Chp 9 - NON-Fiction

Okay, so I had a "dislike" for non-fiction back in my day. I used to check out non-fiction books only when I truly had to. For instance when I had to do my science project, or when I was writing a report about a famous historic figure. Otherwise, you wouldn't see me near the non-fiction part of the library.

However, the face of non-fiction has changed tremendously. I loved the "Diary of a..." series of non-fiction books. It seems that these books could make learning fun, and the pictures are so kid friendly. I also important to have your students try to become non-fiction writers.

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Regarding non-fiction I found a cute book called Germs Make Me Sick!, and the book has great illustrations.

The authors are Melvin Berger, and the illustrator is Marylin Hafner.

These books are great teaching tools for teaching your students the effects of germs on your body. I think that these books make learning about health and wellness more easy to take in.

This Week's Author

Visit this website, http://janeyolen.com/, and see Jane Yolen who has been labeled the "Hans Christian Andersen of America" in the twentieth century. A few of her books are shown above, and the Baby Bear books are a series of picture books, and include poems in some of them.

If you visit Jane Yolen's website she listed the hundreds of books she's written and lists them by genre. It's a great website and very well detailed. The website also has teacher resources and a gives a story about how each book came about.

Chp8 - Fiction

When reading chapter 8 I looked at the "Point of View" section and remember how difficult it was for me to remember as an elementary student what the various points of views were. When speaking of point of view you must teach first-person and third person. However, point of view can be more descriptive than that.

The fiction family chapter was a huge chapter but think about how dominant fiction is, and how widely used it is in the classroom. It's important to realize that all your students won't agree on their favorite type of fiction. So it's also important to make sure that they have access to all forms of fiction.

Books, books, and picture books!

Book: Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom
Authors: Bill Martin Jr., John Archambault
I love, love, love this book. My four year old loves this book too. While I learned this week that my 4 yr old doesn't enjoy reading, and doesn't want me to read to her (I was crushed), she does love this book. She loves that she knows the words to the book already and can read it along with me! Yah!

This book is a must read. I Googled the book and found it listed on the following website. The website list 100 "must read" books. Check out the website, and see the books that are listed.
http://kids.nypl.org/reading/recommended2.cfm?ListID=61


--- Now, about Monday's topic on picture books. Surprisingly, I never knew that "picture" books had such a following and that they hold their own criteria. When I hear "picture books" I immediately think a book with pictures only, and no words. Gosh, I was wrong! It's cool to learn something new, and I think picture books have really cute characters that you can easily fall in love with.

Traditional Literature & Author Spotlight

First, let's talk traditional literature! I love this type of literature and love the fact this these types of stories often have a "moral" to teach children. I loved Aesop's fables as a child, and there are all types of new spins on these old "traditional" tales.

Traditional literature should be shown by reading older versions, and then afterward introducing the "newer" version of the book to the class afterward. Discussions are key, and it's important to make sure that our students are able to see how this traditional literature can help them evaluate life. I think finding creative ways for children to show the rest of the class what they were able to take away from the book is essential.

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Author Profile: Laurie Miller Hornik

Check out her website! http://lauriemillerhornik.com/

Two of the books that I liked are shown below.

Both of these books seem to be really great, but School Zoo sounds like a truly silly book. Desks filled with fish! This is why this book looks very enjoyable. Hornik says she wrote this book because of her son's love of animals. I really think Hornik's books look engaging and I would like for you to take some time to look at these books. Thanks!

Poetry & my author profile

Okay, this book is written by author David McPhail. The book talks about the relationship between big and little brothers. I visited the library with two of my little ones, and I loved it. As my eight-year-old son read the book, his face lit up with glee, immediately he saw the truth in the writing. It talks about how a little brother gets away with not doing chores, and wants to wear big brother's clothes. This is a great read, and it helps children see that the annoying behaviors of their siblings are felt by others.

The other book, Crickwing, I haven't read but the great illustrations drew me to the book. Janelle Cannon. Crickwing is the book's main character, a cockroach with an injured wing. I found the book at the following website http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/showarticle/677. Check out the website, it has lots of great books.


Now, I blogged about the poetry chapter last week in error, but I'll do it again. I, unlike Mrs. Pickett, enjoy poetry. Poetry is varied in it's styles, and comes in many shapes and sizes. I truly enjoy reading poetry, but writing it is so much fun too! I think that as a teacher, I would focus on trying to make poetry fun and I liked the idea of poetry slams.

I loved the Maya Angelou clips, and okay, I got a bit emotional as I listened to these interviews. Hearing Maya Angelou talk about not placing boundaries on our lives, and living to the fullest made me feel like I could acheive all my dreams. I have decided to pursue my master's degree in reading, and to become a published writer/author. Thanks, Mrs. Pickett for showing me these enlightening clips.

Responding to Literature & Poetry

I just wanted to blog a bit about last Monday's Chapter 4 reading. I think that it's important for teachers to allow their students the freedom to choose books that they believe they can connect to. The discussion in class also focused on how each student's background influences their responses to literature. I truly believe that this is the case, and can see that sometimes if I read my children a book that they have no prior knowledge about the subject makes it difficult for them to conceive what the book is about the first time around.

However, I think that it is important to expand their so that they can increase their schema. They should be encouraged to read books about places they've never been, and about people they don't have much in common with in order to gain understanding of those things.



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Chapter 5 - Poetry







Poetry has always been fun for me to read. When I was in middle school I started writing poems, and it is something I still do today. Chapter five talks about the importance of introducing great examples of poetry to students, and then encouraging them to learn the different types of poetry. Poetry is important because it teaches children elements such as rhyme, alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia, and rhythm.

When I was doing some searching on the internet I found the following book.
Title: Stella, Unleashed: Notes from the Doghouse
Author: Linda Ashman
Illustrator: Paul Meisel

The web address below also gives you a sneak peek at the inside of the book. I found that there are also a whole bunch of related websites that give teachers "lesson plans" for this specific book. The book is really cute, and it is something that most young readers can recognize and find interest in...a puppy.

Please take a look at the book; I think that it is a great poetry book that your students would enjoy!









http://books.google.com/books?id=-KbaB72eU-kC&dq=%22stella+unleashed%22+ashman&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=1hwmk9ZI32&sig=nZ-KbxUgsZAx5IgvvSOkesFTt-U&hl=en&ei=cgSjSbz1JoTSnQf-xIH9DQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#v=onepage&q=&f=false