|
Summer 2004
Curriculum Resources
*Fires in the Bathroom: Advice for Teachers from High School Students
By Kathleen Cushman and the students of What Kids Can Do, Inc. (New Press, 2003). 204 pp. $24.95 (hardback).
An engaging and unique collection of suggestions for high school teachers by students who don't mince words. Students from a variety of racial backgrounds talk directly to teachers about their hopes, their complaints, and what they want teachers to do. The topics range from classroom discipline to respect and how to handle difficult academic material. An extremely useful collection for new and veteran teachers alike.
*Great Books for High School Kids: A Teachers' Guide to Books That Can Change Teens' Lives
Edited by Rick Ayers and Amy Crawford (Beacon Press, 2004). 240 pp. $15.
An annotated listing of more than 400 books that are sure to inspire and interest high school students. Drawing on their experience as high school English teachers, the editors, along with several other teachers, not only share great lists of provocative books but also reflect on how their students have reacted to and learned from the books. A great companion for teachers, librarians, parents, and especially high school students.
Haymarket: A Novel
By Martin Duberman (Seven Stories Press, 2004). 330 pp. $24.95 (hardback).
This moving work of historical fiction makes working-class life and organizing come alive up to and after the Haymarket incident in Chicago on May 4, 1886. The detail and drama of the struggle for an eight-hour work day, as seen through the lives of labor activists Lucy and Albert Parsons, hold the reader's attention. While many know of the bomb that went off at the rally at Haymarket and the subsequent execution of labor leaders, few know of the tireless organizing, the repression, and the love that went into that heroic struggle. The author deftly weaves in racial and gender issues as well. This book should be read by all who wish to understand and feel what working-class struggle was like in the 1880s. Appropriate for high school.
Highway Robbery: Transportation Racism and New Routes to Equity
Edited by Robert Bullard, Glenn Johnson, and Angel Torres (South End Press, 2004). 245 pp. $18.
An in-depth look at the racism behind transportation policies on the federal and local levels. The descriptions of the grassroots efforts in several cities to fight against racism and class bias in transportation policy offer hope and ideas. An excellent resource for high school social studies teachers.
*My Soul Looks Back in Wonder: Voices of the Civil Rights Experience
By Juan Williams (Sterling, 2004). 240 pp. $16.95.
This book showcases stories of personal transformation that bring a pivotal moment in U.S. history vividly alive. The powerful words and intimate experiences that unfold on every page reveal just how much the civil rights revolution remains a vital force today. Published in conjunction with the AARP website, voicesofcivilrights.org.
The No-Nonsense Guide to HIV/AIDS
By Shereen Usdin (Verso Press and the New Internationalist, 2003). 144 pp. $10.
Like other books in the No-Nonsense series, this informative handbook is packed with facts, graphs, and essays that help teachers and students understand the social, racial, and economic issues behind the HIV/AIDS epidemic. An excellent resource for high school social studies and science teachers.
*The Radical Reader: A Documentary History of the American Radical Tradition
Edited by Timothy McCarthy and John McMillian (New Press, 2003). 688 pp. $21.95.
Over 200 primary documents drawn from the rich tradition of radicalism within the United States. Abolitionists, feminists, socialists, union organizers, civil rights workers, gay and lesbian activists, and environmentalists are all represented. An excellent resource for high school and college English and social studies classrooms.
Reading Aloud and Beyond: Fostering the Intellectual Life with Older Readers
By Frank Serafini and Cyndi Giorgis (Heinemann, 2003). 94 pp. $14.
A concise, well-researched argument for reading aloud to intermediate and middle school students. Includes suggestions for performing literature, improving teacher questions, and making meaning out of text and pictures. The book lists would have been more useful had they been annotated.
Word Crafting: Teaching Spelling, Grades K-6
By Cindy Marten (Heinemann, 2003). 164 pp. $18.50.
A quick read that should convince teachers and district officials to throw away traditional approaches to spelling instruction and use an approach to word study that includes exploration; classroom-based assessments; and creative, individualized teaching ideas.
Policy Matters
Closing the Book on Homework: Enhancing Public Education and Freeing Family Time
By John Buell (Temple University Press, 2004). 160 pp. $16.95.
A compelling book that will force most readers to rethink homework policies. Buell puts the controversy surrounding homework into historical and cultural context, linking the debate to larger issues of the role of work and leisure in modern society.
Keep Public Education Public: Why Vouchers Are a Bad Idea
By Marcus Egan (National School Boards Association, 2003). 123 pp. $21.50.
This magazine-sized book is a valuable primer on vouchers and is especially useful for school boards, policymakers, and members of the general public. The book covers not only publicly funded vouchers for private schools but also related topics such as tuition tax credits. It also contains tips and resources for organizing against vouchers. To order, contact the National School Boards Association at 703-838-6722.
Keeping School: Letters to Families from Principals of Two Small Schools
By Deborah Meier, Theodore Sizer, and Nancy Faust Sizer (Beacon, 2004). 192 pp. $23 (hardback).
