The Hickory Chair
The Hickory Chair by Rowe Fraustino
"I loved Gran's smell, and her warm face when we played touch-your-nose at the gold mirror, and her salty kisses when we sat on Gramps's old army trunk in the attic and listened to the wind sing on the roof.
Blind since birth, Louis uses all his senses to love his grandmother and feel her love for him. When she dies and Louis seems to have been forgotten in the family treasure hunt Gran arranged in lieu of a will, he must hold on to his knowledge of her love for him and his memories of her smell--"lilacs, with a whiff of bleach"--and her "molasses voice" to know he could never have been overlooked. It is a lifetime later, when Louis is a grandfather himself, that his conviction is affirmed by his "favorite youngest grandchild's" discovery in Gran's much-loved hickory chair.
Nothing is overdone in Lisa Rowe Fraustino's beautiful story that shows the profound power of "blind sight," Gran's term for Louis's ability to "see" so much. And the exquisite paintings, in oils and fabric collage by artist Benny Andrews (Sky Sash So Blue) have a tactile appeal, drawing in the reader to Louis's world, as though we are seeing the way he does. (Ages 6 to 10)(amazon.com review
Why are we featuring this book?
The Hickory Chair is a book featured in Five in a Row, a literature-based unit study curriculum. Many families use FIAR for all but the Grammar / Reading and Math, and others use it in conjunction with other resources. Below you will find information about the author and illustrator, story summaries, and links to lesson plans and websites that are great go-alongs for The Hickory Chair. Please note that these resources are meant to complement, not replace, the Five in a Row units. The Five in a Row volumes are inexpensive and well worth the investment.
|
Author page
Illustrator Page
Other books by Benny Andrews
Go-Alongs:
Online Units and Resources for The Hickory Chair
Arthur's Communication Adventure
The goal of this guide is to help children who are hearing and sighted become more aware of ways that children who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, or hard-of-hearing learn, play, and enjoy the same things they do. The curriculum was developed especially for students in grades 2-3, but activities can easily be adapted for younger or older audiences. (Y)
You've Got Braille
Fill in the dots to write your name in braille. (Y)
Bits of Braille
A Braille study lesson plan for fourth through sixth grades. (M)
Disabilities and Special Education
Contains links to lesson plans and resources for students with disabilities, particularly those receiving special education. It also contains lesson plans about individuals with disabilities (Helen Keller or FDR, for instance). (Y, M, O, T)
Brown Sugar Rice Pudding
recipe (Y)
Go-alongs about
A science lesson on Trees - The students will be asked what they know about trees. 3rd Grade (Y)
Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve - The Ancient Coast Redwood is the tallest living thing on our planet! Armstrong Redwoods preserves stately and magnificent Sequoia sempervirens, commonly known as the coast redwood. These trees stand together as a testament to the wonders of the natural world. The Grove offers solace from the hustle and bustle of daily life, offering the onlooker great inspiration and a place for quiet reflection. The reserve includes a visitor center, large outdoor amphitheater, self-guided nature trails, and a variety of picnic facilities. (Y, M, O, T)
Go-alongs about Senses
American Foundation for the Blind: Helen Keller - From The American Foundation for the Blind (Y, M, O, T)
Arthur's Communication Adventure - Children who can hear and see learn how children who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, or hard-of-hearing learn, play, and enjoy the same things they do. From PBS.org (Y)
Audition (Hearing) - Neuroscience for kids (Y)
Braille - From Omniglot - writing systems and languages of the world (Y, M, O, T)
Come to your senses - Use an online Mr. Potato Head to learn about the senses. (Y,M)
Decibel Levels - From CoolMath4Kids.com (Y, M, O, T)
Ear Anatomy - From Enchanted Learning. (Y)
Eggs filled with sound - Plastic eggs will be filled with various objects and children will need to use their sense of hearing to figure out what is inside. Preschool, K, 1-2 (Y)
Hele Keller - From Garden of Praise (Y,M)
Helen Keller - From Surfing the Net with Kids (Y,M)
Helen Keller Biography - From The Braille Bug (Y,M)
Helen Keller Birthplace - Ivy Green is the birthplace of Helen Keller. (Y, M, O, T)
Helen Keller Kids Museum Online - An interactive virtual experience from the American Foundation for the Blind. (Y,M)
Helen Keller Unit Study - From Garden of Praise (Y,M)
Kids Konnect - Helen Keller - Webpages created by a retired teacher to help kid safely learn on the internet about Helen Keller. (Y,M)
Let Us Have Faith by Helen Keller - From MyHero.com (Y,M)
Louis Braille Biography - From the American Foundation for the Blind (Y,M)
Louis Braille:A Touch of Genius - From National Braille Press (Y, M, O, T)
Our 5 senses - Hands on activities for teaching the 5 senses (Y)
Senses - BrainPop movies explain balance, hearing, taste, vision problems, eyes, smell and touch. (Y,M)
Senses, The Five - Mathematics, Science and Language objectives; Vocabulary and Concept Web Grades K, 1, 2, 3 (Y)
Sight (Vision) - From Neuroscience for Kids, offers vision lesson plans for grades K-12 (Y, M, O, T)
Smell (Olfaction) - From Neuroscience for Kids, offers Olfaction lesson plans for grades K-12 (Y, M, O, T)
Stick out your tongue and say "aah" - from Kids' Health, lots of info about the tongue and taste (Y,M)
Taste (Gustation) - From Neuroscience for Kids, offers gustation lesson plans for grades K-12 (Y, M, O, T)
Teacher Hero: Louis Braille - From My Hero Project (Y, M, O, T)
Teaching children about the five senses - from the Illinois Extension office, lessons for teaching the senses (Y)
The Braille Bug Site - From the American Foundation for the Blind (Y,M)
The Incredible Human Body: The Five Senses - Designed for a group, but contains good questions to spark discussion. Lessons fore different age levels. (Y, M, O, T)
The Life of Helen Keller - From the Royal National Institute of the Blind. Helen Keller, the deafblind woman who became a role model for millions of people (Y, M, O, T)
The life of Louis Braille - From the Royal National Institute of the Blind (Y, M, O, T)
The Senses Working Together - From Neuroscience for Kids, offers Touch Experiments for grades K-12 (Y, M, O, T)
The Sound Site - The Sound Site is part of the Sound Project, a partnership between the Science Museum and the Minnesota Orchestra. The site's purpose is to present activities, discussions and multimedia explorations about sound, both from a scientific and artistic perspective. (Y, M, O, T)
Touch Experiments - From Neuroscience for Kids, offers Touch Experiments for grades K-12. (Y, M, O, T)
We need all five senses - uses experiments to show our need for the senses (Y)
You've Got Braille - Fill in the dots to write your name in braille. (Y)
