The Class: Final Edition

I think this class was a great experience. As an avid reader, I feel that delving deeper into the books we read is essential, especially since soon we will be influencing more minds than our own. I feel that it is crucial that we put great thought and care into our book selection for the class as well as the classroom library. We may have the power of changing a student into a reader or. I loved being able to have the opportunity of reading a variety of children's picture books as well as novels. It gave me a chance to look through our own vast library which showed me the difference of the books now as to when I was a child.

EarthDance

Earthdance by Joanne Ryder is a colorful book that allows children to step outside their ordinary realm of thinking. It asks the reader to think of themselves as the earth and then carries it through the atmosphere as if they are the earth. I liked this book because it used such great descriptive words that allowed the reader to imagine they are dancing through the atmosphere. I also liked that it was such an unique book that not all kids have read before. It is a book that will allow them to think about things in a way that puts them into the book fully. I used this book for my text set because I thought that it brought about the topic of dancing in a different way that some students wouldn't originally think of. I loved that it used a science topic to draw the readers to a topic that may have always been more oriented towards artsy types.

Year of Impossible Goodbyes

Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi was an interesting book to read. After reading So Far from the Bamboo Grove, it was weird to read from the other perspective. I feel that both of these books have the potential to be very controversial in the classroom. I looked online to see what age is recommended for this book and it said 10+. My little sister is 10 and I don't think I would feel comfortable having her read this novel. I understand that it is essential to have children understand that there are other types of living and world besides from their own but I think it would raise a lot of topics that I am not sure how I would respond to when confronted.

So Far From the Bamboo Grove

So Far From the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins was a very interesting book. I loved that it was very detailed and descriptive so that the reader was able to have vivid pictures of the experiences that the reader went through. Yet at the same time I hated reading about such a horrible topic and felt sick to my stomach throughout the book. I think that this book would be beneficial in an older elementary classroom but I think that there may be some students who will not feel comfortable reading it. I loved our discussion in the classroom because I was one of the readers who couldn't believe the urine part and just assumed that everyone felt that way. It was crazy to me to think that other didn't even pause. I think that was a very big thing for me this semester was how everyone is going to have a different perspective. I need to be conscious of this when I am a teacher because I will have over 20 different perspectives in my classroom.

Just Kidding

Just Kidding by Trudy Ludwig and Adam Gustavson is a book that touches upon the subject of bullying. It shows a little boy who is constantly making fun of the other boys. However when one of the boys gets upset, the bully makes it seem like he is the one being irrational. Then the boy talks to his dad and brother about it who help him find a way to laugh it off when the boy makes jokes about him. When it still doesn't stop, the boy and his family approach the school teacher who then takes an active role in making sure it doesn't happen again. I really liked that this book showed different tactics to try when working with a bully. I feel this book would be helpful in the classroom because it may offer the courage that the students need to tell the teacher about a bully.

Leaving the Nest

Leaving the Nest by Mordicai Gerstein was a book about a bird, kitten, little girl, and squirrel that all need to "leave the nest" because they are growing up. I was very amused by this book and loved that it had a type of graphic novel approach with the text in bubbles. I also loved that there were 4 stories going on at once so I was always anxious to see what happened next. I think it had a very silly and fun approach to something that may be hard for children to deal with. I think this book could be useful for children who may not want to start school and leave their parents. It would be helpful because you could use the experiences of the characters and how much they were able to see and learn when they left. I also really liked the illustrations. Overall I think this will always be one of my favorite picture books.

1, 2, I Love You

1, 2, I Love You by Alice Schertle was a book that I feel I have read many times. It was an easy read and happy and very flowing. I don't think this book would have a deeper meaning or theme that would be useful in the classroom. However, the story does count from 1 to 10 and then back from 10 to 1, so teachers could possibly use it in a kindergarten classroom to reinforce their learning of numbers. Another possibility would be rhyming lesson as the book has a rhyming pattern throughout the pages. I think this book would be okay with younger grades but older grades would easily get bored as there is no climax or plot to the story.