Eric Carle visits the Mount!

When "Eric Carle" came to visit our class, we were lucky enough to see a book that he hasn't published yet. Take a look & enjoy! =)

Bringing it all together...

This semester flew by! I have learned so much and feel so much more prepared to teach a class after taking ED5501. I have learned the importance of reading (and how it goes hand-in-hand with writing) in the classroom! Through the use of the many texts I have learned about, read, and done "book talks" about, I am fully prepared to make my own classroom library (with the help of the "50 texts" assignment). As a class, we have explored hundreds of books and many genres to use with students of all ages and abilities; I will use these learned skills in my very own classroom and take the lessons with me to whichever classroom I am lucky enough to end up in. Reading: Birth to Grade 6 has prepared me in many ways that I couldn't have imagined; from story-telling lectures, author visits, book shares, interactive games, and more, I find myself more knowledgeable about children's literature and the importance of it than ever before. I have enjoyed this course and learned so much in such a short amount of time. I will take my newly learned knowledge into the next chapter of my life.

K.L. Going Comes to MSMC! =)

Our class was lucky enough to have K.L. Going come to visit. She introduced her many books (King of Screw-Ups, which I used in my 50 texts assignment, Fat Kid Rules the World, and more!) She explained the long writing, editing, and publishing process and we were lucky enough to get to see the before, during, and after products of her very own writing pieces.

Surviving in the classroom

Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Contemporary reflects the changing views of society that produces it. CRF reflects real-life issues young readers encounter such as: death/loss, maturation, gangs, and drugs. Considering the quality in CRF has factors such as a setting that is realistic, whether actual or fictional, characters that are human begins we know; multidimensional and dynamic, have plots that contain realistic conflicts, themes that illuminate life, and style that captivates and reflects contemporary language patterns. There are many formats in CRF books such as: picturebooks, transitional chapter books, novels in verse, graphic novels, short stories, and novels. Types of CRF include: adventure and survival stories, animal stories, mysteries and thrillers, and sports stories. (Photo taken from Dr. Smirnova's chapter slides on eclass)

Dramatic Responses to Literature

Getting children to respond to literature is extremely important in measuring their comprehension skills. Graphic Arts: •This can be done by encouraging children to draw or paint pictures or create collages or montages about their favorite stories.  •Drawings and paintings require the simplest of art supplies and minimal initial instruction, yet they allow for a great deal of originality. •Having children draw pictures suggested by picture storybooks can be a means of getting them to explore different artistic styles. •Encouraging children to draw picture after hearing stories read to them can result in some of the most highly individualistic creations. •For those who have limited graphic skills, a collage or montage is a viable alternative. It requires a certain amount of synthesis and analysis. Plastic Arts: •The plastic arts include the three-dimensional, nonpainterly works, such as sculpture and pottery. •One popular art form used widely in the classroom is the diorama, a three-dimensional scene often created from a shoe box or other carton, and decorated with cardboard cutouts, plastic figures, or other suitable objects. •By a further extension of the diorama, children can create miniature stages and puppet figures with which to re-enact a story, thus combining an artistic and a dramatic response to literature.

Fantastical Literature!

Fantastical Literature: Includes folklore, fantasy, and science fiction derived from traditions, myths and legends to explain and explore mysteries of world. History: Fantastical novels started with Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) & Through the Looking Glass (1871) by Charles Dodgson, while flourishing in 20th Century (while sub-genres grew in the 21st century) Types of Fantasy: High Fantasy Low Fantasy Hard Science Fiction Soft Fiction Fantasy novels, one of my favorite genres (why I chose it for my presentation), are great for students of all ages. I would use many fantastical genre books in my classroom such as: Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg, Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass by Charles Dodgson, Nim's Island by Wendy Orr, The Secret Tree by Natalie Standiford, and all Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. Fantasy books often include magic, another world other than our own, universal themes, heroism, talking animals, fantastical characters (witches, fairies, etc.), and fantastic objects. All of these motifs make fantasy the distinctive genre that it is. To teach elements of fantasy, I would use a literature circle. I would put my class into small groups. Each group will be given a fantasy picture book such as: The Rainbow Fish, Jumanji, and Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. Each group would read their picture book and look for the elements of fantasy we have just learned. I would have the student's pair up and talk about the following questions: "Why is this a fantasy story?", "Was magic involved? How?", "How did the plot make it a fantastical book?", "Was there another world other than our own? What was it like?"

