Textbook Reflections #11-end

Textbook Reflections #11- end

Textbook Reflections Chapters #6-10

Chapter 6: How Do Adolescents Develop

Physical= puberty:  overriding question-Am I normal?  This is a time of change.  There are lots of books about physical change that you can steer kids toward for reassurance.

Intellectual= Piaget: moving from concrete to abstract around 14.  What questions are you asking and where are they in their development. 

Havighurst: Stages are learning to get along with peers, easy relationship with the opposite sex, working for pay, changing relationships with parents, finding a vocation, developing morals and values, adapting to physical bodies and defining appropriate sex roles.

Kohlberg’s Theory: preconventional- make decisions based on reward/punishment.  Conventional- you follow the laws of society, your religions, etc. Post-conventional- recognize the laws but the life of the person supersedes the law.  Most adults don’t spend all of adult life in post-conventional

We are looking for books that speak to where kids are and that might transition them on.  Kids are less likely to understand post-conventional

Maslow: needs hierarchy from broadest to narrowest- physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, self-actualization

Physiological needs will over ride everything else.  Kids need to feel safe physically and emotionally.  You need to connect with individual students to insure they fell love and belonging.  Show students respect to build esteem.  Ensure the belief that you can be anything you want to be in students to help them achieve self-actualization.

You can meet student needs personally or through books.

Developing as readers develops empathy.  Donaldson and Neilson developed a birthday cake model.  The layers from broadest to narrowest include unconscious delight, reading autobiographically, reading for vicarious experiences, reading for philosophical speculation, and reading for aesthetic experiences.  This is not a hierarchy and will move between the layers.

Unconscious delight- reading a series or serial reading

Reading autobiographically- reading about people like us (a mirror)

Reading for vicarious experiences- reading about something different than your own experience (window)

Reading for aesthetic speculation- reading for the beauty and wonder of the experience

As librarians, we need to guide students toward books that fulfil their needs and create lifelong learners.

The application of this chapter is that we must be able to identify which stage of development a child is going through in order to help them.  We need to be familiar with child development in order to choose books that will help students move through different stages of development.

Chapter 7: Literary Elements

Literary Elements

·       Antagonist- a character or group of characters that stand against the protagonist

·       Character- an element of a story that can be a person, animal, figure, or inanimate object

·       Conflict- the struggle between two opposing forces

·       Mood And Tone- the feeling or attitude of the writer toward the subject or audience

·       Plot- the events that make up a story

·       Protagonist- the central or lead character in a story that is usually the hero

·       Setting- where a story takes place

·       Themes- overarching ideas and beliefs that an author expresses

Literary Devices

·       Allegory- a abstract moral or concept is explained in concrete terms.  Dr. Seuss’s The Sneetches is an allegory for racism and other forms of racism.

·       Allusion- a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance

·       Archetype- A universal symbol of human nature that could be a character, theme, or even setting

·       Deus ex machine- an unlikely character or concept is introduced to a plotline as a solution that is unsolvable

·       Hyperbole- extreme exaggeration such as “I’m starving.”

·       Imagery- using figurative language that appeals to our senses

·       Metaphor-a comparison between two unlike things not using like or as

·       Motif- an object or idea that repeats throughout a piece of writing to explain the central idea

·       Point of view- the perspective that shows us the feelings or opinion of the character

·       Simile- a comparison of two or more unlike objects using like or as

·       Symbolism- giving an object a meaning other than its literal meaning  

Source:  http://literarydevices.net

Theme: What It Is and Is Not

Not a main idea, topic, or summary.

Is a message stated or suggested in a complete sentence, truism, global, and is something demonstrated in the text.  Example: Family is a place of refuge.  It is okay to use your imagination.

Start teaching theme with a picture book like Where the Wild Things Are.

“What message is the author trying to convey to readers?”

“Is this message universal; does it apply outside of this story to the world at large.”

