Chapter 7: Picture Books

Picture books are for everyone it does not discriminate age eventhough it is said that picture books are to be only considered for younger readers. Everyone always needs picture to make books more interesting. Illustrations tell a story and are meaningful to the text. Chapter 7 Picture books: Picture book can illustrate the story and can set the mood of the story. In a class activity Mrs. Pickett brought a book about Olivia the pig and describes how this book color is monochromatic/ one color. The color is dark with grays, black, and gray shadings of the pages. The color makes the book dark and Olivia is always in red and stands out within the book from the rest of the characters. The lines are also an element that influences the reader. The lines in the Olivia book are smooth and simple. It sets the mood of simplicity. Picture books are great for picture walks and have the students predict what the story is about. Once you are finished with the picture walk, read the book thoroughly and once finished talk about predictions and confirm or discuss why. Picture books are for all ages.
Author profile 10:
Wicks, K. (1985). The Children's First Computer. New York, NY: Exter Books.
Summary: The Children’s First Computer (1985) has fifty-nine pages of basic aged photos of the 1980’s. The non-fiction book explores twenty-five subjects on computers and the uses of technology. (Wicks, 1985) begins with a plain introductory of micro-computers and then shows how they can be used in the workplace, hospitals and schools and becoming popular in the home. The book explores programs, sound, graphics, color displays and printers.
Age group: 11-13 Grade level: 6-8
Teacher uses: This book displays all the qualities of a 1980’s book and is a great learning tool in a technology course. It is great with compare and contrast with the advancements of technology we have now and the tools that are outdated or updated. This is an introductory book to start a course to collaborate on critiquing about the computer storage from floppy discs to what we have now compact discs.
Personal Critique: I found this book really interesting because of its age and its purpose still on book shelves. I know that outdated books can be a great teaching tool if used appropriately. The language of the book is for middle school grades even though its title indicates first computer. The glossary has computer terms and that are still in use today but a few that I noticed that have been obsolete for example, daisy wheel which is used on a typewriter and bug now called a virus.
Author Profile 11:
Gifford, C. (1999). Media and Communicaitons . New York, NY: Dorling Kindersley.
Summary: Media and Communicaitons (1999) has sixty-one pages of genuine illustrations and twenty-five subjects of communciation, media and the people who use them and future technology. (Gifford, 1999) begins with the definition of communication and how the world share that information through media. It begins with prehistoric communcations through grunts, smoke signals, spreading the word through mass marketing and computers. The communciation crossing cultures and thorugh the ages of how propaganda can appeal through people’s emotions and how cropping a photo can have different meanings. This a great book of history and future of media and communication explored through the inventions and advancements in rapidly changing world.
Age Group: 11-13 Grade Level: 6-8
Teacher uses: This book is properly leveled for its grade level and can be used in a technology course. In demonstrating the variety ways of the advancements of technology has made people’s lives easier. This is a great collaborative book on how students use technology to meet pratical purposes.Personal Critique: I found this book to be very informaitve and took pleasure in reading it. The viewpoint of the author (Gifford, 1999) takes an intriguing look on media. My interest was in the demonstraion of how media can be detrimental and beneficial is used properly. I would have students brainstorm on other ways technology is evolving and how we communicate with media.
Author profile 12:
Somervill, B. A. (2007). What's The Big Idea. New York, NY: The Rosen Publishing Group.
Summary: What's The Big Idea (2007) has twenty-four pages of kid friendly illustrations that they can relate to. (Somervill, 2007) identifies the phases involved in following the scientific method, forming and testing a hypothesis when conducting a science exploration. The book gives a science problem and guides students through steps to become investigators with a familiar question about eggs and in using there best guess just as scientists would. The books discusses how Edison had many tries on the phonograph experiments and did not always succeed.
Age Group: 5-7 Grade level: K-2
Teacher uses: This literature is leveled at the right age group and can be used for whole class instruction. The science terms are advanced and introduced throughout the book but are defined in children’s language. This book can be used to relate to realife problems and introduced with the egg experiment. A scientific inquiry could be used and students can explain their reasoning for the gather the information and communicate their findings.
Personal Critique: I found this science book interesting because it compares the students to Thomas Edison and how he is a scientist who makes mistakes and it took him several tries and years to improve his inventions. This is great introductory book for science experiments and its process.

Little Red Riding Hood-Path of Needles

This is for chapter 6 Traditional Literature. The Path of Needles or Pins Little Red Riding Hood by Terri Windling.
While Red is taking her grandmother goodies the wolf asked her which she path she will choose. The story is gruesome of the wolf who eats the grandmother and has Little Red eat her flesh and blood. He decieves Little red to undress herslef and lie in bed with him. While pins marked the path of maidenhood, needles implied sexual maturity.
http://www.endicott-studio.com/rdrm/rrPathNeedles.html
There are so many versions/ renditions of the Little Red and sides of who told the story. This can be used in a classroom activity as retelling your version or coming up with an alternative character who has an untold story.

