Curtain Call

It's been an amazing experience this semester. I am glad that I had the opportunity to discover literature that I had not explored before and learn how to utilize the new ideas in teaching. I am able to identify quality literature, interesting authors/illustrators, and have developed a classroom library as a resource. 

I am more aware of integrating multicultural books into the class. I also understand the importance of using mirror and window books. I took risks because I read across the genres, wrote responsively, investigated a variety of authors, and researched new techniques to teach reading more effectively. The special author visits were exciting because I learned about the writing process and the work behind producing a quality piece of literature.

The Reading and Literature Course truly took a social constructivist approach because there were many opportunities for us to collaborate like on the genre project, an in-class author project, and through class discussions. Using puppetry and acting in reader's theatre allowed me to express myself creatively and I can see why this type of learning appeals to so many children.

I learned from others during their book talks and author shares. I was so impressed by how motivated everyone was to share ideas and knowledge. As I acquired the new information, I constructed meaning through my blog and in participation with class forums. It was valuable to give feedback to classmates and I looked forward to learning from their responses as well. Making connections and building upon my prior knowledge has given me the confidence and skills to be the best teacher I can be.

A Book with a View - Picturebooks!

Picturebooks are a format of literature that combines storytelling and the art of illustration. The words can tell things that are not in the pictures and the pictures reveal what the words do not. The illustration are an integral part of the story and provide literary elements like setting, characterization, mood, plot, style of writing, and even theme.  Picturebooks include include these types of genres: folklore, fantasy, contemporary realistic fiction, and historical fiction.

Using picturebooks to teach can help your students develop visual literacy skills. The illustrators use many artistic elements such as line, shape, color, texture, and medium. Teachers can have students examine the title page, front and back covers, and end pages to guess a purpose for the story. The teacher can have students use their critical thinking to understand the type of mood that is created by the use of color. Guiding questions like "Why do you suppose the illustrator..." or "What do you notice about..." are starting points for valid class discussions. Invite your students to notice the techniques that are used within the picturebook. How do they add to the story?

Beautiful Blackbird by Ashley Bryan uses artistic elements for this folklore genre. The author/illustrator uses a paper collage medium. The complementary colors of red and yellow elicit excitements, warmth, and happiness. The overlapping of images creates a three-dimensional look. A rhythmic pattern enhances the storytelling and leads to a theme that beauty comes from within. The book is a winner of the Coretta Scott King Award!





Students can explore picturebook formats using technology as shown by the latest apps. One good picturebook app is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs from http://activepanda.net/stories/snowwhite.php. The app gives prompts for directions and options include: Read and Play, Read to Me, or Read by Myself. The user has controls to stop the text with audio when desired. A kid-friendly voice with a variety of dialogue is used throughout the book and gives drama to the turning of the page. The tab to scroll scenes allows the user to go forward or backward into the story. The app is easy to navigate, includes activities such as mixing a potion in a cauldron, and even a puzzle to create!

Learning with Literature

Literature-Based Instruction:
Literacy learning begins early and continues throughout the development of a child. It is a social and cognitive process that strengthens through constant exposure to books. Literacy has its beginnings within the family's culture and communication. Positive interactions with books enrich, entertain, and allow students to participate in an emotional journey. Readers can live vicariously through the main character and can see the world through their perspective.  

Students need good literature to practice their reading skills and to build schema. They help students think about their world and their place within in. Patterned, predictable texts are best for early readers to develop the love and motivation to read.

 Wordless books are perfect for storytelling. Children who use them become more attentive to details in the pictures. Picturebooks provide opportunities to read aloud and discuss. 
Easy-to-read book help students make sense of text. Transitional chapter books help students develop good writing skills.

Books can offer collaborative opportunities and a variety of interpretations. They can stimulate "cross-talk" and support critical thinking.  They can be used across the curriculum in all subject areas. More reading leads to increased abilities and general knowledge from which to build upon. Comprehension strategies are directly linked to a child being able to read and respond to a book. Teachers can help students learn how to make connections such as text-text, text-self, and text-world. A response-centered curriculum recognizes and encourages diversity and interactions. 

