Narrative Nonfiction: The Boy on the Wooden Box

The Boy on the Wooden Box

by Leon Leyson





copyright 2013
Atheneum, New York




ATOS Level: 7.0
Lexile level: 1000
Interest level: Grades 6+

Description
This is a moving memoir of the author's experiences during the Nazi occupation of Poland and later at concentration camps, until he was freed at the end of  World War II. His was one of the names on Schindler’s list and he credits his family surviving to Schindler. This somber retelling of actual events will astound the reader with how this boy and his family survive six years of horrific treatment at the hand of the Nazis. It ends on an upbeat as we learn about his life after the war (he emigrated to the United States with his parents and become a well-loved teacher and father). Like many holocaust survivors, Leon Leyson spent many years avoiding talking about this time in his life, but after nearly 50 years of silence he began to speak of his experiences. These talks were the source of this memoir which was published shortly after he died. While other primary sources reveal the heinous history of the Holocaust, Leyson's memoir, though still filled with horrific details, is written in a manner that younger readers can understand.

Qualitative Analysis
Structure

• Leyson's story is retold in simply-constructed sentences, in chronological order.

Language Demands

• The memoir reads as if Mr. Leyson were speaking to us in easily understandable language.

Knowledge Demands

• Background knowledge of the Holocaust is essential before reading this book.

Levels of Meaning

• This memoir will be understood as a primary source on the Holocaust. 

Text Complexity
The Boy on the Wooden Box may be read independently by the intended audience as long as there are regular teacher-led discussions to help deal with the harrowing topics.

Curriculum Connections (Social Studies/History)
If you have never taught with primary source materials before, this may be a good first choice. The memoir is a very readable, straight-forward, first-hand account of life under the Nazis. Pre-teach with an introduction to the Holocaust (such as that from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. at https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005143). Then while reading The Boy on the Wooden Box, lead discussions about how information from these sources differ. Why read a primary source? Do you learn anything different? The Holocaust Memorial Museum (resource link below) has a comprehensive website with primary source materials, guidelines for teaching and lesson plans. This could be your main source for finding age-appropriate materials for teaching about the Holocaust. 

Related Resources
Teaching About the Holocaust from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
https://www.ushmm.org/educators/teaching-about-the-holocaust/age-appropriateness


Standards (examples for Grades 9-10)
English Language Arts Standards > History/Social Studies

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.2

Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text. 

English Language Arts > Reading: Informational Text

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.7

Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person's life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account.

Final Thoughts
As heartbreaking as it is, The Boy in the Wooden Box is must-read for students learning about the Holocaust and a lesson in the value of primary source materials.

Classic/Contemporary Novel Pairing: Stuart Little/Tale of Despereaux

Classic Title: Stuart Little

by E. B. White




copyright 2005
Harper & Row, New York

originally published in 1945


ATOS Level: 6.0
Lexile level: 920
Interest level: Grades 4-8




Contemporary Title: The Tale of Despereaux

by Kate DiCamillo





copyright 2003
Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA




ATOS Level: 4.7
Lexile level: 670
Interest level: Grades 4-8


Description
The mice in the title roles of these middle grade novels have a lot in common, despite their very different circumstances. Stuart and Despereaux are plucky, charming and in love with creatures beyond their reach. Surprises to their families, though for different reasons, they both have remarkable talents. Stuart seems to have an easier time of it, as none of the humans he encounters is more than a little surprised at a nattily dressed mouse who talks, sails and drives. Despereaux, on the other hand, gets banished to the rat-infested dungeon for not behaving as a mouse should in a castle in the middle ages. Stuart's adventures start out very home-bound (retrieving jewelry from a sink drain, for example) but he soon sets out on his own to explore the world, while heading north, hopefully in pursuit of Margalo, the bird he loves. Despereaux must find his way out of the dungeon in time to save the Princess, the girl he loves. The Tale of Despereaux is more complex with more storylines and characters but is thoroughly enjoyable as a modern fairy tale set in a long ago time. The simpler story of Stuart Little, a mouse who acts so human, may be harder to appreciate partly because 1940's New York City seems so foreign to the modern, and rural, reader. But E. B. White's writing still holds its charms, as he winks at the reader with lines like, "Before he was many days old he was not only looking like a mouse but acting like one, too - wearing a gray hat and carrying a small cane." 

