The Mess That We Made

 

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. 

Book Review

Teacher Resource

I am Rosa Parks

I am Rosa Parks

Written by Brad Meltzer 

Illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos

Purchase here

Summary:

A child friendly biography that tells the story of Rosa Parks, a civil rights activist. Known for her creative way of protesting by refusing to give up her seat in the bus which was segregated. She became a well known activist for the 1955 bus movement along with the civil rights movement. The book showcases her courage and determination.

Connection to social injustice: 

The books revolves around a real life situation of a person of color who struggle during the era of racism and segregation. It helps raise awareness of the cruelty of social injustice through the story of Rosa parks. It shows how imprtant it is to not stay silent but instead fight for whats right. She was able to achieve that with determination that stemed from how bad everyone wanted equality, something that they shouldn't have to yearn for so bad in the first place.

Classroom use:

Students who are especially in grades K-3, could learn about the importance of equality. They can learn how it's important to treat everyone the same no matter how different they are and that it's ok to look or be different. They can also receive some historical background of 1900's and why people were treated the way they were and why it was wrong. This is a good way to have them learn respect but also empathy. A way you can make the book more engaging is by asking them of any historical figures they know of and give examples of things that could be considered social injustice or maybe even try to define the word to the best of their abilities.   

Teacher resource here

a simple activity for the students to do after the read along.

Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation

 

Title: Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and her family's fight for desegregation

Author & Illustrator: Duncan Tonatiuh

Link to purchase: Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez... book by Duncan Tonatiuh

Grades- 2nd-5th

Link to teacher resource: Book Activities for "Separate is Never Equal" by Patricia Williams

Element 3: Issues of Social Injustice

summary:

    Separate Is Never Equal is the true story of Sylvia Mendez, a young Mexican American girl who helped eliminate school segregation in California about a decade before Brown v. Board of Education. In the 1940s, Sylvia and her brothers attempted to enroll in the local public school in Westminster, California, but were told they had to attend the "Mexican school," a separate, old school with fewer resources. Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez, Sylvia's parents, refused to accept the injustice. They formed and launched a lawsuit against multiple school systems, saying that segregation was unjust and illegal.

   The book describes Sylvia's journey as she experiences discrimination and learns the value of standing up for equality. Duncan Tonatiuh's unusual illustration style, which is inspired by ancient Mixtec art, acknowledges Sylvia's Mexican ancestry while vividly expressing the bravery of the families that struggled for change. Through Sylvia's story, kids can learn that regular people, even children, can make a significant difference in the battle for justice and fairness.

connection to social injustice:

    This book represents social justice since it focuses on confronting systematic inequality and advocating for equal access to education. It demonstrates how ordinary people, particularly immigrants and people of color, may use collective action to challenge discriminatory systems. The narrative teaches children that fairness is not guaranteed and that speaking out against discrimination can lead to long-term change. It supports the goals of social justice education by encouraging students to consider themselves as people who can make change.

classroom use:

Read-Aloud and Introduction: We can start by reading the book aloud to the students. When Sylvia is denied admittance to a "whites-only" school, ask leading questions such as "How would you feel?" What do you suppose Sylvia's parents are thinking? We can ask questions to help the students really understand what Sylvia went through.

Grenade By Alan Gratz

 

Grenade by Alan Gratz 

Book design by Nina Goffi 

Element 3: Issues of Social Injustice 

Link to teacher review: https://teacherbees.ca/grenade/ 

Summary: Grenade by Alan Gratz is about the invasion and battle of Okinawa during World War II in 1945. This book is interesting as it provides two different perspectives from characters involved in the war: Ray who is a new young American solider and Hideki a native Okinawan that was forcibly drafted by the Japanese Army into the Blood and Iron Student Corps. In telling this story from both perspectives, readers are able to understand the true nature of what war does to humanity. Both soldiers and civilians are forced to undergo extreme suffering and in both sides of this battle each opposing side paints the other as a monsters and having the urgency to fight to defend themselves. On the other hand, readers also see the humanistic side of soldiers when not in battle. The message that this book is revealing throughout the novel is that war turns men into monsters when controlled by fear even if they were doing normal jobs before.

Link to purchase: https://bookshop.org/p/books/grenade-alan-gratz/db03b0433c3c4e15?ean=9781338245691&next=t    

Grenade relates to the element 3 of social justice education "Issues of Social Injustice," by having the focus of the book being on the destructive and indiscriminate consequences of war on civilians. The novel emphasizes how the native Okinawan people are caught in the cross fire between the American and Japanese forces, this further spotlights how larger conflicts can create unforeseen injustices towards indigenous and civilian populations. Additionally this book also focuses on the traumatic experiences of both Ray and Hideki. It linked the historical event of World War II to its direct, personal impacts on individual experiences and the suffering and psychological effects of war.   

