Madelyn Metzger December 8, 2013 Childrens Lit Reflections 1.

Picture book evaluation and Caldecott exercise: What is one important thing that youve learned as a result of this assignment? As a result of this assignment I have learned what I found myself enjoying in picture books. As a young child I did not enjoy reading therefore I did not know which picture books I liked. I now have an array of books I would recommend to my future students in my classroom and begin my library with. How do you think that the work and thought that went into this assignment might help you as a teacher? This assignment was helpful for myself as a teacher because I found what I really enjoyed about picture books. I know not everyone will find the same enjoyments in picture books but finding these books has given me a good idea of what to start my class library with. I now know what makes a good picture book and the characteristics of a popular book. I did not have a good list of picture books to recommend to my students and because of this assignment I now do. Can you connect this assignment (or some part of it) with something else in this course or in another teaching-related course? I can connect this course with my Language Arts Method class. We had to take a picture book and make a variety of assignments to go along with the book. I chose a book from my picture books that I chose and had previously read. It was nice being able

to refer back to an assignment I have already completed to find a quick reference to a book I could do my assignment on. Whats at least one question related to this assignment (or its subject) that you have? A question I have about this assignment is why we did not do more with this assignment in class. We all took the time finding great books and I would of liked to share them with others and get ideas. 2. Poetry anthology What is one important thing that youve learned as a result of this assignment? From this assignment I have learned what stands out in poetry to me. I like poems I can relate to and want my students to be able to do the same thing. Not all poetry I plan on reading to my class all will be able to relate to but as long as a few do that is what matters. I have learned relating to poetry helps draw you in and what makes poetry less intimidating. How do you think that the work and thought that went into this assignment might help you as a teacher? This assignment will be very helpful in my own classroom. I now have a book I made full of poems that I enjoy that are easily relatable for my students. I found many great sources to get poems from and found out what I truly enjoy about poetry. Can you connect this assignment (or some part of it) with something else in this course or in another teaching-related course? I connected this assignment very will with my Creative Writing class that I took with Professor Miles. She had us find poems we liked and emulate them. I think the

poems I picked for my anthology are ones students can relate to and emulate like I was taught in Creative Writing. Whats at least one question related to this assignment (or its subject) that you have? A question I had about this assignment was if students found this assignment to be the base of their poems in the classroom like I plan to use it as.

3. Fairy tale exploration What is one important thing that youve learned as a result of this assignment? Exploring fairy tales is something I have not done. I now know that a lot of fairy tales have many variations. The Cinderella variations stood out to me the most. I now know I can teach my students the foundations of some fairytales if they are age appropriate. How do you think that the work and thought that went into this assignment might help you as a teacher? This assignment helped me explore fairy tales in a way in which I had never had done so before. I broadened my knowledge of where fairy tales came from and saw that there are many forms of each story. I can now pass this on to my students so they can know the importance of how old these stories are and how long they have been passed down. Can you connect this assignment (or some part of it) with something else in this course or in another teaching-related course? I can connect this course to a methods class. In language arts we studied fairy tales but did not discuss the origin of fairy tales. I think discussing the origins of fairy

tales and knowing how the stories changes over time can spark the students interest in fairy tales. Whats at least one question related to this assignment (or its subject) that you have? A question I have about this assignment is how I would teach many of the original stories to my students. Many parents would be against the stories and the students may not like the endings without the happily ever after feel. Finding a medium about appropriateness and exploring will be hard. 4. Annotated bibliography What is one important thing that youve learned as a result of this assignment? This assignment has taught me many great texts to add to my curriculum and classroom library. I found great sites to help me find childrens books at great prices, with good reviews, and many summaries. This assignment has taught me how to find a good book and have resources of information about the book and author. How do you think that the work and thought that went into this assignment might help you as a teacher? I can build my classroom library based on my annotated bibliography. I found books that were pretty popular and from many genres so everyone in the class can find something to spark their interests. Can you connect this assignment (or some part of it) with something else in this course or in another teaching-related course? I can connect this assignment to my Field 2 experience. I was placed to help a student one on one with his reading and often times had a hard time finding books the

student truly enjoyed. Because of this assignment I now have more books that I know of to help spark my students interests. Whats at least one question related to this assignment (or its subject) that you have? A question I had about this assignment is when choosing my books how will I find some to spark all of my students interests. With around 25 students with different interests I am afraid I will not be able to reach out to all students finding books. Picture books What did you like about this genre? If you didnt like this genre, why not? What do you think your students are apt to like about this genre? List ways in which this genre can be of value to elementary school students. Is there anything else you want to remember about this genre once you begin teaching? 1. Childrens poetry What did you like about this genre? This genre really opened my eyes that poetry does not have to be intimidating to children. Childrens poetry does not have to be full of rhymes or seriousness. It can be something that makes the children laugh and something they can have fun with. I liked that everyone in the class had many poems to read that they enjoyed so we got to hear many different children poems. If you didnt like this genre, why not? This was by far my favorite genre What do you think your students are apt to like about this genre?

