Collins, S. The Hunger Games. (2008). New York. Scholastic Press
Modern fantasy is my favorite genre of literature. My favorite all-time series, Harry Potter, has come from this genre. As a 5th grade reading teacher, this genre is very popular among my students this year, as well. At the beginning of the year, I recommended Harry Potter to my students and many of them had read all 7 prior to Christmas break. This Spring, my students have thrust The Hunger Games upon me and I have absolutely loved them. I am actually waiting for one of them to bring me the second book to borrow! Being able to connect with my reading class in this way has made our classroom discussions very beneficial.
The Hunger Games is a story about a country who sends one boy and one girl into a battle of survival, literally. Katniss, the girl chosen from District 12, is thrust into the Hunger Games in a rather unusual way. From the very start of the games, Katniss begins to win over the entire country with a "made-up" love story between herself and the young man chosen from District 12, Peeta. The two are separated for most of the book leaving the reader to wonder whether or not this connection between the two contestants from district 12 is real. Just when it seems that either, Katniss or Peeta must die in order for the games to end, the Capitol throws in a new twist. Is it possible for both Katniss and Peeta to survive? They think so but the Capitol has other ideas.
This fantasy novel tells of a strange situation in which the main character is thrown into a game developed by a government in order to punish it's citizens for a previous attempt of revolt. Collins also uses a bit of mystery fantasy leaving the reader sitting at the edge of their seat waiting to see what will happen to Katniss, Peeta, and the others. This is especially true with the cliffhanger the author leaves you with at the end of the story which can only mean one thing... go read the second!
Monday, March 26, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
Picture Book Reflection 6
Allsburg, C. V. The Garden of Abdul Gasazi. (1979). Boston. Houghton Mifflin Company.
This delightful, Caldecott Honor, book was written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg. The story tells of a boy, Alan Mitz, who is asked to simply watch Miss Hester's dog, Fritz, while she is away for the afternoon. The dog sitting turns into a much greater adventure for Alan when he tries to take Fritz for his afternoon walk. Fritz was able to get away and create a chase through the Garden of Abdul Gasazi, a great magician. Unfortunately, as good as Gasazi is with magic he really hates dogs. Alan knows he must catch Fritz before he is found by Gasazi. In the end, Alan ends up with no hat, no dog, and no... duck!?
This is the second book I have read by Gasazi and, when it comes to the illustrations, it is a much different book. The illustrations are drawings but they are done in pure black and white. Allsburg does a wonderful job of using shades of black and white to create great visual images. He creates a deeper color contrasted with a white stripe on Alan's shirt to make his shirt look as though it is red and white striped. The shade also leads the reader to believe that Alan's hat matches the dark color of his shirt. The shades of black and white are done so well that you can pinpoint the exact type of dog Fritz is.
A truly wonderful book that will make your students stop and think at the end. Really creates some great questions for students. For example, was the duck really Fritz?
A truly wonderful book that will make your students stop and think at the end. Really creates some great questions for students. For example, was the duck really Fritz?
Picture Book Reflection 5
Steptol, J. Mufaro's beautiful daughters. An African tale. (1987). New York. Lee and Shepard Books.
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale, is a story about a man's two daughters who are both beautiful and worthy enough to become queen of the city. The two daughters, Manyara and Nyasha, were two completely different people. Manyara was selfish and bad-tempered and Nyasha was kind and considerate. The two daughters were supposed to go to the city together and allow the King to choose his wife but Manyara had other ideas. As the two daughters make their separate trip to the city to see the King they, unknowingly, run into the same three people. The way they treat these three people will ultimately lead to one daughter being chosen as queen and the other being left as a servant.
John Steptol, both the author and illustrator, of this Caldecott Honor Book and winner of Coretta Scott King Award (among others), does a wonderful job of using the illustrations to help tie in to the text. When describing Manyara as being bad-tempered, he also shows Manyara with a scowl on her face and shows the shy, sweet Nyasha with her eyes closed and turning away from the screaming Manyara.Steptol also uses the pictures to act out the text. "Nyasha ran ahead and topped the rise before the others could catch up with her," and Steptol shows beautiful Nyasha overlooking the city.
