Table of Contents

Human dignity:
1. All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold
2. I Am Enough by Grace Byers

Call to Family, Community, and Participation

1. Tree Solider by Sarah M. Flores
2. The Family Book by Todd Parr

Rights and Responsibilities

1. Rags Hero Dog of WWII by
2. I Have the Right to Be a Child by Alain Serres

Option for the Poor and Vulnerable:

1. The Gift That I Can Give by Kathie Lee Gifford
2. Sticks by Diane Alber

The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers:

1. A Chair for My Mother by Vera B Williams
2. Earn It! By Cinders McLeod

Solidarity:
1. Ricky the Rock that Couldn’t Roll by Jay Miletsky
2. The Big Umbrella by Amy June Bates

Care for God’s Creation:

1. Not for Me, Please!: I Choose to ACT Green by Maria Godsey
2. The World God Made for Me by Laurel Nakai
Human Dignity
Book #1
Title: I Am Enough
Author: Grace Byers
Publisher: Balzer and Bray an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Date Published: 2018
Grade level: Pre-Kindergarten/Kindergarten
Genre: Fiction
Awards: New York Times bestseller and Goodreads Chose Awards picture book
winner

CST Connection:
The human dignity principle focuses on the importance of the actual person,
rather than material possessions. This book does an excellent job of
showcasing how to love yourself and those around you. Each page focuses on
building confidence and ensuring that young children, especially young girls,
believe that they hold value and importance in the world. In the world today
children are especially vulnerable to slipping through the cracks and this book
helps to fill some of those cracks by building self-confidence. I believe there is a
very strong connection to the CST principle of human dignity because it
encourages the notion that “every person is precious” by explaining all of the
positive things that people can do every single day like standing tall and
shining.

Book Summary:
I Am Enough is a fiction picture book that would be best for children in pre-k
or kindergarten classroom. The book speaks in first person and the character
says that they are the sun, the voice, the bird, the trees, and the mountains. In
being each of these items the author says that they will shine, sing, fly and
soar, grow, and stand. The book is very simple, yet powerful in its ability to
empower young girls by telling them to shine and stand proud every single day.
Overall this book is about loving yourself and others and knowing that we are
all here for a purpose.

Connection to content areas:

For this book, a possible connection could be made to literacy, art and even
science. The book itself is not very difficult to read, so although the grade level
is pre-k or kindergarten, first graders could use this as an easier independent
reading. For art, the students could create their own version of themselves with
a caption stating what they are capable of doing. For science, the book speaks
of trees, birds, mountains, and even the sun. The students could go on some
kind of nature exploration to see how many different things they could compare
themselves to just like the characters in the book.
Activity (with modifications):
The activity for this CST principle is to create a family cultural book. In doing
this, the children will be able to practice their writing skills while examining
cultural differences and similarities in the classroom. This activity will also
have a math component as students will create a tally chart and bar graph
based on the traditions each child celebrates. This would go along best with the
second book I selected titled All Are Welcome and would help to encourage
unity and the understanding that everyone may be different, but at the core we
are all people.
Modification- For students who have trouble with writing, there will be an
online version where they may use a keyboard to type their answers. The
students with difficulty writing may also just draw pictures instead of writing.
As for the math component, one modification could be to do this activity as a
whole class, modeling how to tally and how to then create a bar graph based on
the tally chart.

Book #2:
Title: All Are Welcome
Author: Alexandra Penfold
Publisher: Alfred A Knopf an imprint of Random House Children’s Books
(division of Penguin Random House LLC., New York)
Date Published: July 2018
Grade level: Kindergarten/ First grade
Genre: Fiction
Awards: New York Times Bestseller

