Field Experience

1. How many hours did you complete?  5 hours, 40 minutes.
2. In a short paragraph or bulleted list, how did you spend your time?

I spent my time during each of these observations observing a special educator teach a remedial reading program called System 44. For 4 days I tried to stay for the full 90 minute lesson where students start with a warm-up lesson followed by three stations.  One is a computer phonics program, one is a small group for guided reading and the last is an independent reading station.  I noticed the high level of encouragement and praise during the sessions.  I myself as a special education collaborative teacher feel that building the student’s confidence and motivation is half the battle when it comes to teaching struggling students to read.  After each lesson I would spend a few minutes asking general questions about how the program works, I had heard of System 44 but didn’t know anything about it. I could see students making progress in just the four days I observed.

3. How did the experience help you to strengthen at least one Kentucky Teacher Standard? (be sure to name the standard)

5.5 Communicates learning results to students and parents.

Since I teach kindergarten and first grade I have always struggled with communicating learning results to students.  It’s easy to communicate with the parents but I always felt that the students wouldn’t understand if I was trying to explain their results and how meaningful is it for me to give them some kind of grade.  I learned that this can be much simpler than I made it out to be.   Mrs. Vercheak used a bulletin board to show students’ progress, every time they completed a level on the computer program they wrote their name on a star and attached it to the bulletin board, I realized this is a way to communicate results in a meaningful way!

4. Talk a little about one thing you learned because of this field experience.

I learned the importance of management and organization when teaching with stations. I have also noticed that no matter what it is the student is doing, if it is on a computer it’s just more interesting to certain groups of students, this reading program taught basic phonics skills in a fairly basic way and the students couldn’t wait for their turns on the computer.

Reading Log

Reading Log for 30 books

Genre / Titles you read

             I.      Non-fiction/Informational (1 chapter book or photo essay book reflection required on blog)

1)      The Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen

2)      Let me Play by Karen Blumenthal

          II.      Poetry (1 chapter or picture book reflection required on blog)

1)      Witness by Karen Hesse. (required for discussion)

2)      Casey at the Bat by Christopher Bing

3)      My America by Lee Bennett Hopkins

       III.      Modern Fantasy (1 chapter book reflection required on blog)          

1)      The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer. (required for discussion)

2)      Pish Posh by Ellen Potter

       IV.      Historical Fiction (1 reflection required on blog –can be a picture book)     

1)      A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck. (required for discussion)

2)      Borrowed Children by George Ella Lyon

          V.      Multicultural/Traditional (2 reflections required on blog – one can be a picture book)         

1)      Monster by Walter Dean Meyers

2)      Coyote Places the Stars by Harriet Peck Taylor

3)      A Boy Named Beckoning by Gina Capaldi

4)      Knots on a Counting Rope by Bill Martin, Jr and John Archambault

5)      If a Bus Could Talk by Faith Ringgold

6)      Latkes, Latkes, Good to Eat by Naomi Howland

       VI.      Realistic Fiction (1 chapter book reflection required on blog)

1)      The Last Safe Place on Earth by Richard Peck. (required for discussion)

2)      Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos

    VII.      Picture Books (5 reflections required on blog during the first two weeks of class. There should be a total here of at least six.)

1)      Flossie & the Fox by Patricia McKissack. (required for discussion)

2)      Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

3)      Owen by Kevin Henkes

4)      Rap a Tap Tap by Leo and Diane Dillon

5)      Julius, Baby of the World by Kevin Henkes

6)      Chester’s Way by Kevin Henkes

7)      Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig

8)      Hondo and Fabian by Peter McCarty

9)      Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse by Leo Lionni

10)  A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka

11)  My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohman

12)  Knuffle Bunny Too by Mo Willems

13)  Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

Wiki Checklist

_2__ Social Studies  -  Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos, Borrowed Children by George Ella Lyon

__1__ Music -   Rap a Tap Tap by Leo and Diane Dillon

__1__ Reading/Language Arts - A Boy Named Beckoning by Gina Capaldi

__1__ Physical Education - Casey at the Bat by Christopher Bing

Let Me Play

Blumenthal, K. (2005). Let me play. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

This Non-Fiction chapter book is sure to be a hit with middle to high school girls, especially those who participate in clubs and sports.  I can’t say that the boys will want to read this one but it is very interesting to hear the real facts about Title IX.  As a 27 year old, who grew up playing sports, I can remember when I first heard of Title IX in high school, the biggest thing that was that Friday night basketball games could no longer just be for the boys, the girls and boy varsity teams now had to share the Friday night spotlight! I knew there had to be more to Title IX and that it had to do with equality between girls and boys but I for the most part felt that everything was now equal, but that wasn’t the case for my mom when she was in school in the late 60’s. 

