Katie Ruga

Final Project: Children's Literature Anthology

Explanation page:

A book can take the reader anywhere they'd like them to go. It can carry you

away on a long mysterious adventure or a romantic path of love. For children, books are

written to teach, entertain, and so much more. They are fascinated by the simplest

pictures filled with vibrant or detailed colors and drawings. When children read, they

learn. That is why many books have a lesson behind the story. Sometimes, the lesson is

harder to find but there is almost always one in it. I have created a personal anthology

that will guide you through the books I chose to impact readers of all ages. The majority

of my books fall into the categories of picture books, chapter books, or memoirs. In this

reflection, I will explain the meaning behind each book that I chose and how I would use

it in the classroom.

All of my books have the theme of making a difference. It is quite broad but I

narrowed it down to more specific topics. I explored books on how to make a difference

in the world, in other people's lives, and in our environment. I believe that this is a very

important message that should be addressed to all age groups. I definitely have some

great books that I will be using in my future classroom and I hope they bring inspiration

and help to you just as much as they did for me.

The books that I chose to support my topic cover a number of genres. The first

genre is picture books. I carefully looked through each book to see if it would grasp a

child's attention and hold it for the length of the book. All of the picture books have
amazing drawings and vibrant colors. My favorite is Paulie Pastrami Achieves World

Peace. The author uses bright colors, thick lines, and leaves quite a bit of white space

so the eyes are instantly drawn to the picture and text. The text in each book is

appropriate for the elementary ages as well.

Another genre I focused on are memoirs. I loved this genre for my topic because

it gives the reader a true example of what it looks like to make a difference. I'm No

Angel is an inspiring story about a woman of God making a difference in thousands of

girls' lives. This book is incredibly relatable to young teen girls and women of any age.

There are also pictures in the book that give the reader more of a visual into her life. As

a future educator, I strongly desire to have books in my classroom that are true stories

that my students can relate to.

The last genre I will discuss are films. I chose two films for my topic. The reason

why I chose films is because not all students like to read. I know that they will have to

read in my classroom but if you don't give students a break sometimes they grow to

hate reading. Movies are a great relaxer for students and still get the message across.

They can still relate to the characters in the movie as well. For example, I might have

students in my future classroom who will be able to relate to Michael Oher in The Blind

Side.

Extraordinary Measures. Dir. Tom Vaughan. Perf. Harrison Ford, Keri Russell,

Brendan Fraser. CBS Films, 2010. DVD.

What it's about: This film is an inspirational movie based on a true story. In this

film, the two children Megan and Patrick have Pompe disease. The children, ages 8 and
6, are coming to the end of their lives, according to their doctor. John Crowley, the

father, is not willing to give up on his children so he hunts down a medical researcher

who can possibly help figure out a way to reverse Pompe disease. Robert Stonehill, the

researcher, works day and night with the money raised by the Crowley's to find a cure.

This film is about an hour and 40 min long and every minute is worth watching,

especially if you want to know how it ends.

Why I chose it and how I plan on using it: I chose this movie because it does

a phenomenal job at pulling at the watcher's heart strings. The dedication of the

researcher and the father in this movie is inspirational. I would want my student's to see

this movie because at least one student could relate to the kids in the movie. Also, it

opens the students eyes to other children out there that are really struggling. I would

have the students watch the movie and then write three things that they learned from

the movie.

The Blind Side. Dir. John L. Hancock. Perf. Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton

Aaron. Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution, 2009. Film.

What it's about: This film is based on an amazing, inspiring true story about a

young man and a family who accepts him. It follows the life of Michael Oher. Michael is

homeless in the beginning of the movie until Leigh Anne Tuohy picks him up and takes

him to her families' home. The Tuohy family eventually adopts Michael and turns his life

completely around. Michael becomes very talented in football and also works hard at

school to get good grades. Michael gets signed on to the Baltimore Ravens and attends

college in the end. This 2 hour 8 minute long movie is a must see.
 Why I chose it and how I plan on using it: I chose this movie because the

boys specifically can relate to Michael in the movie. I believe that sometimes a lot of the

materials used in class can be geared more towards females so I will strive to balance it

out. I also chose this movie because in many classrooms are diverse. It covers racial,

economical and more issues in the movie. I plan on letting my students watch it and

then I will have them write a letter to a homeless person at a shelter.

Ginther, Anna R., Talia Leman, and Dana Leman. "RandomKid The Power of

Anyone." RandomKid. N.p., 2010. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.

What it's about: This whole idea behind this website is to educated adults and

children about how they can impact local and global needs. Anne Ginther and Talia

Leman reached out to aid survivors of hurricane Katrina. They founded RandomKid

together, along with Dana Leman, because they had the dreams and passion to help

change the world. Today, RandomKid has funded water pumps, provided medical care,

built schools and more. This informational website is full fun colors and pictures. They

are making a difference in lives and our world.

Why I chose it and how I plan on using it: I chose it because the technology

use in classrooms is only rising so I want to be technology forward in my classroom. I

also like it because it's geared towards any age and it's a fun website. There are vibrant

colors and fun ideas on the site for students. I plan on going to the computer lab and

spending a whole class period on letting the students explore the site and write three

things that they could do.

Redemption. New York: Howard, 2011. Print.

What it's about: This heart pulling memoir is told by a young woman who is

impacting people's lives every day. Katie was a normal high school student but knew

that there was more to her life. Katie went on a mission trip to Uganda, over Christmas

break, with her church and fell in love. She chose to live in Uganda and care for the

people each and every day. Throughout the book we learn all about Katie's heart and

how she adopted over 10 children along with starting a ministry. The story is told in

about 270 pages.

