Craft Lesson 10

Harold and the Purple Crayon

By Crockett Johnson

Creative Adventures

Resource Materials:

Johnson, Crockett, Harold and the Purple Crayon: Harper Collins Publishers, 1955

Discussion:

Harold and the Purple Crayon is a book about a young boy who has his own adventures by making up creative adventures by himself. The only items that he has are his imagination and a purple crayon. The purple crayon is used to draw whatever adventure he can think up, and the extra adventures that come along as a result of the original adventure.

How to teach it:

A way to teach creative adventures to young children is to give each student a large pad of paper and their favorite color of crayon. Explain to the class what you would like them to do, by maybe drawing your own adventure and explain each step of your adventure to the class. After you have completed your explanation have each student come up with their own adventure. Have each student present their illustrated adventure to the class.

Read aloud Journal

Read aloud Journal.

For my read aloud journal I choose to read Dr. Seuss’s Mr. Brown can Moo! Can You? to the 6 year old son of a friend of mine. I decided to use this book because my friend said that she used to read this book to him, but it had been almost a year since last time they had read the book. I was hoped that he would be able to remember parts of the book and might be able to read along with me. I was pleasantly surprised when he was able to recite most of the book as I read it to him. He also loved to make all of the animal sounds that accompanied the story.

Craft Lesson 9

Zoom

By Istvan Banyai

Observation Skills

Resource Materials:

Banyai, Istvan. Zoom. New York, NY: Puffin Books, 1998.

Discussion:

Within Zoom the reader is trying to figure out what picture is coming up next on the next page, or to remember where it came from on the previous page. This is a good book for children to build upon their observation skills and memory.

How to teach it:

A good way to teach observation skills is to have the class review the book and explain to them what is happening on each of the pages. Discussion should take place on how the picture keeps zooming out until it finally shows the whole Earth. What I would do is replicate the book on a much smaller scale by taking close-up pictures of something in the classroom and then expanding out for 3-4 pictures to see if the class can guess what is coming up in the next frame. After they have accomplished the classroom photograph, we would move to another project that involves the school as a whole.

Zoom

Banyai, Istvan. Zoom. New York, NY: Puffin Books, 1998.

I very much enjoyed flipping through the pages of Zoom. This was the first time for me to read a picture book that the picture on every page keeps expanding on to the next page. This is a great book to use for teaching students to use their imagination and trying to get the students to think ahead of what might be coming up on the next page. The only problem that I might see in this book is that there is almost too much going on in the story with having to flip back to try and figure out where the picture came from on the previous page, but this can also be part of the adventure.

Craft Lesson 8

Babymouse: Our Hero

By Jennifer Holm

Troubled Readers

Resource Materials:

Holm, Jennifer & Holm, Matthew. Babymouse: Our Hero. New York, NY: Random House, Inc., 2005.

Discussion:

There is always a chance that as teachers we are going to encounter a student who does not want to read the required reading. And as a teacher you must try every option that you have to get that student to read. One option is to use a book like Babymouse: Our Hero. With its comic book styling, the material can be delivered to a non-reader in a user-friendly format.

How to teach it:

Once students are introduced to Babymouse: Our Hero, then you can introduce them to the rest of the Babymouse series of books. While they are reading the book you can have a daily check up to see how they like the book, and to see if they noticed that by reading comic books it is actually helping them become better readers. After they have read the series it should make it easier for the student to bridge into chapter books.

Children's Literature Briefly Chapter 17

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

After reading Chapter 17 about Motivating Students to Read I believe that I will be able to be a better teacher in getting children motivated to read more books. One way that I thought was very interesting to use was to always have books that are accessible for the children to read, to look at and to be able to handle them. Another idea that I believe will be very useful is to always make sure that you make time for books, and always make sure that you create an atmosphere for reading in your classroom.

Children's Literature Briefly Chapter 16

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

While reading Chapter 16 about Controversial books it made think of history classes that I have taken that discussed book burnings of the 1960’s. It still amazes me that people can be so passionate about a book that would rather burn it then to try and learn from the book. Without these controversial books we would not be the society that we are now. We need some form of controversy in books so reading is more interesting. Also, some of the stories that are controversial are relevant to readers.

