Reading Log and Wiki Checklist

Genre / Titles you read

             I.      Non-fiction/Informational (1 chapter book or photo essay book reflection required on blog)

1)      From Chick to Egg by Camilla de La Bedoyere

          II.      Poetry (1 chapter or picture book reflection required on blog)

1)      Hate that Cat by Sharon Creech. (required for discussion – do NOT use on blog)

2)      Mirror, Mirror by Marilyn Singer

3)      Follow, Follow by Marilyn Singer

       III.      Modern Fantasy (1 chapter book reflection required on blog)          

1)      I, Jack  by Patricia Finney. (required for discussion – do NOT use on blog)

2)      Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

       IV.      Historical Fiction (1 reflection required on blog –can be a picture book)     

1)      The Teacher’s Funeral by Richard Peck. (required for discussion – do NOT use on blog)

2)      Pink and Say by Patricia Polocco

3)      Train to Somewhere by Eve Bunting

4)      White Socks Only by Evelyn Coleman

          V.      Multicultural/Traditional (2 reflections required on blog – one can be a picture book)         

1)      Hiroshima: A Novella by Laurence Yep (required for discussion – do NOT use on blog)

2)      Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola

3)      Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

4)      Stone Soup by Marcia Brown

5)      Lon Po Po by Ed Young

6)      Enemy Pie by Derek Munson

       VI.      Realistic Fiction (1 chapter book reflection required on blog)

1)      Baby by Patricia MacLachlan. (required for discussion – do NOT use on blog)

2)      Because of Winn- Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

 
    VII.      Picture Books (5 reflections required on blog during the first two weeks of class. There should be a total here of at least six.)

1)      The Wednesday Surprise by Eve Bunting. (required for discussion – do NOT use on blog)

2)      Click, Clack, Moo by Doreen Cronin

3)      The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka

4)      Duck for President by Doreen Cronin

5)      The Very Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle

6)      The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle

7)      Wimberly Worried by Kevin Henkes

8)      Lilly’s Big Day by Kevin Henkes

Wiki Checklist

Instructions: Write the number of entries for each category you posted into on the Course Wiki (requirement is two total posts, in two different categories)

 

____ Social Studies

____ Science

1       Math

____ Music

____ Art

1       Reading/Language Arts

____ Physical Education

____ Other

 

Field Experience Reflection

I spent 5 wonderful hours in Mrs. Sara Beth Wright's classroom.  While in her room, I saw many different reading strategies taught through many genres of literature.  I (3rd grade teacher) chose to spend my time in a fourth grade class so that I would know what my current students would be expected to know next year.  While in her class, I saw book studies, literature circles and guided reading.  I was amazing at how well the students did and am excited to try these strategies in my classroom.

Teacher Standard: STANDARD 7: REFLECTS ON AND EVALUATES TEACHING AND LEARNING and STANDARD 8: COLLABORATES WITH COLLEAGUES/PARENTS/OTHERS

This experience gave me the opportunity to reflect and evaluate my own practices.  It also gave me the opportunity to experience practices that I hope to try in my classroom.  I also got to collaborate with a colleague on the 'best practices' of teaching!

 

Egg to Chicken

Bedoyere, C. (2012). Egg to chicken. London, England: W.B. Saunders Company

Genre: Informational, Photo Essay

Age Level: 4-9

          This picture book told the story of a chicken from egg to adult.  It started by telling about the egg and continued to tell about the different stages of a life cycle for a chick.  The text used digital photography to show real life pictures of the lifecycle (see pictures below). This text is a biological science book because it gives factual information on the lifecycle of a chick

I cannot wait to use this text for our upcoming unit on lifecycles.  My children will be excited about all the real-life pictures.  They will also enjoy the vibrant colors and text features used in the text.

Ideas for teaching/comprehension strategies that can be used with this text:   I plan on using this test as an introduction into our unit on lifecycles.   This text is great for introducing text features (see pictures) as the text was full of headings, bold type, italics, index and a glossary.  I would also love to challenge children to create their own book about a lifecycle of a plant or animal. 
 

Questions to pose:

Which part of the book is your favorite?  Explain.

