Final Reflection...

I am in awe of how fast time has gone by in this class!!! I have learned so many valuable skills and tools to take to my future classroom. One main thing that resonates with me is the mere significance of having books with varying topics available to students. I always knew books were an important literary tool, but now I can see how they can be used to address topics such as war, as with our paired texts, or possibly invite significant discussion and viewpoints as with The Giver. I am so glad that there is a class that focuses primarily on reading children's literature. If we are to be prepared as teachers, we will need to know what is out there and available to students. I think it is a valuable thing to be aware of what kids are reading to be able to stay as current and relevant as possible with them. I have developed a new appreciation for children's literature and believe that I have acquired skills to analyze children's books as well. Anything from observing the dust jacket of a book to analyzing the quality of a well-written book -these are just a few of the many useful skills I will take away from this class. I have thoroughly enjoyed this class and will intentionally implement these strategies in my future classroom.