reflection
This curation process has been one of intrigue and frustration - frustration because I would like to read and review more books. Now with this new knowledge, I am able to confidently select good-fit books better than before. I feel like I personally failed in this process though. I am a strong proponent of using graphic novels in the classroom, yet I neglected to select a graphic novel for the purpose of this assignment. I like to use graphic novels for teaching inferring skills and storyboarding. Since I teach grade 4, I usually use the Bone series as many students enjoy it. A future goal is to locate and retrieve graphic novels that support the grade 4 or grade 5 curriculum; I would like to further explore Aboriginal graphic novels as I feel these will bring about fantastic discussion and further exploration of Canada's dark past.
Though I have selected a variety of Canadian authors (e.g. Slade, Korman, Watt, Spires), I did not select any novels or picture books with Canadian content. This saddens me because using Canadian literature will widen a sense of identity - many young students do not know what being Canadian is about; many take it for granted. Also, with this curation, am I able to attract struggling or reluctant readers. I would further like to explore the use of "high interest-low vocabulary" books. I know Orca Publishing has a variety of genres and I would like to select some "hi-lo" books as read alouds.
Another personal goal is to incorporate more wordless picture books into the classroom. With these, I am able to teach story boarding and aid struggling readers. This past month, I have attempted to use wordless picture books with two of my struggling readers. They have enjoyed the process of recording the events of each page using a Chromebook. So far, each students' story has been different. They want to do more reading!
I have begun to think more critically about selecting books as read alouds. Am I selecting a book because I enjoy it? Did I think about students in my class about reading a certain book? With teaching a grade 4/5 classroom, I tend to read aloud books about friendship, perseverance, creativity, animals, sacrifice and mystery. [Teachers] can provide a great deal of information by the act of reading itself. The more we read aloud to our kids and the more they read by themselves, the more experience they'll have of the world through the things they encounter in books (Fox, 2008). Of course, all of it is fiction. Now, I would like to begin the process of reading more information books to the class. As Young, Moss and Cornwell (2007) suggest, student interest in topics addressed in non-fiction trade books can provide the catalyst thatt turns reluctant readers into ravenous readers.
The following curation is a sample of my personal canon. I have used many of these books as read alouds for classroom use.
Novels
Crenshaw had excellent timing. He came into my life just when I needed him to. It was a good time to have a friend, even if he was imaginary. Jackson loves facts...specifically nature facts; he wants to be a scientist when he grows up. He likes facts better than stories because you can't hold [stories] in your hand and measure it. Jackson is about to enter the fifth grade and can't explain why he is seeing something that looks awfully familiar. Jackson had seen Crenshaw (a seven-foot tall talking cat) before, back when he and his family lost their house and lived out of a minivan. But times were different then, Jackson was younger and did not fully understand his parents' hardships. Dad is limited with what he can do while his mom works multiple jobs. Both were once musicians but that was a long time ago. Soon, Jackson is faced with the same dilemma - money is tight and his parents are forced to move out of their home again. Crenshaw is back, to help Jackson find solace with his current happenings. Imaginary friends never leave...they [are] on call. Just waiting, in case they [are] needed. With a little help from Crenshaw, Jackson is able to confront his parents and requests that they be honest with him at all times. |
Applegate, K., & Castelao, P. (Illustrator). (2012). The one and only ivan. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.
