Monday, May 12, 2014

Separate is Never Equal

Separate is Never Equal

Bibliographic Information
Tonatiuh, Duncan. Separate is Never Equal. Abrams Books for Young Readers, New York. 2014

Description
On Sylvia’s first day at the Westminster school she was very unhappy. The kids were mean. When she got home, she told her mother that she didn’t want to go to that school anymore. Her mother reminded her that that is what they fought for three years. Sylvia goes on to remember that when they moved to the farm she had to go to Hoover Elementary, the Mexican school. She could not go to Westminster because Mexicans weren’t allowed there. Her parents tried to get a petition together, but that didn’t work. Then someone suggested that they file a lawsuit. Sylvia’s dad contacted a lawyer that had a case just like his. Together they filed a lawsuit. The case went to court and then was appealed, and it went to court again. Finally, Governor Earl Warren  signed into law that all children in California were allowed to go to school together. After thinking about why her parents fought so hard to make sure she could go to a good school, will Sylvia go back for her second day of school at Westminster?

Quantitative Reading Level
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 2.4
Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease: 90.1
ATOS Level: 3.0

Qualitative Reading Level

Purpose: Low. The purpose is explicitly stated.  

Structure: Low. The organization is simple, there are explicit connections between ideas and conforms to the conventions of the genre.  Graphics are simple and mostly unnecessary for the text.

Language: Low. The language used is contemporary and conversational. It is clear and explicit and easy-to-understand.  There is some text in Spanish, but it is followed by the translation.

Knowledge Demands: Middle Low.  Everyday practical knowledge is largely necessary, Discipline-specific knowledge is helpful, but not necessary.

Content Area
Social Studies, English

Subject Area Tag
Social Studies, English, Weekly Requirement

Content Area Standard
NYS Social Studies Standards
2.2 People share similarities and differences with others in their own community and with other communities.
2.2a People living in urban, suburban, and rural communities embrace traditions and celebrate holidays that reflect both diverse cultures and a common community identity.
*Students will examine the ethnic and/or cultural groups represented in their classroom.
*Students will explore the cultural diversity of their local community by identifying activities that have been introduced by different culture groups.
*Students will identify community events that help promote a common community identity.
2.2b A community is strengthened by the diversity of its members with ideas, talents, perspectives, and cultures that can be shared across the community.
 *Students will explore how different ideas, talents, perspectives, and culture are shared across their
community.
New York State Content Area Standard (Grades K-5)
1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.
4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
5. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.
6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text. 
7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a 
text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the 
relevance and sufficiency of the evidence. 
9. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.
10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.
11. Respond to literature by employing knowledge of literary language, textual features, and forms to read and comprehend, reflect upon, and interpret literary texts from a variety of genres and a wide spectrum of American and world cultures.

Curriculum Suggestions
  • Use in lesson on non-fiction/ biographies
  • Unit on segregation

Links to Supporting Digital Content
Segregation

Sylvia Mendez website
http://sylviamendezinthemendezvswestminster.com/

*obtained photo from Goodreads

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