Overrall opinion of English 360

I really enjoyed taking this class. I grew up reading children's books and still love them today, but this class gave me a new appreciation for children's literature. It really gave me an insight of how important it is and the variety of ways it can be used. As a future teacher, I knew reading to children was important, but I have learned how much more of an impact it can really make on a child. By taking this class, it showed me a whole new perspective on how to look and analyze different pieces of literature. Looking back at the traditional fairy tales was so interesting, because a lot of them I had never heard some of the versions, and I think they really show have children's literature has been shaped over the past few decades. The novels were great too, because a lot of them I read as a child, but did not appreciate them or was really interested in them. Overrall it was a great course and I think has really influenced me and will really come into play when I become a teacher.

Realistic Fiction

Realistic fiction is one of the most controversial types of children literature, however it can be one of the best methods for bibliotherapy. Realistic fiction books are stories that are not necessarily real situations, but are stories that could very well happen. They include a variety of topics that they cover such as divorce, adoption, domestic violence, sexuality, growing up, and gangs. Most children really enjoy these types of books because they can easily relate to them and are usually very entertaining. Some of the more famous realistic fiction authors include Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, and Betsy Byers. Judy Blume is actually one of the most controversial authors of realistic fiction. Realistic fiction is a great genre of books to use in a classroom, but as a teacher you need to make sure you read the book before presenting/reading it in class.

Where the Wild Things Are- Class Discussion

Where the Wild Things Are, is a classic story, that most every child is familiar with. Children have grown up on this story and there is so much to it, that most people do not even pick up on. It is a classic tale, of a young child's imagination and a trip into his fantasy world. After a little fight with his mom, he goes to his room and his thoughts start running wild, with what type of world he dreams of living in. The main conflict is child vs civilization/ or in this case mom's authority. The book has amazing illustrations, that really create a vivid picture of the story. It is a great book, that I think every child should read and it is a grat story that every kid could relate to.

Charlotte vs Charlotte

I just recently watched Charlotte's Web the movie and it was really interesting to compare and contrast to the class story. I watched the newest movie, that Disney just came out with and it was really good. I really enjoyed it and it surprisingly was just like the book. It was harder for me to find differences, which was really shocking. Even the quotes are almost exact from the book. The one main difference I noticed, was the challenges of Charlotte. In the book, she was a very well respected spider and all the characters including Wilbur knew it. In the movie however, Charlotte had to prove herself more to the other animals. They barely even knew she existed, and that made her role a lot more challenging. She started off as sort of the underdog, in which not many of the animals believed in her and than ended up as a Hero... as the character who saved Wilbur's life.

Anne of Green Gables

One of my all time favorite stories, was Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. It is a story about a young orphan who comes to live with an elderly brother and sister on their farm. Anne, is a very vivacious 11 year old girl, who basically turns the town upside down. She is a very entertaining and loveable character, and I think she is easy to relate to. She has a great heart, but somehow always finds herself getting into trouble. It is a great story of the value of family and friendship. I loved the whole series of these books and also the movies. It is really easy to get attached to Anne and neat to see how she grows up in all these books.

Picture Books

I thought it was really interesting how we discussed picture books today in class. I think everyone as a child loved picture books, and I know I still love them today. It was neat to really analyze them and show how the illustrations and the placement of the text can really impact the story. In picture books, the text and the illustration share space equally and neither one overshadows the other. In the Russel text it discusses how picture books rely a lot on repetitive patterns, so it allows children to keep up with it easily. Picture books also contain very simple plots, but as children get older the books will become more complicated. The protagonists are usually children or animals and the language is very carefully chosen. Children also rely strongly on dialog, so that is a major part in the picture books as well.

Incorporating literature into the curriculum

This semester I have learned a lot about children's literature and the strong impact it can have on children. Not only in just the classroom, but at home as well. I have realized how much you can utilize children's literature and how creative you can be with it. Each of the piece's we have touch in class, can be use in a variety of ways. Some of the books would make great read a louds, such as The Hobbit and The Giver. When reading The Giver, you could have the students do a writing project on their idea of a perfect community or if they would want to live in a place like Utopia, why or why not? By reading the fairy tales, the options are endless, they could do a comparison paper, or make their fairty tale. I thought by reading the poems, it gave me a great insight to children's literature and how certain stories came about. Also, most definitely with the picture books, those all are great books for the younger children in learning to read and learning about rhyming words. This class has just really given me a greater appreciation for children's literature and as a future teacher has made me really think of the different ways to use these pieces in my classroom.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle

I just recently read The Mouse and the Motorcyle by Beverly Cleary. I remember reading this book as a child and loved it! Beverly Cleary was one of my favorite authors and I loved just about all of her books. This story is about a little mouse, named Ralph, who is very adventurous and always finding himself getting in trouble. His mother is a big worrier and always cautioning him on being careful and does not approve of his wild and crazy escapades. They live in a hotel, and the little mouse meets a boy named Keith. Keith gave Ralph one of his little motorcycles and it opened up a whole new world for Ralph. This is a great story about friendship and it is very enteratining reading about all the things Ralph gets into. I was definitely suggest it for young kids to read and also it is a great read aloud book for teachers.

The Giver

I think I have read The Giver in middle school, but I could hardly remember it. At first I was a little hesitant about this story... but it was a lot more interesting this time around. I have realized that happening a lot, since taking this class. The books I hated when I was younger, I am actually enjoying now. I think it helps, when we disucss them in class because I am seeing it from a different perspective. In the book, we discussed how "Utopia" is like this perfect place. It is a community where everyone is happy and polite, there is no prejudice, competiton, and everything is just peaceful all the time. The major part of the community is the fact that there is no memories, where all of this seems appealing at first, but as you read the book it seems to not be as perfect and it causes a lot of problems later on.

Comprehension Questions

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss is one of the most popular children’s books and has been like that for many years. My grandparents read it to my parents, my parents read it to me and I am sure I will read it to my kids. It is such a great book for beginning readers and it teaches a wide variety of vocabulary and a major emphasis on sight words. It would be a great book to test vocabulary comprehension and reading level. I created some comprehension questions for this book that would probably be for 1^st graders.

1) What is the name that the main character is talking to?

a. Sam- I- Am

2) What type of food is Sam-I-Am trying to get the character to eat?

a. Green eggs and ham

3) Name some of the words that rhyme in this story.

a. Fox and box, house and mouse, see and tree,

4) What happens at the end of the story?

a. He likes the green eggs and ham

5) Name a certain food that you didn’t think you liked until you tried it?

The Best School Year Ever

One of my favorite books to read, that I read multiple times was The Best School Year Ever by Barbara Robinson. It was a great book because it was a easy read and also very entertaining. It is kind of a sequel to The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, which is about this family called the Herdmans, who are known for the constant trouble they cause wherever they go. In The Best School Year Ever, it describes this family and their school experiences. I loved it because the kids are so entertaining and it constantly keeps you engaged. Also as a kid, I felt like you could always pin point other students in your classes that you thought of when reading this book. It has a really great theme, because in the end of the story, the children end up doing a a major turn around. It is a great read and I would definitely recommend it for children!