Archive for February, 2009

The Story of Jumping Mouse: a Native American Legend by John Steptoe

Schema: What would be the reason a story is retold time after time within a certain culture such as this one by Native Americans?  What words do you know that would describe a good person? Honest, Unselfish, Kind When Magic Frog tells Jumping Mouse he can accomplish his goal, she tells him he will succeed [...]

Dancing With the Indians by Angela Shelf Medearis

The story is historical fiction told in rhyme and based on the real life story of the author’s great-grandfather who was a slave.  He ran away and was accepted by a tribe of Seminole Indians.  The story tells about how the family would go to a reunion each year to visit the Indians.  This is [...]

Game Day by Tiki and Ronde Barber

Text-to-self connection: Have you ever felt like you didn’t get the praise you deserved for something?  Have you ever felt like your brother or sister received more attention than you? Predicting: What do you predict will happen in the game that Ronde is watching from the sidelines?  Tiki says he will make some long runs.  [...]

The Honest-to-Goodness Truth by Patricia C. McKissack

Idioms: Speak the truth and shame the devil. Older than black pepper. Truth is often hard to chew. Predicting: What do you predict Libby will say about Willie when he tells her that he did not do his homework? Inference: What do you infer that the kids are thinking about Libby after she tells all [...]

Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins by Carole Boston Weatherford

The book is based on the real sit-ins that took place in the 1960′s. Be sure to read the author’s note at the end of the book. What do you think the line in the book infers that says, “Negro Students Stand Up By Sitting Down?” Why do you think the young girl telling the [...]

Peggony-Po A Whale of a Tale

The author provides a note that in the 1700′s African men were hired to work on whaling ships and that there was no prejudice on the sea.  The whalers wanted the most capable men, and black and white sailors worked together on the sea during the time that slavery was most common in the southern [...]

Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters an African Tale by John Steptoe

Predicting: What do you predict Manyara will do when she sees the grove of laughing trees and meets the man with his head under his arm? Compare and Contrast, Characterization: the two sisters, Nyasha and Manyara What is the underlying meaning of the story?  I think it is to be kind at all times.  I [...]

Danitra Brown Leaves Town by Nikki Grimes

Narrative poem: tells the story of when Danitra went to her aunt’s for the summer and left her friend, Zuri, in the city.  Zuri is angry at Danitra for leaving her, and the poems show how Zuri feels. Setting:  What can we infer about the type of transportation Danitra is using from the word “station” [...]

Tippy Lemmey by Patricia C. McKissack

Ready-For-Chapters book In this “bridging the gap” between picture book and chapter books, young readers will enjoy reading or listening to this book.  Tippy Lemmey is a dog that barks and scares the children in the story when they ride their bikes by his yard. Drawing Conclusions: The children draw the conclusion that Tippy is [...]

Thanks a Million by Nikki Grimes

Poems that express a word of thanks for teachers, friends, parents, weekends, books, neighbors, our homes, families, and ending with a Thanksgiving poem are all great selections for elementary students to read. A rebus poem is also included. This is a great selection for African American History month as the author is African American. Students [...]