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.