EDRG 3321: Chapter 13, Literature Circles

All students of all ages are experiencing reading and enjoying books together in literature circles. They are literature based teaching approaches, and can be an important part of the comprehensive literacy program in k-8. These groups will read a novel, picture book, or nonfiction title in common. One way to organize literature circles is to have student-led groups engage in four processes together. They will read the book on their own, in pairs or aloud together. Then they will respond to their reading by writing in their journals, then the circle will meet to discuss the reading, and at the end the book each circle designs a creative presentation. I think this is a great way to get the students involved in reading, but also to help them get comfortable working with groups. I'd defiantly do this with middle or high school grade levels.

EDRG 3321: CH 12 Independant Reading, Author Profile

I thought books by Julie Markes would be great to start off for an independant reader. Her books start from easy read with more text for elementry grade levels. Any of her books would be great for any student to start off reading alone.

Does the farmer sleep on a mattress of hay? Is the baker's bed made of soft, doughy bread? And is the grocer most comfortable resting on a bed of lettuce? No matter what the bed or walls look like, when the day's activities are done, it's time for everyone, big or small, to go to sleep.

With whimsy and humor, Julie Markes and David Parkins show that -- although everybody has a unique idea of quiet and order -- happy dreams and slumber await all when evening falls.

If you were an octopus, you would have eight legs to put into your pants!
Follow one little boy through his day as he playfully considers how mealtime, bath time, nap time, and many other activities would be different if he were a bird, a tiger, or any number of baby animals. At the end of the day he realizes that the best thing of all is to be himself!
Julie Markes's first picture book is charmingly illustrated by Maggie Smith.

Everyone knows that Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks—the question is, where to begin? From the turkey on the table to warm, cozy cuddles, life is full of small things and bigger pleasures. But what is most important is being able to share them with family!
Julie Markes reminds kids and adults alike about the little details that make each day enjoyable, while Doris Barrette's beautiful and striking illustrations bring her thoughtful words to life.

EDRG 3321: Chapter 11, Shared Reading

Shared reading is an enjoyable way for children to experience literacy. It offers many opportunities to focus on print and discover how it works to create a meaningful text. Once students become familiar with the print then they can begin to study various features of print such as sight words, letter-sound relationships, directionality, and punctuation. Especially when you do repeated readings of a text it helps the child become more confident in their knowledge of how text works building fluency. We have to remember that in shared instruction the students and teacher work together to study and learn from texts. If I was going to do shared reading with a class, probably elementary class. I'd choose to read books by Eric Carle.

Author Profile: Eric Carle, is acclaimed and beloved as the creator of brilliantly illustrated and innovative designed picture books for very young children. Eric Carle has illustrated more than seventy books, many best sellers, most of which he also wrote, and more than 88 million copies of his books have sold around the world.

Born in Syracuse, New York, in 1929, Eric Carle moved with his parents to Germany when he was six years old; he was educated there, and graduated from the prestigious art school, the Akademie der bildenden Künste, in Stuttgart. But his dream was always to return to America, the land of his happiest childhood memories. So, in 1952, with a fine portfolio in hand and forty dollars in his pocket, he arrived in New York. Soon he found a job as a graphic designer in the promotion department of The New York Times. Later, he was the art director of an advertising agency for many years.

Eric Carle’s art is distinctive and instantly recognizable. His art work is created in collage technique, using hand-painted papers, which he cuts and layers to form bright and cheerful images. Many of his books have an added dimension—die-cut pages, twinkling lights as in The Very Lonely Firefly, even the lifelike sound of a cricket’s song as in The Very Quiet Cricket - giving them a playful quality: a toy that can be read, a book that can be touched. Children also enjoy working in collage and many send him pictures they have made themselves, inspired by his illustrations. He receives hundreds of letters each week from his young admirers.

The themes of his stories are usually drawn from his extensive knowledge and love of nature—an interest shared by most small children. Besides being beautiful and entertaining, his books always offer the child the opportunity to learn something about the world around them. It is his concern for children, for their feelings and their inquisitiveness, for their creativity and their intellectual growth that, in addition to his beautiful artwork, makes the reading of his books such a stimulating and lasting experience.

The website www.eric-carle.com/home.html has some good information on all of his books and other resources about the author himself.

EDRG 3321: Genre Project on Dec. 2nd

The first presentation on spiders was very interesting. I thought the group did an excellent job explaining the purpose and meaning of the information in the book. You kind of get a sense of how spiders can be useful, and they're not just scary creatures. I thought the making the spider out of clay was a fun and creative activity. I think it would be best to do that activity with grades 1st-5th.