My fourth-grade students frequently struggle with the concept of theme.  I am really excited to go back to the classroom and use the book Where the Wild Things Are with them.  I plan to write different themes from the book on sticky notes and have the students search through the book and physically stick the note on the proof.  Fortunately, we have several copies of it in the classroom.  Next, I will have students work with a partner to identify themes in another picture books using sticky notes to show their proof in the story.

Chapter 8: Awards and Lists

Printz- awarded for literary excellence in young adult literature and is sponsored by Booklist.  Goals of the Printz award as stated by ALA

      -Recognize the best in the field of materials for young adults

      -Promote the growing number of books published for young adults

-Inspire wider readership in the genre

-Give recognition to the importance of the genre

      -Position YALSA as an authority in the field of evaluating and selecting materials for teen library collections

The committee selects the award and honor winning books in January.  The winner is announced in June at the annual conference.  Lists are available at http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklistsawards/bookawards/printzaward/aboutprintz/criteria.

YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction- YALSA's Award for Excellence in Nonfiction honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12-18) during a Nov. 1 – Oct. 31 publishing year. 

The winner is announced annually at the ALA Youth Media Awards, with a shortlist of up to five titles named the first week of December. 

Great Graphic Novels for Teens- Eligibility criteria as posted on the ALA website.

• Both young adult, and adult titles with strong teen appeal, may be considered
• Both fiction and non-fiction are eligible
• Adapted materials must remain true to, expand, or complement the original work
• Books published within the assigned calendar year, January 1 to December 31, in addition to those published between September 1 and December 31 of the previous year.
• Nominations may be accepted from the field and Blogging Team up to November 1 of that calendar year.
• Though graphic novels need not be published in the United States, they must be widely available for purchase in the U.S. at the time of consideration.
• Reissues will be considered if there has been significant change to the original content of the work since first issued. Whether or not the changes are significant enough is ultimately determined by the Coordinator.
• Collections of comic strips will be considered only if they contain an overarching story arc

The cumulative list will be available electronically on the YALSA Teen Book Finder Database and App.  Lists can be accessed at http://www.ala.orghttp://www.ala.org/yalsa/great-graphic-novels.

Best Fiction for Young Adults- YALSA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults Committee presents fiction titles published for young adults in the past 16 months that are recommended reading for ages 12 to 18. The purpose of the annual list it to provide librarians and library workers with a resource to use for collection development and reader’s advisory purposes.  The list can be accessed through the Teen Book Finder Database site and the ALA website.

Margaret A. Edwards Award- honors an author, as well as a specific body of his or her work, for significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature.  It is sponsored by School Library Journal magazine.  The criteria for selection include:

• Does the book(s) help adolescents to become aware of themselves and to answer their questions about their role and importance in relationships, society and in the world?
• Is the book(s) of acceptable literary quality?
• Does the book(s) satisfy the curiosity of young adults and yet help them thoughtfully to build a philosophy of life?
• Is the book(s) currently popular with a wide range of young adults in many different parts of the country?
• Do the book(s) serve as a "window to the world" for young adults?

The winner is announced during the ALA midwinter meeting.  You can access the list at the ALA website.

ALEX Award- The Alex Awards are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18. The winning titles are selected from the previous year's publishing. The award is announced at the ALA midwinter meeting.  You can access the award list on the ALA website.

Odyssey Award- This annual award will be given to the producer of the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States.  The selection committee may also select honor titles. The Odyssey Award is jointly given and administered by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), divisions of ALA, and is sponsored by Booklist.  The award is announced in January.  You can access the award list on the ALA website.

Morris Award- The William C. Morris YA Debut Award, first given in 2009, honors a book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult literature.  The winner is announced annually at the ALA Youth Media Awards.  The list of current and previous winners can be accessed through the ALA website.

Outstanding Books for the College Bound- The books on this list offer opportunities to discover new ideas, and provide an introduction to the fascinating variety of subjects within an academic discipline. Readers will gain an understanding of our diverse world and build a foundation to deepen their response to that world. This list is developed every five years.  The most recent list was published in 2014.  It can be accessed from the Teen Book Finder app and the ALA website.

