Just Because Lesson Activity
Summary
Are you looking for a book that shows readers how to ask compelling questions? If so, take a look at Just Because by Mac Barnett and Isabelle Arsenault. The story begins with a familiar bedtime scene. A little girl, tucked in her bed, asks her dad why the ocean is blue. Readers will infer that she’s asking such a big question because she doesn’t want to fall asleep. They may predict that the father will give a scientific answer. Readers will delight in the fantastic explanation that fills a double-page spread.
This story has an interesting text structure that will engage readers. It starts with a question that appears in a big circle of color. The questions have no quotation marks, but readers will understand the girl is talking. The answers on the next page float in white circles. It is understood that the father answers the questions, even though it is never stated.
Readers will also love the playful illustrations. The careful observer will notice a common color thread. The color of each circle with a question is featured on the next page. Readers will also realize that the father’s stories are inspired by toys in the bedroom.
Lesson Activity
AASL Standards Framework for Learners: l.B.2 Learners engage with new knowledge by following a process that includes generating products that illustrate learning.
Ask learners what they thought about the father’s answers. If he were visiting their school library, what resources could he use to find answers to the questions?
Invite learners to pretend the father needs their help to answer his daughter’s questions. Learners will pick one question from the book to research. They will make a plan to find the answer to the question.
Invite learners to create a zine, or a little notebook, to record their findings. They can follow the example in the book and write a question on one page and the answer on the next page.
Click here to watch a video on how to make a zine without scissors or staples. I created this video for young learners. They will need to pause the video along the way as they follow the directions.
Parker Looks Up: An Extraordinary Moment Lesson Activity
Think of a time when a painting made you pause and wonder. What was it about the artwork that caught your attention? When Parker Curry was two years old, the portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama stopped her in her tracks. She was entranced by the “queen” who looked like the the women in her family. This connection opened a world of possibilities for Parker. She wrote Parker Looks Up with her mother to explain why the portrait resonated with her.
Readers are going to love the digitally rendered illustrations. Falling confetti and twinkling sparkles float around the pages like magic. There’s a sense of play with the words, too. Some words show up bright and pink, while others are bold and black. Speech bubbles in blue, pink, purple and yellow bring more fun to the pages. Ellipses fill readers with suspense about the wonderful possibilities that could appear on the next page.
Parker Looks Up Lesson Activity
AASL Standards Framework for Learners: I.A.1 Learners display curiosity and initiative by formulating questions about a personal interest or a curricular topic.
Here’s a lesson activity for the book Parker Looks Up by Parker Curry, Jessica Curry and Britanny Jackson:
Parker noticed nine paintings in the National Portrait Gallery. Create a Padlet with links to the paintings mentioned in the book (see links below). Ask learners what painting intrigues them? Give them time to appreciate the work of art. Learners will record what they notice and wonder about the art on the Padlet.
August Belmont and Isabel Perry by Wouterus Verschuur
George Washington Carver by Betsy Graves Reyneau
Albert Einstein by Max Westfield
Frida Kahlo by Magda Pach
Peacocks and Peonies by John La Farge
The Chinese Fishmonger by Theodore Wores
Young Omahaw, War Eagle, Little Missouri, and Pawnees by Charles Bird King
The White Ballet by Everett Shinn
First Lady Michelle Obama by Everett Shinn
Click here to see Parker share her story on the Ellen Show.
Click on this link to find more lesson activities on our blog based on the Inquire Shared Foundation.
The Patchwork Bike by Maxine Beneba Clarke and Van Thanh Rudd
Summary
Here’s something fun to try with The Patchwork Bike by Maxine Beneba Clarke and Van Thanh Rudd. Give the book to someone and tell them to check it out. Watch them as they read the pages. I am willing to bet the reader will touch the illustrations in anticipation of feeling the textured artwork. They’ll be surprised to realize the bumpy cardboard, the wet paint, and the gloopy mud is an optical illusion.
The Patchwork Bike gives readers a chance to explore a place that is much different from where they live. The narrator of the story, a girl with dark skin and cornrows, introduces us to her village. She is happy to show us her house made of mud. Readers see how she describes her “crazy” brothers and “fed-up” mom with affection. But what she is really excited to show readers is her bike. It’s different from the bikes most readers are familiar with. It’s made from branches and various objects.