The second group did their project on Snow White. Now it was different then the common fairy tale Snow White story. It was interesting and I would definitely look into reading other stories like it, but I feel its for the high school level or older for sure. I thought it was interesting, and could probably think of a few activities to do with a high school level class.

EDRG 3321- Genre Presentation's on Nov 30

The first group did their genre presentation on a Chinese folktale. The subject of this folktale was about integrity. I thought the projection about the different scenes, characters, objects, and colors you were going to see in the book itself was a great overview to begin with. I thought it was a great way to grab the readers attention. The way they proceeded to read the story and have the picture book still projected on the screen was a great idea. Even the group conversation afterwards about the subject integrity was a great overview and it all tied in nicely with this presentation. They did a great job!





The second group did their presentation on the book "Pink and Say". It was more for the junior high grade levels because of the Civil War aspect. The read out loud from each member of the group was a great idea. I thought it was appropriate for the grade level and that it not only gave a history lesson, but also an emotional overview the friendship between the characters. The activity you can tell was thought over, and was appropriate for the junior high level. I thought this group did a great presentation and it was very creative. Great job to both groups!!!

EDRG 3321- Genre Presentation on Monday Nov. 23

Today was the day that my group did our presentation, and I must say we did a great job on our presentation on Folktales. It seemed like that class enjoyed our version of the play we revised from the folktale story of "Why the sun and the moon live in the sky". I can honestly say this was a fun group to work with, and they put a great deal of thought and hard work into this presentation. The short play, and the costumes, decorations, and even music all incorporated into the children's play was a great hit. So was the short sentence strip activity we came up with afterwards was a brilliant activity it seemed to go over well with the class.

As for the second group, who did there genre presentation based on the book "10 Things I can do too help my world" did a good job. I really enjoyed the story video that they came up with to talk a little about recycling. I thought that was a brilliant idea, and would definitely come up with something like that for a future presentation. It seemed like they like they put a lot of thought into their presentation, but to me it didn't seem like a group presentation. I understood what they were trying to teach, but the group could of been more cohesive. They could of explained a little more about their genre of choice, and it just seemed scattered to me. I did like their activity though, the matching the item to the correct recycle group was a great idea.

EDRG 3321: M&W...Chapter 10 Reading Aloud

Since I missed the video on reading aloud I thought I would share my response to the chapter. I believe reading aloud to any students at any grade level is essential in helping them to become great readers. Its difficult for all students to get into reading, but I believe reading to them aloud first helps them get comfortable with wanting to learn to read. If they're interested in the book you're reading aloud to them. then maybe that same day at home with family they will want to read it again to themselves or maybe if they're older they might want to read it to a younger sibling. Like the book says its an effective way to introduce a wide array of genres to children. I love how it informs you on what you might be doing wrong when reading aloud, and what better choices you can make. I think that's wise every future teacher needs that instruction. Its wise to choose a book you think you students will enjoy, and also make sure to write notes, and make a mini-lesson around the book also. that way it will tell your students that you know what you're reading about, and it will help them to understand the book more. Overall its a great chapter with some key information, and advice.

Beverly Cleary published Henry Huggins, her first book, in 1950. The adventures of Henry and his neighborhood pals continued in a series of books featuring a spunky little girl named Ramona Quimby. Cleary has written over 30 books for children, including The Mouse and The Motorcycle and the Newbery-winning Dear Mr. Henshaw. Cleary has also published two memoirs, A Girl From Yamhill and My Own Two Feet. She is one of America's most popular authors and has won many prestigious awards, including the American Library Association's Laura Ingalls Wilder Award. I've choosen to include her works in my author profile, and I would also choose to read her books aloud.

This is the first title in the hugely popular series about Ramona Quimby. Ramona's sister, Beezus, tries very hard to be patient, but how many nine-year-old girls have to put up with their embarrassing, annoying little four-year-old sisters? Sisters are supposed to love each other, but pesky little Ramona just doesn't seem very lovable to Beezus.

Ramona returns (Ramona Forever, 1988, etc.), and she's as feisty as ever, now nine-going-on-ten (or ""zeroteen,"" as she calls it). Her older sister Beezus is in high school, babysitting, getting her ears pierced, and going to her first dance, and now they have a younger baby sister, Roberta. Cleary picks up on all the details of fourth grade, from comparing hand calluses to the distribution of ... More little plastic combs by the school photographer. This year Ramona is trying to improve her spelling, and Cleary is especially deft at limning the emotional nuances as Ramona fails and succeeds, goes from sad to happy, and from hurt to proud.

