Informational Resources:

Author Information:

Author Information-

Renee Watson website:

http://www.reneewatson.net/

Author interview with Politics and Prose Bookstore video (43:50): https://youtu.be/bqmI1zxTxN4

Illustrator Information-

Nina Mata website:

http://beautifique.org/index.html

Activities & Resources:

Teachers Guide

https://media.bloomsbury.com/rep/files/ways-to-make-sunshine-guide.pdf

Name

Find out what your name means:

https://www.behindthename.com/

Write a poem/rap song about your name or personality

Dealing with Emotions

Spread sunshine with Random Acts of Kindness ideas for kids: https://www.coffeecupsandcrayons.com/100-acts-kindness-kids/

Anger management coping skills for kids:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/managing-anger

African Kente Cloth

Teaching Kente Cloth lesson plan:

http://www.arts-are-essential.org/saproject06/lesson_plans/lp_mid_Kentecloth.pdf

Weaving art project (8:21):

https://youtu.be/ZvLExidwNPY

Cooking/Baking

Elephant Ears recipe:

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/20989/elephant-ears/

Smoothie Blend Off game:

https://programminglibrarian.org/programs/summer-smoothie-smash

Bees

Busy Bee video (3:59):

https://youtu.be/ta154f5Rp5Y

Honey Bee hive webcam:

https://explore.org/livecams/honey-bees/honey-bee-hive-cam

MakerSpace Activities:

Ozobot Name Writing lesson:

https://www.remc.org/21Things4Students/21/21-computational-thinking/gold-quest-ozobots/ozobots-activity-one/

STEM bee hive construction activity: http://www.sylvanlearning.com/blog/index.php/bee_engineering_with_polygon_tessellations/

Cloud in a bottle video (5:00):

https://youtu.be/5kjrPUP9X1g

EO Kids Clouds or Snow:

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/eokids/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2018/08/EOKids_SatelliteMystery508.pdf

Cloud Dough Recipe and Tutorial video (5:42):

https://youtu.be/lWfD0eFOnLM

Discussion Questions:

The name Ryan means king/leader. Do you know what your name means? If so, does your name reflect your personality or character traits? Give examples.

The substitute teacher keeps trying to get Ryan to play games that are safe when at recess. Have you ever had someone think you can’t do something because you are a girl/boy? How did that make you feel?

Ryan tries hard to win her race with Brandon but she is a good sport when she loses. What are some ways that you can show a competitor that you are a good sport?

Why is it that when Ryan’s parents allow them to eat dessert before dinner, she and Ray become concerned?

What adjustments do the Hart family have to make when Ryan’s dad loses his job?

Ryan loves to cook. What are some of your hobbies?

Ryan likes to be creative when she cooks. What is the best/worst new type of food you have eaten?

When Ryan moves into her new (old) house, she finds a tin of treasures left by a previous owner. What types of items have you kept that mean something special to you?

Ryan’s grandmother tells her that the only way her beauty can be taken away is by being mean to someone. How do you feel when you are mean to people? How do you feel when people are mean to you?

Ryan freezes when she has to speak at church. How does speaking in front of people affect you?

On Easter Sunday, the Harts have all of their family and friends over for dinner. In what ways do you socialize with your family?

Why do you think Red is so mean to Ryan at Amanda’s birthday party?

Ryan was told by her mother that she could not go swimming at Amanda’s party. Why does Ryan let Red provoke her into disobeying Mrs. Hart? Have you ever done something you were not supposed to because of what someone else said to you?

Kiki does not like Hannah even though she does not know her. How does Ryan feel about that? What does Ryan do? Do Ryan’s feelings match her actions?

Ryan plays a mean prank on Ray when he does not let her ride bikes with him and his friends. What types of pranks have you pulled on people?

Ryan, Amanda and Zoe are disappointed when rain keeps them from going to the Grand Floral Parade. How do you deal with being disappointed?

When Kiki got sick on the last day of school, who did you think would emcee the Talent Show in her place?

Have you ever done something that you were scared to do? What was it? How did you feel afterwards?

Do you have any “last day of school” traditions? What are they?

How do you think Ryan will be as a big sister?

Book Talk Teasers:

Read the Reader’s Theater for Ways to Make Sunshine.

