Programming: Field Trip to Queens Library Teen Space

Image of the interior from Library Journal article by Lisa Peet

On Friday, April 8th, three of us educators (librarian, ELA teacher, Speech-language pathologist) took our Martin DePorres group to the Queens Library’s Hunters Point branch teen space.  We were met by teen librarian Maggie Johnson who had worked with her team to prepare library cards for our students in advance of their arrival. 

Students completed a library scavenger hunt, learned how to print using their new library cards, and enjoyed a board game. When our visit was over, students said they did not want to leave and can’t wait to go back.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Kid Start-Up: How You Can Be an Entrepreneur by Mark Cuban, Shaan Patel, and Ian McCue

Students who know the TV show Shark Tank may be interested in this  book co-authored by the American billionaire Mark Cuban, former Shark Tank contestant Shaan Patel,  and Ian McCue who is a successful teen entrepreneur.

The book offers direct, practical advice for younger readers with a section on “10 businesses that any kid can start”  including pricing and strategy suggestions, procedural directions, and a list of supplies needed - it is a how-to book rooted in the practical.  

Chapter 5  “The Nuts and Bolts of Launching Your Business” gives screenshot-illustrated directions on creating an advertising flyer,  setting up social media, building a weekly website, and selling items on eBay.  These directions link to templates that unfortunately may frustrate detained readers who are without Internet at present, but may be usual nevertheless and in the future.

Chapter 7 is designed like a workbook with lines where readers can write their comments and responses.  Backmatter includes info on affiliate marketing, a glossary, and affiliate links to resources.  Page 65 lists legal tips and may spark additional interest.

While not a perfect fit for all older NYC adolescents,  nor culturally relevant to most Passages students,  the book nonetheless offers useful information and a reader-friendly table of contents.  Older readers may find the book valuable despite the  “kid” focus and language.  --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Cuban, Mark and Shaan Patel, Ian McCue.   Kid Start-Up: How You Can Be an Entrepreneur.  New York: Diversion Books, 2018.

Programming Spotlight: Creative Writing with Paul Griffin

L-R: Paul Griffin, Math Teacher Wanda Carter and her students in Abbott House during the workshop

With his usual kindness and warmth the author Paul Griffin facilitated two creative writing workshops for detained  students at Belmont last Wednesday.   As always Griffin nurtured the students’ voices,  and motivated them to pick up their pencils to express themselves and tell their stories.   He then encouraged everyone interested to enter the contest for the Ned Vizzini Writing Prize.  

We are grateful to Karen Keys and the Brooklyn Public Library for arranging the workshops. --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

The Cost of Knowing by Brittney Morris

After he loses his parents in a tragic accident Alex is somehow able to see into the future.  But when he tries to alter what will happen he quickly learns that he cannot,  whatever was going to happen will happen.  Then when he sees a future vision of his brother,  he has no choice but to take action.  Can Alex save his brother and change the future?  Or is the future an absolute certainty? 

Readers who enjoyed When by Victoria Laurie should be sure to pick this book up too.  — Claudio Leon

Click here for discussion questions from the NEA website plus links to additional teaching resources.

Programming Spotlight: Creative Writing Workshops with Paul Griffin

We're very excited to learn that author Paul Griffin will be visiting Passages Academy's students this week to lead several creative writing workshops.  These sessions were arranged by Karen Keys at Brooklyn Public Library as part of BPL's Teen Writing Contest & Ned Vizzini Teen Writing Prize.  All NYC teens are eligible to enter.  Deadline is this Thursday, March 31st.  Click here to enter.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Y’all Hiring?: The Black Teen’s Guide to Navigating Employment by Albert Phillips Jr.

The title of this slim,  self-published volume tells it all!   Author Phillips deserves our thanks for this greatly necessary and  informative book on a topic not previously addressed.