CST Connection:
The human dignity principle of Catholic Social Teaching is all about the
importance of human life and valuing the life of each and every person on
earth. All Are Welcome does an excellent job of making sure that the reader
knows that every person is important and welcome in the classroom. I believe
this book also does an excellent job of ensuring that children feel like they
belong and are welcome at school, which ties directly with the CST in that is
makes sure to avoid conflict due to cultural differences and traditions. One
other piece that directly ties in with the CST I found was on one of the earlier
pages when the book said “In our classroom safe and sound. Fears are lost and
hope is found.”. This quote ties directly with the idea that an institution should
enhance the lives of people by making sure they feel protected and safe.
Book Summary:
All Are Welcome is an early elementary picture book that is about a group of
children who are all different, but all go to the same school. The book starts off
with a large picture of a classroom where children of all different ethnicities
and nationalities are exploring and interacting with each other and their
families. The book then continues by talking about how school is starting with
bells ringing and pencils being sharpened. At the end of each page “all are
welcome here” is in bold. The book then also talks about how sometimes
children may play different ways or have different traditions, like praying each
morning, but everyone is welcome regardless. All Are Welcome also reassures
children that school is a safe place for them and includes exciting things that
all children can do at school no matter where they come from.

Connection to content areas:

One connection for this book would be to math. The children could uncover all
of the different traditions and cultures in the classroom and count how many
different ways they all celebrate the same holidays. This activity would also tie
into social studies as the students would be examining cultural differences.

Reflection:
Human dignity as mentioned above, is all about valuing each and every human
life. I think this principle is a crucial thing to teach children. In class we have
learned the power of reading pictures books to children, especially ones with
deeper meanings. These books take heavy issues and help children to
understand and relate the issue to their own way of thinking. Human dignity
calls children to think about their classmates and their neighbors and their
community members as more than just random faces and instead as human
beings.

Call to Family, Community, and Participation

Book #1:
Title: Tree Solider
Author: Sarah M. Flores
Publisher: Write Down the Line, LLC.
Date Published: 2017
Grade level: 1st grade
Genre: Fiction
Awards: n/a
CST Connection:
This principle of the CST is mainly focused on the importance of how we
organize ourselves as human beings, which is in families or units based upon
blood relation or marital relations. This book does an excellent job at
highlighting the importance of that connection and how it is the foundation to
our happiness as humans. This principle emphasizes that we are to encourage
the marriage and family lifestyle in order to better support the well-being of
ourselves and our society. This book takes the value of family and bumps it up
multiple notches. The CST would be in complete agreeance that family should
take precedent over any and everything, especially when it comes to material
objects like the ones Billy is focused on throughout the story. I also think that
this story is an excellent one for children to read in the modern and
technological age of today, calling them back to the importance of family and
community and participating outside of a screen.

Book Summary:
Tree Solider is a fictional story about a tall and sturdy tree called Tree Solider
that helps a young boy named Billy to understand the value of family. The
book starts off by introducing Billy and his lack of content with his house and
his toys. He explains that he would be much happier with a bigger house and
better toys. As the book continues, we meet the Tree Solider who proceeds to
take a walk with Billy in attempts to show him that new toys and big houses
don’t automatically lead to a happy life. The book goes through the importance
of family and how being surrounded by people you love is the key to be really
happy.

Connection to content areas:

This book can be connected to math, art, and literacy as the students can take
time to read through the story and create a tally chart about the material
possessions, they each value the most. After tallying, the students can practice
their counting and comparing skills to see which material object is the most
well-liked. This activity could then be followed by an art and writing activity
where the children could draw a picture of their family and write a short few
sentences about everyone in their family. There could then be a discussion
about the importance of family over the material objects they tallied up.

Activity (with modifications):

The activity for this CST will be to create a family tree, similar to the one
discussed in book #1 titled, Tree Solider. The family tree will be made of felt
and paper. The students will be able to identify their immediate and possibly
extended family. Math will be incorporated as the students trace their lineage
and count how many people are on their tree and attempt to guess how old the
tree is.
Modifications- One modification would be to have the tree and leaves already
pre-cut. There could also be pre-labeled leaves as long as the teacher or aide
was aware of the members of that students’ family. For the counting aspect,
students can use their fingers, counters, or any other manipulative necessary
to reach the correct number.

