Reaction to The Arctic Code by Matthew Kirby

Over the winter break, I finished an advanced copy of Matthew Kirby's newest book, The Arctic Code, the first in The Dark Gravity Sequence series. Not only was I pleasantly surprised by the first book in this series, I immediately had students in mind to recommend this book to. That's a sure sign that it will be a successful addition to my library.

The only other book of Matthew Kirby's that I had read was his historical fantasy The Clockwork Three. While I was a fan of that book as well, The Arctic Code is very different and, I believe, targeted to an overlapping, but slightly younger reader.

The Arctic Code is an ecocrisis dystopian novel centered around Eleanor, the daughter of a climatologists who is searching for oil reserves in the arctic as part of a non-profit company. Energy is in dire need as the world seems to be going through a new ice age. Eleanor, because of cryptic messages from her mother, believe her mother is in danger. Her mother then goes missing and Eleanor finds her way from a frozen Phoenix to the north to find her.

As Eleanor sneaks on to a transport plane to Alaska, Kirby introduces us to the pilot, Luke, who becomes Eleanor's guide and protector through much of the story. He is also one of the most developed characters and enjoyable to read.

We are also introduced to Julian and Finn, sons of another scientist who has disappeared with Eleanor's mother. They become companions on the rest of the journey. While these two characters are not as fully developed, Kirby gives the reader enough of their sibling relationship to distinguish them and leave us hoping for more in future books.

Through the rest of the story, Eleanor does find her mother who has started working for the Global Energy Trust, an extremely profitable energy company who works closely with the government. We are also introduced to a bit of advanced science that hints at the reason for the ice age as well as a driver that will move the story forward in other installments of the series.

As I mentioned before, Kirby's story is enjoyable. I was quickly reminded of Mark Peter Hughes' A Crack in the Sky, one of my favorite dystopian stories for middle grade students in recent years. The Arctic Code is not as complex and therefore would be a great read for a slightly younger reader. The action throughout the story will be an appeal for many and the female lead character is welcome.

Action is the driving force which can leave some characters a little underdeveloped at moments. That may seem like a criticism, but it is not meant to be. I'm hoping that this strategy allows for character growth through the series while letting the continued action keep the readers engaged from book to book.

Kirby has many elements he can explore in future books along with his characters. There is the advanced technology story line that drives the characters to their next adventure as well as the reliance on fossil fuels along with the economic classes that show through Eleanor's eyes as have and have-nots. Kirby also hints at the corruption and power that can take place when corporations work too closely with or even control a government.

These potential future story elements, along with the initial story itself, make me think this could be a successful series for those who love adventure, female main characters, and those who wish to begin exploring middle grade dystopian novels.

On a side note, Kirby addresses the absence of Eleanor's father in his story by making her biological father a donor. This is merely hinted at in the story and while most students may read over it, unaware of what it means, others may inquire. 

Discovering the Person and not the Persona in George Washington through Primary Sources

This past fall I was fortunate to be selected as a Missouri educator who was able to attend a Weekend with George Washington hosted at Mount Vernon. It was an incredible opportunity to rediscover George Washington and the amazing impact he had on not only the early country, but on us today. Several discussions made an impact on me and helped me start to see George Washington more as a person and less as a list of character traits that one might list off for the Father of our Country. I wanted to try to bring some of that to my fifth grade students during their visits to the library as they learned about the formation of the US in the classroom. I also wanted to see how they could use primary sources to help them come to their own discoveries about George Washington.

Finding a starting point was especially challenging. The fifth grade curriculum was a moving target as I looked for resources while students moved forward in their studies. I also needed to select primary sources that were both approachable as well as engaging. Students had to have enough background knowledge to interact with the resource and it had to accomplish that task of understanding the man who was George Washington.

After much searching, I selected the moment George Washington was appointed to lead the Continental Army. In multiple accounts, it states that George Washington, after being selected, refuses a salary and asks for only his expenses to be paid. His gesture at this moment seemed to fit the noble character of George Washington, sacrificing for the betterment of the country. It is also a small moment that is told in multiple books in our library so I consider it part of the lore of George Washington.

But there had to be more to the story. I searched for primary sources that would help me understand this moment and understand the man. What I found surprised me, made me wonder, and expanded my idea of who George Washington was. I couldn't wait to share them with my students to see how they would interpret them.

The lesson started with a blank SmartBoard. I knew students had been talking about the American Revolution. Part of that involved George Washington's role in the war. I asked students to think about George Washington, not only during the Revolutionary War, but throughout his life. "You know a bit about George Washington. I know you've talked about him in class. If you had to use one word or even a short phrase, how would you describe George Washington?"

"Brave" "Courageous" "Strong" "Modest" "Honest" "Leader" "Kind" "Hardworking"

Next, students, in pairs, analyzed the Journals of the Continental Congress for either June 15th, June 16th, or June 17th, 1775 where Washington is appointed to lead the army. It is reported that Washington accepts and states "I do not think myself equal to the command I am honored with," and asks to only be paid for his expenses. On June 17th, the Congress officially appoints Washington. This reinforces what can be found in many other books, but there was more information. Prior to Washington accepting the position, the Congress allowed $500 per month for pay and expenses for Washington. Here we have another piece of information. After sharing their analysis with the rest of the class, I again asked students to share a word or phrase that could describe Washington related to this event.

"Noble" "Put others first" "Humble" "Modest" "Trusted" "Patriot" "Commander in Chief"
All of these continue to fit with the persona of George Washington.

On their next visit to the library, we reviewed what students had discovered about George Washington. Then we looked at several pages of his Revolutionary War Expense Account as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army that was submitted to the Continental Board of Treasury. This is all in his own handwriting and is difficult to understand. To assist students in the analysis of the pages, they paired the page with a corresponding page from a secondary source, a 1917 book by John C. Fitzpatrick where he explains some of Washington's expense account in annotations.

As students analyzed the expense account, many had a noticeable reaction to what they read. I encouraged them to write these reactions down as reflections or questions on the Primary Source Analysis Sheet.

"Why would you need to buy curtains during a war?" "So unnecessary. 217 bottles of wine." "What are 'loaves of sugar'?" "He spent a lot of money." "Why did he get slippers? He's in war right now!"

There was a lot of conversation as students were investing themselves in trying to understand George Washington. Many students looked for justification. Students talked about how life was different and the possibility that drinking wine was more common. One student spoke about how Washington was leading his army for years and would need things other than military supplies. Another pointed out an amount of money that was given to a soldier's wife and reported in the expense account. Students were finding that George Washington was not one dimensional and were trying to make sense of that discovery.

After students finished their analysis, I shared a final secondary source from the National Archives showing the amount that George Washington incurred during the American Revolution, $160, 074. To more fully understand the number, I shared with students that there were large expenses for spies as well as supplies and materials for other soldiers, something not likely taken into account by the Continental Congress initially. Many students recalled the initial $500 monthly allocation suggested by the Continental Congress and that it was far exceeded by the amount George Washington spent over approximately 8 years.

I believe there was much more we could have uncovered about Washington with this activity, but our time was limited. I asked students, one final time, to share a word that could describe George Washington based on what we had analyzed that day.

"Smart" "Wise" Clever" "Not Wise" "Rich"

Given what students had analyzed, I think all of these traits are fair. More importantly, I think they are not all traits that typically fall under the persona of George Washington. Students had begun to look beyond that persona to understand and describe the person. In the meantime, students had investigated and analyzed papers dealing with the Continental Congress and the Revolutionary War. Overall, I think this first investigation into George Washington was a success and I look forward to students building on it in future activities.