My Life in Dog Years- Non-Fiction- Week 8

Paulsen, G. (1998). My life in dog years. New York, N.Y: Delacorte Press.

Summary:
My Life In Dog Years is a biography of Gary Paulsen's experiences with his pet dogs throughout his life. Each chapter tells a story of a different dog and details of Paulsen's life at the time he was with the dog. One dog, Cookie, saved his life and several dogs helped him get through some pretty hard and lonely times he encountered growing up.

New Terms:
My Life In Dog Years is a partial biography because it doesn't tell about Gary Paulsen's life from birth to death. The story only includes portions of his life that include the dogs in which he tells about. I think this book could also be considered a collected biography if you consider that each chapter is about the life of a different one of Gary Paulsen's dogs.

Curriculum Connection:
This book could be used to help students write their own biographies. The book isn't extremely long and you could discuss with students how Paulsen kept his readers interested throughout the book.

Standard:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

BIG Question:
How does Paulsen keep his reader interested throughout the book?

Field Experience Questions- Week 8

1. How many hours did you complete?

                5

2. In a short paragraph or bulleted list, how did you spend your time?

·         Assisted LA teacher in classroom.

·         Observed LA teacher in classroom.

·         Collaborated with SMLS to integrate technology into a lesson.

·         Interview with SMLS

3. How did the experience help you to strengthen at least one Kentucky Teacher Standard? (be sure to name the standard)

Standard 6: The Teacher Demonstrates the Implementation of Technology. Through class assignments (book talks, book trailers, etc) I was able to come up with ideas for my students to do in my own classroom. Also, through the interview with our SLMS, I was able to collaborate with her on ways to integrate more technology in my classroom.

4. Talk a little about one thing you learned because of this field experience.

            I learned how to incorporate more reading into my science content throughout the year. I am very excited to use some of the ideas I learned in this class.

 

October Sky- Booktalk- Week 7

Hickam, H. (1998). October sky. New York: Island Books.

Have you ever wanted to do something different than what your parents had planned for you? Well so does Sonny Hickam in October Sky. Sonny lives in the small town of Coalwood West Virginia where everything is owned by the coal company. You can’t even live there unless you work for the coal mines. That’s because the coal company owns all the houses and only leases them to workers. All the boys in Coalwood grow up and go to work in the mines. But Sonny has other plans. He wants to build rockets for NASA. In this memoir by Homer Hickam, you’ll read a story of a young boy growing up with a passion for rockets and a rebellion against the town’s norm.

Week 8- Reading Log

Reading Log for 30 books (to paste into your blog in at the end of the term)

Genre / Titles you read (Hit enter after each one and a new number should pop up)

             I.      Non-fiction/Informational (1 chapter book or photo essay book reflection required on blog)

1)      My Life in Dog Years by Gary Paulsen 

          II.      Poetry (1 chapter or picture book reflection required on blog)

1)      Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

2)      Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

 

       III.      Modern Fantasy (1 chapter book reflection required on blog)          

1)      Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix

2)      The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

3)      Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

4)      Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

5)      Divergent by Veronica Roth 

       IV.      Historical Fiction (1 reflection required on blog –can be a picture book)     

1)      October Sky by Homer Hickam

2)      The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman 

          V.      Traditional (1 reflection required on blog – one can be a picture book)        

1)      Jack Tales (required for discussion – do NOT use on blog)

2)      Chicken Little by Rebecca Emberley

3)      The Boy Who Cried Wolf retold by B.G. Hennessy 

       VI.      Realistic Fiction (1 chapter book reflection required on blog)

1)      Rules by Cynthia Lord

2)      The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster

3)      The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie

4)      Maniac MaGee by Jerry Spinelli

5)      Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

6)      The Canning Season by Polly Horvath 

    VII.      Picture Books (2 reflections required on blog during the first two weeks of class. There should be a total here of at least six.)