Children's Literature Briefly Chapter 15

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

After reading Chapter 15 about Multicultural and International Books, I found it informative that these types of books offer positive experiences to young readers. It was also interesting to see how multicultural books have evolved from books about races to books now that includes races, cultural groups and religious groups. You must avoid books that have racial or cultural stereotyping, since these books offer a very biased point of view.

Baby Mouse

Holm, Jennifer & Holm, Matthew. Babymouse: Our Hero. New York, NY: Random House, Inc., 2005.

I found Baby Mouse to be a cute book with a great story to teach children to keep trying and don’t quit even if you are afraid of something. I loved the illustrations that went along with the story, they made the story come alive since you were able to see all of the adventures has you were reading. The only problem that I can see with children reading Baby Mouse is that it seems to be designed for that reader that loves to read comic books, and not reading comic books in several years it was hard to get back into reading comic book style books.

Craft Lesson 7

Stuart’s Cape

by Sara Pennypacker

Resource Materials:

Pennypacker, Sara. Stuart's Cape. Illus. Martin Matje. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc., 2002.

Discussion:

Most children have some kind of adventure that they may use their imagination for. During Stuart’s Cape the little boy uses a certain object (his cape) to make these adventures come alive.

How to teach it:

I would like to have the students use found objects to create something they would imagine to give them super powers. Once they have completed their creation, they would write a short essay of all of the adventures that they could imagine while using their object.

Stuart's Cape

Pennypacker, Sara. Stuart's Cape. Illus. Martin Matje. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc., 2002.

I can see where a 7-8 year old boy would absolutely love this book since it is written towards little boys who imagine adventures when they have nothing else to do at the time. I know this because speaking as a former 7-8 year old boy who would imagine adventures when I was bored or when it was rainy outside, I really loved Stuart’s Cape. I liked that the young Stuart got his whole family involved in his adventures, like having his Aunt Bubbles shoot him down out of the sky with the tires from her car. The illustrations that go along with the story are perfect , because they make his adventures come alive

Children's Literature Briefly Chapter 14

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

The main information that I received out of Chapter 14 was that informational books are used for checking information on reports. And that informational books fall into categories of books from chapter books. One thing that I found interesting was that to make informational books exciting to children, the authors of the books need to make the cover of the books eye caching so that children will want to read the book. In formational books are books that can be read by any age person at any time to help with any project are to improve yourself at any anything you would like to improve on.

Children's Literature Briefly Chapter 13

Tunnell, Michael O. and James S. Jacobs. Children's Literature, Briefly. 4e. Upper Saddle River NJ: Prentice Hall, 200

I found Chapter 13 to be very interesting since it was about Biographies. And since all children have to always write a biography about some one famous at sometime during school this chapter was very helpful in braking down the different types of biographies there are available to read. The one that really shocked me was picture book biographies, I guess since I had forgotten about them. But a picture book biography will be perfect for children in kindergarten or first , because they will be able to get a good knowledge of the person they want to learn about, without reading a huge novel about that person.

Craft Lesson 6

Craft Lesson 6

SIDEWALK CIRCUS

by Paul Fleischman

Value of Imagination

Resource Materials:

Fleischman, Paul. SIDEWALK CIRCUS. Illus. Paul Hawkes. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2004.

Discussion:

Imagination is a very valuable tool for children to have. Sidewalk Circus is a book that can help children learn to use their imagination. Without imagination it is hard for young readers to develop past picture books and onto chapter books. By developing imagination at an early age it will help children when they start reading chapter books they will be able to see the story with their imagination.

How to teach it:

One way to teach imagination to children is to have them look at Sidewalk Circus and after they are through with the book show the class how the little girl in the story used her imagination by seeing the circus without being at the circus. After the discussion have each student use their imagination and build a story while watching and observing an event, then coming up with their own story to go along with the event. Perhaps the teacher could post “suggestion” posters about the zoo or an amusement park and let students go outside and find as many things that could imagine seeing at these places.

Sidewalk Circus

Fleischman, Paul. SIDEWALK CIRCUS. Illus. Paul Hawkes. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2004.

I really liked Sidewalk Circus since it forces the reader to use their imagination while reading the story. The story is about a little girl who is setting on a bus bench who sees a marquee advertising that the circus coming to town. She starts to imagine the circus with the people around the area. I loved the illustrations in the story, and how they lead to the use of imagination. One of the illustrations that I really remember is the one with the man unloading at the butcher shop, but his shadow on the wall is of the strong man. I also liked the end of the story after the little girl leaves a little boy sits on the same bench and starts to imagine the circus in his on mind with the on going environment.

