Ancient Egypt: Tales of Gods and Pharaohs

Ancient Egypt: Tales of Gods and Pharaohs 

Written and Illustrated by Marcia Williams

Published in 2011

Recommended for grades Kindergarten through 2nd grade

This book is filled with 9 fascinating stories of Ancient Egypt, retold in comic-strip style. The myths of the Gods and Pharaohs of Egypt are mysterious and full of adventure. One of the stories include how ancient civilization was created by the first pharaoh, Ra, who rose from the Nile River to give life to men and women and create the Gods of sky, rain, earth, and air. Other stories include the myth of King Tut’s tomb and the rise of Cleopatra, the last Pharaoh of Egypt and Queen of the Nile. Marcia Williams added comedy to these ancient stories by creating comic-strips of the different characters speaking in modern day English. By doing this, the stories become more lifelike which made it more fun to learn about.

How I would use this book in a classroom: I would use this book in my classroom when I am describing what a myth or a legend is to my students. There are many different types of stories which younger students may not be able to distinct what is a tale from what is a true story. The mythology of Ancient Egypt have been retold for centuries which would make it fun to retell in my classroom by using this book. I could split the students into 9 groups and assign a specific tale to each group so every group is reading a different story. After allowing the students to talk among each other about what the story is about and what they learned from it, I would join the class back together and ask for each group to present a summary of the story to the class. I will ask for the students to make connections between any stories and hear their answers.

Reference to the text: One teaching strategy that can be implemented by using this book would be Hot Seat. According to Tompkins, Hot Seat is when the “students participate in an oral activity to share information they’ve learned about a person they’ve researched.” (2013, p.302) The student participating in Hot Seat is required to sit in a special chair to be interviewed by the class and respond quickly to the classmate’s questions. This activity would be perfect for a student to be Cleopatra or to be King Tut and speak about who they are and what their role in society was at that time.

Tompkins, G.E. (2013). Language arts: Patterns for practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Williams, M. (2011). Ancient Egypt: Tales of Gods and Pharaohs. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press.

-Danielle Rosado

Your Skeleton is Showing by Kurt Cyrus

Title: Your Skelton is Showing

Author: Kurt Cyrus

Illustrator: Crab Scrambly

Ages: 3-7

Genre: Picture Book

Summary: This book is a good introduction into poetry. A boy tours a graveyard and sees the circumstances that surround each persons death. He is accompanied by a ghost dog and they ponder over the stories. The poems take the reader on an adventure through the graveyard. As the two are going through the graveyard, they realize that they are not terribly compatible. At the near end of the book, Ophelia Heft calls to her dog from the clouds. The boy finds another dog to accompany him and who was left behind when Mrs. McBride passed on. The use of rhymes is a perfect way to introduce poetry to younger children.

How to use this in the classroom: To use this in the classroom would be when teaching about poetry. Use this book to teach about rhyming. After reading this book the students can then try and make their own rhymes. After reading this book, I think the students would enjoy experimenting with rhyme. When reading this book, the teacher could pick out one or two poems and have the students read them. She could have them read it changing their tempo, rhythm, pitch, and juncture. Tompkins says that poetry is something that is meant to be read out loud especially to get the real meaning of it. They should learn to read expressively and see how certain poems require different speeds and tones. If the students have an opportunity to read and experiment with the speed they read, they will see how different poems require different speeds. After rehearsing the poems a few times the students will see how different poems need different speed, pausing, etc. They will understand the importance of rehearsing the poem a few times before they actually read it aloud to their classmates. Also experimenting with these aspects allows the students to vary the way they read it so it is more interpretive. This is something that Tompkins discusses. She discusses poetry and says that poetry is meant be read orally and not with eyes.

Cyrus, K. 2013. Your Skeleton is Showing. New York,NY. 1st Edition. Disney-Hyperion Books.

Tompkins, G. 2013. Language Arts Patterns of Practice. Upper Saddle River,NJ. Pearson Education Inc.

