Tag Archives: Emotion

The Secret to Freedom

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Title: The Secret to Freedom

Author: Marcia Vaughan

Illustrator: Larry Johnson

Publisher and Year: Lee & Low Books Inc. 2001

Number of pages: 32

Tags/Themes: Diversity, Emotion, Family, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Picture Book, 4-5, Evan White

Genre: Historical fiction; children’s; cultural; picture book

Descriptive Annotation: The Secret to Freedom is about Aunt Lucy sharing her story about her experiences in slavery to her grandniece.  Lucy’s parents were sold off and was left with her brother Albert.  Albert was part of the underground railroad movement and taught Lucy about quilts and how different designs tell the run-away slaves different information.  Albert and Lucy became agents to aid  slaves to freedom.  Albert was caught one night and was lashed in the back.  After that night they decided Albert needed to leave.  Once the two children were older and had their own families, Albert found Lucy again and reconnected.  Now Lucy’s grandniece knew their family history.  The students will need to know about Civil War era, about slavery, and why going up north meant freedom.  The back of the book has a brief history lesson and glossary for words the student may not understand.  The illustrations are unrefined paintings but are still very detailed and show sadness on the characters’ faces throughout the story.

Classroom Application: This text would reinforce history and specifically the Civil War era.  This text also meets Social and Emotional Learning Standards of handle challenging situations constructive and demonstrate caring and concern for others.  Lucy shows a lot of control in her emotions.  She identifies how depressed she is but is able to use her emotions to benefit runaway slaves.  This story can be used to stretch the students into using their emotions to make an impact for others even when their emotions are filled with fury or sadness.

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis: This book represents pride in sharing perseverance from slavery.  Aunt Lucy is proud of herself and Albert for assisting runaway slaves to freedom.  ““Now  I do declare, child, your eyes sparkle just like Albert’s did all those years ago” she said.  Then we sat in happy silence, shelling peas into the bowl while the curtains billowed in the breeze beside us” (31). This book shows the value of story telling and sharing family history and how history is imperative to understanding part of American and black culture.  The setting is also very explicit in showing Albert getting lashed and showing vivid images of it. For instance, the text reads, “Those men tied Albert to a tree and lashed him, lashed him hard till blood ran red down his back” (15).  The content of this story is very serious and illustrates how slaves were treated.  I would introduce the book by showing the students some images of common quilt patterns and what they meant.  This can help the students understand the importance of the secret code used in the book and in history.

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Fly Away Home

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Title: Fly Away Home

Author: Eve Bunting

Illustrator: Ronald Himler

Publisher and Year Clarion Books, 1991

Number of pages: 32

Tags/Themes: Emotion, Family, Fiction, Picture Book, 2-3, Evan White

Genre: Realistic Fiction; Family, Children’s Book

Descriptive Annotation:  Fly Away Home is about a father and son living in an airport.  There are special rules on how to live in the airport so they don’t get caught like to always be moving and not talking to people.  The son observes how his dad is always trying to find a job so they can find a real home for them, but often falls short.  The boy is still optimistic and works to help his dad.  He returns bags for 50 cents and believes he will find a permanent home one day.

Classroom Application: I can use this book to reinforce social sciences/culture to show different areas of living.  A unit like urbanism, suburbs, rural and going deeper into types of places people live in and discuss different homeless areas.  This text also demonstrates Social and Emotional Learning Standards  about demonstrating caring and concern for others.  Teaching the students how anyone can be affected by a situation and their bad situation does not necessarily mean it’s the induvial fault to create empathy.

