After looking at my Questioning the Text Papers first, I realized that I have to come understand how to better formulate a paper. My first grade was not as good as I expected it to be but over time I learned how to better analyze a text and look for specific ideas.
I remember when I first looked at the syllabus this semester I was overwhelmed with all of the books we had to read. I wasn't sure I would enjoy any of the books because they were topics I had never read before. With the exception of certain parts in the books we read, I really enjoyed all of the topics discussed. I came into this class not really knowing what diverse literature for students was and how to find the books.
I now know how to find books that cover topics not usually talked about in class. I also know the idea of a stereotype much better after we looked at all the ways people or cultures could be stereotyped. I have also learned how to better carefully read a book or picture book to see how in depth the author talks about the characters. I have also learned that it is important to listen to other's opinions about a book because yours is not always right.
I can't say that I am totally confident in teaching this subject area because there is much for me to learn but I will be better prepared for classes like similar to this one.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Text Set Reflection
It was hard for me to find a topic that I knew I would be able to find a lot of books about. I decided to focus on something that I have not yet had a lot of experience with which was physical disabilities.
When I began searching for books I felt very discouraged. It was very difficult for to find books in the area that focused on my issue. On top of that, how would I know if the books I chose were quality books? The books I did find did not catch my interest. To save myself from stress, I picked five books and knew that I would choose at 3 of those books.
Once I found books and brought them home with me I noticed a trend. Most of the 5 books focused on giving information about a physical disability that children would be able to understand. It is easy to say I went that route.
The three books I chose are books that informed me and I knew if they could do that for me, they would be able to inform students. While all of my books are informative they include pictures at the same time. These books would be great resources in any classroom or any home. This is an issue that many people need to learn about so why not start at a young age. Although there might be far superior books out there for children these 3 are still just as important.
When I began searching for books I felt very discouraged. It was very difficult for to find books in the area that focused on my issue. On top of that, how would I know if the books I chose were quality books? The books I did find did not catch my interest. To save myself from stress, I picked five books and knew that I would choose at 3 of those books.
Once I found books and brought them home with me I noticed a trend. Most of the 5 books focused on giving information about a physical disability that children would be able to understand. It is easy to say I went that route.
The three books I chose are books that informed me and I knew if they could do that for me, they would be able to inform students. While all of my books are informative they include pictures at the same time. These books would be great resources in any classroom or any home. This is an issue that many people need to learn about so why not start at a young age. Although there might be far superior books out there for children these 3 are still just as important.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Professional Review
Valerie F. Patterson, Queens Borough Public Library, NYCopyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
I found a further review from the School Library Journal. The review is from a librarian with an insight on what children typically check out. It states:
I found a further review from the School Library Journal. The review is from a librarian with an insight on what children typically check out. It states:
"Grade 1-3-- A young boy with muscular dystrophy goes to a special camp where
he is paired with an intelligent golden retriever who performs everyday
tasks that are too difficult for the physically challenged. They are leashed
together while the boy learns to give commands, and Buddy learns to obey.
When they leave camp, the dog is able to help his human friend dress, attend
school, shop, and play. Readers will benefit from this easy-to-read,
first-person narrative of an unusual friendship that also demonstrates the
desires of the handicapped to be independent and to be treated like everyone
else. Graceful watercolor illustrations that emphasize the closeness between
boy and dog are a perfect accompaniment to this entertaining and informative
book."
I chose this review for the simple reason that it would be something readers would be able to relate. A librarian knows what patrons want to read and they should know what the best books for the library are to have. I completely agree with the review in that it is an informative book for readers. It is difficult these days to find a book that is useful for readers while at the same time captures attention.
he is paired with an intelligent golden retriever who performs everyday
tasks that are too difficult for the physically challenged. They are leashed
together while the boy learns to give commands, and Buddy learns to obey.
When they leave camp, the dog is able to help his human friend dress, attend
school, shop, and play. Readers will benefit from this easy-to-read,
first-person narrative of an unusual friendship that also demonstrates the
desires of the handicapped to be independent and to be treated like everyone
else. Graceful watercolor illustrations that emphasize the closeness between
boy and dog are a perfect accompaniment to this entertaining and informative
book."