The engaging text tells this joyful story with words that are fun to say aloud; words like “shicketty shake”, winketty wonk” and “bumpetty bump”. The letters are fun to look at, too. They appear to be hand-painted with a heavy, felt tip pen; almost like the writing learners see on anchor charts in the classroom.
Response to Literature
AASL Standards Framework for Learners: Include/Think II.A.3 Learners contribute a balanced perspective when participating in a learning community by describing their understanding of cultural relevancy and placement within the global learning community.
Picture books invite readers to build their schema about the global community. Readers draw on background information and clues from text and illustrations to shape a new understanding of their world. The Patchwork Bike provides readers with an opportunity to learn about life in a village of Africa.
In this exercise, learners will find clues from the text and illustrations to consider what the author and illustrator want them to know about the protagonist and where she lives.
Before showing readers a copy of The Patchwork Bike, tell learners that you have a fabulous book to read. Explain that both the author and the illustrator want readers to learn something about the narrator of the story. The words and illustrations work together to deliver a big message. Tell learners that you are going to read the book aloud twice. The first time you read the story, they will not see the illustrations. They will focus their attention on what the author wants them to know about the narrator of the story. The second time you read the story, they will look at the illustrations and think about what the artist wants them to know about the narrator. They will jot down what they notice and think about the big message.
Discussion Questions
Here are some questions for further discussion:
- What did you learn about the narrator by just listening to the words?
- What words help you imagine the bike?
- How does the narrator feel about the family and the place where they live? How do you know this?
- What words convey movement? How does the illustrator show movement?
- What does the illustrator want us to know about how the girl feels about her life? Point to the pictures that support your ideas.
Click here to watch author Maxine Beneba Clarke read her book.
Learn more about this important book by reading Five Questions for 2019 Boston-Globe Horn Book Picture Book Award Winners Maxine Beneba Clarke and Van Thanh Ruddd.
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Moth: An Evolution Story by Isabel Thomas and Daniel Egnéus
Summary
Moth: An Evolution Story begins as it ends with this sentence:
“This is a story of light and dark, of change and adaptation, of survival and hope.”
When a book ends as it begins, it gives the reader a sense that the story continues to evolve when the book is closed. Author Isabel Thomas uses a circular story format to inform readers that the peppered moth is still evolving. It continues to change and adapt to survive.
The evolution of the peppered moth is quite fascinating, and Thomas does a great job telling it to young readers. The light peppered moth survived for many years by blending in trees covered with lichen. When the Industrial Revolution pumped smoke and soot into the air, light peppered moths stood out to predators, while the dark peppered moths stayed safe in the polluted environment.
Now that Earth-conscious businesses are making the air better, the peppered moth must change and adapt again. The moth’s story is circular as it continues to evolve in order to survive.
Readers are going to love Daniel Egnéus’s illustrations. He uses different art mediums to enrich story of the peppered moth. Readers will find illustrations created with crayons, collage, Photoshop, acrylics and watercolor. The reflective elements on the book cover will have everyone wanting to hold the book up to the light to see the moths sparkle.
The text adds playful drama to the story. Some words curve around tree branches to express flight while others stagger to show the passage of time. The text and illustrations work well together to tell the tale of the peppered moth.
Curious readers will appreciate the information at the back of the book that adds meaning to concepts introduced in the book. Readers will learn more about evolution, natural selection and adaption.
Response to Literature
AASL Standards Framework for Learners: Explore/Grow V.D.2 Learners develop through experience and
reflection by recognizing capabilities and skills that can be developed, improved, and expanded.
We live in a world that is always changing, and we adapt to carry on. COVID-19 is presenting us with a front row seat to this reality. The idea of “school” changed overnight because of the virus. All readers can connect with this experience, but their stories are different.
After reading Moth, ask learners to think about what changed for them when schools closed and they had to learn from home. Ask the following questions:
- How did you adapt to learning from home?
- What went well? What didn’t go so well? How did you change and adapt to make it better?
- How did you stay motivated to learn?
