The Witches

Dahl, R., & Blake, Q. (1983). The Witches. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux.

               

Genre: Fantasy Fiction

Grade Level: 4th-8th

Summary: This book starts with the narrator insisting that witches are real and that the following story is based on his own personal encounter with them. As, the story begins, we see that the narrator (a seven year old boy) was left in the care of his Grandmamma when his parents died in car accident. The narrator loved his 80 something Grandmamma more than anything. And it was from his Grandmamma that he first learned about witches. The narrator finds out that witches look like women, but there are certain ways you can possibly spot a witch. A witch can be seen scratching her head because witches are bald and are forced to wear wigs, witches also wear gloves all the time because they have claws, witches have square feet with no toes, and witches have bigger nostrils than a real women in order to be be able to smell children. The reason the witches need to be able to smell children is to be able to get rid of them, because they hate children. At first the narrator was a bit unsure if he should believe his Grandmamma, but then his Grandmamma told him about the 5 children she personally knew who were rid of by witches. Then the narrator has his first encounter with a witch when he is building his tree house, luckily he climbs the tree and the witch leaves. Unfortunately, when the narrator and his Grandmamma go vacation at a hotel, the narrator stumbles upon a huge group of witches  that are staying at the same exact hotel for their Annual Meeting held by the Grand High Witch herself.  There, the narrator becomes trapped in the room where the witches hold their meeting and he learns that they plan to turn every child in England into mice. The narrator gets caught and turned into a mouse when the meeting is over. The narrator and Grandmamma agree they must stop the witches evil plan and do so by stealing the Delayed Action Mouse-Maker and putting it in the witches food. The witches are turned into mice and the narrator (who remains a mouse) and his Grandmamma save the children of England from an awful fate.

• Setting: England & Norway
• Theme: Family & The idea that we can accomplish anything we set our minds to despite obstacles
• Point of View: First person
• Characters: The narrator, Grandmamma, Bruno, the witches, & the Grand High Witch

Lesson Sketch:

• Lesson Objective: Students will analyze their past dreams and goals and set two new goals they would like to accomplish by the end of the school year.
• Questions:
  • 1. The narrator admits that his biggest dream is to one day be the owner of a White Mouse Circus, what are some your dreams in life?
  • 2. The narrator is never afraid to set big goals for himself despite his obstacles. Describe an instance in which you had to over come an obstacle in order to accomplish a goal.
• Lesson Activity: Students will complete a collage with pictures and words that motivate and inspire them.
• Resources:
  • http://www.roalddahl.com/create-and-learn/teach/teach-the-stories/the-witches-lessons
  • http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/library/books/the-witches
  • http://www.henry4school.fr/Literature/roald-dahl/dahl.htm

The Witches is a great and really fun books to read. This is the type of book that really gets students hyped about reading. I actually read a lot of Roald Dahl’s books in elementary and this book was one of my favorites. The Witches is a banned book for two reasons. One of the reasons it was banned was because people argued it was sexist that Roald Dahl portrayed women as witches. And although there are instances where this reading could be used to discuss gender roles, it is evident that Roald Dahl did not intend to offend women. There is a place in the book where he clearly says that witches are NOT really women, despite the fact that they LOOK like women. Dahl also says he does not wish to speak badly of women. Another reason this book has been banned, was because it was thought to encourage satanic behavior. However, in my opinion, there is nothing satanic about this book or realistically terrifying about this book. This book, in fact, can be used for many awesome lesson plans. This book can be used for creative writing by having children write a short story about some magical creature that “exists” and how to find them. This book can also be tied to other fairy tales for younger students. This story can also be used for poetry and rhyme because there is a part of the story in which the Grand High Witch only talks in rhyme.

The Friends

Yumoto, K., & Hirano, C. (1996). The Friends. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Grade Level: 5th-12th

Summary: This is a story about three friends and an old man. Kiyama, Yamashita, and Kawabe are 6th grade boys and they all have distinct physical characteristics that follow them throughout the story; Kiyama is tall and thin, Yamashita is pudgy, and Kawabe has glasses. After Yamashita’s grandmother dies, Kawabe suggests the keep a look out for an old man that lives nearby because he heard he would be dying soon and he wanted to see a dead person. At first, the other two friends are horrified by his suggestion but eventually their curiosity causes them to cave in. They begin following the old man around and notice that he hardly takes care of himself or his house. However, once he discovers they have been stalking him, he puts them to do chores. The boys grow to see the old man as a mentor and it is evident that the presence of the boys also has a positive affect on the old man. The old man starts taking care of himself and the boys help him fix his house by painting it and growing a bed of flowers. The old man helps the boys out with their school work and they ask him questions about his past. The old man admits that he was married once but that after coming back from war, he was too ashamed to go back to his wife. As we see their friendships flourish, the idea of death doesn’t present itself until Yamashita almost dies drowning in the pool; the thought of Yamashita dying terrifies Kiyama. After their scare, their lives go back to normal. The boys try to find the old man’s wife and although they believe they are sucessful, the old man does not go and see her. Instead, the old man takes them to go see some firs works he sets up himself and it is there that Kawabe decided that his what he wants to do for a living, Yamashita declares he wants to work in a fish shop, and Kiyama is left wondering what he wants to do. The boys start soccer camp after that and when they come back they are heartbroken to find that the old man has passed away in his home.

