Gone Wild. ISBN 0-8027-9563-3. David McLimans. 2006. Caldecott Honor. Ages 4-8. Nonfiction.
Gone Wild, by David McLimans, is a nonfiction picture book that goes through the alphabet, matching an endangered species with each letter. The author explains in the introduction that he chose animals that would fit with the letters. Each letter has been made to look like the animal described on the page. We also learn that there are over 5,000 animals facing extinction, and that the cause of this is people taking over the land that these animals need to support their lives, or their natural habitat. There are three statuses that are explained: ciritcally endangered, endangered, and vulnerable. Each page features a letter of the alphabet, representing a different animal, also giving its class, its habitat, where it is found in the world, threats, and its status. The illustrations are drawn with simple, yet bold, black lines, and are on a white background. This really makes the letters pop out to the reader, and helps to focus on the features of each, unique animal. The last pages in this book are dedicated to describing each animal in greater detail, with a small picture of each accompanying the description.
This is a book that would open the eyes of the students to the many different species of plants and animals that we aren't even aware of that are facing extinction. Again, we learn that the reasons these animals are disappearing are man-made. In the classroom, I would hope this would encourage the students to take some sort of action, or at least plant an idea in their heads about how they should live their lives as responsible, and environmentally aware people. Students tend to be very interested in animals, so this book should be fascinating to all. We could also do an art project, focusing on making different letters look like different animals, ourselves.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Where Once There Was a Wood
Where Once There Was a Wood. ISBN 0-8050-3761-6. Denise Fleming. 1996. Caldecott Honor. Ages 4-8. Nonfiction Picture.
Where Once There Was a Wood, is a nonfiction picture book by Denise Fleming. In this story many different animals are visited in their natural habitat, which include woods, a meadow, and a creek. Fleming goes through the many animals that made this wood their home and the different things they do in the woods to live. She uses rhyming words at the end of each stanza, which makes this story sound very poetic. Unfortunately, the lines end with the unveiling of a housing development that now stands where the woods once did. After the story ends, there are a few more pages dedicated to explaining how to make your own backyard a natural habitat for animals to thrive in. The illustrations match the animals she is writing about on each page, with the pages made to look like pages of a scrap book, which makes sense because the story is written as the author is reminiscing about a once existing wood. The colors used to paint the animals in their natural habitat are very natural, themselves, consisting of many greens, browns, and oranges. The background is made to look like recycled paper.
This is a great book that emphasises the beauty of nature and the importance of preservation. Any student will feel sad to learn that the homes of these animals have been destroyed by a housing development, and hopefully excite them about preserving nature. I would use this story in the classroom to introduce a unit on nature. We could go on a nature walk after the story and spot some beneficial traits of our own schoolyard that would encourage or help animals to live in their natural habitat. We could also set up our own backyards in a way that would be welcoming to animals, using some of the suggestions given by Fleming in the back of the book, and report back to the class on what it is we did at home.
Where Once There Was a Wood, is a nonfiction picture book by Denise Fleming. In this story many different animals are visited in their natural habitat, which include woods, a meadow, and a creek. Fleming goes through the many animals that made this wood their home and the different things they do in the woods to live. She uses rhyming words at the end of each stanza, which makes this story sound very poetic. Unfortunately, the lines end with the unveiling of a housing development that now stands where the woods once did. After the story ends, there are a few more pages dedicated to explaining how to make your own backyard a natural habitat for animals to thrive in. The illustrations match the animals she is writing about on each page, with the pages made to look like pages of a scrap book, which makes sense because the story is written as the author is reminiscing about a once existing wood. The colors used to paint the animals in their natural habitat are very natural, themselves, consisting of many greens, browns, and oranges. The background is made to look like recycled paper.