My lesson idea for this book would be having my students write a story from a character's perspective from the novel. This lesson would also help students learn how to write in a structure of a letter. This is similar to a letter because it helps them know how to format an email. Furthermore, this activity also helps student understand the viewpoints of war from different sides. I would use this book in a 6th grade social studies class. 

Migrant

 

Migrant

Written by Maxine Trottier

Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault

Purchase Here (Rizzoli Bookstore)

Social Justice Element 3:  Issues of Social Injustice

Summary: 

Migrant is a picture book narrated by a young girl named Anna, a child to a constantly migrating farmer family of Mennonites, based in Mexico. Anna is an insightful little girl, and as she details some of her experiences, she constantly uses different metaphors of animals and nature to explain what her life with this big family of hers that's in poverty, has to perform physical labor, and is constantly on the move.

Social Justice Aspect:

This book raises awareness of the hardships that people like Anna face. As young as she is, she recognizes that she feels overwhelmed by her family constantly moving and that she yearns for stability. Her choice of metaphors suggest that the socioeconomic conditions her family faces makes her feel almost dehumanized--she describes herself as a mere feather in the wind every time she is uprooted for her temporary home, describes her siblings' crowded sleeping quarters as like bundles of puppies and kittens sleeping together, and her family like a bunch of worker bees when they go picking tomatoes. Through Anna's narration, readers get her perspective on the issues of social justice that she and her family faces.

Classroom Use & Additional Thoughts on Relevance:

I think this book would be especially effective in a diverse school or school district. They call America this "melting pot" country of all sorts of different cultures, yet I feel there's a terrible lack of education of the matters of diversity, immigration, and just social injustice that so many American residents face. That matter and awareness of those matters are especially prevalent with anti-immigrant sentiments of today, and I think this book does a good job a raising awareness and empathy of these people's experiences. 

If students as young as Kindergarten age (4-7) are curious as to say, why there are separate ESL classes in their school (we read a similar book when I was a child to cover the topic) or why other kids at school look/speak/live differently than them, I think it would be useful to read this book aloud and prompt the kids into a discussion on immigration, diversity, and the importance of having empathy for one another's circumstances. Related classwork could include setting a day for the kids to either share aspects of their families' own hardships, or to go out and learn about a social justice issue that other people or groups may face to share what they learned with the class. For example, a child may choose to share their grandparents' story coming to the states, or instead the story of a musical artist they like who rose from poverty.

Teacher Resource:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Migrant-Book-Study-Book-by-Maxine-Trottier-4218520

Another lesson idea where kids have different countries for them that they can learn about as if they were suddenly to move to those, just as Anna's family moved from place to place.

Element 3- Social Justice Element

 Title- First Heroes: Black History

Author and illustrator- Editors of Silver Dolphin Books

Grade Level- Preschool-First Grade

Genre- Historical Biography 

Link- https://www.worldofbooks.com/products/my-first-heroes-black-history-book-editors-of-silver-dolphin-book-9781645179702?sku=CIN1645179702G&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22020745342&gbraid=0AAAAAC04ib1MHuBb4jtymE3R-PP8EQZVY&gclid=CjwKCAjwup3HBhAAEiwA7euZumrwaDySHiXyTvb0LJhXcPHahY2YdVkzPJIW-oEJT64GEmvg4NU5ORoCLJUQAvD_BwE

Teacher Resources- https://www.teachingtotes.com/post/children-s-book-recommendations-for-black-history-month

https://teachertimetogo.com/black-history-month-resources-for-kids/

Social Justice Element 

Summary-

This book is about four black activists. Rosa parks, Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou, and Serena Williams. This book shares great examples of inspirational Black figures. Although this book is for young children, it talks about people that have inspired all ages. It talks about how Rosa Parks stood up for the civil rights movement. Nelson Mandela, Who fought for peace and equality. Maya Angelou, who is a writer and poet for black Americans. Serena Williams , who broke records in tennis and who is a big inspiration to many black women.

Element 3- Exploring Issues of Social Injustice

This book talks about Four great examples of people who fought for Social Injustice. Rosa Parks, Nelson Mandela , Maya Angelou, and Serena Williams all stood up for what they believe in. It talks about real people who faced injustice and how all of them fought for what was right and had courage. They all helped make our world fair and inclusive.

