tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30010286454369833732024-02-08T11:53:20.676-05:00Library Literacy ConnectionsOn books, reading, libraries, and adult literacy and ESOL studentsMarguerite Crowley Weibelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03992352043290916618noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001028645436983373.post-1823794229289287392011-01-11T15:34:00.008-05:002011-01-11T20:40:07.617-05:00American Holidays and ESOL Students<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">American holidays are a window into our country's history as well as our current way of life. In particular, the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and Presidents' Day offer unique opportunities to explore aspects of both recent and past history in the ESOL classroom. They also relate to topics that are included in the American Citizenship test.<br /><br />The life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the events of the civil rights movement of which he was a champion have been examined and discussed in hundreds of books, including many published for the children's book market. The list below suggests just a few titles from the children's collection that would be highly appropriate to share with adult ESOL and ABE students. Many others will be available at the library. Suggestions for books appropriate for Presidents' Day will be forthcoming.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Beginning New Readers</span><br /><br />Fine, Edith Hope. <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/martin-luther-king-jr-champion-of-civil-rights/oclc/59280115&referer=brief_results">Martin Luther King, Jr: Champion of Civil Rights</a>.</span> Series title: Heroes of American History. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Elementary, 2005. <span style="font-style: italic;">Beginning-Intermediate new reader.<br /> </span>There are numerous biographies of M.L. King, written at a wide range of reading levels, published for the children's market, and many of them are factual presentations, well illustrated, that would appeal to adults. This is a particularly good example, with text and photographs well spaced and visually appealing. The text reviews his family background, major influences in his life, and relevant events in the Civil Rights Movement. A glossary, index, and list of additional books and web sites to explore provide opportunities to introduce basic research skills to more advanced students.<br /><br />Lawrence, Jacob. <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/harriet-and-the-promised-land/oclc/26858273&referer=brief_results">Harriet and the Promised Land</a>. </span>New York: Simon Schuster, 1993. <span style="font-style: italic;">Beginning new reader.<br /> </span>With vivid colors and dramatic lines and shapes, artist Lawrence conveys the physical, spiritual, and emotional power of the amazing accomplishments of the woman known as the Moses of her people. The simple verse accompanying the drawings tells the story of Harriet Tubman, a slave who escaped to freedom then returned to the South 19 times to lead others on that perilous journey north. <br /><br />Parks, Rosa.<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/i-am-rosa-parks/oclc/221157254&referer=brief_results"> </a><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/i-am-rosa-parks/oclc/221157254&referer=brief_results">I Am Rosa Parks</a>. </span>With Jim Haskins. Illustrated by Wil Clay. New York: Dial, 1997. <span style="font-style: italic;">Beginning new reader.<br /> </span>In her own words, Parks briefly recalls her personal background. She then describes the day she refused to relinquish her seat on a bus to a white man as well as the events of the Montgomery Bus Boycott that followed her courageous decision.<br /><br />Rappaport, Doreen. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/martins-big-words-the-life-of-dr-martin-luther-king-jr/oclc/44720790&referer=brief_results"> </a><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/Martin%27s%20Big%20Words:%20The%20Life%20of%20Dr.%20Martin%20Luther%20King,%20Jr.">Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</a> </span>Illustrated by Bryan Collier. New York: Hyperion, 2001. <span style="font-style: italic;">Beginning new reader.<br /> </span>Rappaport inserts quotes from King's speeches into this brief overview of his life. The striking and dramatic illustrations help convey a sense of the magnitude of purpose that characterized his time as a leader of the civil rights movement.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Intermediate New Readers<br /><br /></span>Colbert, Jan and Ann McMillan Harms.<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/dear-dr-king-letters-from-todays-children-to-dr-martin-luther-king-jr/oclc/37742197&referer=brief_results"> </a><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/dear-dr-king-letters-from-todays-children-to-dr-martin-luther-king-jr/oclc/37742197&referer=brief_results">Dear Dr. King: Letters from Today's Children to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</a> </span>Photographs by Ernest C. Withers and and Roy Cajero. New York: Hyperion Books, 1998. <span style="font-style: italic;">Intermediate-advanced new readers.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>This book is a collection of letters written by children in Mephis, Tennessee, after studying a unit on the life work - and death, in their city - of Martin Luther KIng. Although the layout of the book changes from page to page, which could present some problems for new readers, </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">the words and ideas expressed in the letters</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"> are honest and poignant, in the manner of children, </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">and could perhaps inspire students of any age to write about events that have had a significant impact on their lives.<br /><br />Farris, Christine King. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/march-on-the-day-my-brother-martin-changed-the-world/oclc/173748163&referer=brief_results"> </a><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/march-on-the-day-my-brother-martin-changed-the-world/oclc/173748163&referer=brief_results">March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World</a>. </span>Illustrated by London Ladd. New York: Scholastic Press, 2008. <span style="font-style: italic;">Intermediate new reader.<br /> </span>Farris describes the day her brother, Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his famous and oft-quoted "I Have a Dream" speech at the rally at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. She describes the anticipation and exhiliration of the crowds on that hot August day as well as the family and historical influences that brought MLK to that particular place and time. Large, colorful illustrations reflect the power and impact of that day while they also help explain quoted sections of the speech.<br /><br />Giovanni, Nikki. <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/rosa/oclc/57754461&referer=brief_results">Rosa</a>. </span>Illustrated by Bryan Collier. New York: Henry Holt, 2005. <span style="font-style: italic;">Intermediate new reader.<br /> </span>The story of Rosa Parks and her act of refusal on that Montgomery, Alabama bus is inextricably linked to the story of Martin Luther King, given that he was the young minister in that city who became the spokesperson for the bus boycott that followed. As she relates the details of that particular event, Giovanni also describes the cultural context in which Rosa Parks, and all black Americans, lived at that time. The illustrations make the story, now more than 50 years in the past, come back to vivid life.<br /><br />Myers, Walter Dean. <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Harlem%3A+A+Poem&qt=owc_search">Harlem: A Poem</a>.</span> Illustrated by Christopher Myers. New York: Scholastic, 1997. <span style="font-style: italic;">Intermediate new reader. </span><br /> In free verse incorporating the rhythms of jazz and the blues, Myers' poem offers a kind of syncopated survey of African American history, evoking images of Harlem, weaving in references to Africa, the American south, civil rights leaders, and black singers and artists. Given its many historical references, this illustrated poem would enrich any discussion of books about the black experience in America.<br /><br />Summer, L.S. <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/march-on-washington/oclc/42462760&referer=brief_results">The March on Washington</a>. </span>Chanhassan, MN: Child's World, 2001. <span style="font-style: italic;">Intermediate-advanced new reader.<br /> </span> Despite the name of the publisher, this book is a very informative overview of the major events leading up to the massive march in August, 1963, during which Dr. King delivered the speech that became a rallying cry for civil rights. The many photographs are instructive in themselves, well captioned, and clearly laid out with text.<br /><br />Weatherford, Carole Boston.<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/freedom-on-the-menu-the-greensboro-sit-ins/oclc/50591094&referer=brief_results"> </a><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/freedom-on-the-menu-the-greensboro-sit-ins/oclc/50591094&referer=brief_results">Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-ins</a>. </span>Illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue. New York: Dial, 2005. <span style="font-style: italic;">Intermediate new reader. </span><br /> The "sit-in" at the Greensboro, N.C. lunch counter in 1960 was a pivotal event in the burgeoning civil rights movement. The characters in this book who "witness" this event are fictional, but the facts of the story they tell are true, as a brief explanation at the end of the book explains. This is but one example of many picture books that illuminate important moments in history, keeping the stories they tell alive for succeeding generations.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Advanced New Reader<br /><br /></span>Hossell, Karen Price. <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/i-have-a-dream/oclc/58789849&referer=brief_results">I Have a Dream</a>. </span>Series title: <span style="font-style: italic;">Voices of Freedom. </span>Chicago: Heinemann Library, 2006. <span style="font-style: italic;">Advanced new reader.<br /> </span>The text is a little harder than in the books described above, and the background information is more inclusive, but this very informative book would be an excellent source of information as well as reading practice for the more advanced ESOL student. The book includes many photographs, including pictures of archival documents that attest to the many and varied struggles that preceded the movement of which Martin Luther King became the champion.<br /><br />KIng, Martin Luther, Jr.<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/i-have-a-dream/oclc/43549940&referer=brief_results"> </a><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/i-have-a-dream/oclc/43549940&referer=brief_results">I Have a Dream</a>. </span>Illustrated by fifteen award winning illustrators. New York: Scholastic Press, 1997. <span style="font-style: italic;">Advanced new reader.<br /> </span>The text of this book is the text of King's speech, so it is not an easy text to read, but an important document in American history. The illustrations are as extraordinary as they are varied, given that they are the work of different artists, all highly acclaimed in their field. Some reflect the ideas of the speech; others recall events in history referred to in the speech. Together, words and pictures caption an important moment in American history and present it in a beautiful work of art. <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /> </span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span>Marguerite Crowley Weibelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03992352043290916618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001028645436983373.post-32267586107079503242010-04-06T13:33:00.018-04:002011-01-11T15:26:16.087-05:00Picture Books That Tell Family Stories<div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><br /></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><b style="font-family: arial;"><br /></b></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >In previous entries I have discussed the use of certain children's books with adult literacy and ESL students, including alphabet books and books to assist ESL students aspiring to become citizens. This time I'd like to suggest another "genre" from the children's collection that can be both useful and inspiring to literacy students: picture books that tell family stories. Some of these books may be designated "for readers of all ages," but there are many without such a designation that have the potential to delight adult readers and entice them to recall their own family stories to share through discussion and writing exercises.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >Some picture books are actually brief memoirs in which the authors recall events that loom large in their memories. Cynthia Rylant's memoir of her childhood in the hills of Appalachia, </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/when-i-was-young-in-the-mountains/oclc/7572540&referer=brief_results" id="dxyc" title="http://www.worldcat.org/title/when-i-was-young-in-the-mountains/oclc/7572540&referer=brief_results"><i>When I Was Young in the Mountains</i>,</a></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" > is a warm, affectionate, and easy to read story about a child raised by her grandparents in material poverty but emotional wealth. It is also an example of good writing. Rylant introduces each brief vignette with the lyrical title phrase, then gives us the most telling details: her coal miner grandfather coming home from work covered in soot, except for his lips when he kissed her; her cousin's white shirt clinging to his back as he was baptized in the river. A student I once taught, inspired by Rylant's book, wrote a story describing the dolls she and her sister made out of soda bottles. Coke bottles were the best, she wrote, because "you could tell the bottom from the top."</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >Faith Ringgold's </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><i style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/tar-beach/oclc/22002688&referer=brief_results" id="wkh5" title="http://www.worldcat.org/title/tar-beach/oclc/22002688&referer=brief_results">Tar Beach</a></i></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" > is a childhood memory turned into an extraordinary work of art. Originally, Ringgold "told" her story in fabric, creating a story quilt that now hangs in New York's Guggenheim Museum. She later adapted the story to picture book form, using illustrations from the quilt to depict her childhood summers in Harlem, where it was common practice for families to pass hot summer nights on the roof of their apartment building, laughingly referred to as "tar beach." From that height, young Ringgold could look out at the George Washington Bridge and dream of flying off into a life where she was queen and could right whatever wrongs she encountered. Children identify with the young girl's fantasy; adults will marvel at a book which is an amusing story, a beautiful work of art, and an inspiration to recall the summers and dreams of their own youth.