Rising Voices: Honoring Black Stories | Teacher Sampler

Honoring the Richness of Black Stories

GRADES K–5

SAMPLE TEACHER’S GUIDE

Critical Thinking Starts with Powerful Stories

Welcome to Your Sample Teacher’s Guide! Rising Voices: Honoring the Richness of Black Stories is perfect for elementary educators looking to supplement their current resources with highly engaging K–5 books. The books for each grade provide opportunities for students to experience stories that positively portray the contributions of people who have helped shape our country, our neighborhoods, and our communities. The instructional materials provide strategies to easily integrate the collection into any literacy block.

The Teacher’s Guide supports educators with:

• Implementation strategies for integrating the texts into your classroom library.

• Suggestions for how to support multilingual learners.

• Engaging discussion prompts for using the teaching cards during read-aloud discussions.

Rising Voices: Honoring the Richness of Black Stories Sample Teacher’s Guide Table of Contents

Contents............................................................................................................. 3

Access and Opportunity.................................................................................4

This Rising Voices Collection..........................................................................5

Themes and Anchor Texts (Grades K–2)......................................................6

Themes and Anchor Texts (Grades 3–5)......................................................8

Using the Anchor Texts and Teaching Cards............................................10

The Ripple Effect by Karyn Parsons.............................................................12

Sample Teacher’s Guide | 1

Photos © Shutterstock.com.

Book cover art from: The Boy Who Found His Voice © 2024 by Tyler Gordon, Cesaria Feels the Beat © 2024 by Priscila Soares, and The Legend of Gravity: A Tall Basketball Tale © 2022 by Charly Palmer. Published by Scholastic Inc. by arrangement with Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC; Song in the City © 2022 by Jenin Mohammed, Lewis Latimer: Engineering Wizard © 2021 by George Doutsiopoulos, Epic Ellisons: Cosmos Camp © 2023 by Morgan Bissant, and So Many Years: A Juneteenth Story © 2025 by Jerome Pumphrey. Published by Scholastic Inc. by arrangement with HarperCollins Children’s Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers; Seoul Food © 2024 by Tamisha Anthony, The Queen of Kindergarten © 2022 by Vanessa Brantley-Newton, The Last Stand © 2024 by Jerome & Jarrett Pumphrey, The Green Piano © 2023 by Hayden Goodman, Show the World! © 2022 by Daria Peoples, and King of the Ice © 2022 by Penguin Random House LLC. Published by Scholastic Inc. by arrangement with Penguin Young Readers Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC; Saturday Morning at the Shop © 2025 by Ken Daley, Saturdays at Harlem Grown © 2024 by Jessie Hartland, and Abdul’s Story © 2022 by Tiffany Rose. Published by Scholastic Inc. by arrangement with Simon & Schuster, Inc.; My Daddy Is a Cowboy © 2024 by Charles G. Esperanza. Published by Scholastic Inc. by arrangement with ABRAMS; Saving the Day cover art © 2021 by Sweet Blackberry Foundation and cover © 2021 by Hachette Book Group, Inc. and Race to the Frozen North: The Matthew Henson Story © 2024 by Hanson Akatti. Published by Scholastic Inc. by arrangement with Hachette Book Group, Inc.; My Day With the Panye © 2021 by Sara Palacios, How Do You Spell Unfair? © 2023 by Frank Morrison, and Spark: Jim West’s Electrifying Adventures in Creating the Microphone © 2025 by Setor Fiadzigbey. Published by Scholastic Inc. by arrangement with Candlewick Press; Patrick and the Not So Perfect Party © 2024 by Shirley Hottier. Published by Scholastic Inc. by arrangement with Little Bee Books; Ways to Share Joy © 2022 by Nina Mata and Through Sand and Salt © 2025 by Elizabeth Zunon. Published by Scholastic Inc. by arrangement with Bloomsbury Children’s Books; Overground Railroad © 2020 by James Ransome. Published by Scholastic Inc. by arrangement with Holiday House Publishing, Inc.; Little Big Man © 2025 by Reginald Brown, My Very Favorite Book in the Whole Wide World © 2021 by Michael Robertson, When I Look Up © 2025 by Scholastic Inc., and All Aboard the Schooltrain: A Little Story From the Great Migration © 2023 by Keisha Morris. Published by Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved.

