The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny and the Fight for Civil Rights by Steve Sheinkin

Sheinkin, S. (2014). The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, mutiny and the fight for civil rights. New York, NY: Roaring Brook.

Summary: In July 1944, an explosion killed 300 African American men and injured many more. Black men were stationed at this Bay Area naval base doing the dangerous work of loading heavy explosives onto ships without any training or safety measures. White officers ordered Black men to do this work even after the explosion. This is the story of the 50 men who said they wouldn't return to this job. These men were accused of mutiny and the punishment was death by rifle. This is their story.

Review: An accessible and fascinating look at one of the greatest injustices to African Americans, and arguably the birth of the Civil Rights Movement. Sheinkin makes the stories of Joe Small and his men come alive and you can't help but feel the moral contempt here. I kept wondering what I would have said or done. I only hoped to have been so brave.

Diversity: An beautiful portrayal of humanity and bravery of the Port Chicago 50.

Suggestions for Teachers: Teach this book for US history. Teach it as part of WWII. Teach it when teaching research and primary and secondary resources.

Reading Level:

1. Quantitative: Lexile 950, ATOS Book Level 7.00-9.98, Flesh-Kincaid 6.51-10.34, 7.04-9.57 RMM
2. Qualitative: This text is moderately complex. It is organized chronologically. Through personal stories, this text comes alive for readers. There is some technical vocabulary and there are lots of details that students may either be excited by or overwhelmed by, but Sheinkin does a phenomenal job of creating suspense. Knowledge of WWII and segregation will be helpful, but Sheinkin gives a lot of context for readers.

Content Areas: Social Studies

Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.1
Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.2
Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.3
Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.6
Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.8
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.9
Analyze a case in which two or more texts provide conflicting information on the same topic and identify where the texts disagree on matters of fact or interpretation.

Relevant links: Teaching Books, Steve Sheinkin

Subjects/Themes: family, acceptance, PTSD, trauma

Awards: N/A

Series Information: N/A

Cholodenko, G. (2013). A Tale from Alcatraz: Vol. 3. Al Capone does my homework. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers.

Summary: Moose Flanagan and his friends are off to solve a new mystery. Who started the fire in their apartment? Mrs. Trixle thinks it's Natalie. Also, lots of money has been coming onto Alcatraz. Where's it coming from? Moose, Annie, Jimmy, Natalie and Piper are at it again.

Review: My favorite of the Al Capone series so far. A real dilemma for kids to deal with when someone who is different gets blamed. Lots of parallels in real life. Moose is growing up in this book and it's fun to see how he's maturing.

Diversity: Moose's sister, Natalie, has Autism though at the time there isn't a name for it.

Suggestions for Teachers: Great book to study ally-ship in an ELA classroom and connect to CA history as well. Lots of parallels for students when studying difference and family.

Reading Level:

1. Quantitative: Lexile 600L, ATOS Book Level 7.00-9.98, Flesh-Kincaid 6.51-10.34, 7.04-9.57 RMM
2. Qualitative: This text is moderately complex; the organization is chronological and straightforward. The language is largely contemporary. Knowledge of Alcatraz and Al Capone will make this text more accessible to readers.

Content Areas: English, Social Studies

Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3
Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.9
Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.

Relevant links: Teaching Books

Subjects/Themes: family, acceptance, difference, mystery

Awards: N/A

Series Information: N/A

Earthquake by Milly Lee; Pictures by Yangshook Choi

Lee, M. (2001). Earthquake (Y. Choi, Illustrator). New York, NY: Frances Foster Books.

Summary: The 1906 earthquake hits San Francisco. A Chinese American girl and her family have to pack up their essential belongings. They place them on a cart along with her mother and grandmother. The children and father push the cart over the SF hills to Golden Gate Park for safety as the city burns around them and aftershocks continue to shake the ground.

Review: This is a beautifully illustrated book that shows Chinese Americans during the earthquake. The author's after note will also bring up discussion about 1906 in the US and who counted as a person and who didn't.

Suggestions for Teachers: This text could be used when teaching about CA history and the 1906 earthquake. It also could be used on a more general unit on earthquakes or SF history.

Reading Level:

1. Quantitative: Lexile 880L, ATOS Book Level 5.9, Flesh-Kincaid 5.7, Readability Grade Level 6.5, RMM 5.4
2. Qualitative: Earthquake is slightly complex. It is organized chronologically and it is clear and easy to predict. The use of graphics adds lots of value to the text itself. Language is explicit and sentences are mostly simple in structure. There are some words like PoPo which are part of Chinese culture, but can be defined through context. There is one level of meaning which is literal. Students who have experienced an earthquake or have some background from other learning experiences will find this narrative helpful.

Content Areas: English, Social Studies, Science

Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3
Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.6
Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between first- and third-person narrations.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.9
Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes and topics (e.g., opposition of good and evil) and patterns of events (e.g., the quest) in stories, myths, and traditional literature from different cultures.

Relevant links: CalAcademy, MacMillan, Teaching Books

Subjects/Themes: 1906 earthquake, natural disaster, social studies, CA history

Awards: N/A

Series Information: N/A

Dragon's Gate by Laurence Yep

    

Yep, L. (1993). Golden mountain chronicles (1867): Dragon's gate. New York, NY: Harper Collins.

Summary: Fourteen-year-old Otter has to leave his home in China fast to avoid danger. He joins his Uncle Foxfire in America working on the transcontinental railroad. He realizes the visions of America, the land of golden mountains, were false as he, like the rest of the Chinese including Uncle Foxfire who is renowned like a king in China, are treated like slaves. Yep details the hard work and horrendous working conditions of chiseling a tunnel through the Sierra Nevada during the snowy winter. This is a story of friendship, family and action under oppression.

Review: Yep fills a void that is often skimmed over in elementary classrooms. He is honoring the hard work of Chinese Americans and this tale, similar to Paulsen's Hatchet, has the suspense and drama to keep students hooked, especially our boys.

Suggestions for Teachers: Have students read this book with a CA history unit. Compare it with expository texts and primary source documents about the construction of the transcontinental railroad. Or use this text with a unit on immigration and immigrant experiences in America.

Reading Level:

1. Quantitative: Lexile 730L, ATOS Book Level 6.1, Flesh-Kincaid 5.4, Readability Grade Level 6.1, RMM 6.9
2. Qualitative: The text structure is slightly complex, but overall the plot line is chronological. Language conventions are moderately complex as they are largely explicit and easy to understand. Vocabulary is mostly familiar and conversational and sentence structure has some complex constructions but is primarily simple. The theme is very complex as it is slowly revealed over the course of the work. Knowledge of China and California in the 1860's would be helpful as well as some knowledge of Chinese traditions and cultural customs, but overall Yep makes Chinese cultural practices come alive for the reader.

Content Areas: English, Social Studies

Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.1
Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3
Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.5
Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.6
Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.9
Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.

Relevant links: Scholastic, Harper Collins study guide, Teaching Books, Teaching Multicultural Literature

Subjects/Themes: survival, transcontinental railroad, California history, Chinese immigration, family, friendship, legacy

Awards: Newbery Honor

Series Information: Gold Mountain Chronicles