REOL 536 Questions

REOL 536 Questions

How many hours did you complete?

I completed a total of 5 hours and 30 minutes for this course.

In a short paragraph or bulleted list, tell me how you spent your time.

During this course I spent my time observing other reading teachers, reading many great books that I hadn’t read before, and teaching in a classroom at a different grade level than mine. 

How did your experiences help strengthen you as a teacher in at least one Kentucky Standard? 

I feel that my experiences helped me become a stronger colleague.  The Kentucky Standard that I’m focusing on is Standard 8; the teacher collaborates with colleagues, parents and others. If I didn’t have this course I probably wouldn’t have had the many discussions with my librarian.  Therefore, I feel that I’ve grown with collaborating with my colleagues. 

 

What did you learn in this course that you didn’t know before, or had forgotten?

I’ve learned many things in this course, but the two things that I’m ecstatic about are book talks and book trailers.  I’ve already told my students about them, and that will be their projects for their current books.  For the book talks, I will have them record each other using the Ipads.  I really loved this course!  J

Reading Log and Wiki Checklist

Reading Log

Genre / Titles you read

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

1)      Years of dust: The story of the Dust Bowl by A Marrin

2)      My Life in Dog Years By Gary Paulsen

3)      A Child Called It  by Dave Pelzer

4)      Little Rock Girl 1957 by Shelly Tougas

5)      We’ve Got a Job by Cynthia Levinson

 

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

1)      Hate that Cat by Sharon Creech.

2)  No More Homework, No more Test by Bruce Lansky

 

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

1)      The City of Ember-by Jeanne DuPrau

 

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

1)      The Teacher’s Funeral by Richard Peck. (required for discussion – do NOT use on blog)

2)      Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

3)      The Watson’s Go to Birmingham -1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

4)      Rosa by Nikki Giovanni

 

          V.      Multicultural/Traditional        

1)      Hiroshima: A Novella by Laurence Yep

2)      Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson

3)      Grandfather’s Journey by Allen Say

4)      Mrs. Katz and Tush by Patricia Polacco

5)      More than Anything Else  Marie Bradby

6)      The Color of Us by Karen Katz

7)      Coming on Home Soon by Jacqueline Woodson (Creators of The Other Side, I love that book!)

8)      The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith 

 

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

1)      Baby by Patricia MacLachlan.

2)      Holes by Louis Sachar

3)      Flat Broke by Gary Paulsen

4)      Liar, Liar by Gary Paulsen

5)      Sounder by William Armstrong

 

    VII.      Picture Books

1)      The Wednesday Surprise by Eve Bunting.

2)      Duck for President by Doreen Cronin

3)      A Taste of Colored Water by Matt Faulkner

4)      Something About Hensley’s by Patricia Polacco

5)      Thundercake by Patricia Polacco

6)      The Junkyard Wonders by Patricia Polacco

Wiki Checklist

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

 

__1_ Social Studies

____ Science

____ Math

____ Music

____ Art

__1__ Reading/Language Arts

____ Physical Education

____ Other

 

 

My Life in Dog Years

Paulsen, G. (1998).  My life in dog years.  New York:  Yearling

If you love dogs, then you will absolutely love this autobiography of Gary Paulsen. An autobiography is when an author writes factual informational about their own life.  Therefore, I feel this book would be a great fit for the genre of the week.  He tells adventurous stories of times with his dogs from childhood to adulthood. Therefore, this book is told in chronological order.  Each chapter is about a different dog at a different time in his life.  For example, the fist dog he writes about is the very first dog he ever had named “Cookie,” and the final chapter is the  dog he still had at the time the book was published, named “Josh.” In my opinion, Josh was the best dog in the book, but I may be a little bias because I have the same kind of dog!    Being a dog lover myself, I made many wonderful connections with this book, and it also brought back many memories of the dog I just lost in December.  My dog Ozzie and his dog Josh acted a lot alike.  You should read this book to learn about the many companions that Gary has had in his life, as well as hear the story of the time that he almost died if it hadn’t been for his dog.   Just think, if it weren’t for a dog, we wouldn’t be able to read the wonderful books written by "one of the greatest authors alive," Gary Paulsen. 