Class Activity- One day I will read this book in my classroom and the activity we can do is giving there own example of a hero, just like everyone in this book was. The kids can draw pictures of which person stood out the most to them . They can share with the class on why they chose who they chose.

Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation

Boycott Blue:How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation 

Author: Andrea Davis Pinkney 

Illustrator: Brian Pinkney 

Link to purchase: https://a.co/d/9i03Yep

Link to teacher resource: https://www.teachervision.com/civil-rights/teachers-guide-to-boycott-blues-how-rosa-parks-inspired-a-nation

https://teachsimple.com/product/boycott-blues-book-companion-rosa-parks 

Summary:

This book uses blue style language and some good metaphors. It tells a show about a powerful moment in U.S civil rights history that began in 1955 when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white person on a bus. This had a big impact on the Black citizens on Alabama who chose to walk instead of riding on the segregated buses for over a year no matter of the weather or pain they were facing. They had protest and found ways to resist segregation on a public transportation. 

This book talks about segregation on public buses where Black people had to give up their seats so a white person could sit and they were only allowed to sit on the back on the buses. It also showcases the idea of unfair law and discrimination treatment using metaphors like “dog of segregation”. It also shows the social change of people choosing boycott the buses by walking to work, church, and school everyday for over a year, this was the power of the community coming together as a whole. The book ends with the victory for Black people. 

Classroom use: 

K-5 creat a writing essay or ask a few questions about the book we just read:

What does fairness mean? 

What would it feel like if rules were unfair? How would you feel about it?

Also have them discussion about the metaphors that were used in the book.

Have them create a timeline about the events that went on throughout the book and compara then and now buses and signs and how transportation is used now.

Separate Is Never Equal

 

Title: Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation

Author: Duncan Tonatiuh 

Illustrator: Duncan Tonatiuh 

Grade Level: 3rd-5th 

Genre: Nonfiction 

Link to purchase: https://a.co/d/enjkMw2 

Link to teacher resource: https://www.learningtogive.org/resources/separate-never-equal-literature-guide 

https://teacherresourceroom.com/shop/shop-separate-never-equal-unit/

Social Justice Element 

Summary: 

This book talks about the story of Sylvia Mendez and her family fighting against separating people by race, religion, etc in the state of California. In 1940s schools were separated because of race and religion. As seen in the book white children would attended rich school while on the other hand Mexican children were pushed away to poor schools. Sylvia and her brothers try to enroll in a “whites only” school and they were turned always and told to sign up in a Mexican school where all of the other children go. This is when the Mendez family with other families decided to take some legal actions. They filed a lawsuit arguing that separation people just because of their skin color or race is going against something that was stated in the Constitution and harmful to the education of many Mexican American children's. During the time of the trial the teachers and experts gave proof about the harmful effects of separating kids on students self confidence and learning challenging due to the lack of education. The judge ended up in favor with the Mendez family declaring that separating these kids based on their family and cultural characteristics is illegal in California. This is a big important case for many schools because they can’t separate these kids anymore. This book showcases the courage and strong desire decision about something of the Mendez family and their community in fighting for equal rights and justice. 

Connects to Element: 

This books talks about a story how a community of kids don’t have the same opportunity as a white child does. Latin families have to fight for justice for their kids to have a better education. The struggle for equality in education during the desegregation is seen in this book and how the unequal treatment is showed. It shows the battle and victory within this family of social justice, they fought for what they believe and for justice for all the opportunities of the kids regardless of the background. 

Classroom use:

This books could have any activities, many do something with some vocabulary words. It could also be used for a research paper, to look into more about social justice in different states or schools. It could also be used for a reflection paper, answer to the question of what equal education means. Many questions could be asked within this book such as, what does it mean to fight for justice, what is segregation, what are petitions, why did the school reject these students, what risks were taken, have you ever felt excluded? 

All The Way To The Top: How One Girl's Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything

 All The Way To The Top

How One Girl's Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything 

Author: Annette Bay Pimentel 

Foreword: Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins

Illustrator: Nabi H. Ali

A Link to more info and purchasing!

Summary: This is a non-fiction story about Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins, a little girl born with Cerebral Palsy who is also a wheelchair user. This story begins with a foreword written by Jennifer, in which she provides an overview of her story and emphasizes the importance of continuing to fight for disability rights. 