Summary: The Mouse and the Motorcycle is about a mouse named Ralph who lives in a hotel in California with his family. They enjoy messy people because they leave crumbs and food for him and his family to eat. Ralph is an adventurous mouse who wants to go out and see his world, the hotel, but he can’t because he is kept in check by the housekeepers who want to keep the place clean and mice free. Then Keith and his family arrive. Keith has many fun toys but most importantly he has a motorcycle, beautiful shiny and red. When Keith and his family step out of the room Ralph goes to see this motorcycle and take a look to see if Keith left any food behind. When he comes up to the motorcycle he notices that it is the perfect size for him and while trying to ride it he falls off the table where it was and lands in a garbage can. He was afraid because he didn’t want to get thrown out with the trash and he didn’t want someone who didn’t like mice to find him there. Luckily Keith comes back and finds him there and likes mice. He even teaches him how to ride his motorcycle and lets Ralph ride around in it at night. Then the crisis comes, Keith and his family are out for the day and Ralph wants to ride the motorcycle, he almost gets sucked into the vacuum and ends up riding into a bunch of sheets that he later has to chew his way out of and leave the motorcycle behind. The hotel finds they have mice and the maids are to keep an extra close watch and try to get rid of any mice they see. Thus Ralph and his family are forced into hiding but lucky for them Keith brings them food. One night Keith gets sick and needs an aspirin and his parents can’t find one. So Ralph goes on a mission to find the aspirin and almost gets caught several times. In the end he uses Keith’s toy Ambulance to get him to the elevator and down to the first floor to pick up the aspirin he found there and to bring it back. Ralph saves the day and in the end he gets to keep Keith’s motorcycle forever.

3321:M&W- Chapter 9:Non-Fiction Author Profile

Jim Weiss is a nationally acclaimed storyteller and recording artist. He is the recipient of over 31 major awards from the American Library Association, Parents' Choice Foundation, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio and more. Weiss tells traditional stories in a way that kids love. His gentle voice explains things clearly, and they include wonderful introductions to Sherlock Holmes, Shakespeare, and other classic tales.

Animal Tales told by Jim Weiss

This is a collection of generally familiar tales which have been tempered for the very youngest, told in an especially gentle manner. Jim uses various voices (particularly effective at holding the interest of little ones), and there is an emphasis, where appropriate, on character and the "moral of the story." Includes: Goat Gets Away (African), The Cat Who Went to Church, Chanticleer the Rooster (from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales), The Lion and the Mouse, The Tortoise and the Hare, The Crow and the Pitcher, City Mouse and Country Mouse, Giggly Biggly and The Invitation (an original by Weiss).

Abraham Lincoln and the Heart of America by Jim Weiss

Here is one of history's greatest stories -- that of Abraham Lincoln -- told with compassion, clarity, and humor. Lincoln faced seemingly insurmountable challenges all through his life, leading to an ultimate triumph and sudden tragedy. Jim sprinkles the biography with examples of Lincoln's famous wit while recounting his farsighted, ethical, and often controversial actions during the most tumultuous time in American history. This remarkable era springs to life in a way that will stay with listeners of all ages and makes plain why our 16th President holds a special place in our history and our hearts.

This Auto-recording book, narrated by Jim Weiss, is one way to introduce youngsters to some of the wonderful stories that make up the foundation of our culture. He tells the stories in a quiet voice, yet manages to bring the stories alive so that children can understand them. Each of the three stories has a brief introduction, and a follow-up such as telling children that they can still visit the maze of the Minotaur in Greece, and that people still become lost within its walls. Heroes in Mythology would make a wonderful listening center activity in the media center or classroom, and it could be used as a springboard to learning about other myths.

EDRG 3321- M&W CH8 Fiction Lit.

Fiction books provide us with a window into what makes us human. They can illuminate the truth, and make us take a good look at reality. In fiction books your start to understand the elements of characterization, plot, setting, theme, style and point of view. The chapter tell you all about categorizing fiction literature too. Its filled with all kinds of information you can use to have your student understand the literature. Fiction lit is a great way to get your students thinking critically, and having them maybe relate to whats going on in the stories. There are all kinds of activities you can do with these books. So for my author profile I've decided to do a fiction series by Kimberly Willis Holt, titled Piper Reed.

