussion of empathy and human rights.  On the docket to share is this great kid-friendly video about the origin of human rights.  Then, we'll share some more picture books to discuss empathy or lack of it and how it affected human rights or lack thereof.  Some of the books I'm looking forward to sharing next week are:

I'm also looking forward to finishing The One and Only Ivan and starting a new read-aloud, Wonder  by R.J. Polacio.

This book is rife with opportunities to feel empathetic.  It's also a great launching point to discuss what how people should be treated.  Added bonus?  It's about fifth graders!

Empathy is such an important theme in our class throughout the year.  It's a great launching point in September to set the stage for the rest of the year.

It's Monday! What are YOU reading?

I'm participating in the meme "It's Monday!  What are you reading?" created by Book Journey and Teach Mentor Texts.  I missed last week because of moving chaos, but I'm back this week and ready to share some of the books I've read in my classroom and on my own!

PICTURE BOOKS:

Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson, Illustrated by E.B. Lewis

My class of 5th graders practiced their first round of sentence collecting with this book.  It's a beautiful book about a girl who does not choose to be kind to a new student in class.  She has many opportunities to treat the new child with dignity, but fails to do so again and again.  When her teacher does a lesson on kindness, the girl comes up short in identifying how she has shown kindness.  Regretful, she hopes for another chance with the new girl.  However, the girl has moved and doesn't return.  This book is a wonderful look at regret and treating others kindly.  My classes are currently studying what characters say and do when they are and are not empathetic.  This book was a great mentor text for finding those examples.

Miss Moore Thought Otherwise by Jan Pinborough, Illustrated by Debbie Atwell

I'm offering this book as a choice for a nonfiction book that shows human rights on my September Literacy Contract.  I loved this book about Miss Moore, the woman in charge of founding libraries for children, in particular the NYC library.  This should be a great book to spark thought about the rights children should have.

Bluebird by Bob Staake

This is an intriguing wordless book about bullying.  A young boy is made fun of at school and finds himself lonely and in despair.  A bluebird comes along and befriends the boy, taking him places he has never been and introducing him to new friends.  When the boy encounters the bullies, however, tragedy strikes and he must learn how to make his own way in the world.  This is an interesting read.  I'm anxious to discuss it with someone else.  I'm also looking forward to sharing it with my students.  I can't wait to hear their insight!

Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett, Illustrated by Kevin Cornell

This is Mac Barnett's latest and it's FUN!  The premise of the book is to count monkeys, but instead, the reader ends up counting other things because one king cobra scared off all the monkeys.  Hilarity ensues as the reader counts all of the other things that have staved off the monkeys.  Natalie (my four-year-old daughter) LOVED this gift from Holly Mueller!

ADULT BOOKS:

The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian, narrated by Cassandra Campbell and Alison Fraser

Oh, wow!  This was a terrific listen!  I was captivated by the story of the little-known Armenian genocide at the start of WWI.  The Ottoman Empire was in its last throws and in an attempt to make itself stronger and rid itself of neighboring intellectuals, the empire systematically killed millions of Armenian citizens in the deserts of Syria.  Sound hauntingly familiar to the Holocaust?  Bohjalian has created a vivid picture of life in the Syrian desert in 1915 by inserting a Bostonian, Elizabeth Endicott and her wealthy banker father who travel to the land to do charity work on behalf of the "Friends of Armenia" society in the United States.  When Elizabeth meets Armen, an Armenian engineer, there is an immediate spark.  Armen, however, has lost his wife and child in the death march and is on a quest to redeem them by joining the British army to fight the Turks.  Elizabeth stays on in Syria, making friends with some of the refugees, only to discover a secret that could rock her relationship with Armen.  Told alternately from 1915 and present-day, this story of love, loss, and decisions is a wonderful historical novel read.  I highly recommend it!

CURRENTLY READING:

Endangered by Eliot Schrefer

CURRENTLY LISTENING TO:

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos

ON DECK:

Me Before You by JoJo Moyes

The Boy on the Porch by Sharon Creech

Hope you're embarking on a great reading week!  I'd love to know what you're reading.  Leave a comment below!