Hurricanes Are Global, 2014

When I was in elementary school in New York, the beginning of school was associated in my mind with the possibility of hurricanes.  It's not unusual--New York is frequently the target of what we called "the tail" of hurricanes roaring up the East Coast just about this time every year.  And usually we heard that the big bad storm had first come ashore at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

Now I live in North Carolina, and I've got a different perspective on those hurricanes. Yes, the jutting point of Cape Hatteras is frequently the first landing.  But the storms come from much farther away  They usually form off the coast of West Africa, and churn their way across the Atlantic, where some of them menace the Southeastern coast before making their stormy way northward.

So I've come to understand that the East Coast storms of early fall are indeed global.  I ruminated a bit on this point, as well as memories of Floyd and Fran, in this blog post from awhile back, at just this time of year

While Marie and Cristobal churn up the waves on both coasts, and we wonder about what our season might bring in the way of tropical storms, give a thought to the global nature of our weather. (One update from my original hurricane blog post. I'm happy to say that WRAL continues with its great hurricane tracking, but the link has changed.  Here it is:  Interactive Hurricane Tracker Map)

Linked to the My Global Life Link-Up at SmallPlanetStudio.com

“Linked to the My Global Life Link-Up at SmallPlanetStudio.com” - See more at: http://www.smallplanetstudio.com/2014/08/29/august-mygloballife-link-up-add-your-blog-post/#sthash.YhIJKTRK.dpuf

“Linked to the My Global Life Link-Up at SmallPlanetStudio.com” - See more at: http://www.smallplanetstudio.com/2014/08/29/august-mygloballife-link-up-add-your-blog-post/#sthash.YhIJKTRK.dpuf

“Linked to the My Global Life Link-Up at SmallPlanetStudio.com” - See more at: http://www.smallplanetstudio.com/2014/08/29/august-mygloballife-link-up-add-your-blog-post/#sthash.YhIJKTRK.dpuf

Africa is Not a Country, But It Has Only One Book Cover

Right now you're dashing for the end-of-the-year finish line.  But make some time to take a look at this great post on the Africa is a Country site and the follow-up article by Michael Silverburg in The Atlantic, "Why Every Book About Africa Has the Same Cover."

Well, perhaps not every book about Africa has the same cover. But Simon Stevens of Columbia University collected and offers as evidence quite a boat-load here, enough to make you ask why Africa's design short-hand has to be an acacia tree against a dramatic sunrise/set just . . .  so many times.  And it was his brilliant graphic and comment that got this discussion going most recently.

It's not the first time publishers have been called out for stereotypical images on their book covers. (Take a look at this post about how publishers package translations of Middle Eastern books.)  Nor will it be the last. But is there anything we, as teachers, can make of such a discussion?

Don't judge a book by its cover, we've been told. But the cover (including the title and author) is the first piece of information a book offers us. That cover is intended to have an effect on us--i.e., "ooh, I must buy this book!" The images publishers choose are meant to connect with us emotionally and aesthetically as well as intellectually to produce this "ooh, I must buy this book!" effect. So the question the Africa is a Country post raises is, do publishers actually think that "Africa" can be positively linked in our hearts and minds to only one image (h/t @meowmusiq) ?

It's time to include book covers in book discussion. Not as an add-on or extra credit option, but as an essential part of coming to terms with a literary work. Maybe whenever we give students a book (especially a popular one) we should assess that book's cover, ask ourselves and our students why that particular design might have been chosen. What does it tell us about the story inside, even before we've opened the book? Do they think the image works? Or would they have chosen a different design?

Teachable moments.  There are just so many of them.

Resources for Teaching Africa

Global teachers see their students' eyes light up when they hear "Africa." Most teachers would love to include more about the cultures and history of the second-largest continent in their teaching. The challenge is, where can you find really worthwhile African resources for your classroom for free?

You'll find them at UNC-Chapel Hill's African Studies Center. The ASC offers teachers a wide range of free resources right on their website to enhance the teaching of Africa in K-12 classrooms.

Go to How Do We Represent Africa? to find photos to share and discuss in class. These images make clear the diversity of African life and are a great way to counter the simplistic views we get from TV and the movies. Then browse through teacher-created lesson plans, offering standards-based activities on Africa for many grade levels and subjects.

North Carolina teachers can borrow Africa-themed books for all levels through the lending library. The ASC even pays the postage both ways. The same arrangement works for borrowing films about Africa. Take a look at a Senegal culture kit and find out how you can request it free of charge as well. It's a great opportunity to bring items from daily life in West Africa into your classroom.

To stay updated about resources for teaching Africa, join the ASC Outreach listserv. And when you teach Africa with those great, free resources, let ASC know about it. They're always interested in hearing how they can support learning about Africa in the classroom.

And, as ever, let us know about it here, too!