Diverse Literature Text Set: Military Connected Students K-2
Summary of Text:
Daddy's Deployment, written by Lorin Sanchez Neslony and Jake Neslony, tells the story of a family facing the deployment of their father and husband. The children feel lots of emotions and they trust in Jesus to give them strength and rest during the deployment. The young boy talks about what he is feeling and recognizes those emotions. Then he writes a letter to Jesus and prays for that day.
Critical Review:
Strengths: A strength of this book is the way the authors are addressing multiple topics within one text. The text represents military connected families, students with emotional or behavioral challenges, and students who practice religion. We can see the connection to military connected students on page 1 when the young boy says, "I am SAD that my Daddy is leaving for a deployment because I know that I will have to deal with lots of emotions." Another strength of this book is the way we walk through the days of a family who has a member deployed, helping the reader feel like they can relate to the variety of activities and emotions the characters feel. An example of this is on page 7 when the young boy says, "Daddy is gone on Thanksgiving, Christmas, my birthday, and every day in between. My sister and I feel so LONELY when we see other kids spending time with their dads." I love the way the authors highlight the characters emotions to help the reader feel understand if they are feeling those things too.
Weaknesses: A weakness of this book is the lack of connection to a student who does not practice religion. If a student in the classroom is not practicing a religion where Jesus is their Savior, they will feel very uncomfortable and unable to relate to this book. On every page, presented with every concern of the young boy, there is a letter to Jesus and a prayer asking for His guidance. A student is unable to connect with the religion aspect of this book, may not be able to connect to the military aspect either. They may feel as though the story no longer relates to them and they may stop listening all together.
The author's perspective and expertise is unique because she is writing from personal experience. Lori Neslony writes from the perspective of her two children, Jake and Haley, documenting their emotions while their father was deployed. She encouraged her children to draw pictures about their days and the ways God moved during the chaos of life. Neslony brings a special flair to her book because she has witnessed first hand what children may experience when their fathers are deployed. Her book provides children who are enduring something similar with a way out of worrying and hurting. She provides students with other young children to relate to and feel like they are not alone.
I believe the author found a wonderful way to relate to children who practice religion with Jesus at the center of their lives. However, she may have stereotyped military connected students by assuming they are all your "average family" with 2 parents and 2 children. She is not condescending toward military connected students, and she does not express superiority over those who do not practice religion. She wrote this story based on her personal experience and this may not be relatable for every reader. Not every reader has a positive relationship with their parents, and this book includes a very positive relationship between the children and the parents. For example, page 5 mentions the son and the father going fishing often and portrays a stereotypical father-son relationship.
Sharon Graham Smith uses the illustrations as insight to the scene and the body language of the characters. Something I have found to be very interesting is the illustrations of Jesus on many of the pages. The idea she is expressing is that Jesus is always with us and never leaves our sides. Page 4 illustrates the characters in Jesus's hands, alluding to the fact that Jesus is greater than we are. The father is portrayed as a strong man, always in uniform, and emotionally connected with the family. This illustration is important because it strengths the readers connection to the father with the ability to visualize him when the young boy talks about him. The family consists of white adults and children, who all have dark brown hair. The seasons are illustrated to depict the changing of the seasons and the passing of time before the father returns home.
The authors wrote Jesus to be an all powerful being that children and adults can run to in order to find peace and comfort. He is illustrated as being larger than the children when they feel helpless and in need of support. He is also illustrated as being present in every moment so they never feel alone. I would consider Jesus to be a majority character in this story due to His positive influence in the families lives, as well as His ability to heal and comfort when nothing else can. He portrays the light and the reason for hope in this story, giving the readers something to hope in when they are experiencing a deployment in their family.
Classroom Connections:
Main Themes: The main themes of this text are that despite the heavy emotions a child may be feeling when their loved one is deployed, there is reason to stay positive and be thankful for the good things in life. This book is a great reminder for students who are struggling that they are not alone and may be feeling something very similar to their peers without even knowing. Children sometimes are not sure how to recognize and respond to their emotions, but this book gives them an example of a young boy who is doing that every single day.
Possible Activities: An activity the students could participate in after reading this book would be to write a letter to their loved one about all of the reasons they are thankful for that person. They could choose from a list of reasons if they are behind grade level in their writing skills, or they could write longer sentences if they are above grade level. The students could learn how to write a letter and become familiar with the correct structure of a letter, as well as practice their writing skills.
Additional Resources:
1. www.nea.org/tools/lessons/veterans-day-activities-gradesk-5.html
The link above takes you to a website with multiple lesson plans to assist teachers in teaching students K-2 about Veterans Day.
2. http://militarykidsconnect.dcoe.mil/educators/lesson-plans/elementary
The link above takes you to a website with lesson plans that teach how military concepts can be mixed with any content area.
3. http://www.teacherplanet.com/content/friendship
The link above includes lesson plans that teach the importance of friendship. This is important for students who have a unique family dynamic and could benefit from friendships at school.
