Animals As Characters/Subjects: Pushing Against Gender Typing

by Mary Quattlebaum

Starting March 1^st, we’re celebrating Women’s History Month with 31 days of posts focused on improving the climate for social and gender equality in the children’s and teens’ community/industry.  Join in the conversation on Twitter at #kidlitwomen or on Facebook at https:www//www.facebook.com/kidlitwomen (which includes all the posts this month).

Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry.  Black Beauty by Anna Sewell.   I read these novels multiple times as a kid. I adored the fierce mare, Phantom, who cared for her domesticated foal until Misty could live on her own, and then returned to the wild.  I cried over the trials of sensitive, observant Black Beauty, the male horse in the 19^th century bestseller that galvanized the movement for more humane treatment of animals.

Lassie Come-Home by Eric Knight. The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford. The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith.  No matter their sex, the animal characters in these books were, by turns, loyal, cooperative, intelligent, kind, sturdy, afraid, vulnerable, and angry.  They had personality strengths and flaws.  They fought, strategized, searched for food, and cared for their young.  They persisted.  They triumphed, in different ways.  They were the heroes of their stories.

Growing up in the 1960s and ‘70s, I remember very, very few books with strong human girl and gentle human boy characters.  I didn’t even realize what I was searching for until, as an adult, I examined my favorite books more closely. Yes, I had been a country kid, a lover of animals and the natural world, but even deeper than that, I think I was hoping for depictions in books that better reflected some of the change I was glimpsing in the wider world. The realistic, slightly anthropomorphized critter-characters in these novels pushed boundaries. They brought nuance to, and even subverted the traditional gender-assigned roles and traits of the times.  (Interestingly, for picture books, almost the opposite is true.  In her research, children’s author/scholar Jennifer Mann discovered that anthropomorphized animals—especially parents, teachers and other adults--tended to remain gender typed, especially in terms of clothing.)

In the blog post that opened this #kidlitwomen discussion, Shannon Hale asked us to deeply consider how we as creators and as teachers/librarians/parents present books to young people.  Do we or others unconsciously label or have expectations of a book as being “for girls” or of a particular author as appealing primarily to boys?  How might we work against this?  In their posts, Susan Van Metre, Meg Frazer Blakemore, and Elizabeth Dulemba further explore ideas and possibilities around re-shaping the cultural narrative.

As a writer of nonfiction about/fiction with animal characters, I’ve tried to be alert to my own shortcomings, blind spots, and expectations (with full awareness of how much I still need to learn/unlearn)—and those of the larger society.  And I want to present my work—and that of others—in a way that encourages kids to think more deeply and critically about these issues too.

For a nonfiction chapter book about Hero Dogs, I wanted to broaden the narrative about heroic animals beyond the usual stories about military/law-enforcement dogs and the single act of bravery, so I included true stories about a female detective dog who has found hundreds of lost pets; two female “nurse” dogs at a wildlife sanctuary; and a male Dalmatian who is a fire-safety educator.  At schools, I ask kids to think about the term “hero” and what it means to them—and we talk about examples of heroes in history and their lives who may exemplify a range of heroic traits.

Mighty Mole and Super Soil depicts the real-life superhero of the animal kingdom, a female mole with super strength, super speed, and a super appetite.  Mighty Mole is like Wonder Woman, I tell kids.  Only she has fur and claws and teeny-tiny eyes (and no bustier, I might add, but that’s the subject for another post).

Many kids love reading and talking about animals.  Since #kidlit women encourages solution-based discussions, I want to ask:  What’s your favorite book about animals that works against gender typing?  And/or your favorite book about/with animal characters by a woman?

My choice: Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly.  So much love for this year’s Newbery Medal winner!  I especially admire the characterizations of the gentle boy and his beloved guinea pig and the fierce Nature-loving deaf girl who helps to rescue them.

