Author Presentation: Shel Silverstein

Sheldon Alan “Shel” Silverstein was born on September, 25, 1930 in Chicago, IL. He grew up there and attended the Chicago School of Performing Arts and other schools surrounding the Chicago area. Shel went on to have two children, Shanna and Matt. Shanna died at the age of 11 due to a cerebral aneurysm, and Matt was born in 1983 and presumed to still be alive. Shel died during the weekend of May 8, 1999 of a heart attack. Shel was a composer, an artist, and the author of numerous books of prose and poetry for younger readers.
Shel’s writing started kicking off when he was in the military in the 1950s. He wrote adult cartoons for the newspaper, Starts and Stripes. Some of his classics include:
Uncle Shelby’s ABZ Book (1961)
Uncle Shelby's story of) Lafcadio: The Lion Who Shot Back (1963)
The Giving Tree (1964)
Where the Sidewalk Ends (1974)
A Light in the Attic (1981)
Falling Up (1996)
Runny Babbit (2005) (published posthumously)
Don't Bump the Glump! and Other Fantasies (2008, originally published in 1964)
A Light in the Attic was actually the first children’s book to be on the New York Times best sellers list, and it stayed there for 182 weeks. Publishers Weekly did an interview with Shel on February 24, 1975 where he mentions when he was a young adolescent he wanted to be a star baseball player or a hit with the girls. However, he wasn’t great at either one so he started to draw and write, and that is when he developed his own style and own talent. He definitely has a unique one! Here is a list of some of the awards and honors Shel accomplished in his life:
1974 New York Times Outstanding Book Award for Where the Sidewalk Ends
1981 Michigan Young Readers’ Award for Where the Sidewalk Ends
1981 School Library Journal Best Books Award for A Light in the Attic
1982 International Reading Association’s Children’s Choice Award for The Missing Piece Meets The Big O
1983 Buckeye Award for A Light in the Attic
1984 George G. Stone Award for A Light in the Attic and Where the Sidewalk Ends
1984 William Allen White Award for A Light in the Attic
1985 Buckeye Award for A Light in the Attic
Shel was known and appreciated by many children as well as adults. People saw him as both wicked and giddy. His work is seen as sly and serious, and gruesome as well as just plain old silly!

Bibliography

Books:

Silverstein, Shel. Uncle Shelby’s ABZ Book. Simon & Shuster: New York, NY. 1961.

Silverstein, Shel. Uncle Shelby’s story of Lafcadio: The Lion Who Shot Back. Harper & Row :New York, NY. 1963.

Silverstein, Shel. The Giving Tree. Harper & Row: New York, NY. 1964

Silverstein, Shel. The Missing Piece. Harper & Row: New York, NY. 1976

Silverstein, Shel. Where the Sidewalk Ends. HarperCollins: New York, NY. 1974

Silverstein, Shel. A Light in the Attic. Harper & Row: New York, NY. 1981

Silverstein, Shel. Falling Up. HarperCollins: New York, NY. 1996

Silverstein, Shel. Runny Babbit. HarperCollins: New York, NY. 2005.

Silverstein, Shel. Don’t Bump the Glump! and Other Fantasies. HarperCollins Publishers. New York, NY. 2008.

Essays:

Thomas, Joseph T. "Reappraising Uncle Shelby". Horn Book Magazine. May/Jun 2005, Vol 81 Issue 3, p.23-293.

Myers, Mitch. "Shel Silverstein". Rolling Stone. June 1999, Issue815, p26.

Interviews:

Lingeman, Richard. "The Third Mr. Silverstein". New York Times Book Review. April, 30, 1978.

Mercier, Jean. "Shel Silverstein." Publisher's Weekly. Feb., 24 1975

Craft Lesson 10: My Mouth is a Volcano

Discussion:
This is a fun book that talks about children blurting out because their ideas are so important. Children's ideas are important but a lot of the time they are interrupting whenever they blurt out answers/ideas. I thought this book would be a good opportunity to incorporate something fun in the classroom like making a volcano to compare visually what happens when volcanoes erupt and when we blurt out ideas.

How To Teach It:

Some supplies are needed to make volcanoes:
6 cups flour
2 cups salt
4 tablespoons cooking oil
warm water
plastic soda bottle
dishwashing detergent
food coloring
vinegar
baking dish or other pan
2 T baking soda

First make the 'cone' of the baking soda volcano. Mix 6 cups flour, 2 cups salt, 4 tablespoons cooking oil, and 2 cups of water. The resulting mixture should be smooth and firm (more water may be added if needed).
Stand the soda bottle in the baking pan and mold the dough around it into a volcano shape. Don't cover the hole or drop dough into it.
Fill the bottle most of the way full with warm water and a bit of red food color (can be done before sculpting if you don't take so long that the water gets cold).
Add 6 drops of detergent to the bottle contents.
Add 2 tablespoons baking soda to the liquid.
Slowly pour vinegar into the bottle. Watch out - eruption time!

http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howtos/ht/buildavolcano.htm

This could be educational by explaining the different parts of the volcano, like lava and magma, and what makes volcanoes erupt. Be sure to compare what happens when the volcano erupts to what happens when we blurt out answers.

Craft Lesson 9: Zoom

Discussion:
I think it is important that children see that people have different perspectives. This book, Zoom, presents this idea perfectly.

