Just For Parents!

Welcome Parents!

Hopefully you have had a chance to get to know me by reading the introduction on my main page. I have provided an early literacy newsletter, attached below, created just for YOU!

This is an informative newsletter created just for parents who have early readers! This newsletter offers helpful reading tips, new reserach about early literacy and a list of books and their reviews that you and your child will enjoy reading!


Check out my Parent Brochure at:
http://sites.google.com/site/livelaughandloveliterature/Home/just-for-parents

Poetry For All Ages

"Poetry is the liveliest use of language, and nobody knows more instinctively how to take delight in that playfulness than children."

• Looking for some fun, classic poems to read? Find the poems you are looking for at http://www.storyit.com/Classics/JustPoems/index.htm

• Do you want to learn how to write fun, silly poems? Check out this website created by Poetry Zone that gives you step-by-step directions on how to write poems. http://www.poetryzone.ndirect.co.uk/howto.htm

• Click here for poetry tips by Poetry Zone: http://www.poetryzone.ndirect.co.uk/howto.htm

• Having trouble thinking of a rhyming word? Try this Rhyming Dictionary http://www.poetry4kids.com/rhymes

Here is a list of poetry books you can read on your own, with your parents or friends!

Touch The Poem

-Author: Arnold Adoff
-Copyright: 2000
-Genre: Poetry
-Pages: 32
Summary:
This book of poems talks about all things that a person can touch and is focused around one’s senses.

Reflection:
This book was very cute and I read it to the little girl I nanny; she absolutely loved listening to the different poems about touch. The illustrations were very beautiful and the little girl found the pictures to be very intriguing. This book would be used for lower elementary students.

How To Incorporate Into The Classroom:

I would use this book in a lesson about senses. I would begin the lesson asking students if they knew what the word touch means. This would go into a discussion about senses, specifically focusing on touch. I would ask students about all the different things they can tough and feel with their hands.I would set up various centers that had students touching various materials and explaining how they feel.

Poetry For Young People

Author: Langston Huges
-Copyright: 2006
-Genre: Poetry- Diverse Cultures
-Pages: 47

Summary:

Langston Hughes filled this book with diverse poems, about the African-American culture, Slavery and US History.

Reflection:

I found this book of poems to be very interesting. Langston Hughes is an amazing poet and his poetry about his culture was very captivating and fun to read. I feel that this book would be very useful in a lesson about poetry, especially poetry from different cultures.

How to Incorporate Into The Classroom:This book would be perfect to integrate into a lesson plan during Back History Month and would be a great way to bring diversity into the classroom. Although this book is very pleasant to read, it has a great amount of US history incorporated into it. This book could be used in a history or poetry writing lesson plan too.

GO! Poetry In Motion

Author: Dee Lillegard
-Copyright: 2006
-Genre: Poetry
-Pages: 32

Summary:This book of poetry shows the “unique personalities” of all things that GO! This book’s illustrations are very visual and geared towards younger children. Students can use these illustrations to pick out the different objects and are able to hear poems about each moving thing.

Reflection:I thought this book was too cute. The author was very creative when creating poems that went along with moving objects. I know from my nannying experiences, young children love all things that move! I feel that not only would students be pulled in by the catchy poems, but also the books illustrations would hold the students attention.

How To Incorporate Into The Classroom:

I would use this book in a Pre-K or Kindergarten classroom. Kids this age love all things that move. This being said, I would use this book to introduce the genre of poetry. After reading this book to the class we would talk about rhyming words and I would give examples of rhyming words taken from the book. Next I would see if students could come up with their own rhyming words. As a class, we could create a short poem about objects that move using rhyming words.

My Top 10 Read Aloud Books

Here are some books that your children will love that you can read aloud at home or in the classroom. Enjoy!

1. Today I Feel Silly

by Jamie Lee Curtis

2. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus

by Mo Willems

3. Toot and Puddle, The New Friend

by Holly Hobbie

4. A Trip to Dinosaur Time

by Michael Foreman

5. Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born

by Jamie Lee Curtis

6. Diary of a Fly

by Doreen Cronin

7. Strega Nona

by Tomie dePaola

8. Just Another Ordinary Day

by Rod Clement

9. Dear Big, Mean, Ugly Monster

by Ruth Marie Berglin

10.  No Jumping on the Bed

by Tedd Arnold

We Are One- A Look Into Diversity In Children's Literature

Here are some books that can be incorporated into a classroom full of diversity. These books will teach your children about cultures and people different from themselves. Hopefully these books will open their eyes to the diverse world be live in and help them better understand people of other cultures.

Books For Elementary Students

How Are We the Same and Different

by

Bobbie Kalman

Genre:

Multicultural

Description:

This book talks about how everyone in the world is all the same. We are all human beings who live on the same planet and go through the same life processes. Even thought we are the same, we are very different as well. Each person has his or her own personality, hair color, eye color, skin color, thoughts, morals, etc. This book’s theme is very positive because it tells students that it is okay to be different. We are all the same, but have different traits and qualities that made us different, and this is okay!