Karen Blumenthal’s Let Me Play, The story of Title IX, gives accurate details of rights of women starting in the late 1800’s up until now! Most of the changes in women’s rights (in education and sports) have been made since the early 1970’s when Title IX was first introduced.  The book includes pictures of famous women who helped fight for the rights that females have today.  It would be easy in a book of this nature to include stereotypes, but I couldn’t find a single one! It’s just the real stories and facts!

The facts and stories are presented in chronological order.  There is a graphic element of some sort on almost every other page from highlighted real life stories, to real comic strips, to statistics presented in graphs and charts! The statistics I find most interesting come in the “Scorecard” tables that are included and updated by date throughout the book comparing the number of males and females participating in sports and higher education  from the 1970’s to the 90’s to now! Wow the numbers of females participating has sky-rocketed and today, women are just about even with men!  Other important elements of the book include the Title IX Timeline of the most important facts by date from 1848 to 2003, there is also a section of quotes that compare quotes in history to what people are saying now.

This could be used as an excellent resource while studying women's rights, or just a great motivating book for young girls to read! Young girls could make connections between their lives and how Title IX has possibly changed their outcomes from the way things could have been.

Borrowed Children

Lyon, G. (1999). Borrowed Children. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky.

"What do you do after school?  Most of you go home, relax, perhaps play on the computer, your iPad, your iPod, iPhone, do some homework, and wait for mom or dad to fix dinner. Well in George Ella Lyon's Borrowed Children, Amanda Perritt, let's call her Mandy lives in a very different world, she does live in Kentucky but that may be one of the only similarities you will see when you compare her life to yours.  Mandy lives in the Appalachian Mountains of Eastern Kentucky in a time known as the Great Depression.  This was a time in 1929 through the 30's where people were poor due to the stock market crash.  By poor, I mean flat broke, people out of work, were losing their homes, were forced to go barefoot, and starving to death, literally. But for Mandy, her everyday life wasn't just about facing the fact that her family was poor, after her mother was stricken with illness, Mandy had to become a mother to her newborn brother, do the house chores, and prepare the food to put on the table.  She did this without electricity and running water, how is that possible!? This was her life, as a 12 year old, no mother to look after her, it was time to grow up quickly and take care of the family.  With her busy life as an adult, there was no time for education, she could no longer attend the school in which she loved.  With all the pressure, a person could go mad without a break so around the holidays she was allowed to take a trip to Memphis Tennessee to stay with her Grandmother and Aunt.  It wasn't the vacation she had in mind but she learned about life and family, and she came to appreciate her home. This coming of age historical fiction chapter book will surely have your heart wrenching for Mandy. 

Joey Pigza Loses Control

Gantos, J. (2000). Joey Pigza loses control. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

What a great story for just about ANYONE to enjoy! As I was looking in the YA fiction section of my school library looking for Gary Paulsen book I came across this one.  "Joey Pigza? I know I have heard of this somewhere but I don't think I read this one?"  Then I realized, "Oh yeah! I read, Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key with a sixth grade resource class while I was doing a practicum 6 years ago!"  I only remember bits and pieces of that book but I do remember how meaningful it was to the children, I remember a boy who compared himself to Joey, I remember the awesome discussion that the students actually participated in.  Joey Pigza was someone those 6th graders could relate to.  Right then and there I stopped my search and checked out Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos. This book was published two years after the first Joey Pigza book. 