I think my students will be apt to this genre because they can find humor in many childrens poems. Sharing poems with students that get them interested will spark interest. I think students will really enjoy Ken Nesbitt poems because they are humorous and can relate to them. List ways in which this genre can be of value to elementary school students. Express emotions Rhyme and rhythm Builds language foundation Can build confidence Inspiration Expands grammar and vocabulary

Is there anything else you want to remember about this genre once you begin teaching? I want to remember poetry can be intimidating. I want to give children the chance to write something they truly like. I will not push them to share because poetry can be intimidating to write but should be read aloud by all. 2. Fairy tales What did you like about this genre? This genre really opened my eyes about the origin of all of the pieces. Each piece we focused on had a different story it originated from and there were many versions we read. Prior to this class I have never compared different versions of a story and I found it very interesting encouraging me to read more to find all the differences. If you didnt like this genre, why not? I liked this genre.

What do you think your students are apt to like about this genre? I believe my students are apt to liking this genre.

List ways in which this genre can be of value to elementary school students. Teach students stories have origins Explain stories began with oral retellings They can teach lessons Brighten a childs imagination Encourage a child to read Explain how to handle problems

Is there anything else you want to remember about this genre once you begin teaching? I want to remember the origins of each story and how over time these stories have developed to become what they are today. They are filled with life lessons and magic children love. Novels for children in general What did you like about this genre? I liked that many childrens novels had great lessons whether they were life lessons, informative, or engaging the creative mind. They often have text, which is appropriate for grade level but also push the student to learn a few new vocabulary words. If you didnt like this genre, why not? The only thing I did not like about this genre is some of the book choices.

What do you think your students are apt to like about this genre?

I think many students will like this genre because it keeps you reading. Childrens novels are often times very interesting and keep the reader engaged. Some childrens novels are also series, which have children reading onto the next book. List ways in which this genre can be of value to elementary school students. Keep child reading Expand vocabulary Build upon prior knowledge Mix with other subjects Many topics to engage students Inspiring

Is there anything else you want to remember about this genre once you begin teaching? I want to always remember how much I treasured childrens novels and pass that onto my students. These books can truly pull a child in and keep them Realistic fiction What did you like about this genre? I enjoy realistic fiction and therefore enjoyed this genre. The book chosen for this section was Bridge to Terebithia. I really enjoyed this book and it opened my eyes to something I want to share in my classroom. Not all stories in realistic fiction have the best ending and this book is proof of that. These are real life situations the student could face. If you didnt like this genre, why not? I enjoyed this genre a lot. What do you think your students are apt to like about this genre?

I think my students are apt to like this genre because it will be something they can relate to. In most typical childrens realistic fiction there are many elements a student can find himself or herself being able to understand. List ways in which this genre can be of value to elementary school students. Relatable Eye opening Life Lessons Students can reflect on them

Is there anything else you want to remember about this genre once you begin teaching? I want to remember that when some book have tough subjects such as death some children mat have experienced the same thing. These books can be hard for some students and emotions need to be kept in mind. Modern fantasy What did you like about this genre? What I liked about this genre was the idea of magic for students to enjoy. Students often enjoy the element of magic and fantasy and it can open their mind to many ideas and open their imagination. If a childs interest is sparked they will be more likely to continue reading on their own. If you didnt like this genre, why not? I do not enjoy fantasy and didnt either much when I was a child. I like realistic books so when reading this book and focusing on this genre I found myself loosing focus easily simply because I have no interest. What do you think your students are apt to like about this genre?

List ways in which this genre can be of value to elementary school students. Interesting Sparking imagination Keep students reading Idea of magic Typically a hero A journey A hardship is faced

Is there anything else you want to remember about this genre once you begin teaching? I want to remember when teaching about modern fantasy that even though it is something I do not enjoy many students will. I should have many modern fantasy books in my classroom library because many students will enjoy them. Historical fiction What did you like about this genre? I like historical fiction because while telling a story it is informing a child of valuable information and knowledge. These books can be incorporated into many different subjects and while reading the novel the students can be enriching their knowledge. If you didnt like this genre, why not? I like this genre but do not think students will typically find it the most interesting because of the story lines. Often times students are not always interested in history or situations that happened long ago because they cannot relate.

What do you think your students are apt to like about this genre? Students are apt to like the fact that they can be learning about history while reading. I also like how stories can be told through children their age and hearing of historical events. List ways in which this genre can be of value to elementary school students. Informative Many facts Based on true events Incorporate many lessons in one

Is there anything else you want to remember about this genre once you begin teaching? When teaching this genre I wasnt to tie my history lessons and reading lessons into one. Multicultural fiction What did you like about this genre? This genre can teach someone a lot about different cultures and different lifestyles they may be unfamiliar with. While reading you can learn about areas around the world through the eyes of someone else. These readings can bring reality and embrace diversity in the classroom. If you didnt like this genre, why not? I like how eye opening this genre is. What do you think your students are apt to like about this genre? Students are apt to like this genre because it will embrace diversity. If they have a friend from India and read about the differences in the world there the student will learn

a lot. Students will also be interested in the differences around the world they may be unfamiliar with such as arranged marriages. List ways in which this genre can be of value to elementary school students. Diversity Eye opening Embrace differences Spark interests Explain differences World culture Broaden views and opinions

Is there anything else you want to remember about this genre once you begin teaching? I want to remember to embrace differences in the classroom. If I have a student from another culture we should embrace it, not discriminate against it.