Did you like this book?  Why or why not?

White Socks Only

Coleman, E. (1996). White socks only. Albert Whitman & Co.

Genre: Historical fiction/Picture Book

Age Level: 5-9

Book Talk

 

Audience: Third grade students

Have you ever been in trouble for something you didn’t even know you did?  How did you feel?  This story is about a young girl and her journey into town one day to see if the old saying ‘so hot you could fry an egg on the sidewalk’ was true.  As she ventures into town to see if you really can fry an egg on the sidewalk, she gets very thirsty.  She finds a fountain that has a sign posted that says ‘whites only.’  She laughs and takes off her patent leather shoes and hops up to get a drink.  The white man behind her gets very angry and racism steps in to take over the story.  Read this story to see what happens next!!

The grandmother starts of the story by giving a flashback from her childhood.  She tells her granddaughter of a time she went to town alone.  She gives vivid details so the reader can feel the emotions as if you were there.  I really think you would enjoy this book!!

 

Reflection

The story was written to preserve the diction of the times of segregation and discrimination.  The white gentleman who is very upset that the little girl used the whites’ only fountain tells her that he is going to ‘whup’ her.  Some other sayings that represent this dialect are ‘other white folk’ and ‘you a’int big enough.’  The style of writing that Coleman used makes this story even more realistic. 

The story is in the historical fiction genre because the text takes place during the times of segregation and the Civil Rights Movement.  It includes facts from the past that allow students to have a first-hand look into the trials and tribulations of this era.  This story gives the reader a look into what is what like being an African American during a time when racism was a way of life.  Students can relate to this issue as it was such a big part of our history.  I love this text and think it does a great job showing the history and past of our nation in a soft, relateable way.    

The illustrations are amazing.  Geter creates illustrations that are representative of this time period by making them realistic.  The mood on the character’s faces when the white man is upset shows how scary these moments were for African Americans.  The color Geter chose for the illustrations also helps portray the mood of each illustration. 

Ideas for teaching/comprehension strategies that can be used with this text:   I would love to use this text for talking about how authors use flashbacks (described in the paragraphs above).  I also think this text would be great as an introduction to the times the led up to the Civil Rights Movement.    The text also uses figurative language and this would be great for exploring literal and non-literal language (see picture below).  In one scene the little girl is very thirsty and says her mouth is ‘dry as dirt.’

Questions to pose:

How do you think the little girl felt in this text?  What are some examples you can use from the text?

How would you have felt if you were that little girl?

         Additional Resources:

Book read online at www.storylineonline.net

Activity guide: http://www.storylineonline.net/whitesocks/storyline_whitesocks.pdf

 

Because of Winn-Dixie

DiCamillo, K. (2000). Because of Winn Dixie. Cambridge, Ma: Candlewich Press.

Genre: Realistic Fiction/Chapter Book

Age Level: 8-12

Book Talk

Audience: Third grade students

Have you ever moved to a new town?  Have you ever wanted a pet?  Well if so, you’ve got to read this great book.  It’s about a girl named India Opal Buloni (funny name, right?).  Opal is spending her first summer in a new town and is lonely and hasn’t yet made new friends.  One day, when visiting a local Winn Dixie, she stumbles upon a lone dog.  When a store associate is upset about the dog, India claims it.  Although she isn’t sure how her father (the preacher) will fill about the dog, she takes him home and luckily is able to keep it.  The book tells the story of a friendship that leads to much more.  I think that you would really, really love this book!  You could easily connect with the friendship that Opal and Winn Dixie have. 

 Reflection

This story is realistic fiction because it is a very realistic, believable text.  This means that all of the events in this text could happen.  The events in this story and the characters are easily relateable and life-like.  This text has emotional realism, meaning that the emotions and feelings in this text seem real.  This story captures the struggles of an alternative family, as Opal’s mother is not present in this text.  The text portrays a growing relationship between a father, his daughter and a family pet. 

