Remembering Those Who Served

According to the Veterans Day Teacher Resource Guide offered to schools by the United States Department of Veteran Affairs,

In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill proclaiming November 11th as Veterans Day and called upon Americans everywhere to rededicate themselves to the cause of peace. He issued a Presidential Order directing the head of the Veterans Administration, now the Department of Veterans Affairs, to form a Veterans Day National Committee to organize and oversee the national observance of Veterans Day.

This Wednesday, November 11th, we as teachers must remind our students of the selfless service and sacrifice demonstrated by the men and women of America's Armed Forces. For this honored occasion, I recommend three special picture books.

Award winning Heroes, written by Ken Mochizuki and illustrated by Dom Lee, is one of my favorites for initiating discussions around this observance.

Japanese American schoolboy Donnie is tired of playing the bad guy every time he and his friends get together. He'd rather play football, but they're only interested in playing war. And according to the other boys, Donnie should play the enemy because he does, after all, look like "them." Donnie futilely protests that his father and uncle served their country, the United States, but his friends just laugh. When Donnie pleads with his father and uncle for proof, they tell him that "real heroes don't brag." The story's ending is unexpected and noble, and each year when I share this book aloud, the reaction is incredible.

New York Times called Heroes "dignified and effective." Kirkus Reviews stated, "Heroes is also a tribute to the 442nd Regiment Combat Team, an all-Japanese-American regiment, and serves as a reminder of their important contribution."

I strongly recommend that Heroes find a place in every classroom library. Publisher Lee and Low have provided a helpful teacher's guide at their site containing many cross-curricular ideas for use with this book.

A newer book for me, but one that is just as powerful, is America's White Table by Margot Theis Raven, illustrated by Mike Benny.

From the Sleeping Bear Press site:

The White Table is set in many mess halls as a symbol for and remembrance to service members fallen, missing, or held captive in the line of duty. Solitary and solemn, it is the table where no one will ever sit.

As a special gift to her Uncle John, Katie and her sisters are asked to help set the white table for dinner. As their mother explains the significance of each item placed on the table Katie comes to understand and appreciate the depth of sacrifice that her uncle, and each member of the Armed Forces and their families, may be called to give.

The ceremony of the America's White Table is beautifully described in this book; not just what each object is, but what it is meant to represent. The book's narrator then finds even more meaning in this tradition upon learning that her own uncle, "who gave us big bear hugs and spun us with airplane twirls" was a prisoner of war in Vietnam before the nieces were ever born.

Another Sleeping Bear title that should be mentioned is H Is for Honor: A Military Family Alphabet. Written by the son of a soldier, this book explores the many branches of the Armed Forces, speaking of both the privileges and sacrifices of military families everywhere. Many aspects of military life are discussed, in both poem and sidebar explanatory text. Like all Sleeping Bear alphabet books, every page has a beautiful full-page illustration.

For example, the poem on the letter "A" page reads:

"Give me an A for Army, and an A for Air Force, too.
An A for all the Armed Services behind the red, white, and blue.
They stand at attention, tall and proud, all impeccably dressed.
An A for the American Armed Forces, an A for the world's very best."

The sidebar begins:

"The Armed Services of the United States protect our nation, its people, and its ideals. There are five branches that make up the United States military.

The U.S. Army is the main ground force for the United States. It's the largest and oldest branch of the service, founded in 1775...."

In my class, we have written letters to those presently serving in the armed forces. That is, I know, a common activity in many schools. I would also suggest perhaps using a sites such as Instant Poetry Forms to write a poem following the sharing of Veterans Day picture Books. Either the Instant Spine Poem or the Cinquain would provide a simple yet effective format for the poem.

I would also encourage every teacher to download the incredible Veterans Day Teaching Kit mentioned at the beginning of this post. It contains fabulous information and activities, including the Difference Between Veterans Day and Memorial Day:

Many people confuse Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Both holidays were established to recognize and honor the men and women who have worn the uniform of the United States Armed Forces. But Memorial Day, which is observed on the last Monday in May, was originally set aside as a day for remembering and honoring military personnel who died in the service of their country, particularly those who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained in battle.

While those who died are also remembered on Veterans Day, which is observed on November 11, Veterans Day is intended to thank and honor all those who served honorably in the military - in wartime or peacetime. In fact, Veterans Day is largely intended to thank living Veterans for their service, to acknowledge that their contributions to our national security are appreciated, and to underscore the fact that all those who served - not only those who died - have sacrificed and done their duty.

The site also contains a link to an archive of Veterans Day posters which can be printed out or used in other applications. These well designed, powerful images should be posted prominently in every school.

Book Giveaway: Although you won't have it in time for this year's observance, Sleeping Bear Press has generously offered a copy of America's White Table to three readers of this blog. Just email me with "White Table Drawing" in the subject line, and we'll pick some winners in the next two weeks.

Top Ten Stories Behind Dr. Seuss

I'm a latecomer to this, but a post at Mental Floss details ten stories behind some of Dr. Seuss's most popular tales. A quick, fun read for fans!

Also take some time to poke around the site for other fun stuff with which to waste your time (yet possibly fine tune your mind as well).

