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Windows and Mirrors Project Assignment
Meranda Nelson
School of Education, Liberty University
EDUC 315: Instructional Approaches to Literature for Children and Adolescence
Professor Katelyn Rigg
July 1, 2024
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Part 1 – Mirrors
Include word count for each summary and reflection.
Book 1 Miss Nelson is Missing by James Marshall
Grade Level Grades 1-2
Lexile Level: 340L
Summary
(25-50 words)
This story is about kids misbehaving in Miss Nelson’s classroom. Miss Nelson
decides to dress up as Miss Viola Swamp, who is a mean substitute, to teach
the kids a lesson. In the end the kids were thankful to have Miss Nelson back
and did not misbehave after that.
Word Count: 49
Reflection
(50-100 words)
I reflect on this book because my name is Mrs. Nelson and I work in a
classroom. I like to read this to my students every year and they love it. I
always joke with them when they misbehave that I am going to call Miss Viola
Swamp and they just laugh.
Word Count: 52
Book 2 The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig
Grade Level K-2
AD680L
Summary
(25-50 words)
The story is about a boy named Brian. Brian always felt invisible. No one ever
seemed to notice Brian. Then one day a new kid joined his class, and they
became friends and even worked on a class project together and Brian did not
feel invisible anymore.
Word Count: 47
Reflection
(50-100 words)
When I was kid in school, I was somewhat different and didn’t have many
friends. I always felt unnoticed by others except when it came to pointing out
my differences. When I was in sixth grade, I met a new friend, and she noticed
me and included me in everything.
Word Count: 50
Book 3 The Worrysaurus by Rachel Bright
Grade Level Pre-K-K
AD670L
Summary
(25-50 words)
In the story, Worrysaurus is planning a special picnic. He is very excited for
this picnic until he gets a little flutter in his tummy that’s called worry. He
starts to worry that he doesn’t have enough to eat or that he may get lost or that
it might rain. His mom helps calm his nerves and he has a fun picnic.
Word Count: 62
Reflection
(50-100 words)
I like this story because I worried about everything as a child. I remember
worry taking such a hold on me that even as a child, I would feel paralyzed by.
If I wasn’t worried about something going wrong, I would worry about
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something hurting me. It was hard to have fun and enjoy life.
Word Count: 55
Book 4 Llama Llama Mad at Mama by Anna Dewdney
Grade Level Pre-K-K
AD370L
Summary
(25-50 words)
This story is about a young Llama who is not enjoying a shopping trip with his
mother. He throws fits and shows his frustration. Instead of getting angry at
him, his mother remains calm, acknowledging his feelings and finds a way for
him to enjoy the trip.
Word Count: 47
Reflection
(50-100 words)
I see myself in the llama’s mama. I have three children, who are older now,
but I can remember when they were small and having to take them on my
shopping trips with me. They would get frustrated and not want to be there or
get mad because I wouldn’t get them a toy they wanted. I always tried to stay
calm and patient with them and give them ways to enjoy the trips.
Word Count: 74
Book 5 God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa Tawn Bergren
Grade Level Pre-K-2
AD520L
Summary
(25-50 words)
This story is about a little cub and her family as they get ready for Christmas.
The cub starts having questions about if God was more important than Santa.
Her Momma takes her on a journey to a polar expedition to find God. They
find signs that God is all around them and that Jesus is the best present there
ever was.
Word Count: 62
Reflection
(50-100 words)
This story is so special to me. As a child my mom and dad always to my
brother and I that Santa wasn’t real. They always told us the true meaning of
Christmas. I remember as a girl, I would get my baby doll and pretend that it
was Jesus and sit in front of the Christmas tree and sing Away in a Manger. I
always knew that God Gave us Jesus and gave my parents the ability to
provide for us and give us gifts.
Word Count: 86
Part 2 – Windows
Include word count for each summary and reflection.
Book 1 I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis
Grade Level 4-6
590L
Summary
(25-50 words)
“I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912” is about a 10-year-old boy
George Calder. He feels so lucky that he and his sister are on the famous ship,
called the Titanic, with their aunt Daisy. All of a sudden George feels a terrible
crash and the Titanic began to sink. George’s life has changed at this very
moment as he fights to survive the sinking of the ship.
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Word Count: 69
Reflection
(50-100 words)
This is a great story for students to learn the history of the Titanic. Students get
a window into how people died and survived on the ship. They can relate to
George because he is a 10-year-old little boy, the same age as many of the
students who will read this story.