• Setting: Japan
• Theme: Friendship, family, growth, death, fear
• Point of View: First person
• Characters: Kiyama (the narrator), Yamashita, Kawabe, the old man

Lesson Sketch:

• Lesson Objective: Students will be able to reflect on their personal growth throughout the year and the be able to identify the things they value in life.
• Questions:
  • 1. One of the themes in this book was fear, what did the boys fear and how did they overcome those fears?
  • 2. The boys originally wanted to stalk the old man to watch him die, how did their relationship with him change throughout the story? Give examples.
• Lesson Activity: Students will create a mandala and present it in front of the class.
• Resources: https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=mandala%20activities%20for%20students&rs=typed&0=mandala%20activities%20for%20students%7Ctyped

Although this book is centered a lot around the boys and their relationship with each other and the old man we also are given glimpse of their lives at home. Although Kiyama is financially well off and has both parents, it is evident that he is not close to his family and his mother is an alcoholic. Yamashita on the other hand is close to his family and is seen working hard at his family’s fish shop. It is obvious that he has a lot of love and respect for his parents. Lastly, Kawabe is affected by the absence of his father, who left him and his mom when he was younger; Kawabe is more short tempered than the other boys. Because of the boys’ vulnerability that is presented to the reader, I think that this is a great book that exemplifies the rawness of life. Some of my favorite quotes are as follows:

“The seven colors of sunlight. Usually they are invisible, but now they reveal themselves within a single stream of water. Even though the light was always there, the others remained hidden. There must be millions of things like that in the world. They exist but they are hidden, so we can’t see them. Some of them reveal themselves because of some simple change, while others only discovered after a long, difficult search by scientist or explorers” (78-79).

“Living is more than just breathing. So dying must be more, too” (81).

“Will I ever master something so well that I feel ready to die? Even if I don’t master it completely, I want to find something like that. Because if I don’t, then why am I alive?” (93).

“‘That’s it!’ Kawabe nods empathetically. ‘In other words, the unknown. That is the cause of fear'”(141).

 

 

 

When My Name Was Keoko

Park, L. S. (2002). When My Name Was Keoko. New York: Clarion Books.

 

Genre: Young-Adult Fiction

Grade Level: 4th-12th

Summary: When My Name Was Keoko is a story that revolves around a Korean family during World War II when Japan owned Korea. The story is told through the eyes of a young girl named Sun-hee and her older brother Tae-yul.  As long as they both can remember, Japan has controlled everything about Korea. Japan controls, their schools, the language that can be spoken, their resources, and as the war progresses, Japan does their best to take anything that can be identified with the Korean culture even their names. Sun-hee and Tae-yul change their names to Keoko and Nobuo. As time passes it is evident that everyone just wants the war to end and even though the Japanese boost about their superiority in the war, it is evident that they are not doing so well. To keep Koreans hopeful and dismiss all the Japanese propaganda, Sun-hee and Tae-yul’s uncle secretly prints a rebel paper. Uncle has to flee before being accused of treason and soon enough Tae-yul has volunteered to fight in the war to help his family. Sun-hee and her parents are anxious at home and become heartbroken when they receive news that Tae-yul has given his life as a suicide bomber pilot. The war comes to an end when the United States drops nuclear bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A lot changes for Sun-hee’s family , they are now free to be Korean. But most importantly Tae-yul comes back home and confesses that him and his team never completed their task because of a storm.

• Setting: Korea
• Theme: Family, culture, gender roles, and morals
• Point of View: First person
• Characters: Sun-hee, Tae-yul, Abuji, Omoni, and Uncle

Lesson Sketch:

• Lesson Objective: Students will learn about the cultures presented in the book and explore their own culture.
• Questions:
  • 1. The Japanese try to take away every aspect of the Korean culture, what are some ways in which Sun-hee and her family secretly rebel and try to preserve their culture?
  • 2. How were the gender roles of Sun-hee and Tae-yul different?
• Lesson Activity: Students will give a power point presentation on their culture and will make sure to include traditions their family may have.
• Resources:
  • http://www.edhelper.com/books/When_My_Name_was_Keoko.htm
  • https://multcolib.org/when-my-name-was-keoko
  • http://www.lessonplanet.com/search?keywords=when+my+name+was+keoko

I really enjoyed reading this book. I love how it is told from two perspectives, this way the reader really begins to feel a part of the family. In addition to that, I enjoy that it is a book that has historical value and even gives perspective on how other countries view us. MY favorite quote from the book is “How could I be proud of my mother for breaking the law?” This is a moment in the book that shows how important it is to stand up for what you believe in. In addition to that it opens up a discussion about ethics.