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >Some picture books tell the stories of people the authors have known or famous people whose lives they have researched. Consider, for example, Gloria Houston's </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><i style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/my-great-aunt-arizona/oclc/22276914&referer=brief_results" id="ptu9" title="http://www.worldcat.org/title/my-great-aunt-arizona/oclc/22276914&referer=brief_results">My Great-Aunt Arizona</a></i></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" > in which the author recalls the woman named for the western territory her brother was exploring with the U.S. Cavalry. True to her name, she was a lively, curious girl who dreamed of visiting faraway places. She never realized that dream, but in her 57 years of teaching generations of mountain children, she inspired many, including the author, to follow their own dreams. Given such an example, literacy students may be inspired to tell tales of extraordinary individuals they have known.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >Still other picture books tell stories that convey a wry humor or a wisdom born of experience that only adult readers can truly appreciate. Consider, for example, Norma Farber's<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/how-does-it-feel-to-be-old/oclc/4775504&referer=brief_results">How Does It Feel to Be Old?</a> </span></span></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >Only a child could ask so blunt a question, as the granddaughter does in this book, but only the adult readers will recognize the irony and wistfulness behind the grandmother's answers, as she explains, for example, that it's nice to be able to eat what you want and when you want, but then asks her granddaughter when she's coming again for tea. The cycles of life, the memories that we cherish and wish to pass on to a new generation, the acceptance of death, these are the underlying themes in this "children's" book that could spark many discussions and writing exercises in an adult literacy or ESL classroom.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >Of course picture books of all kinds are an obvious and valuable addition to any family literacy program involving both adults and children as learners. Many children's books are easy enough to offer even beginning level literacy and ESL students the chance to read to the children in their lives and experience not only the physical warmth and comfort that reading together affords, but also the opportunity to enter together into the unique frame of reference that the words, pictures, and ideas of any book create.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >Additional titles are listed in the bibliography "</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="font-family: arial;" id="npas" title="Picture Books That Tell Family Stories">Picture Books That Tell Family Stories," listed on the right</a></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" ><a href="https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AbA034vxVyRVZGdmZzZuODJfMTg2Z2RjYnJzZno&hl=en">.</a> Some of the titles are fairly new, others may be ten or even twenty years old, but all are excellent examples of family stories well told than can inspire adult literacy students to recall and relate family stories of their own as they build their reading and speaking skills. All titles should be available through the public library. I have linked the titles to WorldCat, so clicking on them should lead you to a record showing the libraries in your local area who have the book. Keep in mind that there may be newer, paperback editions for some titles. If particular titles are not available in your immediate area, your local librarians will be able to suggest similar titles. Also, additional titles can be found in the books </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><i style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/adult-learners-welcome-here-a-handbook-for-librarians-and-literacy-teachers/oclc/74029403&referer=brief_results" id="ziz0" title="Adult Learners Welcome Here">Adult Learners Welcome Here</a></i></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" > and </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><i style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/choosing-using-books-with-adult-new-readers/oclc/33334885&referer=brief_results" id="e302" title="Choosing and Using Books with Adult New Readers">Choosing and Using Books with Adult New Readers</a></i></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >, both published by Neal-Schuman and also available through the public library. </span>Marguerite Crowley Weibelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03992352043290916618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001028645436983373.post-84200371244725526972009-09-21T13:36:00.013-04:002009-12-09T20:12:17.616-05:00<div style="text-align: center;font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span">Children's Literature</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span">In the Adult Literacy and Language Classroom</span></b></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></b></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span">Example: Books for Aspiring U.S. Citizens</span></b></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></b></span><span style="font-size:130%;">In our last entry discussing the use of children's books with adult literacy students, we reviewed some alphabet books and suggested ways they might be of use in an ABE or ESL classroom. Continuing the discussion of children's books, this entry suggests some titles that can help ESL students preparing for the U.S. Citizenship examination.<br /><br />Several publishing companies produce workbooks and other texts that will be helpful to these students, and many public libraries offer them in their ESL/ABE collections. Some good examples include <i>Citizenship: Passing the Test </i>and <i>New Biography Series: American Lives</i>, both from New Readers Press; <i>Voices of Freedom: English and Civics for U.S. Citizenship </i>from Pearson Longman; the <i>Good Citizenship Library </i>series from Raintree Steck Vaugh; and the two series <i>Viewpoints</i> (nonfiction) and <i>Expressions </i>(short stories and poems) from Contemporary Books. These books review the questions asked on the test and acquaint ESL students with the facts they need to know to answer those questions. Series such as <i>Viewpoints </i>and <i>Expressions </i>also introduce students to some of the people, stories, and ideas that are essential elements in the larger story of America.<br /><br />The concept of story is important here. Obviously, prospective citizens need to know certain facts. But facts presented out of any recognizable or engaging context can be hard to learn and remember, especially for students coming into an American classroom from vastly different cultural experiences and speaking other languages. That's where books from the library's children's section provide a wealth of supplemental material for ESL students studying for the citizenship test. By embedding the essential facts of our history in the larger contexts of dramatic events and personal stories and enriching that text with photographs and other forms of graphic illustration, these books will deepen the students' understanding of the issues behind the facts they need to know. They will also provide numerous opportunities for discussion, in English, of the principles underlying our government, or any government.<br /><br />Most titles link to a record in worldcat.org, a networked catalog of thousands of libraries worldwide. Click on the link, and you will find information about that book as well as listings for that title at libraries located near you. There are also links for some of the series titles.<br /><br /><b>The New Naturalization Test<br /><br /></b>The citizenship test was revised in 2008. A list of questions can be found by going to www.uscis.gov, the web site of the Office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and searching for The New Naturalization Test. There are 100 possible questions; applicants are asked 10 and must answer 6 correctly. There are three sections to the test: American Government, American History, and Integrated Civics. Let's look at some representative titles from a typical children's section that discuss the issues addressed by each of these sections.<br /><br /><i><b>Part 1. American Government<br /><br /></b></i>The questions in this section are mainly concerned with the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the basic structures of American government, and the rights and responsibilities of citizens. Many publishers produce series of books on these topics, as reflected in most of the books discussed below. However, picture books and independent nonfiction titles can be excellent sources too, as illustrated by the Grodin, Freedman, and Fradin books.<br /><br /><i><b>The Declaration of Independence</b> </i>by Michael Burgan. Series title: We the People. Minneapolis: Compass Point, 2001. (Beginning-intermediate new readers)<br />In simple text that will be accessible even to some beginning new readers, especially with the help of a tutor, this book discusses the roots of the struggle for independence and introduces the major figures gathered in Philadelphia to produce a document that continues to influence democratic movements around the world. With a glossary, time line, index, and list of sources for additional information, this book, and others in this series, also introduces literacy students to the variety of ways in which information can be presented.<br /><br /><i><b><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/60664288&referer=brief_results">The Declaration of Independence</a> </b></i>by Dennis Brindell Fradin. Series title: Turning Points in U.S. History. New York: Marshall Cavendish. (Intermediate new reader)<br />For students with stronger reading ability, this title offers more in-depth information about the events leading up to and surrounding the signing of the document. Reproductions of historical paintings as well as other illustrations balance the text and add to the visual appeal as well as the fount of information.<br /><br /><i><b><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/47056288&referer=brief_results://">The United States Constitution</a>.</b></i> by Kristal Leebrick. Series title:<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/search?qt=hotseries&q=se%3A%22Let+freedom+ring%22"> Let Freedom Ring</a>. Mankato, MN: Bridgestone Books, 2002. (Intermediate new reader)<br />As it describes the meetings, arguments, and compromises that led to the creation of our Constitution, this book also reveals the seeds of issues such as states' rights and the legacy of slavery that continue to affect our nation to this day. The book also introduces readers to some of the important figures of the time, including an aging Ben Franklin who had to be carried into the hall in Philadelphia on a "richly decorated sedan chair," and who cried when he signed his name to the document.<br /><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/156784906&referer=brief_results"><br /><i><b>How Do We Elect Our Leaders</b></i></a> by William David Thomas. Series title: My American Government. Pleasantville, NY: Gareth Stevens Publishing, 2008. (Intermediate new reader)<br />The chapter on the election of a president discusses campaigns, conventions, and the electoral college. Other chapters explain election procedures for members of Congress and for state officials. Insets explain such things as party symbols and nicknames, presidential inaugural firsts, gerrymandering, and issues in the debate about retaining the electoral college. The layout and spacing are clear; the color photographs add appeal as well as additional information.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/70080929&referer=brief_results"><i><b>The Bill of Rights</b></i></a> by Judith Lloyd Yero. Series title: <i><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=se%3A%22American+documents%22&qt=notfound_page&search=Search">American Documents</a>. </i>Washington, D.C., National Geographic, 2006. (Advanced new reader)<br />Each of the ten amendments is clearly explained in this book, with text and illustrations that place the issue in historical context but also relate it to current events. Readers will learn, for example, about freedom of the press through the story of John Peter Zenger's trial that established the right of the press to criticize the government and see a current application of that freedom in a photograph of a reporter embedded with troops during the Iraq War.<br /><br /><i><b><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/52041057&referer=brief_results">Freedom of Speech</a> </b></i>by Christin Ditchfield. Series title: <i>True Books (Civics Series)</i>. New York: Scholastic, 2004. (Beginning-intermediate new reader)<br />The sentences are simple and direct and the layout is clear, but the issues discussed are sophisticated and relevant to our everyday experience of life in a democracy. Americans are free to practice any religion, or none, but can a football team from a public school pray before a game? Americans have the right to speak their mind, even if their speech is offensive to some, but can high schoolers wear t-shirts determined to be disruptive to the school environment? Freedom of speech is a fundamental principle of American life - and a complicated one.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/54767510&referer=brief_results"><b><i>D is for Democracy</i></b>:<i><b> A Citizen's Alphabet</b></i></a> by Elissa Grodin. Chelsea, MI: Sleeping Bear Press, 2004. (Beginning-intermediate new reader)<br />Like similar titles from this publisher (see <i>T is for Touchdown</i> in previous entry), the format makes this book accessible across reading levels. The primary text is a simple 4-line rhyme, as<br />B is for the Bill of Rights -<br />the freedom to express<br />ideas and opinions<br />and how we want to dress.<br />Sidebars accompanying each entry provide more historical background, discussing the creation of the constitution and the realization that, as first written, it did not provide for individual rights and liberties.<br /><br /><i><b><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/51454275&referer=brief_results">In Defense of Liberty: The Story of America's Bill of Rights</a> </b></i>by Russell Freedman. New York: Holiday House, 2003. (Intermediate-advanced new reader)<br />Freedman begins with a list of questions that reflect issues in the news today such as "Does the Bill of Rights guarantee a right to personal privacy." He then reviews each of the 10 amendments, describing the issues that led to their adoption and discussing sample cases argued on their basic principles, including many currently under discussion.<br />Freedman's book is not part of a series, but he is an award-winning author of children's nonfiction whose work is both informative and highly appropriate for adults.<br /><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/57422784&referer=brief_results"><br /></a><i><b><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/57422784&referer=brief_results">The Founders: The 39 Stories Behind the U.S. Constitution</a> </b></i>by Dennis Brindell Fradin. Illustrations by Michael McCurdy. New York: Walker and Company, 2005.