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Writing Connections with Amy Sarig King

by Mary Quattlebaum

Amy Sarig King is the author of many acclaimed YA novels, but Me and Marvin Gardens (Scholastic, 2017) is her first middle-grade novel.  It garnered three starred reviews and was named a 2017 Best Book by the Washington Post.

In an interview with the KidsPost section of the Washington Post, King talks about the childhood experiences that informed the book. She mentions her dog, Stella, as her inspiration for the mysterious creature that gets young readers thinking about recycling in a whole different way. 

Obe loves the cornfields that his family once owned, but now they are being turned into a housing development.  And his best friend is ditching him for the new kids in the neighborhood.  To add to his troubles, Obe discovers a new type of animal by the creek—a slimy tapir-like creature with the friendly personality of a dog.  He names it Marvin Gardens.  Before long, Obe realizes that the creature eats plastic but that its toxic poop is ruining the land.  Can Obe trust his science teacher, Ms. G, to help with the situation?

Below are writing lessons for the classroom or for individual writers ages 8 and up.

FACTS AS INSPIRATION: Classroom Discussion, Part 1:  In the book, Ms. G shares facts about the environment with her students.  As she researched these facts, King herself was horrified to discover that it takes a plastic bottle 500 years to decompose, and that Americans throw away 2.5 million of these bottles per hour.  King created Marvin Gardens as a character that seemingly solves the problem (by eating plastic) but creates another (the toxic chemicals excreted as waste destroy grass, tennis shoes, and pretty much whatever comes in contact with them).

Classroom Writing, Part 1:  Ask students to research several facts about dangers posed to the environment.  For example, habitat loss for cheetahs is pushing them toward extinction in the wild.  Or they might choose one of Ms. G’s facts from the book.

Have them choose one problem and brainstorm ways to solve it.  Encourage them to make these solutions as helpful as they can, even if they may be extreme or somewhat wacky.  (For example, a plastic-eating animal is a rather extreme solution to littering/recycling issues!)

Ask students to give their solution a name (such as Marvin Gardens), write one or two paragraphs on how it would work, and draw a picture or diagram of it.

Classroom Writing, Part 2, Critical Thinking and Writing:  Might this solution create other problems?  List some possible resulting problems.  How might they be solved?

TAKING ACTION, Classroom Discussion, Part 1:  Ask the class to notice environmental problems that are in the school or grounds for two days. For example, leaky faucets in bathrooms, lack of recycling bins, litter on school grounds, lack of native plants for local pollinators. List these things on the board.

Brainstorm ways to address or solve them.  Have the class identify 2 or 3 that they might take action on and help them develop a strategy to do so.

Have them do online research to discover how other students or activist groups have created positive change in these problem areas.

Ask for volunteers to write a short article for the school newspaper or bulletin or principal’s blog and an op-ed piece for the local newspaper.

 www.maryquattlebaum.com

Writing Connections with Rachel Vail

by Mary Quattlebaum

Rachel Vail is the author of many popular novels for young people, including the Justin Case series, the Friendship Ring series, Unfriended, and most recently, Well, That Was Awkward.  In an interview with the KidsPost section of the Washington Post,  Vail talks about the play that inspired her latest novel and the middle-school experiences that helped inform it.

Like the 1897 French play “Cyrano de Bergerac,” Vail’s novel Well, That Was Awkward features a main character that tries to help a friend to further a romance.  The problem, though, is that the love interest is actually someone that the main character also likes.

Below are writing lessons for the classroom or for individual writers ages 8 and up. 

RE-IMAGINING A CLASSIC:  Classroom Discussion, Part 1: Talk about how Vail reimagined a play with adult characters as a story about a group of middle-school students in a contemporary school.  Other writers have done this, too.  For example, the movie “Clueless” in based on Jane Austen’s Emma.

