Bibliography
Gantos, Jack. 2000. Joey Pigza Loses Control. New York: Random House Listening Library. ISBN 1-4000-8616-7.
Plot Summary
The story begins when Joey's mom is taking him to spend the summer with his father Carter Pigza in Pittsburgh. His father has told his mother he is not drinking anymore and his alcoholism is under control. Joey wears a patch daily with medication to control his ADHD. The medicine keeps him in control. Joey knows that his mother loves him. He does not even know his dad. He plans to spend the summer with him with the desire to get his father to love him too. He begins to pitch for the baseball team that his father is coaching. He is also living with his grandmother who is grumpy and dying from emphysema. She continues to smoke between breathing with the oxygen. Joey learns that his father is hyperactive just like him. He self medicates it with alcohol. His dad is still drinking. His father takes him to Storybook Land where he has conversations with storybook characters. His father loves to talk, but never really listens to Joey. One day Joey's father flushes his nicotine patches and Joey's medicine patches away down the toilet. He does not believe they need them. Joey really wants to be normal. He tries talking to himself, but realizes he is losing it daily. During a championship game Joey ends up running away to a mall to call his mom to tell her the secret. She picks him up to bring him home.
Critical Analysis
This is the unabridged production sequel to Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key. It begins with Joey changing a patch daily with medicine to control his ADHD. When his father flushes his patches down the toilet Joey is afraid of turning into the child he used to be. He wants to believe his father that he is normal. He begins to feel more and more out of control every day. Everyone knows someone with ADHD today. Gantos lets the reader feel what it is like to be a child with ADHD. Jack Gantos, the author tells the story himself with inflection in his voice when he changes characters. The sound quality of the CD is very clear. The pronunciation was very clear. The listening experience was enjoyable. Joey does not want to go back to the child he used to be who was out of control. He feels himself slipping daily. Joey realizes that his father needs help too. Joey's father never realizes that Joey needs his medicine even though he is hyper and talkative. Their is humor in the story with Joey's pet chihuahua, and other events like when he covers his body in shave cream. It would be a great read aloud for a class.
Review Excerpt(s)
Young Readers Choice Award 2003
John Newberry Medal 2001
ALSC Notable recording
AudioFile Earphones Award
Booklist (Susan Dove 2000): "Gantos has given Joey a remarkably vivid personality, and, blending irrepressible humor with a powerful depiction of a child's longing for normalcy, he has written a dead-on portrayal of a young person assessing the often self-serving behavior of the adults who control his life."
Children's Literature (Susan Wilde): "Gantos' writing excellence shows in the way he allows the reader to draw conclusions, while Joey only experiences situations. Gantos still gives us what we love best about Joey--neither medicine nor a bad situation can take away his comic responses."
Kirkus 2000: "A tragic tale in many ways, but a triumph too."
VOYA 2001(Ruth Cox): "Through Joey's narration, Gantos brilliantly portrays the often-manic pace of an ADHD mind, but he alleviates the tension with touches of humor."
Connections
-Read Joey Pigza Swallows the Key
-Read the story aloud. Stop and discuss the book.
- Students write a postcard about Joey has done with his dad. Draw a picture on one side.
-Students in a small group write a reader's theater scene from their favorite part of the book.
- Students make baseball cards depicting each of the characters (mom, Carter, Grandma, Pablo)
-interview someone with ADHD. Compare the person they interviewed to Joey.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf: a year told through stuff - Genre 6
Bibliography
Holm, Jennifer L. 2007. Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf. Illustrated by Elicia Castaldi. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689852819.
Plot Summary
Jennifer Holm tells about the year of a seventh grade girl named Ginny Davis in middle school. The book begins with a back to school list and Ginny's to do list with ten items. The reader learns about Ginny and her family during her seventh grade year in school. The reader learns that her father was killed by a drunk driver. She has a five year old brother that drives her crazy at times. She has an older brother that gets in trouble with her family and then ends up in trouble with the law. She has a grandfather in Florida. Her mom gets remarried to a man named Bob whom Ginny has to get used to. The reader learns of her first kiss, problems with a friend who gets the part she wants in the Nutcracker and the brain project for the science fair. She loves to look for advice in magazines and horoscopes which end up with disappointment and repair bills. The story ends at the end of the school year with a to do list for Summer.
Critical Analysis
Jennifer Holm writes a creative story about Ginny Davis during her seventh grade year. The reader learns about Ginny and her family through top ten to do lists, bank statements, hand written notes to her friends and mom (Management), horoscopes, cards from Grandpa, English compositions, report cards, receipts, repair bills, instant messages, pictures, and drawings. The reader has to pay attention to everything on the page. The pages are very colorful and the printing, cursive writing, and font change quickly. You don't feel like you are reading a story. You feel like you are eavesdropping on the life of a twelve year old girl in seventh grade. The pictures and drawings add details to the story. The writing is clever. You need to read everything on the page carefully. Ginny reads about taking a bubble bath and then you find a receipt where she buys the items and then you find a few pages later a plumbing repair bill. The writing is humorous at times too. It is an enjoyable light hearted read.
Review Excerpt(s)
2008-2009 Texas Lone Star Reading List
Capital Choice 2008
Booklist (Suzanne Harold 2007): "Hidden among the detritus of a life lies a touching, funny story of Ginny’s tumultuous year as her mother remarries, her brother’s pranks escalate, and she struggles to find a new best friend. While none of the themes are explored deeply, the book makes a fun, appealing read."
Children's Literature (Mary Quattlebaum): "The form is brilliant and the voice fresh and funny."
Kirkus 2007: "Humor balances the serious issues. Middle-school readers will recognize Ginny's world and enjoy piecing together the plot through the bits and pieces of "stuff" depicted in Castaldi's collages."
Horn Book 2008: "A well-rounded portrait of Ginny and her family shines through the concise entries."
Connections
Holm, Jennifer L. 2007. Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf. Illustrated by Elicia Castaldi. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689852819.
Plot Summary
Jennifer Holm tells about the year of a seventh grade girl named Ginny Davis in middle school. The book begins with a back to school list and Ginny's to do list with ten items. The reader learns about Ginny and her family during her seventh grade year in school. The reader learns that her father was killed by a drunk driver. She has a five year old brother that drives her crazy at times. She has an older brother that gets in trouble with her family and then ends up in trouble with the law. She has a grandfather in Florida. Her mom gets remarried to a man named Bob whom Ginny has to get used to. The reader learns of her first kiss, problems with a friend who gets the part she wants in the Nutcracker and the brain project for the science fair. She loves to look for advice in magazines and horoscopes which end up with disappointment and repair bills. The story ends at the end of the school year with a to do list for Summer.
Critical Analysis
Jennifer Holm writes a creative story about Ginny Davis during her seventh grade year. The reader learns about Ginny and her family through top ten to do lists, bank statements, hand written notes to her friends and mom (Management), horoscopes, cards from Grandpa, English compositions, report cards, receipts, repair bills, instant messages, pictures, and drawings. The reader has to pay attention to everything on the page. The pages are very colorful and the printing, cursive writing, and font change quickly. You don't feel like you are reading a story. You feel like you are eavesdropping on the life of a twelve year old girl in seventh grade. The pictures and drawings add details to the story. The writing is clever. You need to read everything on the page carefully. Ginny reads about taking a bubble bath and then you find a receipt where she buys the items and then you find a few pages later a plumbing repair bill. The writing is humorous at times too. It is an enjoyable light hearted read.
Review Excerpt(s)
2008-2009 Texas Lone Star Reading List
Capital Choice 2008
Booklist (Suzanne Harold 2007): "Hidden among the detritus of a life lies a touching, funny story of Ginny’s tumultuous year as her mother remarries, her brother’s pranks escalate, and she struggles to find a new best friend. While none of the themes are explored deeply, the book makes a fun, appealing read."
Children's Literature (Mary Quattlebaum): "The form is brilliant and the voice fresh and funny."
Kirkus 2007: "Humor balances the serious issues. Middle-school readers will recognize Ginny's world and enjoy piecing together the plot through the bits and pieces of "stuff" depicted in Castaldi's collages."
Horn Book 2008: "A well-rounded portrait of Ginny and her family shines through the concise entries."
Connections
-Students can compare and contrast their life to Ginny Davis
-Separate students into groups. Groups hold discussions on the book. There is so much in the book everyone may find something different to add to the conversation.
-Each group reads another graphic novel to compare this one to it.
Monday, July 20, 2009
How I Live Now - Genre 6
Bibliography
Rosoff, Meg. 2004. How I Live Now. New York: Wendy Lamb Books. ISBN 0-553-37605-5.
Plot Summary
Fifteen-year-old Daisy leaves her home and life in New York to live with her Aunt Penn and cousins that she has only seen in photographs. She is battling anorexia and her stepmother. Her mother has died and her father has remarried. She is sent to England to live with her mother's sister on their farm while her father and stepmother are expecting a baby. She meets her cousins Osbert (16), Isaac and Edmond (14 year old twins) and Piper (9). She falls in love with Edmond and has her first sexual relationship with him. This is written very subtly. While her aunt is out of the country war breaks out in England. Daisy is forced to leave their home and she takes Piper with her. She learns to survive on her own and take care of Piper. She is separated from her other cousins, but can have conversations with Edmond in her head. Daisy and Piper make it back to their farm, but animals and people are all dead. Her cousins were nowhere to be found. Her father brings her back to the states. Six years later, when the war is ending, Daisy goes back to England. Edmond is angry with her for leaving him, and has shut the world out. She keeps talking to him to make him understand that she loves him. It ends with her deciding she belongs with Edmond.
Critical Analysis
This story is told in first person by Daisy. Teenagers can identify with Daisy. It is written like a teenager would think or talk. It is fast paced. At times she is talking to herself outloud. There is a balance of narration and dialogue. She is a fifteen-year-old who can not live with her father and stepmother any more in New York. Her father sends her to England to live with her deceased mother's sister and her family on a farm. While she was in New York she was suffering from anorexia. She would starve herself to be in control of her life at home. While living on the farm Daisy falls in love emotionally and sexually with her cousin Edmond. Her aunt has to leave England for a short time and the children are on the farm by themselves. Soldiers invade the farm while war breaks out and England is in the war. Daisy finds herself in the middle of a war. The soldiers separate Daisy and Piper from Edmond and Isaac. Daisy finds herself having to keep Piper and herself alive in a country she is not familiar with. She also discovers that she no longer wants to starve herself. She has to deal with finding food to survive. The reader experiences the horrible attrocities of war through a teenagers eyes. Daisy learns to love and survive in this story. The end of the story takes us six years in the future. The story ends on a feeling of hope.
Review Excerpt(s)
Best Books for Young Adults (2005)
Michael L Printz Award (2005)
Booklist (Jennifer Mattson): "the ominous prognostication of what a third world war might look like, and the opportunity it provides for teens to imagine themselves, like Daisy, exhibiting courage and resilience in roles traditionally occupied by earlier generations."
CCBC (2005): "They endure some horrific wartime episodes, including checkpoints, murders, massacres, and starvation. The hunger they experience is used both literally and as a metaphor for longing, and Daisy’s physical and emotional hungers become enmeshed in this sophisticated, gripping novel. "
Kirkus 2004: "The story of Daisy and her three exceptional cousins, one of whom becomes her first lover, offers a keen perspective on human courage and resilience."
Timnah Card 2004: "Throughout, the paradisiacal setting of the English countryside and the wretched, sometimes horrifyingly violent lives of the embattled people who live there are presented with such luxurious, terrible realism that readers will remain absorbed to the very end by this unforgettable and original story."
VOYA (Ruth Cox): "the emotional bond between Daisy and Edmond is so strong that Daisy can sense him lying beside her at night although they are apart."
Connections (for junior high or high school students)
-Research about eating disorders.
-Daisy has an eating disorder. Write about how this contributes to the novel?
- Write about which character changed the most in the novel?
- Discuss what would happen if war broke out in our country?
Rosoff, Meg. 2004. How I Live Now. New York: Wendy Lamb Books. ISBN 0-553-37605-5.
Plot Summary
Fifteen-year-old Daisy leaves her home and life in New York to live with her Aunt Penn and cousins that she has only seen in photographs. She is battling anorexia and her stepmother. Her mother has died and her father has remarried. She is sent to England to live with her mother's sister on their farm while her father and stepmother are expecting a baby. She meets her cousins Osbert (16), Isaac and Edmond (14 year old twins) and Piper (9). She falls in love with Edmond and has her first sexual relationship with him. This is written very subtly. While her aunt is out of the country war breaks out in England. Daisy is forced to leave their home and she takes Piper with her. She learns to survive on her own and take care of Piper. She is separated from her other cousins, but can have conversations with Edmond in her head. Daisy and Piper make it back to their farm, but animals and people are all dead. Her cousins were nowhere to be found. Her father brings her back to the states. Six years later, when the war is ending, Daisy goes back to England. Edmond is angry with her for leaving him, and has shut the world out. She keeps talking to him to make him understand that she loves him. It ends with her deciding she belongs with Edmond.
