Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattock

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear

Written By Lindsay Mattick, Illustrated by Sophie Blackall

Little, Brown and Company

2015

Reading Levels: Lexile- 590, Grade- 3

2016 Caldecott Medal Award

Before Winnie-the-Pooh, there was a real bear named Winnie. And she was a girl! In 1914, Harry Colebourn, a veterinarian on his way to tend horses in World War I, followed his heart and rescued a baby bear. He named her Winnie, after his hometown of Winnipeg, and he took the bear to war. Harry Colebourn's real-life great-granddaughter tells the true story of a remarkable friendship and an even more remarkable journey--from the fields of Canada to a convoy across the ocean to an army base in England... And finally to the London Zoo, where Winnie made another new friend: a real boy named Christopher Robin

“friendship, remarkable journey, true story, rescue, bear”

Suggested Delivery: Read Aloud

Electronic Resources:

Zsl.org/videos/fun-animal-facts/the-bear-who-inspired-winnie-the-pooh

This is the site for the zoo that was home to Winnie the bear a hundred years ago. The page provides a brief video that tells the story of the Winnie and how she was rescued, brought to the zoo, and made famous. The video could be used to present to students before reading to begin to build schema about the story.

Americanhistory.si.edu/blog/how-did-animals-even-slugs-serve-world-war-i

This page from the national museum of American History can be used as an extension reading for students after reading the story about Winnie the bear. The page provides many unique stories about other animals who served during world war I and were taken care of by soldiers.

Teaching Suggestions

1. Vocabulary:

• Veterinarian: a doctor who treats animals
• Soldier: a man or woman in the military
• Pace: to walk at a steady speed, back and forth, to show anxiety or annoyance
• Trapper: someone who traps animals for a living
• Colonel: a high-ranking soldier in the military
• Navigate: to plan and or direct a route of travel
• Voyage: a difficult journey or trip
• Mascot: a person or thing that is supposed to bring good luck and/or symbolize an event or organization
• Nuzzled: to rub or push against gently with the nose and mouth
• Enclosure: an area that is sealed off with an artificial or natural barrier

2. Before, During, and After Reading Strategies

Before Reading:

Most likely, most or all students will be at least somewhat familiar with the character Winnie the Pooh. Before reading have students brainstorm a list of as many characteristics of Winnie the Pooh as they possibly can. Ask the students to share their ideas with the class and create “master list” of characteristics. Explain to students that the story they will be listening to is about a real-life bear who inspired the character Winnie the Pooh. Ask the class to make predictions on whether or not they think the real life Winnie will have any similar traits as the fictional Winnie the Pooh. Document the predictions and return to them after reading to see if they were right or not.

During Reading:

Implement a CLOSE reading activity while reading the story by having students analyze the language, specifically the dialogue in the text. Throughout the text the story is interrupted by dialogue between Cole and his mother. Point out these interruptions in the story for students to study and listen to and infer the tone and punctuation of the dialogue. Ask students throughout the story inferential questions such as

1. Why does Cole keep interrupting the story?

2. Why do you think Lindsay Mattick chose to add dialogue to the story?

3. How does it affect your experience?

Ask students to think about these questions when they hear dialogue in the text and after reading hold a class discussion as to how the dialogue affected their experience. During the discussion ask students to analyze how the dialogic language affected their understanding of the characters, plot, and setting.

After Reading:

The back matter of this book appears to be the scrapbook that Cole and his mom are looking at throughout the story. Ask students to think about some memories or important moments that have happened throughout the school year for them. Using Smilebox, a digital scrapbooking software. Students will be responsible for creating their own scrapbook page of their school year. Once complete, the teacher can publish all the pages into a collective class scrapbook to share with students and parents.

Writing Activity:

Mattick chooses to tell the real-life story of Winnie the Bear in the form of a fictional bedtime story. Since the interesting structure of the story provides an opportunity to explore the structures of narratives, ask the students to write their own narrative about their favorite animal. Require the students to write their story from the unique point of view as someone telling a bedtime story to someone else as Mattick does in the text.

