Balloons over Broadway

Title: Balloons Over Broadway

Author: Melissa Sweet

Illustrator: Melissa Sweet

Published:2011

Genre: Biography

Grades:1-4

Summary: This book is about  Tony Sarg. Tony was a marionette man. He enjoyed making puppets. His puppets movements were life like. Tony moved from London to New York. When he arrived  he then began to preform his marionettes on Broadway. Then Macy’s department store asked Tony to make a puppet parade for the stores window. That’s when everything started. May’s then wanted Tony to help them with their parade. The parade was such a success they decided to do it every year on thanksgiving day but each year they wanted to make it better. Tony eventually created puppets that were balloons and could be held from the bottom. The balloons were light enough to rise in the air and big enough for everyone to see the parade. This book talks about how the thanksgiving parade was started a traditions that occurs every thanksgiving day.

In the classroom: I would use this book around the thanksgiving time. This book can be used during the holidays to talk about traditions and things that occur around thanksgiving. Many families celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving differently so I will use this book to ask the students about the traditions that they do around thanksgiving. I will chose the read the book aloud to my students. Tompkins states ” when teachers read aloud, they’re modeling” (p.38). I would like my students to understand the importance behind the book and understand the way I am reading. Tompkins also state ” They [teachers] read fluently and with expressions and they talk about their thoughts and the strategy they are using “(p.38). As I am reading I will ask the students questions throughout the book. I will ask them questions to see what they understand or what inferences they can make through the book. Also can be students that have seen the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade , that could also be a topic of discussion. I would start off class by asking how many students have seen the Macy’s parade. Then by the show of hands see who has seen in in Manhattan or just on TV. This will be a great way to help students get an idea of the book. Once the book is read I will send the students back to their desk and as a class we will discuss what traditions mean and are. I will like to get different ideas from my students. After  a discussion I will explain to the students that they will need to do a project on their thanksgiving day or a tradition they do . The students can either make a poem, poster, song, write a paper or present their material in what way is best for them. In their project they have to have examples of there traditions and what they like about that tradition.  I want the students to see how compare and diverse they all can be from one another. I want this to be an engaging and intellectual experience.

Sweet, Melissa, Rachel Newborn, and Crystal Paquette. Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin for Children, 2011. Print.

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

Little Deer Lost

Little Deer Lost

Author: Janet Bingham

Illustrator: Rosalind Beardshaw

Age Recommended: Grade k-1

Genre: Picture book

Summary:

This book is about a set of twin baby deer that experience their first snowfall for the first time. The deer, Sparkle and Silver, start off with being excited that they finally get to see snow. They spend some time playing in the snow and loving every second of it. Soon it becomes dark and Sparkle and Silver are ready to head home, but they have a problem. They realize everything looks the same when it’s covered it white snow and soon become lost. Sparkle and Silver get very nervous when it starts to get darker and the wind picks up. Eventually they are reunited with their mom and get to go home. The next day, Silver and Sparkle get to play in the snow with their mom.

How I will use it in classroom.

I would use this book to teach young students about the different seasons. This book would be an especially good way to introduce winter. The book tells a fun story about two deer enjoying winter. The story paints a good description of winter to the reader. The deer experience many winter conditions like snow, cold, and wind. The book also shows that trees have no leafs on them and many flowers gone in the winter.

Connection to a teaching strategy:

I would Pair Little Deer Lost a KWL chart. I would have the children fill this chart out about the season winter. Before reading the story I will have the students fill out the “what they know” and “what they want to know” about winter. As a class, we will then read Little Deer Lost. After, I will have the students fill in the “what they learned” part of the chart. According to Tompkins (2011), KWL charts are a great way to teach students new information and also review what they already know about a Topic.

Bingham, J., & Beardshaw, R. (2011). Little deer lost. London: Scholastic.

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

Amazing cultures everywhere!