See how the New York City School Library System adapted their roles to accommodate online learning with a table showing online vs. face-to-face support: Translation of Practice for School Librarians
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You Matter Lesson Activity
Summary
Author-illustrator Christian Robinson cares about his readers. How do I know this? Let’s start with the title of his book You Matter. Here, we can almost imagine Robinson pointing at the reader, telling them with confidence, “You matter.” Readers will find more encouragement on the copyright page where Robinson writes, “For anyone who isn’t sure if they matter, you do.” What a way to enter a story. Imagine how a reader will feel when they realize the author cares about them.
The story begins with a Black girl looking through a microscope. The illustration helps readers feel like they are looking through the lens, too. They’ll see tiny green organisms floating around the glass slide. The science theme continues with illustrations of the ocean, land, and outer space. Then, readers are brought to a city, where a diverse group of people walk, relax and travel through the pages.
Readers will enjoy the simple text and the colorful illustrations that convey an important message we all need to hear.
You Matter Lesson Activity
AASL Standards Framework for Learners: Include/Share II.C.2 Learners exhibit empathy with and tolerance for diverse ideas by contributing to discussions in which multiple viewpoints on a topic are expressed.
Invite learners to consider the title of the book You Matter by Christian Robinson. Ask the following questions:
- “What can we expect from this story?”
- “Who do you think the author is talking to?”
- “How do you know this?”
Read the message on the copyright page before digging into the book. Consider how this message gives readers a clue about how author feels about the people reading his book.
After reading You Matter, ask learners why they think the author wrote the story. Tell learners that you agree with the author. Invite learners to give the thumbs up sign if they agree with the author. Explain that they will write what matters to them. They will think about the dreams they have, the people and things they love, and the activities they like to do.They can write words or draw pictures. Explain that they will share what they write, so they shouldn’t record things they want to keep private.
Divide the class into groups. Invite learners to take turns sharing dreams, activities, and people that matter to them. Then, ask learners to make connections with others in the group. Discuss similarities and ask for more information about interesting statements. Learners can share with the entire class if time allows.
Check out Christian Robinson’s “Making Space” YouTube channel. Share it with learners. Everyone will fall in love with Robinson and his message while watching his videos.
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This lesson activity for You Matter supports the AASL Include Shared Foundation. Click here to find more lessons that support the Include Shared Foundation.
Across the Bay by Carlos Aponte
Summary
Would you like to visit the streets of San Juan, Puerto Rico? If so, follow young Carlitos as he roams the city in Across the Bay by Carlos Aponte. Carlitos is searching for his father in this award-winning book. He wonders about Papi because he left home with no plans to return. Carlitos carries a photo of Papi. He uses it to ask people if they recognize the man in the picture. He seeks help from a street vendor selling piragua, gentlemen playing dominos, and a lady feeding stray cats.
When Carlitos loses hope, a park ranger restores it. He explains that Carlitos’s dad can live in his memory. Carlitos feels better and heads home to his loving family.
Readers will observe Carlitos and his surroundings from different view points. Some illustrations make the reader feel like they are looking down on the scene while sitting in a tree. Other pictures view the scene looking up from the ground. A fascinating viewpoint is from the other side of a mirror in a barbershop. This perspective allows readers to notice the barber shaving a young boys hair while fathers and sons wait for their turn. We also see how uncomfortable Carlitos is as he stands next to his mother.
Aponte’s illustrations are captivating. He uses bold, thick lines to outline figures and cityscapes. Some drawings are transparent, while others are full of saturated colors. This style of illustration will engage readers as they gather information about San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Response to Literature
AASL Standards Framework for Learners: Curate/Think lV.A.1 Learners act on an information need by determining the need to gather information.
Across the Bay won the Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Book award. Introduce the book by asking readers what they notice and wonder about the medal. Share information about the Pura Belpré medal by visiting the Association for Library Service to Children page dedicated to the award.
Next, ask learners to read the title and look at the illustration on the book cover. What they can expect to learn from this story?
Explain that as you read the story, learners have a job to do. Learners will gather information about what is across the bay by looking for clues in the story. They will record questions they have about what they read.
