Go Ask Alice

Anonymous. Go ask Alice. (1971).New York: Simon & Schuster Inc.

Genre: Non-fiction, Memoir because it is a series of diary entries written by one person about the events occurring in her life.

Age Level: 15 and up

Go Ask Alice is a very captivating memoir. It is a memoir composed entirely of diary entries that have been published, written by a young girl of about 15. The young girl remains nameless throughout the book, and chronicles her experience with drugs and trying to become a non-addict. I was immediately drawn to this book once I started reading it because I knew that it was a true story and I knew that I was reading the inner-most thoughts of its author. Hard to read at times, this book is a very real and emotional story. Because of this book’s raw details, I would recommend this book to only the most mature of high-school readers. The theme of this book is not to teach, but to tell the truth about the society in which we live.

This book begins with a note from the editors, telling readers that we are about to read about a 15 year old girl’s addiction and struggle with drugs. The story automatically begins with a diary entry for September 16^th. The diary entries serve as chapters, and are short and tell of mundane events of the day until her life spins out of control after someone puts LSD into her drink at a party. We truly become acquainted with the main character through her thoughts and what she chooses to write in her diary. Occurrences in her life when she is not writing in her diary, we do not know, so readers can only know what happens when she chooses to write about it. That was one thing that was interesting about the book: after a hiatus from writing, the reader can piece together what is happening in the author’s life. She is not writing for others, only herself, so we must read between the lines to infer about what might have happened while she was not writing. We see that she is a very complex individual who has many inner demons to fight. The conflict in the book ranges from person-against-self, to person-against-person. The main character is constantly fighting against herself to gain confidence and to stay off of drugs. She must also fight with herself to feel that she is worthy of being accepted by others: the main root (I believe) of her initial drug experiment. She must also fight against those who try to push her over the edge and start taking drugs again after she becomes clean.

If I were to use this book in the classroom, I would use it in the context of social science because it is a great book to begin discussion on our society and the role that drugs plays in it. Drugs are such a negative impact on our society and this book is an excellent example of how everyone and anyone can be affected by them. This book can be a bit frightening at times, so as a teacher, I would need to be sensitive to the needs of my students. Students who read the book could use bookmarks to mark those places that they find worthy of sharing with the rest of the class and spark discussion. Big questions that I would ask my students are:

The main character is a regular girl from a middle-class family, who becomes affected by drugs. Do you think that we are all invincible from drug-use, or are we all affected by it in one way or another? How did this book teach us that drugs can affect everyone, even kids from “good” families?

Field Experience Reflection

Field Experience Reflection                                                                              Lindsay Williams

1.     How many hours did you complete?

I completed five hours of field experience with Amy Hampton at Ezel Elementary.

2.     In a short paragraph or bulleted list, how did you spend your time?

I spent my time in a fifth grade classroom. I observed Mrs. Hampton teaching lessons to her class on comprehension strategies and ways to organize their reading. I observed her teaching lessons on sequencing, main idea, topics, and using non-fiction articles to teach these concepts. I observed her using many different strategies to teach one concept, such as group work, individual work, using graphic organizers, or whole group discussion.

3.     How did the experience help you to strengthen at least one Kentucky Teacher Standard? (be sure to name the standard)

The Kentucky Teacher Standard that my field experience strengthened my understanding of was: Standard 1.4 Guides students to understand content from various perspectives.

I saw how Mrs. Hampton taught non-fiction and introduced her class to non-fiction materials. She used these materials to teach a variety of concepts such as main idea and details, sequencing, and topics. She was able to teach all of these things together because they are all parts of reading non-fiction. Observing how she taught several things using one type of genre provided her students with many learning opportunities. 

4.     Talk a little about one thing you learned because of this field experience.

One thing that I learned from this field experience is realizing how much effort it really takes to involve all of the teaching standards into your lessons. I was fortunate enough to view Mrs. Hampton’s lesson plans and I learned how she is able to organize her lesson plans by listing the learning styles that each lesson is adapted to. She also includes how the lesson plans are modified for her students who need modifications. Not being in a public school setting, but in Head Start, I learned many different strategies for creating lesson plans.

Reading Log and Wiki List

Reading Log for 30 books (to paste into your blog in at the end of the term)

• Instructions: List the titles and authors you read under each Genre, and use checklist below for Wiki posts. Then, highlight this material and paste it into a final blog post. I have already included (in the 30) the ones we read for discussion. Feel free to read more in each genre as you make time.

