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Today is Wangari Maathai’s birthday! Wangari Maathai was the first African woman, and the first environmentalist, to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Seeds Of Change: Planting a Path to Peace, which tells Wangari’s story, continues to be one of the most popular books that we publish!
In honor of Wangari Maathai’s birthday and upcoming Earth Day later this month, here’s a list of the many fantastic resources and ideas available to educators who are teaching about Wangari Maathai’s legacy and using Seeds Of Change: Planting a Path to Peace:
Seeds of Change
Elementary School:
In teaching standard 9 of the ELA Common Core, have students analyze two biographies about Wangari Maathai to build knowledge and compare the authors’ approaches. The Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Tolerance Project created a lesson for students to compare a Wangari Maathai biography with Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax.
School Library Journal’s “Curriculum Connections” e-newsletter features a lesson plan using Seeds Of Change to explore what it means to be a global citizen.
Lee & Low Books’ classroom guide includes teaching tips, interdisciplinary activities, and a range of literal to inferential questions.
Middle School and High School:
Seeds Of Change won the American Library Association’s Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent in Illustration in 2011. The Committee Chair and Book Jury have prepared activities and discussion questions for Seeds Of Change in the 2011 Discussion Guide for Coretta Scott King Book Awards, P. 20-21.
Have students read and discuss author Jen Cullerton Johnson and illustrator Sonia Lynn Sadler’s joint interview with Lee & Low, which covers the environment, their travels, and Wangari Maathai’s achievements.
After introducing Wangari Maathai with Seeds Of Change, delve deeper with the Speak Truth To Power human rights education curriculum, a project of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. They present an in-depth exploration on Wangari Maathai, the Green Belt Movement, and sustainability issues.
In teaching standard 7 of the ELA Common Core, have students evaluate how Wangari Maathai is presented in a documentary compared to the Seeds Of Change biography. PBS’s documentary on Wangari Maathai and the Green Belt Movement, Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai, contains a classroom section full of video modules, handouts, and lesson plans.
What did we miss? Let us know how you are using Seeds Of Change in your classroom!
Jill Eisenberg, our Resident Literacy Expert, began her career teaching English as a Foreign Language to second through sixth graders in Yilan, Taiwan as a Fulbright Fellow. She went on to become a literacy teacher for third grade in San Jose, CA as a Teach for America corps member. She is certified in Project Glad instruction to promote English language acquisition and academic achievement. In her column she offers teaching and literacy tips for educators.
0 Comments on Resources for Teaching About Wangari Maathai and SEEDS OF CHANGE as of 1/1/1900
This is a guest post by Jen Cullerton Johnson, author of Seeds of Change. Johnson is a writer, educator, and environmentalist who teachers at an inner-city elementary school in Chicago.
Ashley Howey is the literacy coordinator at Briar Creek Elementary School in Raleigh, North Carolina. Last school year, she contacted me about my picture book Seeds of Change, a nonfiction biography of Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai of Kenya. Brier Creek Elementary school wanted to do something different, something no other school in their district had done before.
The school community wanted to adopt the themes within Seeds of Change to be the deep focus for student growth, teacher extended learning, and administration professional development. In other words, everyone at Briar Creek Elementary wanted to be involved in change. They wanted the book Seeds of Change to guide them because they felt it showed how people tackled big problems and worked together, and most importantly how change brings out each person’s inner potential.
Brier Creek Elementary School hosts diverse learners from various socio-economic and multicultural backgrounds. The school is supported by Title I and is a year around school. Their curriculum mission is to “cultivate culturally ambitious citizens.”
“We want everyone in our school to own a copy,” Ashley Howey said. “Teachers, students, cafeteria workers, administration, parents. Everyone.”
“How many is everyone?” I asked.
“1,200.”
1,200 copies is a lofty goal, a ton of books, an enormous number, I thought.
“What makes this project so special?” I asked.
“Every student in the school is united by reading the book and using it as a springboard for collective change,” she said.
I remembered that goals are all about teamwork, goodwill, and sharing our resources. I was on board.
In September 2013, I sent video message to their teachers. In October 2014, we skyped with the whole school where a storyteller enacted Wangari’s life. By March 2014 the school had purchased close to 300 copies, one for each teacher and one for each family unit in the school. They were not able to give all students a copy. Nonetheless with the copies they had, the school began their Seeds of Change project.
Brier Creek Elementary Teachers with copies of Seeds of Change
The music teacher, Adam Hall wrote an anthem for the whole school. Young people sang lyrics like: Plant our roots/ Let us grow/ Water us love/To watch us bloom!
