Chapter 3, I never really thought a lot about the standards that are involved when evaluating multicultural literature. Such as "understanding and respect for the child's cultural group identities." I have thought about this before but never really realized how much thought should go into selecting literature for children. If you don't make this a priority you could lose your student in the reading from the very start. I plan to make this a priority when dealing with my students. Doing research, and making smart decisions for the students. Questions I have from the reading is, when you give your students books to read, when they tell you the book is "good" or "bad", at what age is their opinion "true"? What I mean, is some kids will say a book is "bad" just because they think saying this may keep them from having to read another. Or keep them from having to do any more work on the book. The age is the issue for me. I enjoyed chapter three picking up several things that I knew very little about or I never really thought about.
I think that rather than asking a child if they think a book is good or bad, ask them what they liked about the book and what they disliked about the book. If they say they liked it just because you finished and point out other things in the story they disliked you know it was bad. If they tell you things about the story that they liked or interested them, you can tell from that what you should do in the future. Even kindergardeners are able to tell what they liked a disliked about a story.
Chapter three of the Norton text was a very good review of elements of literature. This chapter helped me evaluate books for more than just “I liked it.” I really do enjoy reading and could sit and read for hours. I learned, though, what is important in suggesting works to my students. The excerpts from various works made me think as a teacher, looking for qualities that I could use to teach my students. These also tempt me to read the books suggested.
I definitely agreed with Susan Swanton's listing of recommendations for library and school collaboration. I am concerned with the lapse of reading in the summer. Working with students in a tier 3 reader, I noticed that most of them had lost valuable skills over the break. I am sure working with a struggling reader is a challenge for parents. Summer reading programs are of great value. I am not sure how to fix this problem, but hope to help my students find the perfect style, author, or theme that will love.
My favorite part of this chapter was the “Teaching with Literary Elements” segment. I appreciated seeing ideas of how to teach a particular element. I believe children enjoy being involved in learning more about a story. Mapping out the plot and sequencing were favorites in my room. Teaching inference seems the most difficult, especially with young students. This chapter gave me so much information and insight to use in the future.
I really enjoyed reading this chapter. The example of techniques they listed to get children involved in finding plot, characterization, setting, and theme of a story were great. I especially liked the webbing technique. I have watched third graders use webbing for journaling, but never for breaking down a story. If a student can break a story down using this technique, then I would feel very confident that they truly understood the story.
Last year I was asked to work with a small number of students who needed help with inference. This was very hard for me to do, because I was not familiar with the term. I was not sure how to teach something that was unfamiliar to me. After reading this section in the text, I realize that I could have gone about it in a little different manner than I did. I think inference is the hardest thing for some students to comprehend. The lesson where the students read a favorite book of their parents’ would be helpful in learning inference. If the parent can model and discuss the implied meanings in the story, than maybe the child could understand the concept of inference. Some things are easier understood one on one, than they are as a class.
I learned a lot in this chapter that will be very useful when I substitute as well as when I am teaching my own class.
Chris C., I completly agree with you on inference being the hardest thing to teach. I also liked the webbing technique. Unlike you, I have never enjoyed sitting and reading for hours at a time. With all the reading I am having to do for college, I am getting very good at it. Anyway, there were several books mentioned in this and the past chapters, that I am really interested in reading now.
I thought this chapter was a little too long a drawn out. There was a lot of good information in it, but I thought it could have been condensed. I felt that I got the most out of the last 15 or so pages of the chapter. When the author actually started talking about what the books could do for the children, like how to involve children in plot. I have actually seen teachers do this using Humpty Dumpty and Jack and Jill. They had the children cut out the sections of each nursery rhyme and then put them back togther in the right order, beginning, middle and end. I was not aware that this was what they were doing with that particular assignment. I do like how I am finding out in this book what the teacher's purpose was to some of the things they did in class.
Chapter 3 was much more enjoyable to me than Chapter 2 . I love that it stated that a good book does not preach to the reader, that its message is more subtle and is for the reader to figure out on their own. I know for myself, as a reader, I do not want to be told what to think. The chapter stressed the importance of getting the right books for a child, having the books accessible, and getting the parents to be role models for their children in order to make literature an important and enjoyable part of a child’s life . I liked that this chapter was a little more thorough in discussing some of the titles it mentions. There were several books I am very interested in finding and reading. The discussion of the critical evaluation of a book was very helpful and will be something I will definitely be practicing and using. . Another thing I liked about this chapter was that it went through and showed how to teach the material to a class, and discussed applications that can be used to get the children interested in the literary elements as well as become more critical of what they are reading.
Chapter 3 is about selecting childrens books and everything you have to consider when you are choosing books. In the first page of chapter 3 it lists 6 objectives for a literature program. I mainly like Susan Wise Bauer literature program. I agree that a literature program should include classics and contemporary stories of fanciful stories as well as realistic ones and books containing factual information like the book states. Of course to do this we have to know several kinds of literature. Per Jean Karl opportunity is needed to evaluate literature and also need supporting context to help make accurate judgements about the quality. This chapter goes further into questions you need to ask yourself about the book to make a good evaluation. Then we move on to multicultural literature which is about racial or ethnic minority groups. This part of the book interested me the most because it talks about how multicultural literature can teach children about their own and others heritage. Growing up it was a big no no to ask why some people were different than others. Positive attitudes about all cultures should be presented but the books chosen should be carefully evaluated to prevent misinformation about the culture. Books should mention the culture or heritage of the characters only when nessesary. Growing up in a border town in Texas children do not know the difference unless it's mentioned. Every book I remember reading had white characters but I never realized I was different, I just saw the character as they were...a character and never thought about it until my daughter asked me, while living in AZ, what color is that man, black or brown? I'm not too sure if I did a good job of explaining it to her but a couple of years later she asked me about my brown friend and her brown son because she is bad with names. I'm mentioning this now because I don't think that multiculturalism is mentioned enough at school because it is a sentative subject that has to be sugar coated so no one is offended. The Literary Elements talk about the plot of a book which is what the story is about. Simple plots are good for the younger children but as they get older they like books with plots that have more action, conflict and drama to keep them captivated. Having a good beginning is important so the reader is intranced from the beginning. Childrens books happen in chronological order as well as biographies. Developing conflicts are person against person, person against society, person against nature and person against self. These are use to make the plots more interesting to the reader. Some books consists of more than just one conflict. Good characterization is when the author does a good job of describing the character by discribing how he looks, acts, thinks, says and talks. The setting of the story should mention the location in time or surroundings. The theme of a story ties everything together like the plot, character and setting. Some themes are more obvious than others depending on the reading age group. It's important to match a book with the childs reading level and understanding. YOu have to understand the child to know what book would better suit them. Over all I found this chapter very informative. After reading my next book I won't just wonder if it was a good book or not. I'll be evaluating more fully.
