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TEACHER’S GUIDE Every Month is a New Year written by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Susan L. Roth About the Book SYNOPSIS Genre: Poetry *Reading Level: Grade 4 In many places around the globe, the new year starts on January 1. But not everywhere! Chinese New Year is celebrated Interest Level: Grades 1–8 in January or February. Iranians observe Nowruz in March. For Guided Reading Level: T Thai people, Songkran occurs in April. Ethiopians greet the new year at Enkutatash in September. All these diverse cultural, Accelerated Reader® Level/ regional, and religious observances, and many others, have Points: N/A deep-rooted traditions and treasured customs. Lexile™ Measure: N/A Acclaimed poet Marilyn Singer has created a lively poetry collection that highlights sixteen of these fascinating festivities, *Reading level based on the some well-known and some less familiar. Together with Susan Spache Readability Formula L. Roth’s captivating collage illustrations, the poems take Themes: New Year’s readers to the heart of these beloved holidays. Every month Celebrations, Cultural/ of the year, somewhere in the world people celebrate with joy Regional/Religious and good wishes for a happy new year. Traditions, Calendars, Global Perspective, Geography, Cultural Diversity, Poetry Teacher’s Guide copyright © 2018 LEE & LOW BOOKS. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to share and adapt for personal and educational use. For questions, comments, and/or more information, please contact us at [email protected]. Visit us online at leeandlow.com. 1 Every Month is a New Year BACKGROUND “No matter how they celebrate or on what date, people everywhere find a time to wish Author’s Introduction: “Happy New Year! All one another, ‘Happy New Year.’” around the world, people celebrate New Year’s Day beginning at midnight when December 31 Calendars: For millennia, civilizations have becomes January 1. They ring out the old year marked the beginning of a new year with and ring in the new with a variety of festivities celebrations. The earliest recorded festivities that include eating and drinking holiday foods date back four thousand years to the and beverages, shooting off fireworks, blaring Babylonians, who celebrated the new year in horns, beating drums, giving gifts, dancing, March at the first new moon after the spring making resolutions, or actually ringing bells. equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. Later civilizations developed and followed different “But January 1 is not the only day that the new calendars, so the date of New Year’s Day year is celebrated. Chinese New Year, also depended on which calendar was being used. known as the Spring Festival, falls sometime New Year’s Day was formally celebrated for the in January or February. Nowruz, the Iranian first time on January 1, 45 BCE, after the Roman New Year, begins in March, when spring begins emperor Julius Caesar introduced a solar in the Northern Hemisphere. In Thailand, calendar based on Earth’s revolution around festivities for Songkran are held from April 13 the sun. The calendar, which became known as to 15. The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, the Julian calendar, consisted of 365 days and occurs in September or October, and it begins one leap (extra) day every four years, because at sunset. Diwali, celebrated in parts of it takes the earth approximately 3651⁄4 days to India, starts at sunrise on a day in October or revolve around the sun. The days were divided November. The date of the Islamic New Year into twelve months of 30 or 31 days each. The varies from year to year, but it always begins at month of January was named for Janus, the the first sighting of a crescent moon. Roman god of gates and doors, beginnings and “Some of these celebrations are secular, not endings, whose two faces look backward and religious. Others are religious. And still others forward. have religious roots but are combined with The Gregorian calendar, created in 1582 secular traditions. Iranians set a table with during the time of Pope Gregory XIII, seven special dishes with names that begin corrected the mathematical formula used with the letter s (seen) in Persian. Thai people to calculate the leap year and inserted the hold what is perhaps the world’s biggest water extra day according to a different rule. A main fight. Hindus light lamps and bonfires. Muslims reason for this reform was to prevent Easter spend the day quietly in prayer. Jews go to Sunday from falling too far from the spring synagogue to worship, and some practice equinox in March. The Gregorian calendar is tashlich, casting away sins (in the form of internationally the most common civil calendar pebbles or bits of bread) into a body of water. in use today. Spaniards eat twelve grapes for good luck. Teacher’s Guide copyright © 2018 LEE & LOW BOOKS. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to share and adapt for personal and educational use. For 2 questions, comments, and/or more information, please contact us at [email protected]. Visit us online at leeandlow.com. Every Month is a New Year Other cultures and groups, such as Jews, Chinese, and Hindus, use a twelve-month lunar Additional LEE & LOW calendar, based on the cycle of the moon, to Titles to Teach Poetry determine when the new year begins. These calendars generally add a thirteenth month A Full Moon is Rising written by Marilyn every few years to align with the seasons. Singer, illustarted by Julia Cairns Although New Year’s Day is on a different date https://www.leeandlow.com/books/a- each year, that date generally falls within the full-moon-is-rising same few months for each group. The Islamic Water Rolls, Water Rises/El agua rueda, calendar is a purely lunar calendar. It consists el agua sube written by Pat Mora, of 354 or 355 days and twelve months of 29 illustrated by Meilo So or 30 days. Each month begins when the new https://www.leeandlow.com/books/ crescent moon is sighted, and those sightings water-rolls-water-rises-el-agua-rueda-el- vary from region to region due to cloud cover, agua-sube sky brightness, and other factors. Because this Tan to Tamarind written by Malathi calendar is shorter than the Gregorian calendar, Iyengar, illustrated by Jamel Akib the first month, Muharram, begins 10 or 11 days https://www.leeandlow.com/books/tan- earlier than it did the previous year. This means to-tamarind that in some years, New Year’s Day will be celebrated in May, as in this book. Amazing Faces written by Lee Bennett Hopkins, illustrated by Chris Soentpiet About the Celebrations: Please refer to the https://www.leeandlow.com/books/ backmatter of the book for a brief history and amazing-faces explanation of each New Year’s celebration Amazing Places written by Lee Bennett highlighted in the poems. Hopkins, illustrated by Chris Soentpiet & Christy Hale https://www.leeandlow.com/books/ amazing-places Poems in the Attic written by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon https://www.leeandlow.com/books/ poems-in-the-attic Marti’s Song for Freedom/Martí y sus versos por la libertad written by Emma Otheguy, illustrated by Beatriz Vidal https://www.leeandlow.com/books/ marti-s-song-for-freedom-marti-y-sus- versos-por-la-libertad Teacher’s Guide copyright © 2018 LEE & LOW BOOKS. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to share and adapt for personal and educational use. For questions, comments, and/or more information, please contact us at [email protected]. Visit us online at leeandlow.com. 3 Every Month is a New Year VOCABULARY BEFORE READING (Language Standards, Vocabulary Acquisition & Use, Strands 4–6) Prereading Focus Questions The story contains several content- (Reading Standards, Craft & Structure, Strand 5 and Integration of Knowledge & Ideas, specific and academic words and Strand 7) (Speaking & Listening Standards, Comprehension & Collaboration, Strands 1 and 2) phrases that may be unfamiliar to students. Based on students’ prior Before introducing this book to students, you may wish to develop knowledge, review some or all of background knowledge and promote anticipation by posing the vocabulary below. questions such as the following: Content Specific 1. Ask students what traditions mean to them. What are traditions? Why are traditions important? What are some Times Square, Hogmanay, traditions you (or, you and your family) follow each year? Auld Lang Syne, First Footer, 2. Ask students how they celebrate the new year. When do you Grandfather Frost, Snow celebrate New Year’s Eve/Day? What do you do to celebrate Maiden, Babushka, “Gong the holiday? hey fat choy,” dumplings, 3. Ask students why they celebrate the arrival of a new year. Why Nowruz, haft seen, sabzeh, is it important to you (or, you and your family) to celebrate seer, Songkran, Buddas, stupas, New Year’s Eve/Day? What does a new year mean to you? To Muharram, Prophet, masjid, other people in your family? mosque, Matariki, Little Eyes, 4. Ask students what they know about different New Year’s We Tripantu, ¡Wiñoi Tripantu!, celebrations around the world. Do you know of any other new rewe, Wep Ronpet, Nile, Akhet, year festivities or traditions other than the ones in which you (and your family) participate? What do you know about these Sopdet, Nowruz, Navroze, other new year traditions? pulao, ghee, haft seen, agiary, sandalwood, Enkutatash, Queen 5. Ask students why it’s important to acknowledge traditions and festivities different from their own. Why do you think it’s of Sheba, King Solomon, shofar, important to learn about different holidays and New Year’s Diwali, Rangoli, diya, Año Viejo, celebrations and traditions around the world, even if you don’t effigies, papier-mache, Noche celebrate or if the festivities are different from your own? Vieja, ¡Feliz Año Nuevo!, ¡Buena suerte! Exploring the Book (Reading Standards, Key Ideas & Details, Strand 1, Craft & Structure, Strand 5, and Academic Integration of Knowledge & Ideas, Strand 7) (Speaking & Listening Standards, Comprehension & Collaboration, Strands 1 and 2) fir, pistachio, banish, deeds, solemn, crescent, heralding, 1.