This is a great book that emphasises the beauty of nature and the importance of preservation. Any student will feel sad to learn that the homes of these animals have been destroyed by a housing development, and hopefully excite them about preserving nature. I would use this story in the classroom to introduce a unit on nature. We could go on a nature walk after the story and spot some beneficial traits of our own schoolyard that would encourage or help animals to live in their natural habitat. We could also set up our own backyards in a way that would be welcoming to animals, using some of the suggestions given by Fleming in the back of the book, and report back to the class on what it is we did at home.
Galimoto
Galimoto. ISBN 0-6881-0991-8. Karen Lynn Williams. Catherine Stock. 1991. Reading Rainbow. Ages 4-8. African.
Galimoto, by Karen Lynn Williams, with illustrations by Catherine Stock, tells the story of seven-year-old Kondi and his day long quest to build himself a galimoto. When he announces to his brother, Ufuli, that he is going to make a galimoto, Ufuli tells him that he is too young to take on such a task, and that there is no way he will find enough wire to make his toy. Kondi doesn't let this deter him, however, and finds the wire very cleverly by asking for old scraps from his uncle, the miller at the flour mill, and by getting scraps out of the garbage at the bike shop. Along the way he runs into many people from his village that question what he is doing. The illustrations are done with what looks like water colors and sketches drawn with pencil over the water colors. They add to the text very well by illustrating the different places that Kondi visits, and the different people he encounters.
This is the story that I read aloud during my lesson plan. I used the illustrations to show the students that maize is corn, and to help describe how the spokes of a bicycle could be used as wire for Kondi's galimoto. We discussed what we wondered about the story after looking at the cover, stopped in the middle and discussed what we had learned so far and what we wondered about again. At the end of the story, we revisted what we had wondered about and realized that we had answered all of our questions by reading the story. The students were very interested in this story. It was a lot of fun!
Galimoto, by Karen Lynn Williams, with illustrations by Catherine Stock, tells the story of seven-year-old Kondi and his day long quest to build himself a galimoto. When he announces to his brother, Ufuli, that he is going to make a galimoto, Ufuli tells him that he is too young to take on such a task, and that there is no way he will find enough wire to make his toy. Kondi doesn't let this deter him, however, and finds the wire very cleverly by asking for old scraps from his uncle, the miller at the flour mill, and by getting scraps out of the garbage at the bike shop. Along the way he runs into many people from his village that question what he is doing. The illustrations are done with what looks like water colors and sketches drawn with pencil over the water colors. They add to the text very well by illustrating the different places that Kondi visits, and the different people he encounters.
This is the story that I read aloud during my lesson plan. I used the illustrations to show the students that maize is corn, and to help describe how the spokes of a bicycle could be used as wire for Kondi's galimoto. We discussed what we wondered about the story after looking at the cover, stopped in the middle and discussed what we had learned so far and what we wondered about again. At the end of the story, we revisted what we had wondered about and realized that we had answered all of our questions by reading the story. The students were very interested in this story. It was a lot of fun!
The Great Gilly Hopkins
The Great Gilly Hopkins. ISBN 0-06-40201-0. Katherine Paterson. 1978. Newberry Honor. Ages 9-12. Multi-Cultural.
The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherin Paterson, is the story of a tough-skinned, yet smart and creative, young girl who has been through many different foster homes in her young life. Gilly is an eleven-year-old girl growing up in Maryland, having a hard time adjusting to her new foster family, the Trotters. She has formed racist opinions and Mrs. Trotter's best friend is African-American, along with her new teacher. She has trouble at school, making only one friend, Agnes, and enjoys bullying her young foster brother, William. After discovering money in blind Mr. Randolph's book shelf, Gilly decides to buy a bus ticket to San Francisco where she knows her mother lives from a return address on a postcard that she sent. When the police pick her up, William begs her to come home, which she agrees to do. She then starts to turn things around for herself, doing better in school, reading Mr. Randolph's books, and teaching William to read. Just then, she is taken away to live with her grandma, Nonnie, in Virginia. Again, she has to adust to her new life, but never loses hope that her mother will take her to San Francisco. When her mother visits for the holidays, Gilly discovers that she has no plans of caring for her, and that she is only there because Nonnie bought her a ticket to visit. Gilly begs Trotter to take her back, but finally accepts her new home with Nonnie.
