Camila Padilla

April 12, 2015

MultigenreProjectAnnotatedBibliography
Sridhar,D.,&Vaughn,S.(2000).Bibliotherapyforall:Enhancingreadingcomprehension,
selfconcept,andbehavior.TEACHINGExceptionalChildren,33(2),7482.

Thisarticleprovidesadescriptionofbibliotherapyasastepbystepmethodtoimprove
readingcomprehension,toenhanceselfesteem,andtoimprovethelearningexperience
ofproblemstudents.Bibliotherapyhasatherapeuticintentasaninterventiontoassist
studentswithstressfultemporaryproblems,suchaslearningandbehavioralissues.This
methodrequirestheteachertofunctionasafacilitatorintheguidedreadingprocessin
ordertopromoteselfobservation,selfidentification,withthepurposeofaidingstudents
gainrealizationoftheproblemtheyareexperiencing.Thearticleoutlinesaseriesofsteps
tofollowwhenusingbibliotherapy.Beforereadingtheteachermustmatchthewiththe
studentsvariousproblems.Theteachermustalsobefamiliarwiththecontentinorderto
introducethegeneralthemeofthebook,andtoencouragestudentstocomparetheir
experienceswiththebook,asitmakesthemmakepredictionslater.Duringreadingthe
teacherisadvisedtoaskinsightfulquestionstohelpsummarizemainpoints,and
facilitatestudentsidentificationwiththemaincharacter.Afterreadingtheteachercan
dividetheclassintoliteraturecirclesandassignthemrolesinthepeerdiscussion,tolater
initiateaclassdiscussion.Opendiscussionallowsforverbalreconstruction,andgives
studentsthechancetofocustheirattentionontheholisticnatureofthestory,because
makingconnectionsprovidesaframeworkforcomprehension,organization,and
elaborationonthetopic.Also,theteachermustprovidefollowupactivitiesbecausethey
validatestudentscontributions,thusincreasingtheirselfesteemandparticipation.Such
activitiescanincludecreativepiecesofwriting,artorcrafting,anddramatization,
discussionorroleplaying.Teachersareencouragedtoletthestudentsselecttheactivities
andmodifythemaccordingtothestudentsinterests.Bibliotherapyhasproveneffective
inincreasingcriticalthinkinginelementarystudentswithneurologicalimpairments,
ADD,andotherdisorders.Theprocesshashelpedstudentstobemoreemotionally
stable,andhasfacilitatedpeerinteractionenablingstudentstodrawfromtheirshells
(p.82).
Thoughstudentsenjoybibliotherapy,manyofthemfinditdifficulttoretellthestory.
But,practiceandpromotingfacilitatesretelling(p.82).
Bibliotherapycanbeapowerfultoolinenhancingreadingcomprehensionandself
esteem(p.77).
StudentswithLDandBDexperiencelowacademicachievement,oftenincludingpoor
readingcomprehension.Studentsalsoexperiencethesocialconsequencesoflow

Camila Padilla
April 12, 2015
academicachievement,suchaspeerrejection,poorsocialskills,andlowselfesteem
(p.77).

