User:Gvvic/sandbox

Annotated Bibliography
"Who's in a Family? Skutch, Robert - Appreciating Crosscultur." Language Arts 73.1 (1996): 55. ProQuest. Web. 7 Apr. 2020.


 * This article goes into more detail about some of the plot of the children’s book and also explains a goal of creating a book with views of different families and the effects that the author hopes this book will have on children.

Topol, Martha. “Who’s in a Family?(Children’s Review)(Brief Article).” School Library 	  Journal, vol. 41, no. 6, Reed Business Information, Inc. (US), 1 June 1995.


 * This article is from a newspaper in 1995 and describes some of the contents of the book and the juxtaposition included within the plot and the goals that this story will accomplish as children read it.

"Who's in a Family." Teacher Librarian 04 2001: 27. ProQuest. Web. 7 Apr. 2020.


 * This source is from a review of children’s books and it includes a short paragraph giving some detail about the contents of the book. The paragraph includes a quote from the book and also gives some detail about the types of families represented in the book which is new information to me which I can include in the wikipedia page.

"Surrey School District Approves Books Showing Same-Sex Families: [Final Edition]." Moose  		Jaw Times Herald, Jun 27 2003, p. 11. ProQuest. Web. 7 Apr. 2020.


 * This text describes how a school allowed for Who’s in a Family? To be included into their curriculum and describes the process and voting which enabled the book to be allowed at the school. I think this article could contribute to the reception section of the Wikipedia page.

Murphy, Beth. "Children's Picture Books." Indianapolis Star, Apr 02 1995, ProQuest. Web. 8      Apr. 2020.


 * This source provides some insight into why the book is advantageous for children to read because of its emphasis that there is more than one type of family and not all families look the same. The source comes from a newspaper article about various children’s books and the reviews of such.

Clairmont, Susan. "These Books can be Dangerous: Life's Darker Side has found its Way into    some Children's Books, Spawning a New Breed of Reality-Based Stories. Many of Life's Nasty 	Bits have been Translated into Child- Speak and Packaged as a Gentle, Honest Way to Teach Children about the World they Live in ...: [Final Edition]." The Spectator, Aug 29 1998, p. W3. ProQuest. Web. 8 Apr. 2020.


 * This piece provides a textual example from the novel and then goes on to talk about how books like Who’s in a Family? are helpful and sensitive ways to give children perspective about other types of families. The author explains why she finds books like these to be a positive way to illustrate new ideas to children. I think this source could be used in possibly a reception section within the Wikipedia article. The source also goes into describing the illustrations of the book and how they are helpful to young readers.

"Challenging Homophobia in Schools." Teacher Librarian 04 2001: 27-30. ProQuest. Web. 8  Apr. 2020.


 * This piece of an article addresses the issue of homophobia in school and uses Who’s in a Family? as an example of a children’s book that could combat these issues. I think this connection is important to make and I think that this source could provide information that I could include in the background section of the Wikipedia page and also possibly the controversy or reception page.

Who's in a Family? Amazon, www.amazon.com/Whos-Family-Robert-Skutch/dp/

188367266X.

Proposed Changes to Wikipedia page
Change publication date to 1995

Lead

* don’t plan on changing anything*

Background (new section)

Robert Skutch is an American author born in 1925 and has published multiple books such as Journey Without Distance: The Story Behind a Course in Miracles, The Day the World Forgot, and another children’s book named Albie's Trip to the Jumble Jungle. Skutch has also written for television and radio shows throughout his life (Amazon). In an NPR interview from 2005, Skutch says that his inspiration for writing this book was because his niece and her partner decided to start a family ( https://www.massresistance.org/docs/parker/diversity_book.html ).

Summary (new section)

The book begins by saying “a family can be made up in many different ways” and fills the first two pages of the book with illustrations of six different types of families (Skutch). Skutch elaborates on this point by acknowledging that animals have families too, and includes illustrations of different animal families. Skutch uses illustrations of bird, pig, kangaroo, penguin, money, elephant, lion, dog, and bear families. Through the course of the book, Skutch designates an individual page for the many different family structures such as. depicts traditional, single-parent, same-gender, inter-racial, extended, and only-child families. The book concludes with illustrations of various family portraits and with the line, "Who's in a family? The people who love you the most" (Skutch).

Analysis (new section)

Who’s in a Family? represents some of the ways that a “family” exists today. Years ago, the perspective of a traditional family included two parents, a mom and a dad, raising their children together under one roof. However, today there are many possible variations of a family, as seen in Skutch’s book (appreciating crossculture). The book is suited for young children as it introduces how families can look different; it opens the door for parents and children to communicate about family differences, and more importantly, it allows for children to become educated and accepting of various family dynamics. Furthermore, this book allows parents to emphasize the practice of unconditional love for others (appreciating crossculture). The book is suited for young children as it introduces how families can look different. Finally, Skutch said in his NPR interview that “the whole purpose of the book was to get the subject [of same-sex parent households] out into the minds and the awareness of children before they are old enough to have been convinced that there's another way of looking at life” (source).