Genre / Titles you read

             I.      Non-fiction/Informational (1 chapter book or photo essay book reflection required on blog)

1)      Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

2)      So You Want to Be President? By Judith St. George

3)      Chameleon, Chameleon by Joy Cowley

          II.      Poetry (1 chapter or picture book reflection required on blog)

1)      Witness by Karen Hesse. (required for discussion)

2)      Paul Revere’s Ride: The Landlord’s Tale by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

3)      Tomie dePaola’s Mother Goose by Tomie dePaola

4)      Hush Little Baby by Brian Pinkney

5)      Here’s a Little Poem: A Very First Book of Poetry by Jane Yolen and Andrew Peters

       III.      Modern Fantasy (1 chapter book reflection required on blog)          

1)      The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer. (required for discussion)

2)      Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

3)      The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverley Cleary

4)      The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

       IV.      Historical Fiction (1 reflection required on blog –can be a picture book)     

1)      A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck. (required for discussion)

2)      Belle Teal by Ann M. Martin

3)      Papa’s Mark by Gwendolyn Battle-Lavert

          V.      Multicultural/Traditional (2 reflections required on blog – one can be a picture book)         

1)      Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind by Suzanne Fisher Staples

2)      Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola

3)      Henny Penny by Jane Wattenburg

4)      Golem by David Wisniewski

       VI.      Realistic Fiction (1 chapter book reflection required on blog)

1)      The Last Safe Place on Earth by Richard Peck. (required for discussion)

2)      Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

3)      Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry

4)      Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen

    VII.      Picture Books (5 reflections required on blog during the first two weeks of class. There should be a total here of at least six.)

1)      Flossie & the Fox by Patricia McKissack. (required for discussion)

2)      –The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

3)      –The Hello Goodbye Window by  Norton Juster

4)      –Olivia by Ian Falconer

5)      –The Wizard by Jack Prelutzky

6)      –Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg                  

7)      Olivia Saves the Circus by Ian Falconer

8)      Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin

9)      Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin

10)  Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo

11)  The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

Wiki Checklist

Instructions: Write the number of entries for each category you posted into on the Course Wiki (requirement is four total posts, in four different categories)

_1___ Social Studies

____ Science

_1___ Math

____ Music

_1___ Art

_1___ Reading/Language Arts

____ Physical Education

____ Other

Belle Teal

Martin, A.M. (2001). Belle Teal. New York: Scholastic Press.

Segregation. It is a word that was often spoken in the early 20^th century and became a huge issue in the 50’s and 60’s. It is something that has been fought against for years and still, in some ways, is being fought today. Belle Teal is a girl growing up in the early 60’s and integration of schools is occurring in her town for the first time. She is determined however, to have the best year yet because she has Miss Casey, a sweet teacher who wears French perfume. She wonders why anyone has to be so upset over someone of a different skin color coming to her school anyway. Aren’t they a person too?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in these difficult and tumultuous times? What would you have done if you saw parents and adults shouting in protest at young children who are coming to an “all-white” school for the first time? Would you have stood up for someone who was being teased for the color of their skin? What would you have done to fight against the hate? Belle Teal believes hate creates more hate. She is a brave girl who is teased herself, especially after having to wear the same dress two days in a row. What will she do when she is surrounded by hate at her school? Belle also finds that she has some lessons to learn herself about making judgments of those in her class: the well-dressed confident girl in the front row and the boy who seems tough but has bruises and tells her he is clumsy. Belle Teal sorts all of her thoughts and confusion out on paper in her journal and makes sure she uses any of her extra time for thinking. Read Belle Teal and see how she juggles all of these obstacles. Could you be as strong as Belle Teal?

Because of Winn-Dixie

DiCamillo, K. (2000). Because of Winn-Dixie. Candlewick Press: Cambridge, MA.

Genre: Realistic Fiction because the book tells a story that could actually happen. Some of the events of this story could happen but are unlikely.

Age Level: 8-11

Because of Winn-Dixie is a heartwarming tale of a young girl who finds friendship with a stray dog after moving to her new home in Naomi, Florida. This book is written by Kate DiCamillo and is a Newberry Honor book. I chose this book for the author. I have read a few books by Kate DiCamillo and very much enjoyed them. I was interested to see what Because of Winn-Dixie would be like. I enjoyed this book very much and it would be a great read-aloud for young students in about first or second grade. I would recommend this book for my students because most young students love to hear stories about animals. It would also be a great book to read to students about the words in the story. They are appropriate for their setting in that they are told through a ten year-old’s voice and because they are distinct and Southern. It would be a great book to introduce different kinds of voice to your students.