Stringer,S.,Reynolds,G.,&Simpson,F.(March2003).Collaborationbetweenclassroom
teachersandaschoolcounselorthroughliteraturecircles:Buildingselfesteem.Journal
OfInstructionalPsychology,30(1):69.Availablefrom:ProfessionalDevelopment
Collection,Ipswich,MA.AccessedMarch13,2015.
Thearticledescribesastudyofhowtwosecondgradeteachersalongwithaschool
counselorusedbibliotherapytradebookswithstudentswithinLiteratureCirclestobuild
selfesteeminreading.Teachersandcounselorshavesimilargoals:one,istocreatea
positivelinkbetweenclassroomguidanceandacademicachievement;andtwo,both
worktowardthementalhealthofstudents.Whenteachersandcounselorscooperate
duringcollaborativeinterventionsusingbookswithaselfesteemfocustoteachreading
inliteraturecircles,theybothareabletotargetselfesteemissues,suchasbehavior,peer
relationships,selfcontrol,physicaldevelopment,stress,dealingwithfeelingsand
emotion,andschoolsuccess.Themethodofthestudywastousesubjectcontent,
developmentallyappropriatebooksduringliteraturecirclestodealwithavarietyofself
esteemconcernstypicalofsecondgraders.Beforebeginningthestudy,theschool
administeredtheSelfConceptScaleChildrensFormtoassessthefollowingself
concepts:physical,moral,personal,family,social,andacademiconstudentsages7to9
yearsold.Rightaftertheassessment,theteachersworkedonliteraturecirclesintheir
respectiveclassrooms.Meanwhilethecounselorwaspresentduringthesesessions
workingalongsidewiththeteacheransweringquestionsorconcernsaboutselfesteem
issuesthatcameupduringthediscussion,andtoprovideoneononecounselingif
studentswereobservedtobestressed.Thestudentswereassignedinsmallgroupsand
hadtheopportunitytochooseabookfromapreviouslyselectedlistofbooks,andeach
wasassignedaroleofinterestwithintheirgroup.TheLiteratureCirclespermitted
studentstointeractwitheachother,communicatetheirideas,anddiscussimportant
informationtheyfoundrelevant,withthepurposeofincreasingcriticalliteracy.Afterthe
twomonthintervention,apostassessmentwasadministeredtoscoredifferencesinthe
differentareasthatinfluenceselfesteem.Thoughtheresearchersdidnotfindsignificant
differencesinseveralareas,thecomparisonoftheselfconceptscoreswerefoundgreatly
significantintheareaofidentityonly.Asaconclusion,thestudentsprojectedhigher
personalandphysicalselfconceptsespeciallyin9yearolds.Thechildrensself
evaluationofhisorherpersonalityindicatedthatstudentsbenefitedfromsuch
intervention.

Camila Padilla
April 12, 2015

Learningtakesplacebestwhenchildrenareallowedtolearnbydoing,takeownerships
oftheirstudiesthroughopportunitiesthatleadtofreedomofchoice(p.70).
Cooperativelearningenhancesselfesteemaswellaspromotesstudentachievement
(p.70)

Meller,W.B.,Richardson,D.,&Hatch,J.A.(2009).Usingreadaloudswithcriticalliteracy
literatureinK3classrooms.NationalAssociationfortheEducationofYoungChildren.
7678.
Thisarticledescribestheimportanceofusingreadaloudsandchildrensliteraturein
elementaryclassroomsasamethodtostimulatethestudentsinterestinhighquality
literature,withthepurposeofincreasingtheircomprehensionskillsandcriticalthinking.
Thearticleprovidesguidelinesforimplementreadaloudsintheprimaryclassroom.The
teacherspurposeistoguidethereadinganddiscussionthroughaprocessofreading,
listening,questioning,andresponding.Theteacherfirstselectshighqualitychildrens
booksthatinvolvesocialissuesthatprovidearealisticsocialcontext,yetareappealing
fortheyoungreaders.Thebooksmustexploredifferences,provideanunderstandingof
theissue,showstudentshowtheycantakeactiononsocialproblems,andexplorethe
actionsofgroupsofpeople.Theteacherisencouragedtocreateasetofquestionsfrom
whichstudentscanmakeconnections.Theauthoralsoprovidesstepsforplanningand
implementingreadalouds.Whenabookischosentheteachermustpreviewthebookin
ordertogenerateideasandhighlightthestoriesmainpoints,andtoidentifyunfamiliar
contentsuchasvocabulary,ortopics,thatcouldbeintroducedinaminilesson
priorto
reading.Theteachermayalsousestickynotestomarkimportantpointstobring
during thereadaloud.Aftertheminilessonthebookpromptstheteachertodoapicturewalk
beforeinitiatingthereadaloudtoprovidestudentswithabriefbackgroundofthestory,
toenablethemtomakepredictions,noticethecharactersemotions,and,most
importantly,tocreateamentalsequenceoftheevents.Astheclassreads,itiskeytostop
anddiscusswhateverquestionstheteacherhasmarked,aswellasthestudentsown
questionsandconcerns.Oncethediscussionisoversummarizingthemainpointsofthe
bookwillprovidefurtherunderstanding,andenablethestudentstorecallinformationand
makefurtherconnectionswiththeirownpreviousexperiences.Readaloudsserveasan
engagingmethodtoexpandstudentsknowledgeonacertainsocialissuethroughopen
discussion,andenhancetheircriticalthinkingabilities.
Everychildshouldhavetheopportunitytothinkcriticallyabouttextualrepresentations
oftheworld(p.78).