Chapter 3 by far the best chapter I have read so far, but I guess that as I keep reading each chapter will be better than the previous chapter. Understanding how choose literature for children is something that I didn't think was necessary, but I am very wrong. I understand now how important it is to find the appropriate books for the appropriate age group of children. What I mainly like about the chapter was the reading techniques, especially the webbing technique. I believe that it is the best technique for children to use. My daughter has to use this technique in school and she says that by using it she has a better understanding of the story itself. She can understand the plot, theme and what the moral of the story is. My favorite section of the chapter is The Right Book for Each Child. Understanding the accessibilty, readability, interest and reader response is an excellent way to comprehend what the book is about. I have learned alot from this chapter that will be of great use to me when I begin my career as a teacher but also as a parent.
I couldn't agree with you more. I think that the purpose of a book is not to preach but to be interepreted for its purpose or moral. I also believe that parents do serve as role models for their children and that the accessibilty of the books for the kids is very important. Having kids enjoy a book as opposed to just reading and getting nothing out of the lesson is not good reading skills and the fact that the chapter shows you how to teach in the classroom is great.
Gracie, I appreciate your comments on multicultural litature. I am glad we are learning to choose material that best meets the needs of our class. The reading material used in our district does a good job introducing the students to a variety of diversity issues. I believe it is important to share diverse experiences with students, especially in a fairly homogenous district like mine. Thanks for sharing! Chris
As an aforethought, it is definitely smarter to copy/paste your blogs rather than typing them into the comment box! I couldn't post mine because I hadn't signed in through blogspot first; I had used the link in Blackboard, and when I tried to go back and sign in, my entire post was deleted!!! I spent about 35 minutes typing it....I hope this helps someone else...
Chapter 3 made me think about a lot of the books I had read in my elementary through high school years. Books like Hatchet, Julie of the Wolves, Number the Stars, and The Giver, really seem to capture the emotions, attitudes, and fears of childhood. Being lost and feeling alone is a common theme and a common fear, and the tantrum portrayed in Hatchet, shows how children can identify with realistic emotions and actions of the characters the authors create. Does this mean, though, that because the books listed in the chapter are books that I had read in school roughly 15 years ago, literature is not actually progressing as quickly as we're led to believe?
I also realized as I was reading the section on page 101 about the students who had conducted a survey of their own favorite books vs. their parents favorite books at that age (6th grade) that I actually remember the books that were my favorites. I read a lot of Judy Blume and Ann M. Martin books then, and I couldn't believe how easy it was to recall that. I still read a lot, so maybe that's why.
The suggestions on page 99 to increase the accessibility of books for children were also interesting to me. I know that they are practiced by our elementary schools and library here, and I was proud to read that I match up to the statistics for gifted students. I was also a gifted student as a child, and I don't know yet whether my kids are, but I do know that my 5-year-old can read 1st grade books. I also take my kids on frequent trips to the library where we all check out our own books, and we each own over 100 books in our home collections.
I wondered, though, whether the “favorites” that had been voted on by high school students in the UK (p. 100) were actually student favorites or whether they had been picked simply because the students had read them. Several of the books on the list were on the list of required reading by my own high school teachers, and I know that page 101 states that older children show a decline in their reading habits compared with younger students. If high school students aren't reading as much, I find it entirely possible that their “favorite” books are only favorites because they had no other options. I think the validity of the survey is questionable, and I think that Erikson's developmental stages from page 23 can be compared to the statistics shown on page 101. The decline in reading habits of older students can be attributed to the fact that Erikson's adolescent stage shows adolescents' desire to move into the adult world by finding their own identity through activity (p. 23). Adolescents have less time to read as they prefer to socialize and prepare themselves to join adulthood, perhaps modeling themselves after adults who also have little time for reading. Children, however, still enjoy reading because Erikson says they are attempting to gain cultural skills (p. 23). Books are a valuable source for those skills.
Overall, I thought the chapter had some great suggestions for classroom use of literature.
Chapter 3 did a great job of describing all of the literary elements related to selecting literature for children and how to apply those elements in the classroom setting. A section that I found very useful and informative was how to determine that you are selecting the right book for the reader. Ensuring a wide variety of books are easily accessible to children, whether at home or in school, allows children to explore their interests and different genres. I have always been a proponent of reading to my children on a daily basis starting when they are infants. With three children, our home library has five times the number of children’s books as we do books aimed for adults. When I learn that my children are interested in a certain subject or author, we give those books as gifts as well as take numerous trips to the library.
Ensuring that a child is reading a book that is in their reading level is also very important. A rule of thumb that my son learned in third grade was if he found five or more words on a page that he struggled with reading, then the book he had chosen was at a level higher than his independent reading level. This section described how many times a child’s interest level is higher than their reading level. This is something my son experiences. A solution that we have found is audio books. We rent both the unabridged audio book as well as the book from the library and my son listens to the book while he reads along. This helps him to identify those words he struggles with, while at the same time allows him to enjoy what he is reading/hearing.
When a child reads something they enjoy or find interesting, they are more likely to read more often and retain and comprehend what they read. Even as an adult, I have on several occasions read something that I had no interest in and when I was finished, I would find myself asking, “What was it I just read?” The book very aptly points out that in order to find out what children find interesting, we as parents and educators need to ask. For example, my daughter’s latest interest has been scrapbooking. For a child who generally prefers to read fiction, I was very excited when she requested a trip to the library so she could find some instructional and informational books on scrapbooking. Exploring a child’s interests, may very well open up an entire new genre of literature to that child.
The book also described some useful and interesting ideas and classroom discussions and projects that will help to creatively teach various literary elements. My daughter is currently beginning to learn literary elements in third grade and this section gave me some great visual ideas on how to explain plot and help her determine the theme of her stories. The more we involve the children in the learning process regarding literary elements, the more they will learn. I can remember only listening to my teacher explain what the elements were and doing fill in the blank worksheets. The concept of webbing is an excellent way to pull all the elements into one very useful and telling visual aid.
Chris C - I completely agree with your response about the lapse of reading during the summer. My children see summer as only fun time, but I still have them read their 20 minutes a night. Our local library has a great summer reading program that offers various incentives when the children meet their goals. This past summer, I also did my own version of "Book It" and once my children had read 20 books in a month, at their reading level, they had earned a special dinner with my husband and I at the restaurant of their choice. Next summer, I may have to put a price limit on the restaurant as I found that my children can be very expensive dates :)
Shanna S I agree with you about preaching in reading. Reading should be enjoyable so children can come back and keep wanting to readi. I'm sure they get enough preaching everythere else.