Because of Winn-Dixie is a realistic fiction book, but more specifically, it is an animal story. Winn-Dixie is a big ugly stray dog with bald patches that protagonist India Opal finds in the produce isle of a grocery store causing uproar among the management and customers. She immediately claims the dog and takes him home. When reading this story, it is immediately discovered that this is not a story with a perfect family and characters without problems of their own. This story has a deep underlying theme of loneliness and sadness. Main character Opal is a young ten year old girl who lives with her father whom she calls “the preacher.”

“My daddy is a good preacher and a nice man, but sometimes it’s hard for me to think about him as my daddy, because he spends so much time preaching or thinking about preaching or getting ready to preach. And so, in my mind, I think of him as ‘the preacher’.” (Chapter Two)

Opal is a lonely girl without friends in her new town and immediately latches on to Winn-Dixie. She identifies with Winn-Dixie, calling him an orphan just like her:

“I told him how we were alike. ‘See,’ I said, ‘you don’t have any family and neither do I. I’ve got the preacher, or course. But I don’t have a mama. I mean I have one, but I don’t know where she is. She left when I was three years old. I can’t hardly remember her. And I bet you don’t remember your mama much either. So we’re almost like orphans.’”  (Chapter Three)

After making friends with Winn-Dixie and promising to protect him, she finds all sorts of adventures and meets new people along the way in her small town. Her adventures are told in a somewhat episodic plot. Her stories of people that she meets are divided into chapters with the last few chapters of the book provide the climax of the story when she gathers all the people she meets together for a party. Opal discovers that people are not always what they seem and to not judge someone by first impressions. The lessons that Opal learns that summer are ones that young students can immediately identify with. Opal’s feelings about her mother are also an element of the story that contemporary readers will be able to relate to in one way or another.

If I were to use this book in my classroom, it would be a great book to begin a literature circle for. Students could mark parts of the book that they relate to or find important and talk about them. The book is loaded with many discussion topics about different types of families and also the way that people are treated because of the first impression that they give. The book is also an animal story. Although it is realistic fiction, the book has many elements that would be unlikely, particularly the actions of Winn-Dixie. Students could find these elements and talk about the ones that are unlikely and compare them to those elements that are fairly common in today’s society.

Big Questions that could be used with this book in the classroom are:

Have you ever judged someone by the first impression that they gave and found that you were completely wrong? What are some elements of this story that would be unlikely? Have you ever had a pet that was special to you, the way Winn-Dixie is special to Opal? How and why do you think Opal was able to “let go” of the constant thoughts of her mother?

Here are some more resources for using Winn-Dixie in the classroom:

http://www.candlewick.com/book_files/0763607762.btg.1.pdf

http://www.candlewick.com/book_files/0763607762.bdg.1.pdf

http://www.scholastic.com/winndixie/

Paul Revere's Ride: The Landlord's Tale

Longfellow, H. W. (2003). Paul Revere’s ride: the landlord’s tale. HarperCollins: New York City, NY.

Genre:  This is a single illustrated poem written as a picture book.

Age Level: 3^rd grade-6^th grade

The picture book Paul Revere’s Ride: The Landlord’s Tale is a single illustrated poem that is illustrated by Charles Santore. The poem was originally written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1860. Charles Santore was appointed the daunting task of illustrating this narrative poem and putting it into a picture book format. The poem tells the tale of Paul Revere and his famous ride to alert three towns of Massachusetts that the British were coming. I chose this book because I love history, especially American history, so I was naturally drawn to this book. This book would be an excellent addition to any classroom library, especially a fifth grade classroom, in which the American Revolution is taught in depth. The poem is narrative because the poem tells of an event in chronological order, not just a single moment or thought.

The poem is a famous poem by Longfellow that I remember reading in high school while studying American poets. The poem is quite lengthy and some stanzas are broken down into separate events. This would make the poem less intimidating for young students who are being introduced to poetry. It also gives the opportunity for teachers and students to break the poem down, to really understand what is happening. Longfellow uses sight imagery in the poem, which I believe makes the poem more intimate and slows the poem down to allow the reader to really see what is going on. This effect contrasts to the hurried action of Paul Revere riding from town to town. One example of this imagery occurs when Revere reaches Lexington: “ He saw the gilded weathercock/ Swim in the moonlight as he passed,/ And the meeting-house windows, blank and bare,/ Gaze at him with a spectral glare,/As if they already stood aghast/ At the bloody work they would look upon.” I really enjoyed this imagery because it helps to really imagine what the poem is saying. The poem also uses rhyme to allow a beat to the poem. The rhyme is not regular and does not follow a certain pattern. The stanzas of the poem also do not have the same number of lines.