Literature-based literacy includes read alouds, oral language activities, time to read, a rich choice of reading material, and a purposeful classroom. It offers students the opportunity to read, write, speak, and listen to generate meaning. Every teacher's objective should be to broaden the student's world by providing virtual experiences, enhanced language, and exposure to new information. 

Problematic Books and Mirror Texts

Times sure have changed. In the late 1800's, many schools were about conformity and philosophies supported a white culture. For example, a government-run boarding school founded by Captain Richard Henry Pratt in Carlisle, Pennsylvania in 1879, was set up to destroy traditional extended families and Native American cultures. During this time period, Native people were confined to reservations and not allowed to leave without permission from the government. Parents were forced to send their children to boarding schools. The government forced as many as 10,000 children to the Carlisle School. It made children want to deny their Native American roots and learn only the white man's ways. A white dominated society wanted people to think that American Indians were bad.

The book, My Heart Is on the Ground: The Diary of Nannie Little Rose, A Sioux Girl, written by Ann Rinaldi, is an example of a problematic book. When using historical fiction in the classroom, facts must be well-researched and accurate. This book, however, is not an example of quality literature. The author, Rinaldi, uses real names but made up the experiences to go along with their lives. It dishonors the memory of those who died during this time. The author also uses the phrase, "my heart is on the ground" in a trivial way and with little respect to the meaning behind the Cheyenne proverb. Ann Rinaldi also uses inaccuracies about the people. For example, American Horse was cousin to Red Cloud, not "Chief of the Red Cloud Sioux." She states that  most of the graduates "went on to earn a living away from the reservation" or "went on to higher education", but in actuality fewer than 10% graduated. More students ran away or died at school.

A writer of historical fiction needs to be culturally authentic. Ann Rinaldi writes that Nannie Little Rose refers to herself as Sioux. However, she would have called herself by her band, Sicangu, or by her location, Spotted Tail Agency. The novel is written in diary format, yet diaries have never been found as artifacts by the Carlisle School. The very premise of her book, therefore, is not accurate. Rinaldi also linked a rumored ghost story to explain the death of a student who was Nannie Little Rose's friend, Lucy Pretty Eagle. The story of a child buried alive was made to be the fate of Lucy, although this was never proven to be so.Stereotypical language including an over-emphasis on compound words is wrong. The derogatory references to women and girls are also not indicative of the Lakota culture. Books that do not represent a culture accurately such as this one should not be used in the classroom. (Article cited: "Fiction Posing as Truth" by Debbie Reese, et al.)

Good children's literature should be free of stereotypes. History should be reflected in an honest way. Showing how the Native American culture resisted the "whitewashing" would show how courageous Native Americans were during this time. Allowing students to see their cultural identity is important. Showing sensitivity and respect for others is what needs to be taught through quality literature. Children's books can represent a child's cultural background, include their home language, explore ideas and issues such as immigration, and/or accept cultural differences. It is important that all students have the opportunity to see their culture reflected in books, otherwise known as mirror texts.

In Painted Words, by Aliki, Marianthe's paintings help her to become less of an outsider as she struggles to adjust to a new language and a new school. The teacher discovers Marianthe's talent for art and helps to use that skill to tell her story. Mari creates pictures to illustrate the history of her family, and eventually begins to learn English words to communicate with others. In  the second part of the two book series, Spoken Memories, Mari is finally able to use her new words to narrate the sequence of paintings she created, and shares her homeland memories to her classmates.

Coming to America: A Muslim Family's Story, written and photographed by Bernard Wolf is another example of a mirror text. The book tells the story of Rowan Mahmoud's father who came from Alexandria, Egypt in search of a better life. He worked hard for four years to save up his money to bring his family to the U.S. to live. The book portrays the culture of contemporary Muslims living in the United States. It shows how the family still preserves and respects their culture and religious beliefs. 

