What would happen if you showed a silhouette of Charlie Chaplin to different generations? Just his outline. No name or labels. I bet older people will call out Chaplin’s name, but younger audiences will not recognize the figure.
It’s interesting to think of Chaplin’s silhouette as an endangered image. We are lucky that Author Gary Golio and illustrator Ed Young decided to bring the iconic figure back to life. Their story of Chaplin is told with a conversational voice and fitting collage. Each page shows silhouettes of the people and places in Chaplin’s life. The typeset is reminiscent of text found in silent films.
Readers will have fun creating a silent animation of their own by flipping through the pages. They’ll notice Chaplin’s figure in the bottom right-hand corner moves. Just like a silent movie!
AASL Standards Framework for Learners: Inquire/Create I.B.2 Learners develop and satisfy personal curiosity by reading widely and deeply in multiple formats and write and create for a variety of purposes
Explore a lesson in visual literacy by watching a short film with Chaplin. The Mirror Maze will generate lots of questions. Pause at various points of the video to notice and wonder. Learners may wonder why the movie is in black and white. They may recognize how a story can be told without words. Write questions and observations on chart paper. Give learners an opportunity to find answers to their questions. They can express their learning by creating a silhouette that represents the topic of inquiry. Consider displaying the designs on a wall featuring the cover of Smile: How Young Charlie Chaplin Taught the World to Laugh (and Cry).
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What makes a good day for you? This is the question Daniel asks neighbors in Daniel’s Good Day by Micha Archer. Everyone has a different answer, depending on what they are doing at the moment. A bus driver has a good day when passengers say “please” and “thank you.” A mail carrier appreciates “wagging tails.” Finally, Grandma has a good day when she gets a hug from Daniel.
Reading this book is like walking through a poetic art gallery. The words take readers on a lyrical journey through a colorful neighborhood. The fascinating illustrations are mesmerizing. Different design elements were used to create each blade of grass and every flower petal. Readers will love exploring Daniel’s beautiful neighborhood.
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 write and create for a variety of purposes
The idea of asking people what makes a good day rather than just telling them to have one is a fascinating concept. It’s an interesting way to learn more about people.
Invite learners to share their good day by creating a collage. Watch Archer’s video to learn how to paint paper for collage projects. Explore her website for inspiration. Invite the art specialist to join you in this lesson so they can share their expertise.
Pair Daniel’s Good Day withĀ Outside My WindowĀ by Linda Ashman. The two stories together will help learners see the world through different lenses.
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This sweet story is written as a letter of thanks to water. A young girl expresses her gratitude to this essential natural resource. In her letter, she highlights where she finds water. Playful descriptions and illustrations capture water in thirty-one different places. Stenciled letters sponged with white paint name the various nouns. This poetic work of art captures the expansive role water plays in our lives.
Three pages at the end of the book give readers information about water. Here, readers learn about water forms, the water cycle, and water conservation. Water forms are defined and supported with thumbnail sketches from the story. The water cycle is illustrated with the same color palette and art features found in the book. These design elements make the information appealing to young readers.
AASL Standards Framework for Learners: Collaborate/Create III.B.2 Learners participate in personal, social, and intellectual networks by establishing connections with other learners to build on their own prior knowledge and create new knowledge.
The information page about water conservation explains why we need to be mindful about using water. Ask learners to investigate different ways to conserve water. They may find fun videos like this one from Sesame Street: Sesame Street: Water Conservation.
Invite learners to work in groups to create a water conservation campaign. They might consider creating posters with sponged-stenciled letters to mimic the book. Collect and analyze data to see if efforts made an impact. Consider how this information might be gathered and shared.
Learn more about water by visitingĀ Wonderopolis,Ā an AASL Best Website for Teaching and Learning.Ā
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Are you thinking about starting a Passion Project in your school? If so, read I Am Farmer: Growing An Environmental Movement in Cameroon. In this true account, we learn how Tantoh Nforba’s passion for farming saved lives. As a young boy, Nforba asked many questions about agriculture. He spent a great deal of time digging, planting, reading and observing. Nforba’s devotion to farming deepened after he got sick from drinking the local water. Villagers also got sick. Nforba knew how to fix this problem. But with limited resources, he needed help. He asked the villagers to bring whatever tools and materials they had to start building wells. They got to work and made a difference. Their water is clean. They are feeling better and their crops are thriving.
Baptiste and Miranda Paul did an excellent job telling this true story. The engaging text connects readers to Cameroon, Africa by using local phrases. A glossary and pronunciation guide help decipher the words. Heartwarming details of Nforba’s profound work are described in the Author’s Note. Readers will appreciate seeing Nforba and his village in photographs on the endpapers. Mixed-medium illustrations offer visual details that enrich the story. Elizabeth Zunon invites readers to see the landscape of Cameroon with a collage of different shades and patterns. Readers will also see the true joy on Nforba’s face as he pursues his passion for learning about farming.
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 write and create for a variety of purposes.
Farmer Tantoh’s story will inspire learners to immerse themselves in a passion project. Try these ideas to bring a passion project to your library or classroom:
Day 1: Write the words, “I want to learn more about…” on an anchor chart. Invite learners to write or draw ideas on sticky notes and add them to the chart. Ask learners to write questions they have about their topic.
Before Day 2: Look for possible groupings with the sticky notes and questions. Collect books and online resources for each group. Allow older learners to curate their own resources.
Day 2: Invite learners to work in groups to find answers to their questions.
Day 3: Ask learners to share why learning about their passions matter. Brainstorm ideas on how they can use their passions to help a community project.
Ongoing: Identify a community problem. Develop a class action plan to solve the problem using the skills learned from the passion projects.
Let’s see how far learners can go by following their passion for learning. Take a look at this video of Famer Tantoh for more inspiration:
Meet Farmer Tantoh, Grassroots Environmentalist from Cameroon, Africa
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With contemplative illustrations and word structure, Sophie Blackall tells the story of a lighthouse. Her creative talents shine with her ability to portray simultaneous events. We see the life of a lighthouse keeper contained in circles surrounded by rope. The evocative seascape takes over double-page spreads. Interesting elements point to the passage of time both inside and outside the lighthouse. We see days and nights go by, seasons change, the birth of a baby, and the end of a job.
Hello Lighthouse is a book to be explored and studied. There are opportunities to compare and contrast, notice and wonder, and consider how new technologies replace jobs. The back endpapers give the reader more information about the idea behind the story and interesting facts. It’s fascinating to know that this story was inspired by a cutaway image of a lighthouse found at a flea market.
AASL Standards Framework for Learners: Inquire/Think I.A.1 Learners display curiosity and initiative by formulating questions about a personal interest or a curricular topic.
Set the stage for inquiry by inviting learners to explore the back cover. View the illustration on a large screen to see the intricate details. Prompt learners to ask “I Wonder” questions about what they see. Record questions on chart paper.
Read the story and invite learners to record what they notice and what they wonder. They can use words or doodles to chart their thinking. Include the front endpapers in this exploration.
The “About Lighthouses” page at the end of the book will help learners answer some of their questions. The information may provoke more inquiries! The following resources will enrich investigations:
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