Wandering, Mourning & Questing for Home: Greek Myths in the Intermediate Grades

Home to Ithaca by Romare Bearden.

I.
I have marveled at and treasured the copy I have of Romare Bearden's A Black Odyssey, a most ambitious and visually arresting series of collages.  Bearden created 20 collages based on Homer's Odyssey. In the opening essay to the text, Robert O'Meally suggests that the motifs of wandering, mourning, and questing for home are ones that Bearden thought aligned well to African Americans and their experiences.

I was pleased to see that The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Romare Bearden: A Black Odyssey will be on exhibit from 2012m- 2014 at these sites:

10/13/12- 01/13/13 Reynolda House Museum of American Art , Winston-Salem, NC 
02/02/13- 04/28/13 Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, TN 
05/18/13- 08/11/13 Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, TX 
08/31/13- 11/24/13 Chazen Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
12/14/13- 03/09/14 Michael C. Carlos Museum, Atlanta, GA
03/29/14- 06/22/14 Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, NH
07/12/14- 10/05/14 Wallach Art Gallery, Columbia University, New York, NY

This is a video that highlights Romare Bearden and the exhibition, providing background information about Bearden's thinking.

II.
It is the idea of wandering, mourning, and questing for home that resonates and upon which a dynamic unit of study for intermediate grade children might be developed.  Here is some initial thinking.

Read Aloud Texts 

Burleigh, Robert. (2002). Pandora. Illustrated by Raul Colon. San Diego, CA: Harcourt.

Burleigh, Robert. (1999). Hercules. Illustrated by Raul Colon. San Diego, CA: Harcourt.

Byrd, Robert. (2005). The Hero and the Minotaur: The Fantastic Adventures of Theseus. New York: Dutton. 

Clayton, Sally Pomme. (2009). Persephone. Illustrated by Virginia Lee. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books.

Cross, Gillian (2012). The Odyssey. Illustrated by Neil Packer. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

Demi. (2002). King Midas: The Golden Touch. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books. 

 Kimmel, Eric. (2008). The McElderry Book of Greek Myths. Illustrated by Pep Montserrat. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books.

Lively, Penelope. (2006). In Search of a Homeland: The Story of the Aeneid. Illustrated by Ian Andrew. London: Frances Lincoln Children's Books.

Lupton, Hugh & Daniel Morden. (2006). The Adventures of Odysseus. Illustrated by Christina Balit. Cambridge, MAL Barefoot Books.

Mayer, Marianna. (1998). Pegasus. Illustrated by Kinuko Y. Craft.  New York: harper Collins.  (Lexile Level 960)

Rylant, Cynthia (2009). The Beautiful Stories of Life: Six Greek Myths Retold.  Illustrated by Carson Ellis. Orlando, FL: Houghton Mifflin.

Sutcliff, Rosemary. (2005). Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of the Iliad. Illustrated by Alan Lee. London: Frances Lincoln Children's Books. 

Williams, Marcia. (2011). Greek Myths. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick.

Yolen, Jane. (1991). Wings.  Illustrated by Dennis Nolan. San Diego, CA: Harcourt.

Independent Reading Texts (N – T)

Holub, Joan. (2012). Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom - Heroes in Training, Book 1. New York: Aladdin. Lexile Level 570/Guided Reading O.

Holub, Joan. (2012). Poseidon and the Sea of Fury - Heroes in Training, Book 2. New York: Aladdin. Lexile Level 570/Guided Reading O.

Karas, G. Brian. (2010). Young Zeus. New York: Scholastic. Lexile Level 570/Guided Reading O.

Linke, Jeff. (2008). Theseus: Battling the Minotaur: A Greek Myth. Illustrated by John McCrea. Mineapolis, MN: Learner/Graphic Universe. Lexile 470/Guided Reading N.

Mullins, Kate. (2011). Have a Hot Time, Hades!  (Book 1). Illustrated by Denis Zilber. Stone Arch Books. Lexile Level 550/GR Level O.

Mullins, Kate. (2011). Say Cheese, Medusa!  (Book 2). Illustrated by Denis Zilber. Stone Arch Books. Lexile Level 540/GR Level O.

Mullins, Kate. (2011). Phone Home, Persephone! (Book 3). Illustrated by Denis Zilber. Stone Arch Books. Lexile Level 530/GR Level O.

