Picture Books; Beyond Words and Illustrations

When you think about a picture book you usually think its a book that only displays pictures and a less amount of words. That's correct but picture books are also grouped into different categories like;  the Mother Goose Stories, Concept books, Alphabet books, counting books, Wordless picture books, toy books, pop-up books, easy to read books, picture storybooks and post modern picture books. When reading a picture book the elements of illustrations are very important. For instance Color is used to by artist to convey character,mood and emotion. Line is considered to be the most common and expressive element in picture books. Shape is the two-dimensional form representing an object.Texture the illusion of texture is created by an artist to communicate the sensation of roughness, smoothness, hardness, softness, and so forth. Style is not a separate element bu the impact of all of the elements together.Point of View Illustrators use a variety of perspectives to give readers different vantage points from which to view the events in a story. Distance refers to how close or far the viewer is from the scene in the illustration.Media painterly and graphic in which illustrators us to create their artwork.

Its very important that you understand how to read picture books. "The first critical step is to select a picture book in which the pictures are an integral part of the story and that meets the development needs and cultural context of the children with whom you will share the book with. Then make sure the children are within easy viewing of the book, if children cannot see the book, they will probably disengage from the experience."(Pg 100).

After reading the chapter a few things stood out to me that I would use in my own classroom. Having the students make picture books of their choice, A Literature Response Journal and also having the students complete a Reader's Theater(Drama). Each of these activities challenges the students understanding of books with words and without words.
some of the books I would use are:
1.Is it red, Is it Yellow, Is it Blue
2.The Water Hole
3.The Cat in the Hat
4.Where the Wild things are
5. Hugo
6. Curious George
7.Madeline
8. Were Back!
9.The Lorax
10. Shrek
Picturing Books
"Picture books are for everybody at any age, not books to be left behind as we grow older. The best ones leave a tantalizing gap between the pictures and the words, a gap that is filled by the reader’s imagination, adding so much to the excitement of reading a book." ~Anthony Browne, UK Children’s Laureate, 2009-2011

Traditional Literature

The Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, The Ginger Bread Man, Snow White And the Seven Dwarfs, Rumpelstiltskin etc. are wonderful traditional tales for students to read to each other or as a class.  Traditional literature are not only stories that expand out children's mind it helps children understand the personal dimension and standards of behavior of  a culture and the same time reduce stereotypes  It provides children with a framework for the literature, drama, and art they will later encounter, it provides entertainment and pleasure:children enjoy reading and hearing folk tales and it provides strong rhythm, rhyme and repetition of patterns.

As I was reading two things stood out to me. One is that folk tales are told in a numerous amount of ways for instance the Cinderella story has  700  different versions. Having the students explore different versions of Traditional Literature helps the student understand and except different cultures. Two was that Traditional literature can be taken beyond just reading in areas such as social studies, science and math.

One activity I would use in my classroom would be to have the student's write their own version of the following stories; Cinderella  The Ginger Bread Man, Three little pigs and Lion and the Mouse. Having students complete a fun and engaging writing assignment allows the student to feel comfortable and explore their own imagination when it comes to writing.

The following below are some of the different version of the Cinderella Story:

Reading By Children: Independent Reading, and Writing and Literature Circles

Preparing for Independent reading:

Since I have been an education major, in many of my classes it's required to complete observation hours. During my observation hours I have noticed many teachers classroom with their own Classroom library. From this chapter I have understood why having a classroom library can be very effective in the classroom. you can organize it by grade level, genre, topics or even by authors. It also prevents students not being able to find something to read during the hour. One technique I would take into consideration when having my own classroom is knowing my students literacy personalities. Its good to know what types of books your students like to enjoy and what types of books they don't enjoy. Finding out these little details about your students they will become motivated and engaged readers and writers for sure.