1)      Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young. (required for discussion – do NOT use on blog)

2)      The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! by Jon Scieszka

3)      The Treasure by Uri Shulevitz

4)      The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

5)      The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen

6)      Thumbelina by Hans Christian Andersen

7)      This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

8)      The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don & Audrey Wood

9)      The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper

10)  Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

11)  I love You with All My Heart by Sally Huss

Rules- Booktalk- Week 6

Lord, C. (2006). Rules. New York: Scholastic.

http://vocaroo.com/i/s1Es1SGtKQBz

Does your brother or sister ever get on your nerves or embarrass you? My brother, David, embarrasses me all the time. Like if he spills anything on his shirt or pants he must remove them as soon as possible or when he puts his toys in our fish tank. My mom says I should go easy on him, but somebody needs to give him rules. When I go to take David to his Occupational Therapy, I get my mom all to myself while someone else is in charge of David. Recently, though, I have made friends with a boy there named Jason. He can only talk by pointing at his communication book of cards. I have tons of fun making new cards to add to his book, like “stinks a big one!” Everyone should be able to say that. My new neighbor thinks I should bring Jason to the dance, but I haven’t told her Jason is in a wheelchair.

SLMS Interview Summary- Week 5

After meeting with our school's library media specialist I have discovered several things I did not know. I realize our library has several resources to help students in my science classes; things from book sets to science encyclopedias. The library also has tons of electronic devices to help me in my classroom. We have Elmos (document cameras) available for checkout as well as Activotes (interactive testing system). My librarian is available to give booktalks to my students on books related to topics we are covering in class as well as assist students in researching different topics throughout the year.
To my surprise, there is no manual or set of procedures for our library covering books that have mature content. If the library is notified or knowingly has a book with such material, it is kept in the librarians office and is available to students who request it. I really thought our library should have something more concrete than just keeping it hidden and by request only.
I am looking forward to utilizing some of what our library has to offer (and taking the SMLS up on her offers) this year. Glad I took the time to interview her:)

Love That Dog- Poetry- Week 5

Creech, S. (2001). Love that dog. New York: HarperCollins.

Love That Dog is about a boy, Jack, who is uncomfortable writing poetry when his teacher asks him to. He finds that he can't avoid the assignments and writes poetry anyway. Throughout the course of the book, Jack opens up about a dog he loves and finds he does enjoy writing poetry.

Love That Dog is considered narrative poetry. The book progresses just like any other story we would read, (in a sequence of events) but includes poems to tell us the story. Throughout the book are several free verse poems. There is also an example of concrete poetry on page 37 in the book. The boy decides to try concrete poetry when the teacher shares an example in class. Of course, his is about his yellow dog.

Curriculum Connection:
Just as the teacher does in Love That Dog, you could introduce the poems Jack discusses in the book. Have students write their own versions of the different poems before reading Jack's version. Then they can compare.

Standard:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.9a Apply grade 6 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres [e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories] in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics”).

Big Question:
Almost every poem Jack writes in the book is about his dog. Can you think of something you are passionate enough about to write several different poems on the same topic?

The Boy Who Cried Wolf- Traditional Literature- Week 4

Hennessy, B. G., & Kulikov, B. (2006). The boy who cried wolf. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

The Boy Who Cried Wolf is a story of a boy who is tending to his sheep. He is extremely bored and decides to convince the townspeople a wolf is after his sheep for entertainment. After a few times of trying to help the boy out, the townspeople have caught on. When the boy actually does have a wolf after his sheep no one comes to his rescue.

The Boy Who Cried Wolf is a fable. Most fables incorporate animals as the characters. However, this particular book does not. What makes this story a fable is that it has a moral. The moral is to not lie or people won't believe when you are actually telling the truth.
The artistic media used throughout the book are cartoon paintings in watercolor. The watercolor (used to create a "lighter mood") and the cartoon style pair together to appeal to children.

Curriculum Connection:
The Boy Who Cried Wolf could be used in any classroom as a character building activity. To connect with the curriculum though you could have students discuss the theme (moral) of the story. Then have students write their own fables that include a moral. This activity would be used with students in older elementary grades.

Standard:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.

BIG Question:
Can you think of a time when someone throughout history has "cried wolf"?

