Hooray
for Diffendoofer Day by Dr
Seuss, Jack Prelutsky and Lane Smith
Knopf Books for Young Readers
1st ed. 1998
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Diffendoofer is a different sort of
town. At times, the teachers teach things that are uncommon, but they
teach students things they need to know. Then, the students must
take a standardized test to prove what they know or else...the school
will be closed down. You'll have to read this book to see if
Diffendoofer School remains open!
Personal note: I think
this book is applicable at all grade
levels. Older children will enjoy this as a read aloud just as
much as younger children. Also, the illustrations are great!!
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This is a great book to read to your
children. It concretely connects home and school issues.
Many students feel the stress before, during, and after standardized
testing. Many students feel the pressure of performing well and
often do not understand why they are being tested. This book
could calm the nerves and serve as an introduction for discussion
between students and parents.
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There are many ways to incorporate this
book into the classroom. One obvious way is to read this book
prior to standardized testing and allow it to foster discussion in the
classroom. This would also be a good time to field questions from
students and build their understanding of the testing process.
Furthermore, when searching the web, teachers can find many ideas for
incorporating this book into lessons. Try visiting
www.teachingheart.net. This web site in particular provides many
ideas for activities - from writing to singing to drawing. They
suggest having students write a paragraph about a character they would
add to the book if they were the author. This can be followed by
illustrating a page for this character. Your class can make its
own book: Hooray for _______ Day!
(add in your school's name!).
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Testing Miss Malarkey by Judy Finchler, Illustrated by Kevin
O'Malley
In this book, it's the teachers who are on the line. There is a
standardized testing time approaching and the school atmosphere
changes. The students have to play Multiplication Mambo at
recess, eat brain food in the cafeteria, and learn to meditate in the
gym.
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Whoever
You Are by Mem Fox,
Illustrated by Leslie Staub
Voyager Books 2001
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The author explains that this is his
second book about peace and equality (visit his web site for more
information: www.memfox.net). This book discusses how people are
unique and how there are many, many important similarities between all people. For example,
"smiles are the same and hearts are the same...all over the world."
Personal Note: This book
touched my heart and I know it will touch
yours. I hope you will enjoy it and other stories from Mem
Fox. I think it can open the minds and hearts of many and should
be considered for multicultural education, lessons or activities.
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We need to expose our children to
uplifting and enlightening books. This book is a good place to
start. As with many books, this book can be a launch pad for many
important discussions about equality, freedoms, discrimination,
differences, similarities, etc. Use these opportunities to open
children's minds to tolerance, acceptance, understanding, caring, and
love. All of these themes can come in when discussing this
book. This book is great for all ages - perhaps read it as
a family so that all members can be a part of this experience.
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I recommend visiting his web
site.
He has great information, ideas, and resources here. He
even discusses reading aloud on the web site. When reading this
book, I thought that the book could easily be incorporated into the
classroom. Another student teacher and friend saw this book read
in her classroom and said that her students were very excited about the
illustrations, especially the gold and jeweled border around each
page. I thought this could be a jumping off point for a writing
project. Students could write about themselves comparing and
contrasting themselves to their friends. Then, they could
decorate the border of their page. They could make a single page
or, for older children, a short story. This is just one of a
plethora of ideas that can come from such a special book.
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This author also wrote Feathers and Fools,
geared towards older children, also
on the subject of equality and peace.
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