Camila Padilla
April 12, 2015

Whenchildrenpracticeaskingcriticalquestionsaboutthetext,theyaredeveloping
readingandthinkingskillsthatcanleadtopowerfulinsightsintohow[]theyfitinto
thesocialworldthatsurroundsthem(p.77)

Clarke,L.W.,&Whitney,E.(2009).Walkingintheirshoes:Usingmultipleperspectives
textsasabridgetocriticalliteracy.TheReadingTeacher,62(6),530534
doi:10.1598/RT.62.6.7
Thisarticleexplainstheimportanceofusingmultipleperspectivetextstobuildonthe
criticalliteracyskillsofchildren.Theauthorsprovidea3partframeworkthatcanguide
ateacherthroughtheprocessofcriticallyanalyzingtextsbyusingseveralreading
strategiesinordertoenhancecriticalthinkingintheclassroom.Thefirstpartis
deconstructing,ortakingideasapart,tomakestudentsseethesameissueofbothstories
throughdifferentperspectives.Therearethreeideasthatcanbeusedindeconstruction:
first,theteachercancreateascriptoftwodifferentcharactersinwhichtheytalkabout
thesameissue,butprovidedifferentviewpointsofthestory;second,thestudentscan
usegraphicorganizerstofurthercompareandcontrast,andinvestigatethepointsof
view;third,havingpiecesofavisualrepresentationfromthestoryandthenaskingthe
studentstoprovidetheirowninterpretationofit,canserveasawaytostudypiece
separatedfromitswhole;andlast,thestudentsaregiventheopportunitytomake
connectionsanddisconnectionsfromtheirownliveswiththetext.Thesecondpartofthe
frameworkisreconstructing,orputtingthepiecesbacktogether,tocreatenewpiecesof
workwiththenewknowledgetheyhaveacquired.Activitiessuchasdiaryentriesand
changingfamiliarstoriescanhelpstudentscreatenewwaysofthinking.Afterreading
twodifferentversionsofthesametopic,forexample,studentscancreatetwoseparate
journalentriestocompareandcontrastthem,tothencreatetheirowninterpretationof
bothstoriesbycreativelywritingaboutthem.Anotherideaistoletstudentsrewrite
familiarstoriesbutretellthemfromthepointofviewofadifferentcharacterandcreatea
newstory.Thelast,andmostimportantstepinenhancingcriticalliteracyinthe
classroomistoallowstudentstotakesocialaction.Buildingonlearnedknowledge
acquiredthroughdeconstructionandreconstructioncanbeapowerfultooltoraise
awarenessoncertainissue,becausestudentsgettosortofteachwhattheyhave
learned.Thiscanbepromotedthroughthecreationofgroupprojectstosharewiththe
classroomoftheschool,writingletters,interviewing,etc.allowingstudentstohave
connectionsoutsidetheirclassroomsallowsthemtoperceivetheworldasitisasocial
community.

Camila Padilla
April 12, 2015

Gettingstudentstoseebeyondtheirownlivesisoneofthemostdifficultmustmost
essentialaspectsofcriticalliteracy(534).
Criticalliteracyislikeapairofeyeglassesthatallowsonetoseebeyondthefamiliar
andcomfortable(530).

