"Creating a book"

Tunnel, Michael O. and James S. Jacobs. Children's Liteature, Briefly. 4e. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2008.

I loved what Madeleine L'Engle said on page 234 about the necessity of a reader to "create a book along with the writer." I think it speaks to the importance of developing students' schemas. The richer their background knowledge of pictures, art, sounds, words, etc.,the better equipped they will be to creatively engage in the reading process.

She also that the difference between reading a book and watching tv is that in watching tv, "we are passive - sponges; we do nothing." I think this is a critical issue in fostering a love of reading in our students. Most people (at least in American culture), all else being equal, will choose the easy way. What "readers" have discovered is that all else isn't equal. There is a richness, a realness in really submerging one's self in the world of a good book that isn't like anything else, and it makes the extra mental energy expended totally worth it.

Craft Lesson 2

Exploring Cultural Diversity

Resource Material:

Wong, Janet. Apple Pie 4^th of July. Orlando: Harcourt, 2002.

Discussion:

Young children don't realize that the way their families celebrate holidays may not be the same way their neighbors celebrate the same holiday. In Apple Pie 4^th of July, Janet Wong illustrates a young girl's frustration with her parents as they celebrate the 4^th of July. This craft lesson provides a springboard for class discussion of cultural diversity.

How to Teach It:

Begin by reading Apple Pie 4^th of July out loud to the class. Initiate a class discussion comparing the protagonist's experience to the experience she thinks her American neighbor is having, recording responses on a chart tablet. In groups of four students each, have the students discuss other holidays that might be celebrated differently by different cultures. Then have students individually create their own chart comparing/ contrasting their own traditions with those of another group member.

Second Grade Standards Taught:

1)Participating in conversations and discussions, 2)connecting experiences and ideas with those of others through speaking and listening, 3)representing information on a chart

Craft Lesson 1

Using Onomatopoeia

Resource Material:

Wong, Janet. Buzz. Orlando: Harcourt, 2000.

Discussion:

The world is full of sounds. They are all around us in everything we do, but students often fail to pay attention to such detail. In Buzz, Janet Wong uses the sound "buzz" as the driving force in a small boy's morning routine. Using onomatopoeia vividly describes the hustle and bustle of the family. In this craft lesson, beginning writers will explore the use of sound in their own story writing.

How to Teach It:

Sound words are called onomatopoeia. Read Buzz by Janet Wong and look for all the things "buzz" can describe. Then brainstorm other examples of onomatopoeia, keeping track of students' ideas on a chart tablet. In groups of 2 or 3, have students construct their own story using from the examples generated by the class. Allow each group to present their story to the rest of the class.

Second Grade Standards Taught:

1)Identifying elements of literary language, 2)specifically onomatopoeia, 3)listening responsively to a story, 4)participating in a large group discussion, 5)working cooperatively in a small group, 6)using a published piece as a model for writing.

In the Pits of Poetry

Tunnel, Michael O. and James S. Jacobs. Children's Liteature, Briefly. 4e. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2008.

I've never been a big poetry fan. Trying to write something so creative with very little objective criteria for judgement was torture. And I was always so concerned with figuring out how my teachers interpreted poetry (so that I could then interpret it the "right" way). It just about killed any potential for enjoyment.

I liked what they said about sharing poems without any ulterior motive and about focusing on kids' preferences and feelings instead of technical interpretation.

Off Topic

I feel like this kid in a Far Side cartoon. He's leaning (almost laying) on his desk in class with his hand in the air (supported by the other hand), and the caption reads, "Mrs. So-in-so, may I be excused? My brain is full."

Anybody else feel this way?

Anybody else feel a little bit panicky about feeling this way and it's only 2 weeks into the semester?

Or maybe it's only me.

Books, Books and More Books- Chapters 6 & 7

Tunnel, Michael O. and James S. Jacobs. Children's Liteature, Briefly. 4e. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2008.

For the past 2 weeks I've been on a book buying binge. I think I had forgotten how much I love children's books, especially picture books. I loved the illustrated section in chapter 4. Even as kid I paid more attention to the words than the pictures of a book. And I prided myself on graduating to chapter books way before my peers. I realize that I missed out on a lot of fabulous picture books. My mental wish list is growing daily - Round Trip, Tuesday, Anno's Counting Book, Not a Box, Flotsam, Millions of Cats. And I've remembered books I read as a child and subsequently forgot - Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, The Ox-Cart Man, Why Mosquitos Buzz in People's Ears, Ira Sleeps Over. I think what I've learned in these 2 chapters is that I could quit my job and drop out of school and read until I die and still never finish reading. And I could be happy doing that. As a teacher, how do I bring my students to that place of wonder and awe of books? I guess that's the $1,000,000 question.

Why read?

Tunnel, Michael O. and James S. Jacobs. Children's Liteature, Briefly. 4e. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2008

The text highlights some interesting evidence why people read or don't read, but I really think it boils down to kids' earliest experiences with books. When a touchy, feelie, huggy kiddo gets to spend time sitting in mommy or daddy's lap and get one on one attention while reading a book, it registers as a great experience. One that hopefully will get replayed manytimes until kiddo can read on his own.

Likewise, a rough and tumble kiddo might not get so excited at sitting still in anyone's lap long enough to get his shoes tied, much less long enough to read a story. But when this kiddo knows that after he's finished reading with mommy or daddy, he'll get to act out the story with his friends or siblings, it also can become a good experience.

I think as teachers (and parents for that matter) we have to be able to figure out which kind of kids we have and make books fun on their level.