Student's Independent Reading:

Every child has a problem finding a book, even myself when I was younger and still now I do. One supportive technique I would use in my classroom is the "Goldilocks Strategy" by Ohlhausen and Jepson (1992) this technique was designed to help students find a book that is "just right" for them. Another technique I really enjoyed reading about is the "book talks". I cant remember ever having a book talk in class when I was younger. Having the students discuss books they have already read with their peers not only builds relationships in the classroom but connects them to each other by finding out that students among them enjoy reading similar or different books. book talks are mentioned as brief "teasers" that entice other readers to read a particular book being introduced.  Having a reading journal is another strategy I would use in my classroom it allows the students to write about the texts they have read. But the key to success with writing journals is to establish with the students the guidelines for journal entries.

Independent Writing:

"To learn to read is to learn to walk. To learn to write is to learn to rise." Jose Marti

Their are four major steps a teacher must consider when preparing for independent writing; Explore, Draft, Edit and Publish. When preparing writing in the classroom its very helpful to have all classroom materials ready for your future writers. Its also important to have enough supplies for all your students not just a few.One on One conferences I would use to discuss with a student by his/her self to help my student move forward in their writing.  Teachers can have a writing folder or writers notebook that has:
1. A list of topic ideas
2. A list of books that "spark" an idea
3. A list of action words, describing words, or other word choices
4. Writing rubrics, checklist, or guides

Defining Literature Discussion:

I found it very helpful to know that its very important when selecting books for literature circle time. That is should be based of the teacher knowledge of quality literature and of students literacy personalities, cultures, reading strengths and needs, independent reading levels and cross-curricular goals.
Forming discussion groups can be heterogeneous with more than five or six students. the students decide on a book and once they have chosen a book an initial meeting is helped with the teacher for further assistance. Their are four ways a teacher can encourage productive discussions:
1. Building community and ensuring active involvement
2. Model discursive skills
3. Model active listening
4. facilitate deeper conversations

Links I would use in my classroom that are very helpful to an engaging reading, writing classroom are:
http://wblrd.sk.ca/~bestpractice/reader/process.html
http://www.readingrockets.org/webcast/1005
http://www.litcircles.org
http://www.learner.org

Modern Fantasy

The link below is a discussion between a teacher and a student about how Harry Potter is considered Modern Fantasy. Modern Fantasy is a genre of books with its roots in folktales  legends, and myths, fantasy takes us beyond the world as we know it, defying the natural laws of physics, to a world where animals can talk, people can perform magic, and other worlds exist.

Modern fantasy can be broken into two different categories which are low and high modern Fantasy. Stories that are considered low fantasy take place in the real world but magical elements of fantasy make them impossible such as books titled Charlotte's Web and The tale of Peter Rabbit.  High Fantasy takes the information and experiences from the real world and projects them into an "other world". Books that are considered high fantasy are: The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, The Wonderful Wizard Of OZ and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

There are so many opportunities for readers in today's classroom to respond to Modern Fantasy in different curriculum areas such as History, science and language arts.

One of the books I would use in my classroom that show excellent Modern Fantasy is "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon". I would order a full set of books and give each one of my students a book to read for a daily homework reading assignment. After completing each night of reading the students would then record in a journal about what they were picturing while reading.  The students would keep this information in a reading log and once they have completed the book they would turn that reading log into me for a grade.

Modern Fantasy Video

 http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/6427153/modern-fantasy

Fantasy read a longs I would use in my classroom are:

1. Arthur series
2. Frog and Toad
3. Clifford the big red dog
4.Magic Tree House
5.Little Bear

Historical Fiction

As a future teacher I have to say historical fiction provides students in today’s class with historical truths. Historical fiction does more than give information to the reader, but it connects the reader to that particular time error. “Historical fiction helps children realize they are not just outsiders looking in on great historical events; it helps them appreciate that everyone plays a role in shaping history (Pg. 209)”. When looking into historical fiction books past and future authors have written offers so much to the students in our classroom. For instance it conveys a sense of life as it was lived, happens to ordinary people, broadens perspectives and helps children understand that the present and future are linked to actions of the past.

