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

A Bad Case of the Stripes

Shannon, D. (2004). A bad case of stripes. Scholastic Paperbacks.

Age Level: 5-9

Genre: Picture Book

Camilla is a girl who wants to fit in.  She gives up lima beans (which she liked) just to fit in and then she gets a ‘bad case of the stripes.’  She starts to change color and transsform into thinkgs surrounding her.  Her parents take her to the doctor but they cannot find anything wrong so she goes to school.  While at school, she’s teased because of her color.  Camilla’s journey to fit in takes her through many colorful transformations.  Will Camilla ever learn to love who she is? 

David Shannon’s illustrations are very vivid and life-like.  Shannon does a great job making the illustrations come to life.  The colors in the illustrations contribute to the character’s emotions and overall mood of the story.  The composition of the book also helps to focus your attention on the important aspects of the story.  The realistic illustrations are great as they make the text easily relatable!

I would absolutely recommend this book and already plan to use it in my classroom!  Children will find this story very easy to relate to as many of them have hoped to fit in at some point in their lives. 

Ideas for teaching/comprehension strategies that can be used with this text:  This book would be great to use when teaching theme because it clearly promotes being yourself.  It would also be a very cute book to use with cause and effect. 

Questions to pose:

Have you ever felt like Camilla?  Explain. 

What do the illustrations represent?  Why are they so important to the story?

Additional Resources:

Read this book online at www.storylineonline.net

Story Lesson Plan : http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/bad-case-stripes-lesson-plan

Yo! Yes?

Raschka, C. (1993).  Yo! Yes?.  New York:  Orchard Books.

Age Level: 3-9

Genre:  Realistic Fiction/Picture Book

When I got this out of my school’s library and opened it up to see very few words, I was already excited.  This easy-to-read book uses illustrations and very few words to tell the story of a friendship that develops over a game of basketball.  It is a very short story but the illustrations do a great job showing emotions.  I cannot wait to share this story with my class. 

The illustrations are great and it is imperative that the reader build comprehension based on the interpretations of the text.  The doublespread (see below) pages create a life-like experience and allow the reader to become a part of the story.    

I would absolutely recommend this book and already plan to use it in my classroom!  I feel that children will find this book relevant as many of them have had the same experiences shared in this book. 

Ideas for teaching/comprehension strategies that can be used with this text:  I plan to use this book next year as an introduction to inferring because in this text it is essential that children use their prior knowledge and infer what is happening.  I could also use this text to show how illustrations support the plot. 

Questions to pose:

Why do you think the author used very few words to write this book?

Explain what you think is happening on this page (could select any page of the book)? 

How do you think the two boys feel in this text?  Do their feelings change throughout the story?

Wemberly Worried

Henkes, K. (2000). Wemberly worried. Hong Kong: Greenwillow books.

 Age Level:  4-8

Genre: Picture Book,

This picture book is about a mouse who worries all the time.  She worries about big things, small things and all things in between.  It is the beginning of school and Wemberly is worrying about that.  When Wemberly goes to school she meets a friend who is much like herself.  Will Wemberly ever quit worrying and enjoy school? 

After reading this book, I am excited to use it at the beginning of school next year.  This would be a great text to use as many of us worry about the star of a new school year.    I would absolutely recommend this book, especially for the beginning of a school year!

I love the illustrations in this text because they do a great job of representing this character’s feelings and mood throughout the text.  The colors (both cool and warm) in the illustrations help contribute to the story’s meaning.     

Wemberly worries very often and I feel this this would be a book many children could find relevancy with, as many of them also worry.  I think this would be a great text for primary classrooms because many children in this age do have worries of all sorts.    

Ideas for teaching/comprehension strategies that can be used with this text:  I would love to use this text to introduce person-against-self (or person-versus-self) conflicts.  I also think this would be a great book for teaching character’s feelings in a story because Wemberly’s feelings are very evident throughout the text.  I also could use this text with problem and solution. 

Questions to pose:

Why do you think Wemberly worries so much?

Can you relate to Wemberly?  Why or why not?

How does Wemberly change throughout the story?  Use details from the text. 

Why do you think we read this text in our classroom?

 

The true story of the three little pigs

Scieszka, J. (1989). The true story of the three little pigs. New York. Penguin Books.

 
Age Level: 5-10

Genre: Picture Book, Comedy and Humor, Folktale

This story is hilarious!  I had never thought about the Wolf’s view of the happenings in The Three Little Pigs, that is, until now.  This story depicts Alexander Wolf’s view of how things really happened.  Throughout this book the Wolf tells his journey of trying to make his grandmother a cake for her birthday.  When he goes to get some sugar from a neighbor, the story gets interesting. 

Many aspects of this text remain the same as the classic story many of us know.  The setting and plot are very similar but the point of view of the story is different.  Read this story to see who you believe.              

The illustrations are great and really create an interesting mood.  They do a great job of depicting the story as A. Wolf sees it.   I would absolutely recommend this book because it is a new look into a classic tale and it would be great for perspective!  I already plan to use it (along with several colleagues) for an upcoming unit on point of view. 

Relevancy with children can be built around discussing several different points of view (perspecitve ehich the story is told) in a given experience.  I look forward to being able to discuss how in a given experience, there can be many different perspectives/points of view. 

Ideas for teaching/comprehension strategies that can be used with this text:  I would love to use the text to compare and contrast two similar texts.  I would use the class version and discuss how the perspectives are different in each test but that many aspects remain the same in both (setting and plot).  This book could also be used to discuss story elements and the illustrations would be great to discuss mood in a text.  I would also like to use this book for character development.  This story really does a great job developing the character of A. Wolf throughout the story.

Questions to pose:

Do you think A. Wolf is guilty or not guilty? Explain your thinking.

What support did A. Wolf provide that he wasn’t guilty?  Did he do a good job presenting his case?

How does this story compare to the traditional story?

Click, clack, moo: Cows that type

Cronin, D., & Lewin, B. (2000). Click, clack, moo: Cows that type. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Age Level: 4-8

Genre: Picture Book, Comedy and Humor

This picture book is wonderful for kids of all ages- even I thoroughly enjoyed this laughter filled book.  The book follows the journey of farm animals who want to get their way.  Farmer Brown’s animals use a type writer to write letters to the farmer requesting blankets for the cold weather.  When they don’t get what they want, they decide to go one strike.  Other farm animals join in with requests and also go on strike.    Do the farm animals get what they want? Read this book to see! 

The illustrations are great and capture the attention of the reader.  They are colorful and really depict the nature of a farm.  The setting is realistic, although the book is clearly fictional.  I would absolutely recommend this book because it could be used for many comprehension strategies.  I cannot wait to share it with my students!

Children will find this book relevant as many of them have written letters before.  More importantly, many students have written persuasive letters just as the animals in this text did.  After reading this text, challenge children to write a persuasive letter of their own.

Ideas for teaching/comprehension strategy that can be used with the text:  I feel that is text would be great to compare and contrast two similar texts (could use other Doreen Cronin texts).  I also think this text would be great to identify the author’s purpose.  I also feel that you could introduce children the reasons why we write through this text (see picture for anchor chart idea). 

Questions to pose:

Why do the animals write to the farmer/What is the purpose for writing?

What could the animals do to convince the farmer to give them what they want?

How does this compare to another story you’ve read?

What kind of connections can you make to this story?

Intro!

Hello......My name is Mollie and I currently teach 3rd grade.  I am ALMOST done with my classes and am thrilled about that.  I spend the majority of my time working, but enjoy shopping and traveling when I have time.  I look forward to learning about this 'blog' and am interesting in using it.