Author Profile 7:
Platt, R. (2003). Eureka! Great Inventions and How They Happened. Boston, Mass: Kingfisher.
Summary: Eureka is ninety-five pages of vivid illustrations and antique photographs and thirty-examples of inventors and their innovations. The book has major sections separated: Everyday Life and Health; Getting Around; Lenses and Light; Electricity; and Patience and Planning. The chapter towards the end displays the invention of Thomas Edison and the phonograph and how his idea started out and Berliner improved Edison’s invention.
Age group: 11-13 Grade Level: 6-8
Teacher Uses: This book can be used for science and social studies courses. There is a chronological list of inventors and their inventions in the back. A glossary with scientific and history terms used throughout the book. This book is great source to start with a literature before a lesson.
Personal Critique: I enjoyed this book and how the greatest invention came about, a short biographical narrative and the effect of the invention on our society. An introductory book for the start of a lesson on how we have items that we use today. The story of Archimedes and his “Eureka” moment starts off the section of the book and it’s a great talk for those making a discovery and solving.
Author Profile 8:
Platt, R. (2004). Communication from Hieroglyphs to Hyperlinks. Boston, Mass: Kingfisher.
Summary: Communications from Hieroglyphs to Hyperlinks is sixty-one pages of eye-catching illustrations and with appealing topics. The book displays several ways in which humans communicate by speech and writing, flag and fire, and through the use of technology such as the internet and television. In technology (Platt, 2004) displays the innovation of sound recording towards Edison’s talking machine and becoming the compact disc that we use today.
Age group: 11-13 Grade level: 6-8
Teacher uses: This literature book is leveled at a high level and suitable for whole group or independent instruction. I can be used for brainstorming of ideas of humans communicating and how it gets from me to you and around the world. This book has a glossary with communications terminology in the back. It gives links for extended lesson and to further understanding of communication technologies.
Personal Critique: I would describe this literature as very interesting in grabbing my attention because it large illustrations and it guides through each main topic. I would introduce this book in a technology class on the importance of communication and why we use it.
Author Profile 9:
Jay, M. (1995). The History of Communications. New York, NY: Thomas Learning.
Summary: The History of Communications has 48 pages of attention-grabbing illustrations and has nine subjects of ways human use of communications. (Jay, 1995) introduces the foremost developments of ways of communicating. It starts with the printed word and the innovation of the printing press and to the other telecommunications that have shaped the world today. The book explores Edison’s invention of the phonograph and the evolution of sound recording up into the digital age. An examination into advancements of inventions and their inventors and describes future frontiers.
Age group: 11-13 Grade level: 6-8
Teacher uses: The non-fiction book is leveled appropriately and can be used for Science and English Language Arts. The reason I would use it for English is because it begins with the foundation of written communication for example the ancient writing into the development of paper. In a science course it would be about scientific discoveries and technological advancements and making predictions of future inventions. It has a chronological list of inventors, discoveries, and the progression it has brought our world it is today. There is a glossary of science and communication terms that can be used as a guide throughout the entire book.
Personal Critique: I found this book very interesting because of the transmission of ideas and words among us and how the advancements came because of prehistoric age. I would introduce this book in grade six and have them brainstorm on all the forms of communication we used today because of the advancements of technology.

Graphic organizer/ Story Plot

Today as a class actvity we did a graphic organizer on The Boy Who cried Wolf. Our graphic organizer we had to determine the story plots with the introduction, the rising action, the climax, falling action and the resolution. The graphic organizer is a summary of putting the ideas together without telling the entire story. The story of The Boy who cried wolf can have alterantive endings. This activity is good way for students to retell a story with illustration.
Chapter 5 Poetry: In class discussion, poetry was traditionally taught to dissect and analyze the parts of poetry and poetry was always to rhyme.

Chapter 4 Responding to Literature:

Chapter 4 Responding to Literature: In awareness of student’s development because they learn at different levels. Students learn and respond by socio-dramatic play and with peer groups. Young children are concrete operational and need concrete objects. Abstract thinking is difficult and the understanding to comprehend. Especially for science I believe students need to experiment with manipulatives to learn through hands-on-experiments. Teachers selecting books for the individual is DAP. The student’s cultural background affects the student’s perspective on the characters of stories. The teacher’s perspective makes a great difference in helping the student comprehend a story. Students learn about stories by teachers providing opportunities for students to respond orally with retelling, book talks, book discussions, and choral speaking.

Chapter 3 Understanding what we read

Chapter 3 Understanding what we read: Comprehension, vocabulary, & Discussion: In building the student’s knowledge by using their existing schema but if there is no current schema there is very little comprehension. In helping students build their schema is having them read aesthetically. Students presently read to learn and have lost interest in reading for enjoyment. It call it the “hidden curriculum” when students enjoy reading a particular literature but know that their actually learning. In class we talked about giving the students interest readings for example an interest magazine or newspaper. This helps them in retelling in what was just read because of the content and comfortable with a topic. I feel as long you have a child reading they are comprehending. In building comprehension a teacher can guide a student by using the KWL process and taking a picture walk in hooking the student. Assessment is key to meeting the needs of students and remediating them. I have learned about DAP and Gardner’s multiple intelligence meeting the needs.

Chapter 2 Culturally Responsive Classrooms

Chapter 2 Culturally Responsive Classrooms: In meeting the needs of all learners. Teachers need to be responsive to all different cultures and not ignore that children come in different sizes, ability levels, colors and shapes. Schools usually teach traditionally the western ways and so stories have different meanings to different cultures. In teaching responsibly get to know the learners culture, each child individually and acknowledge your own biases. In making this cultural shift a teacher can make the adjustment to the child and make the student feel valued.

Chapter 1 Believing in Living Literature:

Chapter 1 Believing in Living Literature: Teens interest in reading declines because the transition of reading. The transition of reading changes from reading for interest to reading to learn. In Vtgosky he says to teach in the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) with cooperative learning and a community of learners. Children are autonomous learners and should be able to learn on their own. In finding interest literature that children will enjoy. In staying current with today’s literature and keep reading active with emotion and attitude. In just surrounding children with books doesn’t create a enthusiasm to read a teacher must implent a love for reading.