EDRE 5352 - Blog Post #2 - Literacy Experiences in the Secondary Years

'Oh my goodness, the first day of 6th grade! New school, new friends. I'm so excited and nervous at the same time.....Okay, last period, reading. I can end the day in a favorite subject. Cool."........Fast forward mid-year...."How did I end up in this class? No one cares, not even the teacher. I can't believe we spend almost every period reading out of the textbook, taking turns by rows. I'm the only one here who actually wants to learn anything." The rest of the year, just reading copies of stories and out of the reading book with a teacher who seems to have been ready to leave after second period and doesn't care that no one is paying attention to her. No one wanted to be in that room.

"Please let this year be different. Hmm.. reading is split with lunch. Oh, it's Mrs. Ledbetter. She looks like a fun teacher." In my 7th grade year, I learned about diagramming sentences using my body. I can still visualize my English teacher using her arms and having us reenact the different parts of speech. This was also the year I was introduced to Ray Bradbury. Never would I have chosen to read this genre, yet The Illustrated Man and Fahrenheit 451 piqued my interest when I was assigned to read and write about each book, deciphering and interpreting the meaning in the text in ways had never done before. Science fiction was a new genre to my reading eyes. Over the summer, I filled my time reading The Martian Chronicles and Dandelion Wine. I realized my elementary school teachers had placed me in a regular reading class schedule for sixth grade. The sixth-grade reading teacher, I presume, noticed I was attempting to be a good student placed me in the advanced/enriched reading class for seventh grade. I am grateful for her decision to move me to a more advanced course.

"This is the year we learn about Mythology, yes!" I don't remember anything about the first semester, though I know it was academically intense for an eighth-grade class. Ms. Sullivan taught us about organizing our studies and preparing for high school. With all that training, it was the second semester's theme I wanted her to discuss. I could not wait for our return after Christmas. Everything we read, researched and wrote about dealt with Greek and Roman Mythology. It was such a fascinating semester. I can recall it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be, but we were engrossed in creating projects and having our first comparative journal to keep notes on the differences in the different characters. I am pretty sure my journal is still in my mom's hope chest.

Sometime during my middle school years, I discovered V.C. Andrews. My friends and I would read all the books in the series as quickly as they were released. The teachers did not need to worry about extraneous conversations during D.E.A.R. time. We were all engrossed in the latest novel, and our discussions were connected to the storyline. In a sense, we had our own book club aside from the texts assigned by our teachers.

"Oh gosh, please don't ask us to introduce ourselves. I don't want anyone to notice me in a weird way." Freshman year, my thoughts in every class the first day or week of school. Somehow Mrs. Jackson knew this about her ninth-grade students. Each class period began with five to fifteen minutes of writing in our journals. We were allowed free writing most of the time, just pouring our thoughts into our journals, much like the journals provided in Freedom Writers. I immediately thought of Mrs. Jackson and our journal time when I first saw that movie. In my freshman year, we read Shakespeare, specifically Romeo and Juliet. I think this was also the year we read The Canterbury Tales. I know we must have read some other books, but having Shakespeare respectfully explained to me was what I most remembered about my freshman literacy experience.

"This lady is wild...and not like the good wild of Mrs. Ledbetter." So, Ms. T. was an interesting, eccentric teacher. Yes, we read Lord of the Flies. The book itself made an impression on me, although I cannot reflect how the text was applied in classroom instruction. Ms. T helped us craft and fine-tune our writing through student teaching exercises and sharing our creations. I was terrified. Looking back, there must have been a public speaking component in the essential standards for sophomores. Nevertheless, I did not enjoy teaching my peers about adverbs or reading my adolescent hormone-filled, heartbroken poetry. I didn't die, but there were many times in sophomore English I thought I would.

My junior year, this was the year I loved. Mr. Borah was "the cool" English teacher. He had a U2 poster hanging in his classroom. Mr. Borah spoke to us like we were college-educated. He asked us questions I knew only college professors would ask. This is when I fell in love with social justice, dystopian novels like Orwell's 1984. This is the year we read The Great Gatsby, then watched the movie to compose a research paper comparison of the book and movie. Oh my goodness, I loved having Mr. Borah's class. He brought the literature alive. We had in-depth class discussions regarding the novels he assigned. Mr. Borah encouraged us to think for ourselves and challenged us in our compositions by asking us leading questions. He encouraged us to share with our peers other pieces of literature we enjoyed. We felt seen and validated.

