Mexico: Exploring Countries Collection

Mexico: Exploring Countries Collection
Written by: Colleen Sexton
Published by: Bellwether Media 2011
Grades: 4-6
Genre: Nonfiction, Multicultural

Synopsis: This book is an educational information book exploring different countries.  It looks at the land, wildlife, the people, daily life, school, work, play, food, holidays, and land contrasts.  It provides fast facts about the country and a glossary of terms for children to learn.  It also provides a list of websites to visit with more information and information on where to learn more.  It has vocabulary words bolded throughout the books for children to learn as well when they are learning about the country. 

Theme/Skill:  Mexico, Geography, Work, Education, Holidays, Wildlife, Daily Life.  Researching skills are looked at as well as vocabulary and facts.

About the Author: Colleen Sexton
Colleen Sexton has published books including Teaching Science for All Children: Inquiry Methods for Constructing Understanding (4^th Edition), Teaching Science for All Children (5^th Edition), and Teaching Science for All Children: Inquiry Lessons for Constructing Understanding (3^rd Edition).  She is the author of many informatinal books including biographies of J.K. Rowling, Jackie Robinson, and Arnold Schwarzenegger and books about puffins, space shuttles, squids, ducklings, and lionfish.
 
Source used: http://www.jacketflap.com/colleen-sexton/209116

Pre-Reading Activity:  Put the word Research on the board.  Make a web chart with the class and ask them what comes to mind with the word research.  Tell them that they research to obtain information about certain topics to find out more about them.  Then separate the children into pairs and then explain to children what they will be doing with the books and researching.  Hand out a sheet of paper that is broken up by categories.  At the top of the paper will be the title of their country they are exploring.  Then underneath will be subcategories, including geography, daily life, holidays, education, work, wildlife, food.  Underneath each category they need to come up with one fact that describes it from the book with their partner.

Post-Reading Activity: After reading, they will create an artifact that they will present to the class along with their facts.  The pair can choose any category to go more in depth.  They can either create a game from the country the class can play, a food the class can taste, a shoe diorama that shows the life of the people, or a poster that shows the geography of the land.  They will be given 2-3 days in class and at home to prepare their presentation to inform the other students.  They will be graded on information, preparedness of material, and creativity of project.   

Reflection:  These informational books about culture really caught my attention.  Most books that are nonfiction contain tons of information that is too complex for kids to pick apart and understand.  This series does a great job having visuals that pop out on the page and a good word to page ratio.  It contains just enough information for children to understand and uses bold words that show important vocabulary words for them to know.  I love how it provides a table of contents in the front which makes it easier for children to locate information.  The only thing that would be difficult about these books would be using them in a whole group instruction.  They would be best used in small groups or pairs that would allow them to research and then present to the rest of the class.

Johnny Appleseed

Johnny Appleseed
Written and Illustrated by: Stephen Kellogg
Illustrated by:Grades: K-4
Published by: Morrow Junior Books 1998
Genre: Biography, Nonfiction

Synopsis:  This book tells the story of a man named John Chapman, also known as Johnny Appleseed.  It is divided into nine short chapters that start with Johnny as a young boy.  He likes to play alone in the woods and read to the animals.  Mr. Crawford, a friend, teaches Johnny all about apples.  This book goes on to tell the infamous story of how he planted apple trees to get his nickname.  When he was 18, he went off and planted his own orchard.  He takes care of pioneers and entrusts them to plant the bag of apple seeds he gives them.  He then sets off to plant them on his own.  He does good deeds along the way helping those in need.  It then explains how tall tales are made up for him describing things he may have accomplished and tells who John Chapman is.

Theme/Skill: John Chapman, Agriculture, American History, Animals, Hospitality, Helping, Apple Trees.

About the Author and Illustrator:  Stephen Kellogg
Ever since Stephen was little he had a love for picture books and drawing.  He attended the Rhode Island School of Design and majored in illustration.  His senior year of college he was able to win a fellowship and study in Florence.  When he returned to the states, he completed graduate work at American University.  He began to submit picture books to publishers at this time as well.  He has published numerous books including A Hunting We Will Go, Is Your Mama a Llama, Yankee Doodle, and Paul Bunyen. 

Source used: http://www.stevenkellogg.com/index.html 

Pre-Reading Activities:  Bring in an apple and brainstorm what comes to mind when they see the apple.  Ask what person this could be related to if no one mentions it.  Talk about John Chapman also known as Johnny Appleseed. 

Post-Reading Activities:  Make a poem together as a class about Johnny Appleseed recalling what happens throughout the book.  Look at different apples by bringing in different kinds and cutting into them.  Use this to help the children learn about the different kinds and the stages of growth during the seasons.  After you are done with discussion a good way to wrap up with a fun activity is to allow them to use the cut up apples to make apple stamps with paint to hang up around the classroom.  Also, this could be done around the time your class is going on a field trip to the apple orchard. 