<br /><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/49805907&referer=brief_results"><i><b>The Signers: The 56 Stories Behind the Declaration of Independence </b></i></a>by Dennis Brindell Fradin. Illustrations by Michael McCurdy. New York: Walker and Company, 2002.<br />(Advanced new reader)<br />As the titles suggest, each of these books offers a glimpse into the lives of the people, many of whose names are not familiar to us, who created the documents that created the United States. McCurdy's signature woodcut illustrations convey something specific to each of the men.<br /><br /><i><b>Part 2. American History<br /><br /></b></i>The questions in this section cover three broad themes: the colonial period and the War for Independence; the struggles over slavery, the presidency of Abraham Lincoln, and the Civil War; and, finally, more recent history including immigration, the Civil Rights movement, and the work of Martin Luther King.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/42934512&referer=brief_results">Give Me Liberty! The Story of the Declaration of Independence.</a> </span></span>by Russell Freedman. New York: Holiday House, 2000. (Intermediate-advanced new reader)<br />Despite its title, this book is not just about the Declaration, but is rather a concise, engaging, and authoritative account of the disagreements, frustrations, and events that eventually led to the signing of that definitive document. It will help citizenship students -as well as native-born Americans - understand that the lofty language of the Declaration grew from the evolution of a population increasingly alienated from their distant masters and convinced of their ability to govern themselves. Illustrations all come from archival maps, portraits, handbills and other depictions of the life in colonial America. <br /><i><b><br /><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/53284833&referer=brief_results">Independence Now: The American Revolution 1763-1783</a> </b></i>by Daniel Rosen. Series title: <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/search?qt=hotseries&q=se%3A%22Crossroads+America%22">Crossroads Americ</a>a. Washington, D.C: National Geographic Society, 2004. (Intermediate-advanced new reader)<br />In an engaging and easy to follow narrative voice, Rosen takes readers from the end of the French and Indian War, when the colonists from different states first began to think of themselves as part of a unified citizenry, through the questions about independence versus loyalty to Britain to the war that settled that question for all time. Quotations from people living through this momentous time, some famous and some not, as well as maps and other illustrations, including reproductions of some of the hated tax stamps, add both interest and information in this well researched book.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/44117848&referer=brief_results"><b><i>Paul Revere's Ride: The Landlord's Tale </i></b></a>by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Illustrated by Charles Santore. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. (Intermediate-advanced new readers)<br />Its oft-quoted line, "One if by land, two if by sea," may be familiar, but this poem is dense with names and facts, and thus would be hard for most students to read. However, by listening to the poem being read aloud, with its great galloping rhythms, and following along with Santore's beautiful illustrations that offer a visual echo to the poem's lines, students will get a real sense of the tremendous odds the rag-tag militia men faced confronting the army of a nation as powerful as Britain.<br />An earlier illustrated version by Ted Rand may also be available and is equally as appealing.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/40073997&referer=brief_results"><i><b>Thomas Jefferson: Voice of Liberty</b></i> </a>by Andrew Santella. Series title: <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/search?qt=hotseries&q=se%3A%22Community+builders%22">Community Builders</a>. New York: Children's Press, 1999. (Intermediate new reader)<br />Both the layout and the text of this book offer a clear and accessible account of the life of Thomas Jefferson. Chapters cover his life both before and after the writing of the Declaration of Independence. Well-designed side bars explore issues such as Jefferson's ownership of slaves, despite his stated condemnation of slavery; his library, which became the basis for the Library of Congress; and his role in the creation of the University of Virginia.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/40073901&referer=brief_results"><i><b>The Amazing Life of Benjamin Franklin</b></i></a> by James Cross Giblin. Illustrated by Michael Dooling. New York: Scholastic, 2000. (Advanced new reader)<br />Giblin introduces readers to the many facets of the life of this printer, writer, diplomat, inventor, scientist, civic patron, husband and father, and, of course, one of our "Founding Fathers" and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The story of Benjamin Franklin is really the story of a colonial outpost that grew into an independent country whose founding ideas continue to inspire others seeking the benefits of self-government.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/277156195&referer=brief_results"><i><b>Abe's Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln</b></i></a> by Doreen Rappaport. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. New York: Hyperion, 2008. (Intermediate-advanced new reader)<br />Each section of Rappaport's brief biography is accompanied by quotes from Lincoln's own speeches and writings. The author's succinct, declarative sentences would be within reach even of upper level beginning students, while Lincoln's own words will need some explanation, but the two texts complement each other very well. Nelson's extraordinary illustrations convey both the humanity of this man who is so widely memorialized as well as the gravity of the issues he had to deal with.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/31971810&referer=brief_results"><i><b>Civil War: A Library of Congress Book</b></i></a> by Martin W. Sandler. New York: HarperCollins, 1996. (Intermediate new reader)<br />The Civil War began not long after the invention of photography, so we have hundreds of photographs that chronicle the battles, the camp life of the soldiers, and the meetings of generals and the president. Using the Library of Congress's collection of Civil War memorabilia, including many photographs, illustrations, excerpts from the letters of soldiers, statements of generals, and works of poetry inspired by the events of war, Sandler gives readers a clear and moving portrait of a conflict that shaped the nation we know today.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/53831342"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Moving North: African Americans and the Great Migration 1915-1930</span></span></a> by Monica Halpern. Series title: <span style="font-style: italic;">Crossroads America. </span>Washington, D.C: National Geographic, 2006. (Intermediate-advanced new reader)<br />This account of the migration of African Americans from the rural south to the increasingly urbanized north offers a clear and compelling picture of the poverty, prejudice, and limited opportunity that forced so many people to leave a life they knew to face the uncertainty of one they could only imagine. Quotations from many of the migrants, numerous photographs, informative sidebars highlighting distinguished individuals, and a few reproductions from Jacob Lawrence's stunning series of paintings on this subject (see the next entry) combine to made this an attractive, informative, and very appealing work of social history.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/28257690&referer=brief_results">The Great Migration: An American Story</a> </span></span>by Jacob Lawrence. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1993. (All levels)<br />All sixty panels of Lawrence's series of paintings depicting the migration of African Americans from the rural south to the urban north in the years between the world wars are reproduced here, along with the artist's own brief description of each painting. It is an extraordinary story portrayed in an extraordinary work of art. Both hard cover and paperback editions are available.<br /><br /><b><i><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/26858273&referer=brief_results">Harriet and the Promised Land</a> </i></b>by Jacob Lawrence. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993. (Also available from Aladdin Paperbacks, 1997). (Beginning-advanced new reader)<br />Lawrence is both writer and illustrator of this extraordinary text. With his characteristic use of bold colors and broad strokes, Lawrence tells the iconic tale of Harriet Tubman's many trips guiding escaping slaves to freedom. The simple rhyming text will be accessible to beginners; the powerful art work will inspire discussion among students more advanced in speaking as well as reading English.<br /><br /><b><i><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/44720790&referer=brief_results">Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr</a>. </i></b>by Doreen Rappaport. Illustrated by Bryan Collier. New York: Hyperion, 2001. (Beginning-intermediate new reader)<br />As she did with her book about Abraham Lincoln (described above), Rappaport inserts quotes from Martin Luther King into her brief overview of his life. Collier's dramatic illustrations help convey a sense of the magnitude of purpose that characterized his time as a leader of the civil rights movement.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/34150876&referer=brief_results"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">I Am Rosa Parks </span></span></a>by Rosa Parks, with Jim Haskins. Illustrated by Wil Clay. New York: Dial Books, 1997. (Beginning new reader)<br />In her own words, Rosa describes the events of the day she refused to relinquish her seat on a bus to a white man and the Montgomery Bus Boycott that followed her courageous decision.<br /><br /><i><b><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/57754461&referer=brief_results">Rosa</a> </b></i>by Nikki Giovanni. Illustrated by Bryan Collier. New York: Henry Holt, 2005. (Intermediate new reader)<br />To know the story of Rosa Park's quiet defiance of the law forcing blacks to the back of the bus is to understand much about the cultural climate in which black citizens lived in the years after Emancipation. In this picture book, Giovanni introduces us to Rosa, an ordinary working woman taking care of her husband and mother, whose courageous decision not to relinquish her seat to a white man ignited the burgeoning civil rights movement, a movement that ultimately brought an end to "separate but equal" laws. Through Collier's illustrations, we see both the simplicity of the person and the power of the idea she came to personify.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/34943325&referer=brief_results"><i><b>Seedfolks</b></i></a> by Paul Fleischman. Illustrations by Judy Pedersen. New York: HarperCollins, 1997. (Intermediate new reader)<br />It begins with a young Vietnamese girl who honors her dead father by planting bean seeds in a trash-filled vacant lot. Gradually, twelve others, some young and some old, some longtime residents and some newly arrived immigrants, all living in this blighted Cleveland neighborhood but unknown to each other, begin to do the same thing. By harvest time, something beautiful has happened to the lot and to the community of people who are no longer strangers. Each person is a chapter in this slim volume, telling his or her particular story. Bound together, these stories become part of a modern American city's urban tapestry.<br />An audio book version is available, with different actors reading each story.<br /><br /><i><b>Part 3. Integrated Civics<br /><br /></b></i>The questions in this section cover geography, symbols, and holidays. Numerous publishers produce series of books on each state; two are described below, along with a picture book that offers a unique map of the U.S. The stories behind two of our most beloved symbols, the Liberty Bell, the flag and the Statue of Liberty, are beautifully told and illustrated in the Marcovitz, Thomson and Rappaport books listed below, while Caroline Kennedy's handbook will introduce ESL students to a wide range of expressions of American culture. As for holidays, many public libraries have a separate section in their children's departments for all the books, picture books as well as nonfiction titles, describing the history and celebration of American holidays.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/39060515&referer=brief_results"><b><i>Washington: Facts and Symbols</i></b></a> by Emily McAuliffe. Series title: <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/search?qt=hotseries&q=se%3A%22states+and+their+symbols%22">States and Their Symbols</a>. Mankato: MN: Hilltop Press, 1999. (Beginning-intermediate new reader)<br />The information in the books in this series are clearly presented in brief chapters covering names and nicknames, flags, capitals, and similar topics. Well produced photographs and maps add visual appeal as well as interesting facts.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/44118263&referer=brief_results"><i><b>Washington</b></i></a> by Jean F. Blashfield. Series title: <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/search?qt=hotseries&q=se%3A%22America+the+beautiful.%22">America the Beautiful</a>. New York: Children's Press, 2001. (Advanced new reader)<br />Offering more detailed information, including a history of important industries and descriptions of each state's natural beauty, the books in this series offer many opportunities for discussion among students whose reading ability in English is greater than their speaking ability.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/56730305&referer=brief_results"><b><i>Quilt of States: Piecing Together America</i></b></a>. Quilts by Adrienne Yorinks; Text by Adrienne Yorinks and 50 librarians from across the nation. Washington, D.C., 2005. (Beginning - Intermediate new readers)<br />A unique and imaginative approach to geography, and a boon to learners with good visual memory, this book represents each state by a quilt cut in the shape of the state and decorated with symbols significant to that state. The states are presented in their order of entrance into the Union, from the first, Delaware, to the last, Hawaii, adding yet another piece of information beyond the list of fun facts and claims to fame that are included in this visually fascinating book.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/50124932&referer=brief_results"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Liberty Bell </span></span></a>by Hal Marcovitz. Series title: <span style="font-style: italic;">American Symbols and Their Meanings.</span> Philadelphia: Mason Crest Publishers, 2003. (Intermediate-advanced new reader)<br />The Liberty Bell, with its characteristic crack, is a revered symbol of both the ideas and the activities that led to the founding of the country. This book tells the Bell's story with an engaging mixture of amusing facts (the bell rings in e-flat), intriguing mysteries (how did that crack develop?), and illustrations showing the Bell's resilience through two centuries. Other subjects examined in this series include Ellis Island, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and even the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></span> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/49743372&referer=brief_results"><i><b>Stars and Stripes: The Story of the American Flag</b> </i></a>by Sarah L. Thomson. Illustrated by Bob Davey and Debra Bandelin. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. (Intermediate new reader)<br />The American flag we see today has undergone several changes in design over the course of our history. As states were added, for example, designers debated about changing the number of stripes and rearranging the stars in the field of blue. This book presents some of the different designs considered, addresses the question about who made the first flag, and discusses changes in the frequency and manner in which the flag is displayed, particularly after the events of September 11, 2001.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/166388029&referer=brief_results"><b><i>Lady Liberty: A Biography</i></b></a> by Doreen Rappaport. Illustrated by Matt Tavares. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2008. (Intermediate new reader)<br />Readers may be surprised to learn that our Statue of Liberty, the quintessential emblem of America, was conceived of, built, and to a large extent paid for by the people of France.<br />In this riveting collaboration of words and pictures, Rappaport and Tavares introduce us to the primary players in this extraordinary enterprise and allow each to tell his or her story. We meet law professor Edouard de Laboulaye who first dreamed of creating a statue to the idea of liberty, sculptor Auguste Bartoldi and his assistant Marie Simon who worked through many models to create the design, engineer Gustav Eiffel who created the internal ironwork that supports the statue we see, Charles Stone who supervised the construction on Bedloe's Island, poet Emma Lazarus whose words echo the welcome the statue has offered to millions of immigrants, publisher Joseph Pulitzer who led the campaign to raise money for the pedestal, and even some of the children who collected pennies to add to that effort. Immigrants may no longer arrive by ship through New York harbor, but "The Lady" still stands for them.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/52040923&referer=brief_results"><b><i>A Patriot's Handbook: Songs, Poems, Stories, and Speeches Celebrating the Land We Love</i></b></a> edited by Caroline Kennedy. New York: Hyperion, 2003. (Intermediate-advanced new reader)<br />From the text of the Pledge of Allegiance to the songs of Bob Dylan; from the letters of the second president, John Adams, to the inaugural address of the thirty-fifth, her father, John F. Kennedy; from the lyrics of George M. Cohan's "You're a Grand Old Flag" to the poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar, Caroline Kennedy has gathered a stunning array of materials that present a panoramic perspective on the values inherent in the idea of American patriotism. Part history lesson and part reflection on the diverse range of events, people, and opinions that continue to shape the United States, this book offers many opportunities for native-born Americans and newcomers alike to consider their own response to the question of what it means to be a patriotic American.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/44083869&referer=brief_results"><i><b>Independence Day: Birthday of the United States</b></i> </a>by Elaine Landau. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Publishers, Inc., 2001. (Intermediate new reader)<br />Illustrated with reproductions of paintings from colonial times as well as photographs of current day activities, this book offers readers a brief history of the events that led to the signing of the Declaration of Independence as well as an overview of the many ways, both patriotic and festive, that the birth of our nation is celebrated today.<br /><br /><i><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/45830026&referer=brief_results"><b>1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving</b></a> </i>by Catherine O'Neill Grace and Margaret M. Bruchac, with assistance from The Plimoth Plantation. Photographs by Sisse Brimberg and Cotton Coulson. Washington, D.C: National Geographic Society, 2001. (Advanced new reader)<br />The Plimoth Plantation is a living history museum that attempts to discover and present as accurate and balanced a picture as possible about the nature of the English settlement that landed on the shores of what we now call Plymouth, Massachusetts. This book recounts some of the known history of that colony and of the native Wampanoag people, and presents photographs from a reenactment of the harvest feast the two groups shared, the feast that has become our Thanksgiving.<br /><br /><br /><br /></span><i><b><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><br /></span><br /></b></i>Marguerite Crowley Weibelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03992352043290916618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001028645436983373.post-36422862665835212142009-04-02T16:13:00.010-04:002009-09-02T14:16:53.233-04:00<div style="text-align: center;font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span">Children's Literature</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span">In the Adult Literacy and Language Classroom<br /><br />Example: </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span">Alphabet Books, Picture Books and More</span></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">If you've had </span></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" class="Apple-style-span" >reason to peruse the children’s collection in your local library or bookstore lately, you know what a treasure trove of engaging writing and artwork it is. If you haven’t, you have a treat awaiting you. Among the collection of picture books, for example, you will find stories, some real and some imagined, that convey important truths about the way we live in a complex world. You will also find stories culled from the pages of history that need to be told and retold to succeeding generations. Or peruse the nonfiction section, where you will find books that explore and explain fascinating facts of science and nature, described and illustrated in ways that whet your desire to learn more. Works of poetry abound in the children's collection. Sometimes selected from the works of the great masters and sometimes presenting a range of contemporary voices, poems found in children’s books offer words and images that describe the familiar or explore the unknown, elicit howls of laughter or sighs of longing, evoke memories or inspire new perspectives. In short, exploring the world of children’s literature as adults, we find that “children’s” books offer the very same elements of literature that draw us to the books we love to read in our grown-up world, books that answer a need, indeed a hunger, for a satisfying reading experience, be it factual, emotional, spiritual, or just plain enjoyable.<br /><br />Given this rich resource of literature, it is worth perusing this collection wearing our ABE and ESL hats, searching for books that might afford our adult literacy and language students the same opportunity to find that kind of rewarding and enjoyable reading experience.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Are they really appropriate?</span></span><div style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>Mention children’s literature in the context of materials for adult literacy and language students and the obvious question that arises is, “Won’t such books be demeaning to the students?” Certainly, many books intended for children, however well written or beautifully illustrated, will not be appropriate for adults. But many will be. Consider, for example, the many picture books that are in essence brief memoirs of the author’s own childhood, written with the perspective and wistfulness only an adult looking back can appreciate. Or consider these features of many nonfiction books: they explain their subject in clear and direct language, use appropriate vocabulary documented in a glossary, and provide pictures and graphic illustrations that add depth to the information as well as aesthetic appeal to the reading experience. What's more, many nonfiction books, although marketed to children, do not specifically address children in their text. Perusing poetry books on the children’s shelves, we find many poems originally written for adults that are simple in language but not simplistic in style or meaning. Even some alphabet books, a genre rarely thought of outside the realm of childhood literacy, offer possibilities for use within adult literacy and language classes.<br /><br />Whether telling stories accompanied by beautiful illustrations, acquainting us with fascinating people and events of history, explaining our physical world in understandable but engaging language, or teaching the basics of language in clever wordplay, many “children’s” books are truly appropriate “for readers of all ages.”<br /><br />In the next few entries in this blog, I would like to discuss some specific titles and suggest some possible language lessons, using various kinds of children's books. With this entry, I will begin, appropriately enough, with alphabet books!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Alphabet Books for Adult Literacy Students</span></span><br /></div><br />Alphabet books – Really? Yes, really. While it is true enough that alphabet books are almost universally associated with teaching children to read, the genre has become quite sophisticated in recent years. In concept as well as in style and difficulty of language, recently published alphabet books range from the simple to the complex, and from the predictable to the amazing.<br /><br />The concept of the alphabet book is simple: teach both the shape and the sound of a letter by associating it with a picture. A is for apple; B is for banana and so on. Variations on this basic theme are numerous; they are also clever, amusing, surprising, creative, sophisticated, complex, and appealing to a wide range of tastes, styles, and audiences.<br /><br />I’ve listed a few of my favorite examples below, along with some ideas for lessons to use with these or similar books. I’ve ordered them according to the broad reading levels of beginning through advanced new readers , although many of them can be used with students of different skill levels.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Beginning Level Students</span></span></span></div><div style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/58677610&referer=brief_results"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-style: italic;">ABC NYC </span>by Joanne Dugan</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;">. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2005.<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Description:</span> Traveling the streets and neighborhoods of New York City with her young son, photographer Dugan was inspired to create an alphabet book using objects familiar to children growing up in an urban environment. Subway stations, department stores, billboards, and even graffiti on walls provide the letters in a fascinating variety of fonts, locations, and writing styles. Like most alphabet books, ABC NYC conveys much more than the shapes and sounds of letters. In her photographs of New York, Dugan depicts scenes and objects that reflect the variety of cultural and personal life styles inherent in any large modern city, while at the same time conveying a certain geographic uniqueness. Anyone who has ever visited New York will appreciate how she has captured the flavor of that city with her use of tiled subway lettering and iconic objects such as “B is for Bagel. As a native New Yorker, I laughed out loud at the entry “M is for Manhole Cover.” Perfect!<br /><br /> There are alphabet books available for every state in the U.S. and for some countries as well. Some will be more appropriate for adults than others, but even those that are childlike in appearance can be examples for the two lesson ideas discussed below.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Ideas for Lessons</span></span><br />1. Develop a class project to create a geographical alphabet book. It may be based on a location as large as a country or as small as a neighborhood. In a class of students from several countries, it could become an exercise in helping them discover their new environment. For English speaking adult literacy students learning to read their native language, it offers an opportunity for students to incorporate their oral language skills and knowledge of their surroundings into a reading lesson.<br />2. Reverse the alphabet book concept by having students create lists of things from their environment: street names, favorite foods, articles of clothing, objects related to sports and games, etc. These word lists can then be used to reinforce a variety of skills, such as practicing alphabetical order, learning initial consonants, breaking words into syllables, and recognizing common letter clusters such as consonants blends.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Beginning to Intermediate Level Students</span></span></span></div><div style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/54803591&referer=brief_results"><span class="Apple-style-span">T is for Touchdown: A Football Alphabet</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"> by Brad Herzog. Illustrated by Mark Braught. Chelsea, MI: Sleeping Bear Press, 2005.<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Description</span>: As each letter introduces a term related to football, it offers a brief explanation, in rhyme, of some aspect of the game. Thus, the basic entry for the letter “B” tells us:<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Leather stitched together,<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>the brown ball is our <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">B</span><br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A perfectly thrown spiral<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>is quite a thing to see.</span></div><div style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><br />In addition to this simple verse, a more descriptive sidebar offers additional information, explaining, for example, that the ball is oval and made of pigskin, and that as the ball changed shape from its early rounder version to the current oval ball, the forward pass became a more important part of the game. The sidebar then goes on to explain how to throw a spiral, which it describes as a perfectly thrown pass. Thus, on one page, this book has given beginning level readers a simple poem to read associating the letter “b” with the brown ball, while more advanced students have learned a bit of history and some basic facts about the ball and the game. In an international class, this book could also lead to conversation practice about sports in general or about the differences between American football and the game that the rest of the world knows as football but we call soccer. That’s a lot of information for an alphabet book! Even better, this publisher has produced a number of books using the same format. Some focus on sports as in <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/58546551&referer=brief_results">J is for Jump Shot: A Basketball Alphabet</a> (2005, written by Mike Ulmer and illustrated by Mark Braught); others discuss a wide range of topics such as <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.worldcat.org/oclc/54767510&referer=brief_results">D is for Democracy: A Citizen’s Alphabet</a> (2004, written by Elissa Grodin and illustrated by Victor Juhasz).