Joey Pigza, the main character tells the narrative story of his summer adventures.  Instead of staying home alone his mother agrees to let him and his Chihuahua Pablo spend the summer with his father and grandmother.  He doesn't live with his dad and their relationship seems a bit strained by his father's absence.  Joey's dad, Carter takes full advantage of the opportunity to spend some time getting to know his son.  Joey had previously been considered "wired" as he and his mother called it, he has a diagnosis of ADHD.  In the previous book he was fighting to gain control of his life and with the help of the right medication and some techniques he has picked up in his special education classes he is finally under control but that may not last throughout the summer.  Carter is just as "wired" as his son Joey, Joey's mom always said he was just like his father.  Joey's dad has a history of alcohol abuse and he hasn't gotten along with his grandmother in the past.  Joey realizes his dad who has the best of intentions has already lost control. Joey is forced to deal with his father's drinking, who then flushes Joey's medication because he wants Joey to be like everyone else.  Joey is fearful that he will lose control! His father tries to bond with him and show Joey what it is like to be a winner when he discovers that Joey has a natural ability to pitch baseball so Carter signs him up to play on his team.  Well Joey finally loses control, during a big game Joey starts to lose it on the mound, his dad loses it by yelling and screaming at him.  Joey lost it! He took of in a sprint, his dad's yelling and even calling him names didn't even stop him.  He ran until he go to the mall where he called his mother.  The act of him calling his mother is actually where he re-gains control, She comes to get him and they discuss how it was worth a shot to try and spend some time with his father but his father just can't handle it. Joey tells his mother that his father needs medication and his mother replies by telling him that his father is self-medicated, referring to his alcholism.  Joey goes back with his mother and knows that he needs to get back on his medication.  Gantos leaves the ending a little in the air but the reader has reason to believe that Joey will fix himself again.

The type of realistic fiction that this story falls into is the Mental, Physical and Behavioral Challenges: where Joey's special challenge is that he has ADHD but it is portrayed in a positive light, he is just like any kid, he struggles with a personal conflict where he loses control but in the end the resolution is that he eventually has the power to over come and re-gain control of his life.  This is a great example of a young adult novel to share in ANY classroom.  Children can learn characteristics of and how to understand peers who may have ADHD or even themselves.  In the resource room where I read the book with a small group of sixth graders, several of the children had ADHD or other disabilities. Joey is a hero and a character that students can look up to.

The type of realism that exists in this story is psychological novel, where the main character in the plot, Joey is faced with conflict after conflict.  Joey's realistic story can be used as a means to help others cope with their disabilities and teach others sensitivity towards students with disabilities.

The interest level is 5th-8th grades but really anyone can relate to the story, it may even be a great read for adults who have a child with a disability. It is obvious why this novel has won many awards including Newberry Honor and an ALA Notable Book of the Year. I suggest this for any middle school class!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Casey at the Bat

Bing, C. (2000). Casey at the bat. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.

Amazing! I love love love this!  I spent a little more time than I wanted in finding my poetry selection for this week.  I was sitting in the children's section of the library, near the beanbags (which I used my better judgment and didn't sit down on them) with a huge stack of poetry books.  Most of them were collections of poetry which I was surprised at how many curriculum connections I was making just browsing but none of them really caught my attention.  I checked out 5 poetry books.  On my Thanksgiving break I started reading a few.  When I came to this one, I knew I had found the one! I had heard of this poem but had never read it myself.  I am a huge sports fan (and I still love to play softball and basketball).  I was also intrigued by the illustrations!  This book is a Caldecott Honor book.  This famous poem written by Ernest Lawrence Thayer was published on June 3, 1888 in the San Fransisco Examiner, Christopher Bing, the illustrator published Thayer's poem in 2000. 

The poem is written in the voice of a narrative poem, telling the story of Casey, the all-star baseball great who the fans are cheering for to bring his "Mudville nine" to victory with a game winning hit. The poem is written in the form of a Ballad, each 4 line stanza is displayed on the two-page spread. Each 4 line stanza follows the "aabb" rhyme scheme, for example:

"There was ease in Casey's manner as he stepped into his place;  a

There was pride in Casey's bearing and a smile on Casey's face.  a

And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,  b

No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Casey at the bat."  b

Throughout the poem, Thayer builds up the excitement towards Casey's at-bat, the reader thinks Casey might win the game for his team but unfortunately he watches strike one, strike two and then a swing and a miss! Casey struck out and his team lost the game! The vocabulary in this poem lead me to think it is a picture book for older students, maybe 5th-8th grade, and even at the higher grade levels, some of the language can be a bit confusing and might need some guidance from the teacher.  This might a good opportunity for students to use post-it notes for unknown vocabulary.

Who doesn't love baseball!?  This is a great chance for young boys and girls to get excited about poetry - probably doesn't seem "cool" at this age but there are so many choices of poems that refer to sports that the young men especially can relate to, using sports poetry would even be a great motivation for a coach to share with the players!  Why did Casey act the way he did?  Was he over confident?  Has there been a time when you were in Casey's shoes?