Popular Paperbacks- Each year, the Popular Paperbacks committee creates lists of books to encourage young adults to read for pleasure. The lists of popular or topical titles are widely available in paperback and represent a broad variety of accessible themes and genres. It can be accessed from the Teen Book Finder app and the ALA website.  The final list of selected titles will be available, as a press release, from the ALA Public Information Office the morning following the committee’s last meeting. The press release will be posted on YALSA-BK. The list is also available on the YALSA web site at http://www.ala.org/yalsa/popular-paperbacks-young-adults.

Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers- The Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers list identifies titles aimed at encouraging reading among teens who dislike to read for whatever reason. The list selects both fiction and nonfiction.  The list of nominations will be updated on the Hub as nominations are finalized by the group.  The final list of selected titles will be available on the Hub and in the Teen Book Finder database.

Readers’ Choice- YALSA’s Readers’ Choice list seeks to engage a wide audience of librarians, educators, teens and young adult literature enthusiasts in choosing the most popular teen titles in a given year, as organized by broad genres.  The list will also provide librarians with a timely means of identifying popular teen titles on an ongoing basis.  Nominations will be posted monthly, with a final vote taking place each November.  Any individual, provided he/she is not the author or an employee of the publisher, or a current member of the Readers’ Choice List Committee may nominate a title via an online form, while only YALSA members are eligible to vote for the final ballot, which is sent in the November issue of YALSA E-News.  The final list of selected titles will be available on the Hub and in the Teen Book Finder database.

Teens Top Ten- The Teens' Top Ten is a "teen choice" list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year! Nominators are members of teen book groups in fifteen school and public libraries around the country. Nominations are posted on the Thursday of National Library Week, and teens across the country vote on their favorite titles each year. Readers ages twelve to eighteen will vote online between August 15 and Teen Read Week™ on the Teens' Top Ten site. The winners will be announced the week after Teen Read Week.  The final list of selected titles is  available in the Teen Book Finder database.

Amazing Audiobooks- Each year, YALSA's Amazing Audiobooks Blogging Team selects and annotates an annual list of notable audio recordings significant to young adults from those released in the past two years. The name of the list became Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults with the 2009 list and was previously known as Selected Audiobooks for Young Adults.  The final list of selected titles is available in the Teen Book Finder database and on the YALSA website.

YA Choices- an annual list of new books that will encourage adolescents to read. The books are selected by the readers themselves, which insures that they will be like by middle and secondary school students.  It was designed to give young adults a voice in their opinions about books written for them.  The annotated lists for the current year are posted online in May, aligning with Children's Book Week, and are available for free download. 

Lone Star Reading List- The Lone Star reading list is developed by public and school librarians from the Young Adult Round Table. The purpose of the list is to encourage students in grades 6, 7, or 8 to explore a variety of current books.  The list is available on the TLA website.

TAYSHAS Reading List- The goal of the TAYSHAS reading list is to motivate young adults to become livelong readers and to participate in the community of readers in Texas. Students in grades 9 – 12 are encouraged to read books for pleasure from the list which includes fiction and nonfiction titles.  The list is available on the TLA website.

Maverick Reading List-The Texas Maverick Graphic Novels Reading List (TMGNRL) is a recommended reading list developed by public and school librarians from the Young Adult Round Table (YART). The purpose of the list is to encourage students in grades 6-12 to explore a variety of current books. The TMGNRL list is intended for recreational reading, not to support a specific curriculum.  The list is published yearly and available on the TLA website.

Edgar Award for Mystery- Each spring, Mystery Writers of America present the Edgar® Awards, widely acknowledged to be the most prestigious awards in the genre.  A list of current and previous winners is located at theedgars.com as well as a searchable database.

NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children- Criteria of the award are literary merit (art and craft of aggregate work–as poet or anthologist, poet’s or anthologist’s contributions, evolution of the poet’s or anthologist’s, and appeal to children.  The award is presented in even years by the chair of the NCTE Poetry Committee at the Children’s Book Awards Luncheon during the NCTE Annual Convention.  Information about the winner is posted on the NCTE website.

Orbis Pictus- The NCTE Orbis Pictus Award® was established in 1989 to promote and recognize excellence in the writing of nonfiction for children. Orbis Pictus commemorates the work of Johannes Amos Comenius, Orbis Pictus—The World in Pictures(1658), considered to be the first book actually planned for children.  The award criteria is accuracy, organization, design, and style. The award is presented annually by the Chair of the Orbis Pictus Award Committee at the Children’s Book Awards Luncheon during the NCTE Annual Convention.  Current and previous winners can be found at the NCTE website.

Batchelder Award- The Batchelder Award is awarded to a United States publisher for a children’s book considered to be the most outstanding of those books originating in a country other than the United States and in a language other than English and subsequently translated into English for publication in the United States during the preceding year.  Criteria includes focus of attention,
relationship to original work, and quality of the United States book.  The winner is announced at the Midwinter Meeting of ALA.  Current and previous winners can be found on the ALA website.

Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction- Established by Scott O’Dell and Zena Sutherland in 1982, the Scott O’Dell Award is given for a distinguished work of historical fiction for young readers. To be eligible, a book must be published by a U.S. publisher; the setting must be South, Central or North America; and the author must be a U.S. citizen.  The award is presented annually.  Current and previous winners can be found at scottodell.com.

Pura Belpre Award-  is presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth. It is co-sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), and REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking, an ALA affiliate.  The book and media awards are announced each year at ALA’s Midwinter Meeting in January.  Lists of current and previous winners can be found on the ALA website.

Schneider Family Award-  honor an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences. The winner is announced during the ALA’s Midwinter Meeting. 

Sibert Award-awarded annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished informational book published in the United States in English during the preceding year. The award is named in honor of Robert F. Sibert, the long-time President of Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc. of Jacksonville, Illinois. ALSC administers the award.  Lists of current and previous winners can be found on the ALA website.

Stonewall Award-The Stonewall Book Award-Barbara Gittings Literature Award, and the Stonewall Book Award-Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award are presented to English language books that have exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience.  The awards are presented to the winning authors or editors at the ALA Annual Conference.  Lists of current and previous winners can be found on the ALA website.

Stonewall Contd- Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award and The Stonewall Book Awards are presented to English language books that have exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience. The awards are presented annually at the ALA Annual Conference.  Lists of current and previous winners can be found on the ALA website.

All information about the awards listed was sourced from the hyperlinks associated with the award names.

My students eagerly await the announcement of the Bluebonnet award each year to see if their vote was chosen.  Many of them read all 20 nominations leading up to the event.  Reflecting on this assignment, I should make students aware of other awards and lists.  I plan to use these awards and list guide my decisions regarding future purchases for the classroom library and my future school library.

Chapter 9: Poetry

            Poetry is a form that literature can take.  Can be found in many different genres.  Poetry is one of the most neglected forms of literature.  “Mummy Slept Late and Daddy Fixed Breakfast” is a poem that made the top of two different lists.  Children like to write poetry.  It allows kids to be creative without following a specific format.  Ann Terri’s research with elementary kids, which was replicated later by Margaret Natarella, illustrated kid’s preferences in poetry.  Kids prefer narrative poetry.  They do not like free verse and haiku.  They like rhyme, rhythm, and sound devices.  Kids also like funny and animal poems as well as poems about familiar experiences which they can relate.  They show a preference for contemporary poems and poems good enough for repeat readings.

            Poems that create visual images and words that allow students to imagine things as they read it are appealing.  Poems shouldn’t be brought down to children’s supposed level.  Students may like silly poems but are capable of understanding much more.  Kids should be able to interact with them.  Examples of great poetry collections for children:

If You’re Not Here, Please Raise Your Hand by Kalli Dakos

Grimericks by Susan Pearson

Technically, It’s Not My Fault by John Grandits

Many Luscious Lollipops by Ruth Heller

Sad Underwear and Other Complications: More Poems for Children and Their Parents by Judith Viorst

NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children was established in 1977.