<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Ideas for Lessons</span></span><br />1. Sports is a topic that offers many opportunities for conversation practice. At a beginning level, have students as a class create a demonstration language experience story in the form of a dialogue, with the two speakers in the dialogue talking about their favorite sport, the team they root for, and a few particulars about that sport or team. Student pairs first practice reading the dialogue the class has composed. Then, with additional help,the student pairs can create their own version of the dialogue, talking about their own experiences with sports.<br />2. At the intermediate level, use sports as a context to talk about verbs. For example, find some newspaper articles about sporting events that are close to the students' reading level, or, if necessary, rewrite the articles in a simpler form, but keeping the verbs used in the original. Read the articles with the students, and help students identify all the words that describe the specific actions of the game. Create a list of all the words that are verbs. As an ongoing project, it would be interesting to start a list of all the verbs that are used to say one team "won" over another, and have students add to that list anytime they come across another such verb they find in a newspaper or even hear on TV or radio.<br />3. In a class with international students, create a class chart, listing all the countries represented in the class, and the sports played in each of those countries. Lead a class discussion about the different sports. What is common among them? What is different? Keep a running vocabulary list on the board. For a subsequent lesson, find books in the local library that discuss each of the sports on the list and bring them to class. Ask each student to choose a book about a sport that is not played, or not very popular, in his or her home country, then write a brief report about that sport, including a sentence or two about how it is different from a sport the student is more familiar with.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Intermediate Level Students</span></span><br /><br /></span> <span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/46359922&referer=brief_results"><span class="Apple-style-span"> <span style="font-style: italic;">Winter: An Alphabet Acrostic</span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"> by Stephen Schnur. Illustrated by Leslie Evans. New York: Clarion Books, 2002.<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Description</span>: In this alphabet book, the word for each letter is presented in a simple but descriptive acrostic. For example, this is the entry for E : <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div><div style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">E</span> is for Ears: </span></div><div style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div><div style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">E</span>ven under caps, they<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">A</span>che and turn<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">R</span>ed in the<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">S</span>tinging cold.</span></div><div style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><br />More than just an alphabet book, these clever acrostics introduce many words associated with the theme of the book. And, of course, the simple but creative word play will challenge students to use their developing language skills in playful but instructive ways. This author has produced similar books for all seasons.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Ideas for Lessons:</span></span><br />1. Have students try to build acrostic poems by first creating a list of words or ideas related to a chosen theme and then selecting words from their list to create the poem. Sample themes might include items in a classroom, favorite foods, or articles of clothing. The words needn’t represent all the letters of the alphabet.<br />2. Introduce students to other kinds of word puzzles such as crosswords, word finders, and jumbles. Books containing various kinds of puzzles at all levels of difficulty can be found in many bookstores and even on the Internet. Local newspapers also offer daily examples. Once the students become familiar with these activities, have them try to create some puzzles of their own.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/54769930&referer=brief_results"><span class="Apple-style-span">Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in Spanish and English</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"> by Alma Flor Ada. Illustrated by Simon Silva. English translation by Rosa Zubizarreta. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1997.<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Description</span>: In simple poems celebrating migrant farm workers and the bounty of the fields they pick, Ada reviews not only the twenty-eight letters of the Spanish alphabet but also the lives and long struggles of those families who make their living putting food on the tables of the countries in which they find seasonal work. Each verse is then translated into English. The poems range from the descriptive to the metaphoric to the philosophical; their meanings are deepened by and echoed in the vibrant illustrations. Here is the English version of “carrots.”</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;font-size:130%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;">Carrots</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;font-size:130%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;">The carrot hides <br /></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;font-size:130%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;">beneath the earth.<br /></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;font-size:130%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;">After all, she knows<br /></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;font-size:130%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;">the sun’s fiery color<br /></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;font-size:130%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;">by heart.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Ideas for Lessons</span></span><br />1. Simple as they are in their language, the poems in this book beautifully illustrate the very nature of poetry as an attempt to express the essence of something, be it a physical object such as a carrot, a concept such as honor, or a way of life such as that of the migrant workers. With these poems as examples, have your students choose something from their immediate environment – a piece of furniture, an article of clothing, a holiday, an event in the community – and then have them brainstorm words, phrases, ideas, people or experiences that come to mind when they think about the chosen topic. Encourage a range of contributions and list them all. Then ask the students to choose just a few of those words or ideas from the list to write a brief poem that condenses, indeed crystallizes, that object, idea, or event for them.<br />2. In a class with students who speak Spanish as well as English, ask the Spanish-speaking students to translate literally the Spanish version of the poem, and then discuss with the whole group how the differences in language do or do not create differences, however slight, in meaning.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Advanced level students</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/144226855&referer=brief_results"><span class="Apple-style-span">Jazz ABZ: An A to Z Collection of Jazz Portraits</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"> by Wynton Marsalis. Illustrated by Paul Rogers. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2005.<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Description</span>: With entries from A to Z, this title qualifies as an alphabet book, but it is really an introduction, in words and stunning portraits, to the great jazz artists of the twentieth century. For each letter, Marsalis has written a poem in praise of a jazz musician, from Louie Armstrong to Count Basie all the way to DiZZy Gillespie. The poems fit the artist they describe: a beat poem, a blues poem, a limerick, a haiku, and so on. Some are easy to read, others quite difficult. Explanations of the forms appear at the end of the book, as do biographical summaries of each musician that will help readers decipher some of the more obscure meanings or references in the poems.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Ideas for Lessons:</span></span><br />1. This book is, in essence, a documentary on the greats of jazz. Discuss the idea of creating a documentary history with your students. What are some topics that they would like to explore? List some of their ideas, and then have them form groups to write about a select few of the topics. Encourage them to gather artifacts such as photographs, maps, family heirlooms, or real objects related to their topic. Suggest that they visit the library to find books on their topic or search the Internet for information, and that they interview several relevant people if possible. Discuss with each group the best format for their documentary.<br />2. Have students create a “how-to” book. Examples might be a cookbook in which they list ingredients and give detailed instructions about how to follow a particular recipe, a step-by-step explanation of their favorite game or sport, or a list of things to do to become acquainted with a new neighborhood or a new country.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;">These are but a few of the many fascinating alphabet books you will find at your local library that may be used with adult literacy and language students. If you have any titles to recommend, I would love to hear them. </span></div></div>Marguerite Crowley Weibelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03992352043290916618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001028645436983373.post-64613986827632455072008-05-27T16:12:00.006-04:002009-04-06T19:09:54.928-04:00Health, Wellness, Libraries, and Literacy<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Issues of health and wellness, illness and disease, surround us in our everyday lives.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Television advertisements promote drugs for specific diseases, always ending with a long – and quickly spoken – warning about all the possible side effects of the drug being promoted.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">News reports are filled with stories about drugs being pulled from the market and drug companies being sued.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Celebrities stricken with cancer and other diseases discuss their situations publicly, sometimes promoting particular kinds of therapies.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Politicians debate the merits of various levels of health care insurance and who should pay for it.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">In the midst of this flood of information however, finding informative and clearly written materials about health issues specific to you as an individual can be a daunting task.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Even those among us who consider ourselves highly literate can have difficulty finding useful information about a specific disease and the various therapies recommended, or how one drug prescribed for us will interact with others we are already taking, or what is or is not covered by our insurance plan – if we are lucky enough to have one.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">We can well imagine, then, the steepness of the learning curve that confronts our adult literacy students as they try to acquire information vital to their lives and the lives of their loved ones.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Fortunately, the issue of health literacy – and the need to address it – is gaining prominence.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">The most recent survey of adult literacy conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics included, for the first time, a component specifically devoted to health literacy, which they defined as, “the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.”</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">The report is available through the NCES web site at </span><a href="http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2006483"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2006483</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">There is also increasing evidence that the health care community is taking note of the many ways in which poor health literacy effects not only their patients but their own success as health care providers.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">They recognize that poor outcomes are often due to patients’ inability to understand and follow the instructions of their physicians or the directions on the medications they are given.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">To help improve the understanding and thus the compliance levels of their patients, hospitals and health care facilities are increasingly looking for patient education materials written at accessible reading levels and in several languages.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Some hospitals have even established health information libraries specifically designed to serve patients and their families.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></o:p></span><b style=""><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">What Public Libraries Offer to Support Health Literacy</span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Simply </span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">put</span></span><b style=""><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">the library offers access to Internet resources and a wide range of books and other printed materials that offer health information. Many of these materials will be accessible to ABE or ESL students, especially if they have the assistance of a tutor or librarian to help them discover the materials. Let's look at a few examples.<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;font-family:arial;"><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Resources on the Internet:</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"> When looking for any kind of information in this online world, most of us turn first to the Internet. For many of our ESL and ABE students, however, that is simply not an option, as many of them have neither access to computers nor the ability to use them efficiently for information needs. Fortunately, almost all public libraries offer computer access to library card holders as well as staff to help those unfamiliar with the technology. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" >Gaining access to a computer is the first step, but navigating through the plethora of information available, and deciding what is worthwhile for your particular purpose, is another issue entirely. In the area of medical information, the best place to start, in my opinion, is a service provided by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) called Medlineplus.