Book 2 Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell
Grade Level K-2
AD560L
Summary
(25-50 words)
This story is about a girl who is clumsy, short, has buckteeth. Her voice sounds
like a bullfrog being squeezed by a boa constrictor. Molly started a new
school where Ronald Durkin started to bully her. Because of the encouraging
words of her grandma, Molly always stood tall and did not let the hurtful
words of Ronald bring her down.
Word Count: 60
Reflection
(50-100 words)
This is a good story for students who are not that different or stand out due to
differences. They can see that just because someone is different, like being
short, or clumsy, that they can still be proud of who they are and stand up for
who they are.
Word Count: 49
Book 3 Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Grade Level 2-4
760L
Summary
(25-50 words)
“Little House on the Prairie” is about Laura Ingalls and her family. This story
takes place in the 1800’s. Winter is coming where they live, and they must
prepare for it and where they live is becoming overcrowded. Laura’s Pa wants
to move the family to the west, so they must prepare the covered wagon for the
long trip there.
Word Count: 61
Reflection
(50-100 words)
This story is good for students to see how it used to be back in the old days.
Students can see that traveling in a covered wagon is much different than a car.
They also can see how the family could not just stop at the store for food. They
must survive on the land and watch out for Indians as well.
Word Count: 62
Book 4 Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine
Grade Level 2-5
AD380L
Summary
(25-50 words)
This story is about a boy named Henry who is not sure how old he is because
he wasn’t allowed to know his age due to being a slave. Henry’s family is sold
and split up. Henry later married his wife and had children. After his wife and
children were sold, Henry decided to put himself in a box and mailed himself
to a place where there were no slaves. He set himself free.
Reflection
(50-100 words)
This is a good story for students to see what black people had to endure. They
see how they were not free people and how their families could be sold and
split up. They also can reflect on Henry’s bravery and how he took matter into
his own hands and set himself free.
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Word Count: 53
Book 5 Lucky Beans by Becky Birtha
Grade Level
(50-100 words)
2-4
600L
Summary
(25-50 words)
This story is about Marshall Loman. During the Great Depression, Marshall’s
father lost his job. With there being little money to eat, the family was having
to eat beans every night. Marshall sees a contest in a furniture store to guess
how many beans for a chance to win a new sewing machine. Marshall relies on
a what he learned in his math class to help him with this contest.
Word Count: 70
Reflection This story is great for students to learn about how little families had to eat
during the Great Depression. It also shows students how they can use the
things they learn in school to help them with many things in life, like winning
a contest of guessing how many beans.
Word Count: 50
Part 3 - Class Collection for ____3rd_ Grade
Include word count for each summary and student interest sentence.
Book 1 Flat Stanley: His original Adventure by Jeff Brown
Grade Level Grades: 2-4
Lexile :750
Reading Level: M
Summary (25-50
words)
This story is about a boy named Stanley. When bulletin board falls on him,
he becomes flat. He gets mailed off on several adventures. Later his brother
finds a way to return him to his original self.
Word Count: 37
Student Interest
(25-50 words)
Students will love this book and the adventures of Flat Stanley. This is a
good story to introduce the children to sending their picture on a stick to
different places and have people take their pictures.
Word Count: 36
Book 2 Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
Grade Level Grades: 2-4
Lexile: 680
Reading Level: R
Summary (25-50
words)
This story is about a pig Wilbur and his friend Charlotte who is a spider.
Wilbur was going to be butchered, so Charlotte creates beautiful webs with
sayings on them about Wilbur to save his life.
Word Count: 36
Student Interest
(25-50 words)
Students will like this book because it’s about a fabulous pig and the
friendship him and Charlotte share. I loved this book as a child, and I know
students will too.
Word Count: 31
Book 3 The Hero Two Doors Down by Sharon Robinson
Grade Level Grades: 3-5
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Lexile: 640
Reading Level: T
Summary (25-50
words)
This story is about an eight-year-old boy who lives in Brooklyn, New York
and loves the Dodgers. A black family is moving into his all-Jewish
neighborhood and his neighbors are not happy about it. His neighbor is
Jackie Robinson’s family.
Word Count: 40
Student Interest
(25-50 words)
How many kids get to be neighbors with someone famous, especially
famous for being on the team you love? Not many! Students will love this
because they most likely all have a famous person they look up to.
