Diversity Read-Aloud

     I've discovered the best book for use with older elementary students. As I planned for this school year, I made a point of trying to locate books that I thought would reflect what I learned in the diversity course last year.  Many of the books I chose are first reads for me as well as for my students.  The book I am currently reading was chosen because the main character, Caitlin, has Asperger's Syndrome. It is titled Mockingbird and is written by Kathryn Erskine.  We are currently learning about point of view in language arts and I thought the book would add to that study since it is written from Caitlin's point of view.  The way my students have reacted to the novel has been a joy to watch.  At the beginning, they laughed at the way the main character took some things literally and joked about her behavior.  As they got caught up in the story and heard more of Caitlin's words, you could notice a shift in their thinking.  They began to feel Caitlin's frustration and empathize with her instead of laugh about her actions, words, and thoughts. Sure, they have identified point of view and discussed how other characters may have seen things differently, but the main lesson learned has been about people who may seem different from them.  I too learned a lesson.  I learned just how powerful a good book can be and how important it is to consider diversity as we choose books for our classrooms.  Hearing about it last year was good, but seeing it in action this semester is great!

21st Century Literacies - Ideas

I have a student that is currently homebound because he is vision impaired since a recent operation.  His sight is expected to return - improvement is already occuring - and we hope he'll return to the classroom after Christmas break.  I've tried to think of ways to use what we are learning in this course to help keep M. on top of things here at school.  I often whine about technology, but let me tell you, it has sure come in handy during the past couple of weeks.  I've thought of a lot of the things we've discussed and used in class and worked at adapting them so that a student not physically in the classroom can still experience a lot of what is going on.  I'd love to hear any ideas for using technology to help a visually impaired student at home feel like apart of the classroom community.