Book trailer (1:24):

https://youtu.be/G04aeLlBSq4

Read Alikes:

Friendship and Family

Cheng, Andrea. Year of the Book. Follows a young Chinese American girl, as she navigates relationships with family, friends, and her fourth-grade classroom, and finds a true best friend. (NoveList Plus)

Marks, Janae. From the Desk of Zoe Washington. Avid baker Zoe Washington receives a letter on her twelfth birthday from her biological father, who is in prison for a terrible crime. (NoveList Plus)

Ramee, Lisa More. Something to Say. A friendless girl who has developed a knack for keeping her head down at school resists a red-headed newcomer who wants to make friends, before the two are paired for a class assignment that she hopes will secure her position on the debate team. (NoveList Plus)

Baking

Mass, Wendy. The Candymakers. When four twelve-year-olds, including Logan, who has grown up never leaving his parents' Life Is Sweet candy factory, compete in the Confectionary Association's annual contest, they unexpectedly become friends and uncover secrets about themselves during the process. (NoveList Plus)

Papademetriou, Lisa. Save the Cupcake! Struggling with her parents' divorce and family's financial crisis, Hayley discovers her talent for baking cupcakes at her grandmother's tea shop at the same time her best friend pursues other friendships and the PTA considers banning cupcakes. (NoveList Plus)

Simon, Coco. Katie and the Cupcake Cure. When Katie's best friend Callie leaves her for a clique called the Popular Girls Club on the first day of middle school, Katie decides to find a group that she can join. (NoveList Plus)

Talent Shows:

Blakemore, Megan Frazer. Frankie Sparks and the Talent Show Trick. Eagerly preparing a magician's act for her school's annual talent show, Frankie is challenged to use her inventing skills to help her best friend and magician's assistant, Maya, overcome an untimely case of stage fright. (NoveList Plus)

Stanton, Matt. Funny Kid: Stand Up. Entering the town's talent show, Max is confronted by a rival who threatens to outperform him as the community's funniest act, a situation that challenges Max to think up an unforgettable stand-up routine. (NoveList Plus)

Reviews:

Ways to Make Sunshine. Watson, Renèe. Bloomsbury. 2020.

Booklist

Ways to Make Sunshine. (Starred)

By Renée Watson (author)

Apr. 2020. 208p. Bloomsbury, $16.99 (9781547600564). Grades 3-5.

REVIEW. First published March 15, 2020 (Booklist).

A beautifully rendered series of vignettes à la Beezus and Ramona featuring a Black girl developing into her own personhood, this is a strong start to a new middle-grade series by Newbery Honor Book author Watson (Piecing Me Together, 2017). Each chapter pulls the reader into the mind of Ryan Hart, a vivacious child navigating her family’s changing circumstances after her father loses his job and finds a midnight shift position that pays less. Petty squabbles with her older brother, her mother’s moods, and the family’s move to a much smaller house all introduce new challenges for Ryan to overcome. And overcome she does, with personality and spirit reminiscent of some of the most best-loved heroines in classic juvenile fiction tales. These stories do not shy away from the dynamics of race and girlhood—in one particularly realistic scene, Ryan is told not to get her recently straightened hair wet at a pool party and feels ashamed of the way it changes after she does—but they do not skimp on levity or spunkiness either. The few illustrations sprinkled throughout add a lot to the depiction of a childhood rich in familial love and Black girl magic. More than a window into the everyday experiences of children of color, this ensures that African American girls in particular feel seen. — Shaunterria Owens

Reprinted with Permission of Booklist https://www.booklistonline.com/

School Library Journal Xpress (March 20, 2020)

Gr 3-5-In this first installment in a contemporary realistic African American middle grade series, Ryan Hart's family must relocate to another part of Portland, OR, because her dad isn't making as much money as he once did. Ryan is a young girl confident in her gifts; she especially loves to cook. She is also capable of standing up for herself, particularly when she is teased for having a name more commonly given to boys. And she has a lively imagination; Ryan and her best friend, KiKi, get creative indoors when the Grand Floral Parade gets rained out, and prepare for the school talent show together. The theme of loving family and friends even through difficult times will resonate with readers. Cheerful black-and-white illustrations enhance the story and convey Ryan's effervescent personality. Watson deftly weaves the faith of her characters into her work. From Easter speeches to African American hair care, this book will give those whose lives are like Ryan's an opportunity to feel seen. For those whose lives are different, this book provides a clear window into a nuclear family dealing with familiar topics in a unique way. VERDICT A solid addition to realistic middle grade fiction with warm, loving family relationships.-Kristin Lee Anderson, Jackson County Library Services, OR © Copyright 2020. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Reprinted with permission from School Library Journal, 2020. http://www.slj.com.