You can buy the world is not a rectangle: A Portrait of Architect Zaha Hadid here.
Citation:
Winter, J. (2013). the world is not a rectangle: A Portrait of Architect Zaha Hadid. New York: Beach Lane Books.
To Use or Not to Use:
An awesome read-aloud that can be used to spark discussion about gender expectations. The illustrations were a hit in my classroom!
Themes:
Creative thinking, breaking barriers, brave women, brave girls, gender norms, gender expectations, women’s history, defying expectations, persistence, careers
Type:
Picture Book Biography
Grade Range:
2-5
Curricular Connections:
Big Ideas:
- Grades 2-3 – Applied Design, Skills, and Technology
- Designs grow out of natural curiosity
- Grade 2 – Arts Education
- Creative expression develops our unique identity and voice
- Inquiry through arts creates opportunities for risk-taking
- Grade 3 – Arts Education
- Creative experiences involve an interplay between exploration, inquiry, and purposeful choice
- The arts connect our experiences to the experiences of others
- Grade 4 – Arts Education
- Exploring works of art exposes us to diverse values, knowledge, and perspectives
- Grades 4-5 – Arts Education
- Artists experiment in a variety of ways to discover new possibilities
- Grade 5 – Arts Education
- Works of art influence and are influenced by the world around us
- Grades 2-3 – Career Education
- Confidence develops through the process of self-discovery
- Everything we learn helps us develop skills
- Grade 4-5 – Career Education
- Public identity is influenced by personal choices and decisions
- Exploring our strengths and abilities can help us identify our goals
Curricular Competencies:
- Grades 2-3 – Applied Design, Skills, and Technology
- Generate ideas from their experiences and interests
- Make a product using known procedures or through modelling of others
- Grades 3-5 – Arts Education
- Interpret symbolism and how it can be used to express meaning through the arts (grade 2) OR Interpret and communicate ideas using symbolism in the arts (grade 3) OR Interpret and communicate ideas using symbolism to express meaning through the arts (grade 4) OR Interpret and communicate ideas using symbols and elements to express meaning through the arts (grade 5)
- Explore identity, place, culture, and belonging through arts experiences (grades 3/4) OR Explore connections to identity, place, culture, and belonging through creative expression (grade 5)
- Describe and respond to visual and performing art pieces and provide constructive feedback (grade 3) OR Describe and respond to works of art and explore artists’ intent (grades 4-5)
- Grades 2-5 – Career Education
- Set and achieve realistic learning goals for themselves
- Grades 4-5 – Career Education
- Demonstrate respect for differences in the classroom
- Appreciate the influence of peer relationships, family, and community on personal choices and goals
Content:
- Grades 2-5 – Arts Education
- Symbolism as means of expressing specific meaning (grade 2) OR symbolism as ways of creating and representing meaning (grade 3) OR symbolism and metaphor to create and represent meaning (grade 4) OR symbolism and metaphor to explore ideas and perspective
- Grade 4 – Arts Education
- Image development strategies
- Grade 2 – Career Education
- Risk-taking and its role in self-exploration
- Grade 2-5 – Career Education
- Cultural and social awareness (exploring self-identity, etc.)
- Goal-setting strategies
Summary:
When I first saw this book I thought it might be ‘too primary’ for my grade fives because there wasn’t much text. It was not. They absolutely loved Zaha Hadid’s story and I loved hearing the gasps and murmurs every time I flipped the pages. The depictions of Hadid’s designs are beautiful and my students ate them right up! The next day we looked at real pictures and once again, I couldn’t help but smile as they whispered and gasped with delight. My kiddos were cheering for Zaha right from the beginning, they were indignant when she was cheated out of a rightful contest win and celebratory when she started getting opportunities to have her designs built. I loved this book and think there are so many possibilities to link it to Arts Education, Career Education, and ADST. It also provides awesome opportunities to link to biographical writing or discuss our expectations around gender.
Teaching Tips:
- Before reading, have students make predictions based on the title. You may want them to also suggest possible reasons for why the title is not capitalized conventionally.
- Talk about how Zaha found inspiration for her buildings in the environment around her. Where might you and your students find inspiration for their own creative endeavors?
- Even though this story is relatively recent, Hadid still faced discrimination because of her gender. How did she make choices and take action to influence her own public identity? Ask your students how people perceive them. Are there stereotypes that people have about who they are? What do/can your students do to influence their own public identities?
- Zaha Hadid’s goal was to become an architect. Ask students to set their own short- and long-term goals. How can they make plans to achieve them? Who can support them as they work toward their goals?
- Have students write about a time they did something they were proud of or a time when they did something no one thought they could.
- Discuss biases and stereotypes we hold today. Are there things people things girls, boys, kids, etc. can or cannot do? Are these biases and stereotypes accurate?
- Have students create their own innovative buildings or structures out of recycled and found materials. Alternatively, they could draw up blueprints for buildings. Encourage them to look for inspiration in nature like Hadid did.
Other Notes:
- This book is a great read-aloud for Women’s History month…but stories about women shouldn’t be confined to a particular time of year.
You can buy the world is not a rectangle: A Portrait of Architect Zaha Hadid here.
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