Persuasive Writing: A Letter to a Bully

In My Name is Hamburger, ten-year-old Trudie Hamburger is ashamed of her last name. Daniel Reynolds, the class bully, frequently reminds her that it means, “Chopped meat. Something a butcher grinds up.”  

My Name is Hamburger takes place in 1962 in the small southern town of Colburn. As the Jewish child of a German-speaking immigrant, Trudie stands out as different from her peers. When a Korean boy joins her class, she feels guilty, knowing negative attention has been diverted away from her and onto him. Trudie doesn’t like being a bystander any better than being a victim. She doesn’t know what to do.  

Only after a family crisis and the support of friends is Trudie able to stand up for herself.

Something people cook on the fourth of July,”

I answer. “An all-American food!”

Daniel blinks as if he can’t believe

someone like me, with a dad from somewhere else,

knows what Americans eat. But he doesn’t say more

because I got the last word today.

My name is Hamburger. An all-American food.

Writing Prompt: To stop a bully, it helps if both the victim and the bystander speak out. Write a persuasive letter from either the perspective of a person being bullied or a person watching cruel treatment. Express your emotions in the letter. Do you feel anger, fear, or hope that relationships could change? Can you share personal experiences or reasons why bullying behavior hurts all involved? Do you have the courage to try and persuade a bully to rethink his/her behavior?    

Jacqueline Jules

WHAT IS NORMAL?

by Jacqueline Jules

Bullying is an ongoing problem in all schools. Taking a little time to write and think about what exactly is “normal” might go a long way to defuse the primary source of the issue. Students are bullied for being “different.” Yet the criteria for being “different” varies from one community to another. A child from Latin America may be considered “different” in a small town in the midwest. While a child from a farm might be misunderstood in a metropolitan city. Tara Lazar’s Normal Norman  can be a great discussion starter for this topic.

In this picture book, a child scientist tries to demonstrate how “normal” a purple orangutan named Norman is. Yet it turns out that Norman sleeps in a bed with a stuffed animal and likes pizza better than bananas. One revelation after another demonstrates that Norman’s behavior is not what is expected for an orangutan. The young scientist is distraught. Norman’s abnormally large heart and breezy acceptance of himself saves the day as the young scientist finally accepts that “normal” cannot be defined.

After reading Normal Norman, discuss why it is so difficult to define “normal.” Does everyone have the same body type, eating habits, or sleep patterns? Are members of the same family exactly the same? Would you even want them to be? Would you want to spend the day in a classroom of “normal” students exactly alike? Do a ten minute quick write. Can you describe what a typical school day would be like if everyone looked and behaved the same way? For added inspiration, you could read a short passage from A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle describing the planet where all the children behave in a mechanistic way, like robots.  

Next, provide your students with a dictionary definition of “normal,” meaning ordinary, standard, typical, etc. Contrast that to the definition of “unique” meaning unusual or special, unlike anything else. Ask your students to write a short essay on the topic. Would you prefer to be “normal” or “unique?” What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

What’s normal for one person or family does not suit another. We are indeed all different. Normal Norman celebrates individuality, an important topic to think and write about.

www.jacquelinejules.com

Writing Connections with Gene Luen Yang

by Mary Quattlebaum

Gene Luen Yang recently became the fifth National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, succeeding Kate DiCamillo.  As the first graphic novelist in this prestigious role, he brings a keen awareness to the interplay of words and art in the creation of engaging stories.  In a recent interview for the KidsPost section of the Washington Post, Yang talked about his passion for reading and creating comics as a kid, and the way that books can connect people and help them to explore new worlds.

The following writing prompts and discussion points connect to Yang’s platform “Reading Without Walls” for the two years of his ambassadorship.

Classroom Discussion:  Yang suggests that young people explore new worlds in two ways: (1) read a book on a topic completely new to them, and (2) pick up a book about a character who is different (by race, gender, culture, etc.) from them.  Have each student brainstorm topics, coming up with a list of at least five new subjects to explore.  Or have them visit the library and check out a book with a completely new type of character.

Writing:  Ask students to read their books and then write a short response paper.  What did they learn by reading this?  What, exactly, was boring?  What was surprising?  Would they want to learn more?  Why or why not?

Classroom Discussion:  In his graphic novel, American Born Chinese, Yang draws on some of his own experiences as one of the few Asian-American kids in his middle school.  He was sometimes teased and excluded.  Writing:  Ask students to write about a time when they felt teased or excluded.  Was it because of appearance, socioeconomic status, race?  How do they feel about the incident now?  (These should remain private unless the writer wants to share aloud.)

Additional Resources:  The Library of Congress website includes information on past and current  National Ambassadors of Young People's Literature.

