Non-Fiction Blog

Field Exp Summary

What an overwhelming job as teachers, media specialists, support staff and even students have in the educational world today. Throughout my field experience in my undergraduate classes, I learned that most of the time you tend to go where you are comfortable and are most confident in building your lessons. With this class I stepped out of my comfort zone and ventured into the world of middle school! Eerie I know haha! Through meeting with various reading specialist teachers and media specialists I have come to learn that planning for this age group can be quit simple once you are used to it. I met many wonderful teachers and support staff who were a wealth of knowledge and a new asset to my career.

This particular field experience helped me to grow as a teacher/educator by seeing many new ways to incorporate technology into the classroom, ways to manage instruction in this type of setting, but most importantly ways to communicate the results to parents. At this age group, kids are usually hiding their reports, work, praises, etc. from their parents, the teachers and staff that I encountered this past bi-term are amazing and have shown me many ways to hopefully overcome this barrier if I ever am to cross it! :)

Reading Log

Reading Log (30+ titles)

Genres/Titles you read

1.    Non-fiction/Informational (1 reflection required on blog)

a.    Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

b.    A Child Called It by D. Pelzer

c.    Learn to Tell Time with the Munch Bunch by A. Mitson

d.   How to be a Nature Detective by J.E. Keats

e.    I Want to be a Policeman by C. Greene     

 

2.   Poetry (1 reflection required on blog)

a.    Witness by Karen Hesse  -  (Required for discussion)

b.    A Light In The Attic – S. Silverstein

 

3.   Modern Fantasy (1 reflection required on blog)

a.    The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer – (Required for discussion)

b.    The Hunger Games by S. Collins

c.    The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

d.   Wayside Schools Gets A Little Stranger by L. Sachar

e.    Harry Potter and the Socerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling

f.    Catching Fire by S. Collins

g.   Mockingjay by S. Collins

 

4.   Historical Fiction (1 reflection required on blog)

a.    A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck  - (Require for discussion)

b.    The Value of Creativity: The Story of Thomas Edison by A. Johnson

c.    Queen Elizabeth II, World Leader by S. Auerbach

 

5.   Multicultural/Traditional (2 reflections required on blog)

a.    Jessi Ramsey, Pet-sitter by A. Martin

b.    Lon PoPo: A Red Riding Hood Story from China by E. Young    

c.    November Blues by P. Draper

d.   Music, Music for Everyone by V. Williams          

 

6.   Realistic Fiction (1 reflection required on blog)

a.    The Last Safe Place on Earth by Rickard Peck  - (Required for discussion)

b.    Junie B. First Grader, Boo and I MEAN IT! by B. Park

c.    Amber Brown Wants Extra Credit by P. Danzinger

d.   Junie B., First Grader Turkeys We Have Loved and Eaten (and Other Thankful Stuff) by B. Park

e.    Hatchet by G. Paulsen

 

7.   Picture Books (5 reflections require on blog)

a.    Flossie & the Fox by Patricia McKissack  -   (Required for discussion)

b.    Spookley the Square Pumpkin by M. Zander

c.    The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by J. Scieska

d.   Where the Wild Things Are by M. Sendak

e.    If You Give A Pig A Party by L. Numeroff

f.    The Berenstein Bears Go to the Doctor by S. & J. Berenstein

g.   The Very Hungry Caterpillar by E. Carle

h.    Faithful Elephants by Y. Tsuchiya

i.     The Sweetest Fig by C. Van Allsburg

 

 

 

 

 

Wiki Checklist

          Art  -- The Very Hungry Caterpillar

          Social Studies – The Other Side

          Math – Spaghetti and Meatballs for Everyone

          Language Arts – November Blues

 

Historical Fiction

Johnson, A. (1984). The value of creativity: The story of thomas edison. La Jolla, California: Value Communications.

 

What better way to inspire your students to never give up on their dreams, no matter how many times they are unsuccessful, especially if it's from a historical fiction book? The story of Thomas Edison is a wonderful way to introduce your students to historical fiction and most importantly give a deep, insightful lesson!