Critical Analysis
This story is told in first person by Daisy. Teenagers can identify with Daisy. It is written like a teenager would think or talk. It is fast paced. At times she is talking to herself outloud. There is a balance of narration and dialogue. She is a fifteen-year-old who can not live with her father and stepmother any more in New York. Her father sends her to England to live with her deceased mother's sister and her family on a farm. While she was in New York she was suffering from anorexia. She would starve herself to be in control of her life at home. While living on the farm Daisy falls in love emotionally and sexually with her cousin Edmond. Her aunt has to leave England for a short time and the children are on the farm by themselves. Soldiers invade the farm while war breaks out and England is in the war. Daisy finds herself in the middle of a war. The soldiers separate Daisy and Piper from Edmond and Isaac. Daisy finds herself having to keep Piper and herself alive in a country she is not familiar with. She also discovers that she no longer wants to starve herself. She has to deal with finding food to survive. The reader experiences the horrible attrocities of war through a teenagers eyes. Daisy learns to love and survive in this story. The end of the story takes us six years in the future. The story ends on a feeling of hope.
Review Excerpt(s)
Best Books for Young Adults (2005)
Michael L Printz Award (2005)
Booklist (Jennifer Mattson): "the ominous prognostication of what a third world war might look like, and the opportunity it provides for teens to imagine themselves, like Daisy, exhibiting courage and resilience in roles traditionally occupied by earlier generations."
CCBC (2005): "They endure some horrific wartime episodes, including checkpoints, murders, massacres, and starvation. The hunger they experience is used both literally and as a metaphor for longing, and Daisy’s physical and emotional hungers become enmeshed in this sophisticated, gripping novel. "
Kirkus 2004: "The story of Daisy and her three exceptional cousins, one of whom becomes her first lover, offers a keen perspective on human courage and resilience."
Timnah Card 2004: "Throughout, the paradisiacal setting of the English countryside and the wretched, sometimes horrifyingly violent lives of the embattled people who live there are presented with such luxurious, terrible realism that readers will remain absorbed to the very end by this unforgettable and original story."
VOYA (Ruth Cox): "the emotional bond between Daisy and Edmond is so strong that Daisy can sense him lying beside her at night although they are apart."
Connections (for junior high or high school students)
-Research about eating disorders.
-Daisy has an eating disorder. Write about how this contributes to the novel?
- Write about which character changed the most in the novel?
- Discuss what would happen if war broke out in our country?
Saturday, July 11, 2009
The River Between Us - Genre 5
Bibliography
Peck, Richard. 2003. The River Between Us. New York: Dial Books. ISBN 0-8037-2735-6.
Plot Summary
Peck writes a historical novel set in the small town of Grand Tower, Illinois on the Mississippi River. The main character is Tilly Pruitt who tells the story of her family in first person to her fifteen year old family member. Two young women arrive on a steamboat from New Orleans right at the start of the Civil War. Delphine is a beautiful, young woman who appears to be traveling with her servant Calinda to St. Louis. They decide to stay in Grand Tower at Tilly's home in a spare room for a while. Peck begins the story in 1916 while a father and his three sons are on their way to visit family in Grand Tower. He backs up to 1861 to retell the story. Tilly's brother Noah falls in love with Delphine before going off to war to fight for the north. Tilly's mother can not live without her son and sends Tilly to bring him home. Tilly and Delphine find the camp in Cairo where her brother and many other soldiers are very sick with dysentery and measles. They nurse him to health. Noah goes off to battle to fight and returns without an arm. Tilly and Delphine must nurse him back to health again and return home with him. The ending of the story goes back to 1916 and is finished being told by Howard Hutchings as many family secrets are revealed.
Critical Analysis
This story begins in 1916 when World War 1 was raging in Europe and a dad and his three sons were traveling to visit family in Grand Tower, Illinois. The dad tells the story of a woman ghost who haunts where he used to live. The beginning of the story captures the readers attention in the detail of how a Model T Ford had to be started, an egg placed in the radiator, and how they had to carry a pump to fill the tires when they went flat. While the dad is visiting with a dying Aunt Delphine, Grandma Tilly tells the story of their family to the young boy. He learns about the horrible atrocities of war since Dr. Hutchings was a doctor during the Civil War and his Uncle Noah lost his arm in that war. He learns that his great Uncle actually was fighting against his own father in the Battle of Belmont. He also learns about racism and prejudice when he learns the truth about Delphine and how she was called a "quadroon" because she was a product of placage system (rich white men taking free black women as mistresses). I did not know anything about this system that took place during the nineteenth century in New Orleans. Peck gives details about the "gens de couleur". The characters are complex. The reader is treated to a surprise ending. The family has many more secrets than anyone realized. Peck did a lot of research on the Civil War, and used real towns to recreate the setting for his characters and their intriguing story. The authentic dialogue and the many facts woven in this story won me over to Historical Fiction.
Review Excerpt(s)
Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction 2004
Parents' Choice Award 2003
Best Books for Young Adults 2004
Young Reader's Choice Award 2006
Booklist 2003 (Hazel Rochman): "Peck's spare writing has never been more eloquent than in this powerful mystery in which personal secrets drive the plot and reveal the history."
Children's Literature (Susie Wilde): "The strength of the two characters and the relationship they establish transcends the horrors of war and the prejudices of gender and race, and highlight lesser known historical facts and make them real."
Children's Literature (Sharon Salluzzo): "Unforgettable characters and handsome prose make this book one you won't want to miss. "
CCBC 2004: "Family secrets are gradually revealed, like peeling layers of wallpaper."
Kirkus 2003: "Peck writes beautifully, bringing history alive through Tilly's marvelous voice and deftly handling themes of family, race, war, and history. A rich tale full of magic, mystery, and surprise. "
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 2003(Elizabeth Bush): "This slim but potent storyline delivers a final punch that knocks family relationships on their ear and challenges Howard--and readers--to ponder how a seemingly quaint and antiquated system of racism can reach across generations. Historical fiction fans should enter this at the top of the must-read list."
VOYA (Jing Cao): " Mixing vibrant characters, a gripping plot, and historical facts, Peck cooks a literary gumbo worthy of New Orleans' finest chefs."
Connections (grades 6 and up)
- Draw a map of the Mississippi River from New Orleans to St. Louis. Include the towns of Grand Tower, Cairo, and Carbondale. Trace the trip of the characters Delphine,Calinda, Noah, and Howard Leland Hutchings.
-Construct a timeline of the important dates in this book. Lincoln's Inauguration, The Battle of Bull Run, The Battle of Belmont. Include five events from the story on this timeline.
-At the end of the story we find out that Calinda moved to California. Write a letter from Calinda to Delphine and the Pruitts. Describe what happened to her on the journey west.
-Peck uses a lot of imagery in his words. List a few of his phrases and tell what they mean.
-study about life as a Confederate or Union Soldier.
Peck, Richard. 2003. The River Between Us. New York: Dial Books. ISBN 0-8037-2735-6.
Plot Summary
Peck writes a historical novel set in the small town of Grand Tower, Illinois on the Mississippi River. The main character is Tilly Pruitt who tells the story of her family in first person to her fifteen year old family member. Two young women arrive on a steamboat from New Orleans right at the start of the Civil War. Delphine is a beautiful, young woman who appears to be traveling with her servant Calinda to St. Louis. They decide to stay in Grand Tower at Tilly's home in a spare room for a while. Peck begins the story in 1916 while a father and his three sons are on their way to visit family in Grand Tower. He backs up to 1861 to retell the story. Tilly's brother Noah falls in love with Delphine before going off to war to fight for the north. Tilly's mother can not live without her son and sends Tilly to bring him home. Tilly and Delphine find the camp in Cairo where her brother and many other soldiers are very sick with dysentery and measles. They nurse him to health. Noah goes off to battle to fight and returns without an arm. Tilly and Delphine must nurse him back to health again and return home with him. The ending of the story goes back to 1916 and is finished being told by Howard Hutchings as many family secrets are revealed.
Critical Analysis
This story begins in 1916 when World War 1 was raging in Europe and a dad and his three sons were traveling to visit family in Grand Tower, Illinois. The dad tells the story of a woman ghost who haunts where he used to live. The beginning of the story captures the readers attention in the detail of how a Model T Ford had to be started, an egg placed in the radiator, and how they had to carry a pump to fill the tires when they went flat. While the dad is visiting with a dying Aunt Delphine, Grandma Tilly tells the story of their family to the young boy. He learns about the horrible atrocities of war since Dr. Hutchings was a doctor during the Civil War and his Uncle Noah lost his arm in that war. He learns that his great Uncle actually was fighting against his own father in the Battle of Belmont. He also learns about racism and prejudice when he learns the truth about Delphine and how she was called a "quadroon" because she was a product of placage system (rich white men taking free black women as mistresses). I did not know anything about this system that took place during the nineteenth century in New Orleans. Peck gives details about the "gens de couleur". The characters are complex. The reader is treated to a surprise ending. The family has many more secrets than anyone realized. Peck did a lot of research on the Civil War, and used real towns to recreate the setting for his characters and their intriguing story. The authentic dialogue and the many facts woven in this story won me over to Historical Fiction.
Review Excerpt(s)
Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction 2004
Parents' Choice Award 2003
Best Books for Young Adults 2004
Young Reader's Choice Award 2006
Booklist 2003 (Hazel Rochman): "Peck's spare writing has never been more eloquent than in this powerful mystery in which personal secrets drive the plot and reveal the history."
Children's Literature (Susie Wilde): "The strength of the two characters and the relationship they establish transcends the horrors of war and the prejudices of gender and race, and highlight lesser known historical facts and make them real."
Children's Literature (Sharon Salluzzo): "Unforgettable characters and handsome prose make this book one you won't want to miss. "
CCBC 2004: "Family secrets are gradually revealed, like peeling layers of wallpaper."
Kirkus 2003: "Peck writes beautifully, bringing history alive through Tilly's marvelous voice and deftly handling themes of family, race, war, and history. A rich tale full of magic, mystery, and surprise. "
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 2003(Elizabeth Bush): "This slim but potent storyline delivers a final punch that knocks family relationships on their ear and challenges Howard--and readers--to ponder how a seemingly quaint and antiquated system of racism can reach across generations. Historical fiction fans should enter this at the top of the must-read list."
VOYA (Jing Cao): " Mixing vibrant characters, a gripping plot, and historical facts, Peck cooks a literary gumbo worthy of New Orleans' finest chefs."
Connections (grades 6 and up)
- Draw a map of the Mississippi River from New Orleans to St. Louis. Include the towns of Grand Tower, Cairo, and Carbondale. Trace the trip of the characters Delphine,Calinda, Noah, and Howard Leland Hutchings.
-Construct a timeline of the important dates in this book. Lincoln's Inauguration, The Battle of Bull Run, The Battle of Belmont. Include five events from the story on this timeline.
-At the end of the story we find out that Calinda moved to California. Write a letter from Calinda to Delphine and the Pruitts. Describe what happened to her on the journey west.
-Peck uses a lot of imagery in his words. List a few of his phrases and tell what they mean.
-study about life as a Confederate or Union Soldier.
Island of the Blue Dolphins - Genre 5
Bibliography
O’Dell, Scott. 1960. Island of the Blue Dolphins. New York: Del Laurel Leaf. ISBN 0-440-94000-1
Plot Summary
This is a historical novel set on an isolated island off the California coast. This island was first settled by Indians about 2000 B.C. The story is built around a girl named Karana. The story states that a ship of white men are taking the Indians of Ghalas-at off the island when a girl sees her brother left behind on the island. She jumps into the sea to stay with her brother until they return. The story is known to history as The Lost Woman of San Nicolas.
Karana’s younger brother is killed by wild dogs very quickly. She is left alone to learn how to hunt for food to eat, build a shelter, build weapons, and survive all alone. She has to protect herself if her enemies, the Aleuts come back to hunt for otter. The story shows the reader how much courage Karana has. She makes friends with one of the wild dogs, and tames a few birds on the island. She lived eighteen years on this island all alone. She realizes at the end as she is leaving with the white men that she was happy on the Island of the Blue Dolphins.