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Contents

Welcome

Teaching With Rising Voices Books

Access and Opportunity

Rising Voices in Your Classroom

The Value of Reading Aloud

Celebrating Courage, Pride, Creativity, and Joy by Dr. M. Ann Levett

Rising Voices Themes and Anchor Texts

Using the Anchor Texts and Teaching Cards

Teaching With Meaning and Purpose

The Ripple Effect by Karyn Parsons

Promoting Independent Reading

Writing and Other Creative Responses to Texts

Conferring With Students

Building Beyond the Rising Voices Library

Our Greatness Is Our Story by Trey Baker

Additional Resources

Connecting With Families

Rising Voices Lessons at a Glance

Rising Voices Research Base

Bibliography

Teacher’s Guide • 3

Sample Teacher’s Guide | 3

Access and Opportunity

When we showcase a variety of protagonists in children’s books, we provide an opportunity for all children to feel seen and heard and to learn about the unique experiences of communities close to home and across the world. Rising Voices: Honoring the Richness of Black Stories provides engaging texts that celebrate the achievements and experiences of Black people in the United States and beyond, including stories that are often missing from children’s literature. The resources in this collection help children build greater understanding and appreciation of the world they live in. Why Rising Voices? In 1990, Rudine Sims Bishop used the phrase “windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors” to emphasize the need for all children to experience diverse stories through the characters and real-life people they meet in books. When children see aspects of their own experiences reflected in texts, they use books as mirrors. When they gain insights into the world beyond their own experiences, they use books as windows. Books later become sliding glass doors as children develop connections with the characters in the stories they read. Reading a variety of books allows children to look in and look out of their own experiences, and to make text-to-self and text-to-world connections. According to award-winning author Grace Lin, diverse books can even perform as “eyeglasses” that help children to develop a clear view of the robust world around them. Ideally, every classroom would contain a library filled with hundreds of books that reflect a variety of characters featured in a positive light. Positive representation can result in children who have higher self-esteem and increased classroom engagement (Schwartz, 2019). Providing access to high-quality literature, as well as effective instructional supports, creates environments in which teachers feel supported in expecting great things from all students.

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This Rising Voices Collection • provides 50 books per grade (25 titles, two copies of each), selected by literature and literacy experts to ensure that each grade-level collection includes compelling and grade level–appropriate content. • includes texts with Black protagonists as the stars of all kinds of stories, such as biographies, contemporary realistic fiction, historical fiction, humor, fantasy, and science fiction. • reflects the authentic experiences of authors and illustrators, because the perspectives that authors and illustrators bring to the texts they create lends authenticity to the stories they tell. • is organized around five essential literary themes that students and teachers can use to make cross-text connections within and beyond this library. • uses five anchor texts per grade, each supported by a robust Teaching Card to highlight each of the five themes, prompt comprehension, build knowledge, and scaffold higher-level thinking skills and deep discussion. • includes this Teacher’s Guide, providing educators with tools to lead whole-class read- alouds, book clubs, and independent reading with supports for conferring with students. • offers Rising Voices stickers and bins that can be used to identify each book as part of this special collection.

Teacher’s Guide • 7

Sample Teacher’s Guide | 5

Rising Voices Themes and Anchor Texts Connect to Texts and Expand Thinking Anchor texts for each of the five Rising Voices themes are intended to be shared through an interactive, teacher-led read-aloud. Teaching Cards for each anchor text provide discussion questions and activities that bring the theme to the forefront, promoting discussion and deep thinking. Building on anchor-text instruction and discussion, you and your students can read through the collection, continuing to make connections and deepen the exploration of each theme. Anchor Texts Theme Connect to Texts Expand Thinking Someone Like Me/

Grades K–2

• What are the main character’s talents or strengths? • What issues or ideas are most important to the main character? • What makes the main character feel proud?

• How do the main character’s actions or thoughts remind me of myself or someone I know? • What important ideas does the book inspire me to think about? • How do things the main character says, does, or thinks make me feel valued?

Grade K

Memorable Characters How does

understanding the people I read about help me to better understand myself and others?

Grade 1

Grade 2

Family, Culture, and Community How do the people around me help me feel safe and protected and enrich my life? How can I help others around me?

• In what ways do the main character’s family and community support him/her when things get difficult? • What does the main character do to help his/ her family or community? • How are the people in this book like people in my family, culture, or community? How are they different?

• What do I appreciate most about my family, culture, or community? • How do my family and community support me when things get difficult? • What can I do to be helpful in my community?

Grade K

Grade 1

Grade 2

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Anchor Texts Theme

Connect to Texts • How do the people use their strengths and talents to solve

Expand Thinking

Heroes and Role Models

• What do I admire about the people in these books? • What lessons might I take away from the stories of these people’s lives? • How does learning about people’s achievements inspire me?