I'm also providing a great website about Kimberly W. Holt you should check it out it has a lot of information about the author and all of her works. The website is http://www.kimberlywillisholt.com/

Fourth grader Piper Reed is moving with her five year old sister Sam and teenage sister Tori from California to Penacola, Florida. This will be the sixth home for Piper, whose father's job in the Navy forces them to move frequently. She gives up a room of her own, a tight group of friends, and a treehouse for a new home where she shares a room with Sam, the kids at school expect her to produce a real Gypsy, and there isn't a tree in sight. Add to that the fact that her father is going to be gone for the next nine months. Piper Reed, Navy Brat, by Kimberly Willis Holt shows just how difficult it can be for the new kid at school to start over, no matter how many times she's done it before.

In book 3 of the Piper Reed series. Piper Reed and her fellow Gypsy Club members are in need of a clubhouse. Raising money to buy one proves a challenge. Piper, being the resourceful fifth grader that she is, launches her own party-planning business and gets her first job throwing young Brady's birthday celebration. But things don't go as expected on the day of the big event. Fortunately for Piper, her friends and family come to her rescue!

Piper Reed: The Great Gypsy
Piper Reed
Kimberly Willis Holt; Illustrated by Christine Davenier

The Gypsy Club CreedWe are the Gypsies of land and sea.We move from port to port.We make friends wherever we go.And everywhere we go, we let people knowThat we’re the Gypsies of land and sea.

Piper’s dad—the Navy Chief—might be gone again, but Piper’s got plenty to keep her busy at home: new neighbors, a spaceship beach house, a trip to New Orleans, and most important, the upcoming Gypsy Club pet show. Piper is determined to win, but teaching her dog Bruna tricks seems nearly impossible. Bruna is simply un-teachable! Or is she? Join Piper as she embarks on new and exciting adventures!

I'm also adding my favorite fiction novels. This past summer I found myself enticed in a series of fresh fiction novel by Sunny. She was a family practice physician and Vassar graduate, Sunny was finally pushed into picking up her pen by the success of the rest of her family. Much to her amazement, she found that, she actually could write a book, and that it was much more fun than being a doctor.
As an author, Sunny has been featured on Geraldo at Large and CNBC, and has won many awards including the prestigious PRISM Award. When she is not busy reading and writing, Sunny is editing her husband’s books, literary novelist Da Chen, and being a happy stage mom for her young actor son.

Her novels do fall under the paranormal and erotic romance section. They are dark and intriguing. Now I can say that I've never read any novels like this before, but once I started reading I couldn't put it down. I had to read all the Monére, Children of the Moon Series by Sunny. I can admit I do like this kind of fiction literature, and if anyone out their enjoys a good paranormal, erotic dark novel then you should definitely read this series. If you would like more information on the author and her novels check out this website it was the only website I was able to find for her...its http://www.sunnyauthor.com/

EDRG 3321: M&W- Chapter 7, Picture Books

Picture books are from all cuts of genres. They are intended for everyone. In picture books the reader has the privilege of experiencing the creativity of the two individuals, the author and illustrator. They are designed to be effective and attractive. Its clear you have to pick a book that will capture your students attention. This is where the chapter caught my attention. When it goes into making sure how you present the book to your classroom, and doing a book walk first. Then going into the colors, texts, even the types of texts, and especially the moods and emotions the picture book gives off. I didn't even know that people payed attention to those details when they picked out books to read to their classrooms. I also found it interesting how now the teachers are sharing the contents on the verso-page with the student. Who knew all that information would be interesting to the students. Apparently it is if they talk about it in this chapter. I just never realized how much information there was within picture books. Now I'm looking forward to going into Fiction and Non-Fiction.

For my author profile: Picture books I choose.

Bright Stanley by Matt Buckingham

Bright Stanley is about the brightest fish if the deep dark sea. He wakes up late one day for school, and is surprised not to see a single fish. He goes on an underwater adventure to look for his pals. Its a humorous story with great illustrations. It is a texture book, because Stanley is illustrated to where you want to touch his scales.

By Paul BrightIllustrated by Matt Buckingham Picture book ages 4-7Published by Little Tiger Press

Pa Lion thinks he’s the best at everything, but each time he thinks of something, he sees another animal who does it better. As the other animals try to control their giggles, Pa Lion gets more and more cross because...... NOBODY LAUGHS AT A LION!