Book #2:
Title: The Family Book
Author: Todd Parr
Publisher: Little Brown and Company (division of Hachette Book Group Inc.)
Date Published: October 2003
Grade level: Pre-Kindergarten/Kindergarten
Genre: Fiction
Awards: n/a
CST Connection:
The CST principle titled call to family, community, and participation is about
exactly what one would believe after reading the title, family and its importance
to society. This book is a great way for younger children to understand that
families are what make up a society and that they are each a part of a unique
family of their own. This principle sheds a light on how people have the right to
be a part of society and that families are the “central social institutions” of
such a society. The Family Book is an easy way for children to understand that
their family loves them and is a huge part of who they are. I believe this book
would really help younger children to understand how their family and the
families of their friends and neighbors make up one big community of people.

Book Summary:
The Family Book is a very simple, yet powerful book about how we all love our
families even though no family is exactly the same. The book highlights the
difference in sizes of families and in how a family may either be all the same
looking or may look completely different from one another. The book also
includes that even though there are so many things that make each family
different, all families like to hug each other and love each other. This book is
excellent for teaching children to appreciate their family exactly how they are.

Connection to content areas:

One connection to a content area would be art, social studies, and math. For
art, the young children could draw their own family and talk about who is a
part of their family. For social studies, the children could look up different
families around the world and how they might be the same or different from
their own family. For math, the children could practice their number and
counting skills by identifying ages of their family members or even just by
counting how many people are in their family and showing that visually by
making a chart.
Reflection:
Call to family, community, and participation is a principle that some children
may be able to guess right off the bat from just hearing the title. One of the
major takeaways I have had from my education courses at Seton Hill is the
importance of parent involvement. I think this principle directly ties in with
that concept. Children can do so much on their own, but with the help and the
support of their family, they are nearly unstoppable. Teaching this principle
will help to show children the power of family and being a member of their
community.

Rights and Responsibilities

Book #1:
Title: Rags Hero Dog of WWII
Author: Margot Theis Raven
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Date Published: 2014
Grade level: 1st grade or 2nd grade
Genre: Nonfiction
Awards: 2016 Teachers Choice Award, 2015 Children’s Choice list, 2015
Comstock Read Aloud Book Award (Honors), 2014 USA Best Books Award
finalist for Children’s Picture Book Hardcover Nonfiction

CST Connection:
This book connects directly with the principle of rights and responsibilities in
the CST as this principle is all about the protection of human rights and
responsibilities being taken care of. Rags Hero Dog of WWII is all about the
right to freedom granted to each and every one of us because of the sacrifices
that people, such as Private Donovan give each day. The right of freedom is one
that is greatly overlooked at times in my opinion and I believe in reading about
how men and women and even dogs give their own lives in order to protect us
is a great lesson to teach kids. This book also emphasizes the responsibility we
as human beings and as Americans have to serve and protect our country and
our people. It is due to the selfless acts of protection by members of the
military that people are able to feel generally safe in our country.
Book Summary:
Rags is the story of a stray dog that became a huge asset to soldiers during
WWII. The story begins by introducing Rags as a stray in Paris and by
explaining how he was found by Private James Donovan one night in the
streets. The private took him under his wing and brought him in as his own
little partner. The book then explains how Rags had many different jobs that
helped Private Donovan like being a signalman, a runner, and hearing the buzz
of incoming shells. The book concludes with Private Donovan passing away and
Rags remaining a mascot for the US Army.

Connection to content areas:

A major connection with this book would be to the content area of social
studies. Although the children reading the book are only in elementary school,
this book could help them to understand how wars are happening even though
we can’t see them. This could lead to discussions about the military and how
war has changed our nation over the years.

Activity (with modifications):

The students will create a timeline with actual starting and ending dates for
WWII centered on the five pieces of the writing mountain (exposition, rising
action, climax, falling action, and conclusion). The students will be able to
work with partners to determine what they believe to be each of these
categories while also incorporating social studies through the examination of
WWII.
Modifications- One modification would be to give the students the starting or
ending point of the war. There could also be explanations for each of the five
pieces of the writing mountain on the board so that if a student gets stuck,
they may look at the board to help them. The students could also answer
verbally or electronically if writing is difficult.

