tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44979583253060896642024-03-18T21:14:49.421-07:00Robin's PerspectiveRobin Hancockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00022559448800547028noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4497958325306089664.post-1014813490981007582012-06-26T12:59:00.000-07:002012-06-26T18:35:53.004-07:00SOUL GROUND Photo Essay<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx99Ka80zMtPnxu4ue7qMOpjpMD9zgbeJV50vLBZsMiPePOnGdMqzT5J5vms8zW4828ZFnJ19d0WxJIQMWsrER04__2HLn1ztAizZMt_Ds1YL1ntYX_5_947xtB6vCx2ayEkodA9KQ8NbU/s1600/sg+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx99Ka80zMtPnxu4ue7qMOpjpMD9zgbeJV50vLBZsMiPePOnGdMqzT5J5vms8zW4828ZFnJ19d0WxJIQMWsrER04__2HLn1ztAizZMt_Ds1YL1ntYX_5_947xtB6vCx2ayEkodA9KQ8NbU/s320/sg+cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Veronesi, T. (2012). <i>Soul ground photo
essay (Kindle edition)</i>. United States: Amazon Digital Services.</div>
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(After many searches I could not find an original publisher listed,
except for the author)</div>
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Grade/Ages: 10<sup>th</sup> Grade and Up</div>
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Genre: Nonfiction/Informational (Photo Essay)</div>
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Summary: This photo essay is a reflection of the Normandy Invasion
during World War II. The text includes
photographs of historical, war landmarks of that region and are accompanied by
quotes by famous people, mostly Americans, such as Abraham Lincoln concerning
the sad and terrifying truth about war.</div>
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Evaluation:</div>
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The term <b>photo essay</b> is used
within the title of this text. In reflection of the attributes that describe a
photo essay I found that there were equal amounts of photographs and written
text, also the text was condensed in order to provoke thoughts and emotions
within the reader. Yet, I believe this
book is only <b>appropriate</b> for young adults who have prior knowledge of war and
the results of war in order for the symbolism utilized in the quotations to be
understood. In addition, the topic of
war would indicate that this book could be <b>categorized
as “social science”</b>, in that it discusses interpersonal relationships of
soldiers during a time of war or after.
Our class text also discusses <b>bibliotherapy</b>,
which I feel is the purpose this book, not only for the reader yet for the
author as well. I feel this way because
the author uses quotes that would evoke empathy from the reader for soldiers
and would help those who have not served in the Armed Forces to understand the
terrors that service people see, yet they are committed to doing what is needed
to preserve the rights of Americans. Throughout the balance of this blog I will
discuss the negative and positive aspects of this photo essay.</div>
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<i>Negative Attributes<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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When I searched for photo essays on my Kindle, I looked for books that
I could draw information from and possibly use in future instruction. Then I
found <b><i>Soul Ground</i></b>, upon<b><i> </i></b>reading the summary I thought that
this book would tell a story about soldiers who landed in Normandy during the
invasion. I knew this book would not be suitable for younger children; however
I was hoping that it may prove useful in middle and high school grades. Once I
began reading the book, I became confused. The story did not have a plot or any
type of sequence, instead the <b>structure of the story was that it offered a description of war.</b> When considering the authors <b>style of writing, most of the writing was concise and if the
reader had a prior knowledge of the results of war, the writing was also clear</b>. Yet, I knew various types of <b>dictions</b> were
used as if the author were switching from one voice to another. As well, it seemed that the text was written
in <b>free verse</b>, being isolated,
unrhymed thoughts that were philosophical.
An example would be, “Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the
details of how he lived and how he died that distinguishes one man from
another.” Then, I realized why! When I
came to the <b>back matter</b>, and credits were listed I found that the writing in
the book was actually quotes from famous historical figures. <b>There were not any photography credits or
quote credits listed on the pages. I
found this very confusing</b>, because in the Kindle format none of the page
numbers corresponded, so I was not even sure who wrote this quote until I did a
Google search and found that this quote was said by Ernest Hemmingway. In
summary, the quotes in isolation were clear however there were no text
features, such as credits or picture captions, to allow the reader to
understand why those quotes were used and how they corresponded with the
pictures. </div>
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I also found this <b>photo essay to
be factually inaccurate</b>. My reason being that a few of the quotes used <b>personification</b>, specifically speaking
of war as if it were a person or tangible object. I understand the <b>theme</b> of the
book; the author wanted the reader to learn that war is savage and cruel especially to those fighting on the front
lines. However, the use of
personification made obvious that this was not a book of factual information,
just opinions. One example, of personification would be, “I hate war as only a
soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its
futility, its stupidity.” This quote was said by Dwight D. Eisenhower. I feel that this author missed a chance to
give his book validity, by using quotes that included personification making it
historically inaccurate.</div>
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<i>Positive Attributes<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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One of the <b>indicators of quality informational texts is being able to
distinguish between fact, opinion or theory</b>. Once I read the book and figured
out that the text was comprised of quotes, <b>I
distinguished easily that this book presented opinions</b>. The back matter
served its purpose effectively in allowing the reader to see that all of these
opinions, in the form of quotes, came from varied individuals. In fact, since the author chose to use quotes
from so many; I feel that he did present a <b>variety
of perspectives</b> of war. Furthermore,
he chose valid people in which to quote from that had experience with war and
philosophy. In addition to the three figures I have mentioned, he also included
quotes from war heroes such as General Douglas MacArthur, political figures
like former President Ronald Reagan and Sir Winston Churchill and philosophers
such as Cicero. In total, he utilized
quotes from 18 different figures in history.
The positive being that he offered thoughts on war from many different
perspectives and the fact that he chose historically famous people, gave the
opinions offered in his photo essay validity.</div>
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<b>The photographs used were also
accurate</b>, all being historical landmarks of the Normandy Invasion. Moreover, he utilized a <b>variety of photographs from landscapes to photos of artillery and even
portraits of soldiers.</b> Even though the photographs were not captioned, they
did serve as a visual of the brutality that happens during war. The photos even
portrayed a mood of sadness and loneliness. In many of the pictures there was
one subject alone in a field. An example would be the second photograph in the
text. It is a picture of one army tank
against a clouded sky. The army tank has
the appearance of coming toward the viewer, instilling a feeling of fear and
anticipation. I feel that since the
quotes shared opinions in a philosophical manner, the use of photographs drove
home the theme of the book through the mood they portrayed to the reader.</div>
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In general, I was not enthused about this book. Not just because it was unsuitable for
readers below the tenth grade, yet also the organization. Even though the quotes delivered the theme of
the book, <b>text features, in the form of captions and quote credits</b>, were needed
so that the reader would understand what he or she was viewing before reaching
the back matter.</div>
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Comprehension Strategy:</div>
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Since the photo essay that I
chose did not include bolded words, I have chosen one of the quotes that evoked
emotion within me to consider more deeply.
As a result, please see the “So What” strategy presented in a diagram
below. I have also included my <b>BIG
questions</b> within this diagram.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQf8YTAyXgLOAGD232aavKeUIIWWgbCnPi5O5p9Oiz8-lP9y0atva22oW_ZBys6Blvfe686o1GQt5ohn6P7l43HVnIPt2iflMO5BnhOBfAqrfVDYTC0XEQ1N0cAt6_k_-WTgumZ7DqtE6y/s1600/diagram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQf8YTAyXgLOAGD232aavKeUIIWWgbCnPi5O5p9Oiz8-lP9y0atva22oW_ZBys6Blvfe686o1GQt5ohn6P7l43HVnIPt2iflMO5BnhOBfAqrfVDYTC0XEQ1N0cAt6_k_-WTgumZ7DqtE6y/s1600/diagram.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>Robin Hancockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00022559448800547028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4497958325306089664.post-1052452992061959002012-06-25T01:37:00.002-07:002012-06-25T01:37:13.229-07:00Elijah of Buxton<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4hBGJaZ5Bks5q-lXLnTEF4GEuAKlkL3yp2kfbdmsKIwK76zszWiXcgJNVSSMvJUq6RIo_kkMbPkoj1j7IEomAYi2hZvmccxq25pSXZ2p5MP8wLtQCZP-7YbUY0BdpnaKghclA9zhGDBv/s1600/elijah_of_buxton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4hBGJaZ5Bks5q-lXLnTEF4GEuAKlkL3yp2kfbdmsKIwK76zszWiXcgJNVSSMvJUq6RIo_kkMbPkoj1j7IEomAYi2hZvmccxq25pSXZ2p5MP8wLtQCZP-7YbUY0BdpnaKghclA9zhGDBv/s320/elijah_of_buxton.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Curtis, C. P. (2007). <i>Elijah
of Buxton</i>. New York: Scholastic.</div>
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<u>Ages:</u> 11-14 years</div>
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<u>Genre:</u> Historical Fiction</div>
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<u>Booktalk:</u></div>
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I’ma gunn let ya’ll
hear freedom ring! My name is Elijah Freeman and I was the first freeborn child
in the Buxton Settlement, in Canada West. I belong to my Ma and Pa, no one
else. That part a be’in free. I get to
go to school too. Mr. Travis, my Sabbath and school teacher tells me I need to
do better conjugate’n my Latin verbs. I knowed I’s lucky, many black folk are
still slaves. Every time new-free slaves come to Buxton we talk to ‘em real
gentle. We figure they been runnin’ so hard and so long, they’d run away if
we’d start hoopn’ and hollern’ to celebrate when they got here. So we’s send
Emma Collins to greet ‘em. Emma even
more fra-gile then me, she start cryn’ if you ax her what’s two and two. “She
ain’t never got over that I was the first child born free in Buxton. Ma and
Emma’s ma were in a race to see who was gonna be firstborn and Emma didn’t come
out till six days after me. Since me and Ma won the race, Emma’s always let the
sin of envy choke her heart.”</div>
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I do love chunkin’ rocks though, and I good at it! I can get ten fish on a stringer in jus a few
minutes. Preacher even tried to get me joined up with the circus ‘cuz of it.