Qualitative Analysis
Structure

• Short chapters and illustrations in both books may entice younger readers but put off older readers who may think "these are for little kids". Despereaux's chapters are grouped into four books, which may be a new structure for some. The black line illustrations in Stuart Little may help the reader understand the 1940's era NYC setting, while the etching-like drawings in Despereaux help evoke the Middle Ages.  

Language Demands

• There are many challenging words in Stuart Little; Lexile.com identifies challenging words in the text which teachers may want to introduce prior to reading. While the Lexile and ATOS levels of Despereaux are lower than those of Stuart Little, it has a more complex chronology with chapters devoted to multiple characters, recounting their pasts, leaving Despereaux out of the tale for many pages.

Knowledge Demands

• The settings - medieval Europe (Despereaux) and 1940's Manhattan (Stuart Little) - may require pre-teaching so that students' enjoyment of the stories is unhindered by unfamiliar time periods and locales.

Levels of Meaning

• Both books may be understood on several levels, from basic plots to the fantastical elements of anthropomorphic mice to themes of family, danger and love. 

Text Complexity

Text complexity is rated between independent and teacher-led for both books; for Stuart Little because of the challenging vocabulary; for The Tale of Despereaux because of the multitude of characters, storylines and chronology. A student able to read Despereaux independently will likely be able to also read Stuart Little independently, with support for the vocabulary and some scenes (like the sailing adventure, which may be hard for any non-sailing reader to fully understand).


Curriculum Connections (Literature)
There are so many jumping off points in comparing these two books that the hardest part will be deciding how to do the paired readings. Despereaux almost begs to be a read-aloud (just change "reader" to "listener" in passages like, "Again, reader, we must go backward before we can go forward." Stuart Little can then be read independently. Although Stuart Little has a higher Lexile level, the slim volume is broken up into short chapters, and could be read independently or in peer-led groups with vocabulary support. Both books could be assigned, but to different groups of students according to their reading levels, with students partnering up afterwards for the activities. At the upper middle-school level, these two titles could be one of the choices in a classic/contemporary pairing assignment. 

With the stories under their belts, students could be led in literature circles to discuss the ways that Despereaux and Stuart are alike and different, including how their births were greeted by their families and the qualities that make them more human-like than mouse-like. The two characters could be compared with Venn diagrams. Students could imagine a world - and create a Google Map tour - where Stuart goes back in time to visit Despereaux or Despereaux visits Stuart in Central Park. Students could create missing person posters or Valentine's Day cards for Margalo or Princess Pea. They could also imagine, using images and voice recording (iMovie or VoiceThread, for example) how Stuart and Despereaux would have fared in their adventures had they been other animals and not mice. Rats and cats suffer from negative stereotypes in both books, and in addition to an analysis of whether they are unfairly portrayed, students could write or record another side of the story from a rat's or cat's perspective. Finally, both books have been made into movies; students could write movie reviews, analyzing each for how well they translated the book onto the big screen. 

