Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award

Book Review:

This is the story of twelve year old Iris, a tech-wizard and the only deaf girls in her school, and her quest to help a whale, Blue 55. Often isolated and misunderstood, Iris uses her knowledge of technology to connect and communicate with Blue 55. She researches and formulates a plan to communicate with Blue 55. The only obstacle-figuring out how to get to Alaska to bring her plan to fruition.

Rationale/Activities:

Instructional Goals:

Knowledge building

Reading Comprehension strategy instruction

Critical literacy

Engaging students in reading

While the story is written as engaging fiction, there is a significant amount of factual information related to technology, communication, hearing, scientific research and whale behavior.

Blue 55 is a fictional whale based off of Blue 52-a whale that communicates at a frequency outside of normal whale-song frequency.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=L7mTZAhCeyA&t=0s&t=529

Literary analysis-character analysis, symbolism and foreshadowing

Scientific research on whales-keep a science journal

Book Review:

This book is an excellent introduction to the diversity of the Deaf community. Children who are deaf, hard-of-hearing and deaf-blind are represented in this book along with types of devices a person may use: hearing aids, bone anchored hearing aids and cochlear implants. A variety of communication styles are also introduced.

Rationale/Lesson Ideas:

This book contains a lot of factual information in a clear and efficient way. "All the Ways I Hear You" may be used to introduce vocabulary related to the diverse members of the Deaf community, show representation of a student with hearing loss in your classroom or encourage students to consider people and experiences different from their own.

Instructional Goals:

Knowledge building

Visual literacy skill development

Critical literacy

Possible lesson ideas:

Prior to reading, ask students if they know anyone with hearing loss, have seen anyone with devices to assist communication or seen anyone use sign language. Show the read aloud that includes ASL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIEaFnkB02M Students can identify new vocabulary words and have a discussion to explore types of hearing loss and communication modes.

Group work to do a deeper dive into types of hearing loss, communication options or types of assistive technology could also be done.

Present "what if" scenarios to students to see how students might adapt communication to meet the needs of other. This could be done in journal form to include more writing skill development.

Discuss the importance of representation. Who should be telling the stories or providing information about members of specific communities?

Book Review:

This beautifully illustrated book tells the true story of Evelyn Glennie, the first deaf woman to become a full-time percussionist in the world.

Instructional Goals:

Knowledge building

Critical literacy

Engaging students in reading

Possible Lesson Ideas:

Learn about the different pitches that drums or percussion instruments can make

Story mapping

vocabulary study: from words such as audiologist, onomatopoeia, disparaging, and percussionist, this book is full of tier 2 and 3 words

Character study of Evelyn Glennie

Make connections to Song for a Whale and All the Ways I Hear You

Watch Evelyn Glennie videos on YouTube