The illustrations by Christopher Bing is what really pulls you in.  The pictures look like the were pulled straight out of an 1800's newspaper! Even "cooler" are the ads and side articles, there is even one that references the Negro League. There can be many American History connections made with this poem. The illustrations are black and white drawings created with pen, ink, and brush. A great read for anyone, especially the sports fans!

Coyote Places the Stars

Peck, H. (1993). Coyote places the stars. New York, NY: Bradbury Press.

This traditional (and also multicultural) story is a retelling of a legend told by the Wasco Indian tribe about how the coyote arranged the stars in the sky.  The folk story is retold and illustrated by Harriet Peck Taylor.  I chose this book first because it is about a Native American legend, I have enjoyed stories of Native Americans since the time I brought home the library book, Knots on a Counting Rope in second grade.  My dad told me that my great grandmother was Cherokee, which made me interested in books about Native Americans! It's also fun to include these around Thanksgiving when discussing Pilgrims and Native Americans! I found this book from the RIF Multicultural Booklist 2011-2012.

The story begins with the coyote and the bear, the coyote tells the bear that he can can climb to the heavens.  He begins by shooting an arrow through the moon and shooting more arrows to attach to each other creating a ladder! He climbs the ladder and makes it to the heavens!  Coyote gets another clever idea that he can rearrange the stars! He starts shooting the stars with his arrows moving the stars across the sky, he decided to make animal pictures for the world to see! Throughout the story, Peck uses onomatopoeia or sound words to show a certain sound.  For example, arrows go "Whi-rr" and "Whizz" through the sky, and the coyote howls "Oweowowoooah".  The author also gives the animals the ability to talk, a human characteristic which is an example of personification.

The illustrations in this book really made me interested! In the back of the book, Peck explains that the pictures were created by the artist painting with dyes on fabric in between wax-resist outlines which is called the batik method.  Fun Idea! -You could recreate this type of art in your classroom using gel glue in place of the wax-resist, wash the gel glue away and you have the outlines just like in a real example of batik art!

Monster

Meyers, W. (1999). Monster. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.

"Monster!" That is what 16 year old Steve Harmon is called by the prosecuting attorney in his case, but is he really a monster, or is it a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people? This young adult multicultural novel is one that will leave a lasting effect on teens! Walter Dean Meyers created this drama/crime fiction full of personal conflicts many teens face today, with examples of peer pressure, gang affiliation, crime, right from wrong, and so many other topics that students can relate to and learn valuable lessons from.  I found this book on the list suggested by Dr. Gibson, it sounded interesting, something that could really be connected to real life.  The novel has won many awards: Coretta Scott King Author Award, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, Kentucky Bluegrass Award, and ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (good to know for middle/high school teachers). 

Steve Harmon is a 16 year old African American inner city teen who gets involved with a group of other young men who plan to rob a drugstore.  It goes terribly wrong when the robbery turns into a murder, Steve didn't do the killing but he was on look-out!  The story is told mostly by Steve's viewpoint in the form of a screenplay and journal entries he has written.  At the beginning of the story, Steve tells us that prison is about being alone all the time, even though you aren't alone and of being scared all the time, in telling the reader this, he is foreshadowing the horrific events ands and emotional state that he is about to embark on.  The rising action is when Steve is first in jail and begins writing, he has actually written his journal entries while on trial for murder! What will the verdict be?!  The climax, is when Steve is found not-guilty which means he can go back to a normal life instead of his current life he had in prison.  Big Questions: Will he be able to return to a normal life?  Will he be the same boy? This is a good time to discuss consequences of peer pressure which seems to be a theme in this novel.  At the end, Steve is struggling with himself, is he a good person? Or is he a monster?

This novel would be good to try the text to self connections strategy using post-it notes.  It's an easy way to incorporate prior/background knowledge by having the students think about times in their life when they had to face peer pressure, when they had to make choices, or a time they made a poor choice and had a consequence.  The book seems mostly appropriate for middle grade and high school age students due to the content.

Pish Posh

Potter, E. (2006). Pish posh. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.

I chose this young adult fantasy novel from a list of suggestions by Dr. Gibson in the syllabus.  Since I'm less familiar with young adult novels, I went to the library, located a stack of Dr. Gibson's suggestions and started eliminating until my final selection came down to Pish Posh by Ellen Potter.  Though this novel is fantasy it is somewhat believable, which is the type of reading I prefer.  I would also consider this story a mystery novel, and mystery and crime is what I love - CSI, Cold Case, Law and Order, NCIS - now those are some of my favorite TV shows!