Charles Santore is the illustrator of the book and creates a double spread illustration to illustrate each event of the poem. The illustrations use color to create shadows to reflect the night setting of the poem and the imagery that the poem creates. The pictures help to enhance the poem and are an asset to the poem for young readers who are first experiencing poems of this length.

This poem allows for so many lessons to be implemented in the classroom. The poem is about Paul Revere’s ride, but Longfellow has left out certain facts to enhance his tale. Students could research these facts to contrast to Longfellow’s poem. A map lesson could even be conducted to track the ride that Revere conducted. Of course, discussion of the poem also needs to occur. Here are some BIG questions that teachers can ask their students about the poem:

Why would Longfellow leave out certain facts about Paul Revere’s ride, and add false information? What parts of the poem do you think are exaggerated? How does the imagery of the poem add to its dramatic effect?

Here are some more ideas for using Paul Revere’s Ride: The Landlord’s Tale in the classroom:

www.paulreveresride.org/2010/02/lesson-plans.html

http://publications.newberry.org/k12maps/module_13/k-2.html

http://www.nps.gov/long/forteachers/lessonplansandteacherguides.htm

Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind

Staples, S. F. (1989). Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind. New York, NY: Dell Laurel-Leaf.

Genre: This book is a Multi-cultural novel because it is written about a specific culture and includes the experiences that are specific to that culture.

Age Level: 7^th grade and up (age 12 and up)

I started to read Shabanu because I have always been interested in reading about the culture of those in the Middle East, especially that of the women who live there. While reading I could not but help to compare it to novels that I had read by Khaled Housseini, The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.  I compared these books because they paint portraits of the lives of those women in the Middle East. This book would be very interesting to read with middle school and even high school students to get their input and thoughts on this culture. There are many opportunities to talk about the culture and about the similarities between Shabanu and themselves.

The novel Shabanu is set in the desert of Pakistan near the border of India in the Cholistan Desert. The family that is central to the story contains a mother, father, and two daughters: Shabanu and her older sister Phulan. The family has the unfortunate fate of not having sons and is preoccupied and worried about arranging good marriages for their daughters. Phulan and Shabanu are destined to marry brothers. Phulan is to marry first, and Shabanu will follow the next year. Shabanu is the main character in the book and tells her story through a first-person point of view. She speaks in a voice that describes the desert as a place that she loves, including the camels that she cares for. She is a strong and independent character, who is vastly different from her sister who longs for and dreams of getting married to her fiancé Hamir. Shabanu’s story is about growing up and accepting her fate and of leaving child-like things behind. One of those is the beloved camel Guluband, which her father sells to high bidder at a fair. Guluband is a symbol of Shabanu’s inability to control her own fate, despite her strong will to be happy. As Shabanu begins to accept her betrothal to Murad, a turn of events shatters any happiness that Shabanu could have looked forward to. The rising action and climax of this book comes at the death of Hamir, her sister’s fiancé, at the hand of his landlord. Shabanu ‘s fate is changed when she is sold into a marriage with a much older man to save the land that Murad and Hamir live on. The betrayal that Shabanu feels sets her into motion to try to take charge of her own life.

As I read this book, I sometimes had a difficult time imagining the activities that were going on in the story, simply because the family lives in the desert and it is very difficult to imagine or put into your mind what the character describes and sees. However, Shabanu’s character, or should I say the author, does a fabulous job of using imagery to help me imagine what is happening in the story. Even though I have never been in a sand storm, I could feel through the words, how the family feels after being covered in sand: “We are exhausted and sick, our skin raw from the sand, our voices gone from shouting and gulping in dust. I close my burning eyes and let Dadi lead me home.” Shabanu also describes the desert in this way: “…we split up, Dadi walking into the sun, quivery and pale on the horizon, and I with my back to it.” The description of the desert in this way lets us know that the heat and sun is pale and white, increasing our feeling of the intensity of the heat that is felt there.  