Rosa

Giovanni, N. (2004).  Rosa.  New York:  Henry Holt and Company, LLC.   

Many people are aware of Rosa Parks and the Bus Boycott, but can you imagine what it was like on the bus at that moment when Rosa didn’t give up her seat?  Well, you should read the book Rosa by Nikki Giovanni.  Rosa was a great seamstress, however, one day Rosa was told to go home early because her employers knew that she would be very busy in a few days.  That’s when Rosa got onto the bus and noticed that all of the “colored” section was full, so she went to the “neutral” section instead.  She was sitting with another African American gentleman when all of a sudden the bus driver came back and yelled at them to get up.  As she was being arrested, memories about how she and her family had been treated came flooding back to Rosa. Once news spread of Rosa’s arrest, twenty five women came together to begin another significant moment in our history.  You’ll need to read this delightful book to see what these women began.  

 

 

 

Because of Winn Dixie

DiCamillo, K. (2001). Because of winn dixie.  New York:  Candlewick Press.

Imagine your life at the age of ten without a mother, and you recently moved to a new state where you didn’t know anyone or have any friends.  Well this is exactly how Opal Bologna’s life was. She was a ten year old girl that lived with her dad, the preacher, in Naomi, Florida.  Her mother left them when she was little, and her dad never talked about her.  Opal didn’t know anyone, nor have any friends until she went to the Winn Dixie grocery store.

One day Opal went to the store for a box of macaroni and cheese, some white rice, and two tomatoes when all of a sudden she was faced with an enormous decision.  Let me ask you this, have you ever made a decision when you knew that it was morally wrong?  Unfortunately, that is exactly what Opal did, but it turned out to be what was best for her in the end.  When she went into the store there was an ugly stray dog with matted hair, and yellow teeth running around like a wild animal. When the store manager asked whose dog that was, Opal said it was hers.  She said his name was “Winn Dixie.” She grew to have a wonderful connection with him.  However, because of Winn Dixie, she also makes friends with many diverse people such as a criminal, a librarian, two little bald headed bullies, a pinched face girl, and a witch. Throughout that summer Opal shared many memories, and she learned more about her mother and Winn Dixie too. During a friendship party someone left the door open during a thunderstorm and Winn Dixie was nowhere to be found.  If you want to learn what happened after that you’ll have to read this Newberry Honor book written by Kate DiCamillo.  I promise you’ll love it! 

No More Homework! No More Tests!

Lansky, B. (1997).  No more homework! No more tests!. New York:  Meadowbrook Press.

No More Homework! No More Tests! by Bruce Lansky is a children’s poetry book that is full of many hilarious poems.  This book definitely is fitting for this week’s genre, poetry, because it contains many lyrics, quatrains, cinquains, and narrative poems that is full of rhythm and rhyme.  Bruce Lansky selected a list of outstanding poets and their wonderful poems and placed them inside this book.  The authors range from Bruce Lansky, Max Fatchen, Bill Dodds, Jack Prelutsky, Shel Silverstein, some anonymous authors as well, and many more. 

As I was reading this book, I found many poems that I plan on using in my classroom.  One of my absolute favorites was a cinquain called English Is a Pain! (Pane?) It is a five stanza poem with five lines per stanza written by Shirlee Curlee Bingham.  I plan on using this poem to teach homophones and rhyme scheme.  It has an aabca rhyme scheme because lines 1, 2, and 5 rhyme. 

Another poem that I really appreciated and made a connection with was a narrative called My Dog Chewed Up My Homework by Bruce Lansky. This poem is full of rhythm and rhyme.  The second and fourth lines rhymed because they had the same consonant sounds such as night and sight.  The connection that I made with this poem isn’t as a child but as an adult educator.  I was grading my students’ tests and my very mischievous puppy decided that she needed something to chew on, so she chewed on the corner of one of their papers.  My student really enjoyed the story! 