At the end of the story, ask learners to share their questions. How will they find answers to their questions? Create a class plan to gather and share information about Puerto Rico. Consider illustrating new information from different perspectives. Use examples from the book to inspire ideas.
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It began With a Page: How Gyo Fujikawa Drew the Way Lesson Activity
Summary
What was your favorite childhood picture book? Did the story feature children of different races? If so, we can thank Gyo Fujikawa. She paved the way for racial inclusion in picture books.
It Began With a Page: How Gyo Fujikawa Drew the Way, by Kyo Maclear and Julie Morstad, is a fascinating story about how Fujikawa ended up creating books for children. Fujikawa was born and raised in California in the early 1900s. She loved drawing, and home was a place where she could fill pages of paper with pictures. Her parents encouraged her by supplying drawing tools and books.
At school, Fujikawa’s classmates paid no attention to her or her drawings. She felt invisible in her school where most of the children were white. One teacher noticed her artwork, and found funding to enroll Fujikawa in art school. Fujikawa’s studies led her to a career in illustration.
Fujikawa continued to be struck by racial injustice throughout her life. During World War II, her family was sent to a Japanese American interment camp. In the early 1960s, she recognized the injustice of segregation. These events compelled her to write and illustrate books featuring children of different races together on the same page. Fujikawa met resistance about her multi-racial books. She insisted that these books mattered. She was right, and her book were a hit.
Readers will enjoy learning how one person made a difference in the picture book industry. Fujikawa’s life was full, and author Kyo Maclear does a great job telling the story to young readers. The illustrations by Julie Morstad are gorgeous. Some of the drawings are black and white. Other illustrations have color. This technique engages readers to look closely at what the illustrator wants to convey by using different art styles. The end result is a book you’ll appreciate every time you share it with your class.
Lesson Activity
AASL Standards Framework for Learners: Include/Think ll.A.3 Learners contribute a balanced perspective when participating in a learning community by describing their understanding of cultural relevancy and placement within the global learning community.
Gyo Fujikawa understood why all races need to be represented in picture books. Children want to see themselves in books and make connections with the stories. Discuss the questions below while reading It Began With a Page.
Questions While Reading
- “After reading the title and looking at the book jacket and cover, what do you suppose this story is about?” (cover)
- “What questions do have about the object drawn on the title page?” (title page)
- “What did you learn about Gyo’s family on these pages?”(pgs.1-2)
- “What can we learn from the illustrations on these pages? Why do you suppose they are in black and white? (pgs. 3-4)
- “What do you notice about Gyo’s drawing implement?” (pg. 8)
- “What is happening on these pages? How does Gyo feel about the way she’s being treated? How do you know?” (pgs. 9-10)
- “What do you notice about this double-page spread? How does it compare to the previous double-page spread? What do you think the illustrator is trying to tell us with these illustrations?” (pgs. 11-12)
- “How would you describe Gyo’s classmates? How do you know this?” (pg. 13)
- “What did we learn about Gyo on these pages? Why do you suppose the author wrote about this?” (pgs. 14-22)
- “What questions do you have about the information on these pages?” (pgs. 23-33)
- “What do you notice on this page? What questions do you have?” (pg. 34)
- “What did we learn about what picture books?” (pg. 36)
- “How do you think Gyo felt about what the publisher told her about her book? How do you know?” (pg. 38)
- “Why was it important for Gyo’s book to get published? How do you know? (pg. 39-42)
- “What do you think about the title after reading the story? Does the title capture what the story is about? Explain your answer with examples from It Began With a Page.”
Questions After Reading
Discuss how Fujikawa wanted all children to see themselves in books. Some people refer to these books as “mirrors”. Ask learners to think of a book where they saw themselves in the book. How did the book help them learn more about themselves?
Explain how some books are referred to as “windows”. Books can provide windows to the lives of different people and places. Ask learners to share titles of books that helped them learn more about the world around them. Invite them to share what they learned.
Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop first described books as windows, mirrors and sliding glass doors. Click here to read more about her great work.
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Click here to purchase Lessons Inspired by Picture Books for Primary Grades.