Sara Catalano

Dr. Norman

ED 2510

November 21, 2014

Title: Amazing Faces

Author: Lee Bennett Hopkins

Illustrator: Chris Soentpiet

Genre: Poetry

Age Recommendation: 3-4th grade

Published: 2010

This book contains detailed illustrations with a diverse poem on every page. The poems  describe a hardship or something special about different cultures all over the world. Ranging from the goals of a karate kid to wondering where dreams come from, each stanza is an intriguing read and makes this book an automatic page turner!

I will use this book in my classroom as a read aloud at first, but then turn it into an opportunity for them to learn more about the different types of poems. After reading these poems out loud to my class, I will ask my students what their favorite kind of poem was. For example, they could choose from: rhyming verses, poems for two voices, free verse, “I am . . .” poems or bilingual. I will advise my students to use their favorite poem in this book as a model and write their own poem of that kind.

A teaching strategy that I will consider while using this book with my own class is mentioned in Chapter 11 of Tompkins’. Because these poems include information about various cultures, I will have to consider the racial differences of my students. According to Tompkins (2013), “Poems often mean different things to students because they approach the poem with individual background knowledge and past experiences” (p.336). Therefore, I will ask my students to draw a poem from the book that represents their culture, something family related or even something they participate in during their daily life. The illustrations that come along with these poems are beautiful, so my students should have no problem coming up with one on their own. Also, it should be interesting to learn more about their personal lives outside of the classroom.

Bibligraphy:

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

 

Bear Has a Story to Tell

Title: Bear Has a Story to Tel

Author: Philip C. Stead

Illustrated: Erin E. Stead

Age Level: 6 – 8

Grade Level: 1 -2

Published: 2012

Genre: Fable

Summary: Bear has a story to tell. He tries to tell his friends Mouse, Duck, Mole and Frog, but they are all too busy preparing for winter. Bear helps his friends prepare what they need for the winter. Once spring comes around, bear can finally tell his story to his friends. Bear gathered his friends to tell the story that he been waiting to tell, but bear could not remember the story. Mouse, Duck and Mole tried to help him remember what the story was about then Bear began to tell his story.

How would I use it in my classroom: Our classroom discussion will be about what happens to certain animals in the different seasons. We would talk about the migration and hibernation of a variety of different animals. The students will be illustrating and write a few sentences about an animal choosing to prepare for the winter. The students will be sharing their work with their classmates. This book also provides information on friendship and patience is proven to be rewarded.

Reference to a teaching strategy: This lesson is going to be based on hibernation and migration. I will be questioning the students on what they can predict happens to animals during the winter. I would begin reading the story a loud to my students. Tompkins (2013), says “Listening and talking also play essential roles in learning; as they listen to the teacher read books aloud, for example, students acquire new information and related vocabulary words, and as they participate in discussions, they explore their own thinking and deepen their understanding” (p. 118). After reading the story a loud to the students, I will ask if they knew that animals either hibernate or migrate. The students will be working individually, illustrating an animal preparing for the winter and writing a few sentences to go along with their illustration. The students will share their work with their classmates. It is important for students to share their work with their classmates in order to build on their pride of their work. Students will give positive feedback about their classmates’ work which will improve the comfortable atmosphere of the classroom. According to Cunningham and Allington (2011), “After each child has read, he or she calls on class members to tell things they liked about the piece” (p. 156). This activity will increase student’s knowledge of hibernation and migration on different animals.

References:

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

Stead, P., & Stead, E. (2012). Bear Has a Story to Tell. New York: Roaring Brook Press.

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

Trickster: Native American Tales by Matt Dembicki

Title: Trickster: Native American Tales

Author: Matt Dembicki

Age Recommendation: 3rd grade and up

Published: 2010

Genre: Graphic Novel

Summary: In the tale, the trickster takes many forms from a coyote or rabbit to raccoon or raven. The book brings together Native American folklore and comics. In the book, there are more than twenty tales that are written in comic form. Each tale is written by a different Native American storyteller and each worked with a different illustrator so that each has a unique voice and look. Some of them are serious and dramatic while others are funny and sometimes just fiendish. The tales bring the tricksters back into popular culture in a vivid form.

