LSSL 5385 03 Textbook Reflection - Chapters 11+

Chapter 11+

Poetry

• Evaluating poetry for Children and YA Readers - What do kids want in poetry
• Prefer narrative poems that tell a story
• They dislike free verse and haiku
• Rhyme and rhythm and sound devices are strongly preferred
• Funny poems are popular
• Poems about familiar experiences and animals
• Preference for contemporary poems
• Poetry can be interactive
• Needs to be read for enjoyment from a young age - start with a poem everyday
• There are poems about everything under the sun and beyond - science, parts of speech, math, animals, etc.
• Poems should be read for enjoyment
• Repeated readings are helpful
• Poems that allow for choral reading and repeating are favorites
• NCTE Excellence in Poetry Award for poets who have made a great contribution to poetry with a number of works like:  Marilyn Singer, Joyce Sidman, J Patrick Lewis, Lee Bennet Hopkins, Nikki Grimes, among others
• Things poetry should be: lively, employ sound, visual images, tell simple stories, something you can interact with, good enough to repeat and a subject that would touch a child.
• Poetry does not need to be brought down to a child's understanding level

I enjoy poetry when it is presented in this way.  You brought up a good point about how we were taught poetry...picking it apart.  They was definitely something that conjured up bad memories.  I love the idea of starting each day with a poem.  I do the morning announcements each day and it might be nice to have a daily or at least a weekly poem to share with the entire campus.  What a great impact that would make, especially if they are short, sweet and the funnier the better.

Historical Fiction

• Set in the past but the past can mean different things for different aged people.
• Helps readers to experience events that happened in the past and live vicariously through those events.
• Evaluation Criteria
• Are the facts from the period accurate?
• Does it tell a good story?
• Are the values of the time period true to that period in history?
• Does the setting, speech, clothing, etc. reflect the time period?
• Is the theme universal despite the time period?

I know from my student's vantage point that this is a highly neglected category of books in my library.  I need to do a better job of presenting important, interesting and impactful Historical Fiction books to them.  I love historical fiction and I need to share that love with my students.  I am elementary so they aren't ready for books like The Notorious Benedict Arnold but I can definitely introduce them to books like Number the Stars and Bud, Not Buddy. 

Realistic Fiction

• Also known as Contemporary Realistic Fiction (CRF) or Modern Realistic Fiction (MRF)
• Set in the real world in today's time with realistic setting, characters and events
• Evaluation Criteria
• Is everything consistent with today's world: speech, behavior, issues?
• A good Realistic Fiction book will have many themes that emerge slowly from the story.
• Readers can relate to the subject matter: sometimes taboo or sensitive issues. 

Realistic Fiction is a category of books that most kids can relate to whether they are questioning themselves, having family issues, dealing with loss of a parent through death or divorce, etc.  For my students at my school it's books like Bridge to Terabithia and Holes.  Most tear-jerker books but they are books that almost always stay checked out.

Nonfiction

• Defined by what it is not - it is NOT Fiction
• Can be any form or category of book out there
• Evaluation Criteria
• Qualifications of the author? Look at acknowledgements and where they got their information
• Are the facts accurate? We may not always know but this is where the reputation and qualifications of the author can come into play.
• What's the purpose and scope of the book?
• what age group does it target
• broad topic
• narrow topic
• What's the organization of the book?  We want kids to be able to find the information that they are looking for.  Does it have:
• Table of Contents?
• Index?
• Glossary?
• Reference Material? Notes?
• What role do visuals play? They should elaborate on the text and help break it up
• As with fiction, books should be mirrors (where you can see yourself), windows (where you can look at other worlds) and doors (where you can step into other worlds).

Nonfiction books seem to be my student's favorites.   Coming into my library I already had a well developed nonfiction section.  I intend to keep it that way.  I have been purchasing more Seymour Simon books, etc. but will be using the Orbis Pictus and Notable award list to help me when making future purchases.

Fantasy and Science Fiction

• Science fiction is a subgenre of Fantasy
• Evaluation Criteria
• Characters and aspects of the story must be consistent and believable
• Rules still need to be in place for the fantasy world
• Authors must assist the readers in the "willing suspension of disbelief"
• Themes should explore universal truths
• Sub-categories of Science Fiction - Soft Sci Fi (more about story and plot) and Hard Sci Fi (more about science itself).  A lot of the overflow into to others
• Apocalyptic/post apocalyptic
• Steampunk/Cyberpunk/Biopunk
• Dystopia
• Extra-sensory perception - telepathy, clairvoyance/precognition
• Robots/androids/cyborgs/Artificial Intelligence
• Space/Aliens/Extra-terrestrial
• Time Travel/Parallel universes
• Virtual Reality/Gaming
• Miscellaneous

Science Fiction is a great "door" for people to step into another world.  My students love these types of books.  Even though they are elementary they enjoy Artemis Fowl and Margaret Peterson Haddix books.  I have a feeling A Wrinkle in Time will be a big hit this year with the movie coming out too.

Graphic Novels

• Not a subgenre but a form or format of a book
• Evaluation Criteria
• Color or shading
• How is line used? Shading, bolding, etc.
• Composition - size matters
• Frames or panels - how are they arranged
• Text and dialogue through speech bubbles
• White space is important
• What media is used? 
• Graphic Novel lend themselves to a lot of inferencing to "read between the lines" or in the gutters.

Many of my teachers won't allow their students to check out graphic novels.  This year, it is my mission to show the teachers how wonderful graphic novels are considering they can cover just about any subgenre and category imaginable.  The reluctant readers can be mesmerized and drawn in and develop into avid readers because of their love of graphic novels.  We always tell our students not to lose their love of picture books.  What makes graphic novels any different?

10 Questions to ask about a Novel

Richard Peck's questions will help you to ask your students the how, why and what if questions of a novel.  What if the story were told by the opposite sex? Why is the story in THIS setting? How would this story play out as a movie or tv show?  Does the title tell you what you need to know?

These are great questions to get my students to think from a different perspective to not only help them improve their reading but also their writing.

Crowdsourced List of Middle School Authors

I will keep this list in mind when choosing books for my more advanced readers.  It is sometimes hard to find great books for my 5th graders who are ready for the next step but not quite ready for YA books.