***Sorry my reply is late. I tired to reply before but i guess it did not work***
Chapter 3 I obtained a lot of knowledge from Chapter 3. It brought back memories of taking English and literature classes in throughout school by discussing the elements of literature such as personification, conflict, climax, setting, theme, characterization, etc. I completely agree with Norton's comment about characterization being one of the most powerful of the literary elements. For example, I can still remember character names such as "Scout" from To Kill a Mockingbird. I also enjoyed having flash backs to books I read as a child, I can remember Hatchet by Gary Paulsen was such a popular book, this is when I was able to see all the boys in my class get excited about reading. I believe this chapter provided a ton of information assisting with applications for classrooms. It opened my eyes to how to choose a good book for students. I agreed with the informal conversation as one of the simplest ways to uncover children's interest. Children usually enjoy talking about their hobbies or latest interests which can assist a teacher a great deal in reference for choosing a good book, especially if the child is not all that intrigued by books. Another insight of Norton's I liked was not to have stereotyped views about a child's preferences, without asking them what interests them. I enjoyed the example about the fourth grade boy who was a Shakespeare buff, because research does not show that to be true of a child his age. Another teaching tool I enjoyed about Chapter 3 was how to teach the literally terms on pages 103-111. This will be an effective tool to remember as I become a teacher. I can remember my teachers diagram a story where we had to label the sequence of events with the climax always being at the peak . I always remember the diagram looking like a rollercoaster. Another way of teaching elements was the webbing. I can remember this tactic as well. Reading chapter 3 caused me to have many flashbacks to teachers I had who really taught literature well. I asked my husband if he could remember any good books from school and he stated no. I was dumbfounded he must have not been as lucky as myself to have such wonderful teachers. Chapter 3 provided me with pleasant memories and made me feel like teaching was exactly where I am suppose to be. It also motivated me as well. I really enjoyed Chapter 3 in comparison to Chapter 2.
Rebekah S I really enjoyed hearing of her personal experience with your son regarding his interest level being higher than his reading level. I like the insight on audio books. That would be perfect way to allow the child to read the book and still be interested. Following along while listening to the audio was a great problem solver and a way to keep him interested in learning. Thank you for sharing your personal experience that is helpful for all of us future teachers.
Shanna S and Gracie J I agree with you both too about preaching to children about books. I can remember my first year of college and thinking I loved the way I was asked to reflect on the book or assignment not told what to think. I believe we should allow the child to enjoy the book and tell us how they identified with the story or the characters. I think we forget children have wonderful minds and can surprise us with their insight. I am sure they could even teach us a thing or two at times.
I also thought the webbing technique was interesting. In fact, it was one of the most useful techniques from the chapter, I thought. Most seemed to have the implication that they could only be applied to that one book that was being discussed. I've seen webbing done in a first grade classroom to introduce a story. The teacher would ask what the kids knew about a given topic, farms, for example, and she would make a web about everything they could tell her about farms. Afterward, she would use the web to tie into the story they were about to read, and then they could go back to the web to add information and discuss new information or how their own information related to the story after they read it. I've also seen webbing discussed as a technique in the ESL class I'm taking, so it could be that I'm a little partial, but it seems like it's my favorite technique and the one that looks to be the most universal.
I guess I agree with alot of the posts above about preaching to children about books and then asking their own thoughts on what they read. It is important and it will help adults understand the way children think and interpret literature. I like it!
I think that this chapter is definitely a chapter that we need to remember for future reference. It gives us a lot of basics on judging different types of books. I liked it because it breaks down the important parts of books such as: plot,setting, developing order of events, and developing conflict. It helped me review what a good story really should be and what I enjoy when I read a book.
Kristi: I do agree that the last 15 pages were probably the most interesting to me as well. I liked reading about how to get children involved with the actual books, such as plot. It really will help us start to think about real classroom situations.
I do agree that instead of just asking a child if they liked the book or no, it is better to ask "why" they did or didn't. I have come into contact with some students that will say they just didn't like it cause they don't like to read, but really couldn't tell you why or why not.
Chapter 3 to me is an important chapter for all teachers in Kansas to know. Working in a middle school, we teach on all the aspects of this chapter a lot. Plot, theme, setting, characters, etc. are tested on state assessments and are a large focus in middle school. I liked this chapter because it is a little more in depth than what we teach and it may be more helpful for me to help the students understand it a little better.
I also like the concepts on evaluating books for kids. Working with special ed kids it can often be hard finding them books that are best for them. This should help me with trying to get better evaluations on books for our kids.
I liked how you put emphasis on the multiculturalism evaluation of books and how it relates to the kids. I also think that it should be a point of emphasis and plan on looking more into it when helping my students select books.
I also agree with Kristi, instead of asking if the book is good or bad, ask what they liked or didn't like about the book. Unfortunately when our kids take Accelerated Reading tests a question at the end is did you like, dislike, or thought the book was OK. Most of the kids I have worked with respond that it was OK or bad.
I think it is important to discuss the book with them, because it can also help in evaluating for other students.
After reading chapter 3 it really opened my eyes about all the multiculturalism in literature. All the different conflicts that you have to really think about. By having an open mind as a teacher that will help your students have an open mind and not make them be so judgemental of other cultures.
I also agree that characterization is the most powerful of the literary elements.
This chapter opened my eyes to how I pick books for my own children. I thought about our own home library and what is available to my children. My children are 10,7,5,and 4. We are stocked up on books for ages 2 to 7. I need to take my daughters, who are 10 and 7, to the bookstore and update our library. This chapter has given me insight onto what I need to be looking for. I will look for books that my girls can relate to. The books need to entertain them as well as allowing them to relate to the characters. This is one reason why my 7 year old loves Junie B Jones. The books suggested throughout the chapter I have made notes of. Especially the list of the books that shaped the 20th century on page 77.
Ok, so I was posting and blogging away in the 2008 class. Until I realized why is no one ever talking to me. Well I was there by myself. I have copied and pasted all my comments to get me up to date here. Hello everyone! I looked ahead in the other blogspot and I thought I was in a class of overacheivers because they had read alot of chapters and blogged about it. My goodness I am struggling to keep up the reading. Did I mention yes I am blonde and I usually am not the stereotype. This time I will take a bow!
Chapter 3 sure gave me a lot to think about. I love to read but had no idea there was that much thought involved in picking books for children to read. I one of those people who tend to pick up a book by what the title is and what the cover looks like. I have read a lot of books mentioned in chapter 3 so must be doing ok with that. The chapter was pretty detailed and talked about so many books that I had a hard time keeping up with all of them. The last part was definitely my favorite, really got into the core about choosing books and then what to do once you chose them. I feel a lot of respect for librarians and teachers since they spend so much time trying to get children to like books. This chapter has given me a new insight to being a teacher.
