Posts tagged ‘neighborhoods’
3. Uptown by Bryan Collier
Retell: A young boy writes about his observations of Harlem.
Topics: neighborhoods, Harlem, community
Units of Study: Personal Narratives, Geography of New York
Reading Skills: envisionment
Writing Skills: writing small moments, including setting details, writing metaphors and similes
My Thoughts: This beautiful book shows that writers observe the world around them. Each observation is something that can turn into powerful writing. I plan on using this book as a mentor text for teaching about metaphors and similes. Collier writes, “Uptown is a caterpillar. Well, it’s really the Metro-North train as it eases over the Harlem River.” Though my students don’t live in Harlem, I’m hoping that reading this book together will show them that they need to share their world with others through writing. The world needs more books about Sunset Park, Brooklyn! For 4th grade teachers in New York, I can see using this book during a Geography unit. Perhaps after reading Uptown, students could locate the landmarks in the book on a subway map.
Teachable Texts 