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A review by annaeap
¡sí, Se Puede! / Yes, We Can!: Janitor Strike in L.A. by Diana Cohn
5.0
Carlitos’ mother is a janitor in Los Angeles. She explains to Carlitos that she is striking, as she and other janitors are not being paid fairly. Carlitos wonders how he could support his mother then decides to bring his class (with the help of his teacher) to the rally with signs they have made. After the story concludes, there is a biography of a real-life janitor/union organizer who participated in the strike. The colorful pictures warmly depict Carlitos’ home, school classroom, and the people of Los Angeles coming together to support the janitors. In the end, the strike is successful, and Carlitos and his mother join a strike of hotel workers in solidarity, continuing to be part of the movement for fair pay and labor rights.
Using the book for teaching/learning:
-A man who walks out of his office to join the rally admits “he’d never thought about the janitors who clean his office.” Who cleans our classroom?
-Have students conduct an interview with the janitor in our classroom
-Write letters to the school janitors expressing appreciation for their work
-Some children may have family members who are union members. When I observed at one Chicago Public Schools school, a second grader was working on the difference between “opera” and “symphony” on a Mozart worksheet. She remarked to me, “They’re on strike now because the people selling the tickets are making more than the people making the music.” A project could be that students research local union strikes and write a newspaper article about them, or research about the Los Angeles janitors strike, then write a newspaper article. Perhaps groups could write about different strikes then compile into a newspaper of their own creation.
Considerations for use with dual-language learners (DLLs): This book is in both English and Spanish. For a student who has strong literacy skills in their home language of Spanish, this book could be a great tool for continuing to strengthen their academic proficiency in their home language while allowing them to build their English skills, as they would have the Spanish section as a reference when reading in English. This book provides representation for Latinx students. Some DLLs may have home languages other than Spanish but may very well have family members in unions (along with non-DLL students), which could provide representation of their experiences. The discussion between Carlitos, his mother, and grandmother about leaving their home country for a better life in the States would resonate with a variety of DLLs with experiences of immigration.
Using the book for teaching/learning:
-A man who walks out of his office to join the rally admits “he’d never thought about the janitors who clean his office.” Who cleans our classroom?
-Have students conduct an interview with the janitor in our classroom
-Write letters to the school janitors expressing appreciation for their work
-Some children may have family members who are union members. When I observed at one Chicago Public Schools school, a second grader was working on the difference between “opera” and “symphony” on a Mozart worksheet. She remarked to me, “They’re on strike now because the people selling the tickets are making more than the people making the music.” A project could be that students research local union strikes and write a newspaper article about them, or research about the Los Angeles janitors strike, then write a newspaper article. Perhaps groups could write about different strikes then compile into a newspaper of their own creation.
Considerations for use with dual-language learners (DLLs): This book is in both English and Spanish. For a student who has strong literacy skills in their home language of Spanish, this book could be a great tool for continuing to strengthen their academic proficiency in their home language while allowing them to build their English skills, as they would have the Spanish section as a reference when reading in English. This book provides representation for Latinx students. Some DLLs may have home languages other than Spanish but may very well have family members in unions (along with non-DLL students), which could provide representation of their experiences. The discussion between Carlitos, his mother, and grandmother about leaving their home country for a better life in the States would resonate with a variety of DLLs with experiences of immigration.