Childrens Literacy Exploration 1

Childrens Literacy Exploration Ashley Louth ELD 307 Emergent Literacy 24 September 2013

Childrens Literacy Exploration 2 Barner, Bob (2007). Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere! San Francisco: Chronicle Books. Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere! is a non-fiction book that talks about all the types of penguins. It talks about what they eat, what eats them, where they live, and how they grow. RL.1.5 Explain major differences between books that tell stories and books that give information, drawing on a wide reading of a range of texts. RI.1.2 Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text. RI.1.6 Distinguish between information provided by pictures or other illustrations and information provided by the words in a text. RI.1.7 Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas. This book is a very basic non-fiction book. It is easy enough for the students to read independently or in pairs with little or no guidance from me or another teacher/volunteer. It also is a rhyming book because the last word of the sentence rhymes with the last word of the sentence that follows. While it does not have a table of contents or index like most other non-fiction book, the last two pages do contain frequently asked questions about penguins called Penguin Puzzler and a table of various types of penguins called a Penguin Parade. This is a perfect book to use in an independent or paired study of non-fiction books during workshops. It is a good transition book between non-fiction and fiction books because it contains non-fiction information in the format of a fictional or picture book. There could even be a paired worksheet where the students have to record or discuss with a partner their answers from the Penguin Puzzler or write or talk about the differences between two types of penguins from the Penguin Parade. The book is also a

Childrens Literacy Exploration 3 good book to use to help the students figure out how to use pictures in non-fiction books to learn about the information in the text of the non-fiction books.

Childrens Literacy Exploration 4 Rodriguez, Edel (May 2008). Sergio Makes a Splash. New York: Little, Brown and Company. Sergio Makes a Splash is about a young penguin named Sergio. The book takes you through the day Sergio overcame his fear of the ocean and learned how to swim on a class trip. RL.1.5 Explain major differences between books that tell stories and books that give information, drawing on a wide reading of a range of texts. RL.1.7 Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events. RL.1.9 Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories. RI.1.6 Distinguish between information provided by pictures or other illustrations and information provided by the words in a text. RI.1.7 Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas. This is a fictional book that I would use conjointly with Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere! by Bob Barner in either a unit about birds or just during a time when I felt like having all my books and lessons focus on penguins. What is really cool about this book is that the first page has a diagram of Sergio and it is labeled with his information such as height, weight, and parts of the body. This is a great connector piece between fictional books and non-fictional books and how the information can over lap and be used with each other. I can easily connect the information on the this first page with the Penguin Parade found in Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere!. This is also an inspirational book about overcoming your fears and trying new things. Sergio was afraid of swimming in the ocean because he didnt know how to swim but he still tried. Also, since the book is set as a school field trip, it is a great encourager for students to try new things at school. In addition, it shows how to

Childrens Literacy Exploration 5 encourage friends to try new things and support them along the way because Sergios other classmates encourage him to try swimming with them. Students can compare how Sergio felt before going into the water with how the other penguin students felt before going into the water. Another thing that is useful with this book is that even the back cover has a picture and words which can be used to show students it is important to look at all the pages and both covers of a book when they read.

Childrens Literacy Exploration 6 Rodriguez, Edel (May 2009). Sergio Saves the Game. New York: Little, Brown and Company. Sergio Saves the Game is another book about our penguin friend Sergio. In this book he is playing a soccer game against their rival team, the seagulls. 1.OA.C.5 Relate counting to addition and subtraction. 1.NBT.B.3 Compare two two-digit numbers based on meanings of the tens and ones digits, recording the results of comparisions with the symbols >,=, and <. 1.MD.C.4 Organize, represent, and interpret data with up to three categories; ask and answer questions about the total number of data points, how many in each category, and how many more or less are in one category than in another. RL.1.1 Ask and answer questions about key details in a text. Sergio Saves the Game is another fictional book I would use with Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere! by Bob Barnes and Sergio Makes a Splash by Edel Rodriguez. However, reading this book would be a way I would introduce math. There are many ways this book can be used to introduce math including counting, adding/subtracting, comparing numbers, and the use of data. The use of counting and/or relating counting to addition and subtraction can be used with this book. Students can use pictures of the characters to count their way through addition and subtraction problems. An example would be I could write or dictate that there are 5 seagulls on the soccer field and 6 penguin soccer players walk onto the field. How many soccer players are now on the field? Students can write the addition problem 5+6= and glue 5 seagull pictures above the 5 and 6 penguin pictures above the 6 to help them solve the addition problem 5+6=11.