Check Yang’s website  for details about his work as a writer for DC Comics and his graphic novels, including Boxers & Saints and the playful, tech-savvy Secret Coders middle-grade series.   

www.maryquattlebaum.com

REMOVING THE POWER OF MEAN WORDS

by Jacqueline Jules

Bullying and name-calling are unfortunately just as much a problem in schools today as they were long ago. Picture books can help students think about the ramifications of unkind behavior and ways to interact differently. With Random Acts of Kindness Week  approaching next month, (February 14-20, 2016) here are two book suggestions to get your students writing and discussing better ways of getting along.

Desmond and the Very Mean Word by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Douglas Carlton Abrams takes place in South Africa and is a story from the Archbishop’s childhood.

In this story, Desmond’s joy in riding his bicycle is destroyed by a gang of boys who block his path. The tallest boy with red hair shouts a mean word that hurts Desmond’s feelings deeply. The word is never named but it holds great power over Desmond.

“That night, Desmond lay in bed, trying to read his comic book by candlelight. Instead of the words on the page, he kept seeing the mean word written over and over again.”

Later, Desmond tries to exact revenge by shouting the meanest word he can think of at the boy who insulted him. The action only leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. At the end of the story, Desmond confronts the red-haired boy again. This time for apologies. Desmond rides away on his bicycle with outstretched arms, savoring his feeling of freedom and a desire to embrace the world.

My book, Never Say a Mean Word Again, was inspired by a legend from medieval Spain. Since the original tale takes place between two adults, it took me many years to translate its core meaning for young readers.

In Never Say a Mean Word Again, Samuel is the son of the vizier, the most powerful advisor in the royal court. But being the son of an important man does not help clumsy Samuel make friends. When he accidentally spills food all over Hamza’s white tunic at a banquet, angry words are spoken. Samuel looks to his father, the grand vizier, to punish Hamza. The vizier says, “No. You will take care of this matter. Make sure Hamza never says a mean word to you again.”

Like Desmond, in Desmond and the Very Mean Word, Samuel stays awake that night, thinking. How can he make sure that Hamza never says a mean word to him again? Should he make Hamza eat a lemon? Would that be a good punishment for a boy who said mean things? But when Samuel shows up at Hamza’s door, the two boys end up playing ball with the lemon. Later, Samuel charges over to Hamza’s house with pen and paper. He will make Hamza write out a promise. Instead, the boys draw a picture together. Day after day, Samuel visits Hamza with a new plan. Maybe he could beat Hamza at chess or in a water fight. They become used to spending time together and when the vizier finds them playing marbles in the courtyard, he asks his son. “Did you do what I asked? Did you make sure that Hamza never says a mean word to you again?” Samuel looks at his new friend’s smiling face and says, “Yes, Father. I did.”

In Desmond and the Very Mean Word and Never Say a Mean Word Again, two boys ultimately resolve their differences with kindness. Read one or both of these books aloud to your class. Discuss the following questions and choose one of the writing prompts for writing workshop.

Discussion Questions:

1. Is it possible to make friends with someone who has insulted you?

2. Have you ever made friends with someone or forgiven someone who hurt your feelings?

3. What would you do if someone called you a name?

4. Is there a fair punishment for name-calling?

Personal Narrative Writing Prompt:

Describe a time when you had a misunderstanding or problem with someone. Were angry words spoken? How was the situation resolved?

Fiction Writing Prompt:

George is playing basketball alone on the school playground. A student from another class grabs the ball and refuses to let George play. What happens next?

www.jacquelinejules.com

#StrongerThan: Writing About Personal Challenges

by Karen Leggett Abouraya

“Let us pick up our books and pens. One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world.”

They are words made famous by Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai, who spoke at the United Nations on her sixteenth birthday – just nine months after she was shot by the Taliban near her home in Pakistan’s Swat Valley for speaking up for the right of girls to attend school. She has called on young people the world over to stand up for the right of every child in every country to go to school – and to stand up with their words and pens and pencils.  After 200 young girls were kidnapped from a school in Nigeria, Malala spoke out again to show the world “we are #StrongerThan those who deny school girls an education.” (Video)

What are your students “StrongerThan?”  Here is a perfect opportunity to encourage young people in and out of the classroom to learn Malala’s story, feel her courage and resolve and then think about what they are #StrongerThan. What do they have the courage to write about and conquer or achieve?  Children of any age can be asked to write a sentence, a paragraph, an essay or a 140-character Tweet about what they are stronger than -

#StrongerThan bullying?

#StrongerThan my math or reading homework?

#StrongerThan  my ADD or cerebral palsy or other disability?

#StrongerThan unfairness?

Students may choose to focus on personal challenges or issues that trouble them in their community or the world – including the education concerns that so motivate Malala. This initial writing project can grow as much as a child or class wishes by writing group or individual letters to a principal, school superintendent, local newspaper or elected official. My picture book biography of Malala – Malala Yousafzai: Warrior with Words includes several organizations children can join or replicate: School Girls Unite (started by middle school girls right in Kensington, Maryland), Girl Up, GirlRising and Global Campaign for Education, and of course, the Malala Fund itself.

http://www.handsaroundthelibrary.com/