Meghan Dalton

Multicultural Text Set

Theme: Family Structures

1. Whos Who in My Family?

a. Summary: This book introduces

family trees, genealogy, and a look at

family relationships that tell how

every family is special in its own way.

b. Grade/Age Level: Grades Pre-K-2

c. Key Words: Step Parent, Step Brother,

Step Sister, Brother, Sister, Aunt,

Uncle, Cousin, Grandmother,

Grandfather, Great Grandparent

d. Evaluation: This was an amazing

book! It did a great job of simplifying family trees and structures down

into a way that young children can understand. It definitely got the point

across that all families are different in a light-hearted way and helped to

remind the students not to judge families that are different than their own.

e. Recommended Use: I used this book for my read aloud during immersion

week which went really well. I started by asking the students a few

questions about families. Then, I showed them the pictures before reading

the book. After reading it, we did an activity where the students got to

make a family tree of their own family and share with their class!
 f. SOLs: Family Life K.5 The student will identify members of his or her own

family. Family Life K.4 The student will recognize that everyone is a

member of a family and that families come in many different forms.

2. And Tango Makes Three

a. Summary: This is a

heartwarming true story

of two penguins who

create a nontraditional

family. At the penguin

house at the Central

Park Zoo, two penguins

named Roy and Silo

were a little bit different from the others, but their desire for family was

the same. With the help of their zookeeper, Roy and Silo got the chance to

welcome a baby penguin of their very own.

b. Grade/Age Level: Grades Pre-K-Kindergarten

c. Key Words: Families, Different, Home, Babies

d. Evaluation: I really loved this book! It is definitely great for young

children, especially with how society is evolving today. The story is of two

daddies who want a baby and are able to care for a lost egg until it hatches

and becomes their own. The story is simple, but has a deeper meaning and

would be a great one to read to young students in order to help explain

 that some children have two daddies or two mommies, and not everyone

has a mommy and a daddy.

e. Recommended Use: This would be great to read to the class if you knew

that one of your students came from a home with two parents of the same

sex. I dont think it would be necessary for all classes. In my practicum

class, there is a little boy who has two mommies and no daddy. I think

reading this to the students would be a great idea to help him feel

comfortable. Also, I would make sure to send a note home to ALL parents,

letting them know that you will be reading this, incase their student comes

home with any questions.

f. SOLs: Family Life K.4 The student will recognize that everyone is a

member of a family and that families come in many different forms.

3. The Keeping Quilt

a. Summary: Using a

basket of old clothes,

The Keeping Quilt was

created and passed along

from mother to daughter

for almost a century. It

served as a table cloth,

wedding canopy, and

baby blanket.

b. Grade/Age Level: Grades Pre-K-3

c. Key Words: Family, Gramma, English, Parents, Back Home

 d. Evaluation: This book definitely wasnt my favorite. In my opinion, it was a

little slow and boring. It focused less on family structures and more on

people who dont speak the same students.

e. Recommended Use: I would definitely read this to second or third graders

as opposed to Pre-K through first, because the language is a little heavier

and the plot is probably too complex for the young ones. I would use this

book in a lesson about diversity to teach students that everyone comes

from different backgrounds and not all homes are the same. Additionally,

some people have families who speak different languages and some

children have to learn the English language when they begin school!

f. SOLs: Family Life K.4 The student will recognize that everyone is a

member of a family and that families come in many different forms.

4. Last Stop on Market Street

a. Summary: On Sundays, a boy

and his nana ride the bus across

town to their stop on Market

Street, but the boy becomes

unhappy about it. He wants to

know why they have to wait in

the rain and why they dont

have a car like everyone else,

but nana opens his eyes to the

beauty that surrounds them in the music of life, the bustling city, and the

magic of their neighbors.

b. Grade/Age Level: Grades Pre-K-Kindergarten

c. Key Words: Church, Nana, Bus, Witness, Beautiful

d. Evaluation: I really liked this book. First of all, the illustrations were

AMAZING! Secondly, it teaches quite a few good lessons without being too

complicated. It talks about a boy who is raised by his grandmother and

how they cannot afford a car. It also talks about seeing the beauty in

everyday life which is hard to portray in a story, but this author did an

amazing job!

e. Recommended Use: I would use this book in a lesson at the beginning of

each school year. I think it could be used in any Elementary grade level in

order to show students that not everyone is raised by a mom and a dad.

