Hello Families!

I am thrilled to be student teaching in your children’s class this Spring.  I helped out in the class one day each week starting in January and have had a great time getting to know the kids.

I’m excited to tell you about our upcoming literacy unit, “What Carries Us Through Hard Times?”  In this unit, we will be reading several books about homeless families and children, to learn about what helped them to get through difficult times.  I chose this unit after two separate conversations in which students brought up issues of homelessness to me.  It was clear to me that this issue is on their minds.  Additionally, as our country goes through this difficult economic time, my hope is that this unit will give students a chance to learn what has helped other people, so that they can feel empowered to help make positive change.  Through this unit, they will recognize both the importance of community and key personality traits (such as courage, initiative, and perseverance) in difficult times.

During the unit, we will be reading several age-appropriate books. Here is the list, with a short description of what each book is about.

Bud, Not Buddy, by C. P. Curtis, 1999. New York, NY: Delacorte Press.  → This book tells the story of an African American boy during the Great Depression who lived in an orphanage after his mother died.  When he was placed in an abusive foster home, he ran away and decided to seek out the man he believes is his father, a famous Jazz musician.
A Chance to Grow, by E. S. Powell, 1992. Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books, Inc. → This picture book tells the story of a boy who, along with his mother and sister, is homeless.  The family try to survive on the streets and in shelters and eventually find a place to stay.
Chive, by S. J. Barre, 1993.  New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. → This book tells the story of two boys: one, Terry, who lives with his family in a home, and another, Chive, who is homeless.  The story tracks their friendship as the two boys discover things they have in common.  Read Aloud.
The Double Life of Zoe Flynn, by J. L. Carey, 2004. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.  → This book tells the story of a 6th grader named Zoe Flynn who lives with her parents and brother in a car after her father loses his job.  Although both her parents find work in a new town, it is not yet enough to afford rent.  Zoe misses her old home and friends and feels she must hide her family’s situation.  She makes one friend at her school in Oregon, a Muslim girl who misinterprets Zoe’s unwillingness to invite her over to her house as racism.
How to Steal a Dog, by B. O’Connor, 2007. New York, NY: Frances Foster Books. → This book tells the story of a girl who lives in a car with her mother and brother after her father deserts the family.  She decides to steal a dog so her family can use the reward money to pay rent on an apartment, and she enlists her brother to help her in the endeavor.  Once she steals the dog, however, she must wrestle with whether or not doing so was a good decision.
Maniac Magee, by J. Spinelli, 1990. Boston, MA: Little Brown and Company. → This book tells the story of a boy who ran away from home and is in search of a new, loving home.  He is known in the town as “Maniac Magee” because of his unusual abilities.  He helps to bring together the two distinct parts of the town – the white West End and the African American East End.

We will be reading these books in literature circles, which are similar to book clubs.  Students choose which book to read, then meet in groups of four to six once a week to discuss what they read.  In this way, they are both able to share what they’ve learned from each other and learn the material more deeply.  Because this unit has such a focus on group work, students will be evaluating their groupwork skills.  They will identify one area that they need to work on, set goals to improve in that area, and, at the end of the unit, look back on how they have improved.

As this is a literacy unit, students will be working hard on developing their reading skills as well.  They will complete self-evaluations that will help them identify their strengths and areas for improvement.  I will be working with small groups of students to help them improve in those areas that are most difficult for them.  Additionally, they will also be working on using evidence from the text to support their beliefs about the book they’ve read.  For each assignment, they will be expected to back up their beliefs with two or three pieces of evidence from the book.

The unit will culminate in several exciting projects.  First, students will write letters from the perspective of a character, in which they will articulate how that character got through the difficult time she/he faced.  They will then write about either a time when they experienced a difficult time in their own lives and how they got through it or things they have learned from the characters’ experiences.  Finally, they will create a theme-based drawing or painting demonstrating the relationship between community and the individual in difficult times.

Seattle is lucky to have many organizations that are fighting homelessness.  United Way of King County provides a concise resource for families on talking to children about homelessness and activities families can do to help end it.  The Mockingbird Times is a local newspaper written by youth who are homeless and/or in foster care.  Although some of the material is meant for older readers, other material is appropriate for 4th and 5th graders.  Additionally, the Seattle/King County Coalition for the Homeless and the Committee to End Homelessness in King County offer a wealth of resources.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions,

Sincerely,

Erin