Theme+Studies

Post Theme Studies Here **Love and Hate: Sibling Rivalry in Children's Literature.** **by Heather Vandermillen LBS803 Fall 2010**

Sibling rivalry has been the topic of literature as far back as the Bible, when Cain and Abel competed for their parents' and God's attention. And then there was the prodigal son who returns home to his father's welcome and his brother's ire.

Children's literature has also long acknowledged the push and pull of sibling relationships. In the classic book //Little Women//, Amy March burns her sister's Jo's manuscript because Jo will not take her to the theater. In retaliation for the lost work, Jo refuses to skate with Amy. But when Amy falls through the ice Jo feel responsible and sees how her temper nearly lost her a sister.

Though written in 1955, Beverly Cleary's classic //Beezus and Ramona// still rings true for many kids. It's a simple story told from the point of view of an older sister, Beezus, who finds her younger sister Ramona to be annoying. And Beezus might have a point. Ramona is loud, she destroys library books, crashes her tricycle into checker games and ruins Beezus's birthday cake, twice. Beezus feels bad about her anger toward Ramona. But her mother uses her own relationship with her sister to show Beezus how problems with siblings are normal. Beezus sees the love between her mother and her aunt and realizes that Ramona will not always be a pest.

Judy Blume's //Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing//, written in 1972, is more complicated. The first person narration is through the eyes of nine year old Peter as he tries to steer clear of his three year old brother, Fudge. Fudge is truly out of control but his parent's are so enchanted with Fudge's cuteness that they seem to turn a blind eye to his destructiveness and its effect on Peter. Even at the end of the book, when Fudge eats Peter's turtle the parents focus their attention on Fudge, worrying about him becoming ill and do not acknowledge Peter's loss. Of course if a child eats a turtle it is a medical issue but throughout the book Fudge has run roughshod over Peter's life and the reader feels Peter's pain. Like Cleary, Blume uses humor to help kids laugh at Peter's problems and there own. Unlike Cleary, her endings aren't as tidy, recognizing that problems, like siblings, don't always go away.

Today's authors still have a lot to say about the love and hate that often defines the sibling relationship. Though the themes of frustrations and competition are common in most stories, there is a lot of variation. This variety means that every child can find a sibling story that seems to mirror his or her own.

//The Lemonade War// is a quintessential sibling rivalry story. Brother and sister, Evan and Jessie are close companions and watch each other's backs. But trouble arises when Jessie, who is academically gifted, skips a grade and is assigned to Evan's 4th grade class. Jessie is hoping her gregarious and popular brother will help her meet other kids. But Evan feels embarrassed that Jessie is so smart; he does not wish to be compared to her so directly. As a result the two open competing lemonade stands. Jessie excels at the financial aspects of the business but Evan has customer smarts. The two end up seeing how their skills compliment each other. The book is important for many reasons. First, the lemonade stand is a great symbol of how siblings compete; sibling rivalry can be both a positive force encouraging children to try harder and a negative force, making a child feel less competent. Second, //The Lemonade War// honestly looks at the troubles academically gifted children and the their siblings face. Evan isn't stupid but his talents aren't the kind that get graded. Jessie feels embarrassed about being different and she is not as skilled at reading people as Evan is.

The picture book, //Big Red Lollipop// has some of the flavor and wisdom of //Beezus and Ramona.// Rubina is child of immigrants. Rubina is ecstatic when she is invited to her first American birthday party until her mother insists she take her younger sister Sana. Sana is ill-behaved at the party and embarrasses Rubina. After immediately devouring her own goodies Sana steals Rubina's lollipop. But the worst part is that Rubina suffers socially for Sana's behavior. She is not invited to any more parties for some time. But when Sana is invited to a party Rubina forgoes the opportunity to take revenge and instead insists Sana go alone. Aside from the sibling struggle, the book brings out two important aspects of family life. First, there is the problem of assimilation that immigrant children face. Secondly, it addresses the fact that older children often blaze a trail for their younger siblings by negotiating boundaries with their parents. It's not always easy to do everything first.

Of course, being a middle child has it's own problems. In //The Diary of a Wimpy Kid// series, Greg has to contend with his pesky young brother, Manny, who breaks his things and gets away with it, much like Fudge in Judy Blume's story. And then he has his tyrannical older brother, Roderick, who threatens to divulge Greg's most embarrassing secrets. From Greg's point of view Roderick's difficult behavior is motivated only by the joy of being the boss. And since these humorous books are written from Greg's point of view we may never know if Roderick has any conscience. One thing is for sure, these are funny books that will help kids laugh at their own sibling relationships and themselves.

Some sibling relationships are complicated by other problems. In //The Middle of Somewhere// an older sister must set aside her own needs to help control her ADHD brother when her mother is injured. Though it's clear Ronnie loves Gee, she still feels frustrated by his behavior.

Even the closest sibling bonds require negation. That's clearly the case for twin brothers Ray Jay and Jay Ray in //Lost and Found// by Andrew Clements. These brothers suffer not from how they relate to each other but more from how others relate to them because of each other. People treat the twins as if they are the same person. The twins also do not have close friendships with other boys because their relationship to each is like an imaginary bubble that others boys don't enter. When they have the opportunity to pretend to be one person instead of two they alternate going to school. They now have the chance to see what it is like not to be a twin. Of course they can only keep up the ruse for so long and pretending to be the same person also brings out their differences.

Small children also feel frustration and envy. In //Otto Grows Down,// a little boy jealous of his little sister wishes she were never born. His wish comes true but with a twist -- he becomes a baby again. Otto sees how frustrating it is not to be able to talk or walk and decides he prefers to be the older brother after all. The well known children's author, Rosemary Wells does a delightful job of depicting the sibling relationship between bunnies Max and Ruby. The older, perfectionist, Ruby often feels frustrated with her happy-go-lucky little brother, Max. Max, who doesn't say much, feels a little over manged by Ruby. They are each other's constant companions and generally working toward the same goals. The problem lies in their diverging interpretation of those goals, whether it's baking a cake for Grandma in //Bunny Cakes// or shopping for clothes in //Max's Dragon Shirt//.

Poetry can also help siblings understand their relationship to each other. Eloise Greenfield's book //Brothers and Sisters: Family Poems// does a nice job of capturing the dueling feelings siblings experience. The opening poem (titled Brothers and Sisters) sets the tone for the rest of the book Brothers and sisters can be dear, can be company, can bring cheer, can start arguments, can make noise, can cause tears, can break toys,......

Children (and parents) might gain some perspective and simply enjoy reading about how animal siblings get along. Steve Jenkins and Robin Page's book //Sisters and Brothers: Sibling Relationships in the Animal World// is full of funny, sweet and brutal facts; young cheetahs practice hunting and increase their speed by playfully chasing each other; sister elephants help care for the younger members of the herd, turkey brothers stay together for life and hyenas (both male and female) often kill litter-mates of the same sex.

As with cheetahs, competition among siblings often drives kids to work harder. //On the Field with Peyton and Eli Manning// is a biography of the Super Bowl winning, quarterback brothers. The book also discusses their brother Cooper who had to give up his football aspirations because he suffered from a spinal defect. The three brothers grew up playing and competing against each other. As NFL Quarterbacks, Peyton and Eli still compete. This a good book for the sports-minded boy or girl who might feel like he/she is in a sibling's shadow.

Judy Blume hasn't run out of things to say about siblings. A few years ago she revived two characters from her book //The Pain and the Great One// and created a new series of books. Pain is a six year old boy and the Great One his eight year old older sister. Each child is sure that the other is their parents' favorite. The series, though humorous, addresses real concerns children have: like when Jake (the Pain) is laughed at in school for reading a word incorrectly ( //Friend or Fiend// ). And Judy Blum's still does not shy away from tough situations, like the chapter where Abigail describes a very unpleasant visit with her cousins whose parents have recently divorced. Though they bicker, compete and draw that infamous imaginary line between them in the back seat of the car, Jake and Abigail are also capable of empathy and kindness towards each other.

Sibling rivalry in children's literature is a theme that most kids can relate to and with an endless supply of inspiration authors are sure to keep writing books about it.

**A SLMS lesson plan incorporating books about sibling rivalry.**

Siblings relationships are a good place to open up discussions about conflict, empathy and bullying. Here are some exercises to aid in the discussions and build reading and writing skills.

**Exercise 1: The first exercise is designed to help children tap their own experiences to use in their writing.** Sibling relationships inspire many dueling feelings. Read some poems from //Brothers and Sisters: Family Poems// that show both good and bad aspects of having a brother or sister (include the first poem in the collection also titled //Brothers and Sisters// .) Have students write a list of things they like and things they don't like about one of their siblings (or a friend, but not someone in class.)

Start off with simple adjectives like bossy, generous, messy and funny. Make sure the lists are balanced; if there are three dislikes there should be three likes. Now have them use the adjectives to create a poem. You can also give the option to write two poems, one poem about their likes and the other about their dislikes. Remind students that they don't have to use the adjectives in their actual poem but can depict the trait. For example to show messy: “My sister plunged her hand into her bag, waded through the ever growing pile of old receipts and gum wrappers and pulled out a cell phone.”

**Like:** **Dislike:**

**Poem 1:**

**Poem 2:**

**Exercise 2:** **This exercise is designed to help children recognize conflict and therefore major plot points of a story. It also encourages them to empathize and solve conflicts by recognizing similarities between their own lives and those of the characters in the stories they read.**

Read one of the fiction stories (or a chapter from a longer story) about sibling rivalry. Have students write brief answers to these questions:

“ What does the brother or sister in the story do that bothers the other sibling?”

“ How is that conflict resolved (if it is) in the story?

Give an example from your own life where you had conflict with a sibling (or a friend).

How was the problem resolved?

**Books About Sibling Rivalry:**

**Blume, Judy.** //**Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing**// **(Super fudge series) New York: Mutton Children's Books, (2002), 1972.** Gr 4-6 Judy Blum's well read story of 9 year old Peter whose 3 year old brother, Fudge, is a terror. Why don't his parents see it?

**Blume, Judy.** //**The Pain and the Great One (series).**// //Delecorte Press.// A humorous and series of books about a 6 year old boy and his 8 year old sister who compete and cooperate.

**Cheaney, J.B.** //**The Middle of Somewhere**// **. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2007.** When her mother is injured, 12 year old Ronnie takes responsibility over her 7 year old ADHD brother as they accompany their grandfather on a road trip through Kansas.

**Christopher, Matt. On the Field With Peyton and Eli Manning. New York: Little Brown, 2008.** ***Gr 4-7 A b**iography of the Super Bowl-winning,quarterback, brothers.

