https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty These are books I would love to include in my future classroom. en-us 2018-10-09 03:49:44 UTC 2024-12-01 01:35:46 UTC hello@padlet.com vwilli24 https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290554093

This book tells the story of Rosa Parks as a powerful activist rather than the popularized story of her simply being too tired to give up her seat on the bus. It also sheds light on the civil rights movement as a whole. It is important for students of color to be presented with role models who act as a mirror for them. It is also important for white students to hear stories of the experiences of people of color that they may not regularly think about. The story features complex vocabulary and sentence structures. I would suggest this book for fifth or sixth graders because there is some cultural background knowledge required to understand this story. 

]]> 2018-10-09 03:50:56 UTC https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290554093 vwilli24 https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290554354 This book deals with multiple different storylines as a bear named Stillwater visits with three children and tells them stories. The style of the illustrations changes when Stillwater tells one of his stories, making it easier for children to differentiate between the different timelines. The different stories told all hold different themes such as not obsessing over material things, the uncertainty of life, and not holding grudges. Because of the complexity of the different timelines and the multiple implicit themes, I would suggest this book for fourth or fifth graders. 

]]> 2018-10-09 03:52:16 UTC https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290554354 vwilli24 https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290554431 This book includes multiple timelines that are many years apart as a boy hears a story from his mother about his great grandfather in his youth. Young children would have a hard time differentiating between the timelines, but older children could benefit from working on this reading comprehension skill. The book does not use overly complex language, but there are military-related terms that may be unfamiliar to children. I would suggest this book for fourth to fifth grade. 

]]> 2018-10-09 03:52:53 UTC https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290554431 vwilli24 https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290554506 I believe this text could be useful in a classroom library because it discusses themes related to loneliness and having a parent who may not have a lot of extra time to spend with their children. Both of these topics may be familiar to young children. It also acts as a window into the life of living in a coastal town, which may be unfamiliar to some children. This book’s language is not very complex, using fairly simple sentence structure and vocabulary. It has multiple implicit themes such as loneliness being normal and valid, and the importance of talking about your problems. Its illustrations are very important in telling the story. It deals with one chronological timeline from beginning to end. I feel that this book would be most appropriate for kindergarten through second grade. ]]> 2018-10-09 03:53:36 UTC https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290554506 vwilli24 https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290554673 This book is in the format of several letters to a boy from his crayons. This is a different structure than the traditional structure of text on a page that children are used to seeing. This could provide a teaching opportunity to work on the concept of writing, addressing, and sending written letters. This book also deals with the theme of being considerate to others. Its unusual structure and humorous tone will keep children engaged. I believe that children in grades two through four would best understand the humor, the somewhat unusual structure, and the vocabulary in this book. ]]> 2018-10-09 03:54:24 UTC https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290554673 vwilli24 https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290554838 This book takes an abstract idea, a problem, and turns it into a concrete object. Students must be able to understand the analogy of the character’s problem being presented as a storm cloud. Students will probably see their own experiences reflected in this story. They should be prompted to think of a time when they had to face a problem. The language and sentence structure in this book are fairly simple. The illustrations help to depict the representation of the problem as a dark cloud. I believe that this book is best suited for second or third grade because students of this age would likely be able to detect the themes and understand the abstract ideas present. ]]> 2018-10-09 03:55:32 UTC https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290554838 vwilli24 https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290554936 This book would be useful in the classroom because it is engaging and elicits emotions of suspense, fear, sadness, and hope. It includes the personification of construction machines and simplifies the idea of a construction site with easily understandable language such as “They built roads for driving.” (Kuefler). The themes are implicit and include topics such as following your own path as well as protecting the environment. The images are extremely important in following the story that is being told, but are not complex. I would recommend this book for kindergarten through second grade classrooms.]]> 2018-10-09 03:56:20 UTC https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290554936 vwilli24 https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290555090 This book includes problems that many children may relate to such as bullying and being ashamed of oneself. The book features somewhat complex sentence structures and vocabulary such as “solitude” and “dwelling” that may be somewhat complex for kindergarten and first grade students. This book includes implicit and complex themes of being bullied for an aspect of yourself that you cannot control, and learning to appreciate the things that make you unique. I believe that because of the language and themes of this book it would be best suited for a second or third grade classroom. 

]]> 2018-10-09 03:57:18 UTC https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290555090 vwilli24 https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290555252 This book tells a story using extremely simple language and sentence structure, some lines even being as short as one or two words. The story is aided by pictures as the simple but effective illustrations supplement the lack of complex language. It deals with a chronological timeline from beginning to end. The story includes themes of love and loss. Students will likely relate to this story as it is likely many of them have experienced the loss of a pet. I would recommend this book for preK to first grade. 

]]> 2018-10-09 03:58:19 UTC https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290555252 vwilli24 https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290555354 This book acts as a powerful window or mirror into a specific piece of black culture. Students could easily see themselves in this book or gain an understanding of a different culture. This book includes implicit themes such as celebrating African American beauty and culture as well as uplifting yourself and those around you. It includes complex sentence structures and language such as metaphors like, “You come in as a lump of clay, a blank canvas, a slab of marble” (James). It also includes slang and language popular in African American culture such as “tight fade” “Girl, he’s so fine.” The illustrations are intricate and are very important to the story. I think the language and themes in this book are best suited for fifth to seventh grade. ]]> 2018-10-09 03:59:04 UTC https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290555354 vwilli24 https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290555507 This book acts as either a window or mirror into the life of a child of immigrants. A student of an immigrant family may find comfort in seeing parts of their experience reflected in the story, and other students will gain a new perspective. This book also deals with the experience of lower socioeconomic classes. The language in the book is somewhat complex featuring similes such as “A kid at my school said my dad’s English sounds like a thick, dirty river. . .” (Phi). The illustrations aid in the understanding of the story and depict the words of the story very closely. The story deals with implicit themes such as appreciating one’s parents, the importance of family, and appreciating the non-material things things in life. I would recommend this book for fourth or fifth grade based on the somewhat complex language and themes. 

