Book Detail

Silent Music

Publication Information
Author:  Rumford, James Illustrator:  Rumford, James
Title:  Silent Music Date:  2008
Publisher:  Roaring Brook Press City:  New York
ISBN, paperback:  1-59643-276-4 ISBN, hardback:  

Recommended audience:
ABE/ABLE:   Yes ESOL:  
Family:   Young Adult:  
Picture:   Yes

General Information:
Book Type(s):    fiction, symbolic language, easy reading

HSE Descriptor(s):    social studies

Summary:
A young boy in present-day Baghdad learns Arabic calligraphy to distract him from the bombing of his city. The gorgeous illustrations invite the reader to learn to write the Arabic words for "war" and "peace." An author's note gives the historical background of the calligraphy.

Teaching Ideas:
This book joins a small text set on Iraq. Curious readers will want to learn to write the words for "war" and "peace." Because the illustrations are so arresting, students may want to discuss the relationship between images and text and how the pictures expand understanding of the content. Readers can search for web sites on the 13th Century calligrapher Yaket al-Musta'simi. Students may want to discuss/write about activities that enable them to distance themselves from stress.

Teaching Strategies:
bullet Bleich's Heuristic for Responding to Reading
   http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/bleichs_heuristic.pdf
bullet Fluency Activities
   http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/fluency_activities.pdf
bullet Literature Circles
   http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/lit_circles.pdf
bullet Brainstorming Activities (Guidelines)
   http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/brainstorming.pdf
bullet Unsent Letters
   http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/unsent_letters.pdf

Keywords: select any link below for a list of resources which also have that keyword
bullet Social Studies > anthropology > cultures
bullet Social Studies > anthropology > daily life
bullet Family > children > childhood
bullet History > time period > 13th Century
bullet History > topic > war
bullet History > topic > war > children and war
bullet Geography > locations > continents/regions > Middle East


Ohio Aspire

Contact us

Ohio Aspire
p: 800.765.2897 option 2
p: 330.672.2007 option 2
f: 330.672.4841
ohiopdn@literacy.kent.edu

Explore more resources at:

Ohio Aspire
PDN Library