My Books Alive: 2018-04-22

Friday, April 27, 2018

Helen's Big World: the Life of Helen Keller by Doreen Rapport. 2012. (Updated)

Helen Keller, Activist

Inspiration Book:

Helen's big world : the life of Helen Keller by Rappaport, Doreen — Disney/Hyperion Books, 2012--362.4; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.9 An illustrated biography of Helen Keller, introducing young readers to her life and legacy, and including quotations by Keller.

Rationale: Students recognize Helen Keller whenever her biography is introduced. Many are very intrigued and want to know more. Another My Books Alive post about Laura Bridgman introduces children to the work Dr. Howe and his staff at Perkins School for the Blind, who “perfected” methods for teaching young blind, and deaf and blind children to learn to communicate is also online. I recommend you set the stage for this Helen Keller post by doing the Laura Bridgman lesson first, then zero in on a study of Helen Keller using the Teacher Resources and Related Books featuring a Grade K-3 story hour about the senses of sight and hearing, and lessons about sign language for Grades 3-6. There are excellent Teacher Resources listed below including two videos and two kid sites that can be incorporated into reading the Inspiration Book and become part of the story hour. The Bridgman lesson is a biography reading and mini- research for grades 5-8 only and appears in its own post. When would I incorporate this lesson in a library class? The primary science or health curricula often include units on senses; use Helen’s Big World then. Middle grade social studies curricula often include a mini-unit about methods of communication; use Helen’s Big World sign language lesson.

Grades K-3--Seeing with My Fingers; Hearing with My Hands

Part 1: Blindness

Preparation: Purchase airplane blindfolds for each member of the class.

Introduction: (Give each student a blindfold to put on before they enter the room.) Today we’re going to do some experiments. One experiment will have us pretend we are blind by putting on these blindfolds. Put on your blindfold and put a hand on a shoulder of the person in front of you. We’re going on a trust walk. (Slowly lead the children into and around the library winding your way to the story area. Have the students sit in the usual story place keeping the blindfolds on.)

Read aloud:

Seven blind mice by Young, Ed - Puffin Books, p2002, c1992--398.24--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 2.4

Retells in verse the Indian fable of the blind men discovering different parts of an elephant and arguing about its appearance. The illustrations depict the blind arguers as mice.

How did you like the story? Weren’t the pictures beautiful? Do you like where you are sitting? How did you feel coming into the room blindfolded? You may now take off the blindfold and give it to me. (Collect blindfolds.)

Reread the story.

How did you like the story? Weren’t the pictures beautiful? You answered the questions differently this time, didn’t you.

Probably the most famous blind AND deaf person was Helen Keller. Our Inspiration Book today is a picture biography of her life.

Read aloud:

Helen's big world : the life of Helen Keller by Rappaport, Doreen — Disney/Hyperion Books, 2012--362.4; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.9 An illustrated biography of Helen Keller, introducing young readers to her life and legacy, and including quotations by Keller.

I’ve made a display of other books about blindness. You may want to read them to find out how other people meet the disability of blindness. Next time we meet, we’ll talk about deafness.

Other Titles for Display and/or Check-out:

Aggie gets lost (Ben And Aggie) by Ries, Lori — Charlesbridge, 2011. Dewey: -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 1.5. Ben is heartbroken when his puppy Aggie goes missing while the two are playing fetch in the park, but he is determined to find his lost pet.

Helen Keller's best friend Belle by Barry, Holly — Albert Whitman & Company, 2013. Dewey: 362.4; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.6. A brief biography of Helen Keller that focuses on her relationship with her dogs, particularly one named Belle.

What color is the wind? by Herbauts, Anne — Enchanted Lion Books, 2016. Dewey: -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.6. A blind child asks each he encounters--a dog, wolf, elephant, mountain, bird, stream, tree--about the color of the wind. Each responds differently, with a shape, color, smell, texture, or idea. Each page displays a visual and tactile palette of cut-outs, textures, colors. It is a sensory experience that makes the invisible experiential, ending with the wind, as the pages fly

Six dots : a story of young Louis Braille by Bryant, Jennifer — Alfred A. Knopf, 2016. Dewey: 686.2; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.9. Looks at the childhood of Louis Braille and his creation of the Braille writing system for the blind.

Yuko-chan and the Daruma doll : the adventures of a blind Japanese girl who saves her village by Seki, Sunny — Tuttle Pub., 2012. Dewey: -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.1. After the 1783 eruption of Japan's Mount Asama destroys crops in nearby villages, a orphaned blind girl who lives at the Daruma Temple in Takasaki invents a doll representing a famed Buddhist monk and his teachings about resilience.

My three best friends and me, Zulay by Best, Cari — Margaret Ferguson Books, Farrar Straus Giroux, 2015.Dewey: -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.3. Zulay is a blind girl who longs to be able to run in the race on field and track day at her school.