This book could be used in a classroom to identify with the struggles of others, and create empathy. I think it is a very sad story, but one that many children live in real life. There may be students in my classroom who are being fostered who could relate to this story very well. I'd like to discuss in my classroom how life involves choices that can either help you to succeed or cause you to fail. Life doesn't always give us what we expect or hope for, but it is possible to turn a bad or disappointing situation into a learning experience, and a positive experience. Many of the students should appreciate their own families and home lives more after reading this story.
The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherin Paterson, is the story of a tough-skinned, yet smart and creative, young girl who has been through many different foster homes in her young life. Gilly is an eleven-year-old girl growing up in Maryland, having a hard time adjusting to her new foster family, the Trotters. She has formed racist opinions and Mrs. Trotter's best friend is African-American, along with her new teacher. She has trouble at school, making only one friend, Agnes, and enjoys bullying her young foster brother, William. After discovering money in blind Mr. Randolph's book shelf, Gilly decides to buy a bus ticket to San Francisco where she knows her mother lives from a return address on a postcard that she sent. When the police pick her up, William begs her to come home, which she agrees to do. She then starts to turn things around for herself, doing better in school, reading Mr. Randolph's books, and teaching William to read. Just then, she is taken away to live with her grandma, Nonnie, in Virginia. Again, she has to adust to her new life, but never loses hope that her mother will take her to San Francisco. When her mother visits for the holidays, Gilly discovers that she has no plans of caring for her, and that she is only there because Nonnie bought her a ticket to visit. Gilly begs Trotter to take her back, but finally accepts her new home with Nonnie.
This book could be used in a classroom to identify with the struggles of others, and create empathy. I think it is a very sad story, but one that many children live in real life. There may be students in my classroom who are being fostered who could relate to this story very well. I'd like to discuss in my classroom how life involves choices that can either help you to succeed or cause you to fail. Life doesn't always give us what we expect or hope for, but it is possible to turn a bad or disappointing situation into a learning experience, and a positive experience. Many of the students should appreciate their own families and home lives more after reading this story.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. ISBN 0-14-034893-4. Mildred D. Taylor. 1976. Newberry Medal. Young Adult. African-American.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildren D. Taylor, tells the story of the Logan family who live on a farm in Mississippi during a the racially divided Depression era. The main character, Cassie Logan, is a nine-year old girl. She, and her family encounter many racial injustices, but have learned to either endure them or fight back in a not so obvious way as a means to survive. They own land, a rarity compared to many of the other black families that live near by, which is extremely important to their father. Cassie seems somewhat naive about the racism that is surrounding her, until she encounters it more directly, when she accidentally runs into a white girl in town. She is forced to apologize and get down on the road by the girl, and her father. The trouble continues as her mama loses her job as a teacher for battling agains the racism in her community, and Cassie's good friend T.J. gets caught up with some white boys who frame him in a robbery, which leads to him almost being lynched. Cassie's father, however, sets fire to the land, which distracts the lynch mob, saving T.J.'s life. We see Cassie crying at the end of the story, because she has endured so much hate around her. She seems to be less aware of the racism and the struggles her family go through in the beginning of the story. She has lost her innocence.
