Lori Marie Carlson is an editor, translator, and novelist who has spent her time and energy on bringing Latino literature to American audiences. She was born in Jamestown, New York and has earned an M.A. in Hispanic Literature from Indiana University. She has taught at several universities and has authored seven books for young adults, including the acclaimed collection of poetry, Cool Salsa. The follow-up, Red Hot Salsa: Bilingual poems on being young and Latino in the United States has also received starred reviews and recognition. Readers are able to experience the poetic fusion of the Spanish and English language and identity. Themes of neighborhood, amor (love), family moments, memories, and victory divide the poems into relatable categories. Skilled poets are featured including Gary Soto, Trinidad Sanchez, Jr., Raquel Valle Sentíes, and Martín Espada. Artistically using the best of their two languages, these poets offer readers a description of their individuality as Latino Americans. Additionally, they reveal the ubiquitous emotions and experiences familiar to all people allowing the readers to understand the significance of the poetry. This is a great collection of poetry, organized effectively and deserving of praise.
Materials:Red Hot Salsa: Bilingual poems on being young and Latino in the United States edited by Lori Marie Carlson, pen and paper, magazines, newspapers, collage materials (glue, scissors), poster board (cut in the shape of the U.S.)
Discussion:
Students will identify and list common themes of the Latino experience (particularly that of young adults in the United States). They will read about issues of identity from selected poems from Red Hot Salsa. Then students will learn poetry reading strategies and express what they learned by creating a class collage.
How to Teach It: First students will be asked to write the definition of what it means to be an American. They will share these definitions with their neighbors. A class discussion will begin with questions such as:
Are you American by virtue of where you live?
What kinds of things do you have to do to be an American?
When someone says the word “America” what comes to mind?
Next, the teacher will review the process for reading a poem, read aloud I Am Who I Am, So What by Raquel Valle Sentíes (Red Hot Salsa, p. 16), and then initiate a discussion prompted by these questions:Who is the speaker of the poem? What do we know about the speaker? What kind of person do they sound like? How do you know? What is the subject of the poem? What is the setting of the poem? What is the tone of the poem? (Meaning what is the narrator’s attitude about the subject? You’ll need to look at the kinds of words, phrases, images, details, etc. the poet chose to describe the subject of the poem. Do the words have positive or negative connotations?)
Next students will be asked to independently read a few poems from the anthology and pay attention to lines or phrases that directly related to the Latino experience. Using these notes, they will cut out words, phrases, and images from the magazines provided to create a class mural/collage that depicts what they have learned about the Latino experience in the United States. Students will provide a written statement that explains what they are attempting to show, supporting their response with lines from the poems studied.
Each member of the class will add their pieces to the collage to form the shape of the United States. As a class, each student will be asked to explain their contribution (or read their written statement). The lesson will end by reviewing these open-ended questions: What is the experience of being a Latino living in the United States today? Are their concerns and experiences different or similar to that of other ethnic groups? Can the experience be categorized at all? What is the role of poetry in expressing and understanding identity?
Bibliographic Information of Resource Text:
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/lessons/poetry/orgb.html
Red Hot Salsa edited by Lori Marie Carlson, is a continuation of Cool Salsa, a collection of poetry on the young life of Latinos throughout America. Through both Spanish and English vocabulary, a variety of poets express their feelings about growing up, finding identity, falling in love, and overcoming obstacles. Each poem provides an example of a variety of authors including Gary Soto, Luis J. Rodríguez, and José Antonio Burciaga. Each poem reflects a myriad of sentiments familiar to all humankind. The code-switching and manipulation of languages functions as a sort of patchwork that mirrors the double-nature of the Latino/a identity. The glossary and biographical notes, in addition to the translations of each poem provides the reader with all the information necessary to gain understanding and meaning from the poems. Each poem speaks from a distinctly unique voice; the collection verbalizes the unified voice of young Latinos. Lori Marie Carlson says "In describing what I do as a writer, I'd say that I try to bridge divides. Whether the chasm is between races, ethnic groups, language, genders, or generations it has been my aim to offer encouragement and feelings of hope to my readers. Why not try to be uplifting when there is so much grief and despair in this world? This is my way of thinking. " It is my opinion that Carlson effectively accomplishes this goal in this work. Red Hot Salsa demonstrates the energy and power that comes from unity and collaboration, --a concept important to each individual's evaluation of their duel-natured heritage, as well as a significant factor in the common bonds between all Latin-Americans. Themes of family, love, discrimination, adolescence, and victory resonate from the pages. I think this anthology would be a great resource in a classroom discussion about all of these themes, as well as the concepts of poetry.