Reflection:

I loved the message this book was sending to young children. It tells students that everyone is the same, but also very different. It gives examples of way that we are the same and ways that we are different. It encourages students to be happy with themselves and that being unique and an individual is great!

Ideas Of How To Incorporate Into The Classroom:

Because our current society puts so much negative emphasis on what we should look like, how we should act and think, I feel that it is very important for young children to get rid of this negative stigma and learn to loves themselves and be comfortable with who they are. I would use this is a lesson about similarities and differences. I would have different objects displayed in the front of the class and ask students to say/write how these objects are similar and different. This lesson could also be about self-confidence. I would begin by having students, depending on their age, write down things they don’t like or would change about themselves. Next I would have them rip up this paper because we were “getting rid” of all these negative feelings and thoughts. After this I would have students draw a picture or I would take a picture and then have them write five things they like about themselves.

We Are A Rainbow

by

Nancy Taylor

Genre:

Diverse Populations

Description:

This book helps students learn about different cultures by showing pictures of a variety of cultures clothing, food, and legends. It helps younger students open their minds about other cultures and to hopefully get rid of any preexisting prejudices.

Reflection:

I thought this book was really fantastic! The illustrations were very colorful and I loved the message it was sending to students

Ideas Of How To Incorporate Into The Classroom:

I would incorporate this book into my future classroom by beginning my lesson with this book about cultures. This book would mainly be used in a lower elementary classroom because this is when students should begin to learn and open their mind to other cultures and people who are different from them.

For an activity, I would have my class participate in a cultural fair day. Each student would bring in a food dish from their heritage and share pictures of clothing and celebrations they partake in.

Kallaloo! A Caribbean Tale

by

 David and Phillis Gershator

Genre:

A Caribbean Tall Tale

Description:

“Can a shell really make soup? It might, if it’s a brown and white West Indian shell, fresh from the sea. All it needs is a master soup-maker, like Granny, to stir the pot—and a little help from the folks from the Market Square. But there’s one final ingredient missing and even the magic shell forgot to mention it.”

Reflection:

I loved this book. The illustrations were very well done and fun to look at. The story was really fun to read and help my interest the entire time. I also enjoyed that the author put the recipe of Kallaloo in the back of the book so children could cook this magical concoction.

Ideas Of How To Incorporate Into The Classroom:

A teacher could use this book when talking about different cultures or countries. This could be used in an upper elementary classroom when covering geography- specifically for the Caribbean. There is also a cooking recipe in the back of the book, which would also make another fun activity for the classroom. I would use this book to begin a lesson about diversity. With this book students would get a first hand look about the Caribbean culture. This could lead to further research about the Caribbean (geography/culture) and at the end of the lesson students could make the recipe that is provided in the back of the book.

The Hundred Dresses

by

Eleanor Estes

Genre:

Realistic Fiction/ Multicultural

Description:

This book tells the story of Wanda Petronski, an immigrant girl, who is going to an all American school. Wanda is having a hard time fitting in because the kids at her school make fun of her because she wears the same faded blue dress every day. To stand up to her classmates, she tell them that she has 100 dresses at home---this only leads to more teasing that ends in a lesson for every student to learn.

Awards: Newberry Honor Award Winner

Reflection:

I had never read this book before and I absolutely loved this story. It was a very good book that taught the qualities of compassion and understanding. I would use this book in my elementary school classroom because it shows children about diversity and it is a  “page-turner” that reinforces a good message.

Ideas Of How To Incorporate Into The Classroom:

The Hundred Dresses can be used in an elementary school classroom (grades 1^st-4^th). This would be a great book to use when teaching about new students who come to your school. It teaches the lessons of understanding how these students are different and that it’s okay to be different. It also teaches about compassion and how every person should treat one another with compassion and respect.

I would use this as a creative writing activity and ask students to write about the time when they were the “new” kid. I would want them to say how they felt, how they met friends, etc.

Why Mosquitoes Buzz In People’s Ears

by

Verna Aardema

Genre:

Multicultural (West African Tale)

Description:

This book was about a misunderstanding that arose in the forest between the animals that lived there. Animals were placing blame on other because of an incident that happened. In the end, it was the mosquitoes fault and that is the reason he buzzes in peoples ears—he is asking buzz are you still angry with me buzz…and he gets the answer. SMACK!

Awards: 1976 Caldecott Medal Winner, 1975 ALA Notable Children’s Books winner, 1975 The New York Times Outstanding Books of the Year, 1975 School Library Journal Best Books of the Year.

Reflection:

This was a really fun book! I have never read it before and I am so happy I did. I loved the ending of this book because it ends on an unpredictable funny note with the mosquito asking if people are still made at her…and she gets the answer…but getting smacked! Loved this book!

Ideas Of How To Incorporate Into The Classroom:

I would focus my lesson on the African cultures because this book is a west African tale.

I would read this book and have my students pay attention to the pictures and wardrobe the characters are wearing.

Then I would have students research the African culture further and share three interesting things they gained from their research.

Books For Upper Elementary Students

Poetry For Young People

by

Langston Huges

Genre:

Poetry- Diverse Cultures

Description:

Langston Hughes filled this book with diverse poems, about the African-American culture, Slavery and US History.

