Musical,
Tragic, Loyalty, Fluid,
Thoughtful and
Heartbreaking
Saint Louis
Armstrong Beach by Brenda Woods
Published by Nancy Paulsen Books
Copyright 2011
Coretta Scott King Honor Winner
“Brenda Woods capture
all the sad and radiant glory of New Orleans in her exquisite Saint Louis Armstrong Beach. She ably
uses the Hurricane Katrina tragedy to open up large themes of love, loyalty,
and the eternal power of music. Highly recommended.” –Douglas Brinkley,
historian and the author of The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans,
and the Mississippi Gulf Coast
This book written by Brenda
Woods is a compelling story about a boy named Saint Louis Armstrong Beach. He lives
In New Orleans and plays the clarinet for tourists. He doesn’t think the
hurricane is anything to worry about until the whole city is ordered to
evacuate. Saint is a boy who has a lot of confidence and his best friend is a
stray dog whose name is Shadow. When the hurricane is coming he refuses to
leave without Shadow. They have to find a safe place to ride out the storm so
they flee to a neighbor’s attic and its up to Saint to save them all. This book
showcases the courage and strength that the people of New Orleans had to have
in order to survive Hurricane Katrina. This story is full of hope and you will
want to keep reading to see how Saint stays alive.
Description: Fiction
Suggested
Delivery: Independent Read
Reading
Level: Lexile Framework- 660L
Electronic Resources:
Teacher Vision
This website has free printables that include pre-reading research activities that will educate students about Hurricane Katrina. This will be a good site to have children learn more about Katrina and what the hurricane was.
This website has free printables that include pre-reading research activities that will educate students about Hurricane Katrina. This will be a good site to have children learn more about Katrina and what the hurricane was.
Teacher Scholastic
This website has the latest news on hurricane Katrina and how people can help. The children can also read storm stories similar to Saint from the book. For teachers there is a section for teaching tips about Hurricane Katrina. This will be a great site for teachers to use for resources when teaching about this topic.
This website has the latest news on hurricane Katrina and how people can help. The children can also read storm stories similar to Saint from the book. For teachers there is a section for teaching tips about Hurricane Katrina. This will be a great site for teachers to use for resources when teaching about this topic.
Brenda Woods
This is the authors personal website and features a biography about Brenda and also summaries of each book that she has written. The children can learn about the author and also see if any of her other books interest them.
This is the authors personal website and features a biography about Brenda and also summaries of each book that she has written. The children can learn about the author and also see if any of her other books interest them.
Key Vocabulary: Swaying,
Virtuoso, Versatility, Evacuate, Triumphed, Rummaged, and Sapient.
Teaching Suggestions:
1. Use this text for a
social studies lesson to inform students about the storm Hurricane Katrina that happened in
New Orleans.
2. Use this text for a
science lesson to teach students about hurricanes.
3. Use this text and have
students research different types of weather that can occur.
Comprehension
Strategies:
Pre-reading- Before
reading have the students complete a KWL chart to demonstrate their prior
knowledge about Hurricane Katrina. They will also write what they hope to learn
from the text.
During Reading- Have
the students make predictions throughout the story. Make sure they write all
their predictions down.
Post- Reading- Have
the students get into groups and discuss the story. They will discuss whether
or not their predictions were accurate and also any questions they might have
had while reading this book. The will also have to fill in the last portion of
the KWL chart, which is what they learned about the storm and evacuation strategies
etc.
Writing
Activity- Have students write an expository poem about Hurricane Katrina
and about how Saint survived. Have the students add specific details and
facts in their poem. The students can also illustrate their poem.
Woods, Brenda. Saint
Louis Armstrong Beach. New York, N.Y.: Nancy Paulsen Books, 2011. Print.