Content Area Literacy

On January 11th, professional diver and excursion expert, Keller Laros and his team did what they do every night – Lead a group of tourist divers into the ocean off the Hawaiian island of Kona, to experience the stingrays up close. While that in itself was a magical experience, what happened that night, was even more unforgettable!
Kelly says the group was just settling in to view the magnificent giant Mantas when they saw a Bottlenose dolphin swimming toward them. While that in itself was not unusual, what caught the diver’s attention was the mammal’s unusual squeal. As the dolphin came close and almost pushed itself onto Kelly, he realized that it was in distress, thanks to a fishing line that had entangled around it, and was asking for help!
Fortunately for the dolphin, it had picked the right humans –

I chose to read a snippet of this article because I thought it would be great to inform kids that there are other things to check out at the library aside from books. Articles can be informative and update people on current events, and this is important. I think it is important for kids to learn about the world and this article is written for a young audience, with great adjectives and descriptions.

Author: Candace Fleming

Illustrator: Stacey Dressen-McQueen

Published: 2003

Boxes for Katje is a striking picture book inspired by the true experiences of the author’s mother which shows that simple seeds of friendship and hope van grow into something extraordinary. The book begins when Katje—a young girl in Holland—receives a mysterious box from America. The contents of the box and the letter attached to it immediately set of an exchange that will change the girls’ and the townspeople’s lives forever. This engaging story of post-WWII Holland serves as a strong lesson in generosity which illustrates the idea that sometimes all it takes is one person to bring about changes (TEKS Connections: 2.13 (D) and 5.5 (A)). Boxes for Katje is a story of encouragement, kindness, long distance friendship and freely giving to one another.

 

Here is a snippet of Boxes for Katje:

“After the war, there was little left in the tiny Dutch town of Olst. The townspeople lived o cabbages and seed potatoes. They patched and repatched their worn-thin clothing, and they went without soap or milk, sugar or new shoes.

One spring morning, when the tulips bloomed thick and bright, Postman Kleinhoonte pedaled his bicycle down the cobbled street.

‘Oh ho!’ he whooped. ‘I have a box for Katje—a box from America!’

‘America?’ exclaimed Katje. ‘Who would send me a box from America?’

‘The Children’s Aid Society,’ replied the postman. ‘Children in America are collecting and mailing many hard-to-find items to the children of Holland. You, young miss, were lucky to get one.’

Katje took the box. She rubbed her finger across the block letters that spelled ‘U.S.A.’

‘The land of the plenty,’ she whispered.

Katje’s mama came to stand beside her. ‘Open it,’ she urged.”

I chose Boxes for Katje because the book contains both a historic side and a side which speaks to friendship and good citizenship. Although the book touches upon a tragic time for the Dutch townspeople, the events are portrayed for small children to read about in a very delicate way. The illustrations in the book pack lots of detail, color and pattern into every page which craft a very credible world of cobblestone streets, vintage clothing and lively characters. I really liked that the layout of the book allows the reader to experience the exchange of letters between Katje and Rosie, and that the reader can become a third person in the interchange of boxes and letters. I think this book can reach out to both young and older children depending on which side of the story the reader decides to focus on: post-WWII or good citizenship and kindness. Overall, I chose Boxes for Katje because it’s an engaging story which transports readers to a different setting, and it serves an amazing lesson of generosity.

So You Want to Be An Inventor?

Author: Judith St. George

Illustrator: David Small

So You Want to Be An Inventor? is a witty book full of inventions and inventors. It is a historical book that can introduce both inventions, as well as the inventors. This book is great to present a variety of occupations to students. The book begins by inviting the student to be an inventor too. Share this book with students to let their imagination and creativity grow!

Here is a little snippet:

“Are you a kid who likes to tinker with machines that click and clank, levers that pull, bells that ring, cogs that grind, switches that turn on and off, wires that vibrate, dials that spin? You watch TV, ride a bike, phone your friends, pop popcorn in a microwave, go to the movies. Inventions! And you want to be an inventor, too?

You don’t have to have white hair and wrinkles to be an inventor.

At twelve, Benjamin Franklin invented swim paddles for his hands and kick paddles for his feet. When he grew up, Ben Franklin invented the lightning rod, Franklin stove, fireplace damper, library stepstool and odometer to measure the distance that a vehicle travels. At seventy-seven, he invented bifocal glasses.”