Little Owl wants to find somewhere new to sleep. But from Frog's splashy, splashy pond to Hedgehog's sniffly, snuffly nest, nothing is quite right... Follow little owls adventure as he searches the woodland trying to find a new comfy nest, but in the end he learns that there is really no place quite like home, with a soft and sparkly finish on every spread and a fantastic pop-up finale.
Board book ages 1-5Published by Caterpillar Books

After Matt Buckingham completing his degree at Loughborough and his MA in Illustration (Authorial Practice) at Falmouth, Matt Buckingham moved to London to establish his career as an author and illustrator. He now lives in the Staffordshire countryside with his wife, son and their two naughty dogs.He enjoys working in inks and watercolour and has created some charming characters in pre-school novelty books such as Peek-a-Boo Penguins and Bright Stanley (a picture book which was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Award in 2007). He has also illustrated poetry books and historical non-fiction.Matt has worked for a wide variety of clients including the BBC and MENCAP; he is excellent at solving creative problems for challenging and sensitive subject matter

EDRG 3321: M&W- Chapter 6

Traditional Literature is the foundation of all literature. These stories are a part of our everyday life even if we didn't think so. I can honestly say I didn't know the background information of traditional literature. Its been such a long time that I've been out of school that this is all a review for me. I can remember learning in middle and high school all about figuring out the plot, setting, theme, characterization, etc. , but I never truly understood why. This chapter made me realize that unlike my English teachers in the past I will teach this differently so my students can comprehend the literature. Explaining to them why they need to learn this, and getting them involved in the literature is important. Once you figure out all the literary elements of traditional literature then comprehending the literature will be easily fourth coming for the students. Everyday I go to the bookstore or see books for sale I become excited. Now that I know building a classroom library is important, because maybe books i find interesting might interest my students as well. I also believe that its important to mention good traditional literature in your classroom, and take a trip to the library and have them check out books to their liking. I'd promote a quiet reading time maybe the last 10-15minutes in class, and then the next day have then write in a journal what they read about. Traditional literature will broaden their views of other human beings and of other cultures. If they end up comprehending the literature then you know you did a good job teaching the literary elements.




Maya Angelou Clip

Now we had a choice to blog about the chapter or the Maya Angelou clip we were shown in class. I just had a brief opinion to say about that clip. Maya Angelou is a great author, poet, and a wonderful human being. Her gracefulness makes you think twice about the person you are. When I saw that clip it made me want to be a better person. If it were possible I'd like to read one of her books in my classroom. I can remember reading "I know why the caged bird sings", and i wasn't able to put that book down. It moved me, and made me think twice about how my life wasn't so bad. But then again my teacher came up with ways to get us involved in understanding the literature.







For my author profile I choose 2 books by 2 different authors, and both are autobiography's. I read these 2 books in my multi-cultural lit class in junior college. I fell in love with these two books, and I would consider them as traditional literature. I would recommend anyone to read them if you haven't already. I would definitely love use these 2 books in my classroom, and I already have them in my library.





James McBride, journalist, musician and son, explores his mother's past, as well as his own upbringing and heritage, in a poignant and powerful debut, The Color Of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother.































A girls young life in the segregated South. Abandoned by their parents at an early age, she and her older brother Bailey move in with their grandmother and crippled uncle in Stamps, Arkansas. Maya Angelou's autobiography explores how her blossoming character helped her cope with rape, sexism, society's prejudices, and the isolation and loneliness she faced growing up.

EDRG 3321/ M&W- Author Profile(Poetry Books)

*Poetry*

Love To Mama- A Tribute To Mothers

This is a collection of thirteen poets writing about the powerful bond between mothers, grandmothers, and children. They write about their latin background and the influence of their mothers and grandmothers. Its great for children who have that special bond with their moms and grandmothers. It teachs children to recognize mothers as one of our universal role models.

Poetry by Heart- A child's book of poems to remember

"Sometimes you read a poem that you think must have been written specially for you. When you learn it by heart, it becomes yours!" This book begins with poems that are short, quick and easy to learn, and ends with a selection of longer classics which, once learned, will last a lifetime. I thought this book of poetry was great to use with a wide range of grade levels. They are easy to read, and easy to understand, but beautifully written. I do recommend this poetry book. My favorite poem was on page 106 called The Heavenly City. If any of you get the chance to read or skim through this book you'll find how insightful and relating it can be.

