Here's a classic movie I thought fit the theme quite well. Most if not all of you may be pretty familiar, but I'm sure it would leave your students thinking about what they value about themselves a little more deeply.
Adamson, Andrew & Jensen, Vicky, dir. Shrek. Dreamworks Pictures, 2001. Film.
Once upon a time in a far away swamp, there lived an ornery ogre named Shrek whose precious solitude is suddenly shattered by an invasion of annoying fairy-tale characters. There are blind mice in his food, a big, bad wolf in his bed, three little homeless pigs and more, all banished from their kingdom by the evil Lord Farquaad.
Determined to save their home and his Shrek cuts a deal with Farquaad and sets out to rescue the beautiful Princess Fiona to be Farquaad's bride. Accompanying him on his mission is a wisecracking Donkey (who will do anything for Shrek- except shut up. Rescuing the Princess from a fire-breathing dragon may prove the least of their problems when the deep, dark secret she has been keeping is revealed.
*Fiona was ashamed of her "true" self, but found out how beautiful she truly was.
Cummings, Rhoda and Fischer, Gary. The Survival Guide for Teenagers with LD: Learning Differences (Dream It! Do It!). Copyright 1993, Free Spirit Inc.
A "sequel" to The Survival Guide for Kids with LDis guided to help young people with learning differences, cope with the educational and social experiences they will face as they grow up.
As such, it is also a useful book for any teen searching for answers about how to find a job, set goals, and make friends. It is a chapter book, but easy to read for the student. Chapters include clear headings and cartoons for engagement. Definitions of LD and information about the law are also included. Be aware that grade level may need to be considered since there is a chapter on sexuality.
Intended Readers: Ages 12-17
Google books provides other resources that could be used in the classroom for all students to learn more about other prevalent disabilities whether they be cognitive or learning.
Dash, Joan. The World at Her Fingertips. Copyright 2001, Scholastic Press.
This book is the biography of Helen Keller told by Joan Dash.
Helen Keller was born in Alabama, on June of 1880 and at just ninteen months old, she was diagnosed with a serious illness which caused her to go deaf and blind. She learned to speak quite early but using words that no one could recognize.
It wasn't long that Helen's family had been introduced to a young teacher, Annie Sullivan. Annie helped Helen everyday until the day she passed. Because of her, Hellen graduated with honors from Radcliffe collage. As an adult, Helen gave interviews, lectures, and wrote articles. She maintained the spirited personality communicated with signs.
Helen's life of courage, intelligence, and fortitude inspires those whom have the potential to succeed the same.
Intended Reader: Ages 9-12
This book could be used as a source for lesson plans based on influencial people as well inspirational possibilities for those students who may be born with disabilities. No one person should hold back from achievement, especially if the resources are available for them.
This scholastic link is a great resource for classroom incorporation:
Gehret, Jeanne. The Don't-give-up kid and Learning Differences. Copyright 1996, Verbal Images Press.
Alex is a creative first-grade boy that finds it difficult to read, mostly in the classroom. The letters he try to read sometimes After he is diagnosed as dyslexic, he is placed in a smaller class, specifically geared toward children with learning disabilities. He begins working with a specialist and eventually, he learns that Thomas Edison had similar problems with words/reading but that never led to the impossibility of intelligence. Though the inventor failed many times, he never stopped trying and neither does Alex.
Intended Reader: Ages 8-12
The book not only includes actual facts, but also drawings to assure readers that Alex is not stupid, but he simply learns things differently and that he can succeed, once his special needs are accommodated.
Discussion questions/starters are also available in the back of the book which provide dyslexic children with an explanation for their difficulties, and teaches children to be sensitive to the needs of their classmates that may have learning disabilities. The questions prompt children to think about how Alex felt, and why Alex did the things that he did as they related to his disability.
This graphic novel is about a girl named Raina, who transitions from middle school to high school while enduring some of the drama that comes with it. She has an accident one day that causes her to lose her two front teeth, as braces, dental surgery, embarrassing headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth attached! Throughout the story, her town suffers an earthquake, she experiences the joys of boy drama/crushes, and the friends she thought she had turned out to be not so friendly afterall.