Book #2:
Title: I Have the Right to Be a Child
Author: Alain Serres
Publisher: Groundwood Books
Date Published: Originally May 1st, 2011, then June 1st, 2012
Grade level: 1st grade
Genre: Fiction
Awards: IRA Notable Books for a Global Society List, Children's Literary
Assembly 2013 Notable Children's Books list and the USBBY Outstanding
International Book List
CST Connection:
The principle of rights and responsibilities focuses on protecting those basic
rights granted to each and every human being. I Have the Right to Be a Child
does a great job of introducing the concept of rights to children. Some children
may not be aware that there are certain things in life that should be given to
each child no matter what. This book gives children a way to understand they
are human beings and in being human beings they are granted certain rights.
This book helps to outline not only rights, but the responsibilities grown-ups
have to ensure that children are protected and respected as fellow human
beings. Another aspect of this CST principle is the responsibility to one another
we have to the society and to other people, which is outlined within this book.

Book Summary:
I Have the Right to Be a Child is a bright and colorful picture book that
explains the importance of each and every person having rights and
responsibilities. The book begins by explaining that each child, no matter their
ethnicity, background, culture, or economic status deserves and should always
have these rights given to them. The book continues by saying that one of the
best to ensure that these rights are respected is to talk about and introduce
them to children. At the conclusion of book there is a little explanation of the
Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is a treaty that says that children
are to be given certain rights as smaller human beings.

Connection to content areas:

One connection to content areas would be to social studies in that students
could research and learn about the different rights they are granted as human
beings. The students could also take time to learn about the rights of people
around the world and how some rights are the same and some are different
depending on where people live.

Reflection:
Rights and Responsibilities is another principle of the CST that many children
may believe they already understand as they learn about responsibilities the
moment they enter into school. In one of my classes at Seton Hill, classroom
management, we learned the importance of letting children be a part of
establishing rules and responsibilities in the classroom. I think by introducing
this principle at the beginning of the year, children will understand that in the
classroom they have their own set of individual rights and responsibilities. I
have also learned from my research in doing this project that there are specific
rights that are granted to each and every child that most are unaware of and
for their safety and well-being they need to be made aware of these rights.
Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
Book #1:
Title: The Gift That I Can Give
Author: Kathie Lee Gifford
Publisher: Tommy Nelson, trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing,
Inc.
Date Published: October 23rd, 2018
Grade level: Kindergarten or 1st grade
Genre: Fiction
Awards: n/a

CST Connection:
Option for the Poor and Vulnerable is a principle that tests our moral compass
as human beings. The principle highlights the importance of mending the
division based on economic class and success. The Gift That I Can Give
encourages a notion of loving others, saying that it is a gift that God has
instilled in each and every person, which is exactly what this principle is
aiming towards. In a world of so much hatred and judgement, loving one
another as equal human beings is a concept that is hard to come by. This
picture book helps children to understand that people may wear different
clothes or come from different places or be good at different things, but
everyone has a heart that is capable of being kind and compassionate to
others.

Book Summary:
The Gift that I can Give is a new Christian based picture book that is all about
the gifts that each and every individual human is given from God. It
encourages children to look at their own lives and think about what they
believe to be something they are good at. The book highlights the importance of
recognizing that everyone is good at something and that something can change
the life of someone else. The book includes ideas like visiting sick kids in the
hospital, cheering on friends during a race, or raising money for kids who are
hungry. The underlying theme throughout the entire book is that no matter
what each child is good at individually, everyone has the gift of giving love to
one another. This book emphasizes the importance of loving thy neighbor no
matter what.