Sullivan,A.K.,&Strang,H.R.(2003).Bibliotherapyintheclassroom:Usingliteratureto
promotethedevelopmentofemotionalintelligence.ChildhoodEducation,79(2),7480;
ProQuestResearchLibrary.
Thisarticleexplainsbibliotherapyasaneffectivepsychologicaltooltohelptreat
developmentalneedsinchildren,suchasaggression,stress,andinitiatingand
maintainingsocialrelationshipsthatcouldleadtodifficultiesinemotionalintelligenceif
notaddressedproperly.Emotionalintelligenceisreferredtoastheabilitytoperceive,
access,generate,understandandregulateemotionalknowledgeinordertopromote
intellectualgrowth.Childrenwhooftenlacktheabilitytomanagetheiremotionsexhibit
isolation,andexpressviolenceagainstothersandthemselves.Usingbibliotherapyisa
techniquethatstrengthensinsightandunderstandingofachildsselfesteembypairing
literaturewithintervention.Thearticleproposessomestepsofbibliotherapyand
implementationtotreatchildrenwithsocioemotionaldifficultieswithliterature.First,
theteachersandschoolstaffmustidentifychildrenastheytransitionthroughthe
differentschooldaysettings.Second,teachersmustdecideifthetechniquesshouldbe
usedwithindividuals,smallgroups,ortheentireclass.Itisrecommendedtoarrange
smallgroups ofatmost5studentstodointerventiononyoungerchildren,andgroup
interventionorstudentdirectedreadingsessionsonoldchildren.Third,teachersmust
selecttheappropriatematerialsthatdirectlyaddressthechildrensdifficulties,andthat
allowchildrentoidentifywiththesourcesmaincharacters.Whenchoosingthematerial
theteachermusttakeintoaccounttheage,readinglevel,gender,background,interests,
anddiverseculturalperspectivesofthestudents.Fourth,whenapplyingthistechnique
theteachersmustengageinconstantdialogue,askingquestionsandallowingthechildren
toengageinexpressingactivities,suchasdrawingandroleplaying,toensurethatthe
studentsareidentifyingwiththestory.Lastly,teachersmustinitiatefollowupactivities
asabridgebetweenthereadingsandtheirpersonallives.Thebibliotherapeuticprocess
mustoffersparentssomesuggestionsofadditionalreadingselectionsandexpressive
activitiestheirchildrencanworkathome.Followupactivitiesarenecessarytoensure
thatthestudentsarebringingsocioemotionalissuestothesurface.Bibliotherapyis
recommendedtoschoolpsychologistsandcounselorstotraineducatorsandparentsto
fosterselfunderstandingandselfesteemamongstudents.Thearticleprovidesa

Camila Padilla
April 12, 2015

bibliographicselectionssectionofliteraryworksusedinbibliotherapywithchildren
managingemotionsandselfesteem.
Incorporatingbibliotherapyintotheacademiccurriculumisanaturalprocessthatwill
alsoaugmentreadingskills(78).
Interventionemphasizingsocialcompetencepreparesstudentsfortheinterpersonaland
occupationalchallengesthattheywillface(78).

Morrison,V.,&Wlodarczyk,L.(2009).Revisitingreadaloud:Instructionalstrategiesthat
encouragestudents'engagementwithtexts.TheReadingTeacher,63(2),110118.
Thisarticlereviewsreadingasatransactionalprocess,describesthebenefitsofreading
aloud,promotesengagementwithtexts,anddiscussesthreeliteracystrategies
implementedinafirstgradeclassroom.Theauthorexplainsthatstudentsareableto
engagewithtextsinmoremeaningfulwayswhentheyareabletoconnecttheactual
meaningofthetextwiththealternativemeaningthereadergivestothestory.Theauthor
recommendsengagingchildreninthebookselectingprocessbecausetheyusetheir
cognitiveabilitytoactivatepriorknowledge,andthinkandreflectonacertainbookthat
isappealing.Becauselearningisasocialactivity,usingreadaloudsintheclassroom,or
othercollaborativelearningapproaches,canpromotethechildrensmotivationand
abilitytoreadandlisten.Asthepractitionerusesreadalouds,heorsheisincorporating
variationsinpitch,tone,pace,volume,eyecontact,andquestions,thatproduceamore
powerful,andenjoyabledelivery.Thisliteracystrategypromotesthepowerofwordsby
listeningtostories,readingstories,andrespondingtostoriesinawaythatthelistener
developsvocabularyandreadingskillsthroughavarietyofengagingliteracystrategies,
suchastheAlphaboxes.TheAlphaboxesrequireschildrentogetfamiliarwiththetextby
notatingexamplesundertheappropriatealphabetletterineachbox,thatwaytheyare
abletohighlighttheimportantconcepts,makeconnections,provideexplanations,discuss
unfamiliarwords,andgeneratenewquestions.Forthisactivitytheteachersare
encouragetoletstudentscollaborateinsmallgroupstoincreasemeaningful
conversations.Makingconnectionsisanothereffectivestrategytoencouragestudentsto
activelyengagewiththetexteitherbylisteningorreadingit.Childrencanmaketextto
selfconnections,texttotextconnections,andtexttoworldconnections.Making
connectionsenhancesstudentsunderstandingoftexts;becausethestudentisencouraged
tousepriorknowledge,he/sheisabletomakenewconnectionsofimportanteventsinthe
story.Laststrategytheauthorrecommendsistocreatediscussionwebs.Discussion
allowsstudentstodeeperprocessthetextthroughsharingideas,exchangingalternative
perspectives,andproblemsolving.Thisisanactivitythatpromotesstudentsengagement