Shabanu can be used in the classroom for comparison and contrast activities. Students can compare and contrast cultures and Shabanu’s character and thoughts from their own. This novel lends itself to readers who may not understand this culture and gives us insight to its differences from our own. Students who read this book can try to relate Shabanu’s thoughts and feelings to their own. Students who feel that they are not in control of their own lives can relate to Shabanu, as well as students who have hopes and dreams for their own futures.

Some big questions that could be asked in the classroom about this novel are:

How would the family be different if they had sons? How would Shabanu’s life be different if she had married Murad? Do you think she would have lost her will and independence even if she had married him? Do you feel that Shabanu’s family betrayed her or do you think they did what was best for her? Why do you feel this way?

Here is some more information about Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind and some ways to use the book in the classroom:

http://suzannefisherstaples.com/for-teachers-students/

http://www.edb.utexas.edu/resources/booksR4teens/book_reviews/book_reviews.php?book_id=97

Strega Nona

dePaola, T. Strega nona. (1975). Simon & Schuster: New York, NY.

Genre: Folktale with elements of a magic tale because the story contains a witch who helps the people of her town with spells and potions.

Age Level: 5-8

Strega Nona is a comical folktale that was born from the mind of Tomie DePaola. He came up with the idea of Strega Nona when he decided to retell a universal folktale called The Porridge Pot. He decided to re-tell the tale, replacing porridge with pasta and using the character Strega Nona which he had already drawn up, as his main character. The story takes place in Italy in a small town of Calabria, which is an actual town where this author’s ancestors came from. The real tale of how Strega Nona came about can be found at his website: http://www.tomie.com/books/spotlight_on_strega.html. I absolutely love this book and would love to use it in the classroom. I chose the book because of the interesting title ( which means grandma witch in Italian).

In the book, Strega Nona is a witch who helps the people of her town with problems such as finding husbands and getting rid of warts. She decides that she is getting older and needs help with her chores because she is so busy with her work, so she hires Big Anthony. Strega Nona uses her pasta pot every day and tells Big Anthony that he must never touch it. When Strega Nona goes out of town, Big Anthony decides to try out the magic pasta pot and chaos ensues. This book has elements of a magic tale because of the use of magic in the story. The author also lets the setting in Italy shine through by incorporating the language of the country: “’Oh grazie,’ said Big Anthony.” (p. 4).

Strega Nona is a Caldecott Honor book and has wonderful and colorful illustrations. dePaola was inspired by commedia dell'arte, meaning Italian Comedy, to create his illustrations. They remind me of cartoon illustrations, because the characters are exaggerated. For example, Strega Nona has an enlarged nose and chin, while other characters are rounded and have no real definition. On some of the pages, the illustrations are set up like a comic strip with a line of text under each strip that tells what is happening. The strips are divided into boxes with each box illustrating what happens first, second, etc. Not every page is like this, but it occurs often and adds interest to the book. The illustrations also show evidence of its setting because there are illustrations of the town square and of foods in the kitchen like grapes and of course pasta! The illustrations also tell us that the story takes place long ago because of the clothing that the main and flat characters are wearing, such as long tunics and pants.

There are so many things that can be done with Strega Nona in the classroom. I would incorporate social studies by doing a study on Italian culture and having students look at maps to find Italy. Many foods are also incorporated in the book and students could do a nutrition study about the different foods that are in the book.I would also try to relate the book to the students’ lives by letting them share a time they were pressured to do something, the way Big Anthony was pressured by the town people. Strega Nona uses poems and little songs for her spell on the pasta pot. Students could be encouraged to write their own spells.  Students can also be asked these BIG questions after reading the book:

·         Big Anthony was tempted to do something that he wasn’t supposed to do. Have you ever been in this type of situation? What happened?

·         How could the story have turned out differently if Big Anthony had been able to make the pot stop cooking? Do you think he would have gotten away with it?

·         Do you think Big Anthony’s punishment fit the crime? If you were Strega Nona, how would you have handled Big Anthony?

Here are some more ideas for using Strega Nona in the classroom and about commedia dell'arte:

http://italian.about.com/library/weekly/aa110800b.htm

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/strega-nona-lesson-plan

http://www.scfta.org/home/Media/education_bus_ins/Strega_Nona_Teacher_Guide.pdf

Flowers For Algernon

Keyes, D. (1959). Flowers for Algernon. Bantam Books: New York, NY.