This story highlights the importance of family. This family is living in a time when their very lives were threatened by simply existing, but they did not let that stop them from trying to perservere. As a teacher, I would discuss with my class struggles their own families have overcome and why family is important. In a classroom, I would use this story to talk about racism, as well. The Depression happened less than 100 years ago, with the civil rights movement taking place only 50 years ago. It is always good to remind students of the importance of educating themselves about different cultures, or people that are different from the in some way, to avoid ignorance and hate.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildren D. Taylor, tells the story of the Logan family who live on a farm in Mississippi during a the racially divided Depression era. The main character, Cassie Logan, is a nine-year old girl. She, and her family encounter many racial injustices, but have learned to either endure them or fight back in a not so obvious way as a means to survive. They own land, a rarity compared to many of the other black families that live near by, which is extremely important to their father. Cassie seems somewhat naive about the racism that is surrounding her, until she encounters it more directly, when she accidentally runs into a white girl in town. She is forced to apologize and get down on the road by the girl, and her father. The trouble continues as her mama loses her job as a teacher for battling agains the racism in her community, and Cassie's good friend T.J. gets caught up with some white boys who frame him in a robbery, which leads to him almost being lynched. Cassie's father, however, sets fire to the land, which distracts the lynch mob, saving T.J.'s life. We see Cassie crying at the end of the story, because she has endured so much hate around her. She seems to be less aware of the racism and the struggles her family go through in the beginning of the story. She has lost her innocence.
This story highlights the importance of family. This family is living in a time when their very lives were threatened by simply existing, but they did not let that stop them from trying to perservere. As a teacher, I would discuss with my class struggles their own families have overcome and why family is important. In a classroom, I would use this story to talk about racism, as well. The Depression happened less than 100 years ago, with the civil rights movement taking place only 50 years ago. It is always good to remind students of the importance of educating themselves about different cultures, or people that are different from the in some way, to avoid ignorance and hate.
Scorpions
Scorpions. ISBN: 0-06-0623-7. Walter Dean Myers. 1988. Newberry Honor Award. Young Adult. Multicultural.
Scorpions, by Walter Dean Myers, tells the story of a young man struggling to survive in the harsh reality of poverty. Jamal is a 12-year-old African American boy who lives with his sister, Sassy, and his mother. His brother Randy is in jail for being involved in a robbery in which someone was killed, and his father, Jevon, comes around for money every now and then, but is absent due to his abusive ways. This character does not have a good male role model, and may be inclined to succumb to peer pressure, which is all around him in the form of the Scorpions gang. He does have one good friend, Tito, who is Puerto Rican American and being rasied my his grandmother. Jamal is pressured from his brother to lead the Scorpions, who deal drugs, so he can get money to bail him out of jail. He is given a gun by Mack, a Scorpions member, but still finds an honest job at the grocery store. Eventually he loses this job due to his new friends in the gang stealing from the store. Jamal uses the gun to threaten his bully at school, Dwayne, and feels the power it holds, but soon realizes that it is more trouble than it is worth, as Tito gets kicked out of his house for hiding it, and eventually uses it to defend Jamal in a gang fight, accidentally killing someone. Tito must go back to Puerto Rico, and Jamal must stay behind to face his life either by becoming part of the negativity or choosing a different path.
This book is filled with life lessons. Jamal is a character that seems to want to do what's right, and stay out of trouble, but cannot avoid it because of his brother, the Scorpions, and his surroundings in general. I would use this book to discuss peer pressure and how the consequences of succumbing to it can be severly detrimental. This is a very serious issue for students in the middle school and high school years. We could discuss ways in which to avoid being swayed into doing something you know is wrong and how what seems like the easiest path may not be the right one. Though I may not be teaching in an inner city school, these issues are still prevalent, especially amongst this age group.
Scorpions, by Walter Dean Myers, tells the story of a young man struggling to survive in the harsh reality of poverty. Jamal is a 12-year-old African American boy who lives with his sister, Sassy, and his mother. His brother Randy is in jail for being involved in a robbery in which someone was killed, and his father, Jevon, comes around for money every now and then, but is absent due to his abusive ways. This character does not have a good male role model, and may be inclined to succumb to peer pressure, which is all around him in the form of the Scorpions gang. He does have one good friend, Tito, who is Puerto Rican American and being rasied my his grandmother. Jamal is pressured from his brother to lead the Scorpions, who deal drugs, so he can get money to bail him out of jail. He is given a gun by Mack, a Scorpions member, but still finds an honest job at the grocery store. Eventually he loses this job due to his new friends in the gang stealing from the store. Jamal uses the gun to threaten his bully at school, Dwayne, and feels the power it holds, but soon realizes that it is more trouble than it is worth, as Tito gets kicked out of his house for hiding it, and eventually uses it to defend Jamal in a gang fight, accidentally killing someone. Tito must go back to Puerto Rico, and Jamal must stay behind to face his life either by becoming part of the negativity or choosing a different path.
