ithin the fictional stories, authors have taken liberties in inventing dialogue, emotions, and judgments of individuals to create a more intimate sounding account of some one's life.
These "liberties" allow history to really come alive! It is necessary for authors to make engaging texts to lure readers into different subjects. Using dialogue and emotions can allow readers to feel how such person was feeling hundreds of years ago with just the scan of a page!
the story of greed and corrup tion underlying The High Voyage should be noted, for it marked one more step along the road of brutal conquest that destroyed so many native American Peoples and cultures, a tragic loss for us all.
This is a really interesting point and a great discussion question. The idea of author bias is visible in all things from conversation to writing! Reading literature with a keen eye for such bias is necessary in developing successful readers.
A limited perspective is pre sented through first person narration because this narrator cannot be all places at once
Talking about the various perspectives of biographies leads to such a diverse discussion. Looking the the various perspectives such as the limited perspective could show that within just one genre their are many ways of approaching content.
"although his journal is my creation, Joseph Mason himself was a real boy. I first learned about him from the legend under an Audubon painting at the New York Historical Society.
These biographies are really fascinating to teach children. Without the fictional accounts of journals and other creative depictions these lives and stories would be completely lost. Reiterating to the class that the style and words are created, but the people and situations were real they can begin to grasp what the "biography" is about and who it represents.
first person narrative may be more intimate than third person, but care should be taken in explaining to students that such a portrayal is fictional
Using diverse historical literature is so important to learning not only about people that have lived in the past but also in exploring the various genres that literature offers, I agree that teachers should make sure that their studetns know the difference between portraals and first hand accounts as that can get confusing when it all sounds "real".
Students can judge whether the author provided a true-to-life char acterization of a historical individual or whether hero worship entered the picture
This is a great opportunity for students to learn how to discern what is real-life versus ornamentation is. Learning how to know the difference is crucial in literature and provides students with a critical eye.
Proficient tween fantasy readers of both genders have a choice between two intricately told novel versions of the classic Beauty and the Beast tale.
Choice is so important for tweens who really enjoy freedom! Giving them the opportunity to engage in their own learning and deside for themeselves which version they want to read could make them want to engage much more.
Diane Stanley adds a fresh dimension to the fairy tale with her feminist picture book version, Rumpelstiltskin’s Daughter(Morrow, 1997)
This is so interesting to me! I never thought that someone could bring in a feminist view to a usually younger audience text! this could be a great discussion on writers craft and how authors can use stories to represent their beliefs.
Two excellent versions of the Jack and the Beanstalk traditional story to begin with are Steven Kellogg’s 1991 rendition
Looking at the same tales from different perspectives or cultures could also prove to be very interesting. Having children look at the cultural similarities and differences on pieces is a great way to bring in some multicultural learning as well. I like that this text offers multiple version ideas.
Reading aloud of one or two picture book or illustrated ver-sions of the traditional fairy tale.
All of these lessons can be tailored very well to the CCSS which really shows the quality of these unit. I like that it shows the various topics that can be discussed in depth with the tweens.
Experiencing the concept of character analysis and the abil-ity to make connections between the various texts are other positive parallel possibilities through discussion.
I like that this article provides some specific learning outcomes that can be learned through this fantasy book discussion. Making connections between texts and character analysis stated above is crucial in any learning process. I agree with this layout.
As children enter the tween and early teen years, their imaginative consciousness is overcome by their need to socialize, strive for independence, and cope in a real-istic world.
It is so important for teachers to help students not loose their imagination and creativity. I have seen this decline first hand especially as tweens start to become teenagers. It is important that the teacher leaves room for fantasy in lesson design and curriculum development!
“the child becomes an intensely moral creature, quite interested in figuring out the reasons of this world,”
Because children think "black and white" these myths allow literature to really be explored and make sense to students! I agree that students are very moral so looking at this literature from different perspectives such as that of the student is helpful.
Students obtain a copy of their story and prepare a five- to eight-minute oral presentation. * An outline of the story should be photocopied for all members of the class and passed out at the time of the presentation. * A visual aid (drawing, film excerpt, craft, or the like) should be integrated into the presentation.
This is a very interesting way to go about teaching myths (by making the children learn and teach it). This allowed students to be very engaged in the learning process as well as work on presentation and research skills. I really like that they also make worksheets and used aids. I agree with this method of instruction.