Critical Analysis
This is a true story of a girls fight for survival on an island alone. The story is told by Karana and she explains all of the hardships she has to endure on the island. She shows us how difficult daily life is on an island. Women of her tribe were never allowed to hunt or make weapons. She has to overcome the fear of doing these jobs to survive on her own. She remembers her father saying that “the weapons would break in her hands at the moment when her life was in danger” (p.58). Women were not allowed to do this kind of work in her tribe. She befriends a wild dog which she names Rontu. She is not as lonely with him around. She keeps track of time by passing moons and seasons. After many years she stops keeping track of time. This heroine survives everything including an earthquake and a tidal wave on her own before she is rescued after eighteen years. She lived a difficult life with almost no possessions, yet she was happy. People today have an easier life with so many possessions, and some are never happy. O’Dell provides an Author’s Note at the end of the book telling the true history behind the story.
Review Excerpt(s)
John Newbery Medal 1961
Flicker Tale Children’s Book Award 1983
Children’s Literature (Marilyn Courtot): “Her survival story--fighting the wild dogs and loneliness, hunting for food, and hoping to be rescued--is spellbinding.”
Library Journal, Starred: “A haunting and unusual story.”
Chicago Tribune: “Island of the Blue Dolphins has the timeless enduring quality of a classic.”
Horn Book: “Strange and beautiful, revealing courage, serenity, and greatness of spirit.”
Booklist: “A moving and unforgettable story.”
Connections (this book is definitely for grades 6 and up)
-Geography lesson creating a map of the island based on chapter 2.
- Science lesson on the types of animals found around this island.
- Research more of the history about The Lost Woman of San Nicolas.
-Make clay models of the tools that Karana had to make to survive.
- Research to learn about the culture of the Indians on this island.
-Describe how Karana shows courage. Compare her courage to a character of another book using a thinking map.
-In small groups plan a survival strategy if they were on an island alone. Is their plan similar to Karana’s? What would they do differently.
O’Dell, Scott. 1960. Island of the Blue Dolphins. New York: Del Laurel Leaf. ISBN 0-440-94000-1
Plot Summary
This is a historical novel set on an isolated island off the California coast. This island was first settled by Indians about 2000 B.C. The story is built around a girl named Karana. The story states that a ship of white men are taking the Indians of Ghalas-at off the island when a girl sees her brother left behind on the island. She jumps into the sea to stay with her brother until they return. The story is known to history as The Lost Woman of San Nicolas.
Karana’s younger brother is killed by wild dogs very quickly. She is left alone to learn how to hunt for food to eat, build a shelter, build weapons, and survive all alone. She has to protect herself if her enemies, the Aleuts come back to hunt for otter. The story shows the reader how much courage Karana has. She makes friends with one of the wild dogs, and tames a few birds on the island. She lived eighteen years on this island all alone. She realizes at the end as she is leaving with the white men that she was happy on the Island of the Blue Dolphins.
Critical Analysis
This is a true story of a girls fight for survival on an island alone. The story is told by Karana and she explains all of the hardships she has to endure on the island. She shows us how difficult daily life is on an island. Women of her tribe were never allowed to hunt or make weapons. She has to overcome the fear of doing these jobs to survive on her own. She remembers her father saying that “the weapons would break in her hands at the moment when her life was in danger” (p.58). Women were not allowed to do this kind of work in her tribe. She befriends a wild dog which she names Rontu. She is not as lonely with him around. She keeps track of time by passing moons and seasons. After many years she stops keeping track of time. This heroine survives everything including an earthquake and a tidal wave on her own before she is rescued after eighteen years. She lived a difficult life with almost no possessions, yet she was happy. People today have an easier life with so many possessions, and some are never happy. O’Dell provides an Author’s Note at the end of the book telling the true history behind the story.
Review Excerpt(s)
John Newbery Medal 1961
Flicker Tale Children’s Book Award 1983
Children’s Literature (Marilyn Courtot): “Her survival story--fighting the wild dogs and loneliness, hunting for food, and hoping to be rescued--is spellbinding.”
Library Journal, Starred: “A haunting and unusual story.”
Chicago Tribune: “Island of the Blue Dolphins has the timeless enduring quality of a classic.”
Horn Book: “Strange and beautiful, revealing courage, serenity, and greatness of spirit.”
Booklist: “A moving and unforgettable story.”
Connections (this book is definitely for grades 6 and up)
-Geography lesson creating a map of the island based on chapter 2.
- Science lesson on the types of animals found around this island.
- Research more of the history about The Lost Woman of San Nicolas.
-Make clay models of the tools that Karana had to make to survive.
- Research to learn about the culture of the Indians on this island.
-Describe how Karana shows courage. Compare her courage to a character of another book using a thinking map.
-In small groups plan a survival strategy if they were on an island alone. Is their plan similar to Karana’s? What would they do differently.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
The Midwife's Apprentice -Genre 5
Bibliography
Cushman, Karen. 1996. The Midwife’s Apprentice. Narrated by Jenny Sterlin. Prince Frederick ,Maryland: Recorded Books, Inc. 1996. ISBN 1-4025-2320-3.
Plot Summmary
The story begins with an an orphan in the 14th century in medieval England. The orphan doesn’t even know her name. Everyone calls her “Brat” at the beginning. She is sleeping near a heap of dung when the Midwife Jane finds her. She calls her “Beetle” which is short for dungbeetle. She is hungry and begs Jane to let her work for food. Beetle befriends a cat that she calls “Purr”.
Jane, the midwife is never very nice to Beetle, but she does give her a little food for her work. Beetle observes everything she can while she is working with Jane. She learns to gather herbs and make poultices to help ease the pain for women during childbirth. She is forced to help deliver a baby by herself and she can’t do it and runs away.
She becomes an inn girl. She is still working for food. The midwife comes looking for her. She overhears her say that she was the best apprentice she has had. It is too bad she gave up. In the city someone mistakes her for a girl named Alyce that can read. She changes her name to Alyce. She tells us there are only 3 things she really wants in life.
1. A full belly
2. Contented heart
3. A place in this world
She helps deliver a baby where the husband thought his wife had a stomach worm at the inn. After she delivers the baby she has two offers to stay at the inn, and a gentleman that was teaching her to read and write offers for her to come and take care of his sister. She realizes what she really wants is to become a midwife’s apprentice. She still has much to learn. She goes back to Jane who doesn’t welcome her at first. She has to tell her that she will not leave, or give up before Jane opens to the door to let her back in. Now she has everything she wanted in life.
Critical Analysis
I listened to the unabridged recorded version of this book. It was 2.75 hours long on 3 CD’s. I am a visual learner so it was a little difficult to not have the book in front of me. I listened to it in the car on my drive to my vacation. Jenny Sterlin read with very clear diction. She was the only reader. The sound quality was very clear with no background noise and acceptable volume. There were closing comments that told about the reader. The story seemed to be read with a sadness that was similar to the story. The story was not lively. A strength of listening to it being read was understanding the pronunciation of the vocabulary. Cushman painted a picture of what the 14th century was like. The main character “Brat”/”Beetle”/”Alyce” is introduced as a very frail, hungry child trying to find somewhere warm to sleep. She is picked on by the young boys in the village. She is told that she is stupid and ugly. Her only friend is a cat that she befriends.
She is taken in by a midwife named Jane who is tough and not kind with her words. She is also a very greedy woman. Jane provides her with a place to sleep and food. She begins to learn from Jane.
As Beetle becomes stronger and brave in the story she changes her name to Alyce because “You could love someone named Alyce”. Alyce learns to read and write. She does become afraid and runs away, but realizes that becoming a midwife is what she wants to become and goes back to continue being an apprentice under Jane. This is her place in this world.
Review Excerpt(s)
Kliatt (Sue Rosenzweig) : "This Newbery Award-winning book is given the marvelous performance in British English that it well deserves. In a multivoiced narration, Sterlin reads with such meaning, clarity, and impeccable diction that even unfamiliar vocabulary becomes accessible."
Recorded Books: "Lyrical yet unsentimental, The Midwife’s Apprentice won the coveted 1996 Newbery Medal. Filled with striking characters, it paints unforgettable pictures of village life in the Middle Ages, the midwife’s craft, and a very remarkable girl’s growing independence and pride."
Audiofile (Robin MacFarlane) : "Alice's feelings about being cold, hungry and alone, and the musings that lead to her discovery of confidence and courage"
John Newberry Book Winner 1996
Young Readers Choice Award 1998
Connections:
-Discuss how medicine has changed since medieval times.
-What would the role of the midwife be in modern times compared to medieval times.
-Analyze the vocabulary from the text.
-Write a scene from the story from another person’s point of view. Not Alyce.
-Alyce has met two challenges of becoming a midwife and learning to read/write. Students write about a challenge they have given up on or overcome.
Cushman, Karen. 1996. The Midwife’s Apprentice. Narrated by Jenny Sterlin. Prince Frederick ,Maryland: Recorded Books, Inc. 1996. ISBN 1-4025-2320-3.
Plot Summmary
The story begins with an an orphan in the 14th century in medieval England. The orphan doesn’t even know her name. Everyone calls her “Brat” at the beginning. She is sleeping near a heap of dung when the Midwife Jane finds her. She calls her “Beetle” which is short for dungbeetle. She is hungry and begs Jane to let her work for food. Beetle befriends a cat that she calls “Purr”.
Jane, the midwife is never very nice to Beetle, but she does give her a little food for her work. Beetle observes everything she can while she is working with Jane. She learns to gather herbs and make poultices to help ease the pain for women during childbirth. She is forced to help deliver a baby by herself and she can’t do it and runs away.
She becomes an inn girl. She is still working for food. The midwife comes looking for her. She overhears her say that she was the best apprentice she has had. It is too bad she gave up. In the city someone mistakes her for a girl named Alyce that can read. She changes her name to Alyce. She tells us there are only 3 things she really wants in life.
1. A full belly
2. Contented heart
3. A place in this world
She helps deliver a baby where the husband thought his wife had a stomach worm at the inn. After she delivers the baby she has two offers to stay at the inn, and a gentleman that was teaching her to read and write offers for her to come and take care of his sister. She realizes what she really wants is to become a midwife’s apprentice. She still has much to learn. She goes back to Jane who doesn’t welcome her at first. She has to tell her that she will not leave, or give up before Jane opens to the door to let her back in. Now she has everything she wanted in life.
Critical Analysis
I listened to the unabridged recorded version of this book. It was 2.75 hours long on 3 CD’s. I am a visual learner so it was a little difficult to not have the book in front of me. I listened to it in the car on my drive to my vacation. Jenny Sterlin read with very clear diction. She was the only reader. The sound quality was very clear with no background noise and acceptable volume. There were closing comments that told about the reader. The story seemed to be read with a sadness that was similar to the story. The story was not lively. A strength of listening to it being read was understanding the pronunciation of the vocabulary. Cushman painted a picture of what the 14th century was like. The main character “Brat”/”Beetle”/”Alyce” is introduced as a very frail, hungry child trying to find somewhere warm to sleep. She is picked on by the young boys in the village. She is told that she is stupid and ugly. Her only friend is a cat that she befriends.
She is taken in by a midwife named Jane who is tough and not kind with her words. She is also a very greedy woman. Jane provides her with a place to sleep and food. She begins to learn from Jane.
As Beetle becomes stronger and brave in the story she changes her name to Alyce because “You could love someone named Alyce”. Alyce learns to read and write. She does become afraid and runs away, but realizes that becoming a midwife is what she wants to become and goes back to continue being an apprentice under Jane. This is her place in this world.
Review Excerpt(s)
Kliatt (Sue Rosenzweig) : "This Newbery Award-winning book is given the marvelous performance in British English that it well deserves. In a multivoiced narration, Sterlin reads with such meaning, clarity, and impeccable diction that even unfamiliar vocabulary becomes accessible."
Recorded Books: "Lyrical yet unsentimental, The Midwife’s Apprentice won the coveted 1996 Newbery Medal. Filled with striking characters, it paints unforgettable pictures of village life in the Middle Ages, the midwife’s craft, and a very remarkable girl’s growing independence and pride."
Audiofile (Robin MacFarlane) : "Alice's feelings about being cold, hungry and alone, and the musings that lead to her discovery of confidence and courage"
John Newberry Book Winner 1996
Young Readers Choice Award 1998
Connections:
-Discuss how medicine has changed since medieval times.
-What would the role of the midwife be in modern times compared to medieval times.
-Analyze the vocabulary from the text.
-Write a scene from the story from another person’s point of view. Not Alyce.