 

Finally, another poem that I would like to share is titled Gloria because it is full of hyperboles.  A hyperbole is an exaggeration or to point out ridicoulousness.  Some hyperbole examples found within this poem are, "She had at least a million friends" and "Got a king-sized zit". 

 

If you choose to check out this book, I hope you enjoy as much as I have! I think this book would inspire many children to reach into their imagination and create poetry as well as these great authors.  It makes me wonder, where did these authors get their inspiration? 

 

 

The Watson's Go To Birmingham-1963

Curtis, C (1995). The watson’s go to Birmingham-1963.  New York: Delacorte Press.

This novel is a Newberry Honor award winner.  It is about a family living in Flint, Michigan in the 1960’s.  When Byron becomes too troublesome to hand they decide to take a road trip to Birmingham so he can stay with a very strict grandmother.  While in Birmingham, many things happen.  For example, a church was bombed that killed many children and this really traumatized Kenny.  You’ll have to read the book to learn who helped Kenny during this serious event.  I’m sure you will be astonished! This book is told in first person point of view because it is told from Kenny’s perspective. We know exactly how Kenny is feeling when Byron treats him terribly, which is pretty much all the time. 

When I read about the church bombing, that brought back a text to text connection, as I have read an interview from the Junior Scholastic Magazine by Carolyn McKinstry, who was one of the children that joined the Children’s Crusade and was in the church at the time of the bombing. 

As we all know of the segregation laws and issues that happened back in the 1960’s, if this were told with a setting of 1980’s in New York, it would have a totally different meaning and would change the story completely. Therefore, I feel that the setting of this story was an integral part of the story!  

This book had many humorous events in it as well as the tragic ones.  The event in the story that I found to be comical was when Byron got his tongue stuck to the mirror on the car.  This brought back a text to world connection because I had watched a movie where a little boy had his tongue stuck to a metal pole.

I would recommend teaching this novel as a literature circle activity. However, due to the slow moving plot, I feel that some students may have difficulties understanding or enjoying the book.

Mrs. Katz and Tush

Polacco, P (1992).  Mrs. katz and tush.  New York: Dell Publishing

Mrs. Katz and Tush is in the Multicultural genre category because the characters are very diverse.   Mrs. Katz is an elderly, Jewish woman who celebrates Hannukah and Passover.  On the other hand, another main character in the story is Larnel.  He is an African American boy.

To sum up this story, Mrs. Katz lost her husband and she is feeling really alone.  Larnel is her next door neighbor who is feeling sorry for her, so he gives her a gift for comfort.  They become good friends and take many adventures including learning the meanings of their religious beliefs.  You’ll have to read the book to find out how it ends.

One thing I really loved about this book is its theme.  Mrs. Katz and Larnel created such a wonderful friendship because of their agony and accomplishments in each of their cultures.  I really enjoyed when she was teaching Larnel about Passover and she said, “They wanted freedom so much that they prayed to God to help them.  So he sent an angel that brought death and sadness to the houses of our captors.  Larnel asked “How did the angel know where the Jews lived?”  She replied, “They marked the doors. Then the angels passed over.  Passed over, Larnel, that’s why we call this time of celebration Passover!”

Polacco also did an excellent job with characterization throughout this story including personality and relationships.  Through the dialogue between Larnel and Mrs. Katz, you can tell that they have a great friendship.  For example, “Larnel kept his promise.  He visited Mrs. Katz and Tush every day after school.”  “There was always a fresh-baked kugel and a tall glass of milking waiting for him.”  This tells me that they really cared for each other because he could have chosen to spend his time with friends his own age, and she didn’t have to bake a kugel for him everyday. 

The City of Ember

DuPrau, J (2003). The city of ember. New York: Yearling

Can you imagine finishing school and going to work by twelve years of age, working with no technology, and only ONE light bulb that lights the entire city?  Well, that is exactly what happens in “The City of Ember”, told from a third person omniscient point of view. The light comes on at 6:00 a.m. and out at 9:00 p.m, and the darkness goes on forever outside the city limits, or that’s what the people of Ember believe, except for Lina and Doon!  These main characters are experiencing a person against society conflict, because the mayor and his guards are trying to keep the city of Ember darkened. 