**Cleary, Beverly.** //**Beezus and Ramona**// **. New York: Avon Books, (1990), 1955.** *Gr 1-3 Beezus has had enough of her pesky little sister Ramona.

**Clements, Andrew.** //**Lost and Found**// **. New York: Atheneum Book for Young Readers, 2008.** Gr 3-6 Twin brothers, Ray and Jay, take advantage of a clerical error at school that lists them as one person. They get a chance to see what life is like without a twin as they alternate turns going to school.

**Davies, Jacqueline.** //**Lemonade War.**// **Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2007.** Gr 3-5 Evan and his little sister Jessie take sibling rivalry to the business world when they set up competing lemonade stands.

**Greenfield, Eloise.** //**Brother's and Sister's: Family Poems.**// **New York: Harper Collins, 2009.** K- Gr 6A book of poems capturing the ups and downs of family life with siblings.

**Hample, Stuart (edt).** //**You Stink! I love you: From Brothers and Sisters of Course.**// **New York: Workman Pub., 2002.** Stuart Hample asks kids what they think of their siblings and their answers are honest and often funny.

**Jenkins, Steve and Robin Page. Sisters and Brothers: Sibling Relationships in The Animal World,** **illustrated by Steve Jenkins. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2008.** Gr 2- 4 A collection of interesting facts about how animal siblings from the Elephant to the termite, compete and cooperate. Wonderful torn-paper illustrations.

**Khan, Rukhsana.** //**Big Red Lollipop**// **. New York: Viking, 2010.** Gr 2-4 Rubina is embarrassed when her immigrant mother insists Rubina take her little sister Sana to a birthday party that only Rubina has been invited to.

**Kinny, Jeff** //**. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules.**// **New York: Amulet Books: 2008.** *Gr 4-8 A very humorous look at the life of middle child Greg, sandwiched between a bratty little brother and a tyrannical older brother.

**Sussman, Michael.** //**Otto Grows Down.**// **New York: Sterling Pub. Co., 2009.** PreS-K Otto gets to experience life as a baby again when he wishes his sister were never born.

**Wells, Rosemary.** //**Bunny Cakes**// **. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 1997.** PreS -Gr1Perfectionist bunny Ruby and her happy-go-lucky brother Max decide to make birthday cakes for their grandmother's birthday.

**Wells, Rosemary.** //**Max's Dragon Shirt**// **. New York: Dial books for Young Readers, 1991.** PreS – Gr 1 Ruby takes her little brother Max shopping for new pants but Max has his own fashion agenda.

**Sources:** **"Big Red Lollipop."** //**Publishers Weekly**// **257.9 (2010): 49.** //**General Reference Center Gold**// **. Web. 19 Oct. 2010.**

“ **Judy Bloom on the Web.” Web, 15 Oct., 2010. http://judyblume.com/home.php**

**Springen, Karen, and Cathleen McGuigan. "Beverly Cleary, Age 90; Before Harry and Hermione, there was 'Ramona the Pest'."** Newsweek **3 Apr. 2006: 44.** General Reference Center Gold **. Web. 19 Oct. 2010.**

*** Denotes age ranges assigned by Heather Vandermillen. All other age ranges for books in this list were taken from reviews in** //**School Library Journal.**//

Illustration borrowed from __ [] __ (October 14, 2010)

**Having A Bad Day**

//Theme Study// //by Susan Shatford//

I have chosen to do my theme study on having a bad day. Many themes in children’s books tend to deal with a child’s need to overcome problems that occur. I like this theme because it appeals to everyone whether you are one or one hundred. At some point in your life, most likely more than once, you are going to have a really, really bad day. That is one of those days when you realize that you should never have gotten out of bed because everything you did or everywhere you went something seemed to go wrong. It’s almost like watching an accident happen and feeling that you aren’t able to do anything to stop it. You just keep getting into more and more trouble and sometimes you just start to expect everything will continue to go wrong, and it does. We do have the ability to make choices. Sometimes you just need to stop, think, and remind yourself of all the good things in your life and that maybe someday you will even find humor in your bad day. Having a bad day is going to happen, but how you deal with it is up to you.

The books that I chose for my study all show the main character having a day that just keeps getting worse and worse. I chose them because they show how each character eventually decides to deal with their bad day. The books are //Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day; Molly McGinty Has a Really Good Day; My Rotten Life: Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie; Mean Soup; One of Those Days;// //Voyage to the Bunny Planet; Benny’s Bad Day//; and //Little Bear’s Bad Day.//

Alexander is a little boy who just seems to wake up on the wrong side of the bed. From the very first page you see him waking up with gum in his hair since he had it in his mouth when he went to sleep, tripping over a skateboard and dropping his sweater in the sink. This immediately puts him in a very bad mood. From that point in his day, everyone else seems to be having good things happen to them while he does not. Alexander feels that he is not so lucky. Throughout the book he says that he is going to move to Australia, where to him everything will be better for him. By the end of the book, he is so disagreeable that he just seems to look for things that feed into his bad mood. Nothing his family does seems to go right because he just won’t let it. At the end of the day, mom tells him that some days are just like that and he finally seems to understand it when he says, “even in Australia.” This is a great book for the theme, because sometimes you just need to put the day behind you and hopefully start a new day with a new outlook on life.
 * Viorst, Judith. //Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day//. illus. by Ray Cruz. New York, NY: Atheneum, 1972.**

Molly McGinty, a super organized and uptight middle school girl, one day loses her binder. She is devastated! To make matters worse, her grandmother, Irene, is coming to her school for Senior Citizens Day and that scares Molly even more. Molly’s day goes from bad to worse as, free-spirited and fun-loving Irene shadows her around. When Molly doesn’t think things can get any worse, she starts to see things through other people’s eyes and comes to realize that her terrible day wasn’t so terrible after all. This chapter book shows children that sometimes what they see as a bad day may not be considered a bad day by one of their friends. In this case, once Molly realized that Irene was pretty cool and learned to relax a little, she ended up becoming closer with Irene and the cute boy at school asked her out. This definitely bad day was turned into a great one when Molly looked at things in a different perspective.
 * Paulsen, Gary. //Molly McGinty Has a Really Good Day//. New York, NY: Wendy Lamb, 2004.**

Nathan Abercrombie, a 10 year old boy, is having a terrible day at school. The most popular girl told him in front of the whole cafeteria that he wasn’t invited to her party, he was picked last at gym, and lost miserably at a popular video game and is now considered a “total vidiot loser.” When a quiet but smart girl in his class tells him she can help, he never realizes that the experimental serum will turn him into a zombie. While there are negatives in being a zombie, Nathan has found that there are positives as well. This funny chapter book shows how after being humiliated at school over and over and then transformed into a zombie, Nathan manages to look at things on the bright side and turn lemons into lemonade. Being a zombie really isn’t so bad especially when the alternative is seeing your best friend die. Sometimes you just have to have things put in perspective for you to realize what a really bad day is. While this book was definitely a modern fantasy, it shows children that even when things seem their worst there is always something in their life that is good if they only look hard enough.
 * Lubar, David. //My Rotten Life: Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie//. New York, NY: Starscape, 2009.**

Young Horace has a bad day at school and he just can’t get out of his bad mood. When he gets home he is so mean he even steps on a flower. Mom sees that it has been a bad day and decides to take his mind off of it by making mean soup with Horace. After yelling and beating the side of the soup, Horace and his mom start to laugh. Horace just needed his mom and her love to make him forget everything that went wrong during the day. Sometimes little kids need someone who cares to help them forget what got them mad in the first place. The colors the illustrator uses are very basic and bright. You can really see the bright red and orange anger leaving Horace as he blows fire on the pot of soup. Having a loving mom, and a little redirection, can be a good way to realize your bad day isn’t so bad.
 * Everitt, Betsy. //Mean Soup//. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1992.**

This book is a great book for the theme study of having a bad day. This book actually takes having a bad day one step further in that it acknowledges the different types of bad days you can have. There is favorite pants to short day, itchy sweater day, keep spilling stuff day, not big enough day, feeling left out day, and, my favorite, answer to everything is no day. The author titles each page for a certain bad day, but the illustrator really conveys most of the meaning of the bad day through the pictures. In the end the author reminds us that after every one of “those days” comes a new day. This book shows children that tomorrow really will be a new day and sometimes putting a bad day or one of “those days” behind you is just what you need to do.
 * Rosenthal, Amy Krouse. //One of Those Days//. illus. by Rebecca Doughty. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2006.**

This book was initially published as three separate books: //First Tomato//, //Moss Pillows//, and //The Island Light//. The story //First Tomato// shows Claire having an all around bad day at home and school. While almost freezing waiting for the bus, Claire imagines a different day that she likes. When the bus comes, she happily gets on but remembers her adventure. In //Moss Pillows//, Robert finds himself on a long car trip to his aunt and uncles house, where their overly energetic boys can’t wait to play with Robert. Robert really needs a little “me” time so he imagines a trip to the Bunny Planet where he is doing what he wants and quietly napping in the beautiful moss. On his ride home, Robert still sees the Bunny Planet off in the distance. In //The Island Light//, Felix’s friends avoid him when he gets sick in class, mom isn’t there when the nurse calls home, he is held down to get his shot, and nobody kisses him goodnight. Felix is feeling pretty unloved and decides to go to the Bunny Planet where his dad spends the whole day with Felix. In all three books the main character decides to take an imaginary trip to the Bunny Planet where everything is as it should be. This “happy place” puts the main character in a better mood and lets them stop their bad day.
 * Wells, Rosemary. //Voyage to the Bunny Planet//. New York, NY: Viking, 2008.**

Benny is a little bear whose alarm clock goes off too early. He then falls out of bed, slips on a rug, breaks some eggs, and burns his toast all before he has even had a chance to have his breakfast. Benny’s day continues to get worse and worse as does his mood. I chose this book because it shows that no matter what you do some days, it just seems that nothing can go right. In the end Benny made it through the day and decided to go to sleep. Waking up the next day, everything was right again in his world. Sometimes making a fresh start the next day can erase the woes of the previous day.
 * Pellowski, Michael. //Benny's Bad Day//. illus. by Doug Cushman. Mahwah, NJ: Troll Associates, 1986.**

Lovable Little Bear realizes that things are not going as he would like when he falls out of bed, bumps his nose, spills his milk, ruins his painting, and later loses his friend’s kite. He finally decides that he will give up and not play with his friends. His friends are supportive and help him focus on the one positive in his day rather than all the negatives. This positive was the fact that Little Bear is a good friend. Having a strong group of friends and family willing to stick with you during a difficult day can make all the difference in the world. In this case it totally turned his bad day into a good one. This shows children that if they chose to focus on that one positive, even when there are so many negatives, they can still have a good day in the end.
 * Minarik, Else Holmelund. //Little Bear's Bad Day//. illus. by David Wenzel. New York, NY: HarperFestival, 2003.**

Since all ages really can relate to this subject, I was not surprised that I was able to find sources for my theme study in picture storybooks along with chapter books. Everyone has bad days but you really only notice them when **you** are having one. I like this theme because when you are younger, having a really bad day can seem so incredibly terrible. Part of a child’s personal growth is learning how to face his or her problems and how to handle difficult situations. Strategies for handling a bad day can vary depending on the child. These books provide a great resource to offer comfort to a child and give different strategies to manage a bad day. One strategy is to go to a “happy place.” This can be a quiet spot or you can use your imagination to picture a place where you are having a good day. You could also try something new, find someone you like to be with to take your mind off of things, allow yourself to see the humor in your situation, or just go to bed and start the next day fresh. However you chose to handle a bad day is up to you. Remember, tomorrow really is a bright new day.