I chose this review for the simple reason that it would be something readers would be able to relate. A librarian knows what patrons want to read and they should know what the best books for the library are to have. I completely agree with the review in that it is an informative book for readers. It is difficult these days to find a book that is useful for readers while at the same time captures attention.
Book Review 3
Powers, Mary Ellen. Our Teacher's in a Wheelchair. Illinois: Albert Whitman & Company, 1986.
Our Teacher's in a Wheelchair tells the tale of a teacher that was once athletic but is now partially paralyzed. The picture book shows real black and white photos of the teacher to help emphasize that he is a real person with a real job. The story goes through the aspects of Brian, the teacher in a wheelchair, from how he gets around at school, to going out with friends, and how he is confident with himself. It helps to show students how they can be anything they want no matter what or where they are in life.
One of the main reasons I chose this book is that it describes some children are afraid of Brian. It puts the perspective of how some children might actually feel about a person in a wheelchair but in a way that children are able to understand. That might be something children will not be able to understand as heavily as it intends but it is none the less important. Aside from that aspect of the book, I really feel the pictures will allow for students to understand that people in wheelchairs are still people, not just someone with a condition. This book is a very useful teaching tool for teachers in the area of a physical disability discussion. It is also something students can read on their own and still enjoy.
Our Teacher's in a Wheelchair tells the tale of a teacher that was once athletic but is now partially paralyzed. The picture book shows real black and white photos of the teacher to help emphasize that he is a real person with a real job. The story goes through the aspects of Brian, the teacher in a wheelchair, from how he gets around at school, to going out with friends, and how he is confident with himself. It helps to show students how they can be anything they want no matter what or where they are in life.
One of the main reasons I chose this book is that it describes some children are afraid of Brian. It puts the perspective of how some children might actually feel about a person in a wheelchair but in a way that children are able to understand. That might be something children will not be able to understand as heavily as it intends but it is none the less important. Aside from that aspect of the book, I really feel the pictures will allow for students to understand that people in wheelchairs are still people, not just someone with a condition. This book is a very useful teaching tool for teachers in the area of a physical disability discussion. It is also something students can read on their own and still enjoy.
Book Review 2
Osofsky, Audrey. My Buddy. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1992.
My Buddy follows the story of a young boy in a wheelchair. This particular picture book focuses on his service dog, Buddy, and the ways Buddy helps along. It follows events of everyday life from school to home and how he came about to get Buddy. The young boy puts a positive light on his wheelchair but explaining how cool it is to have buddy.
I feel there is a positive and not so positive side to this. The only negative I could find is that some young readers might stereotype all people in wheelchairs have dogs. However, my including a dog in the story will draw readers into the story. I found there to be a positive light on being in a wheelchair by having the character explain all the interesting things buddy can do for him. It even puts a positive spin on the fact that his friends got tired of helping him. The fact that the young boy character is young shows that even children have struggles in life and works to be more relatable for young readers and can be a book read by teachers to students.
My Buddy follows the story of a young boy in a wheelchair. This particular picture book focuses on his service dog, Buddy, and the ways Buddy helps along. It follows events of everyday life from school to home and how he came about to get Buddy. The young boy puts a positive light on his wheelchair but explaining how cool it is to have buddy.
I feel there is a positive and not so positive side to this. The only negative I could find is that some young readers might stereotype all people in wheelchairs have dogs. However, my including a dog in the story will draw readers into the story. I found there to be a positive light on being in a wheelchair by having the character explain all the interesting things buddy can do for him. It even puts a positive spin on the fact that his friends got tired of helping him. The fact that the young boy character is young shows that even children have struggles in life and works to be more relatable for young readers and can be a book read by teachers to students.
Book Review 1
Heelan, Riggio Jamee. Rolling Along: The Story of Taylor and His Wheelchair. Atlanta: Peachtree Publishers, LTD, 2000.