Genre (new section)

Who’s in A Family? is a fictional, illustrated children’s book, specifically intended for kindergarten to second-grade students (Topol). This book includes traditional, single-parent, same-gender, inter-racial, extended, and only-child families ("Challenging Homophobia in Schools."). The book addresses topics related to LGBTQ, multi-race, and traditional relationships, and how these families navigate through life. Who’s in a Family? contains colorful, pencil illustrations which show a diverse array of animal and human families (Topol).

Reception (new section)

Reviews (subsection) - new

In an article from the School Library Journal, Martha Topol claims that children’s books like Who’s in a Family? are intended to educate children on different family structures (Topol). Topol, along with author for The Spectator, Susan Clairmont, think that this genre of book should be given to children after questions about these topics begin to arise to reassure and clarify but should not just be given to children without background knowledge or questions (Topol, Clairmont).

Susan Clairmont also raises the question of whether these genres of children’s stories will do “more harm than good” to children who did not ask about these topics.

Controversy (subsection) - edited

The book was at the center of a controversy in Massachusetts in the United States when a number of parents objected to their children being exposed to it in school, claiming that it was intended to promote a "homosexual agenda".Parents David and Tonia Parker filed a lawsuit against the Lexington school district to have their children exempted from reading the book in class.[ citation needed]  Before filing a Lawsuit, David had sent various emails in order to ensure 2 requests from the school:(1) that he would be notified if the school assigned non-traditional literature and (2) that he would be able to opt his son out of being taught such materials. During a meeting with the Estabrook principal and with the district director of instruction, David refused to leave until his demands were met, which resulted in him being arrested for trespassing. The Parkers were ultimately unsuccessful, with the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals finally dismissing their lawsuit, noting that "the mere fact that a child is exposed on occasion in public school to a concept offensive to a parent’s religious belief does not inhibit the parent from instructing the child differently". The US Supreme Court declined to hear the case.

Article: Drama (graphic novel)
Lead section


 * Yes it does provide background information about the graphic novel and then the article as a whole.

Background


 * After reading this section, the reader has a basic understanding on Telgemeier's exigence for writing Drama.

Summary


 * It is particularly detailed, using some quotes and specifics to move the plot forward while also being accurate but because of the amount of detail it could be more prone that it includes some opinion or personal interpretation.

Genre


 * Yes, this section answers the questions which Wikipedia recommends that the genre section addresses.

Analysis


 * This section addresses three main topics which are representation of questioning identity, portrayal of hegemonic masculinity, and race because these are the main areas of the novel which had been challenged or caused controversy.
 * Within these sections, the rhetor uses specific examples and phrases to illustrate their key arguments.

Reception


 * The novel received many rewards and positive critiques from publishers, however was challenged by parents because of the rhetorical situation which the novel addresses about LGBTQ characters.
 * Overall, seems to receive mixed responses about how the novel's audience should be.

Awards


 * This section is necessary to recognize that while the novel has received some critiques from authors like Abate, it also has received many praises for the contents and themes within the novel.

3b - Abate

Throughout the page it seems as though Abate's arguments are used to illustrate contrasting ideas to the general audience and readers of the novel. Her arguments seems to always be the last paragraph of the sections which, to me, will always leave these negative opinions at the forefront of the readers mind because it is the last thing they read regarding a specific section. Overall, Abate claims are used often throughout the article and debatably more than they should be. I think Abate perspective on the article could be limited to the reception or analysis section and not scattered throughout the entirety of the article.

Article: Indigenous Peoples' Day
Evaluating content


 * Is everything in the article relevant to the article topic? Is there anything that distracted you?
 * Yes it is relevant, no distractions.
 * Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added? Identify content gaps.
 * I did not find any, the sources are relatively recent.
 * What else could be improved?
 * Have not found anything yet.
 * Review the lead section. Does it follow Wikipedia’s guidelines to provide basic information and summarizes the entire article?
 * Yes, the lead is a good summary of the entirety of the article and readers are able to understand and infer what the article will be emphasizing.

Evaluating tone


 * Is the article neutral? Are there any claims that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
 * Yes, it is neutral.
 * Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
 * No.

Evaluating sources


 * Check a few citations. Do the links work? Does the source support the claims in the article?
 * The first linked I clicked on was no longer available, but it was published in 1992 so some of the older sources need to be updated or removed. The more recent links seem to be functional.
 * Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference? Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted? For example, does the writer use signal phrases to clearly identify the source of the information?
 * The facts are sourced but a lot of the sources are newspaper articles and because of this, I think some of the information could be more prone to bias. Signal phrases are rarely used but a footnote is always added.

Checking the talk page


 * Now take a look at how others are talking about this article on the talk page.
 * What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic? How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?
 * No conversation about the content of the article, more talk about the logistics or layout of the article.
 * Rated B-class
 * Apart of the WikiProject Holidays but as of now this project is inactive.
 * How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class?
 * This Wikipedia pages is mainly about forming a counter narrative to Columbus Day, which we did in class as we discussed Rediscovering Columbus and looking at the different versions of this history which most American school neglect. This article dives into the historical aspect of the day and how it originated in the US and it also begins to talk about the growing acceptance and instillation of this day in cities across the US.