EDRG 3321

Ch. 1 summary
Literature can not only instruct children but also invites them to explore new and fantastic worlds. Books help personal development to occur in children as well as language, cognitive, and social development that will influence them well into adulthood. Each child is different in how he or she interprets and responds to what has been read. The variety of materials available range from picture books to biographys to poetry, each with unique purposes such as cause and effect. Children learn to respond to literature either efferently to focus on information, or aethetically, to explore what they feel or think from the words they read. As children advance through the stages of development, their responses become more sophisticated, their understanding of their world expands, and hopefully, through family and good teachers, they develop a life-long appreciation for reading.

Values are beliefs we have and consider to be very important to us and who we are internally and how we appear externally. These may have been instilled at an early age by family or learned through experiences and they make us who we are. I value family most of all and it probably came about when my parents divorced and the only thing I could count on during that difficult time was my mom and my brother. As I spent time with my husband and his family, I really came to appreciate family and the traditions that went along with it. I think the importance and value of family can be taught by older members of a family when they are always there for each other and pass down and maintain traditions within the family year after year. I try to show this to my own sons by always being there for them and doing whatever I can for my whole family. I always tell my sons that friends come and go,but your brother will be your brother forever.