The Art of Storytelling

Dr. Chuck Stead came to visit our class today, Tuesday, September 30th, 2014. He is an amazing story teller among other great qualities. He introduced us to his Ramapo background and amazing experiences through storytelling. He shared the importance of oral traditions of story telling and when (and when not) to tell specific tales of the indigenous people and animals. Through his storytelling, he incorporated his role in environmental sustainability and ecology, and how he helps stop industrial pollution. Chuck used symbols to tell his stories, where he branched off to more stories. My favorite story, or information that he shared was about Ford dumping chemicals (paint waste among other things) into the woods. This was interesting to me because he was able to expose Ford's wrong doing while improving the land with the work of his students, while building a new research cabin. I could use his storytelling techniques in the classroom because he modeled how to be an enthusiastic, creative storyteller. I could have my students write their own stories, have Chuck come in and share his amazing Ramapo stories while we cover an American Indian unit, or have them make their own symbols about the stories.

Prezi on Patricia Polacco's Writing Style

Jack Sprat Nursery Rhyme

     JACK SPRAT:    

Jack Sprat could eat no fat


His wife could eat no lean


And so betwixt the two of them


They licked the platter clean

Jack ate all the lean,


Joan ate all the fat.


The bone they picked it clean,


Then gave it to the cat. 



Jack Sprat was wheeling,
His wife by the ditch.


The barrow turned over,


And in she did pitch.



Says Jack, “She’ll be drowned!”


But Joan did not reply,


“I don’t think I shall,
for the ditch is quite dry.”

Historical Background:

    •There are a number of historical interpretations of “Jack Sprat.” One theory claims that the rhyme refers to King Charles I (1625 – 1649) and his queen, Henrietta Maria (1609 – 1669). When Charles declared war on Spain, the parliament “left him lean,” failing to fund his cause. In result, the bitter King implemented an illegal war tax without Parliament’s consent “to get some fat.”

    •Another analysis connects the rhyme to Richard I, also known as Richard the Lionheart (1157 – 1199), and his younger brother King John (1166 – 1216). John was married to Joan, the greedy daughter of the Earl of Gloucester (“Joan ate all the fat”). When Richard was taken for ransom by Duke Leopold, John had to leave the country destitute in order to raise the money. Between John\'s desperation and Joan\'s greed, “they picked the platter clean”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gXe-8ClOr6M

Julie Andrews Collection of Poems and Lullabies

I thought this was a great video to share on Julie Andrews collection of poems and lullabies!

Enjoy!

Learning About Picture Books!

Picture books are important because of how readers interact with them, especially the read-aloud experience. The magic begins when a child or grown-up reader opens up the book.  Picture books represent a unique literary form that blends stories with art. In a picture book, the illustrations are as important as the text, and both work together to tell the story.  Pictures enable children to explore the world within their own imagination and make connections to characters and events they see depicted in books. When you help children connect with characters and events, you make the book more real to them.Picture books introduce children to the concept of reading, even if they can't read yet, and strengthen visual thinking skills! 

      Picture books also help children connect what they observe with how they reason, linking concepts with words.  Picture books introduce children to a love of art in a way that just taking a child to an art gallery can't achieve. The illustrations aren't mere decoration to the text. They enhance the story and emotions. The context encourages a child to go back to different pictures over and over, noticing new things, reading characters' emotions and interactions, possible secondary subplots that are told only in the pictures.

Here are a few of my favorite picture books....

Here is a link to Dr. Smirnova's wonderful powerpoint on picturebooks:
https://docs.google.com/a/my.msmc.edu/presentation/d/1AnZNAxdurQUgyQcGLNQPY1yAbSwJwQSAUIBmxPbrKq8/present?slide=id.p15

Lesa Cline-Ransome Comes To Visit!

 Today, Tuesday, September 9th, 2014, Lesa Cline-Ransome came to visit our graduate class at Mount Saint Mary College and it was an honor having her!  Lesa shared her great children's books, inspirations, family life, and more!  She started with telling us about her family, which I thought was a great way to get the audience involved and listening to her great presentation.  She went on to tell us about the process and how long it takes to bring a bunch of ideas together to make a book, edit, revise, send it to editors to get it approved, get it accepted, and then send it to be illustrated (which was most of the time, by her husband).  Before her speech, I did not know how much time it took to get a book published and the overall time and effort put into it (years!).  I was amazed at her dedication to writing children's literature and how enthusiastic she is about her writing.  Not only is she a great writer, but a wonderful public speaker.  Lesa held my attention easily the whole time through her enthusiasm, reading aloud some of her writing pieces, and constantly engaging in conversation with the audience. 

