The Little Red Wagon (DVD a Biography about Zach Bonner)
Little Red Wagon is a movie based on the true story of a young boy named Zach Bonner who, in the wake of Hurricane Charley, took his wagon around his neighborhood and collected goods for the homeless victims in his nearby community. It gives the account of the making of a leader in a very realistic way by including the struggle his family had as it came to terms with sacrificially giving up much of its own time and pleasurable activities and divesting it in the service of others. Zach is a fine example of what it means to be a leader. He has enthusiasm, creates inspiration, is able to understand and synthesize and takes time to meditate on both the problem and solution. Zach is a leader who facilitated change. www.lrwf.org
Lives Turned Upside Down by Jim Hubbard-Non-Fiction
Lives Turned Upside Down is a Photo Essay (39 black and white photos) Book telling the stories of four homeless children from various parts of the USA with differing views of how it feels, what it like, and what it means to them to be homeless. The combination of these two factors makes for a emotionally powerful and personal media that affects its audience.
Website:
Jim Hubbard, the author of Lives Turned Upside Down, is the founder of Shooting Back, and is a ‘leader’ in his field known as Participatory Photographs (PP). He has been pioneering photographic projects around the world; many including youth, who express their triumphs, challenges and despairs through images depicting their communities. http://www.jimhubbardphoto.com/about-jim-hubbard
Jim Hubbard, the author of Lives Turned Upside Down, is the founder of Shooting Back, and is a ‘leader’ in his field known as Participatory Photographs (PP). He has been pioneering photographic projects around the world; many including youth, who express their triumphs, challenges and despairs through images depicting their communities. http://www.jimhubbardphoto.com/about-jim-hubbard
Long-form New York Times Article :
The Invisible Girl by Andrea Elliot, photographs by Ruth Fremson
The Invisible Child follows a child, Dasani, and her journey through the broken New York system. The article highlights the untold story of a child’s homeless life. Readers explore what it means to have a home and what it means to be homeless. Students will look at similarities and differences between them and Dasani.
http://www.nytimes.com/projects/2013/invisible-child/#/chapt=0
The Invisible Girl by Andrea Elliot, photographs by Ruth Fremson
The Invisible Child follows a child, Dasani, and her journey through the broken New York system. The article highlights the untold story of a child’s homeless life. Readers explore what it means to have a home and what it means to be homeless. Students will look at similarities and differences between them and Dasani.
http://www.nytimes.com/projects/2013/invisible-child/#/chapt=0
The Girl Who Owned a City by O.T. Nelson
The Girl Who Owned a City is about a city that loses all its adults from a virus. Lisa, a ten year old, takes on the leadership role to help save her group from starvation and the evil gangs that are starting to form. Students will focus on the characteristics that make a good leader. They can also discuss the impact a leader has on a group.
United States Interagency Council on Homelessness
Website with goals to end homelessness, actions to take, solutions and latest news. A useful resource for gathering ideas and information. Also has actions in place for Native Americans and Alaskan Natives. https://www.usich.gov/goals/setting-a-path
Website with goals to end homelessness, actions to take, solutions and latest news. A useful resource for gathering ideas and information. Also has actions in place for Native Americans and Alaskan Natives. https://www.usich.gov/goals/setting-a-path
As the class looks at how leaders impact a community or society, they will view the issue of homelessness as it is seen from those experiencing it or ignoring it and by those helping to end it. Students will be gaining understanding of what it actually means to be homeless by reading essays and seeing photographs created from the point of view of homeless children themselves. The use of photos of the children and their environment as homeless individuals or families will enhance meaning to our students as they examine first hand or primary essays written in the book Lives Turned Upside Down. Using a website created by Andrea Elliott, an investigative reporter for the New York Times, students can explore the realities of what a person living in a homeless shelter experiences day to day. Watching a film of a young boy who eventually founded a non-profit organization to help end homelessness will build on the visual and interactive perspective of what it feels like to be homeless and to help those who are. As students analysis these various literary selections they will be exposed to the differing social status and ethnic identity found within the homeless population. This will also be true concerning the various leaders we will be examining.
All the texts provide different points of view in regards to homelessness. Through analysis and authentic reflections on the texts, students will develop a deeper understanding of the homeless issue. Finally, students will discover how their unique skills as leaders can be used to create change.
http://southtampamagazine.com/zach-bonner-the-little-red-wagon/
http://www.amazon.com/Lives-Turned-Upside-Down-Photographs/dp/1416968385
http://www.jimhubbardphoto.com/work/poverty/homelessness
http://www.jimhubbardphoto.com/about-jim-hubbard
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/357933.The_Girl_Who_Owned_a_City
http://www.amazon.com/Lives-Turned-Upside-Down-Photographs/dp/1416968385
http://www.jimhubbardphoto.com/work/poverty/homelessness
http://www.jimhubbardphoto.com/about-jim-hubbard
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/357933.The_Girl_Who_Owned_a_City