Age Level:  6^th Grade and Up

Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy because the story has elements that are built on scientific concepts, but are outside of reality.

Daniel Keyes’ novel Flowers for Algernon is a science fiction novel that digs inside the mind of a person who is going through rapid changes. This novel is truly heartbreaking and is hard to read at some points. I chose the book because the synopsis sounded very interesting and unlike anything I had read before. After reading it I would recommend this story to others and to students. This book might be used for younger grades, but personally I would use the book in classrooms of 8^th grade and up because of some sensitive issues that arise throughout the plot.

The story follows the journey of the protagonist Charlie. Charlie is a man in his early 30’s who has been mentally handicapped throughout his life. He has dealt with issues of always feeling inferior; however, his inability to retain memories has allowed him to sustain a positive outlook on life. Charlie is desperate to learn and joins a class and the adult learning center, where he meets his teacher Alice Kinnian. She changes Charlie’s life forever when she recommends him for a surgery done by scientists at Beekman University. The surgery is groundbreaking and will make Charlie learn and ultimately become a genius. The basis for the surgery is found upon lasting results in a mouse named Algernon, who is able to win maze races against Charlie and is becoming increasingly intelligent after the surgery. Charlie then becomes the scientists’ first human experiment. After the surgery, Charlie begins to learn at a rapid pace and surpasses all of his acquaintances in knowledge, but emotionally, Charlie is still a child. Charlie learns to deal with issues he has with his past after all of his childhood memories come rushing forward after he has forgotten them. He finds that he was not accepted before his surgery and ironically, after he gains intelligence, he is just a specimen to most and not a human being. Then, Algernon begins to act erratically and the scientists realize a mistake in the surgery may have occurred, foreshadowing Charlie’s race against himself before his demise.

The book is arranged like diary entries. Charlie must write progress reports for the scientists to show his progress before and after surgery. The words in the story reflect his mental state and allow his personality to come through by writing his thoughts. For example, before his surgery on the first page of the book, his progress reports are written as such:

“progris riport 1 martch 3

Dr. Strauss says I should rite down what I think and remembir and evrey thing that happins to me from now on. I dont no why but he says its importint so they will see if they can use me.”

After Charlie has the surgery his writing becomes better on page 42:

“Progress Report 10

April 21-I figured out a new way to set up the mixing machines in the bakery to speed up production. Mr. Donner says he will save labor costs and increase profits.”

This way of writing in first-person and using the writing to reflect Charlie’s improvement throughout the book makes this science fiction more believable.

If I were to use this book in the classroom, I would use it to teach about different styles of writing other than using the separation of chapters. This book would also be a great discussion piece for social issues. Big questions that could be used for this discussion would be: How does this book reflect the way that society accepts or doesn’t accept people with differences? What if Charlie could have retained his intelligence? What would he be doing now? In what ways was Charlie treated wrongly by the scientists and others? Do you think Charlie ever gained the acceptance that he craved?

Comprehension Strategy: (Mark My Words) Words that students could mark and try to use in their conversations are:

Page: 5                                                Page: 136                    Page: 71                                  Page: 79

Word: Psychology                   Word: Impotent          Word: Hallucination                Word: Exhibit

Jumanji

Van Allsburg, C. Jumanji. (1981). Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston.

Age Level : 6-10

Genre: This is a picture storybook because the pictures of the book occur on every other page and help illustrate what is happening in the story.

The picture book and Caldecott medal winner,  Jumanji  is a story that I came across often as I grew up, and one I remember even becoming a film; however, I had never sat down to actually read it or even watch the film. I was familiar with Chris Van Allsburg  as the writer of The Polar Express and I have cherished the book for many years. Now I know the author as the writer of Jumanji. The book is very exciting and would appeal to many students ages 6-10 and even older and as a teacher, I would love to share this book with my students.

Jumanji is written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg. It is a story about two children, Peter and Judy who are left alone for the day at their home. After boredom strikes, the children decide to go outside to the park to play. Lying at the foot of a tree, they find a long thin box with a game inside. On the box is written Jumanji. Peter is sure the game has been left because it is so boring, but Judy convinces him to take it home and play it. Once they open the game and read the instructions, they are sure it is to be boring, but with each roll of the dice, the events of the board game come to life in their home. Van Allsburg uses the element of suspense to keep us turning the page to find out what each space on the board game will bring. The story teaches us that sometimes, things are not always as they seem and we should look more carefully before making decisions.