I live in a human habitat called the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. We are conveniently located off I-95, with shows at two, four, and seven, 365 days a year. Inspired by actual events, Applegate writes a story about a silverback gorilla and his friends living in a mall off of I-95. Ivan narrates the story from his perspective. He talks about his life in the jungle, his sister, Tag, being raised by Mack, watching television and creating art. For almost a quarter century, Ivan has lived inside the small enclosure and shared it with a stray dog, Bob. Ivan is also one of the star performers with Stella, the elephant, as another. Stella is an aged, retired circus elephant with a scarred leg. With the mall's owner, Mack, losing money he decides to purchase a much younger elephant, Ruby, to headline the daily shows. Ivan appears to be happy until a frightful event happens to Stella - her leg becomes infected and Mack does not have the sufficient funds to pay for a vet. As Stella's life dwindles, she asks Ivan to make a promise - to keep Ruby safe from harm. |
Serenity, New Mexico is a little utopian city. There is no homelessness, lying is against the rules and the city has the best standard of living in the country. This is according to the one and only local newspaper. Eli Frieden is the son of the school principal/mayor. He is a tech-savvy individual who is happy with his life and does not see any thing wrong with his city. Everything changes for Eli when he and his best friend, Randy, bike ride past city limits in search of an old sports car. Eli became in agony, blinded by the kind of headache that lodges behind the eyes like a glowing coal, pulsating and doubling in intensity. The pain is unimaginable. It's not just a terrible thing; it's the only thing. Once Eli comes out of his so-called "sickness," he learns that Randy is being sent away to live with his grandparents. After Randy leaves, Eli grows suspicious and finds a secret letter from Randy about how strange the city is. Eli and a small group of friends begin to uncover secrets about the city and how their parents are not who they say they are. Little bread crumbs of clues lead to an explosive truth. With only 30 students in a class, 11 of them are somehow connected. Eli and four others learn what certain adults do in the name of scientific research. |
The unfortunate monster couldn't be more than a year old. It was standing upright, but the small cage forced it to bend its neck, emphasizing its hump. On the bottom of the cage a plaque read, L'ENFANT DU MONSTRE. Slade's steampunk adventure reimagines the Hunchback of Nortre Dame, Quasimodo, as a young British secret agent. Under the watchful eye of the mysterious, Mr. Socrates, Modo is raised in isolation. He is well-educated, has read the classics, taught to be a gentlemen and trained to harness his unusual shapeshifting abilities to service the Permanent Association. The Association has been watching the rise of the evil Clockwork Guild. What is reason for the Guild to kidnap orphans? What is the Guild trying to achieve? With the aid of pickpocket, Octavia Milkweed, Modo attempts to uncover the secrets of the Guild and to stop the unnatural experiments on children conducted by Dr. Hyde. Slade creates an extraordinary descriptive Victorian London. He includes perspectives from all characters including the soft, caring side of Modo to the evil, unholy characteristics of Dr. Hyde. Readers from grades 6-11 will appreciate the well-descriptive writing and exciting adventure. |
Stratford creates a literary mashup of nineteenth century London. In his reimagined world, historical characters are the main protagonists - Mary (Shelley) Godwin, author of Frankenstein and Ada (Lovelace) Bryon, considered the world's first computer program, are entwined to solve mystery cases. A young Charles Dickens also appears as a friend of Mary. To free himself of any historical inaccuracies, Strafford indicates that this is a "made-up story." In fact, the real-life personas of Mary and Ada were actually eighteen years apart in age rather than three. The vocabulary used throughout the book is descriptive with Stratford including definitions of what some of the rigorous words mean. In Stratford's world, Mary (14) is an observant, romantic who has an adventurous side while Ada (11) is a recluse who lacks social skills. She is also brilliant in mathematics and chemistry. Together, they create a "clandestine" (secret) constabulary for the apprehension of clever criminals. Their first case involves finding a priceless stolen heirloom - an "acorn." Who took the item? Was it the maid? Ada does not seem convinced. To add to a sense of realism, the black and white illustrations are beautifully drawn and are a crucial element for readers to see the simple details of London during that particular time. The Case of the Missing Moonstone is a fun read for grades 4-6 and introduces readers to mystery and detective skills. |
Picture Books
Beaty, A., & Roberts, D. (Illustrator). (2013). Rosie revere, engineer. New York, NY: Abrams.
This elegant story about a young girl named Rosie is told using rhyming text. Rosie is an imaginative thinker who is shy with her creations. When Rosie was younger, she enjoyed sharing her creations with her family. When she created one for her Uncle Fred, she immediately grew embarrassed because he laughed at her. Now, Rosie creates inventions in her room but hides them under her bed. Rosie eventually finds encouragement from her great-great-aunt Rose who'd worked building airplanes a long time ago. Rose laughs at one of Rosie's inventions but states, "You did it! Hooray! It's the perfect first try!" She helps Rosie see that it was an actual success.
