Project Cornerstone

The 7 books we are reading this year are:  

1) The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig (October)

  SEL(Social Emotional Learning) Core Competency: Relationship Skills

This book discusses the importance of making everyone feel welcome and included. It helps students develop the ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with a variety of people. Moreover, it allows them to see the perspective of others, even if their views, experiences, or culture is different. This story provides an opportunity for children to get to know themselves better in order to empathize with others whose behavior, needs, and self-expression are different from their own.

2) I Wish You Knew by Jackie Azúa Kramer (November/December)

  SEL(Social Emotional Learning) Core Competency: Social Awareness (Tolerance, Acceptance, Belonging, and Safety)

Estrella misses her dad when he has to leave because he was not born in this country. She feels alone and wishes she could share her angst with someone. Other students and staff at her school also have worries. Because Estrella opens up about her situation, other students and adults feel comfortable to share their stories under the branches of the oak tree where compassion and empathy grow. This old oak tree represents a caring community and demonstrates that “no one is alone if others are willing to listen”.

3) Ruby Bridges Goes To School-My True Story by Ruby Bridges (K-2) or Ruby Bridges This is Your Time (3-5) by Ruby Bridges (January)

  SEL Core Competency: Relationship Skills (ability to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships and to effectively navigate settings with diverse individuals and groups)

Ruby Bridges : Goes to School is the extraordinary story of Ruby Bridges, the first Black child to integrate a New Orleans school following the 1954 Supreme Court case Brown vs Board of Education, which ordered school districts in the South to end the policy of racially segregated schools. In 1960, six-year old Ruby Bridges walked through an angry crowd and into school, changing history.

In the book, “This is Your Time”, civil rights leader Ruby Bridges writes a letter to the reader recounting her experiences as a child being escorted to class by federal marshals to integrate the all-white public school system. Ruby’s impassioned words, filled with love and grace, serve as a moving reminder that “what can inspire tomorrow often lies in our past.” These books tell the story of Ruby’s courage and remind us all that the struggle for justice continues.

4) Clovis Keeps His Cool by Katelyn Aronson (February)

5) Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho (March)

6) The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds (April)

7) BIG by Coleen Paratore (May)