Childrens Literacy Exploration 7 The same idea can be said in the representation of two digit numbers. Students can use pictures of the characters to help them see and understand how to use greater than >, less than <, and equal to =. For example, students see 12 seagull soccer plays next to 11 penguin soccer players. They would then have to write underneath 12 > 11 because 12 is greater than 11. For the organization, representation, and interpretation of data, students can be given a score sheet or table for the games the penguins played against the seagulls and they will have to answer questions using the chart. Or, for a more advanced class, students could create a score sheet using information provided to them. To accomplish any of these tasks, however, I would have the check their comprehension of the story after reading by having the students ask and answer questions about the key ideas, characters, and setting of the story. The students do not understand the story then there is no way I can use the information from the story in a math lesson. The idea is to make math a little more fun.

Childrens Literacy Exploration 8 Clark, Katie (2007). Seagull Sam. Maine: Down East books. Seagull Sam is about a young boy named Sam who feels left out when he is told he is too young to fly a kite. So, Sam becomes a seagull so he can fly through the sky with the seagulls that live near his house. RL.1.4 Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses. RL.1.9 Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories. SL.1.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and large groups. Seagull Sam is a book I would use to help teach critical literacy. I think it is a great book to help the students think about their feelings of being excluded and left out of activities with friend and siblings. Where they ever left out of an activity? How did that make them feel? What did they do instead of the activity? Why did they do that? I also feel it provides opportunities to think about how Sams older brother and sister feel and what they think in comparison to what Sam things and feels about what is happening in the book. It can also be asked what do the seagulls feel and think during the story. Do the seagulls like Sam flying with them? Why? This is a good book to keep on hand even if I do not plan to use it in a lesson because if there is time for free play and someone is constantly being left out we can read this book as a class and talk about what it means to be excluded. It is a good way to talk about feels and how it is important to include everyone. The book also leaves us with a big question after Sam says I wouldnt want to get too big too quickly. Why does Sam say this? What would change when he gets

Childrens Literacy Exploration 9 older? Do the students want to grow up or do they like being the age they are and as big as they are? This book brings up a lot of good discussion questions to discuss as a class or in small groups.

Childrens Literacy Exploration 10 Nesbitt, Kenn (2013). Learning to Fly. From Poetry4 Kids Web Site: http://www.poetry4kids.com/poem-637.html#.Uj83Bz-F07U Learning to Fly is a poem about what you do while you are flying through the air and what it feels like to fly and crash. RL.1.3 Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details. RL.1.4 Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses. RL.1.10 With prompting and support, read prose and poetry of appropriate complexity for grade 1. Learning to Fly is a poem I could use concurrently with reading Seagull Sam by Katie Clark. I am unsure whether I would read it before or after Seagull Sam but they fit together nicely because the poem is about how to fly and in Seagull Sam, Sam flys with the seagulls. Learning to Fly could also just be read during a unit about birds since most birds do fly (with exceptions the penguin and a few other birds). This poem can be used to teach students how to identify sensory words and words that talk about how characters feel. While I feel that this poem could be challenging for the students because things are not said explicitly like I feel and I think, I do think it is a good growing and learning experience for the students with help from myself and/or another teacher or volunteer. The poem can also be used to see characters and settings that are not explicitly made, especially in things that do not come with large pictures. For example, we, as the reader, do not know that the setting is on top of a mattress until the last line. It also does not specify a character but only uses the word I. This activity

Childrens Literacy Exploration 11 would not work for struggling students but for advanced and maybe even average achieving students it is a great way to grow and learn about reading and writing.