-Alyce has met two challenges of becoming a midwife and learning to read/write. Students write about a challenge they have given up on or overcome.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
The Wall Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain- Genre 4
Bibliography
Sis, Peter. 2007. The Wall Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain. New York: Frances Goster Books. ISBN 978-0-374-34701-7
Plot Summary
In this autobiography Sis tells the reader how he has wanted to draw all of his life. He grows up in the country of Czechoslovakia when WWII has ended, but it is occupied by the Soviets. He is living on the side of the Iron Curtain that is ruled by communism and symbols of it are everywhere. Sis loves to draw at home, but he is told what to draw at school. Everything in his life is compulsory or discouraged. The Iron Curtain strengthens as tensions increase with the Cold War. As Sis becomes older he realizes the government keeps secrets from him and people are being brainwashed. His love for drawing continues and with that comes a love for Western music such as Elvis, Beach Boys, and The Beatles. He wants to grow his hair long, but the government will not allow that. Art begins to appear on the wall. "People are followed, monitored, harassed, imprisoned, deported, and tortured." He dreams of being free flying over the wall. Finally, his dream comes true when the Berlin wall begins to come down. Sis moves to America to become an artist.
Critical Analysis
This is definitely not a picture book for young children. This is written for teenagers and up who are familiar with the Cold War and history. The basic text is easy to read and does not contain many words. There is an introduction and an afterword that explains more about his life. He begins with three basic words (Iron Curtain, Cold War, and Communism) with their definitions bordering the picture of an infant.
The book is organized from the time Sis is an infant until he is an adult. Most of the drawings are in black and white. Everything that is a symbol of communism is painted in red which really stands out on the pages. There are sidebars of text next to some of the pictures to explain what is happening. Their are dated inserts from his journal beginning in 1954 to June of 1977. The journal pages have drawings mixed with real photographs. The use of bright colors represents influences from the West on a double page spread. The pictures he draws of all the police have pig faces. The bright colors are seen again when people are painting the Wall over and over. Sis uses double page pictures of all the ways he dreams to escape. Text and pictures come together on the double page of the Berlin wall with positive words such as ( freedom, truth, happiness, virtue, art etc.) on one side of the wall. Negative words are in gray such as (stupidity, fear, suspicion, corruption etc.) on the communist side. The last double page picture is bordered by text explaining how the Wall fell from Communist control on November 9, 1989. His dream came true.
Sis, Peter. 2007. The Wall Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain. New York: Frances Goster Books. ISBN 978-0-374-34701-7
Plot Summary
In this autobiography Sis tells the reader how he has wanted to draw all of his life. He grows up in the country of Czechoslovakia when WWII has ended, but it is occupied by the Soviets. He is living on the side of the Iron Curtain that is ruled by communism and symbols of it are everywhere. Sis loves to draw at home, but he is told what to draw at school. Everything in his life is compulsory or discouraged. The Iron Curtain strengthens as tensions increase with the Cold War. As Sis becomes older he realizes the government keeps secrets from him and people are being brainwashed. His love for drawing continues and with that comes a love for Western music such as Elvis, Beach Boys, and The Beatles. He wants to grow his hair long, but the government will not allow that. Art begins to appear on the wall. "People are followed, monitored, harassed, imprisoned, deported, and tortured." He dreams of being free flying over the wall. Finally, his dream comes true when the Berlin wall begins to come down. Sis moves to America to become an artist.
Critical Analysis
This is definitely not a picture book for young children. This is written for teenagers and up who are familiar with the Cold War and history. The basic text is easy to read and does not contain many words. There is an introduction and an afterword that explains more about his life. He begins with three basic words (Iron Curtain, Cold War, and Communism) with their definitions bordering the picture of an infant.
The book is organized from the time Sis is an infant until he is an adult. Most of the drawings are in black and white. Everything that is a symbol of communism is painted in red which really stands out on the pages. There are sidebars of text next to some of the pictures to explain what is happening. Their are dated inserts from his journal beginning in 1954 to June of 1977. The journal pages have drawings mixed with real photographs. The use of bright colors represents influences from the West on a double page spread. The pictures he draws of all the police have pig faces. The bright colors are seen again when people are painting the Wall over and over. Sis uses double page pictures of all the ways he dreams to escape. Text and pictures come together on the double page of the Berlin wall with positive words such as ( freedom, truth, happiness, virtue, art etc.) on one side of the wall. Negative words are in gray such as (stupidity, fear, suspicion, corruption etc.) on the communist side. The last double page picture is bordered by text explaining how the Wall fell from Communist control on November 9, 1989. His dream came true.
Review Excerpt(s)
Caldecott Honor Book 2008
Orbis Pictus Award 2008
Robert F. Sibert Medal 2008
Voya (Kevin Beach): "This book is packed with the author's primitive art that simply and effectively illustrates the history of Czechoslovakia's struggle with totalitarianism and evokes the dreams of its repressed people."
Kirkus: "A concise introduction fleshes out the history of the time, leaving the rest of the volume for a potent mix of narration, fanciful illustrations, maps and double-page spreads for journal entries. "
CCBC: "Renowned author and illustrator Peter Sís’ brilliant autobiographical exploration of the creative spirit offers his trademark blend of intricate visual images and narrative."
Booklist (Jennifer Mattson): "Throughout, terrific design dramatizes the conflict between conformity and creative freedom, often through sparing use of color; in many cases, the dominant palette of black, white, and Communist red threatens to swallow up young Peter’s freely doodled, riotously colored artwork. "
The San Diego Tribune: "With Sís, everything is multilayered and full of surprises. Getting it all in one read is like seeing the Metropolitan Museum of Art in an afternoon."
Connections
-Create a timeline for Peter's life
-Conduct an oral interview with someone who lived from 1930-1980's during the Cold War. Ask them about their memories of the Iron Curtain.
-Choose a topic from the book to research. For example Gagarin, Laika, Aurora, Staliin, Kremlin, Brezhnev, Khrushchev, Lenin, the Wall, The Beatles, Harlem Globetrotters, Beach Boys, Allen Ginsberg etc.
-Research the symbols of Communism and what they mean.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Harvesting Hope The Story of Cesar Chavez- Genre 4
Bibliography
Krull, Kathleen. 2003. Harvesting Hope The Story of Cesar Chavez. Ill. by Yuyi Morales. Orlando, Florida: Harcourt, Inc. ISBN 978-0-15-201437-7.
Plot Summary
The story begins with Cesar remembering how wonderful life was at his ranch in Arizona. He was a quiet boy whose mother taught him never to fight. Conflicts needed to be worked out by words. When he was ten a terrible drought forced he and his family to leave their ranch in Arizona for California to look for work. His family became migrant workers on other people's farms. He felt like a slave harvesting beets, grapevines, and lettuce. He left school at the end of eighth grade to work full time in the fields. He felt he had to use his life to fight for change for migrant workers who were not treated properly. "He showed a knack for solving problems, and people trusted him." He began the National farm Workers Association. When the grapes needed harvesting he led a group off the fields in a march from Delano to Sacramento. The grapes began to rot on the vines. Their were ten-thousand people in the march when they reached Sacramento. Chavez had signed the first contract for farmworkers in American history. He had won his fight for migrant workers without any violence.
Critical Analysis
The end of the book has an author's note explaining more information about the life of a well known activist. The story is a biography about Cesar Chavez focusing on the early years of his life and fight. The details of his life are accurate. The book is written as a story of his life. It is interesting and easy to read. The book uses a few Spanish phrases for authenticity. They are explained as you read. The illustations by Yuyi Morales were done with acrylics, handmade stamps, and computer created cut-outs. The vibrant pictures are on two page spreads that are very colorful. The focus of the pictures are on the people, and their expressions on their faces add to the text. You feel the struggle of the migrant workers in their faces and sore feet on the march. This story gives everyone hope that they can solve any problem with their words.
Review Excerpt(s)
Pura Belpre Honor Book 2004
Texas Bluebonnet Award 2004
Best Children's Books of the Year 2004
School Library Journal Best Books 2003
Bookhive (Jeanenne): "This biography is an uplifting story of non-violent protest and perservance."
Booklist (Traci Todd): "Krull's language demonstrates a poetic sensibility ("The eighty acres of their ranch were an island in the shimmering Arizona desert, and the stars were all their own.")."
Children's Literature (Norah Piehl) : "Although Cesar Chavez might seem an unlikely subject for a picture book, the circumstances of his life and work should appeal to young people's sense of justice."
CCBC : "Morales's lush artwork, done mostly with richly colored oil paintings, contributes to the depth of this story. "
Kirkus : "Cesar Chavez, like his heroes Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi, believed in non-violent change. He fought ceaselessly for the rights of migrant farm workers to have a decent living conditions and a living wage. "
Horn Book: "There are no sources, but this is an excellent choice for furthering understanding of racism, of nonviolent protest, and of the lives of workers before unions."
Connections
-Read about other peaceful activists that were Cesar Chavez's heroes like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, and Saint Francis of Assisi.
-Read other related books like:
Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell and Helen Oxenbury
Calling the Doves by Juan Felipe Herrera and Elly Simmons
Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in Spanish and English
by Alma Flor Ada and Simón Silva
A Day's Work by Eve Bunting and Ronald Himler
Cuadros de familia / Family Pictures by Carmen Lomas Garza
Make text to text connections/ text to self connections/ text to world connections
-Prejudice caused Cesar Chavez to hate school. Write about how prejudice is bad.
Krull, Kathleen. 2003. Harvesting Hope The Story of Cesar Chavez. Ill. by Yuyi Morales. Orlando, Florida: Harcourt, Inc. ISBN 978-0-15-201437-7.
Plot Summary
The story begins with Cesar remembering how wonderful life was at his ranch in Arizona. He was a quiet boy whose mother taught him never to fight. Conflicts needed to be worked out by words. When he was ten a terrible drought forced he and his family to leave their ranch in Arizona for California to look for work. His family became migrant workers on other people's farms. He felt like a slave harvesting beets, grapevines, and lettuce. He left school at the end of eighth grade to work full time in the fields. He felt he had to use his life to fight for change for migrant workers who were not treated properly. "He showed a knack for solving problems, and people trusted him." He began the National farm Workers Association. When the grapes needed harvesting he led a group off the fields in a march from Delano to Sacramento. The grapes began to rot on the vines. Their were ten-thousand people in the march when they reached Sacramento. Chavez had signed the first contract for farmworkers in American history. He had won his fight for migrant workers without any violence.
Critical Analysis
The end of the book has an author's note explaining more information about the life of a well known activist. The story is a biography about Cesar Chavez focusing on the early years of his life and fight. The details of his life are accurate. The book is written as a story of his life. It is interesting and easy to read. The book uses a few Spanish phrases for authenticity. They are explained as you read. The illustations by Yuyi Morales were done with acrylics, handmade stamps, and computer created cut-outs. The vibrant pictures are on two page spreads that are very colorful. The focus of the pictures are on the people, and their expressions on their faces add to the text. You feel the struggle of the migrant workers in their faces and sore feet on the march. This story gives everyone hope that they can solve any problem with their words.
Review Excerpt(s)
Pura Belpre Honor Book 2004
Texas Bluebonnet Award 2004
Best Children's Books of the Year 2004
School Library Journal Best Books 2003
Bookhive (Jeanenne): "This biography is an uplifting story of non-violent protest and perservance."
Booklist (Traci Todd): "Krull's language demonstrates a poetic sensibility ("The eighty acres of their ranch were an island in the shimmering Arizona desert, and the stars were all their own.")."
Children's Literature (Norah Piehl) : "Although Cesar Chavez might seem an unlikely subject for a picture book, the circumstances of his life and work should appeal to young people's sense of justice."
CCBC : "Morales's lush artwork, done mostly with richly colored oil paintings, contributes to the depth of this story. "
Kirkus : "Cesar Chavez, like his heroes Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi, believed in non-violent change. He fought ceaselessly for the rights of migrant farm workers to have a decent living conditions and a living wage. "
Horn Book: "There are no sources, but this is an excellent choice for furthering understanding of racism, of nonviolent protest, and of the lives of workers before unions."
Connections
-Read about other peaceful activists that were Cesar Chavez's heroes like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, and Saint Francis of Assisi.
-Read other related books like:
Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell and Helen Oxenbury
Calling the Doves by Juan Felipe Herrera and Elly Simmons
Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in Spanish and English
by Alma Flor Ada and Simón Silva
A Day's Work by Eve Bunting and Ronald Himler
Cuadros de familia / Family Pictures by Carmen Lomas Garza
Make text to text connections/ text to self connections/ text to world connections
-Prejudice caused Cesar Chavez to hate school. Write about how prejudice is bad.
Pyramids and Mummies- Genre 4
Bibliography
Simon, Seymour. 2003. Pyramids and Mummies. New York: Sea Star Books. ISBN 1-58717-240-2.