Grandpa’s Tractor

Author: Micheal Garland

Age:5-8

Grades: k-2

Genre:Picture book

Summary: This book is about  Grandpa Joe and his grandson named Timmy. One day his grandpa wanted to show him where he used to live. They take a drive  to his grandpa old home .  They arrive to an old beat down farm  but the grandpa begins to tell Jimmy how this area use to be beautiful. They continue to walk until they see an old tractor. Grandpa Joe begins to explain to Timmy how the tractor was very important on the farm. He says how when we was younger he use to help his dad and sit on his dad lap while he drove the tractor. He told Jimmy about all the neat thing hi and his dad would do together on the farm and with the tractor. In the end Jimmy realized how important tractors are.

How I would use this in my classroom: In my classroom I wold present the book to my students and have them all gather together. I would read aloud the book to my students because they are of a younger age. I want them to feel the importance and excitement in the book. Cunningham and Allington( 2011) state that ” teacher read alouds have been shown to be one of the majority motivators for children desire to read (p 14). I would read through the book and have students notice the pictures. The tractor does many different things and is helpful on the farm. Throughout all the different seasons. I would use this book to introduce experiences with grandparents or even to talk about community helpers.  Community helpers like fire fighters, farmers, bakers , police, nurses and many others. Once I have read the book to my students I will ask if they know of any other community helpers? After I will have the students work in pairs and have them create a poster project saying how the tractor was helpful. Cunningham and Allington (2011) say ” that providing time for children to interact with one another about reading material enhances the effect of sustained silent reading on both reading achievement and attitudes(p 24). I want the student to work together to think of what they remember from the book. They will get a chance to present their material in many different way. In a poster, poem. article, or more. I want my students to become aware of the different community helpers around their areas and the important roles they play.

Cunningham, P. M., & Allington, R. L. (2011). Classrooms that work: They can all read and write. New York: Longman.

Garland, M. (2011). Grandpa’s tractor. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press.

Creepy Carrots!

Post by Ashley Woodill

Author: Aaron Reynolds                                                      Illustrator: Peter Brown

 

Age Recommendation: 4-8 years old

Genres: Fantasy

Summary: Jasper Rabbit is a rabbit who loves carrots. He eats them all of the time and chooses to eat the ones in Crankenhopper Field. Not only are they free, but he thinks they’re the best. One day, the carrots start following him. At first, Jasper thinks the he’s losing his mind, but then he knows they’re there. His parents try to tell him they’re just in his imagination. Finally, Jasper takes matter into his own hands and builds a very tall fence around the field. The last page reveals that this was the carrots’ plan the entire time and celebrate when they realize Jasper Rabbit will never eat the carrots in Crankenhopper Field again.

I chose this book in light of the creepy season of Halloween that is upon us. While this text does not mention the word Halloween, a creepy sci-fi feeling surrounds this text but in an age appropriate manner.

I would use this text in the classroom to show point of view. This would address the CCSS:
“Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud” (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.6). Tompkins writes, “Most teachers postpone introducing the four viewpoints until the upper grades, but younger children can experiment with point of view to understand how the author’s viewpoint affects a story” (p. 284).

Here’s an added note from the illustrator of Creepy Carrots and his inspiration for the pictures.

References

Reynolds, A., & Brown, P. (2013). Creepy carrots!. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Tompkins, G. E. (2013). Language arts: Patterns of practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Adventures can be fun, but be careful when you reach Newburgh!

Sara Catalano

Dr. Norman

ED 2510

October 24, 2014

Title: Jackson & Auggie: Adventure in the Hudson Valley

Author: Renee Pearce

Illustrated by: Kaylin Ruffino

Genre: Fiction

Published: 2012

Age Recommendation: 2nd-3rd grade

This short story is all about a Boxer puppy named Auggie who goes on a wild adventure with his cousin, a young Siamese cat named Jackson, to visit the hot spots of the Hudson Valley. Throughout their journey, the two best friends make their way from Washingtonville all the way to Bear Mountain State Park. In between, they stopped at the oldest winery in America, toured the Museum Village to learn about the past, shopped at Woodbury Commons, enjoyed the view near West Point and visited Michie Stadium. Although they enjoyed an amazing adventure together, toward the end of the day Jackson was tired and Auggie was hungry so they made their last stop where they began: home sweet home.

