I really enjoyed the textbook choice for this semester. It provided me with a lot of helpful and insightful information that I will be able to use in the future. Not only did it introduce me to the many genres of literature, but it also provided me with a lot of ways that to apply these differnt styles of literature into my future lessons and teachings. The fab four was a great way for us to not only be introduced to the format of the textbook in the beginning, but as I put more work into my fab four, the more information I was able to obtain from the readings. The text was easy to read and organized in a way that it was easy to go back and find information. This was becasue it was split into three main sections; critical issues, teaching connections, and literature examples. Each of which can be found as well in my Fab 4 summaries themselves. Each of these sections was beneficial to learning about each topic. Being able to choose and focus on 4 chapters meant that I got more use out of the book than I would have if I was overwhelmed with the book as a whole. This way the class was able to split up the text and in the end we all learned about the topics we covered as well as the others through the sharing of everyones blogs.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
Annotated Bibliography
My name is Jennifer and I am an approaching senior and
elementary education major. I attend Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort
Myers Florida where I have lived my entire life. I grew up in a home where
there were always books around the house. I was never pushed to read, yet my
parents always read to me. I think that’s how I developed a love for reading.
However as I grew older my love for reading faded away. Reading became a chore
instead of a hobby or adventure. It wasn’t until a trip to the book store my
freshman year of college that I found myself sitting on the floor of the
children’s section. It was at that moment when I was
surrounded with collections of my favorite memories as a child as well as walls
filled with new adventures that I opened a book and Inside that children’s book
I started to find that love of reading that I had once lost. The more I read,
the more my love was restored. It was also at that moment that I realized I
wanted to become an elementary school teacher. I wanted the opportunity to
instill that love for reading inside of students. A love that while sometimes
may be lost will never completely disappear. When this project was introduced,
I was more than excited to dig up my old library card and get started.
Reflection:
When I first walked into the children’s section of the
library, I was quite overwhelmed. While each section was categorized and
organized. I never knew there were so many published children’s books. Then I
met the children’s librarian. As soon as I asked for assistance and presented
her with the task at hand, she dropped everything and was eager to stick by my
side until we had found all twenty five books of different genres and age
levels. Some new and some classics, it seemed like she had read them all.
Suddenly the only thing that overwhelmed me was carrying a pile of twenty five
books plus a few more back to my car. That was day one. About a month later, my
annotated bibliography is complete. Not only did I discover many new books that
I had never cracked open before, but I was able to go back and reminisce with
classics as well. But this project also went deeper than the content of the
books. I became more aware of both award winning books and authors, I
discovered exactly what each genre encompassed and focused on classroom
connections more than I ever had before. This is one of the most useful
assignments I have completed in my college career. So useful in fact that I
don’t plan on stopping here. I am inspired and feel that as a teacher it is my
responsibility to stay up to date on children’s literature, past, present and
future.
Barbara Park Author Study
Barbara Park
“Teachers and children
do not have the same kind of brains.”
-Barbara Park, Junie B.,
First Grader
Introduction to the unit:
For this
unit I chose to study an author that I have always been a fan of. Barbara
Parks is a well-known children’s author, known for her humorous portrayals
of a kindergartener named Junie B. Jones. When I was younger I read many of the
books in the Junie B. Jones series written by Barbara Parks; however I was unaware that
she also wrote books for young adults as well. Through this study I hope that I
will have a chance to not only revisit the books I enjoyed as an early reader,
but also be able to discover some of Barbara Parks other works in her
collection.
Background Information:
Barbara Park is the author of the humorous Junie B. Jones series. As a successful fiction author, Park has received more than 40 awards for her books, including 25 Children’s Choice awards. While she is best known for her Junie B. Jones series, she has also written many other books, including a children’s picture book and approximately 13 other novels written for older kids in the middle grades. In fact, believe it or not, some of the characters featured in the middle grade novels are the most meaningful for Park.
Unlike many authors, Barbara Park didn’t grow up wanting to
be an author. In fact as a kid Barbara Park had no interest in writing at all.
In a question and answer segment on her website she says that “for me, a
writing assignment was more upsetting than finding out my mother was cooking
liver and onions for dinner.” It wasn’t until she was in high school that Park
began to develop a love for reading. Despite her newly discovered love for reading,
Barbra Park didn’t immediately begin to write. She went to the University of
Alabama and graduated with a teaching degree, much like I am on the path to
doing. However “her first classroom of seventh graders drove her right out of
the profession”. It was at this point in her life that Park took a step back
and pondered what her next step would be. It was a Judy Blume book brought home
from her son that sparked her creativity and made her realize that children’s
literature could be a great outlet for her sense of humor.