How To Teach It:
I would provide each of my student's a copy of the book. I would have them look at it individually and then we would discuss it as a group. I would be interested to see what the students would say about this book and what ran through their minds while "reading" it. Next, I would have each of them take a picture of something around the school (not showing the whole object though) with a disposable camera . Then after I developed the pictures, they would present their picture to the class. The other children would then have to guess what the picture represented. This would bring about many guesses, clarifying the many perspectives that people have of the same thing. For example, a student could have taken a picture of part of a picture frame. Some students may see that as a picture frame, a piece of fabric, a piece of art work, a piece of a door, etc.

Chapter 17: Children's Literature, Briefly

I have always felt that motivating students to read will be a hard task when I become a teacher. I know that it is something obviously that I need to do; however, I know that I may not be able to reach every child in becoming a life-long reader. In my opinion, reading starts at the home which can affect a student for a life time. I think children now a days are so preoccupied with video games and technology at home that they are starting to gradually like reading less and less. My goal as a teacher is to implement these ideas discussed in this chapter into my classroom so that I can do my best in creating life-long readers. I need to know each of my students in my class so I know what books will keep them engaged and what books will not. The last thing I want to do is turn my students off from exploring the wonderful world of books.

Tunnell, Michael O. and James S. Jacobs. Children's Literature, Briefly. 4e. Upper Sadle River NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, 2008.

Zoom

I really did enjoy this picture book. It makes me think about how there is always a different perspective other than yours and that there is much more to the world than just your life (which some of us need to be reminded of every once in a while). I think this would be good for younger students to tell their own story and to predict what the next page will bring. I think this book would be good for older students to get their minds thinking about the role their have in their lives and how this book introduces different perspectives.

Banyai, Istvan. Zoom. New York NY: Puffin Books, 1995.

Chapter 16: Children's Literature, Briefly

I found this chapter to be very interesting! Now a days as a teacher I feel like we have to be careful with everything we do. We have to make sure that the books we are presenting in class will not cause any problems with parents and students. As stated on page 207, teachers need to understand how to determine when a book is developmentally appropriate for their students. We need to be careful to not cause conflict with our parents as teachers; this could lead into many other issues and may even cost us our jobs.

Tunnell, Michael O. and James S. Jacobs. Children's Literature, Briefly. 4e. Upper Sadle River NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, 2008.

Craft Lesson 8: Baby Mouse Our Hero

Discussion: This book discusses many emotions that Baby Mouse experiences. Emotions are important for children to understand and how to label and recognize changes in emotion is even more important.

How I Would Teach It: Cheryl Cox has a collection of activities for the elementary school classroom and a lesson that I am familiar with is about emotions using flash cards. I would use the flash cards that have different faces and emotional phrases on them. This lesson not only teaches emotions but also facial expressions that go along with the different emotions and synonyms of each of the emotion words. The words that are synonyms all share the same facial expression so this activity is self check. The words used in this particular activity are a little difficult so it is good that it is self-check. This would be a group work activity divided among the different tables. I would implement this into my classroom because it is an interactive lesson for the students; they are active in the learning process not just passively receiving information.

Cheryl Cox's website: http://www.cherylcoxedu.com/

Chapter 15: Children's Literature, Briefly

It is our responsibility as teachers to open our students' eyes to different cultures. Through multicultural books we can touch on some of these cultures. Through these books, we can also teach and directly talk about stereotypes that affect our interactions with people of different cultures. I have started collected multicultural books just because I feel that is something that is important to teach to my future students.

Tunnell, Michael O. and James S. Jacobs. Children's Literature, Briefly. 4e. Upper Sadle River NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, 2008.

Craft Lesson 7: Stuart's Cape

Discussion:
I would like to teach my students that just because something is old or rugged does not mean there is no use for it (just like the trashman and Stuart thought in this book). Something great can come out of anything even what someone thinks is junk!! Also, I think this will get my students to use their imaginations.

How To Teach It:
To teach this lesson I would collect things from a pawn shop or old objects from my apartment/house. I would have each student choose some of these "scraps" and ask them to design something out of these objects. To make it related to language arts, I would have them get up in front of the class and present their objects. They can talk about why they picked the objects they did and why they decided to make the objects they did. This will spark many children's imaginations and maybe they will see stuff around their house or at stores differently because of this book and activity.

Babymouse Our Hero

This book is too cute! I was actually laughing out loud while reading it. I really liked page 32 where Babymouse was "guilty as charged" for getting the answer wrong in math and not showing her work. I really like the format of this book; it is an easy read and children who like comic books would be interested in this book.

Holm, Jennifer L, and Matthew Holm. Babymouse Our Hero. New York: Random House, 2005.

Chapter 14: Children's Literature Briefly

I thought informational books were so boring in elementary, middle, and high school. This chapter does have some good suggestions to use in the classroom for using informational books in the classroom to make it interesting. For example, I would use activity books in my classroom because I feel this would keep the children engaged. Photo essays would also be very interesting to use in the classroom to teach students about facts and past times. I feel this chapter will be very helpful for me in the future.

Tunnell, Michael O. and James S. Jacobs. Children's Literature, Briefly. 4e. Upper Sadle River NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, 2008.

Stuart's Cape

The part of the story that I really enjoyed was the part about Aunt Bubbles' angel food cake. On page 24, Aunt Bubbles is upset that someone stole her angel food cake, which was lighter than air. I really liked the imagery here and the play on words. The use of imagination throughout this book was amazing. Children would really enjoy reading this story.

Pennypacker, S. Stuart's Cape. Illus. Martin Matje. New York NY: Scholastic/Orchard Books, 2002.