Three renowned educators, one the principal of an urban elementary school and two the co-principals of an exurban charter high school, share the letters that they wrote as principals to parents. The letters show both how the schools struggled with educational issues such as curriculum, discipline, and standards and how such issues were communicated to parents. A delightful read. An immensely useful resource for educators working to start new schools or reinvigorate existing ones.
Letters to the Next President
Edited by Carl Glickman (Teachers College Press, 2004). 272 pp. $14.95.
Short letters written by more than two dozen leading educators speak starkly of the need for new ways to support and transform public education.
No Child Left Behind: A Federal-, State- and District-Level Look at the First Year
By the Civil Rights Project at Harvard University.
This four-part report, released in February, examines the No Child Left Behind Act through its first year of implementation (2002-03). It concludes in part "that federal accountability rules have derailed state reforms and assessment strategies, that the requirements have no common meaning across state lines, and that the sanctions fall especially hard on minority and integrated schools, asking for much less progress from affluent suburban schools. The market- and choice-oriented policies, which were imposed on schools 'in need of improvement,' have consumed resources and local administrative time but have small impacts and are not being seriously evaluated." Available online at www.civilrightsproject.harvard.edu.
Racism Without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in the United States
By Eduardo Bonilla-Silva (Rowman & Littlefield, 2003). 214 pp. $24.95.
A thorough examination of how attitudes of "color-blindness" in racial matters help whites justify contemporary racial inequality. Filled with anecdotes from interviews and surveys, this book is a valuable asset for people who want to unpack subtle and "progressive" white supremacist attitudes.
Silent Theft: The Private Plunder of Our Common Wealth
By David Bollier (Routledge, 2003). 260 pp. $17.95.
This carefully argued and well-documented book contends that the market ethos and corporate America are engaging in a frontal assault on the "commons," or the public sphere, in a wide variety of areas ranging from nature to schools to public spaces and culture. An important book for educators who are increasingly confronting market-based attacks against public education.
What Does It Mean to Be Well Educated?
By Alfie Kohn (Beacon Press, 2004). 194 pp. $16.
A collection of hard-hitting, lucid essays that explode the myths behind the testing and accountability craze and look deeply at what it means to be well educated in today's world.
Picture Books
Cooper's Lesson
By Sun Yung Shin, illustrated by Kim Cogan (Children's Book Press, 2004). 32 pp. $16.95 (hardback).
A beautifully illustrated bilingual English and Korean book that tells the story of a young boy who struggles with his Korean-American identity and his lack of skill in speaking Korean. His frustration leads to an encounter in Mr. Lee's grocery store, where he finally learns important lessons about his identity.
Remember: The Journey to School Integration
By Toni Morrison (Houghton Mifflin, 2004). 80 pp. $18 (hardback).
Unquestionably the best children's book on Brown v. Board of Education. The stunning archival photos and Morrison's fictional account of the dialogue and emotions of students who lived during this time will bring this important period alive for students. The photos will make great overheads to lead discussions and lessons on the struggle against segregation. Appropriate for first grade through high school.
Sélavi, That Is Life: A Haitian Story of Hope
By Youme Landowne (Cinco Puntos Press, 2004). 40 pp. $17.95 (hardback).
An inspiring, true story of Sélavi, a street child in Haiti, who finds other street children with whom he can share food and a place to sleep. With caring adults, they open a home for children and start a children's radio station - which operated for nine years, proclaiming a message of hope. Unfortunately, it was burned down in the chaos of the overthrow of President Aristide in March 2004. Appro-priate for first grade and up.
A Shelter in Our Car
By Monica Gunning, illustrated by Elaine Pedlar (Children's Book Press, 2004). 32 pp. $16.95 (hardback).
A touching story told from the perspective of Zettie, a little homeless girl who lives with her mother in their car. The strong mother/daughter relationship helps Zettie withstand the traumas of washing in the park's bathroom and being taunted by her classmates. The warm drawings reflect the strong emotions of the story. Appropriate for first grade through high school.
Global Issues Resources
The Five Biggest Lies Bush Told Us About Iraq
By Christopher Scheer, Robert Scheer, and Lakshmi Chaudry (Akashic Books
and Seven Stories Press, 2003). 200 pp. $9.95.
Five lies are examined and documented: "Al-Qaida's Ties to Iraq," "Iraq's Chemical and Biological Weapons," "Iraq's Nuclear Weapons," "The War Will be a 'Cakewalk'," and "Iraq as a Democratic Model."
Live from Palestine
Edited by Nancy Stohlman and Laurieann Aladin (South End Press, 2003). 223 pp. $17.
A collection of moving essays from international, Palestinian, and Israeli activists who have taken direct, nonviolent action against the Israeli occupation. The first-person accounts and the story format make this a very accessible book for high school and college students.
*Available from Teaching for Change. (See ad, page 34.)
Resources compiled and reviewed by Bob Peterson
Summer 2004
|