Ideas for teaching/comprehension strategies that can be used with this text:   This text would be great for types of characters, especially protagonist.  Opal is such a well-developed character that would be great for understanding protagonist.  This text would also be great for summarizing.  Students could use the SWBST (somebody, wanted, but, so, then) strategies to synthesize through the important points in the text (see chart). 

Questions to pose:

How does Opal change throughout the text? 
What impact does Winn-Dixie have on Opal? The Preacher?

Additional Resources:

Resource guide: http://www.candlewick.com/book_files/0763607762.btg.1.pdf

Mirror Mirror

Singer, M., & Singer, M. (2010). Mirror mirror. New York, NY: Dutton Childrens Books.

Genre:  Poetry, Young Adult, Fairytale

Age Level: 8-12

         This poetry book includes various versions of class tales.  The best part…….. the poems are reversible.  I was amazed.  Each poem presents the classic view of the story and the other side represents another perspective of the event. 

 

MIRROR MIRROR: A Book of Reversible Verse

In Reverse  (excerpt)

Who
says
it’s true–
down
is
the only view?
If you believe that,
this poem
will challenge
you.
Up
is
something new.
***************************
Something new
is
up.
You
will challenge
this poem
if you believe that
the only view
is
down.
It’s true.
Says who?

 

Mirror Mirror is a poetry book because it contains a collection of stories that show expression of ideas through precise and imaginative words and also contains rhythmical effects.  It is also considered a picture book because it contains amazing illustrations.  The book uses many elements of poetry.  The book includes verses because this text gives us simple thoughts of stories.  The meaning of the poems varies by poem.  However, each poem portrays two sides to the classic tale.  For example, in the Sleeping Beauty poem, one poem is told from the perspective of Sleeping Beauty and another written from the Prince.  This collection of poems also uses rhyme.  This is used often in this text, especially in the poem about Little Red Riding Hood.  It says “picking berries to eat-juicy and sweet-what a treat.  This quote above also gives the reader sense imagery by appealing to our senses, especially the sense of taste- yum! 

I cannot wait to take this book to school because my kiddos are going to love it as much as I did.  I am so excited because we are starting a poetry unit and I know this text will excite them.  My children will be able to relate to this text because they’ve all read the classic versions of these stories.   PLEASE READ THIS COLLECTION OF POEMS.  IT’S GREATJ

Ideas for teaching/comprehension strategies that can be used with this text:   I plan on using this test as an introduction into our study of poetry.   This text is great for introducing the terms associated with poetry (see above).  I would also love to challenge children to write their own reversible poems.  This collection of poems would also be great for teaching children about the types of conflict.  Many types are present in this text.

Questions to pose:

Which poem was your favorite?  Explain.

Which poem did you connect with the most?

Did you like this collection of poems?  Why or why not?

Additional Resources:

http://marilynsinger.net/books/mirror-mirror-dutton-2010/

http://teachingwithpicturebooks.wordpress.com/category/mirror-by-marilyn-singer/

Esperanza Rising

Ryan, P. M. (2007). Esperanza rising. New York: Scholastic Inc.

Age Level: 11-13

Genre:  Multicultural/Historical Fiction

This story is about a family who must move from their riches in Mexico to poor conditions in the United States.  Esperanza, who has lived in luxury in Mexico, is forced to hard labor and tough times during the Great Depression in America.  Esperanza deals with many rough times while growing up and learns to enjoy the simple things in life rather than spending time thinking of the things she can no longer have.  When her mother becomes very ill, Esperanza must get a job and take care of her mother.  Times are tough and through the years Esperanza grows into a self-sufficient young lady.  The text states “Do not be afraid to start over” (p. 15).  I feel that this is a powerful statement that sums up what Esparanza must do in this text. 

This text has a prologue introducing the necessary background of the story.  I see hints of foreshadowing in the text.  This is especially seen in the beginning when Esperanza cuts a rose vine and pricks her finger.  She says when this happens that she feels this is a sign of bad luck to come.  She soon finds out her father has been murdered.