Craft Lesson 6: Sidewalk Circus

Discussion:
I think it is important for children to use their imaginations so I also think it is important for children to exercise their imaginations.

How To Teach It:
I would try to get a book for each child in the class. Together, we would flip through the pages and talk about what is happening within the story. After reading, I would take the students outside and ask them to find a comfortable place where they could see birds, people, children, and houses. I would then ask them to make their own picture story about what they see, just like the book, Sidewalk Circus. I would remind them to use their imaginations. I would provide them with paper so they could draw their story. If some then want to write after they draw what they see then they can do that; I know children learn in different ways.

Chapter 13: Children's Literature Briefly

I really do love biographies! I remember in grade school if I had to read a biography I would always choose one on Martin Luther King Jr. or Rosa Parks. I can also remember having to write a report about the person's life and that was so boring. I will come up with extension lessons after my students read biographies. It would be neat to have an "Autobiography Day". My students could research about a person from history. Then, they could dress up and be that person for the day. They each could get time to present their own story about their own lives.

I also think short biography books would be a good introduction for a social studies lesson about a particular person! I really do think books can be a wonderful introduction to a lesson in social studies, sciencec, and even math. I am really beginning to enjoy children's books and am constantly making trips to Hasting's and Barnes and Noble to see if they have any specials...that could get pretty expensive but at least my students will have a wide selection of books to choose from.

Tunnell, Michael O. and James S. Jacobs. Children's Literature, Briefly. 4e. Upper Sadle River NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, 2008.

Sidewalk Circus

I actually thought this book was funny. I liked how the children could use their imaginations and see the circus in every day events. I think this really shows first hand how children are so creative and use their imaginations so very often. The pictures were amazing. I was not looking forward to reading this book since there were not going to be in words, but I really think this would be a good book for younger children to make up their own story according to the pictures. I really liked how the story somewhat continues when the little boy sits down on the bench and starts seeing the "circus" too. Great book for young children!

Fleischman, Paul and Hawkes, Kevin. Sidewalk Circus. Picture book. Cambridge MA: Candlewick Press, 2004.

Poetry Assignment

Poetry is a way for children to express their emotions and explore their imaginations. Also, poetry does not have to be in complete sentences, so I believe this is a good way to start with early writers. Students can make their poems however they want them to; they can be one word lines, phrases, sentences, expressions, or noises. Poems are a way that children can express their personality through their writing. Also, writers can use many different strategies while writing poems, such as rhyming, onomatopoeia, alliteration, metaphors, similes, personification and imagery. In my classroom, I want my children to be able to use their imaginations when writing; if they want to write poems rather than stories that will be fine with me.
Tunnel and Jacobs explain that “teachers who don’t appreciate poetry tend to ignore it in their daily routine” (80). I really do not want to be this teacher. I want my students to be exposed to as many different forms of writing and reading as possible, so they can form their own opinions on what they like or dislike. I do not want to pass on my personal opinions or beliefs to my students because then they will never learn to think for themselves.
Tunnel and Jacobs state that “one teacher simply wrote a new poem on the chalkboard each day without reading or referring to it” (83). I like this idea because I would not be dwelling on it, but some students will be interested and even ask me about it. I believe poems can be used in any subject area; they could be an introduction to a science lesson on insects, a math lesson on multiplication, a social studies lesson on American Indians, or just a piece of wisdom that children could take with them. I want to be that teacher that opens my children’s imaginations to things they have never thought about before and that makes a difference in their lives by exposing them to new and exciting things.

Sticks and Stones
By: Douglas Florian
I like this poem because it emphasizes a different idea with the phrase “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”. I really believe words can hurt people; and children really feel this way about hurtful words. By hearing this poem, I want my students to realize that what we say can affect other people in a negative way. I think this poem would be good to read at the beginning of the semester to discuss expectations in my classroom, such as respecting others through words and actions.

Interruption
By: Douglas Florian
I chose this poem because it catches you off guard. It would be horrible if your roof really did fall down onto your head, but to this person, that is not the main problem. The main problem is that they lost their page in their book they were reading. I could use this in my classroom to emphasize to my students that reading can be for enjoyment purposes and does not always have to be for school or for accelerated reader.

Arithmetickle
By: Douglas Florian
I chose this poem because I love math but I know other people do not like math at all! I actually thought about being a high school math teacher for the longest time but realized I liked working with younger children better. I hope my students will see that someone else may feel the same way they do about a particular subject in school. But the key point is that no matter if they like the subject or not it is still something they need to learn to be educated. This poem is really just for fun and I could see myself putting it on the board after we finish a big math lesson.

READ THIS POEM!
By: Douglas Florian
I thought this poem was very cute. I would think children would really like this poem too. I liked how Douglas Florian made the poem come alive by using “I”. I just would hope my students would enjoy this poem and realize that reading can be for fun!

They Gave Me
By: Douglas Florian
I chose this poem because I really feel that life is about giving and taking and what goes around comes around. If we do good things then good things will happen to us. I would want my students to realize this idea also about giving and taking. I believe many children these days are very spoiled and just know about the “taking” part of life. I would hope this would introduce my students to the “giving” part of life. Maybe this could be used as an introduction to a social studies lesson about a community service plan.

Substitute Teacher
By: Douglas Florian
I thought this poem was so funny! I remember different substitute teachers we had. This poem made me think of when the boys in my elementary school, middle school, and high school class played tricks on the substitute teacher. I really liked the ending to this poem; I could not even imagine what the regular teacher was like. I would use this poem in my class just for fun. I think it would be funny to read this poem the day before we would have a substitute teacher fill in for me. I think the students would maybe realize that substitute teachers are not so bad and maybe that they will even like them more than me.