Preacher does a lot of excitn’ stuff you’ll see if you read my story. You read all about how life is here in Buxton
and how we try to help slaves over ‘yon, in America. Sum people like my story
‘cuz it give ‘em hope, hope a be’in free. Others like my story ‘cuz I do lot a
thinking about what growed ups mean when they be talkn’. Ya’ll read my story
though an you’ll be surprised at me, I may even bring a little “Hope” to
Buxton. </div>
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I promised ya’ll I was gunn let you here freedom ring though,
and I make good on my promises. There
will be 20 rings to celebrate you be’in free, free to read my story. Now, I want to do this right, like Pa with
the new-free slaves, “Looky there, look at that land! Look at those trees! Have
you ever seen anything that precious? It’s the land of the free!” You choosed
the most perfectest day to read my story! You free!</div>
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Please also see the video of this booktalk at <u style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/lldkf3e924x0fxn/Elijah%20of%20Buxton.wmv">https://www.dropbox.com/s/lldkf3e924x0fxn/Elijah%20of%20Buxton.wmv</a></span></u></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><u>Comprehension Strategy of the Week:</u></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I utilized the <b><i>Marking Time</i></b> comprehension strategy largely to record setting changes. Specifically, location is integral to this story since the Buxton Settlement represented a place where slaves could live a life of freedom. They were afforded this freedom because they were in Canada, which had different laws and government. However, even citizens of Buxton that were of African descent had to be extremely careful when traveling, especially into America. As well, since most of the story took place in Buxton, it was important to remember when the characters traveled to other places. When the characters traveled it meant a major story event would take place. As a result, I used post-its to record the main character's travels, which cued me to remember the cause for the travel and the sequence of the story. Please see the below pictures of my<b><i> Marking Time</i></b> recordings. </span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBXUkmFAyn8-hZZlR6iL4cZ2KqTdgT8BHRXaNdpVszweQP6ne-J68OiJC37tTkXdVFCagGJH4w_2lL_W-Hxzko9W68KNi07lRo4gG4agpDktyDEjdZ2s73w1uKvHL8gH9T_XtwBZYTBD7O/s1600/IMAG0407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBXUkmFAyn8-hZZlR6iL4cZ2KqTdgT8BHRXaNdpVszweQP6ne-J68OiJC37tTkXdVFCagGJH4w_2lL_W-Hxzko9W68KNi07lRo4gG4agpDktyDEjdZ2s73w1uKvHL8gH9T_XtwBZYTBD7O/s320/IMAG0407.jpg" width="190" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I used the <b><i>Marking Time</i></b> strategy to track<br />the main character's travels to alert<br />me to major story events</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWa9avUuSwZ3zAZpEkbcEiyRwoxZRjHbEPJd3xynwTY0W6zWYETEkylcFGwTSvVbPDJ8YPgz2glVXpKI-uSkCzzRAUR3jFAJVlU5rPWRoYbswnN75rVznpVX36ziLFs1jCbutjotNrNBQ/s1600/IMAG0408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWa9avUuSwZ3zAZpEkbcEiyRwoxZRjHbEPJd3xynwTY0W6zWYETEkylcFGwTSvVbPDJ8YPgz2glVXpKI-uSkCzzRAUR3jFAJVlU5rPWRoYbswnN75rVznpVX36ziLFs1jCbutjotNrNBQ/s320/IMAG0408.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhKfSXkqETJkrySqzrYejcUydNjFYyPtoBnUiFEliX2RGZ_-ttd02uQoN1uAx60zBpWdf34fGufJrUo9q9KgDpLzemic6JgNsCFFne0GfrVQiA783fliZ8_w78jFyDnTgwnUTtwJ8k-bK/s1600/IMAG0409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhKfSXkqETJkrySqzrYejcUydNjFYyPtoBnUiFEliX2RGZ_-ttd02uQoN1uAx60zBpWdf34fGufJrUo9q9KgDpLzemic6JgNsCFFne0GfrVQiA783fliZ8_w78jFyDnTgwnUTtwJ8k-bK/s320/IMAG0409.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></div>Robin Hancockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00022559448800547028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4497958325306089664.post-30578527822817213092012-06-15T13:43:00.003-07:002012-06-15T13:43:44.825-07:00Chasing Vermeer<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI__RT1lWIEmScseDqCfTFOC78DW9oXeEQwdMWiLRQyhw6xU7EIYkC_WWt5ADcFuz4bLHPkFN0euiXdRCI3uzlQQs2Dyz4IuQs49rNNBpptfXE6FIfTOpxf-x_6BJptIVvuLdJxEa3FJ4K/s1600/200px-Chasing_Vermeer_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI__RT1lWIEmScseDqCfTFOC78DW9oXeEQwdMWiLRQyhw6xU7EIYkC_WWt5ADcFuz4bLHPkFN0euiXdRCI3uzlQQs2Dyz4IuQs49rNNBpptfXE6FIfTOpxf-x_6BJptIVvuLdJxEa3FJ4K/s1600/200px-Chasing_Vermeer_cover.jpg" /></a></div>
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Balliet, B. (2005). <i>Chasing
Vermeer</i>. New York: Scholastic</div>
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Ages: 9-14 years</div>
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Genre: Realistic Fiction (Mystery) </div>
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Summary: </div>
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<b><i>Chasing Vermeer </i></b>is a mystery that is solved by paying attention
to the little coincidences in we all experience in everyday life, which is also
the theme of the story. The characters are realistic everyday people that come
together to form an engaging, action-filled plot that uncovers a missing part
of history and a public appreciation for art.
The book, published by Scholastic, includes puzzles and little side
mysteries for the reader to use his or her own sleuthing strategies to figure
out and decode secret messages. In addition, there is a resource page available,
featuring a teacher’s guide and activities associated with the story. This web page can be found at <a href="http://www.scholastic.com/blueballiett/">http://www.scholastic.com/blueballiett/</a>.
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Reflection:<o:p></o:p></div>
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This story fits within the
descriptors of realistic fiction through the characters and plot. The main
characters, “Petra” and “Calder” are 11 years old children. They attend school, have siblings, parents
that work at the University of Chicago and live in an actual suburb of Chicago,
Hyde Park. The plot takes the form of <b>situational
realism </b>by being a mystery about a famous piece of art that is stolen. The
art is an actual portrait entitled A LADY WRITING, 1665 by Johannes Vermeer. I
use the term situational realism because our world does include art thieves; in
fact the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) estimates that about six
billion dollars of art is stolen each year (PBS, 2007). Additionally, the story
takes place in a neighborhood that surrounds the University of Chicago and many
young adult readers could easily identify with the sixth grade main characters.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjazASw5q1AXiK1kXgd5lRN3oTFH7dlqOw_QCyzWAQzkXES07JxMHO3eZOlVwmr4zYWTBd0OrAbzJuNlcb7xEojiSkncRGO3gKyV1zsMAAVLjXN80e8786wYQ-UfvFO-i8yCz7k_HWzDHV-/s1600/IMAG0390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjazASw5q1AXiK1kXgd5lRN3oTFH7dlqOw_QCyzWAQzkXES07JxMHO3eZOlVwmr4zYWTBd0OrAbzJuNlcb7xEojiSkncRGO3gKyV1zsMAAVLjXN80e8786wYQ-UfvFO-i8yCz7k_HWzDHV-/s400/IMAG0390.jpg" width="237" /></a></div>
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However, being able to
identify with the main characters is just one reason why this <b>novel is engaging for young adults</b>. The
novel includes many <b>suspense</b> sequences
such as, “Petra had to do it. Propping the shovel against the tree, she began
to climb. One foot, one hand, next foot, other hand… Petra counted as she
climbed. As she grabbed the twelfth board, she tried to steady the pounding in
her throat.” Moreover, there are hidden pictures within the illustrations that
equate to a hidden message given throughout the book. Plus, puzzles in the form of pentominoes,
which is a math tool that consists of twelve pieces that are used to explore
geometry and numbers. The pentominoes are also used by Calder and Petra in the
story to figure out little challenges and next steps in their detective work.
The answers to these side puzzles in the story can be found at the book’s
website listed in the summary of this blog. I, for one, always studied the realistic
illustrations just to find the hidden pictures and clues. Yet, another side puzzle included in the
story were coded messages between Calder and his friend Tommy. One had to use
the pentominoes key to decode these letters, which is another story activity
that I thoroughly enjoyed, as seen in my post-it notes in the picture to the right.
Young adult readers and older readers would be engaged by all of these story
attributes. In fact, I particularly
enjoyed these activities because they added to the mystery story line and
allowed me to interact with the story. A
feature not usually included in mysteries written for older adult readers.
Still, my <b>BIG question </b>has to do
with the occurrence of the number “12” in this story. The use of the number “12” was persistent
throughout the story; the number was even used to solve the mystery. My question is why “12”? Is it because of the pentominoes and their
base of 12? Or is this an actual part of the painting, A LADY WRITING as
suggested in the story?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I can also see this novel used
as a <b>read aloud</b> for instructional
purposes because of the obvious math, social studies and critical thinking
connections made in the text. The math
connections could be based on pentominoes puzzles, developing geometric shapes
using translations (slides), reflections (flips) and rotations (turns). The
social studies connection could be presented through the history of specific art
pieces and famous art heists. Furthermore,
Ms. Hussey the sixth grade teacher in the story encourages students to practice
independent critical thinking. This
critical thinking could take the form of predicting how Petra and Calder solve
the mystery, figuring out the use of “12” and its relevance to the story,
discussing how the art thief used writing to transform how an entire culture
looked at art and artistic features in every tangible items or finding other
common mysteries in their lives that could be solved by focusing on little
coincidences that occur. Students could even study the use of elements of prose
included in the story.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The <b>elements of prose</b> utilized in this story, make it unique.
Specifically, <b>how the author tells the
story and how the story is organized</b>. The story is told from a <b>third-person-omniscient </b>perspective,
meaning that the story is told by a narrator that also has a view into the main
characters’ thoughts. An example would
be, “At that moment, there were just the three of them in the world: the Lady,
who was almost 350 years old, and the two children, who were almost twelve.”
