Baseball Saved Us- Historical Fiction

Baseball Saved Us
By: Ken Mochiszuiki

Shorty and his family are Japanese Americans living in the United States during World War II. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the family is sent to an interment camp, along with thousands of other Japanese Americans. Shorty and his father decided to build a baseball field, in hopes of raising the spirits of their fellow internees. Shorty is angry at himself for being a mediocre player, and when he sees the guard, he becomes angry at him, too. However, he is able to refocuses his anger into improving his game. Shorty hits the game-winning homerun for his team, and gains the self-respect that he has been searching for. Upon his return home, after the war, Shorty continues to play baseball, while being the subject of racial taunts. However, Shorty is able to overcome this, by again putting his anger into something positive- baseball.

I would use this story as a read aloud, in my future classroom, to supplement history instruction. Before reading, I would provide the students with background information on Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. After reading the story, I would discuss the racism that the Japanese Americans experienced in the United States during and postwar. I would have the students imagine that they were journalists during WWII, and had visited the internment camp that Shorty and his family were living at. They would have to write a newspaper article describing Shorty's game-winning homerun. They would be responsible for describing the camp and baseball field, and for explaining why the teams were playing. The students should also include a picture with their article. When the students had finished, we would soak their articles in tea to make them appear to look old and worn. I would hang the articles outside the room for others to enjoy.

Walk Two Moons- Realistic Fiction

Walk Two Moons
By: Sharon Creech

Salamanca Tree Hiddle, an adolescent girl who prefers to go by Sal, and her father had recently moved to Idaho, after her mother's passing from a train accident. Hoping to see her mother's grave before her birthday, Sal and her grandparents take a road trip. To pass the time, Sal begins to tell a story about her friend Phoebe. The story begins by introducing Phoebe, then as the trip continues, it delves deeper into her life. Phoebe is certain that their is a connection between Ms. Cadaver (the neighbor), strange notes that appear on her doorstep daily, and a boy she calls a lunatic who shows up at her house one day. After Phoebe's mother goes missing, the girls begin to investigate for clues. During the investigation, they discover two stories that will change their lives forever. When Phoebe's mother returns home, she informs the family that she has an illegitimate son, the lunatic. The girls also discover that Ms. Cadaver and her mother had been friends on the wrecked train, and she was the lone survivor. Ms. Cadaver tells Sal about the last minutes of her mother's life. Along the journey, Sal's grandmother is bitten by a snake, rushed to the hospital, and soon dies. Sal continues the journey to her mother's grave, stopping to see the wrecked train, which had been abandoned. After nearing arrest for trespassing, the officer drives Sal to see her mother's final resting place. When she returns home, her grandmother is buried, and Sal finally has closure and acceptance of her mother's death.

Throughout the novel, there were five messages left at the Winterbottom's house. After reading the novel with my class, I would split them into five groups. Each group would be responsible for interpreting, representing, and presenting one message. They could do this however they wished (a skit, mural or painting, 3-D model, etc.). Along with the representation, the group must submit a written report detailing their interpretation of the message, explaining the impact that the message had on the theme of the novel, connecting the message with their lives, and discussing why their project was an appropriate representation of the message. Each would also be responsible for presenting their project with the class.

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs- Folk Literature

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
By: John Scieszka

Everyone knows the story of The Three Little Pigs from the pigs' perspective. This story details the events that occurred the day that they pigs' homes were destroyed, through the wolf's point of view. One day, Al Wolf was baking his grandmother a birthday cake and suddenly realized that he was out of sugar. He went from house to house to borrow some from his neighbors. He was sick with a cold that kept him sneezing,which was the real reason that the three pigs' home were knocked down. The wolf did not want to let good meat go to waste, so he ate the pigs, since they were already dead, due to the sneeze. At the end of the story, the reader learns that the wolf is telling his story from jail, because he was framed.


Before reading this book, I would have read the original The Three Little Pigs. We would have discussed the events of the story, as well as their causes and effects. Then, I would tell the class that we are going to read a different version of the same tale. I would let them know that the original story was told by the pigs, themselves, and that this version is shared from the wolf's point of view. I would read The True Story of the Three Little Pigs and then discuss how the events were different in the story. We would discuss that the story changed based on who was telling it because they had different perspectives of what had happened that day that the houses were blown down. I would then have the students rewrite a fairy-tale of their choice based on the "bad guy's" point of view. For example: The students imagine how the evil stepmother would explain what happened to Snow White. I would let the students share their new fairytales with the class. 