I found this great website called "Giggle Poetry", it had hundreds of poems for children to read. Its a great site lots of cute poems that children can find amusing, and it would be great to use with elementary students to show them humor can lighten up you day. It had great activities you can use with your students too. Its a pretty useful website on instruction on how to write simple poems for grades 2-5 i would guess.

Here's a little example of the silly poems found on this site.

http://www.gigglepoetry.com/

I Pledge Allegiance


by Timothy Tocher

I pledge allegiance to the floor,the walls and ceiling, classroom door.I pledge allegiance to my books,to desk and papers, coat-rack hooks.I pledge allegiance to my bag,to Joni’s pigtails—and the flag.

EDRG: 3321- M&W- Responding To Literature

Chapter4 suprised me. I didn't know there was so much depth to teaching literature. I thought the chapter gave some good information on awwarness of development. The chart on selecting books by development and age was helpful, but as Professor Pickett said, its just a generalization. It does give you an overview of the variety of literature you can use even if your teaching 6th grade, and have a student reading at a 4th grade level. You could still use the chart to see how you would be able to choose literature for that specific child.

I especially enjoyed how the chapter went into affect and motivation. We do need to remember not all children have the same interests, and won't be as excited to read certain literature as others are. As a future teacher, I need to keep in mind that my students are going to be my inspiration on choosing literature. I need to also remember that each of my students will come in with different perspectives, and the literature i choose will broaden their perspective for growth of learning.

The activities for deepening children's responses to literature was very interesting. In my EDRG 3344 class we learned how personal writing can be beneficial to getting the students interested in reading. They can express their thoughts on the reading, and even can write a related story based on the literature they're reading. I believe that if they succeed with this then they will have comprehended the literature. The overall goal is to promote literacy in your classroom. If you have grasped this then your students will be enticed to read.

Author Profile: On James Marshall

James Marshall was born in San Antonio, Texas where his father worked for the railroad and had a dance band. James Marshall studied to play the viola and intended to have a musical career. Then his hand was injured during an airplane flight and his musical career was finished. He met Harry Allard, with whom he later wrote many picture books, when he was a student at Trinity College. James Marshall taught Spanish in a Catholic school near Boston upon graduation from college. His first book, George and Martha, was inspired by a famous play, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf" in which the main characters were named George and Martha. For many years he divided his time between an apartment in New York City and his home in Mansfield Hollow, Connecticut. James Marshall died in October, 1992. James Marshall's work is usually gently humorous. He has several books in series: Miss Nelson, George & Martha, The Cut-Ups, The Stupids and The Rats, for instance. In those books, his characters change very little. His fairy tale renditions are full of sly humor.

The Cut-Ups at Camp Custer. Puffin, 1991 ISBN 0140508171.

Spud and Joe are together again. Spud's mother knows it's trouble and says as they head off, "That camp will never be the same". Then they find out that the camp director is none other than their old nemesis, school principal Mr. Spurgle and he's ready for them. Or so he thinks.
Activity: Compare Mr. Spurgle's nephew, Charles Andrew Frothingham with the Grand Duke Wilfred in Dr. Seuss's Five Hundred Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins.

George and Martha. Houghton, 1973 ISBN 0395166195.

In this first book about the hippo friends, five short stories give us the tale of "Split Pea Soup", "The Flying Machine", "The Tub", "The Mirror", and "The Tooth. Always the pair manages to get past the minor difficulties in a close friendship.
Activity: Make a list of the events in the stories. Beside each event, draw a picture of how George and Martha feel about it.

Rats on the Roof and Other Stories. Dial, 1991 ISBN 0803708343.

It's not only rats but sheep, wolves, mice, frogs and cats in these funny short stories. Frog legs are a source of pride to the frog until he reads a recipe for frog legs. Birds talk a brontosaurus out of destroying an owl's nest by telling him how disgusting they will taste. At every turn there is humor and all villains are foiled in unpredictable ways.
Activity: Read aloud your favorite tale from either of the "Rat Collections." Use a prop to introduce your reading.

