White Socks Only

Coleman, E. (1996). White socks only. Albert Whitman & Co.

Genre: Historical fiction/Picture Book

Age Level: 5-9

Book Talk

 

Audience: Third grade students

Have you ever been in trouble for something you didn’t even know you did?  How did you feel?  This story is about a young girl and her journey into town one day to see if the old saying ‘so hot you could fry an egg on the sidewalk’ was true.  As she ventures into town to see if you really can fry an egg on the sidewalk, she gets very thirsty.  She finds a fountain that has a sign posted that says ‘whites only.’  She laughs and takes off her patent leather shoes and hops up to get a drink.  The white man behind her gets very angry and racism steps in to take over the story.  Read this story to see what happens next!!

The grandmother starts of the story by giving a flashback from her childhood.  She tells her granddaughter of a time she went to town alone.  She gives vivid details so the reader can feel the emotions as if you were there.  I really think you would enjoy this book!!

 

Reflection

The story was written to preserve the diction of the times of segregation and discrimination.  The white gentleman who is very upset that the little girl used the whites’ only fountain tells her that he is going to ‘whup’ her.  Some other sayings that represent this dialect are ‘other white folk’ and ‘you a’int big enough.’  The style of writing that Coleman used makes this story even more realistic. 

The story is in the historical fiction genre because the text takes place during the times of segregation and the Civil Rights Movement.  It includes facts from the past that allow students to have a first-hand look into the trials and tribulations of this era.  This story gives the reader a look into what is what like being an African American during a time when racism was a way of life.  Students can relate to this issue as it was such a big part of our history.  I love this text and think it does a great job showing the history and past of our nation in a soft, relateable way.    

The illustrations are amazing.  Geter creates illustrations that are representative of this time period by making them realistic.  The mood on the character’s faces when the white man is upset shows how scary these moments were for African Americans.  The color Geter chose for the illustrations also helps portray the mood of each illustration. 

Ideas for teaching/comprehension strategies that can be used with this text:   I would love to use this text for talking about how authors use flashbacks (described in the paragraphs above).  I also think this text would be great as an introduction to the times the led up to the Civil Rights Movement.    The text also uses figurative language and this would be great for exploring literal and non-literal language (see picture below).  In one scene the little girl is very thirsty and says her mouth is ‘dry as dirt.’

Questions to pose:

How do you think the little girl felt in this text?  What are some examples you can use from the text?

How would you have felt if you were that little girl?

         Additional Resources:

Book read online at www.storylineonline.net

Activity guide: http://www.storylineonline.net/whitesocks/storyline_whitesocks.pdf

 

Esperanza Rising

Ryan, P. M. (2007). Esperanza rising. New York: Scholastic Inc.

Age Level: 11-13

Genre:  Multicultural/Historical Fiction

This story is about a family who must move from their riches in Mexico to poor conditions in the United States.  Esperanza, who has lived in luxury in Mexico, is forced to hard labor and tough times during the Great Depression in America.  Esperanza deals with many rough times while growing up and learns to enjoy the simple things in life rather than spending time thinking of the things she can no longer have.  When her mother becomes very ill, Esperanza must get a job and take care of her mother.  Times are tough and through the years Esperanza grows into a self-sufficient young lady.  The text states “Do not be afraid to start over” (p. 15).  I feel that this is a powerful statement that sums up what Esparanza must do in this text. 

This text has a prologue introducing the necessary background of the story.  I see hints of foreshadowing in the text.  This is especially seen in the beginning when Esperanza cuts a rose vine and pricks her finger.  She says when this happens that she feels this is a sign of bad luck to come.  She soon finds out her father has been murdered.

The text is a multicultural text because the main character is Esperanza, a young Hispanic girl.  It is also considered multicultural because the setting is very diverse.  Part of the story takes place in Mexico and part of it takes place in America.  This story is also considered historical fiction because it takes place during the Great Depression.  The Great Depression plays a very important role in the plot of this text.  The text is filled with historical perspective on the times of the Great Depression.  I feel that this text could easily be incorporated into history lessons on the past and on lessons about reasons why people migrate. 

I absolutely loved this book and have already recommended it to two of my advanced readers in my class.  Although I know this text is advanced, I really think some of my third graders would love it.  They could connect with the struggles of Esperanza as many of them have struggles also.

Ideas for teaching/comprehension strategies that can be used with this text:   Since this is a longer text, I’d like to allow my students to use post-it notes to track their thinking.  This would be great to make predictions, inferences or connections.  These would be great skills because this story has a very rich plot.  I also think this story is great for setting as it changes during this text and is very important.  The setting sets the mood of the text and is essential to the times and struggles addressed in this text. 

Questions to pose:

What connections can you make with this text?  Explain.

What character trait would you say best defines Esperanza?  How does she change throughout the story?  Explain? 

Additional Resources:

Teacher’s Guide: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/esperanza-rising-teachers-guide