Connection to content areas:

One content area connection could be with art. The students could create a
visual of themselves with different captions or drawings surrounding their
picture of what they are good at. Another connection could be to math and
science as students could create some kind of experiment to test the impact of
being kind and loving one another.
Activity (with modifications):
The students will be able to come up with a way they can love one another in
their everyday life. In doing this the students will create a journal
entry/quickwrite where they write one to two sentences about how they can
make others feel loved. This will incorporate writing skills and art, as well as
practicing terminology by needing to include an action word as it is something
that needs to be done. This would tie in with the first book titled The Gift That I
Can Give, which encourages love everyone, especially the poor and vulnerable.
Modifications- The student could be provided with a list of action words or a
sentence starter. The students could also just write a caption instead of a
whole sentence.

Book #2:
Title: Sticks
Author: Diane Alber
Publisher: Diane Alber Art LLC
Date Published: March 15th, 2019
Grade level: Kindergarten
Genre: Fiction
Awards: n/a

CST Connection:
This CST principle is primarily focused on the necessity of putting the needs of
the poor and the vulnerable first. In the book Sticks, the popsicle stick
becomes very vulnerable after melting in the hot sun, yet instead of being
treated like an outcast for being different, kind friends such as the twig and the
pencil encourage the popsicle stick that he is not alone. This book does a great
job of taking this CST principle of Option for the Poor and Vulnerable and
putting it on a level young child can understand completely. I think sometimes
talking to children about deep and personal topics such as poverty can be very
difficult to tackle straight on. This book helps to shine a light on poverty
without even using people. I think kids would be much more comfortable
talking about how to take care of each other as humans after reading this
book.
Book Summary:
Sticks is a cute little picture book about a popsicle stick that melts and
becomes a regular stick. The story is about how this popsicle stick adjusts to
no longer having a popsicle attached to it and how with the kindness,
encouragement, and love of others, any adversity can be overcome. The book is
mainly about discovering ones true self behind all of the walls and charades
they may put up in front of others. It also emphasizes the importance of other
people when it comes to personal success, for example in the story the popsicle
stick first meets a friend named Twig who says he can come hang with him
because he’s made of wood too. The popsicle stick also meets a pencil too, who
helps him to feel like he belongs even without his ice cream.

Connection to Content Areas:

One content area connection could be to social studies as the children could
examine poverty rates in the united states along with other countries around
the world. They could then brainstorm ideas on how to best support and
encourage these people just like the twig and pencil did for the popsicle stick.
Math could also be incorporated in this idea as the students look up
percentages and statistics.

Reflection:
The CST Principle of Option for the Poor and Vulnerable is one of the most
important principles, in my opinion, to teach children. This principle is all
about encouraging people to view each other simply as people and not through
any sort of defective lens. People should not be treated according to their
wealth or social status and that is a view that everyone should have, including
children. In all of my education courses at Seton Hill, including this course, we
learn the importance of loving each student equally as they all deserve to know
that they are valued in the classroom as much as their peers. When I was in
Elementary School, we participated in numerous food drives and clothes drives
and fundraisers for less fortunate people. One I remember specifically was
called Harvest for the Hungry and we had class and grade competitions to see
who could bring in the most canned food during the month of collecting. I still
remember to this day going home and collecting as many cans as possible and
getting a chance to deliver them to the food bank. This experience, as well as
serving breakfast in a homeless shelter, has really helped to drive my opinion
and passion in regard to this principle so I will definitely introduce this to my
students.
The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
Book #1:
Title: A Chair for My Mother
Author: Vera B Williams
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishing
Date Published: 1982 (originally), January 23rd, 2007 (updated)
Grade level: 1st grade or 2nd grade
Genre: Fiction
Awards: Caldecott Medal Nominee 1983, The Other Award 1984

CST Connection:
The CST principle of the dignity of work and the rights of workers is all about
how work is a way to make a living and to also be a part of a functioning
society that works for the glory of God. A Chair for My Mother does an excellent
job of incorporating the idea of working hard each and every day as the mother
in the story is portrayed to be the sole provider of the household. This principle
helps to ensure that those who do work are compensated fairly and have the
right to private property, which is seen to be true in this story with the mother
earning a wage from her job and even tips that are put in the jar. This story
highlights the importance of an economy and how jobs are an opportunity to
participate in God’s creation and in this case are a way to strive for a comfy
chair.