In clear terms and accessible language,   he offers advice for upper middle and high school readers seeking employment, including tips on how to prepare for an interview, how to dress for success, how to make a good impression, and how to exit gracefully.  Notably, Phillips also discusses how to contend with work-related discrimination.  Highly recommended for all who serve Black teens.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Click here to visit the author’s website where you can download his common-core aligned seven-paged teaching and discussion guide by submitting your email address.

Phillips Jr., Albert.  Y’all Hiring?: The Black Teen’s Guide to Navigating Employment.  Baltimore: self-published, 2020.  Print.

How to Turn $100 into $1,000,000: Earn! Invest! Save! by James McKenna, Jeannine Glista and Matt Fontaine

The title and cover of this book make it hard to keep on our library shelves.   Although  the book lacks cultural  and class-sensitivity,  it is straightforward.  The authors put forth their concept of the “million-dollar mindset (MDM)”  using examples of famous American multi-millionaires, emphasizing how entrepreneurship career choices paid off. 

While providing ideas for suburban adolescents hoping to make money, the authors do not provide detailed, specific information for making the crucial savvy investments required to generate the power of compound interest.  

Nevertheless this book is good for teens of all backgrounds who want to gain financial literacy.

Click here for Daria Plumb’s twenty-page educator guide offered by the publisher.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Facing Frederick: The Life of Frederick Douglass, A Monumental Man by Tonya Bolden

Author Tonya Bolden, at the end of her book  writes,  “It is my hope that Facing Frederick will inspire readers to take a good long look at, and think more deeply about, a multi-faceted, monumental man.  A man utterly beyond category.”  In this beautifully-written,  compact biography,  Bolden certainly succeeds.

The author’s brilliant research, her synthesis for younger readers,  and the visual record she includes of this most photographed man of his time make Facing Frederick a must-read for all interested in American history.  

Back matter includes a poem about Douglass by Robert Hayden,  a timeline,  a list of sources, author’s acknowledgements, image credits, and an index.  Click here for the Indiannapolis Public Library’s guide to teaching Frederick Douglass.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Ida B. the Queen: The extraordinary life and legacy of Ida B. Wells by Michelle Duster, illustrated by Hannah Giorgis.

Did you know that the FBI kept files on activist Ida B.Wells? 

This intriguing biography by the subject’s great granddaughter offers middle and high school readers an introduction to Ida Wells the activist, journalist, publisher, editor, teacher and probation officer.  The first section links Wells to other African-American activists who were also followed by the FBI.

We then learn about her early life,  see a timeline of African American history, and consider  Wells’ legacy and that of other powerful figures and events of her time.   And finally the author discusses contemporary activists including Stacy Adams,  and the Black Lives Matter movement.  

Backmatter contains hyperlinked sources, image credits, and an index.  Highly recommended for proficient readers eager to know more about Black history.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Duster, Michelle and Hannah Giorgis.  Ida B. the Queen: The extraordinary life and legacy of Ida B. Wells. New York: Atria, 2021

Notable Native People: 50 Indigenous Leaders, Dreamers, and Changemakers from Past and Present by Adrienne Keene, illustrated by Ciara Sana

Did you know that Billy Frank Jr. was arrested for fishing as an act of civil disobedience?  That tattooing has been part of Inuit culture for millennia?  That Lili’uokalani was the first woman to rule Hawai’i and the last sovereign monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom before the US illegally overthrew the monarchy?  That baller Kyrie Irving has been “welcomed home” by the Lakota Sioux?  

This book about 50  “notable natives” interweaves historical context with short sections on topics like “settler colonialism 101,”  “whose land are you on?” and  “who belongs?”   

Highly accessible short biographies of 2-4 paragraphs each,  and portraits of the 50 subjects make this book a good choice for readers at middle school level or above.  Students will likely find something to whet their appetite to learn more,  and the index makes topics,  locations,  as well as biographical subjects easy to find.  --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Keene, Adrienne.  Illustrated by Ciara Sana.  Notable Native People: 50 Indigenous Leaders, Dreamers, and Changemakers from Past and Present. New York: Ten Speed Press, 2021.  Print.