Camila Padilla
April 12, 2015

withtextbecauseitallowsfortheexaminationofvariouspointsofviewwithinasocial
setting.
Gettingstudentstoengagewithtextsinvolvesamultiplicityofsimultaneousactivities,
includingmotivation,contentknowledge,literacystrategies,andsocialcollaboration
before,during,andafteraliteracyevent(110).
Becausecomprehendinginformationistheessenceofreadingorlisteningtotexts,itis
essentialtoteachahandfulofhighlyeffectivestrategiesveryearly(117).

Hoffman,L.,&Young,E.(2004).Selfesteeminchildren:Strategiesforparentsand
educators.NationalAssociationofSchoolPsychologists.Retrievedfrom
http://www.asponline.org/communications/spawareness/selfesteem_ho.pdf

areas

1.

2.

3.
4.

Thisarticleprovidesparentsandeducatorsageneraldefinitionofselfesteem,and
suggestionsonhowtopositivelyaffectchildrensselfesteem.Selfesteemiswhatwe
thinkandfeelaboutourselves,ourqualitiesandcapabilities,andourwaysofthinking.
Toconstructselfworthinalldimensions(emotional,physical,social,andcognitive)ofa
childsselfconcept,parentsaswellasteachersmustacknowledgewhatchildren
individualsastheymovethroughchildhoodintoadulthood.Anindividualselfesteemis
greatlyimpactedbypositive/negativeexperienceswithparentsandotheradults.Inorder
toenhanceabalancedselfesteeminchildren,parentsandeducatorsmustfirsttakeinto
considerationthetemperamentofthechild:isthechildcheerfulandadaptive?Isit
intenseandnegative?Or,isithesitantandcautious?Childrenaremuchaffectedbyhow
muchtheyfeelaccepted,liked,andloved,especiallybyparentsandsignificantothers.
Whentheadultdoesnotapproachthechildinapositiveway,pointingoutfailuresand
showingrejectiontowardthechildslittleaccomplishments,theadultwillinstillan
ongoingpatternoffailureinthechildthatmayaffectthechildssenseofself.Tohelp
childrendevelophealthyselfesteem,theauthorsproposesiximportantstrategies:
Valuingchildrenmeanstoletthechildknowthathe/sheisacceptedfortheir
accomplishmentsandefforts,butalsothatexperiencingfailuredoesnotmeanthatthey
arelessloved.
Provingopportunitiesforsuccessmeanstogivechildrentheopportunitytoexperience
success.Whenthechildcanseetangibleevidenceofprogressafterconstantfailure,
helpsachildfeelproudoftheirimprovingskills.
Listeningtochildrensexperiencesandopinionsmeanstoacknowledgetheirfeelings,
whichinturnwillhelpthemlearntotrustthemselves.
Settingappropriateboundariesandexpectationsmeanstohavehighyetreasonable
standards,toapproachchildrenwithwarmthandcaring,andtobeingfirmand
consistentexpectationsintheclassroomandathome.