I would definitely use this book in my classroom because it is an entertaining story to read aloud. While reading this book to the class, many students may relate to some of the locations that Jackson and Auggie travel to. When I am reading this book to my class, I will be sure to pause frequently and ask whether the students have been to the city of Newburgh, Cornwall or Pine Bush. Doing this will most likely activate background knowledge for the students and encourage them to share places they have been or would like to go in the future. In addition to this, providing some historical background regarding the Hudson River, Bannerman’s Island and even West Point will intrigue them further.

While closely reading Chapter 8 of Tompkins’ book, I stumbled across a teaching strategy called a Setting Map. After reading this book aloud to my class and providing some interesting historical context, I will ask them to draw a map including the many locations Auggie and Jackson travel to during their adventure. Tompkins (2013) suggests that, “Students can draw maps to show the setting of a story; these maps may show the path a character traveled or the passage of time in a story” (p. 253). Although Jackson and Auggie’s adventure only lasts for one day, there are fourteen locations mentioned during the length of their journey as well as many hot spots for them to draw pictures of. Because there won’t be enough room to draw a detailed illustration of every landmark, I will require them to include a Legend with symbols to represent different locations on their map.

Bibliography

Tompkins, G.E. (2013) Language Arts: Patterns of Practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ.

Pearce, R. (2012) Jackson & Auggie: Adventure in the Hudson Valley. Houston, TX.

Light in the Darkness

Light in the Darkness

Author: Lesa Cline- Ransome

Illustrator: James E. Ransome

Age Recommended: Grade k-3

Genre: Historical Fiction.

Summary:

This book is about a young girl named Rosa, who is a slave. Rosa is very excited and eager to learn how to write and read, despite being constantly told by her master that slaves are “too dumb to read”. At night sometimes her mother sneaks her out of bed and brings her to school. Their type of school is not the traditional type of school that we are used to. They have to hold school at night and hide out in the woods, hoping their masters don’t find them. Morris, another slave, teaches her different letters and their sounds. Eventually Rosa is beginning to understand how to read and put letters together. Unfortunately they can’t have school every night because they are afraid of getting caught. One night while school is in session, one of the masters goes out in the fields looking for the salves. The slaves had to spend the night hiding and because of this they don’t have school for a while in fear of getting caught. This really upsets Rosa because she really wants to continue learning.  The book shows the struggles that slaves had to go through just to do something as simple as learning how to read.

I would use this book in my classroom to teach children about slavery. This book is good for children because it teaches them about slavery in a story book setting. They will be interested and follow along better because it is set up like a story rather than reading them an informational text. I really liked this book because it gives the reader a better insight on the lives of slaves. Throughout school we learn a great deal about slavery, but this book gives us a better idea of the actual life of slaves. The reader gets to see how much Rosa wanted to learn to read and also her disappointment when she was not able to go to school. This book also gives great illustrations on how the slaves learned how to read. For example, the book shows letters being represented by sticks that the teacher found in the woods. The illustrations also gave us an idea of other aspects of their life and painted us a picture of the life of a slave. I think it’s a great idea to teach history through story books like, Light in the Darkness: A Story about How Slaves Learn in Secret.

For this book I think a read aloud would be effective because the children are not only reading the book, but are also learning a history lesson on slaves. I think by having the teacher read the book, the students would comprehend more and attain more information from the book. According to Tompkins (2013) there are many benefits to read alouds, one of them being it broadens children’s genre interest. Many children would not pick out a book on slavery on their own, but many may find it interesting and never know unless the teacher brings it to their attention. When a teacher chooses to read a book aloud that students may not read on their own, student’s interest in different genres will expand. It is important that children want to read different genres, like historical fictions and read alouds are a great way for teachers to spark that interest.