Childrens Literacy Exploration 12 Rossell, Judith (2012). Oliver. New York: Harper. Oliver is about a young boy who always wants to learn more about new things. He plays, invents, and discovers new worlds while also learning about himself. RL.1.1 Ask and answer questions about key details in a text. RL.1.9 Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in the story. Oliver is a perfect book for encouraging students to want to learn. Oliver always wants to learn about new things and explore new worlds. He is also always asking himself and his mom questions about things. This book could help students learn how to ask questions and that it is okay and encouraged to want to learn. It encourages them to play, create, and explore the world around them. I would use it to teach the students to explore and play to discover new things about their environment and themselves. I would also use it to teach them to always ask questions. Asking questions helps us learn about ourselves and new things. This book can also be used to think about how Olivers mother feels compared to how Oliver feels while he is away on his exploration of the world down the drain. The story talks about what Oliver is doing and thinking but the students can talk about what they think the mother thinks and feels about the fact that Oliver is gone.

Childrens Literacy Exploration 13 Claflin, Willy (2008). The Uglified Ducky: A Maynard Moose Tale. Atlanta: August House Little Folk. The Uglified Ducky is about a moose that is raised by a family of ducks. He thinks he is ugly because he does not act and looks like the other ducks. However, at the end of the story he finds a group of moose that shows him that he is a beautiful moose. The story has a wonderful message that everyone is beautiful and perfect in something. RL.1.3 Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details. RL.1.6 Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text. RL.1.9 Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories. RL.1.5 Know and use various text features (eg. Headings, tables of contents, glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text. L.1.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 1 reading and content, choosing flexibility from an array of strategies. L.1.5 With guidance and support from adults, demonstrate understandings of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. The Uglified Ducky is a story of a story. It starts with introducing that we, the readers will be told a Mother Moose Tale. This is a parallel idea with the Mother Goose tales and the story of the ugly duckling that children grow up hearing. This is something that I can discuss with the students. How is this different from the ugly duckling? What is different? What is the same? Which do they like better? Why?

Childrens Literacy Exploration 14 Vocabulary and synonyms can also be taught using this story. One of the first pages is a glossary of words that are used that are in the language of moose. The glossary gives the English equivalents of these words. The idea I thought of is that this book is a great way to help show that good authors write in multiple languages and that is okay. This could be used to inspire the students to write no matter if they are ESL, bilingual, or just someone who does not write or talk the same way as everyone else. It is a great way to encourage students to write no matter what they produce because all writers write in different ways. Also, this story carries a strong message that not everyone is exactly alike. Some people look different. Some people speak differently. Some people are better doing certain things than other. The message tells the students that all these things are okay. It is okay to be different because we all are good at something and we all are beautiful and smart people. This is an advanced book, it is not a book that you can take out and read to any group of students. Depending on the level of the students this book may or may not be appropriate for a first grade classroom. However, I think that if I feel the students are able to handle the complexity of the book I would like to read it. It uses a non-traditional set up in reading the lines of words on the page. It also uses untraditional grammar. However, I feel that the message of the book and the idea that anyone can be a great author are very important for the children to see.

Childrens Literacy Exploration 15 Mara, Wil (2009). Ducks. New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark. Ducks is a non-fiction book about ducks. It talks about what a duck is, how they live, and other interesting things about ducks. RL.1.5 Explain major differences between books that tell stories and books that give information, drawing on a wide reading of a range of texts. RI.1.2 Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text. RL.1.5 Know and use various text features (eg. Headings, tables of contents, glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text. RI.1.6 Distinguish between information provided by pictures or other illustrations and information provided by the words in a text. RI.1.7 Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas. Ducks, like Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere! by Bob Barnes, is a non-fiction book. However, it is a much more traditional non-fiction book than Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere!. It has a table of contents, glossary, index, and other key features that nonfiction books traditionally have. It is a great resource for teaching students how to use and understand non-fiction texts because it uses simple language with large print. Most students will need to be guided and supported through the text but it is not as crowded as other non-fiction texts. It also has a very typical set up where the words are in an easy to rread set up and it does not have the children guessing where the text begins and ends. For more advanced students this could be a small group reading or a paired reading. I would use this book to demonstrate non-fiction books. How to use a glossary and index. What is a glossary and index. How to use pictures in a non-fiction book. It

Childrens Literacy Exploration 16 would probably be used in a read aloud activity where I introduce the use, or the proper use, of non-fiction. This book could be used during a birds unit or read around the same time as the class reads The Uglified Ducky: A Maynard Moose Tale by Willy Claflin because students would then be able to make connections between what they learned about ducks in Ducks and the family of ducks in The Uglified Ducky.