Book 4 Save Me a Seat by Gita Varadarajan
Grade Level Grades 3-5
Lexile 780
Reading Level: S
Summary (25-50
words)
This story is about two boys named Joe and Ravi. Joe’s best friend moves
away, and he does not know he will survive without him. Ravi and his
family just moved to America from India. They do not think they will get
along, but they tag team to defeat a class bully.
Word Count: 52
Student Interest
(25-50 words)
Students will be interested in this story because the setting is in school.
Students will want to know how these two end up working together to take
down the class bully.
Word Count: 31
Book 5 Magic Tree House: #1 Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne
Grade Level Grades 2-4
Lexile 510
Reading Level: M
Summary (25-50
words)
This story is about the mysterious tree house that takes them away to a
prehistoric past. They must find a way to get home before dark or they will
be eaten by the dinosaur.
Word Count: 34
Student Interest
(25-50 words)
Students love The Magic Tree House series. This is just a mystery story that
will keep their attentions. They will want to see if they make it home in
time.
Word Count: 30
Book 6 Third Grade Angels by Jerry Spinelli
Grade Level Grades 2-3
Lexile 390
Reading Level: P
Summary (25-50
words)
This story is about Suds who just began third grade. His teacher will have a
competition between kids to see who the best student is. He finds that
always being good is not as easy as it seems.
Word Count: 38
Student Interest
(25-50 words)
Students who are entering third grade will like this story. They will find it
funny, and they will be able to relate with Suds, as trying to be good is not
always easy.
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Word Count: 33
Book 7 The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey
Grade Level Grades 3-4
Lexile 530
Reading Level: P
Summary (25-50
words)
In this story Mr. Wolf, Mr. Shark, Mr. Snake, and Mr. Piranha. They are
bad, scary and dangerous. They are wanting to be heroes, so in order to
prove it to others they start doing good things, like rescuing dogs from the
city pound.
Word Count: 44
Student Interest
(25-50 words)
Book 8 Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
Grade Level Grades 3-5
Lexile 870
Reading Level: O
Summary (25-50
words)
This story is about Tommy and Annika who wish someone would move
into the rundown house next door. Their wish comes true as Pippi
Longstocking moves in. She is a none-year-old girl who is an adventurous
and does silly funny things.
Word Count: 41
Student Interest
(25-50 words)
I remember this story from when I was a little girl. Children will think this
story is funny and silly. They will want to know what Pippi is going to do
next.
Word Count: 32
Book 9 Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Grade Level Grades Pre-K-3
Lexile AD740L
Reading Level: J
Summary (25-50
words)
This story is about a boy that has a great imagination. His imagination takes
him to a land far away from his problems at home. Things like a forest
growing in his bedroom starts to happen. In his imagination instead of the
creatures eating him they make him the king.
Word Count: 50
Student Interest
(25-50 words)
Students will love the imagination of Max in the story. This will teach
students that having an imagination is fun.
Word Count: 20
Book 10 The Real Slam Dunk by Charisse K. Richardson
Grade Level Grades 3-4
Lexile 590
Reading Level: N
Summary (25-50
words)
In this story Marcus and his class are going on a field trip to a basketball
arena to meet a famous basketball player Jason Carter. Marcus who doesn’t
like school, studies all night to win the math contest to win the chance of
being the official Jason Carter Greeter.
Word Count: 49
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Student Interest
(25-50 words)
A lot of students love professional basketball. The students will love this
story because they will want to see if Marcus wins the grand prize.
Word Count: 25
Book 11 Unschooled by Allan Woodrow
Grade Level Grades: 3-5
Lexile: 730L
Reading Level: R
Summary (25-50
words)
This story is about a class of fifth graders that the principal thinks is the
worst he has ever seen. The principle is hoping that they can learn
teamwork during Spirit Week by offering a prize for the winning team. Lily
and George, who are good friends, that got put on opposite teams and rivals
and pranks start to happen.
Word Count: 60
Student Interest
(25-50 words)
This is a great read that students will love. Students love Spirit Week and
they also love prizes.
Word Count: 18
Book 12 Clementine by Sara Pennypacker
Grade Level Grades: 2-3
Lexile: 790L
Reading Level: O
Summary (25-50
words)
This story is about a little girl named Clementine who is in the third grade.
The school is putting on a talent show for third and fourth grade students.
She wants to be in the show, but she cannot sing, dance, or play and
instrument. Margeret, her best friend, has a lot of talents. She surprises
herself and others with the talent she performs.