Plot Summary
Egyptians built pyramids over 5,000 years ago. These are the oldest buildings on earth today. They were built as a tomb for their pharaoh. They were built on a square base with sloping sides in the shape of a triangle. The Egyptians thought they were building a stairway to the sun on the journey into the next world. All of the pharaohs gold and treasures were buried in the pyramid with the pharaoh for the next world. Only the tomb of King Tut still had the valuables intact. All of the other pyramids were robbed. A statue of a Sphinx stood outside the pyramid. The Sphinx has a body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh. It was believed to guard the pyramid. The Aztec and Mayan peoples of Mexico and Central America built pyramids as temples for worship.
The Egyptians believed they had to preserve the pharaohs body for the next world. It took 70 days to prepare a body for burial. The organs had to be removed in a process called embalming. They were placed in special jars. Only the heart was left in the body. The body was covered in salt for 40 days and then rubbed with oils and spices. The inside was stuffed with salt and a hot wax poured over the body. It was then wrapped in linen and placed in a coffin called a sarcophagus.
It is still a mystery how these huge blocks were moved to build these pyramids.
Critical Analysis
This book did not include too much information. It was interesting to read and it never talked down to the reader. Unfamiliar words had pronunciations in parentheses next to it. There are no subheadings, index, or table of contents in this book. It reads like a story. The text is set right on top of pictures or along side of them. The book has many details on how the pyramids were built and the pharaohs were preserved. There were real photos that added information to the text. They are very appealing. There were also aerial views to show the real size of a pyramid. Everyone would be amazed at the real photos of a mummy. It is surprising how preserved they are after so many years. There are real color photos of Egyptian, and Aztec pyramids too. The author also includes color photos of new pyramid shaped buildings being built in modern times.
Review Excerpt(s)
Children's Literature (Sharon Oliver): "In this independent reader, author Seymour Simon presents basic yet fascinating information on Ancient Egypt for young readers".
Horn Book (2005): "An interesting, well-researched text is supported by appealing color photos".
Connections
-Read other books about pyramids, mummies, and Egypt. Make a powerpoint about what they have learned.
Other books may include:
Picture a Country: Egypt by Henry Pluckrose
Ms. Frizzles's Adventure: Ancient Egypt by Aliki
Look What Came From Egypt by Miles Harvey
If I were a Kid in Ancient Egypt: Children of the Ancient World by Cobblestone Publishers
-Make a burial mask
-Create a sphinx out of floral oasis using plastic knives
-Build a pyramid out of sugar cubes
-Learn the mummification process by mummifying an apple.
Simon, Seymour. 2003. Pyramids and Mummies. New York: Sea Star Books. ISBN 1-58717-240-2.
Plot Summary
Egyptians built pyramids over 5,000 years ago. These are the oldest buildings on earth today. They were built as a tomb for their pharaoh. They were built on a square base with sloping sides in the shape of a triangle. The Egyptians thought they were building a stairway to the sun on the journey into the next world. All of the pharaohs gold and treasures were buried in the pyramid with the pharaoh for the next world. Only the tomb of King Tut still had the valuables intact. All of the other pyramids were robbed. A statue of a Sphinx stood outside the pyramid. The Sphinx has a body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh. It was believed to guard the pyramid. The Aztec and Mayan peoples of Mexico and Central America built pyramids as temples for worship.
The Egyptians believed they had to preserve the pharaohs body for the next world. It took 70 days to prepare a body for burial. The organs had to be removed in a process called embalming. They were placed in special jars. Only the heart was left in the body. The body was covered in salt for 40 days and then rubbed with oils and spices. The inside was stuffed with salt and a hot wax poured over the body. It was then wrapped in linen and placed in a coffin called a sarcophagus.
It is still a mystery how these huge blocks were moved to build these pyramids.
Critical Analysis
This book did not include too much information. It was interesting to read and it never talked down to the reader. Unfamiliar words had pronunciations in parentheses next to it. There are no subheadings, index, or table of contents in this book. It reads like a story. The text is set right on top of pictures or along side of them. The book has many details on how the pyramids were built and the pharaohs were preserved. There were real photos that added information to the text. They are very appealing. There were also aerial views to show the real size of a pyramid. Everyone would be amazed at the real photos of a mummy. It is surprising how preserved they are after so many years. There are real color photos of Egyptian, and Aztec pyramids too. The author also includes color photos of new pyramid shaped buildings being built in modern times.
Review Excerpt(s)
Children's Literature (Sharon Oliver): "In this independent reader, author Seymour Simon presents basic yet fascinating information on Ancient Egypt for young readers".
Horn Book (2005): "An interesting, well-researched text is supported by appealing color photos".
Connections
-Read other books about pyramids, mummies, and Egypt. Make a powerpoint about what they have learned.
Other books may include:
Picture a Country: Egypt by Henry Pluckrose
Ms. Frizzles's Adventure: Ancient Egypt by Aliki
Look What Came From Egypt by Miles Harvey
If I were a Kid in Ancient Egypt: Children of the Ancient World by Cobblestone Publishers
-Make a burial mask
-Create a sphinx out of floral oasis using plastic knives
-Build a pyramid out of sugar cubes
-Learn the mummification process by mummifying an apple.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Meow Ruff- Genre 3
Bibliography
Sidman, Joyce. 2006. Meow Ruff. Ill. by Michelle Berg. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 978-0618-44894-4
Plot Summary
This story is written in concrete poetry. On a clear, sunny day a dog runs out of his house. At the same time a car drops off a confused cat, leaving it all alone. The dog smells the cat and is off on a hunt for it. The cat recognizes the dog and begins hissing at him. The clouds are beginning to grow and become dark. A thunderstorm begins. The dog and cat hide under the picnic table together where they fall asleep. They awake when the sky is sunny again and begin to play together. The owner of the dog picks up the cat and asks "if he has found a friend?"
Critical Analysis
This story made up of concrete poetry takes time to read. You may even need to read it more than once. I found I had to look in the pictures for hidden words. The bottoms of the pages have words describing the sidewalk or grass. The art in this story is made up of the text. I was surprised that the illustrator was not the author too. Michelle Berg uses very bold colors and simple drawings (two dimensional) that were digitally created. Every page is outlined in a black line. The poems use many adjectives to describe the changing weather and how the dog and cat change their attitudes about each other and become friends. The clouds begin as a wisp until they are heavy with words. The rain begins as a "drip" and progresses to "fat rain berries", and "wet sky missiles". Sidman chooses her words carefully to add onomatopoeia to the poems which allows the reader to hear what is happening too.
Review Excerpt(s)
Minnesota Book Award 2007
Jennifer Mattson (Booklist): "unlike most books about the form, doesn't just collect unrelated poems, but tells a story through them."
Sheilah Eagen (Children's Literature): "Set aside some time to fully explore this masterpiece of words and shapes--a match made in concrete poetry heaven."
Horn Book 2006: "This book takes concrete poetry to a new level."
Connections
-Find other books of concrete poetry to share with each other.
- Have students lightly sketch any animal on paper. Brainstorm words about their animal parts (ex. beak, feathers). Fill in the sketch with the words.
- Brainstorm the different forms of water. Write a poem about their favorite form of water. Rewrite the poem in the shape of whatever they are writing about.
Sidman, Joyce. 2006. Meow Ruff. Ill. by Michelle Berg. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 978-0618-44894-4
Plot Summary
This story is written in concrete poetry. On a clear, sunny day a dog runs out of his house. At the same time a car drops off a confused cat, leaving it all alone. The dog smells the cat and is off on a hunt for it. The cat recognizes the dog and begins hissing at him. The clouds are beginning to grow and become dark. A thunderstorm begins. The dog and cat hide under the picnic table together where they fall asleep. They awake when the sky is sunny again and begin to play together. The owner of the dog picks up the cat and asks "if he has found a friend?"
Critical Analysis
This story made up of concrete poetry takes time to read. You may even need to read it more than once. I found I had to look in the pictures for hidden words. The bottoms of the pages have words describing the sidewalk or grass. The art in this story is made up of the text. I was surprised that the illustrator was not the author too. Michelle Berg uses very bold colors and simple drawings (two dimensional) that were digitally created. Every page is outlined in a black line. The poems use many adjectives to describe the changing weather and how the dog and cat change their attitudes about each other and become friends. The clouds begin as a wisp until they are heavy with words. The rain begins as a "drip" and progresses to "fat rain berries", and "wet sky missiles". Sidman chooses her words carefully to add onomatopoeia to the poems which allows the reader to hear what is happening too.
Review Excerpt(s)
Minnesota Book Award 2007
Jennifer Mattson (Booklist): "unlike most books about the form, doesn't just collect unrelated poems, but tells a story through them."
Sheilah Eagen (Children's Literature): "Set aside some time to fully explore this masterpiece of words and shapes--a match made in concrete poetry heaven."
Horn Book 2006: "This book takes concrete poetry to a new level."
Connections
-Find other books of concrete poetry to share with each other.
- Have students lightly sketch any animal on paper. Brainstorm words about their animal parts (ex. beak, feathers). Fill in the sketch with the words.
- Brainstorm the different forms of water. Write a poem about their favorite form of water. Rewrite the poem in the shape of whatever they are writing about.
Toasting Marshmallows- Genre 3
Bibliography
George, Kristine O'Connell. 2001. Toasting Marshmallows. Ill. by Kate Kiesler. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 0-618-04597-X
Plot Summary
This book focuses on a yearly family camping trip. There are thirty poems in this book. It is told from the sister's point of view. All the poems have something to do with a camping trip. It begins with putting up the tent and ends with putting away the flannel pajamas until next year. The poems are humorous. George uses concrete poems, haiku's, cinquains and onomatopoeia. Her poems in this book do not rhyme.
Critical Analysis
George's writing is very simple and concrete. I have never been on a camping trip and she was able to paint a very realistic picture in my mind for me with the help of Kate Kiesler what camping would be like. The language of every poem helps create a vivid image. In the poem "Sleeping Bag" you can picture a girl getting dressed in the sleeping bag by her word choice. /"I wriggle, scoootch,/ scrunch, and jiggle. Flop/ Front flips, back flips- /I'm a caterpillar/ in a cozy cloth cocoon/that zips." George chooses all of her words carefully to also create imagery and make the reader laugh or feel as if you are camping with this family.
The illustrator Kate Kiesler paints beautiful scenery with oil paintings. The illustrations are vibrant colors that describe exactly what the text is saying. The scenes are very realistic. The poem "Flashlight" has the text creatively inside the beams of light from a flashlight. The reader will feel like they are on the camping trip. You can not only see the pictures, but you can hear the sounds, feel the chill from the night air, smell and almost taste the toasted marshmallows. It is a delight for the senses!
Review Excerpt(s)
Booklist 2001: "this fine collection brings the outdoors up close in quiet, immediate poems that engage all the senses."
Christopher Moning (Children's Literature): "With a child's eye view, and with simple, well-chosen words."
Myra Cohn Livingston Award for Poetry, 2002
Texas Bluebonnet 2003-2004
Connections
- Choose a topic and students write a cinquain about that topic.
- Turn out the lights in the classroom. The students read poems about flashlights. Have students brainstorm and write poems on flashlights.
-Read other poems by Kristine O'Connell George.
-Have a camping theme day with other camping books, and learn camping songs.
George, Kristine O'Connell. 2001. Toasting Marshmallows. Ill. by Kate Kiesler. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 0-618-04597-X
Plot Summary
This book focuses on a yearly family camping trip. There are thirty poems in this book. It is told from the sister's point of view. All the poems have something to do with a camping trip. It begins with putting up the tent and ends with putting away the flannel pajamas until next year. The poems are humorous. George uses concrete poems, haiku's, cinquains and onomatopoeia. Her poems in this book do not rhyme.
Critical Analysis
George's writing is very simple and concrete. I have never been on a camping trip and she was able to paint a very realistic picture in my mind for me with the help of Kate Kiesler what camping would be like. The language of every poem helps create a vivid image. In the poem "Sleeping Bag" you can picture a girl getting dressed in the sleeping bag by her word choice. /"I wriggle, scoootch,/ scrunch, and jiggle. Flop/ Front flips, back flips- /I'm a caterpillar/ in a cozy cloth cocoon/that zips." George chooses all of her words carefully to also create imagery and make the reader laugh or feel as if you are camping with this family.
The illustrator Kate Kiesler paints beautiful scenery with oil paintings. The illustrations are vibrant colors that describe exactly what the text is saying. The scenes are very realistic. The poem "Flashlight" has the text creatively inside the beams of light from a flashlight. The reader will feel like they are on the camping trip. You can not only see the pictures, but you can hear the sounds, feel the chill from the night air, smell and almost taste the toasted marshmallows. It is a delight for the senses!
Review Excerpt(s)
Booklist 2001: "this fine collection brings the outdoors up close in quiet, immediate poems that engage all the senses."