My senior year, Woah...this was the year I think was meant to prepare us for college. Mrs. Dickson only taught seniors. She was keenly aware of senioritis, especially since her son was in my class. She did her dead-level best to keep us engaged. I can only imagine this could be compared to entertaining preschool children after a Christmas party. The texts we read do not come to mind; however, there was a lot of reader's theater, project writing, and hands-on creations. I discovered I could not memorize passages adequately, but I could paraphrase and provide an oral interpretation to compensate, which I did often.

I appreciate the novels I was assigned, though I believe choice is an essential factor in building a child's love for reading. There is a balance. I never would have selected science fiction if I had not been assigned the reads. The teachers who truly loved literature shared that love with us when reflecting further. They brought the texts alive through their teachings and the activities we were engaged to create. Looking back, I can find strengths in all my secondary English teachers, even my sixth-grade teacher, who probably did not have good class management, to begin with and was exhausted by the seventh period. I take that teaching morsel and try to be mindful with each group I work with, especially my last group of the day. I also try to share books with my students that I have a personal connection to, even if it's a book I just bought at the book fair. I want my students to be lifelong readers. I want them to find that joy I have when I am in the pages of a book.

EDRE 5352 - Blog Post #1 - My word for this semester...actually, grad school

 

My word for this semester is persistence. From the moment Dr. Giles announced this assignment this word rang in my ears and echoed in my thoughts. I meditated on other words, took surveys, and read devotionals. Still, the word persistence tugged at my heart. According to Webster, persistence is defined as, "the quality that allows someone to continue doing something or trying to do something even though it is difficult or opposed by other people."

I knew when I made the decision to return to school after a two-decade hiatus I would need to create a clear path with an end goal, comprised of structure and parameters along the way. A course of action filled with energy to propel through the trials of sandwich generation-home life and school-work life. While others may imagine the image of someone pushing a large boulder up a mountain as a visual of persistence. I visualize my image of persistence as carrying a full backpack of college textbooks, pulling a teacher cart overflowing with school work, balancing a bag filled with prescriptions and doctors' orders, handling a laptop open to Canvas and a multicolored calendar, and clasping my cellphone haphazardly to my ear.

Overjoyed to be finally engrossed in a graduate studies program I meticulously researched to join for many years, this chapter of my life is engaging beyond measure. I did not want to obtain a graduate degree "just" to obtain a graduate degree. I knew once I dove into this next level of learning I needed to love what I would be consuming endless hours reading, writing, and researching. I knew for me to maintain my persistence, I had to overflow with passion and purpose as I pursued my goals. I also knew for me to pursue my goals determination had to walk in conjunction with persistence. As a result, all those not so little boulders of family and work commitments I was lugging up my mountain had to be placed in the appropriate lanes for me to have a clear path to success. This meant calendars synced at home and at school, as well as family meetings with direct and explicit discussions took place. With all important parties on the same page, I knew I could pull my persistence out of my secret pocket and look down the path to academic dreams.

This journey has not been easy and I do not expect a path of rose petals at any time. My many life commitments are always there, waiting, watching, and sometimes, whining, but my path to pursuing my graduate degree is paved with a multitude of life lessons that have brought me to just this moment. These life lessons fuel my persistence and I would have it no other way.

Blog post #6 - Genre: Realistic Fiction - Picture Book and Chapter Book

 

Sher, E., & Leng, Q. (2017). Away. Groundwood Books, House of Anansi Press. 

