Sunday, July 15, 2018

Being the Change #cyberPD Ch. 5-6: text set for upstanders


This summer's #cyberPD online educator book club is tackling the brand-new (and inspiring!) Being the Change: lessons and strategies to teach social comprehension by Sara Ahmed. Join us during the month of July as we read, discuss, and reflect on this powerful book and how to incorporate it into our classrooms. You can find all the details about #cyberPD here and/or click here to join the Google+ discussion group.


Thoughts on Chapters 5-6: Finding Humanity in Ourselves and Others


Even just the chapter titles for these last two chapters make me hopeful: finding humanity in ourselves and others (Chapter 5) and facing crisis together (Chapter 6). As I'm sure we can all agree, there has never been a more timely book than this one or a more important time to be nurturing a sense of humanity in our students and communities. I love how the lessons in the previous chapters build towards this point, how understanding ourselves and our place in the world can help us better reach out and understand others.


There are so many wonderful books out there to help students grapple with some of the issues in these chapters, especially around bullying and being an "upstander" rather than a bystander. Sara includes just a few in her list of resources for understanding our universe of obligation, so I thought I'd round up some others for those interested. Did I miss any of your favorites?

Text Set on Being an Upstander


I've subdivided this list into "younger" and "middle grade / middle school" but you could absolutely use any of these books with older students too (and even vice-versa, depending on your students).

For younger students



One by Kathryn Otoshi. This book deals directly with the issue of bystanders vs. upstanders as a group of colored blobs are variously bullied and intimidated by Red. Only one blue has the courage to speak up and encourage, does change happen. Follow up books include Zero (dealing with self-doubt) and Two (dealing with issues of exclusive friendships).


Be a Friend (2016) by Selina Yoon. Dennis, who is a mime, lives life his own way but still feels lonely, until another student reaches out to him. I think this is a book that needs discussion and conversation to guide it but that it can help kids to see how stepping up and reaching out can positively impact someone else.


Peanut Butter and Jellyfish by Jarrett Krosoczka. This story of friendship, bullying and doing what is right revolves around two friends, Peanut Butter (a sea horse) and Jellyfish, and Crabby, their cranky neighbor. This story could foster discussion among kids about bullying but also about what can happen when friendships become exclusive. Cute illustrations too. (H/T Linda at Teacher Dance.)


The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade (2015) by Justin Roberts and illustrated by Christian Robinson. I loved the illustrations in this book - especially the diversity of kids represented! But the story is very simplistic. One little girl raises one little finger and suddenly the whole world decides to be nice to each other? Switching from being a bystander to doing something about it takes more work than that, but this could be a good book for younger students as a place to start a conversation.

For middle grade or middle school students



Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller and illustrated by Jen Hill. This one is a must-have for any classroom or library. It addresses issues of bullying and bystanders but in a much more complex and meaningful way than many books for kids. Truly we need the power of this book's message about how individual actions (even if they may seem small) can have a big impact.


Red by Jan de Kinder. This book brings up some of the complexities of being an upstander, as one character (the girl on the cover) is actually a bit of a participant in the initial bullying of her classmate, but through the course of the book her understanding of her role changes. I think it's important for kids to see that they can be complicit in events unfolding around them - but also that they can then do something about them.


Wings (2000) by Christopher Myers. This unique take on bullying features a supporting character, Ikarus Jackson, a young (presumably black) boy with wings. The narrator, a bystander and fellow student, shares his/her own observations about the new boy and everyone's reactions to him. Only after witnessing much does the narrator step up and stop the bullying. This could be a great book for generating discussion about diversity, inclusion, bullying, and differences.

What are your favorite books for teaching kids about empathy and being an upstander?

Join us via the Google+ discussion group. (Click here for all #cyberPD posts, including previous years.)

Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Being the Change #cyberPD Ch. 3-4

This summer's #cyberPD online educator book club is tackling the brand-new (and inspiring!) Being the Change: lessons and strategies to teach social comprehension by Sara Ahmed. Join us during the month of July as we read, discuss, and reflect on this powerful book and how to incorporate it into our classrooms. You can find all the details about #cyberPD here and/or click here to join the Google+ discussion group.


