Make It Personal
Connecting Students to Texts (Virtual Tour)
Stage of Literacy Development:
Stage 2: Consolidation / FluencyStage 3: Literacy for Growth
Ages:
8 9 10 11 12
Grade Range:
3rd 4th 5th 6thFood Groups:
Primary: Text Structures & Genres, Motivation for Literacy Secondary: Reading Comprehension strategies
Transcript
This is one of my favorite teacher read alouds. This book called Iqbal is written by Francesco D'Adamo. It's a great story about a young boy, who at the age of four, was sold to a carpet weaver to pay off a family debt. It's based on the true story of Iqbal, a young Pakistani boy. It is a great story of hope, but it also reveals the harsh realities faced by a child slave. This story allows students to have rich conversation within the classroom and to write about it as well. We discuss child rights, and we talked about what student rights are here in this country versus other countries from around the world. This was a great starting point for students to understand that not everyone lives like them. It was an opportunity for students to see the harsh realities faced by some outside of this country. Another of my favorite teacher read alouds is Milo by Alan Silberberg. This is a great opportunity for students to laugh. It is a very humorous book, however there is a serious undertone as Milo is learning to deal with the loss of his mother, a new school, and a new group of friends. It's a great book to read to students because they begin to understand that life and perspectives are constantly changing with the encounters that you make with others.
Related References
Activity Objective
The goal of Make It Personal: Connecting Students to Texts (Virtual Tour) is to help teachers select texts that engage students on a personal level, allowing them to make personal connections and to inspire thoughtful class discussion. This teacher highlights books about child slavery, which stimulated a class discussion about the harsh realities faced by children in other countries and helps students understand the ever-changing aspects of life and perspectives.
Quick Tips
Additional Comments:
- Before you begin, complete a KWL chart with your class about what they think the rights of children are from around the globe. This allows students the opportunity to share their own perspectives and to hear from their classmates before delving into the text. - Don't forget to pause throughout the book to allow students to reflect on what has been read and to ask questions as they go. - After you've completed the text, remember to complete the section of the KWL chart that refers to what students learned from the book.
Other Recipes by this Teacher
All About Me: Building Class Community and a Sense of Identity (Virtual Tour)
1st - 4th
Early Societies Inquiry: Creating a Timeline About Ancient Egypt (Virtual Tour)
4th - 6th
Building Class Community: Ancient Egyptian Charm Bracelets (Virtual Tour)
3rd - 5th
Social Studies' Culminating Activity: Performance (Virtual Tour)
3rd - 6th
Social Studies' Culminating Activity: Museum Display (Virtual Tour)
3rd - 6th
