The forests are, as well a vital component of the livelihood of rural communities, providing them with firewood, food sources and, as mentioned, water. Much of the labour surrounding water and firewood is done by women in these communites. Therefore it was a logical step for Wangari Maathai to connect these issues. To protect the trees meant protecting the livelihhod of these women. To campaign for womens rights meant to protect their environment. Gently mix the wet paintbrush into the color. Remind students to always start the watercolor painting with the lightest color.

Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya Tree Time: Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya

How did you respect your classmates during the Matching Opinions with Reasons game?" (Responses will vary.) Napoli’s prose is spare but beautiful, and conveys the struggles of women to survive in a harsh environment. But it is the amazing oil and fabric collage illustrations of Kadir Nelson that make this book exceptional. Bright and beautiful, each one could grace anyone’s wall at home. Prévot also exposes the hypocritical behavior of moneyed Kenyans in the post-colonial period and their collusion with international capital. While serving on the National Council of Women of Kenya, she became dedicated to helping with the struggles of women in rural Kenya. Noticing how the rapid environmental degradation was affecting women's lives, she encouraged them to plant trees to ensure future supplies of firewood and to protect water sources and crops. To that end, she founded the Green Belt Movement in 1977, which led to the planting of more than thirty million trees.She was assistant minister of the environment of her country and became the first Kenyan woman to receive a Nobel prize of peace. Kadir Nelson's artwork is very different in this one compared to some of his others but I still LOVED it. The different textures just really made different parts of the pictures stand out.

Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya - Goodreads Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya - Goodreads

This is a great book for all but especially for girls who have been told over and over that they can’t do what they want to do or be who they want to be for one reason or the other. The book is a testament to what determination, resilience and passion for a cause can do. It is a story with the lesson that giving up is not an option. Of particular value is the addition of a chronology of “The Life of Wangari Maathai” with captions of the historical landscape leading up to her birth and actual milestones in her life. Other additions include a caption on deforestation and the impact on the animal population, quotes from Wangari’s autobiography Unbowed, and a brief paragraph on “Kenya Today.” Wangari realizes that she needs more support, and begins to travel the world to spread her message. Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)? This is the first lesson in a series of three in which students participate in a focused read-aloud of the text Mama Miti . Throughout the read-aloud, students work to understand the main topic that Wangari helped her community by sharing what she knew about trees.Read your sentence strip and decide whether you are a place (opinion) or a reason. Use the icon as a visual cue to help you read. Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): Recall that some students may benefit from having an individual copy of the poem to follow along in near-point as it is read aloud. Support transfer of learning by offering multiple representations of the poem. Consider providing an annotated or illustrated copy of the poem for students as support for information-processing strategy development and comprehension.