Rolling Along: The Story of Taylor and His Wheelchair is a picture book for younger elementary grades. It is a story of a little boy, narrating himself, of what it is like to be in a wheelchair. He discusses how his friends and family help along and what it is like to be in therapy for Cerebral Palsy. As readers look at the pictures they can follow along on a journey with Taylor.
Heelan begins by introducing Taylor as an ordinary twin which allows readers to see he is just a normal boy. I found that this book was informational yet still easy for readers to understand. The pictures help to emphasize he is a real person while at the same time still informing children about what the condition is all about. I think this book is useful for future teachers, young children, or parents who want to help their children to understand.
I found further reviews, aside from my own, at Amazon.com. Since it is from an elementary school, it gives an outside perspective on what is useful to teach in schools. This review is from School Library Journal and it states:
Rolling Along: The Story of Taylor and His Wheelchair is a picture book for younger elementary grades. It is a story of a little boy, narrating himself, of what it is like to be in a wheelchair. He discusses how his friends and family help along and what it is like to be in therapy for Cerebral Palsy. As readers look at the pictures they can follow along on a journey with Taylor.
Heelan begins by introducing Taylor as an ordinary twin which allows readers to see he is just a normal boy. I found that this book was informational yet still easy for readers to understand. The pictures help to emphasize he is a real person while at the same time still informing children about what the condition is all about. I think this book is useful for future teachers, young children, or parents who want to help their children to understand.
I found further reviews, aside from my own, at Amazon.com. Since it is from an elementary school, it gives an outside perspective on what is useful to teach in schools. This review is from School Library Journal and it states:
"Kindergarten-Grade 3-A glimpse into the life of a young boy with cerebral
palsy. Taylor describes his condition, aspects of his daily activities at home
and at school, and his desire for independence. While he has been trained to use
a walker, he prefers a wheelchair as it enables him to go faster and not tire as
quickly. The book also includes some discussion of his physical-therapy
sessions. At times, Taylor's frustrations come through, as when the illustrator
shows him in his wheelchair facing a rather high set of stairs. However, in the
end, the message is that he enjoys the same activities as his twin (and other
children). In her mixed-media illustrations, Simmonds has superimposed
photographs of the individuals' faces onto drawings, creating an interesting
collage effect. This title is better suited for younger children than Alden
Carter's Stretching Ourselves (Albert Whitman, 2000)."
Margaret C. Howell, West Springfield Elementary School, VA Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Boy Meets Boy
For this week it was my opportunity to write a paper and I was very excited to discuss this group that was very different from anything I've read. I chose to address the idea of whether stereotypes were reinforced or broken down. Without having to go into extreme detail about what my paper was about, I focused a lot the characters in the book.
This book contained some of the most unique characters I have come across in a young adult novel. Since the characters were very different it was what helped to make the book very different. I found it very useful for readers to have a main character that was gay. For some readers that might be struggling with their sexuality this book helped to make the struggle all the more real.
I feel that in my future classroom this is a book that I would like to introduce. Not just for the message that is behind the book but also the entertainment readers will get out of it.
This book contained some of the most unique characters I have come across in a young adult novel. Since the characters were very different it was what helped to make the book very different. I found it very useful for readers to have a main character that was gay. For some readers that might be struggling with their sexuality this book helped to make the struggle all the more real.
I feel that in my future classroom this is a book that I would like to introduce. Not just for the message that is behind the book but also the entertainment readers will get out of it.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Becoming Naomi Leon
When coming to write this post, I wanted to wait until I had met with my group to see what my group members thoughts were. In an overall sense, myself and the other group members enjoyed the book. I know that the book was written by the same author as Esperanza Rising and it was very obvious to find the similarities. Since I had enjoyed that book, I knew that I would enjoy this book.
There were two things in the discussion that my group members and I felt the same about. First, we all felt really annoyed and angry with the character of Skyla. What is even worse is that some families actually have that same kind of mother character. It was obvious that she was designed to be the character that readers are supposed to despise but it was still an unfavorable feeling reading about her.