]]> 2018-10-09 04:00:06 UTC https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290555507 vwilli24 https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290555702 This book shows the perspective of a boy visiting his grandmother in the city. Children could see the place that they live reflected in this book or be able to look into a new perspective. The vocabulary and sentence structure are very simple and easy for a young audience to understand. The illustrations are essential in telling the story because at the beginning the speaker’s description of the city as busy and loud is shown with negative images of traffic and crowds, but as he learns to appreciate the city these same descriptions are given but they are now shown with positive images of the music and dancing that happens in the city. The images are necessary in knowing if the speaker means busy and loud in a negative or positive way. The story includes the implicit theme of finding beauty in something you may think you dislike. I would recommend this book for preK through first grade because the vocabulary and sentence structures are simple and the theme, while implicit, is easy to understand.

]]> 2018-10-09 04:01:16 UTC https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290555702 vwilli24 https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290555806 This book incorporates the theme of words holding power, which is a very important topic for young readers because it helps but purpose behind their reading and writing. It depicts the ways that we can use our words to express our thoughts and to make a difference. The illustrations follow the story consistently and feature diverse characters. The vocabulary is somewhat complex, but the sentence structures are mostly simplistic. I believe this book would be best suited for third or fourth graders who are discovering themselves as readers and at a point where they are able to take control of their own creativity in writing. 

]]> 2018-10-09 04:02:11 UTC https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290555806 vwilli24 https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290555971 This book features simplistic language and sentence structure, but engages students through the use of rhyme and rhythm. It is told in verse which prompts children to follow along with the patterns throughout the book. The illustrations are engaging and humorous as they depict the different scenarios in which we may read. The theme of this book is that reading can be useful for a vast amount of situations, and there are texts to fit anyone’s interest. I would suggest this to first through third graders who are figuring out what interests them as readers. ]]> 2018-10-09 04:03:04 UTC https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290555971 vwilli24 https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290556088 This themes in this book, while simple, will likely resonate with many people. Sometimes it is okay to want some time alone, but it is also good to spend time with those you love. This story uses humor as the old woman travels all the way to the moon and even another dimension looking for peace and quiet. The language and sentence structure are very simple, and the illustrations are used as a storytelling tool. Because of the humorous tones, simple language, and easily understandable themes, I would recommend this for kindergarten through first grade. 

]]> 2018-10-09 04:03:53 UTC https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290556088 vwilli24 https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290556589 This book has a very whimsical feel to it, as the main character happens upon an underground home where an old woman keeps all the things that have been lost in the city. The book uses somewhat complex vocabulary, and it treats abstract ideas like memory, humor, and hope as concrete objects that can be stored in jars, which may be difficult for younger audiences to understand. Some words appear much larger on the page or appear in different writing styles which may be different from the standard layout of text on the page that children are used to seeing. The illustrations help to drive home the theme of the importance of hope and optimism as the main character spills bright colors from her jar of hope all over the dim city. I would recommend this book for fourth and fifth graders because of the somewhat complex themes and ideas. 

]]> 2018-10-09 04:06:46 UTC https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290556589 vwilli24 https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290556811 This book allows children to watch a drawing come to life as small mistakes end up turning into something beautiful. The language and sentence structure used are very simple, and most of the story is told through intricately drawn illustrations. The theme in this book is simple to understand as it shows that it is okay to make mistakes because they can often lead to something good. Young audiences will have a fun time predicting what the artist may add to the drawing next. I would suggest this story be used in kindergarten to second grade classrooms. ]]> 2018-10-09 04:07:54 UTC https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290556811 vwilli24 https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290556935 This book provides a teaching opportunity for the concept of perspective. A perfect day looks very different for each character in the book. The language and sentence structure are extremely simple, and the illustrations help to tell the story. Along with the notion of everyone having a different perspective, another theme in the story is the idea that we may not be aware of how our actions affect those around us. I believe these themes and this level of text complexity is best suited for preK through first grade. 

]]> 2018-10-09 04:08:38 UTC https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290556935 vwilli24 https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290557026 This is a story told from two different perspectives. The main character thinks her turtle has disappeared, but then we see the turtle’s perspective we learn that he is on a quest to find her the perfect birthday gift and that her friendship has meant much more to him than she knows. This introduces the theme of our kindness meaning more to people than we may see. It presents an opportunity to talk about how the same story may look different perspectives. The vocabulary and sentence structure is fairly simple, and the illustrations add details to the story that do not appear in the text. I would suggest this book for kindergarten through second grade classrooms. 

]]> 2018-10-09 04:09:15 UTC https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290557026 vwilli24 https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290557238 This book may act as a mirror for children who have similar experiences to the main character whether it be where he lives, the types of things he does, or his socioeconomic class. It may also act as a window for children who have different experiences. The book uses fairly complex language and sentence structures. It uses figurative language such as the metaphor, “The outside air smelled like freedom . . .” (Peña). The illustrations add detail to the narrative and feature diverse characters. There are implicit, abstract themes such as building community, closeness with family, and the value of spending your time helping others. I would recommend this book for third through fifth grade because of the figurative language used and the complex themes.

]]> 2018-10-09 04:10:26 UTC https://padlet.com/vwilli24/9q42ixmhguty/wish/290557238