**__SLMS Lesson Plan__** **Audience:** This lesson is meant for children in 1st grade. **Purpose**//:// To help children realize that everyone has a bad day. **Duration**: This will take one week.
 * Materials:** The book I would use is //Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day// by Judith Viorst.
 * Tell the children that you are going to read Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. Show them the cover and tell them the author is Judith Viorst.
 * Remind children how to make the silent connection sign.
 * Tell the children to make a silent connection sign when they hear something that makes this a horrible day and what Alexander’s solution will be.
 * Read the story
 * Ask the children if they can tell you some of the things that made it a horrible day and write them on a whiteboard or flip chart.
 * Ask the children if they know how Alexander thinks he can make his day better.
 * Explain to the children what a text-to-self connection is and ask them if there is some part of the story that they could make a text-to-self connection.
 * Leave time for children to pick out books. Have other books showing children having a bad day on display.

Everitt, Betsy. //Mean Soup//. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1992. Lubar, David. //My Rotten Life: Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie//. New York, NY: Starscape, 2009. Minarik, Else Holmelund. //Little Bear's Bad Day//. illus. by David Wenzel. New York, NY: HarperFestival, 2003. Norton, Donna E. //Through The Eyes of a Child: An Introduction to Children’s Literature//, 7th ed. Pearson: New Jersey, 2007. Paulsen, Gary. //Molly McGinty Has a Really Good Day//. New York, NY: Wendy Lamb, 2004. Pellowski, Michael. //Benny's Bad Day//. illus. by Doug Cushman. Mahwah, NJ: Troll Associates, 1986. Rosenthal, Amy Krouse. //One of Those Days//. illus. by Rebecca Doughty. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2006. Viorst, Judith. //Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day//. illus. by Ray Cruz. New York, NY: Atheneum, 1972. Wells, Rosemary. //Voyage to the Bunny Planet//. New York, NY: Viking, 2008.
 * __Sources__**

Theme Study Mia Rowlands Lewis and Clark Expedition 1804 - 1806

Just before the start of the expedition in 1803, the United States purchased over 800,000 square miles of land for approximately $15 million from France. This is known as the Louisiana Purchase. This purchase doubled the size of the country and changed the reason for the expedition. President Thomas Jefferson, wanted the new land explored to see if it was possible to travel by water from the Missouri River, to the Pacific Ocean. He wanted to find a “Northwest Passage”. Jefferson wanted to find out about the Native Americans who lived in the area, as well as the plants and animals. The Corps of Discovery was created to be this small exploration team and Meriwether Lewis was appointed its leader. He chose William Clark to help him lead the expedition. The Corps of Discovery left from Camp Wood, near St. Louis in May 1804 and travelled up the Missouri River. They wintered in Fort Mandan and it was there that they met a young Shoshone Indian mother, Sacagawea, and her baby who was nicknamed “Pompey” by Clark. They continued along the Missouri, crossed the Continental Divide and then followed the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean. The journey had taken them a year and a half. They wintered at Fort Clatsop (modern Astoria, Oregon) on the coast. On the journey back to St. Louis, Lewis and Clark separated for a while in order to explore more of the land. During their journey they had met different Native American tribes such as the Sioux, Shoshone, Nez Perce and Blackfoot. They wrote diaries of their daily life on the expedition. They drew maps of the geography of this western land they had explored and its natural resources. They described the plants and animals that they discovered during their journey. Lewis and Clark may not have found the “Northwest Passage” as Jefferson had hoped but their expedition did ignite the Nation’s pioneering spirit and interest in the west. Many people moved westward and helped cement American’s claim to the area that is now Oregon making America a country “from sea to shining sea.”

The History and Geography frameworks topic 5.30 is to describe the expedition of Lewis and Clark from 1803 to 1806. This is a topic for Grade 5.

**Books:**

Gragg, Rod. //Lewis and Clark on the Trail of Discovery: The Journey that Shaped America//. Nashville: Rutledge Hill Press, 2003. This book is like looking at picture shots of a journey. A double page spread is focused on one day or event, with a sidebar giving information on a person, place or thing associated with the main topic of the page. There are copies of original letters, maps, and journal pages that students can take out and examine. There are transcriptions at the end of the book and the detailed bibliography is written chapter by chapter. There is a map of the expedition on the end pages, the outward expedition at the front, the return at the back. Those are copies of maps, originally drawn by William Clark, that illustrate the rivers and mountains, as well as the Native American Tribes and populations. Although the text is challenging for 5th grade, the artifacts and general appearance will draw students’ interest. It is a useful book to use to discuss primary and secondary sources. The historical artifacts will give students a sense of what a primary source is, while understanding that what they are looking at is a secondary source.

Gunderson, Mary. //Cooking on the Lewis and Clark Expedition.// Mankato, MN.: Capstone Press, c 2000. Grade Level: 3-6 This book gives a brief overview of the expedition, biographies of Lewis and Clark, and gives details of the amount and types of food that were purchased. Locations from St. Louis on the lower Missouri to Fort Clatsop on the Pacific are briefly described and a simple recipe is used to illustrate the ingredients available in that area. This book will give students a greater understanding of the foods available and the types of meals that the members of the Corps of Discovery ate.

Pringle, Laurence. //American Slave, American Hero: York of the Lewis and Clark Expedition//. Honesdale, Pennsylvania: Calkins Creek, 2006. Grade Level: 3-6 The word “probably” is used frequently in this book highlighting how much information was not recorded about slaves. York was given to Clark as his personal servant when he was about 12 years old and was given his freedom some time after the end of the expedition in 1806. This Biography will give students a sense of how slaves were treated during that time period. Although he was a great help on the expedition, he had no choice about becoming a member of the Corps of Discovery.

Ditchfield, Christin. //The Lewis and Clark Expedition//. New York: Children’s Press, 2006. Grade Level: 3-6 The book starts with information about the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 before recounting the expedition. Information about Lewis and Clark, after the expedition, is included, as well as a glossary. The large clear print and instructive illustrations of this recounting of the expedition make it a book that students will find easy to read and to find specific information.

McCormick, Lisa Wade. //Lewis and Clark.// New York: Scholastic, 2006. Grade Level: K-3 This book provides the basic facts about the expedition. There are pictures of Lewis, Clark, Jefferson and Sacawagea to accompany the illustrations. This book will help students with a lower reading level to access the information.

Adler, David A. //Picture book of Lewis and Clark//. New York: Holiday House, 2003. Grade Level: K-3. Although Ronald Himler’s illustrations are a major part of this book, the text provides detailed information about the expedition. The reading level of the book is suitable for grade 5 students and will give another retelling of the expedition.

Patent, /Dorothy Hinshaw. //Animals on the Trail with Lewis and Clark//. New York: Clarion Books, 2002. Grade level: 5-8

This book describes the animals that Lewis and Clark found on their expedition. There are many quotes from their journals describing the animals. It was primarily Lewis responsibility to scientifically describe and illustrate the animal life they saw. Although Native Americans were familiar with the wildlife, it had never before been documented. Patent explains the current status of the animals. The “Chronology of Animal Discoveries New to Science” at the back of the book is a fascinating listing of the species discovered by Lewis and Clark. This book should be used more like a reference book. Students could focus on a section of the trail and the animals described there.

__Obtain a copy of__

· //Plants on the trail with Lewis and Clark// by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent, photographs by William Muñoz. This book describes the journey of Lewis and Clark through the western United States, focusing on the plants they cataloged, their uses for food and medicine, and the plant lore of Native American people.

· //A Picture Book of Sacagawea// by David A. Adler. This book is a Biography of the Shoshone woman who joined the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

__The library Media Specialist will work with the classroom teacher on this lesson.__

The LMS will explain how to use the table of contents and index to find information and explain that more than one source of information is required. The LMS will explain the difference between primary and secondary sources using the //Lewis and Clark on the Trail of Discovery: The Journey that Shaped America// book. The LMS will show how to create a works cited list and how to take notes to avoid plagiarism. The books listed above will be available in the library for the students to use, as well as other reference materials such as general encyclopedias, current atlases and atlases showing the United States at the turn of the 19th century, books on Native American tribes, plants and animals. Students will work in groups. · Create a timeline of the Lewis and Clark expedition · Pick a date and member of the Corps and write a journal entry for that day · Pick a date and create a diorama · Pick a person in the Corps of Discovery. Research the person so that when “you” are interviewed, “you” will be able to answer the question. (Suggested characters: Lewis, Clark, Sacagawea, and York) · Pick a person in the Corps of Discovery. Research the expedition so that you can write a letter to your mother, father, sister or brother describing the trip once you arrive back in St. Louis. · Use paper or Glogster to create a poster celebrating the expedition. · The teacher “becomes” Jefferson o Students “become” Clark the navigator and map maker o Students “become” Lewis the observer of nature. o Students “become” a member of one of the Native American tribes o When they have finished their research the students will collaborate to create a reporting of the expedition for Jefferson. The report will include a map with rivers, mountains, towns, location of the native tribes, location of various plants and animals. The map can be on paper or 3-D. The written report will include information on the plants and animals – where they were found, an illustration, what they can be used for. The daily life of the various tribes will be explained. Students will document where they found their information. · Students will pick an event from the expedition and report on it in any method of their choosing – written, drawing, modeling, acting.

__Sources__

Adler, David A. //Picture book of Lewis and Clark//. New York: Holiday House, 2003. Ditchfield, Christin. //The Lewis and Clark Expedition//. New York: Children’s Press, 2006. Gragg, Rod. //Lewis and Clark on the Trail of Discovery: The Journey that Shaped America//. Nashville: Rutledge Hill Press, 2003. Gunderson, Mary. //Cooking on the Lewis and Clark Expedition.// Mankato, MN.: Capstone Press, c 2000. McCormick, Lisa Wade. //Lewis and Clark.// New York: Scholastic, 2006. Patent, /Dorothy Hinshaw. //Animals on the Trail with Lewis and Clark//. New York: Clarion Books, 2002. Pringle, Laurence. //American Slave, American Hero: York of the Lewis and Clark Expedition//. Honesdale, Pennsylvania: Calkins Creek, 2006.

