Reading at Doty Memorial Elementary School in Worcester

Today we read in Worcester!

Janet Westervelt read Sneeches in Mr. Larrow's K-1.

Susan Wilson read in Jen Frantz's 1-2.

Janet Van Fleet read in Allison Fayle's 3-4. She started with The Skin I'm in: A First Look at Racism, by Pat Thomas, Lesley Harker (Illustrator). This is a good introduction to the topic of Racism.

 

Next was a book called Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family’s Journey, by Margriet Ruurs, illustrated by Syrian artist Nizar Ali Badr. The book was donated to us by the First Church in Barre. The text is in both English and Arabic        

Nizar Ali Badr uses stones from the river near his village in Syria.  He was born and still resides in Latakia, Syria. In his walks along the seashore near the ancient port city of ugarit, he always admired the stones on the beach. Now he gathers these stones and brings them home to his rooftop stocio, where they become the medium for his art. Nizar has never left his hometown or his country, though in his heart he acoompanies the many Syrians who have been forced to flee their homeland because of ongoing violence.

Janet brought a bucket full of river stones and showed the students how to play a cooperative game called Zen Pebble, in which pairs of students silently take turns adding stones to a collaborative sculpture. The teacher wrote, "My team of learners was incredibly engaged by what you did, and they are still talking about including everyone and respecting differences now (during math and recess!).  The game you shared with us was absolutely lovely, and I look forward to borrowing your idea and playing this game with students in the future.  What a magical way to admire nature, practice mindfulness, and build community all at once.  The students and I loved it."

Lynn Rockwell read Ruth and the Green Book, by Calvin Alexander Ramsey, Floyd Cooper (Illustrator) in Lisa Hanna's 5-6 class.

Ruth was so excited to take a trip in her family's new car! In the early 1950s, few African Americans could afford to buy cars, so this would be an adventure. But she soon found out that black travelers weren't treated very well in some towns. Many hotels and gas stations refused service to black people. Daddy was upset about something called Jim Crow laws... Finally, a friendly attendant at a gas station showed Ruth's family The Green Book. It listed all of the places that would welcome black travelers. With this guidebook--and the kindness of strangers--Ruth could finally make a safe journey from Chicago to her grandma's house in Alabama. Ruth's story is fiction, but The Green Book and its role in helping a generation of African American travelers avoid some of the indignities of Jim Crow are historical fact.