Mullins, Kate. (2011). Nice Shot, Cupid! (Book 4). Illustrated by Denis Zilber. Stone Arch Books. Lexile Level 590/GR Level P.

Mullins, Kate. (2011). Stop the Bull, Theseus! (Book 5). Illustrated by Denis Zilber. Stone Arch. Lexile Level 500/GR Level N.

Mullins, Kate. (2011).Keep a Lid On It, Pandora. (Book 6). Illustrated by Denis Zilber. Stone Arch Books. Lexile Level 480/GR Level N.

Mullins, Kate. (2011). Get to Work, Hercules. (Book 7). Illustrated by Denis Zilber. Stone Arch Books. Lexile Level 530/GR Level O.

Mullins, Kate. (2011). Go for Gold, Atalanta. (Book 8). Illustrated by Denis Zilber. Stone Arch Books. Lexile Level 530/GR Level O.

Osborne, Mary Pope. (2010). Tales from the Odyssey, Part 1. New York: Hyperion. Lexile Level 760/Guided Reading Level T.

Osborne, Mary Pope. (2010).  Tales from the Odyssey, Part 2. New York: Hyperion. Lexile Level 790/Guided Reading Level T.

A Primer for Creating Units of Study

This is a webinar that Kathy Glass gave earlier this year.  Although it is lengthy, the information is interesting, especially if planning units of study aligned to ELA CCSS is relatively new to you.

100 Nonfiction Books for Grades 3-5

Here are a few non-fiction texts that I would include in an intermediate grade classroom library.  Some of these texts you might want to group together into a read aloud text set or as a set of inquiry texts that students would read together in small groups. For example, I might pull together these texts to read aloud, focusing on women who acted beyond the societal expectations of their day:

1. Annino, J.G. (2010). She Sang Promise: The Story of Betty Mae Jumper. Illustrated by Lisa Desimini. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Press.
2. Dray, Philip. (2008). Yours for Justice, Ida B. Wells: The Daring Life of a Crusading Journalist. Illustrated by Stephen Alcorn. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree Publishers.
3. Love, D. Anne (2006). Of Numbers and Stars: The Story of Hypatia. Illustrated by  Pam Paparone.  New York: Holiday House.
4. Rappaport, Doreen. (2009). Eleanor, Quiet No More. Illustrated by Gary Kelley. New York: Hyperion.
5. Weatherford, Carole Boston. (2006). Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. New York: Hyperion.

Or I might want to provide students with a range of choices for small group reading. These texts might be appropriate choices for a study about scientific observation.

1. Dewey, Jennifer Owings. (2000). Antarctic Journal: Four Months at the Bottom of the World. New York: Harper Collins.
2. McGinty, Alice B. (2009). Darwin: With Glimpses into His Private Journal and Letters. Illustrated by Mary Azarian. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
3. Montgomery, Sy. (2007). The Tarantula Scientist. Photographs by Nic Bishop. New York: Sandpiper.
4. Montgomery, Sy. (2009). The Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest to New Guinea. Photographs by Nic Bishop. New York: Sandpiper.
5. O'Connell, Caitlin & Donna M. Jackson. (2011). The Elephant Scientist. Illustrated by Timothy Rodwell. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
6. Webb, Sophie. (2000). My Season with Penguins: An Antarctica Journal. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
7. Webb, Sophie. (2004). Looking for Seabirds: Journal from an Alaskan Voyage. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
8. Webb, Sophie. (2011). Far from Shore: Chronicles of an Open Ocean Voyage. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.

I hope you will pull from this list and your own and create some interesting text sets. If you do, please include a link to your work below in the comment section.

