Skip to main content

ECHO


BIBLIOGRAPHY
Munoz, P. 2015. Echo. Scholastic Press. ISBN-10: 9780439874021.

PLOT SUMMARY
Pam Munoz gives readers a beautiful story of perseverance, hope, and unity in the face of adversity. Echo is a wonderfully crafted story about the power of music. The main characters are young children from different backgrounds sharing similar dreams and misfortunes. Munoz delivers three different settings from around the world; Germany, Pennsylvania, and California from 1933 to1951. Children of similar ages are experiencing similar social injustices, from segregation, discrimination, war, and Nazism. The harmonica is a magical symbol throughout the story that is marked with an “M” to identify it as a messenger. The instrument protects, brings peace, and calms the characters throughout the story. The harmonica changes lives and saves lives as well. The story starts in Germany, makes its way to Pennsylvania and ends up in California. At the end, the harmonica magically brings all of the characters and backgrounds together to convey the power and triumph of music. All characters end up being successful musicians and live happy lives due to the magical power of the harmonica.

Awards:
John Newbery Medal 2016
Audie Award For Middle Grade 2016

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Pam Munoz is an incredible author with the ability to bring historical elements, fantasy, and social issues all together for one special purpose; unity in the face of adversity. Young readers will feel a sense of empathy, relatability, and hopefulness as they journey through the story Echo and make meaningful connections with the characters. For example, Friedrich Schmidt’s character will resonate with young readers who have distinctive features that make them feel discriminated against in their community. Also, Mike and Frankie are orphans that experience hardships along the way. Readers who are having family issues, will be able to feel a connection with these characters. And lastly, in California, Mexican and Japanese characters feel the struggles of being in a country where they experience segregation and discrimination. Fredrick, Mike, and Ivy are all main characters who experience situations of desperation, confusion, and discomfort. Munoz is sure to include social issues that will make impacting connections with the readers.   

EXCERPT REVIEWS
THE NEW YORK TIMES: “Long before the three stories came together in the book’s last, triumphant section, I’d been won over by the complex, largehearted characters Muñoz Ryan has created and the virtues — bravery, tolerance, kindness — that the novel espouses.” 2015

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “Each individual story is engaging, but together they harmonize to create a thrilling whole. The book’s thematic underpinnings poignantly reveal what Friedrich, Mike, and Ivy truly have in common: not just a love of music, but resourcefulness in the face of change, and a refusal to accept injustice.” 2015






CONNECTIONS
Classroom Activity:
Reading Class- Read novel ECHO and work on summary, plot, main ideas, theme, and characters traits.
Writing Class-Students will write about a special instrument, song, or lyric, that has helped them through challenging situations.
History Activity- Students will write a timeline of the most important events in Germany and the US during the 1930’s to 1950’s.
Art Class- draw picture of a magical harmonica.
Drama Class-Students will reenact a scene from ECHO.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras

BIBLIOGRAPHY Tonatiuh, D. 2015. Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras . (Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal Awards). Harry N. Abrams. ISBN-10: 1419716476. PLOT SUMMARY Duncan Tonatiuh is an innovative illustrator that integrates his art with tradition and culture to narrate historical events. In Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras , Tonatiuh incorporates his Mixtec-modern art with well-thought out, clear and concise, literary informational text about Don Lupe Posada’s life. The biography narrates Posada’s life in Mexico since the day he was born, followed by the most important and life changing events in his life. Posada gained public recognition for his witty art, which conveyed political and social depictions of people portrayed as “calaveras”. He achieved great success through working and training employees in various print shop businesses throughout his lifetime in Mexico. The calavera illustrations left a mark in the Mexican world...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Tarantula Scientist

BIBLIOGRAPHY Montgomery, S. and Bishop, N. 2007. The Tarantula Scientist. (Scientists in the Field Series). HMH Books for Young Readers. ISBN-10: 9780618915774. PLOT SUMMARY Exceptional non-fiction book, The Tarantula Scientist , narrated by Sy Montgomery, takes readers into the world of Sam Marshall’s tarantula research with the help of Nic Bishop’s cutting-edge photography skills. The story begins in French Guiana, north of the equator in a rainforest  serving as a home for dozens of tarantula species. Sam Marshall is a fearless scientist who gets up close and personal with all types of tarantulas and collects them for research. The book focuses on several different types of tarantulas from different locations from around the world, and provides details about their anatomy, defense mechanisms, prey, predators, and other unique features and abilities. The book also includes a smaller section giving spotlight to young students working on research and getting to know spide...
Post a Comment
Read more

Universal Design for Learning

As educators we are faced with making important decisions every day that will affect student learning. Educators need to keep in mind that we need to make learning accessible and accommodate to diverse learning styles. Each student brings their own knowledge, experiences, talents, and needs to the table. Educators should have a plan in place that will fit all students into the teaching and learning experience. That is were Universal Design for Learning comes into play.  Universal Design for Learning  is a curriculum system that provides unique and equal learning opportunities for all individuals.  As a teacher myself, I had heard of different theories similar to UDL before. After researching further into this designed system, I realized I have been using some of these methods in my classroom already. UDL is lead by three main principles that activate a learning in the brain: 1. Engagement: the WHY? Recruiting Interest Sustaining Effor...
2 comments
Read more