The text is a multicultural text because the main character is Esperanza, a young Hispanic girl.  It is also considered multicultural because the setting is very diverse.  Part of the story takes place in Mexico and part of it takes place in America.  This story is also considered historical fiction because it takes place during the Great Depression.  The Great Depression plays a very important role in the plot of this text.  The text is filled with historical perspective on the times of the Great Depression.  I feel that this text could easily be incorporated into history lessons on the past and on lessons about reasons why people migrate. 

I absolutely loved this book and have already recommended it to two of my advanced readers in my class.  Although I know this text is advanced, I really think some of my third graders would love it.  They could connect with the struggles of Esperanza as many of them have struggles also.

Ideas for teaching/comprehension strategies that can be used with this text:   Since this is a longer text, I’d like to allow my students to use post-it notes to track their thinking.  This would be great to make predictions, inferences or connections.  These would be great skills because this story has a very rich plot.  I also think this story is great for setting as it changes during this text and is very important.  The setting sets the mood of the text and is essential to the times and struggles addressed in this text. 

Questions to pose:

What connections can you make with this text?  Explain.

What character trait would you say best defines Esperanza?  How does she change throughout the story?  Explain? 

Additional Resources:

Teacher’s Guide: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/esperanza-rising-teachers-guide

Stone Soup

Brown, M. (1947). Stone soup. New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons.

Age Level: 6-9

Genre:  Traditional Literature/Folktale/Picture Book

When I saw this book on a common planning document, I decided that I should read it for my blog post.    

This folktale is about a group of men traveling during a time of war.   When they come up on a village, they must use their keenness to find a place to stay and a meal.   The villagers are not opening their doors or cupboards to the men so they devise a plan to trick the villages into feeding them. 

This story is considered a traditional story because it has an easily understood plot, common theme, characters and setting.  It also has a ‘happy ending.’   I would recommend this text to both colleagues and students as I feel that it is an entertaining tale.  I plan to use it very soon for a unit on folktales. 

Ideas for teaching/comprehension strategies that can be used with this text:  This story would be great to use with introducing conflict because this text has a person-against-person conflict since the villagers are reluctant to help the men.  I also think the text is great for introducing folktales.  I also think this would be great for identifying theme or lesson in a story.  Cleverness is a clearly communicated theme, as the men had to find a way to be fed. 

Questions to pose:

What type of story is this?  Explain how you know.

What lesson do you learn when reading this text?

Can you make a connection with this story?  Explain.

How would you describe the villagers?  Give details from the text.

Additional Resources:

http://www.artsonstage.org/guides/StoneSoup.pdf

http://www.marcias-lesson-links.com/stonesoup.html

Charlotte's Web

White, E. B. (1980). Charlotte's web. New York: Harper Collins.

Age Level: 7 - 13

Genre:  Animal Fantasy

This modern fantasy is about the trials and tribulations of farm animals.  Wilbur, a pig saved by the farmer’s daughter, is worried about what will happen to him when he is older.  When Wilbur meets Charlotte, a farm spider, she joins the mission to save him.  So what will happen to Wilbur?  Read this book and you will see!

I loved this animal fantasy because the characters (farm animals) are personified to be ‘brought to life.’  Wilbur and the other animals can talk and many of them have feelings very similar to humans.    This story is considered a modern fantasy because it has animal characters that are personified.  This means that the animal characters do things that only humans are able to do (walking, talking, having feelings, etc…).

I decided to read this book with my class as we are going to see the play in late April.  I am so excited to connect the literature experience to the production experience.  I would absolutely recommend this book to students and colleagues.   My students were able to relate to this book and were very excited to read it.  Many of them told me that they thought their animals could talk to other animals also.  

Ideas for teaching/comprehension strategies that can be used with this text:  This book would be great to use when teaching setting because this book has an integral setting, meaning the setting is essential to this story.  It would also be great for plot as the story is very rich in events.  The chronological plot is easy to track for young children.

Questions to pose:

How would this story be different if the setting were in New York City?
Can you make a connection with this story?  Explain.
How would you describe Wilbur?  Give details from the text.

Additional Resources:

Great units on www.teacherspayteachers.com

 

http://www.cape.k12.mo.us/Blanchard/hicks/Reading%20Pages/Charlotte's%20Web/Charlottes_Web.htm