Thoughts on Chapters 3-4


Chapter 3 covers bias, microaggressions, and countering stereotypes and prejudice, while Chapter 4 hits on becoming better informed. There are so many people in our country right now who need these understandings uploaded directly into their brains! [Doesn't it say something that my Google spellchecker does not recognize "microaggression" as a word? Sigh.]


I love the combination of lessons in these two sections: working towards understanding personal bias (Chapter 3) and working towards understanding systemic bias, like "fake news" and evaluating sources (Chapter 4). Media literacy is a HUGE topic right now and one that every teacher needs to be addressing.


There is a great new book series out to help teachers educate students about how to evaluate information: Two Truths and a Lie: It's Alive! and Two Truths and a Lie: Histories and Mysteries. Each book is divided into chapters that feature three nonfiction articles around a related theme. However, one article is a lie! Readers are challenged to carefully read each article and see if they can sleuth out the truths from the fiction. A chapter of research skills is provided that highlights some great strategies to use too. I think this will be a really fun way to get kids thinking critically about how and where they get their information. Definitely a great fit for the lessons in Being the Change!

What resources have you found that you might use with the lessons from these two chapters?

Join us via the Google+ discussion group. (Click here for all #cyberPD posts, including previous years.)

Monday, July 9, 2018

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 07/09/18


It's Monday! What are you reading? was started by Sheila at Book Journey and was adapted for children's books from picture books through YA by Jen of Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee of Unleashing Readers. You can visit either site for a round up of blogs sharing their weekly readings and thoughts or search Twitter for #IMWAYR.



Recent Posts


Picture Books



A Seed is the Start (2018) by Melissa Stewart. This is a great new picture book from Melissa Stewart featuring amazing photographs from National Geographic that will be a mainstay in many Science classrooms. Read my full review here.

Middle Grade


Breakout (2018) is the latest from Kate Messner. This is an interesting and engaging book told in a unique format (actually, many, many formats). Read my full review here.

Happy Reading!

Saturday, July 7, 2018

July #diversekidlit

Welcome to #DiverseKidLit ! Please join us in sharing your diverse children's book links and resources, as well as visiting other links to find great suggestions and recommendations.

What Is #DiverseKidLit?


Diverse Children's Books is a book-sharing meme designed to promote the reading and writing of children's books that feature diverse characters. This community embraces all kinds of diversity including (and certainly not limited to) diverse, inclusive, multicultural, and global books for children of all backgrounds.

We encourage everyone who shares to support this blogging community by visiting and leaving comments for at least three others. Please also consider following the hosts on at least one of their social media outlets. Spread the word using #diversekidlit and/or adding our button to your site and your diverse posts.

DiverseKidLit

We hope this community serves as a resource for parents, teachers, librarians, publishers, and authors! Our next linkup will be Saturday, August 4th and the first Saturday of each month.

Join Us in Welcoming Svenja as a New Host!



Svenja is an adoptive mom of two little Black girls and a social worker, originally from Germany, living in South Africa. She searches the internet up and down for multicultural children’s books that have a positive message and that do not support stereotypes. Passionate about promoting diversity, Svenja shares her findings of multicultural children's books, toys and other resources on her website, Colours of Us. Because representation matters!

You can follow Svenja on Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest / Tumblr .

#DiverseKidLit is Hosted by:


Katie @ The Logonauts
Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest

Becky @ Franticmommmy
Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest / Instagram

Bethany @ Biracial Bookworms
Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest / Instagram / Goodreads

Carolina @ La Clase de Sra. DuFault
Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Google+

Gauri @ Kitaab World
an online bookstore for South Asian children's books, toys and games
Blog / Twitter / Facebook / PinterestInstagram

Gayle Swift, Author of ABC, Adoption & Me
Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Google+

Marjorie @ Mirrors Windows Doors
Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest

Mia @ Pragmatic Mom
Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest / Instagram

Myra @ Gathering Books
Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest / Instagram / Goodreads

Shoumi Sen, Author of Toddler Diaries
Blog / Twitter / Facebook

Svenja @ Colours of Us
Blog / Twitter / Facebook / PinterestTumblr


Want to be notified when the next #diversekidlit linkup goes live?

