Textbooks Reflections: 6-10


Chapter 6:  How do adolescents develop?

Developmental Aspects:
§  Intellectual
§  Moral
§  Developmental
§  Physical
§  Reader


Physical:
§  Puberty
§  Am I normal?


Intellectual:  Piaget
§  Sensory Motor à Concrete Operational à Formal Operational
§  Typically around age 10 kids transition from the concrete stage to abstract.
§  Typically around age 14 kids transition from the concrete stage to formal.
§  When asking students abstract questions, keep in mind that you will have to do some scaffolding.


Developmental Stages – Havighurts:  Transition from childhood to adolescence
§  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
§  Defining appropriate sex roles


Moral: Kohlberg’s Theory:
§  Preconventional:  Decisions based on rewards and punishments.
§  Conventional:  Follows the rules of society, religion, or both.
§  Post-conventional:  Recognize the laws, but human life is more important and can supersede the law.  Think in terms of civil disobedience. 


Maslow:  Needs Hierarchy
§  Self-actualization
§  Esteem
§  Love/Belonging
§  Safety
§  Physiological


Developing as Readers:
§  Aesthetic Experiences
§  Philosophical Speculation
§  Vicarious Experiences
§  Autobiographically
§  Unconscious Delight
§  Develops Empathy


Reflection:
As a future librarian, it is crucial that I understand the patrons of my library and at times reflect on how I was feeling during my adolescence.  It’s important to understand that students are experiencing things that they’re unsure of or don’t know if it’s normal, and a book that relates to their situation could really help them out.  In order to best assist them, I need to build a relationship with them, and for them to feel comfortable asking me to help them find a book on any subject or topic.  In education it always comes back to making connections with students, and if we can do that there is no limit to what can be achieved.  Our joy and passion is reading and our main goal is to share that with others.  In order to get a reluctant reader hooked on a good book we must make time to get to know them, their interests, what they like to watch on TV; all in order to suggest books that will intrigue them. 


Chapter 6 Link:


Chapter 7:  Literary Elements

Literary Elements:
§  Antagonist
§  Character
§  Conflict
§  Mood
§  Tone
§  Plot
§  Protagonist
§  Setting
§  Theme


Literary Devices:
§  Allegory
§  Allusion
§  Archetype
§  Deus ex machine
§  Hyperbole
§  Imagery
§  Metaphor
§  Motif
§  Point of View
§  Simile
§  Symbolism


Literary Elements & Literary Devices Definition:
Literary elements and devices are used in literature to enhance the writing and help to further develop the story.  When used they help develop character arcs, plot, moral/lesson learned, emotions felt throughout the story, and the use of figurative language to elevate the writing to a higher standard. 


Reflection:
In this chapter, I was able to review literary terms that I’m very familiar with and what I always started the beginning of a school year reteaching my students.  These are all terms that we know but at times we need a refresher on them.  I always enjoyed teaching literary elements and devices to my students, because they are used frequently all throughout literature.  Once we had gone over the terms in class, then I could incorporate them into any and all of our readings in class.  While teaching I realized that an easy, effective way to teach most of these literary terms can be done through various picture books.  Picture books typically contain a theme, point of view, setting, protagonist, antagonist, conflict, plot, and mood.  With the use of picture books I was able to review literary terms in a simple way for them to understand, and usually with a book they are familiar with.  Figurative language was another favorite lesson of mine, but a topic I would have to review throughout the year with my students.  It’s important that we always incorporate these literary concepts when discussing books with children.


Chapter 7 Link:


Chapter 8:  Awards & Lists

§  Printz
§  YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction
§  Great Graphic Novels for Teens
§  Best Fiction for Young Adults
§  Margaret A. Edwards Award
§  ALEX Award
§  Odyssey Award
§  Morris Award
§  Outstanding Books for the College Bound
§  Popular Paperbacks
§  Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers
§  Readers’ Choice
§  Teens Top Ten
§  Amazing Audiobooks
§  YA Choices
§  Lone Star Reading List
§  TAYSHAS Reading List
§  Maverick Reading List
§  Edgar Award for Mystery
§  NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children
§  Orbis Pictus
§  Batchelder Award
§  Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction
§  Pura Belpre Award
§  Schneider Family Award
§  Sibert Award
§  Stonewall Award
§  Stonewall Contd


Reflection:
Children are inquisitive in nature and often times will ask why a seal is on the cover.  I must confess that before I started this program I was only familiar with a handful of awards and lists for books.  It’s crucial that I become knowledgeable about the various awards and lists in literature, and share what I know with the patrons of the library.  After reading over the list above, there are several that I will be looking into more, especially the amazing audiobooks since I don’t typically listen to books and I’m interested to see what’s on the list.  In my future library, I plan to educate students on the awards and how they are chosen.  Another idea I want to implement is to showcase past winners of the award during the month when new books are chosen for that particular award.  This will allow students to see how and why books are chosen for that particular award, and to be on the lookout for the winner and honor books of the award for that year.


