6th Grade Literature Circles

Overall, I liked the process of the literature circle discussions with the discussion board. I think the kids felt like it was a more authentic discussion, and enjoyed discussing the book with someone new. I did notice a few things I'd like to see done differently, and would like to participate again next year with a new group of students.

First, I learned through trial and error that I have to take the kids to the computer lab and be willing to give up some class time to do it. I thought originally that I could make it work by having them use the two computers I have in the room, but they're much slower typists than I anticipated, and the discussions they had with their group about the way to do things needed to take place with them at a computer so that they could see how the discussion board worked. I also learned that having them type responses in Word first and then copying and pasting was more effective, because it forces them to do spell check, which catches things they might not catch on their own if they have someone in their group proof read.

Additionally, because of the timing of the writing test and my intern's unit, I felt like the discussion was not all that it could have been for the graduate students involved. It was rather disjointed and not as effective as I would have liked, simply due to timing. If I were to do it over again, I'd want to start earlier in the semester and try to be done with a novel before testing, and not after. I'd like to see the timing of the novel discussion be more authentic, in the sense that I'd like to have both parties stay at the same pace, because I think it makes the kids more interested in having the discussion. If I could plan out the chapters we'd read in a certain week and post those for the graduate students, that would help.

Again, overall, I was pleased with the opportunity and would like to do it again in the future, but would like to adjust things from both sides. Thank you for the chance to participate in something like this... a true authentic use of technology!

Nonfiction

I love the nonfiction chapter in the text because it appeals to the science teacher in me. So often, I bring children's literature into my science class when I can make it work with our unit of study. I love to use Diary of a Worm when I teach soils, and Jan Brett's The Umbrella is a great book to use when we study different biomes. These books are not necessarily your traditional nonfiction, but have enough factual information in them to make for great class discussion and spin-off projects. I often have students create their own nonfiction picture book pages or entire picture books at the end of a unit and we then go share them with the younger students in the school, pre-K or kindergarten. This time with younger students gives my kids the opportunity to become the experts and teachers and to remember the thrill of reading at a young age.

Number the Stars

Number the Stars has been a book that has been used in my classroom multiple times throughout the years. It always has a place in my classroom library, because of it's ability to tell the story of the Holocaust from a different perspective than German or American and because of the relationship students build with the characters that come to life in the pages.

I also use this book in our Holocaust unit and do true literature circles using it, Milkweed, Yellow Star, Maus (a graphic novel), and others. This unit is designed to be interdisciplinary, as it takes place when the students are studying European history in Social Studies. The kids always seem to like the unit and the discussion within the groups is tremendous because the kids are engaged.

Number the Stars is a book that should be a part of any collection designed for upper elementary, middle school, or high school, because it is a novel that students truly relate to and remember for a lifetime because of the lessons and characters it brings to the table.

Newbery Committee at Work

As I read this article, I was really struck by what a daunting task it must be to select the “best” in children’s literature, specifically with the challenges faced by the committee. The first challenge is that of choosing from a variety of genres. When I ask my students what their favorite genre of literature is, many of them respond fantasy or historical fiction or realistic fiction. With such differing perspectives among a small group of children, how difficult it must be for adults to try to choose the best in children’s literature, from a literary perspective, and still remain true to work that would reflect the interest of a child! This also encouraged me, because as a librarian, I thankfully don’t have to choose a select few books for a collection, but can choose numerous titles based on a variety of criteria.

The portion of the article that stated, “But then, winning the Newbery medal could create readers for titles otherwise not chosen by some children” was interesting to me, because it made me wonder if that is the mindset that some bring to the committee table. Is some part of the purpose of the award to create readers of unpopular literature? I’m not saying that unpopular literature is “bad”, however I find that students tend to enjoy literature much more if they have some freedom in what they choose. Most children I know don’t gravitate to books simply because they have a shiny sticker on the front or a label that says Newbery winner, but rather for the quality of the illustrations on the cover, the appeal of the description on the back cover, etc. So, what part do these small glimpses of literature (illustrations and cover descriptions) play in the award process, if any?