Margarita Engle uses verse to depict the story of a young boy entrapped in a life of slavery and abuse, yet liberated by his passion for poetry. Engle makes abstract concepts of mercy, agony, and rescue tanglible to the reader through symbolic motifs of material objects such as feathers, chains, and books. Her writing portrays the viscious horrors exerienced by Juan Francisco Manzano synched with the courageous insistence of hope shared through poetry. My favorite stanzas:
"and these words, strangest of all strangely easy to understand: Saber no sabiendo... To know without knowing...
To know without knowing a life filled with dreams heaven unseen strange faith, strangely real strangely myseterious fountain of words source of hope" (Engle, 145)
This novel demonstrates how the element of art functions as a healing source for trauma. Manzano's life is memorialized and readers will leave this text with an increased appreciation and understanding for freedom and language.
Up Before Daybreak by Deborah Hopkinson takes the reader on a journey through the history of cotton in America before the Civil War and after. Hopkinson places great attention on the many effects that the crop had on the people allowing the reader to draw conclusions about the wide range of consequences this crop produced (positive and negative). She includes a discussion of several aspects of American culture and economy that were impacted by by this agricultural development including slavery, racism, poverty, and child labor. Children and adults alike can learn from the clear and striking photgraphs found on almost every turn of the page. Each story is told elegantly and attempts to accurately depict the history of cotton in the United States. The index and further reading sections allow students to easily use this as a reference book to look up specific questions or begin independent research. This book is both intriguing and informative and will teach even the least interested reader something fascinating and representative of American History.
New York Times Notable book, Persepolis, is a novel of a different kind. Marjane Satrapi carefully and subtly blends serious with satire.She employs her maturity and intelligence through the funnel of a child’s voice and logic. Through memorable graphics and engaging but simple text, Satrapi gives readers an opportunity to learn about freedom on many levels. As she learns about her country and family’s history, she is lead on a search for both factual and philosophical truths. Marj follows a path from blind-faith to doubt to rejection of her beliefs and ideals. The revolution absorbs this little girl and we are able to follow her through her journey and experience her joys and sorrows, universal to all.
Materials: Getting Away With Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case by Chris Crowe
Discussion: Students will gain an understanding of the purposes and types of nonfiction literature. They will also be able to identify several access features in nonfiction books.
How to Teach It: We would define the term nonfiction as a class and discuss the types of nonfiction including essays, journals, documentaries, scientific papers, biographies, textbooks, etc.I would have the students fill out a Civil Rights KWLL. First listing what they know, what they would like to know, then after reading the text they would write what they learned from the book and then what they learned from outside research (or information from class). I would ask them to look through the book and point out anything that is different from a nonfiction book compared to a fiction novel. They hopefully would mention several access features like the glossary or time line. Then I would show them examples and discuss the purposes of several other access features common to nonfiction literature. In Getting Away With Murder we would find a Table of Contents, Introduction, Chapter Titles, Photographs and labels, Time line, Bibliography, Additional Resources, and Further Reading. To assess their learning and give them practice writing, I might even have them create a page or two of their own nonfiction book (in any of the formats we discussed), including a couple access features. They would research a little about other significant people, places, or events realted to Civil Rights in the United States.
Bibliographic Information of Resource Text:
http://www.homeofbob.com/literature/genre/nonfiction/elements.html
Chris Crowe states in his introduction: "To understand and appreciate the modern history of the fight for equal rights for African Americans, American teenagers of all races should know the story of Emmett Till and its impact on American society." It is my opinion that Crowe has provided an excellent educational tool in penning this nonfiction story. It's unfortunate that students read increasing less and less nonfiction literature as the pass through the middle and high school grades (excluding textbooks). The vocabulary used and the inclusion of photographs give students the opportunity to have their questions answered and learn in a way that suits them. I think students would greatly benefit from more nonfiction young adult books that can provide them with informative readings about interesting and important topics. I am certain that many students have never heard about the Emmett Till case and those that were aware did not experience it emotionally. This book allows an in-depth observation that draws on the readers emotions and sense of justice.