Do-It-Yourself Poem
By: Douglas Florian
I chose this poem because it is interactive and easy to fill in. I would hope my students would be able to come up with rhyming words that would fit semantically and syntactically with the sentence. I know a lot of children enjoy rhyming words because sounds are easy to recognize for most children that I have worked with.

LONG-LEG LOU AND SHORT-LEG SUE
By: Shel Silverstein
I chose this poem because it is about friendship and it was one of my favorite poems growing up. I can somewhat relate to this because I was the girl in elementary school that was taller than all the boys; I had really long, skinny legs. By reading this poem, I would like my students to understand that we all have differences that we need to accept. I would like to read this poem at the beginning of the year to talk about expectations in my classroom, such as all of us being friends in the class.

THE VOICE
By: Shel Silverstein
I chose this poem because I think children really do have a problem with peer pressure at all ages. I would want my students to understand that they know what is best for them, and it is good to have a different opinion than your friends or teachers about certain things. I want my students to think for themselves and know the difference between right and wrong. Again, I would like to read this poem at the beginning of the year to introduce expectations I have of my students.

FORGETFUL PAUL REVERE
By: Shel Silverstein
I chose this poem because I thought it would be a good introduction to a social studies lesson on Paul Revere. I know children are familiar with the saying, “one if by land, two if by sea”. I would want them to correct “Paul Revere” here when he is trying to remember the famous phrase he said a long time ago. This would be a perfect way to start conversation up about Paul Revere’s ride. I would want this poem to get my students’ minds wondering about social studies figures, such as Paul Revere.

Martin Luther King
By: Myra Cohn Livingston
I absolutely love Martin Luther King! I have always been fascinated with his civil rights actions, speeches, sermons, and ideas. I would want my students to understand what this poem is talking about and for them to form their own opinion about it. Maybe I could do an extension activity on this and have them write about ways we as a society can overcome the problems with race, gender, and culture we still have today.

Changing
By: Mary Anne Hoberman
I chose this poem because it touches on the idea of being empathetic for other people. I am a very empathetic person; I believe it is a good quality to have that I would want to pass on to my students. I could use this poem in my classroom with a social studies lesson. For example, if we were talking about the pioneer days, we could use this poem to relate to how the people of that certain time period felt and what they were going through.

Together
By: Paul Engle
I chose this poem because it brings about the idea of teamwork. I see my future class as a team striving to meet particular goals. I believe reading this poem would be a good way to introduce again the expectations I have of my students and what goals we have for the year as a class.

A Word
By: Emily Dickinson
I chose this poem because I believe it is very insightful and makes you think. I like how Emily Dickinson personifies “a word” and emphasizes the fact that a word can actual be alive. I would want my students to realize that this is true because whenever they speak, they bring a word to life. It is their duty to make words live; they hold a purpose. I would be interested to see how my students react to this concept of them playing a role in daily life. I could even expand on that just because they are younger or smaller than adults does not mean they are less important. Some children could feel they are not important because of what goes on at home, but I would want my students to feel important and wanted in my classroom.

Dreams
By: Langston Hughes
I chose this poem because I want my students to have dreams. I believe dreams cause students to have confidence, goals, and a purpose. After reading this poem, I would like my students to write a poem about a dream they have. Some students may have never thought about a dream of theirs before, so this will give them an opportunity to think of one. This assignment will give them an opportunity to picture themselves successful in the future, which is a good image to have of themselves.

The Library
By: Barbara A. Huff
I chose this poem because I agree with it! Books are such a wonderful way to explore places or things we have never seen before. I would hope my students would feel the same way about books and libraries as this author does. Some children have never been to a library before they get to elementary school; and a library is such a wonderful place to explore, research, travel, and imagine. I would want my students to understand how lucky they are to have such a wonderful resource: a library.

L is for Lonestar
By: Carol Crane
I chose this poem because independence is such an important thing that I think a lot of people take for granted! I would use this poem to introduce a social studies lesson about how unique Texas is, such as why we can fly our flag the same height as the USA flag. I really do not want my students to take our freedom and independence for granted, so I would hope this would be a way to introduce the importance of it.

Keep a Poem in Your Pocket
By: Beatrice Schenk de Regniers
I chose this poem because of the imagery it forms in my head. I really do see a picture when I am lying in bed at night. I would want my students to read this before they go to bed at night and form a picture in their heads. I would want them to return the next day and tell me what pictures they saw. This will allow my students to use their imaginations with poetry. Then, I could even have my students write a poem about their image they saw the following night.

To Dark Eyes Dreaming
By: Zilpha Keatley Snyder
I chose this poem because it touches on determination. I think determination is something that should drive each of us, especially my students. I would want my students to understand that dreams can be far-reaching. This poem explains that dreams come in all shapes and sizes and that dreams are different for everyone; the important thing is that dreams have a place to live, which is within us. We make our dreams happen.

Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
By: Dr. Seuss
I chose this poem because this is my all-time favorite children’s book. I like how it lets children know they are responsible for the own destiny and changing their lives. I would love to teach in a lower socioeconomic status area. Most of these children need to be told they can make good decisions in their life that will lead them down a path to success. I would like to read this book at the beginning of the year and the end of the year. I would read it at the beginning to let my students know that it is a new year and a new grade and that they need to set new goals and expectations for themselves. Also, I would read it at the end of the year to send them off to the next grade level on a positive note; I would like them to realize they can make new goals and expectations for themselves to go down a successful path.

