read & write
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activity
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Writers learn to tell and share their own stories by reading the stories of others, which is why 826michigan & Black Men Read are thrilled to partner together this year! Curiosity, imagination, and celebration of young people’s unique experiences are at the heart of our work. In this partnership, we seek to honor the interests and voices of young students and support their growth as readers and writers.
Keep in touch with us
on social media for updates about upcoming collaborations and free reading and writing programming in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and Detroit.
bmrkidsclub @BMRKIDSCLUB bmrprogram@gmail.com bmrkids.org
@826michigan 826michigan 826michigan info@826michigan.org 826michigan.org Online shop at onwardrobots.com
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What's
Inside
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Our Mission
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Activity 1: The Word Collector
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Activity 2: Story Detective
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Activity 3: Book Engineer
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Activity 4: Write a Manifesto
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Activity 5: Word Illustrator
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More programs from 826/BMR
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OUR MISSION
At 826michigan,
we imagine a future where all students readily access their personal creative voice through writing and confidently stand in the power of their stories. We value how writing allows us to figure things out, to connect with others, to help us learn about ourselves and who we will become, and to use our power to build a better world. Everyone, especially young people as they grow and develop as thinkers and creators, needs access to the power that writing offers. To gain this access, writers need to read many kinds of writing—stories, poems, news articles, websites, lists, text messages, letters, instructions, maps—to find inspiration and to see examples of how writers make change with their words!
OUR MISSION
At Black Men Read,
our mission is to uplift Black men, all children, and all communities. We recognize the power of storytelling to serve as a window into new worlds and perspectives, and to broaden our imaginations. We also believe that storytelling can be a mirror, one that affirms us, and gives us an opportunity to feel seen and valued. This is why we choose stories featuring Black children, from all over the African diaspora, in a variety of colors, ethnicities, religions, family structures and gender identities. We want all children, and especially Black children, to know that they matter, and they belong.
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BLACK MEN READ
BLACK MEN READ ACTIVITY
The
WORD
COLLECTOR
BLACK MEN READ
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ACTIVIT Y
Start your own word collection Here’s a place to keep some of your favorite words. Start by reading The Word Collector by Peter H. Reynolds. Like Jermone, you can find words anywhere: in your books, on signs, on screens, on the phone, with your family, in songs. Words you hear, words you see, words you taste and feel! Keep your word collection going for as long as you like—it works best if you can try it for at least a few weeks. If you run out of space, use a notebook to keep it going. You can collect your words anywhere!
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BLACK MEN READ
ACTIVIT Y
Kinds of Words to Look Out For (Add your own ideas, too!)
* Short words * Long words * Juicy words * Powerful words * Words you can taste * Words you can touch * Words that help you see something clearer * Sound words (you can hear the sound when you say it!) * Words you can smell * Words you love to say *_________________________________________ *_________________________________________ *_________________________________________ *_________________________________________ *_________________________________________ *_________________________________________ BLACK MEN READ
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ACTIVIT Y
After you have been collecting for a while, brainstorm a list of things to do with your words:
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BLACK MEN READ
ACTIVIT Y
Share your words with the world as much as you like!
Here are some ways to share them: Pick your three favorite words and draw them! Make a word gallery by folding a piece of paper into three parts and decorating each part with words. Write your own story or poem, using words from your collection where you highlight the words from your collection. Write your words out on big paper and hang it in the window or on your door so that neighbors can borrow the words they need. Mix and match your words to find phrases that are silly, serious, funny, or sad. Mix and match your words to send a message to someone you love. Describe something you love with all of the senses (hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling, tasting) so that it will come alive for anyone who reads the words you’ve collected. Share your favorite words with us online and we’ll make a word gallery with everything we collect BLACK MEN READ
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826MICHIGAN
826MICHIGAN ACTIVITY
Story Detective
826MICHIGAN
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ACTIVIT Y
Writers use different tools to make stories come alive for their readers. The way a writer uses their tools is their craft at creating stories. Read the stories in Where is it Coming From? like a detective would. Look for clues that show the writers' craft.
Once you have a list of clues, you can look for more clues in other books to see how other writers use their tools. You can try them out in a story that you write, too. When writers write, they try out using tools that they’ve read. . . sometimes the new tools work and sometimes they don’t! You might try something out and not like it where you tried it; try to use it somewhere else!
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826MICHIGAN
ACTIVIT Y
Here are some craft clues you can look for. You can also find your own! Feeling Tool Clues: What parts in stories show how the words and the pictures work together to make you laugh? Or to make you scared? Or to give you any other feelings? Rhythm Tool Clues: Where in the stories do writers use punctuation that helps you understand something or gives you a feeling? Imagery Tool Clues: What words do you love? What words help you imagine the story? LanguageTool Clues: Where does the size or shape of the words change the way you read the story? Plot Tool Clues: What does the writer do to keep you on the edge of your seat as you read? What makes you want to turn the page? Other Tools You Noticed:
826MICHIGAN
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BLACK MEN READ
BLACK MEN READ ACTIVITY
Book Engineer
BLACK MEN READ
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ACTIVIT Y
A great way to understand a story better is to become an engineer. Great engineers can take things apart, learn about the pieces, and put them back together. Let’s do that with one of the stories you read or listened to by answering the questions below. Feel free to add some questions of your own, or go back to the book if you need help finding the answers.
Who were some of the characters in the story?
What were some of the important moments, or plot points, in the story?
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BLACK MEN READ
ACTIVIT Y
My questions . . .
