Since our last post, RAO has had great discussions about voting, traveling, and tipping! In thinking about how books are nominated for the National Book award, RAO students imagined themselves as a committee of book judges, and decided that we like books that are “relatable”, with “interesting characters”.  We like books that have elements of suspense so we “can’t wait to find out what happens next” (-or we wonder “What’s going on? Did I miss something?”).  We also like books that are composed of “facts and fictional details” as well as “rhythm and rhyme”.

RAO continued to read The Book Thief, and many of us loved seeing the stage performance at the Steppenwolf Theatre on November 11th.  It was lively and rich with emotion.  Later, we wondered how a 500-plus page book gets turned into a play that is less than three hours long!  

Some students adopted words from The Book Thief.  The idea was to “get chummy” with new vocabulary words.  In class, we thought about how Hans Hubermann helped Liesel learn the alphabet by painting letters and drawing pictures for her.  Using colored paints, brushes, cups of water, and large sheets of paper taped to the classroom walls, RAO students painted and talked to their classmates about words such as “omit”, “hinder”, and “staunch”.  One student’s search for information about the word “Gestapo” led her to travel independently to the public library, where---for the first time in her life---she collaborated with a librarian who showed her how to locate a book on the subject.

On November 12th, RAO students Cheri Hubbard and Charles Barnett traveled to New York City for National Book Foundation Week!  They were reunited with Jaye Jones at the Innovations in Reading Awards luncheon, which was held at the Ford Foundation. All of the awardees shared presentations about their unique projects related to books and reading.  Jaye Jones delivered the RAO presentation.  When Cheri and Charles returned to Chicago, they told the class about how they ate an expensive breakfast at the Essex Hotel, and rode a double-decker tour bus with June Porter.  Cheri talked about taking the A-train with Jaye and Leslie up to Harlem, where they took photos of each other rubbing the stump from “The Tree of Hope” for good luck in the lobby of the Apollo Theater. Charles and Cheri told the class about “Streetbooks:  the Bicycle-powered Mobile Library for People Who Live Outside”, which they learned about at the Innovations luncheon.  

In December RAO joined Andrea Kelton’s ABE class and two volunteers on a trip to see the movie “Lincoln”.  It was an eye-opening experience to see how politicians get laws passed.  The film inspired conversations about the 13th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution, laws against interracial marriage, and women’s power to influence men even before they gained the right to vote.  A scene in the movie that showed soldiers transporting dead bodies from the battlefield reminded one student about the military job Hans Hubermann was given in The Book Thief.

On December 12 , student Angela Halls led a discussion on “The Idiot and the Coatmen” from The Book Thief.  She prepared for doing this weeks ahead of time, by writing a summary and making a list of questions for the class to discuss.  The class was proud of the way she facilitated, and gave her an invigorating round of applause.

On the last day of class, students worked in pairs and stood before their classmates to talk about what they got out of reading The Book Thief.  This story touched on so many things that we could relate to including being orphaned and taken in by foster parents; the struggle to learn to read and being tutored; and being as mystified as Death (the character) about the qualities of human hatred and love. 

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for a Wonderful 2013 from Reading Against the Odds!

This September RAO joins Chicago Public Library’s “One Book, One Chicago” in reading Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief.  Readers are already intrigued because the narrator of this story is Death! And instead of being mean and evil, Death seems to have a heart for a little girl named Liesel Meminger who steals books. 

(Lights come up on stage).  After having read plays such as "Hamlet" and "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" with Amina and Jaye in the past, this summer RAO read Urban Quartet---four dramatic plays about issues facing today’s youth.  Some of the realities spotlighted in these plays include teenage sexuality, bullying, “codes of silence” surrounding a drive-by shooting; and how teachers, parents, religious leaders, police officers, social workers, and community workers reflect upon their role in the premature and violent death of a young black man.  The stories inspired students to talk about literature that is written in a realistic fashion, reminding them of their own experiences.

RAO students enjoyed reading, thinking, and discussing from the points of view of the characters whose parts they read aloud in class.  Things got exciting when students read with dramatic expression.  On one occasion, students stood before the class and improvised a conversation between their respective characters.  Later, students said that reading plays was fun because it allowed them to feel like they were part of the action.  They liked the “team effort” required of being a part of an ensemble cast of characters.

On August 6, the author of Urban Quartet, Mr. Useni Eugene Perkins, visited RAO as Guest Speaker.  The author of more than 17 books---including Home Is A Dirty Street---Mr. Perkins was energetic and talkative.  He brought with him stacks of handouts for the class; and gave a lively talk about early forms of communication including Egyptian hieroglyphics, West African drumming, and oral storytelling.  For those interested in writing their own plays, Mr. Perkins said that in addition to creating characters and having a story to tell, conflict is what makes things interesting.  He explained that imagining climaxes and resolutions are also a part of the thinking that writers do.

It isn’t every day that readers are visited by the authors of the books they read, so it was a great opportunity for RAO students to introduce themselves to a real, live author.  Students shared reasons why they came to Literacy Chicago, and why they continue to enlarge their worlds with RAO’s readings and activities.  Mr. Perkins commended and encouraged their growth and persistent efforts.  He answered questions, and autographed books.

For the final class meeting of the summer, RAO students worked in teams and with the assistance of volunteer tutors Aja Williams and Tyrone Marshall, to compose their own endings for Mr. Perkins’ play, “Girls In The Hood”.  They worked so intently that the mid-class break-time came and went without anyone getting up from their chairs!  After a five-minute break, RAO resumed with students reading their compositions aloud.  One student said---to nods of agreement from his classmates---that having the freedom to imagine his own ending to the story made him “feel happy.” (fade to black).

Imagine you wake up
with a second chance: The blue jay
hawks his pretty wares
and the oak still stands, spreading
glorious shade. If you don't look back,

the future never happens.
How good to rise in sunlight,
in the prodigal smell of biscuits--
eggs and sausage on the grill.
The whole sky is yours

to write on, blown open
to a blank page. Come on,
shake a leg! You'll never know
who's down there, frying those eggs,
if you don't get up and see.

***

Keep learning, keep journeying and keep reading against the odds.

Love,

Jaye