Receive an email reminder for each new #diversekidlit linkup





Interested in joining as a host or an occasional co-host? Contact katie at thelogonauts.com.

(Never participated in a linkup before? Please click here for a more detailed step-by-step.)

Get #DiverseKidLit Recommendations on Pinterest!


Our Pinterest board highlights a wide range of amazing posts and resources for Diverse Children's Books. Please consider following the board for even more great books!


Share Your Link Below




Sunday, July 1, 2018

Being the Change #cyberPD Ch. 1-2

Happy #cyberPD! This summer's online educator book club is tackling the brand-new (and inspiring!) Being the Change: lessons and strategies to teach social comprehension by Sara Ahmed. Join us during the month of July as we read, discuss, and reflect on this powerful book and how to incorporate it into our classrooms. You can find all the details about #cyberPD here and/or click here to join the Google+ discussion group.


Quick Intro to Me


If you are new to The Logonauts, my name is Katie, and I've been a classroom teacher for 10 years. I taught 3rd grade for 8 years, 4th grade for 4 years (concurrently with 3rd grade), 7th grade for 2 years, and this fall I will be teaching 5th grade, all at the same K-8 school in Wisconsin. Pfew! I am so excited about the potential for this book as I am working to construct and refine what fifth grade curriculum looks like at my school.

Finally, I am also a new mom (!) working to sneak moments of professional development (and meals) in between an only-ever 35-minute-long nap schedule. Yikes.


Big Takeaways from the Introduction and Chapters 1-2


Full disclosure: I read this entire book the night it arrived. There is so much here to use immediately with students and so much potential for changing minds and hearts along the way. I was thrilled when Being the Change was announced as the #cyberPD choice.

One of my favorite things about this book is the way it is set up to get right to the heart of the lessons while also providing detailed descriptions that would allow almost any teacher to simply pick up the book and incorporate a given lesson into their day. Ideas like the two-column journaling format ("At first I thought ... Now I think ...") are easily adaptable across a wide-range of grade and skill levels, as well as applicable to a wide-range of lessons and topics.

At the same time, there is a discernible progression both within each chapter and within the book as a whole, so it is easy to see how incorporating each one would allow students to build and build on their self-understanding leading towards empathy and understanding of others.

Sample Poem: Where I'm From


I had a few days between units with my seventh graders before my maternity leave last spring and was looking for quick one-off lessons to fill in. We have a regular Poetry Friday time (which I have done across all grade levels), so it was a natural fit to find a poetry prompt to use. I stumbled across George Ella Lyon's incredible "Where I'm From" poem, which just happens to be featured in Chapter 1. (Be sure to click on the audio to hear her read the poem aloud. Amazing!) We had just finished a unit on identity and family history, so it was easy for my students to bridge the gap into sharing that knowledge in a different form. Below is one of those student examples:

Where I’m From

I’m from the water,
From mud and from rain.
I’m from watching the TV on Sundays,
From reading a nice crisp book.
I’m from the fire,
Crackling in the pit.
I’m from the food,
Sweet warm, soft.
From the green grass,
Thick trees with crunchy leaves.
I’m from the home,
the family
and most importantly,
the heart.

I promise you, you could hear the heart of the classroom community beating as several kids volunteered to read their poems aloud at the end of the period. You don't want to miss out on the kind of impact this lesson (and, I'm sure, all the others) can have on your students, your classroom, and yourself.

I look forward to hearing everyone else's thoughts about the book and seeing how our conversations evolve through the rest of the month! Join in via the Google+ discussion group. (Just FYI - I am traveling this week with limited internet access, so I will get back to all your comments and posts later in the week.)

(Click here for all #cyberPD posts, including previous years.)