To add more diversity to a classroom library, I have found that Lee and Low publishers and Barefoot Books offer some good suggestions. Joseph Bruchac and Patricia Polacco are strong authors who offer a multicultural perspective through their books. The website www.oyate.org provides resources that can help the Native peoples and others. This organization teaches respect and helps parents and educators to provide their children with historically accurate, culturally appropriate information about Native peoples.

No Nonsense in Nonfiction

Nonfiction describes books of information and fact about any topic. Nonfiction tells a story but the facts and concepts are emphasized, with storytelling used as an expressive technique. It includes real people, places, and events.The facts and concepts must be truthful, verifiable, and understandable. Diaries, biographies, and memoirs are considered nonfiction. 

An example of a quality nonfiction book that focuses on current events is Trapped by Mark Aronson. The book follows the events that occurred in early August 2010 when a mine in Copiano, Chile collapsed. Thirty-three miners were trapped 2,000 feet below the surface for sixty-nine days. The author captivates the reader's attention through the multiple rescue attempts using various drilling equipment. With scarce resources and dwindling air quality, the miners with the support of family and rescue workers, were able to overcome psychological, physical, and environmental factors. The novel also include full-color photos, timeline of events, glossary, and notes. This is a story of hope and survival. 

Common subjects/topics for nonfiction include math. Math Curse by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith, is a humorous book that shows the math in our lives and provides math puzzles for the readers to figure out. This is a great book to use at the beginning of the year with students to help alleviate some anxiety that some students feel about math.  

Types of Nonfiction
Nonfiction is text in which the emphasis is on the facts and concepts being presented. It can use a narrative style to present these facts. Expository text is text that has the primary purpose “to communicate information so that the reader might learn something”. This type of text must follow a non-narrative text structure. Informational text is clearly organized. It has a table of contents, and it may have a glossary, a subject index, a bibliography, and appendixes.

To help students remember how nonfiction text may be organized, you can show this fun rap song:

Nonfiction books should be used more in the classroom. There are many outstanding books on virtually any topic and for a variety of readers. When students read nonfiction, they build background knowledge to then make more connections to other genres that they read. The formats of nonfiction make them interesting because they are reader friendly with strategically placed illustrations. The ideas are clearly developed and presented logically. The author’s expertise and resources are used to add detailed information. The writers use rich language and facts are current and complete. The prose can be used to model informational writing. Teachers who want their students to excel should add nonfiction to their classroom libraries. 

Getting to Know Each Other with Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Contemporary realistic fiction includes stories about people and events that could actually happen. An important literary element within this genre is characterization. Characterization can be considered the soul of literature. Readers connect and experience the story through the eyes of the character. They enrich their emotional experiences and grow to understand themselves and others more. By reading stories about people and events that could really happen, they themselves take a journey to self-discovery. For example, reading books that portray a character struggling toward adulthood allows readers to see themselves reflected and provide an opportunity for thinking about how they might respond to varied real life situations. As a young girl, I remember reading Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume. The book helped me sort through my own feelings about the issues I was going through. I was able to make connections about puberty and religious beliefs. 

More recent novels like Rules by Cynthia Lord, helped me understand autism more. I could put myself into the position of the main character, Catherine, and gain an understanding about the challenges she faced and how she learned about what was really important in life. By reading realistic fiction, a person can become more compassionate, more knowledgeable, and even recognize their inner strength.

Children's contemporary realistic fiction reflects the problems that exist in today's society like poverty and prejudice. It provides stories of courage that show characters with inner strength. For example in the novel, The Heart of a Chief by Joseph Bruchac, Chris is a 6th grade student who lives on a reservation and is Penacook Native American. His dad is battling alcoholism so he is being raised by his grandparents. Chris is aware of the gambling casino that people want to be built to help provide jobs and income for the reservation but he hates to see the natural beauty of the island destroyed. At school, Chris takes the lead on a school project to help people understand the racism that exists when people use Indian names for sports teams. He has never felt confident at school. Chris explores his own inner strength to be a leader and convince the school and the public about respect. These issues of casino gambling and offensive team sport names are contemporary. By reading stories like this, students can see how characters can grow and change and are affected by the world around them.