I have found this website listing different literature for the curriculum area you'd like to teach.
www.carolhurst.com/subjects/curriculum.html

This website has some good children poems
www.storyit.com/Classics/JustPoems/index.htm

EDRG 3321, M&W-Chapter 3: Living Literature

In this chapter we've gone over understanding what we read, and incorporating comprehension, vocabulary, and discussion. Reading and comprehension are at equal levels. In order to grasp what you have read you need to comprehend the reading. If your students aren't comprehending then you need to come up with different activities, or choose different books that are easier for them to understand. Basically its up to the teacher to build comprehension. The students already come into your classroom with prior literacy, and you can take that prior knowledge and incorporate it with literacy in the classroom. Following the 5 stages of the reading process is helpful. Pre-reading: Choose a book that will interest your students, Reading: Then either read to your students, Responding: Have then respond to what you've just read to them and discuss as a group what you've read. For exploring and applying, i would have then re-read the book and then have the students make their own personal connections to the story, and then for applying have them create a project.

Author Profile: Audrey Wood

Audrey Wood's first memories of storytelling were in Sarasota, Florida, where her father was employed by Ringling Brothers Circus, commissioned to repaint the big top and sideshow murals. As Audrey became friends with the characters of the circus, she heard stories about them from the family of "little people" who lived next door to her family. Audrey was the first of three girls. As the oldest, she began her gift of storytelling with her younger sisters. She would use her parents' art books and make up stories about the paintings. By the time she was in fourth grade, her ambition was to become an author/illustrator.
Audrey uses the medium of children's literature to practice the disciplines of art, music, drama, dance, and writing. Her unique work creates a sense of imagination and excitement. Audrey loves step-and-repeat stories for the “music of language”. An example of this would be her famous book, The Napping House.
Audrey's husband, Don Wood, is the illustrator of many of her books. They began collaborating on children’s literature seven years after their marriage, their first book together entitled Moonflute. Since the publication of Moonflute, Don has illustrated nearly 20 of Audrey’s books. Her son, Bruce, is also an author, which makes art a fifth-generation tradition in Audrey's family. More can be learned about the lives of Audrey, Don and Bruce on Audrey's homepage, [1] audreywood.com http://www.audreywood.com/mac_site/auds_jumpstation/aud_jumpstation.htm

The Bunyans by Audrey Wood (A fun way to learn about geogragphy, 4th-5th grade)

You may know that Paul Bunyan was taller than a redwood tree and stronger than fifty grizzly bears- but you may not know that he also had a wife and two children who helped him create some of the most striking natural wonders of North America.
With warmth, humor, and dazzling landscapes, award winning writer Audrey Wood and acclaimed illustrator David Shannon team up to present the tall-tale beginnings of Niagara Falls, the Rocky Mountains, Old Faithful, and more.

Beatrix the butter maid and her best friend, Gerda the cow, live in a cozy cottage in a happy valley. Life is peaceful--until the day two rude giants move into a nearby castle. When Gerda is snatched up by the giants, Beatrix uses ingenuity, persistence, and bravery to save her friend--and to teach those unruly giants a lesson.

This delightful cumulative tale has been a favorite with readers and listeners since its debut. It's a rainy afternoon and Granny is snoring on the bed in a cozy room. A child crawls on top of her and dreams. Gradually, the pile increases with a dozing dog, a snoozing cat, a slumbering mouse and finally a wakeful flea who, by biting the mouse, sets off a chain of events which results in a broken pile and even a broken bed. Each page repeats the action from bottom up.
The repeated phrases make Napping House ideal for beginning readers. Children with very limited attention spans also enjoy the complete restating of all the preceding action on each page.

EDRG 3321 M&W- Chapter 2

Chapter 2 was on Culture, and how to make your classroom culturally responsive. Every teacher or future teacher should be open to diversity. As a teacher you have to be prepared to have students in your classroom from a different culture or even students that bring there home/community culture into your classroom. Like Professor Pickett always say you need to acclimate yourself for your students. I believe its important to incorporate cultural and linguistic identities, and i would do that by studying multi-cultural literature with my students. Say maybe every 2weeks or a different month we would read a book that reflect diversity in racial, ethnic identity, disabilities, families, and gender roles. Then have them work on a solo or group project coming up with ways to compare and contrast with the book we read and there cultural diversity. Its important for each student not only to learn about accepting there culture, but also to learn that there are different culture out in the world also. They might be sitting right next to them in the classroom. This chapter was refreshing and i didn't disagree with anything. I myself would love to teach on multi-cultural literature.