Classroom Writing, Part 1:  Choose a scene or chapter from a book with adult characters, from a different time period.  For older students, this might be a book that the whole class has read.  For younger students, this might be a fairy tale like “Cinderella” or “Snow White.”  Ask them to brainstorm changes they might make.  Encourage them to feel free to switch characters’ genders.  For example, the evil queen in “Snow White” might be a vain football player or the prince in Cinderella might be a girl who is a wealthy science geek with a lab and Cinderella a poor guy eager to build his own robot. 

Classroom Discussion, Part 2: In the KidsPost interview, Vail is candid about her awkward middle-school years and how those embarrassing moments have helped her to create believable characters and situations that her readers can relate to.

Classroom Writing, Part 2:  Ask students to close their eyes and imagine their middle-school characters in an awkward or embarrassing situation.  What embarrassing thing happens to their middle-school Cinderella or prince?  How do they react?  Ask students to write their scenes.  Ask for a few volunteers to read theirs aloud.  Hilarity may ensue!

Additional Resources

     

Rachel Vail’s website - http://www.rachelvail.com/

www.maryquattlebaum.com

Writing Connections with Nick Bruel

by Mary Quattlebaum

Nick Bruel is the creator of highly popular chapter books, picture books and early readers, all of which feature his inimitable feline character Bad Kitty.  In an interview with the KidsPost section of the Washington Post, Bruel talks about his latest book—Bad Kitty Takes the Test--the testing climate in schools, and combating test-stress through creativity and playfulness.

Bad Kitty Takes the Test is a funny book, with chickens trying to sabotage the cats that are taking a standardized test to prove they are cats.  There are graphics, dialogue balloons and even portions of the very odd test.  Bruel’s aim is to help kids to laugh and take the whole testing-thing less seriously. 

So, with the aim of being silly and having fun, below are some writing lessons for the classroom or for individual writers 8 and up.  By poking fun at a serious issue (schools’ emphasis on standardized testing), Bruel helps both to defuse tension and highlight the negative effect on kids.

MAKING A GRAPHIC STORY:  Classroom Discussion:  After reading the book, ask kids about their feelings of stress and worry around standardized testing.  Have them write down three things they dislike about the testing process.  Talk about how Bad Kitty gets so frustrated that she refuses to take any more pretests.  Classroom Writing:  Have kids create their own animal or human character or work in pairs to do so.  The character is going into school to take a standardized test.  Encourage students to use dialogue balloons to directly show what the character is thinking and saying about the test.  Does she or he express feelings to other characters that are about to take the test?  What happens?

CREATING A SILLY TEST:  Students have certainly taken enough pre- or practice tests to know the standard format.  Have them create their own silly tests on a personal interest or passion (superheroes, dogs, chess, dance, swimming, etc.).  For multiple-choice format, students might write 2 silly questions and 2 serious questions--and answers for all might be one correct answer and three obviously silly ones.  Once they’ve designed their tests, students can have a friend, parent, or even the teacher take it.  Much laughter will ensue.

MAKING A GRAPHIC STORY REDUX: JOURNALING THROUGH WORDS AND PICTURES: Encourage students to use this graphic-story format as a way of keeping a journal or exploring, in writing and drawing, the things that worry or stress them.  First, have them identify, by listing on paper, one thing they feel stressed about at that point in time and why they feel stressed and how they deal with it.  Let them know there is no right or wrong to this and encourage them to write about this in more detail and/or draw pictures. Students can also cut images from magazines and make a collage of their feelings, adding in their own drawings, as they wish. Students should not have to share unless they wish to do so.  Ask them if they felt better just getting their feelings out and down on paper.

Additional Resources

Bruel’s website  includes games and resources.

