Friends from Far Away
RSSJudy Freeman, Curriculum Connections -- School Library Journal, 11/03/2009
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Andrew Clements and Phyllis Reynolds Naylor are masters at tapping into the interests and tastes of middle grade readers. Clements was a teacher for eight years, and understands how schools, teachers, and students tick. He writes a dependable stream of thoughtful, issue-based, and always fun-to-read school-based books, including the ever-popular Frindle (1996), The School Story (2001), A Week in the Woods (2002), Lunch Money (2005), and No Talking (2007). Master fictioneer Naylor has published more than 100 books for children and adults, including the Newbery Medal winner Shiloh (1991, all S & S) and its sequels, and the hilarious The Boys Start the War (Delacorte, 1993) and its sequels, all set in West Virginia. The latest novels by Clements and Naylor dovetail in theme and will make an interesting pairing when booktalked and/or read aloud. Students who have never experienced culture shock will be intrigued by the similarities and differences in the lives of children from very different places.
In Extra Credit by Andrew Clements (S & S, 2009; Grades 4-6), illustrated by Mark Elliott, two alternating story lines introduce 11-year old Sadeed Bayat, the best student in his mountainous Afghani village, and Abby Carson, from rural Linsdale, IL, an indifferent student whose favorite class is gym, where she is trying to master the new rock wall. Their lives intersect because Abby, about to flunk sixth grade, asks her teachers to let her try to bring up her grades and catch up to her classmates. From now on, she will have to do all of her homework each day, maintain an 85 average in every subject, and complete a special assignment. Abby must become pen pals with a student in Afghanistan, make a bulletin board display of their correspondence, and give an oral report in class about the experience.
Abby’s first letter causes a stir amongst the elders in Sadeed's village. Because Sadeed is the most skilled in English, his teacher wants him to answer Abby's letter, but in their Muslim country, it is not considered proper for a boy and girl to be sharing their thoughts. They decide that if Sadeed's younger sister, Amira, signs each letter, all will be proper. How Sadeed and Abby's lives intersect through their letters makes for an absorbing and illuminating comparison between two vastly different cultures, but it also changes both kids in profound ways.
With the conflict in Afghanistan escalating, it will be an eye-opener for readers to find out more about the region, from comparing the differences in schooling and home life for boys and girls, to encountering the dangers of a country at war with itself and how that impacts the lives of its children. Before you begin the book, ask your listeners to tell you everything they know about Afghanistan. Make a chart of their responses. Have them add new information to it as you read the book. For more insight into the lives of children in this beleaguered country, share the color photo essays of the 35 children profiled in Tony O'Brien and Mike Sullivan’s Afghan Dreams: Young Voices of Afghanistan (Bloomsbury, 2008; Gr 4 Up). See how the Taliban disrupted the lives and education of children in Jeanette Winter’s somber picture book, Nasreen's Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan (S & S, 2009; Gr. 2-4). See below for my extended list of discussion questions, ideas, and strategies for Extra Credit, “Putting a Good Book Through Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives.”
In Faith, Hope, and Ivy June by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (Delacorte, 2009; Gr. 4-7), Ivy June Mosley and Catherine Combs, both seventh graders from Kentucky, have been selected to take part in a student exchange program between their two schools. Ivy June lives with her grandparents, Papaw and Mammaw, and Grandmammy, her great grandmother, off a dirt road in a holler in Thunder Creek. Her Ma and Daddy don't approve of her going off to Lexington to stay in Catherine’s house and attend school with her for two weeks, but Mammaw says this may be Ivy June's one chance to see what the rest of the world is like. Will the people at toney Buckner Academy be rich and stuck up and spoiled?
Following Ivy June’s visit, Catherine, a middle class child from the city, will then spend two weeks in Thunder Creek, attending the public middle school. She's been camping and has used an outhouse before, and she thinks she'll be ready to do without luxuries in the mountainous coal mining community, though she doesn’t realize she will only be able to bathe and wash her hair once a week. Not only won’t she get any service on her cell phone, but Ivy June’s family does not even own a telephone. Chapters alternate between the two girls and include entries from the journals they keep to record their thoughts and experiences. The girls bond as they encounter jealousy from friends, and then weather unexpected crises when Catherine’s mother is rushed to the hospital for open heart surgery, and Papaw is trapped in a flood in the mine.