Intended Readers: Ages 8-12
After researching more about the book, I've learned that although there are fictional events, it is based on the life of the author itself, Raina Telgemeier, who also has adapted The Babysitter's Club series to a graphic novel collection -- look into it! Especially for the classroom. It's good to have stories that children may often relate to for reading material. There's always a moral for them to think about.
Go Raina is the author's personal website with books to purchase, summaries, as well as a personal blog about her travels.
Did you know?! Smile was at first a webcomic before Scholastic printed it through Graphix. This site provides the non-color version online as well as a short trailer based on the book's events.
This story is about a girl named Cassandra that can't seem to do anything right or make anyone happy. Her mom thinks she's a complete mess, her classmates refuse to play with her because her hair is too brown, eyes are too blue, and she's too different, & her art teacher thinks she's incorrigiable (too bad to be reformed).
It wasn't until Cassandra wished upon someone to talk to or call that her Guardian Angel was introduced. Her angel gave her much confidence that others did not. "Cassandra, you are as bright as the sky's brightest star" the angel would say. She finally felt like an actual person as herself, and not as what other people wanted her to be.
"I am Cassandra, a bright light" was her next thought. And no one could change that story. No, they could not!
Intended Readers: Ages 5-9
There may be a few cases in your classroom, where the student's home is the last place they want to be. In this case, Cassandra's mother complained about everything, rather than any form of praise. Children need some kind of praise, especially to continue classroom effort, it's just our job not to overdue it. They should also be reinforced that being unique, creative, or different is perfectly fine & that their gifts or talents should be used in any way necessary.
Reynolds, Peter H. I'm Here. Copyright 2001, Simon & Schuster, Inc.
For the world you may be one person, but for one person - you may be the world.
This book, by the same author of The Dot tells the heartwarming story of a young boy that is isolated from his classmates because of being different, a child diagnosed with Autism. The story takes place on the playground where the young boy makes a paper airplane that leads him to a new friendship.
This story is meant to help reach out, embrace, and appreciate children in the autism spectrum, or anyone that's been considered "different" with a strong anti-bullying message encouraging children to stand up for others who may not seem to belong
Intended Readers: Ages 4-8
It's important for all learners to understand that not one person is the same. I would use this book to help the reader broaden their horizons of relationships and to know that the people you may consider friends do not have to be solely about the similarities you may share.
Reynolds, Peter H. The Dot. Copyright 2003, Candlewick Press.
This story is about a girl anmed Vashti who struggles in art class with the mindset of not being able to draw. Her teacher reinforces that she can draw anything she'd like. "Just make a mark, see where it takes you" her teacher would say. Vashti then drew a dot, and signed it. The next day, she saw that her teacher had framed it and put it on a classroom wall.
"I can make a better dot than that" she says and goes home to make many more dots of all sizes and colors.
Once she shows off her gallery at school a little boy acknowledges what he sees and admires what a great artist she is. He begins to complain about not being able to draw like her, "I can draw a straight line with a ruler" he says. She tells him to show her and after he draws the line, she tells him to please, sign it.
Intended Readers: Ages 4-8
The Dot is great for reinforcing that children are capable of doing anything they set their mind too. The girl in this story gave herself doubt and high expectations, but little does she know art comes in all shapes and sizes. You don't have to be a great drawer to be considered an artist and what she learned about herself she was able to share with someone else about their talent as well.
Spier, Peter. People.Copyright 1980, Random House.
In this encyclopedic picture book, Spier celebrates humankind in all its diversity-how we are similar and how we are different; that we dress in different ways, enjoy different things, have different personalities, live in different homes, speak (and write) different languages. We all keep different pets, celebrate different holidays and worship in different ways; that some of us excel at things others could never do, that there are more different ways of earning a living than you would believe.
