Grandfather's Work- A Traditional Healer in Nigeria

Grandfather's Work- A Traditional Healer in Nigeria

Written By- Ifeoma Onyefulu

Published By- Millbrook Press, Inc.

Genre- Non Fiction/ Informational

Grade Level- 3-6



Have you ever wondered what jobs people might have in another country? Have you ever wondered what types of medicine are available to them? Have you ever wondered how someone’s life in a country far away may have a life similar to our own? In the book “Grandfather’s Work,” the author takes the reader on a journey into Nigeria to give them a peek into the working life of this family. Read this book for an experience you can only get if you visit Nigeria.

            The author of this book describes all of his family’s line of work. For example his grandmother is a seamstress, his father is a teacher, his mother is a baker, his uncle carves things out of wood, his other uncle is a lawyer, his other aunt makes things out of pottery, he has another uncle that is a blacksmith, and one of his aunts is a doctor. The author is extremely proud of his grandfather who is an organic healer. He makes medicine out of roots, flower, tress, etc. Some of the plants that his grandfather uses are actually used by scientists to make medication that people use all over the world!

            A great aspect of this book is the real photographs. The reader can see a real doctor from Nigeria and compare her to their regular doctor. This book has photographs that show the herbs and roots that the grandfather uses to heal people. The author wrote about his own family, so he is an expert on the topic. He has an informational section at the end of the book about the medication that his grandfather treats patients with. These photographs give an insight into the culture of the Nigerian people. The text correlates well with the photographs. This book is easy to comprehend and is full of valuable information that is very organized. The author in “Grandfather’s Work” is very enthusiastic about how proud he is of his family. Children will be surprised that in countries that are far away like Nigeria they have doctors, teachers, bakers, etc. and it shows that our lives are similar to there’s.

            This book is non fiction because it is based on the author’s real family. The medication that the grandfather uses is defined in a glossary in the back of the book. The real photographs show the reader what life is like in Nigeria. I would use this book in a fourth grade class when they are learning about different cultures and countries in the world. The text in the story is easy to comprehend so the students will easily grasp the concepts of the book. This book can lead to class discussion about comparing and contrasting jobs in Nigeria to jobs in the United States. I think this book will have the reader think critically about what it may be like to live in a different country.

           

             Overall this is a great informational book to read to a class. This book will broaden a student’s knowledge of different cultures, people, places, etc. The text is easy to read and the pictures enhance the reader’s experience. I would defiantly use this book in my classroom during a social studies class. I could also use this book during an English class and assign a writing assignment. Reading this book and having a discussion after will be a fun way for the students to learn. In the sixth grade the student have to learn all about Africa in social studies. This book would be a perfect way to step away from text books and learn from the author’s real life perspective.

Grade 6 Learning Standards ______________________________________________________________________________ Africa

Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte (Fr.), Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Reunion (Fr.), Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Western Sahara, Zambia, Zimbabwe A.1 On a map of the world, locate the continent of Africa, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Great Rift Valley. On a map of Africa, locate the northern, eastern, western, central, and southern regions of Africa, the Sahara Desert, the Nile River, Lake Victoria, Mount Kilimanjaro, and the Cape of Good Hope. (G) A.2 Use a map key to locate countries and major cities in Africa. (G, E) A.3 Explain how the following five factors have influenced settlement and the economies of major African regions and countries. (G, E) A.  absolute and relative locations B.  climate C.  major physical characteristics D.  major natural resources E.  population size A.4 Identify when modern African countries became independent nations and explain how independence was achieved. (H, G) Optional Topics for Study  ·         Describe the general level of education in selected countries in Africa and its relationship to the economy. (G, H, E) ·         Describe the political and social status of women in selected countries in Africa. (G, H, E) ·         Describe major ethnic and religious groups in various countries in Africa. (G, H, E)  ·         Explain how drought and desertification affect parts of Africa. (G, E) ·         Explain how the physical features of Africa south of the Sahara have affected transportation and communication networks. (G, E) ·         Describe the major obstacles to economic development in many African nations, including linguistic, tribal, and religious diversity; corrupt government; the lack of widespread education; and the political boundaries established in the 19th century by European nations and the legacy of their rule. (G, H, C, E) ·         Identify the locations and time periods of the sub-Saharan empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay. (H, G)