Reading Plan and Journal: All Year 'Round

I plan to read All Year ‘Round by Stan and Jan Berenstain. The children I watch in after school daycare love The Berenstain Bears books; also, they love rhyming words, so I thought this would be a good choice. This book is also about the changing seasons, so I thought it would be relevant since this is what we are experiencing right now with the coming of spring. The age group I will read to is six to eight year olds. I wanted to see if they could guess the rhyming words that were coming up in the text by context clues and the pictures.

I first read the title and showed the two children the cover. They named all the seasons and said that spring was approaching. I then explained to them that I was going to cover up the word at the end of the sentence that rhymed with another word on the same page, and they would have to guess what the word was. At first, they had a hard time guessing the word, but then they started looking at the pictures and guessing the correct words. I really liked how this book had good rhythm to it; I felt like I was almost singing the story to them. They really liked saying the rhyming words aloud and kept getting louder and louder. I asked them prediction questions about what would happen with each upcoming season; they pretty much hit the nail on the head when answering these questions. Overall, I believe these two children really enjoyed this book. I know I enjoyed reading it to them; seeing their enthusiastic faces and hearing their enthusiastic answers was very rewarding.

Berenstain, Stan and Jan. All Year 'Round. New York NY: Golden Book/Western Publishing Company, Inc., 1993.

Craft Lesson 5: Yum! MmMm! Que rico!

Discussion: I think maps are a wonderful way to organize information and to physically see where food items and other items originate. This book would be a perfect example to introduce social studies with maps and culture.

How To Teach It: While reading this book to my class, we would write on the board where each item originates or is found. Then I will distribute maps and crayons to each student. The students will have to find the country and draw the item in the country where that particular object is found. After this is done, we could talk about how and why all these items get transported to different places around the world. Also, we could introduce directions and express which item is south or north of another.

Chapter 9: Children's Literature Briefly

I really enjoyed epics in high school. I think it was because I had good teachers that allowed us to do a lot of activities based off of the epics. I remember I really enjoyed the different language used; we even listened to it on a tape recorder so we could pronounce all the words and get the full effect of the language!

Fairy tales are a classic; I can remember reading these when I was younger.

Tunnell, Michael O. and James S. Jacobs. Children's Literature, Briefly. 4e. Upper Sadle River NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, 2008.

Read Aloud Plan and Reflection

I went to Hasting's and looked around at their books. There were so many choices, so I have course bought 3 instead of just one. I planned to read "My Mouth is a Volcano" by Julia Cook. It was a really cute book about a little boy that ALWAYS interrupted everyone. However, when others begin to interrupt the little boy, Louise, he learned how to respectfully wait for his turn to talk.

I read to a small group of 3rd graders at my after school day care program. I think the interrupting problem is a universal problem for children, and I have noticed this with my experience working with children. I have never really attempted to sit down and read a book to them, because most of the children just get books and read to themselves. I was interested to see if the group would sit down and listen.

I asked prediction questions throughout the story, and all of them were very interested in it. Eventually, more children from my day care sat down and listened to me read the book. While reading the story, I asked a question and three of the children blurted out their thoughts (just like Louise in the story), and I commented that their “volcanoes were erupting”. They all laughed and actually raised their hand to speak. I guess the book served its’ purpose.

I had brought the other books I bought at Hasting’s with me and one of my fifth graders wanted to read to the 3rd graders “Salt in His Shoes”, which was a book about Michael Jordan. So that was exciting that the 5th grader wanted to read, and he even asked questions just like I did.
This experience really opened my eyes to how much I could affect children’s interest in books. In my Foundations of Reading Instructions course, my professor constantly talks about read a-louds and how important prediction questions are with a small group of children. Reading this book out loud to a group of children really did show me this. For example, I could tell as soon as I asked questions about what was going to happen or what they thought the title meant, they were so excited to answer. I could even see their eyes light up when they had an idea. I can really see now how questions capture children into the story and help them be part of it, instead of me just reading a book and showing them the pictures.

Cook, Julia. My Mouth is a Volcano. Illus. Carrie Hartman. Warrenton, VA: Courage to Change Publishing, 2005.

Yum! MmMm! Que rico!

I really like how this book is so informative. I really feel children will get a lot out of this book by reading the excerpts on the sides of the pages. Also, the pictures are beautiful and really do add a lot to the text. When I turned to the page where the character's father eats the chile, my mouth started watering; it reminded me of this one time I was eating with my parents at a Tex-Mex restaurant and I accidently ate a chile pepper...VERY HOT!! I really enjoy the imagery taking place in the text. I will definently read this book in my class, but I will be sure to read right before lunch time :).

Mora, Pat. Yum! MmMm! Que rico!. Illus. Rafael Lopez. Madison Avenue NY: LEE & LOW BOOKS Inc., 2007.

Chapter 12: Children's Literature, Briefly

I am glad other children feel the same way I did at one time when in History class. I remember thinking that it was so boring because it was a bunch of facts and dates. The things I remember that were fun about history were activities that my teacher let us do like interviews with people of history, in which we would all dress up as a character in history and would be interviewed by the "audience". The book also mentions this in its' section titled "The Historical Period Should Come to Life". Getting the students involved in history is the key, not memorizing facts and dates. Also, I believe a big part of history is letting children know that they will be part of it one day.

Tunnell, Michael O. and James S. Jacobs. Children's Literature, Briefly. 4e. Upper Sadle River NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, 2008.