Book Summary:
A Chair for My Mother starts with a young girl who is explaining that her
mother works for a diner and sometimes she helps too. The two of them put all
of their tips and extra money into a big jar that is going to be used to purchase
a big pinkish red chair with roses all over it. After her house burns down all of
her friends and family pitch in to help them get all sorts of things for their new
house. They still don’t have a good big chair for her mom to relax in after work,
so they begin saving up in the big jar again and end up making enough money
to get the big pinkish red chair with roses all over it. They bring the chair
home, and everyone is happy to sit in it and relax. This book emphasizes the
importance of working hard and being rewarded for doing so.

Connection to content areas:

One connection to a content area would be to math as the book talks about
how the young girl and her mother save and count up coins in a big jar. The
students could practice their counting and addition skills by working with
money to try and buy things just like the family bought a chair.
Activity (with modification):
The students would be able to participate in a food auction with pretend money
to learn about the cost of goods as well as the distribution and value of money.
The students would be given an occupation and based on that occupation
would also be given a certain amount of money as a salary. They will then be
responsible for buying dinner for their family. Students will also be allowed to
share money or buy extra food for other people. This activity will connect well
with first book, A Chair for My Mother as the students will be collecting and
spending money just as the young girl in the book did.
Modifications- The monetary values for each dollar and coin could be placed
up on the board or on a small sheet on the students desk. The students could
also work in groups instead of having to work on their own.

Book #2:
Title: Earn It!
Author: Cinders McLeod
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
Date Published: August 15th, 2017
Grade level: Kindergarten- 1st grade
Genre: Fiction
Awards: n/a

CST Connection:
The CST principle of the dignity of work and the rights of workers is all about
how working is an essential piece of the world we live in today as it is a way to
earn money but is also a way to bring honor to God. Earn it! gives children an
opportunity to see how hard work and dedication can lead to success and
happiness. Bun teaches children that even they can find different ways to earn
money and to achieve whatever they put their mind to. This principle can be
difficult to instill in children due to the complexity of money and working, but
Earn it provides a simple explanation of the joy of earning things in life.

Book Summary:
Earn it! is all about a little bunny who is learning about the value of money and
how doing certain tasks can result in earning money. The little bunny, named
Bun, does all kinds of activities like walking Buck and singing to her brother.
Bun learns that carrots are money in Bunnyland and decides that she wants to
be rich one day. Bun decides that she wants to be rich and famous by singing
because that’s what she loves to do. As Bun decides this, she learns that she
must now go to voice lessons to perfect her singing voice and be ready to
perform. She slowly learns the importance of preparing and practicing and
working for things that she wants. In the end, Bun is delighted to work hard
and practice to become the best singer ever.
Connection to content areas:
One connection to content areas would be math as the children could come up
with different tasks and what they believe they could earn for completing such
a task. This could lead to the counting of money as well as a discussion on
chores and earning money at home.

Reflection:
This principle, Dignity and the Rights of Workers, is one that I had to take a
closer look at in regard to the definition and true purpose. I think this principle
might be a little trickier due to the fact that there is a strong religious piece in
the principle definition. I think most students will understand that working is a
huge part of being involved in the community as many if not all of their parents
have jobs. Where it could get a little fishy in a public-school setting would be in
the inclusion of working in a community as a way to bring honor and glory to
God. I think I would incorporate this principle in the classroom despite this
religious center, making the main focus the importance of working and being a
part of the community in that way.

