Books
Andreae, Giles. Giraffes Can't Dance. New York: Orchard Books, 2001. A delightful picture-book whose plot revolves around its main character trying his mightiest to learn to dance, not a simple feat for a long-legged giraffe. But with encouragement from the larger group and strong determination, he eventually meets his goals.
Bansch, Helga. Odd Bird Out. Wellington, New Zealand: Gecko Press, 2011. A story that begins with the initial banishment of Robert the raven, who is unappreciated by his community. He eventually finds his niche somewhere else. His old community ends up missing him and realizes that it was his idiosyncratic ways that added pizzazz to their lives.
Bar-el, Dan. Not Your Typical Dragon. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2013. This charming picture-book features a little dragon who breathes everything but fire and feels ostracized and inept until he uses his peculiar talent to mitigate a disaster. He realizes that his differences are an asset and not a liability to the community.
Berne, Jennifer. Calvin Can't Fly: The Story of a Bookworm Birdie. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 2010. Calvin in a starling who prefers reading books to catching worms or learning to fly. His friends accept him as he is and he later rewards them by using his extensive knowledge to avoid imminent destruction that lies in their path.
Charney, Ruth Sidney. Teaching Children to Care. Turners Falls, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children, Inc., 2002. In this valuable resource for teachers, the author uses a positive approach to classroom management and focuses on ways to help children develop empathy and respect for others.
Cisneros, Sandra. Hairs/Pelitos. New York: Dragonfly Books, 1997. In this delightful bilingual picture-book the reader learns of the differences in each family member's hair. This book can help the teacher introduce diversity to her students.
Clayton, Marilynn K. and Mary Beth Forton. Classroom Spaces That Work. Greenfield, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children, 2001. This valuable teacher resource relays the ways in which you can create a physical environment in a classroom that is conducive to learning.
Correa-Connolly, Melissa. 99 Activities and Greetings. Turners Falls, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children, Inc., 2004. This book is a wonderful collection of classroom activities, chants and greetings mixing academics with fun.
Denton, Paula and Roxann Kriete. The First Six Weeks of School. Turners Falls, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children, 2000. This excellent teacher resource aids the teacher in organizing her classroom and curriculum for success where students will be motivated to learn and will envision themselves as responsible members of a classroom community.
Denton, Paula. The Power of Our Words: Teacher Language that Helps Children Learn. Turners Falls, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children, Inc., 2007. This teacher resource invites the teacher to consider how powerful their choice of words and tone of voice is in building a positive classroom community.
Fox, Mem. Koala Lou, I Do Love You. New York: HMH Books for Young Readers, 1994. A lovely story about trying your best and a mother's eternal love for her children.
Gainer, Cindy, I'm Like You, You're Like Me. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing, Inc. 1998. The message of this colorful picture-book is that there are many differences and similarities among all people.
Harrison, Adrian. 36 Games Kids Love to Play. Turners Falls, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children, Inc., 2002. The games included in this book are designed for K-4 students and help build cooperation skills.
Jamieson, Victoria. Bea Rocks the Flock. New York: Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2009. In the beginning of this funny picture-book, Bea the Ewe, unappreciated for her unusual flamboyant ways, leaves the group to go find herself. She later returns, more confident than ever, and is able to encourage others in her community to discover their own uniqueness.
Januszka, Dana and Kristen Vincent. Closing Circles. Turner Falls, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children, Inc., 2012. This excellent teacher resource defines what closing circles are and the powerful impact they can have on your classroom community. The authors give step-by-step directions on how to conduct closing circles at the end of each day.
Kalman, Bobbie. What Is A Community? From A to Z. New York: Crabtree Publishing, Company, 2000. This is an Alphabasic book where each letter of the alphabet focuses on some element of community. It includes colorful illustrations and vivid photographs.
Kriete, Roxann. The Morning Meeting Book. Turners Falls, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children, 2002. This valuable teacher resource details how to launch each school day by having the students gather together for a morning meeting. It is very user-friendly.
Lester, Helen. Hooway For Wodney Wat. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999. The main character in this funny picture-book is an unwitting hero who uses his deficiency (inability to pronounce r) to his advantage, saving the group from the bullying tendencies of Camilla. He surprises both himself and the other community members with his effectiveness.
