Moses Goes To A Concert/Module 6

Bibliography:

Millman, Isaac.  2002.  Moses Goes to a Concert. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN: 0374453667.

Plot Summary:

Moses and his classmates attend a concert together. All of the students are deaf, and surprisingly so  is the percussionist.  The students use balloons to "hear" the vibrations of the instruments.  

Critical Analysis:

At first glance of the cover of the book I thought Moses had a problem with his eyesight. The glasses he is wearing are very thick and I wonder why the illustrator chose to draw the main character that way. Nothing in the story mentions him having poor eyesight.  Through out the book there are signs for various parts of the context and words to describe the ASL. The pictures are colorful and fun, the story is an easy read, but also full of information on children with a hearing disability. For example, the teacher provides a balloon for each student so that they can "hear" the concert by vibrations. I thought that was a wonderful addition to the story, it is also discussed how people with hearing loss can "hear" through the vibrations in their feet. (something I did not know)   The over all story is that of being able to do or accomplish anything you want despite obstacles you may have to face. This is the first in the Moses series.

This story would be wonderful to use in a classroom or library to help students understand more about people who are hearing impaired.  I feel it would also be a fun way to begin teaching students basic signs to enable them to communicate with a deaf person. It would also help to take out the "mystery" of a student who was deaf and help children to see that a deaf student is just like them.

Reviews:

School Library Journal excerpt: "Cheerful watercolor illustrations show the multiethnic children enjoying themselves at the concert, while smaller cartoon strips feature Moses' additional comments in sign language. 

Connections:

http://my-ecoach.com/online/webresourcelist.php

Activities for before, during and after reading "Moses Goes to a Concert".

Music connections: http://www.playmusic.org/