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi is an intense autobiography told from an unexpectedly mature child-perspective. Laced with witty satire, but dense with deaths and horrors of the Iranian Revolution, this story is tells A LOT. It tells many highlights of the history of Iran, it tells of Satrapi's life before Vienna, and it tells of the universal political, social, psychological, and emotional themes that can be linked to all individuals. This is a story of trauma and desperation in an individual, a family, a community, and a country. Each turn of the page provides a "graphic" image from the words, the drawings, and the emotions invoked. The reader is wrenched along a sentimental and passionate roller coaster as they follow Satrapi through the pangs of childhood unfamiliar to American readers. While the pictures and the plot are overwhelmingly depressing and colorless, upon completion of the book there is a surprising sense of optimism and encouragement delivered by Satrapi. I believe this is an effective and original combination of prose and artwork that will pull at the heartstrings of its readers as they fall in love with Marjane as both the protagonist and the author. I will read Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return very shortly! Additionally, I think it is imparative that any teacher using this piece of literature in the classroom obtain a thorough knowledge of Iranian history, particularly the Revolution. I also think that the content is not suitable for all high schoolers and this must be understood by the educators as well as the parents. An appropriate introduction and instruction on the material will be vital to bring about the desired effect of this novel.
Zoo-Wee-Mama! What a funny journal about an average tween with a silly sense of humor. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney is humorous story about the life of Greg Heffley including anecdotes about his runs-ins with Cheese, trees, and unease! Through cartoons and simple text, readers go through a year of school experiencing the pangs and idiosyncrasies of Greg's middle-school mishaps. Students will be able to relate to the events of his life and learn that they are not alone in their confusion and constant feeling of bad luck and irony. Some students may be peaked to write a journal of their own and eventually gain some intrapersonal perspective and enlightenment. Despite all the troubles Greg faces, the book is still easily read with a feeling of happiness and light-heartedness.
Kibuishi displays his artful eye and story-telling skills in his graphic novel Daisy Kutter The Last Train. With mature themes of violence, language, and illegal activities, high schoolers will be on the edge of their seats examining the pictures and experiences the novel as if it's a film. Daisy Kutter provides young audeiences with an original and relatable female hero with an attitude that many young adults can unerstand. The drawings are each individual pieces of artwork and I found myself flipping through the pages day after day and showing particular frames to others around me. While the overall story is a bit predictable, I believe this was an effective strategy to allow the reader to keep up with the pace of the action and not get lost in the dialog or details. It would be fortunate for readers if Kibuishi continues the story of Daisy Kutter and I would be excited to see a series develop.
Acceleration by Graham McNamee is a fast-paced and action-packed novel that reads like a suspense movie in your mind. The dialog is witty, with a bit of dark humor that any teenage reader is sure to appreciate. The characters are believable and there are themes of family, friendship, romantic love, deviance, and cruelty all messed together to create a thrilling read that leaves you wanting a sequel. Readers in a literature circle would likely enjoy reading a few chapters at a time and then coming together to make predictions and inferences. There is also a sense of surrealism as a result of the word choice, which may prompt artistic readers to express their response to the book through a creative work such as a drawing or a painting. For example, the image described on page 58: “I lean back in my chair and stare at the ceiling, where a fly is beating its brains out against the bare lightbulb” may provide an impetus for those imaginative minds. Overall, McNamee has done a great job writing an entertaining and attention-grabbing novel.
Discussion: Students will receive direct instruction of strategies for comprehension and therefore become aware of the process and exhibit self-directed character analysis. Using a visual structure, students will learn how to pinpoint character change and track character growth and development.
How to teach it: I would ask the students to define “character” in their own words in small groups. Then we would discuss the idea that a character can be any person or being that exists in any work of art. I would provide a definition for characterization and tell how this process can reveal information through a variety of ways including speech, thoughts, effect on others toward the character, actions, and looks (STEAL). Next we will create a character continuum, plotting 7-9 entries that detail a particular character’s development on a linear diagram. We will use this as a model and the students will then create a character continuum of their own. They will select a character of their choice and will focus on one aspect of the character’s growth to evaluate. Students will then discuss their continuum and notice points of similarity and difference. They will edit their continuum if necessary with the help of their peers and teacher guidance. The quality of the continuum will demonstrate the students’ understanding of character change as well as the methods used by the author to reveal information about each character. If necessary, further instruction on this topic would include a verbal or written explanation of the continuum by each student or a comparison of the character to another character from a previously studied text.
Bibliographic Information of Resource Text: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/character
Jacqueline Woodson’s novel Miracle’s Boys is a brilliant and original narrative of the grief and suffering experienced by three orphan brothers. Themes of freedom, guilt, and brotherhood, echo throughout the pages. Lafayette, Charlie, and Ty’ree learn the power of communication and though this exchange, begin to understand the full-bodied definition of freedom. Sprinkled with familiar references to music, poetry, art, and film, Woodson creates a sentiment of nostalgia. With both earnestness and tenderness the boys unfold their nightmares and guilt as they discover the healing power of their brotherhood. Within a day’s time a bond manifests itself among the brothers providing their escape from the suffocating hate, hostility, and resentment that has torn their lives apart. With fervent applause I recommend this literature to both the young and old seeking both an entertaining and emotional experience.
