Author Archives: rloux

A Bad Case of Stripes

Posted on December 4, 2018 | Comments Off on A Bad Case of Stripes

Title – A Bad Case of Stripes

Author(s) – David Shannon

Illustrator/Photographer – David Shannon

Publisher and Year – Blue Sky Press, 1998

Number of pages – 30 pages

Tags/Themes – Rylie Loux, Fiction, Friendship, Emotion, K-1, 2-3

Genre – Fiction

Descriptive Annotation: “Camilla Cream loved lima beans. But she never ate them. All of her friends hated lima beans, and she wanted to fit in. Camilla was always worried about what other people thought of her.” This book shows the story of the girl Camilla Cream who loved lima beans, but was too worried of what other people thought to eat them. She was scared of her first day of school, which led to her diagnosis of a bad case of stripes. This quote starts out the story and shows readers they shouldn’t worry about what others think. Many specialists and media networks were intrigued by this outrageous case, and Camilla’s case only got worse as her stripes turned to stars, roots, and even walls. Finally, the cure for Camilla was simply lima beans as she embraced her individuality.

Classroom Application: This is a perfect resource for engaging students to prompt discussion about why we worry about what others think, bullying, and learning to respect and accept differences in others. This discussion could also lead to what makes a student worry. By doing this, the students are able to think about what they worry about when they go back to school. This demonstrates that each student has their own fears and worries and that no one should ever bully another student because of this. Another ideology that is presented is learning what respectful behavior is and learning how to apply that in the classroom.

 

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis: Individuality is the main idea that is expressed in this story. This story can deliver the message of individuality in many types of cultures. Each person has their own background and culture and the goal of this story is to share that each student should be able to express themselves without worrying what others think. There is some cultural diversity present in the illustrations in this book with many different races represented.

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Each Kindness

Posted on December 4, 2018 | Comments Off on Each Kindness

Title – Each Kindness

Author(s) – Jacqueline Woodson

Illustrator/Photographer – E.B. Lewis

Publisher and Year – The Penguin Group 2012

Number of pages – 28 pages

Tags/Themes – Rylie Loux, Emotion, K-1, Friendship

Genre – Realistic Fiction

Descriptive Annotation: This story is about a girl named Chloe who chooses not to welcome the new girl, Maya, into her friend group at school. Maya is different because she wears hand-me-downs and plays with old-fashioned toys. Every time Maya tries to join Chloe and her friends, they reject her. One day, after Chloe’s teacher teaches the class a lesson about the importance of kindness, and how the smallest acts can change the world. This causes Chloe to decide that she is going to start including Maya. However, Maya moved away so Chloe lost her opportunity to start a new friendship.

Classroom Application: This is a perfect resource for engaging students in an anti-bullying lesson. By bringing this book to the classroom, it can help express the issue of bullying into the class and how to prevent it and help kids who are experiencing it. The ideology that is presented in this story is the importance of kindness and acceptance of others. Having students understand that each and everything they do, makes a difference on someone else. “This is what kindness does, Ms. Albert said. Each little thing we do goes out, like a ripple, into the world.” To incorporate this into a lesson, it would include sticking up for your friends, acting as a leader, and analyzing how students being left out might feel. This story also describes a situation where what if you’re cruel to someone and never get the chance to make it right?

 

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis: Throughout this story we see bullying and socioeconomic status are two different aspects of diversity that were displayed. The setting of this story takes place in a classroom. This gives the students the ability to see themselves in this situation. This story gives students a way to learn the importance of accepting one another and never excluding another student on purpose.

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Coming on Home Soon

Posted on December 4, 2018 | Comments Off on Coming on Home Soon

Title – Coming on Home Soon

Author(s) – Jacqueline Woodson

Illustrator/Photographer – E.B. Lewis

Publisher and Year – G.P. Putnam’s Sons 2004

Number of pages – 28 pages

Tags/Themes – Rylie Loux, Fiction, Emotion, Diversity, 2-3, Historical Fiction,

Genre – Historical Fiction

Descriptive Annotation: Ada Ruth’s mama must go away to Chicago to work, leaving Ada Ruth and her Grandma behind. Ada Ruth misses her mama more and more but Grandma reassures her that Mama with be coming on home soon and to just keep writing to her. It’s war time, and women are needed to fill the men’s jobs. Grandma and Ada Ruth find strength in each other, and a stray kitten even arrives one day to keep them company. Ada describes the feeling of the cat when she states “It’s a slip of a thing. But its softness is big. And warm as ten quilts on my lap. Warm as Mama’s hands” but nothing can fill the hole Mama left.

