Amelia Earhart: The Legend of the Lost Aviator by Shelley Tanaka, illustrated by David CraigThe Legend of the Lost Aviator is a picture book intended for grades 4-8 that won the Orbus Pictus Award. The book tells of the adventures of Amelia Earhart, a legendary female pilot who was the first female aviator to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. This picture biography not only tells about the life of Amelia and her great accomplishments, but the pictures and context also say a great deal about female accomplishments in a time when men were primarily praised for actions such as this. An activity for this book could be studying the women's movement and some profound women who accomplished great feats like Amelia despite having a lower level of respect than men. If every student created a Glogster or interactive poster on one prominent woman in history, this could serve as a great lesson in women's history and how women came to be respected as much as men in our world today.
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Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews, illustrated by Bryan CollierTrombone Shorty is a picture book that won the Newbery Medal and is intended for grades preschool-3. In this picture autobiography, Troy Andrews or "Trombone Shorty" tells about his life growing up in New Orleans, a city filled with music, and his finding of a trombone and resulting entrance into the music culture. Trombone Shorty learned quickly, and soon was one of the most prominent players in his time. This book not only beautifully tells the story of Trombone Shorty through its word's but also through its illustrations. Bryan Collier is able to illustrate music through bursts of light in a beautiful and effective way. I therefore think this book would provide a great activity in connecting the senses that are invoked through art such as music or writing. The students would listen to a solo performed by Trombone shorty (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yRhacGLGEs). They would also be given water paints and a large piece of paper. They would listen once without painting, and then the teacher would play the song again and the students would be asked to paint the music that they hear. This would not only be a fun and interesting activity, but it would teach a valuable lesson on the connection of all forms of art--whether it be writing, painting, singing, playing an instrument, ect.
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Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena, illustrated by Christian Robinson Last Stop on Market Street is a picture book that won both the Newbery Medal and the Caldecott Medal. It is intended for grades PreK-2, and it describes the routine of a boy named CJ and his Grandma, as they ride the bus home after going to Church. CJ asks many questions, such as why they do not own a car or many other luxuries that his friends or people around him all seem to have. The book continues as CJ's Grandma answers every question in a kind and satisfying way, and she is able to show CJ that their simple life is fun and special, and that you don't need luxurious things in order to have fun. Being a Caldecott Medal winner, the illustrations in this book are extremely well done. On the insides of the book cover, there are many images stamped as a sort of wallpaper (see picture to the left). The teacher could photo-copy these pages and cut out the images, giving one to each student before the book is read. Before the reading begins, each student would stand up and describe what their image is--whether it be a butterfly, umbrella, guitar, ect. They would then be asked to carefully look at the pages throughout the reading for their specific object, and after each page is over, the teacher would pause, and any student who found their object would come to the front and tape it to a white board, writing the name of the object underneath. This whiteboard would then serve as a word chart for students to use in their own writing. This activity would therefore not only give practice in vocabulary, but also in appreciating art and illustrations as well.
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