One approach I would use when introducing historical fiction to a group of students would be to start off with a Read aloud story. Starting off with a read aloud allows the students to focus on the message the writer is making and how the author comes up with such important information. Some of the stories recommended in the text were Barefoot: Escape on the Underground Railroad, Follow the Drinking Gourd, Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt, Liberty Street and Show Way. Depending on the age level of students I am working with accommodations would be made to fit their particular learning needs/style. After reading a book together as a class I would hold a book discussion, having these types of conversations about historical fiction provides an avenue for deep comprehension of text.

Historical fiction can be used all across the curriculum border in areas such as Math, Art, Music, Science and History of course.  ALL of these curricular aims are shaped form historical fiction. For instance history can be taught in art with having the students learn about famous Artist and what contributions they have made to American history. Also with Language arts; having the students learn about the lives of famous authors who are also brought to life in several historical fiction books.

bookgirl3.tripod.com/historicalfiction.html

Biographies and Informational Books

As a future teacher it's great for students in the classroom to experience nonfiction books. Nonfiction is the literature of fact consisting of biographies and information books that revolve around the social and scientific world. Nonfiction can benefit the students in our classroom in six major different ways. 1. It offers a key to success in later schooling, 2. It is ubiquitous in the larger society, 3. It is the preferred reading material for some children, 4. It addresses children's interest and questions,5. It builds knowledge of the natural and social world and 6. it includes many important text features.

An excellent  technique that I would use in my classroom with my students is the biographies report about authors who write nonfiction children books. I would have the students select three authors and complete a biographies.   I would have the students in my classroom complete a science project on books he/she has read that is related to science. The last technique i would use with the students in my classroom is  having the students research information in books authors write to make sure it's credited and up to date.  These activities not only challenge the students academically but builds interest to reading nonfiction material. A website that I would diffidently use in the future that can help me pick great quality books that was mention in the chapter and i visited is; 100 best nonfiction books for Pre-K to 8th grade.

http://www.rif.org/educators/book/100_nonfiction.mspx

Realistic Fiction

What is realistic fiction. Realistic Fiction is realistic in the sense that the setting, characters and events are plausible- they reflect contemporary places, people and situations. In today's classroom good realistic fiction benefits today's classroom in a numerous of ways. For instance a few benefits are: 1. It honestly portrays the realistic of life so children can gain a more in depth understanding of human problems and relationships. 2. It helps expand children's frames of reference and ability to see the world from another perspective.

There has been many controversial and sensitive issues about having realistic fiction read in the classroom.  The issues brought up through realistic fiction that teachers should stay away from are: Death, Divorce, Moral Choices, Mental, physical and behavioral challenges, abuse, Homelessness and Poverty, Sexism and Sexuality.      

Realistic fiction can be a big contribution to Literacy Development, most children are drawn to this type of writing so having a read a loud session gives the students an opportunity to think about the text and the message the author is trying to make. Also Scaffolding comprehension is another great contribute that  builds the students understanding of the story structure. Realistic Fiction also opens up another door and opportunities to have open-ended discussions and reading response journals. Realistic Fiction can be stretched through today's curriculum for instance science teachers can pair these types of books with class experiments and discuss how science knowledge is important in everyday life. Another is Math, social studies and language arts.

In conclusion of Realistic Fiction  teachers must keep in mind "the first amendment and the demands of censorship against concerns such as maintaining the integrity of the educational curriculum  meeting state education requirements, respecting the judgments of professional staff and addressing deeply held beliefs in students and members of the community"(Pg 190).

