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"Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut" by Derrick Barnes
Illustrated by Gordon C. James, 2017. Agate Bolden (Publisher)

Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1yCg2PdeEA

Summary
A young boy in the African American community describes his experience getting a haircut in the barbershop, but to him, it isn't just a haircut, it is a step to becoming and feeling powerful, like royalty. The young boy explains how everything changes when he sits on his barbers chair. He describes the feeling of walking in as a blank canvas, and leaving shining as bright as a star. The teachers and the girls in his class seem to look at him differently with a "fresh" haircut, his grades and intelligence sky rocket, and his confidence is boosted to the extreme!

Application
This text is a great source for children to relate to as it is a reference to the beauty of African American boys and their hair! This text can serve as a mentor text to teach descriptive words and figurative language as the author incorporates these tools to explain the authors feelings and experiences. The text can also be used to teach character development. Children can apply a text-to-self connection and use figurative language tools to describe their own experiences and feelings.

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"WiNDUP" Directed by Yibing Jiang Produced by Aleksander Karshikoff, Silvia Rasheva, 2019. Unity (Publisher)
https://unity.com/demos/windup?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=engine_global_generalpromo_2020-07-06_windup-video&utm_content=video

Summary
The short film "WiNDUP" explores a father-daughter bond. The daughter develops a sickness and goes through a long term hospital stay with her father by her side. The daughter seems to be in a coma and is hooked up to a ton of machines. The father connects with his daughter by using a wind-up toy that plays a sound that the daughter is familiar with. The film explores the daughters experience while she is asleep until she finally wakes up.

Application
Teachers can apply this film in the classroom as a way to teach perseverance through hard times. Many children might have experiences with hospitals being that the world is recovering from a deadly pandemic and they can make a text-to-self connection, or even a text-to-world connection. The film highlights theme, character, and plot.

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WiNDUP: Award-winning animated short film | Unity

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"Recoiled" by the Missouri State University's Electronic Arts Program, 2019.
https://ea.missouristate.edu

Summary
In this animated short film, the characters represent females in the Black and African American community who's hair is curly and natural, not straight and sleek as it is portrayed in the media. The characters consists of two siblings, an older school aged girl and her baby sister. The older girl seems to struggle containing her hair as it seems to have a mind of its own. The kids in her class pick on her, and she gets fed up. The girl sits to watch TV and see's an ad for a hair straightener. Frustrated as it is, the girl gives in and straightens her hair all whilst her baby sister is watching her every move. Her baby sisters actions teaches her a valuable lesson, as the girl begins to love and value her natural hair again.

Application
The film is a great source to use in the classroom as it portrays a healthy message to both girls and boys to love and value themselves, most of all, their hair! This video can teach valuable lessons of empathy, care, and giving children an insight of diversity, even if they are not experiencing this themselves. The short film can teach about plot, theme, and  character development, and can be used as an introduction to a personal narrative. Children can make text-to-self connections to this film and dive deeper into the lessons being portrayed.

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Electronic Arts / Missouri State University

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"One Green Apple" by Eve Bunting Illustrated by Ted Lewin, 2006. Clarion Books (Publisher)

Summary
A young Muslim immigrant, Farah, joins her new class on a field trip in an apple field. She feels alone and isolated because she does not speak the same language as her peers and she notices that no one really looks like her. On the field, Farah warms up to her surroundings and classmates as she connects her new experiences with her old ones from back home, like the dogs sounding the same and her new friends laughter. Farah expresses her feelings and thoughts on this trip and soon after, begins to feel a sense of belonging.

Application
This multicultural text dives into the life of a young Muslim girl who immigrates to a new country. Farah feels alone and like she does not belong and she expresses her feelings throughout the story. This can teach readers empathy as they learn to feel what Farah is feeling. This text can also teach theme, character and plot development. Teachers can use this as a mentor text in a read-aloud where students can then write about a challenging time in their lives.

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"Dia De Los Muertos" by Ashley Graham, Kate Reynolds, and Lindsey St. Pierre at Ringling College of Art and Design, 2013.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCQnUuq-TEE

Summary
The animated short film dives into the Mexican culture as it explores a holiday celebrated by those of Mexican Heritage called Dia De Los Muertos, translated to "The Day of the Dead". The holiday is celebrated with the creation of home altars to remember the dead accompanied by traditional dishes. To celebrate, people normally host a prayer to remember friends and family members who have passed away. In the film, a little girl seems to have lost her mother and as she visits her mothers grave, she enters another world where she is seen enjoying music, dancing, and food in honor of people in her life who have passed, including seeing  her mother again. The little girl explores the true meaning of the Mexican holiday!

Application
The little girl in this film represents the Mexican culture which is very present in America and in American classrooms. The film dives deep into understanding a holiday that is normally celebrated during the school year in November. Teachers can have guests come into the classroom to talk about their Mexican heritage, and children of Mexican cultures in the classroom can do the same with their peers. This film can assist with inclusion and appreciation of different cultures in the classroom and in the world. Children in the classroom can write or create fun projects describing their cultures with the help of their families and share it with the class. It can be the key to getting families connected and involved in the classrooms.

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🏆CGI 3D Animated Short Film🏆: "Dia De Los Muertos" - by Team Whoo Kazoo + Ringling | TheCGBros