I thought this chapter was a great refresher for all of the things my high school English teacher taught me. All the things I never thought would be put in to practical use, now are things I have to think of when I'm planning coursework for students.
I think it is important to keep issues like plot and type of conflict in the front of your mind when you are reading a book. Each chapter just builds on what you learned before, which helps me pick out books for the reading logs as well.
I agree with you. I'm always shocked at the things my kids come up with after I read a book to them. And my 12-year-old is very insightful when he reads something, it just blows me away.
Really enjoyed your post. My children also love to read. Started reading to them at an early age but it was books that I picked. I remember my son around the age of 2 got interested in dinosaurs and we ended up at the library getting dinosaur books. He picked them out and they were not little kid books but actual adult books, loved them. I never really thought about how to pick books for them but this has opened my eyes as what to look for. I love your idea about the audio books, my son listens to them at bedtime.
This chapter makes you look take a deeper look into the books that we as teachers may some day use in class. I know that I will want to select the best books to have my students read. This chapter gives me some of the tools and things to think about to be more successful at selecting a book that the children will enjoy and be very beneficial for them to read. I had no exposure to any other culture but my own because I grew up in a town with over 99% white people. Whenever I am teaching I will make sure that the books I select do not make any race of people look bad.
Glad to have you with us Trisha M. Don’t worry I to have problems keeping up with the work with working full time and raising two children and making sure my wife is not mad at me :).
I am glad to see people talking about their experiences with their children and reading. My daughter makes sure I read to her every night and often is pretending to read a book to herself. Some of the books I have read the most to her she knows what to “read” by looking at the pictures.
Danika, I agree with you that there is a lot more to picking out books for kids than I ever thought. This was a great chapter and it will be very helpful in the future. I will definately be more picky about what books I get from now on.
This chapter I found myself drifting off. It was very long. I mostly related to the segment on involving children in the plots of nursery rhymes. It gave me some ideas to do with my after school children this week. I truly believe they will enjoy doing this. There are many different books that would allow children to act out. I do agree that a teacher should know how to select books for their students interest. As the chapter did help me think of some excellent resources in helping me be more choosy with my selection. "Through the Eyes of a Child", is definitely a book that I will keep around in my further education years as a resource.
Trisha, I have had quite a day myself. So reading your blog as I finish up here after struggling on my assignments all day. Gave me the chuckle that I needed. Thank you for being honest. I feel like I'm the only one that is out to lunch trying to keep up. Drowning with one more stroke of luck. My computer had issues today, so it sat me way behind. Plus, I had promised my children that I would take them jean shopping. Well, that got thrown out the window. Well, maybe I will be able to take some wisdom from chapter three, pick a good book out and read to them tomorrow and they will forget all about jean shopping.
Chapter 3 introduced me to a lot on new importances. There are many things to keep in mind when evaluating a book, or picking out a book for a multicultural class. For example, “Knowledge of cross-cultural communication strategies, perspective taking, and conflict management skills to ensure understanding, peace, tolerance, and friendship among all people and groups.” In this chapter I always realized how important plots, themes, and characters are in creating a book, along with illustrations.
I agree with you as well, I would ask the child what they liked and disliked about a book, I would always try to make some conversation about what we just read.
I also found I was wrong about how important it is to pick out the right books for children. I have no kids, but have read books to plenty of kids with relatives and babysitting and such. I do like webbing, but I remember when I was younger how much of a struggle it was for me to catch on to it. The more "webs" that were attached to the story, the more confused and scatterbrained I became. Everyone has different learning techniques though!
What immediately caught my attention in Chapter three was the illustration for the chapter about George vs. George. I found it so detailed and also humorous. History has always been one of my least favorite subjects, so it was an inviting illustration to learn about it! This chapter shares so much description involved with plot, theme, setting, etc. I loved how this chapter cared to explain the importance of how the right book for each child is important and worth knowing. It is good to know that if a child does not enjoy reading, that maybe they are just reading the wrong type of books. If they have any interests or activities, something will stimulate and interest them to read. I liked how they suggested the technique of "webbing" at the end of the chapter. In my personal opinion I do not think it works for every child. I remember using webbing growing up in my classes and found it confusing and rather frustrating the more detailed things became.
You are absolutely right! Talking with them about likes and dislikes is a fantastic way to get them discussing a book. Children are so honest when it comes to feelings, they will be able to tell you just what they liked and just what they didn’t like. I think in almost every story, a child will find something even if it was one thing that they enjoyed.
When I hear the word “standards” I think boring! But in reality, it is what we as educators have to meet in order for our children to excel. I think this chapter has opened my eyes in a way I didn’t see before. I guess before the material presented in the chapter, I didn’t realize the stressed importance of choosing appropriate literature/books appropriate to the needs of children. As we learned in the previous chapter; because of the different developmental stages in children, different literacy needs are required.
Throughout our grades, the reading levels vary so broadly. I can think of students in our 5th grade who are still at a 2nd grade reading level. Do you honestly think they are meeting reading standards? We as educators have to be able to identify and consider children’s reading levels and to use what information we know and learn to spark their reading interests.
As I keep reading into this textbook, I’m learning that the impact teachers have on children is crucial. I mean don’t get me wrong, I already knew that…..but I’m learning so much more. There truly is more thought involved in just picking a story to use for a particular curriculum; the thought is much more involved. I hope to use what I have learned in this chapter when it comes to selecting the “right” book(s) to read to my children in the classroom!
Chapter 3 regarding Standards, I never thought about standards. Before I bought a book for my child, I read it or asked a friend about it. I thought that was good enough. I thought as long as I new what I believed in was good enough. I agree with Chris C, the lapse in reading during the summer. The kids are off doing things that they want and majority of the parents are too busy with working or they just don’t care what their kids are doing as long as they are not in their way. They do loose valuable skills over breaks. I am thankful for the ideas of how teach certain elements when it comes to reading. Since I am not a teacher and don’t work with children in reading, I really don’t know what to do. I plan to be a history teacher; hopefully these techniques will help in ways to help the students to understand their readings. I think getting kids to pick out the plot and understanding why it’s the plot is very important. Also, remembering the order of the story is important too. I agree that this chapter is full of information, but I also think that some of it could be deleted.
Chapter 3, I never really thought a lot about the standards that are involved when evaluating multicultural literature. Such as "understanding and respect for the child's cultural group identities." I have thought about this before but never really realized how much thought should go into selecting literature for children. If you don't make this a priority you could lose your student in the reading from the very start. I plan to make this a priority when dealing with my students. Doing research, and making smart decisions for the students. Questions I have from the reading is, when you give your students books to read, when they tell you the book is "good" or "bad", at what age is their opinion "true"? What I mean, is some kids will say a book is "bad" just because they think saying this may keep them from having to read another. Or keep them from having to do any more work on the book. The age is the issue for me. I enjoyed chapter three picking up several things that I knew very little about or I never really thought about.
