Title: The Mess That We Made by Michelle Lord and Illustrated by Julia Blattman
Genre: Children's Literature, Non-Fiction
Grade Level: Kindergarten to 3rd grade
Link to Purchase (Bookworm Bookstore)
Element 3: Issues of Social Injustice
Summary: The Mess That We Made by Michelle Lord follows the negative effects of pollution and garbage flooding our oceans. A group of children is shown traveling on a small boat, observing the life that lives in our ocean waters. Alongside the turtles, seals, fish, and other ocean life that swim in their natural habitats every day, they are accompanied by plastic bags, trash, bottles, and waste. The children see firsthand how the trash is affecting sea life. A lot of the sea animals get trapped in the waste that is thrown into our oceans. It is made clear that we are the ones to blame by throwing landfill into the oceans and not acting upon it. But we are also the ones who can help reverse these negative effects by coming together, cleaning up the waste so the sea animals can live in harmony.
Element 3 Representation: This book represents the environmental aspect of social injustices. It is a prime example of what happens when we do not recycle, properly dispose of our waste, and when we do not take care of our planet. It creates a huge mess, as the book has stated, that we as humans have made. It demonstrates how valuable and important it is to recycle in our communities, at home, at school, and in our town. It also shows children the cruel effects that happen when we do not follow through with these environmental benefits. Animals get trapped in plastic bags, in garbage, and they often try to eat the landfill, which is not good for them at all.
Using This Book inside the Classroom: I would aim to use this book for Kindergarten to Grade 2 students, due to the book's language. It's a powerful, yet impactful way of teaching these students in these grade levels about the importance of taking care of our environment. As a teacher, I would use this book as a read-aloud, but also incorporate it in my classroom library so my students can go back and read it anytime they would like. Along with reading it aloud to the students, I will engage the students in an open discussion about what it means to them that we recycle, and ways we can help save our planet, like the people in the story cleaning up the beach together. We will also reenact what the children should do if they see trash on the street or around the school, in our classroom, the cafeteria. I will also use activities to foster the children's creativity and help them write out their impactful ideas through worksheets, coloring activities, and matching.
Additional Thoughts: This book is a great way to introduce recycling to Kindergarteners, and the importance of what it means to be good to our planet by reducing waste, being mindful of saving water, and energy. It's also a great book to reinforce these ideas already or somewhat known to 1st graders and 2nd graders.
No comments:
Post a Comment