Solar System

Solar System

Written by: Gregory Vogt  

Published by: Scholastic

Genre: Non- Fiction

Grade Level: 1- 2

Have you ever wondered what exactly makes up our solar system? Where the planets are located and what their purpose is? It is important for students to develop the knowledge of the characteristics of each planet and their location in relation to Earth. This book goes over the width, distance from the sun, orbit length, rotation, number of moons, and number of rings for each planet and extends the content at the end to share facts about asteroids and comets. Read on to learn more about the planet family known as our Solar System!

This book begins with a short introduction to our planet, Earth, and the description that "Earth belongs to a very large family of eight planets and more than 150 moons." (page 3) The facts that are given solely on the first page were intriguing and something that immediately pulled me in and captured my attention as a reader. This book uses the sun and the eight planets to explain gravity and the atmosphere and how they effect the solar system.

A great aspect of this book is the images. This book is factual and it contains real images, which not all non- fiction books do. This is very important for non- fiction science books because it is essential for students to really see what they are learning about. There are many false images of what the sun, or typical stars look like, and this book clarifies those misconceptions. Many of the images are from NASA, which is neat for students to see what their probes have captured.

The reason why this book is a Scholastic Level 2 Reader and suggested for grades one and two is because there is new vocabulary and longer sentences than some students are used to reading.
Throughout the entirety of this book, new words are being introduced to the young readers. What the author does to help students sound out the unfamiliar words is break it down phonologically so that the students can read each syllable at a time in the way that it sounds, not the way that it is spelled.

The importance of this book for children's literature is that it is an educational read that is fun for young students. Sometimes it is difficult to pull young readers into non- fiction books but the images and the introductory hook that this book contains grab the attention of students immediately. Each page contains numerical facts, so it is helpful for students to practice reading numbers. The numbers also provide another form of science and mathematical information, which is relating to distance. The distance gives students perspective for where things are located and how much space is between these objects. The students could make connections and comparisons with the Solar System facts that they are learning from this book to other material that they have learned in science or another content course.

I would use this book in my classroom as the base of a Solar System unit. This book contains a lot of manageable information about space for young students. I enjoy that the author of this book did not lower his choice of vital vocabulary words. The students learning about our Solar System need to be able to comprehend and apply the correct terminology. I would make a point to notice the real images used in this book so that the students discover the true visual for objects in space.

This book contains a helpful tool for students; there is a glossary included in the back of the book that I believe is very helpful. The words that were selected for the glossary are the words that were in bold font throughout the book. This helps students review the new termonology that they were introduced to in this book.

Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks - Earth and Space Science (Grades Pre K - 2) 

• Recognize that water, rocks, soil, and living organisms are found on the earth’s surface. 
  
  
• Understand that air is a mixture of gases that is all around us and that wind is moving air. 
  
  
• Describe the weather changes from day to day and over the seasons. 
  
  
• Recognize that the sun supplies heat and light to the earth and is nec­essary for life. 
  
  
• Identify some events around us that have repeating patterns, including the seasons of the year, day and night.
  

A Tree for All Seasons

A Tree for All Seasons

Author: Robin Bernard

Photographer: National Geographic

Genre: Nonfiction/Informational

Grade Level: Kindergarten

Blog Post 1

 

Have you ever wondered what changes occur from season to season? Where do animals go? What happens to the trees? What weather changes occur? This book provides the answers to these questions and more!

This informational book is organized by season, beginning with winter. At the start of the book, there is a picture to show what a maple tree looks like all year round, from winter to autumn. The main premise of the book is the observation of a maple tree over time. Children see a clear picture of what this tree does and how the seasons change. In the winter, the tree is bare and it becomes almost dormant. Although it appears to be dead, there is still the miracle of life occurring within. Squirrels nap in its crevices, and birds sing on the branches. At this time of the year, farmers collect sugar maple sap and make maple syrup. A young boy eats pancakes with the maple syrup made from the sap. In the spring, the tree comes alive again with leaf buds and flower tassels. Birds build their nests on its branches, and the rain and sun help the tree to bloom. In summer, the tree is in the warm sun and covered with leaves. Chipmunks eat the fruit called “samaras” that grows on the tree. In autumn, the leaves dry up and turn bright colors. The animals get ready for winter by hiding nuts and seeds. 