Elizabeth Lutwak Theme Study



__Death and Dying__

The theme of death and dying is both simple and complex. The definition of death is simple – it is when someone or something stops living. Dying is a little more complicated. Some people and things die so quickly that there is little time spent between being alive and being dead. Others, either because of age or sickness, spend a lot of time dying.

Children are aware of death from an early age. They may see dead birds, insects, and other animals. They hear about it in fairytales and may see it acted out on television or hear about it from the television or grown ups around them. It is a simple fact of life that every living thing dies. Nevertheless, many people are uncomfortable talking about the subject of death. Taking the time to address death and allowing children to talk about it will help them to understand death as a natural part of the life cycle. Talking to children about death offers them opportunities to ask questions and clear up misunderstandings. Ideally, if children are able to learn about death and dying, they will be better prepared to handle a death that is personal to them when it occurs.

There are two aspects of death and dying to address. The first is the actual physical part of the subject. What happens when a person or animal dies? The simplest answer to this question is that the heart stops beating and the person is no longer alive, so they will longer eat, breathe, talk or think. It is important to understand that this happens to all living things. For a dog, this means the dog will no longer eat, drink, bark, run or play. For plants it means that they will no longer grow, bloom, drink water, or need sunlight. Avoiding terms like “lost,” “passed,” or “put to sleep,” in explaining death will help a child to avoid confusion about the fact that death is not something that changes. At the same time, it might be helpful to explain that these terms and phrases are often used because many people are uncomfortable with words like death, dead, dying.

Many children are confused about this aspect of death, and believe that death is something that won’t last. It is hard to imagine that someone or something will never be there again. Although this is an important part of understanding death, it may take time and lots of examples to understand, depending on the age and experience of the particular child. Explanations and examples of death will likely lead to questions about when others might die. It’s important to recognize that many questions about death can’t be answered, or are answered by people in different ways depending on their culture or beliefs. Some people believe in heaven and some people do not, for example. The second aspect of the subject of death has more to do with the people who have experienced a death of someone or something close to them. This part of the subject has two parts: the usual reactions to a death such as crying, being sad, and feeling afraid and also ways that people use to help themselves and others feel better after learning of the death of someone or something important to them.

Many children may be confused when they see parents cry after a death has occurred. The connection between a death and the many different ways people may react to news of a death may be hard to understand. Some people feel very sad, some people feel angry, some people feel lonely, and some feel all of these things or some combination of them. Because of these feelings, people may act in ways that are different from what one normally sees. For example, you may see a grown up cry. Crying is a common way of expressing sad feelings.

There are many ways to help people feel better after a death has happened. It is important to understand that it takes different people different amounts of time to feel better and, because everyone is different, different things will help different people feel better. For example, some people will want to spend a lot of time by themselves after a death and not want a lot of attention or to talk a lot about it. Others may want extra attention and need to talk about their feelings.

Although death is something that every child will experience eventually, and so this subject is an important one to have covered in a library, not every child will experience it when they are very young, at the same time, or in the same way. For some a death may happen suddenly and for others a relative or pet may be dying for some time. The biggest benefit to having books and projects ready in the library is so that when a child has experienced death, or is aware of someone or something that is dying, the people around them have a way to understand and help and so that the child who has experienced the death has books and some ideas to help them to understand what has happened and to start feeling better. There are many books about death and dying, and many of these books help explain how people feel when someone or something they love has died. These books can also help with idea for ways to feel better after a death has happened to you or someone that you care about. Because the most common experience of death for children is the death of a pet, many of these books are about pets.

//Desser the Best Ever Cat// is a book about a girl who has known her cat since she was born. The cat was found as a kitten by the girl’s father before he married her mother. The story tells of how, at every stage of her life from babyhood to first steps to going off to school, Desser the cat was there with her. As she gets older, Desser slows down, goes blind in one eye, and shows other signs that his life is ending. When they take Desser to the doctor, he explains that Desser is very sick. The girl gives Desser extra love and attention, and talks to her mom about losing her cat. Mom explains that she will always have him in her memories. When Desser dies, the girl and her parents bury him with some of his favorite toys for the journey to cat heaven. When she adopts a new kitten from the shelter, she shows the kitten many pictures of Desser, one of which she keeps framed on her dresser. This book shows the entire progression of the life of a cat, the importance of the cat’s role in the girl’s life, the process of dying, death, and a way to help one feel better after a death. The text is not long or complicated, and so it is easy to understand. The pictures are vibrant and the colors do a good job of conveying both happy and sad feelings associated with loving and losing a pet.

//Jasper’s Day// is about a boy who knows that his dog is sick and dying. He also knows that his parents have made an appointment to bring the dog to the doctor to have him, “put to sleep.” In preparation, the parents and boy decide to devote an entire day to giving the dog extra attention and revisiting some of their favorite spots with the dog – a park, and ice cream store, and grandma’s house. This process gives everyone a chance to remember all of the wonderful times that they had with the dog. The book does a good job of explaining what putting an animal “to sleep” means. This is important because many pets die this way and the phrase can be confusing. The boy explains that this means the dog will not feel any pain when he dies and it brings the boy some comfort. The end papers show the many pictures taken on the last day spent with the dog as well as pictures that date back to when the dog was a puppy – suggesting a scrap book made to help remember the dog.

//Six is so Much Less then Seven// is the story of a man with six cats. We follow the man through his day - eating breakfast, doing chores, resting – and the simple text and beautiful illustrations show us that his six cats are very much a part of his day as they keep him company at every step. We get a hint on the first page that something is amiss. It begins, “When waking in the morning, six is so much less than seven” and we see the man stretch in bed with six cats waking around him. After that, each page is a description of some daily activity – getting the milk, fixing the tractor, mending the fence – until the last. The last pages show the man visiting a grave marked “Scruffy cat” and decorated with a soup can filled with flowers. The other six cats are around him, two actively cuddling him, and the text reads, “But most of all, when visiting an old friend, six is so much less than seven.” This gentle and indirect way of telling about the death of a pet is very moving. On the last page we see only a picture – of the man looking down at a crate filled with a cat and her kittens – and are reminded of the cycle of life. The gist of the story, that even when there are many cats or people, the loss of one is still very hard, is an important one.

//A Dog Like Jack// also tells the story of a boy whose dog dies. What sets this book apart is the fact that it helps to explain that dogs do not live as long as people. This is important for a child who may, for example, worry that, because her cat has died, her parents may soon die as well. The book is also a good one because it explains that, although his parents are willing to bring him to a shelter to adopt a new dog, he is not yet ready to do so. As he watched other people in the park with dogs, he feels a little sad and a little jealous. And misses his dog. The book does a good job of explaining that it takes people some time to feel better after a death, and that they may have many emotions after a death. For some, getting another pet right away is not the best thing.

//If Nathan Were Here// deals with a very hard subject – the loss of a human friend. Told from the perspective of a young boy, we learn about how close he was to Nathan by hearing about all of the things the boy would be doing, “if Nathan was here.” In school the boy’s teacher has his class fill a memory box to help remember Nathan. Thinking about what he would put in the box, and why, helps the boy to feel a little better. When he returns home that day he makes an important decision – to allow Nathan’s sister into their tree house, something they had never done. The decision, after reflection, shows how the boy is finding ways to help himself both remember his friend and feel close to him even though he is no longer there.

//Missing May// and //Remembering Mrs. Rossi// are both chapter books for slightly older kids. Remembering Mrs. Rossi tells the story of a young girl – eight and three quarters – and her and her father’s first year after the death of her mother, a school-teacher. The book begins with an italicized introduction that explains what life was like before Mrs. Rossi died. As she experiences her first year without her mother she has many emotions and some trouble accepting the fact that her mom will not be there anymore to pick her up from school or take her out on snow days. Her experience of her father and his emotions shows that grown ups react differently to death than kids do sometimes, and that understanding this can be important. The students in her mom’s fifth grade class put together a scrap book of memories of her mother. Although she accepts the book in a matter of fact way, we learn later in the book that she takes this book out many times every day and reads it over and over again. This is a good book about how a death can mean learning to do things in a new way and also about keeping someone’s memory close while also letting go of them in order to feel better.

//Missing May// is a more complicated book. Told from the perspective of a twelve year old girl whose aunt has died, it has as much to do with her concern for her uncle’s feelings as it does with understanding her own. The girl’s mother died when she was just a baby and after that she was sent to different relatives, none of whom really seemed to want her. When her aunt and uncle come to visit and see her, they decide immediately that they want her to come and live with them. They are older people, and quite poor, but they provide her with all of the love she has always needed. Her uncle struggles with the death of her aunt as much or even more than she does, and her journey to help him helps her.

__Lesson__ A lesson on this theme might be reading a book like Desser the Best Ever Cat and then having a simple discussion about ways one might feel better about a death by coming up with a way to remember and honor the person or pet who has died. I would ask, how did having pictures help the girl feel better about her cat dying? Why did she show the pictures to the new cat?

__Sources__ Bahr, Mary. //If Nathan Were Here//. Illustrated by Karen A. Jerome. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. 2000. Burleigh, Robert. //Good-Bye, Sheepie//. Illustratred by Peter Catalanotto. New York: Marshall Cavendish Corporation. 2010. Di-Salvo-Ryan, Dyanne. //A Dog Like Jack//. New York: Holiday House. 1999. Elliot, Zeta. //Bird//. Illustrated by Shadra Strickland. New York: Lee and Low Books. 2008. Fraustino, Lisa Rowe. //The Hickory Chair//. Illustrated by Benny Andrews. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books. 2001. Hest, Amy. //Remembering Mrs. Rossi//. Illustrated by Heather Maione. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press. 2007. Himler, Ronald. //Six is so Much Less then Seven//. New York: Star Bright Books. 2002. Newman, Leslea. //Too Far Away to Touch//. Illustrated by Catherine Stock. New York: Clarion Books. 1995. Norton, Donna E. //Through the Eyes of a Child//. 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. 2007. Parker, Marjorie Blain. //Jasper’s Day//. Illustrated by Janet Wilson. Toronto: Kids Can Press. 2002. Paterson, Katherine. //Bridge to Terabithia//. Illustrated by Donna Diamond. New York: Avon. 1978. Rylant, Cynthia. //Dog Heaven//. New York: Blue Sky Press. 1995. Rylant, Cynthia. //Missing May//. New York: Orchard Books. 1992. Simon, Norma. //The Saddest Time//. Illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers. Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman and Company. 1986. Smith, Maggie//. Desser the Best Cat Ever//. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 2001. Wilhelm, Hans. //I’ll Always Love You//. New York: Crown Publishers. 1985. Worden, J.W. //Talking to Children About Death//. Hospicenet.org. Web. 10/15/10.