ReplyDeleteGeoff,
ReplyDeleteI think that rather than asking a child if they think a book is good or bad, ask them what they liked about the book and what they disliked about the book. If they say they liked it just because you finished and point out other things in the story they disliked you know it was bad. If they tell you things about the story that they liked or interested them, you can tell from that what you should do in the future. Even kindergardeners are able to tell what they liked a disliked about a story.
Chapter three of the Norton text was a very good review of elements of literature. This chapter helped me evaluate books for more than just “I liked it.” I really do enjoy reading and could sit and read for hours. I learned, though, what is important in suggesting works to my students. The excerpts from various works made me think as a teacher, looking for qualities that I could use to teach my students. These also tempt me to read the books suggested.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agreed with Susan Swanton's listing of recommendations for library and school collaboration. I am concerned with the lapse of reading in the summer. Working with students in a tier 3 reader, I noticed that most of them had lost valuable skills over the break. I am sure working with a struggling reader is a challenge for parents. Summer reading programs are of great value. I am not sure how to fix this problem, but hope to help my students find the perfect style, author, or theme that will love.
My favorite part of this chapter was the “Teaching with Literary Elements” segment. I appreciated seeing ideas of how to teach a particular element. I believe children enjoy being involved in learning more about a story. Mapping out the plot and sequencing were favorites in my room. Teaching inference seems the most difficult, especially with young students. This chapter gave me so much information and insight to use in the future.
I really enjoyed reading this chapter. The example of techniques they listed to get children involved in finding plot, characterization, setting, and theme of a story were great. I especially liked the webbing technique. I have watched third graders use webbing for journaling, but never for breaking down a story. If a student can break a story down using this technique, then I would feel very confident that they truly understood the story.
ReplyDeleteLast year I was asked to work with a small number of students who needed help with inference. This was very hard for me to do, because I was not familiar with the term. I was not sure how to teach something that was unfamiliar to me. After reading this section in the text, I realize that I could have gone about it in a little different manner than I did. I think inference is the hardest thing for some students to comprehend. The lesson where the students read a favorite book of their parents’ would be helpful in learning inference. If the parent can model and discuss the implied meanings in the story, than maybe the child could understand the concept of inference. Some things are easier understood one on one, than they are as a class.
I learned a lot in this chapter that will be very useful when I substitute as well as when I am teaching my own class.
Chris C.,
ReplyDeleteI completly agree with you on inference being the hardest thing to teach. I also liked the webbing technique. Unlike you, I have never enjoyed sitting and reading for hours at a time. With all the reading I am having to do for college, I am getting very good at it. Anyway, there were several books mentioned in this and the past chapters, that I am really interested in reading now.
I thought this chapter was a little too long a drawn out. There was a lot of good information in it, but I thought it could have been condensed. I felt that I got the most out of the last 15 or so pages of the chapter. When the author actually started talking about what the books could do for the children, like how to involve children in plot. I have actually seen teachers do this using Humpty Dumpty and Jack and Jill. They had the children cut out the sections of each nursery rhyme and then put them back togther in the right order, beginning, middle and end. I was not aware that this was what they were doing with that particular assignment. I do like how I am finding out in this book what the teacher's purpose was to some of the things they did in class.
ReplyDeleteChapter 3 was much more enjoyable to me than Chapter 2 . I love that it stated that a good book does not preach to the reader, that its message is more subtle and is for the reader to figure out on their own. I know for myself, as a reader, I do not want to be told what to think. The chapter stressed the importance of getting the right books for a child, having the books accessible, and getting the parents to be role models for their children in order to make literature an important and enjoyable part of a child’s life .
ReplyDeleteI liked that this chapter was a little more thorough in discussing some of the titles it mentions. There were several books I am very interested in finding and reading. The discussion of the critical evaluation of a book was very helpful and will be something I will definitely be practicing and using. . Another thing I liked about this chapter was that it went through and showed how to teach the material to a class, and discussed applications that can be used to get the children interested in the literary elements as well as become more critical of what they are reading.
Chapter 3 is about selecting childrens books and everything you have to consider when you are choosing books. In the first page of chapter 3 it lists 6 objectives for a literature program. I mainly like Susan Wise Bauer literature program. I agree that a literature program should include classics and contemporary stories of fanciful stories as well as realistic ones and books containing factual information like the book states. Of course to do this we have to know several kinds of literature. Per Jean Karl opportunity is needed to evaluate literature and also need supporting context to help make accurate judgements about the quality. This chapter goes further into questions you need to ask yourself about the book to make a good evaluation. Then we move on to multicultural literature which is about racial or ethnic minority groups. This part of the book interested me the most because it talks about how multicultural literature can teach children about their own and others heritage. Growing up it was a big no no to ask why some people were different than others. Positive attitudes about all cultures should be presented but the books chosen should be carefully evaluated to prevent misinformation about the culture. Books should mention the culture or heritage of the characters only when nessesary. Growing up in a border town in Texas children do not know the difference unless it's mentioned. Every book I remember reading had white characters but I never realized I was different, I just saw the character as they were...a character and never thought about it until my daughter asked me, while living in AZ, what color is that man, black or brown? I'm not too sure if I did a good job of explaining it to her but a couple of years later she asked me about my brown friend and her brown son because she is bad with names. I'm mentioning this now because I don't think that multiculturalism is mentioned enough at school because it is a sentative subject that has to be sugar coated so no one is offended.
ReplyDeleteThe Literary Elements talk about the plot of a book which is what the story is about. Simple plots are good for the younger children but as they get older they like books with plots that have more action, conflict and drama to keep them captivated. Having a good beginning is important so the reader is intranced from the beginning. Childrens books happen in chronological order as well as biographies.
Developing conflicts are person against person, person against society, person against nature and person against self. These are use to make the plots more interesting to the reader. Some books consists of more than just one conflict.
Good characterization is when the author does a good job of describing the character by discribing how he looks, acts, thinks, says and talks.
The setting of the story should mention the location in time or surroundings.
The theme of a story ties everything together like the plot, character and setting. Some themes are more obvious than others depending on the reading age group.
It's important to match a book with the childs reading level and understanding. YOu have to understand the child to know what book would better suit them. Over all I found this chapter very informative. After reading my next book I won't just wonder if it was a good book or not. I'll be evaluating more fully.