Additionally, an understanding of the archetypes and themes that form the bedrock of myths and folktales allows a more effective study of classical and con- temporary literature than a chronological ap- proach
Looking holistically at the benefits of engaging with different types of literature it is crucial to introduce the and learn about the various archetypes that occur in literature and the differences between such pieces.
should illustrate the connec- tion among international myths, f
I agree! It is so easy to "other" cultures that are not our own, and the classroom can prove to be a bridge of cultures when it is shown that the country/people might be different but the stories/nature of humanity is not.
The fact that our educational system does not place a heavy emphasis on mythology and folktales does not address the reality that they nevertheless play a large part in our culture.
Folk tales and mythological literature have and always will play an important role in our culture, not to mention the fruitful discussions on writers craft that always can take place, they are so important for students to learn.
A glance at this list makes it apparent that there is room for discussion about the similarities and repeated motifs among tales.
Looking at the relationships between works is crucial for learning about literature as a whole. It is often the history of the time that affects literature so looking at how stories relate outside of plot line is so beneficial for the classroom discussion.
That mythology is any- thing more than a group of long-dead stories does not occur to them
it so important to stress to students that although stories may not be "real" the morals and what the story is saying may very well be.
that children must first understand the concept of "it depends"
I think that "the unknown" or "it depends" answer needs to not be "scary" to students. There are many times when learning you might not know what the answer is. The journey to get to an answer should be a learning process not a destination.
How will children learn critical thinking? The answer is: "It depends."
I agree with the ambiguity of this statement. Every child is different and will get something unique out of lessons regardless of how "black" or "white" the topic is. Elementary school teachers have to be careful of the materials that they use to teach as critical thinking as children need to be encouraged to think critically rather than learn to take a text and not think about it.
As you know, there are many adaptations of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf."
It is important to make this known to your class, and show the different ways that authors approach a fable Cinderella is also a grate fable to show the different adaptations and discuss how authors perceive each tale.
ildren's trade books, note that the "qualities to which human beings are more sensitive will likely always fall outside the range of a practical formula
I agree with this statement! I think that writing a successful book does not follow a certain formula but rather it needs to be different an attractive.
scarcity of any recent research at all in the area of children's picture books.
This is so unfortunate. Considering that picture books are a majority of the literature that children k-3 read, more research really should be done!
Adshead, Gladys L. Brownies, They're Moving!** H.Z. Walck, 1970. 4 Anglund, Joan Walsh. A Friend is Someone Who Likes You.** Harcourt
I really like this bibliography! It is so helpful to see titles that have been reviewed and marked for appropriate grade levels. When choosing quality texts these references are very helpful.
Shepherd (1976, pp. 7-8) notes that sharing books aids in conceptual development and vocabulary expansion, produces awareness of a variety of syntactical patterns, and alerts the listener to the symbolic function of language and its flexibility.
I have seen this in schools! when children read books to each other they can both connect and assist peers in reading. They are more excited to read when they can share a book rather than work on it alone.
Observation of this misuse of picture books led to the idea that a study of the readability levels of a sample of picture books
Often people see picture books as just "pictures" teachers need to make sure that the books they choose are rich in plot and characterization. Picture books need to be enriching and analyzed.
rite a poem. Look at the poem you read again. What did you like about it? Was it the length of the lines? Was it the sub ject matter? Or was it something else? Try out one of the poet's ideas, borrow a line from the poem, or write your own poem in the same style as the poet you've just read. This will give you insight on whether a poetry prompt will work or not.
aside from knowing for yourself if a prompt is good, children love to hear their teachers work. this would grab and keep the students attention.
talked about the patterns created by re peated words, the lengths of lines, and the blank spaces between stanzas.
personal conferencing with the children about their poems is so necessary! by giving an individualized touch children can get specific feedback on how to improve.
ake time to conduct research and read on the topic of poetry. Y
poetry is such a diverse topic. Much research should be put into finding quality works and making great interesting lessons.
ead great poetry. Use your own definition of "great" poetry. It doesn't matter what sort of poetry you read, just pick some thing that you enjoy. The most important thing you can do is get to know a poem yourself and understand why it speaks to you before attempting to use it in your classro
I agree! If teachers are well versed in reading powerful poetry than they will be more confident in teaching it. Students notice if teachers believe what they teach.
t is sad that many teachers, particularly ele mentary school teachers, do not approach the teaching of poetry writing at all.