-. Score One for the Sloths. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001. This hilarious picture-book features Sparky, a real go-getter, who helps her fellow sloths come out of their sleepy apathy to save their school
-. Tacky Goes to Camp. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2009. Tacky, the nonconforming penguin, comes to the rescue of his fellow penguins at summer camp and wards off the mean-spirited ravenous polar bear in a very resourceful way.
-. The Sheep in Wolf's Clothing. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001. Ewetopia keeps trying to impress her sheep friends but they are a tough clique to please. She finally gains acceptance and respect when she is cleverly able to scare off the wolf in sheep's clothing who comes to the Woolyones' Costume Ball.
-. Three Cheers for Tacky. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. Tacky is an odd bird but a nice bird to have around and he proves this once again as he helps his friends win the cheer squad contest by impressing the judges with his unpredictable moves and antics.
Lovell, Patty. Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2001. This is a delightful picture-book with a powerful message. It features a plucky main character, Molly Lou, who stands up to a bully in class and through a strong belief in herself, changes all of her so-called deficiencies into talents.
Lionni, Leo. Frederick. New York: Gragonfly Books, 1967. Frederick is the dreamer and poet in the group of field mice and his special artistic gifts help the community survive the long harsh winter.
Manning, Mick. Cock-a-doodle-hooooooo!. Intercourse, PA: Good Books, 2007. A funny tale about an owl that seeks shelter in a hen house one night. The hens, looking for a rooster to be part of their community, ask him to leave but before long he demonstrates his unique skills that save them from the jaws of a hungry fox. Needless to say they ask him to stay.
Meiners, Cheri J. Accept and Value Each Person. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing, Inc. 2006. This book focuses on the social skill of appreciating and accepting people who are different from oneself.
-. Join In and Play. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing, Inc. 2006. This book teaches children about cooperation, getting along and making friends.
-. Reach Out and Give. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing, Inc. 2006. This book begins with the concept of gratitude and focuses on the ways that children can contribute to their community.
Morris, Neil. Investigate Communities. Chicago: Heinemann Library, 2010. An excellent informational text that explores the concept of community using photos, charts and graphs.
Munsch, Robert. Stephanie's Ponytail. New York: Annick Press, 1966. A hilarious tale whose singular message is to think for yourself. Stephanie, a nonconformist at heart, comes to school each day wearing a different hairdo. The rest of the school rushes to imitate her style. Things change when she announces that she will shave all of her hair off.
Parr, Todd, It's Okay to be Different. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2001. This colorful kid-friendly picture book celebrates diversity and tolerance in picture and text.
Rosenthal, Amy Krouse. Spoon. New York: Scholastic, Inc., 2009. In this charming picture-book, Spoon comes to realize that his unique design in comparison with those of his other utensil friends makes him special.
Roser, Susan Lattanzi. Energizers: 88 Quick Movement Activities that Refresh and Refocus. Turner Falls, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children, Inc., 2009. This wonderful collection of classroom energizers involve moving, singing and chanting together and offer needed breaks for students that help them refocus and relax.
-. 80 Morning Meeting IDEAS. Turner Falls, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children, Inc., 2012. I plan to use this rich teacher resource to help me structure and conduct my daily morning meetings in my classroom.
Rousaki, Maria. Unique Monique. LaJolla, CA: Kane/Miller Book Publishers, 2003. Plucky Monique comes to school each day in different fashions loved by her classmates but banned by the principal. Finally she comes up with a way to be different that is within the framework of the school rules.
Williams, Vera B. A Chair For My Mother. New York: Greenwillow Books, 2007. In this heart-warming story, a close-knit family, with the help of neighbors and friends, meet the challenges of relocating after their apartment is burned down.
Wilson, Margaret Berry. Interactive Modeling: A Powerful Technique for Teaching Children. Turner Falls, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children, Inc., 2012. The 7-step technique described in this highly useful teacher resource can be used to model classroom routines, social skills and academic strategies.
Articles
Horvat II, John. "Individuality vs Individualism: Why the Differences are not Subtle" at http://idahoseniorindependent.com/news/2013/may/29/individuality-vs-individualism-why-differences-are/
A thought-provoking article on the differences between individuality and individualism.
Websites
http://ripplekindness.org
www.tolerance.org
