I recently read the book The World According to Humphrey which has a reading level of 4.2 (4th grade, 2nd month) and an interest level for grades 2-5. I ordered this book from the latest Scholastic Book Catalog. I noticed my daughter has an interest in this series and her teacher was reading this book aloud to her students, so I thought I would read it myself as well!
So, Humphry is a class hamster in room 26. He loved his time spent with his long-term substitute teacher, Mrs. Mac, but since she’s left, he is heartbroken. When the classroom teacher, Mrs. Brisbane, returns, she does not want Humphrey, does not take him home each night like Mrs. Mac, leaving Humphrey alone and sad.
Humphrey ends up taking turns spending the weekend with first the principal (he wreaks havoc in his home!) and then various classmates. As he spends his time with classmates, we uncover new information about each child’s life (and eventually Mrs. Brisbane's life) that impacts his/her time at school.
What I loved about this book is how Humphrey is able to help each person solve problems. My favorite example of this from the story is the girl who doesn’t participate in class. Mrs. Brisbane pushes and pushes her to participate, even threatening to send a letter home to her parents. From his stay with her, Humphrey realized that English is not spoken in her home and her family has a minimal grasp on the English language. Because the child insists that everyone must speak English around Humphrey for that weekend, the mother makes the decision to enroll in English courses to help her learn the language.
This, to me, stresses the importance of cultural awareness and understanding cultural norms. Not all students see the world from a white, middle-class, and female perspective (i.e. the viewpoint of most elementary teachers). Teachers must be considerate and understanding of this.
From a teacher’s viewpoint, this novel teaches children that each individual, each family, has its own story. Students could then write, create, draw, etc. THEIR story to share with the class---supporting cultural identities.
Looking forward to re-reading this book with my daughter. I’m also excited to share that I have a copy of Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan which was recommended to me by my friend and 5th-grade teacher. Can’t wait to get started on that book today!
Till next week,
Dr. Kingsley
This book sounds very interesting! Not only is this book great to read in the classroom, but it sure sounds like it can be a teachable moment for teachers as you have mentioned that it made you aware of how important culture is in the classroom. I love books that have multiple stories within it and constantly having something new to read and learn in each chapter. The idea you have on a writing lesson to go with this book is perfect! This blog post is something that I will look back on when I get my own classroom on what books to read to my students and how to turn the reading into a lesson for the students! Awesome ideas!
ReplyDeleteI read this book when I was in the third grade! It truly impacted me a lot, especially in the part of the book where Humphrey spends time with the family who speaks minimal English. As a child, I could relate to that part a lot because at home all I spoke was Spanish and I still do. As teachers, it's important for us to recognize the various backgrounds of all of our students! This book would be great to read as a class and it can truly teach children that everyone has a different story.
ReplyDeleteI'm half way through Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan and so far I've felt many emotions. So far, it's my favorite book by her. It is such an amazing read and I haven't felt this great about a book in a while. We'll see how I feel when I'm done with the entire book!