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STEM Tuesday– Food Science — Writing Tips & Resources

By on August 15, 2023   /   Food Science, STEM Tuesday  

Shaping Delicious Stories With Nut Grafs

This month’s tasty Food Science books have me going a bit nutty for nut graphs, a term that comes from journalism. What’s a nut graph? I’m glad you asked…

A nut graf answers “so what”

A nut graph (or nut graf as journalists sometimes spell it) is a paragraph that tells your reader why they should care about your piece of nonfiction writing. It explains why the piece matters and why the reader should keep reading it. In other words, the nut graf answers “so what?”

The nut graph usually appears a few paragraphs into the nonfiction piece after the hook. The hook is how you open the piece, perhaps with an exciting anecdote or surprising statement that tugs your reader in. I talked about how to hook your reader in this STEM Tuesday post about starting stories. Once you have the reader’s interest, you have to keep it by telling them why your story matters.

So what’s my nut graf for this post? Students should learn to read for nut grafs, not just in news stories, but books and other writing too. That’s because nut grafs help reveal an author’s purpose. And, for student writers, the practice of writing a nut graf at the beginning of a writing assignment will help them structure their nonfiction writing.

Let’s explore nut grafs with a couple of samples from this month’s books.

Nut graf example – The Story of Seeds

Nancy Castaldo begins THE STORY OF SEEDS by having the reader imagine spitting out watermelon seeds. Then she challenges us to consider how we’d react if those were the last watermelon seeds in the world. Finally, she asks: what if instead those seeds were the last seeds of a staple crop like wheat or rice?

After that two-paragraph opening hook comes Castaldo’s nut graf:
“We’re in the midst of a seed crisis. Every day new headlines jump at us. Seeds are facing many threats. And when they are threatened, our food supply is at risk.”

And continuing into the next paragraph, “It may sound crazy, even improbably, but there are scientists who are risking their lives every day for seeds.”

Wow! I’m all in for this Indiana Jones-style adventure of scientists racing to save seeds so we have something to eat in the future. Nancy has shown us exactly why this story should matter to a young reader. If I had to summarize her purpose it would be to persuade the reader about the important work of saving seeds.

Nut graf example – Bugs for Breakfast

Bugs for Breakfast: How Eating Insects Could Help Save the Planet : Boone, Mary: Amazon.in: BooksIn BUGS FOR BREAKFAST, Mary Boone opens by having the reader imagine eating crickets and other bugs. After her two paragraph hook, she writes her nut graf:

“This isn’t a dare or some weird nature survival stunt. More than two billion people around the world regularly eat insects and arachnids. It is a practice called entomophagy, and it could be coming to a plate near you.”

Boone has just summarized her entire book in that paragraph. Why does eating bugs matter, and why should we care? Her purpose is to inform us that eating bugs is perfectly normal around the world, and to show how us how and why we might soon eat them for dinner.

Writing a nut graf helps the writer too

For student writers, writing a nut graf can help them shape their writing. It’s easy for writers to feel like they are drowning in information after they’ve done thorough research. Organizing it can be a challenge. But not all of it is relevant to the story they are trying to tell. What tool could help us make decisions about what to include and what to leave out? Writing a nut graf, of course.

To write a nut graf, review your research, then ask the following questions:
• Why are you writing this?
• Why should it matter to the reader?
• Why should they care?
• Why is it worth their time to keep reading?

Once you’ve done some brainstorming, write your nut graf in no more than five sentences (or better yet, one or two). Then let the nut graf be your guide. Use it as an outline as you write the rest of your piece.

Writing a nut graf isn’t a hard nut to crack. Now excuse me while I go make myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Bon appetit!

 

Kirsten Williams Larson author

Kirsten W. Larson

Website: kirsten-w-larson.com

Biography

Kirsten used to work with rocket scientists at NASA. Now she writes books for curious kids. She is the author of  WOOD, WIRE, WINGS: EMMA LILIAN TODD INVENTS AN AIRPLANE, illustrated by Tracy Subisak (Calkins Creek), A TRUE WONDER: The Comic Book Hero Who Changed Everything, illustrated by Katy Wu (Clarion, 2021), and THE FIRE OF STARS: The Life and Brilliance of the Woman Who Discovered What Stars Are Made Of, illustrated by Katherine Roy (Chronicle, 2023), as well as 25 nonfiction books for the school and library market. Find her at kirsten-w-larson.com or on Twitter and Instagram @KirstenWLarson.