Lily's Crossing- Historical Fiction

Lily's Crossing
By: Patricia Reilly Giff

Lily is a stubborn, twelve year old, girl growing up in the United States during World War II . But the summer of 1944, changes life as she knows it, when her dad is drafted to war and is required to fight in France. The same summer, Lily meets Albert, a curious Hungarian that flees to the United States, after the Nazi's invaded his house, leaving him and his sister orphaned. His sister was left behind in Hungary because she had measles, and is afraid that he will never see her again, the same feelings that Lily has about her father. Once realizing that they both have loved ones fighting overseas in the war, their friendship quickly blossoms. Lily tells Albert that she will help him find his sister, one of the numerous lies that she tells that summer. So, they set out on a rowboat to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Lily's lie, almost costs Albert his life, when he is knocked overboard and cannot swim. Lily admits to Albert that she has lied, and been selfish the whole summer. He understands because he, too, has been the same way. Lily is reunited with her father, and Albert with this sister. Albert returned to Europe to be with his mother.

I would use this story as a read aloud, or for literacy circles, as a supplement to a social studies unit. This book shows the students the wartime effects that WWII had on families in the United States and in Europe, as well. I would start by having the students compare and contrast the two main characters, Lily and Albert, by using any graphic organizer that they feel would be appropriate (preferably a Venn diagram or Double Bubble map). This would be an ongoing activity throughout the novel, so by the end of the story, their maps should be full of ideas. We would discuss their similarities and differences throughout the novel, and at the end, to see if we can use the information to draw conclusions about the characters. I would then have the students write a letter to one of the characters, either Lily or Albert. The students could ask them questions about their feelings, talk to them about the importance of being honest and telling the truth, or give them advice about what they would have or could have done differently. This activity is really an open response to the novel, but it will require student to think critically about the characters.

Rules- Realistic Fiction

Rules

By: Cynthia Lord

Catherine is a twelve-year-old girl that longs for a normal life. However, because her brother, David, has autism, her life is anything but normal. She is constantly embarrassed by David, so she creates rules for him to follow to help her avoid humiliation. Catherine meets Jason, a deaf boy bound to a wheel chair, at David’s clinic, who can communicates through the use of word cards. She quickly becomes friends with him. However, that summer she meets her new next-door neighbor, Kristi, the kind of friend Catherine has always wished for. Not wanting to be embarrassed about David or Jason’s disabilities, and wanting her new neighbor to think of her as normal, Catherine tries to hide this part of her life from Kristi. But how long can she keep this up? This forces Catherine to consider David and Jason’s point of view, and she must decide which is worth the risk of being “normal?" But when Kristi invites Catherine to a community dance, she is challenged whether or not to invite Jason, because Kristi does not know about his disability. After hurting Jason's feelings, Catherine learns that even with his disability, Jason is one of the best friends that she could ask for.   

This would be a good read aloud to do at the beginning of the year to help build a classroom community. The book shows the importance of the acceptance of others, despite their differences. Each student comes into a classroom different from everyone else. We would discuss that everyone is unique, and that we should accept people for the way that they are. We would also discuss the rules that Catherine made for David, and I would have the students create rules and tips for themselves about how to treat their classmates. The students would be held accountable of ensuring that they followed their rules about respecting their peer.

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Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day- Realistic Fiction

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

By: Judith Viorst

Alexander woke up one morning with gum in his hair, and he could knew that it would be a horrible day. His day continued to get worse during breakfast, the ride to school, in art, singing, and math. His mother did not pack dessert in his lunch box, and the dentist found a cavity. He got in trouble at his father’s office, and his night-light burned out. Many times Alexander threatened to move to Australia. But his mom said that "some days are like that, even in Australia."

This book can serve as great read aloud for elementary students in all grades. I would read this book at the beginning of the year, as a tool to help build classroom community. I would let the students know that it is okay for them to have bad days sometimes. Things happen to make a good day turn bad, and this will probably happen a few times during the year. I would have them write a story about a time when they had a very bad day, in which everything seemed to go wrong. The students would then present their stories with the class. 

Cenrdillon- Multicultural and International Literature

CendrillonA Caribbean Cinderella

By: Robert D. San Souci

Nannin’ was a washerwoman in the Caribbean. Before her mother died, she left her with one thing: a wand of mahogany. Whenever she tapped the wand three times, one thing would change into another. One of her bosses, made Nannin’ the godmother of her baby, Cendrillon. The mother died, the father remarried a heartless woman, and the two had another daughter. The stepmother made Cendrillon work like a servant, and forbade her from going to the birthday ball for the Monsieur’s son. Knowing that the ball meant so much to Cendrillon, Nannin’ used her magic wand to help her. Cendrillon went to the dance, and fell in love with the Monsieur’s son. When rushing to return home before the magic wore off, she lost her pink slipper. The son vowed to find the owner of the shoe, for he had fallen in love with her. After much trouble, he found Cendrillon, and the two were soon married.

I would use this story in my during a literacy unit on cultures' influence on writing and stories. I would have the students read Cendrillon and the classic Cinderella. We would discuss how the two stories differ, and how they are alike. The students would make a Venn diagram showing the similarities and differences of the two versions of the fairytale. Then I would have the students create their own version of Cinderella. This would be an open assignment, where the students could choose to make a comic strip, song, poem, or play detailing their story. The students would then share their new versions with the class.