Classroom Resources
A Guide for Teachers
“Reading such literature provides opportunities for expanding impressions, images, and understandings beyond what we know within our own countries. When the world shares its best literature, we connect with each other in creating a literary heritage of experiencing the best across country borders”
(Yokota, pg. 630)
The Arts Curriculum
OVERVIEW OF GRADES 1 TO 3
A Teachers role is to create learning experiences and that allow children to handle, explore, in a learning environment that is safe, secure, and inviting. A developmentally appropriate program in the Arts, allow children the freedom to make choices and to use their observations, experiences, and background knowledge to engage in art activities. It recognizes that there is no one way to create, and that every child’s interpretation is to be valued. It promotes risk taking. It provides blocks of time to allow students’ skills to develop.
VISUAL ARTS
D1. Creating and Presenting: apply the creative process to produce a variety of two- and three-dimensional art works, using elements, principles, and techniques of visual arts to communicate feelings, ideas, and understandings.
D2. Reflecting, Responding, and Analysing: apply the critical analysis process to communicate feelings, ideas, and understandings in response to a variety of art works and art experiences.
D3. Exploring Forms and Cultural Contexts: demonstrate an understanding of a variety of art forms, styles, and techniques from the past and present, and their social and/or community contexts.
The teacher can buy oil paint and ask the students to create art inspired by the African landscapes in the books. The teacher can choose a specific country in Africa that this oil painting art project can be inspired by. For example, the book “I just want to say good night” has beautiful oil painting imagery that would cover D1, D2 and D3.
The Language Arts Curriculum
I just want to say goodnight written by Rachel Isadora and illustrated by Marikka Tamura.
Oral Communication: OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of Grade 2, students will: 1. listen in order to understand and respond appropriately in a variety of situations for a variety of purposes; 2. use speaking skills and strategies appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes; 3. reflect on and identify their strengths as listeners and speakers, areas for improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful in oral communication situations.
Specifically, this book can be used to 1.4 Listen to understand by asking the students specific questions of the type of animals in the book and the landscape.
The Water Princess written Susan Verde and illustrated by Peter H. Reynold Reading: OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of Grade 2, students will: 1. read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of literary, graphic, and informational texts, using a range of strategies to construct meaning; 2. recognize a variety of text forms, text features, and stylistic elements and demonstrate an understanding of how they help communicate meaning; 3. use knowledge of words and cueing systems to read fluently; 4. reflect on and identify their strengths as readers, areas for improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful before, during, and after reading.
Specifically, this book can be used for in the Reading for Meaning, section 1.5 Making Inferences/Interpreting Texts, to discuss why Gie Gie needs to get up early to get water.
Wangari’s Trees Of Peace written by Jeanette Winter.
Media Literacy: OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of Grade 2, students will: 1. demonstrate an understanding of a variety of media texts; 2. identify some media forms and explain how the conventions and techniques associated with them are used to create meaning; 3. create a variety of media texts for different purposes and audiences, using appropriate forms, conventions, and techniques; 4. reflect on and identify their strengths as media interpreters and creators, areas for improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful in understanding and creating media texts. Specifically, this book can be used for the 1.3 Responding to and Evaluating Texts. Students can read this book and discuss the importance of the environment.
Writing: OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of Grade 2, students will: 1. generate, gather, and organize ideas and information to write for an intended purpose and audience; 2. draft and revise their writing, using a variety of informational, literary, and graphic forms and stylistic elements appropriate for the purpose and audience; 3. use editing, proofreading, and publishing skills and strategies, and knowledge of language conventions, to correct errors, refine expression, and present their work effectively; 4. reflect on and identify their strengths as writers, areas for improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful at different stages in the writing process.
For the specific expectations section Research 1.3, students can begin to do research on the environment. The students can write reflections to Wangari. (See: “Wangari Trees Of Peace” page for more information on classroom the activity that ties into this expectation.
The Social Studies Curriculum
Strand B. People and Environments: Global Communities
OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of Grade 2, students will: B1. Application: describe some similarities and differences in the ways in which people in two or more communities in different parts of the world meet their needs and have adapted to the location, climate, and physical features of their regions (FOCUS ON: Cause and Consequence) B2. Inquiry: use the social studies inquiry process to investigate aspects of the interrelationship between the natural environment, including the climate, of selected communities and the ways in which people in those communities live (FOCUS ON: Interrelationships; Patterns and Trends) B3. Understanding Context: identify and locate various physical features and selected communities around the world, and describe some aspects of people’s ways of life in those communities (FOCUS ON: Significance).
Specific Expectations
B1.1 compare selected communities from around the world, including their own community, in terms of the lifestyles of people in those communities and some ways in which people meet their needs.
B1.2 describe some of the ways in which two or more distinct communities have adapted to their location, climate, and physical features.
B1.3 demonstrate an understanding of the importance of sustainability in people’s interrelationship with their natural environment and of some of the consequences of sustainable and/or non-sustainable actions
B2.1 formulate questions to guide investigations into some aspects of the interrelationship between the natural environment of selected communities and the ways in which people live.
The specific expectations above can be used for all three books to analyse the ways in which other parts of the world view life. Example, B1.1, and B1.2 can be used with the book “I just want to say goodnight”, to analyse the scenery and landscape around her. Expectations B1.3 and B2.1 can be used for the book “Wangari's trees of peace” to explore sustainability and topics about the environment. Last, B1.2 can use the book “The Water Princess” to discuss how different families adapted to their location.