Diary of A Worm, By Doreen Cronin
Published in 2003

”March 20:
Mom says there are three things I should always remember:
1. The earth gives us everything we need.
2. When we dig tunnels, we help take care of the earth.
3. Never bother Daddy when he’s eating the newspaper.

March 29:
Today I tried to teach Spider how to dig. First all of his legs got stuck. Then he swallowed a bunch of dirt. Tomorrow he’s going to teach me how to walk upside down!

March 30:
Worms cannot walk upside down. “

I choose this book because I think it would a fun and interesting read in an early elementary classroom. The author is great, and has many more books that are silly and funny, such as “Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type” and “Diary of a Spider”. For that reason, I think this book would be a good way to introduce students to this author. Another reason I think this is a good read is because it can teach students about worms, and what makes them different from other creatures. It helps to highlight the differences in a funny way. It also teaches students about worms in general, and how their function. I think the layout of the book is relateable to children, because it is in the form of a diary, which many children may have. All in all, I think this is a funny, cute book that can introduce students to the works of an author and also be a good topical read, when learning about worms or insects.

 

Excerpt from the the text:

Now at this point, it would be wonderful if Peter knew what he was looking at. While certain things in life may seem obvious to seeing people like you and me, this was not so for Peter. Books, for example, with all their adventrue and wonder, were completely lost on him. Though he could tell you how many pages a volume had just by holding it, or how old it was just by smelling it, or who had read it before just by ruffling the pages, he had no way of telling what the title was (unless, of course, it was gilded on the spine). But these six yolks had neither spine, nor gilding, nor anything else that would help Peter identify them.

“What are you?” he asked, taking the open box in his hands. Had Peter been able to see, his hear would have stopped. A smile wuould have crept across his face, and his dry throate would have let loose its first real laugh in ten miserable years. Because Peter Nimble had stumbled across something too wonderful even to imagine- something that could only be described as fantastic.

 

When I was trying to select a book, I wanted something that would be age appropriate for the grade I wanted to intern in. I also wanted to find a book that was published fairly recently so that it would be new to the students (and fellow classmates) as well. I chose Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes because it had me hooked as soon as I read the first page. Auxier writes beautifully and uses amazing imagery throughout the whole story. Many of his chapters end on cliff hangers, making the reader want to read more and more. Not only is the story a fun read, but it has underlying themes of bravery and justice which could be introduced to the class. The book is definitely a fantasy themed novel and Peter Nimble is a great book to introduce the fantasy genre. This would be an excellent book for students in a fourth or fifth grade classroom to read for a few weeks. I whole heartedly recommend Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes!

 

Excerpt From the short story Valentine  From David Rice’s short story collection Crazy Loco

I became nervous, but I tried to shake off my old bullies. After all, we were graduates now, not schoolboys. “Hey, guys, how you doing? Oh, you want some cake? Here, let me get out of your way.”

I turned to make a fast exit, but there she was, coming towards us: Nina in a red satin dress. Bobby and Marco beamed with smiles and not enough innocence. I had thought I was over Nina. There were far prettier girls in San Antonio, and I’d even dated a few. But Nina was a girl from the Valley, sweeter than chocolate cake.

As she joined us, I tried to position myself as closely to her as possible, but she chose to stand between Bobby and Marco. We all talked about our plans for the fall. I was going to college in San Antonio, and Bobby, Marco, and Nina planned to attend the local college. Bobby and Marco were being surprisingly nice to me, until I brought up Valentine’s Day.

“Hey remember the time in first grade,” I said to Nina, “when these guys picked up your dress and you thought it was me?”

Nina looked confused, and the guys scowled and said, “Man, what are you talking about?”

I cleared my throat. “Yeah, remember? We were in first grade, Ms. de los Santos’s class, and you guys lifted up Nina’s dress with your pencils.” I turned to Nina. “And you thought it was me, but it was them. Remember?”

“What?” Nina said. “I know we were all in Ms. de los Santos’s class, but I don’t remember that.” She looked at Bobby and Marco, and they shrugged.

I turned to the guys. “Remember? It was Valentine’s Day. You two lifted Nina’s dress, and I saw you do it. And I told Ms. de los Santos and I got your chocolate cake and you guys got nothing. Don’t you remember?”

Nina began laughing. “Oh, Luis, you’ve always had an imagination.”

“But it’s true,” I said.