**Mathematics in the Library****by Britt Sorensen**
====Using mathematics as a theme in the library can help students to connect to math in new ways and give them an appreciation of math outside of the classroom. While the most obvious way students use math in the library is probably the Dewey Decimal System, getting them to focus on the different types of math resources available to them is just as important. Students who self identify as bad at math may be interested in related subjects in science and history, which can inspire them to examine math in a different way. Learning about mathematics and science also allows us an opportunity to include the contributions of cultures other than our own. Because the library is able to offer a wide range of materials connected to mathematics, students have the opportunity to study this theme across multiple genres. For example, many fiction books use a traditional narrative to express math concepts, especially counting and arithmetic books for the younger grades. Any picture storybook that involves game playing or luck is an opportunity to discuss probability with children as they consider the likelihood of certain outcomes. Heroes in folktales may overcome an obstacle by using math or logic. On the other hand, nonfiction books that focus on fun mathematical puzzles, arts, and projects may pull in reluctant readers. Students interested in biography and history can read about the lives of great mathematicians and gain insight into their thinking and challenges. By looking at math through a different lens, students may also understand the ways in which mathematics relates to other disciplines like astronomy, geography, and music. Another bonus of using mathematics as a theme in the library is that it is an area that is stressed in the general school curriculum, yet not usually an area of focus in the library. Bringing books together around this theme is likely to get students excited and make teachers and administrators more aware of the ways in which the library is essential in meeting the frameworks across the curriculum. By pulling in mathematics through diverse genres and interests, the library teacher can help children understand how mathematics - and the library - are always important in their lives at school and in the world.====

**Selected Titles**
====**Ellis, Julie. Illustrated by Phyllis Hornung. __What’s Your Angle, Pythagoras?__ Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge Publishing, 2004. (Grades 3-6)**==== ====__What’s Your Angle, Pythagoras?__ by Julie Ellis tells the story of Pythagoras as curious child who discovers a special number pattern which will be called the Pythagorean Theorem. He uses his pattern to solve problems involving right triangles. Students will relate to the characterization of Pythagoras as a boy whose naturally inquisitive nature sometimes gets him in trouble, yet also leads him to solve problems that adults cannot. The book has colorful, clear illustrations and examples to present the math involved, helping visual learners to connect to the concepts. Although it is a storybook for younger students, older students who are not quite able to master the Pythagorean Theorem in math class will also benefit from this book. Certain historical inaccuracies related to the rule of Alexander the Great are present, but not directly related to the math. Overall, this is a great book to use with students as it is engaging and presents complex math in a way that connects meaningfully to the real world. A related book __Pythagoras and the Ratios__ by the same author was published in 2010.====

====**Reimer, Luetta and Wilbert. __Mathematicians are People, Too! Stories from the Lives of Great Mathematicians (Volumes I and II)__. New Jersey: Dale Seymour Publications, 1990 (Volume I) 1993 (Volume II). (Grades 4-8)**==== ====A great biographical resource covering the lives of both famous and lesser known mathematicians, __Mathematicians are People, Too! Stories from the Lives of Great Mathematicians__ has two separate volumes, both worth getting. Volume I was published in 1990, and Volume II in 1993. These books focus on the great discoveries of mathematicians from diverse cultures and time periods, and feature a balance of female and multicultural mathematicians as well. Because they contain shorter fictionalized biographies on many different people, these books are ideal for library lessons where it may not be practical to require students to read an entire biography. Between the two books, thirty different mathematicians are covered, from ones children have probably heard of before (Einstein, Galileo) to the more obscure (Omar Khayyam, Hypatia). Ready to use, printable and versatile journal pages to accompany the book are available here: [].====



**Bardos, Laszlo. Illustrated by Samuel Carbaugh. __Amazing Math Projects You Can Build Yourself__. Vermont: Nomad Press, 2010. (Grades 4-8)**
====Written by a high school math teacher, this is a great activity book that could be used as a professional resource as well. A range of activities and games, many focused on geometry and measurement, will engage students even if they are not interested in math. Geodesic domes, optical illusions, paper crafts and other projects are likely to appeal to students who enjoy arts and model building. The companion website at [] (requires a copy of the book) includes additional instructions, ideas, and videos, and the author’s website at [] includes a range of incredible project ideas and printables that are free for classroom use. This book and the accompanying websites are full of fun ideas that could be completed in collaboration with the math, art, or science teacher.====

====**Wyatt, Valerie. Illustrated by Pat Cupples. __The Math Book for Girls and Other Beings Who Count.__ New York: Kids Can Press, 2000. (Grades 4-8)**==== ====__The Math Book for Girls and Other Beings Who Count__ is a fun book with a focus on practical applications of math with a variety of activities and information intended to appeal to girls. While this book won’t necessarily appeal to all girls, and may appeal to boys as well, it has a number of engaging projects and activities that will probably make it a popular addition to an elementary or middle school library. The book features a character named Nora (short for Natural Observation Research Activator) who guides the reader and explains different ideas throughout. The strengths of this book are the way in which it connects math to everyday activities like finding the area of a carpet or planning for a party. It also connects math to interesting careers, giving the reader a window into the importance of math for veterinarians, architects, designers, and other professions. The book is user friendly with a glossary and answer key for problems presented in the book, making it a good selection for getting students interested in math through real-world applications.====

====**Demi. __One Grain of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale.__ New York, Scholastic, 1997. (Grades 2-4)**==== ====There are many different versions of this folktale, which begins with a king’s promise to a girl that she can have anything she wishes. Fooling the king (in this version, a raja) by asking for one grain of rice, to be doubled each day, the girl manages to gain all of the rice the raja has been withholding and give it back to the townspeople. This is an excellent book as one would expect from Demi, with beautiful golden illustrations that fold out to show just how powerful doubling a number really is. Asking students to predict how much rice she will have at certain parts of the book gives an easy opportunity to incorporate mental math into a read aloud, and having students keep track of the math on an easel or whiteboard as the story is read is another fun way to keep them engaged in the math while enjoying this clever traditional story. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has a well designed lesson for the book at [].====

**Lesson Ideas for Connecting Mathematics in the Library**

 * ====Students use information literacy skills to research one famous mathematician and present a brief biographical portrait of their life and achievements to be displayed in the library as a Math Museum Gallery.====
 * ====Have students learn the basic history, origin, and geometry used in origami and create an origami display by using nonfiction resources.====
 * ====Students can read a book about measurement such as __How Big is a Foot?__ by Rolf Miller or __Measuring Penny__ by Loreen Leedy and create their own system of measurement to measure items in the library. Depending on available space, the lengths of certain items could also be labeled in the library.====
 * ====Use the animal math series by Ann Whitehead Nagda to connect nonfiction and children’s natural love of animals to math. There are several titles in this series, each focusing on a different math skill and allowing for easy differentiation for students’ interests and math levels. __Polar Bear Math: Learning About Fractions with Klondike and Snow__, __Tiger Math: Learning to Graph from a Baby Tiger__, __Chimp Math: Learning about Time from a Baby Chimpanzee__, and other similar titles are in this series.====
 * ====Use the book __Jumanji__ by Chris Van Allsburg to teach about probability. When a certain sum must be rolled on the dice, ask students how likely they think it is for that number to be rolled. Depending on the time available, students can test their predictions by rolling the dice and graphing their results.====
 * ====Designate a month as “Math Month” in the library and have each grade explore an aspect of math through a different genre or activity. Younger students may focus on counting books, while older students may research a mathematical thinker or complete a hands-on project from a nonfiction book.====
 * ====Use __Math Curse__ by Jon Scieszka, __Math Talk: Mathematical Ideas in Poems for Two Voices__ by Theoni Pappas or another book of poetry related to math as part of a poetry study. Have students write poems or raps related to their feelings about math or a mathematical concept.====
 * ====Use __The Greedy Triangle__ by Marilyn Burns to teach younger students about polygons, then have them go on a shape scavenger hunt in the library.====

Tompert, Ann. __Grandfather Tang’s Story.__ Dragonfly Books,1997.
= Deborah Caudill Theme Study LBS803 October 26, 2010

= = // Theme Study- Family Diversity in Children’s Literature //  = Exploring the theme of family in children’s literature opens up a world of personal feelings and experiences. A child’s idea of a family will most often reflect the type of family and childhood he/she comes from. Not long ago, the idea of a family was more universal, consisting of a father, a mother, and their children who lived together. Families today are so much more diverse and even within the same community each one may be very different from the next. Diversity comes from the family dwellings and neighborhoods and from family structure. Children today are being raised by single parents, same sex parents, and grandparents, adoptive and foster parents. Some parents are of different races or they are of the same race but may adopt a child of a different race. Parents may be of different religions. They may have traveled here from other countries. Some may speak English while others speak another language. One family might live in a large house and another in an apartment. Some parents may be sick or in a wheelchair. Parents have different jobs. Some may be doctors, lawyers, or teachers and others may not work at all. No matter what the differences, these are families just the same. The child’s idea of family will be molded by the characteristics of his/her own family and its members. This may cause some confusion when children see other families that appear different from their own. Families are different but they have something in common. They are a group who care about each other. Children’s literature has reflected this diversity and every child can find a family in literature that reflects the one that they are a part of. Reading stories about different types of families will help children to realize that there are families that are different from their own and that they should be accepting of them and respect them for their differences. Stories may also help a child to realize the worth of his/her own family. For these reasons, the theme of family diversity is an important one that brings with it a message that will touch children of all ages, that the importance of family is not how it’s structured but how it gives children a sense of belonging and someone who is there for them.

There are many books of different genres that will help children understand what it means to be a part of a family. //Families// by Susan Kuklin is a wonderful display of family diversity that will allow the reader to enter into the lives of these fifteen families to get an honest picture of what their home life is like. The stories are told from the point of view of the children who talk openly about the good and the bad in their families of different characteristics: mixed-race; single parents; adoptive parents; same sex parents; special needs children are but a few. Because the stories are in the words of the children and there is a photo of each family, readers will be interested to hear each story. This would be a good example and open up student discussions of the true diversity of families today. Fiction has many wonderful stories with the message of family bonds. One such title is //Home at Last// by Susan Middleton Elya and illustrated by Felipe Davalos. This is the story of Ana and her family who have moved to the United States from Mexico. Ana adjusts to her new life but her mother who speaks no English misses her family in Mexico. The bond between Ana and her mother is apparent as Ana tries to help her mother adapt to her new life by learning English. Ana’s support and love help her mother to succeed and feel “home at last.” Students see a realistic view of the difficulties that immigrants have to face. This is a lesson in family strength and love.