In my research about this author I was able to discover
where many of her the ideas for the books that she writes come from. The fact
that she has been able to countlessly take a simple event, and transform it
into a plot that brings her characters to life amazes me. Barbara Park admires
authors such as Dr. Seuss because of the way he is able to capture imagination
in his storytelling. Humor and dialogue are Parks favorite parts of writing,
neither of which usually comes easy for her. However sometimes Park says that “an
event can set off a chain of ideas. A
bike accident at the end of Park’s street sparked the idea for Mick Harte
was Here (Random House, 1996).”
Even in Parks middle
grade novels, they story is told from a kids point of view and the main
characters are between the ages of eight and ten years old. It wasn’t until
Park published The Kid in the Red Jacket that
she began working with younger characters. According to Park, Random Park
publishing contacted her soon after the books release and asked her to write
four books in a series for early readers. These four books ended up becoming
the start of the well-known Junie B. Jones series.
Fab-4 Historical Fiction
Chapter 8 historical
fiction
As the book puts it, historical fiction is neither fantasy
nor non-fiction, but they are possible. “They usually occur in periods prior to
the author even being born.” Sometimes the author writes about life
experiences, however they are written in a fictional format. Historical fiction
is often used in education because of its many benefits. According to Johnson;
the author of The Joy of Children’s
Literature, “When history is written in story form it is easier for
students to understand historical time periods and events because the author
creates a sense of realism.” In addition, there are many benefits of including
historical fiction into teaching. These benefits include a sense of life as it
was lived in the past, helps like the past and present and shows that they too
can play a historical role.
Along with the many stated benefits
in the book there are many other teaching connections that the author has provided.
Historical fiction is not only entertaining to students, bit it can also be
used to teach different historical categories. While categories such as
ancient, medieval and colonial times are usually covered through the textbook,
they can be a lot more interesting for students if they are taught through
other formats. Historical fiction can also be used to compare and contrast the
vast amount of content that is covered. As a teacher, historical fiction can be
used to help students compare and contrast their lives with young characters in
historical fiction. This counteracts another downside to textbooks and the fact
that most textbooks don’t even use younger historical figures.
Henry’s
Freedom Box
By:
Marcia Vaughan
Titanic Book Three S.O.S
By: Ellen Levine
Henry Brown was a slave
who dreamed of freedom
but dreaded the day
that he would be torn apart
from his family. Until one
day it happened; Henry was
sold to his master’s
brother. There, Henry met
his wife and started his
own family, but still he
feared that his family
might too be torn
apart like
he once was. When Henry’s
wife and children
are sold at the slave market
Henry begins thinking
about how he can become
free. Then one day while
working at the warehouse
Henry sees a crate and
gets an idea. He will ship
himself to freedom.
The story then follows
Henry’s Journey to freedom in
his freedom box.
Up the Learning Tree
A young enslaved
boy living in the pre- civil
war south, Henry Bell risks
his life so that he can learn
how to read. He attends
school from up in a sycamore
tree. From in the tree,
Henry listens to the lessons
and tries to make sense
of letters and words. His
determination and bravery
lead him on a journey of
discovery that changes his life forever.
By: Gordon Korman
This
edition of the three
part series called
Titanic follows four younger
children aboard the boat in
its final stages. As the ship
begins to sink, it is a
race against time for the
children who are not only trying
to survive, but are also
trying to piece together a
mystery and nmask a
killer before time runs out.
Fab-4 Non Fiction
Chapter 10 Non –Fiction
Chapter ten in the Joy
of Children’s Literature discusses the non-fiction genre. According to Johnson nonfiction books have
come a long way.” From the dry recitation of facts and badly reproduced
photography” the nonfiction genre has transformed into literature that is
filled with creativity and originality. Nonfiction books not only provide
information from students, but in fact some students even prefer to read
nonfiction books over fiction books. However as a teacher it is very important
that you test the accuracy of the books that are provided for your students. If
children are given the opportunity to read nonfiction, it can prove to have
many benefits. It builds knowledge of the natural and social world, offers a
key to success in later schooling, and addresses children’s interests and
questions.
As a teacher if you use nonfiction books in your teaching it
can prove to be very beneficial. Some ideas of using nonfiction literature in
your teaching include writing letters to different cultures or even soldiers
that can be studied through nonfiction books. Assignments such as this not only
build student knowledge, but also improve writing skills. Another great example
of integrating the nonfiction genre into teaching is Anne Frank’s Diary. The
Diary of Anne Frank not only teaches history, but can also teach students the
importance of keeping a diary and how it can play a part in the future as well
as many other life lessons.
