For my mentor text project I am choosing to focus on six different genres of writing!
Description: It is the summer of 1793, Mattie Cook is living above her family's coffee shop with her mother and grandfather. Mattie spends the days avoiding her chores and instead making plans to turn the family business into the finest Philadelphia has seen. But soon yellow fever breaks out and takes over the streets of Philadelphia destroying everything in its path and turning Mattie’s world upside down. Her mother is soon stricken by illness and insists that Mattie and her grandfather flee the city to find safety. But once gone Mattie soon discovers that sickness is everywhere and must quickly learn to survive the disease-stricken world.
Connection to Genre: Fever 1793 is a historical fiction novel that depicts the United States in 1793 through the eyes of a young girl (Mattie). The novel provides a sense of daily life in Philadelphia and the historical significance of the epidemic. Yellow Fever took an estimated five thousand lives and throughout the novel, readers are given a glimpse into the public health crises and the medical treatments available during the eighteenth century.
Use in the Classroom: Using Fever 1793 in the classroom allows for the collaboration between language arts and social studies classes. This historical fiction novel allows students to learn about the historical context of Philadelphia during the late 1700s, the yellow fever epidemic that occurred in 1793, and medical advancements available during the 1700s. Students also have the ability to heighten their reading skills and for higher-order thinking
Description: Melody is not your typical eleven-year-old girl; she can not walk, talk, or write. When Melody was a baby her brain did not fully develop the way it should have and as a result she has cerebral palsy. But what many don’t know is that Melody has a photographic memory and has the ability to remember every single detail that has ever happened during her life. Most people when they see Melody dismiss her due to her disability and inability to function like others. However, what most don’t realize is that she is smart; the smartest kid in her whole school! Melody is determined to let those around her know she is smart and can do things like everyone else just in a different way…no matter what!
Connection to Genre: Out of My Mind is a realistic fiction novel that depicts the life story of Melody, a tween girl who has a lifelong diagnosis of cerebral palsy. Melody’s story is based on a Southwest Ohio town in current-day society (21st century). Out of My Mind is unique in the way of the story being told from Melody’s perspective and having the opportunity to get inside of Melody’s head and know what she is feeling/thinking/experiencing. The book is a great way for students to put themselves in Melody’s shoes and learn what it is like to live a life without being able to verbally communicate with others or care for oneself.
Use in the Classroom: Out of My Mind can be used in the classroom in multiple different ways. Teachers can choose to use the book as a way to promote awareness, inclusivity, and empathy among students. The book can also be used specifically for language arts class exposing students to figurative language, word relationships, themes, and so much more.
Description: Jack is not a fan of poetry at all…he hates it; his teacher Miss. Stretchberry will not stop giving him poetry assignments. He thinks girls only write poetry and whenever he tries to write poetry his brain simply feels empty. But then something amazing happens and with the help of his teacher, a pencil, yellow paper, and a dog, Jack finally finds a love for poetry and can’t stop.
Connection to Genre: Love that Dog, is a series of free-verse poems all from the perspective of Jack. Throughout the book, there is also classic poetry sprinkled into the mix.
Use in the Classroom: Love that Dog offers a great entry point to the world of poetry for students. This book shows students who may be struggling with the idea of poetry just like Jack does at the beginning of the book that they too can find their love for poetry. The book also allows students to learn about the importance of voice within poetry and how to use it when writing their own.
Description: Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden are the four dedicated female mathematicians who helped launch rockets and astronauts into space. The four women worked for NASA during the Civil Rights era to calculate the numbers needed to send things up into space. This book brings to life the four women's stories of what it was like to work for NASA during the 1960s as a woman, a woman of color, and in a field mainly dominated by male counterparts.
Connection to Genre: Hidden Figures, is a biographical book that follows the stories of four African-American women who worked for NASA and were referred to as the “human computers”. The book brings to life what Dorothy, Mary, Katherine, and Christine faced working for NASA during the Civil Rights era, the Space Race, the Cold War, and the movement for gender equity. These women’s stories will not be forgotten because of the amount of historical impact they made for women all over and for changing the world of air and space travel.
Use in the Classroom: Hidden Figures can be used in english language arts and social studies classrooms. The biography book allows students to learn about the historical context of what it was like to live in the United States as a woman of color during the 1960’s. Students can also read this book to not only learn about US history but also as a way to learn how to write biographies about others using research collected and pulled together.
Description: Jack Phillip has a severe allergy to sunshine which means anytime he steps into the light he is at risk of life-threatening burns. Which confines Jack to the shadows, but at night he will go shadow-jumping on rooftops at dusk to feel more alive and free. But suddenly Jack’s condition takes a turn for the worse and only his scientist dad can save him. Unfortunately, Jack’s dad has gone missing and he must find him in order to help save his life. So with the help of Jack’s new friend Beth, they begin frantically searching for Jack’s dad, diving into his past to find clues of where he may be. But shocking rumors and dark secrets bombard them at every turn they make and Jack must make the decision on if he wants to keep searching and bravely face the truth like he does jumping roofs or if he wants to give up.
Connection to Genre: Shadow Jumper is an action-packed mystery novel following the story of Jack and Beth in a search for Jack’s dad. Jack and Beth are tasked with uncovering the truth of where Jack’s dad might be but the truth isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. The book is filled with surprises, twists, and turns, and maybe not the outcome you’d be expecting by the end.
Use in the Classroom: Choosing to include Shadow Jumper in the classroom would be a great addition to any teacher's creative writing unit. The book is filled with multiple different exciting storylines that students can use to help write their own stories. It also offers the opportunity to introduce complex topics into the classroom setting while fostering critical thinking. The book allows insight into the different backgrounds of those around them and how everything is not how it seems.
Description: Mori and her friends live a “normal” life on Firefly Lane in their utopian community, Old Harmonie. In a world full of safety and perfection, Mori and her friends never had to question anything. Until a new girl named Ilana moves in; she's so perfect that Mori and her friends are curious…Where exactly did Ilana come from, and why does she act so strange sometimes? When Ilana's secret is revealed, the kids on Firefly Lane must decide if it is finally time to start questioning the only world they've ever known.
Connection to Genre: The Firefly Code, is a science fiction novel based in Kritopia a utopian society sponsored by Krita Corp (one of many around the world). All of the children in Kritopia wear non-removable “watchu” which tells time but also watches its wearer. When it is a child’s thirteenth birthday they will announce their “latency” an inner skill that will be surgically released and they also find out if they are “natural” (made from their parents’ DNA) or “designed” (made from cloned or modified DNA). So as you can tell The Firefly Code is a made-up society where parents have the ability to design their children and can request for their children to be altered as they are growing until their thirteenth birthday when their latency is revealed.
Use in the Classroom: The Firefly Code can be a great addition to the classroom. Students could use the book in their social studies class a few different ways. They could compare and contrast the utopian society portrayed in the book and the society they live in. Students can also learn about cultural representation from the book and how it is similar to other cultures around the world. As for english language arts class, students can work on creating/writing their own utopian society.