My knowledge of diverse literature has changed a little bit. But at the same time, I learned so much about different types of literature that I had never read before. I really enjoyed the blogging because I had the opportunity to share things that I did get to in class and I will be able to look back at this in a few years and remember what books were and how I can use them in my future class.
Overall, I am impressed that we read so many different genres and different books that were written in different ways, because I have never picked up some of those genres. I really had the opportunity to experience diverse literature in both the way it is written and the way I read it.
When I first came to class, I was nervous because of the course pack and how much information that it contained. I wondered how we would get through all of it and I also wondered what use it would be to me. I will be able to use the information in the course pack to evaluate different literature, to get books that will relate to different units that I want to do.
I really liked this course because we actually read diverse literature and spent only a week on each which gave us time to focus on several different genres. I really wish we could have focused on picture books or short stories more because I feel that will help me out in the future especially with teaching special education.
My favorite book was either Bronx Masquerade or Al Capone does My Shirts, because Bronx Masquerade was writing in different points of view and Al Capone focused on disabilities which I am really interested in.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Monday, December 3, 2007
Professional Review
Pirofski, Kira. Strategies For Fostering Able-Bodied Children's Acceptance Of Disabled Peers. San Jose State University, California: 2002. Available at http://www.projectappleseed.org/aaceptance.html
This article reviews children at a young age, both disabled and able bodied. The children were asked who they were more likely to play with if given the chance to. Students who are able-bodied would usually pick the students that were also able-bodied, and the same was true when children looked at pictures of adults who were disabled, they would pick the adult who was able-bodied. The article goes on to state how this is attitude is no longer a barrier when it comes to able bodied and disabled. Later, the article talks about ways to include literature about people with disabilities and that if students are introduced to stories that include characters who have a disability that students started to be more accepting of people with disabilities.
The article says very little about what disabilities where shown in the pictures and why students picked the way they did. I found it interesting that we do not recognize that there are attitude barriers between students who have disabilities and students who are able bodied. I wonder how many teachers actually include reading stories to their classrooms that include the main characters having a disability. I really like looking at how we think change is going on and we are making progression to a more inclusive environments in the classroom and then research like this brings us back to looking at what else can be done so students are not be exclude and that everyone is being represented when you read in the classroom.
This article reviews children at a young age, both disabled and able bodied. The children were asked who they were more likely to play with if given the chance to. Students who are able-bodied would usually pick the students that were also able-bodied, and the same was true when children looked at pictures of adults who were disabled, they would pick the adult who was able-bodied. The article goes on to state how this is attitude is no longer a barrier when it comes to able bodied and disabled. Later, the article talks about ways to include literature about people with disabilities and that if students are introduced to stories that include characters who have a disability that students started to be more accepting of people with disabilities.
The article says very little about what disabilities where shown in the pictures and why students picked the way they did. I found it interesting that we do not recognize that there are attitude barriers between students who have disabilities and students who are able bodied. I wonder how many teachers actually include reading stories to their classrooms that include the main characters having a disability. I really like looking at how we think change is going on and we are making progression to a more inclusive environments in the classroom and then research like this brings us back to looking at what else can be done so students are not be exclude and that everyone is being represented when you read in the classroom.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Final Thoughts on Deaf or Hard of Hearing Books
I really enjoyed reading stories about children who are deaf or are hard of hearing. It took me a really long time to find books about children who are deaf or hard of hearing. I could find informational books about being deaf or hard of hearing. I had to use the internet to find the stories. I went to several book stores, all of which said I would have to special order the books. Instead of ordering them, I decided to go to my local library. I searched the online card catalog and found a few books; none of them were in the same section of the library. There were only a few books that were not informational and all of them were from the 1970s. They have no new books and it took me a while to search around the library. There were a few books that I could not even find in the library.
Even the professional review was hard to find. I finally decided just to do a professional review on disabilities in general because I could not find one that related just to deaf or hard of hearing. I really wonder why this topic is so hard to find, especially since so many children have some sort of a hearing impairment.
I really wish that this topic was easier to find in bookstores and in the library. I am really disappointed that these books have to be special ordered. In the library, I was really upset that you have to ask the librarian to help you find the book because they are in different sections of the library. I really wish there was more books out there that do not have to be ordered off the internet or that someone has to wait to get.
Each of the books that I read, was about a female. I think that is an interesting aspect because females are not the only people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Two of the books are in black and white for children reading these books, they will not be interested in the pictures and therefore probably not engaged in the story. Two of the books talk about how the children go through tests and all of the books talk about how the children function in a hearing world.
