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!

 

Fantasy Chapter Book Reflection

Lewis, C. S. (1994). The lion, the witch and the wardrobe. New York,NY: Harper trophy.

 

As the years change and books become a major motion picture sometimes the cover changes also!! A classic and one of my favorite stories of all time is The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. C.S. Lewis brings  his readers to a new life and world of imagination every time you open one of his books. In the particular story we see a lot of person vs. person conflict, person vs. self conflict and a good story in which person vs. nature conflict is clearly displayed. With a progressive plot, the children of the story enter a wardrobe at progressing times and enter a fantasy world in which animals can talk and the unrealistic ideals of nature come true. A story that helps teachers in distinguishing between protagonists and antagonists, it is guranteed to hold at least one students interest!! Read the story as a class if time permitting and ask your class questions such as, if you were an adult and seen the children coming in and out of the wardrobe would you believe their story, how would you react? Get the perceptions from your students on this particular topic, it will help you to connect with them personally more. :)

Picture Book Reflection #5

Berenstain, S., & Berenstain, J. (1981). The berenstain bears go to the doctor. New York, NY: Random House Books for Young Readers.

 

 

As my preschooler comes home each week and talks about his new unit or what they are "talking about" this week I always try to coordinate a book to go with his unit to reinforce every night. When he came home Friday talking about careers and the doctor it was the perfect opportunity to bring this book out. The Berenstein Bears are usually a timeless favorite of all that come into contact with their stories/books. The story helps parents to ease the fear of their young children who are going to the doctor for the first time or returning after a "bad" trip. A story that offers person versus self conflict and person versus society conflict.

 

What are some big questions you would ask your students after reading this book? Would you focus more on the conflicts or the ability to overcome fears? Would this be an educational lesson or a personal/moral lesson, or would you even feel comfortable in admitting to not making it educational?

 

Picture Book #4

Numeroff, L. J., & Bond, F. (2005). If you give a pig a party. (1ed. ed.). U.S.A.: HarperCollins.

 

 

If You Give A Pig A Party is a story about a pig who wants to plan a party, but can never focus on the central planning idea. The pig begins by asking for balloons, then to decorate, invite friends, dress up, play games, etc. The story is very cute and follows sequence well. A lot of children I have seen enjoying this book are usually children who get off task easily as they can relate to the pig in the story.

 

What are your feelings, suggestions or ideas on allowing students to create an agenda or party for the class for a day? What kind of conflicts do you think you may encounter as a teacher?

Picture Book #3

Sendak, M. (1991). Where the wild things are. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.



Where The Wild Things Are is about a young boy named Max who gets into trouble with his mother by threatening to leave. Max's mother sends him to bed without dinner. While in the privacy of his room, Max goes on an imaginary journey to a farawy land and comes face to face with the "wild things", who are enormous creatures with large claws and teeth. The "wild things" make Max their kind and he and the "wild things" celebrate until Max tells them to sop and punishes them the same way he was! Join Max on his imaginary journey and true insight into how children really perceive or imagine things to be when not getting their way!

How could you incorporate an activity of making your own "wild thing" into a language arts lesson? I have used this book in math lessons dealing with addition/subtraction, multiplication and geometry.

Picture Book Reflection #2

Zander, M. (2004). Spookley the square pumpkin. Santa Monica: Lions Gare.

        As Halloween quickly approaches this week many teachers, especially elementary teachers, are scrambling around trying to include as many thematic stories/actitivies as possible. As we begin our graduate class, we are building a foundation of books by starting with picture books this week as our students do when learning to read!!
        Spookley the Square Pumpkin is a wonderful story if you are working on a thematic unit of Halloween, self-esteem, fitting it, math, etc. As a teacher you could use the book to talk about/compare & contrast shapes to younger children, to teach the different types of voice to older students and just as a reminder to high school students that everyone is different, but unique.
         How would you incorporate such an elementary level picture book into your high school classroom? What areas of content would you work it into?

Picture Book Reflection #1

Scieska, J. (1989). The true story of the three little pigs! By A. Wolf. New York: Viking.

     As we begin our class discussion about Flossie and the Fox, we begin to explore picture books. Everyone loves a good picture book, whether you be young or old, there is nothing like looking at a book with various types of carefully created artisitc media. From styles using collages to create pictures to actual photographs representing a specific part in a book, illustrations help to play a major part in many books.
      This particular helps students to learn about view points and perception. Through the story telling and descriptive language, readers are able to see a well known story from a completely different point of view. With this story, teachers are able to discuss perception and how sometimes it is everything. A teacher could use exit slips in which the students are asked to share what their perception of the story was as an excellent assessment tool. One could even use it as a pre-assessment and have the students ask the same question, but requiring that their responses be based solely on the title of the book.
      A personal connection that I would like to work on incorporating would be into a social studies lesson or unit on voting in which the book teaches a valuable lesson to my class in regards to perception and points of view and how although it is a topic that is very commonly talked about when an election is near, it can be misconstrued just be a simple misunderstanding. How would you incorporate this story into a social studies lesson? Please feel free to share!!

Introduction

Hi All!!

My name is Misty Meadors and I'm from Williamsburg, Kentucky. I currently am not teaching, but working in the mental health field with special needs children and families. I obtained my bachelor's in Elementary Education and Special Education from University of the Cumberlands. I have two energetic five year old boys who keep me busy with sports, play dates, school, etc. I like to scrapbook, read, take pictures and relax!! Hope to learn many things from all my classmates this bi-term. Good luck everyone :)!