Friday, February 21, 2014

Author Carole Boston Weatherford to Visit Northside!


Coming Monday, February 24th the Northside Library will host Children's Author Carole Boston Weatherford!  We are very excited to host Mrs. Weatherford at Northside and look forward to hearing about her books, the creative writing process, and learning more about life as an author!  Flyleaf Books will have several copies of her book Freedom on the Menu on hand this weekend for purchase.  Students are welcome to bring in one of her books  to get it signed by the author during her visit.  

Carole Boston Weatherford has written many books for children that focus on the African-American freedom struggle through the perspective of children.  Many of her books are based on real events from the past.  Her books have received both Caldecott and Coretta Scott King book award honors and we are delighted that she will get to share her gift with our Northside students.  To learn more about Mrs. Weatherford click here or view the video below.  



Our fifth grade students Skyped with Mrs. Weatherford earlier in the year when they were examining the civil rights struggle as part of their Northside History project.  They read three of her works, Dear Mr. RosenwaldFreedom on the Menu, and Birmingham 1963 to better understand the history behind segregation.  They were very excited to learn they would also get to meet her in person at our very own Northside which was once a Rosenwald School for African American students during the time of segregation.  

Each program will be interactive, interdisciplinary, multicultural and involve multimedia.  There will be a mix of poetry, storytelling, music and movement. The student programs will conclude with a Q&A and a presentation on how a manuscript becomes a book. Please see the breakdown below of grade level program descriptions.  Each session will take place in the library media center.  

Visit at a glance: 
K-2 grade students - 9:00-10:00
Mrs. Weatherford will engage our younger students with poetry, percussion and playground rhymes hat celebrate jazz, family and community.  Many of the poems will come from her book entitled Sidewalk Chalk Poems of the City. This will support upcoming units in these grade levels in which students will study the art of poetry. 

3rd grade students - 10:00-11:00
Third grade students are in the midst of studying biographies.  Mrs. Weatherford will support their current unit of study by sharing and discussing several biographies she has written on unsung heroes and will include tributes based on the biographies I, Matthew Henson and Jesse Owens: Fastest Man Alive, or on the true adventure Sink or Swim: African-American Lifesavers of the Outer Banks.  She will help answer questions from our students on steps needed to write a biography and the research that goes into creating a story based on someone's life.  

4th and 5th grade students - 1:15-2:15
She will specifically discuss her book Freedom on the Menu which is based on the sit-in movement that took place in Greensboro, NC during the struggle for civil rights.  She will read aloud stories and poems celebrating the African-American freedom struggle.  At this last session of the day we will surprise Mrs. Weatherford by presenting her with a gift from our school as a way to say thank you. 

Afterschool Session for Staff
All staff are invited to attend an afterschool session to meet with Carole Boston Weatherford and learn more about her work as an author.  She will address her writing her process and how her books can be used to support the curriculum.  Teachers will receive professional development regarding how to incorporate multiple perspectives and how literature can be used to debunk stereotypes.  Refreshments will be served and teachers who wish may get books signed.  

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