Which part of the story stood out most to you? Why?
BLACK MEN READ
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ACTIVIT Y
If your book is a picture book, how would it be different if there were no pictures? What about if the pictures were all in black and white?
My questions . . .
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BLACK MEN READ
ACTIVIT Y
What is one new word that you’ve learned while reading this book? How did you figure out what this word means? How would you explain the definition to someone who is younger than you?
BLACK MEN READ
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826MICHIGAN
826MICHIGAN ACTIVITY
Write A Manifesto
826MICHIGAN
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ACTIVIT Y
826 National was inspired to take a stand on issues of inclusion and diversity in light of the many events that spotlighted social and racial injustices throughout the country. We as educators, volunteers, and caring adults need to be aware of the wide range of issues our students face on a day-to-day basis. We need to support these young people as they navigate through and try to make sense of the world and their own identities. We need the support and the feedback from our community to ensure 826 is living up to these standards. Through our inclusion statement, our internal diversity and inclusion group, cultural competency resources provided to staff and volunteers, and partnerships with other organizations, we are always working towards being a more inclusive and supportive organization. We at 826 have the privilege of working with the next generation of scholars, teachers, doctors, artists, lawyers, and writers. It's our job to make sure they are able to take their own stands. As an organization committed to encouraging youth in their creative expression, personal growth, and academic success, 826 National and its chapters recognize the importance of diversity at all levels and in all aspects of our work. In order to build and maintain the safe, supportive 826 environment in which great leaps in learning happen, we commit ourselves to inclusion: we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, nationality, marital status, English fluency, parental status, military service, or disability. The 826 National network is committed to encouraging youth to express themselves and to use the written word to effectively do so. We encourage our students to write, take chances, make decisions, and finish what they start. And 826 strives to do this in an environment free from discrimination and exclusion.
by Gerald Richards, CEO
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A MANIFESTO: What You Believe
826 National created The 826 Stand. This statement helps readers know what the people in the organization believe about writing, freedom, creativity, and including everyone when working with students. Everyone has different experiences that shape what is important to us, and what we believe. For today’s activity you can create a manifesto, a public statement of a person’s or a group’s beliefs. They’re the personal rules that you live by. To create your own manifesto, follow the steps on the next page.
826MICHIGAN
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ACTIVIT Y
Step 1 Begin by thinking about what things are most important to you in your life. How should people treat one another? What do you care about the most? On this page or another piece of paper, you can write down a list of some of your ideas, or talk about them with someone first.
Step 2 Once you have a list of your beliefs and values, think about which ones you would like to share with your community. These can be things that you would like others to know about you, or they can be messages that you hope will matter to other people.
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826MICHIGAN
ACTIVIT Y
Step 3 Create your manifesto on a large piece of blank paper. Write some of your most important beliefs in either a list, statement (like the 826 National Stand), a story, a poem, or another form of writing and pictures so that anyone who reads it will be able to understand what matters to you. You can write a first draft here:
Step 4 Now that you have created your own manifesto, it’s time to share it with your community! You can hang up your sign in a window or on your door for other people to read and learn about what is important to you. Send us a picture of your manifesto or share it with us on social media! We'd love to read your work! 826MICHIGAN
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BLACK MEN READ ACTIVITY
Word Illustrator
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ACTIVIT Y
Illustrations are just as impactful for storytelling as the texts that go with them. Just think of your favorite cartoon, comic book or graphic novel. Would you love the story as much if the illustrations weren’t there? Or if they didn’t pop and add interest to the characters? Author/Illustrators like Kadir Nelson, Javaka Steptoe and Christian Robinson use color, shape, and texture to bring life to their words and the words of others. Select three of your favorite words from your collection and create an illustration to go with them. Remember that powerful art is about expressing yourself. If you’re worried about your drawing being “good,” focus on what you CAN do. Collage? Photography? Abstract art? Put on some music and let your creativity flow!
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You can sketch your ideas here to get started, then create your final piece of art on another paper.
What is an ILLUSTRATION, anyway? Any ART that "lights up" the meaning of the words, makes them clearer, or helps us understand them in different ways BLACK MEN READ
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More From 826michigan Free Virtual Schoolwork Support
Mondays and Tuesdays from 3:15-5:45pm Students ages 7-18 get individualized homework help and academic support for 90-minute blocks. Homework support is for 60 minutes and writing/ community-building activities are for 30 minutes. Offered in partnership with Ypsilanti District Library!
Free Writing for Wee-Bots
Wednesdays 6-7pm Wee-bots is 826michigan’s beloved signature workshop for early writers! Each week, we read a new book and practice a specific part of the author’s approach to writing . . . in our own way!
Free Hardcopy WRITE NOW Writing Kits
Writing Kits include a variety of writing prompts from 826michigan, writing utensils, stickers, paper, postcards and more, depending on the theme of the kit. Visit 826michigan.org to subscribe to our newsletter and sign up for FREE writing and schoolwork support programs. Families, please follow us on social media!
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More From Black Men Read BMR Kids Club Kits
Our Kids Club Kits are available four times a year, each with a special theme, new activities, and of course books featuring Black youth.
BMR Book Parties
Join our monthly virtual book parties and get to know the phenomenal Black men who make our program come to life. Each zoom party features a read aloud and games and activities that keep literacy fun! Visit bmrkids.org or follow us on Facebook @BMRKIDSCLUB to learn more about our ongoing programs.
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Created in partnership through the generous support of
Google Ann Arbor