Thanks to Covid-19 we are all quarantined at home and learning to adjust to this new normal. We are aware that this pandemic brings on a variety of challenges from family to family. Thus, this is not a time for a packet of worksheets (whether paper or digital). This is not a time for endless clicking through hyperlinks and tasking of online activities. This is a time when we need to honor Maslow over Bloom. We must first begin by checking in on our children, their families, and our neighbors.
Ask: How are you doing? What do you need?
Consider engaging children in reading (and writing) to make a difference at home. In our book, Reading to Make a Difference: Helping Children to Think Deeply, Speak Freely, and Take Action, we offer a framework to help SELECT books for children to see themselves and others (using Rudine Sims Bishop’s notion of books as mirrors, windows, and doors). We then move children through a collection of intentionally selected books to engage them in rich conversation as they CONNECT and REFLECT on how their thinking has changed now that they’ve read the books. From there, children consider ways they can take ACTION to make a difference.
This is more important than ever before! Let’s engage children in meaningful reading experiences to make a difference. Reading to make a difference at home can also move through this framework. Consider the selection of books such as “Last Stop on Market Street” by Matt de la Pena. In fact, like many authors, he has taken to social media to connect with his readers and in a recent post he asks readers to consider the line when CJ’s Nana tells him: “Sometimes when you’re surrounded by dirt, you’re a better witness for what’s beautiful.”
Matt de la Pena asks us to consider: “What is something beautiful that you now see, that you couldn’t see before?”
To see the full post visit: Author Matt de la Pena on Facebook
Other books to read that may inspire action in the home and in the community by considering “Something Beautiful” and acts of kindness during Covid-19 include:
For many lists of suggested books take a look at our book, “Reading to Make a Difference: Helping Children Think Deeply, Speak Freely, and Take Action”.
There are many available resources to help with access to books. Here’s a few resources to get you started:
Access to Books
Creating a virtual class library – Clare Landrigan blog
What’s in Your Stack Google Template (see Clare Landigram’s blog for more info)
Lee & Low Books on YouTube (for read aloud)
Storyline Online (for read aloud)
Access to Informational Articles
Please share your favorite resources and we will update the blog with your suggestions. Thank you for making a difference! – Lester and Katie
BookBuzz with Lester Laminack and Katie Kelly 