Chapter 3 by far the best chapter I have read so far, but I guess that as I keep reading each chapter will be better than the previous chapter. Understanding how choose literature for children is something that I didn't think was necessary, but I am very wrong. I understand now how important it is to find the appropriate books for the appropriate age group of children. What I mainly like about the chapter was the reading techniques, especially the webbing technique. I believe that it is the best technique for children to use. My daughter has to use this technique in school and she says that by using it she has a better understanding of the story itself. She can understand the plot, theme and what the moral of the story is. My favorite section of the chapter is The Right Book for Each Child. Understanding the accessibilty, readability, interest and reader response is an excellent way to comprehend what the book is about. I have learned alot from this chapter that will be of great use to me when I begin my career as a teacher but also as a parent.
ReplyDeleteShanna S,
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more. I think that the purpose of a book is not to preach but to be interepreted for its purpose or moral. I also believe that parents do serve as role models for their children and that the accessibilty of the books for the kids is very important. Having kids enjoy a book as opposed to just reading and getting nothing out of the lesson is not good reading skills and the fact that the chapter shows you how to teach in the classroom is great.
Gracie,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your comments on multicultural litature. I am glad we are learning to choose material that best meets the needs of our class. The reading material used in our district does a good job introducing the students to a variety of diversity issues. I believe it is important to share diverse experiences with students, especially in a fairly homogenous district like mine. Thanks for sharing!
Chris
As an aforethought, it is definitely smarter to copy/paste your blogs rather than typing them into the comment box! I couldn't post mine because I hadn't signed in through blogspot first; I had used the link in Blackboard, and when I tried to go back and sign in, my entire post was deleted!!! I spent about 35 minutes typing it....I hope this helps someone else...
ReplyDeleteThe rewrite:
ReplyDeleteChapter 3 made me think about a lot of the books I had read in my elementary through high school years. Books like Hatchet, Julie of the Wolves, Number the Stars, and The Giver, really seem to capture the emotions, attitudes, and fears of childhood. Being lost and feeling alone is a common theme and a common fear, and the tantrum portrayed in Hatchet, shows how children can identify with realistic emotions and actions of the characters the authors create. Does this mean, though, that because the books listed in the chapter are books that I had read in school roughly 15 years ago, literature is not actually progressing as quickly as we're led to believe?
I also realized as I was reading the section on page 101 about the students who had conducted a survey of their own favorite books vs. their parents favorite books at that age (6th grade) that I actually remember the books that were my favorites. I read a lot of Judy Blume and Ann M. Martin books then, and I couldn't believe how easy it was to recall that. I still read a lot, so maybe that's why.
The suggestions on page 99 to increase the accessibility of books for children were also interesting to me. I know that they are practiced by our elementary schools and library here, and I was proud to read that I match up to the statistics for gifted students. I was also a gifted student as a child, and I don't know yet whether my kids are, but I do know that my 5-year-old can read 1st grade books. I also take my kids on frequent trips to the library where we all check out our own books, and we each own over 100 books in our home collections.
I wondered, though, whether the “favorites” that had been voted on by high school students in the UK (p. 100) were actually student favorites or whether they had been picked simply because the students had read them. Several of the books on the list were on the list of required reading by my own high school teachers, and I know that page 101 states that older children show a decline in their reading habits compared with younger students. If high school students aren't reading as much, I find it entirely possible that their “favorite” books are only favorites because they had no other options. I think the validity of the survey is questionable, and I think that Erikson's developmental stages from page 23 can be compared to the statistics shown on page 101. The decline in reading habits of older students can be attributed to the fact that Erikson's adolescent stage shows adolescents' desire to move into the adult world by finding their own identity through activity (p. 23). Adolescents have less time to read as they prefer to socialize and prepare themselves to join adulthood, perhaps modeling themselves after adults who also have little time for reading. Children, however, still enjoy reading because Erikson says they are attempting to gain cultural skills (p. 23). Books are a valuable source for those skills.
Overall, I thought the chapter had some great suggestions for classroom use of literature.
Chapter 3 did a great job of describing all of the literary elements related to selecting literature for children and how to apply those elements in the classroom setting. A section that I found very useful and informative was how to determine that you are selecting the right book for the reader. Ensuring a wide variety of books are easily accessible to children, whether at home or in school, allows children to explore their interests and different genres. I have always been a proponent of reading to my children on a daily basis starting when they are infants. With three children, our home library has five times the number of children’s books as we do books aimed for adults. When I learn that my children are interested in a certain subject or author, we give those books as gifts as well as take numerous trips to the library.
ReplyDeleteEnsuring that a child is reading a book that is in their reading level is also very important. A rule of thumb that my son learned in third grade was if he found five or more words on a page that he struggled with reading, then the book he had chosen was at a level higher than his independent reading level. This section described how many times a child’s interest level is higher than their reading level. This is something my son experiences. A solution that we have found is audio books. We rent both the unabridged audio book as well as the book from the library and my son listens to the book while he reads along. This helps him to identify those words he struggles with, while at the same time allows him to enjoy what he is reading/hearing.
When a child reads something they enjoy or find interesting, they are more likely to read more often and retain and comprehend what they read. Even as an adult, I have on several occasions read something that I had no interest in and when I was finished, I would find myself asking, “What was it I just read?” The book very aptly points out that in order to find out what children find interesting, we as parents and educators need to ask. For example, my daughter’s latest interest has been scrapbooking. For a child who generally prefers to read fiction, I was very excited when she requested a trip to the library so she could find some instructional and informational books on scrapbooking. Exploring a child’s interests, may very well open up an entire new genre of literature to that child.
The book also described some useful and interesting ideas and classroom discussions and projects that will help to creatively teach various literary elements. My daughter is currently beginning to learn literary elements in third grade and this section gave me some great visual ideas on how to explain plot and help her determine the theme of her stories. The more we involve the children in the learning process regarding literary elements, the more they will learn. I can remember only listening to my teacher explain what the elements were and doing fill in the blank worksheets. The concept of webbing is an excellent way to pull all the elements into one very useful and telling visual aid.
Chris C - I completely agree with your response about the lapse of reading during the summer. My children see summer as only fun time, but I still have them read their 20 minutes a night. Our local library has a great summer reading program that offers various incentives when the children meet their goals. This past summer, I also did my own version of "Book It" and once my children had read 20 books in a month, at their reading level, they had earned a special dinner with my husband and I at the restaurant of their choice. Next summer, I may have to put a price limit on the restaurant as I found that my children can be very expensive dates :)
ReplyDeleteShanna S I agree with you about preaching in reading. Reading should be enjoyable so children can come back and keep wanting to readi. I'm sure they get enough preaching everythere else.
