GRADES K–5
Celebrating Black and Latino Boys
SAMPLE TEACHER’S GUIDE
Welcome to Your Sample Teacher’s Guide! The Rising Voices Teacher’s Guide equips educators with the tools to successfully implement whole-class read-alouds, book clubs, and independent reading with the texts in this library. Prompts for conferring and connecting with families expand and increase engagement!
The Teacher’s Guide supports educators with:
• Implementation strategies for integrating the texts into book clubs and whole-class, small-group, and independent reading
• Suggestions on how to support English Learners
• Instructional supports for building social-emotional awareness
• Engaging discussion prompts based on Rising Voices themes
• Tips for creating safe environments for difficult conversations
The Rising Voices Teacher’s Guide Sampler’s Table of Contents
Contents............................................................................................................. 1
Access and Equity........................................................................................2–3
Rising Voices Themes and Anchor Texts (Grades K–2).........................4–5
Rising Voices Themes and Anchor Texts (Grades 3–5).........................6–7
Building Social-Emotional Awareness......................................................8–9
Connecting with Families.........................................................................10–11
Teacher’s Guide Sampler
Photos ©: cover: weedezign/Shutterstock; 7: JGI/Jamie Grill/Media Bakery; 8: Karen H. Ilagan/ Shutterstock; 23: Beau Lark/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images; 25: ESB Professional/Shutterstock. Cover from Imagine by Juan Felipe Herrera, illustrated by Lauren Castillo. Text copyright © 2018 by Juan Felipe Herrera. Illustrations copyright © 2018 by Lauren Castillo. Published by Scholastic Inc. by arrangement with Candlewick Press. All rights reserved. Scholastic is not responsible for the content of third-party websites and does not endorse any site or imply that the information on the site is error-free, correct, accurate, or reliable. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission,
write to Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012. Copyright © 2019 by Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc. Printed in the U.S.A. ISBN-13: 978-1-338-62024-5 ISBN-10: 1-338-62024-X
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2 • Rising Voices Library
Contents
Welcome Letter From David C. Banks
4
Access and Equity
6
Why Rising Voices?
8
Rising Voices in Your Classroom
9
The Power of Reading Aloud
Teaching With Rising Voices Books Rising Voices Themes and Anchor Texts
10
12
Using the Anchor Texts and Teaching Cards
14
Building Social-Emotional Awareness
16
Linguistically and Culturally Responsive and Respectful Teaching Tips
20
Promoting Independent Reading
21
Writing and Other Creative Responses to Texts
22
Conferring With Children
23
Building Beyond This Rising Voices Library
Additional Resources Connecting With Families
24
26
Rising Voices Research Base
29
To Learn More About Diversity
30
Rising Voices Lessons at a Glance
32
Bibliography
Teacher’s Guide • 3
Teacher’s Guide Sampler 1
Access and Equity
Equity requires that we provide all children with the resources they need to reach their full potential. As educators, our goal must be to build learning environments where we have high expectations for every student. Diverse books and culturally responsive and respectful learning supports are essential in helping to achieve this goal. Why Rising Voices? In 1990, Rudine Sims Bishop published an essay about the importance of providing all young readers with diverse books. She 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 read books that serve as mirrors, they see aspects of their own experiences and cultures reflected in texts. When children read books that serve as windows, they gain insights into the world beyond their own personal experiences. All children need access to diverse books that allow them to look in and look out, making text-to-self and text-to-world connections. Ideally, every classroom would contain a robust classroom library, filled with hundreds of books that reflect the mosaic of our society. Yet, excellent texts with accurate, dignified, and appealing portrayals of people of color are still largely lacking from most classroom and school libraries (Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, 2018; Regie Routman, 2018). And this lack of diversity takes a toll. Messages are embedded in the textual mirrors and windows. When children do not see themselves in books—or worse, see only distorted or stereotypical reflections—they can internalize negative cultural views and feel as if school is not a place where they or their culture matters. Positive textual images can change that, resulting in children who have higher self-esteem, better social-emotional functioning, and increased classroom engagement (Sarah Schwartz, 2019).
