Reflection

Class Reflection

The Children's Literature course has taught me a lot throughout this semester.  I learned that choice is a key component when offering literature to students.  As long as there is choice there will be something that all students are interested in.  I liked talking about controversial books because there will definitely be times when parents do not agree with what I'm teaching in my classroom.  After reviewing several of these types of books I realized that I usually do not have a problem with them.  A book is a book and if my students want to read it then it's usually fine with me.  I have been introduced to several different genres of books and now feel ready to offer them to my students.  I also liked reading the novels The Misfits, Must Love Dog, The Giver, and more.  I really enjoyed reading them and was interested in the discussions that followed.  I liked that we read The Year of Impossible Goodbyes and So Far From the Bamboo Grove because it gave a unique look at a historical event.  This is just one instance of how we learned to incorporate literature into any subject area.  I think that the technology integration (blogs, glogs, etc.) was a really useful and important part of this class also because our society is becoming more and more technology-based.  Students in my future classroom are going to be more interested in using the technology that they use and are familiar with than doing a book report by writing a paper and describing an author.  All of these components worked together to make this an amazing semseter and course.  I've learned a lot and am eager to take what I've learned to my future classroom someday!

"Mathematickles!" by Betsy Franco

With a concentration in elementary school math, I was instantly intrigued with this book!  What a great way to intertwine math, reading and writing!  I really like how math is mixed with language to teach students about how addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, geometry, and graphs relate with words as examples.  For example:

pumpkin - seeds + face = jack-o'-lantern

autumn / wind = leaves ( - colors = winter)

These are just a couple of the many clever math problems with words that describe the different seasons.  I think students would enjoy reading this book because it is funny and looks at math in a very different and interesting way!

"The Story Goes On" by Aileen Fisher

The first thing that struck me about this book was the illustrations!  They are all very bright and definitely attract the reader's attention.  I'm not sure how the illustrator created the illustrations but there are parts where it looks like newspaper was incorporated!  It's very interesting.  This is a story written as a poem about the cycle of life.  First a bug eats a plant, then a frog eats the bug, then a snake eats the frog, etc.  As a teacher I could see myself introducing a science unit about the life cycle to my students with this book.  It would give students a good overview of how all animals depend on each other to continue the life cycle!

"Falling Up" by Shel Silverstein

What a great collection of poems!  This was a book that I always enjoyed reading when I was young and enjoyed it just as much (if not more) recently.  I like that Silverstein has a very distinct style of writing poems.  I remember my fourth grade teacher started class each day with a poem from Where the Sidewalk Ends.  Silverstein's poems are fun and light-hearted and I think that helps children learn to love poetry, a style of writing that is usually dreaded by children.  Overall I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting this poetry collection!  Here's one of my favorites:

Nentis Nan, he’s my man,

I go do im each chanz I gan.
He sicks me down an creans my teed
Wid mabel syrub, tick an’ sweed,
An ten he filks my cavakies
Wid choclut cangy-- I tink he’s
The grayest nentis in the Ian.
Le’s hear free jeers for Nentis Nan.
Pip-pip-ooray!
Pip-pip-ooray!
Pip-pip-ooray!
Le’s go to Nentis Nan dooday!

"Doodle Dandies: Poems That Take Shape" by J. Patrick Lewis

This collection of poems showcases several different ways to publish a piece.  I really enjoyed reading these poems, especially the ones that resembeled the object they were describing.  The author has definitely done a great job of showing how poetry can look exciting, not boring.  Each page has tons of color and the configuration of the peom is different on every page!  My favorite poem is one called "Mirror".  It shows a woman looking in the mirror and the text is written on her hat.  On the opposing page is the same image except it's reflected as if there's a mirror in the middle of the page.  It's very clever!  I think many children would enjoy this book because it makes the poems look more interesting.  I think teachers could use this book to show students different ways of publishing their work.  Children probably wouldn't think of these ideas on their own so this book could serve as a great model for them.

"Poems to Dream Together, Poemas Para Sonar Juntos" by Francisco X. Alarcon

This book would be great for ELL students or those who are learning Spanish.  All the poems are written in English and Spanish and they range from just a few words to several stanzas in length.  As more and more students in our classrooms are from diverse backgrounds it's important to realize that not all of them will have English as their primary language.  I have not come across many books that are written in two languages and so I was very pleased when I read this.  Although I do not know Spanish it was interesting to compare the words and decipher what certain words mean.  The author's note at the beginning of the book was interesting because it described the author's background.  He lived in both California and Mexico throughout his childhood, which is the reason he wrote the bilingual poems.  I also thought it was interesting that even the author's note and dedication (in fact, all parts of this book) are written in two languages.