The illustrations of this book were mad with watercolors, pen, ink, pencil and graph paper. The pages are colorful and characters are vibrant. Though it appears the illustrations are busy and cover from bottom to top, it matches the clever imagination of Rosie. Roberts does a great job focusing on Rosie and the other characters' emotional state - laughing, red cheeks, sadness, joy and astonishment. Recommended for grades kindergarten to grade 7. Discussions can lead to topics of brainstorming and teaching perseverance.
Gay, M.L. (2002). Stella, fairy of the forest. Toronto, ON: Goundwork Books.
"A giant waters them everyday," said Stella.
Adventurer Stella leads her soft spoken, younger brother through fields, streams and into a forest. Their goal is to catch a fairy. The inquisitive nature of Sam complements the soft spoken Stella nicely. She always has an answer to his questions, though they may be quite imaginative. The simple language between the young siblings work very well. Gay doesn't focus on describing the setting or how the characters appear. We see these characteristics through her illustrations. Stella's long curly hair, Sam's blushed cheeks or the bark on a tree are carefully drawn. She also adds detail to the background as well (e.g. rabbits hiding in the trees). Gay's watercolour illustrations are vibrant and provides an extra visual perspective to match the dialogue. The two children are not the only focal points, rather, Gay illustrated a beautiful world that allows Sam to ask a lot of questions. She includes different perspectives to show off the natural world around Stella and Sam (e.g. a shot from Sam's backside, wide shot and a bird's eye-view). Recommended for kindergarten to grade 2. The Stella series are great to use to teach the Reading Power strategy of asking thin and thick questions.
Lehman, B. (2004). The red book. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.
In this beginning wordless picture book for young readers, Lehman creates a sense of curiosity; the power of a book to peer into another area. The red book acts like a portal, an experience by three characters, including the reader itself. On a cold winter day, a girl discovers the top of a red book in a snow pile. She quickly rushes to school and begins to read the book. The book shows her a island where a boy also finds a similar red book. The boy is able to see the snowy city and zooms onto the location of the girl. The girl has an idea. She purchases a bundle of balloons to lift her to the island. Sadly, she drops the red book and the boy becomes discouraged, seeing what has transpired. The reader sees the girl landing on the island with the boy, both are excited. Back in the city, an older boy picks up the book that was lost and eloquently looks back onto the reader. Lehman breaks the "fourth wall" since the older boy now responds to the reader.
Done in watercolor, gouche and ink, the simple illustrations invites the reader to peak inside - similar to a mirror.
Karas, G.B. (2014). As an oak tree grows. New York, NY: Penguin Group.
Reynolds, P. (2012). Skycolor. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
Reynolds completed his illustrations in pen, ink, watercolour, gouache and tea. His characters are drawn in black and white while Marol's paints, artwork and background are all in color. We see Marisol in color when she dreams about the perfect color to paint the mural. The message of persevering, problem-solving and thinking outside the box runs true throughout the story. A recommended read for kindergarten to grade 6.
Roberts, J., & Robinson, C. (Illustrator). (2014). The smallest girl in the smallest grade. New York, NY: Penguin Group.
Roberts does a fantastic job writing an effective rhyming prose. She includes simple descriptive sentences for young readers to understand and a powerful simile - She'd seen how a whisper could make someone cower like a bulldozer crushing through fields of wildflowers. Robison's crayon illustrations are reminiscent of what young artists would create - round heads, dot (coloured) eyes and simple bodies. She leaves a lot of whitespace on the pages to have the characters facial features as the focal point. A powerful message will lead to many teachable moments. A fantastic read aloud for kindergarten and grade 1.
Spires, A. (2014). The most magnificent thing. Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press, Ltd.
Through careful planning, creating blueprints, and with the help from her assistant, her dog, a girl is determined to create something useful. At times, her creation do not work and decides to create another one, many more to be exact. Frustrations heighten because the girl can not create something she is happy with and quits. With the help from her assistant, the girl decides to go for a walk. She sees her creations lined up on the sidewalk and notices that some parts are wrong while others are right. Individuals arrive and announce that her creations are indeed useful and begin to take one each. Feeling happy again she is able to create something useful...a most magnificent thing.