Reflection:  This book is a classic that many teachers use.  I think this book would be great for teachers to use during the fall when apples are in season.  Children can learn about an American hero named John Chapman as well as apples and where and how they grow.  I think that this version of the story engages young readers through the picture book format which gives them brief text on each picture on the page.  I think that the illustrations in this book focus on the apples by making them the brightest objects on the page.  I think this helps keep the focus of the book, while readers hear about other things that Johnny Appleseed has done.  I like how at the end it tells who John Chapman is and puts the reality in the story.  I love this classic story that I think everyone has heard one time throughout their schooling. 

A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams

 

A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams

By: Jen Bryant
Illustrated by: Melissa Sweet
Published by: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers 2008
Grade Levels: 3-6

Genre: Poetry, Picture Book, Poetry, Biography, Nonfiction

Caldecott Medal Honor Book

Theme/Skill: It deals with Physicians, Poetry, and William Carlos Williams.  If focuses on the timeline and life of Williams, and the creation of poems through objects and things he encounters. 

Synopsis:  This book goes through the life of William Carlos Williams.  Willie, is a boy who grew up with a love for writing.  As he grew up he knew he had to earn a living and get a job. He went to medical school and became a physician where he helped everyone in town.  However, while he was a physician he made sure to keep on writing wherever he went inspired by many things he encountered. 

About the Author: Jen Bryant

 

 Jen Bryant grew up in a family of music lovers including her parents and grandfather.  She has always had a love and passion for books, especially fairy tales and folk tales.  Jen attended Gettysburg College where she met her husband, Neil Bryant and later married in June 1982.  She taught French and German in a Virginia High School until she moved back to Pennsylvania.  She decided to stop teaching full time and began to write nonfiction books after her daughter Leigh was born.  She began to develop a love for poetry and would meet numerous times throughout the month with a poet to discuss reading and writing poems.  Jen has published over 25 books for audiences’ of all ages including Georgia’s Bones, Abe’s Fish, Call Me Marianne, and Music for the End of Time.  The publication of her book, A River of Words, also won the Caldecott Medal Honor in 2009.  Jen continues to write poems, articles, and book reviews for literary magazines

Source used:  http://www.jenbryant.com/about/ab_jen01.html

About the Illustrator:  Melissa Sweet

Melissa Sweet has illustrated over 80 children’s books throughout her lifetime.  She has written and illustrated three books, including Tupelo Rides the Rails and Carmine: A Little More Red.  She has won many awards including the Caldecott Medal Honor for the book, A River of Words, in 2010.  In order to capture William Carlos Williams poetry, she made collages out of old book covers.  Melissa currently lives and works in Rockport, Maine with her family. 

Source used:www.eerdmans.com/youngreaders

Pre-Reading Activities:  To start the class, the teacher will read or play a tape of a poem by William Carlos Williams.  Then ask students if anyone knows who wrote the poem.  Then say that it was William Carlos Williams.  Create a KWL chart of what the students Know about him, What they Want to Know, and What they Learned (after reading the book).  Fill in the first two columns with the students with the teacher being the scribe.  Use a koosh ball to have children throw around to students with their hands raised to answer or give their thoughts.  Then after you find out what the children want to know about William Carlos Williams, read the book aloud.  

Poems to read:
This is Just to Say

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

The Red Wheelbarrow

so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens.

Post-Reading Activities: 

First go back to the KWL chart that the students completed as a whole group together.  Look again at what students wanted to know.  Use the same technique in the pre-reading activity by using the koosh ball to have students answer.  See if they found out any of this information and jot it down in the last column (What they Learned).  Then ask students as well if there are any other things that they learned from the book too.  You can go back through the pages of the book if it may help to jog their memory more.  Ask specifically How did William Carlos Williams create his poems?  What did he use to help create his poems?  When the KWL chart is complete, tell students that they will now create a poem like William Carlos Williams did.  They will go on a walk around the school, where children will collect anything that inspires them.  They can take leaves, bottles, napkins, magazines, books, pictures, wall hangings, etc. that they see on their walk that inspires them to write about.  Then when they come back to the classroom they will create a poem of 5-7 lines that describes their objects.  They can write this poem on anything: paper, napkins, create a collage, etc.  whatever most inspires them.  They will present this to the class with some guidelines to follow.  See below.

When presenting to the class remember to:
1.  Identify which object inspired the poem.
2.  Explain what you wrote your poem about and why.
3.  Read the poem and tell what you thought of from looking at the object.
4. Say if it was easy or hard for you to complete this task.

Links to further information:
Activities

All poems

About William Carlos Williams

Reflection: I think that this book delivered the life of William Carlos Williams in a wonderful way.  I love the message behind it by inspiring students who read it that poetry can come from anything.  I think that this book will be great to use in classrooms because it is easy to understand, shows childrens ways to come up with poems, and doesn't make poetry something they are obligated to do in school.  I love how the illustrations use his poems to form the pictures in the background and use collages of words to exemplify his work.  Not only does the book deliver a story about his life but also includes his poems in the front and back cover which teachers can read to students.  It also has a timeline of his life and of events that occurred during his time to give children a historical perspective.  I think overall the creation of this book was brilliant and gave me, someone who doesn't like to write a poetry, a new love and meaning for it.