Christopher Moning (Children's Literature): "With a child's eye view, and with simple, well-chosen words."
Myra Cohn Livingston Award for Poetry, 2002
Texas Bluebonnet 2003-2004
Connections
- Choose a topic and students write a cinquain about that topic.
- Turn out the lights in the classroom. The students read poems about flashlights. Have students brainstorm and write poems on flashlights.
-Read other poems by Kristine O'Connell George.
-Have a camping theme day with other camping books, and learn camping songs.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
what my mother doesn't know- Genre 3
Bibliography
Sones, Sonya. 2003. What My Mother Doesn't Know. New York: Simon Pulse. ISBN 978-0-0689-855535.
Plot Summary
This book is written in first person. It tells the story of Sophie a fourteen year old girl in verse. It is very easy to read and can be read quickly. It begins when she broke up with Lou and is beginning to date Dylan. She has supportive friends, Rachel and Grace to talk to, but she feels her mother really does not listen. Her mother seems to be dealing with her own depression. The book touches on the creepy world of cyberspace and religious bigotry. Sophie is also trying to deal with fighting with her mom, and her parents constant fighting. She makes friends with a dorky boy in art class. They both love art and a friendship begins. She struggles with letting her friends know that she is in love with the boy Murphy, who everyone has made fun of in school. He turns out to be Mr. Right.
Critical Analysis
This story would appeal to young girls. This is poetry written in first person using verse. It reminded me that I was peeking into Sophie's journal. The story touches on your emotions of humor, love, and fear. Every verse is short and easy to read. You feel that Sophie is speaking honestly from her heart. Sones uses short lines to create a staccato rhythm. She chooses her words carefully to create an image in your head. For example she is soaking in the tub after ice skating and says she is "watching the steam curl into question marks".
There are no illustrations in the book until the last twenty eight pages where there is a black and white drawing of Sophie's favorite painting from the museum. Le Bal `a Bougival (a woman dancing with an unmasked man) is drawn like a flip book at the end. You do not realize that you are reading poetry. I had to smile because this book took me on a journey back to my adolescent years.
Review Excerpt(s)
Soaring Eagle Book Award 2004
Booklist: "Is a fast, funny, touching book"
Children's Literature: "The highs and lows of Sophie's life reflect much of the excitement and anguish that mark adolescence."
Kliatt: "Sophie is full of life, excited about falling in love, worried about her image, loyal to her friends, trying to understand her parents."
Connections
- Read more of Sonya Sones books. For example, Stop Pretending, What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know,or One Of Those Hideous Books Where The Mother Dies. Compare her writing in verse.
- Make a bubble map describing the character Sophie in this book.
-Write a connection you have to one of the poems. Try writing it in verse.
Sones, Sonya. 2003. What My Mother Doesn't Know. New York: Simon Pulse. ISBN 978-0-0689-855535.
Plot Summary
This book is written in first person. It tells the story of Sophie a fourteen year old girl in verse. It is very easy to read and can be read quickly. It begins when she broke up with Lou and is beginning to date Dylan. She has supportive friends, Rachel and Grace to talk to, but she feels her mother really does not listen. Her mother seems to be dealing with her own depression. The book touches on the creepy world of cyberspace and religious bigotry. Sophie is also trying to deal with fighting with her mom, and her parents constant fighting. She makes friends with a dorky boy in art class. They both love art and a friendship begins. She struggles with letting her friends know that she is in love with the boy Murphy, who everyone has made fun of in school. He turns out to be Mr. Right.
Critical Analysis
This story would appeal to young girls. This is poetry written in first person using verse. It reminded me that I was peeking into Sophie's journal. The story touches on your emotions of humor, love, and fear. Every verse is short and easy to read. You feel that Sophie is speaking honestly from her heart. Sones uses short lines to create a staccato rhythm. She chooses her words carefully to create an image in your head. For example she is soaking in the tub after ice skating and says she is "watching the steam curl into question marks".
There are no illustrations in the book until the last twenty eight pages where there is a black and white drawing of Sophie's favorite painting from the museum. Le Bal `a Bougival (a woman dancing with an unmasked man) is drawn like a flip book at the end. You do not realize that you are reading poetry. I had to smile because this book took me on a journey back to my adolescent years.
Review Excerpt(s)
Soaring Eagle Book Award 2004
Booklist: "Is a fast, funny, touching book"
Children's Literature: "The highs and lows of Sophie's life reflect much of the excitement and anguish that mark adolescence."
Kliatt: "Sophie is full of life, excited about falling in love, worried about her image, loyal to her friends, trying to understand her parents."
Connections
- Read more of Sonya Sones books. For example, Stop Pretending, What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know,or One Of Those Hideous Books Where The Mother Dies. Compare her writing in verse.
- Make a bubble map describing the character Sophie in this book.
-Write a connection you have to one of the poems. Try writing it in verse.
Friday, June 19, 2009
And the Green Grass Grew All Around- Genre 2
Bibliiography
Schwartz, Alvin. 1992. And the Green Grass Grew All Around Folk Poetry from Everyone. Ill. by Sue Truesdell. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 0-06-0227583.
Plot Summary
Alvin Schwartz has organized about 300 folk poems. A folk poem is poetry that has orally been passed down through the generations. Most of the folk poets are unknown. Schwartz organized them into chapters about people, food, school, teases and taunts, wishes/warnings, love and marriage, work, stories, nonsense, riddles, fun and games, rain and shine, tree, animals and insects, and other things. Many of the rhyming words are delightful to the ear.
Critical Analysis
All of the folk poems in this book are meant to be read aloud or sung in some way. Folk poets use use ordinary language in their writing. The notes in the back of the book tell us how far back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and earlier these poems began. For some of the rhymes Schwartz included simple musical stanzas to show us how the rhyme should be sung. There were lots of parodies. "On Top of Spaghetti" brought back many childhood memories while I was reading. I also remember some of these chants while I was learning to jump rope. It was interesting to discover that these chants were written for boys because jump roping was a boys' activity until the late nineteenth century. Schwartz includes an impressive list of sources at the end of the book.
Sue Truesdell used black and white cartoon like drawings to add humor to the text. They are whimsical and add expression to every page. With some chants or poems there are directions included to explain how they should be read. I could not help but smile because many of these poems and chants have been on the Barney shows on television that my children watched while they were growing up. This collection of poems that rhyme and are pleasant to our ear are a definite part of our past.
Review Excerpt(s)
Hazel Rochman Booklist: "The late Alvin Schwartz has left a joyful legacy in this collection of folk poetry for everyone to share. "
Sheree Van Vreede Children's Literature: Perhaps the best collection of folk rhymes I have seen, this award-winning compilation covers many childhood favorites, such as "Do your ears hang low? Do they wobble to and fro?" and "Here comes the bride/Big, fat, and wide."
Kirkus 1992: Truesdell's marvelous characters dance across the generously broad pages, peering inquisitively at the hilarious goings-on or gleefully joining in the shenanigans. It's hard to imagine a child who wouldn't greet this treasure trove with enthusiasm.
Horn Book 1992: There are rhymes children use for choosing up sides, clapping hands, and jumping rope, as well as parodies of nursery rhymes and nonsense verse for all occasions.
Connections
-A great way to introduce poetry on the playground. Have children repeat chants while jumping rope.
-Introduce poetry to young children.
Schwartz, Alvin. 1992. And the Green Grass Grew All Around Folk Poetry from Everyone. Ill. by Sue Truesdell. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 0-06-0227583.
Plot Summary
Alvin Schwartz has organized about 300 folk poems. A folk poem is poetry that has orally been passed down through the generations. Most of the folk poets are unknown. Schwartz organized them into chapters about people, food, school, teases and taunts, wishes/warnings, love and marriage, work, stories, nonsense, riddles, fun and games, rain and shine, tree, animals and insects, and other things. Many of the rhyming words are delightful to the ear.
Critical Analysis
All of the folk poems in this book are meant to be read aloud or sung in some way. Folk poets use use ordinary language in their writing. The notes in the back of the book tell us how far back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and earlier these poems began. For some of the rhymes Schwartz included simple musical stanzas to show us how the rhyme should be sung. There were lots of parodies. "On Top of Spaghetti" brought back many childhood memories while I was reading. I also remember some of these chants while I was learning to jump rope. It was interesting to discover that these chants were written for boys because jump roping was a boys' activity until the late nineteenth century. Schwartz includes an impressive list of sources at the end of the book.
Sue Truesdell used black and white cartoon like drawings to add humor to the text. They are whimsical and add expression to every page. With some chants or poems there are directions included to explain how they should be read. I could not help but smile because many of these poems and chants have been on the Barney shows on television that my children watched while they were growing up. This collection of poems that rhyme and are pleasant to our ear are a definite part of our past.
Review Excerpt(s)
Hazel Rochman Booklist: "The late Alvin Schwartz has left a joyful legacy in this collection of folk poetry for everyone to share. "
Sheree Van Vreede Children's Literature: Perhaps the best collection of folk rhymes I have seen, this award-winning compilation covers many childhood favorites, such as "Do your ears hang low? Do they wobble to and fro?" and "Here comes the bride/Big, fat, and wide."
Kirkus 1992: Truesdell's marvelous characters dance across the generously broad pages, peering inquisitively at the hilarious goings-on or gleefully joining in the shenanigans. It's hard to imagine a child who wouldn't greet this treasure trove with enthusiasm.
Horn Book 1992: There are rhymes children use for choosing up sides, clapping hands, and jumping rope, as well as parodies of nursery rhymes and nonsense verse for all occasions.
Connections
-A great way to introduce poetry on the playground. Have children repeat chants while jumping rope.
-Introduce poetry to young children.
Iktomi and the Boulder- Genre 2
Bibliography
Goble, Paul. 1988. Iktomi and the Boulder. New York, NY: Orchard Books. ISBN 0-531-05760-7.
Plot Summary
This is a Plains Indian story that is retold and illustrated by Paul Goble. The story begins when Iktomi is walking aimlessly along to visit relatives in a nearby village. He is conceited and loves the way he is dressed. He is showing off as he is walking along. He begins to get very hot and decides to leave his blanket on a boulder as a generous gesture to protect the boulder from the hot sun. He goes on his way and realizes it will rain. He goes back to get his blanket to protect him. The boulder chases him up a hill and across a river until it rolls on top of Iktomi's legs. He pleads with animals to help roll it off of him, but they give up and leave him alone. In the night he sees bats and tells them how the boulder was insulting the bats. He makes them angry and they hit the boulder to break it into pieces of rocks and Iktomi walks away.
Critical Analysis
Goble writes and illustrates a Sioux Indian tale explaining the reasons for rocks scattered over the Great Plains. Iktomi is the Sioux name of a clever, mischief maker. Goble tells in his forward how he always tries to fool others, but he is stupid and a liar. In the note for the reader Iktomi's thoughts are in small print. The italic print is where the the author asks questions to discuss about Iktomi. The reader is actively thinking while reading the story. The story is supposed to explain why bats have flattened faces, and why there are rocks scattered all over the Great Plains. The pictures are colorful, but the facial expressions are simple. Goble uses dash marks to show Iktomi walking in the distance. Iktomi is a grey figure in the distance. His drawings add to the meaning of the text.
Review Excerpt(s)
Golden Sower Award 1992
Connections
-Read other Iktomi stories such as Iktomi and the Berries, Iktomi and the Coyote and Iktomi loses his Eyes. Compare the character Iktomi in each of the stories.
-Use the story to introduce science lesson on rocks.
-Students write their own Iktomi story to explain why something happened
Goble, Paul. 1988. Iktomi and the Boulder. New York, NY: Orchard Books. ISBN 0-531-05760-7.
Plot Summary
This is a Plains Indian story that is retold and illustrated by Paul Goble. The story begins when Iktomi is walking aimlessly along to visit relatives in a nearby village. He is conceited and loves the way he is dressed. He is showing off as he is walking along. He begins to get very hot and decides to leave his blanket on a boulder as a generous gesture to protect the boulder from the hot sun. He goes on his way and realizes it will rain. He goes back to get his blanket to protect him. The boulder chases him up a hill and across a river until it rolls on top of Iktomi's legs. He pleads with animals to help roll it off of him, but they give up and leave him alone. In the night he sees bats and tells them how the boulder was insulting the bats. He makes them angry and they hit the boulder to break it into pieces of rocks and Iktomi walks away.
Critical Analysis
Goble writes and illustrates a Sioux Indian tale explaining the reasons for rocks scattered over the Great Plains. Iktomi is the Sioux name of a clever, mischief maker. Goble tells in his forward how he always tries to fool others, but he is stupid and a liar. In the note for the reader Iktomi's thoughts are in small print. The italic print is where the the author asks questions to discuss about Iktomi. The reader is actively thinking while reading the story. The story is supposed to explain why bats have flattened faces, and why there are rocks scattered all over the Great Plains. The pictures are colorful, but the facial expressions are simple. Goble uses dash marks to show Iktomi walking in the distance. Iktomi is a grey figure in the distance. His drawings add to the meaning of the text.