Spires showcases the phases of emotions young children go through when they create something. Feelings of excitement, frustration and perseverance are highlighted. Spires illustrations demonstrates the emotions of the characters - they are in colour while the background remain back and white. The dialogue contemplates each frame - short and direct. The amount of white space allows the girl and her assistant to stand out. Also, with some pages having 3 - 4 colourful frames, readers are able to see the thinking process of the young girl. An excellent read to highlight the creative process. Recommended read aloud for kindergarten to grade 7.
Thomson, B. (2013). Fossil. Las Vegas, NV: Amazon Publishing.
In this wordless picture book, a boy finds a mysteriously shaped rock while walking his dog on a beach. He trips, the rock breaks open and notices a fossil of a fern. Suddenly, a real fern appears in front of him. He breaks open a second rock and out appears a dragonfly. He does the same with a third and out pops a pterodactyl. Thomson's illustrations are life-like; there are different viewpoints of the boy and dog's facial features. Equally important are the sequences of frames - there are close-ups, full spreads and different vantage points. This demonstrates the consent movement of the boy running away from the predator.
Watt, M. (2007). Chester. Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press Ltd.
I apologize for Chester's behavior in my mouse story. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Sincerely, Melanie Watt
Blah! Blah! Blah!
Author/illustrator, Melanie Watt, is attempting to write a story about a mouse. Unfortunately, her cat, Chester, interferes, takes a red marker and starts to create a story of his own. He crosses out Melanie's words and adds his own. This is a humorous tale about two individuals who battle each other to get what they want. Melanie eventually concedes and writes a story about Chester. He seems to like the direction his story is heading until the very ending. "Now it's personal," he declares.
The dialogue and illustrations works well with the characters. Chester is a pudgy, orange cat, the mouse is gray and white. Melanie is nowhere to be seen. Her character speaks through the dialogue. Chester and the Mouse break the "fourth wall" as they interact with the reader. The story must be read in two different voices for this to make sense. A fun, laugh-out-loud read for kindergarten to grade 2.
Willems, M. (2013). That is not a good idea. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers
non-fiction Titles
Journey to the north where the physical environment is extreme and only few species survive due to their structural adaptations. Jenni Desmond writes an enchanting and informative tale about a young girl who took a book from the shelf and started to read. Throughout her journey, the girl learns about a polar bear's habitat, physical characteristics/adaptations and feeding/hunting habits. The writing is engaging...simple and informative facts. Desmond uses a variety of mediums to showcase the extreme conditions of the north and what a polar bear needs to survive. Her illustrations combine watercolours, paint, pencil and crayon to name a few. She also provides different viewpoints on each page (e.g. bird's eye view, zoom). This allows the reader to also be on the same journey as the young girl. |
Connection to BC Science 4 curriculum: Big Idea - All living things sense and respond to their environment.
Down, down in the depths of the sunless sea, deep, deep in the cold, cold dark, creatures, strange and fearsome, lurk. Fleming writes a poetic, informative verse about what lurks in the cold, dark ocean - the giant squid. Her writing is beautifully written with a mixture of adjectives and verbs to describe the parts of a giant squid's body. The reader is pulled into feeling that this book is like watching a documentary. Fleming adds to the inquiry of the mysterious sea creature with many questions throughout her narrative - Where does the female squid lay her eggs? And what lies behind the beak? |
A labelled diagram, informative text and online web sources are provided for further inquiry.
Connection to BC Science 4 curriculum: Big Idea - All living things sense and respond to their environment.