Diverse Perspectives in Children's Literature

       Chapter eleven speaks on diverse literature in today's classroom. Diversity means to have a range of different things. So with incorporating  diverse literature in today's classroom it allows the child from a different culture and life experiences to develop insight and understanding of their own culture and values through books they will encounter at the local or school library.
         Their are so many benefits from using diverse literature in today's classroom: some are the benefits are:
1. It provides enjoyment of quality literature that meets the criteria of literary and artistic merit.
2.It presents information and knowledge about the historical and continuing contributions of the people of diverse cultures who live in the united states.
3.It connects children to the world by exposing them to diverse viewpoints other that the mainstream.
4.It fosters awareness, appreciation, and understanding of people who are different from and similar to themselves.
5. It promotes critical inquiry into issues of equal representation of how people of diverse cultures are depicted in all books.
         Instructing Diverse literature has categories and levels of understanding. One of the categories spoken about in the chapter is Multicultural Literature. This section was broken into Cultural Diversity which can be broken down into; Cultural neutral, culturally generic and culturally specific. There is also  Religious diversity  which includes American Indian Spirituality, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Islam. The last component of diverse literature is other diverse perspectives which can be broken into aging, gender equity, exceptionalities, language, social diversity and family structures.
       In conclusion of diverse perspectives in children's literature their are two different strategies you can do to teach critical literacy in the classroom. these two strategies are problem posing which is a strategy that requires the reader to use questions to engage in critical analysis such as: who is in the text/picture/situation? who is missing? The other strategies that  can be used is called alternative perspectives which is exploring viewpoints of different characters in a story or different people in real-life situations. Within the classroom the teacher can make connections across the school academic curriculum within reading and language arts, social studies, science and math. Each component area has it's own unique way of connecting to the topic diverse children's literature.

Reading Aloud, shared and guided reading & Writting

Chapter 13 is strictly about children literacy in the classroom. The chapter breaks down into four different components the teacher may use with the students in a particular class. The components are: reading aloud, writing aloud, shared reading and guided reading.  Each component is detailed enough to guide the teacher to successfully complete this type of teaching technique.

Reading aloud is a type of teaching style that many teachers choose to do so, and with doing so this style has so many successful benefits for the students in the classroom.  Teachers must keep in mind while completing this type of activity when to read aloud, what to read aloud and how to read aloud. Each part of this style is detailed and broken down so that the opportunity for success is presented.
Writing aloud is another component that is detailed in the chapter and teachers must keep in mind when and what to write aloud and how to write aloud. “Writing aloud can make the complicated, invisible process of composing visible to children so that they can recognize and adopt these strategies as their own (Pg395)”. Shared reading the teachers must decide when and what to read during shared reading time, how to conduct shared reading. For instance shared reading should be conducted as a part of the daily reading instruction and can be also used for content are instruction as well.

Guided reading is the last components the books speak of that teachers are incorporating in today’s classrooms. Even though this type of teaching technique has disappeared teachers must keep in mind the benefits behind the technique,  what the children need to be reading during the guided technique and when and how to conduct guided technique teaching. In conclusion of this chapter the main objectives are to inform teachers of how to incorporate these types of teaching techniques in the classroom, which can improve the student reading performance.
Shared reading is the last component that was developed by Don Holdaway. In this type of structure in today's classroom shared reading is a time  where books can be read aloud to students in the classroom to help support all types of reading development. The important benefits that were mention in this chapter from this type of structure is that "shared book experience produced statistically superior impacts on all measures of reading proficiency (Pg 397)". The teacher must keep in mind when and what to read during shared reading  and how to conduct shared reading time.

Links for class activities:

The World Of Online Children's Literature

The New Literacies: The world of online Children's Literature is a chapter that reflects use of the Internet in today's classroom. Within the chapter it gives some brief information about the Internet and what technology terms the student and teacher may need to know before interacting with the Internet. The chapter also reflects how the Internet can open many doors to children when it comes to reading. The student has the option of accessing online read aloud's, online books, interactive storybooks, virtual meet the author and web cast of authors and illustrators all through the Internet. Having the access to the Internet allows a connection to be made from the student to the author. With building this connection the student can learn more about the author and the books he/she writes. The student can also see what that author is working on currently and where they live by selecting certain websites and links. This chapter also speaks about the opportunities of diversity and how using the Internet encourages the students to explore and appreciate aspects of their own cultural and linguistic  heritage. With access to the Internet children can develop projects around cultural and language diversity, have book discussions, create blogs, wikis and seeing book reviews online. One matter that must be taken into action when using the Internet in the classroom is inappropriate websites and how to block these websites from children in the classroom setting. This can be done by down loading certain software programs and having the parents go over with the child about Internet safety. One step a teacher can make before the students use the Internet is to have a demonstration of  how to use the Internet and the cites the students will be using.