Review Excerpt(s)
Golden Sower Award 1992
Connections
-Read other Iktomi stories such as Iktomi and the Berries, Iktomi and the Coyote and Iktomi loses his Eyes. Compare the character Iktomi in each of the stories.
-Use the story to introduce science lesson on rocks.
-Students write their own Iktomi story to explain why something happened
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Bubba The Cowboy Prince a fractured texas tale- Genre 2
Bibliography
Ketteman, Helen. 1997. Bubba The Cowboy Prince A Fractured Texas Tale. Ill. James Warhola. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0-590-25506-1
Plot Summary
This fairy tale by Helen Ketteman is loosely based on the story "Cinderella". The hero is a cowboy named Bubba with two lazy stepbrothers and a wicked stepdaddy. He is forced to do all of the chores while his stepbrothers boss him around. Miz Lurleen throws a ball to to find a real cowboy to marry and live with her at her ranch in Texas. Bubba finds a fairy godcow who makes him handsome with the swish of a tail. He attends the ball (hoedown) and is dancing with Miz Lurleen when the magic runs out at midnight. He runs away and loses a boot. She searches many ranches looking for her real cowboy. Miz Lurleen finds Bubba. They ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after.
Critical Analysis
This is a Texas retelling of the Cinderella story. Helen is from Dallas, Texas and uses western language from the southern culture to make the story authentic. The text uses great metaphors and a Texas drawl. The tale is humorous with a male in the starring role of Cinderella and a wealthy cowgirl as the prince. It is full of great idiomatic phrases.
James Warhola's artwork is beautiful. He uses double pages for his scenes. Your eyes need time to enjoy everything on the pages. The colors are bright, and the expressions on the faces of the animals and people are priceless. They are full of thought and humor. The moon and clouds even have expressions to enjoy. I think this version of the Cinderella fairy tale would appeal to boys as well as girls.
Review Excerpt(s)
-Golden Sower Award 2001
Connections
Compare Bubba the Cowboy Prince and Cinderella using a graphic organizer.
Determine the meaning of the many idiomatic phrases from the book. For example "bonked the beejebers out of his bean".
Students look at other fairy tales and work in small groups to try and create their own fractured fairy tale.
-
Ketteman, Helen. 1997. Bubba The Cowboy Prince A Fractured Texas Tale. Ill. James Warhola. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0-590-25506-1
Plot Summary
This fairy tale by Helen Ketteman is loosely based on the story "Cinderella". The hero is a cowboy named Bubba with two lazy stepbrothers and a wicked stepdaddy. He is forced to do all of the chores while his stepbrothers boss him around. Miz Lurleen throws a ball to to find a real cowboy to marry and live with her at her ranch in Texas. Bubba finds a fairy godcow who makes him handsome with the swish of a tail. He attends the ball (hoedown) and is dancing with Miz Lurleen when the magic runs out at midnight. He runs away and loses a boot. She searches many ranches looking for her real cowboy. Miz Lurleen finds Bubba. They ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after.
Critical Analysis
This is a Texas retelling of the Cinderella story. Helen is from Dallas, Texas and uses western language from the southern culture to make the story authentic. The text uses great metaphors and a Texas drawl. The tale is humorous with a male in the starring role of Cinderella and a wealthy cowgirl as the prince. It is full of great idiomatic phrases.
James Warhola's artwork is beautiful. He uses double pages for his scenes. Your eyes need time to enjoy everything on the pages. The colors are bright, and the expressions on the faces of the animals and people are priceless. They are full of thought and humor. The moon and clouds even have expressions to enjoy. I think this version of the Cinderella fairy tale would appeal to boys as well as girls.
Review Excerpt(s)
-Golden Sower Award 2001
Connections
Compare Bubba the Cowboy Prince and Cinderella using a graphic organizer.
Determine the meaning of the many idiomatic phrases from the book. For example "bonked the beejebers out of his bean".
Students look at other fairy tales and work in small groups to try and create their own fractured fairy tale.
-
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Talking with Artists- Genre 1
Bibliography
Cummings, Pat. 1992. Talking with Artists. New York: Bradbury Press. ISBN 0-02-724245-5
Plot Summary
In this book Pat Cummings had conversations with fourteen favorite children's book illustrators. When she would visit schools children always had questions for her about how she became an illustrator. Pat decided to ask the same eight questions of all the artists. The book is a compelation of how the artists share their stories about how they became illustrators. The one thing all of the artists had in common was their love to draw and they kept drawing all of their life.
Critical Analysis
Children will love looking at a picture of the illustrator as a child and as an adult. Every artist has a drawing that they did as a child with their age posted. There is also a picture from one of their published books with the medium that was used. The illustrators answer the same eight questions. All of the artists loved drawing as a child and continued to practice and practice. The other theme that seems to run throughout the book is that they get their ideas from everything they see around them. Tom Feelings says it best with his advice to "carry a sketchbook wherever you go because it's a record of what you're seeing and feeling". The back of the book has a glossary of terms that children may not be familiar with.
While reading this book I could not help but think about my own child who loves drawing. She loves to draw people. One Sunday in church I looked over and she was drawing the priest while he was giving his sermon. She would be encouraged by reading this book to continue what she is doing. She could see herself in these different artists.
Review Excerpt(s)
Horn Book Guide:1995 Nonfiction Rating 1, Outstanding, noteworthy in style, content, and/or illustration.
Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children. Honor Book United States
Connections
-For older students research many jobs available in the field of art.
-Have students choose another artist that is not in the book to find out more information about them.
-Great way to introduce the illustrator. Gather other books by this artist to compare their style of illustrating.
-Try out the medium that artist prefers in their drawings.
Cummings, Pat. 1992. Talking with Artists. New York: Bradbury Press. ISBN 0-02-724245-5
Plot Summary
In this book Pat Cummings had conversations with fourteen favorite children's book illustrators. When she would visit schools children always had questions for her about how she became an illustrator. Pat decided to ask the same eight questions of all the artists. The book is a compelation of how the artists share their stories about how they became illustrators. The one thing all of the artists had in common was their love to draw and they kept drawing all of their life.
Critical Analysis
Children will love looking at a picture of the illustrator as a child and as an adult. Every artist has a drawing that they did as a child with their age posted. There is also a picture from one of their published books with the medium that was used. The illustrators answer the same eight questions. All of the artists loved drawing as a child and continued to practice and practice. The other theme that seems to run throughout the book is that they get their ideas from everything they see around them. Tom Feelings says it best with his advice to "carry a sketchbook wherever you go because it's a record of what you're seeing and feeling". The back of the book has a glossary of terms that children may not be familiar with.
While reading this book I could not help but think about my own child who loves drawing. She loves to draw people. One Sunday in church I looked over and she was drawing the priest while he was giving his sermon. She would be encouraged by reading this book to continue what she is doing. She could see herself in these different artists.
Review Excerpt(s)
Horn Book Guide:1995 Nonfiction Rating 1, Outstanding, noteworthy in style, content, and/or illustration.
Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children. Honor Book United States
Connections
-For older students research many jobs available in the field of art.
-Have students choose another artist that is not in the book to find out more information about them.
-Great way to introduce the illustrator. Gather other books by this artist to compare their style of illustrating.
-Try out the medium that artist prefers in their drawings.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
THE HOUSE IN THE NIGHT-Genre 1
Bibliography
Swanson, Susan Marie. 2008. The House in the Night. Ill. Beth Krommes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 978-0-618-86244-3
Plot Summary
This story was inspired by a poem from The OxfordNursery Rhyme Book. The poem began "This is the key of the kingdom". It has a very simple text with only a few words. The words are very soothing. The child is given a key to the house where a light burns. The child goes to their room and finds a book with a bird that magically flies the child through the dark sky. There are lights throughout the dark sky. The story comes back to the key and the house in the night where it began.
Critical Analysis
The author uses his favorite poem to create this story. The author uses familiar words in the child's home, and very simple sentences. It begins with the sun setting, but then the moon has all of the light. The illustrations are black and white scratchboard, but they are decorated in gold color representing light. The night is never all dark. There is light in the house and in the world. It gives a child the feeling of security. This book is a bedtime story that allows the child to feel safe at home before sleeping.
Review Excerpt
Randolph Caldecott Medal 2009
"A beautiful piece of bookmaking that will delight both parents and children."— Ilene Cooper
Connections
-This story can be used to teach prepositional phrases in grammar.
Swanson, Susan Marie. 2008. The House in the Night. Ill. Beth Krommes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 978-0-618-86244-3
Plot Summary
This story was inspired by a poem from The OxfordNursery Rhyme Book. The poem began "This is the key of the kingdom". It has a very simple text with only a few words. The words are very soothing. The child is given a key to the house where a light burns. The child goes to their room and finds a book with a bird that magically flies the child through the dark sky. There are lights throughout the dark sky. The story comes back to the key and the house in the night where it began.
Critical Analysis
The author uses his favorite poem to create this story. The author uses familiar words in the child's home, and very simple sentences. It begins with the sun setting, but then the moon has all of the light. The illustrations are black and white scratchboard, but they are decorated in gold color representing light. The night is never all dark. There is light in the house and in the world. It gives a child the feeling of security. This book is a bedtime story that allows the child to feel safe at home before sleeping.
Review Excerpt
Randolph Caldecott Medal 2009
"A beautiful piece of bookmaking that will delight both parents and children."— Ilene Cooper
Connections
-This story can be used to teach prepositional phrases in grammar.
KNUFFLE BUNNY-Genre 1
Bibliography
Willems, Mo. 2004. Knuffle Bunny. New York, N.Y.: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 078681870-0
Plot Summary
In this easy to read picture book, Mo Willems writes about how a child speaks her very first words. Trixie goes to the laundromat with her daddy, while carrying her favorite stuffed animal. She helps her daddy load the machine, but loses her friend. She is too young to speak words and struggles to explain the problem to her father. She throws a temper tantrum on the way home. Trixie and dad are both frustrated. Mom solves the problem immediately when she opens the door and realizes what is missing. The family returns to the laundromat and dad finds the stuffed animal. Trixies first words are "Knuffle Bunny"
Critical Analysis
Mo Willems uses real photographs of his hometown and then draws colored ink sketches of cartoon people. He adds the people into his photographs. The black and white photographs lead the reader to believe this is what happened to the author when he was small. The facial expressions of Trixie really tell the story. Trixie has a temper tantrum when she can not explain that her favorite stuffed animal is missing. All children can relate to a time they lost something special, and all parents can think of a time that their child has been "boneless". It is amazing how mom is the hero and solves the problem immediately as she opens the door. That special mom/child connection is evident in this story.
Review Excerpt(s)
2005 Caldecott Honor Book
School Library Journal: "Personalities are artfully created so that both parents and children will recognize themselves within these pages. a seamless and supremely satisfying presentation of art and text".
Connections
Introduce other books by Mo Willems like Knuffle Bunny Too, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, and The Pegeon Finds a Hot Dog.
Children write about a time they lost something special to them.
Willems, Mo. 2004. Knuffle Bunny. New York, N.Y.: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 078681870-0
Plot Summary
In this easy to read picture book, Mo Willems writes about how a child speaks her very first words. Trixie goes to the laundromat with her daddy, while carrying her favorite stuffed animal. She helps her daddy load the machine, but loses her friend. She is too young to speak words and struggles to explain the problem to her father. She throws a temper tantrum on the way home. Trixie and dad are both frustrated. Mom solves the problem immediately when she opens the door and realizes what is missing. The family returns to the laundromat and dad finds the stuffed animal. Trixies first words are "Knuffle Bunny"
Critical Analysis
Mo Willems uses real photographs of his hometown and then draws colored ink sketches of cartoon people. He adds the people into his photographs. The black and white photographs lead the reader to believe this is what happened to the author when he was small. The facial expressions of Trixie really tell the story. Trixie has a temper tantrum when she can not explain that her favorite stuffed animal is missing. All children can relate to a time they lost something special, and all parents can think of a time that their child has been "boneless". It is amazing how mom is the hero and solves the problem immediately as she opens the door. That special mom/child connection is evident in this story.
Review Excerpt(s)
2005 Caldecott Honor Book
School Library Journal: "Personalities are artfully created so that both parents and children will recognize themselves within these pages. a seamless and supremely satisfying presentation of art and text".
Connections
Introduce other books by Mo Willems like Knuffle Bunny Too, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, and The Pegeon Finds a Hot Dog.