Anna's Silent World
Wolf, Bernard. Anna's Silent World. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1977.
Anna's Silent World is a book about Anna's life. Anna was born deaf and her family is teaching her how to function in a hearing world. Anna goes through training to talk and to learn how to read people's lips so she knows what they are saying if she could not hear who is talking with the amplification. Anna is mainstreamed into an elementary school; her teachers make special arrangements to make sure that Anna is able to hear what they are teaching.
This story is written a little bit different than normal children's books; this story is based on the black and white photographs that Bernard Wolf took. He later added the words to the pictures to aid in understanding what Anna does each week to function in a hearing world. The book was written in 1977, so things are a little bit different now, but I like how the story is shown through the pictures, and the text explains what is going on because a person who is deaf relies on their sight in order to communicate and understand what is going on. Bernard Wolf tries to get the reader to rely on their sight but if they cannot do solely on the pictures they can use the words to understand the whole story.
Bernard Wolf is considered to be an expert in his field of photography and photographing children. He focuses on social issues and young children. There was no information about him personally besides his professional career.
Anna's Silent World is a book about Anna's life. Anna was born deaf and her family is teaching her how to function in a hearing world. Anna goes through training to talk and to learn how to read people's lips so she knows what they are saying if she could not hear who is talking with the amplification. Anna is mainstreamed into an elementary school; her teachers make special arrangements to make sure that Anna is able to hear what they are teaching.
This story is written a little bit different than normal children's books; this story is based on the black and white photographs that Bernard Wolf took. He later added the words to the pictures to aid in understanding what Anna does each week to function in a hearing world. The book was written in 1977, so things are a little bit different now, but I like how the story is shown through the pictures, and the text explains what is going on because a person who is deaf relies on their sight in order to communicate and understand what is going on. Bernard Wolf tries to get the reader to rely on their sight but if they cannot do solely on the pictures they can use the words to understand the whole story.
Bernard Wolf is considered to be an expert in his field of photography and photographing children. He focuses on social issues and young children. There was no information about him personally besides his professional career.
I Have A Sister My Sister is Deaf
Peterson, Jeanne Whitehouse. I Have A Sister My Sister is Deaf. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 1977.
I Have A Sister My Sister is Deaf is a story about a girl talking about her sister. She talks about how her sister likes to do all of these different things that all kids like to do, but her sister is a little different because her sister loves to play the piano but cannot hear the tune. Her sister cannot hear her yell "Look Out". She talks about how she tries to understand what it is like not to be able to hear. She talks about how they are both afraid and how they both can talk but in different ways. She talks about how she talks to her friends about her sister.
This book is written by Jeanne Peterson, she is considered to be an insider because her sister was also deaf. This book is interesting in many aspects, the first being that the sister is trying to show to her friends how her sister can do all of the things that all kids love to do, but she does them a little bit different because she cannot sing, hear tunes, or talk. She talks about how they share the same emotions but at different times. I do think that the book could be seen differently if the illustrations were in color, it makes it seem like everything they do is dull and something is missing. The other thing that is interesting is that the sister is always pointing out things that she cannot do at the same time that she is pointing out all of the things that she can do. But at the same time she is doing this, it seems like she is looking out for her sister and feeling bad for her because she will never get to experience some things in life that other people take for granted. Overall, there are a few things that I like in this book, it would be a good book to read to an older sibling who has a younger sibling who is deaf so they can learn that their brother or sister will not be able to experience some of the same things as they do but they will also experience them in a different way.
I Have A Sister My Sister is Deaf is a story about a girl talking about her sister. She talks about how her sister likes to do all of these different things that all kids like to do, but her sister is a little different because her sister loves to play the piano but cannot hear the tune. Her sister cannot hear her yell "Look Out". She talks about how she tries to understand what it is like not to be able to hear. She talks about how they are both afraid and how they both can talk but in different ways. She talks about how she talks to her friends about her sister.
This book is written by Jeanne Peterson, she is considered to be an insider because her sister was also deaf. This book is interesting in many aspects, the first being that the sister is trying to show to her friends how her sister can do all of the things that all kids love to do, but she does them a little bit different because she cannot sing, hear tunes, or talk. She talks about how they share the same emotions but at different times. I do think that the book could be seen differently if the illustrations were in color, it makes it seem like everything they do is dull and something is missing. The other thing that is interesting is that the sister is always pointing out things that she cannot do at the same time that she is pointing out all of the things that she can do. But at the same time she is doing this, it seems like she is looking out for her sister and feeling bad for her because she will never get to experience some things in life that other people take for granted. Overall, there are a few things that I like in this book, it would be a good book to read to an older sibling who has a younger sibling who is deaf so they can learn that their brother or sister will not be able to experience some of the same things as they do but they will also experience them in a different way.
