#findingconnections

[alouettelark]

#art #painting #oilpainting #structureoffeeling #findingconnections

[jenmarchiano]

Fleischman, P., & Pedersen, J. (Illus.) (1997). Seedfolks. New York, NY: HarperTrophy.  Set in a Cleveland community, this story captures the lives of various individuals. Coming from all different walks of life, these people, of varying ages, races, languages, and abilities begin to heal their personal wounds by planting in, and together maintaining, a community garden. Chapter Book, JMM.

Thoughts: I was intrigued with this short chapter book from the very beginning. The author brilliantly weaves different lives together and describes how each person finds their own way to identify with others who plant in the garden. It is remarkable to think that if it were not for this space, these individuals would have never interacted with each other. As each individual begins to heal their wounds through gardening, they also come to feel a sense of community and belonging within an otherwise very divided city.

Classroom Applications: As there are many different characters who contribute their own narrative, students of a 5th grade classroom or older can do an in-depth character analysis. Students can choose which character they would like to study further and work together to do a close read on whichever character they choose.Charts can also be made identifying each character’s reasons or motivations for planting in the garden.  Additionally, there are various instances where characters are noticed in another person’s account and this provides great opportunities for students to make inferences. For example, in Virgil’s chapter she speaks of a “wrinkled old man in a straw hat” (p. 42). By posing questions and asking students to think deeper about descriptions and detail, the teacher can assess whether or not students are picking up on the details of previous characters and realizing the connections between characters.Yet another fun activity that students can do is draw a picture of the garden the way they imagine it from reading this story. If possible, it would also be a great idea to have a class garden outside. Students can take on the responsibility of working together to maintain this garden and find their own purpose in planting their own seeds.