Chapter 11: Children's Literature, Briefly

While I was reading this chapter, I kept thinking about these group of boys that I use to watch at an after school daycare program. These boys use to talk about magic tricks and would always ask me questions about mysteries and magic. This one little boy read fiction mystery books ALL the time. He seemed like he knew about everything that was not reality (he probably knew facts about things too; he was so smart). Anyways, my point is, I really do think children at the elementary level love the kind of fiction with mysteries and characters with supernatural power. I will definently be sure to include these kind of books in my classroom library.

Tunnell, Michael O. and James S. Jacobs. Children's Literature, Briefly. 4e. Upper Sadle River NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, 2008.

Literature Autobiography

Who Influenced my Reading:
I decided to use my best resource to find out what I read or who I read to when I was younger, my mother. My mother and I exchanged stories back and forth to recapture some moments I had with books and reading in general. My mom explained to me that when I was younger my dad and she would read to my brother and me every night. They felt reading and being read to was very important to form my vocabulary and a positive way to bond with me right before I went to sleep. After listening to my mom tell me stories, now I can actually remember lying in my Strawberry Shortcake sheets and listening to my parents read to me; I was and still am very lucky to have such committed and caring parents. I guess technically my parents were the first ones to introduce me to books and influenced my feelings towards books. My mother went back to school to get her Master’s when we were in elementary school. I can vividly remember sitting in the Lewisville public library with my brother and my mother reading our books. My mom was not reading children’s books, of course, but I can remember feeling important reading next to my mother.

My father also influenced my reading in a positive way when I was younger. I can remember him asking me questions about the books I was reading when I was younger. Also, in high school, he wanted me to read some of his books he read when he was in high school. They were murder mysteries. I never thought I would get into murder mysteries, but I really did fall in love with them. In high school, I remember reading Mary Higgins Clark and Agatha Christie. Another person who influenced my feelings towards books was my older brother. When I was younger, I wanted to be just like him. There are pictures of me wearing the same clothes as my brother, dressing the same as my brother, and acting the same as my brother. So, when my brother picked up a book and started reading, I wanted to read just like him.

I think the most influential reading teacher I had was Mrs. Christenson, my second grade teacher. She was one of those teachers that I just thought the world revolved around. I can remember being in her classroom and sitting in the library surrounded by hundreds of books. Mrs. Christenson got me to start reading Shel Silverstein’s poetry books, Falling Up and Where the Sidewalk Ends. I still have these books today because of Mrs. Christenson.

I remember in 4th grade my teacher, Ms. Henry, made us create our own book. I mean this was the real deal; we were our own publishing company. We actually got to draw our own pictures and write our own words on the pages; the book was even a hardback book. I remember feeling very excited about this project, since I could make up the all the characters, the story, the plot, the pictures, and the title. My title was “Christmas Without My Brother”; I wonder why I would write such a story! I do love my brother, I promise.

I Knew All Along:
You know how some people just know what they want to be when they grow up? Well, supposedly I was determined that I was going to be a teacher. My mom always tells me about my early days in school. When I was in first grade, I had A LOT of stuffed animals that I always arranged in rows on my bedroom floor. Then, I got all of my books down from my shelf in my room, started reading to my “class”, and asked my stuffed animals questions. Of course, they would answer and we would have a class discussion about the book we were reading. I then got on to some kangaroos in the back for talking and not paying attention to me. This really does make me laugh, because I knew what I wanted to be when I was in first grade, yet, I changed my major five times once I was in college. Now, look where I have returned: to the education field! Not only is this related to my profession, but also to reading. I not only was reading to myself as a child, but also to an audience, whether it be my relatives (like my little cousins whenever they would visit) or my favorite stuffed animals.

Favorite Books:
Among my favorite titles were the American Girl Collection books, which naturally led to asking Santa for the American Girl dolls every Christmas. As I mentioned before, I can remember reading poetry like Falling Up and Where the Sidewalk Ends. I can remember this one book called Minnie and Me, which I thought was so cool when I was younger (and still do). The book was about professions, and I was actually one of the main characters, along with Minnie of course. There was a place in the back to put my picture so that I was with Minnie on every page. I can also remember getting the magazine “Highlights” in the mail. I looked forward to these every month, because not only did they have interesting articles, they also had little games and crossword puzzles to play with. Also, I had a lot of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books. I really liked these stories and actually still buy some Chicken Soup books today.

How Important Reading Is:
Reading is a way we can gain knowledge, acquire new vocabulary, use our imagination, and travel to places without leaving our homes. Reading, also, can give us insight into different cultures and diverse concepts. Also, reading is interpreting something for yourself due to prior experiences that you have been through. You and the person sitting next to you could be reading the same thing and, yet, perceive the words to tell a story about two totally different things. That is the power reading has over us; reading can be taken literally or metaphorically.

My students will have many opportunities to read in my classroom whether it be for science, social studies, language, or math. My goal is to have diverse books for all my different children to choose from so that they can get the most out of reading like I feel I did when I was younger.

Craft Lesson 4: My Many Colored Days

Discussion:
I think this book would be a perfect opportunity to work with younger children on emotions and appropriate ways to express them. I feel younger children struggle with expressing their emotions appropriately, so I think this would be an important topic to discuss especially with younger children.