Solidarity
Book #1:
Title: Ricky the Rock that Couldn’t Roll
Author: Jay Miletsky
Publisher: New Paige Press
Date Published: December 23rd, 2017
Grade level: 1st grade
Genre: Fiction
Awards: n/a

CST Connection:
The CST principle of solidarity focuses on the promotion of the idea that we are
all in this together. Ricky the Rock that Couldn’t Roll does an excellent job of
exemplifying this concept through the love and support of friends in the form of
rocks. This principle encourages that we as humans are to love each other
because we are all brothers and sisters in the eyes of God. This book shows the
power of friendship and how much of an impact love and kindness can have on
another person, or rock in this case. Ricky and his friends will teach kids the
importance of viewing each other as being all in this together when it comes to
life.
Book Summary:
Ricky the Rock that Couldn’t Roll is the story of a flat-sided rock that just has
one dream, to roll down the hills with all of his friends. The story goes on to
come up with numerous solutions to helping Ricky get a chance to roll down
the hill. The other rock friends of Ricky try rubber balls and glue, but that
doesn’t work. The friends never gave up on getting Ricky to roll though and in
the end, they were able to mold mud and vines and a rainbow feather to Ricky
that made him round enough to roll down the hill with all of his friends. The
story concludes by saying “when you’re surrounded by love, you always have
hope”.

Connection to content areas:

One connection to content areas could be to science or STEM as the students
could experiment different ways they could try to make Ricky the rock roll if
only given certain materials. This would encourage collaboration and creativity.

Activity (with modifications):

The students will create a human knot by interlocking hands and twisting in
all directions. This activity will encourage collaboration among every single
student. After completing this activity, the students will discuss in groups how
they believe this activity can be related to the CST principle Solidarity.
Modifications- For students uncomfortable with touching or unable to
participate, that student could be placed in the middle or on the outside of the
knot to watch and give verbal direction.

Book #2:
Title: The Big Umbrella
Author: Amy June Bates
Publisher: Simon Schuster/ Paula Wiseman Books
Date Published: February 6th, 2018
Grade level: Kindergarten
Genre: Fiction
Awards: n/a

CST Connection:
Solidarity in the CST is all about the promotion of peace and unity in the world
today, despite violence and chaos constantly occurring. The Big Umbrella is
described in the book as being very kind, protective, and friendly. It is always
making sure that no one is left out from being covered. The big umbrella shows
children the importance of inclusion despite diversity in appearance or beliefs,
which is something this principle is founded upon. Solidarity claims that we
need to love our neighbor and the big umbrella in the story does just that by
loving and protecting any and everyone who is out in the rain.
Book Summary:
The Big Umbrella is a story about a big reddish umbrella that grows and grows
to make sure anyone and everyone can fit underneath of it. The story begins
with the introduction of the umbrella as it is sitting by the front door waiting to
be used. The umbrella is then used by a young child as he/she goes out into
the rain and as the story goes on more and more people end up under the
umbrella. There are all different kinds of people under the umbrella along with
different animals like ducks and dogs. The umbrella continues to get bigger
and bigger just so that everyone is able to fit. This story is all about including
and protecting each other no matter the differences between us.

Connection to content areas:

One connection to content areas could be to science as the students could
discuss rain and weather. The students could also experiment how many
people they could really fit under one single umbrella. This would incorporate
math and science and would mainly tie in with the book The Big Umbrella.

Reflection:
Solidarity, the promotion of peace and unity among everyone, is something that
is crucial to introduce and teach children. In this class we have learned the
importance of differentiation while also making sure everyone is included. One
thing we learned was using Newsela.com which changes the Lexile level of the
same article. This is so awesome because all students are reading about the
same topic but not in the same way. I think this would be a great way to
differentiate without making it exclusionary. I would definitely incorporate this
principle into my classroom as it is so important for students to know that they
should always support one another and build each other up as opposed to
tearing each other down.

Care for God’s Creation

Book #1:
Title: Not for Me, Please!: I Choose to ACT Green
Author: Maria Godsey
Publisher: Amazon D
Date Published: April 16th, 2018
Grade level: Kindergarten to 2nd grade
Genre: Fiction (with nonfiction facts)
Awards: n/a
CST Connection:
Care for God’s Creation is a principle of the CST all about the protection of the
planet that God created for us. Not for me please is all about the environment
and a little boy who is beginning to realize the impact that human beings have
on the planet. This book is a gold mine for this CST principle as it provides not
only a short story for young children to understand, but also actually facts
about the planet and how we as humans are destroying it. The principle
explains that it is our duty to protect God’s creations and by recycling and
thinking about how our actions are impacting the planet, we are protecting the
creation. This book does an excellent job of promoting awareness without being
overly factual and redundant.