Children in different classrooms started thinking about how to be the best they could.
One student said: “At our school we are working together to make things better like Wangari did!”
Teachers felt the pull of the whole school learning focus. Enthusiasm was contagious!
One teacher said, “Seeds of Change has given our school a common language of character. We have integrated these powerful message of persistence, patience and respect for our surroundings and others, into our conversations throughout the school.”
But by June 2014, Brier Creek Elementary School still had not been able to give a copy of the book to each student. In fact, since March, many, many had to share. What Ashley Howey wanted when she first started this big school community project was for everyone to have a copy of the book, and so far they still need 700 copies of Seeds of Change.
Then something happened. They started giving away some of their books.
“We wanted the children to sign the book here in North Carolina and give them to the children in Kenya. And the Kenyan children would sign a copy and we would keep a copy it in North Carolina.”
When students decided to share their resources, they were given even more opportunities to learn, grow and be proud of who they are.
The exchange was a success. Students in North Carolina saw a digital video of Kenyan students reading the book. Kenyan students saw North Carolina students dancing and singing to the song they created called Seeds of Change.
Students in Kenya with their copies of Seeds of Change
Their special project is unique and is rooted in changing the mindset and actions of a school community. With this first year over, Brier Creek Elementary now wants to continue to connect and share what they learned.
The school is now is involved in a sister project with a school in Kenya. Teachers in North Carolina are sharing lesson plans and learning activities with Kenyan teachers and their students.
“We plan on Skyping with the Kenya teachers and students about Seeds of Change,” Ashley said. “In August we will fundraise with a Seeds of Change Walk-a-Thon and the money will go to buying more copies of the book for us and for Kenya.” They want to raise enough funds to buy 200 copies to send to Kenya.
What you can do
Together with your help, we can continue to plant and honor our seeds of change. If you are inspired by Brier Creek Elementary School’s project, get involved! I have started a Seeds of Change Campaign where young people around the country can help other young people at Brier Creek Elementary and their sister school in Kenya by donating copies of Seeds of Change to help them reach their goal of 700 copies for their school and 200 copies for their sister school in Kenya.
If a young person donates, I will donate an Author’s Skype visit to your home or school. In my Author’s visit, we will read parts of the book and do a seed planting together. I will also create a section on my website where your school will be honored as a donor.
Good morning, Muffin readers! You're in for a special treat today. We'll be chatting with S. Paulina Nelson from San Diego. Her story, Seeds of Change, placed third in the Summer 2011 Flash Fiction contest. Check out the story, then get to know Paulina. We're going to dish about her story, Internet use, and teaching writing.
S. Paulina Nelson's love of the English language began with her immigration to the U.S. from Poland at age 6. She minored in creative writing, with an emphasis on poetry. Her poems have appeared in The Christian Science Monitor and have placed in the Dorothy Sargeant Rosenberg poetry prize. Inspired by her love of literature, Paula began writing short fiction last year. She teaches 7th grade English at Carmel Valley Middle School in San Diego, where she lives with her husband and son.
Grab that favorite morning beverage and sit a spell. You'll be glad you did. :)
WOW: Congratulations, Paulina, and welcome to The Muffin. As a teacher, I related to the plot of "Seeds of Change." One writing theory says that personal writing mirrors an author's life. Does your story resemble your immigration to the United States? If not, how did you come up with the idea for "Seeds of Change"?
Paulina: I have certainly experienced poverty and its way of stationing children at a disadvantage. In that regard, "Seeds of Change" resonates with me emotionally. To use an authorial cliche, I wrote 'what i knew,' but the main character and the exact setting were inspired by a video on educational funding shown during my credential program. It has stuck with me for 12 years, and influenced everything from the way I dress for work to how my classroom looks. The takeaway is: how do we expect kids to feel valued when everything in their environment screams that they don't matter?
WOW: A well-taken point. Students need to know they are valued. One of the interesting elements of the story is the dahlia, which symbolizes elegance and dignity. How did you weave that symbolism into the piece?
Paulina: The opening metaphor referencing weeds was already tucked in the back of my mind when I began writing this piece, and Meala aspires to be more than that. The seed she steals represents the tiny germ of beauty available to her and how desperate she is to cultivate it. Referencing the seed cycle project furthered the idea that something spectacular can emerge from almost nothing. Technically speaking, the short form doesn't allow room to mix metaphors, but in thinking about it, poems of mine that have been selected for publication all feature extended metaphors based on nature, perhaps because I believe that all living things are interrelated.