Why I chose it and how I plan on using it: I chose this book because it's about

a story that I am passionate about in my life. Katie deciding to live in Uganda and help

save lives every day is something that I would love to do. I chose it so I could show my

students what they can do with their lives if they are dedicated and passionate. I would

have my students read it and then do research on Uganda so they can see what it's like

over there.

Huszczo, Gregory E. Making a Difference by Being Yourself: Using Your

Personality Type at Work and in Relationships. Mountain View, CA: Davies-

Black Pub., 2009. Print.

What it's about: This book is aimed more towards the adult age. Throughout this

book, they help the reader figure out what type of personality they have. Once the

reader figures out what personality they have, the book goes through ways that you can

make a difference. I think it's a great practical book coming in around 230 pages.
 Why I chose it and how I plan on using it: I chose this book because it's very

practical for adults of all ages. I like how the book helps you learn more about your

personality and how you can make a difference. I chose it because it helped me. I would

have my older students read it as well and then write a 400 word paper about the book

and how it helped them.

Lucado, Max. Out Live Your Life: You Were Made to Make a Difference. Nashville,

TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010. Print.

What it's about: Max Lucado once again writes an encouraging book for adults.

Throughout this book he uses scriptures and his own ideas to encourage the reader to

make a difference in lives by outliving their own. It's a powerful book that pushes the

reader to allow God to work through them to bring people joy, love, and much more. It's

an easy read at 173 pages and at the end of the book there is a discussion and action

guide to go through as well.

Why I chose it and how I plan on using it: I chose this book because it is very

well written and it's geared towards adults. It's a very encouraging book that will help the

reader realize that they are made for so much more. I love the book because it

encouraged me to fully live my life. I would have older students read the book and do

the study part in the back of the book.

Moreillon, Judi, and Catherine Stock. Ready and Waiting For You. Grand Rapids:

Eerdmans for Young Readers, 2013. Print.

What it's about: This 32 page color filled children's picture book is a must have.

The book is about all the people that work at the school, welcoming back the children.
The staff makes a enormous effort to make the children feel excited, cared for, and safe

on the first day of school. I like this book because the student's will obviously be able to

relate to it. I love how it shows that the entire staff cares and wants to make their first

day incredible.

Why I chose it and how I plan on using it: I chose this book because every

single student can relate to this. Sometimes students are nervous about coming back to

school and maybe don't want to. I think this book does a great job at showing the

students how welcome they are at the school. After reading this book, I believe that

students will feel safe and excited coming back to school. I would read this book on the

first day of class as a welcome to my kids.

Krull, Kathleen, and Yuyi Morales. Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez.

San Diego: Harcourt, 2003. Print.

What it's about: This book would be considered non-fiction as well as a

biography picture book. The book tells a true story about a man's life who worked hard

to make a difference for migrant farm workers. Cesar Chavez was a great civil rights

leader. I love this book because it's part of our history. I could use this book in a social

studies class. This average size book is an easy read for all student's and the pictures

in it are amazing.

Why I chose it and how I plan on using it: I chose this book because it's based

on a true story in the past. This book would be great to use along with a history lesson. I

like the colors as well that are used in this book.

World One Rhyme at a Time. New York: Sterling, 2011. Print.

What it's about: This is an amazing thirty-two page children's poetry, mixed with

story elements, book. There are rhymes all throughout the book that describes many

ways to make our planet healthier. I love that they related it to young children so they

can see and understand what they can do to help our planet. This book would also be

great for working in activities to the classroom such as having the students write their

own poem about how they would help the environment.

Why I chose it and how I plan on using it: I chose this book because it's a

different genre. Children, or students of any age, usually enjoy poems. I found that

younger students especially like it when they rhyme. The Green Mother Goose does a

good job at keeping the students entertained by the fun poems and within the poems is

a great message. I would read a poem a day to the student's and then discuss them.

Proimos, James. Paulie Pastrami Achieves World Peace. New York: Little, Brown

for Young Readers, 2009. Print.

What it's about: Paulie Pastrami is a young boy who has the determination and

drive to achieve world peace by the age of eight. Throughout this picture book, we get

to know Paulie's thoughts about bringing peace to the world. He was determined to

succeed world peace by doing all the little acts of kindness he could for people, animals,

and the environment. This is an inspirational book for young children because children

can relate to Paulie and also do what he did in the book.

vibrant colors and simplicity of the colors. The drawings are similar to a cartoon book. I

chose this book because it's cute and the message in it is very clear for students of all

ages. I would also read this book to the class and then have them write ideas on the

board of what they could do for other students to make their day.

Seuss. The Lorax. New York: Random House, 1971. Print.

What it's about: The Lorax is a fun filled picture book with a great message

written in it. Dr. Seuss once again writes a great children's story depicting the

importance of conserving resources for our environment. It is an easy, fun short read. A

man, who has an invention that becomes in demand, cuts down all the trees in the land

for his invention. The Lorax, a little yellow creature, tries to stop the Once-ler but he

doesn't succeed. In the end, a boy finds the aged Once-ler and receives the last seed of

a real tree. The boy plants it in the middle of town and real trees begin to grow again.

Why I chose it and how I plan on using it: I chose The Lorax because it's one

of the cutest most impactful children's books I have read. The drawings in the book are

amazing and very detailed. I chose it because it'll make the students laugh but also get

the message behind the book. I plan on reading the book to my students and then

discussing the messages in the book.