Another intriguing part of the article was the more “political” portion, which stated, “Some say that the award committees are simply handmaidens of the publishing industry. If so, the industry could be better in making the books available.” I would love to be able to share lesser known works with students, just to show them how broad the spectrum is, but when titles are not readily available, how can I? Often times, it is not until several years later that materials are available to help guide teachers through teaching a novel or other body of work. By then, the book may be passé to kids.

Overall the article provided a unique look into the Newbery Committee and the process they go through. Reading the article really made me want to be a fly on the wall during some of the sessions, just to hear the differing opinions!

Chapter 10

In reading the chapter in the text on historical fiction, I was again reminded of my own love for this genre of literature. As a young child, I read many of the American Girl books, as well as those in the Laura Ingalls Wilder series. I found myself fascinated with colonial American life, everything from the day to day keeping of house to the settings, cities and prairies. I found myself having “ah-ha” moments as I saw familiar titles, and making a list of others that might appeal to me. Katherine Paterson’s Lyddie jumped off of the page for me, because this is one that my grandmother (who was a librarian) gave to me for my birthday one year. That book is one that is still in my collection, as well as other classics such as Johnny Tremain.

I find historical fiction so intriguing simply because of the way that many of the authors go about creating their setting and the tone of the story based on the character. For instance, In Johnny Tremain the author doesn’t simply retell the story of the American Revolution, she creates a character and the setting of Boston through this character to retell some of the key events. The key players in the American Revolution are not the main character in the story, yet they appear and the story of the Revolution is still told so that the reader can piece together the knowledge of history that they brought to the text, as well as the details, both factual and fictional, that the author provides, to create a vivid and memorable story. The ability of an author to tap into a reader’s prior knowledge through the genre of historical fiction is an incredible thing to me, and perhaps why I enjoy this type of literature so much, since it takes the seemingly dry things of the past and makes it come to life.

Unit planning and learning theories

Through developing my unit plan, I have seen elements of our study of learning theories come into play. I think that I tend to relate more to cognativism than to the other learning theories, simply because it is the one that seems to make more sense to me as a classroom teacher. As I was writing this unit plan, I tried to approach the topic in such a way that it would relate to prior knowledge that students would have, encourage them to engage in the learning through interesting presentation (such as artistic expression and creating their own constellations, etc.), and allowing them to make some modifications to previous learning without stretching them beyond the scope of what would be reasonable for 6^th graders.

That being said, elements of social constructivism also play a role in this centers unit, as students will be working on individual products, but will have a group with which to communicate about ideas and to discuss their questions. Since the students would be discussing their reading, information gathering, etc. in their groups, this would lead to more life-long learning, because the students would not only be creating the products, but also having the conversations about their learning, which helps them to gain a greater understanding of the material than they might have gained on their own.

I have also found it interesting to take on the role of the media coordinator in this assignment rather than that of classroom teacher, as I’ve been accustomed to doing. I’ve found that playing the role of co-teacher is somewhat more challenging than I first had anticipated, because I’m trying to step into someone else’s ideas and make them my own, while maintaining the original integrity (does that make sense?). In other words, instead of creating my own lesson entirely from scratch, I had to begin with what the cooperating teachers had in mind and work with that to create an effective lesson that would steer students in the right direction. After my introductory lesson, I would then take on more of a co-teacher role and help students in the information seeking process using the resources both online and in the library.

Overall, I think the project was an effective way to get me to approach my new role as media coordinator. Since I developed this unit with my team teacher, we will be using it next year, so I’ll be interested to see how it actually plays out with the students. Things never quite go as planned in the classroom, especially with middle schoolers, but that’s usually what makes it most fun!

Runny Babbitt

I had an interesting conversation about this book after reading it for last week with a friend of ours who has an eighteen month old daughter, Macyn. She was saying that she was a bit reluctant to have Macyn listen to the book out loud or on audio CD because she was afraid that she might learn the words the way Silverstein writes them, rather than the correct way. I thought it was a valid point and wonder what applications this might have for other kids who may struggle with language delays and development (this is not the case for Macyn). Is there any research to support this theory?

