Poetry

My last chapter I chose for my “Fab 4” was chapter 9, poetry.  The reason I chose to do this chapter is because I always dreaded reading poetry when it was assigned to me.  I felt that if I read this chapter, it would help me get a better understand as to why poetry is an important component in literature.  Poetry for children conveys the experiences and perceptions of the child in a way that is meaningful and not condescending.  When assigning poetry in a classroom, it engages the children in a new and heightened understanding of the world, themselves, and others.  In addition, it provides opportunities for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds to develop important oral skills through reading and performing poetry.  In this chapter, it talked about drawing pictures of the poetry of what the students read, thinking aloud, using a spiderobics chart located on page 24, and performing poetry.  In my classroom, I would have my students explore and choose poems. I would then have them read and discuss some of the poems as a class. I would have them choose one poem to recite and act out.  I would have them get with a group and have one student perform their poem and have a group discussion about how the students interpreted and presented the poem.

Some examples of poetry:

Hickory, Dickory, Dock by Keith Baker (Grades 1-2)

A twist on an old favorite features some serious antics on the part of a busy little mouse. As a huge grandfather clock strikes each hour from one o' clock in the afternoon to midnight, a different animal passes by, and the mouse has a funny interaction with each of them.  The story includes counting, telling time, and a cozy bedtime ending to engage them the reader.

My Teacher’s in Detention by Bruce Lansky (Grades 3-4)

This book covers wild and wacky school topics, like bringing skunks to show-and-tell, falling asleep at your desk, and ripping your pants on the playground. The big-timers of children’s poetry have converged on the pages of this book to deliver the very best in school poetry.

My Best Friend is as Sharp as a Pencil (Grades 5-6)

A playful collection of classroom portraits made from creative groupings of objects includes a picture of the narrator's intelligent best friend comprised of a globe, pencil and magnifying glass.

Modern Fantasy

The third chapter in my “Fab 4” is chapter 6, modern fantasy.  I have always been a big fan of modern fantasy like Twilight and The Hunger Games so I was immediately drawn to this chapter.  Fantasy is shaped by the author’s artistic vision.  I learned in this chapter that modern fantasy is made up of two categories: low and high fantasy.  Fantasy writers convey complex ideas on a symbolic level but would otherwise be difficult to convey to young readers.  Modern fantasy is a metaphor that illustrates the truth about life in a way that realistic fiction or informational writing cannot.  If you were to assign a modern fantasy book in the classroom it is important that the students reading aloud and can have a culturally responsive discussion to understand the story.  If I were to assign a modern fantasy book I would have my students use their personal writing to create their very own modern fantasy twist on the book we are reading and then I would also have them visual their modern fantasy and make it come to life by drawing a picture of what they think their modern fantasy would look like.

Some examples of modern fantasy:

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin (Grades 1-2)

Farmer Brown thinks it's odd when he hears typing sounds coming from the barn. But his troubles really begin when his cows start leaving him notes. First they demand better working conditions, then they stage a strike.

Charlottes Web by EB White (Grades 3-4)

It tells the story of a pig named Wilbur, the runt of his litter, who is saved from an untimely death by Fern Arable, a spunky eight-year-old farmer's daughter. Hand-raised by Fern, Wilbur grows into a healthy young pig that Fern sells to her uncle, Homer Zuckerman, a farmer who lives nearby. Each day Fern lovingly visits with Wilbur, but her role as his best friend and nurturer is soon taken over by Charlotte, a wise spider who also lives in the barnyard. When Wilbur learns that he is being fattened up for slaughter, his despair moves Charlotte to promise him that she will do all she can to protect him from this fate. Charlotte finds a unique way to let the world know that Wilbur is worthy of saving because he is indeed, some pig.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Grades 5-6)

Sixteen-year-old Katniss regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. But Katniss has been close to death before - and survival, for her, is second nature. "The Hunger Games" is a searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present. Welcome to the deadliest reality TV show ever.

