By Tupac Shakur
Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Proving nature’s law is wrong it learned to walk with out having feet. Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams, it learned to breathe fresh air. Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else ever cared. This poem hits different some 25 years after his death. The defiance is the same, but social changes give it a new perspective. What does it bring to mind for you when you read it? Have you read Tupac's book of poems or used them in your teaching? Shakur, Tupac. The Rose That Grew from Concrete. New York: Pocket Books, 1999.
0 Comments
A story of Baraka, a young Kenyan boy with a physical disability. He lives with a name that means suffering. He often feels the weight of his name.
His grandmother tried her best to care for Baraka and his family. With little to share, the grandmother getting older, has to make tough decisions. Through these choices, Baraka learns that he is more than his physical disability and that he is a "Blessing" Glow, authored by Ruth Foreman and Illustrated by Geneva Bowers along with Together by Mona Damluji and illustrated by Innosanto Nasanto are our featured board books today.
Both board books themes are affirmations of the human spirit. Glow affirms that the inner light of a young Black boy in his everyday life and Together affirms, through social justice themes, the power of one and the collective. We Are Here Lit! hopes this upcoming year creates more moments to uplift Black boys and young Black men as we GLOW TOGETHER through this literacy movement. Happy New Year! As a parent, public, school librarian or teacher, do you wonder or understand this movement in literacy around the 'Science of Reading'?
It is alot to know and as usual, so much jargon in figuring out how to help our kids and students understand how to become people that not only can read what is in front of them, but also understand it. This podcast by Amplify Education is one of many to consider in getting better acquainted with the big concepts and technical aspects of the Science of Reading or SOR, as it's called in reading, instruction, and research circles. Do you listen to or read certain sites about SOR? Please share them in the comments. Lost in the Clouds, by Tom Tinn-Disbury, is the story of Billy, a young boy, who with his Dad,are dealing with the loss of his Mom.
Billy looks to the clouds, in their different forms, to talk with, relate to, and have contact with her. Learning to talk about grief and live with loss is difficult for Billy to do. His Dad gives him advice to cope with missing his Mom. Tinn-Disbury does a wonderful job showing the emotional changes and frustrations of a child trying to understand and navigate loss. |
AuthorSWE ARE HERE will provide you book reviews, discussions, news, and programming about literature and literacy by and about Black males. This site will also feature vlog conversations on topics related to the promoting literacy and voice for Black boys and young men. Archives
May 2023
Categories
All
|