Youth Library for 5th Grade Bilingual Students - Annotated Bibliography Example

Youth Library for 5th grade bilingual Introduction For any young mind to be successful in life, they have to pass through school. Education is just one of the keys to success. With the knowledge acquired in school, young individuals are able to find their way into society. Knowledge is power, and it is through knowledge that people are able to rise from where they do not want to be to where they desire to be. It all starts with small steps, from lower school up to the highest level. There are many languages that exist in this continent, and each has its unique origin and culture from which it is associated with. In schools, people from different backgrounds come to meet at a commonly known neutral ground; the classroom. Various books in fifth grade level are meant to bring out a certain message to the students reading them. These messages are known as themes. Certain themes are brought up from the reading of these books. In this essay, attention will be focused upon certain books that are of benefit to fifth grade students, in terms of language proficiency and skill. These factors either destroy a persons’ character or build it. The main theme here is character destruction and building. Many people undergo through life’s challenges and emerge unscathed while others come out scathed and not in a position to be themselves. Through these books, fifth grade students will be able to build their own character depending of their experiences. Kinney, J. (2008). Diary of a wimpy kid: Rodrick rules. New York: Amulet Books. The book is about the changes that occur when students are moving on to the next grade. In the book, kids are not congenial to each other, often disagreeing, making enemies and hiding secrets from one another. The story involves a boy, Greg, who shares his experiences about how his summer vacation was, and how he attempted to stay away from trouble. Something happens to him during his summer vacation, and when they return to school, his older brother, Rodrick wants to tell the whole school about his humiliating encounter. He is eager not to remember how his summer holiday was and wants to put all that away. This one event that happened to him seems to shake him enough to want to put it behind him. What he does not realize is that secrets do not always stay hidden forever, especially when there is a diary that has stuff written on it. He does things in order to keep his secret safe, trying to catch the attention of girls and keeping away from trouble. With relation to the theme, the book shows and illustrates the building of character. Greg encountered something that he does not want to share with anyone, and this is understandably logical. What he shows is strength in his character. He is able to overcome what happened to him and move on with school life. This book shows individuals that if they let the events of the past cripple their character, then their future will be ruined. Russell, R. R. (2009). Dork diaries: Tales from a not-so-fabulous life. New York: Aladdin. A story of a young girl, aged fourteen years old and who has a certain diary on which she writes about her everyday struggles in her new private school. Nikki is a girl who has had trouble fitting into a certain group of elite individuals who have everything according to her. They have class, are pretty, have lovely accessories, and they are a close circle of friends. She struggles to be a part of this group, often doing whatever she can in order to impress or be noticed. It is after sometime that she comes to notice that she does not belong to that group. She eventually finds the right group that if fit for her, a group that is dedicated towards friendship and not towards material possessions. In relation to the current theme of the essay, the book shows how a lack of character can bring about the wrong decisions. Nikki was determined to struggle with all that she could in order to fit into the group. She needed to change her looks, how she walked, where she went and also whom she was seen with. With the change in all this, her character too would have changed, and it would have changed for the worst. Though she comes to know later that she does not belong there, had she learnt earlier, her self esteem would have been more than it was. Had she believed in herself earlier, she would have built a character so strong. Rowling, J. K. (2008). Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban. Bridgewater, NJ: Distributed by Paw Prints/Baker & Taylor. In this book, the main character, Harry Porter has faced death on numerous accounts. From the day that he was born, he came to be known as, ‘the boy who lived’. His parents were killed by an evil individual, Lord Voldemort, and he is determined to kill Harry Porter by any means necessary. Harry grows up to be an upstanding young warrior, with the intention of fighting evil with his power. His greatest strength is love, something given to him when his parents died. It is love that prevents him from being killed by Lord Voldemort. In this book, Voldemort frees Sirius Black to kill Harry Porter, even if it means going into the school compound of Hogwarts and killing Harry there. The story of Harry Porter is some sought of inspiration; in that even after all the things that the boy has gone through; he still remains of firm character. He maintains his pride inside him, and this can be seen in the story because even though he has the power to do evil and perform magic, he does not. In relation to this essay, Harry Porters’ character is seen to be growing stronger with each passing day. With the help of his friends, he finds evil and destroys it. His character is built with the very evil that was once used to destroy his parents. Though he sometimes looks back about having his parents beside him, it does not destroy his character. Daniels, L., & Baum, A. (2002). Husky in a hut. London: Hodder Childrens Books. In this book, there is a buildup of various themes namely character building, companionship, empowerment, fulfillment, family, loneliness and motherhood. A family is on vacation in a certain island. The family is enjoying a ride by being pulled on sledges by dogs, and this is seemingly fun. What they encounter comes to be e near death experience to the lead dog that is leading the pack. The leading dog was attacked by wolves attacked by wolves and was badly injured. The family’s daughter, Mandy manages to take the dog to a secluded hut somewhere in the woods. When the dog was injured and had Mandy not cared, she would have left the dog to die, but instead, she endures the cold while taking care of the injured dog. She cares for a dog the same way an individual would have cared for another sick person. She does not seem to be frightened that the wolves might come back, and in this case she would have been the one to get hurt. She fearlessly takes care of the injured dog. It is through her upright character that she decides that she will wait together with the dog for help. Through her strong character, she is able to maintain her composure, take care of the dog and hopefully wait for help to arrive. With relation to the theme of this essay, Mandy shows and excellent build in character, which shows her determination. Conclusion The above named books relate to the theme in this essay about the building of character. From the books, it is safe to observe that it is not where one has come from that matters, it is wherever one is going that matters. The vital theme discussed in this essay is the theme of Character. The character of a person varies with time, and as they progress through life, they meet different factors that will influence the change in character. References Daniels, L., & Baum, A. (2002). Husky in a hut. London: Hodder Childrens Books. Kinney, J. (2008). Diary of a wimpy kid: Rodrick rules. New York: Amulet Books. Russell, R. R. (2009). Dork diaries: Tales from a not-so-fabulous life. New York: Aladdin. Rowling, J. K. (2008). Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban. Bridgewater, NJ: Distributed by Paw Prints/Baker & Taylor. Read More