Social justice

Susan B Anthony
By Alexandra Wallner

(Because of illness I was unable to be in class on Wednesday. Here is one of the books I had planned to bring. I also planned to bring the Sissy Duckling, I showed you today.

This book is the story of Susan B Anthony's life and her fight for women's equality. The book discusses different examples in which she was not allowed to do things because she was a woman, and had all of the information factually correct.

Some of the social justice elements included are: 1.Self-love and knowledge, giving women and young girls pride. 2. Respect for others, it was never about women being better but equality And allowing her and other women the opportunity to do the same as the men (learn math and vote). 3. Social injustice 4. Social movements and change 5. Raising awareness 6. Taking action, this book can give students the motivation to stand up for what they really believe in.

adolecent readers

Number the Stars is written by Lois Lowry. This book is meant for adolescent readers. The story is of a young girl named Annemarie who loves in demark during the time of the Nazi regime. She and her family are desperately trying to hide one of her friends, who is Jewish, from the Nazi soldiers all while keeping their own family safe.

Six elements of Social Justice Curriculum Design are contained within this book. Self-love and knowing are shown in this book as Annemarie understands herself and others around her. She comes to terms with her responsibility to her friend. Her and her family have a true respect for others, they try to help who they can against a tyrannical system who does not believe everyone had value. The issue of social justice is, as a whole, the Holocaust. The social justice on a more individual level is having to decide what level of involvement the family and Annemarie play in the Holocaust and if they will help or hurt those around them. Within the book the Nazi social movement and call for social change are seen. It is imperative to show children that social movements can be both good and bad and that it is our job to understand which is which. The awareness raising in the book is also critical. The awareness about the holocaust must be shown as well as other instances of holocausts occurring, from the past to the recent present. Social action is shown by Annemarie as she and her family decide that they must do what is right instead of what is easy.

Number the Stars can be incorporated into the curriculum during holocaust remembrance week, when learning about the Nazi Regime, or when talking about social justice. This book is a good conduit to help talk about the tough topic of genocide.

~AE

early readers

This is Not My Hat is written and illustrated by Jon Klassen. This book is a cute story of a small fish who may or may not have stolen a lovely little hat from large sleeping fish. Maybe. Let us see if this little fish gets away with the hat. This book is sure to entice young readers with it whimsy and sense of suspense.

This is not my hat is a fictional book. Even though this book is simple it includes many elements within. It covers the topic of knowing, the little fish knew that it was wrong to steal, but, he tried to justify it any way. There are parts of the book where it can be asked if the little fish had respect for others and their property. There is also the issue of social justice. How did the large fish deal with the little fish, what should have been done. How should we handle the situation if someone takes something that is ours?

I love the simplicity of this book and the lovely illustrations. It honestly made me laugh and gravitate to it instantly. It is quite easy to include this book in class, especially, when talking about feelings, manners, behavior, and social interactions amongst peers.

~AE

Emergent Readers: Dr Seuss

 

 

Dr. Seuss is known for his memorable rhyming stories that children love to read. Wacky Wednesday is no different. Sometimes children need more to keep them entertained and this book was no short of that. At each page there was a new thing to figure out what was wacky. The pictures are vibrant, some easy to tell what is wacky and others a little more tricky. The book has repetition, high frequency words and some new words that can be introduced. This book raises awareness and has students be observant to the words and the connection with the picture. 

A Picture Book for Emergent Readers

A Picture Book for Emergent Readers 

By: Rose Fyleman 

Illustrated by: Lois Ehlert

Mice is a cute book that follows two mice that are friends. The story is simple: what do these mice do, what do they eat, how they behave and what they look like. The background to the book is black, and the mice are cut out of fabric. The words are large and white, and has about 7 (at the most) words on a page. What is interesting about this book is that the pictures of items inside the book are labeled. This is great for young children who are emergent readers. They can notice pictures with words, as well as sentences with few words. Plus, it had a cute ending that children will enjoy! Mice is a great book that will motivate young emergent readers!

The Great Kapok Tree - Picture Book for Upper Elementary

Grades 4-5 

While trying to chop down a Kapok tree in the Amazon Rain Forest a young man naps , during his nap  various animals of the forest whisper why the Kapok tree is so important to them in hopes of convincing him to leave the Kapok tree alone. This story supports the Social Justice Element #5 Raising Awareness introducing children to the topic of deforestation and natural habitats as well as creates awareness about preserving trees and animals. I would use this book in my classroom with younger students as a read aloud interactively or as a shared reading activity to provide extended exposure to the content of the books and the vocabulary used. 

Diversity

And Tango makes three is a wonderful book about diversity and social issues. The authors are Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell. The illustrator is Henry Cole. This is a true story of two chinstrap penguins in Central Park Zoo in New York City. Their names are Roy and Silo. They fell in love with each other and with help from the Zoo staff were able to hatch and care for a baby penguin named Tango.

This book falls into the fiction genre although the events really happened. The book shows respect for others. The zoo keeper was accepting of Roy and Silo. She gave them an egg to hatch themselves. This book exemplifies being able to see and accept others even if they are divergent from us. And Tango makes three also shows an element of self-love and knowing. If there is a child who can relate to this book it shows them that there are many different kinds of families. That it doesn’t matter what families look like so long as there is love, understanding, communication, and respect.