Ransome, L., & Ransome, J. (2013). Light in the darkness. New York: Disney/Jump at the Sun Books.

Tompkins, G.E. (2013). Language Arts: Patterns for practice. Upper Saddle River, NK: Pearson.

Lucky Beans

Lucky Beans

Author: Becky Birtha
Illustrator: Nicole Tadgell
Grade Level: 1 – 2
Age Level: 6 – 8
Genre: Historical Fiction
Published: 2010

Summary: This is a story about the Great Depression of the 1930s, a young boy named Marshall and his family. Marshall’s father has lost his job and they have little money. Marshall is tried of the beans his family eats for dinner each night. One day, Marshall is walking by the furniture store window and sees the contest posted “How many beans are in the jar? Win this brand new sewing machine!” Marshall knew his mother needed a sewing machine. He then remembers something he has learned in class. Marshall and his family use the beans from home and his knowledge from school to figure out how many beans are in the jar. Marshall’s ability to estimate helps him win a sewing machine for his mother. They were only thirteen beans off with their guess. After winning the sewing machine, everything got a little better in the Marshall household. His mother was sewing a lot and getting paid for it and his father got a part time job. Of course, winning the sewing machine led them to winning the huge jar of beans. The huge jar of beans seemed to look like a lifetime supply to Marshall.

How would I use it in my classroom: Classroom discussion will be about how to use mathematics outside of the classroom. In class, we will discuss what estimation means and if everyone has ever had to make an estimation about something. We will talk about the different life style Marshall has at the time. This book can be used to help students realize that mathematics is used all the time outside of the classroom. The students will be writing in their journals talking about their own experience with using mathematics outside the classroom. After each student has completed writing in their journals, the students will be arranged into small groups. The students will be sharing their experiences to their classmates. The students will stay in their groups and receive a container of gumballs. Now it will be time for the students in each group to work together as a team to estimate how many gumballs are in the jar, just like Marshall and his family had to do. This will help the students build on their communication skills along with working together as a group.

Reference to a teaching strategy: This lesson is going to be based on how mathematics is used outside the classroom. I will be questioning the students on what they can predict about the topic of this book. I would read the story aloud to my students. Cunningham and Allington (2011) say “Teacher read-aloud has been shown to be one of the major motivators for children’s desire to read” (p. 14). Teachers’ reading aloud to their students how the students should be thinking. After reading the story aloud, I will ask the students if there was ever a time they had to use mathematics outside the classroom. I also want the students to think about the different time periods and what was so different from then and now. The students will be writing their thoughts and experiences of using mathematics outside the classroom in their journals. Cunningham and Allington (2011) believe that “The goal is to share understanding and through this to gain an even better understanding of the material read. One way to think about creating classroom conversations is provided by Keene and Zimmerman (1997). The framework they provide focuses on helping children think about three types of connections: text to self, text to text and text to world” (p. 122). It is important for students to make connections between texts and their personal experiences (Tompkins, 2013). Once the students have shared their experiences with their classmates. Each group will be given a jar of gumballs and within their group they have to estimate how many gumballs they think are in the jar, just like Marshall and his family .The students will be working together collaborating with one another using their knowledge and skills. This activity will encourage the students to work as a team and build on their communication skills.

References:

Birtha, B., & Tadgell, N. (2010). Lucky beans. Chicago, Ill.: Albert Whitman & Company.

Cunningham, P., Allington, R. (2011). Classrooms That Work: They can all read and write (Fifth ed.). New York: Pearson

Tompkins, G.E. (2013). Language Arts: Patterns for practice. Upper Saddle River, NK: Pearson.