How to use it in the classroom: One way that the book could be used in the classroom is when teaching a unit on Native Americans. It would be a good way for students to experience Native American folklore. They could learn about what Native American culture was like and how it differs from us. It could also be used when teaching the students about stories and different genres. They could be exposed to some of the different story elements such as personification. Personification is something that Tompkins talks about when she discuses narrative devices. They would come into contact with this when they see that the animals are tricksters and they exemplify some of the characteristics of a human when they are disturbing the order of things and humiliating others. They could also be exposed to a variety of genres. They would see that the book has elements of a novel and of comics. The way that the book is laid out and the illustrations are in the form of comics. The material and how it is written is in the form of a novel. They could also engage with it and see how the book differs from other books such as informational texts. They would see how informational texts give straight information and how this book gives some information but it also combines other elements such as humor, drama, and personification. They could also do a book sort with other books and see how its not just a folklore book but with the other elements it is categorized as a graphic novel. They would be able to see how each individual story in the book is a folklore because they are more traditional stories but the look is different and there are other added elements.

Dembicki, M. 2010. Trickster: Native American Tales. Fulcrum Publishing. Golden, CO.

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

Step Gently Out- Heather Attanasio

Step Gently Out

Written by: Helen Frost & Rick Lieder

Frost, H., & Lieder, R. (2012). Step gently out. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Age: 6-8

Grade: K-3

Genre: Lyrical

Summary: Readers of Frost & Lieder’s Gently Step Out, are introduced to the little word that is in their own world. Readers are becoming more aware of the little creatures around them that they do not notice every day. Through lyrical writing the authors bring to attention the nifty little critters that we pass by every day and never notice. The authors want the readers to become more aware of the world around them and the little critters that are always around. At the end of the book, after the last page, the author provides a description of the animals that are displayed in the gorgeous pictures of their book.

How to use in the classroom: I would use this book for a literacy class time slow when the students are learning about poetry or are learning on how to create their own poetry. I think it is important for students to be presented with an example of the type of work that is expected from them or the type of work they will be doing. This book would be read as a read aloud for the students, as a whole class. According to Cunningham and Allington (2011) “reading aloud to children is a simple and research-proven way to motivate children of all ages to become readers” (p.16). As a teacher you want to inspire students to become readers and I believe that by providing an example of the work they will be doing and demonstrating the type of work they are expected to do; this will not only inspire students to read that type of writing but to write it themselves. Students would be read this story aloud as an example before they are asked to create their own type of poetry. Students will learn from this book that not all poetry is the same and that there are different forms of poetry.

This book could also be introduced to students who are learning about the environment or types of animals in their science section. This book introduces multiple types of animals to readers and provides little bits of information about each animal on each page. To better the information and teaching of the readers the author provided an index of each animal included in the book at the end of the book. These indexes supply the reader with the basics and fun facts about each animal. This book would be a good example for students who have to use books for search for a certain topic. Maybe as an introduction to informational text. I believe this book could be considered an informational text because of all the correct information the reader is supplied with. This would be an excellent book to use as an introduction for the younger graders into informational texts.

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

-Heather Attanasio

The Pigeon Needs a Bath!

Title: The Pigeon Needs a Bath!

Author: Mo Willems

Illustrator: Mo Willems

Ages: 3-6

Genre: Fiction Humor

Grade: Pre-k  to Kindergarten

Published :2014

Summary: This book is about a pigeon that needs to take a bath because he is dirty. The book uses different types of punctuation as the pigeons talks. There are question marks for when the pigeon asks the readers when was the last time they took at bath? The book uses exclamation point for when the pigeon is screaming” I really don’t need a bath!”(Willems  4). Then the book goes into sentences and used periods when the pigeon is just talking to himself. The pigeon goes on to say that he does not need a bath and he feels clean. Later through the book he begins to see that not even the flies want to be around him. So he decides he will go take a bath. It takes the pigeon awhile to finally get himself in the bathtub but then once he does he loves it. The book has many different punctuation, they use commas, periods, exclamation points, quotations.