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WNDMG Wednesday- Interview with Anna E Jordan

By on August 9, 2023   /   Author Interviews, WNDMG  
Shira and Esther cover

We Need Diverse MG Logo hands holding reading globe with stars and spirals floating around

Illustration by: Aixa Perez-Prado

WNDMG Wednesday – Debut Author Interview

I’m super excited to be able to introduce you and interview debut author Anna E Jordan today. Anna’s new book is SHIRA AND ESTHER’S DOUBLE DREAM DEBUT (Chronicle Books) and it launches on October 10, 2023.

I am extra excited to do this, as Anna and I are Agent siblings! I can’t wait to hold a copy of Anna’s book in my hands, and I am eagerly waiting for my preorder to arrive in October.

Shira and Esther cover

About SHIRA AND ESTHER

A fun middle grade book that draws on the fun switched identity  in THE PARENT TRAP and comedic tone of THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL, this beautiful book features two Jewish girls navigating family, friendship, and faith.

Description taken from the publisher:

When Shira and Esther first meet, they can hardly believe their eyes. It’s like looking in a mirror! But even though they may look identical, the two girls couldn’t be more different. Shira dreams of singing and dancing onstage, but her father, a stern and pious rabbi, thinks Shira should be reading prayers, not plays. Esther dreams of studying Torah, but her mother, a glamorous stage performer, wishes Esther would spend more time rehearsing and less time sneaking off to read books. Oy vey! If only the two could switch places . . .

Would Shira shine in a big-time televised talent show? Would Esther’s bat mitzvah go off without a hitch? What’s a little deception, when it means your dreams might finally be within reach? One thing is certain: Shira and Esther are going to need more than a little chutzpah to pull this off. But if they do, their double dream debut is sure to be the performance of a lifetime.

Interview with Anna E. Jordan

I loved getting to talk to Anna about her new book and I think you will enjoy meeting her and Shira and Esther as well.

 

SSS: What is the inspiration behind Shira and Esther?

AEJ:

On a trip to the Society of Illustrators in the spring of 2014, I saw an exhibit of Drew Friedman’s book Old Jewish Comedians. I hadn’t gone to the museum to see it, but one drawing and explanation card caught my eye. It was about a comedian, Benjamin Zuckerman, whose father wanted him to be a rabbi, but he wanted to be a comedian. What if, I thought, there were two kids and they each wanted what the other had. From there, my research led me through the evolution of Jewish theater and comedy in this country.

SSS: So many important and wonderful themes in your book – could you elaborate on which themes resonate the most for you, and that you hope will be the most impactful for young readers.

AEJ:

I resist having themes or a lesson when I start to write the book and hope that by the end, I pose more questions than deliver answers to young readers. The characters struggle with some big questions in the text including: When and how should you follow your dreams? What does it mean to obey your parents? How can family and community support young people as they dream? What are different ways that we express our culture and are they all valid? How can we make room for magic in our everyday lives?

I’m sure that young readers will come up with their own big questions. Hopefully, they will find interpretations I didn’t even consider when I wrote the book. That’s the best part of sending a book baby out into world!

SSS: How are Shira and Esther similar? How are they different? Was it difficult to write a book in two points of view?

AEJ:

The book is actually told by a 3rd person omniscient narrator, but you are absolutely right about the difficulties involved with having two main characters.

Shira, the rabbi’s daughter, is a confident risk taker. She wants to sing, dance and tell jokes all the time. As you can imagine, that frustrates her father—the rabbi.

Esther, is happiest with her nose in a book and especially in books that teach her more about Judaism. Esther has big questions about the world and her place in it while her mother just wants Esther to take the stage.

 A lot of the revision work that I did with my first editor was about honing the differences between the two characters. Not only their character traits, but also their wants, needs, and faults. We wanted to make sure that the reader knew each character well before they switched places, so they could root for each character throughout her journey. Like the movie Parent Trap, the characters pretend to be the other character. When Esther became Shira, she still had to have her essential Esther-ness, and Shira had to hold on to her Shira-ness as Esther.