Intended Readers: Ages 4-8
Discussions of differences can be greatly aided by children's books and it doesn't take an older child to begin discussions. The wealth of pictures discuss the uniqueness of people in terms of size, color, differing systems of taste and belief, and varying physical and mental abilities. This book can be a wonderful departure point for talking about all kinds of subjects from world peace to prejudice.
While incorportating this book in your classroom, students could research and discuss different countries and cultures. Giving them hands on activity is an effective way for them to learn and discover the world around them; they are sure not to forget this experience.
Drescher Fran. Being Wendy. Copyright 2011, Penguin Group.
Wendy Starbright grew up in Boxville, where everyone wears cardboard boxes wherever they go. Depending on their career, some said their name, doctor, soldier, baker, etc. on the front of them. Wendy didn't want to be labeled as just a box. She knew there was more to her than that. She asked her mom why she wore a box only saying "mom." She replied, "in life we must make choices and mine was to be a mom." Wendy's dad told her that she hasn't found the right box yet. One day, she left the house without her box, which created quite a stir in the neighborhood. Wendy ignored it, until she got to school where her classmates made her feel weird and like she didn't belong. When she went home that day she had a talk with her parents. The next morning she awoke to her parents without their boxes on as well. "Different talents make you, you! We all should do anything and everything we want!" they said. They reinforced that she was unique, special, and Wendy was surely proud of it. Her and her family left Boxville to live in Freedomland.
Intended Readers: Ages 4-8
Although the readers may be young, incorporating a brief form of the first Amendment, focusing on freedom of speech and religion. More so, showing students that there is no one label for any individual & that coming to school should allow them to show deeper sides of their talents, creativity, or differences.
Here's a short clip of Fran Drescher explaining how her new children's book, Being Wendy, helps kids be more accepting of others:
I'm sure most if not all of us have heard the story of Ferdinand the bull, and if not you may want to pay close attention!
Leaf, Munro. The Story of Ferdinand. Copyright 1936, The Viking Press.
This story is about a very independent bull named Ferdinand. He never partook in any adventures and games with all the other little bulls. He would rather stay to himself, sit under a cork tree and smell the flowers. Ferdinand's mother started to become worried that he would become too lonely, but he would just say "I like it better here where I can just sit quietly and smell the flowers." She understood, and let him do just that.
As the years passed, he had become a very big and strong bull. All the other bulls he grew up with wanted to be picked for the bull fights in Madrid, but not Ferdinand.
It wasn't until his first encounter with a bumble bee where his size and strength were finally noticed by five men. They were in search of the largest/toughest bull around, and when it came to Ferdinand, they liked what they saw.
They called him Ferdinand the Fierce, but that didn't last long. During his first "fight" Ferdinand did nothing but sit and stare at the audience. Who was he kidding? He didn't want to be apart of all that. He found himself happy back under the cork tree smelling flowers, being himself.
Intended Readers: Ages PreK-2
I thought this book was a great introduction to teach students about valuing themselves as an individual. Ferdinand wouldn't have been happy trying to be something he was not. No child should ever have to do something just to be something that they aren't.
*This story has many great resources to use, two of which I have included.
Here's the Disney version of this classic story which won the 1938 Academy Award for best short animated film:
Here's another version, in American Sign Language available to those who may be hearing impaired:
So, for those of you unaware of what a text set is, let me inform you.
I was given an assignment to create a text set of at least 10 pieces of literature that all have to do with the same kind of theme.
Since I thought about the students I plan to educate in the future, I decided to go with the theme of the unique individualities that every student has.
We as teachers will have many students throughout our career and it's important for each one of those students to value themselves as individuals no matter how creative, unique, or different they may be. Peer pressure is a big issue, especially in middle and high school but I wanted to share some pieces of literature that I thought all students and teachers could relate to.
Once upon a time in a far away swamp, there lived an ornery ogre named Shrek whose precious solitude is suddenly shattered by an invasion of annoying fairy-tale characters. There are blind mice in his food, a big, bad wolf in his bed, three little homeless pigs and more, all banished from their kingdom by the evil Lord Farquaad.