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis: This book represents the poor/homeless culture.  Teaching kids’ different people can be homeless, the young, old, families.  Also teaching being poor does not mean you’re stupid or deserving of it like media can display.  The young boy is responsible and saves his money, the father works endlessly to provide for his son.  The Father and son are very smart and know how not to get caught, and they are very friendly with the other homeless residents.  I might introduce this book giving each student or group of students a setting and they can brainstorm how they might survive or be able to live in the setting.  “He and I collect rented luggage cars that people have left outside and return them for fifty cents each.  If the crowds are big and safe, we offer to carry bags” (22).  This quote would connect to the students before text activity.  The young boy uses his head to find a way to make money.  I think this quote also shoes how the boy are maturing faster than other children.  The tone is serious and very straightforward.  The son needs to be quick and fast in his days’ work to make the most money and his language shows he needs to be straight to the point.  Even though the boy is maturing faster he still does not know how to handle his emotions. “Sometimes I get mad and I want to run at them and push them and shout, ‘Why do you have homes when we don’t? What makes you so special?’ that would get us noticed all right” (30).  This quote shows the difficulty of being homeless and the toll is does to your emotions.  The text shows how the boy is struggling to control his emotions.  He wants to release his emotions in an outburst , but the boy still knows what consequences could be for out bursting.  It shows the students there are consequences for actions they can do on impulse, especially impulse actions the homeless could do in an airport.

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Scarlet Ibis

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Title: Scarlet Ibis

Author: Gill Lewis

Illustrator: Susan Meyer

Publisher and Year: Oxford University Press, 2014

Number of pages: 273

Tags/Themes: Animals; Chapter Book; Emotion; Family; Fiction; 4-5; 6-8 E

Genre: fiction, family.

Descriptive Annotation:  Scarlet is a young black girl who lives with her mum  and her brother “Red” who both are white.  Scarlet spends all her time taking care of Red who is a young boy with autism, who loves birds. Scarlet often takes care of her mum who has anger problems.  After an incident with Scarlet’s mum falling asleep with a cigarette in her mouth and almost burning down their apartment, Scarlet’s family was taken away from her.  Her mum stayed in a hospital, Red went to a foster home, and Scarlet went to a different foster home with her caretaker, Avril.  Scarlet desperately wants to find Red but is unable to contact with him.  She struggles with living with a new family in a new home coping with her emotions with her frustrations with social workers refusing to let her see her mum and brother.

Students might need to know the variation of “mum” to understand it means mom, but a different spelling.

Classroom Application: This text can be used to reinforce health/physical education area.  The major plot point is after Scarlet’s mum burns down their apartment.  After reading that chapter, it would be important to discuss with the class and practice fire safety and ways to prevent fires in their home.

This text meets the SELS of students experiencing family emotional stress.  It can also be used to stretch how the students think of the definition of family.  A foster family can be just as tight or close to other types of families.

 

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis :

This book represents the culture of children in foster care/families.  It would be used to generate discussion on how foster care works, why it happens, teaching the students to not bully students with different families.  It also represents the culture of children with autism.  Generating discussion on how children/people with autism or special needs require a lot of love, and give a lot of love, just like how the students require love from their family and give a lot to their family.  Growing a culture of respect and value for students with autism/special needs is another classroom application from this book.  I might introduce this book to my students by having them draw a memory or activity they value about their family to get them in the mindset of valuing family with the content of this text. “Red cradles Little Red in his lap.  I watch him run is hand from the pigeon’s head to his tail feathers.  Little red becomes calm and turns his head to look at Red.  Red touches the soft down of his chest.  Red relaxes and I see his shoulders drop.  He’s happy just stroking the bird.  I slump into the armchair.  My head feels heavy.  My whole body feels tired.  All I want to do is to curl up and sleep, and sleep, and sleep” (213).  This quote shows how much Scarlet values her brother, but at the same time how drained she is.  The tone is serious, Scarlet feeling tired with her words and imagery.  It paints a picture how she needs help taking care of Red, and how students need to no place everything on their shoulders. “I take a step toward them. “It’s all right for you,” I say. “You can go back to your nice homes with your nice families.  You can have your meals cooked every night.  Your mums and dads look after you.  They’re not crazy.  They don’t swear at you or call you names.  But Red and I don’t have that.  We don’t have anything like that.  All we’ve got is each other.  And if you tell on us, we’ll be split up, and then we won’t have anything as all ”” (228).   This quote really shows the conversation tone in this book.  Scarlet frustration built up and she is exploding to her friends.  You can hear her anger and frustration in the sentences.  The beautiful thing about this quote is her friends listen to her afterwards and give her the space to vent and be vulnerable to them.  Teaching the students friends allow each other to be vulnerable to each other.