In Bad Kitty Drawn to Trouble, Bruel takes kids through the basic elements of story—and drawing--as he guides them to write their own story.

 www.maryquattlebaum.com

Writing Connections with Adam Gidwitz

by Mary Quattlebaum

Adam Gidwitz’s new novel The Inquisitor’s Tale is proving as popular as his well-known “Grimm” novels, including A Tale Dark and Grimm.  In an interview with the KidsPost section of the Washington Post , Gidwitz talks about his research process for this novel, which is set in the Middle Ages.  As he traveled in Europe with his wife, a professor of medieval history, Gidwitz read about knights, saints and even a sacred dog.  All these things became part of his fictional tale, but he added many of his own intriguing details.  For example, the young peasant girl Jeanne is loosely based on St. Joan of Arc, of whom little is known of her childhood.  And a farting dragon makes an appearance!

Below are writing lessons for the classroom or for individual writers ages 8 and up.  Gidwitz’s website includes a teacher’s guide. 

EXPLORING HISTORY:  Classroom Discussion:  Gidwitz makes the past come alive by centering historic events in the lives of three young people and a dog on a dangerous quest for sacred objects.  You might apply his process to the classroom study of any historic time period—or even to the study of current events.

Classroom Writing:  Depending on what issue or historical time period you may be studying, you might help kids to connect to it on a more interactive, dramatic level.  Have each student make up a character who is involved in a historic event.  For example, a girl or boy involved in a suffrage march or Civil Rights Era eat-in.  Or a young neighbor helping the Wright brothers to fly the first airplane.  Or a youngster trying to grow food in a weedy Victory Garden during WWII.  What makes Gidwitz’s novel particularly compelling, though, is that the child characters must deal with uncertainty and danger, which creates suspense.  Sinister knights try to kidnap Jeanne; quicksand creates problems for travelers.

Ask students to put their characters in a moment of realistic danger or in the midst of a big problem that they must figure out how to solve/deal with.  Have them brainstorm some possible dangers/problems, alone and as a class.  What does the main character do?  Have students close their eyes and imagine this scene in their heads, focusing on what their kid character might see, hear, smell, taste, and touch as part of this experience.  What do their clothes look and feel like?  What’s their mode of transportation?  Do they have a pet?  Are they scared? Angry? Confused?

Students might do some internet or library or classroom book research.  For example, looking at historic photographs might give them ideas of details of clothing or historic items to include in their Historic Moments pieces.

Ask students to read their pieces aloud.  As a group, discuss what they learned by researching/writing these pieces—and by listening to others’ pieces.

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Writing Connections with Raina Telgemeier

by Mary Quattlebaum

Is the classroom or your personal journaling experience starting to pall? One way to spice up the journal-keeping process is to add visuals.  That’s how Raina Telgemeier got her start as a graphic novelist when she was 10 years old.  In a recent interview in the KidsPost section of the Washington Post, Raina talks about her newest graphic novel Ghosts and how she began keeping a comics diary when she was a kid.

Below are writing lessons for the classroom or for individual writers ages 8 and up.  Telgemeir’s website also has teacher’s guides. 

WRITING/DRAWING YOUR LIFE:  Classroom Discussion, Part 1:  You might start by showing kids various examples of graphic novels (Telgemeier’s Smile, Sisters and Ghosts; Jennifer Holm’s Babymouse series, Gene Yang’s Secret Coders series).  Though most tell a fictional story, Smile and Sisters chronicle events in Telgemeier’s life.

Classroom Writing:  Instead of the usual journaling-in-words-only that is done as part of the classroom writing experience, encourage students to do what Telgemeir did as a kid.  In a “comics diary,” she recorded her days in comic-strip form.  This loose, sketchy process helps kids to avoid getting hung up on creating “realistic” drawings and instead encourages them to focus on what’s key to the day/emotion/scene in very stylized drawings.  Students might do just one panel with dialogue balloons that captures an experience or several linked ones.

You might also have them bring photos from home or have some magazines on hand so they might cut and paste in backgrounds, relevant images, etc.

Examples of Prompts (these also work for traditional journal entries):  What made me scared today?  Angry?  Excited?  Annoyed?  Happy? Before writing, have students close their eyes and focus on their day and call a particular emotion/event to mind.

