Ask the Librarian
Some Recommended Resources from the Curious Librarian
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Nanette Dougherty |
I want to recommend a truly amazing resource I have discovered – a fascinating book by one of my favorite children’s book artists and authors, Maya Christina Gonzalez.
Claiming Face: Self Empowerment through Self-Portraiture
It is a gem and as stated on the cover is “designed to support all of us, especially children, to engage with creativity in order to be ourselves and be empowered to live our best lives.”
The book is organized around topics that are essential for any teacher, especially those involved in urban education. Topics include: creativity, reflection, energy, presence, expression, standards, and artistic development. It also includes a glossary, a Claiming Face Cheat Sheet for teachers, resources by topic, and helpful handouts. The 26 projects are truly engaging. I tried out a few of them with my students. The response was tremendous. They were motivated, and they loved every moment of it. I also saw their sense of pride from creating beautiful and wondrous pieces of art.
This book makes connections to children’s literature, encourages students to reflect on their work through writing, and is linked to National Standards. It is available from Reflection Press. For more details, visit: http://www.reflectionpress.com/claimingface/classroom.html
Questions anyone? Need any resources or ideas? Email me at thecuriouslibrarian@gmail.com and I will be sure to respond to your query. I may even include it in a future issue of Dialogue. __________________________________________________________________
Nanette Dougherty has been working with culturally and linguistically diverse students, grades K-12, in New York City’s Title 1 schools for fifteen years. Nanette is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher in Literacy (Reading & Language Arts), and is NYS State certified in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (K-12), Elementary Education, English 7-12, and now as a School Library Media Specialist. She was the NYS TESOL 2009 Conference Chair and is currently serving as First Vice-President of NYS TESOL.