The illustrations are done using drawings by Steptol. The contrasts of colors throughout the book seem to make the important images standout to the reader. When Manyara runs into the old lady on the stump in the woods during her midnight adventure, the entire page is filled with dark greens from the forest night except for the small opening where the old lady sits. This helps to draw the reader's eyes to the old lady. The book itself is a picture storybook.
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale, is a story about a man's two daughters who are both beautiful and worthy enough to become queen of the city. The two daughters, Manyara and Nyasha, were two completely different people. Manyara was selfish and bad-tempered and Nyasha was kind and considerate. The two daughters were supposed to go to the city together and allow the King to choose his wife but Manyara had other ideas. As the two daughters make their separate trip to the city to see the King they, unknowingly, run into the same three people. The way they treat these three people will ultimately lead to one daughter being chosen as queen and the other being left as a servant.
John Steptol, both the author and illustrator, of this Caldecott Honor Book and winner of Coretta Scott King Award (among others), does a wonderful job of using the illustrations to help tie in to the text. When describing Manyara as being bad-tempered, he also shows Manyara with a scowl on her face and shows the shy, sweet Nyasha with her eyes closed and turning away from the screaming Manyara.Steptol also uses the pictures to act out the text. "Nyasha ran ahead and topped the rise before the others could catch up with her," and Steptol shows beautiful Nyasha overlooking the city.
The illustrations are done using drawings by Steptol. The contrasts of colors throughout the book seem to make the important images standout to the reader. When Manyara runs into the old lady on the stump in the woods during her midnight adventure, the entire page is filled with dark greens from the forest night except for the small opening where the old lady sits. This helps to draw the reader's eyes to the old lady. The book itself is a picture storybook.
Picture Book Reflection 4
Sendak, M. Where the wild things are. (1963) New York. Harper and Row.
Where the Wild Things Are, my personal favorite childhood book, written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak won the Caldecott Medal in 1964. Max, a young troublemaker, is sent to bed without dinner one evening but it is here that the story really begins. As forest begins to grow in his very room, Max sets out on a journey that takes him to the place where the wild things are. Max becomes the King of all Wild Things and is having a marvelous time until he began to miss something or someone. You'll have to read on to find out whether or not Max makes it back to his bedroom safely!
This picture storybook uses drawings and has a section where the pictures do they talking. For instance, several pages show Max dancing or swinging from trees with the wild things. Even without text, the reader can see that Max is having a good time being the King. The illustrations also help to tell the story by matching with the author's text. As Max begins to leave the island, you can see the wild things reaching out for him and looking as though they are begging him to come back.
The book is hardcover and contains a dust jacket. The book also contains an endpaper and a flyleaf which help to introduce the story to the reader and show reviews from others that have read the story. The book uses a doublespread format which helps the story have a sense of continuity and flow throughout.
Where the Wild Things Are is a must read!
Where the Wild Things Are, my personal favorite childhood book, written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak won the Caldecott Medal in 1964. Max, a young troublemaker, is sent to bed without dinner one evening but it is here that the story really begins. As forest begins to grow in his very room, Max sets out on a journey that takes him to the place where the wild things are. Max becomes the King of all Wild Things and is having a marvelous time until he began to miss something or someone. You'll have to read on to find out whether or not Max makes it back to his bedroom safely!
This picture storybook uses drawings and has a section where the pictures do they talking. For instance, several pages show Max dancing or swinging from trees with the wild things. Even without text, the reader can see that Max is having a good time being the King. The illustrations also help to tell the story by matching with the author's text. As Max begins to leave the island, you can see the wild things reaching out for him and looking as though they are begging him to come back.
The book is hardcover and contains a dust jacket. The book also contains an endpaper and a flyleaf which help to introduce the story to the reader and show reviews from others that have read the story. The book uses a doublespread format which helps the story have a sense of continuity and flow throughout.
Where the Wild Things Are is a must read!
Picture Book Reflection 3
Allsburg, C. V. The polar express. (1985). Boston. Houghton Mifflin Company
The Polar Express is a classic children's picture storybook based on the Christmas season. Chris Van Allsburg, the author and illustrator, tells a story about a young boy who takes a magical Christmas Eve train ride to the North Pole. When he arrives, Santa offers him any gift he could imagine and the boy asks, simply, for a bell off the harness of a reindeer. Unfortunately, on the train ride home the bell is lost and after searching the boy is left empty-handed. Or is he?
