Something Happened in Our Town
Something Happened in Our Town
Book Title: Something Happened in our Town
Book Author: Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard
Book Illustrator: Jennifer Zivoin
This book addresses: Racial injustice, stereotypes
Potentially Tricky Vocabulary:
Racial injustice: treating people unfairly based on their race
Stereotypes: an idea about a group of people that is applied to everyone in that group
Prejudices: believing bad things about someone who is different from you without any proof or knowing anything about that person
Questions to ask the student before reading:
Have you ever been treated unfairly?
Do you know what stereotypes are? What are some examples?
Do you know what prejudice means?
How can we be sure that we’re treating everyone as fairly as we can?
Historical context to give before reading:
Our world is full of wonderful people and amazing things. However, not everyone is kind or understands that holding prejudices against a group of people only makes the world a sadder place. A prejudice against Black people is unfortunately far more common than it ever should be and leads to many bad things happening. Luckily, with a bit of work and kindness, we can make sure our own actions make the world a better place.
(The questions to ask the student and historical content above are interconnected. The historical context is typically going to be a supplement to what your student might not know. Some students may already be knowledgeable about a subject, others may not know much yet. Pay attention to what your student already knows and share the historical context accordingly.)
While reading:
Check in with your student every couple of pages on their comprehension of what is being shared in the book. Also keep an eye on them to see how the book might be affecting them. Racial injustice can be a heavy topic and students may struggle with it. If it appears that your student is getting distressed by the book, pause and check in with how they’re doing and what they think so far.
After reading:
What did you learn from this book?
How did Josh and Emma make their school a better place?
How do you think Omad felt before Josh and Emma came over? After?
Follow up activity (time permitting):
Have your student write a short journal entry from Omad’s perspective about his first day of class. They can also choose to include a picture.
All definitions were adapted by Karina Connolly from the glossary in the back of the book.