Camila Padilla
April 12, 2015
5. Teachingproblemsolvingskillsteachesthechildthatweallcanmakemistakesandcan
learnfromexperiencingfailure,thatmotproblemscanbefixed,andthatotherpeople
willstillcareaboutus.
6. Praisingeffortmeanstoacknowledgeachildseffortandfocusontheexperienceas
wellastheoutcome.
Aschildrengrowandexperiencetheworld,thepartsofselfesteembecomemore
distinct(87).
Healthyselfesteemisrelatedtoexperiencingschoolsuccess,feelinghappyand
satisfied,makinghealthylifestylechoices,havingrewardingrelationships,and
demonstratingeffectivecopingskills(87).
Harste,J.,Huber,K.&Leland,C.(2005).Outofthebox:Criticalliteracyinafirstgrade
classroom.LanguageArts,82(5),257268.Retrievedfrom
http://www.ncte.org/journals/la/issues/v845
Thisarticleexplorestheliteratepracticesafirstgradeteacherusestoenhancecritical
literacy,andtoteachthemaboutthepowerandpossibilitiesforcivicaction.Theauthors
describethepositiveoutcomesofreadingbooksthataddresseddifficultsocialissuesina
firstgradeclassroom.Theteacherconductedaresearchstudyofanewliteracyapproach
tounderstandtextsandstorieswithinasocialcontext,inordertoincreasecriticalliteracy
inherclassroom.Theteacherproposesthatwhenachildexperiencescultureinthe
readingprocessheorsheismoreabletocommunicateandengageinpracticesthat
promoteanalysis,connection,andresponsetoglobalissues.Theauthorsencourage
teacherstoguidestudentsthroughthisprocessusingthefourresourcesmodelof
essentialreadingperspectives.Theteachermustfirstapproachreadingasadecoding
processtobreakdownthestory.Second,theteachermustusetextualandpersonal
resourcestohelpchildrenproducemeaningfulreading.Third,theteachermustapply
languageinrealworldsituations.Finally,theteachermustencouragechildrentotakea
culturalpositioninthereading.Tohelpchildrendevelopcriticalcompetence,thefirs
gradeteacherusedstorytimeforbuildingcriticalawarenessofsocialissues.Sheused
booksthataddressedaspecifictopicthoughreadaloudsandpostreadingactivities.At
theendofthecasestudy,theteachernoticedanincreaseofstudentparticipationand
engagement.Sinceitalsochallengedstudentsattitudes,theywouldcomeupwithnew
questionsontheissue,andwouldexpressanincreasedesiretotakesocialaction.The
studentsalsostartedtreatingeachotherwithmorecompassionandgettingalongbetter
withothers.Moreover,theteachernoticedanincreasedeffortintheirartisticaswellas
writingwork,andongoingconversationsaboutthetopic.Formonthstheteacher
observedthatthestudentsweremakingmoreintertextualconnections,andtaking
multipleperspectivesnotjustintheparticulartopic[homelessness]butinothertopicsas

Camila Padilla
April 12, 2015

wellthestudentsbegantoseeabiggerpicture.Attheendoftheyear,theteacher
concludedthatsharinganumberofcriticalpicturebookswithherchildrenhadinstilleda
senseofwonderandcriticalperspectiveintoourworld,andthatthechildrenweredeeply
concernedaboutthesedifficulttopics.Theysawtheworldthroughdifferentlensasthey
startedtohypothesizewhatwouldhappenindifferentscenariosiftheydidnottake
actiontochangetheircommunity,tolookforcluesintothemeaningtheauthorintended,
andtocreateculturalniches(258)tomaketheworldabetterplace.
Criticallyliterateindividualsarecapableoftakingsocialactiontofightoppressionand
transformtheircommunitiesandrealities(259).
Earlychildhoodisacrucialsiteofpracticebecauseitisduringthatperiodthatchildren
forminitialrelationshipswithschoolingandformallearning(259).