Like Extra Credit by Andrew Clements, the book charts, through letters and narratives, the experiences of children who live very different lives. There are intriguing discussion points to hash out: Ask what Ivy June means when she writes in her journal, “The hardest part will be keeping my mind open and my mouth shut.” How are the two girls alike and different? Which girl has the more challenging and/or rewarding experience and why? Have you ever visited a place where people’s lives were very different from yours? One interesting plus will come from observing how stereotypes can't begin to define real people's lives. To learn more about the history of coal mining and miners, read Growing Up in Coal Country by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (Houghton, 1996; Gr. 5-8), which, though describing Pennsylvania miners a century ago, is a gritty reminder of the dangers that remain.
EXTRA CREDIT by ANDREW CLEMENTS:
PUTTING A GOOD BOOK THROUGH BLOOM'S TAXONOMY OF EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
by Judy Freeman
(from the forthcoming The WINNERS! Handbook: A Closer Look at Judy Freeman's Top-Rated Children's Books of 2009; Libraries Unlimited, Spring, 2010)
Whether you are reading a book aloud to a class, or using it as a guided reading book with a group, or having the whole class or a group read the book together, there are many strategies, activities, and discussion points you can employ to insure that the children respond to what they are reading or hearing. Running a book through the six-level hierarchy of Bloom's Taxonomy helps you see if you have covered different learning styles and levels of comprehension. Don’t think you have to ask students to answer every question and tackle every project. That would be a recipe for disaster. In reading the book and perusing the activities and questions below, undoubtedly you will think up many more (and even better) ideas to try out with your readers. Pick a handful of the very best ones that will help make the book more memorable to them, and don’t worry about the rest.
Extra Credit. Clements, Andrew. Illus. by Mark Elliott. Atheneum, 2009. (ISBN-13: 978-1-41694-929-9; 183p.; Gr 4-6)
KNOWLEDGE: (Literal questions, including the 5Ws; retelling the sequence of a story)
How do Abby and Amira come to be pen pals? Start at the beginning and explain, in sequence, what led to their writing letters to each other.
In Chapter 1, why does Sadeed think he is being summoned to the house of the headman of his village? What do the village elders really want him to do?
Why is Abby failing sixth grade? What does she decide to do about it? What do her teachers expect her to do if she wants to go to seventh grade next year?
What do you know about life in rural Afghanistan after reading Extra Credit? What do you know about rural Illinois? What would you see if you looked out the window from Sadeed's and Abby’s houses?
COMPREHENSION: (Understanding the main idea and the characters' stated reasons for their behavior; describing or summarizing parts of the story)
Why do the village elders need to discuss the letter from America? Why do they want Sadeed’s younger sister, Amira, to sign the letters Sadeed will write to his new pen pal?
Why is Abby such a poor student?
Why does Sadeed rewrite his sister’s letters to Abby?
Abby loves rock climbing and Sadeed does not. Why?
How and why do Abby's and Sadeed’s letters cause trouble in their communities?
Why does the Taliban stranger rip up Sadeed’s letter from Abby?
APPLICATION: (Relating events from a story to children's own experiences; predicting outcomes; using clues to figure out possible plot twists)
Abby has the “climbing bug” and aspires to climb a real mountain someday. Read her letter, starting on page 124, about why she finds it so compelling. What “bug” do you have and why? Write a description of the activity and its importance to you.
How is life in Afghanistan different from your life?
If you compare yourself to the two main characters, Sadeed and Abby, which one are you more like and why?
Have you ever known anyone your age whose life is completely different from yours? Describe your differences. How did you get along?
ANALYSIS: (Drawing conclusions about characters' motives using supporting evidence; comparing and contrasting similar stories)
Why has Sadeed’s teacher, Mahmood, given the boy books to read that are not on the approved list from the Ministry of Education? Why would books like Robinson Crusoe, The Adventures of Robin Hood, and Hatchet by Gary Paulsen not be considered appropriate reading there?
What other books that you have read would you send to Sadeed if you could, and why do you think he would like them? Abby doesn’t seem to read much. What books would you recommend to her?