This realistic fiction book overwhelmed me with emotion when I discovered it a few weeks ago. The characters include a mother, her daughter, Skip, and a brief appearance from the maternal grandmother, Mimsy. The mother and daughter appear to be busy with work, school, or chores, unable to spend as much time together as they would like. As a result, sticky notes are left all over the house for each other to find. Even with the brief text, the love shared between the mother and daughter is evident. Skip is preparing mentally and physically for her first time away from home to attend a week at camp in the book. The dialogue between her mother and Skip is humorous and intriguing. Through the banter back and forth, along with the visit from Mimsy, the characters relay a close-knit relationship full of love. The illustrations from Leng complement the text. The soft watercolors enhance a calm, whimsical mood over the book, even as Skip is adamant she will not be going to camp. Somehow, the reader can feel the calm from the mother as she encourages her daughter to have a new adventure. In the end, the experience is precisely what Skip needed. In a fun way to connect to the reader, the illustrator, Leng, includes the family cat, Lester, on almost all the pages. Also, not to be missed, Leng incorporates a biracial family dynamic. Skip has a much darker complexion to her mother and grandmother's light complexions. The reader does not ever receive confirmation of the details, but why would that be necessary, as the intent is to tell the story of a loving family.

This book struck a chord with me, as I would handwrite sticky notes to my daughter when she was in elementary school. It wasn't until we moved and she was in college did she share with me she kept all the notes I wrote her. As the years have progressed, I moved from sticky notes to writing on the mirrors to my daughter and son. Hindsight 20/20, I wish I had written more sticky notes as a tangible memory. 

For my daughter, writing the notes was a way for me to connect to her during a difficult chapter in our lives. I think about difficulties she shared with me, and they mirrored those of Skip not wanting to leave her mom and pet cat. Regarding my son, I have written more notes on the mirror or family dry erase board than I have sticky notes. In actuality, I now send texts with more than reminders to do chores, relatively quick "I'm thinking of you" messages. I recognize my son's love language is words of affirmation, and this is just one little way to fill his bucket.  I definitely connected to the storyline. It is pure realistic fiction, particularly for my family. 

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Cleary, B., & Zelinsky, P. O. (1983). Dear Mr. Henshaw. Morrow.

This book is near and dear to my heart. I remember reading this book around 1983 or 1984, soon after my parents divorced. I had never read a children's book about divorce nor identified with a character's emotions like Leigh's. Reading as he struggled with the divorce itself, along with the growing distance between his father and himself, was gut-wrenching, as I could relate on so many levels. At the time, I could not adequately articulate the connection. I did begin writing in a journal soon after. Was it due to this book? I have no clue, but I am sure the idea was planted in my thoughts. Years later, I forgot Leigh was a boy. I suppose I morphed the character into a girl to help with my own childhood coping mechanisms. 

As an adult with a husband who is a long-haul truck driver, I found Leigh's descriptions of his father's rig amusing. Cleary explained the trucker life terminology accurately. As an adult, as a teacher, I observe Leigh's writing improving as he moved from writing short sentenced letters to Mr. Henshaw to writing lengthy letters and moving into a journal as the story progresses. I do not imagine I had this realization as a child. As an adult, as a mother, I observe Leigh slowly opening up to others at his new school, allowing himself to be seen, and no longer letting himself be the "mediumest boy in the class."

As for the illustrations in the chapter book, Zelinsky provides pops of black and white pen sketches to aid with the text. But, again, there aren't many illustrations, just enough to add some visual enhancements to the story.

From divorce and not seeing a parent, to lonesome feelings at a new school, to difficulty completing a writing assignment from a teacher, Dear Mr. Henshaw is still contemporary realistic fiction. Cleary's award-winning book is as relevant today as it was almost thirty years ago.

Blog post #5 - Genre: Folklore

 

Federico and the Wolf is a modern-day twist on the fairytale "Little Red Riding Hood." This story would be considered a "talking animal and trickster tale" type of folklore. Federico, the main character, is a little boy with a red hoodie who plans to visit his grandfather, Abuelo, after going to the market to buy ingredients to make pico. With his red hoodie on and his bicycle basket full of food, Federico is ready to visit Abuelo at his store, la tienda. While in the woods, Federico is stopped by a hungry wolf, un lobo. As in the original fairytale, the wolf has plans to have a snack. Once at his grantdfather's store, Federico notices his grandfather bears a distinctive resemblance to el lobo. Fortunately, Federico is quick on his feet! He drives the wolf away, finds Abuelo locked away, and he and Abuelo celebrate with a homemade salsa. 