This book is filled with life lessons. Jamal is a character that seems to want to do what's right, and stay out of trouble, but cannot avoid it because of his brother, the Scorpions, and his surroundings in general. I would use this book to discuss peer pressure and how the consequences of succumbing to it can be severly detrimental. This is a very serious issue for students in the middle school and high school years. We could discuss ways in which to avoid being swayed into doing something you know is wrong and how what seems like the easiest path may not be the right one. Though I may not be teaching in an inner city school, these issues are still prevalent, especially amongst this age group.
Friday, March 19, 2010
The Princess in the Pigpen
The Princess in the Pigpen. ISBN 0-395-51587-4. Jane Resh Thomas. 1989. The Kerlan Award. Ages 9-12. Historical Fiction.
The Princess in the Pigpen, by Jane Resh Thomas, tells the story of 9-year-old Elizabeth. She is the daughter of a Duke and Duchess in the year 1600. We begin the story seeing Elizabeth being tended to by her nanny, Sukie, because she is very ill. In a quick moment, however, she is standing in a pigpen in Iowa, 1988. Elizabeth is taken in by Kathy, Joe, and their daughter Ann, who live on the farm that she mysteriously appeared in with her doll and music box. The sheriff, doctor, and this family are all trying to figure out who Elizabeth really is because they can not believe that she is really from 1600 London. Elizabeth recognizes these people as mere peasants, but is enamored by their modern lights and cars, and their library, which she can not understand them having, being merely peasants. She also gets to experience playing with Ann without being told she can't by her nanny, who never lets her fraternize with the help at home. Many interesting facts about history and Queen Elizabeth the First are revealed throughout the story. Elizabeth finally makes it home, and realizes that she has been asleep for only five minutes in real time, 1600 London.
This book, being a fictional and historical, could really be fun to use with a classroom. It is very interesting and will keep a classroom's attention because everyone will want to know the fate of Elizabeth. Little snippets of historical facts are thrown in, as well, in an interesting and realistic way with Elizabeth having known the Queen and others from that time period. I would use this lesson to not only make history fun, but also to point out different perspectives and ways of life by discussing the differences between Ana and Elizabeth.
The Princess in the Pigpen, by Jane Resh Thomas, tells the story of 9-year-old Elizabeth. She is the daughter of a Duke and Duchess in the year 1600. We begin the story seeing Elizabeth being tended to by her nanny, Sukie, because she is very ill. In a quick moment, however, she is standing in a pigpen in Iowa, 1988. Elizabeth is taken in by Kathy, Joe, and their daughter Ann, who live on the farm that she mysteriously appeared in with her doll and music box. The sheriff, doctor, and this family are all trying to figure out who Elizabeth really is because they can not believe that she is really from 1600 London. Elizabeth recognizes these people as mere peasants, but is enamored by their modern lights and cars, and their library, which she can not understand them having, being merely peasants. She also gets to experience playing with Ann without being told she can't by her nanny, who never lets her fraternize with the help at home. Many interesting facts about history and Queen Elizabeth the First are revealed throughout the story. Elizabeth finally makes it home, and realizes that she has been asleep for only five minutes in real time, 1600 London.
This book, being a fictional and historical, could really be fun to use with a classroom. It is very interesting and will keep a classroom's attention because everyone will want to know the fate of Elizabeth. Little snippets of historical facts are thrown in, as well, in an interesting and realistic way with Elizabeth having known the Queen and others from that time period. I would use this lesson to not only make history fun, but also to point out different perspectives and ways of life by discussing the differences between Ana and Elizabeth.
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