 

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Child Soldier When Boys and Girls Are Used in War

Posted on December 4, 2018 by | Comments Off on Child Soldier When Boys and Girls Are Used in War

Title – Child Soldier When Boys and Girls Are Used in War

Author(s) – Jessica Dee Humphreys & Michel Chikwanine

Illustrator/Photographer – Claudia Davila

Publisher and Year – September 1, 2015 by Kids Can Press

Number of pages – 48 pages

Tags/Themes – Rylie Loux, 6-8, Graphic Novel, Emotion, Family, Culture, Friendship,

Genre – Graphic Novel

Descriptive Annotation: An ex–child soldier tells his horrifying story, that begins by being kidnapped at the age of 5 and forced to kill his best friend. Michael was abducted by a rebel militia at age five while growing up in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 1990s. Michel and his best friend, Kevin, are kidnapped with other boys by a rebel militia when they’re playing soccer on the field after school. They’re thrown into trucks and taken to the soldiers’ camp in the hills, where Michael is forced to become a child soldier. While they are kidnapped they are beaten, cut with knives, forced to consume cocaine, and even killed. Michel is blindfolded, a gun is put into his hand, and someone behind him grabs his fingers, puts one on the trigger, and forces it to shoot. A soldier takes off the blindfold and Michel sees he’s killed Kevin. After Michel escapes and returns home, he continues to suffer because his father is kidnapped and tortured and sent to a refugee camp in Uganda. The family joins him there, and after his father’s death, Michel, his mother, and one sister migrate to Canada when he’s 16.

Classroom Application: This is a perfect resource for engaging students in social studies lessons on global awareness and social justice issues, and classroom discussions about conflict, children’s rights and even bullying. This can associate with other historic events that are similar. They’ll also gain an awareness that the horror of child soldiers remains an issue in many countries of the world today, as well as military services. As a teacher, you can ask your students if they know that young adults are forced into the military and where is this still happening in our world today? Another ideology that this book presents is the idea of making a difference in your own and someone else’s life. This story shows how much has changed since the 1990s but how there is always room for someone to make an advancement.

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis: This book represents the culture of the Democratic Republic of Congo. This story is used to teach students and generate discussion about the history in different countries. Davila’s illustrations stay clear of explicit violence, using facial expressions to convey vividly the rebels’ brutality, the shock of their child captives, and the narrator’s emotional scars. This is giving students a realistic glimpse of what happened in the 1990s. This book also gives important political and historical context to these events.

Quotes –  

“Your family will never take you back now. We are your only family.”

“Working together, we will make positive, changes in the world. As my father used to tell me, “If you ever think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a room with a mosquito.”

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Bad Apple: A Tale of Friendship

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Title – Bad Apple: A Tale of Friendship

Author(s) – Edward Hemmingway

Illustrator/Photographer – Edward Hemmingway

Publisher and Year – Scholastic, 2012

Number of pages – 32 pages

Tags/Themes – Rylie Loux, Friendship, Emotion, K-5

Genre – Fiction

Descriptive Annotation: This story is about an apple named Mac and his unlikely friendship with a worm named Will. At the start of the book, the duo is inseparable, finishing each other’s sentences and playing games. But apples aren’t supposed to be friends with worms, so other apples in the orchard start bullying Mac calling him “rotten” and “bad apple.” In the end, Mac is a “good apple” who gains the courage to stand up to the bullies and learns the importance of being a loyal friend.

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 to 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, helping students understand that each and everything they do makes a difference on someone else. To incorporate this into the classroom, I would present it at the beginning of the school year to set the standards of bullying in the classroom. Also the students could create a venn diagram to compare and contrast Mac (the good apples) with the bullies in the story (bad apples). Also the students could also make a list of qualities of a good friend.

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis: The main ideology that is presented is bullying. A quote from the story is “But no one in the orchard would play with them.” This gives the students the ability to see themselves in this situation because each day they talk and play with other students in their class. “Luckily Mac knew he’d rather be a bad apple with Will than a sad apple without him.” This expresses that Mac would rather be stand out and be friends with Will rather than fit in with everyone else. This teaches children to stand up for what they want rather than what it “cool” or popular. This story gives students a way to learn the importance of accepting one another and to not bully their classmates.