I enjoyed the Spanish words sprinkled throughout the story. There is a glossary at the back of the book to help with meaning and pronunciation of the Spanish words. As an added bonus, there is a recipe for pico de gallo at the end of the book. Even with the foreign vocabulary and twist to the characters, this retelling follows the same premise as the original plot. The text is filled with rhyme and would be a great read-aloud when identifying rhyme in text. The illustrations are colorful and entertaining for a young reader.  The wolf is appropriately scary for the age-group that will most likely be reading the book.

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Two of Everything is the retelling of a Chinese folktale. This story would be considered a "fairytale" folklore due to containing magic in the story. Mr. and Mrs. Haktak are an older, poor, farming couple. When Mr. Haktak brings home a large pot he discovers in his garden, the couple's life takes a twist.

The couple accidentally discovers the pot is a magic pot when Mrs. Haktak drops her hair pin into the pot and pulls out two identical hair pins. The story continues with additional accidents with the culmination of two identical Mr. Haktak's and Mrs. Haktak's. 

The story line is simple and engaging for a young reader. The couple solves issues in simple, naive ways; in which a child would think would make sense. The illustrations in the book are whimsical, while still being realistic and paying homage to Chinese illustrations. The characters are depicted in an almost caricature or doll-like manner, which adds to the comical, yet wisdom-filled story.

 

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Both books are different types of folklore. Federico and the Wolf exhibits several attributes of quality folklore. There is rhythm and rhyme weaved throughout the text, while also reflecting the Mexican culture of the retelling. The illustrations do complement the storyline and add to the cultural detail. Likewise, Two of Everything also exhibits attributes of quality folklore. The story reflects the Chinese culture, not only in text, but also through the illustrations. As for differences, Federico and the Wolf has animals talking and the theme seems to be good prevailing over bad/evil. In Two of Everything, there is magic with the magic pot, while still exhibiting resourcefulness and the value of a simple life. 

  

Blog #4 - A puppy, a bear, and a little girl

 

The adorable picture storybook, Please, Puppy, Please, immediately conjures connections to David Shannon's series No David., regarding the storyline, but also the illustrations. This humorous story is authored by Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee. It is illustrated by award-winning artist Kadir Nelson. In the narrative, the two children spend the entire book saying, "please, please" to their puppy while trying to wrangle them from doing all the puppy things. The illustrations are the main focal point of the double-page narrative. Close-up pictures of the puppy from the perspective of being on the ground adds humor and adventure to the realistic fiction storybook. Through the snapshot-like illustrations and rhyming over the pages, the reader can envision interacting with the happy, curious, yet naughty puppy. The artistic medium sets the story's tone by creating a realistic capturing of the children and puppy in action. The art invites the reader into the story. Of course, like the David Shannon series, even after all the "naughtiness," the puppy is a loved and cherished member of the family. This picture storybook uses language, along with illustrations, to mold the realistic, contemporary narrative. 

   

Mother Bruce,  written and illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins, captures a grumpy bear who really does not care to be around anyone but himself and his gourmet egg recipes. This delightful book develops the personality of Bruce throughout the fantasy storybook. The design elements aid in the character development of the main character through the lines and color detailing his facial expressions and overall mood. From shopping in the forest with a grocery shopping cart to dealing with his egg surprise, Bruce moves from being a grumpy bear trying to rid himself of his new role as a gosling mama to embracing the life of growing geese who refuse to leave his side. Higgins incorporates human-like adaptations in his characters, which contributes to the humor and a connection made to the story. The story text is multi-leveled in spirit; thus, the adult reader will likely enjoy this text as much as the young listener/reader. It is no surprise this picture storybook earned five awards, including the winner of the E.B. White Read-Aloud in 2016 and a finalist Anna Dewdney Read Together Award in 2017. The text and illustrations create a fun read-aloud that encourages compassion, connection in a playful style.