Poetry is such a beautiful type of writing as well as reading. In my opinion it is just as valuable as analyzing a narrative, and is so important for self expression in the classroom.
erfect (1999) noted that these fears may include a teacher's perceived need to have skill in the teaching of poetry methods and conventions, as well as an understanding of how to analyze and interpret poetr
I really agree with this statement. Teachers may not want to teach poetry because they have a tough time analyzing it. When in reality it can be a learning process and help you teach it better.
e encouraged the children to select one poem a day that they wanted to include in their selected anthology. W
I really like this making of the anthology. This is something the students can bring home and show to parents/siblings and read over the summer.
hen the children gathered again on the rug for the writing minilesson, they sat in a circle. Each child was given a copy of "Spring Is" and "Little Bird," w
I love this set up for readers workshops. It is so nice to have all of the students sitting down so everyone can see the teacher and lesson.
epetition was something the children could immediately ap preciate in their reading of poetry and then ap ply in their writing of poetry. W
By giving children an easier skill to master (such as using repetition) poetry will seem less daunting and they will be more focused in future lessons.
uring the poetry unit, poetry is read at this time.
At this time it is so important to choose quality poetry for examples! Using multicultural/diverse examples does double the work for teachers.
he poetry bulletin board was composed of three irregularly shaped pieces of paper. One shape was labeled "feelings,"
This bulletin board seems like it is very helpful to help students characterize their work. By giving sentence starters/conversation hints children can have more productive conversations.
n the context of the Big Book, word attack skills such as using phonetic cues, contextual cues, picture cues, and syntactic cues are taught.
Big books are so helpful for students. Doing reading as a class out of a big book provides a great way for direct classroom instruction.
rst graders writing in their journals as soon as they arrive.
I really like this idea of journaling so regularly!
inograd and Greenlee (1986) recommend a balanced reading pro gram?one that combines decoding skills with the skills of reading in context
balance is key in education. By relating two very important skills-phonics instruction as well as critical reading/enjoyment lessons become more dimensional.
r could use children's literature to teach short a to a group of children who have a demonstrated need for this skill.
Small groups are so important. Becasue these kids need this lesson, they will not get as bored as those who already mastered this skill.
ead, comprehend, and enjoy a whole, quality literature selection.
I really agree with this portion of the lesson. Sometimes it is hard to focus when you really want to know what the rest of the book is about, but you only get to read a few pages for the lesson.
The teacher has deliberately dovetailed the decod ing skill with the application story so that chil dren sense the connection.
Making connections in texts that are meaningful is so important. By connecting the phonics as well as content of the text, critical reading can also be practiced!
Likewise, there is evidence to document that students benefit by reading high quality children's books
by choosing texts that really "do work" for teachers and work to not only provide entertainment but encourage discovery and exploration that literature becomes so crucial to child development.
he teacher next moves to guided prac tice, which affords students the opportunity to exercise a new skill under teacher supervi sion.
I really like that this lesson includes guided practice. It is so needed to have a bit of guided instruction so students have structure in what they are supposed to be doing and learning.
his article presents a means to teach phonics in conjunction with children's litera
I agree that literature and phonics instruction should go hand-in hand with each other. It is when text can be looked at for specific practice (direct phonics instruction) and looked at and analyzed as a whole that this reading can be really effective.
I began by first creating a model text that used short a sounds.
This technology is really special because teachers can manipulate it specifically for students. By really targeting specific areas mastery is more likely.
Some ideas could include: Character Traits-Develop two characters with flat (very predictable) traits such as good and bad.
I feel like story scape is a really interactive tool. students or teachers have the ability to manipulate character traits in specific characters.This ability could spark great in class discussions on what characters do for the author in stories.
highlight and change text within the box
I agree it is so necessary to be able to manipulate programs to fit specific needs of students.
I wanted to reinforce words with r-controlled vowels and then I wanted cowrite a story that included characters, settings, problem and a solution.
It is so great that digital media can be involved with phonics learning. Often I think that phonics can be hard and boring to students but being able to use this program with children, and being able to focus on specific needs it is amazing.
ne strategy we tried was to create the role of a critical coach
I like this strategy because although the teacher is instructing within the circle they are equipping the students with the skills to communicate effectively and independently, which is crucial in discussion.
uggested starting off a group with this exercise to bring the members to gether around commonalities and develop a feeling of cohesion.
I really like the thought behind the activity/mini lesson. In order for children to discuss a text with their peers they cannot go into the group having a negative attitude. By doing and activity and creating an environment that focuses on unity rather than division more productive discussions are going to be had.
I found that these students really struggled with maintaining a positive discursive environment. For example, many of their language practices dom inated discussion groups, such as giving orders, using insults, and disagreeing.