Van Allsburg also illustrates this book. The illustrations are very realistic and are completely in black and white. As I was reading, I wondered why the author decided to use all black and white for such an exciting story. I believe that the black and white illustrations add intrigue to the pages and contradict the excitement of the story’s plot. Each illustration is on the right hand side of the page, while the text is on the left. Each picture illustrates what the text is saying.

As a preschool teacher, reading books aloud is encouraged and I have attended a few trainings on just this strategy of introducing books. These strategies for reading books aloud can be used with any and all books for all ages. One strategy that I have found useful in the classroom and help me read aloud and help my students think and comprehend the story, is an acronym: CROWD. It involves using strategy questions throughout the book and labeling the places you would ask the questions with post-it notes. This would be a very good strategy for Jumanji so that students who are hearing the book being read to them are thinking about the story in different ways. C stands for “Completion” which involves leaving out words or phrases and letting students fill in the blanks. R stands for “Recall.” This is asking students to tell you what just happened on the page you read. O stands for “Open-ended” which is asking students something like: “Do you have a game at home that you like to play?”, or “What do you do when you are bored (big questions)? W stands for “Wh-questions” that you would ask students about the story. D stands for “Distancing” which involves asking a question that relates the story to the students’ own lives. Using this comprehension strategy would help the students understand the story better and get the Big Questions about the story in as you read.

Websites for more about using Jumanji in the classroom:

http://www.polarexpress.com/sites/default/files/icme/jumanjitg.pdf

http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/features/thepolarexpress/tg/jumanji.shtml

http://www.carolhurst.com/titles/jumanji.html

The Hello, Goodbye Window

Juster, N. (2005). The hello, goodbye window. Hyperion Books for Children: New York, New York.

Age Level: 4-7

Genre: This is a picture storybook because it uses vibrant pictures to enhance the text of the story.

Norton Juster’s picture storybook The Hello, Goodbye Window, first captured my attention for its warm and colorful illustrations done by Chris Raschka. As I opened the book and began to read, the story did not disappoint. The book is a 2006 Caldecott Award winner and its bright and endearing story made me enjoy this book.

Told from a first-person point of view, The Hello, Goodbye Window is a story about a young girl who visits her grandparents often. As she goes into the house through the back door, she must pass the kitchen window, which she calls the “Hello, Goodbye Window.” To the main character, this window is magical and it is where she greets her grandparents first every time she comes to visit. Once inside, the kitchen becomes the heart of the house. It is where she and her grandparents share memories, eat, and of course watch and imagine all sorts of things outside the “Hello, Goodbye Window.” The story is told through the eyes of the child in the story; therefore, the descriptions of the house and the imaginary creatures she sees outside the window are childlike. For example, on page 5 of the story, she describes the kitchen: “Just look at the kitchen. It’s so big. It has a table you can color on and lots of drawers to take stuff out of and play with. But you can’t touch anything under the sink. You could get very sick.” These child-like points of views are what make The Hello, Goodbye Window so special. An adult may not appreciate or pay attention to these descriptions, but a young child who is hearing this story will understand immediately, all of the things that she says and can relate to them. To a young child, under the kitchen sink, might in their homes, also be a place where they could touch things that make them sick. As a teacher of very young children, I often wonder how my students will understand the things that are being taught to them or how I should say things so that they will understand. I believe this book is extremely helpful and is a great reminder of how simplistic things seem to young children.

Illustrations done by Chris Raschka are excellent examples of Impressionistic art. He has left out many details in his illustrations to put most of the emphasis on light created by the use of white space. While reading this book, I questioned why the illustrator might have left out the details in the pictures, and after thinking about the theme of the book and the point of view that the story was told from, I came up with this answer:  Since the illustrations lack detail they may represent childlike qualities to reflect the childlike point of view in the text. I do not know this to be exactly true, but I think that the text and illustrations complement each other very nicely. He has used watercolors, oil pastels, pen ink, and charcoal to make his drawings come to life. The illustrations are done using warm colors such as yellows, reds and oranges. He has also used blues and greens combined with the warm colors, to represent the love and warm relationship that this family shares with one another.

The theme of the story is the relationship that the little girl has with her grandparents. The author uses the ritual of the “Hello, Goodbye Window” to symbolize the relationship that the girl shares with her family and how, to this child, things seem like they will always be the same. Her views show that she is still a child and her world is still uncomplicated and gives us insight into the way children see everything.