This book is fun, informational, and easy to read. Seasonally accurate information is accompanied by colorful photographs representing aspects of the seasons. The text is large and is content appropriate for kindergarteners. The vocabulary of the seasons is challenging, however still age-appropriate. The organization of A Tree for All Seasons is very reader-friendly. It begins with winter, and sequentially moves through to autumn. It follows the logical order of the seasons. Each time a new season is introduced, the author first begins talking about the changes occurring physically on the entire maple tree. The first picture in each season represents the current state of the tree in correspondence to the season. Then, it moves onto the activities of the animals, followed by the activities of humans. This book is organized in a way that is easy to read and follow. 

The design of the book is probably its most intriguing aspect. It is great for youngsters who appreciate bright colors and beautiful pictures.  The photographs are very colorful and interesting. There are up close images of squirrels, chipmunks, birds, horses, and ducks. Also, the parts of the trees that change during the seasons are shown up close in the photographs. The text that describes each photograph sit next to, above, under, or on each photo. The key vocabulary words that the author deems important are highlighted in red. 

It is evident that the author is passionate about learning. She wants to help children to correlate animals and states of a maple tree to different seasons. Also, she helps to make the book more relatable to children by providing activities that other people do during each season, such as eat maple syrup, play on a swing, or play in the crunchy leaves.

I would absolutely use this A Tree for All Seasons in a classroom. It is one of the best picture book about seasons I have ever read. It is organized, fun, bright, while being accurate and informative.

MA Standards:

ELA

RI.K.1. With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

RI.K.2. With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.

RI.K.4. With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.

RI.K.7. With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).

Science

MA.K.3. Describe the weather changes from day to day and over the seasons.

MA.K.5. Identify some events around us that have repeating patterns, including the seasons of the year, day and night.

One Green Apple

Title: One Green Apple.

Author: Eve Bunting

Illustrator: Ted Lewin

Genre: realistic fiction

Can you imagine yourself as an immigrant in a new country that you don’t speak the language of? You hear unknown language, see strange people, and get involved in a foreign culture and a completely new and unknown world. How do you feel? You must probably feel scared, insecure and lonely. You are not understood and don’t have any friends.  Farah, the main character of Eve Bunting’s book One Green Apple, has just started a new school in a new country. How does she feel? What does she think and say? If you want to learn about her read this fabulous story of Farah.

Farah is an immigrant girl, who has recently moved to the United States. The author does not provide much information about Farah and her country. Readers can only guess that Farah might be from a Muslim country since she wears a dupatta, a headscarf.  She doesn’t have any friends yet, but it is seen that she is willing to make new friends.  In the story Farah describes her second day of being in American school. Farah feels alone, even when surrounded by her classmates. The girl does not speak English and wears the dupatta (while no one else does), and so feels that she does not belong to the group. The girl has just started learning English and is not involved in a dialog as much. She listens and nods but doesn’t speak. She only says one “outside-myself word” that is new to her, and her classmates’ names when she meets them, trying to learn and memorize them. The reader can see only girl’s thoughts, impressions and understandings.  She finds it so hard not being able to understand what people are saying and what they are expecting from her. We only can read what she wanted to say, but she never says it, because she doesn’t know how to tell it. “I understand,” she wants to say, “It’s not that I am stupid. It’s just that I am lost in this new place.” On a field trip to an apple orchard, Farah discovers there are lots of things that sound the same as they did at home, from dogs crunching their food to the ripple of friendly laughter. As she helps the class make apple cider, Farah connects with the other students and begins to feel that she belongs. She also senses that, like her green apple, she will blend with other children in her new country.

Throughout the story Farah experiences tension between herself and her classmates and her new country. She also tries to adapt herself in this new world and learn it manners and language, and find similarities with her former country. Farah overcomes both of these tensions by blending her apple with everyone’s apple in the apple cider which tells that she is ready to go through journey of change and acceptance.