The second thing we all agreed upon was the similarities between Owen and Natalie from Capone. It was kind of ironic that we read two books back to back with a disabled character. it was also interesting that in both books neither one of those characters disabilities was defined. I must admit that it sort of bugs me that I don't know what it wrong with those characters. I feel that I will be better able to connect to the book if I can fully know what is going on in the book.
There were two things in the discussion that my group members and I felt the same about. First, we all felt really annoyed and angry with the character of Skyla. What is even worse is that some families actually have that same kind of mother character. It was obvious that she was designed to be the character that readers are supposed to despise but it was still an unfavorable feeling reading about her.
The second thing we all agreed upon was the similarities between Owen and Natalie from Capone. It was kind of ironic that we read two books back to back with a disabled character. it was also interesting that in both books neither one of those characters disabilities was defined. I must admit that it sort of bugs me that I don't know what it wrong with those characters. I feel that I will be better able to connect to the book if I can fully know what is going on in the book.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Witness
I was very surprised when I opened up Witness because it was not what I expected it to be. Granted, it was a very quick read, I thought that poems were an odd choice for the message the book was trying to convey. The one idea I feel for choosing poem formats is that it makes the book very different from other books that are out about the KKK.
The poems were actually quite unusual to me just in the sense that they weren't really poems. For the most part, poems are sometimes difficult to read to because of the imagery behind it. In Witness, they were poems but they were almost like small stories. In an overall sense, I really did enjoy reading the book and I felt that looking at specific characters allowed you to deeply look at the book.
The only suggestion I have is that we get into groups with different characters because I would like to see what other students noticed about the character they had.
The poems were actually quite unusual to me just in the sense that they weren't really poems. For the most part, poems are sometimes difficult to read to because of the imagery behind it. In Witness, they were poems but they were almost like small stories. In an overall sense, I really did enjoy reading the book and I felt that looking at specific characters allowed you to deeply look at the book.
The only suggestion I have is that we get into groups with different characters because I would like to see what other students noticed about the character they had.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Awards
After reading about awards and the discussion we had about awards, I still feel unsure about what is fair. I do know, though, what each side is fighting for. I understand that it is important for all authors to have a chance to be acknowledged and sometimes that can only happen if there is a specific award. I also understand that this can be seen as unfair and discriminating.
For instance, the Coretta Scott King Award, excludes all authors other than blacks. Is that fair? In some cases yes, because without it, those authors would have less of a chance of being recognized. I do no think it is the intention of those award committees to intentionally discriminate but I could see how others would be offended.
I think the best thing to do is to have designated awards for certain races, genders, religions, or whatever. However, to maintain that balance, I think there should be awards that except everyone, of every kind, and base the award on the quality of the book.
For instance, the Coretta Scott King Award, excludes all authors other than blacks. Is that fair? In some cases yes, because without it, those authors would have less of a chance of being recognized. I do no think it is the intention of those award committees to intentionally discriminate but I could see how others would be offended.
I think the best thing to do is to have designated awards for certain races, genders, religions, or whatever. However, to maintain that balance, I think there should be awards that except everyone, of every kind, and base the award on the quality of the book.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Bronx Masquerade
We discussed in out group how the book might have actually perpetuated stereotypes. I am not sure if it something I agree with. I know that stereotypes might have been perceived but in some cases, that's how it is inner city schools. I don't feel that it was the authors intention to create stereotypes, rather; I think she was trying to make the book all the more real.
We also discussed why was Tyrone so important? All of the characters went through a transformation but why was he so important? I seemed to think that it was because he was the most creative in the book. He was the one that was the most excited about doing poetry because it gave him the chance to express himself.
The last thing we touched on in our discussion was how quickly all the characters solved their problems. We all cam to an agreement that each had a very deep problem but at the end, it was resolved. I think it is pretty unrealistic how quickly something like that can be solved. I know for me I could not get over a serious problem in one school year.