Classroom Discussion, Part 2:  After about a week of keeping a comics journal, ask students which they preferred, comics journal or the more traditional writing journal. Or perhaps a combination.  What did they like/dislike about all three?  What did they enjoy/learn from the comics diary experience?  Did doing their own comics diaries change the way they looked at/read graphic novels?

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Writing with Animal Scientist Alexandra Horowitz

by Mary Quattlebaum

Many kids think that scientists work with beakers and microscopes, but Dr. Alexandra Horowitz is a scientist who works with her pets.  By carefully watching her dogs, she gains insight into how dogs in general behave and learn.  In a recent interview with the KidsPost section of the Washington Post, she talks about her newest book Inside of a Dog, a fascinating nonfiction account about the way dogs learn, how they descended from wolves, and why they behave as they do.

Below are writing lessons for the classroom or for individual writers ages 8 and up.  They are adapted from suggested activities in Dr. Horowitz’s Inside of a Dog.

EYES OPEN, PENS READY:  Some scientists study exotic animals—like pandas and lions--in the wild, but Dr. Horowitz thinks we can learn a lot about animals that are part of our everyday life, such as squirrels, sparrows, pigeons, and our pets.  Brainstorm a list with students of possible “everyday” animals. 

Classroom Writing #1:  Ask students to choose an animal at home and observe it closely for 15 minutes every day for a week.  Have them write down what the animal does during that time.  At the end of the week, ask students what they observed about their animal.  What did it do?  Why do they think the animal did that or behaved in that way?  Were students surprised by any specific behaviors?

Classroom Writing #2:  A dog is not a person in a furry suit.  Humans experience the world by seeing it; dogs smell it.  Imagine walking into a room and being extremely aware not of the lamp or the book on the floor but of the many smells therein.  Have students close their eyes and concentrate on their sense of smell.  What are all the different smells?  Have them try this in two different rooms (perhaps one could be a kitchen at home) and record what they smell.  They also might get down on their hands and knees and pretend to be a dog and move through the rooms for about 10 minutes, experiencing things at the dog’s level.  How does the room look/feel different to a dog than a human?

Ask students to do one of two writing projects: (1) Based on what they learned/recorded in Classroom Writing #1, they might choose a particular behavior they observed (sleeping in certain postures, eating a certain way, barking, tail wagging) and do some additional research to learn why this species of animal does this behavior.  The first paragraph might focus on what they learned by watching this one animal, with the second paragraph providing information on why this particular type/species of animal does this behavior.   Or (2) Based on what they noticed about smell/perspective in Classroom Writing #2, they might pretend to be a dog (or their dog) and write a story or poem in the first person (using “I”) from the dog’s point of view.  What do their dog-selves notice about the world?

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Writing Connections with Shawn Stout

by Mary Quattlebaum

Family can be inspiring, as Shawn Stout discovered when writing her eighth novel A Tiny Piece of Sky.  In an interview for KidsPost/WashingtonPost, Stout talked about the prejudice her German-American grandfather dealt with right before World War II.  Shawn fictionalized her family’s experiences, but she asked her mother and aunts many questions about their childhood.  She wanted to convey a child’s perspective of the townspeople’s boycott of her grandfather’s restaurant and of their (false) perception of him as a German spy.

Below are writing lessons for the classroom or for individual writers ages 8 and up.  Stout’s website http://shawnkstout.com/ includes a teachers’ guide.

RETURN TO THE PAST:  As the youngest in her family, 10-year-old Frankie Baum feels she lacks the respect and privileges accorded her two older siblings.  She is determined to prove that her father is no spy.  As she gets to know some of the African American staff in her father’s restaurant, Frankie also becomes more aware of the injustices suffered by blacks in the segregated Maryland town.  She speaks frequently about her favorite book “The Wizard of Oz” and its movie adaptation.

