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/