Programming Spotlight: Author & Activist Jamal Joseph

Dr. Joseph reads to students at Belmont from his memoir

Humanitarian, activist, veteran Black Panther, professor, director, playwright, filmmaker, author, poet,  screenwriter Jamal Joseph visited with students at Belmont yesterday.  It was impossible not to feel moved by his brilliant storytelling, hard-won insight, and deep compassion.  Two groups of placement students who have been studying the Black Panther Party for the last six weeks with their Social Studies, ELA, Art teachers and reading specialist, speech language pathologist and school librarian as part of an interdisciplinary collaborative unit participated in the program. 

 

We are extremely grateful to Dr. Joseph for making the time to visit and to Dietrice Bolden for all of her assistance, and to Robert Galinsky for connecting us and Literacy for Incarcerated Teens for generously supporting the visit.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Ain’t Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds, artwork by Jason Griffin

Jason Reynolds uses the aesthetic of magnetic poetry in this book-length poem of over 300 pages,   which is beautifully illustrated by Jason Griffin.   Give this to students who like their poems one book at a time,   and readers who hunger for an artist’s journal.  Perfect for lessons or library programs exploring what an artist and poet can create together.   This book can also serve as an example of how artists use notebooks,  and a model of how we can all write, paint, and draw to express our feelings. Included is a teaching guide by Amy Jurskis available here.   This book is highly recommended.

The audiobook of the book is 37 minutes long containing two readings of the poem - one by the author himself.    Following the two readings is a conversation with the author and the  illustrator. --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Reynolds, Jason.  Illustrated by Jason Griffin.  Ain’t Burned All the Bright. accessed through the NYCDOE digital library platform, Sora.

p.s. Although I have not read it yet, I attended a wonderful D79 PD led by Passages' Denice Martin-Thompson on Friday and I am guessing her creative writing workshop guide, This 1 is for U, would make a lovely pairing and a perfect pandemic valentine's day gift for your favorite poetry teacher.

Revolution In Our Time by Kekla Magoon

In this comprehensive non-fiction work for adolescent readers that has the heft of a text book,  author Magoon takes a comprehensive  look at The Black Panther party.   While it will intimidate most student readers at Passages, the graphic design, writing, and back matter are top notch;  this volume is a good choice for instructional use in the classroom.  

Back matter includes information on key people, a timeline, a glossary, recommendations for further reading, source notes, a bibliography, image credits and an index. Included is a comprehensive teaching guide by Dr. Sonja Cherry-Paul available  here.  --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Special thanks to everyone at the National Book Foundation and especially Andy Donnelly for gifting us with a boxful of copies of this informative book.

Magoon, Kekla.  Revolution In Our Time: The Black Panther Party’s Promise to the People.  Somerville: Candlewick Press, 2021.

Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas

 Maverick and Lisa are very much in love,  but during a brief breakup Mav spent one night with Iesha.   Now he is sure that Iesha’s three month old son isn’t his - so sure that he hasn’t told Lisa about that one night with Iesha.

Iesha asks Mav to take a paternity test to prove to her boyfriend King -  who is Mav’s best friend - that her baby isn’t Mav’s.  But after the test,  no one’s life will be the same. 

Themes of gang loyalty, family,  paternity, and incarceration are explored with unmatched emotional intelligence and humor.  Concrete Rose is a prequel to Thomas’ On the Come Up.  Recommended for all high school aged readers and perfect for book club discussions as well.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Thomas, Angie.  Concrete Rose.  New York: Balzer and Bray, 2021.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration--Creative Writing

We are delighted to share that during January the wonderfully talented visiting artist J’miah Baird has been leading creative writing workshops with Mr Godley and Mr. Senft’s NSD students at Abbott and St. John’s.

These  will be part of our Black Panther Party interdisciplinary collaboration’s partnership with 826NYC,  and later on J’miah will  lead similar workshops with NSP students.  