I agree with this statement. If students do not know how to have academic conversations, especially how to disagree and show you disagree in appropriate ways, literature circles will not be effective. It is the teachers job to teach the children how to communicate effectively especially in academic settings.
ociocultural forces such as economic disparities, strong student animosi ty, and racial and gender tension had powerful influ ences on how these students discussed texts, despite the teacher's best attempts to create a safe and trusting
Unfortunately sociocultural forces that negatively affect learning always come into play despite the attempts for them not to be. With instruction teachers could help lesson the negative effects on education, but they will never be able to completely "erase" them. Culture however makes students different and can provide fresh ideas and conversations in circles.
ince this publication, the information on literature circles has grown as many teachers and researchers have seen these discussion groups as an im portant addition to a literacy curriculum.
When children behave and act accordingly I agree that literature circles could be beneficial. In addition if children could choose (based on two or three choices) what books they could read they could also become more interested in the texts.
he teacher and I thought we had given the stu S dents the skills to productively discuss a text, but as soon as we pulled away to let them lead the group on their own instances like the previous example became far too frequent.
This just really shows how distractions (as well as students who think it is okay to be distraction) affect a discussion. It only takes one or two comments to really derail a lesson or discussion.
t provides a predictable daily struc ture for
Children thrive in structured days (especially in the younger grades) so by having a daily journal workshop the children can show consistent growth and grow comfortable with the workshop because they are daily.
the beginning of the year, the time for writing may be about 15 minutes. Later, as the children develop their writ ing fluency, the time may extend to 45 minutes.
I like how this teacher gradually adds writing time. When children are not prepared/ do not know how to write an extended period of writing time is wasted because the children don't have the endurance or knowledge base to meaningfully write. By slowly growing the amount of time for writing, students grow without being bored.
sing end punctuation (period) (Note: I record the topic of the direct instruction that I give based on a particular element in the child's writing.)
I think that keeping conference notes on each child is very important! By writing down goals (especially where children could see them to remember them) teachers can really keep straight both the goals and achievements of each student.
llustrations: taking a "snapshot" of an event; drawing all the details of your "snapshot"; showing some action; putting people in the draw ing; when drawing animals pretend you are using clay; when drawing people make them "real," not stick figures; drawing a person's eyes at the center of the oval, not higher; drawing people with bent elbows and knees to show action
I agree with the mini lesson topic of illustration! This lesson could engage children that learn well with art! This would be a very new and engaging option for a lesson.
class members listen to each child read his or her writing,
Sharing of work is very important in the classroom. Not only does it engage the class in discussion but provides an opportunity for children to learn how to listen well to other peers.
hildren interact with me during di rect instruction, modeling, discus sion, and practic
I think that this beginning direct instruction is very important in directing the children (especially at a young age) to get into the mode of reading/writing for the workshop.
In contrast, the transactional perspective is based on the belief that meaning is constructed in thetransaction between a particular reader and a particular text
I really like this view. People come to a text with a suitcase full of memories and experience so a text could mean many different things to many different people. With this view the reader is an active participant in what is being learned.
teachers may lack the appropriate preservice coursework and in-serviceprofessional development necessary for effective implementation of quality literature-based readingprograms
This is a huge problem. If teachers are unable to know what literature to pick and how to teach it, children are going to suffer greatly. Courses in literature are crucial to expose teachers to what is available to teach and learn.
“child-centered” approaches (Atwell, 1987), in which students andteachers select literature to read and to discuss in groups, and respond to the literature by drawing onthe experiences they bring to the texts and the meanings they construct during reading
I think that this "child-centered" approach is really crucial for the children to be exposed to. It is when they can interpret a book for themselves using their own lives and experience that a book can become a real, valuable experience.
Children’s literature may be regarded as a space for constructing critical conversations andinterpretations, where both teachers and students negotiate meanings, discuss the systems of powerinherent in the meanings available, and share experiences of how these stories relate to their lives andcommunities (Serafini, 2001a).
I really like this point! As a future teacher I think that students coming up with ideas is necessary for not only learning to read a text but learning to respond to a text (without someone telling you what it means right away).
Many proponents of thisapproach suggest that in order to balance reading instruction, it is necessary to “inject” some direct,systematic phonics into a whole language classroom (Adams & Bruck, 1995; Honig, 1995).
This way of talking about reading instruction is very scientific. It seems that with this view there is a step by step procedure for success. I find this very interesting in comparison to looser views.
Meaning is located in the text and can be uncovered through close textual analysis
I agree with this! In order to discover meaning in a text teachers must show students how to look into a text and find what it is really meaning (especially if there is more than just what is written implied.)
The first emergency that drives this dissertation is the need to create livable educational spaces for queer bodies.
I find it horrible that some students do not receive a quality education because of their sexuality. Teachers need to be fully prepared and qualified to teach all students regardless of their race or sexual orientation.
