Author Archives: Kristina

Making Connections through Science in Zambia

By Betty Trummel

Looking ahead to a few weeks from now, I’m busy packing up school supplies to bring to Zambia, and I’m pulling together the books and props I intend to use in my lessons.

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Betty in the garden on a previous trip to Zambia

Science topics can provide a connection across cultural borders.  I’ll be using this subject area as I focus on literacy instruction.  There is a school vegetable garden at Shine Zambia Reading Academy.  Pupils will accompany me on a mini field trip to learn more about how plants grow.  I’ll share great nonfiction text with them, and hopefully once we land in Zambia I can buy some seeds for each child to plant.

I’ll be using my savanna animal finger puppets to bring alive lessons on animals indigenous to that region, as I share informational text with the children.  On my last trip to Zambia, I used the puppets while at Shine.  Children of all ages were mesmerized by them; they inched closer and closer as I realized they probably hadn’t seen finger puppets before.  It was an amazing learning experience for me.  Bringing along some simple props engages the students, just like it does with my fourth graders here in Crystal Lake.  Some things are just universal.

Oh, and my class is finishing up the “Husmann A to Z” book that they are writing together.  I’ll be sharing that with children and teachers in Zambia as well.  My students have learned a lot from the book I wrote with students at Shine four years ago.  Now it’s time to pay that forward by sharing our school life with those I meet on this journey.

Very excited to get this trip going and both inspire and be inspired by our Zambian friends.
Cheers,
Betty

Dodgeball Was a Hit!

By Mal Keenan

2014-05-23 02.58.38For some, nothing says fun like diving to the floor while a bunch of foam balls are being hurled at you.It’s a sport of speed and agility. It takes a strong arm and fast legs. It’s perfect for middle school kids!

2014-05-23 03.35.38Last Friday, Belinda Strebel, a 7th grade teacher at Bernotas Middle School, coordinated the first annual Viking Dodgeball Tournament. Students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade – boys and girls alike – got their teams together – and came out for a fantastic time in the gym while supporting a worthy cause, A to Z Literacy Movement.

2014-05-23 03.12.42Because of the number of teams participating and plenty of guests coming to watch, we were able to raise enough money for another shipment of books, six boxes, to be mailed to Zambia in the coming weeks.

A to Z is so grateful to Belinda for putting this together and to the Bernotas administration for the opportunity to host this event.

My Journey Begins

By Becky Roehl

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My journey to Africa began with my students making informational books for schools in Africa. After a blog post, some emails, and meetings in Lake Geneva, I was given the opportunity to represent Wisconsin on the trip of a lifetime. Going with the A to Z Literacy Movement to Africa to give children and teachers the skills to succeed, is a dream come true.

During my travels, I hope to bring my 7th grade students’ informational books and letters to the students in Zambia. My lessons in Zambia will focus on why we write and the different ways we communicate with each other.  As life is a journey and our mission to help others continues, my goal on this trip is to show students that reading and writing is also a journey that children and adults continue throughout their lives.

Let the adventure and journey begin!!

Lesson Planning for Zambia

By Pat Kelly

Visas, immunizations and packing aside, traveling to Zambia for A to Z takes planning. I’m talking about lesson planning. Having the opportunity to teach a few lessons while I am there is something I’m taking seriously. Therefore, I have been looking at children’s books with a different eye than I usually do as a book gatherer for our organization.

patchSearching for multicultural picture books, I came upon numerous stories which will bring universal messages to children at the schools we will visit. The Patchwork Quilt by Valerie Flournoy tells the tale of a girl and her grandmother piecing a quilt over a year’s time. After reading this story to the children, I will have them draw on a quilt square a picture or design of their choice. Later, we will have a basic sewing lesson to piece the squares into a wall quilt.

 

 

61T4ymYNvsL._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_I will read All In a Day by Cynthia Rylant early one morning to a class. It will give us a chance to have a conversation about the potential a new day holds and the patterns our days have. A writing activity will be the final piece of this lesson, as the children write about their days and the patterns in them.

 

 

whoever-you-areMem Fox’s Whoever You Are will make a grand read aloud with its’ global family illustrations. Students will share what they see in the pictures and make connections. Creation of self portraits will culminate this lesson along with a paragraph each student writes about him or herself. These will be compiled into a class book.

 

 

 

All supplies and materials need to be taken with us as we head to Zambia next month. Even the scissors and tiny needles have to be thought out and packed. While the space and weight of what we carry is limited, our ideas and creativity aren’t.

Zambia, here we come.

Identity Texts

By Mal Keenan

Countdown.

I’ll be back in Zambia, Africa in less than one month.

How am I feeling?

Excited.

Nervous.

Happy.

The A to Z teacher team has been carefully planning lessons to bring to Zambian classrooms, and as a group of four, we will share our unique talents to assist teachers and students while promoting the love of reading.

For me as a literacy coach, I plan on creating identity texts with students. An identity text is any short story written in two languages. Yes, the national language is English in Zambia, but Nyanja is also spoken in the area we serve. As bilingual students, it’s essential to lift both languages in their literacy development. Creating a story with Nyanja and English honors the culture and the home language. An identity text encourages parental involvement and students take great pride in capturing both languages in print. As we teach these amazing English Language Learners, it’s important to make sure their identities are celebrated in authentic and meaningful writing.

The team will arrive in Zambia on June 13th and will begin teaching on Monday, June 16th. Be sure to follow the blog for stories of our work and service.