The Hunger Games- Modern Fantasy Week 3

Collins, S. (2009). The hunger games. New York: Scholastic Press.


Summary
Katniss Everdeen is a poor teenage girl who lives in District 12, a section of what used to be the United States, now known as Panem. Every year the Capitol hosts a reaping where one boy and one girl from each district are chosen to participate in the Hunger Games. When Katniss's little sister is chosen, she knows she must volunteer in her place. Katniss must defeat everyone else in the Hunger Games in order to return home to her family. With 23 other participants seeking to kill her first, the odds are not in her favor.

Literary Terms

Collins’s The Hunger Games is a modern fantasy. The actual Hunger Games that take place in the book are inside of a large dome created by the Capitol. The Capitol controls everything within the dome. For example, they can change the weather, make the forest catch fire, or create animal attacks to make the games go the way they choose.  Collins uses the cycle format by writing three books in The Hunger Games series (Catching Fire and Mockingjay). Each book tells a different story, but Collins ends each with a cliffhanger. You must read the second and third books to find out what happens to each of the characters.

 

Curriculum Activity

Science Connection: “Muttations” (from the book) are two species combined. For example, the book talks about Mockingjays , Jabberjays, and tracker jackers. Students could learn the benefits of cross-breeding species and why animals of different species are not supposed to be able to mate with one another (breeding barriers). They could also learn the different technologies of how humans can genetically alter other organisms (plants, etc.)

Activity: Students can create their own species by crossing any two species they choose. They must list both parent 1 and parent 2, include a drawing, and list any advantages/disadvantages to their new species.

 Science Standard (Next Generation Science Standard)

MS-LS4-5. Gather and synthesize information about the technologies that have changed the way humans influence the inheritance of desired traits in organisms.

 Big Question (Social Studies)

The Hunger Games is a futuristic United States. Do you think the United States could ever be controlled like the districts are by the Capitol? Why or why not?

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! Booktalk- Week 2

Scieszka, J. (1996). The true story of the three little pigs! New York: Viking

I bet you all think you know the story of the three little pigs, but think again! There are two sides to every story.
The so-called Big Bad Wolf claims to be innocent of huffing and puffing and blowing pigs' houses in. All he wanted to do was bake a cake for his "dear old granny" when he ran out of sugar and tried to borrow some from his neighbors. Read Jon Scieszka's The True Story of the Three Little Pigs to find out the side of the story news reporters tried to cover up. Decide for yourself whose story you will believe.

The Treasure- Week 2 Picture Book Reflection

Shulevitz, U. (1978). The treasure. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux.

A poor old man dreams that if he travels to the capital city he will find a treasure. He travels there only to find it guarded day and night. When the guard questions his presence, he tells him to go home and search for the treasure there. You will have to read the book to discover if the poor old man finds a treasure.

The Treasure is a Caldecott Honor Book. The illustrations within the book are unique. Shulevitz uses muted colors to go along with the story. The old man in the book is traveling, the nature scenes are better suited with subtle colors. The artistic style chosen by the illustrator/author is folk art. The story's setting is several decades ago in a foreign country. The reader knows the setting by the language used in the story and the illustrations of a horse and buggy.

The Treasure is written with a lesson learned at the end. In the classroom, students (grades 1-2) could discuss a lesson they have learned recently in their own lives. Students could also create their own picture books with a lesson learned. Their picture book could be based off of their own personal experiences or one they have made up.


Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.2- Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.

BIG Question(s): Why did the man not listen to his dream when it occurred the first time? Why, when he reached the capital city, did he not try harder to look under the bridge?

Intro

Hi! My name is Karee Schroader. I'm an 8th grade science teacher at Ohio County Middle School in Beaver Dam, KY. I've taught at OCMS for 4 years. I'm currently working on my Masters as a Reading and Writing Specialist at University of the Cumberlands.

My husband Jarrod and I were married in April of 2010 and we just had a daughter, Adalyn, in January. I enjoy being a mom, but as many of you will know, there isn't a lot of free time. Although I no longer have time for it, I really enjoy reading. This class will be my excuse to make time for it:)