This perspective made the story unique because not only did the author allow
the reader to peer into the thoughts of the characters, she also described
content related concepts (like the pentominoes) to fold in many layers of clues
in this mystery. This is the kind of
book that I want to re-read just to find the clues and foreshadows that I missed
the first time I read. One foreshadow, or clue that I neglected and realized
when re-reading to prepare this blog was that the steps to the tree house
included at the end of the story had twelve boards in the ladder. The author even stated that Petra counted the
boards to make sure she was headed in the right direction and I totally missed
it the first time! Even though, one of my thoughts while reading was, how did
Petra know where to go? I also found the <b>organization
of the story</b> to be unique in the paragraphs and transitions. The novel included 24 named chapters; however
within the chapters the author organized the text in not just paragraphs, yet
also by story events. The author
separated each new story event with three X’s. An example would be “The third
key turned easily. Pulling open the basement door, she clicked on the switch
and slipped inside. /<b>XXX ‘</b>Calder! <i>Calder!</i>’
she whispered at the foot of the stairs.” I believe that the author did this to
alert the reader that something new was about to happen. When I first began reading the book, I
thought this use of X’s was strange. Yet, I began to rely on them to understand
all of the action in the story. The X’s began to alert me to read carefully. I
would even make a text-to-dramatic theatre connection, in that these X’s seemed
to alert a scene change in the story, as scenes in a play signal a new occurrence
in the story, so do the X’s. I felt that
this organizational feature helped me understand the action and even organize
the sequence of events, which is important in reflecting on the clues that were
used to solve the mystery.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Recommendation:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Frankly,
I love mysteries, which is one reason that I chose this story. Still, I found this mystery even more
enjoyable than others I have read because of all of the interactive
features. Between the suspense, critical
thinking math and art history connections I was constantly thinking about what
I missed and where I needed to go to find the answers to my questions while I
was reading. Most importantly, I had fun
reading this story. I believe that any young adult reader would also enjoy the
plot, puzzles, hidden messages and hidden pictures in the illustrations as I
did. I can envision using this as a read
aloud even with younger students and then discussing the clues. I believe this
book could even serve as a classroom community builder as the students work
together to solve the mystery using the clues that Petra and Calder discovered.
Not to mention the many content connections that I discussed earlier in this
blog. As, I move into the next school
year I am seriously considering using this piece of literature in my
instruction, and to just develop a love a reading with my students. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Comprehension
Strategy of the Week:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I
heavily used the “post-it” strategy with the “active reading symbols” to
remember all of the details of this mystery. Two examples, also seen in the
pictures below, would be using the plus sign (new information) to note events
of foreshadowing and the letter “A” (I agree) when the author included a list
of the coincidences that Calder and Petra had noticed up until that point in
the story. The specific event of
foreshadowing started me thinking about the painter Vermeer and prompted me to
do a little research of my own on this painter to understand his plight in the
story, nobody knowing him or his life details until 100 years after his death.
The particular list that I noted with an “A” was an organizational feature that
assisted me in remembering all of the coincidences that had occurred and
alerted me to the strong theme of the story being little coincidences in life
that we all sometimes miss. This comprehension strategy perfectly fit with
reading a mystery.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCRPvtYuX2uK7M7rzBYOGfaMK_Z6XgOPYtp2ZASaPvgfN6Dy5C28CcoUXlHB9L2dke2LXh8IXdWE54yfI6O9fghyphenhyphenCz0AVUKHJqOpBLKIgUOg49lJVgidTxR9h0bmBygWUSEFuoiAVcVg58/s1600/IMAG0391.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCRPvtYuX2uK7M7rzBYOGfaMK_Z6XgOPYtp2ZASaPvgfN6Dy5C28CcoUXlHB9L2dke2LXh8IXdWE54yfI6O9fghyphenhyphenCz0AVUKHJqOpBLKIgUOg49lJVgidTxR9h0bmBygWUSEFuoiAVcVg58/s400/IMAG0391.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plus Sign to denote "new information"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvihJFlCP0zLLlNNFzANrk0WgLFOcAhdlBA2XtLlnz8zW5irQQFrJVzzIZrKP52V3WgWLn-RvryIZ-dD1IBdvbkGzDuJY6gjyKM6eJxBJTqim4_LM3AG5j-H1spVI55GLki3GO5wdzcPBm/s1600/IMAG0392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvihJFlCP0zLLlNNFzANrk0WgLFOcAhdlBA2XtLlnz8zW5irQQFrJVzzIZrKP52V3WgWLn-RvryIZ-dD1IBdvbkGzDuJY6gjyKM6eJxBJTqim4_LM3AG5j-H1spVI55GLki3GO5wdzcPBm/s400/IMAG0392.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The letter "A" to denote "I agree" with the use of a list to organize the ideas.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Resources:</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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PBS.
(2007). <i>Independent Lens: A film festival
in your living room</i>. Retrieved June 15, 2012 from <a href="http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/stolen/index.html">http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/stolen/index.html</a>. <o:p></o:p></div>Robin Hancockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00022559448800547028noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4497958325306089664.post-18510253645581771342012-06-07T21:48:00.001-07:002012-06-07T22:01:01.619-07:00Pass It On: African-American Poetry for Children<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSPuveatQ8GRXhV6nWVbZ7GEIAHXmeREeuDomdEp_ut1LGDFKd4-6VcGcYawWRONHJq_1QaDaGGeN6Z7ky6xe3j4hd6EWibiyyevxCh0NQM257N3A4fYls28geaJclD767yiZ59holN_U/s1600/pass+it+on.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSPuveatQ8GRXhV6nWVbZ7GEIAHXmeREeuDomdEp_ut1LGDFKd4-6VcGcYawWRONHJq_1QaDaGGeN6Z7ky6xe3j4hd6EWibiyyevxCh0NQM257N3A4fYls28geaJclD767yiZ59holN_U/s320/pass+it+on.jpg" width="254" /></a></div>
Hudson, W. (1993). <i>Pass it on:
African-American poetry for children</i>. New York: Scholastic.<br />
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Age: 4 and up</div>
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Genre: Poetry </div>
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Summary: </div>
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This is an <b>anthology of poetry</b>,
as classified by our class text. All of
the poems included in this collection reflect special attributes of the
African-American historical experience through the words and different forms
that they take. These meanings are
reiterated through the illustrations specifically created for each poem by
Floyd Cooper. The purpose of the
selection, as titled, is for these poems to be appreciated, shared and passed
on to others. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Reflection of the Poetry:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I have selected two of my favorite poems from the selection to discuss
poetic elements.</div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
1)<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span>“African Lullaby”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Someone would like to have you
for her child</div>
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but you are mine.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Someone would like to rear you
on a costly mat</div>
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but you are mine.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Someone would like to place you
on a camel blanket</div>
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but you are mine.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
I have you to rear on a torn old
mat.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Someone would like to have you
as her child</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
but you are mine.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 2in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i>-Traditional<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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This poem’s author is listed as <b>“traditional”</b>
meaning that it has been handed down through oral tradition or told orally
through many generations. The writing also takes the form of a <b>lyric poem</b>, in that it pinpoints the
mother’s feeling in that moment in time. The <b>meaning</b> of this poem for me was a mother’s love for her child. The
mother expresses that she does not have much in worldly possessions, but offers
her unconditional, agape type love. I use the term agape, because that is the
feeling the poem gave me, it means a selfless, spiritual type of love. In fact, this poem is one of my favorites
because I immediately connected with it through the love that I have for my
children. I often feel that I do not
have many possessions to offer my children, yet I devote my agape love and time
to them.</div>
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In
addition, this poem consists of <b>slow and
then fast rhythms</b>. The first six
lines are composed of <b>couplets</b> that
begin with a line that has a slow rhythm and then a second line that has a fast
rhythm. The lines with slow rhythm contain
more words that are multisyllabic words. As well, they include words that
utilize the low vowel sound of “o” and the consonants “m” and “n”, which are
indicative of a slow rhythm. These lines express sad feelings such as, “Someone
would like to have you for her child”. The lines with a fast rhythm are short
with one syllable words and include the sharp vowel sound of “i”, an attribute
of a fast rhythm. These lines express a happy feeling like, “but you are mine”.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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This
poem also includes a <b>sound pattern</b>.
The sound pattern is created through the use of repeated phrases such as, “but
you are mine”. Moreover, the sentence construction includes a <b>parallel structure</b> in lines one, three,
five and seven by beginning with the same words, “Someone would like to…”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I
also see the use of an <b>allegory</b> in
this poem. The words “mat” and “blanket”
are used as synonyms and refer to the possession that mother has to offer her
child in comparison with others who would raise this child. Specifically, the mother speaks of her “mat”
as substandard while others’ mats or blankets are more fitting, being of a
higher quality, in which to raise this special child. Even though I believe that when this poem was
created this may have been literal language in that the standard of living was
that a person’s mat was his or her home, I believe in present day it is an allegory
or a symbol. I think the “mat” is a
symbol for all of the materialistic resources that the mother has to offer the
child. The <b>BIG question</b> I have is,
why does this mother feel guilty about not having enough to offer her child? Is
this a part of history where children were easily taken from their parents?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
2)<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span>“Time to Play”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Mama says
to play outside.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Wish I had
a bike to ride.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ll fly
to the moon instead.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Steer the
rocket in my head.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ll
pretend to find a star<o:p></o:p></div>
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No one
else has seen so far.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then I’ll
name it after me-<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;">
Africa Lawanda Lee!<o:p></o:p></div>
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But for
now I’ll grab some chalk,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Play
hopscotch out on the walk.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;">
<i>-Nikki Grimes<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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I
found great <b>meaning</b> in this poem as
a mother and a teacher. The meaning being a child with a successful future
ahead of her because she has dreams of accomplishing great things such as
flying a rocket. I believe my students would connect with this poem because of
the <b>figurative language</b> used, where
the girl wants to find a star, meaning that she endeavors to acquire a better
life. I feel that my students would
relate to this because many of them come from homes where education and
accomplishment are not valued yet, when inspired they all have hope of becoming
people of distinguished achievement. One
example, would be a current fifth grader that I have worked with throughout her
elementary career. This past year she
solidly reached her goal of being an on-level reader. Before this time I had not heard her speak of
her future, however since this accomplishment she told me that she wanted to
become a veterinarian. She knows this will require additional education, but
now has the confidence to aim toward achieving this goal. She is like the girl in the poem. She knows
she has challenges, but endeavors to be triumphant in a successful future. This
work also takes the form of a <b>lyric poem</b>
since it describes how “Africa Lawanda Lee” feels at that moment. Still, my <b>BIG question</b> is, I wonder if the
meaning of this poem would not have been as strong if the figurative language
used did not refer to an object that shot for the sky? The idea of a rocket shooting upward is poignant
. Would the use of another object such as a cloud with a graduate standing in a
dream-like state, have connected with young readers as much as the image of a
rocket? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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This
poem has a <b>fast rhythm</b>, each line
possessing few words and utilizing the sharp vowel sounds of “a”, “e” and “i”,
examples would be the words “play” and “bike”. Furthermore, the many of the
words include abrupt consonant sounds “k”, “t”, “w” and “p”, instances of these
phonemes can be found in the words “rocket”, “wish” and “pretend”. The fast
rhythm carries forth the poet’s intention that this poem gives a joyful feeling-
hope. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The
<b>sound pattern</b> in this writing
utilizes the element of <b>rhyme</b>. The
poem is written using couplets, or two lines in a stanza about one topic, and
the ending words of each line in the couplet rhyme. An example would be, “But for now I’ll grab
some chalk,/play hopscotch out on the walk.” I found this poem fun and
enjoyable to read because of the rhymes used and I have experienced my younger
students also connecting more to poems that use the element of rhyme. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Reflection
of the Illustrations:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The
illustrator, Floyd Cooper created each image specifically for each poem. All of
the illustrations in this book are created using the artistic style of <b>realistic art</b> and the <b>media</b> used was oil paint on washboard,
as stated on the <b>copyright page</b> in
the <b>front matter</b>. Each picture shows
a realistic scene without exaggeration.