WOW: Personally, I like to see an extended metaphor woven through a story. It adds a cohesiveness that a lot of flash pieces seem to lack. I'm curious, I know you pen poetry. Is this your first contest entry and/or win?
Paulina: I have won poetry prizes, but this was my first foray into short fiction. I love it! In scene writing, I can focus on wordsmithing, and the plot arc falls neatly into place. Also, the end result is like a tightly wrapped package: one can imagine pulling the ribbon
1 Comments on Interview with Paulina Nelson, 3rd Place Finalist in the Summer 2011 Flash Fiction Contest, last added: 1/31/2012
Very interesting interview with plenty useful technical content about writing tools, methods and techniques not often seen in an on line interview. Congratulations to Paulina for her well deserved recognition.
Seeds of Change by Jen Cullerton Johnson is a wonderful picture book biography on Wangari Maathai. My review now enjoy the interview
Hi, Jen and welcome. Can you tell us a little about yourself? I live and teach Spanish in Chicago. I just started a new teaching job at Simpson Academy for Young Women.
I also teach composition at St. Augustine College. When I am not teaching, I love to hang out with my friends and family, especially my son Nico. We like to sail, ride our bikes, and go to used books stores.
Who is Wangari Maathai? Wangari Maathai is a woman, an African, a mother, a grandmother, a scientist, an environmentalist, a sister, a Kikuyu, a leader, a daughter, a Kenyan, a reader, a writer, and most importantly a human being who knows we are all connected no matter if we are plant, animal or human.
Wangari Maathai’s achievements have widened the road for women and Africans. Wangari’s life is an amazing life of “firsts”. She was the first East African woman ever to earn her PhD, an advance degree in science. She was the first African woman ever to win the Nobel Prize. She was the first woman to organize young poor women to 30 millions plant trees in her home country of Kenya.
Have you ever planted a tree? Yes! Yes! Yes! I love planting seeds and saplings. I hope all of your readers will plant a tree. There is a little trick to planting trees. When you buy a tree, there are always directions that come with how to plant the tree. I follow those directions. But I do two things differently.
First when you dig the whole, make sure it is wide enough and deep enough. I always try and put a little compost in the hole to give the tree some boost. Finally when the tree is planted and the dirt covers up the roots, I say a few words of thanks to the tree and to life for connecting me to the earth. I know it sounds sappy but I feel like the trees I have planted have heard me. All of them thrive! If you don’t believe try it yourself!
I've never planted a tree but I've said words of thanks to a few. So if that's sappy I am right there with you.
How many times have you read Dr. Maathai memoir, Unbowed? I read Unbowed four times. The first two times I read her memoir for pleasure. I love Wangari’s cadence. She has such a graceful yet powerful way of stringing together words. I read the book two more times for research and once before I wrote the book and then afterwards to double-check my facts.
On Saturday, I was at a nature writing workshop presented by Jen Cullerton Johnson, who is the author of the upcoming book, Seeds of Change, a picture book about Wangari Maathai. I don’t want to tell you too much about this book because I hope to review it on here soon (which by the way it has received a starred review), but I want to tell you about some of the information that Jen passed out to us.
I didn’t find an official definition of green literacy but basically it is books, poems, magazine articles, and so on about the “green movement” or about helping the environment and so on. Jen calls her list of books that she included in a packet for workshop attendees: “Environmental Books for Kids.” She has listed about 100 books for kids that deal with the environment and going green. From Lynne Cherry’s The Armadillo from Amarillo to Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax to Tracking Trash by Loree Griffin Burns, kids can learn about their environment and how to take care of it. Green literacy can also help answer the question of why it’s important to care about the earth.
For teachers, Jen also had a great idea of including five pages of environmental quotes that teachers could use as writing prompts for several different age levels. Here are a couple of the quotes:
Every day is Earth Day. ~Author Unknown
(This one I have hanging in my office:) Never doubt that a small group of thoughtfully committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. ~Margaret Mead
When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water. ~Benjamin Franklin
So, if you are interested in green literacy whether you are a teacher, parent, or home school parent, then check out Jen Cullerton Johnson’s website or her blog and look for her new book coming out soon from Lee and Low, Seeds of Change. Be creative–find quotes and start discussions or give writing assignments that challenge your students to think green.
Middle School and High School:
What did we miss? Let us know how you are using Seeds Of Change in your classroom!
This is a guest post by Jen Cullerton Johnson, author of 
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0 Comments on Interview with Jen Cullerton Johnson as of 1/1/1900
I love this project and the idea of the whole school community’s social involvement based on the themes of Johnson’s book. Great post!