“It’s not just kids of color, kids from the margins who need diverse literature and media. It’s all kids who need stories about all kinds of people.” —Ebony Elizabeth Thomas (2018)
Associate Professor, University of Pennsylvania Literacy, Culture, and International Education
6 • Rising Voices Library
2 Rising Voices | Books Celebrating Black and Latino Boys
Your Rising Voices Library was curated in conjunction with David C. Banks to help fill this gap. This collection provides empowering and engaging fiction and informational texts that highlight the most underrepresented literary protagonists: black and Latino boys (Elizabeth Bird, 2017). While the focus of this library is specific, it is a tool to support all learners. By fostering a classroom community that supports more positive representation and equity, children of all backgrounds will benefit as they build empathy, respect, and understanding. Rising Voices. . . • provides 50 books per grade (25 titles, two copies of each) selected by librarians and educators after reviewing more than 800 texts—to ensure that each grade-level collection validates the multifaceted identities of black and Latino boys. • celebrates the talents of many African American and Latin authors and illustrators — because understanding that the perspectives that authors and illustrators bring to the texts they create are also important windows and mirrors. • includes informational texts, biographies of accomplished people who have contributed to society in a variety of ways, poetry, contemporary realistic fiction, historical fiction, humor, fantasy, and science fiction so that children see black and Latino protagonists as the stars in all kinds of texts. • is organized around five essential literary themes (see pages 10–11) that children and teachers can use to make cross-text and cross-cultural 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, and scaffold higher-level thinking skills and deep discussion, as well as social and emotional learning. • offers Rising Voices stickers and bins that can be used to identify each book as part of this special collection.
• supplies resources for culturally relevant and responsive teaching.
Teacher’s Guide • 7
Teacher’s Guide Sampler 3
Rising Voices Themes and Anchor Texts
Rising Voices texts are organized by five culturally relevant themes. These themes provide springboards for all children to connect to concepts that resonate with their lives, experiences, and interests. The themes provide a lens for reading that guides readers to consider concepts and ideas that affirm and celebrate aspects of their identities. In addition, you and your children will be able to use these themes to make connections between Rising Voices books and other texts you have been exploring in your classroom. Use Rising Voices books to help build discussion of these five essential themes within and across texts. Connecting to Texts Anchor texts for each of the five Rising Voices themes are intended to be shared through an interactive, teacher-led read-aloud experience. Teaching Cards for each anchor text provide discussion questions and activities that bring the theme to the forefront, promoting discussion, conversation, and deep thinking. Building on anchor text instruction and discussion, you and your children can read on in the collection, continuing to make connections and deepen their exploration of each theme.
Expand Theme Connections to Other Texts • What problem do the people in the book face? • What makes the people in the book special? • Which friends and family
Anchor Texts Theme
Questions to Reflect On
Someone Like Me/ Memorable Characters
• Do things the main character says, does, or thinks remind me of myself? • Do things the main character says, does, or thinks remind me of someone I know? • What might the author want me to take away from this book?
Grade K
How does finding ways that people
Grade 1
members are the main character closest to? • What makes the main character happy?
I read about are like me help me to better understand myself and the world?
Grade 2
Family, Culture, and Community How do the people around me help me feel safe and enrich my life? How can I help others around me?
• Who are the characters in the book? • How do families or community members in the book help each other? • What do people in the book do to help their family or community? • How are the people in this book like people in my family and community? How are they different?
• What do I like most about my family? • What do I like most about my community? • How do my family and community help me? • What can I do to be helpful in my community?
Grade K
Grade 1
Grade 2
10 • Rising Voices Library
4 Rising Voices | Books Celebrating Black and Latino Boys
Expand Theme Connections to Other Texts • What problems do the people in the book face? • What makes the people special? • How do those people try to solve problems?
Anchor Texts Theme
Questions to Reflect On
Heroes and Role Models What makes someone a hero? What can we learn from reading about people who have done important things?
• Do these people seem like heroes? Why or why not? • Might I want to be like these people in some way? Why or why not? • What lessons might I take away from this book?
Grade K
Grade 1
Grade 2
Strong and Resilient What qualities help people succeed when they face challenges?
• What problems do the people in the book face? • How do the people keep trying to solve problems? • What makes the people good problem-solvers?
• When was a time that I felt proud because I kept trying? • What have I learned from this book about what it can take to solve a problem?
Grade K
Grade 1
Grade 2
Thinking Beyond Today How do people make their dreams come true? What can I learn from this?
• What are the dreams of the people in the book? • How do the people try to make their dreams come true? • What gets in their way? • How do others help them?
• What are my dreams for the future? • Are the dreams of the people in the book like mine? • What might I do to make my dreams for the future come true?
Grade K
Grade 1
Grade 2
Teacher’s Guide • 11
Teacher’s Guide Sampler 5
Rising Voices Themes and Anchor Texts
Rising Voices texts are organized by five culturally relevant themes. These themes provide springboards for all students to connect to concepts that resonate with their lives, experiences, and interests. The themes provide a lens for reading that guides readers to consider concepts and ideas that affirm and celebrate aspects of their identities. In addition, you and your students will be able to use these themes to make connections between Rising Voices books and other texts you have been exploring in your classroom. Use Rising Voices books to help build discussion of these five essential themes within and across texts. Connecting to Texts Anchor texts for each of the five Rising Voices themes are intended to be shared through an interactive, teacher-led read-aloud experience. Teaching Cards for each anchor text provide discussion questions and activities that bring the theme to the forefront, promoting discussion, conversation, and deep thinking. Building on anchor text instruction and discussion, you and your students can read on in the collection, continuing to make connections and deepen their exploration of each theme.