The book itself comes with a dust jacket that has the picture of the front of the train on the cover of the book and a picture of the middle of the train with a small boy boarding on the back. The dust jacket gives the reader a feeling of if you do not grab this book the train is going to leave you. An interesting note about the dust jacket is that the author's name is not listed on the front cover. The Polar Express provides an inside cover which the author/illustrator's name and publisher can be found.
The size of the book provides a perfect opportunity to read the book aloud to a class. The pages are thick and durable which may allow for children to handle the book as well. The Polar Express is a hardcover book.
Allsburg appears to use paintings and realistic art throughout the story in a doublespread format. The format helps to show actions and moods throughout the story. For example, many illustrations are from the outside of the train as it makes its adventure to the North Pole. The illustrations make you feel as though you are traveling through the forest and mountains with the train.
The Polar Express is the 1986 Caldecott Award winner.
The Polar Express is a classic children's picture storybook based on the Christmas season. Chris Van Allsburg, the author and illustrator, tells a story about a young boy who takes a magical Christmas Eve train ride to the North Pole. When he arrives, Santa offers him any gift he could imagine and the boy asks, simply, for a bell off the harness of a reindeer. Unfortunately, on the train ride home the bell is lost and after searching the boy is left empty-handed. Or is he?
The book itself comes with a dust jacket that has the picture of the front of the train on the cover of the book and a picture of the middle of the train with a small boy boarding on the back. The dust jacket gives the reader a feeling of if you do not grab this book the train is going to leave you. An interesting note about the dust jacket is that the author's name is not listed on the front cover. The Polar Express provides an inside cover which the author/illustrator's name and publisher can be found.
The size of the book provides a perfect opportunity to read the book aloud to a class. The pages are thick and durable which may allow for children to handle the book as well. The Polar Express is a hardcover book.
Allsburg appears to use paintings and realistic art throughout the story in a doublespread format. The format helps to show actions and moods throughout the story. For example, many illustrations are from the outside of the train as it makes its adventure to the North Pole. The illustrations make you feel as though you are traveling through the forest and mountains with the train.
The Polar Express is the 1986 Caldecott Award winner.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Picture Book Reflection 2
Selznick, B. The Adventures of Hugo Cabret. (2007). United States. Scholastic Press.
Wow! Someone could probably stop writing about Brian Selznick's "The Adventures of Hugo Cabret"after just that one word. Selznick's masterpiece may look a bit intimidating at first to both you and your students, but inside it's 533 pages is a beautifully written story that is over before you know it. Selznick, who is also the illustrator of the book, tells roughly half of the story uses pictures only in a picture storybook format. Although this creates a an absolute great read, the way in which the book is constructed makes it a book for older readers and one that they may enjoy more on their own than out loud.
The story itself is about a young boy, Hugo, who is orphaned and living inside the walls of a Paris train station. Hugo is forced to live a life where is stealing from those in the train station in order to survive, but suddenly Hugo's life is turned upside down when he meets a young girl about his age. Soon, Hugo's life and all it's secrets are in danger of being discovered. If you have never read about Hugo then it is highly recommended.
It may seem different to read a story just through illustrations but the artistic talent of Selznick makes it seem as though you are watching a movie. Selznick uses drawings, a charcoal pencil, to move the story without using any words. Since there are no words during many parts of the story, it is the job of the illustrations to portray all of the literary elements, such as plot, setting, theme, etc, to the reader so when the text does continue the reader knows exactly what is occurring.
This will be a top five children's book for a very long time and I am not meaning only in my category. This book will be read by all sorts of children for years to come!
Wow! Someone could probably stop writing about Brian Selznick's "The Adventures of Hugo Cabret"after just that one word. Selznick's masterpiece may look a bit intimidating at first to both you and your students, but inside it's 533 pages is a beautifully written story that is over before you know it. Selznick, who is also the illustrator of the book, tells roughly half of the story uses pictures only in a picture storybook format. Although this creates a an absolute great read, the way in which the book is constructed makes it a book for older readers and one that they may enjoy more on their own than out loud.
The story itself is about a young boy, Hugo, who is orphaned and living inside the walls of a Paris train station. Hugo is forced to live a life where is stealing from those in the train station in order to survive, but suddenly Hugo's life is turned upside down when he meets a young girl about his age. Soon, Hugo's life and all it's secrets are in danger of being discovered. If you have never read about Hugo then it is highly recommended.