Children's Literature Briefly Chapter 12

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

I enjoyed reading chapter 12 since I like to history. It was interesting to see that history is processed better when it is told in a good story and it is even better when there are pictures to go along with the story. I agreed with the authors when they stated that text books are less interesting since they teach too much, and not as interesting as trade books. I like trade books since they have one main fictional character with the rest being historic people.

Craft Lesson 5

Yum! MmMm! Que Rico!: America's Sproutings

by Pat Mora

Favorite Food

Resource Materials:

Mora, Pat. Yum! MmMm! Que Rico!: America's Sproutings. Illus. Rafael Lopez. New York: Lee & Low Books, Inc., 2007.

Discussion:

Everybody has a favorite food, but does everybody know where it originates. In

Yum! MmMm! Que Rico!: America's Sproutings you get a brief introduction to some of the Americas foods. This book is a great teaching opportunity for 4^th or 5^th graders to learn about there favorite food.

How to teach it:

A great way to teach favorite foods to children is to have them research their favorite food, and for them to give a presentation on what they learned. During the research make sure that the class is taking full advantage of all the research material that is available to them, from the library to the internet. By using the internet for research it will help them learn what that they can explore many different perspectives of information regarding their subject. This project will also reinforce responsibility and self-reliance by having them do the project by themselves.

Yum! MmMm! Que Rico!

Mora, Pat. Yum! MmMm! Que Rico!: America's Sproutings. Illus. Rafael Lopez. New York: Lee & Low Books, Inc., 2007.

I thought this book was so interesting simply for the fact that I work with food everyday at my job. I have used several of foods mentioned in the book, so it was great to learn some background information on those items. I can definitely see this book being used in the classroom for several different lessons from teaching origins of foods to the several different uses of everyday food items as well as some of the more exotic food items, such as prickly pear.

Craft Lesson 4

My Many Colored Days

by Dr. Seuss

Emotions

Resource Materials:

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

Discussion:

Emotions affect each and every person every day in different ways, and depending on what emotion you feel it can effect how you dress with color. My Many Colored Days is a book that can be used to teach kindergarten children how clothing colors can tie into emotions.

How to teach it:

A good way to teach emotions and clothing colors to kindergartens children is first explain what emotions are, by giving examples of from My Many Colored Days. Then over a one week period have the children dress how they feel emotionally that day. During class that day have the children explain why they dressed the way they did. You could also ask the class throughout day if their emotions have changed during the day and explain that your emotions can change.

Childrens Literature Briefly Chapter 11

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

While reading chapter 11 about contemporary realistic fiction it was interesting to find out that contemporary realistic fiction is a story that never happened, but could have happened. It is the most popular form of fiction that is written. They offer enough humor, adventure and entertainment to draw in young children. Authors always have to change to stay caught up with modern society.

Children’s Literature Autobiography

Children’s Literature Autobiography

Throughout my life I had periods when I was engaged in reading and periods when I was not. Engagement in material came in different forms, whether it was from the person reading or teaching or from the subject matter of the material. Sadly, reading for enjoyment did not occur until later into my adult life.

When I was very young I read things such as Cat in the Hat, the Golden books and specifically Scuffy the Tugboat. I think that these books stay with me today because of the interaction I had with my mother while she read them to me. She helped the stories come to life because she would read them with feeling and she would let me study the pictures.

There are only a few books that I can remember reading during elementary school such as The Berenstain Bears and Shel Silversteins’s Where the Sidewalk Ends and The Giving Tree. The Berenstain Bears was interesting to me because I thought that it was neat that these books were about talking bears and their lives that were like human lives. I could really imagine a world full of talking bears! Shel Silverstein’s books had stories that I thought were relevant to my life at the time. I do not remember all of the specifics from Where the Sidewalk Ends, but it must have made an impact on me because I still remember it as one of my favorites. The Giving Tree was a touching story about self-sacrifice that I have actually reflected on in my adult life as a valid life lesson.

Junior high and high school became a time when I felt that I was less engaged in reading, required or otherwise. I did not always like the reading material, nor was interested in writing about it. One of the books I do remember enjoying was The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. I loved to imagine myself with Tom having the adventure of a lifetime. High school English class was a dreaded time, especially when we read things like Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. I could not relate to any of the characters, therefore I did not remain interested. When we read books with action and adventure, such a Hamlet, I would regain interest. I have always liked to imagine myself going on the adventures of the characters, but usually only those with adventurous tones. What also kept me interested in my high school reading was a great teacher named Mrs. McDougal. Her excitement for the material the emotion that she used to teach it helped to keep me engaged.

While in college I recall enjoying the book We Were Soldiers Once…And Young by Lt. General Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway in a history class. This was a sad account of the Vietnam War, but it helped me connect with my father and better understand his experience in the war. A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo is another book that I recall enjoying. Again the story took place in Vietnam and it shed more light on my father’s experiences. I had a connection to both of these books and I have now recommended them to several of my friends who either have had parents in Vietnam or who enjoy history.

After graduating from Tech I did not read for enjoyment. I read things like sports magazines and articles in the newspaper. A few years ago, however, a friend of mine gave me a book called The Greatest Player Who Never Lived by J. Michael Veron. As sad as it sounds this was probably the first book that I read cover to cover without wanting to put it down. After reading this book, I read the sequel by Mr. Veron

The Greatest Course That Never Was. Again, I found another book that I did not want to put down until I was finished. After reading both of these books I recommended them to several of my golfing friends, because they both are great golf stories and interesting books.

This is the first time that I can remember being at a point in my life I do not mind reading. I think I have found books that peak my interest and found an author, J. Michael Vernon, which I really like. I have started to look for other books that he has written, some of which are about golf and others which are not.

To really reflect on my life as a reader, I would have to say that reading has been a struggle, but I have finally found the reasons behind reading. I do not read just because I love to read. I read because the material has to the have a personal connection to me. I read because I find a story that helps me connect to other people’s experiences, I can imagine myself in the adventure or the person bringing it to my attention is what makes the story interesting. I am glad to have made this recent self-discovery of my reading patterns and I hope to use this to my advantage in the future.

Craft Lesson 3

Minn and Jake

by Janet Wong

Hobbies

Resource Materials:
Wong, Janet S. Minn and Jake. Illus. Genevieve Cote. New York, NY: Frances Foster Books, 2003.

Discussion:
Hobbies are always an important part of your life growing up and when you are an adult. Some help develop the person that you become and help with friendships. By having friends with the same hobbies it helps children with vocational skills and social ability, since they are doing something that they truly love doing. On the other hand you need to have friends that have interests that are different from your own. This will help one become a diverse and well-rounded individual.

How to teach it:
One way to teach hobbies to children is first ask the class what they consider their hobby, and then help the classroom break into pairs with different hobbies. By having them work with somebody with a different hobby they will be able to learn something new from somebody that they may not have talked to or would have worked with on a project. After they have worked on the project, each pair would give a presentation on what hobbies they taught one another.

My Many Colored Days

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

I must say this is the first time that I have heard of this Dr. Seuss book, and it is a great book. My Many Colored Days is a book that is for younger children, but can be used at so many levels. The artistic work in the book if beautifully done to capture the emotion of the character. The one drawing that seems to stick out the most to me is the one illustrating Black Days, for the fact that when I am having a bad day all I want to do is growl at anybody who is around me.

Children's Literature Briefly: Chapter 10

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

When I first saw that chapter 10 was about modern fantasy my first thought was about science fiction books. I was really surprised to find out that there are several different categories that fall under modern fantasy, and that magic is the main aspect of the modern fantasy. What I thought was very interesting is that good fantasy tells the truth about life, and that fantasy can capture all of the emotions, fears and hopes of the reader.

Children's Lterature Briefly Chapter 18

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

After reading chapter 18 it made me think that sometimes it is not always best to use textbooks for teaching, sometimes it may be better to use trade books. Since some school districts cannot afford to buy textbooks more often then every 5-10 years, trade books can contain more up-to-date information.

What I also thought was interesting was that the chapter stated that it is best to not push your class to finish a book too fast, but to set a 2-3 week period for them to finish. This will relieve some of the pressure on students that do not read quickly, they will be able to take their time and will not miss something important in the reading.

Minn and Jake Part 2

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

After reading the rest of Minn and Jake, it turned out to be a great book for children to read. It can show children that it is alright to be different from other people, that first impressions may not always stand true, and that you can take a stand and befriend the person that others may not want to accept. I loved that although Minn and Jake had their differences in the beginning, they were able to work through those differences and become best friends.

The way in which it was written, the words on the page, was intriguing as well. Having read traditional books (of course) this was a little difficult to get used to. I first thought this was going to be poetry. I wonder if this will challenge young minds by having them read something that is not of the “normal” format.

Craft Lesson 2

Apple Pie 4^th of July

by Janet Wong

Culture

Resource Materials:

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

Discussion:

Culture is more than racial differences, ethnicities, etc. Apple Pie 4^th of July by Janet Wong is a good example of culture differences dealing with generations and traditions. Even within the same culture you can have different ways to celebrate special occasions.

How to teach it:

One way to teach differences in culture is to pair students with a partner and have them discuss the differences in how their families celebrate a special occasion. After they have worked on the project each pair would give a presentation on what cultural differences (and similarities) that they have found in one another. By having the students working with a partner, they will learn how to prepare for group activities. They will also learn that differences are not right or wrong, they are just different.

Craft Lesson 1

Buzz

by Janet Wong

Onomatopoeia

Resource Materials:
Wong, Janet S. Buzz. Illus. Margaret Chodos-Irvine. Orlando FL: Voyager Books/Harcourt, Inc., 2000.

Discussion:
Onomatopoeia is a word that young children would not understand, but they have the basic knowledge of items that have the same sound. After reading Buzz by Janet Wong to a classroom of kindergarten or first graders it would be easier for them to understand that many items make the same sound.

How to teach it:

One way to teach onomatopoeia to young children is to have them listen for items around the house that make the same sound. Perhaps one way to lead this lesson is to have a classroom discussion using the word “bang”, for example. The teacher could list what the students are verbalizing during the discussion on the board and then have the students draw some of the items that “bang”.

Minn and Jake

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

I’ve only read through the assigned pages (through page 74), but I can already see how this is a book that young readers can connect with. Being a taller child (who always befriended my smaller classmates), I can relate to Minn …I look forward to reading the rest.

Children's Literature Briefly: Chapters 6-8

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

I loved picture books as a kid and still do! What I really love about picture books, especially wordless picture books, is that they encourage the reader to use their imagination. This will usually result in every person having a different story to go along with the pictures.

Another type of picture book that I loved has a child was engineered books, also known has pop-up books. These get the reader more involved with the story by having an activity to do while reading, and you never know what is lying beneath the pull tab.

Children's Literature Briefly: Chapters 1-5

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

After reading chapters 1-5 of the text book the one chapter that peeked my interest was Chapter 4 “How to recognize a Well- Illustrated Book”. Within the chapter, Tunnell and Jacobs gives you several different techniques that authors and illustrators use to illustrate a book. On the topic of providing a different view point, the illustrator can make a more interesting book than the author alone. The text can be exciting on its own, but once the reader views the illustration, the full story comes to life.

Apple Pie 4th of July

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

As posted in my blog for “Buzz”, this book, first and foremost, is a fantastic example of letting the illustrations tell more of the story than the words. You can journey through the emotions that the young girl is feeling throughout the day, just by the expressions on her face. What I also thought was great about “Apple Pie 4^th of July” was that it showed how different cultures celebrate an “American” holiday, and how the different generations view that holiday, even within one family. The parents seeing it as a normal work day, and knowing that sooner or later the customers will show up. Their young daughter is upset with the fact that she has to be at the restaurant on 4^th of July. The parents are content to stay inside and tend the restaurant when and all little girl wants to do is go out and enjoy the parade with everybody else in the town. Then she gets a great surprise when customers start to show up for dinner and finally gets her wish to enjoy apple pie and watch fireworks with her family and friends.

Buzz

Wong, Janet S. Buzz. Illus. Margaret Chodos-Irvine. Orlando FL: Voyager Books/Harcourt, Inc., 2000.

I think that the book “Buzz” is a great introduction to onomatopoeia (the word is a little advanced for the intended reader, but the concept is a good). It would be a fun book for kids to read – not only because the word buzz is fun to say, but this could also be turned into a lesson. I could see getting children to choose other “sound” words and seeing how many times throughout their day they would think they would hear it. The illustrations are also great; they show all of the actions that the little boy is going through. This shows a small example of a book that is not describing all of the actions (when the little boy is shaving with his race car), although “Apple Pie 4^th of July” is a better example of this.