Word Count: 64
Student Interest
(25-50 words)
This is a fun story that students will love and can relate too. Students will
want to know the many mishaps of Clementine.
Word Count: 23
Book 13 Ivy and Bean and the Ghost that Had to Go by Annie Barrows
Grade Level Grades: 2-3
Lexile: 520L
Reading Level: M
Summary (25-50
words)
Ivy and Bean notice a cloud of smoke with glowing eyes coming from the
bathroom at their school. They think it is a ghost. The girls will need to find
out how to get the ghost out of the bathroom.
Word Count: 40
Student Interest
(25-50 words)
Students will find this funny. Students like stories with school settings
because they can relate to the story.
Word Count: 18
Book 14 Judy Moody Was in a Mood by Megan McDonald
Grade Level Grades: 3
Lexile:530L
Reading Level: M
Summary (25-50
words)
This story is Judy Moody. Judy was not in a good mood, and she is not
excited for third grade. She compares all the things from her new classroom
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to her old classroom.
Word Count: 33
Student Interest
(25-50 words)
The series of Judy Moody books are fun and students love to read them.
Students like to see what mischief Judy will find herself in.
Word Count: 25
Book 15 Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Grade Level Grades: 3-5
Lexile: 890L
Reading Level: R
Summary (25-50
words)
Shiloh is a dog that eleven-year-old Marty Preston finds near his home. He
feels that Shiloh’s owner is abusing him and wants to save him. One day the
dog runs away from his owner’s home to Marty’s home. Marty has to
decide if he will do the right and ethical things to get Shiloh the help he
needs.
Word Count: 58
Student Interest
(25-50 words)
Students will like this book. They will want Marty to save Shiloh from his
abusive owner. This is a good book for students to see how choosing to do
right in the end pays off for Marty and Shiloh.
Word Count: 39
Book 16 The Chalk Box Kid by Clyde Robert Bulla
Grade Level Grades: 3-4
Lexile:
Reading Level: N
Summary (25-50
words)
Gregory moves to a new place and is feeling out of place. He is having a
hard time fitting into his new school. He finds an old chalkboard factory
behind his house. He begins to create beautiful artwork on the chalkboards,
and this helps him make new friends.
Word Count: 48
Student Interest
(25-50 words)
Students who are creative, will love this story. The story will show the
students how being creative and using your imagination can help you find
comfort and solace.
Word Count: 28
Book 17 The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
Grade Level Grades: 3-5
Lexile: 870L
Reading Level: P
Summary (25-50
words)
This story is about a girl named Wanda who gets made fun of for wearing
the same faded dress every day. She tells everyone that she has a hundred
beautiful dresses at home. Wanda stops coming to school and the students
find out that she does have a hundred dresses through her drawings.
Word Count: 53
Student Interest
(25-50 words)
Students will like this story because Wanda and the other students are
relatable to them. The students can relate to the compassion shown in the
story.
Word Count: 26
Book 18 School Days According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney
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Grade Level Grades: 2-4
Lexile: 640L
Reading Level: P
Summary (25-50
words)
Humphrey is a hamster who is excited to get back to school. When he sees
all the kids, he notices they are different kids. His friends from last year
start talking about moving him, he gets nervous because he use to the
teacher.
Word Count: 43
Student Interest
(25-50 words)
Students love to have a class pet, so they will love this story about
Humphrey.
Word Count: 15
Book 19 Oh No, It’s Robert by Barbara Seuling
Grade Level Grades: 2-4
Lexile: 580:
Reading Level: M
Summary (25-50
words)
This story is about Robert who want to a gold treasure chest that his teacher
is giving to a student in his class. He doesn’t think he has a chance, since he
has never won anything before.
Word Count: 37
Student Interest
(25-50 words)
Students will like this story because they love when they have chances to
win prizes. They will want to see if Robert wins.
Word Count:23
Book 20 Hey L’il D! It’s All in the Name by Heather Goodyear and Bob Lanier
Grade Level Grades: 3-4
Lexile: 780L
Reading Level: N
Summary (25-50
words)
In the story, L’il D has big feet that the other kids make fun of him for. The
name calling doesn’t bother him. He has confidence that one day he will be
a great basketball player.
Word Count: 36
Student Interest
(25-50 words)
Part 4 - Share Collection
Date of Interview: 6-23-2024
Name of Person Interviewed: Christina Christopher
Role of Person Interviewed: Parent
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Windows Interview:
Q: How do you feel the Window books I chose are relatable to students?