SSS: The subject of music and theater is important in the book—can you talk more about how you became inspired to write about music and the performance arts?

AEJ:

I sang, danced, and performed from the time I was six through high school. My two sons were also very active in school theater. I loved supporting their theater programs with makeup and set design and creation. As a 5th-grade teacher, I help with the annual production in my school too. It’s wonderful to watch students shine outside the classroom. Like writing, theater allows the artist to step out of their own life story and into another character for a time.

Also, as I mentioned previously, my research led me through the evolution of Jewish theater and comedy in this country from the Yiddish Theater and Vaudeville, to stand-up comedy in the Borscht Belt (the group of hotels in the Catskills that were owned by Jewish families for Jewish families when we weren’t allowed in other hotels), to television and finally Hollywood. 

SSS: Diverse books are so important (and a passion of mine!). How does the Jewish Faith play a role in your book and in Shira and Esther’s lives?

AEJ:

The Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group with an identity, culture, language(s), and religion. Judaism is our religion but we experience it in different ways. Shira has been raised as a practicing Reform Jew and Esther has been raised within the vibrant Jewish culture of the Yiddish theater. Each character goes on a journey to learn more about being Jewish and coming to understand their own experiences.

 Ultimately, both Shira and Esther embody pieces of my own Jewish Journey: the part of me that strives to study Torah and the part of me that wants to be immersed in my culture and community.

As the narrator of the book says:

“There is a saying that if you assemble ten Jewish people in a room and ask them a question about Judaism, you’ll get ten different answers. This is one of the most wonderful things about being Jewish: No one is Jewish in quite the same way.”

 One thing that was important to me as an author was filling a space in the children’s book market with Jewish Joy. So often, Jewish books have to do with the 3Hs: History, Holiday, or Holocaust. With the rise of anitsemitism in the U.S., it’s important that Jewish and non-Jewish children read about the positive aspects of Judaism such as education, social justice, community, and yes—humor and joy.

 

SSS: Will there be more Shira and Esther in the future?

AEJ:

As we say, “From your mouth to G-d’s ears.” Seriously though, one of the supporting characters, Benny Bell, has been talking to me more and more. I need to give him space in my writing time to listen to his story.

We’ll see!

Writing Process

SSS: How long did it take to write SHIRA AND ESTHER? And was it an emotional process (as a fellow author, all my books seem to come from personal experience. Was this the same for you?)

AEJ:

I’ve had other wonderful publishing experiences in my 22 years as an author, but I’m so proud that SHIRA AND ESTHER’S DOUBLE DREAM DEBUT is my first published novel. The seed of the book was in 2014, the manuscript was purchased in 2021, and now it’s 2023. That nine-year period includes two agents, a divorce, raising two children as a single mom, a variety of day jobs, many moves, many submissions and rejections, a pandemic, and the death of my father. It was a very long and emotional process.

Bonus!

SSS: Bonus question! Is there anything I haven’t asked that you’d like to share with us?

AEJ:

I’m grateful that Shira and Esther found a publishing home with Chronicle Books. The team there gave this book so much time and attention. I had a double dream team of editors—Taylor Norman, who helped me hone the story and characters, and Daria Harper who worked with the sensitivity readers (for Yiddish and Jewish accuracy) and with the copy edits, mechanicals, and design. The designers did an amazing job as did the cover illustrator Marco Guadalupi (visit him on Instagram @marcoguadalupi85) It’s such a long process, and I feel so lucky.

Thank you so much Anna for answering my questions!

I hope everyone picks up a copy of your beautiful book.

AEJ:

Yes, please. Preorder, post, and review! Thanks so much for this lovely interview.

Those who preorder from Anna’s local independent book store will receive a signed book and swag!

Politics and Prose preorder link

You can also preorder on

Bookshop

 

For more Middle Grade diverse books, check out this wonderful book list on our site!