A Button in Her Ear
Litchfield, Ada B. A Button in Her Ear. Morton Grove, IL: Albter Whitman & Company, 1976.
A Button in Her Ear is a story about a little girl named Angela who is having a hard time hearing her classmates, teachers, and parents. Throughout the story, she misinterpreting what people are saying to the point that she is doing different activities wrong. Angela ends up going to the doctors who test her hearing and decide that she needs a hearing aid. One of the doctors calls her hearing aid, a make button, because it is tucked in her ear and will help her just like a button. She learns how to change the batteries and how to turn it on and off. She is nervous about going to school with the hearing aid, but when she gets there, Miss Hicks notices and asks her if she would like to tell the other students about it. Angela goes on to tell everyone about her "magic button."
This story was a very cute story and showed the person before the disability. Angela lived life normally and the book shows how people who are hard of hearing and misinterpret different sayings. The illustrations show a diverse group of children, the children are not of one race or ethnicity but of several different ones. Not only do they show different characters but the audiologist is an African-American woman. This is a nice aspect because it shows how all ethnicities can be extremely well educated and hold doctor jobs. Overall, this book shows how Angela who is hard of hearing lives life first but hearing words differently from what people are saying, to her receiving a hearing aid and being accepted for having the hearing aid. Students in her classroom see the hearing aid just like they see glasses as a way to help Angela hear.
The author seems to be an informed writer on this topic, she researched the topic and worked with a School for the deaf and even watched a demonstration on a hearing test, how to use and care for a hearing aid. She is also the author of several other books about people who are deaf and hard of hearing and other books about people with disabilities.
A Button in Her Ear is a story about a little girl named Angela who is having a hard time hearing her classmates, teachers, and parents. Throughout the story, she misinterpreting what people are saying to the point that she is doing different activities wrong. Angela ends up going to the doctors who test her hearing and decide that she needs a hearing aid. One of the doctors calls her hearing aid, a make button, because it is tucked in her ear and will help her just like a button. She learns how to change the batteries and how to turn it on and off. She is nervous about going to school with the hearing aid, but when she gets there, Miss Hicks notices and asks her if she would like to tell the other students about it. Angela goes on to tell everyone about her "magic button."
This story was a very cute story and showed the person before the disability. Angela lived life normally and the book shows how people who are hard of hearing and misinterpret different sayings. The illustrations show a diverse group of children, the children are not of one race or ethnicity but of several different ones. Not only do they show different characters but the audiologist is an African-American woman. This is a nice aspect because it shows how all ethnicities can be extremely well educated and hold doctor jobs. Overall, this book shows how Angela who is hard of hearing lives life first but hearing words differently from what people are saying, to her receiving a hearing aid and being accepted for having the hearing aid. Students in her classroom see the hearing aid just like they see glasses as a way to help Angela hear.
The author seems to be an informed writer on this topic, she researched the topic and worked with a School for the deaf and even watched a demonstration on a hearing test, how to use and care for a hearing aid. She is also the author of several other books about people who are deaf and hard of hearing and other books about people with disabilities.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Confessions of a Closet Catholic
While reading the book, I had a hard time thinking of a question. The book presents some stereotypes and some generalizations about being Jewish. I was thinking of our class discussion and came up with the idea of: Do all children/teenagers challenge their beliefs or values in order to fit into what they see as the norm(what their friends believe/do)? The reason I picked this question is because it seems that Justine wants to be like Mac in order to fit in. Based on page 8, where she talks about being Catholic like Mac, do you think that this is something that she wants to do because she is testing what religion she wants to be or do you think that she is doing this just to be like her friend?
Another idea that is brought up is the idea of Sister Teresa Benedicta, do you think that this is there to show that more teenagers are trying to be like the norm in society so they do not get made fun of or stick out? Or do you think that Sister Benedicta was just brought up to show that other people in history have switched between the two religions? Do you think that Sister Benedicta is seen as a role model and a way to see how she fit into society?
Another idea that is brought up is the idea of Sister Teresa Benedicta, do you think that this is there to show that more teenagers are trying to be like the norm in society so they do not get made fun of or stick out? Or do you think that Sister Benedicta was just brought up to show that other people in history have switched between the two religions? Do you think that Sister Benedicta is seen as a role model and a way to see how she fit into society?
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