Life on Tar Beach

Wow! It's been a million years since I've posted anything. But I enjoyed my time off with my family for Christmas break and just being able to lounge around doing nothing! :) So here's a belated Merry Christmas and belated Happy New Year! For the month of January, my students learned about different story elements. One element that we really focused on was character. Identifying main characters and supporting characters is one thing. Inferring characters' intentions and personalities based on the text is another.

To help my students understand this concept more, I shared the story Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold with them. This will always be one of my favorite books to work with. I love the illustrations, setting, characters,the figurative language usage and the overall theme of rising above obstacles. Enter Cassie Louise Lightfoot, an 8 year old 3/4 African American, 1/4 Native girl living in 1930's Harlem. Her father is a worker in the everchanging construction business so he is sometimes out of a job. He is not allowed to join the union simply because he is black. Due to her father's constant job searching, her mother cries at night. But instead of succumbing to the harsh realities of her life, Cassie decides that she is going to fly over and conquer them. One night as her family and neighbors enjoy a picnic on the roof of their apartment building, The Tar Beach, Cassie decides to let go and fly. Literally. One thing that Cassie flies over is the union building that her father helped build but cannot go in. On Tar Beach, he is the owner. After reading the story, I helped my students create a character map of Cassie. We talked about the things that she saw, ate, touched, said, and did. My students loved being able to pick Cassie apart and see her as more than just a little girl who could fly. She was a girl who cared about her family and wanted the best for them. I really love this activity because it gave my students an opportunity to see how things were during different times for different groups of people. When I started to explain how the construction business works, one of my students raised her hand and was able to give a first hand account. I had forgotten that her father is a construction

worker and was currently out a job. The kids were able to understand Cassie's situation a little more after hearing their classmate's story. (Her father has a job now. :) After our dicussion, I had my students create their own drawings of Cassie. They used crayons, markers, and colored pencils on their drawings but left some spaces open to fill them in with bits of paper. The books unique illustrations feature quilt pieces so I thought that it would be cool to create a textured drawing. (I'll post a pic asap! I forgot to snap a picture before leaving for the weekend!) Some of my students are more artistic than others but they still had fun. In fact, one of them checked the book out from the library the very next day! I love talking with my kids so reading Tar Beach was perfect opportunity to discuss social issues. I recommend this book to all educators, parents, or anyone who deals with children. Tar Beach is about a girl who dreams big inspite of her circumstances. I want my students to be fighters like Cassie.

"I can fly – yes, fly. Me, Cassie Louise Lightfoot, only eight years old and in the third grade, and I can fly. That means I am free to go whenever I want for the rest of my life…It’s very easy, anyone can fly. All you need is somewhere to go that you can’t get to any other way. The next thing you know, you’re flying among the stars." Cassie Louise Lightfoot from Tar Beach.