<span style=""> </span>It’s web site is:<span style=""> </span><a href="http://medlineplus.gov/"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">http://medlineplus.gov/</span></a>.<span style=""> </span>Medlineplus offers information about more than 750 diseases, conditions, and wellness topics; extensive information about specific drugs as well as drug policy related to Medicare; directories of physicians and other health care providers by specialty as well as geographic area; discussions of current clinical trials; and news items about important research.<span style=""> </span>It has always offered information in both English and Spanish, but recently it added information in forty (yes, 40!) languages.<span style=""> </span>Equally important, Medlineplus is not a commercial product.<span style=""> </span>It does not allow advertisements and does not promote specific drugs or procedures.<span style=""> </span>It is based on or links to authoritative and reliable materials produced by NIH and many other professional organizations dedicated to the dissemination of accessible and understandable medical information to the lay public.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" >Medlineplus is a free service, provided by the government.<span style=""> </span>Many other useful and reliable resources are not free, however, but are made freely available to the public through the public library.<span style=""> </span>These include databases such as Health Source: Consumer Edition and Health and <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Wellness</st1:placename> <st1:placename st="on">Resource</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Center</st1:placetype></st1:place>, both of which provide information written in lay language and intended for patients and their families and care givers. Check with your local public library to see if they have access to these or similar databases.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;font-family:Arial;" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >Books for ABE and ESL Students</span>: </span></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><b style=""><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Books presenting facts and discussing issues related to health and wellness constitute a significant part of the nonfiction collection of most public libraries. For ABE and ESL students, the children’s collection will contain many books which address their topics in a straightforward and informative style that will be both helpful and appealing to adult literacy students.<span style=""> </span>These collections offer books covering a range of topics, from general information about health and the human body to detailed discussions of particular diseases and conditions.<span style=""> </span>The books range in style and readability from the picture book format to highly illustrated atlases to textbook-like works on particular topics that offer excellent practice in reading scientific or technical information for students preparing for the GED.<span style=""> </span>Let’s look at a few examples, some of which are appropriate for adult students and others which are suitable for family literacy programs.<span style=""> </span></span></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" >Chris Hawkes’ book, <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/61216695&referer=brief_results"><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Human Body: Uncovering Science</i></a> (Firefly, 2006) is one example of a book that can be used by students on several levels of reading ability.<span style=""> </span>Although the text is written primarily at the intermediate-advanced<i style=""> </i>new reader level, much information can be gleaned from the extraordinary diagrams and illustrations that draw the reader in and inspire a host of reactions.<span style=""> </span>With exquisite overlays such as the internal organs over the muscular system over the skeleton, and magnified diagrams of organs at the cellular level, these illustrations provide many opportunities for students to match information from the printed text with the illustrated examples, even if that printed text is read aloud to them.<span style=""> </span>Another book with great read-aloud-for-discussion potential, is Donna Jackson's <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/54001302&referer=brief_results"><b style="font-weight: bold;"><i style="">In Your Face: The Facts About Your Features</i></b><span style="font-weight: bold;">,</span></a> (Viking in 2004).<span style=""> </span>Moving from our evolutionary origins in creatures of the sea to the modern technology of face recognition as a means of identification, <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Jackson</st1:place></st1:city> examines many aspects of the human face.<span style=""> </span>Rich in fascinating facts, this book also suggests numerous language lessons, especially for ESL students. There is a wealth of vocabulary in the names of all the parts of, for example, the eye: iris, pupil, cornea, eyelash, etc.<span style=""> </span>There are cultural discussions as, for example, when it is proper to make eye contact with another person, or how and why various cultures adorn faces with make-up or tattoos.<span style=""> </span>And there are idioms associated with just about every part of the face: “all ears,” “won by a nose,” “face the music,” and the title itself, “in your face.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span>We’ve talked in earlier entries about picture books that can appeal to readers of all ages.<span style=""> </span>Simon Seymour’s <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/299715402&referer=brief_results"><b style=""><i style="">The Heart: Our Circulatory System</i></b> </a>(William Morrow, 1996) is an outstanding example of this category.<span style=""> </span>The “pictures” in this book come from such devises as scanning electron microscopes and computer enhanced imagery.<span style=""> </span>The text precisely details the path of human blood through arteries, capillaries, and veins, and discusses topics such as how white blood cells fight infection and how cholesterol builds up in arteries.<span style=""> </span>This clearly written factual account then ends on a poetic – even reverent – note, describing the “sixty-thousand-mile voyage” of blood through the body as “a journey as strange and wonderful as any journey to the stars.”<span style=""> </span>In a similar vein, Simon has produced several other titles in this series of picture books, including, <i style=""><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/48958050&referer=brief_results"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eyes and Ears</span></a>, <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/35686089&referer=brief_results"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Brain</span></a>, <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/37878726&referer=brief_results"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bones</span></a>, </i>and <i style=""><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/55738083&referer=brief_results"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Guts</span></a>.</i> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span>Several publishers have produced series of books covering health issues that will be of particular interest and appeal to the audience of adult literacy students.<span style=""> </span>Heinemann Publishers of Chicago, for example has published a number of series at different reading levels.<span style=""> </span>The series “<i style="">Just the Facts</i>,”<span style=""> </span>written at the intermediate new reader level, covers a range of diseases.<span style=""> </span>Their entry titled <i style=""><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/48223623&referer=brief_results"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Aids</span></a> </i>(2003) is typical.<span style=""> </span>It discusses the symptoms, treatments, complications, and risks associated with the disease.<span style=""> </span>But it also goes beyond the medical facts to examine some of the social, political, and legal ramifications of this epidemic, thus suggesting avenues of discussion that will be of particular interest to adults.<span style=""> </span>It introduces readers to Ryan White, for example, the young hemophiliac boy who contracted aids from a blood transfusion and was ostracized by his school community but eventually became an eloquent spokesperson for the rights of aids patients.<span style=""> </span>Emphasizing the importance of knowledge, this simple book<span style=""> </span>debunks prevalent myths about the disease and treats a difficult subject in a respectful, matter-of-fact manner that respects readers of all ages.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span>A genre of books popular for the children’s market could loosely be described as picture dictionaries or atlases.<span style=""> </span>DK Publishing has produced a number of such titles that are visually appealing across age ranges and offer information through illustrations as well as text, making them accessible across reading levels as well. One excellent example is <i style=""><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/35666746&referer=brief_results"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Human Body</span></a>: <span style="font-weight: bold;">An Extraordinary Look from the Inside Out</span> </i>(1997) from the series <i style="">Inside Guides</i>.<span style=""> </span>Written by Frances Williams, it offers a comprehensive yet accessible atlas of the human body in which all the body systems are presented by handcrafted models of extraordinary detail and many shades of color.<span style=""> </span>Microscopic photographs offer a look at the cellular level and clear text explains the function of each body section.<span style=""> </span>Although marketed to children, many libraries will have additional copies in the adult collection.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span>At the intermediate – advanced new reader levels, some series offer an almost textbook-like format that will be helpful for students preparing for the science reading section of the GED.<span style=""> </span>Lucent Books, for example, offers a series titled <i style="">Diseases and Disorders</i> in which individual books discuss a range of<span style=""> </span>diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, breast cancer, epilepsy, autism and dyslexia. The chapters in each of the books discuss the nature of the disease or disorder, how it is diagnosed, what the standard treatments are, some possible alternative treatments, and day to day problems. They also offer an overview of potential research developments as well as a list of organizations to contact for additional information.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="font-family:Arial;">Books for Family Literacy Programs: </span></i></b></span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span>For family literacy programs, public libraries offer a wealth of materials for adult literacy students to discuss and learn from along with their children.<span style=""> </span>In Caroline Arnold’s <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/54356908&referer=brief_results"><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Skeleton<span style=""> </span>System </i></a>(Lerner Publications, 2005), for example, part of the <i style="">Early Bird Body Systems </i>series, each chapter opens with a question, the answer to which can be found within that chapter, offering opportunities for adult and child readers alike to practice finding specific pieces of information within a larger text.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span>Part of <i style="">The Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library </i>series, Tish Rabe’s <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/54356908&referer=brief_results"></a><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=inside+your+outside+au%3Atish+rabe+&qt=advanced"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Inside Your Outside: All About the Human Body</i></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>(Random House, 2002) offers a whimsical, rhyming tour of the human body. Along the way, readers are introduced to lots of vocabulary as well as “fun facts” such as the size of the bones in the inner ear.<span style=""> </span>Children and adults will laugh at the antics of The Cat, and they will learn a lot as well.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><span style="font-size:130%;">On a more serious note, Bee Peta’s <i style=""><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/39108573&referer=brief_results"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Living with Asthma</span></a> </i>(Steck-Vaughn, 2000) follows the daily routines of three children as they learn how to control their environment so as to minimize the effects of their disease.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><span style="font-size:130%;">Books such as this one which feature an instructive and positive view of children coping with difficult medical conditions remind all readers that knowledge and a positive attitude are essential aspects of all therapy.</span><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p> </o:p><br /><span style=""></span><span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Marguerite Crowley Weibelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03992352043290916618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001028645436983373.post-52026680290572754222008-02-17T14:04:00.003-05:002008-04-10T16:40:37.182-04:00<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="center"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><b>The Nonfiction Collection</b></span></span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="center"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><b>A Treasury of Knowledge</b></span></span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">The nonfiction collection in the children’s department of any public library is indeed a treasury of knowledge and a rich source of reading materials for adult literacy students. It will contain books discussing virtually any subject, many written in simple but instructive prose that does not specifically address children as its intended audience. These books are often rich in graphic presentations of information, including photographs, illustrations, maps, charts and graphs, and facsimiles of original documents. They use the true vocabulary of the subject, not a simplified or dumbed-down version, but they also provide clear definitions and pronunciation guides. Works of nonfiction are also found in genres beyond the expected factual texts and biographies. Some books classed as picture books, for example, tell true stories about cultural and historical events and about noteworthy people. Even certain works of poetry are based on actual events, offering the reader an opportunity to examine that event or issue from a different and often deeper perspective. For ABE students who missed much of the content of early schooling because of reading difficulties and for ESOL students who are eager to learn about their new home – its history, geography, and culture, as well as its language – the nonfiction collection of the children’s section offers many opportunities for students to “read to learn” while learning to read and speak the English language. </span></span> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;"><br /></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"> There are many subjects to choose from to illustrate the point of this entry, but given that it is February, celebrated as “Black History Month,” we’ll look at a range of books depicting the Civil Rights Movement of the twentieth century, and in particular, one pivotal event of that movement, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, begun in response to the arrest of Rosa Parks on the day she refused to give up her seat on a city bus to a white man. The lessons below suggest ways to use a few titles related to this topic. Other books are suggested in the bibliography listed on the left as well as in both <i><a title="Adult Learners Welcome Here" target="_blank" href="http://worldcat.org/oclc/74029403&referer=one_hit" id="qpcd">Adult Learners Welcome Here</a> </i>and </span></span></p><a style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 0, 204); font-family: arial;" title="Choosing and Using Books with Adult New Readers." target="_blank" href="http://worldcat.org/oclc/33334885?tab=holdings" id="ouaa">Choosing and Using Books with Adult New Readers.