Literature Study + Writing = Success

Using Mentor Texts to Improve Writing:
       Many teachers use literature as a component of their writing program. Books can serve as mentor texts which model the qualities of good writing. Mentor texts are pieces of literature that teachers can use to help model quality writing to young writers. Mentor texts can be used in many ways and offer countless teaching possibilities on the craft of writing. They can help students examine sentence structure, discover figurative language, develop vocabulary, make connections, think about how a setting creates a mood, find examples of “showing, not telling”, understand how illustrations support the text, or construct an overall meaning.

       Mentor texts are important because they motivate students by demonstrating the technique, focus, and organization combined into one whole. A student can envision themselves as a writer and can imitate the strategies themselves to guide their own potential. A mentor text gives students an invitation to notice an author’s work which exposes them to an opportunity they might not have explored before. It sparks imagination and determination to empower a writer to try something new. Mentor texts serve as an exemplar and are inspirational to guide the writer on their journey to developing their own style. The combination of teacher, mentor text, and the writer’s own efforts produce quality writing.

      The book, Fox, by Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks, is a picturebook rich in content. The fable tells a story of Dog and Magpie who rely on each other. Along comes fox who is jealous and tries to form a wedge between the friendship of Dog and Magpie. Fox tries to convince Magpie that he is a better suited companion. Will Magpie give into temptation?

   This story is an allegory and takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster ride through love and belonging, temptation, risk and betrayal. The author uses sophisticated language, specific details, and an effective plot. The illustrations are in mixed media and collage with dark markings which expose the characters’ deep feelings.
     This mentor text can help students understand that in order to give life to their characters in a narrative, they need to understand the techniques in order to do so. A writer can develop a character through action, description, dialogue, and through the reactions of other characters.
     The exemplar also shows how setting can impact the plot of a story. Skilled writers learn that the setting can serve various purposes. The setting can create mood, build suspense, and reveal character traits.
     A third teaching point of using this book is to help students establish an effective conflict. The mentor text will explain the internal conflict of a fictional character. Understanding the internal conflict gives students the opportunity to write in an honest, authentic voice. There are many themes, or messages that emerge from the story so teachers can discuss the possibilities with students. Then, students can write an original narrative that addresses one of the themes in Fox.

 

Reflection of The Liberation of Gabriel King

When we think about what good readers do, making connections comes to mind. Students can make text to self, text to text, and text to world connections. I recently read the book, The Liberation of Gabriel King by K.L. Going.

The story is about a friendship that develops between Gabe and Frita. Both rely on each other to overcome their fears. The story takes place in 1976 in Georgia during the time period of integration. African Americans were still being discriminated against and many people of all nationalities stood up in defense. I made many text to self connections as I read this. It reminded me of growing up in Newburgh, New York, during the late 1970s. I attended the Magnet School program at Horizons-on-the-Hudson. The program was intended as a strategy for school desegregation and offered an alternative to the regular school assignment based on neighborhood proximity.  The school offered a specific theme of study and it attracted students with a diverse socio-economic background. I am proud to have been able to attend this school because it expanded my circle of friends. My elementary years included a multi-ethnic community and I gained an appreciation of cultural diversity. What mattered to me most was what was inside of people and not the outside. This perspective has shaped the kind of person that I am today, and I am thankful for this social and educational experience.

Our class had the chance to meet K.L. Going during her presentation about "Writing for Children and Teens: How Author and Reader Explore the World and Humanity". Ms. Going raised the question, "Why is it important to read?" Students read to understand perspectives. Reading allow us to explore who we are and where we come from. It starts a dialogue and raises questions. Reading helps us realize what we can become or what we can learn from. It may also provide healing, understanding, and empathy. Reading empowers students to be their best self. K.L. Going mentioned that her books rotated around core emotions and she focused on creating character driven books. One of her books, Fat Kid Rules the World, has been banned in certain communities for language and some sexual content. This brought up some thoughts about the right of society to ban books. I don't even think the internet is censored as much as literature. Who gives the right for people to decide what should be read or not read? Are we not a democratic society where we have the right to decide for ourselves? If reading allows the opportunity for students to start a dialogue, then isn't it better to discuss feelings rather than restrict them? We need to be able to reach all types of students and allow emotions to be both explored and released in a constructive way. 

