REVIEWS


IN A CLOUD OF DUST Alma Fullerton, illustrated by Brian Deines Pajama Press, 2016 32 Pages, $19.95 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Reviewed by Lindsay Freedman


In a Cloud of Dust is a picture book that ex- plores realities of life and school in Tanza- nia from a child’s perspective. Anna is very focused on school. She tries to complete her school work during lunch time because it will be too dark to finish it once she returns home. Because of this focus, she misses going outside when her teacher calls the students to go out. A man has arrived with a truck that says “Bi- cycle Library.” Students who are outside when the truck arrives receive bicycles but, by the time Anna gets there, the bikes are all gone. Anna hides her disappointment and helps her friends learn how to ride their bikes. One of Anna’s friends, Mohammad, gives her a ride home on his new bicycle. When they arrive at Mohammad’s house, he is kind enough to tell Anna to continue her journey using the bicycle, and to pick him up in the morning on her way to school. This allows Anna a chance to raise her own cloud of dust. Fullerton notes that in Tanzania and oth-


er parts of Africa, there are still millions of people who cannot afford transportation. In these ‘stranded’ communities, children have to walk several hours to and from school be- cause their families cannot afford bicycles.


The subtitle of this book reads Effective Teach- ing and Assessment Strategies to Help Students Think Differently about Mathematics and this is what the book delivers. The authors have taken a framework of how students interact and learn literacy, the Four Roles of the Liter- ate Learner, and used it to help educators make connections between the strategies they use to teach literacy and those they use to teach and support numeracy. The four roles of the numerate learner are


THE FOUR ROLES OF THE NUMERATE LEARNER Mary Fiore and Maria Luisa Lebar Pembroke Publishers 128 pages, $24.00 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Reviewed by Kit Luce


46 ETFO VOICE | FALL 2017


Sense Maker, Skill User, Thought Communica- tor and Critical Interpreter. Each chapter pro- vides a definition and sample questions for dif- ferent grade band levels. The many examples of tasks, the description of assessment oppor- tunities and suggested prompts for question- ing make this book a useful resource for educa- tors. Particularly useful are the opportunities for reflection provided throughout the book. Educators are prompted to stop and consider how what they have read applies to their prac- tice and how they can apply these ideas to sup- port the development of mathematical think- ing in their learners.


The authors also raise two “elephants in the


room.” These are the concern about memori- zation of basic facts and the role of mathemati- cal content knowledge for teaching. Both are addressed in a straightforward manner with supporting research and a breakdown of what these phrases mean. The Four Roles of the Numerate Learner is a


valuable resource for classroom teachers, math coaches and teacher candidates. It will help deepen their understanding of the different as- pects of instruction in mathematics. They can then apply this understanding to help students make sense of mathematical problems, use the skills they have learned to solve a problem, communicate their ideas clearly and under- stand how math connects and affects the world around them.


Kit Luce is a member of the Simcoe County Teacher Local.


Some NGOs donate bicycles and open bicycle libraries where children can sign out a bicycle. In a Cloud of Dust lists organizations in North America that donate bicycles to Africa. I was excited to see that Bicycles for Humanity Canada has a branch in my own community. Learning more about these organizations and doing fundraising in your classroom could be great book extensions for intermediate stu- dents. In a Cloud of Dust demonstrates kindness


and the idea of paying it forward. The message in the book is terrific and can be embedded throughout the curriculum, specifically focus- ing on equality, citizenship and social justice. This book would be appropriate for junior and intermediate levels.


Lindsay Freedman is a member of the Peel Teacher Local.


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