Jennifer is so excited for her first day of kindergarten and can't wait to make new friends. However, when she shows up on the first day she is told she doesn't belong because of her wheelchair. Even at her knew school she is only allowed to attend for half of the day and is shunned by her classmates. Despite this, she wouldn't give up. Jennifer and her family started working with activists who were fighting to make public places-like schools, government buildings, and transportation-accessible to everyone. Inspired by all the grown ups with disabilities working together to create change, Jennifer wanted to join them. Jennifer and her family protested all over the country, even travelling to Montreal. At these protests Jennifer learned about a law being proposed called the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This law would require all schools, governments, and businesses are accessible for disabled people. Despite all the protesting Jennifer and her activist friends felt like no one was listening to them. None of the news stations ever mentioned the ADA! Jennifer knew it was time to go, to Washington, DC. Jennifer marched all the way to the U.S. Capitol and participated in the "Capitol Crawl", where activists in wheelchairs physically climbed the steps of the U.S. Capitol to make sure congress heard their voices. And that's exactly what Jennifer did. Pictures of Jennifer's climb travelled all over the country and everyone started talking about the ADA. Finally, Congress decided to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act. Jennifer's life began to change, slowly but surely more and more places became accessible. Jennifer understands that change is slow, but she is never going to stop using her voice to fight for what is right. 

This excellent story ends with a page of definitions & explanations of words, concepts, or phrases in the book that could be confusing for some students (such as disability, Capitol Crawl, etc). It also provides information about Jennifer's life before and after the ADA as well as a timeline of disability rights wins over time and Jennifer's life. 

Element 3: This book aligns so well with Element 3 (Exploring Issues of Social Justice) by introducing students to the history of the Disability Rights Movement that put in place the ADA from the perspective of a 9 year old. As we read we see Jennifer being segregated from her able-bodied peers and barred from libraries, buses, museums, even crossing the street. This context helps students to understand why Jennifer and her activists friends were fighting so hard for laws like the ADA.  Her story models how students can go about advocating for issues they think are important. 

Activity: A great extension activity for this book would be a story mapping activity. After reading this book aloud as a class, the teacher would guide the students in filling out the story map together. The purpose of this activity is to identify all the story elements of this book and accurately retell the events of the narrative. 

Example below:

 

Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight for Desegregation

Buy it Here!

Title: Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight for Desegregation

Author/Illustrator: Duncan Tonatiuh

Genre: Biography 

Grade Level: first-fourth 

Summary: 

Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight for Desegregation is a biography of the Mendez family. The book narrates Sylvia, an American citizen of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage. The book takes place around ten years before Brown vs. Board of Education. The book follows the journey and lengthy process that Sylvia's parents took after Sylvia and her siblings were denied enrollment to a "whites-only" school and told to attend the Mexican school instead Her parents then fought for their children's and others' rights by organizing the Latinx community and filing a lawsuit in federal district court. After this lengthy trial, their success helped change this era of segregated education in California.

Element Three: Exploring Issues of Social Injustice

    I feel that Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight for Desegregation correlates to element three: exploring issues of social injustice. It meets the element of linking historical roots of oppression to present-day experiences. While also directly relating to exploring issues of social injustice by highlighting the historical roots of racism and how they impact the lived experience of marginalized communities. This is highlighted numerous amount of times throughout this historical children's picture book. It discusses racism and segregation with how those segregated into lower-funded, less-resourced schools. Legal and social activism was showcased with Mendez v. Westminster to fight for justice, as well as many other examples highlighted. This book explores how social injustices of the past continue to have real-world effects on people's experiences in society years later!

Activity: 

    Attached is a link to a wonderful site that includes more information on the book as well as a ton of supporting materials you can download to devices. It contains supporting materials such as a guide in Spanish, activities for exploring historical topics, and/or historical figures for a range of grades, and a whole ton more, which makes it just that more engaging! Don't wait any longer, Click here to get started!

Enrichment activity to teaching: 

    I would use this book in my classroom to talk about social injustices. I would engage my students in turn and talk about what they think it means to be segregated, racism, and fight for equality. Or for the younger students, ask them what the title of the book could mean and flip through the book looking at the images only and predicting what it is going to be about. After discussion, we would read the story aloud, stopping throughout the book to ask them comprehension questions as to what may be happening as well as pointing out things throughout the text and illustrations to further observe. As an activity, I can have students create a chart to compare segregation in the past with the inequality in education today. For younger grades discuss what we noticed in the book was an injustice and compare by relating some injustices we have faced ourselves or have witnessed. There are just so many activities you can do with this book, timeline, letter writing, and debates to name a few!