Pitching in for Eubie by Jerdine Nolen and illustrated by E.B. Lewis, is the story of a family struggling to make ends meet. When Eubie is accepted into college, the family is excited but also worried. They need to find ways to raise the money she needs on top of her scholarships. The whole family pitches in and Lily, the youngest, has to come up with some creative ways to help. Her determination wins out. This story has a message of encouragement for children about families who help each other and who work hard to achieve their dreams. This also gives a lesson about different economic situations of families and positive results of working hard together. The theme of family diversity can also be found in the genre of poetry. //Fathers, Mothers, Sisters, Brothers// by Mary Ann Hoberman is a collection of thirty wonderfully witty poems that celebrate family diversity. As the illustrations depict, these are families from around the world and they depict these families in some funny and also some more serious situations. The rhymes are fun and give children something to think about as they enjoy the colorful illustrations. Children will see themselves in many of the families and recognize the differences between their family and others in the poems. After reading poetry with a family diversity theme, the SLMS could have the students write a poem about their own family. These could be shared by the students who will have the opportunity to learn about the families of other students. Children should be exposed to diversity so that they can understand that families are different and learn to accept those differences.

Mary Ann Hoberman also wrote //All Kinds of Families!// This book looks at families all around us and explains that we can make a family by grouping things together just as we’re grouped together in our families of people. As the recurring rhyme says: Bottle caps, gingersnaps, buttons, or rings, you can make families from all sorts of things! And the illustrations by Marc Boutavant show scene after scene of animals, people, fingers and toes, anything imaginable becoming a family. Children can be taught about grouping objects into families. This could be tied into a math lesson on grouping and clustering. Children can relate these to the differences in families that they know. Children have a natural curiosity about their family ancestry and should be given some background about their ancestors. Since children all have a family life outside of school, lessons centered on families have always been popular. Children enjoy looking through pictures and learning about family stories to share with their classmates. Teachers today should be a little more cautious and recognize the growing diversity of families when planning these lessons. They need to be sensitive to the children who may not be living with their birth parents or have other circumstances that would prevent them from finding out about their ancestors. There are a number of books explaining the family tree. One that children will enjoy is //Me and My Family Tree// by Joan Sweeney and illustrated by Annette Cable. This is presented from the child’s point of view and drawings to explain about family trees and who make up one. The little girl explains how each family member fits into the family making it easy for young students to understand. The grandfather of this family is in a wheelchair and one of the little girl’s aunts is part of an interracial marriage, showing that families can be made up of different people. This would make a good introduction to a lesson on families where the students would be expected to create their own family tree. Some children come from families with same sex parents and these families also have a place in children’s literature. This has indeed been a controversial subject as some parents try to shelter their children from reading books that display a family that is different from their own. On the other hand, the rights of families of same sex parents who want their children to read stories and see families that resemble their own have to be considered. These books have a place in school and public libraries and should be easily accessible to children who want to read them. One such book is //Daddy, Papa, and Me// by Leslia Newman. In this story, the family is made up of two dads and a toddler. The illustrations show them doing all the things any parents do. They play games, paint pictures, and bake a pie. They play guitar and bang on pots. Daddy sews and Papa teaches the baby how to throw a ball. At the end of the book, the two parents are sitting exhausted under a tree while their child still has lots of energy. This is another example of family diversity in children’s picture books. One thing that is a big part of family life is food and this can be as diverse as the families themselves. A family’s culture is reflected in the recipes passed down from one generation to the next. Many children enjoy cooking and today we can find cookbooks that define family diversity in their titles and recipes alike. //Mom and Me// by Annabel Karmel is full of recipes that are the inspiration of times in the kitchen with her children. Children can choose cookbooks that fit into the lifestyle and characteristics of their own families teaching them about family differences.

Children love learning about animals and looking at pictures of animals in nonfiction books. These books can also teach children how animals and people are alike when it comes to how families work? //Animal Families// by Bobbie Kalman describes the differences between animal and human families. The end of the book asks about how children perceive their family comparing their experiences with those of animals. The photographs show animals and how they interact with Any of these books can be used as resources to create lessons on families at all elementary grade levels K-5. An SLMS should have several books with a family theme ready to show to the students when beginning a lesson on families.

**// SLMS Lesson Plan Using the Theme of Families //** This lesson can be used with all elementary grade levels and will take two library classes to complete projects. The complexity of the final projects will depend upon the grade participating in the lesson. Materials : A collection of fiction and nonfiction books with the theme of families. Procedure: Show the students the cover of each book and read the title. A sk the students what the books have in common. Discuss what it means to be in a family. Students should answer the questions: What is a family? Who makes up a family? Are families all alike? Read //Families// by Susan Kuklin. This book gives a good look into the diversity of families today. Choose a few poems from //Fathers, Mothers, Sisters, Brothers// to read. After reading the poems, tell the students that they will be making a project about their own families. Students can choose at least two from these writing activities: · Make a booklet of your family. Tell about your parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, and anyone else who makes up your family. Add any family traditions. · Create a family portrait. Draw your family doing something that you like to do together. Write a brief description of the activity. · Write a rap song about your family. · Share a favorite family tradition. This could be a holiday or hobby you do together. · Write a poem about your family. This can be in any style: acrostic, haiku, free verse, alliteration, or limerick. · Create a family mobile including each family member. Write a sentence describing each and include on the mobile. · Research an animal family. Learn about its habitat, what it eats, its habits, and its family life. You can use nonfiction and reference books and the internet as your sources. · Find information on the country of your ancestors. You can use nonfiction and reference books and the internet as your sources.

Sources Elya, Susan Middleton, //Home At Last//, Illus. by Felipe Davalos, Lee & Low Books, Inc.: New York, 2002 Hoberman, Mary Ann, //Fathers, Mothers, Sisters, Brothers,// Little Brown Books for Young Readers: New York, 2001 Hoberman, Mary Ann. //All Kinds of Families.// Illus. by Marc Boutavant. Little Brown Books: New York, 2009 Kalman, Bobbie. //Animal Babies.// Crabtree Publishing: New York, 2007 Karmel, Annabel, //Mom and Me Cookbook,// DK Publishing : New York, 2005 Kuklin, Susan, //Families.// Hyperion Books for Children: New York, 2006 McCain, Becky Ray, //Grandmother’s Dreamcatcher,// Illus. by Stacey Schuett, Albert Whitman & Company: Morton Grove, 1998 Newman, Leslia, //Daddy, Papa, and Me.// Random House Children’s Books: New York, 2009 Nolan, Jerdine, //Pitching In for Eubie,// Illus. by E.B. Lewis, HarperCollins Publishers: New York, 2007 Sweeney, Joan, //Me and My Family Tree,// Random House Children’s Books: New York, 2000

Imagination: A Theme Study by Kailin Fenn

1) __Let’s Do Nothing__ by Tony Fucile Candlewick Publishing, 2009  Ages 4-8 Let’s Do Nothing is about two boys who have spent the day playing everything they can imagine, so they come up with a novel idea and decide to do…nothing! When they do try, however, their imaginations get in the way and ruin it. It’s impossible to do nothing when you have an active imagination. This book is a good fit for the theme because the boys show that playing with toys can be fun, but so can using your imagination. 2__) In the Night Garden__ by Barbara Joossee, Illustrated by Elizabeth Sayles Henry Holt and Company, 2008 Ages 4-8 Three little girls are playing outside, each pretending to be a different animal: a bear, a whale, and a dog. They are called inside, but they bring their imaginations with them, each continuing to act out their animal parts—in the bathtub, putting on pajamas, etc. Even as they fall asleep their imaginary creations accompany them. This book fits the theme because it shows children how they can use imagination even when doing something ordinary like taking a bath. 3) __Not a Box__ by Antoinette Portis Harper Collins, 2006 Preschool-Grade 3 This very simple book stars a rabbit who uses a cardboard box to imagine all manner of fun objects. He’s asked by someone a question, such as, “What are you doing on top of that box?” only to answer, “It’s not a box!” Accompanying his defiant answer are simple illustrations (drawn in clean lines around the box) of what the rabbit is imagining the box to be—a racecar, a robot, a mountain, etc. This book fits into this theme because it demonstrates how we can use our imaginations with objects, instead of just I our heads like the last two selections. 4) __Where The Wild Things Are__ by Maurice Sendak Harper Collins, 1963 Ages 4-8 A classic picture book, Where the Wild Things Are tells the story of Max, a boy who gets sent to bed without supper. He had been looking for a little trouble (and a little fun) in his wolf suit when he got sent to bed for his mischievous behavior. In his room, a whole new world comes alive, complete with Wild Things and a land where Max can be King! This book fits into the theme because Max uses his imagination to both distract himself from being stuck in his room and he learns a little something about himself through the use of his imagination. 5) __Amazing Grace__ by Mary Hoffman, Illustrated by Caroline Binch Published by Dial, 1991 Ages 4-8 Grace loves stories; she loves to tell them and she loves to act them out. She acts out every part she can imagine, some from history and some from fictional stories. Her school puts on a Peter Pan play and all of the students say she can’t possibly play Peter because she’s not a boy and she’s black. With support from her family, she works hard to rehearse and gets the part! This book fits into the theme because Grace uses her imagination to achieve something others told her she could not. 6) __Frederick__ by Leo Lionni Scholastic, 1967 Ages 4-8 Frederick lives with all of the other mice in an old stone wall on a field. During the nice weather, the other mice collect food for the winter and ask Frederick, who sits silently, why he isn’t doing the same. He says, “I do work. I gather sun rays for the cold dark winter days.” When the winter comes and the food has run out and the mice are hungry and depressed because the winter is so dark, Frederick takes out his “supplies” and fires up their imaginations with descriptions of the colors of summer and of the warm sun. He uses his imaginative words to entertain them further. In the end, they are grateful for Frederick’s unique contribution! This book fits into the theme because Frederick is an imaginative mouse who, at first, doesn’t really fit in. However, he and the rest of the mice eventually realize that his gifts are just as valuable as other mice’s gifts. Children can see the value of imagination in this book.
 * INTRODUCTION**: I have chosen “imagination” as my theme for a theme study. In part, I chose this theme when my four year old nephew wanted a tent...and my mother bought him one. He never even used it! He just walked in it, looked around, and walked back out again. This seemed like such a lost opportunity to me. I thought about how much time I spent as a kid making my own tents and forts--in the living room, outside, from pillows, from boxes, from branches, etc. It seems that things to play with are almost too accessible to children nowadays and sometimes the option of imagination doesn't occur to parents, grandparents, or even teachers. We need to foster imagination as much as we can. This theme includes all books in which children use their imaginations to amuse themselves, entertain themselves, learn something, solve a problem, or understand something. This theme is also important because we live in an age of increasing technology that seems to reduce the opportunities for children to use their imaginations and creativity. In addition to technology and accessibility to play objects, children are also quite “scheduled.” They spend much of their time being occupied by lessons, school, or sports. There is very little time in which they can use and explore with their imaginations. There are consequences to our fast-paced world. I find that each year, more and more of my students are learned helpless: they want answers right away, they don’t want to struggle, and they don’t seem to know how to solve things in a creative or imaginative manner. I think fostering the use of imagination is key in their development of these skills, not to mention the fact that using our imaginations can be highly enjoyable! I believe that all grade levels would benefit from this theme, though my book choices range from the K-4 level, for the most part.
 * BOOK CHOICES**:

7) __Tuesday__ by David Wiesner Published by Sandpiper, 1997 Ages 4-8 This picture book has virtually no words, but tells the story of a bunch of frogs flying through the night on lilypads, wreaking a little mischief here and there in a nearby suburb. The illustrations are detailed and perfect, telling a story with detail and fun. This book fits into the category of Imagination because children must use their imaginations to imagine the text of what might be going on. Those who are used to being told what’s happening in a story will have to draw their own conclusions. They might have to ask themselves, “Why can the frogs fly?” or “Why are they watching TV?”