Act I: Storytelling

Storytelling is an interesting method to communicate events in words and images by improvising or embellishing. Storytelling is not memorization but internalizing and visualizing a story. This craft meets the set of skills that are needed for literacy including making letter-sound correspondences, the ability to make meaning by making connections, and understanding language (syntax) which comes from oral language. The act of retelling stories can help make children aware of story schema and gain an understanding of narrative structure. Storytelling often uses kinesthetic activities which suit the physical needs of younger students. It can also motivate children and provides them with an aesthetic experience. 

For example, you can read the story Fox by Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks. The teacher will tell students that they will create a tableaux, or a retell of the story using still pictures created from human bodies and presented to an audience. Within their groups, have one student nominated as the 'sculptor' who moves the other group members into position and gives them instructions on where/how to look during the story retell. Tableaux can be used simply to communicate single ideas/emotions from the story: love and belonging, unity, harmony, power, temptation, betrayal, despair, and redemption. Groups can present their tableaux to the class.

A soundscape has a narrative structure and could be used to retell the story of Fox using sounds and silence. Have groups within the class take responsibility for the different stages of the narrative and then perform these in sequence.

Many urban students come from a culture of storytelling and therefore using it in your classroom is an effective strategy to build on literacy growth. Oral traditions are characteristic of descendants of West Africa and can be empowering to African American children.The oral act of storytelling encourages a sense of community and belonging, as well as preserving cultural roots.The book, The Girl Who Helped Thunder and Other Native American Folktales by James and Joseph Bruchac is an excellent collection of folktales to share with students. The teacher can be an oral storyteller and then students can create a play to retell the folktale. My favorite story from the book is "How Rabbit Got Wisdom" by the Creek or Muskogee people.
The very act of storytelling can fuel the writing process. Storytelling also meets the needs of gifted students through their cognitive, academic, creative, and social/emotional needs.

Storytelling can be used with a flannel board. For example, the story "Teeny-Tiny" is an English jump tale. In a jump tale, the final words are said suddenly as the storyteller jumps toward the audience. It is a perfect story for a novice storyteller like me. The story has a mix of frightening plot and ridiculous verbal style. I

Fun with Historical Fiction

Historical Fiction Presentation

How to Escape a Hard World - Read Fantastical Literature!

Fantastical literature includes the genre of fantasy and science fiction. Fantasy authors use imaginative narratives that explore alternate realities. They suspend scientific explanations and natural laws which make the impossible seem plausible. Fantasy writers use fantastic settings, nonhuman characters, and magic to create the fantasy. The fantasy genre gave children in the mid-nineteenth century a way to escape their hard-working world. The first fantasy was Alice in Wonderland by Charles Dodgson, a.k.a. Lewis Carroll.

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt is a fantasy quest tale. The main character, Winnie, dreams of running away and her curious nature leads her to new friends and an adventure away from home. Winnie grows up along her journey and makes sacrifices that show just what kind of a person she really is inside. The outcome is that she comes home a wiser person and is able to make life changing choices. Winnie's experiences help her understand her internal struggles and not just an outer enemy. I can see using this book in a 4th or 5th grade classroom. Students can practice persuasive techniques by creating an original commercial to convince people to purchase "eternal life" water. Also, the prologue provides the reader with a mentor text for creating a descriptive setting.


Science Fiction differs from fantasy in that the future realities are based in scientific principles. The setting is in the future and makes the reader think, "If this, then what?" The events in the story show evidence of technology. The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins is a great example of science fiction. This series works well for 7th grade level and up due to the violent nature of it. 

During class, I enjoyed the student presentation of fantastical literature. In order to help students learn the difference between fantasy and science fiction, the teacher could design a game for students to play. Students could be given a book to examine and then decide the genre based on the literary element criteria of each. The students can provide evidence of their claims using specific details. I also liked the idea of playing pictionary with a partner to reinforce the genres of common novels that children recognize. 