                                          

After one of her read alouds, I found myself very interested in her book, Words Set Me Free because of the wonderful historic knowledge in it and illustrations.  I enjoy her type of writing and the research and interest that she puts into writing biographies.  Words Set Me Free particularly caught my attention because it would be a great book to use in a classroom library or read aloud to my students during a Social Studies unit.  This picture book biography chronicles the youth of Frederick Douglass, one of the most prominent African American figures in American history.  Our class had the great opportunity to have the author herself, Lesa Cline-Ransome read it to us and tell us what inspired her to write this book.  We were lucky enough to hear the great process of what goes into the writing, editing, and publishing process.  I became very engaged in learning about biography books and memoirs.  It was an honor to have Lesa Cline-Ransome come visit our class today and I look forward to having more authors come in to share with us.

Dr. Gangi & Problematic Books!

     Dr. Gangi came to our class today and did a wonderful presentation on "problematic" books.  I wasn't too sure what exactly these books were, however, she clarified my questions once she started talking.  It was interesting to see books from a different point of view.  This point of view was now looking at books in somewhat of a negative way, rather than admiring its format, genre type, illustrations, etc.  Before Dr. Gangi's presentation on these types of books, it rarely occurred to me how "problematic" books could be.
     In doing some research of my own on GoodReads, I found a few problematic books myself; these books include: The Twilight series, where men can't talk about their feelings, have to look like chiseled models, have eyes that pierce the soul, and amazing skin, and The Help, where a young African American girl who graduated from Ole Miss wants to be a writer but it is 1962 and she is only the help to a white wealthy family- the author played very stereotypical themes in which were very inappropriate and obvious voices.  Overall, I learned a lot from her presentation on problematic books and certain authors who write this way.  I will now keep an eye open to these types of readings and will know how to address them in the classroom.  Problematic books, although some are too "harsh" for classrooms, are good for lessons!

First Day of Reading and Literature!

During our first day of Reading and Literature: Birth through Grade 6, Dr. Smirnova showed us a great video where Patricia Polacco reads her book, Thank You, Mr. Falker and explains her hardships she faced when learning how to read.  The book showed that the little girl in the book struggled throughout many years until a special teacher came along and took the time to help her through her struggles and teacher her to read.  This story was a great way to show the struggles that many students face and how to help them.  This video reminded me of the journey I went through in learning how to read.  I have posted the video URL in this blog for your viewing. 

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=abN2aP_Dzd0 )

            Also on the first day, we also took a trip to the curriculum library, where Tiffany, the librarian, introduced us to helpful material and information to guide us around the library.  We were then introduced to Goodreads and Librarything, which will provide us with information about books that will be helpful to us as teachers.

Once Upon A Time...

Once upon a time when I was a child…

            My mother would always read Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig.  This was one of my favorite children’s books because it had such great illustrations and an interesting story line.  The fictional picture book was about a young boy (donkey) who collected pebbles and came across a magical pebble that would change the weather and anything he wanted.  After taking advantage of the powers that came along with the pebble, the young boy (donkey) came across a hungry lion and he wished he had turned into a stone and stayed as one for months.  It sends the message of  “be careful what you wish for” to children.  This book shows children to appreciate what they already have.

I don’t remember exactly when I started learning how to read but I do remember it being difficult and fun at the same time.  Learning to read started with memorizing stories that my parents or older sister would read to me.  I was lucky enough to have an older sister who would read to me before bedtime, getting me initially interested in reading.  I loved reading and being read to as a child, which started my love for books.  My favorite books as a child consisted of: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, Where The Wild Things Are, Judy Bloom series, Goodnight Moon, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and Charlotte’s Web.  I do continue to read, however, it is more required reading for school.  One of my greatest memories with reading and school was when my second grade class took a trip to our local library.  It is important to have  a classroom filled with a variety of different books on different reading levels.
Here is a story book animation for the book:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DjlrXQBkfA0