Grade K

What makes someone a hero? What lessons can be learned from reading about people who have done important things or taken courageous actions?

challenging problems? • How do others react to the people’s ideas and actions? • Why are the stories of people’s lives important for others to know about?

Grade 1

Grade 2

Strong and Resilient What qualities help people succeed when they face challenges?

• What makes the people good problem-solvers? • What challenges do the people in the book face? • How do the people try to solve challenging problems?

• When was a time that I felt proud because I kept trying? • How have I succeeded in solving problems or facing challenges? • What can I learn from the way people dealt with challenges?

Grade K

Grade 1

Grade 2

Thinking Beyond Today What can I learn from reading about people who turn their dreams for the future into reality?

• How do the people try to make their dreams come true? What steps do they follow? • What challenges get in their way? • How do others support them or challenge them?

• What are my dreams for the future? • What can I learn from the way the people in the book tried to make their dreams real? • What steps might I take to make my dreams for the future come true?

Grade K

Grade 1

Grade 2

Teacher’s Guide • 13

Sample Teacher’s Guide | 7

Grades 3–5

• What are the main character’s talents or strengths? • What issues or ideas are most important to the main character? • What makes the main character feel proud?

Grade 3

Memorable Characters How does

understanding the people I read about help me to better understand myself and others?

Grade 4

Grade 5

Family, Culture, and Community How do the people around me help me feel safe and protected and enrich my life? How can I help others around me?

• What do I appreciate most about my family, culture, or community? • How do my family and community support me when things get difficult? • What can I do to be helpful in my community?

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

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Anchor Texts Theme

Connect to Texts

Expand Thinking

Heroes and Role Models

Grade 3

• How do the people use their strengths and talents to solve challenging problems? • How do others react to the people’s ideas and actions? • Why are the stories of people’s lives important for others to know about?

• What do I admire about the people in these books? • What lessons might I take away from the stories of these people’s lives? • How does learning about people’s achievements inspire me?

What makes someone a hero? What lessons can be learned from reading about people who have done important things or taken courageous actions?

Grade 4

Grade 5

Strong and Resilient What qualities help people succeed when they face challenges?

• What makes the people good problem-solvers? • What challenges do the people in the book face? • How do the people try to solve challenging problems?

• When was a time that I felt proud because I kept trying? • How have I succeeded in solving problems or facing challenges? • What can I learn from the way people dealt with challenges?

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

Thinking Beyond Today What can I learn from reading about people who turn their dreams for the future into reality?

• How do the people try to make their dreams come true? What steps do they follow? • What challenges get in their way? • How do others support them or challenge them?

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

Teacher’s Guide • 13

Sample Teacher’s Guide | 9

Each grade-level library includes five Teaching Cards that offer options for exploring each anchor text. Using the Anchor Texts and Teaching Cards

A quick overview identifies teaching highlights, like content-area connections and writing about reading, to encourage academic growth.

GRADE 1

Honoring the Richness of Black Stories

Song in the City written by Daniel Bernstrom; illustrated by Jenin Mohammed

AT A GLANCE Inspired by his own visual impairment, the author wrote this lively, warmhearted picture book to encourage people to celebrate their sense of hearing and listen to each other and the pattern of rhythms of everyday sounds. In this story told in rhyme, the author uses his main character, Emmalene, a young girl who is visually impaired, to show readers how listening to the sounds in the city can bring joy.

Genre/Text Type Realistic Fiction/ Picture Book

Content Area Connections City Sounds, Family, Music

Write About What Emmalene Is Thinking

INTRODUCE • Teach these essential vocabulary words before reading aloud the book to children. beat (p. 10) the regular rhythm of something, like a drum serenade (p. 34) a song played or sung by one person or a group of people symphony (p. 2) a long piece of music played by many instruments • Display the front cover to children and read the title. Explain that although she cannot see, Emmalene uses her sense of hearing to turn each sound into a pattern of rhythms—what she calls her songs. Ask: Think about the sounds you might hear when you listen to a bus, a fire truck, or a church choir. Which of these sounds do you think Emmalene will turn into her own special city song? Let’s read to find out! READ ALOUD If time permits, you may wish to read the book twice. First read it all the way through and invite general reactions. Then read it again, pausing to discuss the questions below to prompt deeper comprehension. Encourage children to turn and talk with partners or share their thinking with the whole group. pp. 2–7 The illustrations show Emmalene using a white cane to get around. She stops to enjoy each sound she hears. Why do you think Grandma Jean doesn’t hear what Emmalene hears? Why does Grandma Jean use the word commotion , which can mean a lot of noise and fuss, when she describes the city sounds?