ReplyDelete***Sorry my reply is late. I tired to reply before but i guess it did not work***
Chapter 3
ReplyDeleteI obtained a lot of knowledge from Chapter 3. It brought back memories of taking English and literature classes in throughout school by discussing the elements of literature such as personification, conflict, climax, setting, theme, characterization, etc. I completely agree with Norton's comment about characterization being one of the most powerful of the literary elements. For example, I can still remember character names such as "Scout" from To Kill a Mockingbird. I also enjoyed having flash backs to books I read as a child, I can remember Hatchet by Gary Paulsen was such a popular book, this is when I was able to see all the boys in my class get excited about reading.
I believe this chapter provided a ton of information assisting with applications for classrooms. It opened my eyes to how to choose a good book for students. I agreed with the informal conversation as one of the simplest ways to uncover children's interest. Children usually enjoy talking about their hobbies or latest interests which can assist a teacher a great deal in reference for choosing a good book, especially if the child is not all that intrigued by books. Another insight of Norton's I liked was not to have stereotyped views about a child's preferences, without asking them what interests them. I enjoyed the example about the fourth grade boy who was a Shakespeare buff, because research does not show that to be true of a child his age.
Another teaching tool I enjoyed about Chapter 3 was how to teach the literally terms on pages 103-111. This will be an effective tool to remember as I become a teacher. I can remember my teachers diagram a story where we had to label the sequence of events with the climax always being at the peak . I always remember the diagram looking like a rollercoaster. Another way of teaching elements was the webbing. I can remember this tactic as well. Reading chapter 3 caused me to have many flashbacks to teachers I had who really taught literature well. I asked my husband if he could remember any good books from school and he stated no. I was dumbfounded he must have not been as lucky as myself to have such wonderful teachers. Chapter 3 provided me with pleasant memories and made me feel like teaching was exactly where I am suppose to be. It also motivated me as well. I really enjoyed Chapter 3 in comparison to Chapter 2.
Rebekah S
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed hearing of her personal experience with your son regarding his interest level being higher than his reading level. I like the insight on audio books. That would be perfect way to allow the child to read the book and still be interested. Following along while listening to the audio was a great problem solver and a way to keep him interested in learning. Thank you for sharing your personal experience that is helpful for all of us future teachers.
Shanna S and Gracie J
ReplyDeleteI agree with you both too about preaching to children about books. I can remember my first year of college and thinking I loved the way I was asked to reflect on the book or assignment not told what to think. I believe we should allow the child to enjoy the book and tell us how they identified with the story or the characters. I think we forget children have wonderful minds and can surprise us with their insight. I am sure they could even teach us a thing or two at times.
Shadra -
ReplyDeleteI also thought the webbing technique was interesting. In fact, it was one of the most useful techniques from the chapter, I thought. Most seemed to have the implication that they could only be applied to that one book that was being discussed. I've seen webbing done in a first grade classroom to introduce a story. The teacher would ask what the kids knew about a given topic, farms, for example, and she would make a web about everything they could tell her about farms. Afterward, she would use the web to tie into the story they were about to read, and then they could go back to the web to add information and discuss new information or how their own information related to the story after they read it. I've also seen webbing discussed as a technique in the ESL class I'm taking, so it could be that I'm a little partial, but it seems like it's my favorite technique and the one that looks to be the most universal.
I guess I agree with alot of the posts above about preaching to children about books and then asking their own thoughts on what they read. It is important and it will help adults understand the way children think and interpret literature. I like it!
ReplyDeleteI think that this chapter is definitely a chapter that we need to remember for future reference. It gives us a lot of basics on judging different types of books. I liked it because it breaks down the important parts of books such as: plot,setting, developing order of events, and developing conflict. It helped me review what a good story really should be and what I enjoy when I read a book.
ReplyDeleteKristi: I do agree that the last 15 pages were probably the most interesting to me as well. I liked reading about how to get children involved with the actual books, such as plot. It really will help us start to think about real classroom situations.
I
I do agree that instead of just asking a child if they liked the book or no, it is better to ask "why" they did or didn't. I have come into contact with some students that will say they just didn't like it cause they don't like to read, but really couldn't tell you why or why not.
ReplyDeleteJason R.
ReplyDeleteChapter 3 to me is an important chapter for all teachers in Kansas to know. Working in a middle school, we teach on all the aspects of this chapter a lot. Plot, theme, setting, characters, etc. are tested on state assessments and are a large focus in middle school. I liked this chapter because it is a little more in depth than what we teach and it may be more helpful for me to help the students understand it a little better.
I also like the concepts on evaluating books for kids. Working with special ed kids it can often be hard finding them books that are best for them. This should help me with trying to get better evaluations on books for our kids.
Jason R.
ReplyDeleteGeoff:
I liked how you put emphasis on the multiculturalism evaluation of books and how it relates to the kids. I also think that it should be a point of emphasis and plan on looking more into it when helping my students select books.
I also agree with Kristi, instead of asking if the book is good or bad, ask what they liked or didn't like about the book. Unfortunately when our kids take Accelerated Reading tests a question at the end is did you like, dislike, or thought the book was OK. Most of the kids I have worked with respond that it was OK or bad.
I think it is important to discuss the book with them, because it can also help in evaluating for other students.
After reading chapter 3 it really opened my eyes about all the multiculturalism in literature. All the different conflicts that you have to really think about. By having an open mind as a teacher that will help your students have an open mind and not make them be so judgemental of other cultures.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that characterization is the most powerful of the literary elements.
This chapter opened my eyes to how I pick books for my own children. I thought about our own home library and what is available to my children. My children are 10,7,5,and 4. We are stocked up on books for ages 2 to 7. I need to take my daughters, who are 10 and 7, to the bookstore and update our library. This chapter has given me insight onto what I need to be looking for. I will look for books that my girls can relate to. The books need to entertain them as well as allowing them to relate to the characters. This is one reason why my 7 year old loves Junie B Jones. The books suggested throughout the chapter I have made notes of. Especially the list of the books that shaped the 20th century on page 77.
ReplyDeleteOk, so I was posting and blogging away in the 2008 class. Until I realized why is no one ever talking to me. Well I was there by myself. I have copied and pasted all my comments to get me up to date here. Hello everyone! I looked ahead in the other blogspot and I thought I was in a class of overacheivers because they had read alot of chapters and blogged about it. My goodness I am struggling to keep up the reading. Did I mention yes I am blonde and I usually am not the stereotype. This time I will take a bow!
ReplyDeleteChapter 3 sure gave me a lot to think about. I love to read but had no idea there was that much thought involved in picking books for children to read. I one of those people who tend to pick up a book by what the title is and what the cover looks like. I have read a lot of books mentioned in chapter 3 so must be doing ok with that. The chapter was pretty detailed and talked about so many books that I had a hard time keeping up with all of them. The last part was definitely my favorite, really got into the core about choosing books and then what to do once you chose them. I feel a lot of respect for librarians and teachers since they spend so much time trying to get children to like books. This chapter has given me a new insight to being a teacher.