Shen’s Books is a publisher of multicultural children’s literature that emphasizes cultural diversity and tolerance, with a focus on introducing children to the cultures of Asia. Our incredibly talented authors and illustrators have created books for elementary grade children that reflect the highest standards of art and literature.
Through books, we can share a world a stories, building greater understanding and tolerance within our increasingly diverse communities as well as throughout our continuously shrinking globe. http://www.shens.com/

Domitila: A Cinderella Tale from the Mexican Tradition
By Jewell Reinhart Coburn
Illustrated by Connie McLennan

Domitila is not only "sweeter than a cactus bloom in early spring," she is also a talented cook and an amazing leather artist. Most of the classical elements of a Cinderella story can be found in Domitila. A gentle weaving of her mother's nurturing with strong family traditions is the secret ingredient for Domitila to rise above hardship to eventually become the Governor's bride. Moreover, with a firm belief in simplicity and realism, Domitila makes a lasting impression as a triumphant Cinderella in her humility, service, and unassuming modesty.
Unlike most ivory tower Cinderellas, the only transformation in this story is Timoteo's—Domitila's suitor—as we watch him mature from an arrogant politician's son to a compassionate family man. There is no glass slipper to fight over, and no fairy godmother to save the day. All Domitila has are her innate qualities and her family legacy. Finally, the readers are invited to get to know Cinderella for who she is, unlike the typical fantasy character!
With love and care in every stroke, McLennan captured on canvas the warmth of relationships, the fondness for color and texture, and the versatile patterns characteristic of the Mexican people. Readers will soon fall in love with the shimmering light of the desert landscape and this well-told story of Cinderella-with-a-twist.

The Day the Dragon Danced
By Kay Haugaard
Illustrated by Carolyn Reed Barritt

Sugar and her Grandma are going to the Chinese New Year’s Day parade, but Grandma is skeptical about New Year’s in February and scary dragons. Sugar has learned all about what to expect from her teacher Miss Peng, though, and is more than ready to try dragon beard’s candy and watch her daddy dance in the New Year’s dragon.
Finally, after all the other floats drive by, the huge red and gold dragon pokes his head around the corner and dances down the street. Sugar tries to remember which shoes are her daddy’s, and realizes the dragon isn’t dancing so well…
Sugar’s quick thinking saves the day and the dragon’s dance, and everyone in the community is ready to celebrate the new lunar year. As the dragon dancers emerge from beneath the dragon, Sugar recognizes her neighbors, including shopkeeper Mr. Chu, barber Mr. Johnson, teacher Mr. Gonzalez, and her own African-American daddy.
Kay Haugaard’s exuberant storytelling and Carolyn Reed Barritt’s equally colorful and lively paintings perfectly embody truly multicultural celebration of our American melting pot.

Selvakumar Knew Better
By Virginia Kroll
Illustrated by Xiaojun Li

The bright December morning dawned like any other. The Ramakrishnan family went about their daily business, but their scruffy yellow dog, Selvakumar, felt something in the air.
When a low rumbling noise began to fill the village, Papa climbed on the roof to see what was happening. What he saw was a wall of water rushing toward the shore. “Tsunami! Run!” The family scrambled to outrun the huge wave, but seven-year-old Dinakaran misunderstood. He ran toward his house, where he huddled in a corner for safety.
But Selvakumar would not let him stay there. Barking, nudging, and dragging Dinakaran by the collar, Selvakumar managed to convince him to flee from the house toward the hill. As they reached higher ground, the boy stopped to catch his breath, but Selvakumar knew better. He pushed him even higher to where Mama and Papa had fled and were waiting, worrying about their eldest son.
This true story of a courageous and clever dog who saved a boy’s life during the devastating tsunami of 2004 is sure to touch the hearts of readers of all ages. While the region is still struggling to recover from the disaster and families rebuild what they have lost, Selvakumar reminds us that with our loved ones beside us, no obstacle is too great to be overcome.

I found a website on how to choose multicultural books for K-8 and the site is: http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3757

This Web sites offers listings and reviews of multicultural children's literature: http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/educatrs/presrvce/pe3lk28.htm

I found these to be very helpful resources!

3321/M&W-Children's Literature Authors Websites

I found 2 websites by searching on google.com that I believe I will choose an Author from. My search is for an author that focuses more on the 6th grade level. Some give you the basic classic literature, and others I found that would catch the students attention. I haven't decided on my author just yet, but I believe these website will help me out and anyone else looking for an author who focuses on the 6th grade level.

They are: www.carolhurst.com/titles/6th.html, and http://us.macmillan.com/macmillansite/categories/childrens/all/6thgrade

I look forward to starting my research, and hope someone else can use my information.

3321/M&W First Blog

Finally got my first blog up...sorry its a day late!