In their first picture book, Kelsey and Kim crafted a cosmic story about how everyone came from 'stardust' and are connected to the natural world. Every tiny atom in your body came from a star that exploded long before you were born. Kelsey uses her environmental science background as a means to interconnect interesting facts between people and nature. Just as forests grow new trees in place of old ones...you grow entirely new skeletons throughout your life. Kim, on the other hand, uses bright dioramas and cut-out images to illustrate the exploration between human beings and the natural world. The images and pages are brightly coloured to add to a sense of realism. Sometimes, however, the text does not match the imagery on a page. What the story promotes is a sense of curiosity as to how we are all interconnected. A great read to teach deep-thinking questions. Connection to BC Science 3 curriculum - Big Idea: All matter is made of particles. |
The almendro tree, also known as the "tree of life" in Latin America, can be home to more than a thousand different kinds of organisms. Deep in the forest, in the warm-wet green, ONE ALMENDRO TREE grows, stretching its branches toward the sun...a whole hidden world bustles and thrives. Ten animals, who reside in the almendro tree, are discussed (e.g. green macaws, keel-billed toucans, howler monkeys, etc.). Each spread contains a very brief lyrical description to introduce the animal followed by in-depth factual information. With each animal, the population begins to increase - this shows exponential growth as to how many creatures can live on a single tree. Little silhouettes show readers how many of each animals can be found in or around the tree. Readers are able to discover the pattern on each spread. |
Connection to BC Science 3 curriculum: Big Idea - Living things are diverse, can be grouped, and interact in their ecosystem.
Paul, M., & Chin, J. (Illustrator). (2015). Water is water: a book about the water cycle. New York: Roaring Brook Press.
Patter. Spatter. What is that sound? Rain is rain unless... Miranda Paul's poetic text explores the stages of the water cycle. The rhyming verses follows a brother and sister and their water-related activities throughout a year. We see water transitions from steam to clouds; clouds to fog; fog to rain; rain to ice; ice to snow, etc. Chin's visual imagery will be familiar to young readers. He infuses nature scenes with child-friendly activities. Each activity is something a child would do during a particular season. Pack. / Stack. / Shape it and- // -smack. / Snow is snow unless... // Young readers will easily connect to the facial features of the two characters. The colour of each season provides visual continuity with the reader - the monochromatic and contemporary colours tie nicely with each season. |
Connection to BC Science 2 curriculum: Big Idea - Water is essential to all living things, and it cycle through the environment.
movies
The Gruffalo, directed by Jakob Schuh and Max Lang, is an animated short based on the best-selling children's picture book by Julia Donaldson (author) and Axel Scheffler (illustrator). This computer-generated animated film uses the original drawings and the music is crafted in such a way to create suspense every time the Mouse describes the Gruffalo to the Fox, Owl and Snake. He carefully proclaims what kind of terrifying creature (purple prickles, eyes are orange, tongue is black) a gruffalo is. Of course, there is no such thing as a gruffalo!
The film offers an opportunity for parents or teachers to watch the film and reread the story to analyze which parts are missing or newly included. The mouse outsmarts the three animals into believing there actually is a Gruffalo...which the viewer finds out one truly exists. The lesson taught here is to not let size intimidate you. The Mouse uses his intellect to escape from the other animals and later the Gruffalo, "I'm the scariest creature in this wood. Just walk behind me and you'll see, everyone is afraid of me." he announces to the Gruffalo. Though the film is geared for children of all ages, there are some cut-scenes where the mouse envisions his own death by each of the three animals. A great film to watch after the picture book has been read aloud.
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONHuLal2OxM
Co-directed by William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short in 2012 and is based on the children's picture book of the same name. The film is about a man, Mr. Morris Lessmore, who loves words and stories. The film draws inspiration from New Orleans and The Wizard of Oz - Lessmore's house and other buildings are swept away by a terrible storm and re-emerge into a new world where books are seen with personalities and/or flying through the sky. Life changes for Lessmore as the words from his memoir are lost.
As he walks through the countryside, he sees a woman being whisked away by a ribbon of books. The woman sends a book down to Morris. The book's pages flip back and forth to animate an illustration of Humpty Dumpty. Humpty takes Morris to a mysterious library to care for the books. With the society feeling lost due to the storm, Lessmore is able to bring back feelings (colour) to their lives by sharing the books from the library. As time progresses, Morris begins to write in his memoir.
The 15-minuted animated film is free of dialogue and uses both 2-D animation, stop-motion animation and computer-generated scenes to masterfully tell the life story of Mr. Morris Lessmore. The lack of dialogue seems odd since the plot revolves around books but it works to entice strong emotions about loss and rejuvenation. Of course, the music is crucial to allow the viewers to share the same feelings as Morris Lessmore.