 

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Two Homes

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Title – Two Homes

Author(s) – Claire Masurel

Illustrator/Photographer – Kady MacDonald Denton

Publisher and Year – Candlewick Press,  Cambridge, MA (2001)

Number of pages – 40 pages

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

Genre – Fiction

Descriptive Annotation: This story is about a boy named Alex and how he lives in two different homes, because his parents are separated. He describes the many different things that he has at his mommy’s house and daddy’s house.  “I love Mommy. I love Daddy.” While these two homes are very different, he knows that whether he is with mommy or daddy, he loves them and they love him.

Classroom Application:  This book would relevant in teaching younger children because divorce and the separation of parents are real life situations and this book would be a helpful independent tool especially if the teacher knows the students family dynamic. This could also be helpful for children who are transitioning into a life of two homes, by giving them a young character that they can connect and relate to. A quote from the story is, “I have lots of friends. Friends come and play at Daddy’s. Friends come and stay at Mommy’s.” This quote shows students that they are still able to have their friends over, because they have two places to go. This book could also be used as an independent study if the teacher knows a student whose parents may be going through a divorce. In today’s world, with divorce becoming more common, it may be appropriate to read this to the entire class for them to know they are not different or any less than those with married parents.

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis: This story focuses on what is gained rather than what is lost when parents divorce. It depicts a child-centered and positive outlook of a family split between two homes. This story highlights how things are different, but they are also the same because both parents love them very much. This book shows that even through this sad moment in life, having two homes does not have to be a bad thing.

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My Friend Has Down Syndrome

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Title – My Friend Has Down Syndrome

Author(s) – Jennifer Moore-Mallinos

Illustrator/Photographer – Marta Fabrega

Publisher and Year – B.E.S Publishing, October 1, 2008

Number of pages – 31 pages

Tags/Themes – Rylie Loux, Emotion, Friendship, Diversity, Fiction, K-5

Genre – Fiction

Descriptive Annotation: This book is about a little girl at camp that shares her experience of meeting her best friend, Tammy. The little girl is asked to be her buddy, as Tammy will need extra help. The little girl reveals that Tammy has Down syndrome. Many of the children at the camp had many questions about Down Syndrome but after the counselors explained to them, they were ready and willing to help her feel included and happy at camp. In the end, the little girls shares that Tammy teachers her things too, and that they are a great team because they learn from each other.

Classroom Application:  This book explains to children what Down Syndrome is, in terms that they can understand. This would be a great book to read to children to teach them that it is all right to be different and the importance of being accepting of each of their classmates. “But last summer was the best camp ever, because that’s when I met Tammy.” This little girl explains how she and Tammy became best friends. This is an example of how to accept people for who they really are.  This shows students that everyone can become best friends with a student with Down Syndrome. No one else at the camp had Down Syndrome besides Tammy but she fit right in. This helps students learn that they are both good at different things and that by helping each other overcome their fears and difficulties they can accomplish anything together.

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis: The main ideology that is presented is that just because someone is different from you doesn’t mean they have to be judged or singled out.

The children reading this book will have lots of things to consider such as the feelings of others. “When Ms. Teresa asked me if I wanted to be Tammy’s buddy I got excited!” This quote is an example that teaches life lessons to not judge people because of a disability and that it does not define someone.One of the best things about this story is that it proves that children can help those who might have disabilities, but they can also learn a lot from them as well.

 

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The Skin You Live In

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Title – The Skin You Live In

Author(s) – Michael Tyler

Illustrator/Photographer – David Lee Csicsko

Publisher and Year – Chicago Children’s Museum, April 1, 2005

Number of pages – 32 pages

Tags/Themes – Rylie Loux, Culture, Diversity, Emotion, Family, Friendship, Poetry, K-5

Genre – Poetry

Descriptive Annotation: This story is a story which explores the concept of skin to encourage self-esteem and to celebrate the ways in which children are both unique and similar. This story uses different activities, metaphors, and examples to show children that everyone is valuable.

Classroom Application: This book can be used in the classroom to to teach children about diversity, cultures other than their own, accepting themselves the way that they are and accepting others. An important quote from the story is “Glows when it shows that it knows we love you skin.” This is an opportunity to compare skin tones and talk about how they are all beautiful. Another way to incorporate this into learning would be to have each student write something that they love about themselves as well as all of their classmates. This creates an inclusive classroom and allows the students to express what they love about each other.