Elephant in the dark by Javaherbin, Mina — Scholastic Press, 2015. Dewey: 398.21; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.4. In this version of "The Blind Men and the Elephant" based on a poem by Rumi, Persian villagers try to figure out what strange animal in a dark barn has arrived from India. FREE Teaching Resources available for download from Follett.

Cakes and miracles : a Purim tale by Goldin, Barbara Diamond — Marshall Cavendish Children, 2010. Dewey: -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.5. Young, blind Hershel finds that he has special gifts he can use to help his mother during the Jewish holiday of Purim. Includes author's notes about the holiday and its origins.

Mrs. Noodlekugel and four blind mice (Mrs. Noodlekugel) by Pinkwater, Daniel Manus — Candlewick Press, 2013. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.5. When Mrs. Noodlekugel's four mice make a terrible mess with cookie crumbs at tea, she decides to take them on the bus to visit the eye doctor and invites Nick and Maxine to come along.

The black book of colors by Cottin, Menena - Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press, p2008, c2008--E--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 3.6. Raised black line drawings on black pages encourage people to use their other senses to experience art, helping them understand what it is like to be blind.

Piano starts here : the young Art Tatum by Parker, Robert Andrew — Dragonfly Books, 2016. Dewey: 786.2; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.5. Explores early twentieth-century jazz pianist and virtuoso Art Tatum's passion and talent for playing the instrument, and includes illustrations and biographical information.

Look here! by Hewitt, Sally, 1949- - Crabtree Pub., p2008, c2008--612.8--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 3.3

Describes how the eyes work, and contains games and activities about the sense of sight.

What is sight? by Boothroyd, Jennifer, 1972- - Lerner Publications, p2010, c2010--612.8--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 2.2. Gathering information -- Your eyes -- Colors -- Protection from danger -- Distance. An illustrated introduction to our sense of sight, describing its importance, describing how eyes work, the things people can see, and more. Includes instructions for a related activity.

Part 2: Deafness

Preparation: Borrow hearing aids from a hearing impaired person or obtain an old hearing aid from a hearing aid vendor.

Learn how to sign “I love you.”

Introduction: People who are deaf have a disability. They can’t hear well and some can’t hear at all.

Read aloud one of the following books about deafness:

The William Hoy story : how a deaf baseball player changed the game by Churnin, Nancy— Albert Whitman & Company, 2016. Dewey: 796.357; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 1.7. A picture book that depicts the life of deaf baseball player William Hoy.

AND/OR

Moses goes to a concert by Millman, Isaac — Farrar, Straus and Giroux, c1998 p2002. Dewey: -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.2. Moses and his schoolmates, all deaf, attend a concert where the orchestra's percussionist is also deaf. Includes illustrations in sign language and a page showing the manual alphabet.

One of the ways completely deaf people communicate is with sign language. Some are able to hear better with a hearing aid like this one. The hearing aid fits inside your ear. A tiny battery helps make sounds louder so the person can hear. Many older people wear hearing aids because their hearing has been damaged by sounds that are too loud. Be sure you don’t play music so loud to damage your hearing.

I’ve made a display of other books about deafness. You may want to read them to find out how other people meet the disability of deafness.

Related Titles:

Splish, splat! by Domney, Alexis— Second Story Press, 2011. Dewey: -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.3. Colin's mother hires painters Heather and Molly, who are deaf, to paint his yellow bedroom navy blue, and the two get so busy chatting, using sign language, while finishing up the trim, they do not realize they have splattered the navy walls with white dots.

Helen Keller's best friend Belle by Barry, Holly — Albert Whitman & Company, 2013. Dewey: 362.4; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.6. A brief biography of Helen Keller that focuses on her relationship with her dogs, particularly one named Belle.

Dad, Jackie, and me by Uhlberg, Myron - Peachtree, p2010, c2005--E--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 3.8

In Brooklyn, New York, in 1947, a boy learns about discrimination and tolerance as he and his deaf father share their enthusiasm over baseball and the Dodgers' first baseman, Jackie Robinson.

Alexander Graham Bell answers the call by Fraser, Mary Ann — Charlesbridge, 2017. Dewey: 621.385; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.9. A picture book that offers a look at the life and inspiration of the man who invented the telephone.

The mitten string by Rosner, Jennifer — Random House, 2014. Dewey: -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 5.5. Ruthie Tober's family is known for the beautiful, warm mittens they knit so when she and her mother meet a deaf woman and her baby and give them shelter, Ruthie decides to design very special mittens for them.

Grades 3-6--How Can We Talk Without Using Our Voice? How Can We See Without Using Our Eyes?