How To Teach It:
Dr. Seuss compares emotions in this book to animals. I think it would be a good twist to compare emotions to anything the children come up with. Maybe when they feel anger, they compare themselves to a barking dog showing its' sharp teeth. This will get children to use their imagination. Also, we can all bring up a discussion about how we can express these emotions in order to not hurt others. For example, as a teacher I could ask my students, "How do you handle things when you get angry; do you use your words or your body to express this emotion?". Then, we could discuss expectations I have as a teacher for my students to express their emotions in an appropriate manner. Since this is with younger children I do not know how far you could extend this activity, but it really just depends on your students. However, I really feel you could make the discussion more complex and introduce it in a K-2 classroom.

Reflection on 4th Annual Literature Festival at Texas Tech University

I really enjoyed the conference because it opened my eyes to how important poetry is. I was really touched by the children in the morning reciting their poems. Honestly, I did love poetry when I was younger but have grown to dislike it recently. However, this conference made me see how important it is to include it in my classroom.

Poetry is a way for children to express their emotions and explore their imaginations. Also, poetry does not have to be in complete sentences, so I believe this is a good way to start with early writers. Students can make their poems however they want them to; they can be one word lines, phrases, sentences, expressions, or noises. Poems are a way that children can express their personality through their writing.

I am glad I attended the conference because it did change my views on poetry. I never really thought about using poetry in my classroom, because, like I said before, I have begun to not really enjoy it anymore. However, this conference seemed to recapture that liking for poetry. This would have been a bad experience, especially if I never included poetry in my classroom. I do not want to turn my students off from any form of reading and/or writing. This has also made me realize that even if I do not like a particular author, book, poem, or subject, I still need to have diverse learning/reading materials for my students. All of my students will be different and will have different wants and needs, so I need to accommodate for that.

Good Night Texas

I made a trip to Hastings to find a board book to discuss for this class. There were a lot, so it was a hard decision. Eventually, I chose the book, Good Night Texas. I have lived in Texas my whole life and really do love it here, so that is why I chose this book. In summary, it is about two children experiencing a day in Texas. The children see cattle, wildflowers and Chisos Mountains at Big Bend National Park, Rio Grande rafters in a canyon, prairie dogs out on Texas Panhandle plains, bluebonnets, fishermen out on the Gulf of Mexico, the beach, Indians, cacti, horny toads, a rattlesnake, a bucking bronco, cypress trees in the Big Thicket National Preserve, an armadillo, an oil well, etc. It ends with the two children sleeping by a fire underneath the stars saying, "Good night, Texans". I liked this book, because it really hit home and showed the diversity just within Texas.

Gamble, A. Good Night Texas. Illus. Red Hansen. Our World of Books: South Korea. 2007.

Chapter 10: Children's Literature, Briefly

This chapter reminded me of some children I looked after at YWCA-RE. These certain group of boys would always talk about magical powers that they had and go on and on about science fiction topics. I was really amazed that they had such a wonderful imagination. This chapter and this experience with children reminded me that I do need a wide variety of books and ideas laid out in my classroom for my diverse students. No two students are going to love reading the same thing (while they might, but you get my point!!).

Tunnell, Michael O. and James S. Jacobs. Children's Literature, Briefly. 4e. Upper Sadle River NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, 2008.

Craft Lesson 3: Minn and Jake

Discussion:
This book does touch on a lot of subjects, but I feel math could be integrated into curriculum planned for this book.

How To Teach It:
The height difference between Minn and Jake was very obvious throughout the text. I think it would be interesting to see how tall each student is in the classroom. You could have the students group up and measure each other with measuring tapes. You could have the students calculate the difference between each other in their groups and eventually all the students in the classroom. Then you could plot the heights on a piece of long construction paper on the wall making it into a physical representation. To expand this activity you could have the students measure each other's feet, arms, and legs. This would be a fun activity to get your students moving around the classroom but, yet, still using math because of the measuring, addition, and subtraction taking place.

My Many Colored Days

Dr. Seuss is a classic!! This book is for younger children but that does not mean you can not do anything with it. I really like how you could extend an emotion lesson of this book. It is really important for children to understand and know how to express their emotions. With my experience working with children, I believe this is a hard task for younger children to accomplish. This book would be great for talking about emotions and how people feel on different days.

Seuss, Dr. My Many Colored Days. Illus. Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher. New York, NY: Random House, Inc., 1996.

Chapter 18: Children's Literature, Briefly

In this chapter, I really found figure 18-1 to be interesting. I really liked the extension activities that could be used with children's books. I feel like I could really apply these activities in my classroom. I liked the activity on cutting out words from newspapers and magazines for a word collage which gives a feeling for the book. Minn and Jake would be a perfect book for this particular activity, because there are so many feelings and emotions throughout the book. Then, we could extend the lesson to talk about feelings and emotions, and how they affect our family, friends, and ourselves.

Tunnell, Michael O. and James S. Jacobs. Children's Literature, Briefly. 4e. Upper Sadle River NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, 2008.

Minn and Jake: Part 2

I really thought a turning point in this book was the part when Jake gives Minn the terrarium. This really shows that Jake does care about Minn. Also, this could show my students that you should not "judge a book by its' cover". For example, the first time Jake saw Minn he had no idea what kind of person she was. Even though they are/were really different they have become the best of friends. I would really like to implement this into my classroom discussion if or when one of my students is reading this book. Also, they may not like the same things or be involved in the same activities, but they can still be friends and have fun with one another.

Wong, Janet S. Minn and Jake. Illus. Genevieve Cote. New York: Francis Foster Books, 2003.