Some students are raised by grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, or

sisters. Additionally, it could be a great tool into explaining that not

families have the same amount of money, so sometimes your friends may

look different than you or have a house that is smaller than yours or not

have a family vehicle!

f. SOLs: Family Life 2.2 The student will realize that adults other than

parents also provide care and support for children. Family Life K.4 The

student will recognize that everyone is a member of a family and that

families come in many different forms. Family Life 1.4 The student will

develop an understanding of the importance of a family and of different

family patterns.
5. Uncle Bobbys Wedding

a. Summary: Chloe loves her Uncle Bobby, but she worries that when he gets

married to his boyfriend she wont be as special to him. With fun times

and some reassurance, she sees

that she will always be special to

him. She gets to be the flower girl

in the wedding and is able to

celebrate in their new life with

them.

b. Grade/Age Level: Grades Pre-K-3

c. Key Words: Uncle, Mama, Family,

Married, Daddy, Love

d. Evaluation: I liked this book! It wasnt my favorite out of the set, but was

still a good one! The story was interesting and had a happy ending, which I

always love. It did a great job of explaining that marriage isnt always

between a man and a woman, but that marriage should be celebrated and

we should be happy when good things happen to the people we love and

care for.

e. Recommended Use: Rather than using this to teach about family structure

and same-sex marriage, I would actually use it for a lesson on feelings and

conflict resolution. The main point of the story wasnt that two men were

married. Rather, it was that there was an issue and the main character

effectively dealt with it by having a conversation with her uncle about how

she was feeling. I would give my students different conflict scenarios and
 have them act out resolutions. I would give them time to rehearse and then

have them share their problem and resolution with the class.

f. SOLs: Family Life 1.8 The student will express his or her feelings of

happiness, sadness, and anger. Family Life 1.9 The student will become

aware of appropriate behavior to use in dealing with his or her feelings.

Family Life 2.2 The student will recognize that adults other than parents

also provide care and support for children. Family Life 2.5 The student will

demonstrate appropriate ways of dealing with feelings. Family Life K.6

The student will develop an awareness of positive ways in which family

members show love, affection, respect, and appreciation for each other.

6. Over the Moon

a. Summary: This is a

magical, reassuring

story of one adoptive

familys beginnings, told

in words and pictures

that are just right for the

youngest child. It is an

ideal story to share with families everywhere.

b. Grade/Age Level: Grades Pre-K-3

c. Key Words: Baby, Dream, Child, Adopt, Family, Home

d. Evaluation: I really enjoyed this book! I have never seen a childrens book

on adoption before, so I was very impressed. I loved the pictures! I also

 loved the message that was given that all mommies and daddies love their

children just as much even if they were adopted!

e. Recommended Use: I would use this at the beginning of the year, in

combination with some of my other books, to do an entire lesson on family

structure and how all families are different. I would explain adoption and

ask for personal stories. I would read them the story and have them do

some sort of reflection activity on adoption! I would make sure that all of

the students knew how fortunate they are to be living in a home with

people who love them rather than in an adoption agency or shelter.

f. SOLs: Family Life K.4 The student will recognize that everyone is a

member of a family and that families come in many forms. Family Life K.6

The student will develop an awareness of positive ways in which family

members show love, affection, respect, and appreciation for each other.

Family Life 1.4 The student will develop an understanding of the

importance of a family and of different family patterns.

7. The Invisible String

a. Summary: This is a simple story

reminding both children and

adults that they are never alone. It

was written specifically to calm a

childs fear of being away from the

ones they love. Children and adults

everywhere who are looking for

reassurance and reaffirmation of

the transcendent power of love to

bind, connect, and comfort will discover how easily they can tug on each

others hearts with The Invisible String.

b. Grade/Age Level: Grades 1-2

c. Key Words: Twins, Mommy, Love

d. Evaluation: This book, again, was not my favorite, but was still good! It

explained and gave a good way of calming the nerves of children when

they are scared and making sure they know that they are never alone even

if they may be physically. It was a very sweet and heartwarming story!

e. Recommended Use: As a future teacher, I personally would not use this in

my classroom. However, I do think it would be good to use as a guidance

counselor either for students who are just beginning school and are scared,

just moved from a new place, or are experiencing grief.

f. SOLs: Family Life K.4 The student will recognize that everyone is a

member of a family and that families come in many forms. Family Life 1.8

The student will express his or her feelings of happiness, sadness, and
 anger. Family Life 1.9 The student will become aware of appropriate

behavior to use in dealing with his or her feelings. Family Life 2.2 The

student will realize that adults other than parents also provide care and

support for children.

8. A Chair for My Mother

a. Summary: After their home is

destroyed by a fire, Rosa, her

mother, and grandmother save

their coins to buy a really

comfortable chair for all to enjoy.

b. Grade/Age Level: Grades

Kindergarten-3

c. Key Words: Mother, Money, Grandma, Fire

d. Evaluation: I liked this book, but am not sure how useful it would be in an

elementary school classroom. It was a good and sweet story and definitely

showed the importance of working together and working hard. It also

stressed the point of making sure you dont focus too much on material

possessions.

e. Recommended Use: If I were to use this book in my classroom, I would

use it as an example of a family who didnt have much, but still kept their

chins up. I would explain how not all families have a lot of money or nice

things, but at the end of the day those things dont matter. I would have

the students to an activity in which they illustrate what is important to

them.
 f. SOLs: Family Life K.4 The student will recognize that everyone is a

member of a family and that families come in many forms. Family Life K.5

The student will identify members of his or her own family. Family Life 1.4

The student will develop an understanding of the importance of a family

and different family patterns.