Islandborn, authored by Junot Diaz and illustrated by Leo Espinosa, is a richly detailed picture storybook weaving the history of the Dominican Republic into a text appropriate for school-aged readers to comprehend. Unlike the previous two, this picture storybook stands out as a piece meant to educate a Latin culture and enlighten the reader on immigration and our multi-culture country. This book is a 2019 Pura Belpre Honor Book for "portraying, affirming, and celebrating the Latino cultural experience." The picture storybook begins with Lola at her school, filled with immigrant children. The illustrations on the first two pages depict a multitude of multi-ethnic families entering the school. Full of color and imaginative pictures, the text uses various figures of speech to invite the reader into Lola's journey to discover the island she can't remember. Interviewing her neighbors from the island, each page appears to incorporate the child's mental imagery as she learns from others. For example, a barbershop morphs into a coconut and mango orchard, while on another page, the images of a hurricane from Lola's mother fill the pages. The illustrator utilizes a variety of colors, shapes, and lines in the art to complement the text.

Additionally, the character development is woven into the realistic fictional story with historical elements. While the younger generation shares the island's beauty, the older gentlemen are less apt to encourage positive memories and help Lola with her class assignment. Finally, after prompting from Lola's grandmother, one of the older gentlemen agrees to share what he remembers about the island. Instead of using the word dictator, the imagery of a monster controlling the island is referenced. This figurative language would allow for future discussions on the history of the Dominican Republic in terms children could more readily comprehend. While the other two picture storybooks discussed in my blog do exhibit many of the characteristics of a good picture storybook, Islandborn is in its own class, truly an award-winning piece of literature with the incorporation of rich illustrations, the continual figurative language within the text, attention to cultural detail and character development.

Blog #3 - A Sick Day for Amos McGee

 

I admit I have many books in my classroom I have not read. Some are found in the treasure trove of a retiring teacher's collection, some were purchased with intent for future reads, and some have been purchased with the plan for emergencies. A Sick Day for Amos McGee was added to my classroom library and placed in the emergency substitute read-aloud collection box. I judged a book by its title and appreciated a Caldecott award-winning book would of course be a perfect addition for a day I wasn't in the classroom. Shame on me. This book is more than having a sick day. This book is about friendship and caring for those who support you. Observing the steadfast nature of the zookeeper, Mr. McGee through the calm, quiet illustrations of this book, one can understand the connection he has with his animal friends. The personification of the elephant playing chess, the tortoise racing, the shy penguin sitting, the rhinoceros with his allergies, and the owl requesting to hear a story at night because it is scared of the dark, connects the reader to discovering that personal connection with Mr. McGee as well. Knowing this schedule is set daily with the zoo animal friends when Mr. McGee does not arrive at work as he always does, the animal friends leave the zoo to go check on their zookeeper friend. Just as he took care of the animals at the zoo, the animals take care of him when he is feeling sick. Not only can the reader connect with the intertwining relationship Mr. McGee has with the animals, but the message of caring for each other is also relayed in such a gentle fashion. The illustrations appear to be pencil and woodblock, casting a quiet tone in this heart-warming storyline. 

No longer a book placed in my emergency substitute box, A Sick Day for Amos McGee, winner of the 2011 Caldecott Medal, will be incorporated as a text for compassion, empathy, rhythm, and pattern of life and building lasting friendships. I look forward to sharing this tranquil story with my students.

Blog 2 - The "Art" of Reading

From the initial line of text, "Water is the first medicine,..." the reader is pulled into the beautifully 

created picture book, We Are Water Protectors, written by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Michaela Goade. This 2021 Caldecott Medal picture book, at first glance, seems to be a fictional piece. It reads like a fictional story. The illustrations aid in the appearance of a fictional story; in actuality, it is a lyrical non-fiction book correlated with the stand at Standing Rock by the Sioux Tribe and many others against the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2016. The text is minimal yet concise in its message to protect the earth and her creatures. This allows the illustrations to accentuate the theme and set the mood of the story. Goade incorporates watercolor to enhance the non-fiction story of "the black snake," narrated by a young protagonist. Through the watercolors and lines, the illustrations artistically depict different layers of the story from the history of the girl's people, the creatures and water they are trying to protect, and the fight against the black snake. Each page enhances the overall story and provides insight into the history of the indigenous people; the kinship and community evolved through a common purpose. This beautiful picture book offers an excellent opportunity to discuss current events in a story-like method while still educating non-fiction events.