Classroom Discussion, Part 1:  Ask students to read the book and to jot down some details of clothing, food, transportation that have changed since the late 1930s. What were some examples of prejudice experienced by Frankie and her family?  By the African-American staff?  In their own families,  where are students in the birth order (oldest, youngest, middle)?  Do they ever feel like Frankie, trapped in a particular family role (responsible one, jokester, lazy lout, etc.)?   Do the students try to break out?  What do they do/have they done?

Classroom Writing:  Ask students to interview a parent or grandparent to get a view of certain events that is both personal and reflective of childhood at the time.   (They can do this orally or ask for written answers.)  Kids might ask adults to go back to a certain age–10 years old, for example. Questions might include:

1.  What was your family pet?  Describe one or two adventures or times you shared with this pet.  (Frankie has a dog and a pony.)

2.  What was your favorite restaurant as a kid?  Name three things about its appearance, sound , or smells that you remember.  What dish did you like best? Least?  Why?

3.  What chores or responsibilities did you have as a kid?  Which did you like least?  Most?  Why?

4.  What was your favorite book?  Movie?  Why?  Can you describe the first time you read or saw this?

5.  What was your favorite item of clothing?  Toy or game?  Can you briefly describe?

6.  Did you ever witness or experience prejudice?  What did you say or do?  How do you feel about that incident now?

7.  What were some important events of that year (war, presidential election, Civil Rights movement, etc.)?  How did you feel about them then?

Students might then take one of these answers and write a short description or fictional tale, much as Stout did.

Classroom Discussion, Part 2: Once they have done the interviewing and writing, ask students what they learned, both about the time period and parent.

www.maryquattlebaum.com

Writing Connections with Dan Gutman

by Mary Quattlebaum

Like a master alchemist, Dan Gutman can take ordinary stuff and turn it into comic gold.  As the best-selling author of 125 books, he knows how to keep kids laughing as they turn the pages.  I recently interviewed him for KidsPost/WashingtonPost about the first book (The Lincoln Project) in his new history series, “Flashback Four.”  With its time-travel shenanigans, the new series is sure to be as popular as Gutman’s “My Weird School” and “Baseball Card Adventure” series.

Below are writing lessons for the classroom or for individual writers ages 8 and up.  Gutman’s website www.dangutman.com includes puzzles and games related to his books.

VIEWS OF HISTORY:  In the “Lincoln Project,” the four main characters travel back to the time of the Gettysburg Address, in 1863, for a wild adventure.  But each experiences that time differently, depending on race and gender.  Luke and Julia are white, Isabel is a scholarly Hispanic girl and David is an African American boy.

Classroom Discussion:  Ask students to read the book and to jot down differences between the way boys and girls dressed or were treated.  How about African American and white people?  What is David worried about?

Classroom Writing: Ask each student to list what they would have liked/disliked/been worried about if they had traveled on Miss Z’s invention back to Gettysburg, in 1863.  What would have been their favorite thing? Now, ask them to be someone from a different race and/or gender and do the same thing.  How were the answers different?

Classroom Writing:  Miss Z has tapped you to be one of her time-traveling students.  What point in time would you like to travel back to—and where?  (It doesn’t have to be the United States.)  What important moment would you take a photo of?  Write Miss Z a letter explaining (1) why you are the best person to go, (2) why this place and time are important to visit, and (3) why it is important that this moment be photographed.  To prepare the most persuasive letters, ask students to do some research into their point in history.  Ask them to write down what excites them and what they may be afraid of.  How do they think they will be treated back then?  Give some reasons why.

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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

Writing Connections with Marc Tyler Nobleman

by Mary Quattlebaum

The Power of Words.  Students have heard that phrase so often that it sounds like a cliché.  Marc Tyler Nobleman not only brings that phrase to life in two riveting biographies, but he also shows how the biographies themselves helped to right a wrong.  In a Kids Post interview for the Washington Post, Nobleman talks about the research and writing process for Boys of Steel and Bill the Boy Wonder, his biographies, respectively, of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, creators of Superman, and of Bill Finger, who co-created Batman with Bob Kane.  Finger never received credit for his work until recently, thanks in large part to information uncovered by Nobleman.