How Do You Dance? By Thyra Heder
Summary
If you are looking for a book that is sure to put a smile on your face and a jiggle in your soul, you’ve got to read How Do You Dance? by Thyra Heder. Every page shows people of all ages tapping, jumping, dabbing and shimmying around in their own style. Their fluid movements are so lively, you could almost imagine them dancing off the pages.
The fun begins on the front endpapers, where readers will enjoy checking out the dance moves of a diverse group of people. They’ll find more people striking dance poses on the back endpapers. Some double-page spreads are dedicated to showing a dance move that begins on the left side of the book and progresses to the right side. These images have a flip book feel to them where we see a series of static images move across the page.
Readers will recognize some of the moves in this book. They’ll want to try some of the new dances. Which one makes you want to move?
Reading Response
AASL Standards Framework for Learners: Explore/Think V.B.2 Learners construct new knowledge by persisting through self-directed pursuits by tinkering and making.
Thyra Heder watched a lot of videos of people dancing in order to illustrate her book. Invite learners to take several pictures of someone dancing. Ask them to practice drawing stick figures that move like the person in their photos. They can transfer their new skills in stick figure drawing to create a flip book. Click here to see an example by Pip Francis in the YouTube movie Stick figure flip book.
Birds of a Feather: Bowerbirds and Me by Susan L. Roth
Summary
What does a bowerbird have in common with author/illustrator Susan L. Roth? It turns out alot! In her story, Birds of a Feather: Bowerbirds and Me, Roth describes her art process in an interesting way. She compares it to how bowerbirds make their nests. They both collect unusual objects for their creations. They also love adding color to their projects. Roth uses tweezers and her hands to manipulate materials, while bowerbirds use their beak and claws.
Readers are going to love this idea of comparing oneself to an animal. They’ll also enjoy the illustrations composed with all different kinds of material. For curious readers who want to learn more about Roth and bowerbirds, they’ll be happy to find detailed information in the back matter.
Response to Literature
AASL Standards Framework for Learners: Explore/Think V.A.1 Learners develop and satisfy personal curiosity by reading widely and deeply in multiple formats and create for a variety of purposes.
Invite learners to think about something they love to do. Is there an animal that has an affinity for the same thing? Direct learners to create Venn Diagram to show the similarities and differences they have with the animal. Explain that they will have to do some research to find as much information as they can to make a strong argument for their comparisons.
A Life Made by Hand: The Story of Ruth Asawa Lesson Activity
Summary
What can you create with a straight line? If you need some inspiration, take a look at Ruth Asawa’s wondrous sculptures. She constructed them by weaving wire with her hands, creating movement with continuous loops. Light plays a special role with the wire mesh; casting a magnificent shadow beyond the sculptures.
How did Asawa learn to create such fantastic hanging forms? In the book A Life Made By Hand: The Story of Ruth Asawa, author Andrea D’Aquino illustrates the history of the artist. We discover Asawa’s affinity for art started at a young age. She noticed organic forms and shapes and made art with paint, paper and wire.
In college, Asawa learned how to create art with available materials. Wire intrigued her. She was curious about what she could make from something that started as a line. After learning how to weave with wire from an artisan in Mexico, Asawa transferred her new skills to craft her famous sculptures.
Readers will appreciate the combination of charcoal, colored pencils, and paper shapes that illustrate Asawa’s life. The accessible text complements the art with angled lines and curved shapes. The back matter includes directions to make a paper dragonfly along with more information about Asawa.
Lesson Idea
AASL Standards Framework for Learners: Explore/Create V.B.2 Learners construct new knowledge by persisting through self-directed pursuits by tinkering and making.
After reading A Life Made by Hand: The Story of Ruth Asawa by Andrea D’Aquino, discuss how Asawa made art with whatever materials she had. Sometimes, she used paper. Ask learners to take stock of the paper and other materials they have at home. What can they create?
Invite learners to do an image search of “paper crafts.” They will be amazed at what they’ll find! Direct them to create something based on what they see. Develop a plan to work around possible problems. Encourage learners to persist through mistakes and make adjustments. Invite them to share works-in-progress if they would like feedback from their peers.
Follow author/illustrator Andrea D’Aquino on Instagram where you’ll find her reading her book, A Life Made by Hand.
Click here to purchase a copy of our book.
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