Reflection:

I found this book of poems to be very interesting. Langston Hughes is an amazing poet and his poetry about his culture was very captivating and fun to read. I feel that this book would be very useful in a lesson about poetry, especially poetry from different cultures.

Ideas Of How To Incorporate Into The Classroom:

This book would be perfect to integrate into a lesson plan during Back History Month and would be a great way to bring diversity into the classroom. Although this book is very pleasant to read, it has a great amount of US history incorporated into it. This book could be used in a history or poetry writing lesson plan too.

The Ant and the Grasshopper

by

Amy Lowry Poole

Genre:

Fable/Multicultural

Description:

This book is about a community of ants who work hard to prepare for the fast approaching winter. At the same time, the grasshopper is lazy and doesn’t prepare for the long winter ahead.

Reflection:

I really enjoyed the message this book was expressing. It showed the importance of hard work and how word does pay off, while being lazy does not get you anywhere, only in trouble. I also loved the illustrations in this book as well—very beautifully done!

Ideas Of How To Incorporate Into The Classroom:

This book could be used in a younger elementary or primary classroom to show the importance of hard work.  This would be a great quality to teach young students.

I would use this book in a lesson about hard work.  I would read this book before the lesson so students could gain ideas of what it means to be a hard worker and what it means to be lazy. After the book I would ask the students to give me ways they have been a hard worker.  Next I would have students write down ways they have been a hard worker and draw a picture that relates to their sentences.

The Girl Who Spun Gold

by

Virginia Hamilton

Genre:

West Indian Folk Tale

Description:

This book was a West Indiana version of Rumplestiltskin. A young peasant girl mother promised a King her daughter can spin gold. The king marries the daughter and asks her to spin him three rooms of gold. She is locked in a room to Spring the Kings gold, but in reality, she doesn’t know how to spin gold but receives the help from Lit’Mahn Bittyun, a tiny fellow who lives in the shades of the forest. Will Lit’Mahn help the new Queen spin enough gold for her King?

Reflection:

I love how the author created their own version of Rupundzel and thought the book was very well written. I loved the story of Rumplestiltskin and I thought this was a great version of the classic tale. The illustrations were very interesting, but beautiful—the culture really comes out in the pictures.

Ideas Of How To Incorporate Into The Classroom:

This would be a great book to use when talking about different cultures. A teacher could read both versions of the story and see the similarities and differences between the two cultures tales.

After reading both version of this book, students could create a compare and contrast graphic organizer on the similarities and differences between the two books. Once they have completely filled this out, students could conduct further research about the two different cultures being addressed in the two versions of the book.

Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China

by

Ai-Ling Louie

Genre:

A Cinderella Story from China

Description:

A young Chinese girl who is treated horribly by her stepmother and stepsister finds her fate when she attends the Spring Festival and loses her small slipper, only for a prince to find it and ask for her hand in marriage.

Reflection:

I loved the traditional story of Cinderella so I was excited to see what this version was like. I really enjoyed the Chinese version of this fairytale. I especially liked the illustrations because they were done like Chinese artwork (in rectangles).

Ideas Of How To Incorporate Into The Classroom:

This would be a great book to use for all elementary grades. The artwork in this book in phenomenal, so a teacher could integrate an art and literature lesson when reading this book by having students create their own Chinese artwork. After reading this book in class, I would ask students to create their own Chinese-influenced artwork. This could also lead into more research about the Chinese culture and art.

Books For Middle School Students

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

by

John, Boyne

Genre:

Realistic Fiction/ Holocaust/Multicultural

Description:

When Bruno comes home one day after school he notices all his belongings are packed up in boxes. His father told him that he received a promotion in his job and that their family will be moving far, far away. His new house is strange, boring and has no other children to play with. Bruno wont allow this boring new place bring him down so he decides to explore. On one of his “journeys” he finds a really tall, long fence and there are strange people wearing striped pajamas on the other side of it. Bruno being an explorer, he tries to find out more about this strange place. He soon meets a young boy the same age as him, but with very difference lifestyles. The two young boys become quick friends, but unfortunately this friendship has devastating consequences.

Reflection:

I saw this movie before I read the book and the movie was amazing. The movie was done very well and I enjoyed it, but it definitely was not a “feel good” movie. Although these boys shared very different lifestyles and Bruno’s father was a Nazi, they became very close friends. This story shows how young children can put all differences aside and become best friends. These two boys would do anything for each other even if it means that there could be extreme consequences. The book was just as good as the movie. I usually read the book before I see the movie (and the movie usually ends up disappointing), but this movie was just as amazing as the book. I’m glad that I was able to read the book as well.

Ideas Of How To Incorporate Into The Classroom:

This book would be used in an upper elementary or high school classroom. A teacher could incorporate this book into a unit plan about the Holocaust.  This is a great book because although it is not a true story, the story is very realistic and the events that occurred in the book definitely happened during the Holocaust. This could lead into further research about the Holocaust and students could complete other activities regarding the Holocaust.