Links:
Global Schoolhouse
Oz Projects
Story Book Online
The Literacy Project

Creating your own classroom library:
The Nightmare Room By R.L Stine
Giggle Poetry
The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Bio About Me

Hello everyone,

Hi my name is Brittany Brown. I was born in Fort Myers Florida in 1989 and have only lived in Fort Myers Florida. I have three dogs named Diamond, Batman and Destiny and a son named Shamier Hammond. I attended Edison Park Elementary, Cypress Middle and Cypress Lake High Center of the Arts School.

In high school I was known as the popular girl who played sports, I played Basketball, ran track and Cross Country, boxed and was a swimmer.  I mostly stuck to basketball and track all four years and ended up getting a scholarship to run in college at North Carolina Central University. In my teen years I worked at Wendy’s, Dairy Queen and TJ Maxx. The only Job I have worked that was close to my field of study and career choice was with the Boy’s and Girl’s club as a program Coordinator.

 I worked there for a full year and then was laid off because of me being put on bed rest during my pregnancy. While I was working at the club I was responsible for signing the students in daily, helping them with homework, implementing low and high impact activities, lesson plans, staff, time sheets, maintenance of the building and food. Having this type of job entailed a lot and my hours were Monday-Friday 1-630pm.

            My mother Sabrena works for the hospital, my sister Erica is an alumni of FGCU and now works in the hospital as well, my oldest brother Randall is in school at NCCU, my youngest brother Samaji is in elementary school and living with his mom in Atlanta, Georgia and my middle aged brothers Vincent and Jimmy are done with high school, but have not figured out what they want to do with their lives at this point. My father Vincent is in Cleveland, Ohio and is a chef for a restaurant in the area. My mother just turned 47 my sister is 26 my brothers are 27, 21, 21 and 12.

My journey to teaching started about four years ago. I used to be a student athlete in North Carolina at North Carolina Central University. During the three years I was there I was studying Physical Education majoring in Fitness & Wellness. Well at the time I wanted to open up my own children’s gym to help improve obesity in America. So during the course of study I had to take an adaptive education class. So half way through the course we were all of a sudden  required to volunteer weekly at an elementary school that offered adaptive physical education to students with special needs. During the last 2 months of the course I feel in love with the class, the students and wanted to impact children’s lives the same way. At the same time my mother was having health problems and I had to move back home so I applied to FGCU and got in and changed my major to the Education Program Majoring In child Youth studies with a minor in business. Some say I would be a great teacher but in reality to myself and what I am comfortable with I prefer being outside the classroom. My ultimate GOAL is to open up my own centers around the world for children & adults with special needs. The center will be called “THE LOVE, LAUGH & HOPE CENTER” where a helping hand can make a difference. The centers are going to structured and disciplined around the arts and life skills the children and adults will need to be successful citizens.  This became my choice of career because I love working with children and because I have family members of my own who have special needs. I also choose this career choice because I feel that it’s my calling to do so by my creator. Everyone has a purpose in life and I feel that this is the purpose I must fulfill.  I currently teach and mentor at a center called “The Quality Life Center” which is geared to after school services. I have a class of mix students from 5^th grade to 8^th grade students from different schools all across the lee county area.  What I teach is based around academics such as science, reading, math, health and nutrition. But as a teacher at the center we make the learning more hands on so the kids can enjoy completing the task and to be able to work other life skills they need to succeed in the real world. The unique strengths and talents I bring to my career is that I am very determined, enthusiastic, energetic, funny, kind and a hard worker. I can multitask and balance out many task that come my way if their straight forward and organized.