A reference list of poems provided by Dr. Lesesne:

https://litforkids.blogspot.com/2004/07/ch-8-poetry.html?m=1

Poems and Poets- 
Nonsense and Humor: Poems for Starting out Right- Nonsense rhymes are successors to Mother Goose rhymes for introducing children to poetry. They suggest spontaneous fun and have strange or no meaning. Humorous poems are similar, but are more realistic. 
Edward Lear-The Owl and the Pussycat and The Pelican Chorus and Other Nonsense 
Lewis Carroll- Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass 
Laura E. Richards- Eletelephony and Tirra, Lirra, Rhymes Old and New 
Shel Silverstein- Where the Sidealk Ends, A Light in the Attic (collections) 
Jack Prelutsky- The Queen of Eene, Rolling Harvey Down the Hill, The Dragons are Singing Tonight 
William Jay Smith- Laughing Time (collection) 
John Ciardi- I Met a Man, You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You 
N. M. Bodecker- Bickering and Hurry, Hurry Mary Dear 

Nature Poems- Poets try to give people a respect and reverence for nature by showing its beauty in poetry. 
Robert Frost- Stopping by the Woods of a Snowy Evening 
Aileen Fisher- When it Comes to Bugs, Frosted-Window World 
Byrd Baylor- The Other Way to Listen, The Desert is Theirs 
Paul Fleischman- Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, I Am Phoenix: Poems for Two Voices 

Characters, Situations, and Locations- Poems for children should include situations and experiences that they are familiar with. They should include everyday happenings. 
Myra Cohn Livingston- I Haven’t Learned to Whistle, Space Songs 
Valerie Worth- Barefoot 
David McDord- The Grasshopper 

Moods and Feelings- We can understand and learn about feelings and moods that we experience as we see them through a poet’s eyes. 
Langston Hughes- Dreams, Merry-Go-Round 
Cynthia Rylant- Teenagers, What You know First 

Animals- Animals have always held a special place in the hearts of children, from teddy bears puppies, to monstrous beasts. 
Aileen Fisher- The Furry Ones 
William Blake- The Tyger 

Witches and Ghosts- 
Eve Merriam- Halloween ABC 
Alfred Noyes- The Highwayman 

Involve children in poetry.  Have them interact with poems rather than just listen to poems.  Prepare yourself before reading poems to an audience and show your enthusiasm.  Critically evaluate poetry that you use with children.

After reading this chapter, I reflect on how a rarely use poetry in the classroom.  There is not really a reason for this other than I don’t think about reading poems to students as a way to illustrate skills that I am teaching.  This chapter has inspired me to go through the many poetry books that I have in the classroom and encourage students to read them.  It has also encouraged me to use poetry to teach reading and writing skills.  Many of the books referenced in this section are already in my classroom!

Chapter 10: Historical Fiction

I still have a hard time with books that I read as a child being classified as historical fiction.  I am learning!  Historical fiction books are books that are set in the past.  Reading historical fiction allows students to walk in the character’s shoes and experience what it was like to live in a different time and place.

Criteria for evaluating historical fiction:

·       Is the story entertaining in its own right and seemly integrates the past into the story?

·       Are the facts historically correct?

·       Are the values of the time reflected in the book?

·       Are the details of the time period correct?

·       Does the theme of the book resonate with students today?

I think that my students would be surprised to know that historical fiction can include recently past events like the events of September 11^th.  I would like to have them debate whether they would call a book historical fiction or not historical fiction.  They could develop a working definition decide if books are historical fiction then we could verify that definition.  The notion that when they are my age, the books they are reading now might be considered historical fiction will appeal to them.  Reading excerpts from books like The Trumpet of the Swan to them and having them examine the difference in the language used in the book and today’s language would be beneficial.