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.