It’s a Baby African Elephant
By: Kelly Doudna
“It’s a
Baby” is a series of
books written about wild
baby animals.
Erika’s Story
Erika’s
story is a true
story of a Jewish woman
re-telling her accounts of
how her mother was
able to spare her from
the horrors of the
holocaust when she was just an infant.
Marines
This very informative
book covers many in
depth topics about the
United States Marines.
From the beginning
basics of joining and the
struggles of boot camp to the
selection of recruits
for the elite team, and the
present day missions they perform.
Fab 4-Modern Fantasy
Chapter 6 Modern
Fantasy
Chapter six
in The Joy of Children’s Literature discusses
the genre of Modern Fantasy. According to Johnson “Modern fantasy has the
ability to take us beyond the world as we know it, defying the natural laws of
physics, to a world where animals talk, people can perform magic, and other
worlds exist. Because of the never- ending ability that the mind has to imagine
the categories of modern fantasy almost seem never-ending as well. Some of
these categories include animals, toys, miniature worlds, time warps, magical
powers and preposterous characters in out of this world situation.
The joy of
teaching using modern fantasy comes from the ability to take an abstract
concept or complex idea that would normally be hard to cover in a classroom
setting and pairing it with a book that lets the reader explore the concept for
themselves, developing connections to themselves as well as the world around
them. Through reading this text, I have discovered that modern fantasies can be
used across many content areas. Categories such as time warp can be used to
teach history concepts and scientific principles. The authors of Modern Fantasy
have the ability to take the unbelievable and make it believable in the
reader’s eyes through the implementation of the basic literary elements. It is
because of this that Modern Fantasy can be used to discuss the truth in
fantasy, help students discover literary devices and learn to visualize.
Dodsworth in New York
By: Emily
Jenkins
By:
Brian Selznick
By: Time Egan
Dodsworth
in New York
follows Dodsworth
on his journey through New
York City. However
although he has always
wanted adventure, he never
could have planned for
a crazy stowaway duck
to join him along the
way. Dodsworth’s
adventure turns into
a wild duck chase
through New York City. When
everything seems to be
falling apart and
Dodsworth feels like giving up
on his adventure,
he realizes that he has
been on one all along.
Toys go Out Being the Adventures of a Knowledgeable Stingray, a Toughy Little
Buffalo, and Someone Called Plastic.
A collection of stories all
about the adventures
of a group of toys that
have come alive. Each toy
has its own personality
and it shows as they
learn about the world in
which they live and their
place in it. In addition,
each story teaches a
lesson that kids can connect
with.
Hugo Cabret
Fab 4-Picture Books
Chapter 4 Picture
books: Beyond Words and Illustrations
According to
“The Joy of Children’s Literature” written
by Denise Johnson, picture books are not just there to entertain children. In
fact picture books have many more uses and are not just intended for young
readers. Authors and illustrators work together in creating picture books where
the pictures and the words work together to create meaning as well as entertain
readers. Several studies show that “reading is a meaning making process that is
supported by children’s ability to respond to visual cues.” Other types of
picture books have a different purpose. Some work to teach lessons or morals to
young readers, while others focus on specific concepts. In the beginning of a
picture book, it is the cover that serves as a “window into the book”. It is
inside of the book where the illustrations begin working with the words,
depicting action, expression and even disposition. It is because of this
interdependence that picture books have multiple uses and can ultimately be
used at any grade level.
This great
text written by Denise Johnson provides many teaching connections in multiple
subject areas. “ Picture books can provide background knowledge as well as
deepen and extend knowledge about a diverse range of people, places, events,
concepts and experiences within any content area” (Johnson, 108) For example picture
books can also be helpful when teaching nonfiction and historical contexts. A
lot of these types of picture books are designed for an older audience. They
can help students reach a better understanding about a topic. In addition,
picture books designed for younger readers can help with teaching sequencing,
re-telling and predicting.
Ling and Ting
Ling and
Ting are two
identical oriental twins who
everyone thinks are
the same because of
their identical physical
characteristics. However
throughout the book Ling
and Ting prove that just because they are identical
twins, they are not the
same person. In fact they
are almost exactly
opposite.
By: Rachel Isadora
different princesses that just wasn’t right. Then one stormy night there is a knock on the palace door and when the palace visitor claims to be a princess the prince determines just what to do to find out if this is true.
By: Ntozake Shange
This book
is both a
literature and illustrative
tribute to the African
American community
of Ntozakechildhood. It is a great tribute to not only these men and women but also the time period as a
whole. A time where people triumphed despite tremendous adversities.
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