Appropriate cultural tools for interrogating gender include transmedia narratives and platforms, which can enable learners to develop an attunement to, appropriate, and reinscribe messages about gender in a personally and culturally meaningful way.
Knowledge really is power. Students need to be educated about gender and gender differences early on in a non-accusatory or judgmental way in a way that is suitable for their age/place in life.
Money was apparently the first to propose a distinction, in the late 1950s, between sex and gender (Money & Ehrhardt, 1972; Udry, 1994).
I think that today some people still are unaware of the distinction. As a future teacher knowing this distinction is key being a socially competent teacher.
inquiry into race and racism (Tatum, 2003; Van Ausdale & Feagin, 2007), sexual orientation and heterosexism (Ryan, Patraw, & Bednar, 2013; Sapon-Shevin, 1999; Swartz, 2003), and gender and sexism (Bryan, 2012; Ryan et al., 2013)
Wow! I find this to be very interesting. I think that racism in the home definitely can leave children more sensitive to seeing differences early on.
Further, recent work with young children suggests they have a greater capacity for abstract reasoning and engaging with sophisticated concepts than is typically assumed
Children are very brilliant. I think at times teachers can underestimate what their students can understand and think. It is our job as teachers to see the full abilities of both academic and emotional sects, and provide accordingly.
implicit in larger symptoms of cultural dysfunction, as in ongoing efforts to silence, bully, intimidate, and threaten women who speak up against sexism in video games and other popular media, as well as in cultural messages about masculinity that lead male-identified people to distance themselves from their emotional experiences and to engage,
I think that teachers have a crucial role in future society. By not allowing these "cultural dysfunctions" in the classroom, students learn early on that bullying for any reason is not accepted or tolerated.
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
1st Grade students must have the knowledge of what makes a character different than a setting. Knowledge of these definitions and parts of a text is crucial to being able to describe what is going on.
Looking at a Strega Nona book that has many elaborate characters and scenes could be very helpful. Ask students who is the character on this page? What is the setting on this page?
Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters,
Like in life, characters In texts have different perspectives and teaching this is crucial! 2nd grade student must be able to look at individual characters and where they are coming from. A good example to use would be the text My Mouth is A Volcano because the teachers view of the boy is different that the classes view of the boy, and the boys perceptions of what he is feeling.
Ask and answer questions
Kindergarten students must be able to identify that they do not know certain words, and then know to ask for help or ways to get to know words. Having everyone in the class underline 3 words they do not know in a text and then going around and talking about them could be helpful
With prompting and support, r
Teachers of 1st graders must provide appropriate instruction on how to read different pieces of literature. Exposure to different types of literature such as poetry is important. 1st graders must be able to read texts and know how to approach reading them even if they struggle. And teachers need to know how to prompt them without doing the work for the students. Having a weekly "poem in my pocket" could be helpful if teachers go over it and refer back to it/do activities with it throughout the week.
Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g., mysteries and adventure stories) on their approaches to similar themes and topics
5th grade students must be able to look at books of the same genre and compare the texts within that genre to each other. It is here they can make connections between how plots of different stories have similar makings within that genre. An activity a fifth grade teacher could do would be to look at the magic tree house series (pick one of the books) and the A to Z Mysteries series (pick one of the books. Although they are different series how they develop the stories (exposition/settings/characters) are very similar. Making a T-chart with the order in which events happen could be very helpful!
read and comprehend
3rd grade students must be able to read and understand different types of literature appropriate to 3rd graders independently. Having SSR sessions and then journaling about what was read, and then sharing could help greatly in understanding/getting better at reading.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.
5th grade students must be able to look at a text and what the words imply, especially in figurative language. An awesome example show students figurative language would be any of the books in the Amelia Bedelia series, because she is constantly misreading figurative language and would be a great start/talking point for looking at figurative language, plus they are all great reads!
Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem.
5th grade students need to know how to look at texts as a whole and how they interconnect. An example could be looking at The Orange Tree Poem (John Shaw Neilson) and look at how it would be hard for the stanzas to make sense without all of them there.
Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes and topics (e
4th grade students must be able to compare and contrast different themes in texts because it is what makes them different. Example Question: A good question in all texts would be "what do you think the author wanted to teach us". Here the themes of the texts could be talked about and contrasted by students.
Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).
5th grade students must be able to look at a text as a whole in order to fully understand the meaning of it. By looking at the smaller parts that make up a story (such as characters and what makes them different from each other/why they are included) is crucial in reading, not just staring, at literature. Making a venn diagram with two characters and seeing how they are different and how they are connected could greatly help 5th graders see how characters interact and contrast.