Book Summary:
Not for Me, Please!: I Choose to ACT Green is all about a young boy named Luke
who is understanding the impact of his actions on the planet. The book begins
with Luke saying that he didn’t realize how little things like trash could cause
so much damage to the earth. The visual in the book shows trees covered in
plastic and wrappers with Luke acknowledging the fact that he didn’t like it
one bit. Another page in the story focuses on straws and how they start with a
drink and are thrown out after being used one time. These straws and other
trash items end up in the ocean and either get mistaken for food or tangle up
the sea creatures. As the book goes on, Luke decides that he is strong and can
help out our planet. At the bottom of each page as the story goes on, there is a
short little fact about recycling or pollution, like how much plastic is collected
from the ocean each year or how many sea creatures are found covered in
wrappers.

Connection to content areas:

One connection to content areas would be science as the students could create
an experiment about different ways to help the planet. The students could
make predictions about how to best care for the earth based on their
experiments and the book. The students could also use math by looking at the
extinction rates of animals and rain forests due to people hurting the planet.
Activity (with modifications):
The students will participate in two earth-based activities, one focusing on
math and the other focusing more on movement and exercise. For math, the
children will measure different plants by using a ruler and will then sort such
plants in order of shortest to tallest before planting them outside. For the
movement activity there will be an Earth challenge jar with different
movements such as jumping jacks, hoping on one foot, stretching, and
walking. These challenges will correlate with correctly answering addition and
subtraction facts during math.
Modifications- For the math activity, the students could work in partners
instead of by themselves and instead of doing the physical activity the student
could take a brain break that they would rather do and has been previously
discussed with the teacher.

Book #2:
Title: The World God Made for Me
Author: Laurel Nakai
Publisher: Paper Dove Press
Date Published: August 6th, 2016
Grade level: Kindergarten
Genre: Fiction
Awards: n/a

CST Connection:
This book ties directly into the CST principle of Care for God’s creation as it is
all about the magnitude of creations God has made. This principle puts great
emphasis on the importance of “living our faith in relationship with all of God’s
creation”, which in my eyes would mean any and everything he has created.
This book explains to children that God did make everything from the sky to
the stars to the grass and the animals. He took the time to create such
beautiful things and it is our job as inhabitants of earth, to take care of it. With
the environmental issues present in the modern age of today, this principle is
as important as ever. This book will help children to understand that this
principle is more than just recycling a few things but is instead an obligation to
act and protect.
Book Summary:
The World God Made for Me is a story about the many creations of God. The
story teaches children about how God created everything and anything they
can imagine; he created each person on earth and the earth itself. This book
not only includes a story told in poem format, but also questions, prayer, and
quotes about different religions. Although this book primarily focuses on
acknowledging and understanding the beauty God and everything he has
made, it also includes the importance of including and being kind to everyone
despite a difference in religion. This book includes magical looking illustrations
to help children see God as mesmerizing and magical.

Connection to content areas:

One connection to a content area would be to science as the students could
discuss their carbon footprint and how they impact the earth. Art could be
connected to this as well as the students could create a visual of their
footprint.

Reflection:
Care for God’s Creation is all about protecting and taking care of the beautiful
things God has created, which includes everything from animals to humans
and even the earth itself. I think that this principle, although religiously based
is important for students to learn and understand. If teaching in a public
school, this principle could be geared more toward earth day and protecting the
planet. I would absolutely incorporate this principle into my teaching as caring
for the planet is a hot topic right now. I think students in this generation are
the key to saving the planet, and in order for them to successfully do that, they
have to learn about how to protect it and what is actually wrong.