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.