Walking on Earth and Touching the Sky

Walking on Earth and Touching the Sky: Poetry and Prose by Lakota Youth at Red Cloud Indian School

Edited By Timothy P. McLaughlin, Paintings by S.D. Nelson

Abrams Books for Young Readers, New York, NY

2012

Reading Levels: Lexile- N/A , Grade- 4

Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People 2013

“identity, Lakota, children, culture, community”

This is an exceptional poetry collection written by Lakota students in the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grades at Red Cloud Indian School on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. The historic school was founded in 1888 at the request of Chief Red Cloud of the Oglala Lakota. The poems enable readers to learn about the unique lives and heritage of students growing up in such distinctive circumstances and straddling cultures. The collection was compiled by a teacher at the school, working with school administrators, and contains never-before-published artworks by award-winning artist S. D. Nelson.

Suggested Delivery: read aloud selections, encourage independent reading

Electronic Resources:

1. http://www.redcloudschool.org/page.aspx?pid=474

This is the Red Cloud Indian School’s official website, the school from which the students who wrote the poetry in the collective attended. The website provides a lot of information for both teachers and students about the Lakota people, as well as the school and their mission and successes. The website also provides a history of the Lakota people and information on their heritage.  This website could be used by teacher for information to assemble lesson plans or to present to students to build prior knowledge before reading.

2. http://www.nea.org/tools/lessons/native-american-and-alaska-native-heritage-month-grades-k-5.html

This site provides a list of teacher resources and lesson plans that can be used to teach Native American studies to elementary students. The lessons cover a wide range of topics from history, culture, and current issues. Many of the lesson ideas would pair well with this text to create a meaningful ELA and social studies lesson.

Teaching Suggestions:

1. Vocabulary:

• Perspective: a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view
• Insight: a deep understanding of a person or thing
• Reservation: a legal designation for an area of land managed by a Native American tribe
• Assimilation: The process by which a person or persons acquire the social and psychological characteristics of a group
• Indigenous: originating or occurring naturally in a particular place; native.
• Resilient: able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions.
• Poverty: the state of being extremely poor.

2. Before, During, and After Reading Suggestions

Before Reading:

Before reading poetry selections, introduce the text by reading aloud the Foreword and Introduction to the book by Timothy P. McLaughlin. The introduction to the book provides content background knowledge of the Lakota people and their culture, history, and struggles in the present day. The foreword presents a clear purpose for reading and places emphasis on themes and symbols to look for in the poetry.  While reading each selection, document important quotes, details, and keywords from the text that fit into the seven themes McLaughlin creates in the text. Use the example below to create the anchor chart.

Themes	Foreword	Introduction
Natural World
Misery
Native Thoughts
Silence
Spirit
Family, Youth, and Dreams
Language

During Reading:

To increase comprehension during reading, read aloud a poem from each themed section in the text. After reading aloud the poem give the students a few minutes to write down their thoughts and opinions about the poem. Use the following questions to prompt students to think about the language, symbolism, and meaning of the poetry.

• What message do you think the author of the poem is trying to send?
• How does the author use metaphors and symbolism in the poem?
• How does the language the author use relate to the Lakota people and their heritage?

Ask the students to pair up with a partner and share their thoughts and opinions on the piece using the prompting questions as a guide for discussion. After sharing with each other select a few pairs to share their discussion with the rest of the class.

After Reading:

Teachers can use this book as an introduction to a larger Social Studies Unit that focuses on Native Americans. After reading some selections from the book, place the book in the classroom library and encourage students to continue reading poetry from the book. Add authentic Native American literature, non-fiction texts about Native American culture and history, and realistic or historical fiction books that represent Native Americans. Encourage students to read the texts for independent reading throughout the unit or use the non-fiction titles as reference or research resources.

Writing Activity:

The students at the Red Cloud Indian School wrote their poems from their own experiences as being a part of the Lakota people and their culture and traditions. Ask students to write their own poem using a writing frame to organize their thoughts, about their own identity and experiences with their own culture. Encourage students to include details about their heritage, major events in their life, their daily life, struggles, or successes they’ve experienced.

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?