Related Resources
Central Park, NYC - Things to see and do (site includes interactive map of the park)
http://www.centralparknyc.org/things-to-see-and-do/

Stuart Little story-boarding activities
http://www.storyboardthat.com/teacher-guide/stuart-little-by-e-b--white 

Meet the Author: E. B. White
http://eduplace.com/kids/hmr/mtai/white.html

Tale of Despereaux - Fact or fiction lesson plan from read•write•think
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/tale-despereaux-fact-fiction-30561.html?tab=1#tabs

Tale of Despereaux - Literature circle discussion guide from Scholastic
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/tale-despereaux-discussion-guide

Kate DiCamillo official website
http://www.katedicamillo.com/

What was life really like in the Middle Ages?
http://www.learner.org/interactives/middleages/feudal.html

Kids' Castle - Explore a castle online
http://www.kidsonthenet.org.uk/castle/view.html



Standards (examples for Grade 7)
English Language Arts > Reading: Literature

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.1

Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.3

Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.7

Compare and contrast a written story, drama, or poem to its audio, filmed, staged, or multimedia version, analyzing the effects of techniques unique to each medium (e.g., lighting, sound, color, or camera focus and angles in a film).

Final Thoughts
DiCamillo and White have both written tales which appeal to all readers, including adults. Whether you use them as a classic/contemporary pairing or separately in literature units, these are books which should continue to be recommended to and read by children. 

Historical Fiction: The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg

by Rodman Philbrick






copyright 2009
Scholastic, Inc., New York




ATOS Level: 5.6
Lexile level: 950
Interest level: Grades 4-8

Description
Twelve-year old Homer P. Figg colorfully narrates his exploits, traveling from Maine to Pennsylvania in pursuit of his older brother who has been wrongly conscripted in the Union Army. It's a hero's journey, really, as Homer overcomes obstacles in the form of an abusive uncle, slave bounty hunters, con artists, and a traveling medicine show led by a Confederate spy, landing him ultimately in the middle of the Battle of Gettysburg. Though Homer is brutally treated throughout the story, his descriptions are comic and he always manages to escape with the help of strangers and his own guile (including a knack for telling lies). All the humor helps the reader get through the carnage of Gettysburg at the end of the story. What Homer describes on the battlefield is not overly graphic, but the writer doesn't shy away from describing death, making this otherwise funny story best for the upper grades. 

Qualitative Analysis
Structure

• Homer relates his adventures in mostly chronological order, with some looking back into his past.

Language Demands

• The colorful language spoken by the narrator and other characters contains a lot of mid-19th century and Civil War slang, explained either through the text or in the glossary at the end of the book. The 12-year old narrator's voice is conversational and sprinkled with similes and metaphors, such as "We're falling from the sky like a bird with a broken wing" and "his voice is bad enough to crack the moon."

Knowledge Demands

• Discussing the book while reading it may help students better understand the setting and period slang, leading to an appreciation of the language and comic style. While any reader will be able to follow the basic story of Homer and the challenges he faces looking for his brother, some knowledge about the Civil War will result in a deeper understanding of events.  

Levels of Meaning

• On the one hand a simply told story of a boy and his adventures, this book, as a work of historical fiction, can also be read as representing some truths about slavery, abolition, and the Civil War. 

Text Complexity

Curriculum Connections (Social Studies/History)
The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg is a perfect literature companion to a middle school unit on the Civil War. There are rich topics for discussion: What truths about slavery and the Civil War does the author write about?  What's the difference between nonfiction and historical fiction, and can students identify the parts of the story that are based on true events? Can they tell what the author or narrator thinks about war? Students could compare and contrast fictional characters (like the Underground Railroad "conductor" Samuel Reed) to real historical figures (Harriet Tubman). Similarly, students could create Venn-diagrams of real people appearing in the story, such as Joshua Chamberlain: what are known facts about him, what parts of his portrayal in the book were based on truth and which were totally made up? Homer is a rich subject for character analysis: He is very good at telling lies. Does that make him good or bad? Students could write persuasive essays, citing evidence from the text, to make their point about his character. 