Both children relate to the book, Frog and Toad Are Friends, by Arnold Lobel. How do they compare the personalities of Frog and Toad to their own lives? Think back to characters you’ve known and loved in picture books. Which one best relates to your life and why?
How are the daily lives of Sadeed and Abby different? How are they alike? How are their personalities alike and different? How does Abby change Sadeed’s life? How does he change hers?
Consider all of the school-based books by Andrew Clements. How are they alike? How is Extra Credit similar to his other books? What are the elements in his style, plot, and characters that let you know it’s a Clements book? What makes this title different from the others?
Read or sample chapters from Faith, Hope, and Ivy June by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (Delacorte, 2009; Gr. 4-7), a novel about two girls from Kentucky, one from middle class Lexington and one from a poor rural coal mining town, who are chosen to be exchange students. How are the two books similar in theme?
SYNTHESIS: (Creating new ideas by writing, drawing, debating, or discussing; coming up with a sequel; telling the story from another character's point of view; acting out a scene)
In Abby’s letter on page 124, she analyzes her fascination with mountain climbing. Students can research mountain climbing, delving into the equipment and skills needed. On page 127, she talks about her affinity for tying knots. You’ll find step-by-step instructions for dozens of knots, including her Alpine Butterfly and Prusik knots, at a fabulous knot Web site. Get out some rope and have your kids try their hands.
Reading Extra Credit will likely get your kids thinking about being pen pals (or key pals, via email) with someone from another corner of the world. Ask them, “If you could have a pen pal from any country in the world, which one would you choose, and why?” Make a list of the sorts of information they’d want to know from a pen pal and investigate a free service that matches pen pals.
With the conflict in Afghanistan still going strong, it will be an eye-opener for readers to find out more about the beleaguered region. Have them do some research—via books, encyclopedias, and/or the Internet—into its geography, people, cities, customs, foods, dress, and religion, and find out about its past and current wars and the U.S. involvement there.
There’s an issue touched upon in the book that readers may wish to discuss, and that’s the separation of church and state in the U.S. versus the influence of religion in all aspects of daily life in Afghanistan. The catalyst question would be: Abby’s teacher took down the map of Afghanistan when a parent complained of its religious overtones. Should she have done this? On the other hand, Sadeed brought danger to his village by getting a letter from America. Should he or the village elders have stood up to the Taliban stranger? There are no easy answers here. You may want students to research the restrictions on schooling, especially for girls, since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan. Like Abby in Extra Credit, they may appreciate their own advantages a bit more.
For more insight into the lives of children in this country, share the photo essays of the 35 children profiled in Afghan Dreams: Young Voices of Afghanistan by Tony O'Brien and Mike Sullivan (Bloomsbury, 2008; Gr. 4-8). Then have students assume the personas of Sadeed and his nine-year-old sister Amira and write profiles from their points of view.
Compare the lives of the children in Sadeed’s village with those of the Pakistani children who narrate Greg Mortenson’s picture book, Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg and the Three Cups of Tea (by Greg Mortenson and Susan L. Roth; Illus. by Susan L. Roth; Dial, 2009; Gr. 1-5), based on the author’s adult memoir. Mortenson has built dozens of schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Check out Mortenson's nonprofit Central Asia Institute and his Pennies for Peace service-learning program, where you'll find a teaching curriculum for grades K-12, videos, and other materials. Children can collect pennies to go towards the construction of new schools in the region.
Sadeed writes one final secret letter to Abby. Write the letter that she would send back to him if she could.
EVALUATION: (Discussing opinions and judgments, with reasons supporting each)
How does this book compare to other books you’ve read by Andrew Clements? What were its strengths? Is this one of his best books? Why or why not?
Listen to an audio excerpt from Faith, Hope, and Ivy June »»»
Related TeachingBooks.net resources »»»
Judy Freeman (www.JudyReadsBooks.com) is the author of Books Kids Will Sit Still For 3 (Libraries Unlimited, 2006), The Winners Handbook: A Closer Look at Judy Freeman’s Top-Rated Children’s Books of 2008 (2009). Her latest and most exciting project is writing children’s book reviews and other content for author James Patterson’s award-winning Web site for parents, teachers, and librarians: www.ReadKiddoRead.com.