Classroom Application: This is a perfect resource for engaging students on a Social Studies lesson. This story gives an understanding of what life was like during WWII. This also gives students an insight of how communication worked in the past. Ada Ruth had no way to contact her mama other than writing to her. This is an important concept of this lesson because in today’s world it is so different due to technology. Also this story consists of three powerful female roles. This is valuable for students to understand the importance of all gender roles.

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis: In this powerful story Jacqueline Woodson has captured the fear, the worry and the loneliness of a young girl left behind when her mother must leave home for a job, a not uncommon occurrence in WWII. This story gives the students a glimpse of one of the ways that the war affected the lives of African American woman and children on the home front. This connects with great cultural and racial diversity.

 

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A Boy and A Jaguar

Posted on December 4, 2018 | Comments Off on A Boy and A Jaguar

Title – A Boy and A Jaguar

Author(s) – Alan Rabinowitz

Illustrator/Photographer – Ca’Tia Chien

Publisher and Year – Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2014

Number of pages – 30 pages

Tags/Themes – Rylie Loux, Animals, 3-4, Emotion

Genre – Biography, Non-Fiction

Descriptive Annotation: This story is a biography about the authors journey through life, from boyhood to adulthood, feeling restrained by his disability (speech impediment). He says he can only speak fluently when he is singing or when he talks to animals. He promised his pets and a jaguar at the zoo that he’d grow up to “be their voice and keep them from harm.” In college, he received assistance to help him speak fluently, formalized his study of animals, and eventually developed a specialization in wild cats and jaguars. A question and answer at the end of the book provides readers with additional context for his work, conservation efforts, and stuttering.

Classroom Application: This is a perfect resource for engaging students in a science lesson involving animals and wildlife. An example of how to connect this story in the classroom would be to have students study a specific endangered animal through writing, drawing, or speaking. Then have them talk about what is being done around the world to protect various endangered species and what we they can do to help. This story also supports students to listen and look closely, to wonder about the power of their own voices, and to consider issues of conservation and discrimination from a new perspective. This connects to the classroom to show that everyone is different in their own special way and there should never be bullying or inequity demonstrated in the classroom.

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis: This book represents the students knowledge of endangerment of animals. This is the scientific lesson that is being presented in the story. The other major moral of this story is the understanding of disabilities and their effects on people’s lifestyles. This story is presented in a way that is relatable for students and also connects to their emotions. “Animals can’t get the words out, just as I can’t. So people ignore or misunderstand or hurt them.” This quote relates to both of the main ideologies that are presented. The author uses the animals to help the young boy describe what he is going through. This may help students see how disabilities are not looked at as a negative, but they are able to connect it to something else. This also presents an idea of equity in the classroom. This story shows students that they are all different, but special in their own way.

 

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A Wrinkle in Time

Posted on December 4, 2018 | Comments Off on A Wrinkle in Time

Title – A Wrinkle in Time

Author(s) – Madeleine L’Engle

Illustrator/Photographer – Ellen Raskin

Publisher and Year – January 1, 1962 by Yearling Books

Number of pages – 240 pages

Tags/Themes – Rylie Loux, Adventure, Award Book, Emotion, Family, Math, Science Fiction, 6-8

Genre – Science Fiction

Descriptive Annotation: A Wrinkle in Time is the story of the Murry children and their search for their missing scientist father. This book begins by relating Meg’s personal struggles at school and her inability to fit in with the crowd. Following the discovery of a new form of space travel as well as Meg’s father’s disappearance, she, her brother, and her friend must join three magical beings. They will accompany Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which to travel across the universe to rescue their father from a terrible evil. As the children move through space and time they are met with several challenges that require them to prove their worth. Meg learns that she must overcome her fears and self-serving immaturity to succeed. Overall, this is a book about the battle between good and evil and the ultimate celebration of love.

Classroom Application/Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis: This is a perfect resource for showing students the importance of being independent and happy with oneself. This is a wonderful book for kids who have ever felt “different” or lonely. It celebrates the power of individuality, bravery, and love. This story explains the desire for conformity and appreciation in their own uniqueness as an individual. Also, this story could be used with science by discussing what makes A Wrinkle in Time a work of science fiction. A classroom application could be having students bring in unusual news stories about UFO sightings, psychic powers, or anything else related. Also, the characters are able to time travel through tesseracts. While our world today may not have the same advances in real life, they are still able to learn about tesseracts in a math resource. This story is classroom relatable while being a story students will enjoy.

Quotes –  

“I hate being an oddball,” Meg said. “It’s hard on Sandy and Dennys, too. I don’t know if they’re really like everybody else, or if they’re just able to pretend they are. I try to pretend, but it isn’t any help.”

“Maybe if Father were here he could help you, but I don’t think I can do anything till you’ve managed to plow through some more time. Then things will be easier for you. But that isn’t much help right now, is it?

 

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