The content of the poems is not to be overlooked.  They range from topics about education and peace to families and living things.  Some are humorous while others take a more serious tone.  Overall, I loved this collection of poems and would love to see more books like this!

"Love That Dog" by Sharon Creech

What a great book!  This collection of poems forms the story about Jack, a boy who is not excited about poetry.  After his teacher guides him along to write a few poems, he begins to become more comfortable with his writing.  He decides after a while that his teacher can put his name on his poems that she puts onto the board.  By looking at models of poems Jack starts to write more and more.  He even writes to an inspirational author, Walter Dean Myers.  The first poem that Jack writes is about a blue car, and it goes like this:

So much depends
upon
a blue car
splattered with mud
speeding down the road.

This poem is significant to Jack because the blue car is what killed his dog.  Lots of Jack's poems are about his dog so it's clear that he's dealing with some grief.  I really liked that the author chose to write the book in blue colored font.  This mades me wonder if the font alludes to the color of the car that hit his dog?  It would be interesting to find out why the author chose to write this book that way. 

Overall, I thought this was an excellent book. I loved that Jack employed the mindset about poetry that many students have. This would be a great book to use when introducing poetry to students. It's interesting that Jack made the discovery that poetry doesn't have to rhyme or have symbols or imagery. Poems can be written by anyone! This is definitely a book I enjoyed reading and look forward to sharing with my students someday.

"The Year of Impossible Goodbyes" by Sook Nyul Choi

This book is a wonderful compliment to So Far From the Bamboo Grove.  I really liked reading both books and comparing their viewpoints.  I thought that Sook Nyul Choi did a great job giving the reader a sense of what the conditions were really like in North Korea during the Japanese occupation.  The descriptions of the sock-factory about the girls who worked night and day in the factory were interesting to me.  At first I thought the book moved somewhat slowly, but after a couple chapters I really got into it and found myself having a hard time putting it down!  I would definitely recommend this book to others and can see myself using it in the classroom.  So Far From the Bamboo Grove and The Year of Impossible Goodbyes are both fictional nonfiction books but they give a good perspective of each side during the war.  I liked that I wasn't convinced to favor either side after reading the books.  These are a great example of how to intertwine literature with a history lesson, a teaching techniques I've learned is very effective for literacy.

"Purplicious" by Victoria Kann & Elizabeth Kann

An adorable book about a little girl named Pinkalicious, it teaches children about being true to themselves and that it's ok to not like all the same things as everyone else.  It's interesting that the author chose to highlight the color pink.  I liked that all the other girls liked the color black -- a color that not many little girls typically like.  I chose to read this book because I have seen it in lots of bookstores with its companion, Pinkalicious.  I know a few young girls who really enjoy these books so I thought I would see what all the hype is about.  Turns out I enjoyed reading the book and the illustrations were great!  I liked that on the pages when Pinkalicious was sad there was only white or colors other than pink.  When she is happy the page is filled with pink things.  I think it's interesting that the author chose purple as the favorite color of her friend.  Typically the colors pink and purple are favorites for young girls.  I think it would have been nice if the author chose to make green or blue (typically colors that boys like) the friend's favorite color instead.  Anyway, this was a cute book and an easy, lighthearted read.

"So Far From the Bamboo Grove" by Yoko Kawashima Watkins

This was an amazing book, and it opened my eyes to the harsh conditions that many people suffered during World War II.  Yoko leaves her home with her sister, Ko, and her mother.  Their journey to Japan highlights many realities that Japanese suffered during the war.  One part that really shocked me was when the woman in the train jumped off after they had thrown out her dead baby.  It shows how emotionally cold people have to be -- that they can just throw a dead baby out of a moving train.  The conditions in the small traincar are not condusive to having a dead infant aboard.  I was also very shocked when Ko's mother died.  It was totally unexpected and I have so sad!  After the entire journey they had gone through and what they had survived so far, I was surprised that she died.  It was a harsh realization and made me feel sad that even having paper for school was scarce for Ko.  I think that I take many things for granted in my life and I don't realize how priviledged I am compared to some people in other countries.  I definitely don't think very often about how easy it is for me to get a pencil or a notebook and folder, necessities for school.

I had read this book before, in junior high.  I didn't remember much about it except that I really liked it when I read it the first time.  I think that after reading it this time I understood a lot more of the events that happened.  I noticed more of the small details and the implications that some situations carried with them.  I didn't realize that it is actually a fictional autobiography.  It would be interesting to know what parts are fictional and what parts are completely true.  Overall, this was a great book and I definitely recommend it to others, whether they're looking to learn about WWII or just enjoy a good book!