</a> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><b>A few lesson ideas</b></span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><b><i>Biographies: </i></b> Rosa Parks is the subject of numerous biographies, written at varying reading levels. On the beginning new reader level, consider, for example, <b><i><a title="I Am Rosa Parks" target="_blank" href="http://worldcat.org/oclc/34150876&referer=brief_results" id="ltbp">I Am Rosa Parks</a> </i></b>(Dial Books, 1997)<i>, </i>written by Rosa Parks herself with assistance from Jim Haskins, and illustrated by Wil Clay. In this book, Parks recalls important events from her childhood, then tells the story of the fateful day she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man, a seemingly simple decision that led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a seminal event in the burgeoning Civil Rights movement of the 1950s. On one level, the simple text of this book offers students a good example of writing that describes an important event in the writer’s life in simple, declarative sentences. Such personal story telling is an excellent place for literacy students to begin developing writing skills. But given the enormity of the event described, this easy-to-read book offers adult literacy students something more, an opportunity to discuss and perhaps write about more complex issues. By refusing to relinquish her seat, Rosa Parks was striking out against centuries of injustice; she was also breaking a law, inconveniencing herself and others, and subjecting herself to potentially harsh treatment from the angry bus driver and the police who arrested her. Ask your students:</span></span></p> <ul><li><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;"> <span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">Could you imagine yourself in such a situation? What would you do?</span></span></p> </li><li><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">What if you were another black person on the bus. Would you get up and leave as some did or would you stay?</span></span></p> </li><li><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">What if you were a white person on the bus. What would you do?</span></span></p> </li><li><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">Suppose you are one of the policemen. What would you say to Rosa Parks?</span></span></p></li><li><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">Is it ever acceptable to break a law?<br /></span></span></li></ul> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;"><br /></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><b><i>Picture Books: </i></b> Although thought of almost exclusively as children’s books, many picture books appeal to “readers of all ages.” An excellent example is poet Nikki Giovanni’s <a title="Rosa" target="_blank" href="http://worldcat.org/oclc/57754461&referer=brief_results" id="n_it">Rosa</a> (Henry Holt, 2005), written in prose at an intermediate new reader level. The picture book format offers a more personal perspective of that fateful day, as Giovanni first introduces us to Rosa in her kitchen preparing breakfast for her husband and worrying about her mother, who has been ill. The reader then follows Rosa through a busy day working as a seamstress for a Montgomery department store. As she boards the bus to go home, we know she is tired and thinking about what to cook for supper when she is confronted with a situation that forces her to make a momentous decision. Dramatically illustrated by Bryan Collier, Giovanni’s story places Rosa in a context that helps readers relate to her as an ordinary person who, by a simple act of defiance, became a catalyst and a symbol of a major social movement.</span></span></p><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"> Encourage students to examine the details of the illustrations of this book. For example:<br /></span></span></p><ul><li><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"> What is in Rosa’s kitchen?<br /></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">What is she wearing?<br /></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">What kind of sewing is she doing?<br /></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">What do the expressions on the faces of the people on bus – or the bus driver and policemen – say to you? </span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Have students read <i>I Am Rosa Parks </i>first and then read <i>Rosa.</i> Discuss with them how the picture book, with its additional text as well as its illustrations, changed or added to their understanding of Rosa Parks. </span></span></span><br /><br /><p class="western" style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;"> <span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">Artist Faith Ringgold takes yet another approach in her picture book, <a title="If a Bus Could Talk: The Story of Rosa Parks" target="_blank" href="http://worldcat.org/oclc/39123474&referer=brief_results" id="y6:3"><b>If a Bus Could Talk: The Story of Rosa Parks</b></a> (Simon & Schuster, 1999). In this imaginative story, a young girl steps up to what she thinks is her school bus but which turns out to be a kind of magical talking bus that appears once a year to commemorate Rosa Parks’ famous ride, teaching the young girl – and all the books’ readers – about an important event in American history. This picture book is clearly intended for children and is <b>not</b> what I would call a book for readers of all ages. However, it has a potential use in an adult literacy classroom as an example of what could be an interesting writing exercise for intermediate or advanced students. We all know stories - cultural, historical, and personal stories - that we believe should be passed on to children. Ringgold’s approach to passing on the story of Rosa Parks was to invent a magic bus. Consider asking students to think of a story important to them in some way, then ask them to write about it in a way that children would understand. They may choose to write a purely factual account, they may write a poem, or they may invent a story that would appeal to a child’s imagination but also convey important facts, as Ringgold’s book does. </span></span> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><b><i>Poetry: </i></b>In her collection titled <b><i><a title="On the Bus with Rosa Parks" target="_blank" href="http://worldcat.org/oclc/39905945&referer=brief_results" id="emye">On the Bus with Rosa Parks</a> </i></b>(W.W. Norton, 1999) former Poet Laureate Rita Dove devotes a section of the book to poems about Rosa Parks and the Civil Rights movement. In the simple poem “Rosa,” Dove describes her almost obliquely (“Her sensible coat,” “That courtesy”) yet she says so much about this ordinary person who became a cultural icon. “Rosa” is a beautiful example of how a poem can capture a certain essence of a person by noting a particular detail such as a gesture or an article of clothing. Read this poem aloud to your students and talk about it with them, pointing out the particular details Dove chose to include. Then ask them to think of person they know well and write a poem about that person, using a few specific details that capture something essential about that person. (The book <i>On the Bus with Rosa Parks </i>will be available at most public libraries. “Rosa” is on page 83. Permission to reprint the poem here is being sought.) </span></span> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><b><i>Nonfiction: </i></b>Finally we come to those books more generally thought of when we think of the nonfiction collection. Numerous titles, at various reading levels, are available in public libraries’ nonfiction collections offering biographies of Rosa Parks or discussions of the Montgomery Bus Boycott ; others describe the larger context of the Civil Rights Movement. A few examples include <b><i><a title="The Montgomery Bus Boycott: Integrating Public Buses" target="_blank" href="http://worldcat.org/oclc/48618207&referer=one_hit" id="wek_">The Montgomery Bus Boycott: Integrating Public Buses</a> </i></b>(Rosen, 2004), written by Jake Miller. Part of the Rosen Publishing Group’s series “The Library of the Civil Rights Movement,” this book, written at an intermediate new reader level, introduces us to other people important to the movement, including Jo Ann Robinson, a professor at a black college in Montgomery who had conceived of the idea of a bus boycott to protest segregation in public transportation, but had been waiting for the right moment to promote her idea. It examines the effect the year-long boycott had on the black people who refused to ride the bus and on the economy of the city of Montgomery. An even more detailed account, written at an advanced new reader level, is Russell Freedman’s <a title="Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott" target="_blank" href="http://worldcat.org/oclc/64065965&referer=brief_results" id="kyqt"><b>Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott</b></a> (Holiday House, 2006). Finally, Diane McWhorter’s <a title="A Dream of Freedom: The Civil Rights Movement from 1954 to 1968," target="_blank" href="http://worldcat.org/oclc/55998388&referer=brief_results" id="xbhf">A Dream of Freedom: The Civil Rights Movement from 1954 to 1968</a> (Scholastic, 2004), (also written at the advanced new reader level, discusses the bus boycott as one of several significant events that ended the culture and practice of segregation throughout the south, and the country, during two turbulent decades.</span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;"> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">These and other books present many opportunities for integrating the exploration and discussion of interesting content into the curriculum of a literacy program. For example, consider asking students to:</span></span></p> <ul><li><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;"> <span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">Compare facts in various biographies of Rosa Parks with Giovanni’s picture book <i>Rosa.</i></span></span></p> </li><li><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">Create a “glossary” of terms related to civil rights issues</span></span></p> </li><li><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">Look through several books on the bus boycott to find some of the same photographs, then discuss any differences in the captions describing those photographs</span></span></p> </li><li><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">Discuss the impact of actual photographs versus drawings and illustrations</span></span></p> </li><li><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">Find information, in books or perhaps through the Internet, on other people mentioned in discussions of the wider movement</span></span></p> </li><li><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;"> <span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">With help from a local librarian, find examples of poems written about the people, events, and consequences of the Civil Rights Movement. (Two possible titles include Langston Hughes’ collection <a title="The Panther and the Lash" target="_blank" href="http://worldcat.org/oclc/6556484&referer=brief_results" id="a6yi">The Panther and the Lash</a> (Knopf, 1967) and Arnold Adoff’s anthology <a title="I Am the Darker Brother" target="_blank" href="http://worldcat.org/oclc/35001929&referer=brief_results" id="li-e">I Am the Darker Brother</a> (Simon & Schuster, 1997). </span></span> </p> </li></ul> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;"><br /></p>Marguerite Crowley Weibelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03992352043290916618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001028645436983373.post-68683366100680129752007-11-19T14:54:00.000-05:002007-11-27T15:28:54.511-05:00<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 150%;" align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;"><b><span style="line-height: 150%;font-family:Arial;" >Wisdom and Delight: Poetry in the Adult Literacy Classroom </span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;color:navy;" >All the elements necessary to learn how to read, and to read well, are contained within poetry. Poetry uses rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, and repetition, all uses of language found in reading workbooks that help reinforce the basic skills of reading.<span style=""> </span>But beyond mere words, poetry uses imagery and metaphor to move readers to deeper levels of understanding and insight.<span style=""> </span>It helps readers make connections between the words on the page and their own experiences, and it offers them glimpses into the lives and imaginations of people they’ve never met. In short, poetry offers the kinds of experiences that make reading both meaningful and memorable, experiences that Joel Conarroe <span style="">calls the power of <i>“</i></span>transcendent art.”<span style=""> </span>(<i><a href="http://worldcat.org/oclc/23582957?tab=details">Six American Poets</a>,</i><span style=""> 1991).</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;color:navy;" >Reading that reaches the level of “transcendent art” may seem like an all too lofty and unattainable goal in the context of adult literacy students, but it needn’t be, not if poetry is the gateway.<span style=""> </span>Much great poetry uses simple words, but never to express simplistic ideas. Anyone who has ever seen a winter moon on a cold, clear night will recognize “the slim curved crook of the moon tonight,” described in Langston Hughes’s poem, “Winter Moon,” just as any parent will grasp the plaintive warning against discouragement of a mother to her son in Hughes’s line, “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair,” from his poem, “Mother to Son.