We also discussed why was Tyrone so important? All of the characters went through a transformation but why was he so important? I seemed to think that it was because he was the most creative in the book. He was the one that was the most excited about doing poetry because it gave him the chance to express himself.
The last thing we touched on in our discussion was how quickly all the characters solved their problems. We all cam to an agreement that each had a very deep problem but at the end, it was resolved. I think it is pretty unrealistic how quickly something like that can be solved. I know for me I could not get over a serious problem in one school year.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Habibi
Having to do the questioning the text paper for class, I was excited to see what the other students thought about the book. I focused on the question of, how can we become more tolerant of a culture other than our own?
Although our group discussion did not going into my topic, we did start on the idea that Liyana never really expressed not wanting to leave. We all seemed to agree that if that was one of us, we had have flat out said, "I don't want to go". I feel that the book would have been more relatable to some children who have had to move if Liyana was a little bit more expressive.
The one thing in class that we discussed, as a whole, was how the book never really talked about the fighting in the middle east. I don't really know much about the fighting going on so if the book would have talked about it, I would have better grasped how Liyana didn't quite understand the problem with being friends with Omer.
Although our group discussion did not going into my topic, we did start on the idea that Liyana never really expressed not wanting to leave. We all seemed to agree that if that was one of us, we had have flat out said, "I don't want to go". I feel that the book would have been more relatable to some children who have had to move if Liyana was a little bit more expressive.
The one thing in class that we discussed, as a whole, was how the book never really talked about the fighting in the middle east. I don't really know much about the fighting going on so if the book would have talked about it, I would have better grasped how Liyana didn't quite understand the problem with being friends with Omer.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Insider/Oustider Debate
After reading the four articles on mulitcultural literature, it is clear that this is a hotly debated topic, one that I never thought was so widely discussed.
For the insider debate, I can understand how they would be able to draw on a topic that is familiar to them. Much the same as I would be better able to write about a topic that I personally experienced to open someone else's eyes. Insider writers are more equipped to be true to the writing and provide more factual information. I know that in my own classroom I would want to include literature of both to show that there are many types of good works out there by insider and outsider authors.
For the outsider debate, they are writers capable of writing great multicultural literature as well. Although they may not be able to draw on personal experiences, they are able to put a different perspective on a certain topic.
In my opinion, I feel that anyone, outsider/insider, is able to write mulitcultural literature. The one staple that needs to be any of the multicultural literature is that it needs to be accurate and relatable. There are certain works of literature out there, as discussed in the readings, that is not true to form which in turn doesn't make the work a piece of multicultural literature.
Some of the questions I would like to raise in class are, is there a biased in a lot of schools and libraries towards insider work? How would I know as an outsider whether or not this book is true to form if written by an outsider?
For the insider debate, I can understand how they would be able to draw on a topic that is familiar to them. Much the same as I would be better able to write about a topic that I personally experienced to open someone else's eyes. Insider writers are more equipped to be true to the writing and provide more factual information. I know that in my own classroom I would want to include literature of both to show that there are many types of good works out there by insider and outsider authors.
For the outsider debate, they are writers capable of writing great multicultural literature as well. Although they may not be able to draw on personal experiences, they are able to put a different perspective on a certain topic.
In my opinion, I feel that anyone, outsider/insider, is able to write mulitcultural literature. The one staple that needs to be any of the multicultural literature is that it needs to be accurate and relatable. There are certain works of literature out there, as discussed in the readings, that is not true to form which in turn doesn't make the work a piece of multicultural literature.
Some of the questions I would like to raise in class are, is there a biased in a lot of schools and libraries towards insider work? How would I know as an outsider whether or not this book is true to form if written by an outsider?
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Blog Number #1
Hi! My name is Erin and I am a sernior at Michigan State. My major is Elementary Education with a concentration in Language Arts. I am really looking forward to graduation and starting my teaching career. Part of the reason I decided to take this class was the experience I had with TE 348. It opened my eyes to a whole new way to look at children's literature. After only going to this particular class for two so far, I can get a sense that this class will further what I already understand.
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