Nobleman travels frequently to give presentations and writing workshops, and he has found that, from India to Indiana, people know about Superman and Batman.  These superheroes tap into the human hunger for tales of good vs. evil.

Below are a few writing prompts for the classroom or for individual writers ages 8 and up.   Nobleman’s blog Noblemania.blogspot.com is a trove of historic photos, comic book art, quotes and cool stuff.

CREATE YOUR OWN SUPERHERO:  Ask students to read Bill the Boy Wonder and to look at one or two Batman comic books.  

Classroom Discussion: How did Bill Finger help to create Batman?  What traits, nicknames or pieces of costume did Bill add?  Ask students why they think that superheroes and superhero comic books are so popular, around the world.

Fight or Find Peace:  In most comic books, the superheroes use physical force when they fight.  Are there other ways of being powerful besides physical force?  Other ways of fighting back?  As a class, brainstorm a list of people (historic or contemporary) who were powerful without using physical force or violence.

Classroom Writing:  Have students brainstorm attributes for their own superhero.  For example, what is the hero’s super power?  How and when does the hero wield it?  Is there a secret identity or costume?  Who is the hero’s worst enemy and what are the enemy’s attributes?  How and why did the hero become a hero and the bad guy a bad guy?  What makes the superhero weak?  What makes the villain weak?  (Remember, neither hero nor villain need be human.  Either or both can be animals, objects, plants, germs, etc.)

Starting Strong:  Begin a story about how your hero and villain meet for the first time.  Think about who, what, when, where, and how.  What brings them together and when and where? What happens?  How do they fight?  See if students can figure out at least one way that the superhero fights the villain in a non-violent/nonphysical way.  What happens then?

Examining Art:  Choose a panel or two from a comic book and show students how the illustrator showed a close up or an aerial view, for example.   Ask them what makes these different views interesting and why the illustrator may have chosen to show that.  Ask them to do one part of their story as a comic book panel, showing a close-up or an aerial view.  How did that help them to think about their story in a different way?

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Writing Connections with Sandra Moore and Kazumi Wilds

by Mary Quattlebaum

Wars rage across the world, but rarely is there talk of the efforts undertaken by ordinary people to promote peace.  Sandra Moore and Kazumi Wilds tell the story of one such effort in their picture book The Peace Tree from Hiroshima (Tuttle, ages 8 and up).  This little bonsai was owned by the Yamaki family in Japan for almost 400 years, and it survived the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. In 1976, the family and the Japanese government gave the little tree to the United States, as a gift of friendship.  Moore, the American author, and Wilds, the Japanese illustrator, talk about their bookmaking process in a KidsPost interview for the Washington Post.

REACHING OUT/EXPLORING PEACE

Discussion:  Read and talk about the book and the idea of two enemies giving and accepting gifts.

Writing:  Ask students to write in their journals about a time when they may have been angry with or hurt by a friend.  Were they able to become friends again?   What did they do to help heal the friendship?

Sharing:  As a class, talk about moving past anger and fear to peace and friendship.  World Peace Day is celebrated on September 21 every year. It gives people around the world a chance to reflect on peace and do something to promote it, either as individuals or as a group.  This guide includes activities, from simple to complex, that might be done in the classroom.  Ask students to jot down ideas of what they might do as an individual to promote peace.  How about as a group of several friends or a classroom?  And there’s no need to wait till September 21 to help promote peace; a new year offers a perfect opportunity to do something, whether big or small.