Using Digital Storytelling with Historical Fiction

I created a digital photostory to summarize Nory Ryan's Song by Patricia Reilly Giff. Pairing historical fiction with primary sources is very effective for students to gain an understanding of the time period. Therefore, I researched the potato famine and added facts to enhance my presentation.

Poetry Reflection

"A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom." - Robert Frost

When you first read the poem, you might hear rich language and interesting pauses. Then the more you read, you connect the words, emotions, feelings, and rhythm to consider the overall message. There is an understanding that develops by the end. It all works together.

The Beauty of Poetry

Poetry shows the inner soul of a poet and reveals their thoughts and feelings with a creative arrangement and choice of words. Poetry helps students become stronger writers by allowing them to recognize patterns, gain phonemic awareness, and to discover new vocabulary. It can provide a new perspective on writing. Students need opportunities to listen, read, and create poetry. 

Young children may have early poetry memories of Mother Goose rhymes. One of the best recognized poems is Humpty Dumpty. The rhyme was printed around 1810. Some people say that Humpty Dumpty is really King Richard III of England who fell from his horse during the Battle of Bosworth Field. Unfortunately, he was hacked to death by his enemies. During 1642-1649, a large cannon was named Humpty Dumpty and mounted on the Wall of St. Mary's Church in Colchester during the English Civil War. It fell down due to the enemy and was repairs to it were unsuccessful.

During the 15th century, people referred to a short, clumsy person as Humpty Dumpty. During the 17th century, a drink made of ale and brandy was called Humpty Dumpty. Probably because with too much you could fall over!

 Humpty Dumpty makes an appearance in the story,Through the Looking Glass. by Lewis Carrol. Alice meets Humpty Dumpty along her adventure. She asks his advice to decipher the Jabberwocky and the two have a discussion. He helps her understand portmanteau, or the joining of two words to create a new one, i.e. slithy = lithe + slimy The discussion isn't going as well as Alice would have liked. As she left and complained, she could hear a crash through the forest.

Many respresentations of Humpty Dumpty have been created over time and the illustrations seem to tell a different story. The rhymes themselves change with each version as well. Notice how this picture shows a member of the army pushing Humpty Dumpty:

Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty sate on a wall, 

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall; 

Threescore men and threescore 

more 

Cannot place Humpy Dumpty as he 

was before. 

Humpty Dumpty has been portrayed as Hitler by this Russian artist in 1942. He was a POW in WWI and so it seems reasonable why this would become a political cartoon as well.

Narrative Poems: 

One of my favorite poems is "The Road Not Taken" By Robert Frost.

Biographies, Autobiographies, and Memoirs.. Oh, my!

This genre consists of narratives that tell the story of the life of a person. They can range from fictional to authentic therefore consisting of fiction and non-fiction. Who knew biographies can contain real or fictional characters?! Memoirs are interpretive accounts in which facts and events are arranged to bring out a theme or personality trait. It is interesting that the facts presented are explained through the memory of the person writing the memoir.

Using a common theme approach in a biography study is helpful. For example, students could study the biographies of Jane Goodall, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Amelia Earhart to understand how attitudes and determination helped each to succeed in reaching their goals despite obstacles. 

I am glad that modern biographies are now including source material. This ensures the integrity of the story. Biographies are not just highlighting heroes; Learning about infamous people can show both good and bad qualities. These are opportunities for moral enlightenment and for readers to learn about themselves. Biographies can help inspire readers to think about their place in the world today. The Notorious Benedict Arnold by Steve Sheinkin is a good example. 

An inspiring idea is to use biography with other genres to study an era. You can link literature to social studies by combining historical fiction, biography, and non-fiction to study a particular time or place. This blending not only gives facts but a human perspective too. For example, to study civil rights you could read about Rosa Parks, Langston Hughes poetry, and historical fiction like The Watsons Go to Birmingham.