9. We Belong Together

a. Summary: in a kid-friendly,

accessible way, this book explores

the ways that people can choose to

come together to make a family. It

is about sharing your home and

sharing your heart to make a

family that belongs together.

b. Grade/Age Level: Grades Pre-K-1

c. Key Words: Home, Family, Help

d. Evaluation: I enjoyed this book! I loved the pictures and the colors. I also

loved that it told a great story and gave a great message without using a

ton of words!

e. Recommended Use: I would most definitely use this in a Pre-school

classroom to teach about families and how they are all different. I would

have the students do their example of someone they belong with and why

and draw it and color it!

f. SOLs: Family Life K.4 The student will recognize that everyone is a

member of a family and that families come in many forms. Family Life K.6
 The student will develop an awareness or positive ways in which family

members show love, affection, respect, and appreciation for each other.

10. The Fathers Are Coming Home

a. Summary: As night falls, the

fathers come home. The

rabbit hops home to his

bunnies, the dog returns to

his puppies, the bird brings

home a worm and sings a

song. And the boys father,

who is a sailor, comes home

from the sea. Simple, lyrical

words and pictures tell this

timeless story, a heartfelt tribute to the love between fathers and their

children.

b. Grade/Age Level: Grades Pre-K-Kindergarten

c. Key Words: Fathers, Home

d. Evaluation: This was my favorite book of the entire set for sure! It was so

cute and simple but did a great job of explaining that not everyones father

lives with them.

e. Recommended Use: I would use this to teach about how all children have

different family situations, but more specifically, I would use it around

veterans day in order to talk to students about how some people have

fathers who live far away because they are serving our country and
 protecting us. I live in a big military city, where I hope to teach one day, so

this will be very important. I would have the students write thank you

letters to soldiers or make videos for them!

f. SOLs: Family Life K.4 The student will recognize that everyone is a

member of a family and that families come in many forms. Family Life K.6

The student will develop an awareness of positive ways in which family

members show love, affection, respect, and appreciation for each other.

Family Life 1.4 The student will develop and understanding of the

importance of a family and of different family patterns.

Read Aloud Reflection

The lesson I did was on family and how every family is different. The book we read

was called Whos Who In My Family?. It was about a class that made family trees and

shared them with the class. It talked about different family members and their

definitions. For example, it talked about grandparents and great grandparents, step

families, cousins and second cousins, etc. After reading the story, I had the students

make their own (sort of) family tree. They drew their families and wrote their names.

After the activity, everyone shared their family trees and told the class who was who in

their family! It was really neat!

The book connects to my diversity text set because my theme is family structure.

This book was perfect for my students and explained different members of families and

how families are all different, which really opened up the floor for me to talk with the

students and discuss how all families are different!

 The students reacted very well to the lesson and the book. They were very engaged

from start to finish and I definitely think they were ready to hear this lesson. On page 99

in the Words Their Way textbook, the point is made that interactive read-alouds

promote oral language discussions around vocabulary, ideas, and concepts related to the

content and genre of a book as teachers read aloud to children. It was a lot of fun to use

this book as a segway into a conversation about families. It helped to open the floor up

for discussion and teach the kids! I liked asking questions before beginning the book

because I feel like it hooked them in and helped them to pay more attention rather than

if I just jumped right into reading it. Additionally, asking the students what they thought

was going to happen went well because it helped to keep them engaged and to make

predictions. Additionally, this helped them to be more curious as to what was going to

happen in the story! If I were to do the activity again, I wish I could have more time

because some of the students were rushed and didnt have time to finish their tree. I

would also like to brainstorm some family words and have the students practice writing

them on their own! As constructive criticism for myself, I would say to read my book a

few more times just so I could be more familiar with it! Additionally, I think I should

have had a more logical way of helping the students write the names of their family

members!

In regards to social justice, I learned that while the world is unfair so often, there

are so many resources for us as future teachers out there. We just have to be willing to

take the time to seek them out. Additionally, we need to be sure to make an effort to

teach our students to teach EVERYONE with respect and teach them that no two people

are the same and that that is something to celebrate.

 As far as the impact this has had on my future teaching, it has definitely shown me

not to be afraid to ask for help. There are a ton of people out there who have so much

wisdom and insight in areas where I lack. As a teacher, I need to always keep learning

and bettering myself for the sake of my students and society!

Overall, I had a lot of fun conducting this lesson and am so thankful that I got the

experience to do this with my practicum students! I definitely learned a lot!