Martin de Porres: The Rose in The Desert

Martin de Porres: The Rose in The Desert

Written by: Gary D. Schmidt & Illustrated by: David Diaz

Genre: Biography/Multicultural

Published in 2012

Recommended for 2nd and 3rd graders

This incredible story tells the life of St. Martin De Porres who was born in extreme poverty in Lima, Peru by an African American mother who was a slave and a father who was a royal Spanish conqueror. His mother begged the church to allow him into priesthood but since he was not of noble blood, he would only be recognized as the son of a slave. Once Martin’s father rescued his children from the hunger and illness in Peru and brought them back to Ecuador, Martin was granted the opportunity to be his father’s apprentice in healing others. After performing several miracles, the town became familiar with the strange, little boy who had the gift of healing and they all asked him for help which Martin gladly did no matter what anyone’s race or social class was. He became the first black patron who is universally recognized for his compassion and charity of reaching out to those in need.

How I would use this book in a classroom: This is a great book to teach in Social Studies because of its themes of racial issues, poverty in other countries, social justice, and religion. Since this is a biography, I would use this book as an example for a research project based on a particular person who changed history. As a teacher, I can model the facts I took out of the book and compare and contrast it to extended research I find on Martin De Porres from other sources. This will show my students that there are different kinds of resources that one may use to find information on a historical figure including Children’s books. I would create a graphic organizer for the students to fill out that includes details from the book that are important, key facts that match other found research, and themes. With a graphic organizer, it helps the students become better readers and listeners because they are aware of what to look out for.

Reference to the text: One teaching strategy that would be perfect for this book could be Process Drama. According to Tompkins, (2013) Process Drama is when “teachers create an unscripted dramatic context about a story episode or a historical event, and the students assume roles to experience and reflect on the episode or event” (p.207). This fun and engaging activity would overall help the students deeply understand the person they are researching in a new perspective by challenging them to feel the emotions their character must have went through during that time.

References: 

Schmidt, Gary D. (2012). Martin De. Porres: The Rose in The Desert. New York, NY: Clarion Books.

Tompkins, G.E. (2013). Language arts: Patterns for practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

-Danielle Rosado

Happy Endings by Robin Pulver

Title: Happy Endings A Story About Suffixes

Author: Robin Pulver

Illustrator: Lynn Rowe Reed

Age Recommended: Grade 1-2

Genre: Picture Book

Summary:

The book takes place in Mr. Wrights class. In class, he is teaching them about suffixes or word endings. At first, the students are not happy and were acting up. Mr. Wright told them they could not finish reading the book until they learned about suffixes. When they came back from lunch, the suffixes he wrote on the board were gone! It was up to the students to try and find them. The suffixes left clues for the students but they could not read them. The suffixes put the word endings at the beginning of the words so the students could not understand them. The students then figured out that they could not read them because the suffixes were put at the beginning of the word and they belong at the end of the word. Once they figured this out they were able to find them. Mr. Wright then went on to teach about suffixes and explained that they are helpful in figuring out the meanings of words. Suffixes are a group of letters added to the root of a word. If there is a word they do not know they can look to the suffix to figure out the meaning of the word. At the end of the book there are some helpful rules about when to add suffixes and which ones to add.

How to use it in the classroom:

In the classroom, I would use this when teaching suffixes. This book does a good job of describing what a suffix is and gives plenty of examples. Every page is filled with examples of different suffixes and uses them with different tenses. It does it in a fun way where I think reading this book the students would be excited about learning about suffixes. They can relate to it because the kids in the book at first are not happy that they have to learn about them, they just want to read the book that they have been reading. The kids in the book did not want to learn about suffixes at first because it does not interest them, which is something all kids could relate to. When the kids are given clues about finding them, they got more into it and figured out what a suffix was before being told. The language used and the expression of it would be something that would engage them and grab their attention. When teaching this I would use scaffolding at first to teach them how to use it. After reading the book, I would explain what a suffix was and then I would model a few examples of them. The students could gain a lot from the teacher modeling how to use suffixes. They would need to see how the teacher uses the suffix to figure out the meaning of a word. This would be important because sometimes kids are confused about meanings of words and need a strategy to decode the word and understand it, this strategy is discussed in Tompkins. If they see me modeling and thinking out loud about how to use the suffix to figure out a words meaning, that could be very powerful because it would show them the thought process involved in using a suffix. This is especially important with young learners because they are still learning how to use language and how to decode words and understand words. Tompkins discusses the importance of teaching students to decode words and using suffixes to figure out word meaning.