Lina, a protagonist, has always wished to be the messenger, because they spend most of their days outside. However, when it came time for the mayor to draw names for the jobs, she received Pipeworks (which is underground and dirty).  On the other hand, Doon, another protagonist, has always wanted to help the city in some way, but he drew the job as messenger.  Now, both Lina and Doon were upset with their jobs, so they decided to trade in order to have equal happiness, or so they thought.

Now the lights have begun flickering!  Lina has a strong imagination and she has dreamed of a new city outside of Ember, but will she ever find it?  Well, Lina finds a document that she thinks is important to finding a new city, but her little sister has torn it to shreds.  As well as they could, she and Doon put the pieces together to decipher the instructions. Little did they know, the document would unlock the unknown. But will they be brave enough to endure all the terrible things, such as the mayor, the guards, and their fears, that will get in their way to search for the new city?

For those of you that really appreciate fantasies, this book is for you!  All two hundred seventy pages were so entertaining that I could not put the book down.  I actually read it all in one day!  The City of Ember is a part of a series, and I’m looking forward to purchasing the next book which is called The People of Sparks. 

Thundercake

Polacco, P. (1990).  Thundercake. New York: Philomel Books.

Thundercake is a narrative picture book.  It is about a little girl that is afraid of thunderstorms.   While visiting her Babushka(grandmother), she helps her granddaughter overcome her fear of thunderstorms.  She tells her that it is perfect “thundercake” baking weather and takes her on different adventures.

In my opinion, she is such a stupendous illustrator that she could tell the story just through the visual elements.  To visualize movement throughout this story, Patricia uses a doublespread layout.  This is when the illustrations go off one page and onto the next to keep the reader’s eye moving.   She also uses a very cool color palette to show a dark, gloomy, and scary time throughout the book until near the end.  At this time she begins to add in some warm colors when the thunderstorm is over and she isn’t scared anymore.

I would really suggest that you use this book to introduce narrative writing. I’m definitely going to!  The story had great use of dialogue and figurative language, which are two large components of writing narratives.  One form of figurative language used was onomatopoeias.  They were written in large font, for example, ZIP, RRRRUMBLED, BOOOOOMED, CRASHED, and BBBBAAAAARRRRROOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMED.  She also wrote other words in large font to show intensity such as ROARED and ROLLED. Go check this book out at your local library and enjoy!

The Junkyard Wonders

Polacco, P.(2010).  The junkyard wonders. New York: Philomel Books.

This is another exceptional story told by Patricia Polacco!  It is about a little girl named Trisha that decides to move to a new school so she wouldn’t be “different” anymore.  However, when she arrived at the new school, she found out that her new class was called “The Junkyard.” She was so distraught over this because once again she was being labeled.  Nevertheless, Mrs. Peterson, her new teacher, wasn’t going to allow the labels to affect the lives of her students.  She allows the students to see exactly who the kids truly are through their talents.  You’ll have to read this book to learn about its great theme. 

Patricia composes her illustrations by using many diagonal and upward moving lines which creates a scene that is full of action and emotion.  She creates such a realistic picture through the warm color palette and texture. This makes you feel like you could just jump right into the page and become a character in the story.

This would be a excellent book choice to teach theme because of its great theme.  I know that every class has some students that will be harsh to other students around them and this story could help them think twice about their actions.

Something About Hensley’s

Polacco, P. (2006).  Something about hensley’s. New York: Philomel Books a division of Penguin Young Readers Group.

Patricia Pollaco is an outstanding author and illustrator that is known for creating stories from her real life experiences.  I absolutely love her books, and I have used many of them to teach different skills in reading. 