However, I found the illustrations to be integral since they included
details that emphasized different words in the poem. Particularly, in the
illustration offered for “African Lullaby”, the mother is sitting on a mat with
a small amount of food in baskets next to her, yet the baby is adoringly
touching his mother on the chin. In
addition, there are camels in the background to emphasize the fact that others
could rear the child on a camel blanket.
The power of this illustration comes from the <b>composition</b>. The items in the painting are placed specifically to
enhance the meaning of the text. For
instance, the mother and baby are in the foreground, while the camels and other
women with large amounts of food are in the background. The composition shows the relationship
between the mother and child is greater or more important than the other
characters in the background. In the illustration for the second poem, “Time to
Play”, the composition also plays an integral role. In this illustration, there
is a rocket flying over the girl while she is playing hopscotch, giving realism
to her dreams, that she could reach the stars. As well, the predominant use of <b>cool colors</b>, blues and gray with violet
hues, in the painting lend themselves to a feeling of anticipation. Possibly, an anticipation of what the future
will hold for the little girl in the poem.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Recommendation:<o:p></o:p></div>
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I
would utilize this collection of African-American poems in my classroom for
many reasons. First, to highlight the
human condition and experiences of African-Americans throughout history and to
instruct on various elements of poetry.
In primary grades, I feel that these poems offer a great variation of
conveyed feelings that students could identify with or for vocabulary
instruction, in alignment with KCAS Standard Four. While in the intermediate
grades, since the book includes poetry from a variety of poets students could
practice identifying various elements and forms in alignment with KCAS Standard
Five. In order to assist all students with determining meaning from poetry, I
would use graphic organizers for students to record questions, comments or
feelings they experience from the poems they read. I have included a few examples of the type of
graphic organizers I would utilize below.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/collateral_resources/pdf/m/mentors0708kechiawilliams/InferenceGraphicOrganizer.pdf-">http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/collateral_resources/pdf/m/mentors0708kechiawilliams/InferenceGraphicOrganizer.pdf-</a> Graphic
Organizer to record what known and questions specifically for inference. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://schools.nyc.gov/documents/teachandlearn/poetryunit_2-24final.pdf">http://schools.nyc.gov/documents/teachandlearn/poetryunit_2-24final.pdf</a> -
Starting on page 101, there are various graphic organizers to use when reading
poetry, including one to pair questions about poetry with students’ schema.
These graphic organizers were created for high school students; however they
could be adjusted to be appropriate for upper elementary students.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>Robin Hancockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00022559448800547028noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4497958325306089664.post-89779794805331843912012-06-01T00:28:00.000-07:002012-06-02T09:38:29.044-07:00Dragon's Gate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABUdaIGb-etgrbWI4kfjSU3jnGJR19Gmu8IuCOCLuPcwtKEl5090HaV_81uYohHnLKQksqcbWqK2wJxPsi8-kA2Z7fkg_y8RgKFd_UtgATUky0uRkcxGeMv3Qv_9jaghtsJj-udlXsZ3M/s1600/dragons-gate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABUdaIGb-etgrbWI4kfjSU3jnGJR19Gmu8IuCOCLuPcwtKEl5090HaV_81uYohHnLKQksqcbWqK2wJxPsi8-kA2Z7fkg_y8RgKFd_UtgATUky0uRkcxGeMv3Qv_9jaghtsJj-udlXsZ3M/s320/dragons-gate.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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Yep, L. (1993). <i>Dragon’s Gate</i>.
New York: Harper Collins.</div>
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Age: 12 Years and Over</div>
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Genre: Multicultural (Asian/Pacific American Literature)</div>
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Summary: </div>
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<b><i>Dragon’s Gate </i></b>is a story about a young man in China that has
led a privileged life. After hearing
stories from his father and uncle about America he finds himself wanting to
visit. Once in America, he joins the
crews made up of mostly Chinese men working on the transcontinental railroad and
specifically chiseling through the Sierra Nevada Mountains to make a tunnel for
which the “fire wagons” or locomotives to travel. Along the way, he endures the harsh winter in
the mountains and learns lifelong lessons that lead him to manhood. <b><i>Dragon’s
Gate</i></b> is part of the Golden Mountain Chronicles series and a 1994
Newbery Honor Book.</div>
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Reflection:</div>
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The story is told in from a <b>first
person point-of-view</b> where the reader is privy to the thoughts of the young
man along his journey and it seems to be told in the past tense, as if the
whole story is a reflection or flashback. Additionally, the author utilized
flashbacks throughout the book to offer the reader reasons for the characters’
actions. The story takes the form of a <b>progressive
plot</b>, the main character “Otter”, begins in the first chapter by <b>providing a background</b> for the reader
of the setting and class structure in China. He even asks the reader in the
first chapter, “What do you do when your family is so powerful that you lead a
charmed life and even your teacher won’t find fault with you?” Furthermore, he uses <b>flashbacks</b> to give the reader a history of how the class structures
formed. An example would be, when Otter
tells the reader about a conversation he had with his mother about why she
adopted him. She explains that she knew
he would fit in with their family because his birthday determined him to be a
rebel, which <b>foreshadows</b> Otter’s
demeanor later in the story. Otter then
explained that his birth parents had been considered “Strangers”. “Strangers”
were low on the class structure scale, therefore Otter explained that he was
thankful to be raised a “Four Districts” boy, who held a higher placement on
the social ladder. The <b>introduction to
the conflict</b> arrives when Otter tries to persuade his father and Uncle Foxfire
to speak to his mother about him returning with them to America. The men do this for Otter, yet his mother
refuses to let him go feeling that he is not grown up enough to survive,
leaving Otter feeling that the village still sees him as a boy. The <b>conflict develops</b> as Otter visits the Dragon’s
Gate. The Dragon’s Gate is located at
the top of a waterfall and Chinese mythology says that if a fish can swim
upstream and triumphantly pass through the gate then it will turn into a
dragon. The gate was also a <b>cultural
symbol</b> in China for trials that a boy had to prevail over to become a man.
At this point the conflict became clear. Otter wondered if he could overcome
difficulties, so that he and others will see him as a man and not just a boy.
However, Otter is soon thrust into his opportunity to go to America and prove
himself after he accidentally kills a “Manchu”, the ruling dynasty at the time.
After Otter arrives in America he
endures many hardships, however the <b>climax</b>
of the story came with Otter volunteering to climb to the top of the mountain
known as the “Tiger” to detonate explosives in order to send an avalanche of
snow away from the railroad workers’ camp. Otter’s Uncle Foxfire volunteered to
join him, however was injured on the way up. As a result, Otter completed the
mission on his own. I originally thought it was the climax because if
successful, Otter would have been allowed to leave the mountain (it was forbidden
for any of the workers to leave until the railroad was complete). However, I realized that it was the climax
because all of the events that Otter had experienced culminated in this act of
completing the mission on his own. The <b>resolution</b>
materialized in Otter sacrificing what he wanted most in order to do what was “right”. Without revealing the end of the story, Otter
began to make decisions that were honorable instead of giving into his own
fears and wants, which truly meant that he had passed through the Dragon’s
Gate, or earned the right to be and be seen as a man, not a boy. I understood
that this was the <b>theme</b> of the
story, when he first arrived on the mountain he carelessly spoke harsh words to
the “westerners”, garnering him unnecessary punishment and even to his Uncle
Foxfire, which resulted in losing his uncle’s respect for a period of
time. Yet, these mistakes became lessons
that allowed Otter to enter manhood. This is proven with Otter’s thought at the
end of the story concerning he and a westerner friend he had made, named Sean.
Otter thought, “We had both grown up building a path for the fire wagon.” The <b>BIG question</b> that came to my mind at
the end of the story was, that after dreams and the “Great Work” were discussed
throughout the book, the author did not offer any foreshadowing or explanation
of what Otter was planning to do since the railroad was complete and he was a
free man. Otter’s uncle wanted information from the experience to take back to
China and improve the quality of life there, so now that Otter had this
knowledge what were his plans? Or did he when Otter wrote in Chinese in the
dirt, “I will never forget”?</div>
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While the main theme of the story was Otter’s journey to being
considered a man, there was also another meaning and purpose of this story
qualifying it for the <b>multicultural
genre</b>. As stated in our class text about many Asian fiction and nonfiction
books, they explain the “oppression that drove the people out of their
homelands or the prejudice and adjustments that they faced as newcomers in this
country.” This literary work provides all three. First, Otter was forced to
leave China because of an accidental encounter where he killed a “Manchu”. His mother knew that the Manchu would seek
Otter and kill him for this act, since the Manchu held the most power in China
at that time. In America, Otter had to
realize that even though he came from a predominant family in China and was
placed high on the social class structure, in America he was at the
bottom. His realization came when his
uncle said to him, “Get it through your head, boy, or you won’t live out a day.