We are privileged to have J’miah join us to share his warmth and his care for our students as he encourages them to shape  their emotions into stirring poetry.  --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

 

Zine Collections in Los Angeles!

Los Angeles Public Library Catalog listing Passages' students' zines

Back in December my Belmont colleague Jessica Ernyey, English Language Arts teacher, approached me about collaborating on a zine mini-unit with one of her groups. 

We were celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month then,  but due to Covid concerns we were foregoing the traditional food-oriented event planning.  Then Ms. Ernyey requested we do some zine-making centered around favorite foods and so we co-planned some lessons.  As the students became engaged in zine-making, I happened to learn about the Los Angeles Public Libraries zine collection through this article.  

We discussed it with our zine makers and with their permission we submitted their work to the LAPL collection.  And so now we're proud to say their zine work is part of the circulating collections at several public library branches in Los Angeles - check them out here and here! --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Overturned by Lamar GIles

 

After having his death sentence commuted, Nikki’s dad is eager to come home and get back to his casino business in Las Vegas. This spells bad news for Nikki, who’s been running her father’s show for the past five years while he’s been in prison. Nikki now finds herself needing to expedite her plans to leave Vegas before her father learns too much. Middle school students and older looking for a suspenseful, who-done-it mystery will be glad they picked Overturned up.--Claudio Leon

Giles, Lamar. Overturned. New York: Scholastic, 2017. Print.

Programming Spotlight: Mindful Coloring

Last month during the week of December 20 the library at Belmont collaborated with Rebecca Fernandez, School Psychologist, and Michael Morgan, Social Worker, to offer a mindful coloring program to all seven of the groups currently at Belmont. 

Unfortunately, two groups went into quarantine at the start of the week,  but the remaining five visited the library as a regularly scheduled part of their week and were introduced to mindfulness and mindful coloring.  While we played ambient music in the background, we distributed coloring books and gel pens,  and then and there staff and co-teachers were invited to join the students in mindful coloring.

All the students who participated were gifted with the coloring book they had been using to color,  and were encouraged to use it as a coping tool during the break or whenever stress was getting to them.   To the houses of the two quarantined groups we sent coloring books and directions for mindful coloring for each student.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Interdisciplinary Collaboration Kickoff: The Black Panther Party

In spite of attendance challenges, some of us educators at Passages Academy’s Belmont site are kicking off a co-planned interdisciplinary collaborative unit on the Black Panther Party this week.  Social Studies, ELA, Art, and Special Education teachers are collaborating with the Reading Specialist, Speech Language Pathologist, and Librarian to lead students through an exploration of David F. Walker and Marcus Kwame Anderson’s graphic novel, above.   Student engagement is high.  You can read (and watch and listen to!) NYPL's Amber Certain review of the graphic novel here, along with her excellent recommendations for related texts. (Thank you, Hermithe Bernard, for sharing it!)  More soon. --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Breaking News

Photo credit: Claudio Leon

Massive congratulations to colleagues Jamila Abdulrashid and Claudio Leon, school librarians serving Bronx Hope and Horizon, respectively, for winning the BUILD Up grant from the NYC Department of Education, Office of School Library Services, and Mackin.  Both school librarians and their school library locations have been awarded $5000 in new school library books for their collections.  --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown by Steve Sheinkin

With a gripping narrative,  author Sheinkin describes the Cold War’s arms race and the space race,  first dropping the reader into the streets of Brooklyn.   There a spy’s meticulously crafted device finds its way into the hands of a teenage boy.   

From the local to the global,  Sheinkin brings alive the competition between the United States and Soviet Russia and invites us to experience suspense at the brink of global nuclear destruction -  a chess game played by JFK and Nikita Kruschev.  

Hearty backmatter includes source notes, an extensive bibliography, acknowledgements, image credits, and an index.  --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Hidden Oil by Fabrice Erre Illustrated by Sylvain Savoia

Where does oil come from?  How was it used in ancient times?   And how did it become the essential commodity it is in our society today?  