Classroom use: This would be a great book to teach students about different punctuation and there uses. The book is not difficult and makes clear examples on how each punctuation can be used. Students should be aware of punctuation in there writing . They also should be aware of what the different punctuation are used for because if they read other book then they will be able to understand the characters tone just by the punctuation used. To begin, I would read the book to my students. Since the class is younger I will try to find this book in a big book form so that the words are easier for my students to see.  I will read this book aloud to my students. This book is great for a read aloud because  it is a short,to the pint book and it is easy enough to grab the students attention ( Tompkins p. 124).While reading the book I will have some echo reading. I will read apart of the book then ask my students to repeat after me. I will do this so my students understand the difference between using that explanation mark and the periods. exclamation  marks have more feeling , emotions and louder voices to them. For example there is a part in the book where the pigeon says ” Maybe you need a bath!”. I will say it angrily because the pigeon look angry and annoyed and when the students repeat it after Researchers concluded, however that students are better listeners when they’re involved during reading not afterward” (p 123). My students will be involved during when they echo read and answer questions but also after when we do the activity based on learning from the book. me I want them to use the same expression .Tompkins (2013) states ”  This should give them a sense of why the exclamation point is there. While reading aloud to the students they will be able to echo read at times with me but also answer questions. The book has humor behind it and can be used to have children interact with the teacher and their classmates. Once I am done reading the book. Tompkins (2013) states” it’s most effective to stop at points where students can make predictions and suggest connections…” (p 123). The students will be stopping to get examples and make more sense of the reading presented to them. I will then go over how to use a period, a comma, an exclamation point and a question mark. I will pull examples from the book. When this is done then the student will go to there tables, they then will be place in groups or two or three. They will have to create a dialogue between there groups using the punctuation taught to them. I will use another class time to go over quotation marks . The students will present their dialogue to the class when they are finished by acting it out. This method is close to shared reading because I am” demonstrating how print works” in the book. I go over the different way the punctuation is used in the book. This is apart of shared reading My students are involved because they get to echo read and share their ideas. (Tompkins 74).

Willems, Mo. The Pigeon Needs a Bath! N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

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

Island : A Story of the Galapagos Islands

Island : A Story of the Galapagos Islands

Author& Illustrator: Jason Chin

Age Recommended: Grade k-3

Genre: Informational text.

Summary:

This book is an informational text that is presented like a story. This book tells the story of the Galapagos Islands as it evolved over the years. The book is broken down into different chapters, each representing a different time period on the islands. Each page is full of great information regarding the islands and also beautiful illustrations. The book gives a lot of great information on the different animals that have t inhabited he island over the years. There’s information not only on the animals that live there, but also information on how these animals have evolved and adapted to survive the conditions of the Galapagos Islands. There’s also a great deal of information how the actual islands have changed and evolved to from new smaller islands.

How I will use it in classroom.

I think this book could be used to introduce a research activity to my students. The research activity would be to choose an animal that was mentioned in the book and do a small project on their findings. They would be looking for different information on, their habitat, diet, predators, and ways that they have adapted to survive in the Galapagos Islands. The book would be used to introduce this project because it would provide the students with an array of animals to choose from. They would be learning about a lot of different and animals and then get to choose one that sparked their interest. The book also provides a lot of information on the Galapagos Islands and the conditions that the animals must deal with in order to survive. The information provided in the book will be very important for them to keep in mind when they are researching information on their animal.

 

Connection to a teaching strategy:

According to Tompkins (2012), incorporating science and reading can be very essential to students. Students are able to learn a lot about different subjects while also practicing their reading skills. It’s very important that teachers find activities and lessons that both include literacy/writing with science. By doing this, one lesson, enhances student’s knowledge and skills in many different subjects.

Chin, J. (2012). Island : A Story of the Galapagos Islands. New York: A Neal Porter Book Roarng Book Press.