In the Middle Kingdom, you and I were on the top of the heap, but here we are
on the bottom. Question the bosses or talk back, and they’ll kill you in a
dozen different ways.” Otter continually received punishment and ridicule
for talking back or going against the westerners since he would not
adjust to his new class status, which exhibited the foreshadow his mother made
about him being a rebel discussed earlier in this blog. As well, the Chinese
railroad workers constantly faced prejudice.
Besides the westerners calling every Chinese man a “John”, they were
also given the most dangerous jobs, such as hanging from the sides of cliffs to
set dynamite and then hoping to be pulled up in time to not be blown up. In
addition, their wages were considerably less than that of the white men. This was exemplified in the text when Otter’s
friend Sean, who had been transferred to railroad headquarters, reported to him
that the white men made $35 a week and their food was provided, while the
Chinese men were paid $30 a week and had to pay for food. This information prompted Otter to encourage
the Chinese workers to strike, ending when the westerners held their food
supply. </div>
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When <b>evaluating multicultural literature</b>,
it is important to authenticate the cultural elements and historical facts used
in the text. Initially, I looked to the <b>back
matter</b> and found an <b>afterword</b>
and <b>bibliography</b>. The afterword
explained the author’s process in how the book was written. He even detailed
the historical information that was fact, such as the working conditions,
avalanches and the strike attempted by the Chinese workers. This information
was evidenced by a bibliography of 11 nonfiction sources he had consulted in
constructing this novel. I also wanted to verify his facts myself, so I
searched the Internet for the “involvement of Chinese workers in the
construction of the transcontinental railroad.” Once I found and read
information from reliable resources I found that many of the events he detailed
in the story were based on historical fact, such as there actually being a
Dragon’s Gate in China and it being a Chinese cultural symbol to the fact that
the last spike driven into the railroad was made of pure gold.</div>
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As suggested in the book, I would recommend this novel for young adults
ages 12 and up. Where the historical facts and information about the Chinese
culture explained within its pages would be suitable for children below the age
of 12, younger students would have difficulty understanding the description
given of the human condition through the series of flashbacks and foreshadowing
that this author utilized. Moreover, this novel lends itself to being valuable
for older children to understand the great sacrifices and hard work of the
Chinese in the development of America. The
transcontinental railroad connected the east to the west and made it affordable
for each to benefit from each other’s resources, which impacted the American
economy greatly during that time period. It is important for students to
understand that it was not all done or even mostly done by Caucasian Americans;
in this case this achievement should be mostly attributed to the Chinese
workers. This is an important point because it would allow students to understand
one reason for appreciating the Chinese culture and its people.</div>
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<b>My real-life connection</b> to
this novel came from Otter. Who had to
endure many hardships to learn life lessons. I moved to Kentucky from my home
of Maryland when I was 18 to go to the University of Kentucky. I had never lived away from my parents and
had to learn everything, since there was no one to fix my mistakes. I had to learn not to be careless with money
or take unnecessary risks just like Otter, and like Otter I became an adult
because of the experience. I feel that
high school students would most likely make a <b>text-to-self connection</b> with Otter’s want to be treated fairly.
This connection could be enforced through a lesson where students analyzed how
they wanted to be treated fairly by completing a cause-and-effect chain (i.e. “I
want to be treated fairly by getting to use my home computer when I want, because…). Then students could complete the same graphic
organizer for Otter. Last, they could compare and contrast the two to see if
their idea of fairness aligns with Otter’s idea of fairness (this may even
provide a life lesson for them). In researching this book and its factual
validity I found the following sites that offer study guides and instructional
units specific to <b><i>Dragon’s Gate</i></b>, please see below. </div>
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<cite><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://files.harpercollins.com/PDF/TeachingGuides/0064404897.pdf"><span style="font-style: normal;">http://files.harpercollins.com/PDF/TeachingGuides/0064404897.pdf</span></a>
</span></cite><cite><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-style: normal;">- Study Guides for All of the
Books in Laurence Yep’s Golden Mountain Chronicles<o:p></o:p></span></cite></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.novel-ties.com/samples/DDTr/tcr0814s.pdf">http://www.novel-ties.com/samples/DDTr/tcr0814s.pdf</a><b><i> - Dragon’s
Gate </i></b>Literature Unit<o:p></o:p></span></div>Robin Hancockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00022559448800547028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4497958325306089664.post-30234732294714669692012-05-29T22:47:00.000-07:002012-05-29T22:47:12.201-07:00Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5PIvRV882pxz5ijdgov5tKSV_EqnZYrbdsnSa4zKrjGIeS1ugLs1aGGASlExHSFKYYcoVdNLvCetMcRU8wa5Ys8v6H4HNg9-PxB4J4R5lHbnblziwsn1jOkj2uDBewtdiBKY28SA_AxsP/s1600/PR1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5PIvRV882pxz5ijdgov5tKSV_EqnZYrbdsnSa4zKrjGIeS1ugLs1aGGASlExHSFKYYcoVdNLvCetMcRU8wa5Ys8v6H4HNg9-PxB4J4R5lHbnblziwsn1jOkj2uDBewtdiBKY28SA_AxsP/s320/PR1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Artell, M., & Harris, J. (2001). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Petite Rouge:
a Cajun Red Riding Hood</i>. New York: Puffin Books.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Age: 5 and Up</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Genre: Traditional Literature/Retold Tale</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Summary:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This story is
a version of the classic folktale, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i>Little
Red Riding Hood</i></b>, that features elements of the Cajun culture. The
setting is in a Louisiana swamp instead of the woods, the diction used is
Cajun, the protagonist is a little white duck (not a little girl) who is taking
gumbo and etouffee to her sick granny instead of bread and the antagonist is an
alligator instead of a wolf. In
addition, there is a pleasant surprise ending that is very appropriate even for
young children.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Reflection:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The original folktale <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Little
Red Riding Hood</i></b> has many origins.
In checking, some resources said that it came from Europe during the
middle ages and others say it originated in Asia. This version of the folktale
is a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">retold tale</b>, that was written
with the Cajun culture in mind, in which the book could also be categorized in
the multicultural genre. The Cajuns are a group of people (called French
Acadians) that lived in the French Canada and then resettled in Louisiana after
being required to pledge allegiance to the king of England while living in Canada. The retold version is written in a style,
using Cajun terms and dialect, that provides humor for the reader. The humor mostly
comes from the diction used, an example would be “I gonna count tree… and if
you still dere, dis pole gonna hit you where you part you hair”. As well, the author stated that he dedicated
this book in honor of the Cajun culture. Besides being a retold tale it is also
a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">beast tale</b>, which is a type of
folktale, the animals talk such as the duck playing Petite Rouge and the
alligator called Ol' Claude. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood</i></b>
is an effective selection for story telling activities since it has few
characters. Specifically, besides the
duck and the alligator, there is also a cat, grandmother and mother encompassed
in the story. In addition, the story is
a quick read providing a clear conflict, constant action and quick conclusion
that brings all parts of the story together, such as using the food that Petite
Rouge’s mother sent with her to defeat the alligator at the end of the story.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">characters
are flat or two-dimensional characters</b>, especially if the reader is
familiar with the original story, the reader would know that Petite Rouge is
good and the alligator is evil. If the reader does not have prior knowledge of
this story then these classifications could be made in the beginning of the
story when Petite Rouge’s mother sends her to comfort her sick grandmother and
tells her not to stop. The alligator
would then easily be seen as the evil character when he stops Petite Rouge and
asks her to give him the food intended for her sick grandmother. Even though these characters are flat and underdeveloped,
they move the plot forward through their dialogue, for example when Petite
Rouge refuses to give the alligator the food so that she can give it to her
grandmother. The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">literary style</b>
provides a standard beginning in different words. Instead of saying “once upon
a time” the author used the Cajun diction, “Back in de swamp where dat Spanish
moss grow, I heard me a story happened long time ago”. Moreover, the ending is standard by giving and
telling what was learned by the characters from the tale. Additionally, the
ending was happy as with most traditional literature. Yet, it did differ from
the original folktale, which I thought was interesting since it made this tale appropriate
to read to young children as opposed to the violent ending included in the
original tale. I feel that the author
did this intentionally since in present times many people are concerned that
some fairy tales have gruesome endings that could be harmful to young children
or he may have wanted to continue the humor and light undertones that the story
already possessed. The alligator is not cut into pieces, nor does he die in any
way. Instead, the author used a Cajun
inspired weapon for Petite Rouge to defeat the evil alligator. Hence, my <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">BIG question</b> is how did Petite Rouge
and her grandmother know that the alligator would not come back since he was
not killed? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpOhHaYjU2LqGw6KvW_2Dw6n3FEFv8ERIpZu9tEcEqwyotdPO1K4BBBAHlF_ZJpVZSHZdLM7QG6W4ib9EVfLZzbE87P5g8g54zK69k53FeiPcfamMgoEJPUd42zaBsdYjIx-k4yYIBjsX/s1600/spreed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpOhHaYjU2LqGw6KvW_2Dw6n3FEFv8ERIpZu9tEcEqwyotdPO1K4BBBAHlF_ZJpVZSHZdLM7QG6W4ib9EVfLZzbE87P5g8g54zK69k53FeiPcfamMgoEJPUd42zaBsdYjIx-k4yYIBjsX/s320/spreed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This book also fits the requirements of
a picture book. I believe that it
bridges the categories of traditional literature and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">picture book</b> because unlike traditional literature where the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">setting</b> is not important, it is
integral to this story. It is integral since the Cajun culture dominated the book through characters, food and
language. The reader needed to be clear
that the setting was a swamp in Louisiana. In fact, in researching this story further
I located Jim Harris, the illustrator’s web page where he discussed how he travelled
to Louisiana to accurately depict traits of a Louisiana swamp, alligators and
even the houses. This information can be found at </span><a href="http://www.jimharrisillustrator.com/ChildrensBooks/Books/PetiteRouge.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.jimharrisillustrator.com/ChildrensBooks/Books/PetiteRouge.html</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
. Furthermore, the illustrator chose to utilize a cartoon artistic style to
portray the setting and characters. I feel
that he made this artistic style choice to complement the hilarity of
the text. This effect is carried through
the illustrations using the element of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">composition</b>.
