#sharondraper

Hello! Trinity here! I have recently went to the Scholastic book fair with my family to find a precious gem among the regular stones in a path and I stumbled across "Copper Sun", a book that I have long been searching for. I first discovered the exquisite and detailed Sharon M. Draper when my parent's purchased the book "Fire From the Rock" for me, it takes place in Little Rock, Arkansas where the 'Little Rock Nine' integrated a high school and the main character was one of the nine. From that point on I fell in love with Sharon M. Draper's detailed and flourishing work! My cousin also told me of a interesting book she had to read for her high school class entitled "Romiette and Julio" another work of art by Sharon M. Draper. Then came her bestseller "Out of My Mind" which was a definite insight on a disabled child's life and that even though your disabled physically your not necessarily disabled mentally. After reading that, I vowed she was one of my favorite authors from there on out. Then I stumbled across this beautiful sight, "Copper Sun" a book I had been longing for, on sale for an unbelievable price of $2.00.  I thought I was in heaven because I was feeling pure bliss and excitement that day. Although I felt like the price was a pure mockery of Sharon Draper's piece of art, I couldn't put the book down, between the true, gritty insight of a slave's life that no other author is willing to dig into, to the descriptiveness of the characters and their feelings...I believe every African American girl, woman, man, child, and boy should read this book. It describes the life of Amari, an African girl from the tribe Ewe and the invasion of her tribe, to the long and grueling days that she had to lay upon wooden boards on a ship where waste, vomit, and sweat would fall upon her. She would be branded, raped, whipped and more unfathomable cruelties. It also describes the life of a White indentured servant, Polly. It describes how she became an indentured servant and why she has to serve 14 years of her life to pay the debt of her parent's deaths. It also describes how these two cope despite there differences and their illusive hope of fleeing to freedom to escape a world so cruel to a Spanish colony.  This book speaks the truth of hardships, danger, but all the least..freedom! I have written this blog post to introduce you to the wonderful world of a remarkable author named Sharon Draper. Hopefully you will have one of her many books in your hands one day and rave about it and share your thoughts like I have! Press the link to be led to her website.

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper is a touching and inspiring novel about a girl with cerebral palsy (Information on Cerebral Palsy, Click Here).

The main character, Melody, is an intelligent, eleven-year-old girl who fights the stereotypes associated with mental and physical disabilities.  As she transcends these stereotypes, Melody makes her fair share of friends and enemies, and struggles to overcome many other obstacles along the way.

Draper introduces Melody as a young girl trying to cope with a crippling miscommunication disability. Her cerebral palsy leaves her non-verbal, and though she understands what is going on around her and is extremely intelligent, she has no way of letting those around her know. Consequently, many of her peers believe she is unintelligent and unaware. When she finally learns how to communicate with new technology, her family is astounded and her peers mock her in disbelief. Melody spends the rest of the novel proving her worth and value to those around her.

This novel is an easy and quick read. The reader can sympathize with Melody, and roots for her success. Melody’s story is important because it provides a perspective that is often over-looked. When implementing this novel in a classroom, I suggest an age group no younger than 7th grade. Because this text revolves around physical and mental health conditions, the audience needs to be mature enough to address these issues with a seriousness that is conducive to an adequate learning environment. The goal is for the students to understand that there are not only people from different cultures and backgrounds, but also who have different abilities. Students will probably encounter peers in their own school that are in special education classes or be in a class with someone who needs academic accommodations. This novel serves to address those stories that we never look at, give students a deeper understanding of what it means to have a disability, and what one who has one is capable of if they have the proper tools and assistance. 

This novel can be paired with Mental Health Awareness Month in May. Melody’s story is a structured and successful bridge for mental and physical disabilities and their inclusion in classrooms. Melody finally finds success when she gains inclusion in a general education class. Her struggles with her peers ultimately lead to progression in her social group. There are many ways to encourage growth through this medium. For example, it would be convenient to match this novel with the introduction of research papers. As an educator, it’s important to consider different types of disabilities as well as those that don’t have a medical diagnosis, like being a slow reader or having a hard time understanding numbers. By providing these examples to your students, you could provide them with opportunities to research mental and physical disabilities of their choosing. This will not only strengthen their acceptance of differences that surround them, but also entice them into an interest in a foreign concept.

 Ideas for Lesson Plans:

-        Vocabulary projects

-        “In-Your-Shoes” Activities