Children write about a time they lost something special to them.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Grace's Book Reviews- LS 5603 Literature for Children and YA
This is created as an assignment for a TWU course.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Competency 9- Internet
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aboutaasl/aaslcommunity/quicklinks/slmstudents.cfm
Using the Google search engine, I found the American Association of School Librarians (AASL)website. It provides information that school librarians need to know. They address the issues and help guide the agenda for the profession. It is a resource for professional development and continuing education. They are the only national organization advocating for the needs of school library media specialists. There is a wiki that comprises a working bibliography of resources. If you are a member there is access to publications and journals. There is also a monthly e-mail newsletter called Hotlinks.
I chose this website because it is geared towards school librarians. It keeps the librarian current on issues in the field. It is also a useful networking site. There is an access to a facebook community. You can network with peers.
Using the Google search engine, I found the American Association of School Librarians (AASL)website. It provides information that school librarians need to know. They address the issues and help guide the agenda for the profession. It is a resource for professional development and continuing education. They are the only national organization advocating for the needs of school library media specialists. There is a wiki that comprises a working bibliography of resources. If you are a member there is access to publications and journals. There is also a monthly e-mail newsletter called Hotlinks.
I chose this website because it is geared towards school librarians. It keeps the librarian current on issues in the field. It is also a useful networking site. There is an access to a facebook community. You can network with peers.
Competency 8 Research Visual/Multimedia
A big topic in school libraries today is flexible scheduling vs. fixed scheduling. I chose this graph because it shows the increase in reading, writing and ACT scores in school libraries that use flexible scheduling. It gives teachers more time to collaborate with librarians and it can give the librarians more time with students in the library.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Competency 7: Image
I found this image by searching Google images. I thought it shows the many items available in an elementary or middle school library for finding out information to questions. The image comes from www.schodack.k12.ny.us/scs/libraryservices.htm
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Competency 6: Databases/Citation Pearl Search
For my Citation Pearl search I used LibLit as a database to search.
I typed in the author Denise Geier I had found in a previous search. I used one of the subject headings children's reading projects to begin a search. This gave me 1080hits. I had to modify my search by adding elementary or middle school library and this brought my search down to 71 hits. I found two great articles I did not fiind before by using this search.
Hall, S. (2007, October). How I learned to run a really popular book club and what I learned about its effect on students' reading skills and attitude. Teacher Librarian 35, 1 32-36.
Patten, K.B. et al. (2007, June). iPods and English-Language Learners: A Great Combination. Teacher Librarian 34, 5, 40-44.
I typed in the author Denise Geier I had found in a previous search. I used one of the subject headings children's reading projects to begin a search. This gave me 1080hits. I had to modify my search by adding elementary or middle school library and this brought my search down to 71 hits. I found two great articles I did not fiind before by using this search.
Hall, S. (2007, October). How I learned to run a really popular book club and what I learned about its effect on students' reading skills and attitude. Teacher Librarian 35, 1 32-36.
Patten, K.B. et al. (2007, June). iPods and English-Language Learners: A Great Combination. Teacher Librarian 34, 5, 40-44.
Competency 6: Databases/Successive Fractions Search
For this search I used the Academic Search Complete database.
I was told to begin with the largest facet first: I used librar* = 516,980 hits
I narrowed the search by using elementary or middle school library = 7,327 hits
I narrowed by adding a third facet media activities = 598 hits
I knew this was still large, but I added limits of full text only and that narrowed it to 76 hits.
76 full text articles was workable.
I found this article applicable to my search:
Fontichiaro, K., Buczynski, S. (2009, March). Connecting Science Notebooking to the Elementary Library Media Center. School Library Media Activities 25, 7 24-29.
I was told to begin with the largest facet first: I used librar* = 516,980 hits
I narrowed the search by using elementary or middle school library = 7,327 hits
I narrowed by adding a third facet media activities = 598 hits
I knew this was still large, but I added limits of full text only and that narrowed it to 76 hits.
76 full text articles was workable.
I found this article applicable to my search:
Fontichiaro, K., Buczynski, S. (2009, March). Connecting Science Notebooking to the Elementary Library Media Center. School Library Media Activities 25, 7 24-29.
Competency 6: Databases/Specific Facet Search
For my specific facet search I used the Nexis Lexis Database.
I tried to begin with a very specific search term. I used school library activities. I only searched within Blogs and Web publications for the previous year. I received 58 hits. I found a library activity that could be used in elementary or middle school researching about Hurricanes.
Competency 6: Databases/Building Block Search
For my building block search I used the ERIC/EBSCO database. My building block search was: I wanted to find reading activities for children to do in the school library.
S1: library=57,300 hits
S2: reading=114,442 hits
S3: elementary school or middle school=87,750 hits
S1+ S2+ S3= 682 hits
Combining my three searches decreased my hits, but the number was still too big. I narrowed it down by searching for only full text which gave me 302 results. This number was still too big. I then decided to narrow the search by years. I searched from 2005-present. This gave me a number of 36 hits. This was manageable. I found one article very useful for my blog. It talks about using children as book reviewers. The children in my language arts class love writing book recommendations for the class. This article would be a great project for the librarian to implement in the library.
Geier, Denise B. (2008, January). Elementary Students as Book Reviewers. Library Media Connection. 26,4, 42.
S1: library=57,300 hits
S2: reading=114,442 hits
S3: elementary school or middle school=87,750 hits
S1+ S2+ S3= 682 hits
Combining my three searches decreased my hits, but the number was still too big. I narrowed it down by searching for only full text which gave me 302 results. This number was still too big. I then decided to narrow the search by years. I searched from 2005-present. This gave me a number of 36 hits. This was manageable. I found one article very useful for my blog. It talks about using children as book reviewers. The children in my language arts class love writing book recommendations for the class. This article would be a great project for the librarian to implement in the library.
Geier, Denise B. (2008, January). Elementary Students as Book Reviewers. Library Media Connection. 26,4, 42.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Competency 5 Tagging/Indexing/Cataloging
I went to Librarything.com to set up a free account. I added information to the list of tags that were already there for our book by Heting Chu. I then decided to search for good read alouds that could be used in elementary and middle school classrooms. I think reading books aloud to all ages are beneficial. Teachers are always looking for a good read aloud book. I found the book The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease. "Tags" are words used to describe the book. This is the tag cloud I found:
(4) 372.6(2) @library(2) Bibliography(2) book lists(16) books(19) books about books(13) books and reading(6) children(7) children's(7) children's book summaries(3) Children's books(7) children's literature(21) ed(3) education(44) fumcn(2) home(3) Homeschool(12) How To Homeschool(3) kids(4) language arts(2) literacy(8) literature(6) nf(3) non-fiction(30) oral reading(7) own(5) parenting(35) power of read aloud(2) professional(4) read(6) read aloud(19) reading(63) reading aloud(5) reading to children(3) recommendations(5) reference(23) signed(3) tbr(3) teaching(3) Trelease(4) unread(3) What to Read(2)
The link for these tags is: www.librarything.com/work/96385
(4) 372.6(2) @library(2) Bibliography(2) book lists(16) books(19) books about books(13) books and reading(6) children(7) children's(7) children's book summaries(3) Children's books(7) children's literature(21) ed(3) education(44) fumcn(2) home(3) Homeschool(12) How To Homeschool(3) kids(4) language arts(2) literacy(8) literature(6) nf(3) non-fiction(30) oral reading(7) own(5) parenting(35) power of read aloud(2) professional(4) read(6) read aloud(19) reading(63) reading aloud(5) reading to children(3) recommendations(5) reference(23) signed(3) tbr(3) teaching(3) Trelease(4) unread(3) What to Read(2)
The link for these tags is: www.librarything.com/work/96385
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Competency 4
For this competency I needed to add an RSS feed to my blog. I added feed from School Library Journal-Breaking News. I chose this feed because it relates to school libraries. It contains breaking news daily in school libraries. Some other sites I searched did not have anything posted since 2008. It will be a great way to keep current on the latest news in school libraries.
The link is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/SchoolLibraryJournalBreakingNewsfeedburner
The link is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/SchoolLibraryJournalBreakingNewsfeedburner
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Competency 3
I used Google as a search engine to find a podcast site to be used in the elementary school. The site is called Storynory.
This site could be used in the library or in an elementary classroom as a reading station activity. They highlight stories for the holidays or themes that may be used in the classroom. They have stories that come in serials that will appeal to boys or girls. They update content regularly. There is the ability to download whole categories of stories, or individually to a computer or iPod/MP3 player. You also have to ability to stream the story from the site. The child listens to the story being read to them and can use their imagination to follow along. The words are also there which is great for a beginning or struggling reader to use. This would also be very helpful to ESL students to learn English.
Here is a podcast from this site.
I have been thinking about different ways to use podcasts in the school as a librarian. I found a great site http://www.runkle.org/Podcasts/index.html. This school has podcasts from children in the school, teachers and librarians reviewing books. The podcasts about the books are listed by grade level. There are script worksheets for students to fill out about their favorite book. The reviews are short and would encourage many students to read that book after listening to the short review. Children in the upper grades of elementary school or middle school would love recording a podcast and listening to other reviews of books. This would be a great project as a librarian.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Competency 2
I used the search engine GoogleBlog: http://blogsearch.google.com/ to find a blog about a school librarian. I used a few other search engines, but the results on google appealed to me more. The site I went to is:
Musings of a Middle School Librarian by Deb http://bulldoglibrarian.wordpress.com/2008/12/21/10/- I am a Teacher!
All of my experience has been in the elementary school, so I wanted to research about a middle school librarian. I liked how Deb stressed that she does not just check out books as a librarian. She is probably the most important teacher in the school. My plans are to work as a librarian in either the elementary or middle school. I found her blog and post very relevant. I have subscribed to it.
I tailor my lesson plans to meet the needs of these students. I spend hours teaching how to find the best information, print or electronic. I tailor the search for information to the individual class. I teach through modeling ethical behavior. I teach by recommending websites, activities, books, magazine and journal articles. I teach by opening the library to the students of staff. I teach through collaboration. I teach the other librarians in the district, all of them. I teach through emails. I teach through district staff development. I teach through blogs and wikis. I teach the parents of my seventh and eighth graders. I send home a library column in the PTA newsletter. I invite the parents to the library. I share what I am reading, what the students are reading, and about intellectual freedom. I am a member of the PTA advisory board and I attend the meetings and participate.
Deb gives many examples in her post on how she works with students, faculty, other librarians, administration, parents, and the community daily. She uses up to date technology to accomplish many of her tasks. She has been a teacher for 31 years, but only a librarian for 5 years. She has no desire to retire any time soon, because she loves her job! She seems to have a renewed passion for her job. That is what I hope to find in working in the library of a school.
Musings of a Middle School Librarian by Deb http://bulldoglibrarian.wordpress.com/2008/12/21/10/- I am a Teacher!
All of my experience has been in the elementary school, so I wanted to research about a middle school librarian. I liked how Deb stressed that she does not just check out books as a librarian. She is probably the most important teacher in the school. My plans are to work as a librarian in either the elementary or middle school. I found her blog and post very relevant. I have subscribed to it.
I tailor my lesson plans to meet the needs of these students. I spend hours teaching how to find the best information, print or electronic. I tailor the search for information to the individual class. I teach through modeling ethical behavior. I teach by recommending websites, activities, books, magazine and journal articles. I teach by opening the library to the students of staff. I teach through collaboration. I teach the other librarians in the district, all of them. I teach through emails. I teach through district staff development. I teach through blogs and wikis. I teach the parents of my seventh and eighth graders. I send home a library column in the PTA newsletter. I invite the parents to the library. I share what I am reading, what the students are reading, and about intellectual freedom. I am a member of the PTA advisory board and I attend the meetings and participate.
Deb gives many examples in her post on how she works with students, faculty, other librarians, administration, parents, and the community daily. She uses up to date technology to accomplish many of her tasks. She has been a teacher for 31 years, but only a librarian for 5 years. She has no desire to retire any time soon, because she loves her job! She seems to have a renewed passion for her job. That is what I hope to find in working in the library of a school.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
My Initial Post
I am creating this blog to fulfill the requirements for LS 5013. I am excited that I will be able to store articles and links that I will be able to use in my profession in the future. I will be able to use this blog to connect with my peers in my study of Library Science.
I am working towards becoming a school librarian. I have ten years teaching experience in the elementary schools, but I am also interested in working with middle school children. I have not made my decision on where I want to work as a librarian when I am finished with my degree.
I am working towards becoming a school librarian. I have ten years teaching experience in the elementary schools, but I am also interested in working with middle school children. I have not made my decision on where I want to work as a librarian when I am finished with my degree.
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