For kids who have already verbally reached some mastery of the English language, I don't think this would be a problem, but it would be an interesting tool to pull some kids into the study of poetry. Especially kids who "don't like poetry", as is the case with so many middle school boys. I might use some of the poems to introduce my poetry unit and have kids write their own versions for their poetry portfolios.

How to eat fried worms

I was a bit disappointed with the character development in the beginning of the book and found it difficult to get into as a result. I couldn't get a clear picture of the characters right away and found myself wondering which character was saying what as a result. I wonder if struggling readers would have the same difficulty.

I think it would be really neat to integrate this book into a soil study unit and I wonder if there are enough texts out there to do literature circles in a science class on the topic. I have a few in my collection, so it might be something I try next year. (although I may have mutiny on my hands if I deviate from the text book, although it's still in the SCOS)

The parenting is interesting and reminds me of what I see with some of my students... the inconsistencies. Sometimes parents are tough on them, and other times they're lax... and I know that they're human, but consistency is so important for children in order for them to know where they stand. I know that once I have kids, I'll have a whole new perspective to bring to the table on this issue.

How did I get so confused?!

Geez... usually I am so on top of things! Well, in looking again, I did read the right chapter and post the right thing... and I guess I'm now ahead since I've posted about A Dog's Life also. I guess I'll blog about Runny Babbit when I return.

The online class meeting was difficult for me. I didn't focus as well and my computer kept cutting out on me. I guess I didn't really realize how confused I was until today. Hopefully it'll all work out.

A Dog's Life 2

When the young son of the Merrions discovers the puppies, he befriends the puppies, but wants to keep them a secret from his mother. It's an interesting perspective that Martin paints of humans from this first person dog perspective; that there are ulterior motives or the mixed messages that are sent. She cleverly helps the reader to pick up on the "sixth sense" that animals have for humans and their mistrust of them. Martin helps the reader to understand the mistrust that animals have for humans through a variety of interactions, including Squirrel being picked up by humans later on in the story and then dumped because she's not what they wanted.

In the end of the story, Squirrel finds companionship as an elderly dog with a retired woman who enjoys her company and keeps her warm, comfortable, and fed. Susan befriends Squirrel, now named Addie, and enjoys her companionship in the car running errands and in the evenings by the fire. Martin cleverly redeems the sense of mistrust of humans by providing a comforting sweet woman who gives Squirrel the home she's always deserved.

A Dog's Life

OK, so I'm officially an idiot. I was looking at the wrong section of the syllabus this week and read the poetry chapter and was reading poetry! Glad I looked before class today.

So, I decided to read A Dog's Life: The Autobiography of a Stray. As an animal lover, it appealed to me. When we finally get our house built, we're planning on having at least one dog. In the story, it begins with a prologue entitled Night where Squirrel is thinking back to "puppyhood" and remembering the days of old, so to speak. As the chapters unfold, we discover that Squirrel had a brother named Bone in a shed in Lindenfield on the property of the Merrions, a summer home. The puppies explore the yard and shed, meet a family of cats, and see a fox named Mine, whom Mother is afraid of. When the family returns to the property for the summer, Mother is wary and discovers that the Merrions have killed Mine. Soon after, Mother leaves Squirrel and Bone in the shed never to return.

Cognativism

Essentially, through my research of cognativism over the past few weeks, I've relearned much of want I explored during my undergraduate ed. psych. class: 1) if students are motivated to process information because of interest in a topic, then they are more likely to understand new material and revise previous knowledge, and 2) lasting conceptual change is likely to occur only if students truly engage in reflective practices and make an effort to elaborate/change previous knowledge basis. Conversely, students are likely to disengage if the material is unfamiliar or incomprehensible. If they are pressured to learn material (testing), then they may learn it for the short term and then return to their original thoughts.