Diverse Perspectives in Children's Literature

The second chapter I chose to read for my “Fab 4” was chapter 11, Diverse Perspectives in Children’s Literature.  The reason I wanted to do this chapter for one of my fab 4 was because I wanted to learn about different views of children’s books.  Diversity can include culture, language, religion, social class, exceptionality, and family structure. Other cultures and life experiences is important in developing children’s perspective, insight, and possibilities as the progress to becoming citizens of the world.  Programs that do not acknowledge and accepting multicultural diversity are ineffective and must be eliminated in teaching. As I was reading this chapter, it listed a few teaching connections, which included, social studies, role-play, paintings, scavenger hunts, family trees, and a map search.  In my classroom to teach diversity, I would chose activities that were hands on and had practical learning experiences.  I would also allow my students to become actively involved in the learning process.  On activity that I would like to do is create a passport.  I think creating classroom passports is a good way to learn about other cultures.  I would first teach my students about cultural differences, as well as geographical differences.  I would have the children create a small mini-book out of construction paper and then after teaching about a place I would ask the students to dress up as if they were from this particular place and have an accessory item from the country.  I would take their photos and then place them in their passports.

Some examples of diverse perspectives in children’s literature:

The Colors of Us by Karen Katz (Grades 1-2)

This book shows through the eyes of a little girl who begins to see her familiar world in a new way, and how she discovers the differences and similarities that connect all people.

Shades of Black: A Celebration of Our Children (Grades 3-4)

The author and photographer, shows the variety of black children by comparing their skin, eyes and hair to positive everyday images like peaches, brown sugar, chocolate, ebony, tiger's eye etc.

Mismatch by Lensey Namioka (Grades 5-6)

Sue Hua just moved from racially diverse Seattle to a suburban white-bread town where she feels like the only Asian American for miles. Then she meets Andy, a handsome and passionate violin player who happens to be Asian American. Sue feels an instant attraction to Andy, and her white friends think they’re “made for each other”–after all, they both use chopsticks and eat a lot of rice, right? But there’s just one problem. Andy’s last name is Suzuki. And while that may mean nothing to the other students at Lakeview High, Sue knows that it presents a world of problems to her family.

Nonfiction

The first chapter in my “Fab 4” that I chose was chapter 10 on nonfiction.  The reason I did this particular chapter for my fab 4 is because this was the chapter my group was assigned in class.  However, I have never been a big fan of nonfiction throughout my school years so I was excited to read more about nonfiction and the benefits are it.  Throughout the chapter I became aware of a few critical issues when it comes to nonfiction. Some of the benefits of assigning nonfiction in the classroom is that good for later schooling, it is important in larger society, some children would rather read nonfiction, which I found very interesting because I know when I was in lower grades, I did not know anyone who enjoyed reading it.  Lastly, nonfiction books answers question that children have, builds knowledge of natural and social worlds, and also contains important text features.  Some considerations to keep in mind when assigning nonfiction books in the classroom includes, children’s preferences, text accuracy, multicultural understanding in the selection and use of children’s literature.  While reading this particular chapter I made a few teacher connections.  The textbooks in the classroom are actually considered nonfiction so even though some kids may not enjoy nonfiction, they can always rely on their textbook to get facts and information.  Another connection between nonfiction and in the classroom is that nonfiction books increases access and time to read informational texts.  The next connection goes along with reading informational texts.  Nonfiction books help foster interest in subject areas.  In addition, nonfiction books help accurate comprehension.  It helps the student by retelling, synthesizing, visualizing, summarizing, recognizing the main idea and locating details, understanding text structure, and figuring out new vocabulary.

Some examples of nonfiction:

How Many Baby Pandas? By Sandra Markle (Grades 1-2)

Basic counting skills combine with panda facts to introduce readers to numbers and these cuddly cubs, from the moment they were born to the time they started climbing trees.

Letters to a Soldier by David Falvey (Grades 3-4)

A collection of a fourth grade classrooms letters to a U.S soldier. 

Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (Grades 5-6)

A diary of a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl, named Anne Frank. Along with her family, they fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, they and another family lived cloistered in the "Secret Annex" of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death.