Consider the students in your classroom and books that would lend themselves as windows or mirrors by Alicia Scott https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks Share at least one book along with a short annotation. en-us 2016-10-10 15:05:50 UTC 2024-10-28 15:47:42 UTC hello@padlet.com Alicia Scott I Love Saturdays Y Domingos aascott1 https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/199982850 Most of my school population has a Hispanic background.  This story is about a child who visits both sets of her grandparents, one English the other Spanish. This story shows that even though the cultures have differences, they also have many similarities.  This book helps our students see themselves as fitting into both worlds.
Link to book   https://www.amazon.com/I-Love-Saturdays-y-domingos/dp/068987409X/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1487556121&sr=1-8&keywords=abuela
Link to read aloud
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5sqG9q750U


]]> 2017-10-24 13:52:19 UTC https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/199982850 Kelly Day From North to South: Del Norte al Sur kaday https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/202750036 This book (mirror) is about the difficult subject of family separation due to deportation. In this story, Jose's mother was deported for not having papers. He eventually is able to visit his mother at a shelter for women and children in Tijuana. 

While this book might not be exactly prevalent, I know all of my students live in constant, hidden fear of this happening. Having a positive story might help scary thoughts subside.]]> 2017-11-02 00:55:55 UTC https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/202750036 Shelly Jeffers "I Hate Everything" https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/300242530 I teach students with emotional behavior disorders. Many of my students struggle with how to control their emotions, especially anger. When I speak one on one with these students in order to pinpoint what is making them angry, I often get answers such as "I hate everything" or "I don't like anything." I believe this book would be perfect for my students, because it deals with something that they struggle with almost daily. We also work on how to control our anger by using coping strategies. This book would tie right along with our social skills lessons and help give a visual to my students too. 

]]> 2018-11-04 20:30:33 UTC https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/300242530 Zach Smith zesmith https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/300624242 Many of the students within my previous classrooms have come from a Hispanic background; however, this year is a little different. While I still have majority Hispanics in my classroom, recently I have begun seeing an increase in African American boys enter my classroom. To begin with, most of them come from very high poverty, one parent homes. At first try to "show off their toughness" to the other students, but they quickly learn through teacher/student interactions and meaningful talk that they do not need to try to impress anyone or "show how hard they are." They learn that the culture at Westcliffe is different and that every student is important and they each have a voice. They learn that their background or previous experiences doesn't define them, and they learn how to except other students regardless of how they look on the outside. To help teach this concept, I use a book called Heroes and have had a lot of success with it. 

]]> 2018-11-05 17:56:40 UTC https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/300624242 Erica Drew: Chrysanthemum https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/300705537 This sweet story addresses students' identities through names. The characters are mice and they are attending school for the first time. Chrysanthemum absolutely loves her name until she goes to school and some of friends make fun of it. Her parents are supportive at home and tell her all the great things about her name, but at school she hears all the negative things about being named after a flower. It is not until she meets the music teacher who has a very unique name too, Mrs. Delphinium Twinkle , that she learns to love her name again. The amazing music teacher is also pregnant and tells the class she is going to name her baby Chrysanthemum. This causes all the girls to want to be named after flowers. I use this book every year because names are important, they are part of your identity. I feel students should be accepting of others and names are a great way to start!]]> 2018-11-05 20:01:55 UTC https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/300705537 A Different Little Doggy https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/300798147 A Different Little Doggy is a heartwarming story about a little doggy who has a BIG message!  Taz teaches us that despite his physical disabilities, he can have fun and enjoy life just like all the other doggies.  This whimsical story is a wonderful way for children to be introduced to the differences and similarities we all share.  
I love to explore this story with the general education population in schools to introduce them to disability awareness while discussing acceptance. It is also a great teaching tool for our students with disabilities to teach social skills and self-advocacy. ]]> 2018-11-06 02:07:56 UTC https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/300798147 Brittany Fowler: Junkyard Wonders https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/301249148 I teach a class with students who have learning disabilities and sometimes emotional disabilities. I have several students who see our mental health counselor and have suffered different losses in their personal lives. The book, Junkyard Wonders by Patricia Polacco, is about students who also have learning and physical disabilities who are often rejected by their peers in their school and could serve as a mirror for those students in my classroom who also have specific disabilities and and a window for my students in my classroom who do not necessarily have learning or physical disabilities. In this story, the students find family and community in this classroom with this wonderful teacher who stands up for them and fights for them. She helps them complete this amazing project and even fights the principal on the matter to make sure it happens for the students. The students also experience loss of one of the students in their classrooms due to his specific illness and the story describes how the students come together as a family despite what others around them think to accomplish their goals. ]]> 2018-11-06 21:42:08 UTC https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/301249148 Meg Thompson https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/301274764 Two Badges: The Lives of Mona Ruiz