Expand Theme Connections to Other Texts • What problems does the main character face? • What issues or ideas are most important to the main character? • What are the main character’s talents or strengths? • Which friends and family members does the main character have a strong relationship with? • What makes the main character happy? • How are different family members important to the main character? • What community does the main character belong to? • In what ways does 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?
Anchor Texts Theme
Questions to Reflect On
Someone Like Me/Memorable Characters How does understanding ways that people I read about are like me or people I know help me to better understand myself and the world? 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?
• How do the main character’s actions, thoughts, or words remind me of myself? • How do the main character’s actions, thoughts, or words remind me of someone I know? • What does the author want me to take away from this book? • What important ideas does the book inspire me to think about? • Who makes up my community? • What do I appreciate most about my family? • What do I appreciate most about my community? • How does my family and community support me when things get difficult?
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
10 • Rising Voices Library
6 Rising Voices | Books Celebrating Black and Latino Boys
Expand Theme Connections to Other Texts
Anchor Texts Theme
Questions to Reflect On
Heroes and Role Models What qualities make someone a hero? What lessons can be learned from the courageous actions of people from the past?
• What challenges do the people in the text face? • What are the people’s
• Do I see the people as heroes? Why or why not? • Do I see these people as role models, or people who I want to be like in some way? Why or why not? • What lessons might I take away from the stories of these people’s lives? • How does learning about people’s achievements inspire me? • How are the challenges faced by people in the text like challenges I might face? • How have I succeeded in solving problems or facing challenges? • What can I learn from the way the people dealt with challenges? • What might the author want me to take away from this book? • What are my dreams for the future? • How are the goals and dreams of the people in the text similar to mine? • What can I learn from the way the people in the text tried to make their dreams real? • What steps might I take to make my dreams for the future come true?
E
E
Grade 3
Roberto Clemente was born to play the game.
greatest talents or strengths? • 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 people to know about? • What challenges do the people in the text face? • How do people try to solve challenging problems? • How do others react to the people’s ideas and actions? • Why are these events and stories important for people to know about?
WILLIE PERDOMO • BRYAN COLLIER
This edition is only available for distribution through the school market.
www.scholastic.com
Grade 4
Grade 5
Strong and Resilient What qualities help people succeed when they face challenges?
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
Thinking Beyond Today What can I learn from how people I read about turn their dreams for the future into reality?
• What are the goals and dreams of the people in the text? • What steps do the people follow to try to realize their dreams? • What challenges get in their way? • How do others support them or challenge them?
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
Teacher’s Guide • 11
Teacher’s Guide Sampler 7
Building Social-Emotional Awareness
Researchers have reported that children who participate in social and emotional learning programs perform about 13 percentage points higher in their grades and standardized test scores (Taylor et al., 2017). The benefits of social and emotional learning extend beyond test scores. Examining the social and emotional skills displayed in the books they read may help children connect to what they’re reading, and by discussing these skills as a class they can understand how reading can relate to real-life situations. Additionally, by connecting their reading to social-emotional learning, children are scaffolded to build a positive self-image as readers and learn valuable analytic and executive function skills. Core Competencies The social-emotional skills explored in the Rising Voices Library align with the tenets found in many SEL programs, including the CASEL framework. CASEL—the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning—identifies five core competencies that should be prioritized in children’s social-emotional learning as described in the chart below (CASEL.org).
CASEL Competency
Goals and Assessment
Focus
• Identifying emotions • Accurate self- perception • Recognizing strengths • Self-confidence • Self-efficacy • Impulse control • Stress management • Self-discipline • Self-motivation • Goal-setting • Organizational skills • Perspective-taking • Empathy • Appreciating diversity • Respect for others
Self- awareness
The ability to accurately recognize one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior. The ability to accurately assess one’s strengths and limitations, with a well-grounded sense of confidence, optimism, and a “growth mindset.” The ability to successfully regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in different situations—effectively managing stress, controlling impulses, and motivating oneself. The ability to set and work toward personal and academic goals. The ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds and cultures. The ability to understand social and ethical norms for behavior and to recognize family, school, and community resources and supports. The ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with diverse individuals and groups. The ability to communicate clearly, listen well, cooperate with others, resist inappropriate social pressure, negotiate conflict constructively, and seek and offer help when needed. The ability to make constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions based on ethical standards, safety concerns, and social norms. The realistic evaluation of consequences of various actions, and a consideration of the well-being of oneself and others.