I love this book because it shows diversity in such an open, positive, and natural way. It is easy for children to read and understand the message.

This book can be incorporated into class when taking about family, family heritage, feelings, and the animal kingdom. It is a very versatile book and can fit into a lesson plan with ease.

~AE

Good-bye Havana! Hola New York

The book I chose is Good-bye Havana! Hola New York by Edie Colon and illustrated by Raul Colon.

The story takes place in early 1960 in Cuba during the time of the revolution, when Fidel Castro was, and eventually gained power over Cuba. the main character, Gabriela  tells of how her parents, her, and later her grand parents moved to the Bronx, in New York. They immigrated in order to escape the harsh hand of Castro.

Good-bye Havana! Hola New York is historical fiction. The author Edie includes an editors note explaining that the events all happened to him and that the invented the character of Gabriela to be able to better tell the story. I chose this book because this story mirrors what my father and his family and all of my aunts and uncles went through in the 1960's. This story is innocent, but, within it the underlying reality of life in Cuba during that time can be seen. Within my family we had many aunts and uncles arrive in America before. They helped when my dad, uncle, grandmother, and late grandfather immigrated together. my great-grand parents came a few years after. and still a few stayed in Cuba. Growing up i heard all of the stories and learned a great deal of how life was like there. my family's choice to come her is the reason why i am here. my heritage is a part of everything i do and how i see myself. knowing where i come from is important. this book is a starting place where i can begin to explain where i am from and why i am here.

The social justice portion of the book is evident withing the political tones threaded throughout the book. included are the resistance, the overthrow of the old government and the takeover of the country by Castro as well as what happened after Castro came to power.

I would have this book available to my students when we do our unit on cultural heritage as well as have  other books of children from other countries coming to America.

~AE

Nina, Nina Ballerina: Taylor's Identity and Culture

 

Nina, Nina Ballerina identifies with every little girl that has the dream of being a dancer. I grew up in the dance studio starting at the age of two and always felt I could connect with this book. This book may not fit with everyone, but the book does include boys and girls and represents my culture. Dance is my identity and the joy of my life. 

Nina is getting ready for her big performance but is worried about how her mom will know which one is her on the stage with everyone in the same costumes, and that she will mess up. Her mother reminders her that she will always be able to know her daughter on stage and she will that she will be beautiful. What do you do that makes you feel beautiful?

Picture Book Reflecting my Identity

My Two Grannies

It was difficult to find a book that I felt really portrayed how I grew up. My mom was born and raised in a strong Jewish family, and my dad in a strong Christian family. When the families first met, lets just say it didn't go smoothly. The parents didnt agree on how everything should be ran in my parents house hold. Just like Alvina, her two grandmas: Grannie Vero from Trinidad and Grannie Rose from England. When Alvina's parents go on vacation, both grannies arrive to look after Alvina. But the two grannies have two very different ideas about what to eat, what to play, and even what sorties to tell. The grannies get angrier and angrier with each other, but Alvina devises a plan so that each granny can have her own way- or so she hopes! This book really shows how I grew up, and that not all families get along at first, but that in the end they love each other because of what brings them together. :)

Olivia and the Fairy Princesses- Picture book reflecting a sense of Identity

This is one of my favorite children's books that discusses identity. Olivia is on a quest for individuality and wants to stand out and be unique and do more than just fit in! Throughout the book she brainstorms ideas of what she could be instead of a pink, loving, fairy princess when she grows up. Throughout the book the author emphasizes the meaning of why it is important to be different. I recommend this book for young children as it highlights diversity in a comical, colorful , joyful way which emphasizes acceptance in the classroom.  This book emphasizes the social justice elements of respect for others and self - love through individuality. 

I think this is an accurate book to display my sense of identity as I went through many identity crisis's as a child, young adult and adult. First struggling to be different at home when my sister was diagnosed as deaf, this caused a five year old identity crisis wearing funky clothes , 2 different shoes , different colored nail polish on each finger, etc. my mom tell me I was a very unique child and hated to be like others until middle school hit . After the crazy hormones of middle school , entering high school I was on a quest for individuality once again , and again when entering college . I choose senior year of high school to go four hours away from home to Bloomsburg in PA because I wanted to start over and meet new people , in a new environment and start my quest to becoming a professional. In the mist of college once again I re-evaluated who I wanted to be when I " grow up" , continuing on the path to become the individual I am today. 

Inspired by "The Museum"

The Museum is a new favorite children's book that I discovered while on my Deaf Education internship. I was fortunate to meet the author during a read aloud and learn more about the background of this book. I love this book because it not only highlights the unique nature of museums in largely populated areas such as DC but also, the feelings many children feel while in a museum and what the artwork makes people think about. My favorite part about this book is the captivate emotions that are expressed.  

my favorite children's book

Birthday Monsters by Sandra Boynton

I remember my mother reading this book to me when I was a kid. I loved the colorful pictures and the personalities that each monster had. It still remains one of my favorites and always brings a childlike smile to my face.
~AE

It's Okay to be Different!

This is one of my favorite children's books to use with young children simply because the book is bold, bright and has silly scenes. It encourages and embraces difference in everyone with a caring message of acceptance, understanding and confidence to be different.

Its okay to be different.
:) Bobbie Jo