Each Kindness

Title: Each Kindness










Author: Jacqueline Woodson https://www.jacquelinewoodson.com/
Publisher: The Penguin Group
Date of Publication: 2012
Illustrator: E.B. Lewis eblewis.com/
Genre Designation: Fiction
Lexile: AD530L

Each Kindness

Summary: 

In the book Each Kindness there is a new girl at school named Maya. Maya did not have the nicest clothes or the newest shoes. The other children in her class chose to not play with her even though Maya made many attempts. One day their teacher Mr. Albert used a stone and water showing the ripples that a small stone can cause. He related this to kindness. A small act of kindness can have many ripples. One child in particular in Maya's class started to feel bad for the way she had treated Maya. Maya ended up moving away and that child never got to show her any kindness.

Target Audience:

This book is recommended for ages five to eight. I really think this book can be used through 5th grade. It is helpful if you have a new student coming to your class. This book is not only anti-bullying, I think it has a message of inclusion. Kindness is a theme that should always be talked about. I also think the way Mr. Albert, the teacher in this book showed the effects of kindness is easily replicated.

Evaluation:

In reviewing Norton's objectives for evaluating and selecting literature for children I think this book primarily helps children grow and understand themselves and the rest of humanity. It makes children think about how they treat people. Are we being inclusive or are we making people feel bad. While it never uses the word bullying, it accomplishes this by focusing on kind and unkind things you can do. The visual provided to the children in the book through Mr. Albert experiment will also help the children evaluate what they read.

Reader Response Activity:

I would supply each child with a rock. On this rock they can draw a picture or write their act of kindness. I would bring I a small pool and fill with water. One by one each child can explain their act of kindness and toss their rock in the pool. I think the ripples caused by this small stone shows how kindness can start small and get bigger. Hopefully this activity will help show the students the effects of kindness.

Introduction to Bullying

Don't Stand By

According to DoSomething.org:

-Over 3.2 million students are victims of bullying each year.

-Approximately 160,000 teens skip school every day because of bullying.

-17% of American students report being bullied 2 to 3 times a month or more within a school semester. 

-1 in 4 teachers see nothing wrong with bullying and will only intervene 4% of the time.

-By age 14 less than 30% of boys and 40% of girls will talk to their peers about bullying. 

-Over 67% of students believe that schools respond poorly to bullying, with a high percentage of students believing that adult help is infrequent and ineffective.

-71% of students report incidents of bullying as a problem at their school.

-90% of 4th through 8th graders report being victims of bullying.

-1 in 10 students drop out of school because of repeated bullying.

-As boys age they are less and less likely to feel sympathy for victims of bullying. In fact they are more likely to add to the problem than solve it.

-Physical bullying increases in elementary school, peaks in middle school and declines in high school. Verbal abuse, on the other hand, remains constant.

As educators we need change these statistics. This blog will provide a variety of resources on bullying. It will include picture books, graphic novels, chapter books and informational texts.