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

Sophie Scott Goes South by Alison Lester

Title: Sophie Scott Goes South

Author: Alison Lester

Genre: Narrative

Published: 2012

Age Recommendation: Age 6 and up

Summary: Sophie is a 9 year old girl who is going on a trip with her dad who is the captain of the Aurora Australis. The ship is going to Antarctica and she will be gone for about a month. It will take her about 2 weeks to get to Mawson Station and then 2 weeks to get back depending on the weather. She says goodbye to her mom and her younger brother Alfie and then she begins to write in her diary. In her diary she recounts the people she meets, the animals she sees, and what an icebreaker is. She does her recount in the form of pictures and words. She first describes in detail the boat and what her cabin is like that she will be sharing with her dad. As they are getting closer to Antarctica, she begins to experience some seasickness. When she has her sea legs, she continues to write informative diary entries. She records her observations but also the different icebergs, the layers of clothing she has to wear, the penguins floating on the ice, and the seals peeking through the ice. Her voyage has been fun and exciting until they get to Mawson Station and there is a blizzard. They are now delayed in leaving for Australia and realizes how dangerous life in Antarctica is unless you are careful. The information presented in the book is done through the eyes of a curious 9 year old girl and is done in a friendly, chatty style.

How I would use it: When using this book in the classroom I would use it as a mentor text. Tompkins discusses this when she says that it teaches kids to listen and talk more efficiently. I would use it when teaching kids how to write a narrative story. It is important to relate to the students that as it is being read, they should pay attention to how the information is presented where it is presented in the first person. The students should also pay attention to the amount of detail that is used. They should understand that when writing a narrative it is important to use a lot of detail so that the person who reads it understands what is going on and they can picture what is going on. This book would be good to use in a mini lesson to introduce a personal journal. The book would help to show the students how the format should be elements they should include. After the students read the book and see how a narrative and personal journal is written, they could try to write their own. Now that they know the format, it would be easier for them to do. They could write it on something that they experienced or something that interests them. Tompkins discusses personal journals and how they teach kids about concepts with written language, letters, and phonics. When students first use these, the emphasis is on what they say and not how they write. For some it may be helpful to have a list to give them ideas on what to write about if they do not know. Having them refer to this list or brainstorm their own ideas helps them to become more independent writers.

Lester, Sophie. 2012. Sophie Scott Goes South. Viking. New York, NY.

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

About a bird and a barn

Sara Catalano

Dr. Norman

ED 2510

November 5, 2014

Title: It’s About A Little Bird

Author: Jessica Lange

Age Recommendation: Grades 1st-2nd

Genre: Narrative (Picture book)

Published: 2013

Adah and Ilse are two sisters who are best friends and love to visit their grandmother’s farm. As the title suggests, this story is about a little bird named Uccello who used to live in the sparkling bird cage the girls found in an abandoned barn. Uccello was their grandmother’s pet when she lived in Rome, and when it was time to go back home she snuck him onto the airplane with her! Eventually the bird sang his last song and the girls are sad about the end of the tale, but their grandmother encourages them that everyone has their own season on earth so they should rejoice while they still can!

I would use this book in my classroom to teach my students about when italics are necessary while writing. Throughout this story, French words are used to describe their grandmother’s travels through Rome and France. I will ask my students to search through the book for various different italics and ask them to write down what they think the French word means in English based on the context clues. Furthermore, I will explain to my students some other instances when words are italicized include: emphasizing an important word/phrase in a sentence or naming a book/magazine title.

The teaching strategy related to this book that I would use in my classroom is mentioned in Chapter 4 of Tompkins’ book. After reading the story out loud to the class, I will ask my students to pick their favorite photograph and write their own story about it. It could have to do with the story, their own lives or simply imaginary. Tompkins (2013) states, “Rather than simply summarizing their reading, students delve into important ideas and relate their reading to their own lives or other literature” (p. 93). I think that my students will enjoy this activity because they can express their ideas without having to follow specific guidelines.

Bibliography

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

Lange, J. (2013) It’s About A Little Bird. Naperville, IL.