It may seem different to read a story just through illustrations but the artistic talent of Selznick makes it seem as though you are watching a movie. Selznick uses drawings, a charcoal pencil, to move the story without using any words. Since there are no words during many parts of the story, it is the job of the illustrations to portray all of the literary elements, such as plot, setting, theme, etc, to the reader so when the text does continue the reader knows exactly what is occurring.
This will be a top five children's book for a very long time and I am not meaning only in my category. This book will be read by all sorts of children for years to come!
Picture Book Reflection 1
Scieszka, J. The true story of the 3 little pigs. By A. Wolf. (1989) New York. Viking Penguin
We have all read and/or heard the story of The Three Little Pigs and always leave with feelings of sorrow for the pigs and hostility for the Big Bad Wolf. The problem is that many of us never thought of the life-long rule of the fact that there is two-sides to every story. In Scieszka book, we get the story of that fateful day involving the 3 little pigs and Big Bad wolf from the point-of-view of the Big Bad Wolf himself. Give it a read and see Mr. Alexander T. Wolf, or Al, can create a whole new perception for you and the childhood favorite.
The story is an immediate success because of the fame of the original story, but Scieszka does a wonderful job using the literary elements of a picture book to re-create the story. The illustrations, done by Lane Smith, are used to create a picture storybook and tell the story just as much as the text. Scieska and Smith do a wonderful job of using the doublespread book design to help the book flow from page to page. The larger size of the pictures and book itself makes it an excellent read aloud in an elementary classroom. (I actually read it to my 5th grade class today!) Finally, the illustrations also do a wonderful job of creating a visual picture of what our characters look like since the author never provides the reader with a description.
The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! By A. Wolf, is an excellent read aloud and could be used very effectively with several different literary skills. For example, you could compare and contrast Scieszka's story with that of the original version or create a cause and effect chart using the events of the story. You could even do a fun activity like having the students debate on which story they think is true!
Trust me, after reading this delightful book, even your feelings of the "Big Bad Wolf" may have been altered.
We have all read and/or heard the story of The Three Little Pigs and always leave with feelings of sorrow for the pigs and hostility for the Big Bad Wolf. The problem is that many of us never thought of the life-long rule of the fact that there is two-sides to every story. In Scieszka book, we get the story of that fateful day involving the 3 little pigs and Big Bad wolf from the point-of-view of the Big Bad Wolf himself. Give it a read and see Mr. Alexander T. Wolf, or Al, can create a whole new perception for you and the childhood favorite.
The story is an immediate success because of the fame of the original story, but Scieszka does a wonderful job using the literary elements of a picture book to re-create the story. The illustrations, done by Lane Smith, are used to create a picture storybook and tell the story just as much as the text. Scieska and Smith do a wonderful job of using the doublespread book design to help the book flow from page to page. The larger size of the pictures and book itself makes it an excellent read aloud in an elementary classroom. (I actually read it to my 5th grade class today!) Finally, the illustrations also do a wonderful job of creating a visual picture of what our characters look like since the author never provides the reader with a description.
The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! By A. Wolf, is an excellent read aloud and could be used very effectively with several different literary skills. For example, you could compare and contrast Scieszka's story with that of the original version or create a cause and effect chart using the events of the story. You could even do a fun activity like having the students debate on which story they think is true!
Trust me, after reading this delightful book, even your feelings of the "Big Bad Wolf" may have been altered.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Introduction
Hey everyone! My name is Charlie Hamilton and I currently live in Lexington, KY. I am 26 years old originally from Bardstown, KY. I have 3 sisters and crazy, seriously crazy, black lab named Chance. He was a rescue, hence his name and I am huge fan of the movie Homeward Bound.
I actually teach over in Madison County at White Hall Elementary. This is my second year teaching the 5th grade; last year I taught science and this year I am teaching reading and math. We did our schedule a bit difference this year. I love the 5th grade and I think I am exactly where I want to be for the time-being. Eventually, I do want to get my principalship and become an elementary school principal.
I actually teach over in Madison County at White Hall Elementary. This is my second year teaching the 5th grade; last year I taught science and this year I am teaching reading and math. We did our schedule a bit difference this year. I love the 5th grade and I think I am exactly where I want to be for the time-being. Eventually, I do want to get my principalship and become an elementary school principal.
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