If the Coretta Scott King Award is dedicated to Peace, Non-violent Social Change, and Brotherhood, then Jacqueline Woodson’s novel Miracle’s Boys has justly earned the recognition. Lafayette searches for peace and understanding of his parents’ death and his brother’s attitudes. Through questioning and reflection, he discovers the truths of these events and pieces them together to form a new identity and perspective. Ty’ree works hard to maintain peace in the household and his character is a solid example of diplomacy, negotiation, compromise, and leadership. He is a believable personality, a person with strong convictions, hopes and a good grasp of reality. Additionally, Woodson uncovers his flaws, further demonstrating his humanity and providing a realistic model for young readers. Charlie also seems to arrive at a place of peace as he describes their life as a work of art, almost as if he can appreciate their situation. I believe the three of them find acceptance and eventually comfort in their individual misery and despair. Woodson does a phenomenal job of unveiling the multiple faucets of each boys’ personalities. She demonstrates the possibility of forgiveness, change, and new beginnings. Charlie’s character is angry and rageful, however he resists expressing himself through violence and aggression –a good demonstration for others at times of overwhelming frustration and perhaps resentment. Ty’ree’s academic aspirations are inspiring, and readers will be left hopeful that he will have the opportunity to achieve those goals. It is an important point when he tells Lafayette of his decision to stay and take care of his brothers instead of going to MIT. The significance of their family unity and brotherhood is their individual salvation from the hardships of the world. When the brothers come together and open up to each other, they began to understand and work out their feelings, allowing them to focus on their future and find contentment in their life together.
Worthy of the Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in young adult literature, A Step from Heaven is a rich and satiating work of literature. It is unlike any other book I have read recently. An Na implements her own customized writing style that continually and effectively engages the reader into the thoughts and depths of emotions experienced by Young Ju. The progression of the writing style mirrors the development of Young Ju as she begins to make sense of the world around her in the midst of confusion and inconsistency.
I think this novel provides us a unique perspective on the various uses and subsequent meanings of language. I would like to explore the almost lyrical tone set forth on each page as well as the different types of vocabulary used by An Na. A discussion of linguistics might be appropriate, especially when considering the phonetic spellings, the challenges of learning a new language while simultaneously preserving and treasuring the native language, and the associated translation, interpretation, jargon, and typology. Questions such as: how has word choice, sentence structure, and format enriched this text and what are the consequences of these decisions? What difference has the language made in our reading? What difference has the language/stream of consciousness style made in our understanding of Young Ju's life? What does this mean for us as readers/writers? How is this applicable in our understanding and studies of ______(fill in the blank, acculturation, adolescence, family dynamics, immigration...)?
An Na produces a fresh reading of a young girl in transition, her writing is a portrait of the power and sovereignty of language.
The deserving winner of the 2007 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Author Talent Award, Traci L. Jones’ Standing Against the Wind was an exciting, thrilling, and motivating read. Readers are given the opportunity to experience the personal, educational, and social development of the young and ambitious protagonist, Patrice. Relationships are explored as Patrice discovers how to evaluate and express her feelings toward Monty, (her protector and friend), as well as her mother, (a stranger in her life). As she gains the courage to shamelessly voice her thoughts and emotions, she begins to reflect on her attitude and behavior. She soon realizes her worthiness allowing her confidence and self-image to bloom. Along with the new-found sense of an identity invaluable, Patrice is steadfast and unwavering in accomplishing her educational goals. The story is a surprising and uplifting encounter of determination in the face of obstacles. I would recommend this novel to those seeking motivation and inspiration, especially in an academic context. The author develops the characters in such a way that facilitates a reader-character bond. This keeps the story interesting and entertaining as she draws from common young adult experiences and emotions. While reading about Patrice’s troubles at school, I relived my memories of being the new and sometimes pick-on kid at school. I was able to relate and feel comforted by our commonalities. Patrice became even more of a heroine as I learned of her difficult and burdensome home life –something I can only imagine. I predict that this book is capable of gaining great appreciation from a wide variety of readers –anyone looking for an encouraging, inspirational, and enjoyable experience.
Naked Reading by Teri Lesesne Standing Against the Wind by Traci L. Jones A Step from Heaven by An Na Miracle's Boys by Jaqueline Woodson Acceleration by Graham McNamee Daisy Kutter by Kazu Kibuishi Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi Getting Away with Murder by Chris Crowe Up Before Daybreak by Deborah Hopkinson The Poet Slave of Cuba by Margarita Engle Red Hot Salsa, edited by Lori Carlson
Materials: Miracle’s Boys by Jacqueline Woodson