As an example, on the book cover the alligator is seen as very large in
comparison with the duck and he has a deceitful expression (half smile, chewing in a
piece of grass). The alligator is tipping the boat which is seen as intimidating
to the duck and cat who are perched at the top of the boat, far away from the alligator.
This illustration describes alligator as devious, yet funny and a threat to
Petite Rouge. I also feel that the illustrator carefully chose the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">colors</b> he used. He selected pastel
colors in the background and bright colors when drawing the characters to draw
attention to the characters and their actions.
I feel this way because the action in this story is non-stop, the
illustrator needed to emphasize the characters to enhance the action that was
happening in the story. For instance, when Petite Rouge promises to hit the
alligator (Ol’Claude) the props in the picture such as the boat and stick are
drawn in vivid colors while the background colors are neutral. This design emphasizes the action.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I
would recommend this book to teach the element of plot or since it is told in a
diction not often heard in this area, to teach the comprehension strategy of
questioning. I recently used this book
in a lesson and found the students to be totally engaged throughout the story
because of the characters and their dialogue. Hence, the effectiveness of using
this book during instruction comes from its ability to fully engage students. In
addition, I believe that the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">real-life
connection</b> for my students and I would be fear, in having to
overcome a vicious animal. Or the common occurrence of visiting a sick relative. As an extension of this connection,
I would incorporate our weekly comprehension strategy of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">text-to-self</b> by having the students create using Microsoft Word,
PowerPoint or Publisher a Venn Diagram comparing them to Petite
Rouge. Younger students could complete this activity as a whole group, while
older students could complete it with a partner or independently. An
interactive Venn Diagram can also be found at </span><a href="http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/venn/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/venn/</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">. I also included additional resources to use
with this story below.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7uZDNxjRc0"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7uZDNxjRc0</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
– Part 1 of 5 clips of Mike Artell reading this story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<a href="http://www.tips-for-teachers.com/questioning_mini_lessons.htm"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.tips-for-teachers.com/questioning_mini_lessons.htm</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
- Third Grade Lesson Plans utilizing this story.</span></div>Robin Hancockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00022559448800547028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4497958325306089664.post-6247951059915199922012-05-23T12:16:00.004-07:002012-05-28T12:55:26.635-07:00The Wind in the Willows<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqVnS-l5QpKEIT3wjzAfhXCKp3hs-G2wpSXMPjGmLhap3cP2oZ9j7nK8PGISySz6blwagUkTqUx9RF7zQD16k4ZT0PUMSePnsvGhAA-Ta9CXFY77xNieIA-ZFXUFceJLcJk1-xxjE_u3n1/s1600/51vQfzwpeRL__SL500_AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqVnS-l5QpKEIT3wjzAfhXCKp3hs-G2wpSXMPjGmLhap3cP2oZ9j7nK8PGISySz6blwagUkTqUx9RF7zQD16k4ZT0PUMSePnsvGhAA-Ta9CXFY77xNieIA-ZFXUFceJLcJk1-xxjE_u3n1/s1600/51vQfzwpeRL__SL500_AA300_.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Grahame, K. (1969). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
wind in the willows</i>. New York: New American Library.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The <em><strong>Wind in the Willows</strong></em> is considered a classic and yet
modern fantasy, because it can be attributed to one author in its original
form. The novel focuses around the adventures of human-like animals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The main characters, “Mole” and “Rat” begin
by meeting after “Mole” decides to leave his underground life of constant
cleaning and preparing to join “Rat” on day trips up the river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each chapter presents its own conflict,
climax and most of the time a resolution. Yet, the overall structure of the
story is in the form of an episodic plot, which I will discuss later in this
blog. This work fits the genre of modern fantasy perfectly by containing all of
its traits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Among these traits are story
events and settings that are not realistic, yet contain bits of realism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The characters are developed through a
stylistic device, of using a pattern of stories over a series of chapters to describe the characters, which allows the reader to connect with the characters by
learning about them through descriptions and actions and stories told by other
characters. As well, since this is an animal fantasy
I found myself enthralled with how the author depicted the characters as very
proper English gentlemen through their diction and appearance, yet allowed the
animals to also maintain their natural qualities, such as “Mole” living
underground.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This classic is written from the third person point-of-view
and includes multiple types of conflict. “Mr. Toad” consistently exhibits a “person
vs. self” conflict by being overly confident and creating mischief for himself
(like stealing motor-cars) to feeling pity for himself when getting in trouble
for what he has done wrong. As well, “Rat” and “Toad” faced a “person vs.
nature” conflict when lost in the “Wild Wood” and not being able to find their
way because of the heavy snow fall. In chapter 12, “Mole”, “Rat”, “Mr. Badger”
and “Mr. Toad” took on the weasels and other devious animals to take back “Toad
Hall” and creating a “person vs. person” conflict. However, I also feel that a “person
vs. society” conflict prevails through the story by the animals having a
society in which they have created class structures and work hard to live up to
and fit in their respected class structure by exuding “animal-etiquette”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An example of this would be, sending formal
invitations to a celebratory banquet at the end of the story, because as “Mr.
Badger” said to “Mr. Toad”, “It’s expected of you- in fact, it’s the rule.”</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The plot is an episodic plot containing foreshadowing, flashbacks and suspense. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An
example of foreshadowing that was used is when “Mr. Toad was trying to persuade
“Rat” and “Mole” to travel the “open road” with him in a caravan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Mr. Toad” described how wonderful their
lives would be by saying phrases such as “Here Today, up and off to somewhere
else tomorrow”. Moreover, an example of a “flashback” used in the novel would
be when “Mr. Badger” explained the background of his house by reflecting on how
all of the passages were made in chapter four. “Mr. Badger” explained that
there was a city full of people on top of his home; however the floods and
weather made the passages in his home and drove the people out of the
city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soon after a forest grew there and
the passages were clogged to create the expansive home that he had and that “mole”
was so impressed with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When thinking of the fictional element of
suspense, I noticed that in every chapter the author included a sequence of suspense
to perpetuate a conflict that usually led to a resolution, and sometimes the
solution came in later chapters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet,
this seemed to be the pattern created by the author to engage the reader. My favorite suspense
sequence was when “Mr. Toad” escaped from jail dressed as a “washerwoman” and
after pretending that he could wash to pay for his ride on a barge, the barge
owner, a “fat” woman”, threw him into the water and then he stole her horse
and ran away into the woods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, I
felt that the way the author described each suspenseful event in such detail was
what truly made the stories entertaining.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The author also used many literary elements; I will focus on
the elements of imagery and diction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
chose these two elements particularly because I believe that they made this
book authentic to its author.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mr.
Kenneth Grahame, the author, was born in Scotland yet lived out his life in
England. However, this novel was written based on his experiences with nature
as a child and to entertain his son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
a result, Mr. Grahame placed great detail into describing the various settings,
experiences and the characters’ actions creating images in my mind as I
read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One specific account of imagery
used would be when “Rat” and “Mole” boat down the river at night to find the
baby otter in chapter seven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The text
read, “For a space they hung there, brushed by the purple loose-strife that
fringed the bank: then the clear imperious summons that marched hand-in-hand with
the intoxicating melody imposed its will on Mole, and mechanically he bent to
his oars again.” Imagery is used throughout this book to draw in the reader’s imagination
and to transport them into the story as Mr. Grahame was trying to do for his
son, to amuse his son fully.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also feel
that diction played a large part in this novel; as well it leads to my <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">BIG question</b>. The animals speak using
old English, which is speech that sounds very proper to readers’ who do not
speak old English, like me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
resulted in my belief that the characters could really be human and not just
animals, staying true to the modern fantasy trait of making the unbelievable,
very believable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Yet, I wondered all the way through the book, do the animals live among
the humans or hidden from the humans in their own society?</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Mr. Badger” spoke as if the city of humans
was completely separate from his own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Conversely, the reader was made to think that the warden’s daughter that
helped “Mr. Toad” escape from jail was human and interacting with the toad. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would recommend that passages from this book be used with
students in third to fifth grades, and using the novel as a whole with students above the fifth grade. I believe this because I think Mr.
Grahame is wonderfully effective with his use of imagery and it could be used
with younger children in parts. However, I think the whole novel would be
overwhelming for students in fifth grade and below.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also feel that this literary work fits
nicely with our comprehension strategy of the week- <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mark My Word</b>. I, personally, used post-it notes throughout the book
to record examples of elements and unknown words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could see passages from this book being
used in vocabulary instruction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Specifically, looking at the context of the word and then researching
the word on the Internet to find synonyms and antonyms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last, posting the word in class for students
to use in their dialogues with others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
tried this with the word, “copse”. The context of the word spoke of stumps at
the edge of the “copse”, next to the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I knew at that point in the story that “Rat” and “Mole” were in the
woods, so I then thought that “copse” must be a synonym for “woods”. Upon further
Internet research I found that a “copse” is a small growth of bushes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If using this example in instruction, I would
then create a concept map listing word relationships, then post it in the
classroom and challenge students to use the word when writing and speaking.
