Thou Shall Read: Week 10: Historical Fiction

This week's readings were especially meaningful because it was the information on which we based our genre workshop from.  My group and I presented a workshop to our class on historical fiction, how to identify good works, and how to use it effectively in the classroom.  Attached is a link to our presentation:

https://docs.google.com/a/my.msmc.edu/presentation/d/1_8rpGelCa3BdxKAfPx_TzXDVK49rJtVz9CAUsbhe500/edit#slide=id.p

Please feel free to look at the powerpoint, as it has all the information regarding historical fiction and examples of how to use it in your classroom.

The Oxymoron That We All Love: Week 9 Review

Contemporary Realistic Fiction (Reading and Class Reflection)

Before reading this chapter, I did not have a clear personal definition on what contemporary realistic fiction was, or how I could use such in my classroom.  Through reading, I can now define contemporary realistic fiction as the following: a work of fiction that has a strong sense of reality that describes problems in a fully human context as it would be experienced today.

How to find quality contemporary realistic fiction: (as seen in Galda 225):
1. Story exemplifies characteristics of excellence in narrative fiction
2. Realistic setting
3. Multidimensional main characters
4. Believable problems
5. Understandability of plot by targeted age group
6. Intrinsic theme
7. Dialogue and character thoughts are natural

I liked how the chapter also gave ideas on how to use this in our classrooms, through the use of a writer's notebook.  Through this writer's notebook, students can log and journal their own lives, reflect upon past writings, and ultimately write their own example of contemporary realistic fiction.

I liked that class was broken up today with the 'Writing as Truth' seminar.  I thought it to be very clever and smart to use the motto of the school in connection with personal writing and messages.  I felt this seminar gave a real-world connection to writing (something that can be very motivating to students), and also allowed for a platform for college students to display their work.

A classmate of mine, Trina, does a great job on her blog giving examples of different contemporary realistic fiction that can be used in the classroom.  She gives teachers and readers catchy summaries of three books, without giving away the story!  I think she did a great job of listing 3 books that nicely represent realistic fiction.

Be a Drama Queen! Week 8 Review

Week 8 Review: Dramatic Responses to Literature

This week we spoke about dramatic responses to literature.  However, for my blog post, I would like to pay a closer attention to the work Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt.

Today, in class, we examined, evaluated, and discussed Babbitt's most famous work.  I remember reading this as a child, and discussing the book, and watching the movie, in school.  However, when rereading the novel as an adult, I notice the themes and moral of the story that I did not realize when I was a child.  Tuck Everlasting is a great work to use when teaching coming of age.  Winnifred, the main character, is faced with many tough decisions and choices that will determine her future.  This mimics the choices that humans have to make, and many of the choices that determine one's pathway in life.  Though the work is fiction and unrealistic, it relates to the reader on a level of understanding hard decisions.

I thought it was really neat that we learned to use animoto.com and can definitely see it used in my own classroom one day!  It spurred interest, as well as instilled motivation to learn in a new and exciting way.

Fantastic Phenomenal Fiction! Chapter 6 and Class Review

Fantastical Literature

Today was a great day in class because the group that presented the fantastical literature genre project did an awesome job of conveying the key points and characteristics of fantastical literature in a clear and exciting way!

The main characteristics of fantastical literature/key points:

-Story of the impossible, expressed as if it were possible

-Imaginative

-Rooted in folktales and legends

-Most contain a deeper truth that is relatable to today's society

-More complex settings and relationships

-Characters are believable but in unrealistic predicaments

-Metaphors

-Scientific literature and magical elements --> 2 key sub genres

I really enjoyed the group's activity that twisted the known game of Candyland into an assessment of fantastical literature to demonstrate our understanding of the topic.  The inclusion of the wings and all the props included as if it were really Candyland!

Chapter 1 Review: Children's and Adolescent Literature

That's All, Folks! Chapter 5 and Class Review

Folklore

Folklore is a genre that is often misinterpreted.  Many people limit it to the cultural stories passed down both physically written in text and orally, but folklore spans a much broader horizon than just that.  Folklore is more than just those cultural stories, but also songs, rhymes, tales, and fables.  In reading this chapter and class discussion, my limited knowledge of folklore expanded and I was given a clear definition of what it actually was.

The quality of folklore is measured by the following characteristics:
-Sounds like spoken language
-Rich natural rhythms
-Reflects cultural integrity of early retellings
-preserves simple structure of oral stories
-artistically excellent illustrations
-illustrations reflect the narrative
-illustrations reflect cultural heritage

The plots of folklore are generally shorter and the moral is straightforward and easy to recognize.  The settings are vague, and the emphasis is on the heroic characters.

Picture That! Picturebooks - Chapter 3 Review and Class Discussion

Picturebooks come in many different formats, ranging from wordless and solely pictures to pictures with corresponding words.  Many would not consider wordless picture books 'reading' but though the omission of corresponding words, wordless picture books do encapsulate the fundamentals of reading.

During this chapter and class presentation, I recognized that picture books do not need to be categorized solely by their format.  Picturebooks span multiple genres and content areas, all the while having flourishing illustrations to go along with the text, if any.

I also didn't know that picture books are usually around 32 pages.  I figured that picture books did not have a set page span; that the length of the book was up to the author to decide, the illustrator to follow, and the publisher to produce.  I think what surprised me most when learning about picture books was their general format.  I did not think in depth about the similarities between picture books, but when they war pointed out and expanded upon, I did realize those commonalities:page length, signature openings, double page spreads, etc.

I think that, regardless of the grade level, picture books are valuable resources to the classroom because it not only expands children's literature knowledge, but also exposes them to different formats and artistic styles that are prevalent both today and throughout previous years.