Pulver, R. 2011. Happy Endings A Story About Suffixes.  New York, NY. Holiday House.

Tompkins, G. 2013. Language Arts Patterns of Practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ. Pearson Education Inc.

La Noche Buena

La Noche Buena

Written By: Antonio Sacre

Genre: Multicultural

Grade: 4-8 years old, Preschool- third grade

Citations: 

Cunningham, P., & Allington, R. (2011). Classrooms that work: They can all read and write (5th ed.). Boston: Pearson.

Sacre, A. (2010). La Noche Buena. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers.

Tompkins, G.E. (2013). Language Arts: Patterns of practice. Upper Saddle River, NY: Pearson

Summary:

A book inspired by his own experience, Antonio Sacre tells the story of a little girl and her family’s Cuban culture. The main character, Nina is a little girl with a lot going on, her parents are divorced and has to spend Christmas separated from one half of her family while she experiences a whole new side of her fathers family. This book introduces the reader to the Cuban culture and traditions along with Spanish words. Throughout the book there are Spanish words being used. Some of the time the Spanish word is followed up by the English word but when it is not there is a glossary in the back of the book for help. For the first time Nina is staying with her father’s family in Miami for Christmas and not the cold Northern weather she experiences with her mother and her family. La noche buena is the night before Christmas and is a big celebration that takes days to prepare for. Nina for the first time experiences La noche buena and ends up greatly enjoying herself. She is able to experience new Cuban cultural traditions along with new food that is delicious!

Multicultural books are a genre of books that I believe should be in every classroom. La Noche Buena could be a mirror book for a lot of different types of students, different types of Hispanics along with different cultures in genre that have a large celebration of Christmas Eve. It is important to discuss the different cultures and traditions of people in the world, not everyone is the same or does the same thing. I would use this book during the time where students learn about their culture and their family tree. A time during the school year where students are working on their family tree and are learning about their past. It is important for students to want to share the traditions of their culture, especially if it is something uncommon. This book would be a perfect example of the different types of traditions different cultures have. Students could be assigned to create a family tree or to research their family’s culture and would write about it. This book would be perfect to read before the students are assigned the lesson of discovering their own culture and traditions because it provides an example for the students and allows them to see that different traditions and cultures can be fun and exciting. La Noche Buena also demonstrates for the students how exciting new experiences can be. Tompkins (2013) states the importance of making connections to the readings, “to talk about connections they’ve made as they discuss the story” (p. 120). I believe by using this book, a book about a different culture, it will allow for students to better connect with the reading. Making connections is a strategy that should be strongly important in literacy because of difference it makes in the students. Once students are able to relate to a topic or character they will be more willing to continue on reading or listening, they will become more involved because they have made the connection and want to explore more.

Antonio Sacre created this book using Spanish words and phrases through the reading. I think it is important to have this, the different languages because it is something new for the students to lean. I think this book would go well with a class if they are in a Spanish class because it allows them to discover new words and to see how they can be used in a sentence. By placing the glossary in the back of the book Sacre allows the reader to really get involved with the story because he explains that most of the Spanish words being used are traditional words and words that are often used by the Cuban culture. Cunningham and Allington have a section dedicated in their book ‘Classrooms that work’ to helping teachers meet the needs of their increasingly diverse classrooms. In today’s world it is common for individuals to know at least a second language and I think that is something important. Having books that contain more than one language allow students to experience the second language little by little. It is important to meet the needs of all the students in a classroom and while some students may need extra time reading or extra time taking a test, there are some students whom are just learning English or are struggling with learning English. I believe by having books like La Noche Buena there will be encouragement for students to continue on learning English.

-Heather Attanasio