After considering the strategy I also began to think of instructional resources associated with
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Wind and the Willows</i></b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please see
these links below!</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<a href="http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/cover-cover-comparing-books-1098.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/cover-cover-comparing-books-1098.html</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
- Lesson Plan for Grades 6-8.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<a href="http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/cover-cover-comparing-books-1098.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/cover-cover-comparing-books-1098.html</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
- Scholastic Extension Activity</span></div>Robin Hancockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00022559448800547028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4497958325306089664.post-89872006190586753422012-05-17T12:55:00.001-07:002012-05-20T16:19:35.864-07:00Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSgb4_5h_NuwTS9flN9lyavGWF_sKw1wEelqtIhj7JJBBxQAnLNvxpnJGpyBNQFEiH0g3PPEtGKRt5wVewtCTXLqd6CwaF3Yv7ymydi1W4f33OLcEGd-HVC4qAsY6GJbP6wrxuCwLSp_v/s1600/lillyspurplepla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSgb4_5h_NuwTS9flN9lyavGWF_sKw1wEelqtIhj7JJBBxQAnLNvxpnJGpyBNQFEiH0g3PPEtGKRt5wVewtCTXLqd6CwaF3Yv7ymydi1W4f33OLcEGd-HVC4qAsY6GJbP6wrxuCwLSp_v/s200/lillyspurplepla.jpg" width="161" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSgb4_5h_NuwTS9flN9lyavGWF_sKw1wEelqtIhj7JJBBxQAnLNvxpnJGpyBNQFEiH0g3PPEtGKRt5wVewtCTXLqd6CwaF3Yv7ymydi1W4f33OLcEGd-HVC4qAsY6GJbP6wrxuCwLSp_v/s1600/lillyspurplepla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSgb4_5h_NuwTS9flN9lyavGWF_sKw1wEelqtIhj7JJBBxQAnLNvxpnJGpyBNQFEiH0g3PPEtGKRt5wVewtCTXLqd6CwaF3Yv7ymydi1W4f33OLcEGd-HVC4qAsY6GJbP6wrxuCwLSp_v/s1600/lillyspurplepla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSgb4_5h_NuwTS9flN9lyavGWF_sKw1wEelqtIhj7JJBBxQAnLNvxpnJGpyBNQFEiH0g3PPEtGKRt5wVewtCTXLqd6CwaF3Yv7ymydi1W4f33OLcEGd-HVC4qAsY6GJbP6wrxuCwLSp_v/s1600/lillyspurplepla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
</a><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Henkes, K. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lilly’s
purple plastic purse</i>. New York: Greenwillow Books.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In this story, the main character exhibits the traits of a
little girl through being excited about special accessories given to her by her
“Grammy”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though the main character
which is a young mouse, had previously loved school and her teacher, she soon
becomes upset because she gets in trouble for distracting her classmates with
the special accessories. In all of Kevin Henkes’s books that feature these mice
characters there is a theme, which provides a real-life connection with lessons
that most young children learn as they grow. However, in this story the theme
is well developed and apparent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The main
character learns about self-discipline and behavioral expectations. As an
example, when she is upset she illustrates a picture with negative sayings
about her teacher because she feels that he is being unfair. Yet, once she
realizes that her teacher has good reasons (not disrupting other students) for
taking away her special items, she reconsiders and decides that the teacher is
only being fair to everyone in her class.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As a result, she writes a story and illustrates a second picture where
she apologizes for her actions. This theme shows the reader why rules are
necessary, especially in school.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Since the theme focuses on rules, and particularly in
school, the setting is integral to the story. As an example of how the author
makes the setting integral is that he compliments the text with illustrations in the beginning
of the story concerning the different reasons why Lilly loves school and her
teacher which leads to the fact that Lilly realizes that she trusts and respects
her teacher because he sets expectations, he does this so every student can
enjoy school. As well, I noticed that the author and illustrator provided more
detail in the backgrounds of the pictures in this story as opposed to the other
two stories discussed in this blog. I feel that this was done to fully describe
the school setting in order to further enforce that the setting is integral to convey
the theme of the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moreover, when
comparing the illustrations in all three books I notice that the author and
illustrator always uses bright watercolors to convey the whimsical nature of a
child and to aesthetically appeal to the eye of a child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As well, in all three books he used the visual elements of line and
shape to show expressions on the characters’ faces.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I feel that this story could easily be used to instruct on
the fictional element of setting. I feel this way because the author made the
setting integral to the story, providing a detailed description of what the
setting looked like and what types of activities happen at school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He does this through his illustrations and
through his ample use of adjectives in describing objects and actions that take
place at school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Students could be asked
to write descriptive sentences about their own school and teachers. As well, I
feel that this book lends itself to teaching about theme, while integrating
practical living content about why rules exist. Students could be asked to
write and illustrate the theme of the story using the real-life connection of
having rules at their school or create a cause and effect graphic organizer
about why the teacher had specific rules and why this made the classroom fair
and enjoyable for all of the students. When considering our comprehension strategy
of the week, “Most Important Word”, I believe it would be “teacher”. Focusing
on the meaning of this word, being someone who guided another to the correct
conclusion, would fit with the theme. This could be done by using the teacher’s
actions as examples of how he taught Lilly the reasons for rules and using
self-discipline to follow rules and meet behavior expectations. The question I
have is if the setting of this story were changed to possibly a family’s home,
would the theme be as clear?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>Robin Hancockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00022559448800547028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4497958325306089664.post-90194291110633249522012-05-17T12:53:00.000-07:002012-05-20T17:33:18.097-07:00Wemberly Worried<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKS92XJfw9hJOXIkO2A9hvi_X0J3gTxmuVsSVU3cTQSItsjnj_GqZINtz4N4hd63RfymPYhn2qVeRuadmrHt-M0wTu8QcMSkx08L2sMtf7nGzciviIbbdWyuEKl0dgA4K6B60U25mKRbn/s1600/imagesCATKOZKR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKS92XJfw9hJOXIkO2A9hvi_X0J3gTxmuVsSVU3cTQSItsjnj_GqZINtz4N4hd63RfymPYhn2qVeRuadmrHt-M0wTu8QcMSkx08L2sMtf7nGzciviIbbdWyuEKl0dgA4K6B60U25mKRbn/s200/imagesCATKOZKR.jpg" width="158" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKS92XJfw9hJOXIkO2A9hvi_X0J3gTxmuVsSVU3cTQSItsjnj_GqZINtz4N4hd63RfymPYhn2qVeRuadmrHt-M0wTu8QcMSkx08L2sMtf7nGzciviIbbdWyuEKl0dgA4K6B60U25mKRbn/s1600/imagesCATKOZKR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKS92XJfw9hJOXIkO2A9hvi_X0J3gTxmuVsSVU3cTQSItsjnj_GqZINtz4N4hd63RfymPYhn2qVeRuadmrHt-M0wTu8QcMSkx08L2sMtf7nGzciviIbbdWyuEKl0dgA4K6B60U25mKRbn/s1600/imagesCATKOZKR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKS92XJfw9hJOXIkO2A9hvi_X0J3gTxmuVsSVU3cTQSItsjnj_GqZINtz4N4hd63RfymPYhn2qVeRuadmrHt-M0wTu8QcMSkx08L2sMtf7nGzciviIbbdWyuEKl0dgA4K6B60U25mKRbn/s1600/imagesCATKOZKR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
</a><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Henkes, K. (2000). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wemberly
worried</i>. New York: Greenwillow Books.</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Wemberly is a young mouse who is constantly worried.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She worries about everything from loosing her
favorite doll, “Petal” to worrying about the possibility of shrinking in the
bathtub.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The main story element used is
characterization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, the
characterization drives the plot through the author thoroughly detailing the
Wemberly’s worries leading up to her biggest worry, which is starting school.
The author carries out the characterization through the illustrations which
describes the main character’s appearance and particularly the constant expression
of worry on her face. The author explains the character’s thoughts through her
actions and dialogue in the story. As an example, on two pages before Wemberly
goes to school, there are no illustrations; just various sized fonts where
Wemberly’s multiple worries about school are displayed. Even the story’s
resolution is delivered through the author describing how Wemberly felt when
she met another student in school. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In comparison with the book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Owen, </i>described in my previous blog, the artistic media and font
are detailed on the title page.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The artistic
media is watercolor paint with black pen and the illustrations are in the
surreal artistic style as Kevin Henkes other books described in this blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The difference being that a different font
was used.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The visual element that I
noticed that was different from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Owen</i>,
was that author and illustrator developed his use of lines and shapes from the
previous book. Particularly, I noticed that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Owen</i>
was published in 1993 and the illustrations were mostly framed with square
boxes. However, this book was not published until 2000 and the picture frames
used came in multiple shapes, such as circles, ovals and even a door frame in
one picture. I also noticed that Kevin Henkes selectively used the visual
element of composition in both books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When focusing on a main character’s emotions to develop the
characterization, the illustrations included little or no composition. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the author and illustrator wanted to focus
on the actions of the characters, he would use composition to show the
relationship between the characters and other objects in the illustration. I
wonder if the reader would have focused on the visual display of the character’s
emotion if the author and illustrator had not chose to selectively use the
visual element of composition.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I see the value in this story as a book to use at the
beginning of the school year with young children in easing their fears about
school, since the character finds a resolution to her conflict which is a
common resolution when children begin school. However, I did not find this
story as enjoyable to read as some of Mr. Henkes’ other books because of the
lack of plot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Furthermore, the author
and illustrator takes a lot of time describing the character; however her
actions and mood seem to change just once in the story making it less than
desirable choice to teach characterization. Yet, this story does lend itself
perfectly to our comprehension strategy of the week, “Most Important Word”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most important word from this story would
definitely be “worried”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moreover,
students would have multiple real-life examples in this story to use to
understand the semantics of the word “worried” and the word appears throughout
the book, which would provide multiple opportunities to practice and recognize
the word while reading since it is included on the Dolch High-Frequency Word
List.</span></div>
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</div>Robin Hancockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00022559448800547028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4497958325306089664.post-69522533385805044192012-05-17T12:50:00.002-07:002012-05-20T16:27:00.788-07:00Owen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ZE5LjARO4jTBX4Z5zcMgEfKWQ0KS2pUKbhKdHHwbm7fOLKuad6yPfFGlN-VXiBi8Ff4urLdElUCGU8Ich0h9l5O6X8KXTK6s7eIvatE-JaJHMOcKLNcOf1OdHMDsDYe8RAiS02lpSkgc/s1600/owen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ZE5LjARO4jTBX4Z5zcMgEfKWQ0KS2pUKbhKdHHwbm7fOLKuad6yPfFGlN-VXiBi8Ff4urLdElUCGU8Ich0h9l5O6X8KXTK6s7eIvatE-JaJHMOcKLNcOf1OdHMDsDYe8RAiS02lpSkgc/s200/owen.jpg" width="163" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Henkes, K. (1993). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Owen</i>.
