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.
Wednesday, January 30, 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.
Wong, Janet S. Minn and Jake. Illus. Genevieve Cote. New York: Francis Foster Books, 2003.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
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.
Wong, Janet S. Minn and Jake. Illus. Genevieve Cote. New York: Francis Foster Books, 2003.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
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.
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.
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.
Tunnell, Michael O. and James S. Jacobs. Children's Literature, Briefly. 4e. Upper Sadle River NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, 2008.
Thursday, January 17, 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.
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.
Wednesday, January 16, 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.
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.
Wong, Janet S. Buzz. Illus. Margaret Chodos-Irvine. San Diego CA: Voyager Books/Harcourt, Inc., 2000.
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