ReplyDeleteI thought this chapter was a great refresher for all of the things my high school English teacher taught me. All the things I never thought would be put in to practical use, now are things I have to think of when I'm planning coursework for students.
ReplyDeleteI think it is important to keep issues like plot and type of conflict in the front of your mind when you are reading a book. Each chapter just builds on what you learned before, which helps me pick out books for the reading logs as well.
Jade:
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I'm always shocked at the things my kids come up with after I read a book to them. And my 12-year-old is very insightful when he reads something, it just blows me away.
Rebekah S,
ReplyDeleteReally enjoyed your post. My children also love to read. Started reading to them at an early age but it was books that I picked. I remember my son around the age of 2 got interested in dinosaurs and we ended up at the library getting dinosaur books. He picked them out and they were not little kid books but actual adult books, loved them. I never really thought about how to pick books for them but this has opened my eyes as what to look for. I love your idea about the audio books, my son listens to them at bedtime.
This chapter makes you look take a deeper look into the books that we as teachers may some day use in class. I know that I will want to select the best books to have my students read. This chapter gives me some of the tools and things to think about to be more successful at selecting a book that the children will enjoy and be very beneficial for them to read. I had no exposure to any other culture but my own because I grew up in a town with over 99% white people. Whenever I am teaching I will make sure that the books I select do not make any race of people look bad.
ReplyDeleteGlad to have you with us Trisha M. Don’t worry I to have problems keeping up with the work with working full time and raising two children and making sure my wife is not mad at me :).
ReplyDeleteI am glad to see people talking about their experiences with their children and reading. My daughter makes sure I read to her every night and often is pretending to read a book to herself. Some of the books I have read the most to her she knows what to “read” by looking at the pictures.
Danika, I agree with you that there is a lot more to picking out books for kids than I ever thought. This was a great chapter and it will be very helpful in the future. I will definately be more picky about what books I get from now on.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter I found myself drifting off. It was very long. I mostly related to the segment on involving children in the plots of nursery rhymes. It gave me some ideas to do with my after school children this week. I truly believe they will enjoy doing this. There are many different books that would allow children to act out.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that a teacher should know how to select books for their students interest. As the chapter did help me think of some excellent resources in helping me be more choosy with my selection. "Through the Eyes of a Child", is definitely a book that I will keep around in my further education years as a resource.
Trisha,
ReplyDeleteI have had quite a day myself. So reading your blog as I finish up here after struggling on my assignments all day. Gave me the chuckle that I needed. Thank you for being honest. I feel like I'm the only one that is out to lunch trying to keep up. Drowning with one more stroke of luck. My computer had issues today, so it sat me way behind. Plus, I had promised my children that I would take them jean shopping. Well, that got thrown out the window.
Well, maybe I will be able to take some wisdom from chapter three, pick a good book out and read to them tomorrow and they will forget all about jean shopping.
All I can do is laugh sometimes... :)
ReplyDeleteChapter 3 introduced me to a lot on new importances. There are many things to keep in mind when evaluating a book, or picking out a book for a multicultural class. For example, “Knowledge of cross-cultural communication strategies, perspective taking, and conflict management skills to ensure understanding, peace, tolerance, and friendship among all people and groups.” In this chapter I always realized how important plots, themes, and characters are in creating a book, along with illustrations.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you as well, I would ask the child what they liked and disliked about a book, I would always try to make some conversation about what we just read.
Maria C -
ReplyDeleteI also found I was wrong about how important it is to pick out the right books for children. I have no kids, but have read books to plenty of kids with relatives and babysitting and such. I do like webbing, but I remember when I was younger how much of a struggle it was for me to catch on to it. The more "webs" that were attached to the story, the more confused and scatterbrained I became. Everyone has different learning techniques though!
What immediately caught my attention in Chapter three was the illustration for the chapter about George vs. George. I found it so detailed and also humorous. History has always been one of my least favorite subjects, so it was an inviting illustration to learn about it! This chapter shares so much description involved with plot, theme, setting, etc. I loved how this chapter cared to explain the importance of how the right book for each child is important and worth knowing. It is good to know that if a child does not enjoy reading, that maybe they are just reading the wrong type of books. If they have any interests or activities, something will stimulate and interest them to read. I liked how they suggested the technique of "webbing" at the end of the chapter. In my personal opinion I do not think it works for every child. I remember using webbing growing up in my classes and found it confusing and rather frustrating the more detailed things became.
ReplyDeleteTerra M
ReplyDeleteKristen……in regards to Geoff’s blog,
You are absolutely right! Talking with them about likes and dislikes is a fantastic way to get them discussing a book. Children are so honest when it comes to feelings, they will be able to tell you just what they liked and just what they didn’t like. I think in almost every story, a child will find something even if it was one thing that they enjoyed.
Terra M
ReplyDeleteWhen I hear the word “standards” I think boring! But in reality, it is what we as educators have to meet in order for our children to excel. I think this chapter has opened my eyes in a way I didn’t see before. I guess before the material presented in the chapter, I didn’t realize the stressed importance of choosing appropriate literature/books appropriate to the needs of children. As we learned in the previous chapter; because of the different developmental stages in children, different literacy needs are required.
Throughout our grades, the reading levels vary so broadly. I can think of students in our 5th grade who are still at a 2nd grade reading level. Do you honestly think they are meeting reading standards? We as educators have to be able to identify and consider children’s reading levels and to use what information we know and learn to spark their reading interests.
As I keep reading into this textbook, I’m learning that the impact teachers have on children is crucial. I mean don’t get me wrong, I already knew that…..but I’m learning so much more. There truly is more thought involved in just picking a story to use for a particular curriculum; the thought is much more involved. I hope to use what I have learned in this chapter when it comes to selecting the “right” book(s) to read to my children in the classroom!
Chapter 3 regarding Standards, I never thought about standards. Before I bought a book for my child, I read it or asked a friend about it. I thought that was good enough. I thought as long as I new what I believed in was good enough.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Chris C, the lapse in reading during the summer. The kids are off doing things that they want and majority of the parents are too busy with working or they just don’t care what their kids are doing as long as they are not in their way. They do loose valuable skills over breaks.
I am thankful for the ideas of how teach certain elements when it comes to reading. Since I am not a teacher and don’t work with children in reading, I really don’t know what to do. I plan to be a history teacher; hopefully these techniques will help in ways to help the students to understand their readings.
I think getting kids to pick out the plot and understanding why it’s the plot is very important. Also, remembering the order of the story is important too.
I agree that this chapter is full of information, but I also think that some of it could be deleted.