Minn and Jake

I really enjoyed this book. I liked how the vocabulary used painted a picture in your head about what was going on. For example, the words used such as "yak, yak, yak", "wahoooooo", "squirt, squirt, squirt", "squirt, dig, splot" all paint a picture of what the action is in the story. Since there are not many pictures in this book, I feel these vivid words are important to really use your imagination. This book would be entertaining for children because of the language used.

Wong, Janet S. Minn and Jake. Illus. Genevieve Cote. New York: Francis Foster Books, 2003.

Craft Lesson 2: Apple Pie 4th of July

Discussion:
I think this book would be a perfect opportunity to integrate culture into the classroom. I believe it is important for children to learn about diversity and that everyone has unique qualities or backgrounds.

How To Teach It:
As a class, decide what different cultures there are in the world. You can group together 4 or 5 children, if needed. Children can dress up by wearing the clothes of that particular culture. They can also make the country’s flag that corresponds with their particular culture and learn about certain characteristics that are unique to that group of people ( like food or clothing). Then, as a class, everyone can join together displaying or carrying all things made for their particular group of people and march in a parade, just like the children did at the end of the book. After the parade, the children can share facts about their particular culture, turning it into a diversity lesson.

Craft Lesson 1: Buzz

Discussion:
Onomatopoeia! What is that? This craft lesson draws on words that are formed by the sound they make. Buzz is a perfect example. I believe these words are important and fun to integrate into children's own writing.

How To Teach It:
I would first introduce the concept of an onomatopoeia by telling them the definition and then reading the book Buzz by Janet Wong. Have the children chime in when you are reading the book to the class by pointing to the word whenever it appears on the page; they will eventually start to get the idea of an onomatopoeia if you show them a good example. Then, as a class or in small groups, the children could come up with other words that are onomatopoeias. After their discussion in their groups or as a class, each child could write their own story including an onomatopeia. To show the significance of the words they used, they could imitate the sound whenever reading their story and have everyone join in when their word is coming up!

Then, you could have the children demonstrate the sound their word makes. For example, if their word is splash, they could drop a rock into a bowl of water to demonstrate their sound/word.

Chapters 6-8: Children's Literature Briefly

The part of this reading that really caught my attention was the idea of concrete poems. I really found these interesting and actually I had never seen one before I read the textbook. I like how the poem is meant to be seen more than heard. I would love to integrate these kind of poems into my classroom so that children could use their imaginations and actually "draw" a poem with words. Maybe this could be a good introductory lesson for the year about what children like to do in their free time; then, they could create a concrete poem about their hobbies. This way children could get to know each other, and I could get to know the children.

Tunnell, Michael O. and James S. Jacobs. Children's Literature, Briefly. 4e. Upper Sadle River NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, 2008.

Chapters 1-5: Children's Literature, Briefly

Chapter 2: What Is a Good Book?
I think this chapter will be helpful to me when I am picking out books to put in my library for my classroom. I thought the section about quality was especially helpful. According to the text, quality is apparent by elements such as language, character, plot, illustrations, mood, tone, and theme. I also believe a good book could be something that would spark the interest of one particular student. One book might be really interesting to one student but really boring for another. I believe this chapter helped me to realize I need a wide selection of books to suit a diverse group of children.

Chapter 3: How To Recognize a Well-Written Book?
I guess I always thought childrens' books were of no interest to me, but after reading this chapter, I realized that they are very interesting. They have the same elements as adult books just different. I liked the beginning part of this chapter where it discussed word choice and gave the example of different ways a story was told. It really showed how much of a difference word choice can make in a story. Also, I really enjoy books that have similes, metaphors, personification, and imagery; I believe these are important elements that keep the reading interesting, especially for children. For example, in Buzz, by Janet Wong, the very last sentence uses figurative language, "like a busy bee". This painted a very vivid picture in my head, and I hope it would do the same for children.

Chapter 4: How to Recognize a Well-Illustrated Book?
I thought this chapter hit home. I work at an after school daycare program. This one little girl always likes to show me books, but she can not read yet. I let her flip through the pages and then I ask her to tell me a story according to the pictures. She actually does get the main ideas of the story just by looking at the pictures; I think that is a well-illustrated book. Just like in the text, the pictures can define the setting, the characters, emotions, and actions. I also think color plays a huge role in how appealing books are to children. The use of bright colors will definently draw children in and hopefully keep them there until the last page :).

Tunnell, Michael O. and James S. Jacobs. Children's Literature, Briefly. 4e. Upper Sadle River NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, 2008.

Apple Pie 4th of July

I really liked the illustrations in this book, too. After reading this book, I thought it would be a good idea to study the different cultures within the classroom. With this book, I could teach not only about differences between different cultures but also about the many similiarities. I believe this would be a book that could bring about discussion of students' different cultures and how they may do things differently or similar to others in the classroom. I would use this book in my classroom to bring up discussion over many topics of culture.

Wong, Janet S. Apple Pie 4th of July. Illus. Margaret Chodos-Irvine. Orlando FL: Voyager Books/Harcourt, Inc., 2002.

Buzz

I really enjoyed the illustrations in this book; I would think the pictures would draw children into reading this book and liking it. The pictures really did reinforce the text. Also, I think it is important that younger children see pictures to match with words to eventually expand their vocabulary. What I found to be interesting was the idea that the book started with a bee and ended with a bee. I was not sure when or how the story was going to end, but because of the connection between the beginning and the end, it ended very nicely. Overall, I would think my students would enjoy this book.
Wong, Janet S. Buzz. Illus. Margaret Chodos-Irvine. San Diego CA: Voyager Books/Harcourt, Inc., 2000.