Honoring Helen Keller during Women's History Month (ages 5-9)

As a child, I was in awe of Helen Keller. She overcame so many difficulties, but kept persevering, learning and reaching out to people. At my school, children are still drawn to her story. I love sharing Doreen Rappaport and Matt Tavares's stirring biography with them.

Helen's Big World:
The Life of Helen Keller
by Doreen Rappaport
illustrated by Matt Tavares
Disney / Hyperion, 2012
ages 5 - 9
available at your local library and on Amazon

Doreen Rappaport gives readers a clear sense of Helen's whole life, from the illness that left her blind and deaf as a child, to her years with Annie, and then her accomplishments as an adult.

Throughout it, Rappaport highlights Keller's own inspiring words in large, bold print. Young readers will be inspired not only by how Helen overcame her own disabilities, but how she used her voice to speak up for justice and equality for all.

From the Author’s Note:

I remember when I went to the theater and saw the play The Miracle Worker, which focuses on the early relationship between Helen and her teacher Annie Sullivan. The most electrifying moment in the play, and in the biographies of Helen Keller, was always the moment at the water pump, when Helen connected the water flowing over her hand with the word that Annie was spelling into her other hand.

That moment reminds us of how we learn, and the power of learning; the more we understand things, the larger our world becomes. Annie Sullivan opened up Helen Keller’s limited, dark, silent world; it grew and grew until it truly became a big world.

Kids will enjoy checking out the American Foundation for the Blind's Helen Keller Kids' Museum Online, full of pictures and short paragraphs of information.

AFB's Helen Keller Kids Museum Online

The review copy came from our school library. If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this site, a small portion goes to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you!). Thank you for your support.

©2014 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books

International Women's Day: celebrating women who have won a Nobel Prize (ages 10-14)

March 8th marks International Women's Day, a celebration that has been observed since in the early 1900's. On this day, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements.

I have really enjoyed sharing with students the website for the Nobel Prize. Since 1901, prizes have been awarded for remarkable achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace. Of the more than 500 prizes 45 have been awarded to women (see the list here), an amount that I think is much too small. But one way to inspire girls of today to reach for greatness is to celebrate the achievement of other women.

The Nobel Prize website provides information for every Nobel Prize since 1901, including the Nobel Laureates' biographies, Nobel Lectures, interviews, photos, articles, video clips, press releases, educational games and more.

Find out about Tawakkoi Karman, who has worked toward improving women's rights in Yemen. Read about Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, who discovered the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Share about Emily Greene Balch, a leader of the American peace movement.

Each day this month, I will be sharing different resources to help children learn about amazing women throughout history. What books or websites do you like to share with children during Women's History Month?

©2014 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books

Wangari Maathai, planting trees in Kenya (ages 6-12)

Wangari Maathai won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her work helping women throughout Africa planting trees to improve the environment and their quality of life. As we celebrate Women's History Month, I make sure to introduce students to women from throughout the world who have worked hard to improve their communities.

Seeds of Change
Planting a Path of Peace
by Jen Cullerton Johnson
illustrations by Sonia Lynn Sadler
Lee and Low, 2010
your local library
Amazon
ages 6-10

Although it was unusual for girls to receive formal education in rural Kenya, Wangari’s parents agreed to send her to school. Wangari’s determination and hard work continued as she went first to high school in the city, and then to university in the United States to study biology.

Wangari returned to Kenya to teach and inspire women scientists, but became concerned when she saw the environmental damage that was occurring throughout the country. Maathai established the Green Belt Movement, bringing about environmental and economic change in Kenya by helping local women plant over thirty million trees.

I would also share this video clip, from the PBS/Independent Lens documentary Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai



International Women's Day, March 8th, is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In some places like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, International Women's Day is a national holiday. Are you celebrating International Women's Day with your children?

The review copy came from our school library. If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this site, a small portion goes to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you!). Thank you for your support.

©2014 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books

Celebrating the life & work of Jane Goodall with kindergartners (ages 4-8)

I am excited to see my kindergarten class today and introduce them to a woman I truly admire: Jane Goodall. I will read aloud the wonderful picture book Me, Jane by Patrick McDonnell, but first I want to tell them a bit about Jane's life. I will share this video from the Jane Goodall Institute to introduce students to her life work:


Jane Goodall: Showing Us the Way to a Better World from the Jane Goodall Institute on Vimeo.

We will then read aloud Me, Jane by Patrick McDonnell and talk about how you can see her interest in animals when she was a young child.

Me, Jane
by Patrick McDonnell
Little, Brown, 2011
2012 Caldecott Honor Award
ages 4-8
your local library
Amazon

Little Jane carries her stuffed chimpanzee Jubilee around with her everywhere - reading stories, exploring outside, climbing trees.

Right from the beginning, children can relate to having a favorite stuffed animal. Jane loves exploring the outdoors - and so she spends most of her time either watching animals and plants outside or writing in her journal about facts she's discovered. Children can easily imagine keeping a journal with questions and observations about the animals around them.

Is there a scientist you look forward to telling students about during Women's History Month?

The review copy came from our school library collection. If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this site, a small portion goes to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you!). Thank you for your support.

©2014 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books

Celebrating the life of Clara Barton (ages 6-10)

Clara Barton bravely tended to soldiers during the Civil War, and became known as the Angel of the Battlefield. After the war, she founded the American Red Cross, an organization that continues essential relief during emergencies. Patricia Polacco, one of my favorite authors, has just written a book about Clara Barton's childhood. It provides a lovely introduction to this remarkable woman.

Clara and Davie
by Patricia Polacco
Scholastic, 2014
your local library
Amazon
ages 6-10

Like Polacco herself, Clara was painfully shy as a child and often teased. She found safety and comfort in animals on her farm, often treating them when they were hurt. When her beloved brother Davie was dreadfully hurt falling off the barn roof, Clara tended to him day after day, determined to help him heal, seeing to his wounds and providing comfort and encouragement. My students were fascinated by the historical context of this story, especially how much medical treatment has changed since the 19th century.

Want to find out more? Head over to Kidlit Celebrates Women's History Month. Louise Capizzo, a children's librarian from Maine, and I are writing about how to help children learn more about Barton's life. We think that Polacco's book will inspire children to learn more about this remarkable woman.

The review copy was kindly sent by the publishers, Scholastic Books. The illustrations are copyright ©2014 Patricia Polacco, shared with permission of the publishers. If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this site, a small portion goes to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you!). Thank you for your support.

©2014 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books

Museum of Amazing Women at Emerson School

Image from Wikimedia Commons

We are excited to celebrate Women's History Month at our school throughout the month of March. Throughout the month, we talk about different women who have contributed to our community. Students are invited to share about women they admire. Then we turn it over to the kids.

Kids research about a woman who inspires them, then prepare a poster to present to their class. All this happens outside of school and is completely optional. But kids love it!

Our library becomes a celebration of all sorts of women in our community, from mothers and grandmothers to race car drivers and politicians. Here's a short Animoto video of last year's projects:



This year, I'm going to encourage kids to make digital presentations if they'd like to try that at home. Animoto is an easy tool to use for a digital slideshow. Our 4th and 5th graders are using Google Apps for Education and excited to make Google Presentations.

Here's the assignment handout -- feel free to use and adapt, if you'd like.

Museum of Amazing Women by Mary Ann Placzek Scheuer

Is your school celebrating Women's History Month? I'd love to hear about different ways your students learn about women who inspire them.

©2014 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books