Since this story tells about a family, I would use this in my pre-school classroom to talk about families and the members of a family. The story is a great representation of a mixed-race family, so there is opportunity to use this book to talk about differences in families and even in skin-color, a subject that is talked about and taught in pre-school classrooms.

After reading this book and then looking through it again and again to analyze it, I would recommend this book. Not just to teachers, but parents also. I believe that young children would enjoy and appreciate this book because of their ability to relate to its subject matter.

Big Questions

Does your family have a ritual like the family in the book does of saying hello and goodbye at the “Hello, Goodbye Window”? Who are the members in your family? What kinds of things does your family do together? Are the things that the little girls sees outside of the window imaginary or real? How do you know?

More ideas for the classroom using The Hello, Goodbye Window:

http://www.gwinnett.k12.ga.us/LanguageartsES.nsf/705DA96171DA3790852578E800416DFF/$file/Firstgrade_Reading_Unit3_CompareContrast.pdf

http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonplans/bookfairs/currconnection/hello_goodbye.htm

Mercy Watson to the Rescue

DiCamillo, K. (2005). Mercy Watson to the rescue. Candlewick Press: Somerville, MA.

Age Level: 5-7

Genre: Easy to Read Picture book, because the book has illustrations on every other page throughout most of the book. The book is also divided into short chapters and the text is large and easy to read.

Kate DiCamillo’s book Mercy Watson to the Rescue is the first book in her Mercy Watson series. I first chose this book because I had read other Kate DiCamillo books but nothing from the Mercy Watson series and I was curious to see what the book was like. After reading the book, I enjoyed it very much and it brought a smile to my face. Mercy’s comical love of buttered toast and her caregivers’ obvious unconditional love for her are what make this book very endearing. I think that young readers would love to read this book.

The book is a funny story about a pig that is loved by her caregivers Mr. and Mrs. Watson. They believe that Mercy is a “porcine wonder” and even let her share their bed when she becomes frightened.  Mercy’s love of buttered toast sets this story into a hilarious misunderstanding. Mr. and Mrs. Watson’s bed starts to fall to the floor and she is sent to alert the fire department to save them, when instead, Mercy goes looking for something to relieve her craving for buttered toast or just food in general. On her quest, we meet the neighbors, sisters Eugenia and Baby who set the plot in motion. The story is told in third person-omniscient and we are able to see into the minds of all of the characters, adding to the humor because while some characters think one thing about the other, they are thinking something totally different. The neighbors Eugenia and Baby are good examples of this. For example, in chapter 5 on pages 26 and 27, we are introduced to the sisters: “Eugenia Lincoln is the older sister. She has many opinions. One of Eugenia’s opinions is that pigs should not live in houses….Baby Lincoln is the younger sister. She is the baby of the family. Baby agrees with everything that Eugenia says. It is easier that way. But secretly, Baby has an opinion of her own. Baby’s opinion is that Mercy is good company.”

DiCamillo’s writing style consists of writing this book in short chapters of about five pages each. The pictures take up about 2-3 pages of each chapter. This book would be appropriate for readers who are attempting to read independently in class and who are excited to make the transition to books with chapters. This book would be a great book to use in the classroom to talk about points of view and to talk about chapters in books.

 Illustrations were done by Chris Van Dusen. His pictures are bright and according to the reverse side of the title page, are done in gouache. The illustrations are similar to cartoons and would be very appealing to young readers. Because the story is full of humor, the brightness of the paint reflects this and makes the book even more attractive. Because this is an easy-to-read book and is divided into chapters, the illustrations come less often that a picture storybook. The pictures occur about every other page and illustrate what is happening in the text and add to the humor of the text.

Big Questions:

How does Mercy eventually solve Mr. and Mrs. Watson’s problem?

Have you ever agreed with someone because it was “easier” even though you didn’t really agree with that person?

What do you think a “porcine wonder” is?

Resources for the Classroom:

These websites include the author’s website and the book website, along with more lessons that give opportunity to use Mercy Watson to the Rescue.

http://katedicamillo.com/

http://mercywatson.com/

http://www.lessonpathways.com/Pathways/Detail?path=%2fLangauge_Arts%2fYear_2_Language_Arts_Guided_Journey%2f(Sample)_Week_1%253a_Mercy_Watson_to_the_Rescue%2fRead_%2522Mercy_Watson_to_the_Rescue%2522

http://www.candlewick.com/book_files/0763622702.mis.1.pdf