Rising Voices Theme Someone Like Me/ Memorable Characters

Offers tips for building background knowledge and language support.

Teaching Tips Build Background Emmalene, the young girl in the book, is blind and uses a white cane to get around the city. As she walks, tapping her cane on the sidewalk and swinging it gently from side to side, the cane prevents her from bumping into things. Using a white cane builds Emmalene’s confidence and independence. A white cane also signals to readers that Emmalene doesn’t use her sense of sight in the same way sighted people do. Language Support Tell children that throughout the book Emmalene calls sounds she hears a city song. The text in large, colorful type shows the city song Emmalene hears. Focus on pages 2 and 3. Ask children to listen as you read aloud each of the city song patterns on these pages, inviting them to tell what is making that sound. For example, What makes the sound “TAP-TAPPA-TAP”? Is it the dog, Emmalene’s white cane, or a car? What about the sounds “YIP- YIPPA-YIP,” “SIZZLE-SIZZLE,” or “pitter- patter-DRIP!”? If time permits, read other sound words, inviting children to identify the object that is making those sounds.

Emmalene happily asks Grandma Jean if she hears “that tinkling tune” and tells her to “listen to the city!” How does Grandma Jean react?

pp. 8–15

pp. 16–25 Grandma Jean is content, but Emmalene looks upset in church. Why does Emmalene feel frustrated when Grandma Jean sings with the choir and says, “that’s a song”? Emmalene tries to explain what she means, but Grandma Jean doesn’t understand. What else might Emmalene do to help Grandma Jean understand? pp. 26–35 Grandma Jean tries to hear the city song, but she can’t until Emmalene covers her eyes. How does covering Grandma Jean’s eyes help Grandma Jean understand what Emmalene has been experiencing? Does Grandma Jean feel differently now? How can you tell? pp. 36–39 Think about how Grandma Jean learned to listen to the city song. What are sounds you hear in your home or school that make up a song?

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Prepares for reading by introducing essential vocabulary that adds context and empowers children. Provides a “hook” to engage children and build on what they already know.

Suggested prompts support strategic responses to text, higher-level thinking, and interaction as children turn and talk or discuss their ideas with the whole class.

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Offers an option to revisit the text to demonstrate comprehension through discussion and writing about reading.

Song in the City

AFTER READING

Write About What Emmalene Is Thinking Say: Readers learn about characters in a story from • what the character does and says • how the character reacts to events, and • what others say and think about the character Understanding the characters helps readers feel as if they’re getting to know the characters and makes reading more enjoyable. Revisit pages 20 and 21. Ask: What is Emmalene thinking as she walks away from Grandma Jean? More to Explore Book Club Discussion Have children meet in small groups to think about the text and discuss the questions below. • Someone Like Me/Memorable Characters Emmalene helps Grandma Jean understand that one thing she likes about the city she lives in is listening to the sounds. Imagine that Emmalene was visiting you in your neighborhood. Where is one place that you enjoy that you’d like to take her? What do you think she’d enjoy about this place? Enhance Well-Being and Build Life Skills Say: Emmalene finds joy in each sound she hears—from the tapping of her white cane on the sidewalk, to the bus’s boom, to the wind flapping. To her, each sound is a city song. Grandma Jean depends more on her sense of sight than on what she hears. When Emmalene covers Grandma Jean’s eyes, Grandma Jean finally understands what Emmalene appreciates about the sounds she hears. Why is it important to stop and listen and try to understand what your friends and family are saying or asking? Have children turn and talk with a partner. Then select a few children to share their thinking with the class.

Have children work as a group to fill in thought bubbles for what Emmalene might be thinking. Some examples: Why can’t Grandma Jean hear what I hear? or I wish I had a way to make Grandma Jean hear the song I hear. Finally, read aloud page 39. Ask: What has changed about how Emmalene is thinking? Why? Invite children to draw Emmalene and write in thought bubbles what Emmalene is thinking at the end of the story. You may wish to share some sentence frames for children to use, such as: I want Grandma Jean to know ______ or I’m glad she understands ______. Practice Fluency: Echo Reading This book’s rhyming narration and colorful sound words that also rhyme encourage reading aloud with a rhythm varying the volume, expression, and emotion. Read pages 2 to 7 and read aloud a sentence or part of the text first, and then ask children to repeat it back together, mirroring your expression, fluency, rhyme, and pacing. Make up your own melody and try reading it again as a song. Activity: A Song of Sounds Invite children to make up their own sound songs. Have each child think of a sound and draw a picture to show what the sound represents. For example, the sound tweet-tweet represents a bird, and the sound woof-woof represents a dog. Then have children work in small groups and set their sound words to a simple melody the class knows. Ask volunteers to share their pictures and sound songs with the class. Spotlight: Daniel Bernstrom Like Emmalene, author Daniel Bernstrom is visually impaired. He’s had limited eyesight since he was a child. When he read picture books, he appreciated the sounds of words because he struggled to see the illustrations. As Daniel’s vision got worse, he found a rhythm and beauty in what he could hear, and that inspired him to write Song in the City . He hopes that readers will use their own sense of hearing and listen to the rhythm in everyday sounds.