A: “Because you chose stories that have characters that are the same age as the children
you teach.”
Q: Do you think I chose a good diverse group of books for the windows section and why do
you think this?
A: “I feel like you did a great job choosing books from different times in history and
culture.”
Mirrors Interview:
Q: How can you relate to the mirror books I chose?
A: “I haven’t read all the books, but based on your summaries, I can relate to some of
them.”
Q: Would you be happy with your child’s teacher using these stories for their class?
A: “I would be happy with these selections because they show how you as the teacher relate
to the stories.”
Class Reading List Interview:
Q: Do you think stories I used for my class reading list are appropriate for a class?
A: “You did a great job finding students that third grade students can relate to.”
Q: What do you think of the descriptions of the stories that I chose?
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A: “I felt like you could’ve added some more description as to how they would interest
students.”
Insight Gained From this Project
This project was very informative, and I learned so much on how to choose books for my class.
I never realized before that you could use the “mirrors and windows” to choosing stories until
now. By choosing books based on diversity, you are choosing books that some students can
relate to, and other students can learn from. TheKcontributions approachKis certainly the easiest
way to incorporate culturallyKdiverseKliterature into your curriculum. Using this approach, you
select books that, for example, celebrate heroes and holidays from various cultures (Galda,
Liang, Cullinan, 2017).
Word count: 93
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References
Barrows, A. (2010). Ivy and Bean and the ghost that had to go: Ivy and Bean series, book 2.
Bergren, L. T., & Hohn, D. (2019). God gave us christmas. WaterBrook.
Birney, B. G., & Dufris, W. (2011). School days according to Humphrey. Penguin Audio.
Birtha, B. (2014). Lucky beans. Albert Whitman & Company.
Blabey, A. (2020). The bad guys. episode 11, dawn of the underlord. Scholastic Australia.
Brown, ff, & BjMrkman, S. (1996). Flat stanley. HarperTrophy.
Bulla, C. R., & Allen, T. B. (2015). The chalk box kid. Random House Books for Young
Readers.
Dewdney, A. (2021). Llama llama mad at mama. Viking.
Estes, E., & Lind, B. (2022). The hundred dresses. Harper Audio.
Lanier, B. (n.d.). Hey l’il d! it’s all in the name. Schloastic.
Levine, E., Nelson, K., & Dixon, J. (2019). Henry’s Freedom Box. Findaway World, LLC.
Lindgren, A., Beard, S., & Vang-Nyman, I. (2020). Pippi Longstocking. Viking.
Lovell, P., & Catrow, D. (2015). Stand tall, Molly Lou melon. ¿ditions Scholastic.
Ludwig, T., & Barton, P. (2013). The invisible boy. Alfred A. Knopf.
Marshall, J. (1977). Miss Nelson is missing. Scholastic.
McDonald, M., & Reynolds, P. (2002). Judy Moody was in a mood: Not a good mood - a bad
mood. Candlewick Press.
Naylor, P. R., & MacNicol, P. (1992). Shiloh. Listening Library.
Osborne, M. P., & Murdocca, S. (1995). Magic tree house #01: Dinosaurs before dark.
Scholastic.
Pennypacker, S., & Frazee, M. (2020). Clementine. Hyperion Books.
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Richardson, C. K., & Nelson, K. (2006). The real slam dunk. Scholastic.
Robinson, S., Pitts, L. R., & Ciulla, C. A. (2018). The hero two doors down. Findaway World,
LLC.
Sendak, M., King, C., & Schickele, P. (2008). Where the wild things are-- and 5 more stories.
Distributed by Weston Woods Studios ; Distributed by New Video.
Seuling, B., & Brewer, P. (2001). Oh no, it’s robert. Scholastic.
Spinelli, J., & Bell, J. (2014). Third grade angels. Scholastic Inc.
Tarshis, L. (2021). I survived the sinking of the Titanic. Scholastic Inc.
Varadarajan, G., Hurley, J., & Adam, V. (2016). Save me a seat. Scholastic Audio.
White, E. B. (2013). Charlottes web: E.B. White (1899-1985). Cornerstones Education Limited.
Wilder, L. I., & Williams, G., ill. (1981). Little house on the prairie. HarperCollins.
Woodrow, A. (2018). Unschooled. Scholastic Inc.