 * LESSON**: I picture using these books as a unit of sorts for first or second graders, reading each aloud and accompanying the read aloud with an activity that requires the use of imagination. This could be done over the span of several weeks. For __In the Night Garden__, after reading the book, the LMS would ask the students to each choose an animal to act out as if they were playing in the garden like the girls. They are to walk around the garden like their animal and they should make noises their animal like make and interact with other animals they way their animal might. For __Where the Wild Things Are__, after reading the book to the class, students could draw their own “Wild Things”. For __Frederick__, after reading the book to the class, the LMS could ask the students to close their eyes and choose 3 things they find beautiful. They should picture these things in their minds eye as best they can and then the LMS would call on volunteers who would describe one of his/her beautiful things with as much detail as possible to the rest of the class, who would also close their eyes just like the mice in Frederick. For __Not A Box__, the LMS could bring in various kitchen utensils, pots, pans, etc. and after reading the book, play “Not a Fork” or “Not a Pan”, etc. with the students. Perhaps one student will say, “This is not a spatula—it’s a tennis racket!” and act out how it might be used as such. These are all little activities I picture doing with each book. However, if one were to concentrate on a one longer project, I would choose the book __Tuesday__. After “reading” Tuesday to the students, the LMS would begin a discussion about what the frogs might be thinking in each picture, or what some of the onlookers in the suburb might be saying to themselves. The LMS could photocopy pages from the book and attach some space beneath each page for the students to write text. Students could work independently or in groups to write their own text for the entire book OR the LMS could give a page or a couple of pages to each member of the class, depending on the size. I picture this lesson for a slightly older group, perhaps third or fourth grade.

 **Theme Study -- The Environment**


 * Tracy Ryan-Doherty**


 * October 24, 2010**

Learning about nature and the environment is very important for children. Children need to understand not only what the different elements in nature (plants, animals, etc.) provide for us, but also how everyday things that we do affect the world around us. Children need to understand that pollution, deforestation, global warming, and the extinction of plant and animal species not only affect the welfare of the Earth’s plants and animals but affects the health and well-being of humans too. All life on the planet including plants, animals, insects, and humans is connected and it is important for children to understand that what happens on the planet effects all life on it.

In order to produce an informed, socially responsible generation of students, they must be exposed to the benefits all the plants, animals, and other organisms living around us bestow upon us. Students must also be informed how some of the practices we have become accustomed to are threatening the symbiotic relationship we share with the other inhabitants of the Earth. The education of our students can not stop with a discussion of the problems that exist around us, but must also include an exploration of the many small ways each individual can contribute to making the world a healthier, safer, place for all. Even small changes, especially if many people make those small changes, can have a big effect and can help to reverse some of the damage caused by pollution.

It is important when teaching about the environment not to overwhelm students and give them the impression that we are engaged in a hopeless endeavor to improve our world, or that they, or their parents are responsible for creating a dire situation. Students need to understand the environmental problems that exist, but must feel empowered to make small changes and encourage others to make small changes as well while feeling that their small changes will make a difference. Luckily, there are many wonderful non-fiction, picture storybooks, and fiction titles to assist in educating students about the environment.

**Kelsey, Elin.** //**Not Your Typical Book About the Environment.**// **Ontario: Owlkids Books, Inc., 2010. Ages 9-12** This environmental awareness book is written expressly to inform young people about environmental issues without causing stress or anxiety. The book is divided into four chapters: chapter one describes how clothing is changing to be more eco-friendly, chapter two highlights how we obtain our food is modifying to be less harmful to the planet, chapter three discusses the new technology that helps and hurts the planet, and chapter four focuses on alternative, environmentally friendly sources of energy. This book does a good job showing how all life is interconnected (for example, how pollinating bees are responsible for the food we eat and how pollution threatens the life of those bees which in turn threatens our food supply) in an easy to understand manner with illustrations that both clarify and entertain.

**Muldrow, Diane.** //**We Planted a Tree.**// **New York: Golden Books, 2010. Ages 4-9** This book follows the growth of two trees planted by two very different families. One family lives in the city, and the other family lives in a village. As the tree grows, the reader learns how each family benefits from the tree it planted. Through poetic text and colorful and engaging illustrations, We Planted a Tree shows how all life is connected by the benefits that are received from a tree.

**DiOrio, Rana.** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">//**What Does It Mean to be Green?.**// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Belvedere, California: Little Pickle Press, 2010. Ages 4-9** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This book tells children all the small ways that they can lead a green lifestyle in an easy to understand manner. Each little way that children can make a big difference for the planet is colorfully illustrated with drawings that accurately portray the planet improving suggestion being made. The last pages of the book describe the impact that the small changes mentioned in the book have on the environment.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Spinelli, Eileen.** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">//**Miss Fox’s Class Goes Green.**// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Illinois: Albert Whitman and Company, 2009. Ages 6-8** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In an effort to live a greener lifestyle, Miss Fox decides to ride her bicycle to school. Her students are shocked when they see her arrive to school riding her bicycle instead of driving her car. Miss Fox explains to her class that she has decided to ride her bicycle to do her part to maintain a healthy planet. Inspired by their teacher, Miss Fox’s class decides that they want to learn about being green. The class brainstorms about ways to help the environment and come up with some ideas such as taking shorter showers, using both sides of the paper, turning lights off that are not in use, using extra blankets instead of turning up the heat, and having a toy swap. Miss Fox’s class teaches the reader that it is possible to make small changes to have a big part in keeping the world a healthy place in which to live.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Bergen, Lara.** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">//**The Polar Bear’s Home; A Story About Global Warming.**// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**New York: Simon and Schuster, 2008. Ages 4-6** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A little girl and her father are out for a boat ride in the Arctic when they see some polar bear cubs stranded on the ice without their mother. The little girl wonders where the cubs’ mother is and her father tells her that this is the time of year that female polar bears take their cubs out to teach them how to hunt. Her father speculates that the ice the cubs were standing on broke off and carried them away from their mother. The girl’s father explains to her that the Arctic is becoming warmer and warmer each year due to the effects of pollution and that the warmer temperatures are not beneficial for the animals that live in the Arctic. The cubs’ mother swims to them and brings them to shore. The Polar Bear’s Home shows the effect that pollution has on wildlife in the Arctic in a manner that is easy for young children to understand. The end of the book includes some easy steps for children to take to help slow down global warming.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Lesson: All Life is Beneficial to the Planet**

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Standard** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 24.2 Identify and apply steps in conducting and reporting research: <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
 * Framework:** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Massachusetts English Language Arts Curriculum Framework
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Define the need for information and formulate open-ended research questions.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Initiate a plan for searching for information.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Locate resources.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Evaluate the relevance of the information.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Interpret, use, and communicate the information.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Grades:** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> 3-4 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Objective:** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This lesson will support the Language Arts Curriculum having the students research an environmental topic and present their findings.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Determining the Benefit of All Life**

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">
 * Time:** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3 hours
 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Students will listen as the teacher reads <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">//We Planted a Tree// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.
 * 2) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Students, as a class and assisted by the teacher, will create a table listing the benefits that trees provide for us and what the result would be if trees no longer existed.
 * 3) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Students, working in groups of two, will select a plant, animal, or insect.
 * 4) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Students, working in groups of two, will research their plant, animal, or insect to determine how that plant, animal, or insect is beneficial to the planet.
 * 5) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Students, working in groups of two, will create a PowerPoint presentation that details their findings.
 * 6) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Students, working in groups of two, will present their PowerPoint presentation to the class.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Assessment:** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Students will be assessed based on the accuracy of their PowerPoint presentations.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Sources:**

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bergen, Lara. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">//The Polar Bear’s Home; A Story About Global Warming.// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> New York: Simon and <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Schuster, 2008.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">DiOrio, Rana. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">//What Does It Mean to be Green?.// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Belvedere, California: Little Pickle Press, 2010.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> eHow: How to Teach Your Children to Care For the Environment <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">[|__http://www.ehow.com/how_2364077_teach-children-care-environment.html__]

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kelsey, Elin. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">//Not Your Typical Book About the Environment.// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Ontario: Owlkids Books, Inc., 2010.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Muldrow, Diane. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">//We Planted a Tree.// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> New York: Golden Books, 2010.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> MyChildHealth: Teaching Children About the Environment <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">[|__http://www.mychildhealth.net/teaching-children-about-the-environment.html__]

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">PBS Parents: Teaching Kids To Protect the Environment and Their Health <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">[|__http://www.pbs.org/parents/experts/archive/2008/04/teaching-kids-to-protect-the-e.html__]

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spinelli, Eileen. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">//Miss Fox’s Class Goes Green.// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Illinois: Albert Whitman and Company, 2009.

**<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">THEME STUDY: LITERATURE ABOUT DIFFERENTLY ABLED CHILDREN ** <span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Submitted by Susan Allen **<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">INSPIRATION FOR THIS THEME: **

<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Believe it or not…Ben Franklin

** Hide not your talents. They for use were made. ** ** What's a sundial in the shade. ** <span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">The theme I have chosen to work with is literature about differently abled children. Inclusive education efforts mean that children have the opportunity to interact with differently abled children in their school, in classrooms, at the playground and even the Library Media Center. Differences in children can encompass a number of areas including physical, cognitive, sensory, emotional, and developmental. Inclusive education affords us a valuable opportunity, and responsibility to teach children from an early age to value the uniqueness of each one of us. Along with this lesson it is important to send the message that every person has strengths and needs, even if we don’t all share the same strengths and needs. Educating children about their peers that are differently abled can alleviate some of the misunderstandings that can lead to negative treatment.