Daddy's Deployment, written by Lorin Sanchez Neslony and Jake Neslony, tells the story of a family facing the deployment of their father and husband. The children feel lots of emotions and they trust in Jesus to give them strength and rest during the deployment. The young boy talks about what he is feeling and recognizes those emotions. Then he writes a letter to Jesus and prays for that day.
Critical Review:
Strengths: A strength of this book is the way the authors are addressing multiple topics within one text. The text represents military connected families, students with emotional or behavioral challenges, and students who practice religion. We can see the connection to military connected students on page 1 when the young boy says, "I am SAD that my Daddy is leaving for a deployment because I know that I will have to deal with lots of emotions." Another strength of this book is the way we walk through the days of a family who has a member deployed, helping the reader feel like they can relate to the variety of activities and emotions the characters feel. An example of this is on page 7 when the young boy says, "Daddy is gone on Thanksgiving, Christmas, my birthday, and every day in between. My sister and I feel so LONELY when we see other kids spending time with their dads." I love the way the authors highlight the characters emotions to help the reader feel understand if they are feeling those things too.
Weaknesses: A weakness of this book is the lack of connection to a student who does not practice religion. If a student in the classroom is not practicing a religion where Jesus is their Savior, they will feel very uncomfortable and unable to relate to this book. On every page, presented with every concern of the young boy, there is a letter to Jesus and a prayer asking for His guidance. A student is unable to connect with the religion aspect of this book, may not be able to connect to the military aspect either. They may feel as though the story no longer relates to them and they may stop listening all together.
The author's perspective and expertise is unique because she is writing from personal experience. Lori Neslony writes from the perspective of her two children, Jake and Haley, documenting their emotions while their father was deployed. She encouraged her children to draw pictures about their days and the ways God moved during the chaos of life. Neslony brings a special flair to her book because she has witnessed first hand what children may experience when their fathers are deployed. Her book provides children who are enduring something similar with a way out of worrying and hurting. She provides students with other young children to relate to and feel like they are not alone.
I believe the author found a wonderful way to relate to children who practice religion with Jesus at the center of their lives. However, she may have stereotyped military connected students by assuming they are all your "average family" with 2 parents and 2 children. She is not condescending toward military connected students, and she does not express superiority over those who do not practice religion. She wrote this story based on her personal experience and this may not be relatable for every reader. Not every reader has a positive relationship with their parents, and this book includes a very positive relationship between the children and the parents. For example, page 5 mentions the son and the father going fishing often and portrays a stereotypical father-son relationship.
Sharon Graham Smith uses the illustrations as insight to the scene and the body language of the characters. Something I have found to be very interesting is the illustrations of Jesus on many of the pages. The idea she is expressing is that Jesus is always with us and never leaves our sides. Page 4 illustrates the characters in Jesus's hands, alluding to the fact that Jesus is greater than we are. The father is portrayed as a strong man, always in uniform, and emotionally connected with the family. This illustration is important because it strengths the readers connection to the father with the ability to visualize him when the young boy talks about him. The family consists of white adults and children, who all have dark brown hair. The seasons are illustrated to depict the changing of the seasons and the passing of time before the father returns home.
The authors wrote Jesus to be an all powerful being that children and adults can run to in order to find peace and comfort. He is illustrated as being larger than the children when they feel helpless and in need of support. He is also illustrated as being present in every moment so they never feel alone. I would consider Jesus to be a majority character in this story due to His positive influence in the families lives, as well as His ability to heal and comfort when nothing else can. He portrays the light and the reason for hope in this story, giving the readers something to hope in when they are experiencing a deployment in their family.
Classroom Connections:
Main Themes: The main themes of this text are that despite the heavy emotions a child may be feeling when their loved one is deployed, there is reason to stay positive and be thankful for the good things in life. This book is a great reminder for students who are struggling that they are not alone and may be feeling something very similar to their peers without even knowing. Children sometimes are not sure how to recognize and respond to their emotions, but this book gives them an example of a young boy who is doing that every single day.
Possible Activities: An activity the students could participate in after reading this book would be to write a letter to their loved one about all of the reasons they are thankful for that person. They could choose from a list of reasons if they are behind grade level in their writing skills, or they could write longer sentences if they are above grade level. The students could learn how to write a letter and become familiar with the correct structure of a letter, as well as practice their writing skills.
Additional Resources:
1. www.nea.org/tools/lessons/veterans-day-activities-gradesk-5.html
The link above takes you to a website with multiple lesson plans to assist teachers in teaching students K-2 about Veterans Day.
2. http://militarykidsconnect.dcoe.mil/educators/lesson-plans/elementary
The link above takes you to a website with lesson plans that teach how military concepts can be mixed with any content area.
3. http://www.teacherplanet.com/content/friendship
The link above includes lesson plans that teach the importance of friendship. This is important for students who have a unique family dynamic and could benefit from friendships at school.