One Green Apple falls into contemporary realistic fiction genre. It may assist children in putting themselves in immigrant children’s shoes and discussing how they feel and think about those children. Being from a different country, having different religion or just being different from majority doesn’t give others the right to think they are better or to not respect you. The book can be connected to students’ life and fill their inside pain and insecurities, if they fill uncomfortable being different and having different culture and origins.

The vivid and bright, almost three-dimensional illustrations of the book make the story realistic and grab the readers’ attention to get to choose the book for reading. They bring a lot to the meaning of the story. Farah’s facial emotions in the pictures in every line show her inside feelings and thoughts. The green, unripe apple that “fits just right in her hands” look like its golden and she holds it as it is precious. There are not many words and sentences written on a page that makes it easier for decoding words and comprehension due to the big number of pictures. 

One Green Apple can be used to teach variety of English Language Arts standards. The lesson can used to teach plot structure, character description, theme identification and discussion, vocabulary words, punctuation, word decoding, literature elements, and points of view.

The book can be used different grade level from 1 to 5, depending on the purpose. It can fit the third grade standards.

RL.3.2. Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.

RL.3.3. Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.

RL.3.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language.

RL.3.6. Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the characters

RL.3.7. Explain how specific aspects of a text’s illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting).

RL.3.MA.8.A. Identify elements of fiction (e.g., characters, setting, plot, problem, solution) and elements of poetry (e.g., rhyme, rhythm, figurative language, alliteration, onomatopoeia).

RI.3.1. Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

Koala Lou

Written By: Mem Fox

Illustrated By: Pamela Lofts

Grade Level 2-4

Have you ever wanted to win at something but felt inferior when you didn’t come in first?  Were your parents still proud?  If you have ever felt this way, you can relate to Koala Lou in Mem Fox’s story Koala Lou.  This is a story about the importance of letting loved ones know they are loved.  This story is also about how winning is not everything and you are loved for you and not what you do!

Koalo Lou feels much loved by her mother.  A hundred times a day when she was a baby, Kola Lou’s mother says to her, “Koala Lou I do love you!”  Whenever Koala Lou did anything, her mother told her she loved her.  Time went by and other siblings were born.  Koala Lou’s mother stopped saying I love you because she was too busy with taking care of all of the siblings.  Koala Lou missed her mother telling her she loved her.  Koala Lou decided that she would come up with a plan to make her mom proud so that she would tell her she loved her once again.  Koala trained and trained to compete and win the Bush Olympics.  Koala did not win and felt that she let her mother down.  When she climbed up to the tree to her mother, her mother told her that she loves her and she always will!

This story is an example of fictional literature.  This story falls under the genre animal fantasy.  Illustrations are bright and vibrant and support the fantasy aspect of this text to readers.  I think the illustrations do a very good job supporting the text.  I think this is a great story to use for young readers; there are many lessons to be taken away from this story.  The importance of letting family know they are loved, how family should love you for who you are and not what you do, and the lesson that winning is not everything.  The author uses literary devices to get her purpose across to readers.  Mem uses repetition and rhyme to engage readers to the main idea of the story.  Mem repeats, “Koala Lou, I do love you,” over and over in the beginning of the story to stress the importance of this phrase in the story to readers.  She also uses alliteration, for example “Koala Klaws.”  There are also some examples of assonance. 

This story would be a great read aloud for grades 2-4.  Some vocabulary the teacher would address includes “emu, platypus, longed, spite, and spectators.”  A discussion about the setting, where the story takes place would be importance in increasing student understanding and making the text more accessible.  Having a discussion about where Koala’s live and other animals the live in the rainforest would be helpful for students to understand the “Bush Olympics” and the events the author makes up for this “Olympic games.”  Depending on the grade level would determine how in depth this discussion would go.  The teacher could ask students many leading questions before, during and after this story.  Questions such as, “How do you think Koala feels? Why?”  Will help readers relate and make personal connections to the story.  “Have you ever had a similar experience?  Have you ever felt disappointed in yourself for losing at something?”  These are questions that will help readers think more deeply about the text!

This book links to the ELA MA curriculum frameworks:

1.3: Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.

3.1: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.