In this novel, the story told in third person is about Clara Frankofile, a rich snobby 11 year old girl.  Her parents own a fancy New York City restaurant.  She does not act like a child, she shows little emotions like a normal 11 year old and in fact does not actually get along with other children her age, and she finds them stupid and immature.  She wears the same black dress and black sunglasses every day, not exactly the same dress, since she has 157 of them but that is all she has ever worn since she was an infant. Every night she sits in her parents' restaurant, called Pish Posh where people are fighting to get in and watches their guests, she gets to decide who the "nobodies" are, who she lets know they are no longer welcome in the restaurant. One day she lets Dr. Piff who knew her as a young girl that he is a “nobody” and is no longer welcome.  She pays very close attention to what goes on in the restaurant and has noticed he has let his shoes go, and ordered tapioca pudding making him a “nobody”.  He reminds her of her younger days and tells her that she is missing an obvious peculiar and mysterious thing happening under her nose.  She is uneasy about what she has learned and is on a mission to find out what could possibly be going on.  The suspense keeps the reader from putting the book down! What could it be?  She gets the help of a 12 year old jewel thief named Annabelle to start a mission to solve a 200 year old mystery.  As the girls work together in their journey they both change, Clara becomes more childlike and feels guilt about the way she once treated people and Annabelle realizes she doesn't like being a thief, she just likes danger.  Throughout the novel there are flashbacks of Clara’s younger days which helps her remember her old self in order to change.  The story is an exciting mystery but it’s more than just a mystery, it teaches a lesson of character. 

The Lexile level of this chapter book is 910 which falls between 5th grade to 8th.  The story is probably most suitable for interest levels ages 8-11.  As the girls are 11 and 12, older students will probably be uninterested.  I would also suggest this as in independent reading assignment for reader's choice rather than a book for the entire class.  Though it’s an exciting story I don't think boys would be very motivated to read it since the main characters are females and by the looks of the front cover.  If middle grades students are anything like my younger students boys don't particularly like stories that have female main characters but girls don't seem to have a preference, I find this interesting but it seems to be true from my experience.  Using writing prompts would be a good assignment to follow up with reading this book.  I remember in intermediate grades and middle school I loved choosing my own chapter book and choosing from a list of assignments/projects to do and share with my classmates, the freedom seemed to motivate me as it does for my students.  A neat project would be to write a complete journal/diary (in first person obviously) from Clara or Annabelle's perspective about the events and their feelings, and how they have changed as a person throughout the book. 

Rap A Tap Tap

Dillon, D, & Dillion, L. (2002). Rap a tap tap. New York, NY: Macmillan/McGraw-Hill.

I picked this book because I have seen it in many classrooms but I have never had the chance to experience the book myself.  A few weeks ago I noticed it as a big book in one of the first grade classrooms.  The teacher hadn't used it yet this school year so I thought I would borrow it and get a good feel of the book so that when it comes time to use the book I could have some of my own ideas to bring to the table when planning activities.  I love big books but unfortunately I don't own a single one, as a special education teacher I have limited space in my resource room and in the past with such a short time I spend in the resource room I just don't get around to using them, but this will be changing! Rap a Tap Tap is written and illustrated by married couple Leo and Diane Dillon.  The picture book earned the Corretta Scott King Award.  

The story is set around the 1930's in New York City.  The main character Mr. Bojangles is a tap dancer who entertains all different types of people as he dances through the streets of New York City.  Mr. Bojangles is African-American and from the illustrations you can see people of all different skin colors. He dances for rich people, poor people, and even children.  The book makes it clear that Mr. Bojangles dances to make people smile, to entertain! (Entertain is an example of a new vocabulary word to use!)


The illustrations are fascinating! They are a style very unique to some more traditional picture books.  There are no lines used to create the pictures, people and surroundings are created through Leo and Diane's use of shape.  The Dillons painted simple shapes on each page to create the pictures.  There are no outlined facial expressions, just open mouth smiles on all of the peoples' faces.  The Dillons used a lighter shade to create a shadow effect around Mr. Bojangles' body in each picture to depict him dancing.  

There are endless ways to connect this story to the curriculum.  For Social Studies the teacher could cover African-American culture, discuss the different societies within a city (rich people in fancy clothes, poor people living in the "skids").  You could also connect this to Arts and Humanities - music, dance.  