Chapter 8 Link:


Chapter 9:  Poetry

§  Not a genre
§  A form that literature can take
§  Found in various genres
§  Most neglected format


Research on Elementary Students:
§  Kids prefer narrative poetry
§  The two they dislike:  haiku and free verse
§  Kids like rhythm and rhyme
§  Kids like sound devices:  onomatopoeia, alliteration, and tongue twisters
§  They enjoy poems that are:  funny, familiar experiences, and animals
§  Preference for contemporary poems:  language used is familiar


Criteria:
§  Visual images and words: allow a child’s imagination to expand
§  Imagery:  be able to smell, touch, taste, hear, and see it
§  Shouldn’t be brought down to a child’s supposed level
§  Allows kids to interact with the poem
§  Repeated readings


Awards for Poetry:
§  NCTE Award for excellence in poetry for children
o   Began in the 70s
o   At first it was awarded every three years, but now it is given every year.


Jean Le Pere’s Reasons to Share Poetry with Children:
1)     Enjoyment
2)     Provides knowledge of concepts
3)     Increases vocabulary
4)     Helps children identify with people and situations
5)     Helps children understand their feelings
6)     Grants insights to their feelings and universal emotions


Characteristics of Poetry that Children Prefer:
§  1st – 3rd Grade:  Narrative poems, limericks, and poems that have rhythm, rhyme, and sound devices.
§  4th – 6th Grade:  Contemporary poems, familiar experiences, story with humor, and imagery.
§  7th – 9th Grade:  Rhyme, humorous narrative, and familiar experiences.


Elements of Poetry:
§  Rhythm
§  Rhyme
§  Alliteration
§  Assonance
§  Onomatopoeia
§  Repetition
§  Imagery
§  Shape


Forms of Poetry:
§  Lyrics
§  Narrative
§  Ballads
§  Limericks
§  Concrete
§  Haiku


Additional Criteria for Evaluating Poetry for Children:
1)     Is the subject of the poem something with which children would be familiar?
2)     Does the poem use imagery?
3)     Does the poem rhyme?
4)     How is rhythm used?
5)     What role does sound play?


Reflection:
Poetry was always a unit that I dreaded to teach because when I was in school we would analyze a poem to death.  As a result, I never had an urge to read poetry outside of the classroom.  When I myself was teaching poetry, I still didn’t enjoy it since we would have the students do the same thing, only we had acronym for it now.  My first year teaching we used TPCASTT as our strategy to analyze poetry, and luckily the next year we did shorten it a bit and use the strategy called SIFT.  In my opinion, we need to read more poetry with students just for the fun of it, and don’t always make them analyze it.  As stated in the video, most poets didn’t write their poems for that reason, but simply to be enjoyed by readers.  After watching the video, I’m very interested in reading Ruth Heller’s books and sharing this find with my fellow English teachers.  If I would’ve known about these books before I know they could’ve made a big impact in my classroom. If we read and share poetry with enthusiasm I know it will make a difference in how our students perceive poetry.


Chapter 9 Link:


Chapter 10:  Historical Fiction

§  Any story set in the past
§  Based on age, it varies whether a person would categorize it as historical fiction.
§  Allows the reader to imagine what it would’ve been like to live in a previous time and place.


Criteria for Evaluating Historical Fiction for Children:
1)     Does the book tell a good story that effortlessly blends the history in the story itself?
2)     Are the facts of the historical period accurate?
3)     How are the values of the time brought to life?
4)     Is everything consistent with the social milieu?
5)     Does the theme of the story relate to contemporary readers?


Reflection:
Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres to read, and the Little House on the Prairie Series is what ultimately got me hooked on reading.  I love how with historical fiction you can go back in time, and witness different ways of life.  When I would take my students to the library quite often they would head towards the I Survived Series, since there is a wide variety to choose from and they cover many different historical events.  Our librarian would usually discuss and show book trailers for a few books before students would go check out, and they always picked up more books when we shared historical fiction books.  Students were always fans of Alan Gratz’s books, A Night Divided, and The Diary of a Young Girl.  This is one area of books that I feel very confident in when recommending books to students!


Chapter 10 Link:



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