El Deafo by Cece Bell

El Deafo

Written by Cece Bell, Illustrated by David Lasky

Amulet Books, New York, NY

2014

Reading Levels: Lexile- 420 L , Grade- 3

2015 Newbery Honor
2015 Eisner Award Winner for best publication for kids

“deaf, superpower, friendship, different, disability”

The Phonic Ear gives Cece the ability to hear—sometimes things she shouldn’t—but also isolates her from her classmates. She really just wants to fit in and find a true friend, someone who appreciates her as she is. After some trouble, she is finally able to harness the power of the Phonic Ear and become “El Deafo, Listener for All.” And more importantly, declare a place for herself in the world and find the friend she’s longed for.

Suggested Delivery: independent reading

Electronic Sources:

1. http://www.npr.org/2014/12/14/369599042/el-deafo-how-a-girl-turned-her-disability-into-a-superpower

This is a link to an interview with the author of El Deafo, Cece Bell on National Public Radio. The interview discusses how the book is loosely based on Cece Bell’s life and living with her disability as a young child. Presenting this interview to students before reading would aid in building prior knowledge about the author and living with a disability.

2. http://archive.adl.org/education/curriculum_connections/fall_2005/fall_lesson_1_2005.html?cc_section=lesson_1

This link to the Anti-Defamation League’s website for people with disabilities can be used as a resource for teachers to find articles, information, and lesson plans to teach students about living with disabilities and raising awareness about disabilities. The website also includes many resources for teaching about bullying, racism, sexism, and many other topics about diversity.

Teaching Suggestions:

1. Vocabulary:

• Meningitis: inflammation of the meninges caused by viral or bacterial infection and marked by intense headache and fever, sensitivity to light, and muscular rigidity, leading to convulsions, delirium, and death
• Audiology: the study of hearing
• Phonic: letter/ sound correspondence
• Disability: a reduced ability to meeting daily living needs
• Humiliation: something tht makes a person feel ashamed or foolish
• Foreign: strange and unfamiliar
• Persuasion: a kind of speaking or writing that is intended to influence people’s actions
• Gestural: indicate action and physical movement to convey a message
• Contextual: depends on surrounding words and gestures for meaning
• Bawling: crying or sobbing loudly

Before Reading:

The concept of having a disability or being deaf can be an unfamiliar topic to some students. Since this story is based on the author’s real life, introduce the book with a mini lesson about what deafness is to build prior knowledge and relate it to the story by presenting an interview with the author about her experiences with the disability.

During Reading:

Have the students create and monitor predictions about the story by using a Directed Reading-Thinking Activity. Have students begin by evaluating the title, cover, illustrations, and characteristics of the book to make predictions on what the book will be about. Have the students read a selection of the book up to the first stopping point and ask students to evaluate their predictions and change them if necessary. After reading the selection have students look back into the text to find support from the text that proves or disproves their predictions. Use prompting questions such as:

•             What do you think of you predictions now?
•             What did you find in the text to prove your predictions?
•             What did you read that made you change your predictions?

After Reading:

After finishing the story set up an activity in which the students write and illustrate the final chapter of the book. Ask students “What do you think will happen next in the story?” and “What other adventures do you think El Deafo could have?” to inspire ideas for their chapter. Have students draft, illustrate, revise, and publish their work.

Writing Activity:

The author makes the statement “Our differences are our superpowers.” Ask students to complete a brief writing assignment requiring them to respond to this quote and how it relates to text. Ask students what do you think the author means by this? How do differences equate to superpowers? If the author’s statement is true, what are some of your superpowers in the classroom? What is something that makes you different? How is this your superpower?