An interesting teaching concept is to have students read and compare two different biographies about one person. Then students can analyze the writing to comment about which they feel gives a better perspective about that person. I also think it would be creative to have students compare a variety of sources like biographies, websites, and non-fiction articles about a person.

When selecting quality biographies, I will choose ones that rely on primary sources, have plots that are based on facts, and show a rich depiction of details and cultural forces that shaped lives. Good biographies avoid stereotypes, have strong illustrations, and reveal a unifying theme. Readers can discover the featured person's motivation under adverse conditions. Many will have a balanced perspective of their human characteristics which allows readers to connect to something within their life.

Today I had the opportunity to meet the author, Lesa Cline-Ransome. I enjoyed hearing how she researches people for her biographies and finds out the person's flaws and all! She provides stories that teach historical backgrounds in a a fun way.  Her stories bridge today's reader with people from past eras and helps readers understand that their lives are part of history, too.

Once Upon a Time When I Was a Child.....

My earliest memories of reading take me back to when my stepmother would read stories to me after washing up for bed when I stayed at my dad's house. I loved fairy tales like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White. It was part of the nighttime ritual and established an enjoyment of books and family time.


My sister and I are close in age and we found books to be an escape in a sometimes confusing world. In a divorced household, life is not always as calm as you want it to be. Books helped me to forget where I was and experience a fantastical journey or transport myself to another time period. I loved James and the Giant Peach and Chocolate Fever to name a few. My sister and I began to have quite a collection of books so we created our own library. We organized our books and allowed neighborhood kids to borrow them.  We created a Dewey decimal system complete with index cards glued onto the book jackets and kept track of the borrowers. Yes, this included overdue fees! What entrepreneurs we were then.


My mother was an avid reader and we spent hours at the Newburgh Free Library browsing through books, curling up in chairs, and reading. My mother had a job in a library and my sister and I loved to help during the summer and pretending we were librarians. In school, I loved going to the library to pick out books and also hearing a story aloud. As I grew older and became more aware of becoming a teenager, I grew interested in the Judy Blume books. I was a bit shy in asking questions about my own development and it helped me to know that the main characters had similar feelings as I did. I looked for books that were relevant to my life. I loved reading teen bop magazines to find out the latest news on celebrity crushes. Archie comics were my favorite and I would entertain myself for hours with them.



As a teacher now, I have an classroom library with a mixture of genres. I start the year introducing our school library and having a scavenger hunt for students to become familiar with the layout. Students are required to read 20 minutes per night in an independent book of their choice. I help students select a "just right" book or one that is a bit challenging but not too easy. Each quarter, students participate in book talks which allows others to keep a list of "Some Day Books" or books they may want to read some day. Students actively communicate in a bi-weekly journal with me where they answer discussion questions about the books they are reading. These questions reinforce the common core learning and provide me an opportunity to deepen their connections. As a teacher, I try to model my love of reading by using authentic passages to teach literary elements, character traits, figurative language, or even point of view. I also have literature circles to encourage peer discussion. Each month I send home a scholastic book order to provide more opportunities to select books. This past year, I had students select biographies to read and authentic projects to share at the end. It was great to find out that the students enjoyed reading about famous people from the past and from modern society like Beyonce and Lebron James. My students also have pen pals at an international school in the Netherlands to correspond with. When the package of letters arrives, I cannot hold the students back from reading!. It is magical because they don't even realize that this all adds to their literary experience.

I can't wait to learn more about which books I should add to my classroom library and how I can help my students become fully engaged in literacy.

Trina Naclerio

First Day Reflection

First Day Reflection    Trina Naclerio

I enjoyed listening to the book Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco in class today. The story was about a young girl, Trisha, and explained her difficulty with learning to read. It certainly didn't help when bullies in her class teased her! Trisha's determination helped her overcome her obstacles and be successful in the end. I find the book a great example to show students the importance of understanding differences in each other and how perseverance can pay off. It also reminds me to pay attention to each child and their individual strengths. No child is the same. There are social, emotional, and academic needs all intertwined.