The Value of Creativity: The Story of Thomas Edison is a themed book in which young Thomas is taught to never give up on your dreams, no matter how many times he may be unsuccessful! Readers are able to meet the character through his trial and error process. We are also familiarized with this character thourhg the elaborate illustrations. While young Thomas deals with person vs. self conflict, he soon learns that constant failure will cause him to give up on himself, which no child should ever feel!!

The story seems to have a fairy tale feel to it as it begins, but is based on historical facts in which a young child is known for his ability to take things apart and make them work either again or better!! A wonderful story to accompany a science fair or as a supplemental to a writing project, this story is a must read for all classrooms!

Realistic Fiction

Danzinger, P. (2008). Amber brown wants extra credit. Puffin.

Aww the story of Amber Brown!! Wouldn't it be amazing to have such a colorful name haha! This little lady doesn't think so!! A story in which all children can relate to you! Even adults can get a laugh out of this comical book!! A story in which person versus person conflict is present in a situation in which many children can relate to these days, dating parents/remarried parents! Person versus self conflict is present throughout the entire book and is also something that children can relate to! The plot unfolds as the story of a mothers new boyfriend and the struggle that the child in the home, Amber, faces, takes a turn for the better when she realizes that Max will never take the place of her father, but can be an additional support in her life. A story in which struggling students could be allowed an opportunity to create rememberance books or make shift patchwork quilts to create a momento to keep themselves. This realistic fiction book is geared towards younger age children, but can be appreciated by many others! Although activities to go along with this book could be more writing based for reflective pieces, teachers could use the book across content areas to engage the students through real-life experiences.

Poetry Reflection

Silverstein, S. (1981). A light in the attic. New York: Evil Eye Music, Inc.

 

 

One of my favorite books of all time and perfect for the genre of the week poetry! I didn't come to truly appreciate the book until I was a sophomore in high school and in my honor's english class the teacher decided we should form groups and act out the poems in this book to the entire scool as a production! Although the tasks seemed ridiculous and inappropriate for my age and the age group of my peers, turns out we loved the activity and the joy/laughter of the younger children made it all worthwhile. Meanwhile the older age group performance helped to build self-confidence and show our peers that we weren't afraid to do silly things! A book with a poem by single poets, for almost every situation and/or everyone, one that a teacher can share for a quick moment to fill in a free space in time or one that a teacher can use as an opening activity or to teach characterization, metaphors, similes, etc. in mini lessons. For all you secondary teachers, consider incoroporating this book into your daily routine or yearly curriculum in some way and share your ideas please!!

 



Traditional/Multicultural Book Reflections (2)

Young, E. (1989). Lon po po: A red-riding hood story from china. New York, Ny: Philomel Books.

The Chinese spin-off of the original traditional tale of Little Red Riding Hood. A story in which wit and outsmarting others plays a huge role in the safety of a few children. I LOVED the spin off that the author created in this book. I love seeing varieties and approaches to traditional stories as we encourage our children to do the same in some of the many activities that we incorporate into our daily classroom. By creating stories like this, our students are able to be imaginative and think of the many possibilities and big questions of the story that we may not think of. The illustrations in the book were also wonderful and very vivid!! This is a book that I would encourage teachers to share with their students over and over again each year!! Challenge your students to questions such as what would happen if the students believed the wolf to be their PoPo? What other ways could the children have tricked the wolf? The possibilities are endless!!

 

 

Williams, V. (1988). Music, music for everyone. New York, Ny: Greenwillow Books.

A story that many young children are facing more and more each day as the societial views and unfortunate circumstances are changing. A story of a young Rosa who has to help her hard working mother take care of her sick grandmother. A story of trials, triumph and bonding of friends together. It is a heart warming story that allows for a more moral lesson, but can implemented in a music lesson. Students are more likely to be able to relate to this story, especially in the area I'm from. The big questions will probably come more internally which would allow for a journaling opportunity and a window into their struggles. A book that I suggest all teachers use when beginning the school year!