Preparation: Computer with Internet access and projection capability. Computer lab access for a class. Plan to have the entire class session in the computer lab.

Purchase airplane blindfolds and earplugs for each member of the class.

Preview the Wonderopolis videos, read the background information to share with the class. Practice some of the signs included with the links about abc, counting, shapes and colors.

Part 1: Deafness

Introduction--View:

Wonder of the Day: How Can You Talk Without Speaking? Preschool - 6 | Text | Video | Activity

On June 27, 1880, Helen Adams Keller was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Left blind and deaf after a childhood illness, Helen conquered long odds to learn...URL:https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-can-you-talk-without-speaking

(Give each student a pair of earplugs. Sign one or two items from each of the links in the video. Try to sign a sentence. Teach a few signs from Let’s sign.)

Read and sign one of the stories from:

Let's sign! : every baby's guide to communicating with grownups by Ault, Kelly - Houghton Mifflin, p2005, c2005--419--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 2.4. Mealtime -- Playtime -- Bedtime. Presents three easy-to-read stories with instructions for teaching fifty words in sign language.

Other Titles for Substitution, Display and/or Check-out:

Little Beauty by Browne, Anthony — Candlewick Press, 2008. Dewey: -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 1.9. When a gorilla who knows sign language tells his keepers that he is lonely, they bring him a very special friend.

My first baby signs by Conigliaro, Phil — Workman Publishing Co., Inc., 2016. Dewey: 419; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.3. Simple text and illustrations with pull-tabs and movable pieces teach babies the signs for eat, milk, more, all done, help, thank you, bath, and bed.

Splish, splat! by Domney, Alexis — Second Story Press, 2011. Dewey: -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.3. Colin's mother hires painters Heather and Molly, who are deaf, to paint his yellow bedroom navy blue, and the two get so busy chatting, using sign language, while finishing up the trim, they do not realize they have splattered the navy walls with white dots.

Let's sign! : every baby's guide to communicating with grownups by Ault, Kelly — Houghton Mifflin, 2005. Dewey: 419; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.4. Presents three easy-to-read stories with instructions for teaching fifty words in sign language.

Silent days, silent dreams by Say, Allen — Arthur A. Levine Books, An Imprint of Scholastic Inc., 2017. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 3.4. A fictional biography of James Castle, a deaf, autistic artist whose drawings hang in major museums throughout the world.

The handmade alphabet by Rankin, Laura - Puffin Books, p1996, c1991--419--Int Lvl: 3-6

Presents the handshape for each letter of the American manual alphabet accompanied by an object whose name begins with that letter.

The sound of all things by Uhlberg, Myron — Peachtree Publishers, 2016. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.4. A hearing boy and his deaf parents from Brooklyn enjoy the rides, food, and sights of 1930's Coney Island where the father longs to know about how everything sounds and his son tries to interpret the noisy surroundings through sign language and a wealth of new words learned from a trip to the library.

Macy McMillan and the rainbow goddess by Green, Shari — Pajama Press, 2017. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.9. Dealing with her mother remarrying to a man with twin daughters and her family moving, deaf sixth-grader Macy is told that she must help her elderly neighbor Iris Gillan, who is also getting ready to move to a nursing home.

Sign language man : Gallaudet and his incredible work (Genius At Work! Great Inventor Biographies) by Wyckoff, Edwin Brit — Enslow Elementary, 2011. Dewey: 371.91; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.3. Chronicles the life and accomplishments of Thomas H. Gallaudet, describing how he helped a young girl who could not hear, and discussing his efforts to develop and teach American Sign Language.

Part 2: Blindness

Preparation: Computer with Internet access and projection capability. Computer lab access for a class. Plan to have the entire class session in the computer lab.

Purchase airplane blindfolds for each member of the class.

Preview the Wonderopolis video, read the background information to share with the class.

Make a set of Braille cards from directions at http://www.education.com/activity/article/Understanding_Braille/

3 x 5 index cards, mouse pads, dull pencils for each student.

Introduction--View:

Wonder of the Day: What Is Braille? Preschool - 6 | Text | Video | Activity

Having a visual impairment doesn’t mean you can’t read and write. It just means you do it in a slightly different way. Learn more about the history of...URL: http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-is-braille/

(Give each student a blindfold. While students are blindfolded,

Read aloud:

The black book of colors by Cottin, Menena - Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press, p2008, c2008--E--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 3.6 Raised black line drawings on black pages encourage people to use their other senses to experience art, helping them understand what it is like to be blind.

Probably the most famous blind AND deaf person was Helen Keller. Our Inspiration Book today is a picture biography of her life.

Read aloud:

Option: Use the suggestion in Understanding Braille http://www.education.com/activity/article/Understanding_Braille/ and have students make their name on an index card in Braille

Other Titles for Display and/or Check-out: