Chapter 9: Poetry

Bringing poetry into the classroom is very important for children because it teaches the student rhythm and improves fluency. Like all things there are strategies. Some strategies for bring poetry into the classroom and having them entertained:

• Teacher must read poetry with passion and energy.
• Encourage children to write in poetic fashion.
• Have a lot of poetry books in the classroom.
• Explore poets.
• Write poems
• Ask students to bring in poems.

Something I would do as a teacher is have a poem of the day board. :)

Pinterest: An education website?

In, The Joy of Literature, textbook it gives the reader a lot of strategies and helpful hints that help future teacher. It also encourages the reader to  stay updated with all the helpful sites and books out there.

Something that might surprise you is that, Pinterest, is a great education website. On Pinterest teachers and future teacher post valuable sites and strategies. The site allows you to see pictures of the strategy or classroom assignment as well as read a description on how it works. Below people can leave comments that says wether or not the like the assignment.

When I look at the sight I find it very inspiring. It always me to brain storm new ideas for lessons and projects.Take a look for yourself!

http://pinterest.com/all/?category=education

Shel Silverstein

While doing my Annotated Bibliography I  learned about a lot about new and old authors as well as some new and old books. One author that really struck the heart was Shel Silverstein. I remember when I was a little girl and I read some books  oh his books but I came across ones I have never read before. I always loved reading his books because they soo cooky and strange but meaningful. I love the feel I get when I read poetry. It very easy for me to connect to. I would recommend all his books to any reader no matter what age.

Here is a great website for kids:
http://www.shelsilverstein.com/indexSite.html

All about Jane Kurtz

Jane Kurtz was born in Portland, Oregon in 1952 but moved to Ethiopia at the age of two.  Her parents were missionaries and raised six children including Jane. Her family lived in a small town called Maji. In this town there were no electricity, which meant no television, no movies and no radio. Her days consisted of exploring the environment around her by climbing trees, playing in the dirt and laughing with her five siblings. Jane Kurtz remembers Ethiopia as a magical place.

Jane Kurtz showed her writing talents at a young age.  She insists that she can’t even remember a time where she was not writing. Even in second grade her teacher praised her poetry talents, which is why her mother and father both encouraged her to continue to write. By the time she reached fourth grade she was sent to a boarding school in Addis Ababa. At the age of 18 she moved back to the United States to attend college. For years Jane did not talk about her life in Ethiopia because she didnt think anyone could relate to her. To learn more about her, please visit the following sites.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Jane Kurtz Official Website: http://www.janekurtz.com/index.html

Word Press Jane Kurtz: http://janekurtz.wordpress.com/

Article on Jane Kurtz: http://www.patriciamnewman.com/kurtz.html

Interview with Jane Kurtz: http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/lit_resources/authors/interviews/JaneKurtz.html

Chapter 8: Historical Fiction

Historical fiction is all about creating a sense on realism. It benefits the readers because it conveys a sense of life. Young reader begin to develop a perspective ad understanding that present and future relate to the past. The categories of Historical fiction is usually war or past eras. Allowing pretend play or dramatizations  benefit students because it gives them a deeper understanding of the content.


Great website to find Historical Fiction Book for Children : http://bookgirl3.tripod.com/historicalfiction.html

Chapter 7: Realistic Fiction

Categories of Realistic Fiction:

• Survival/Adventure
• Mystery
• Humor
• Animals
• Sports
• Family
• Growing up

Benefits:

• Portrays honestly
• Expands children's framework
• Literary framework
• Experience interactions

Top Rated Read Aloud:

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things

Chapter 6: Modern Fantasy

The role of Modern Fantasy in Literacy Development:

1. Reading aloud
2. Clarifying differences among genres
3. Discussing Motifs
4. Scaffolding: characters, plot, and setting
5. Truth in fantasy
6. Literacy devices
7. Using visualization                          Modern Fantasy

Chapter 5:Traditional Lit.

What is Traditional Literature?

1. Fable- A brief story in which the moral is explicitly stated.
2. Myth- Explains aspects of culture ofr how something came to be in the natural world.
3. Legend- Traditional Narrative based on historical truth.
4. Religious Stories- Stories of important events and people of different religion.
5. Tall Tale- Exaggerated humorous stories.
6. Folktale- A fairy, human, or animal tale passed down by word of mouth.

Chapter 4: Picturebooks

Picturebooks, picturebooks, picturebooks...I love picturebooks! One thing I have diffidently learned from being a elementary major is the importance of picturebooks. These books are a very valuable tool in the classroom no matter what age. Picturebooks are not only for you pre-K and Kindergartner's. There are many textbooks for the older elementary and middle school. As a future teacher, I will be using these types of book regularly in the classroom to help improve comprehension of the specific topic or person.

A  recent  picturebook that I have read is: Fire on the Mountain by Jane Kurtz


Grade: K-2
Summary: A little boy by the name of Alemya lived in a small village Ethiopia with his parent. On day his parent passed away when a sickness swept across the village. He now has to set out to find his older sister who is working for a very rich man. When he reaches her, he has to give her the bad new. She was very upset but told him that he must live with her and work for the rich man. Although he worked for the rich man he was not shy about saying his thoughts, which got him into some trouble. The rich man bet Alemya that if he could live out side all night in the cold mountains that he would be given money and cows. Alemya was able to be successful in the request but the rich man did not believe him. A prank was pulled on the rich man, which allowed him to see that Alemya did win the bet.

Chapter 3: How children become good readers

In Chapter 3 of the textbook, The  Joy of Literature, it mentions a lot of strategies to use in order to improve comprehension.

Some strategies that were listed were:

1. Prediction
2. Monitoring Comprehension
3. Making Inferences
4. Summarization
5. Questions/ Questioning

Something I would like to add to that list is a Picture Walk. A picture walk is allows students to establish an interest in a particular story or assignment. The teacher flips through the pages of the book explaining vocabulary as well a the pictures in the book. After the teacher and student's finish the picture walk, the teacher reads the whole book. This strategies is also really great for your ELL's and DLL's.

Chapter 2: How Children Respond to Literature

 How a student responds to literature we be all based on their individual child development. Every child develops at a different rate which makes it complex for the teacher. But this information is important for the teacher to know because then the teacher will know how that student is able to create meaning from a book or story. The teacher can focus on the student's strengths and try to strengthen their weaknesses during the processes of assessing children's responses to the books they read. In order for students to create responses to their readings  the must be at a development level where they can based their response on prior knowledge or background experiences. This becomes quite difficult when students learn about another culture because they have no prior knowledge of the culture. So it is the teachers job to create meaningful  learning interactions that help students understand the culture and what they are reading about.

The information in this chapter is very valuable to me and my future teaching because it tells me to be patient with those student's who don't understand right away because the child could be a different developmental level then the other students.

Chapter One: The Books: Children's Literature

"A book can be a magic ticket to a faraway or in imaginary place," -Denise Johnson

I loved that quote. I do believe that a book can make a difference in a students comprehension as well as change their personal life. The first chapter talked a lot about the benefits of children literature. Children's literature has personal benefits as well and educational benefits.  The personal benefits are all about giving the reader background knowledge and a creative imagination that will  overall help  develop a child's insight and clarity towards certain subjects. On the of that, children's literature helps educational  purposes because it works with the children's language and literacy development. In order for it to have benefits it must be  quality literature that is purposeful and appeals to the reader.

When I think back on my Elementary years I don't remember a book that really stood out to me. There were no books that really made a difference. But as I grew into my middle school year I do remember reading books written by Shel Silverstein and the Chicken Soup books. Shel Silverstein  has the ability to speak to me. I love getting lost in poetry and reading in a rhythm. The Chicken Soup Books for the Kids Soul and so on, were books I really liked because they consisted of short stories. I read both of this books on my own time.

When I am a teacher i hope I can present a book to the children that is going to make a difference and benefit them in education as well as personal. I hope this Literature class opens my eyes to a lot of new and exciting book material I can bring into the classroom.