<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">Picture books are an excellent vehicle to teach these lessons as they are engaging to young children and use uncomplicated language. Although the resources I have chosen are traditionally aimed at a younger reading level they have value that can to extend to older children. This theme of compassion for differentially abled children is important to present at younger age levels as many children at this age do not view differences as something negative. This is our opportunity to nurture this compassion and let it grow.

<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"> The first selection of the resources I have chosen is a general introduction to the topic of differences, addressing children with varying needs and the importance of these children not being labeled. ‘Special’ is not always a positive term for these children.

<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">The remaining selections each address a particular need: Down’s Syndrome, Autism, Hearing Impairment, and Cerebral Palsy. The choices are not meant to define a particular impairment but to present a spectrum of differences to be appreciated.

__<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Don’t Call Me Special __ <span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">By Pat Thomas <span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Illustrated by Lesley Harker

<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">Although this book focuses mainly on physical impairments, the message is useful for the theme of this lesson. The book conveys the message that children do not want to be labeled as “special”. In some cases, this label to these children means different….and that is not what they want to be.

__<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Be Good to Eddie Lee __ <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">By Virginia Fleming <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> Illustrated by Floyd Cooper <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">The main character of this story is Christy, a young girl who lives near Eddie Lee, a young boy with Down’s syndrome. Eddie Lee enjoys Christy’s company and Christy’s mom encourages her to be kind to him. In the story, Eddie Lee wants to tag along with Christy on a nature walk but another boy urges her to dismiss Eddie Lee. By the end of the story Christy learns the difference between a true friend and choosing someone just to hang around with. In addition to teaching compassion regarding disabilities this story addresses the issue of peer pressure and how it can often be difficult make a choice.

__<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Andy and His Yellow Frisbee __ <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> by Mary Thompson <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> Woodbine House, Bethesda, MD; 1996

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">Christy, a new student at school wants to make friends with Andy so she can learn more about why he is always alone, and always is spinning his yellow Frisbee. Andy’s older sister is protective of her brother and does not want Christy to approach Andy out of fear for how Andy will react. Once she lets down her guard Andy’s sister sees that Christy is trying to communicate with Andy by using a Frisbee of her own. This story presents the issue of how certain coping actions of differently abled, these activities don’t seem “weird” to other students. This story adds an additional important element of understanding the needs and concerns of a sibling of a differently abled child.

__<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">A Very Special Friend __ <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> by Dorothy Hoffman Levi <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> Gallaudet University Press, Kendall Green,Washington, DC; 1989

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">This is an older book but its message is appropriate for this theme. A six year old deaf girl is lonely as her hearing disability does not allow her to communicate with her peers. When she meets another girl who teaches her sign language her world opens up and she is given a new hope.

__<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> Danny and the Merry-Go-Round __ <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">By an Holcomb <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> Jason and Nordic, Publishers, Hollidaysburg, PA; 1987

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">In this book the main character Danny is confined to a wheelchair due to Cerebral Palsy. The story takes place at a playground where Danny is having another difficult day until another child shows him some kindness. Despite the age of the book, it is an effective choice for this theme because it gives children the insight on the frustration sometimes experienced by differently abled children. It also highlights to children what a big difference even a little act of kindness can make.

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">PROJECTS/LESSONS TO ACCOMPANY READING: __ <span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">For younger grades, (Pre-K-Grade 2) many of the activities would be best discussed as a group. The Library Media Specialist will plan an “Everybody is Special Week”. On the first day, students will be asked to brainstorm one thing that is special about them. Parents will participate by sending in homework of one thing they feel is special about their child.

<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">Each day one of the books will be read aloud and discussed. On Day 2, students will discuss things that may give them struggles. This reinforces the message that everyone struggles with something, and this makes us all alike! After reading the books a sharing session will be led by the LMS discussing with students how they think each of the characters in the story felt.

<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">UPPER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Although these selections are picture books with simplified language, they can be used with older students as a jumping off point for activities:

<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Students will divide into five groups and each will address one of the books. After reading the selection they will choose one of the following activities.

<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Compose a Brochure/poster on How can you be a good friend.

__<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">THE CRAYON BOX THAT TALKED __ <span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Students will read __The Crayon Box That Talked__ by Shane DeRolf and try to extract the analogy from this story to the theme they are studying.

__<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">VISIBLE OR UNVISIBLE/DISCUSSION WITH BRAINSTORMING __ <span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">Some differences in our friends are more obvious than others. How do we learn to understand our friends who may have differences that are not noticeable to our eyes immediately?

__<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">READ/DISCUSS “KIDS WHO ARE DIFFERENT” POEM __ <span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> Here's to the kids who are different, <span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> The kids who don't always get A's, <span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> The kids who have ears twice the size of their peers' <span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> And noses that go on for days. . . <span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Here's to the kids who are different, <span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> The kids they call crazy or dumb, <span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> The kids who don't fit, with the guts and the grit, <span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> Who dance to a different drum. . . <span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Here's to the kids who are different, <span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> The kids with the mischievous streak, <span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> For when they have grown, as history's shown, <span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> It's their difference that makes them unique. <span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Copyright (c) 1982 by Digby Wolfe
 * <span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Kids Who Are Different **

**Theme Study: Adoption by Lauren** The theme of adoption is important in children’s literature because many children are either adopted, have an adopted sibling, or know someone who is adopted. Additionally, it is important for students to know that families are different. According to Child Welfare Information Gateway, **“** ** In 2000 and 2001, about 127,000 children were adopted annually in the United States” (“Adoption”). ** ** More than 15% of these adoptions were intercountry adoptions. ** Children who are adopted or who have a sibling who is adopted will benefit the most from this book. The theme targets a select group of students who are adopted or know of someone who is adopted, however, all students will benefit because the theme shows that there are different kinds of families but that the family members love each other. It is important for students to know that adopted children are loved and wanted. Five books that exemplify the theme of adoption are //A Blessing from Above// by Patti Henderson, //The Coffee Can Kid// by Jan Czech, //Rebecca’s Journey Home// by Brynn O. Sugarman, //My Mei Mei// by Ed Young, and //Families Are Different// by Nina Pellegrini. These books include the viewpoints of adopted children, their parents, and siblings, and they include intercountry adoptions. The theme of adoption and adopted children being loved and wanted is present in all five books.

Henderson, Patti. //A Blessing from Above.// New York: Golden Books Publishing Company, Inc., 1999. Illustrated by Liz Edge Target audience: Pre-school- 2nd grade This fantasy, picture storybook is about a kangaroo that wants a baby. When a baby bluebird from an overcrowded nest falls into the kangaroo’s pouch, the mother bluebird lets the kangaroo keep the baby bluebird because she knows that her nest is too small for her chicks. The mother bluebird is happy that the kangaroo loves and cares for the baby bluebird, and the kangaroo is happy that she has a baby to love. This explains adoption through animals and makes it clear that adopted children are loved.

Czech, Jan. T//he Coffee Can Kid////.// Washington, DC: Child & Family Press, 2002. Illustrator: Maurie J. Manning Target audience: pre-school- 2nd grade This realistic fiction, picture storybook begins with an adopted child asking her father to tell her again the story of how she came from Korea to America. The colorful pictures provide illustrations of Korea as the father tells his daughter how her birth mother wanted the girl to grow up where she could be happy and well fed. The story ends with the father showing his daughter a coffee can that contains her baby picture and a letter from her birth mother. The themes of this story include family and diversity. This book makes it clear that the child is loved by both the adopted parents and birth parents.

Sugarman, Brynn O. //Rebecca’s Journey Home.// Minneapolis, MN: Kar-Ben Pub., 2006. Illustrator: Michelle Shapiro Target audience: pre-school- 4th grade This realistic fiction, picture storybook is about a Jewish family in Oregon that adopts a Vietnamese baby girl. The themes include diversity and becoming a family. The pictures illustrate the mother going to Vietnam to pick up the baby, and they show her sons’ excited anticipation of having a new baby sister. The pictures are very heartwarming and portray the happiness of the new family. This book makes the point that adopted children can be a combination of American, Jewish, and Vietnamese.

Young, Ed. //My Mei Mei.// New York: Philomel Books, 2006. Illustrator: Ed Young Target audience: pre-school- 2nd grade This realistic fiction, picture storybook is about an adopted little girl who wants a baby sister. When her parents adopt another little girl from China, the sister is initially disappointed that the bay sister can not walk, talk, or play and takes attention away from her. By the end of the book, the sisters have become great friends and are asking their parents for another baby sister. The story is told from the older sister’s perspective and will appeal to children since it shows a child’s perspective. The themes of becoming a family and diversity are present in this story. The pictures consist of colorful collages and help to show the siblings’ growing relationship. This book is helpful in showing the siblings’ response to adoption, including initial jealousy and subsequent friendship.

Pellegrini, Nina. //Families Are Different//. New York: Holiday House, 1991. Illustrator: Nina Pellegrini Target audience: pre-school- 2nd grade This realistic fiction, picture storybook is told from the first person point of view of a girl named Nico who is adopted. In the story, Nico talks with her mom about different kinds of families. Her mother says that families are “glued together with a special kind of glue called love” (Pelligrini 15). This book helps children to realize that families are different, but they are all made up of people who love each other.

Activity for students in pre-school- 2nd grade: After reading aloud the picture storybooks, //A Blessing From Above//, the //Coffee Can Kid//, //Rebecca’s Journey Home//, //My Mei Mei//, and //Families Are Different//, the school librarian will engage students in a conversation about all the different kinds of families and what all of the different families have in common: love for each other. Students will then draw a picture of the people they live with. Then, the students will share the pictures of their family with the class. The drawings will be displayed in the library with the sign, “Love Is What All Families Have in Common.” The school librarian can also have a guest speaker, who was adopted or is an adoptive parent, address the school during National Adoption Month in November.

Works Cited "Adoption Statistics." //Child Welfare Information Gateway//. Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2001. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. Czech, Jan. T//he Coffee Can Kid////.// Washington, DC: Child & Family Press, 2002. Print. Henderson, Patti. //A Blessing from Above.// New York: Golden Books Publishing Company, Inc., 1999. Print. Pellegrini, Nina. //Families Are Different//. New York: Holiday House, 1991. Print. Sugarman, Brynn O. //Rebecca’s Journey Home.// Minneapolis, MN: Kar-Ben Pub., 2006. Print. Young, Ed. //My Mei Mei.// New York: Philomel Books, 2006. Print.