As a high school teacher, I did some searching to find a book for my age group. I teach in a school that has a majority Hispanic population as well as a majority low socio-economic. This book is an autobiography based on the life of Mona Ruiz. She grew up poor in a Hispanic neighborhood where she was involved in a gang and gang violence. Her family wrote her off, and she was in an abusive relationship with a fellow gang member. She struggled with her life choices and then made the most important one...to leave the gang. Not only did she leave the gang, she went to work as a desk clerk for her local police department. In doing this, she had to let go and walk away from everything in her life. She is now an officer with the Santa Ana Police Department: gang unit. Her former life has given her insight into her new career. She has come through the worst life had to throw at her and is all the stronger and better.  I think this book is a mirror and a window for some many students. It gives a true life perspective that so many of my students can connect with and maybe help them to see the other side of where they are now.

]]> 2018-11-06 23:29:03 UTC https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/301274764 https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/301278652 2018-11-06 23:50:59 UTC https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/301278652 Katie James-Love is a Family https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/301283605 In my class, 42% of my students live in single-parent households. The story, Love is a Family, is a book that can be used as a mirror and window in my classroom. The students who are from a single-parent household will see themselves in this book. They will relate to the feeling that their family is different, and they will realize just like Lily did in the story that all families are different just in their own way. The students in my classroom who are not from single-parent households will view this book as a window to understand the feelings of some of their classmates. This book can teach empathy to those students. ]]> 2018-11-07 00:20:49 UTC https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/301283605 A Long Walk to Water By: Linda Sue Park (Shannon Story) ssstory https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/301294772 Teaching in a diverse school brings may challenges. Many students are moving from place to place, home to home, person to person. They face many challenges in their own lives outside of school and many of those challenge are brought to school. They find themselves searching for ways to overcome and move on. This is the first year I have read aloud this book, A Long Walk to Water, it was suggested to me by a co-worker. The students have really loved the development of the characters. There are two story lines years apart, but both facing many challenges on their drive to a better life. Both leaving home, one for water each and everyday and the other from a war torn village. The challenges these two characters face give my students hope that even through they face challenges the outcome can be great. Even as 5th graders they can strive to become better and face challenges head on. 

]]> 2018-11-07 01:19:28 UTC https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/301294772 Freida Rafferty: Heroes fraffert1 https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/301305080 This is a great window book for students. In the story, Heroes, a young boy is being bullied due to his family being Japanese. His grandfather and uncle both earned medals for their service, but do not want to brag about it. Then, when enough is enough the two men help to prove that everyone can be a hero! I have used this book several times to teach character change and the events that cause the change. It can also be used to develop theme. It hits home with every student, because in some way we are all have something different about us from other people. ]]> 2018-11-07 02:12:04 UTC https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/301305080 Baseball Saved Us - Karey Wengert https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/301857031 The book Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki details the story of a Japanese American family following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Shorty and his family are relocated to a prison camp, and through baseball they discover a way to bond as a people and regain the dignity they lost by the way that they were treated. This book serves as an excellent window for my students. We have very few Asian students in our school, so this book gives students a window into Japanese culture and the things that they have experienced. It also has allowed a lot of my students to connect with the feeling of redemption and acceptance through the vehicle of sports.]]> 2018-11-08 01:03:01 UTC https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/301857031 Giraffes Can't Dance - by Giles Andreae areeves13 https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/301858806 Book as a Mirror - Amy Lyn Reeves
     Every new school year, this is one of my go to favorites to read in the first few days of class. Poor Gerald feels inadequate next to the waltzing, tango-ing, and Scottish reeling jungle animals. He wants to dance in the jungle, but he is all knees and elbows. He finds inspiration from a wee little voice, who asks him to consider the beautiful moon as it hangs in the sky. 
     Before reading, I set up the book by asking my students (whether they are 5th, 4th, or 2nd graders) to think about a time when they didn't think they were “good enough.” Nearly all can relate. Gerald’s experiences are a mirror to students’ insecurities, especially as they start a new year with new classmates, new teachers, new expectations, and a new classroom. I try to use the book as inspiration for the children to imagine their potential, even if others may not recognize it at first.
Book Link: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/books/giraffes-can-t-dance-by-giles-andreae/
Video Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnYKXVxSRto 
]]> 2018-11-08 01:11:06 UTC https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/301858806 A Sick Day for Amos McGee-Nicole Bell https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/301870052 A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip Stead is a sweet story of empathy and a reflection of students at our school. Everyday Amos McGee goes to visit his friends at the zoo. He finds activities that relate to the animals, such as playing chess with the thoughtful elephant, or sitting quietly with the shy penguin. When Amos has a sick day at home, he is so missed that his friends hop on the bus and visit Amos at home to reciprocate his thoughtful gestures.
Finding a common interest or sharing a kind word is the mirror and the window that our students look out of or into everyday.
https://www.amazon.com/Sick-Day-Amos-McGee-Storytime/dp/1427287228