I see much of this last point in my teaching currently with regards to the curriculum we are required to teach. If students have no basis for learning algebra or geometry at the middle school level, then they may learn it for the short term, but will likely not retain it in the long term. However, if we make these things meaningful to them in the form of helping them plan the layout for their new bedroom, etc. then they are more likely to remember these things. Part of my educational philosophy entails giving students a certain amount of choice, so that they are more invested and interested. This is why I allow them to choose their independent reading pieces for me, rather than assigning those. I find that I get far better products from them in terms of products, and have much more meaningful conversations with them about literature if they truly enjoy what they're reading.

For me in a library setting, this would translate also. I would love to have a book club for students who enjoy reading where they could discuss what they're reading, and perhaps help to write some reviews to post throughout the library, to encourage other students to read the same literature. The Battle of the Books program is very successful at our school, but only a small number of students are engaged in that because it is an after school activity and they are not interested in the books on the list. It would be an interesting idea to explore the possibility of developing a few teams similar to Battle of the Books, but use a list of books that students developed. In terms of collection development, I think it would be beneficial to have a place in the library for students to place requests for books that are not within the collection, with the understanding that not every book put into the box would or could be purchased (which many public libraries have).

The Search for Delicious post 2

Well, I think I like the book so far, although I'm not sure that I'll read it again. It's nice to see the typical fantasy creatures, the standard crow, the mermaid, etc. It's a nice take on good vs. evil with the environmental twist thrown in. Since I'm into words, the dictionary premise intrigued me and would be a neat classroom activity after reading the book with students. How would you define the word delicious? What food epitomizes that? Interesting food for thought; no pun intended.

The Golden Compass

I chose to read The Golden Compass for my independent selection this time. I've read it once before, when I was in middle school, and decided with all the hype surrounding it now, it would be a good opportunity to revisit it. Many of my students have read it and enjoyed it, but I remember so little of it, I can't carry on a decent conversation with them about it.

The Search for Delicious

So far, the book is entertaining, but I don't feel like I get enough depth with the characters. I know it's written for younger readers, but wouldn't it be easier for them to connect with the characters if there were more development there? Also, the setting is kind of vague. I'm having a tough time getting a mental image of the whole thing, which isn't usually a problem for me.

Judging from the prologue, I get the feeling that to an extent, this will be a commentary on the environmental state of our world... when the man came to the lake and took Ardis's whistle, the world began to see sadness and destruction. Is this intended to be a commentary on our world?

Running low on energy

So, I'm running low on energy tonight, but need to post something here. I really enjoyed reading Johnny Appleseed. I think what I enjoyed most was the illustrations. They were so representative of the time and the early American culture, and beautifully done. I would almost like to have a print of some of the pages to hang on my walls.

Goodnight Moon was not at all what I remembered it being, but it could be that the memories of that book have faded and become muddy over the years. The pictures were not as colorful as I remembered them being, and the point of view was not what I remembered. I thought that the story was told from the perspective of the mother, but now that I think about it more, I think perhaps I had blended The Runaway Bunny and Goodnight Moon together in my mind to create another story entirely! Funny thing how memory works sometimes.

Benny took the computer completely apart this weekend to fix it, so I got my reading done, but no posting. Tomorrow will be another early morning to do some grad work before going to school. I should have my Wiki's posted by early tomorrow afternoon... somehow I find that I'm always a better writer when I wait until the last minute, even though it's exactly what I tell my students not to do. I think I'm much more honest in my writing that way.

Well, it's off to bed for the night and then up at 5:00 to do some work.

Where the Wild Things Are

I truly enjoyed Where the Wild Things Are. I am incredibly intrigued by art and love pen and ink type illustrations, so these really appeal to me. The story may be simple, but the illustrations say so much about Max's imagination, and that of Maurice Sendak as well. Art is a passion of mine and I marvel at those who can not only create one picture that tells a story, but a series and then put just the right words with those pictures. Which comes first for this writer, the pictures or the story? How do most author/illustrator types go about composing what they write and draw?

Locating Books

I've been under the weather this weekend and today, but am currently locating the books for our literature circles and my wiki posts. I plan to have those in hand tomorrow to begin reading tomorrow evening.