Unilever(2015).Doveselfesteemproject.Retrievedfromhttp://selfesteem.dove.us/
TheDoveSelfEsteemProjectwebsiteisdesignedtohelpyounggirlsovercomebeauty
relatedanxietiesthatstopthemfrombeingconfidentenoughtoreachtheirfullpotential.
Youngpeopletodayfaceahugerangeofcomplexselfesteemissues,manyofwhichwill
becomeapparentduringtheirschoolyears.Researchhasshownthatnegativebodyimage
andpoorselfesteemcorrelateswithlowconcentrationandparticipationinclassandcan
evenaffectschoolattendance.Thewebsiteaddressestopics,suchasfriendsand
relationships,teasingandbullying,growingupandbodyimage,andtheroleofmedia,
thathaveanimpactoftheyounggirlsselfesteem.Thoughthewebsiteismainly
designedtoenhanceselfesteemingirls,itprovidesstrategies,activities,andresources
thatcanbeusedwithboysaswell.Italsoprovidesresources/workshopsforparents,
teachers,andmentors,designedtohelpyoungchildrenandteensbuildbodyconfidence
bydealingwithfeelingsaboutphysicalappearance.Thewebsiteprovidesarticlestohelp
teensandyoungchildrenmakeashiftfromnegativetopositivebodyimage,andtotalk
withgirlsabouttheimportanceofindividuality,innerbeauty,settinggoals,andpeer
pressuretofitin.Whenparentsandteachersfocuscloselyonthechildasaperson,and
startto
takeactiontoempowerachildsattitudetowardhimorherself,theyare
abletoinstill positiveattitudesaboutappearanceandhealthyhabits.Oneinterestingarticle
fromthewebsiteaddressestheimportanceofindividualityanduniquenessforallages.
ThearticleTheImportanceofIndividualityandUniquenessprovidestheparent/teacher
withaseriesofquestionsandpromptstostartaconversationonselfesteem,andto
celebrateachildspersonalityandworth.Thearticlealsoprovidesalistofsuggestionsto
sharewiththechild,inordertomakehim/herfeelhappyandproudofhimorherself.
Tohelpyourdaughterdiscoveraloverforherownindividualityandcelebrate
uniqueness,askherwhatherdreamsareandthenhelphertofollowandachievethem.

Camila Padilla
April 12, 2015

Asherparent,youwanttohelpherfeelgoodaboutherself.Havingahealthy
conversationaboutappearanceisanimportantpartofthat.Youneedtobetunedintoher
changingneedsandhelphertomodelanempoweredattitudeaboutappearance.

WETA(2015).ReadingRockets.Retrievedfromhttp://www.readingrockets.org

ReadingRocketsisaliteracywebsitetheoffersinformationandresourcesonhowyoung
kidsPK3gradelearntoread,andhowcaringadultscanhelp.Thewebsiteprovidesfree
evidencebasedinformation,andresearchbasedstrategiestoteachers,parents,school
staff,andchildcareprovidersinhelpingchildrenbecomestrong,confidentreaders.The
websiteaimstosupportparentsandeducatorsonfindingtherightstrategiestoimplement
readinginstruction,criticalliteracy,andclassroomstrategiesandactivities.Reading
Rocketsservesasalibraryofarticlesandresearchaboutreading,professional
developmentwebcasts,Watch&Learnvideosthatshowcasebestresearchbased
teachingpracticesintheclassroom,videointerviewswithchildrensbookauthors,andan
originalprogramonchildrenandliteracysponsoredbyPBS.Thewebsiteprovides
readingtopics,articles,andparenttipsheetsonhowtochooseandusechildrensbooks
athomeorschool.Italsoprovidesabooklistdividedintothemes,ortopics,toeasily
findabookthatintereststhechildoradult.Moreimportantly,thewebsitehasincludeda
TeachingReadingtabunderwhicheducatorsandteacherscanfindavarietyofvideos,
articles,ideasfortheclassroom,expertinterviews,latestresearch,andprofessional
developmentcoursesonteachingreadingingradesK3,thecommoncore,critical
literacy,vocabularyandspelling,andotherliteracyapproachestohelpyoungand
strugglingreaderssucceed.
Theeffectsoffallingbehindinreadingandfeelingafailurecantakealargetollonkids.
Childrencanlosealldesiretolearntoreadorgotoschool.Somebegintoactoutinclass
orsetlowexpectationsforthemselves.
Becauselearningtoreadiscomplex,themostaccomplishedteacherslearntoteachwith
theendgoalsofreadersandlearnersinmind.
Readingaloudtogetherbuildsknowledgeandskills.Asaresult,readingaloudwith
childrenisthesinglemostimportantactivityforparentsandcaregiverstodotoprepare
tolearntoread.

Camila Padilla
April 12, 2015