What sticks out most to me is the use of rhyme and repetition in the text.  Every other page/sentence ends with rhyming words, the teacher could explain how the words rhyme and how to read with rhyming words.  An extremely important learning target we use on a day to day basis is: "I can make my reading sound like talk".  Every other page/sentence rhymes which gives the teacher an easy way to model examples of making reading sound like talk.  In between each rhyming sentence/page, the following page reads, "Rap a tap tap - think of that!".  This sentence is repeated on every other page so using the big book, the teacher could encourage the students to read along while following the words on the page. 

Julius, The Baby of the World

Henkes, K. (1990). Julius the baby of the world. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.

This is my third reflection of a Kevin Henkes picture book.  After I reflected on Owen, Dr. Gibson suggested Julius, The Baby of the World, and I also noticed it listed on the link for "Books to teach literary devices" under persuasion from our course homepage.  I had never heard of this book so I borrowed it from my school library.  What a SWEET and HILARIOUS story!  This book is an ALA Notable Children's Book. 

In the story, Lilly, the eccentric little girl is blessed with a baby brother who she is extremely jealous of.  She hates that he gets so much attention and that his parents love him so much and think everything he does is perfect.  Lilly just can't understand why her parents and all of the other adults in the family just love him so much.  She goes out of her way to do terrible things to him like scare him, tell him the numbers and letters out of order, tells him insults, and tries to make him disappear! Throughout the entire story Lilly's parents are complementing his little black eyes, pink little nose, and sweet soft fur and his ability to babble, scream, blow bubbles.  The main idea of this story is the fact that Lilly now has a little brother and he isn't going anywhere which her parents remind her of several times. Finally at the end of the story at a family gathering a cousin of Lilly's starts bad mouthing Julius just the way she had been doing the entire story.  Instead of agreeing with the cousin she gets angry and sticks up for her baby brother Julius telling her cousin all the wonderful things he can do and how cute he is, the same compliments her parents had been giving him the entire story that Lilly had never agreed with.  From then on she adored Julius, protected him, and played with him, she finally changed her mind and believes that he really is "the baby of the world".

Like all of the other Henkes stories I have read so far this story teaches a valuable lesson to children who will be getting and already have younger siblings.  Students who may have some of the same feelings Lilly first had about having a baby in the family can see Lilly change her mind on her feelings for baby Julius. 

As this book was listed under persuasion on the list of books to teach literary devices the teacher could have a discussion with students about the power of persuasion and what it means to persuade.  Big questions to ask during the discussion prior to reading could include: "Have you ever been persuaded?", Have you ever persuaded someone?"  During reading the teacher could ask, "Do you think Lilly's parents will persuade her to change her opinion of Julius?"  The students could make predictions about this question before reading on to find out what happens.  

During lunch one day with my fellow teachers last week I was raving about Henkes stories and the first grade teacher that I collaborate with chimed in as well, turns out she is a big fan too!  As a first grade team we have decided to spend a full week to complete an Author Study of Kevin Henkes with our first graders in two weeks! We have selected lots of his books (and not just the ones with the cute mice that I'm partial to) that we will be sharing over the week with our students and using to teach story elements.  We will be able to compare and contrast the characters, settings, and plots of each story we share.  We will also teach about Kevin Henkes himself.  I can't wait to share the Kevin Henkes books I love and read a few that I haven't read yet that I'm sure to love as well!

Chester's Way

Henkes, K. (1988). Chester's way. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.

I have already read and posted about Kevin Henkes' Owen, where I mention how much I LOVE Henkes' cute little characters like Lilly and Chrysanthemum. I asked one of the first grade teachers at my school in which I collaborate with if she had any other Kevin Henkes books because I know there are tons and I have only read a few, and I enjoy each one more than the last! She shared with me Chester's Way which is an ALA Notable Children’s book. 


The story is about a mouse, Chester and his best friend Wilson, who is just like Chester.  Chester and Wilson are very particular about the way they do things and I guess you could also call them cautious.  They do everything together.  Then, a girl named Lilly moves into the neighborhood, and she is full of character! She wears disguises, talks backwards, carries a squirt gun, and is a little more dangerous than Chester and Wilson.  They think she is very odd and they avoid her.  One day Chester and Wilson get picked on by older boys when Lilly jumps out to rescue them, she scares the older boys off with her scary disguise and shoots them with her water gun!  The boys are thankful and impressed with her rescue mission so they decide to spend some time with her.  