Further connect with the text and its relevance to children’s lives. Options are provided for book club discussion, enhancing well-being and building life skills, practicing fluency, a creative activity, and an opportunity

to share more insight on the book’s author or illustrator.

Connect to Other Texts Preview or review other texts in this or any other Rising Voices library that are also linked to the theme Someone Like Me/Memorable Characters. Ask: How are the people in these books similar to Emmalene or Grandma Jean? How are the people in these books similar to someone you know in real life?

ISBN 979-8-225-06361-0. Pack ISBN 979-8-225-06368-9.

Rising Voices: Honoring the Richness of Black Stories

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Promotes text-to-text connections with other books in the Rising Voices libraries.

Teacher’s Guide • 15

Sample Teacher’s Guide | 11

The Ripple Effect by Karyn Parsons

My mother was a librarian, so I grew up surrounded by stories. The library wasn’t just a place I went on occasion—it was almost an extension of my home. I’d roam the aisles, check out stacks of books taller than I was, and disappear into someone else’s world for hours. Books taught me how to walk in another person’s shoes, how to see the world through someone else’s eyes. And sometimes, they helped me see myself more clearly, too. That love of storytelling never left me. It’s what drew me

to acting, and later, to writing. When I was six, I bought a book of two-person plays from the Scholastic Bookmobile, and I knew then that I wanted to perform. I was lucky—doors opened, and I stepped through them. But no matter where acting took me, I never forgot the power of stories to shape how we see ourselves and others. Years later, when I became a mother, my desire to teach my children our rich history—a history that’s often overlooked in the schools—led me to founding Sweet Blackberry, a nonprofit organization that shares stories of Black heroes who have done extraordinary things. With Sweet Blackberry, I was able to write and produce short animated films and picture books that highlight these lesser-known stories of Black achievement. Stories that inspire. Stories that affirm. Stories that show children what’s possible. This is why the Rising Voices collection feels so personal to me. It’s not just a group of books—it’s a tool for change. A mirror and a window. I imagine these stories being read aloud in classrooms, discussed at kitchen tables, carried home in backpacks. I see kids lighting up when they recognize themselves in the pages. I see others gaining understanding and appreciation of people whose lives may look different from their own. This is how we build bridges. This is how we grow.

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If a collection like this had existed when I was a child, it would have meant the world to me. I had access to books, yes—but not always to the ones that told our stories. I had to dig to find us. These books make sure the next generation doesn’t have to. They give teachers tools to expand the narrative and help students fall in love not just with reading, but with learning through story. What excites me most is the ripple effect. When children see themselves reflected, when they feel seen and valued, they show up differently in the world. They speak with confidence. They dream bigger. They read more. They write more. And that’s where

change begins—on the page, in the heart, and in the classroom. Books changed my life. I believe they can change the world.

ABOUT KARYN PARSONS Karyn Parsons is best known as the character Hilary Banks on the long-running television show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air . Today, she is the founder of Sweet Blackberry, an award- winning series of children’s animated films and books sharing stories of unsung Black heroes in history. The films feature narration from such notable talents as Alfre Woodard, Queen Latifah, Chris Rock, and Laurence Fishburne. They have been screened on HBO and Netflix and are enjoyed by schools and libraries across the country. Karyn has also authored the Sweet Blackberry picture books Flying Free: How Bessie Coleman’s Dreams Took Flight and Saving the Day , which tells the story of how Garrett Morgan invented the traffic signal. Karyn’s debut novel, How High the Moon , was released in March 2019; her latest novel, Clouds Over California , hit bookshelves in July 2023; and her YA debut, Blue Beach , was acquired by Little, Brown and is scheduled for a summer 2026 release.

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For more information, visit scholastic.com/risingvoices

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