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis: This story delivers an important message of social acceptance to young readers. On one page, the author portrays an African American little girl with the text “Hey, look at your skin” and on the next page is a Caucasian boy doing the exact same thing with text saying “The wonderful skin YOU live in.” This quote related to the themes that are presented including are friendship, acceptance, self-esteem, and diversity. There are also children’s activities for all cultures, such as swimming in the ocean, hugging, catching butterflies, and eating birthday cake. The major theme of this book is body positivity, and encouraging the idea that even though we all look different, we are all worthy.

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Pink is for Boys

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Title – Pink is for Boys

Author(s) – Robb Pearlmann

Illustrator/Photographer – Eda Kaban

Publisher and Year – Running Press Kids, June 5, 2018

Number of pages – 40 pages

Tags/Themes – Rylie Loux, Diversity, Emotion, Friendship, Poetry, K-5

Genre – Fiction

Descriptive Annotation: This story is a story explaining the importance of boys and girls can love the same colors and interests. For each new color, Pearlman shares an example of where to find the color whether that be on sports uniforms, crowns, race cars, or teddy bears. This notion is demonstrated with illustrations of boys and girls in all examples.

Classroom Application: This book can be used in the classroom to set the expectations and standards at the beginning of the year. It is important for students to know that boys and girls can like the same things. This is a standard that a teacher will want to set at the beginning of the year so that students understand and grasp the idea that is being presented in the story and connecting that to their classroom. It is also very important for all students to feel welcome and comfortable in their classroom. This book is multicultural and all inclusive. Using this story to set the tone, can help all students feel welcome.

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis: This book starts out saying “Pink is for boys. And girls.” This books is an important message for young ones, early on in life, to aid in explaining that girls and boys can love all the colors. This story aims at the importance of acceptance, that colors are for everyone, regardless of gender, race and cultural expectations. This book challenges gender norms and encourage kids to enjoy whatever colors or hobbies that make them happy.  The pictures in this story do the talking. Later on in the story it says, “And all the colors are for EVERYONE. Girls and boys.” This story provides a powerful message that life is not color-coded.

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Two Bad Ants

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Title – Two Bad Ants

Author(s) – Chris Van Allsburg

Illustrator/Photographer – Chris Van Allsburg

Publisher and Year – HMH Books for Young Readers, October 24, 1988

Number of pages – 32 pages

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

Genre – Fiction

Descriptive Annotation: This story is about two ants who endure a dangerous adventure in a human kitchen. When morning comes, the ants are violently awakened by a large scoop lifting them out of the crystal jar and dropping them into a hot brown liquid. They manage to escape and take one last crystal each and leave the strange and frightening place. Dragging their crystals back home, they are glad to be doing the right thing and returning to their family.

Classroom Application: This is a perfect resource for engaging students in a descriptive writing lesson. When Chris Van Allsburg is describing the kitchen he doesn’t tell the readers directly. He uses familiar descriptions for the readers to identify the setting without him actually saying it. This encourages and teaches children to give as many details as possible in their writing so the other students or readers are able to guess where their story is taking place. An example of this in Two Bad Ants is “When the ants climbed out of the holes they were surrounded by a strange red glow. It seemed to them that every second the temperature was rising. It soon became so unbearably hot that they thought they would soon be cooked.” In this excerpt, Allsburg is describing the toaster. Through this story, students are able to capture examples of the skill descriptive writing.

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis: This book represents the idea of being bad and what the consequences may be. If someone is doing something they shouldn’t be, they may not always get caught. In the story Bad Ants the ants face many obstacles because they are in a place they shouldn’t be. “But as soon as they had climbed inside, their hiding place was lifted, tilted, and lowered into a dark space.” This quote explains that once the ants thought they were in good spot, they were about to be caught. By the end of it all, after they’ve almost been drowned, cooked, and electrocuted, they are ready to head back home. This is showing the readers that sometimes it’s not a good idea to head off on your own or be somewhere you shouldn’t.

 

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