1. Alcorn, Stephen. (2010). Odetta: The Queen of Folk. New York: Scholastic.
2. Ancona, George. (2010). ¡Olé Flamenco! New York: Lee & Low.
3. Annino, J.G. (2010). She Sang Promise: The Story of Betty Mae Jumper. Illustrated by Lisa Desimini. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Press.
4. Bess, Hester. (2009). The Secret World of Walter Anderson. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis.  Cambridge M: Candlewick.
5. Bgacki, Tomek. (2009). The Champion of Children: The Story of Janusz Korczak. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
6. Bowen, Fred (2010). No Easy Way: The Story of Ted Williams and the Last  .400 Season. Illustrated by Chuck Pyle. New York: Dutton Juvenile.
7. Brown, Don. (2010). All Stations! Distress! April 15, 1912: The Day the Titanic Sank . New York: Flashpoint.
8. Brown, Tami Lewis. (2010). Soar, Elinor! Illustrated by Francois Roca. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
9. Bruchac, Joseph. (1998). A Boy Called Slow. New York: Puffin.
10. Campbell, Sarah. (2010). Growing Patterns: Fibonacci Numbers in Nature. Photographs by Sarah Campbell and Richard Campbell. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press.
11. Capaldi, Gina. (2008).  A Boy Named Beckoning: The True Story of Dr. Carlos Montezuma, Native American Hero. Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda.
12. Catrow, David. (2005). We the People; The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States. New York: Puffin.
13. Chin, Jason. (2009). Redwoods. New York: Flashpoint.
14. Chin, Jason. (2011). Coral Reefs. New York: Flashpoint.
15. Chin, Jason. (2012). Island: Story of the Galápagos. New York: Flashpoint.
16. Crowe, Elli.  (2007). Surfer of the Century: The Life of Duke Kahanamoku. Illustrated by Richard Waldrep. New York: Lee & Low.
17. D’Agnese, Joseph. (2010). Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci. Illustrated by John O’Brien. New York: Henry Holt.
18. Demarest, Chris. (2010). Arlington: The Story of Our Nation’s Cemetery. New York: Flash Point.
19. Dewey, Jennifer Owings. (2000). Antarctic Journal: Four Months at the Bottom of the World. New York: Harper Collins. 
20. Dray, Philip. (2008). Yours for Justice, Ida B. Wells: The Daring Life of a Crusading Journalist. Illustrated by Stephen Alcorn. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree Publishers.
21. Ellis, Julie. (2004). What’s Your Angle, Pythagoras? A Math Adventure. Illustrated by Phyllis Hornung. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.
22. Floca, Brian. (2009). Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11. New York: Atheneum.
23. Foster, Mark. (2007). Whale Port: A History of Tuckanucket. Illustrated by Gerald L.  Foster.  Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
24. Greenberg, Jan & Sandra Jordan. (2010). Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring. Illustrated by Brian Floca. New York: Flash Point.
25. Guiberson, Brenda Z. ( 2008). Life in the Boreal Forest.  Illustrated by Gennady Spirin. New York: Henry Holt.
26. Jenkins, Steve. (2010). Bones: Skeletons and How They Work. New York: Scholastic.
27. Johnson, Jen Cullerton. (2010). Seeds of Change: Wangari’s Gift to the World. Illustrated by Sonia Lynn Sadler. New York: Lee & Low.
28. Jules, Jacqueline. (2009). Unite or Die: How Thirteen States Became a Nation. Illustrated by Jef Czekaj. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.
29. Kerley, Barbara. (2008). What to Do about Alice? How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her  Father Teddy Crazy! Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham.  New York: Scholastic.
30. Kittinger, Jo. S. (2010). Rosa’s Bus: The Ride to Civil Rights. Illustrated by Steven Walker Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press.
31. Krull, Kathleen. (2009). The Boy Who Invented TV: The Story of Philo Farnsworth. Illustrated by Greg Couch. New York: Knopf.
32. Kurlansky, Mark (2006). The Story of Salt. Illustrated by S.D. Schindler. NY; Putnam.
33. Lasky, Kathryn. (2012). One Beetle Too Many: The Extraordinary Adventures of Charles Darwin. Illustrated by Matthew Trueman. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick.
34. Lasky, Kathryn. (1994). The Librarian Who Measured the Earth. Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. New York: Little, Brown.
35. Love, D. Anne (2006). Of Numbers and Stars: The Story of Hypatia. Illustrated by  Pam Paparone.  New York: Holiday House.
36. Low, William.  (2007). Old Penn Station. New York: Henry Holt.
37. Macy, Sue. (2011). Basketball Belles: How Two Teams and One Scrappy Player Put Women’s Hoops on the Map. Illustrated by Matt Collins. New York: Holiday House.
38. Marin, Guadalupe Rivera. (2009). My Papa Diego and Me. San Francisco, CA: Children’s Press.
39. McGinty, Alice B. (2009). Darwin: With Glimpses into His Private Journal and Letters. Illustrated by Mary Azarian. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
40. Miller, Debbie S. (2006). Big Alaska.  Illustrated by John Van Zyle. New York: Walker & Company.
41. Miller, Debbie S. (2006). The Great Serum: Blazing the Iditarod Trail.  Illustrated by John Van Zyle. New York: Walker & Company.
42. Mochizuki, Ken. (1995). Baseball Saved Us. Illustrated by Dom Lee. New York: Lee & Low.
43. Montgomery, Sy. (2007). The Tarantula Scientist. Photographs by Nic Bishop. New York: Sandpiper.
44. Montgomery, Sy. (2009). The Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest to New Guinea. Photographs by Nic Bishop. New York: Sandpiper.
45. Myers, Walter Dean. (2008). Ida B. Wells: Let the Truth Be Told. New York: Amistad.
46. 
    