This brief overview begins at the beginning in a comic fashion, and in 46 pages this small book gives a valuable perspective to English language readers who are curious to understand oil’s history.  The young age of the narrators may limit the book’s appeal to teens,  but those who can see past that will find a trove of information, including the timeline, short bios, overviews of UAE and a summary of oil and pollution.  Recommended for sparking inquiry, developing schema and as a Social Studies supplementary text.  --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Papertoy Monsters are Baaaaack

I want to share these pictures of the Papertoy Monsters that invaded our school library just  a few weeks ago.  As usual,  some students enjoyed that activity more than others and one particularly pleased participant said he found the construction activity to be therapeutic.  

All houses received copies of the Castleforte book so that the fun can continue after school.

Many thanks as always  to Literacy for Incarcerated Teens for providing us with the supplies to keep our students hands’ engaged while we worked with an accompanying lesson on managing students’ frustration in the classroom.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month 2021 (continued)

Bronx Hope celebrated Latinx Heritage Month by highlighting centuries-old traditions and creating new art pieces.  Students observed the Rep Your Culture Flag Mask they and others designed, read about Guatemalan Worry Dolls, listened to the rich history & music of the Taino, and decorated a sugar spoon skulls for Dia de los Muertos.  Upon completion of the gallery walk, we all enjoyed traditional Spanish dishes prepared by staff members.-- Jamila Abdulrashid

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month 2021

This September students visiting Belmont’s school library celebrated Hispanic Heritage in our community by learning more about the terms Hispanic, Latinx, and initiating independent inquiry projects.  

We broke out the Latin America puzzles as usual, but this year we also put our hands on decorative corn and wondered about its origins through Mann’s Before Columbus, while considering its role in multiple cuisines. --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Banned and Challenged Book Week

Students at Passages Academy engaged in a rich discussion about why books are challenged and/or banned in some schools or public libraries.  They understood that these challenges/bans are subjective based on community ideals.  Ultimately, they decided to celebrate their freedom to read and push back against censorship.  

Passages Academy students read!

--Ms. Abdulrashid, Librarian

A Belated Welcome Back!

A belated “welcome back!” to everyone.  We’ve been so busy with re-opening and constantly disinfecting our libraries we haven’t had a moment to ourselves.  Our two largest libraries are up and running and warmly welcoming students back to routines and nourishing literacy development.  We’ll post pictures and program notes soon. 

Summer Farewell--Whew!

Going to take a breather to re-up.  Wishing you a healthy summer full of good reads.  See you back here in September! --The Passages Academy Library Team  

Why Juneteenth Matters (re-posted from The Brown Bookshelf)

 If you only read one blogpost on the subject, I highly recommend this one by Kelly Starling Lyons and Torrey Maldonado, featuring the voices of some of Passages' favorites, including Coe Booth, Zetta Elliot, Rita Williams-Garcia and Cheryl Willis Hudson.  Many thanks to Esther Keller for sharing it.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson

In writing this book, I wanted to be as authentic and truthful about my experience as possible.  I wanted my story to be told in totality: the good, the bad, and the things I was too afraid to talk about publicly.  This meant going to places and discussing some subjects that are often kept away from teens for fear of them being “too heavy.”

So begins Johnson as he introduces his memoir manifesto with an author’s note.  As the reader wades in, the heaviness is inevitable, but what Johnson’s first words do not prepare the reader for are the love and joy he conveys in describing his beautiful close knit family and their senses of humor and fierce devotion to one another.  

After his note and introduction, the author breaks his story up into four “acts,” collections of essays relayed in a conversational tone to a young adult audience.  He concludes with an afterword.  Teachers may wish to simply share the Introduction to bring this essential voice of our time into the classroom and allow students to select to read it in full as independent reading.  --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Johnson, George M.  All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson

Click here for discussion questions from the loft.org.