The Listeners: Remembering the Past by Celebrating the Present

The Listeners
by Gloria Whelan

Universal Themes:
Conflict Resolution, Courage, Heroism, Identity, Integrity, Problem Solving

On September 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln declared the freedom of all slaves in any state of the Confederate States of America that did not return to Union control by January 1, 1863. Today we encourage students to celebrate Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation with Gloria Whelan's excellent new picture book The Listeners, published by Sleeping Bear Press.

In addition to their tasks of picking cotton, taking cows to pasture, and caring for the babies, Ella May and her friends are entrusted with the most most important job of all: that of crouching beneath Master's window each evening to collect information that the slaves on the plantation otherwise wouldn't hear. Which slaves are being sent away? Who's the new overseer that Master is hiring? What's that about a new president, and why are Master Thomas's words about him coming out "as mean as rattlesnakes"?

I loved this book, so I took a big chance. This year, after teaching third grade for nine years and fourth grade for thirteen, I moved up to sixth grade Reading and Language Arts. While I've always preached about the benefits of using picture books with the upper grades, I never before had to "put my money where my mouth is." So for my first picture book experience with my new sixth graders (three sections of 65 students total), I chose The Listeners.

In short, the book delivered. Students were turned on to the picture book experience.

The beautiful artwork and language of The Listeners complement each other perfectly (so much so that one student was convinced that the author was also the illustrator, so in tune were the paintings to the words on the page). My students especially enjoyed Whelan's use of metaphor, personification, and similes, such as "we make ourselves small as cotton seeds and quiet as shadows." This book helped my students realize that picture books can truly serve as "mentor texts," providing students with models for their own writing. Students discovered that what an author chooses to leave out becomes just as important as what she chooses to leave in.

Like every Sleeping Bear Press title from the Tales of Young Americans Series, this book is well researched and age-appropriate, while not being dumbed down in either language or content. (Another Young Americans title I previously recommended on this blog was Ann E. Burg's Rebekkah's Journey , a meticulously researched historical fiction picture book which describes President Franklin D. Roosevelt's plan to shelter 1000 Jews in upstate New York).

Teachers and parents will be delighted to know that this title (like other Sleeping Bear titles I've mentioned in previous posts) is accompanied by a free, pdf format teaching guide. The book is recommended for ages 6-10, but many of the activities can be adapted for use with older audiences.

For more information on the author and illustrator, visit the Sleeping Bear site. While there, be sure to also check out Sleeping Bear's mind-boggling variations on the picture book. Something for everyone, at every level!

Into the Book: Learning Comprehension Strategies Online

Since this blog's inception I've received a couple of emails regarding reading skills: Which reading skills are most important? How do you teach skills that students will actually recall and use independently? Where can I access a list or description of reading skills?

Although I use several sources (which I'll discuss in future posts), one of the best online resources for teachers and students alike is Into the Book. (This links not to the main page, but to a page which shows all reading skills at a glance).

From the site:

Into the Book is a reading comprehension resource for K-4 students and
teachers. We focus on eight research-based strategies: Using Prior Knowledge,
Making Connections, Questioning, Visualizing, Inferring, Summarizing, Evaluating
and Synthesizing. Watch our engaging 15-minute videos and try the online
interactive activities.

I love the site because all eight skills are not only defined in word, but also by video example. A teacher area gives teachers and parents all the information they need to begin using this framework, and the student area provides fun, interactive practice with each of the skills, using both video and online self-checking lessons. (The student area allows students to create a "key" for use upon return to this site; this way, no registration or release of personal information is ever required).

Teachers can benefit from additional resources including a discussion forum, a section on classroom design for literacy development (featuring a panoramic classroom tour as well as individual design tips), and dozens of downloadable songs, posters, and teaching guides, all relating to the eight specific reading skills.

If you're a teacher into picture books, these are the skills you need to make them extraordinary teaching tools, and this is the site to find them.

Transitional Books: The Best of Both Worlds

It's not a bad place to be: stuck between the vast and varied worlds of the picture books and the complex and conflicting worlds of the novel. That's where many children find themselves at age eight (give or take), when they're trying to make the independent reading leap from picture books to more difficult chapter books. Is the language in chapter books that much more complex? Not necessarily. But gone are the beautiful contextual clues provided by picture books' illustrations. Fortunately for these readers, we have what can be called transitional books.

Transitional books may, in fact, be chapter books, but chapter books which are liberally illustrated. One of the finest examples I've seen in recent days is Rosemary Wells' Lincoln and His Boys. Historically factual yet unswervingly human, the short and easy to follow chapters are punctuated by detailed full-color paintings (by P.J. Lynch, the talented artist behind The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey). The life of Lincoln and the terrible costs of the Civil War are skillfully interwoven as the years of Lincoln's election and presidency are viewed through the eyes of his sons (read an excerpt here). This is a apt choice for any classroom study of our 16th president, the Civil War, or the universal theme of perspectives (see a recent post on universal themes at my How to Teach a Novel blog).

Be sure to visit Candlewick for additional print and video resources and activities on some of your students' favorite books. My favorite: popular authors such as Kate DiCamillo discussing and reading from their upcoming books.