Kizzy Ann Stamps- Meeting #21

Our sixth meeting of the 2015-16 school year was on Kizzy Ann Stamps by Jeri Watts.  This book was an excellent choice to celebrate Black History month.  The story has all the things the girls love like a girl hero and her dog, and really helped them think about what it must have been like for the first African American kids who attended schools with white children after segregation.  Kizzy Ann has a very different experience than her older brother, because she has a teacher who is progressive and embracing of all her students.  Kizzy's brother becomes increasingly more distraught and angry as his teacher protests by refusing to acknowledge black students in her classroom.  Kizzy also has a disfiguring facial scar which brought up themes of beauty standards and stigma, and the girls had an excellent discussion regarding the lack of fairness and how hard it was to overcome the obstacles Kizzy faced.

We used our general discussion questions to help guide the discussion, but these discussion questions specific to the book really helped get deep into the book.
Questions and extension ideas for Kizzy Ann Stamps

The host mama served a good southern meal in honor of the types of food Kizzy would like.  They had fried chicken, black eyed peas, biscuits, and okra.

We looked at pictures of a school exterior and auditorium from a black school and a white school during segregation and quickly determined that they were not "separate but equal."
Teaching with Documents- Brown Vs. Board of Education

We then watched a short film about Brown Vs. Board of Education.

They also watched a Scotland sheepdog trial so they could get a sense of what Kizzy was doing with Shag in the competition.  Everyone got a kick out of the sneaky sheep in this video.

The girls then made homemade ice cream using plastic bags, heavy cream, sugar, and rock salt.

Then shook those bags until they got the delicious finished product.

And a few sweet faces and moments captured along the way:

We love our book club and these wonderful friends the girls are cultivating.  Next month we are reading 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass.

When You Reach Me- Meeting #20

Our fifth meeting of the 2015-16 school year was on When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead.  This book was a huge hit with the girls.  Without giving away the plot (which is full of mystery and intrigue), the girls were on the edge of their seats wanting to figure out who was writing Miranda the letters.  This book tackles issues of class and race, changing friendship dynamics, and time travel.  Its fantastic.

I think we had one side thumb on this one.

We used our general discussion questions to help guide the discussion, but these discussion questions specific to the book really helped get deep into the book.
Lit Lovers Discussion Questions for When You Reach Me

Then the girls watched a short video of the author, Rebecca Stead, explaining a bit about her writing process, the idea of the book, and how it was influenced by A Wrinkle in Time.
An Interview with Rebecca Stead

watching the author interview

Because so much of the story involves Miranda's mother and the $20,000 Pyramid, we played CATCHPHRASE together.  First moms and daughters played together.

When the moms were done, the girls continued to play together.  They had a blast.

We love our book club and these wonderful friends the girls are cultivating.  Next month for Black History month, we are reading Kizzy Ann Stamps by Jeri Watts.