47. Nelson, Kadir. (2011). Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans. New York: Balzar & Bray.
48. Nelson, S.D. (2010). Black Elk’s Vision: A Lakota Story. New York: Abrams Books,
49. Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux. (2009). Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshall. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda.
50. O'Connell, Caitlin & Donna M. Jackson. (2011). The Elephant Scientist. Illustrated by Timothy Rodwell. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
51. Patent, Dorothy Hinshaw. (2009). When the Wolves Returned: Restoring Nature’s Balance in Yellowstone. Illustrated by Dan Hartman. Walker Childrens.
52. Pearce, Q. L (2011). Red Bird Sings: The Story of Zitkala-Sa, Native American Author, Musician, and Activist. Illustrated by Gina Capaldi. Milkbrook Press.
53. Pfeffer, Wendy. (2007). A Log’s Life. New York: Aladdin.
54. Pinkney, Andrea Davis. (2008). Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation. Illustrated by Brian Pinkney. New York: Greenwillow.
55. Ramsey, Calvin Alexander. (2010). Ruth and the Green Book. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books.
56. Rappaport, Doreen. (2008). Abe’s Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. New York: Hyperion.
57. Rappaport, Doreen. (2009). Eleanor, Quiet No More. Illustrated by Gary Kelley. New York: Hyperion.
58. Rappaport, Doreen. (2010). Jack’s Path of Courage: The Life of John F. Kennedy. Illustrated by Matt Tavares. New York: Hyperion.
59. Ray, Deborah Kogan. (2007). Down the Colorado: John Wesley Powell, the One-Armed Explorer. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
60. Ripken, Carl. (2007). The Longest Season: The Story of the Orioles’ 1988. Illustrated by Ron Mazellan. New York: Philomel.
61. Robbins, Ken. (2010). For Good Measure: The Ways We Say How Much, How Far, How Heavy, How Big, How Old. New York: Flashpoint.
62. Schwatrz, David M. (2011). Where in the Wild? Camouflaged Creatures  Concealed—and Revealed: Ear-Tickling Poems. San Francisco, CA: Tricycle Press.
63. Shea, Pegi Deitz. (2007). Patience Wright: America’s First Sculptor and Revolutionary Spy. Illustrated by Bethanne Andersen.  New York: Henry Holt.
64. Siy, Alexander. (2007). Sneeze! Photographs by Dennis Kunkle. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge Publishing.
65. Siy, Alexander. (2007). Mosquito Bite. Photographs by Dennis Kunkle. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge Publishing.
66. Sneve, Virginia Driving Hawk (Sioux). (2011). The Christmas Coat: Memories of My Sioux Childhood. Illustrated by Ellen Beier. New York: Holiday House.
67. Talbott, Hudson. (2009). River of Dreams: The Story of the Hudson River. New York: Putnam.
68. Van Allsburg, Chris. (2010). Queen of the Falls. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
69. Weatherford, Carole Boston. (2006). Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. New York: Hyperion.
70. Webb, Sophie. (2000). My Season with Penguins: An Antarctica Journal. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
71. Webb, Sophie. (2004). Looking for  Seabirds: Journal from an Alaskan Voyage. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
72. Webb, Sophie. (2011). Far from Shore: Chronicles of an Open Ocean Voyage. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
73. Weitzman,  David L. (2009). Pharaoh’s Boat.  Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
74. White, Linda Arms. (2005). I Could Do That! Esther Morris Gets Women the Vote. Illustrated by Nancy Carpenter. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
75. Wise, Bill. (2009). Louis Sockalexis: Native American Baseball Pioneer. Illustrated by Bill Farnsworth. New York: Lee & Low.
76. Yoo, Paula. (2009). Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story. Illustrated by Lin Wang. New York: Lee & Low.
77. Yoo, Paula. (2010). Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story. Illustrated by Dom Lee. New York: Lee & Low.