Teaching application - use of storyboarding, dialogue and story-telling
websites
Andrea Beaty Children's Author. (n.d.). Retrieved March 23, 2017, from http://www.andreabeaty.com/
Andrea Beaty
Andrea Beaty is the author of popular engineering picture books (Iggy Peck, Architect, Ada Twist, Scientist, and Rosie Revere, Engineer), graphic novels (Fluffy Bunnies) and other books for young readers. Rosie Revere, Engineer spent more than 62 weeks on the New York Times Bestsellers List. Her official website is a great place for fans and students to learn about her and her work.
Her website can be navigated with ease; pages are separated by topic (e.g. My Books, About Me, Parents and Teachers, Writers, etc.). She also provides free posters, bookmarks, teachers' guide and other downloadable images of her books for use in the classroom. Beaty loves to hear from classrooms but cannot respond via e-mail as she is so "swamped." She does suggest using Twitter to contact her and ask questions. She loves seeing how her stories are used in the classroom.
Though the focus is on her books and biography, she also includes a page geared specifically for writers. On this page, she provides a 'dear writer' letter and inspirational words for new writers. "Getting published can be a very slow and frustrating-but exhilarating-adventure." She includes several links to writing coaches, authors and writing tips.
Marie-Louis Gay Children's Author. (n.d.). Retrieved March 23, 2017, from http://marielouisegay.com/
Marie-Louis Gay
Marie-Louis Gay is a prestigious Canadian author/illustrator who wrote or illustrated over 60 books for children including: the Stella and Sam series, Caramba, and Any Questions?. Her colourful website is attractive and user-friendly; each page is separated according to a topic (Books, TV, Blog, Video, Downloads, Biography, News & Events). On her blog she provides suggestions for reading aloud (for Family Literacy Day), is a staunch supporter for teachers and outlines the essential role of school librarians to name a few.
Her website is interactive as it links to videos, describes her life and provides downloads for teachers and parents. Letters to Marie-Louis can be sent via mail or e-mail. There is no information regarding Skype or videoconferencing for a classroom author visit. I would like to have seen a kid-friendly page with activities, colouring pages, or simple games based on the books she has written. This is a good website for students, teachers and parents to read about her accomplishments, awards and book titles.
professional books
Reading Power: Teaching Students to Think While They Read, is a program designed to teach strategies to promote and improve reading comprehension. It is an interactive reading experience that uses authentic children's literature for modelling demonstrations, practice and independent reading. Reading Power was developed by Adrienne Gear and initially launched in 2006. Currently, her publication has been implemented across Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, Australia and China. The ideas behind Reading Power are based on the research of David Pearson and influenced by Stephanie Harvey, which provides students with the tools to become more effective readers. This also includes how to heighten students' "meta-cognition" - the ability to be aware of their thinking while they read. Gear has taken five reading strategies, connect, infer, question, predict and transform, and has developed practical lessons for teachers to employ into their pedagogy. |
Gear organizes each chapter according to the five reading strategies. These include sample lessons, graphic organizers and student exemplars. To assist teachers with each strategy, Gear provides primary and intermediate book titles to use. As Gear (2002) proclaims, our job, as teachers, is not to fill [students'] brains, but to focus their brains on the cognitive strategies that are already in their heads, and to provide them with the language to describe them. Reading Power is a valuable resource for teachers to implement with their literacy curriculum!
Trelease, J. (2006). The read aloud handbook. [6th Ed.]. New York, NY: Penguin Books.
The single most important activity is reading aloud. It is more important than worksheets or book reports! Initially published in 1982, The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease is a quintessential read for both teachers and parents and still holds truth thirty years later (7th edition has up revised and updated). Throughout his book, Trelease stresses the invaluable effects of reading aloud to children of all ages; he thoroughly incorporates research and statistics to support his theories. In the first chapter, Trelease outlines that by reading aloud, we:
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The Read Aloud Handbook is an effective and simple read. Trelease does not fill his book with academic jargon that is difficult to follow; rather, he uses simple language to attract all audiences to the importance of reading aloud.
References
Fox, M. (2008). Reading magic: Why reading aloud to our children will change their lives forever. New York, NY: Harcourt, Inc.
Young, T., Moss, B., & Cornwell, L. (2007). The classroom library: a place for nonfiction, nonfiction in its place. In Reading Horizons. 48(1), 1-18.