Childrens Literacy Exploration 17 Hayes, Joe (2002). Pajaro Verde: The Green Bird. Texas: Cinco Puntos Press. Pajaro Verde is a bilingual story told both in Spanish and English. It is a New Mexican folktale about a girl and her true love. Her true love is a magical prince who turns into a green bird. Her sisters and mother get jealous and try to take their wealth away but in the end true love prevails. RL.1.3 Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details. RL.1.9 Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories. SL.1.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and large groups. This is a great book for celebrating and teaching about the Spanish culture and language. It is written so that each page has the text in English and in Spanish so that you can read it in Spanish or English or both. I can see this book being used during Hispanic Heritage month. It can also be used at any time when students of Hispanic heritage are present in the classroom or the community. The book could also prove helpful if there are bilingual or ESL students from a Spanish speaking country. Even if all the students are American students who only speak English, I feel this is a good book to bring into the classroom because it provides them with an opportunity to explore and experience a new culture and language. I also feel it would be good for students to talk about different cultures whether it is the Spanish culture, the American culture, or their own cultures from home. Students can compare this story with The Princess and the Frog because it has some similarities and also many differences. Students can also talk about how each of the characters feel about their physical appearances, personalities, and how they feel about Maribel marrying the prince who is

Childrens Literacy Exploration 18 also a bird. A lot of good discussions could be brought up and started after reading this book or another book that talk about a story from another culture. This could also be a transition book from a unit on bird or animals in general to a unit on cultures. Students can talk about what the prince looks like as a bird in comparison to how he looks as a prince. Also, after reading this book we could start having parents or family members from all the families in the class come in and talk about their culture and share a tradition or a story from their culture. Having students understand and embrace different cultures and languages is important, even in a first grade classroom. I would use this book and other books about stories from other cultures and countries to bring culture and understanding to my classroom. They would most likely be read aloud books that we then discuss what we think and feel about the stories.

Childrens Literacy Exploration 19 Pitara Kids Network (2013). Tounge Twisters for Kids. From Pitara Kids Network Web Site: http://www.pitara.com/magazine/twister/online.asp?twister=30 This is a tounge twister that uses the sw sound. It is about a swan that is swimming. Swan swam over the sea, Swim, swan, swim! Swan swam back again Well swum, swan! RF.1.2 Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes). RF.1.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. This is a good tongue twister to revisit the sw sound. Saying out loud or with a partner could help the students with their pronunciation and practice making all the sounds that make up words. They can also compare the different words that all start with the sw sound. While this may be slightly below the level of a first grader, I feel it is always good to review sounds for students and tongue twisters is a fun way to do this. In kindergarten they learn about the sounds and how to identify them. With lesson using tongue twisters I would simply be reinforcing what they had learned in the previous year. This is good especially when I see some students struggling with certain phonemic sounds. In general tongue twisters are a good way for students to practice identifying and saying their phonetic sounds. This can be used during word study or just as extra practice for struggling students. There are a lot of different tongue twisters students can go through on the Pitara Kids Network website. This website has many things that kids can use both in school and at home. I also like the way Pitara Kids Network has the

Childrens Literacy Exploration 20 tongue twisters set up. Students can navigate at a space they can handle through different tongue twisters. There is only ever one tongue twister shown at once so that students do not get overwhelmed by the text present. There are things to read, games to play, and even quizzes also on this site. It is a fun website for students just to explore and play with. Pitara Kids Network even has integrated games that relate to tongue twisters and other activities the site provides. Back onto the topic of tongue twisters, tongue twisters can also help ESL learners practice and improve their phonetic sounds. This specific tongue twister relates to the unit of birds and can be used with Sergio Makes a Splash by Edel Rodriguez because Sergio learns to swim just like how the swan is swimming. I would use this tongue twister in a warm up or something before reading Sergio Makes a Splash. It would make a good introduction.