“So what if it’s true?” she answered. “Hello, that was elementary school. We’re not kids anymore. We’re high school graduates now.” And she walked off, shaking her head.

Once she was out of view, Bobby and Marco both turned to glare at me. They were the same glares I’d gotten before they knocked me off the monkey bars. They both let their heavy hands drop back on my shoulders, and they leaned towards me. Marco stuck his finger out and tapped my chest. “Hey, vato,” he said, “why don’t you have some chocolate cake for us? We haven’t forgotten.”

                                                                                                               

I choose this book because personally, it’s my favorite collection of short stories. It’s a collection that students from Texas, mostly south, and students of Mexican-American heritage can relate too. The stories are loosely based on Rice’s own childhood. Therefore, students can find similarities to their lives in the stories. I also choose this book because I had the chance to meet David Rice when I was a freshman in high school. He read us some stories and told us about the writing process he went through and I would like to share those stories with my studentsCrazy loco is an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and a 2002 PEN USA Children’s Literature Award Finalist. I believe a collection of short stories is a important type of text. They can be used before students write their first story. It can be used when students begin to collect their portfolios..Most short stories have a theme, POV, morals, we could use a short story when students are learning about these topics.  There are endless possibilities, i think, and I would like to learn some!

Watch Your Tongue, Cecily Beasley

Written by: Lane Fredrickson

Illustrated by: Jon Davis

Published in 2012

I selected “Watch You Tongue, Cecily Beasley” because it was a funny and interesting take on kindness and manners.  In kindergarten, part of the TEKS are focused on people interactions, importance of respect, and appropriate communication with others, so I thought this book fit perfectly in a kindergarten setting.  Not only does it really focus on kindness, but it also has a fun rhyming pattern that gives it great flow and makes it fun for children.  The story is about a girl who has horrible manners and always sticks her tongue out, but then something happens that teaches her a lesson on manners.  I do think, however, that this book would work better as a complete read aloud, rather than a snippet, especially if the focus is on teaching students about kindness.  However, because of the great cliffhanger it leaves, here is the part I chose to read as a snippet:

 

“Cecily Beasley was never polite.  She never said, ‘Thank you,’ or ‘Please’ or ‘Good night.’

She tap-danced on tables.  She cartwheeled in dirt.  And she wrote, ‘I won’t share’ on the front of her shirt.  She sucked up spaghetti in one giant slurp.  And she’d laugh if she belched out a loud, stinky burp.

But those aren’t the worst things that Cecily did.  That mannerless, cartwheeling, toy-hogging kid would stick out her tongue, put her thumbs in her ears, and make dreadful faces at teachers and peers.

A boy named Bernard said, ‘You know, that’s bad luck.  If you do it too much, then your tongue might get stuck.’

When Bernard had a birthday, the was in place, and Cecily sang with a smirk on her face.  Then just when the very last note had been sung, something horrible happened to Cecily’s tongue.”

By Jacquelyn Mitchard

I selected “Ready, Set, School” because I felt that it could apply really well to an elementary classroom experience. This book would probably be best for Kindergarteners or First Graders. It is a cute story about a raccoons fear of leaving his parents for the very first time. It approaches the topic of the first day of school and the fear that comes with leaving parents behind. Within the story there are also tidbits and fun facts about raccoons. I think that this book would be very beneficial in a teacher’s classroom library because it is a fun book full of lively pictures and the exciting tale of a young raccoon’s adventures, but educational as well.

Here is a Snippet of “Ready, Set, School:”

“Deep inside his trout-shaped sleeping bag, Rory was hiding from his parents. ‘Rory!’ his mama and papa called, as they seached every crevice in their hollow-tree home to find him. ‘Hey, little bandit! Time to go to Aunt Ramona’s house!’
Rory didn’t move a whisker, even when he heard his papa clambering up the branches to Rory’s room.
‘Rory!’ Papa called. ‘I know you’re up there somewhere! You’ll miss the apple and sardine pie your aunt is making just for you! The moon’s coming up! Your cousins are going to go play in the dark without you!’
As you know, raccoons stay awake all night. During the dark they work and play.
But Rory just crossed his paws and snuggled down deeper into his sleeping bag. His favorite goldfish pajamas were packed inside, along with his ‘Rocket Raccoon’ comic book. Everything was ready for Ror’s sleepover- except Rory!
Just then, he heard a soft voice say, ‘I see a little round lump in that sleeping bag.'”