Something About Hensley’s is a great story because it is about an elderly man that owns a store that helps all the different people that come there.  Hensley’s  is one of those stores that you go to when you can’t find what you are looking for anywhere else, but you know that Mr. John Soncrant will have it.  Whether it is discontinued China, track shoes, or fiddle strings, you can find it at Hensley’s.  Old John can tell what everyone needs before they even know they need it.  Until one day when a new family moves in with a challenge.  Little Molly has asthma and a mother that is just a student in school who doesn’t have the income to give her what she needs.  You’ll have to read to find out if Old John was able to give Molly what she needed!

Patricia’s artwork was extraordinary!  As I was reading the book, I felt like I was a character in the store because the illustrations just pull you in. She uses Old John as her focal point by on the majority of the pages.  Sometimes, he may seem to be the largest visual on the page, but then when he is shown smaller, he is making a movement that draws your attention straight to him.  She also uses a warm color scheme to show the happy and welcoming mood throughout the story. 

I would use this book to teach how a character responds to a challenge because Old John is faced with the challenge of Molly’s asthma.

A Taste of Colored Water

Faulkner, Matt. (2008). A Taste of Colored Water. New York: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division.

 

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like being a bystander during the Civil Rights March and witnessing all the brutality?  Well, this picture book set in the 1960’s tells the story of segregation from a youthful white kid’s perspective that loses her purity when she comes face to face with bigotry and cruelty towards African Americans. It starts off with a little girl named Abbey going into town on a shopping trip with her mom.  She saw a water fountain that said “Colored Water” hanging above it.  So when she met up with her friends Julius and Lucresia, she couldn’t wait to tell them about it.  It was hard for them to believe because they had never seen “colored” water before.  They rode into the city with their Uncle Jack to check out this colored water and once they found the bubbler they were so excited.  However, when they turned the handle they found something they had never saw before and that was a large crowd holding signs, singing, marching, policemen, and firemen. What would happen next took away their innocence!  They were yanked away from the fountain by an angry policeman and his ferocious dog and observed so much malice that left them very confused. 

The author/illustrator also showed the loss of innocence with a quote in the book and through the illustrations. The quote states, “Daddy, what color does a person have to be to get a taste of colored water?” Wow, what a way to pull the audience into the moment!

I really loved this book, and I feel that it would be a great resource to lead into the Civil Rights Movement during Social Studies. However, I would also use this book to discuss the different viewpoints by comparing the book to an interview in a Junior Scholastic Magazine of Carolyn McKinstry, which was one of the children who was involved in the march during Reading Class.

 

 

 

Duck for President

Cronin, Doreen. (2004). Duck for President. New York: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division.

If you are searching for a picture book to introduce your government unit, look no further because Duck for President is a great choice!  This book is in the Fantasy genre category since the majority of the characters are talking animals.  However, the concepts they are discussing are government related. 

As you can tell by the illustrations on the cover, the plot of the story is hilariously told because Duck doesn’t like his life on the farm and he is searching for a better life. Therefore, he tries new career paths including being in charge of the farm, becoming governor, and finally running for the president of the United States of America.  Duck finally thought he knew what he wanted to do in life until one day he read the help-wanted ads.  I would have never dreamed the course he chose, so you’ll have to read the book to determine what path he ended up choosing. 

I thought this book would be a great introduction for a government unit because it mentions aspects of local, state, and national government levels.  Another reason I would choose this book to teach government is because of the vocabulary terms used, such as, election, voters, campaign, ballots, governor, state, presidential election, president, country, speeches, parades, and Secret Service Agents.   

The illustrator, Betsy Lewin, a Caldecott Honor, did an awesome job enriching the mood of the text because of the character’s facial expressions and color palette she chose. 

If you choose this book, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Introduction

Hello, my name is Kelli Sparks, and I'm a 5th grade ELA teacher at Montgomery County Intermediate School. I'm also pursuing a Master's Degree in Reading and Writing Specialist. In addition to teaching, some of my hobbies include: photography, scrapbooking, and enjoying time with family, friends, and my spoiled rotten dogs (Border Collies)on the farm. I'm really excited about this class because I'm always searching for new strategies to incorporate technology into reading class!