Tag Archives: Iran

Reader’s Response

Divisions 2 and 3 read Good Night, Commander by Ahmad Akbarpour this week and the students were asked to create a Word-List Poem based on the characteristics and feelings of the main character. The poems were powerful! Here are a few:

Imaginative
Brave
Unafraid
Sad
Angry
Proud
Commander 

Bravery
Playtime
Fake war
Big imagination
Young
Boy
Commander

Aware
Legless
Imaginative
Upset
Strong
Loving
Commander

Miserable
Disabled
Brave
Proud
Childish
Imaginative
Commander

Handicapped
Young
Imaginative
Avenging
Upset
Loved
Commander

Threatened
Tortured
Unlucky
Strong
Brave
Young
Commander

Apr 4 – Apr 8 Read-a-Louds

Do boogers and slime catch your attention? Well then I have the perfect book for you! This week we’ll be reading Richard Was A Picker by Carolyn Beck. Richard picks his nose constantly, and one day, he gets his finger stuck! Richard turns into a giant booger-ball! How does he get himself out of this mess? You’ll have to wait and see!

For the grade 7’s this week, we will be reading Good Night, Commander by Ahmad Akbarpour, translated from Farsi. It is a sombre tale from Iran, set during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988). It tells of an Iranian child dealing with the loss of his mother, and a new physical handicap; he lost his leg in the war, presumably due to a land mine. He acts out a battle scene in his bedroom with his toy soldiers, while showing the picture of his mother that he is brave and will avenge her death. It is a powerful story about innocent people caught in a war.

Mar 14 – 18 Read-a-Louds

This week we will be reading a folktale from Iran, called The Secret Message by Mina Javaherbin. The first day of Spring, March 21st, is also time for the Persian New Year, or No-Rooz/Nowruz. Persian people celebrate the New Year with food, family, and festivities. No-Rooz Mobarak! (Happy New Year!)