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;color:navy;" >Every public library holds a treasure trove of poetry to excite and interest adult new readers. Some books will be in the general adult collection. Consider, for example, collections of poets such as Langston Hughes, William Carlos Williams, Emily Dickinson, and Lucille Clifton, many of whose poems will be particularly accessible to new readers. <span style=""> </span>Consider also contemporary poets who write in a vernacular style that explores the experiences of ordinary life. Gary Soto, for one, describes his poems as being about “commonplace, everyday things – baseball, an evening walk, a boyhood friendship, first love, fatherhood, a tree, rock ‘n’ roll, the homeless, dancing.<span style=""> </span>The poems keep alive the small moments which add up to a large moment: life itself.” (<a href="http://worldcat.org/oclc/23254868?tab=details"><i style="">A Fire in My Hands</i></a>, 1990).<span style=""> </span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;color:navy;" >Much poetry of interest to adults will also be found in the children’s and young adult sections of the library. Books intended to introduce a young audience to some of the icons of poetry such as Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, and Robert Frost all contain poems originally written for adults. The same is true for anthologies based on a particular theme such as Arnold Adoff’s <i><a href="http://worldcat.org/oclc/35001929?tab=details">I Am the Darker Brother</a>,</i> an attempt to bring black poets, contemporary writers as well as important voices from an earlier time, to the attention of young – or new – readers.<span style=""> </span>And many well known poems written for adults have been made into picture books marketed to children but appealing to readers of all ages.<span style=""> </span>Robert Frost’s <a href="http://worldcat.org/oclc/35001929?tab=details"><i></i></a><i><a href="http://worldcat.org/oclc/3869464?tab=details">Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening</a> </i>and Walt Whitman’s <i><a href="http://worldcat.org/oclc/22596726?tab=details">I Hear America Singing</a> </i><span style="">are two shining examples</span>. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;color:navy;" >Consider the four examples below, then peruse the additional titles listed in the bibliography “Poetry for Adult Literacy Students” that follows.<span style=""> </span>More titles of poetry books suitable for adult literacy students can be found in Chapter 5 of <i style=""><a href="http://worldcat.org/oclc/74029403?tab=details">Adult New Readers Welcome Here: A Handbook for Librarians and Literacy Teachers</a>. </i>And of course, peruse the shelves of your local public library to discover some treasures of your own to share with your adult literacy students. Tell us what you’ve found!<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;color:navy;" >A few lesson ideas:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;color:navy;" >♦ Poetry and Art</span></i></b><span style=";font-family:Arial;color:navy;" > – A poem and a work of art may be connected by something obvious such as subject, theme, or mood, or by some mysterious thread known to – or perhaps felt by – the reader/viewer alone.<span style=""> </span>Whatever the connection, reading a poem inspired by or paired with a work of art adds several dimensions to the reading experience.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;color:navy;" >Consider Jan Greenberg’s <b style=""><i style=""><a href="http://worldcat.org/oclc/43391208?tab=details">Heart to Heart: New Poems Inspired by Twentieth-Century American Art</a>.</i> </b><i style=""><span style=""> </span></i>In the section of her book called “Stories,” we find a poem by Dan Masterson recalling a childhood spent above a barbershop – a childhood ended too soon by war – written in response to Edward Hopper’s “Early Sunday Morning.”<span style=""> </span>Romare Bearden’s collage “Black Manhattan” inspired Siv Cedering to write a poem that is something of a word collage, naming the various things he sees in the city scene before him while also letting his mind wander in contemplation of the who and what and why of it all.<span style=""> </span>Telling stories, especially about their own experiences, is a perfect starting point for students new to, and perhaps intimidated by, writing.<span style=""> </span>Giving them pictures that will spark memories or inspire invented stories will not only give reluctant student writers a jump start, it will enrich their writing as they respond to the detail, color, shape, and feeling presented in the art work.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;color:navy;" >The next three sections of this book mirror the increased levels of understanding we want students to experience as their literacy grows.<span style=""> </span>The section, “Voices,” invites poets to imagine themselves as the object or person pictured and speak with that imagined voice. <span style=""> </span>“Impressions” invites writers to describe an artwork in observed detail, and in the process glean some deeper meaning.<span style=""> </span>The last section, “Expressions,” invites poets to explore forms, shapes, colors, and light, as well as the way these elements affect the viewer, even if the subject of the artwork is not something recognizable. <span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;color:navy;" >In her book, <a href="http://worldcat.org/oclc/27896719?tab=details"><b style=""><i style="">Something Permanent</i></b>,</a> author Cynthia Rylant does for the Depression-era photographs of Walker Evans what the poets in Jan Greenberg’s book did for a variety of works of art.<span style=""> </span>She imagines a story behind the faces and empty rooms that so vividly exclaimed the hardships felt by so many, especially people living in rural areas away from the reach of the media of that desperate time. Our own time is not lacking in striking images of disaster and hardship, so Rylant’s <i style="">Something Permanent</i> can serve as an example to inspire literacy students to imagine themselves into the photographs of contemporary disasters and their victims, creating stories, expressing feelings, and recognizing common bonds, no matter how distant or different the subjects in the pictures.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;color:navy;" ><span style=""> </span><b style=""><i style="">♦ Poems as Picture Books </i></b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;color:navy;" >Childhood memories are a well-spring for poetry as well as other forms of writing, as well as a comfortable place for new readers and writers to begin to put their own memories, thoughts, and observations into words on paper.<span style=""> </span>Nikki Giovanni’s poem “<a href="http://worldcat.org/oclc/28550009?tab=details"><st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Knoxville</st1:city>, <st1:state st="on">Tennessee</st1:state></st1:place></a>,” illustrated by Larry Johnson in the picture book of the same title, offers an excellent example of poem that is simple in words, yet filled with rich details of a childhood summer and tinged with the warm nostalgia that memory brings.<span style=""> </span>Even beginners will relate to and be able to emulate this poem. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;color:navy;" >Susan Jeffers’ drawings for her illustration of Robert Frost’s “<a href="http://worldcat.org/oclc/3869464?tab=details">Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening</a>,” in her book of the same title, echo Frost’s depiction of the serenity of new-fallen snow as well as the burden of duty inherent in his oft-quoted line, “And miles to go before I sleep.”<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;color:navy;" >Another famous line that has made its way into the American vernacular and will be familiar to many American students and perhaps some ESOL students as well is the phrase, “one if by land, two if by sea.” <span style=""> </span>Both the origin of that phrase and the iconic American story of which it is a part are dramatically brought to life in several illustrated versions of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s, “Paul Revere’s Ride.”<span style=""> </span>In versions by illustrators <a href="http://worldcat.org/oclc/20671580?tab=details">Ted Rand</a> (1990), <a href="http://worldcat.org/oclc/51820770?tab=details">Monica Vachula</a> (2003) and <a href="http://worldcat.org/oclc/44117848?tab=details">Charles Santore</a> (2003), the descriptive pictures accompanying the galloping rhythms of this poem help explain both the geography and the history behind the text.<span style=""> </span>The poem is quoted exactly in each book, yet each illustrator’s work offers a slightly different mood.<span style=""> </span>Comparing the three, and perhaps choosing a favorite, will engage students in a lively discussion of language, art, and the diversity of interpretation inherent in both. All three versions also include additional explanatory information to help set the larger historical context and will perhaps lead to further investigation into the life and times of Paul Revere and his revolutionary compatriots.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <span style=""><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">The bibliography of poetry books linked to the left lists many other titles. If you have titles to add, I'd love to hear about them. </span><br /></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <div align="center"> <table class="MsoNormalTable" style="width: 644px; border-collapse: collapse; height: 70px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr style=""> <td style="padding: 3.75pt; width: 100%;" width="100%"><br /></td> </tr> <tr style=""> <td style="padding: 3.75pt; width: 100%;" width="100%"><br /></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </div> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;color:navy;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;color:navy;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Marguerite Crowley Weibelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03992352043290916618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001028645436983373.post-78421931063046327192007-10-16T11:14:00.000-04:002007-10-16T11:22:55.869-04:00Welcome to Library Literacy Connections!<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">The focus of this blog is discussion and promotion of books, reading, libraries and their integral connection to adult literacy programs. Specifically, I hope to:</span></p> <ul><li><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">suggest kinds of books and specific titles that can be used in adult literacy classrooms and tutoring sessions</span></p> </li><li><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">offer ideas for lessons using the books suggested</span></p> </li><li><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">share stories and suggestions from other librarians and teachers using library books in their classrooms</span></p> </li><li><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">discuss issues of importance to libraries, librarians, and the adult literacy community</span></p> </li><li><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">provide links to other blogs and sites of interest</span></p> </li></ul> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">Hundreds of libraries across the country offer support to adult literacy programs. Many offer tutoring space and provide collections of materials published specifically for the adult basic literacy (ABE) and ESOL audience. Some libraries have gone further, including an adult literacy program as one of their basic services. </span> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">But libraries offer so much more than space for classes, tutoring, and special collections. Indeed, libraries are essential to the ultimate aim of all literacy programs: the creation of a literate, thoughtful, and well informed public. </span> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">Libraries remain “the people’s university,” especially for adult literacy students. Where else can basic literacy students find the books and materials that will enable them to catch up on all they couldn’t learn in school because of their lack of reading ability? Where else will newcomers to our country find materials to help them practice their new language in ways that engage the level of intelligence they have in their native one? Where else will all literacy students find a community institution free and open to all, asking no questions about income, education, experience, or country of origin. Where else will students find access to computers, to the Internet, and to the world of commerce and ideas that might otherwise seem beyond their reach? And where better to progress from learning to read to reading to learn. </span> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">What does the library offer ABLE or ESOL students beyond collections of materials written specifically for those populations? Consider a few examples:</span></p> <ul><li><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">Art and photography books that can inspire language experience stories, vocabulary lessons, recollections of times past or expressions of present emotions. </span> </p> </li><li><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">Poetry that tells stories, describes events, or evokes feelings in language that is simple and direct, but never simplistic, language that gives words to ideas and feelings we recognize but cannot articulate.</span></p> </li><li><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">Non-fiction books from the children’s section that explain their subjects in clear, direct, and informative language, accompanied by photos and other graphic elements, but never identifying an audience of children.</span></p> </li><li><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">Picture books appealing to readers of all ages, telling stories of an author’s childhood or introducing readers to important historical figures and events. </span> </p> </li></ul> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">These are some of the books we will be talking about on Library Literacy Connections. I have lots of books I would like to talk about. I hope to learn about others from you.</span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">A word about terminology.</span> Within the adult literacy community, there are two distinct groups of learners. Programs that teach native speakers of English who are working to improve their reading skills are called by various names, including ABE (Adult Basic Education), ABLE (Adult Basic Literacy Education) and simply BL (Basic Literacy). Programs that teach English to speakers of other languages are generally called ESOL (English for speakers of Other Languages). These two student groups are distinct, and yet, they have much in common. They are both, after all, learning language skills, and whether those skills are learned in a native language or an acquired one, the goal is the same: to be able to read, write, think, and communicate at ever-higher levels of language. Come to think of it, it is a goal that everyone reading this blog shares. So while some of the books and ideas I will present may be more useful with either ABLE or ESOL students, many will be applicable to both, and when I use the term “adult literacy student,” I’m really talking about all students working to improve their language skills. </span> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p>Marguerite Crowley Weibelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03992352043290916618noreply@blogger.com0