Additional teaching resources

Related Resources
The Civil War - free animated video series from BrainPOP
https://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/freemovies/civilwar/

The Civil War - resources from the National Park Service
http://www.nps.gov/civilwar/index.htm

The Civil War - resources from the Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/themes/civil-war/

The Underground Railroad interactive game from National Geographic
http://education.nationalgeographic.org/media/underground-railroad-journey-freedom/

Heroes of the Underground Railroad
http://freedomcenter.org/enabling-freedom/heroes


Standards (examples for Gr. 7)
Maine Learning Results for Social Studies: Historical Knowledge, Concepts, Themes and Patterns
E1b. Identify and analyze major historical eras, major enduring themes, turning points, events, consequences, and people in the history of Maine, the United States and various regions of the world.

English Language Arts Standards > Literacy in History/Social Studies

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.6

Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author's point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).

English Language Arts Standards > Reading: Literature

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.9

Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history.

Final Thoughts
Through Homer, the author has humanized the deadliest war in our history and made some of the difficult themes accessible to young readers. Those who don't know anything about the Civil War will want to learn more about it after reading; this book is the hook to learning about history. Readers who already know a lot about the Civil War will enjoy the historical figures and settings in this often funny book. 

Science Narrative for High School: Packing for Mars

Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void

by Mary Roach





copyright 2010
W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., New York



Lexile level: 1070
Interest level: 9-12 +

Description
Although this book was published in 2010, it is still quite timely as astronaut Scott Kelly has just come back to Earth after nearly a year on the International Space Station, part of NASA's study of what it will take to send a mission to Mars. Mary Roach's writing style is funny and irreverent, making the science and travails of space travel very understandable to the non-scientific reader. She treats topics, like bodily functions in weightlessness, with the right balance of seriousness and humor. While being entertained, the reader will still learn a lot about the history of space travel and NASA's modern day challenges.

Qualitative Analysis
Structure

• Packed with information and descriptions about space travel, this book has a complex narrative structure. For example, Chapter 11, "The Horizontal Stuff", recounts NASA's research with paid subjects who lie around in bed most of the day to simulate long stretches of inactivity in space. The first couple of paragraphs describing one subject are followed by a description of how the muscles and skeleton of the human body work. Next up is a paragraph about a piece of 1800's era research on baby's bones then back to NASA's bed-rest experiments. This structure adds to both the interest and complexity of the text. Numerous and lengthy footnotes place an additional demand on the reader.

Language Demands

• The narrative and research are both told in conversational style.

Knowledge Demands

• This book, like the other nonfiction titles from Mary Roach, do not require prior or background knowledge, as it is the author's intent to teach about the topic.

Levels of Meaning

• Packing for Mars can be read simply as an informational text about space travel.

Text Complexity

Curriculum Connections (Science)
One of the high school Next Generation Science Standards calls for solving real-world problems by breaking them down into smaller problems (Engineering Design). It would be engaging for students to choose a real-world problem from a selection of narrative science literature, like Packing for Mars. (Other high school choices could include The World Without Us by Alan Weisman, Collapse by Jared Diamond, and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Sacks by Rebecca Skloot). Students would read the text with an eye towards identifying one problem they deem most significant in the narrative. After analyzing the problem and solutions in the text, students could create bubble maps or Prezis breaking down the problems into smaller steps to solve.

Related Resources
NASA's International Space Station blog
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

How Curiosity Got Us to Mars
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-curiosity-got-us-to-mars-bobak-ferdowsi

Could We Actually Live on Mars?
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/could-we-actually-live-on-mars-mari-foroutan

Gravity and the Human Body - Jay Buckey
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/gravity-and-the-human-body-jay-buckey


Standards (examples for Grades 11-12)
Common Core English Language Arts Standards for Science and Technical Subjects

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.2

Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.11-12.2

Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; summarize complex concepts, processes, or information presented in a text by paraphrasing them in simpler but still accurate terms.

Next Generation Science Standards

HS-ETS1-2. Engineering Design

Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.

Final Thoughts
Packing for Mars is a good choice for an independent reader looking for a nonfiction narrative, meticulously researched and humorously written by a well-known science writer. It is proof that science can be fun.