New York: Greenwillow Books.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In this fictional story, the main character is a mouse named
“Owen”. The story includes a progressive plot where a background is given about
Owen loving his fuzzy blanket that he has had since he was a baby. The plot
develops through a neighbor offering strategies to Owen’s parents on how to
wean Owen off needing his blanket. As the strategies offered are unsuccessful,
Owen has a “person vs. person” conflict, where he constantly finds a way to
overcome the strategies his parents’ attempt. The climax of the story comes
when Owen’s mother has an idea of compromise which leads to the resolution of
the conflict. I wonder though if Owen would have eventually found an intrinsic
motivation to stop carrying his blanket if his mother had not intervened with a
compromise?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The illustrations in this picture book are created in the
surreal artistic style, and were recognized with a Caldecott Honor in 1994.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of the illustrations are realistic scenes in
a child’s life, except the characters are mice acting as humans. One feature of
the book that I found interesting was the title page.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On this page not only are the author and
publishing credits listed, yet a book summary and information about the artwork
of the book are located.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Within this
information it says, “Watercolor paints and a black pen were used for full
color art. The text type is Goudy Modern”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In other words the author and publisher chose to list the artistic media
and font used in the book. Upon closer inspection of all three Kevin Henkes
books that I acquired, I realized that this information is listed on the title
page specific to each book, which I will discuss further in later blogs. The
watercolor conveys a whimsical mood indicating a story from a child’s life. The
lines and shapes used in the illustrations are utilized as outlines of objects
in the pictures and to show different expressions on the characters’ faces
during the story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would recommend this story for specific uses in the
classroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Specifically, I would use
this story as a way to introduce the basic elements of plot since there is a
clear conflict, climax and resolution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In addition, I would utilize this story to teach younger children
behavioral expectations as a part of growing up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though the conflict is a “person vs.
person” conflict, the main character also experiences a “person vs. self”
conflict in his attempts to realize that he does not need his blanket all the
time to be happy, which is a conflict that many young children face as they
mature. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When considering the
comprehension strategy of the week, “Most Important Word”, in this story it
would be the word, “fuzzy”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Fuzzy” is
the name of Owen’s blanket and is displayed throughout the book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can envision using this word to demonstrate
the phonics rule stating that “y” makes the long /e/ sound at the end of two syllable
words. This could be extended by students finding other words in this story
that follow that same phonic rule such as, “baby” and “carry”.</span></div>Robin Hancockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00022559448800547028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4497958325306089664.post-11150656542897618112012-05-12T15:58:00.000-07:002012-05-12T15:58:30.792-07:00CLICK, CLACK, MOO Cows That Type<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRPS5Wrme3OchSTA8b6wl6rd-TQFqai_E_jUVQnPXtQfq4THQfP0UJR77TAB7zsTmb59Ee6EDI815pv4IceQvQw8cKbTqXBX6b3kcSekosn8PoyPB4qTCPvmU7jQ9ALLln7b2tOC9mPybM/s1600/cows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRPS5Wrme3OchSTA8b6wl6rd-TQFqai_E_jUVQnPXtQfq4THQfP0UJR77TAB7zsTmb59Ee6EDI815pv4IceQvQw8cKbTqXBX6b3kcSekosn8PoyPB4qTCPvmU7jQ9ALLln7b2tOC9mPybM/s200/cows.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Cronin, D. (2000).<i> Click, clack, moo cows that type</i>. New York: Simon and Schuster.</div>
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In this fictional story, the characters are farm animals and a farmer. The cows know how to type and make a demand that the farmer must answer. Once the farmer responds a chain of events is set into motion. This story is a great example of character development for young children because the cows are clearly portrayed as the protagonist and the farmer is the antagonist. In the protagonist role, the cows' appearances are described through the illustrations and their actions as characters propel the story. Specifically, the fact that they type provides the story with every element of the plot. Their direct opposition is the farmer since they feel that they deserve a certain item from the farmer. I feel that this is an effective example in teaching children about characterization because the protagonist and antagonist roles are clear along with having a clear and simple conflict and solution. An example of this clarity comes from the typed correspondence that is exchanged between the cows and the farmer. This story is also a 2001 Caldecott Honor Book, which are awards honoring books that were published the previous year for their illustrations.</div>
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The artistic style of the illustrations in this book takes on a cartoon form. This form is strictly adhered to through the illustrator's use of round figures for the characters and exaggerated facial features. An example, of this from the story would be the page where the cows type a note to the farmer and nail it to the side of the barn. The background are shades of red, using only one color. The only other items on the page are the farmer and the note in large typeface print. Moreover, the backgrounds are all simple using few colors to emphasize the appearance of the characters. In fact, all of the backgrounds are neutral, muted colors and are drawn to give the impression of the use of water color painting. The lines used in the cartoons are heavy brushstrokes that are uneven to portray a cartoon scene, such as the outlines of the barn which make it look silly and unrealistic.</div>
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I would recommend this book to other readers and educators of young children because it is a straight forward example of plot and characterization. In addition, it possesses a surprise ending that engages and entertains children when read aloud or silently. In addition, I could see this book being used to teach visual elements of art such as cool and warm colors as well as lines, since there are multiple and varied examples of each included in the publication. In fact, I believe that the illustrations add to the impact of the story and wonder if another artistic style, such as the abstract style, was utilized if the story would still be as funny and entertaining as it is with the use of cartoons?</div>
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<br />Robin Hancockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00022559448800547028noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4497958325306089664.post-30414715314158805222012-05-12T10:12:00.001-07:002012-05-20T17:34:00.652-07:00The Black Book of Colors<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh172h59C_eLNiFIlOzokSpJUkRPzRGc_HrT3WvoX3bBb4h5qOVWm2b1WZOw4z_7KivK_wcWbeeKclCiUQLGbaNdt-ThE-jj-0hwIEGDuYNvjeG8Cm9l8RGzYL6ci_1ollTcG_Q1Ef9mPD3/s1600/blackbookofcolors_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh172h59C_eLNiFIlOzokSpJUkRPzRGc_HrT3WvoX3bBb4h5qOVWm2b1WZOw4z_7KivK_wcWbeeKclCiUQLGbaNdt-ThE-jj-0hwIEGDuYNvjeG8Cm9l8RGzYL6ci_1ollTcG_Q1Ef9mPD3/s200/blackbookofcolors_cover.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgURW-LMXazrkyBrf1mR7Kt23qLQi8arjNS28ec2Fzf7LrQg8jzmgrU5LyVqxbrXPy23ZX126iSeVCXOWzStnIAzkVkCnjDmXEh_2BDHGLNP6B8NCS3LqfilBVNlJjrIFZRy_pBzp3J3qnY/s1600/blackbookofcolors2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgURW-LMXazrkyBrf1mR7Kt23qLQi8arjNS28ec2Fzf7LrQg8jzmgrU5LyVqxbrXPy23ZX126iSeVCXOWzStnIAzkVkCnjDmXEh_2BDHGLNP6B8NCS3LqfilBVNlJjrIFZRy_pBzp3J3qnY/s200/blackbookofcolors2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Cottin, M. & Faria, R. (2006). <i>The black book of colors</i>. Canada: Groundwood Books.</div>
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I recently learned about this book in an early education course. The publication is written in the third person, where the narrator states how his friend "Thomas" can smell, taste, touch and hear colors. The book is written to describe colors using other senses besides sight and it is inferred that Thomas is a child with a visual impairment. This written work includes a Braille translation of the text on each page and the illustrations are black in color as shown above, yet are raised to appeal to the sense of touch. The text describes each color using experiences such as "Thomas says that blue is the color of the sky when kites are flying and the sun is beating hot on his head." Yet, the book does not include any plot elements its purpose is to describe colors using all of our senses and experiences that do not include sight. However, the story does include characterization of the main character through him expressing his thoughts about each color, to show his personality. The award seal on the book cover is from <i>The New York Times </i>for being a recipient of "Best Illustrated Children's Book Awards".</div>
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I felt that is publication was an excellent choice to reflect on within the genre of picture books because it included all of the visual elements (line, color, shape, texture, composition). This is especially unique since texture is not an element normally found in picture books. In fact, our class text speaks of texture in books as impressionistic, or giving the impression to the reader of what the object must feel like. Yet, the whole point of this book is to afford the reader with a tactile experience. The composition of the pictures focus on the objects and experiences being described in the text. As a result, there are not multiple items in the illustrations; rather the basis of the composition is placement of the items in alignment with the experience that is being described. As an example, the illustration included on the page with the quote above, the kite is in an upward motion as if it is floating up into the sky. </div>
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I would recommend this book for many different audiences. In addition to readers with visual impairments, this book could also be used to teach colors in a preschool classroom or to teach adjectives and descriptive writing to any age student. I feel this way because I am a proponent of incorporating as many senses as possible and building on prior experiences to teach new content. This book selection allows an educator to do both. In addition, this story could be used to show students the challenges faced by people with sight disabilities and to cultivate a sense of consideration for others, in young children. I do wonder if the illustrations in this story were kept the same, yet the colors were just described instead of described from the perspective of a character, if the book would have as much meaning?</div>
<br />Robin Hancockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00022559448800547028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4497958325306089664.post-28389823941245113622012-05-09T21:22:00.003-07:002012-05-28T12:56:54.302-07:00About Robin<div align="center" dir="ltr">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Hey There! My name is Robin Hancock. I am the Reading Intervention Teacher under the Read to Achieve grant at Summer Shade Elementary in Metcalfe County, KY. I am originally from Maryland. I grew up on a farm and ended up going to the University of Kentucky to get a degree in Ag Economics. Later, I married and moved to southern Kentucky. I went back to college because I wanted a career I could really put my heart into and I found that in the career of teaching. I love it! I attended Lindsey Wilson College where I attained my certification in Elementary Education. As well, I am currently working on my Masters Degree to be a Reading and Writing Specialist. In addition, I recently achieved a certification in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education (IECE). I also have a wonderful husband, Kirby, of 11 years and two boys of my own, Hayden and Hudson which I dearly love. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I am headed into my sixth year of teaching and I am really excited to utilize the new reading and teaching strategies that I am learning in my Masters classes!!! </span></div>
<div align="center" dir="ltr">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I look forward to everyday and consider my students "my special gifts"! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As well, I enjoy finding and reading children's books, because
they provide children with a way to learn life lessons through <nobr><a class="FAtxtL" href="http://robinsperspective.blogspot.com/2012/05/about-robin.html?showComment=1336625088425#" id="FALINK_1_0_0"><span style="color: #2198a6;">applications</span></a></nobr> that children can
relate too. However, in my extra time I also read novels as a part of a book
study. I do not prefer one genre of adult literature over another, yet I like to
read books that are suggested to me by friends.</span><br />
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</div>Robin Hancockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00022559448800547028noreply@blogger.com1