Reading Ladder
Theme: Friendship
Dear Teacher Letter
I am writing to you in hopes that you will happily display my graphic in the library of your classroom. My graphic has a friendship theme that encourages students to read specific books, teaching them to be a better friend. Friendships take time but I want students to value the importance of friendships with one another. Being a quality friend allows students to make connections with peers in their classroom. Friends and family are the ones we are going to spend the rest of our lives with so it is intuitive that students have the opportunity to be modeled different friendships that are going to happen throughout their lives. There are many reasons why friendship should be positively reflected and visualized in a classroom. Our students need to grow up learning about all of the qualities to being a beneficial friend to other people.
Friendships give people a boost of self confidence. Knowing that someone has your back and will always be there through the decisions you make is comforting. Through life we will run into bumps in the road but our friends will always be there to lean on and pick us back up. Having friendships makes people believe in themselves. It is not natural for humans to be alone when experiencing life. Friends are the cure to loneliness because they are always there for you. Showing the importance of friends will show the students in your class that they can rely on people when they are struggling through small or big things.
The quote on my graphic is extremely important because it is a cute but connecting way of describing a friendship between one person and another. students can read this graphic and pick out which books they would like to read while already knowing the theme. The heart on my graphic represents the love that is between a friendship. I wanted this graphic to be warm and invited instead of jaw dropping and bright. This graphic shows the comfort that friendship should bring to people in their everyday lives.
I hope you will put this graphic in your classroom because it would not only mean a lot to me, but make a difference in your students emotional well beings.
-Text from this semester:
-Feathers
-Author: Jacqueline Woodson
-Why I chose this book: I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and talking about the different questions during our class discussion. I also believe that this is a very important book for students to read because it had many great underground messages.
-Theme: This book shows how two people can be friends despite the stereotypes based on how people look.
-Picture Books (4)
-The Happy Lion
Author: Louise Fatio
-Why I chose this book: I chose this book because it reminded me of āFeathersā because the lion is trying to befriend his neighbors but everyone is scared of him when he knocks on their doors. It also connects to āFeathersā with the message of āthe grass is always greener on the other sideā. It is good for children to see a different example, such as animals, when it comes to friendship. Having the lion in the book makes it more fun for a child to read.
-Theme: This book shows learning about someone and getting to know them can help you build a friendship with them.
-Childrenās/Young Adult Novels (3)
-The Perks of Being a Wallflower
-Author: Stephen Chbosky
-Why I chose this book: I chose this book because it relates to every teenager that tries to fit in to become popular. This book relates to the dirty little secrets of a teenagers life by reading about another child and their experiences of growing up.
Theme: The boy in this book in his school trying to make new friends.
-The Outsiders
-Author: S.E. Hinton
-Why I chose this book: I chose this book because I read it in high school and watched the movie, completely falling in love with it. This book would be perfect for older kids to read to learn about friendships and betrayals. I also think this book has a great story line and is easy to read.
-Theme: This book shows close bonds and betrayals between characters.
-Nonfiction text (1)
-Communication Skills for Teens
-Author: Michelle Skeen, Dr. Matthew McKay, Patrick Fanning
-Why I chose this book: I chose this book because it gives teenagers tips on how to communicate when talking to their peers and other people. I also chose this book because it is credible being written by doctors.
Theme: Friendship is a way to connect for success
-Graphic novel/Digital text (1)
-El Deafo
-Author: Cece Bell
-Why I chose this book: I chose this book because it takes a childās situation and explains it to make it understandable for other children not in their situation. I also chose this book because it brings humor to a not so great situation. It teaches students to look at the bright side of things in their lives.
Theme: This book shows the difficulties of making friends when you grow up with a disability.