Out of the Dust 1998 Newbery Medal Scott O'Dell Award
ALA Notable Children's Book
ALA "Best book"
School Library Journal "best book of the year"
Booklist "Editors' Choice" award
Book Links "Lasting Connection"
Publishers Weekly "best book of the year
"New York Public Library "100 Titles for Reading and Sharing"
Author: Karen Hesse
Publisher: Scholastic Press, copy write 1997
Page Count: 227
Lexile Level: NP
DRA: 60
Overview:
" When Billie Jo is just fourteen she must endure heart-wrenching ordeals that no child should have to face. The quiet strength she displays while dealing with unspeakable loss is as surprising as it is inspiring. Written in free verse, this award-winning story is set in the heart of the Great Depression. It chronicles Oklahoma's staggering dust storms, and the environmental--and emotional--turmoil they leave in their path. An unforgettable tribute to hope and inner strength." --Barnes and Noble
Suggested Delivery: Small Group Reading
Words or Phrases to Describe the Book:
1. Great Depression
2. Emotionally Charged
3. Perseverance
4. Forgiveness
5. Acceptance of Differences
Electronic Resources:
1. Dust Bowl Pictures
The Library of Congress has pictures and PDF files of pictures on this website of people surviving the Dust Bowl of the Midwest in the 1930's. The pictures can help students understand the history and time period in which the book is set.
2. Farming in the 1930's
Farming, especcially during such a turbulent time, is a topic with which most students will have limited familiarity. This site discusses topic such as making money, water, weeds, and other influential topics of the time. The site has graphical buttons for easy navigation.
Key Vocabulary:
1. Great Depression
2. Drought
3. Crops
4. Locomotive
5. Harvest
6. Bushel
7. Kerosene
7. Kerosene
Reading Strategies:
Before: Since this is a small group reading books, students should sit with their groups and discuss the cover and format of the book, and make predictions regarding the story line, setting, and characters.
During: While reading, students should draft a timeline of the events in the story, using the months and years indicated before each section of the book.
After: Students can either work individually or in their small groups to write about the changes Billie Jo has gone through emotionally over the course of the story, paying attention to the relationship she has with her father, and playing the piano.
Writing Activity: Billie Jo's aunt writes to her a few times during the story. As if you were Billie Jo, write a two page letter to your aunt, explaining to her the changes in the household now that Dad has begun dating again.
Resources:
Hesse, K. (1997). Out of the dust. New York: Scholastic Press.
Scholastic, . (n.d.). In Out of the dust. Retrieved July 9, 2012, from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/out-dust
Barnes and Noble, . (n.d.). In Out of the dust. Retrieved July 9, 2012, from http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/out-of-the-dust-karen-hesse/1100144020?ean=9780590371254
Resources:
Hesse, K. (1997). Out of the dust. New York: Scholastic Press.
Scholastic, . (n.d.). In Out of the dust. Retrieved July 9, 2012, from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/out-dust
Barnes and Noble, . (n.d.). In Out of the dust. Retrieved July 9, 2012, from http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/out-of-the-dust-karen-hesse/1100144020?ean=9780590371254
Hi Brianna!
ReplyDeleteI read this book when I was younger and even though it was just in my free time I feel as though your before, during, and after reading strategies would have helped me fully grasp the importance of this text. The timeline idea is great because it will allows your students to organize what is happening in the text and make sense of when all of this was happening in our history. I think your ideas are great and I would definitely use them in my class.