 

Anna Jordan picture

About Anna E. Jordan

Anna E. Jordan, an author and middle grades educator, was the recipient of the 2013 PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Children’s Book Discovery award and has an MFA from the Writing for Children and Young Adults program at Vermont College of Fine Arts. SHIRA AND ESTHER’S DOUBLE DREAM DEBUT (Chronicle Books, 10/10/23) is her first novel. In addition to the rhyming picture book THIS PUP STEPS UP, her poems appear in the anthology THE PROPER WAY TO MEET A HEDGEHOG AND OTHER HOW TO POEMS (Candlewick, 2019). You can also find her work national magazines including Ladybug, Babybug, Highlights High Five. Follow Anna on Facebook and Instagram @annawritedraw or on her blog Creative Chaos (annaejordan.com).

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STEM Tuesday– Food Science — In the Classroom

By on August 8, 2023   /   Food Science, STEM Tuesday  

 

Ask a group of children what their favorite foods are, and the responses you’ll receive will be as varied and unique as the children themselves. Regardless of their responses, a passionate discussion will likely ensue. Food is one thing that unites us all, and children hold strong opinions on what they like and don’t like. But ask this same group what they know about the science of food, and chances are they’ll stare at you blankly. Many incredible books have been written to introduce students to the study of the physical, biological (including microbiological) and chemical makeup of food. These books can be used as a springboard for classroom discussions and activities.

 

The Chemistry of Food by Carla Mooney

This book is a perfect first introduction to the science behind foods we love. Students will learn that cooking and baking are so much more than mixing different ingredients together – they actually cause chemical reactions! Key questions, vocab lab, QR codes to videos that explore further, and hands on activities make this a book that budding chemists will return to again and again.

Classroom Activity: One of the activities offered in this book asks students to follow a few recipes and then determine what physical and/or chemical changes the food underwent. Suggested recipes include:

  • Make pancakes by preparing batter and frying on a griddle.
  • Prepare a mixed green salad with chopped vegetables, shredded cheese, and sliced almonds.
  • Cut an apple into slices and let it sit for a period of time.

 

Bugs For Breakfast: How Eating Insects Could Help Save the Planet by Mary Boone

This book introduces students to entomophagy, using insects as a source of food. While this is not (yet) a common practice in the United States, Canada, and Europe, more than 80% of the world’s population have included insects in their diets for centuries. With the rapid reduction of available high-quality farmland, scientists believe insects could make an ideal alternative source of protein. And for those students who seem less enthused about the idea of eating insects, Boone offers answers to frequently asked questions, such as, “What do insects taste like?” and “What if you just can’t stand seeing their little heads when you eat them?”

Classroom Activity: Give students a closer look at how insects can be made into tasty treats by sharing Can Bugs Taste Like Candy? with them. Then, you can even try out some of these recipes with interested students.

 

Forthcoming | Skyhorse Publishing

Food Weird-o-Pedia: The Ultimate Book of Surprising, Strange, and Incredibly Bizarre Facts about Food and Drink by Alex Palmer

This highly browsable book is sure to become an instant hit with your students. Chock full of interesting facts, such as lobsters urinate out of their faces, Hawaiian pizza was invented in Canada, the world’s longest hot dog was 668 feet long, and the most expensive coffee in the world comes from animal poop, students will be eager to find and share these incredible morsels of info with their friends.

Classroom Activity: Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable? According to Palmer, tomatoes are fruit – but in the United States they are legally vegetables. Have students research the scientific definitions of fruits and vegetables and the 1893 US Supreme Court case which ruled that the tomato is most commonly known as a vegetable. Then, have them write a persuasive essay on whether they believe tomatoes are fruits or vegetables, citing their sources.

 

Hopefully, these books and activities will inspire students to learn more about where their food comes from, how it shapes our world, and implications for the future.

 

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Jenna Grodziki

Jenna Grodzicki is the author of more than twenty fiction and nonfiction children’s books. Her books include Wild Style: Amazing Animal Adornments (Millbrook Press 2020) and I See Sea Food: Sea Creatures That Look Like Food (Millbrook Press 2019), the winner of the 2020 Connecticut Book Award in the Young Readers Nonfiction Category. Jenna lives near the beach with her husband and two children. In addition to being a writer, she is also a library media specialist at a K-4 school. To learn more, visit her website at www.jennagrodzicki.com.

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