Self- management
Social awareness
• Communication • Social engagement • Relationship-building • Teamwork
Relationship skills
• Identifying problems • Analyzing situations • Solving problems • Evaluating • Reflecting • Ethical responsibility
Responsible decision- making
14 • Rising Voices Library
8 Rising Voices | Books Celebrating Black and Latino Boys
“Social-emotional learning (SEL) skills can help us build communities that foster courageous conversations across difference so that our students can confront injustice, hate, and inequity.” —Dena Simmons, Ed.D. (2019) Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence
Embedded Social-Emotional Learning The embedded social-emotional learning in Rising Voices forms a link between social-emotional learning, literary texts, and life. Under the “Build Social-Emotional Awareness” heading in the “Extend Literacy” section of every Teaching Card, the teacher is offered a suggestion to tie the reading to something children can consider about their own lives and the world around them. For example, in the Teaching Card for Looking Like Me , the teaching prompt says that the character “shows that he has nice thoughts about himself. He is as kind to himself as he would be to people he cares about.” Children are then
invited to turn and talk with a partner to discuss “What are things you can say if you want to be kind to yourself?” This focus on self-perception and self-confidence targets the core competency of self-awareness. Once children have had the opportunity to discuss among themselves, a few children should share their thinking with the class. Social-emotional learning must be taught with a lens on equity. While working with diverse groups of children in the classroom, it is important to understand how culture and personal experience can have an effect on a student’s understanding of social-emotional skills. By reading culturally responsive texts and discussing them in context, children will be given a safe space to explore the core competencies of social-emotional learning. This practice also allows children the opportunity to apply these core competencies to their own lives inside and outside of the classroom. “Social and emotional skills matter for many areas of development, including learning, health, and general well-being. Furthermore, recent research has demonstrated that high-quality, evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programs produce positive outcomes for students, including reduced stress and improved behavior, attitudes, and academic performance.” —Stephanie Jones, Katherine Brush, et al. (2017) Harvard Graduate School of Education
Teacher’s Guide • 15
Teacher’s Guide Sampler 9
Connecting With Families
With any classroom instruction, we know that its reach is amplified when families engage and support that learning at home. Through family engagement, children understand that the same messages are valued at home; they have opportunities to practice and cement concepts; and their education transfers beyond the classroom to their greater world. As your children interact with texts from your Rising Voices Library within your classroom community, they will carry those thoughts and conversations with them throughout the days and weeks that follow, inside and outside of school. Here are some suggestions for how you can help welcome families as vital partners in that process:
Share the goals of your Rising Voices Library with families. According to the 7th edition of the Kids & Family Reading Report, more than two-thirds of all parents surveyed believe that diversity in children’s books is important. And black and Hispanic families overall have the strongest views on the importance of and need for books with diversity. This indicates that parents as well as their children are eager to have access to more high-quality books that highlight black and Latino protagonists— the kinds of books that comprise your Rising Voices Library. Remind families that they are reading role models. Let parents know that reading with their child at home, talking with their child about books, and listening to their child read all help their child come to value and love reading. Connect families to the books you share. Consider sending home some books for
“Kids and parents alike expect books to bring the world to them in all its beautiful shapes, sizes, and colors . . . [T]he stories that stick are about the emotions that blossom when a reader connects to a character, experience, or place. It’s this connection that empowers readers to be the protagonists in their own stories.” —Andrea Davis Pinkney (2019) Author and Publisher
children to borrow and share with their families. You may also wish to purchase additional copies to help your children’s families build home libraries. Help your children select and bring home sample writing and artwork that they have created in response to Rising Voices books they have read and discussed in class.
24 • Rising Voices Library
10 Rising Voices | Books Celebrating Black and Latino Boys
Invite families in. One of the ways you can signal respect for diverse cultures begins at your classroom door, by inviting in the true experts of your children’s backgrounds: their families. Invite family members to come for read-alouds, for celebrations, or for a special Rising Voices event where you introduce families to the library. Get feedback. The teaching materials that accompany this library are designed to promote constructive discussions that will build social-emotional awareness and resilience. Even so, the best indicators of how this collection is affecting your readers will come from your families. Check in often and ask families how their children are responding to the Rising Voices books. Let them know their voices are heard as well!
“Parents, grandparents, older siblings, teachers, principals—everyone in a child’s life—can be a reading role model. It’s up to us all to provide the opportunity for choice, be readers ourselves, ask and answer questions about
what a child is reading, read aloud together (regardless of age!) and more. When children know that the people surrounding them value reading, we will have a greater culture of literacy in our homes and in our schools.”
—Michael Haggen (2019) Chief Academic Officer Scholastic Inc.
Teacher’s Guide • 25
Teacher’s Guide Sampler 11
For more information, visit scholastic.com/risingvoices
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