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Writing Connections with Jon Scieszka

by Mary Quattlebaum

Make writing and science fun with Jon Scieszka!  His latest book is the third in his zany Frank Einstein series.  In Frank Einstein and the Brainturbo, students can hang out with Frank’s two wacky robot sidekicks and learn about the human body.  In an interviewwith the KidsPost section of the WashingtonPost, Scieszka talks about encouraging curiosity and his favorite facts about the body.

MAKE YOUR OWN HUMAN:  Frank creates a kind of super-charged brain.  As a class, students might create their own human.

Research:  Assign each student a certain part of the human body to research.  Ask each to find and write down three facts for his or her body part.

Writing:  Ask each student to write down two things that might happen if his particular part of the body were super-charged or made bigger or better than real life?  What would that body part then be able to do?  Ask each student to draw a picture of his/her super-charged body part.  What might happen if a villain tried to grab and run away with it?  Why would a villain want it?  How might the student (as a zany kid scientist) save it?

Sharing:  Teacher might have a silhouette of the human body on  the bulletin board, and students might post one or all of their true facts on the bulletin board.  In this way, students can learn about the intricate work of many organs and body parts.

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Writing Connections with Science

by Mary Quattlebaum

How to connect writing and science?  Both are important areas for learning for students of all ages.  At the same time that you teach one, you might look for opportunities to reinforce learning in the other.

The website of the publisher of my new nonfiction picture book, Mighty Mole and Super Soil (ages 4-9), features an article with activities related to the book (including making a dirt cake) and Common Core-related projects.

Here are two activities that connect writing with science:

DIRT LETTERS: The United Nations named 2015 the International Year of Soils, in honor of this important resource.  Soil is vital to the health of the planet, but most humans rarely think of it because they can’t see it.

Classroom discussion:  Have students look around the room and out the windows and brainstorm ways that soil is important to life.

Writing:  Young elementary-aged children might choose one of those ways and write and illustrate a letter thanking soil for what it has done/gives and how that particular child has benefitted.  Older children might send their letters to a congressman.

Sharing:  Letters might be posted on a classroom bulletin board, to help celebrate World Soil Day on December 5 (as well as the year-long celebration).   Also the class as a whole might plant a seed or transplant a houseplant into a special pot so that students can feel soil and experience it through many of their senses.  (Chad Wallace brings the underground world to vivid life through his illustrations for Mighty Mole and Super Soil, and students might look at them as they illustrate their letters.)

Playing with Font/Letter Shapes:  Patty Arnold, the book’s designer, worked carefully with the font so that the title and words in the main story look “gritty,” as if they’re fashioned from soil.  As Patty says, the shape and design of the words can help to create a picture and enhance the story.  Students might make some of their words (such as “soil”) look as if they’re made of dirt, perhaps by using a brown crayon when writing that one word.

ARGUE ON PAPER:  Mighty Mole and Super Soil grew out of an ongoing discussion with one of my brothers about moles.  I was Team Mole, appreciating the shy mammal in our backyard.  Moles mix and contribute to healthy soil.  My brother was Team No Mole, irritated by the ridges and molehills in his plush lawn.  He called the mole a pest!  Doing the research to persuade him otherwise gave me the idea to write this book, which I dedicated to him. J

Classroom discussion:  Ask students to list creatures that many people label as pests (specific types of animals or weeds, perhaps).   Why are they considered pests?  What do they do that disturbs humans?

Research and Prep:  Ask students to each choose one of these “pests” and to research its benefits (find at least three).  Then ask them to close their eyes and “become” this pesky animal or plant.  What does it see, hear, smell, taste, and feel?  What is its world like?

Writing:  Continue to pretend to be that pesky animal or plant, and write a letter from it to someone (the world at large, an exterminator, a mole catcher, human parent, etc.) to persuade that person that it is not a pest.  Why should this creature or plant NOT be destroyed or removed?  Have students work in pairs to peer review one another’s work and enhance the persuasiveness.

Share:  Ask for volunteers to share and encourage students to send their letters to the person or to a newspaper editor or organization.

www.maryquattlebaum.com