]]> 2018-11-08 02:06:47 UTC https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/301870052 https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/301872580 2018-11-08 02:21:03 UTC https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/301872580 Angela Godfrey https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/302144281 Dear Primo

This book is a mirror for my students. Many of my students have relatives in Mexico.  This book is fun reading or used as a read aloud for my younger students.  It is great for comparing and contrasting the lives of the cousins.  My students enjoy reading the Spanish words to me. It is a great way to get your students talking. You can also find the author reading this book on YouTube. 

]]> 2018-11-08 16:00:45 UTC https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/302144281 The PACT: Three Young Men Make A Promise and Fulfill a Dream ewilliam3 https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/302289921





This book The PACT – Three Young Men Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream is written by African American doctors.  Doctors Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, and Rameck Hunt, tell the story of how they grew up facing many struggles, temptations, pitfalls, and even jail.  One day these three young men make a pact, promising one another that they would all become doctors.  They vow to stick together through their long and difficult journey.  This has been an inspirational story for that I have used over the last several years in my classrooms.  This book serves as a mirror to many of my male students, the majority of them being African American males from single-parent homes, lacking the leadership of positive male role models.  It serves as a window in allowing them to see who the young men dealt with moving to different schools and neighborhoods and eventually dealing with college experiences very different from the environment that they were accustomed to.  They also see how hard work, persistence, and endurance paid off for these young men, causing them to be successful in the field of medicine and the big world full of daily challenges.

]]> 2018-11-08 19:37:44 UTC https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/302289921 ewilliam3 https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/302292418 2018-11-08 19:42:00 UTC https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/302292418 POSTED BY D. RIMER---------We Are Like the Clouds drimer https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/302327421 By Jorge Argueta
Illustrated by Alfonso Ruano
Published by Groundwood Books
Age Range: 7 and older

This powerful book by award-winning Salvadoran poet Jorge Argueta describes the terrible process that leads young people to undertake the extreme hardships and risks involved in the journey to what they hope will be a new life of safety and opportunity. A refugee from El Salvador’s war in the eighties, Argueta was born to explain the tragic choice confronting young Central Americans today who are saying goodbye to everything they know because they fear for their lives. This book brings home their situation and will help young people who are living in safety to understand those who are not.
https://www.imyourneighborbooks.org/2017/01/28/we-are-the-clouds/

]]> 2018-11-08 20:47:48 UTC https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/302327421 Those Shoes https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/302342612 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH5HzAe6OBg

This book is could lend itself as a mirror and window for my students. There is a high poverty rate for my school and a lot of families cant always afford to buy new things that the students may want. In this book a little boy really wants a pair of shoes that everyone else has. His grandma cant afford the shoes that he wants, but she buys him boots for the winter. The little boy doesnt want the boots that his grandma buys him, so he finds the shoes he really wanted at a thrift store but they are too small. On the other other hand his friend Antonio has holes in shoes. Antonio is grateful that he has shoes even though they have holes in it. The character learned that there are some people who may have it worse than they do. I feel like my students can see themselves like either of these characters and at the same time learn from the other. ]]> 2018-11-08 21:28:15 UTC https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/302342612 letaylor1 https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/302374692 The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is about young girl, Starr Carter, who lives in a poor neighborhood but attends a fancy high school. Her friend, who was unarmed, dies at the hands of a police officer and no one knows the cause. At school, Starr must listen to the constant chatter of what happened the night her friend died. There is speculation that her friend was a drug dealer or a thug, some saying they had it coming to them. Starr's life at home becomes ciaos with the neighborhood becoming a war zone with protests due to the police not having an interest in investigating the incident. This book can be considered a  window and mirror for my students. This book can represent a mirror because, in my school, many of my students have faced situations in their own home life in which they have dealt with loved ones who have faced similar situations in which the character Starr Carter has. This book can represent as a window to the students who have never dealt with a situation such a what the character faced, but they can gain an understanding of what some of their classmates have gone through. As a whole, my students can see what many people around the world is facing, they see situations such as the one described in this book on the nightly news. ]]> 2018-11-08 23:46:55 UTC https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/302374692 Wonder https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/302394569 https://www.amazon.com/Wonder-R-J-Palacio/dp/0375869026

Wonder is a great book that explores emotions from various perspectives.  Some key points include empathy and acceptance.  My 5th graders needed the reminder as we read this book, and many of my students can relate to the various characters in this novel! ]]> 2018-11-09 01:36:10 UTC https://padlet.com/aascott1/Bookmarks/wish/302394569