She introduces them to her crazy antics and they teach her to be more cautious.  The boys realize they are actually very similar despite some obvious personality differences.  From that point on they become a group of three friends who do everything together, crazy activities to safe activities.

With this picture book a teacher could teach about moral "character" by using the characters in this story.  The book provides a lesson in accepting people’s differences and making new friends.  The last Henkes book that I read, Owen also presented a life lesson about growing up through its cute and entertaining story.  While reading Chester's Way, the teacher could help the students compare and contrast the character traits of Chester, Wilson, and Lilly perhaps creating a Venn diagram or other visual representation. Questions to lead this discussion could include: 
How are Chester and Wilson like Lilly?
How are Chester and Wilson different from Lilly?
What are certain traits of the boys, of Lilly? 
What are some traits that all of the characters share?

Henkes' illustrations are as cute as ever again in this picture book.  His pictures have bright cheery colors and Henkes uses multiple pictures on each page to show the different actions of the characters. During and after reading, students could also compare the physical characteristics of the characters giving the teacher an opportunity to explain how all students look different and dress different. 

While reading this story, a teacher could also point out and discuss the use of dialogue which exists between the characters in this story and show students how to use dialogue with correct punctuation in their own writing. 

I would recommend this Henkes picture book to any teacher who teaches pre-school to third grade. 

And don’t forget the Author’s website for resources, I think I may try Chester and Wilson’s Better than Ever Peanut Butter Cookies recipe!!

http://www.kevinhenkes.com/
 

Owen

Henkes, K. (1993). Owen. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.

I'm drawn to Kevin Henkes' cute little animal characters, especially the mice!  Chrysanthemum is my favorite but Lilly comes in close second.  I have had this picture book for a year or two in my classroom library; sometimes I purchase value sets from Scholastic book orders so I probably got this one along with a few other of Kevin Henkes' books but I just haven't gotten to it yet.  Most of his stories cover social issues that are very meaningful to my young students and the book, Owen is a story that many young kindergarteners especially can relate to.  This picture book won a Caldecott Honor in 1993.

Owen, a young little mouse is the protagonist, he's the main character and the audience feels for him against his battle of giving up his blanket.  The neighbor, Mrs. Tweezers tries to convince Owen's parents that he is too old to carry the blanket everywhere.  Owen's parents agree that since he is starting school soon that he can no longer keep "Fuzzy" with him, and he especially can't take it to school.  His parents try the blanket fairy idea by having Owen leave the blanket under his pillow to be replaced by a big boy toy but that doesn't work.  Mrs. Tweezers also suggests dipping the corner of the blanket in vinegar and then just saying "NO" but Owen just gets very upset.  You could possibly say that Mrs. Tweezers and his parents are antagonists but the true antagonist of the story is the idea of Owen growing up and no longer being able to carry around his blanket. Finally at the end of the story his parents resolve Owen's issue with letting go of the blanket by cutting the blanket into handkerchiefs that he can still take with him wherever he goes. 

Kevin Henkes is also the illustrator.  He uses cute drawing and bright color paintings on each page.  On several pages he has broken up and separated different pictures into boxes to show the different actions of Owen and his blanket.  The pictures of Owen and his blanket truly depict what children look like with their prized possessions or "comfort items". 

I would use this picture book in pre-school, kindergarten, or first grade. The beginning of the year in pre-school and kindergarten is especially hard on some students, especially some of mine who have special needs.  Owen, can serve as a great social learning experience for all young students, especially those having trouble moving on to school.  Every August and at times throughout the school year we are constantly battling the kindergarteners who bring their "comfort items" to school, but really they just become a distraction.  Usually we get stuffed animals and blankets but this year we had a first, one of my students brought his live kitten in his backpack!  Discussions following the reading of this book can help students understand why they can no longer do some of the things they did when they were younger, but promote all of the new exciting activities they can participate in as they grow up! Questions like, "Do you still have something from when you were a baby that you still have?", "Why is it special to you?", "How can you keep this item special to you while growing up at the same time?"

There is also a great resource online for teachers, librarians, and parents.  Kevin Henkes' own website:
http://www.kevinhenkes.com/ 

At his site you can learn about the author/illustrator, read FAQ from children, download activities for some of his books, find other books by Henkes, and my favorite, find recipes that correspond to some of his stories! From his site I found a few other of Henkes' books that I plan to check out from the library!

Introduction

Hello! My name is Courtney Lawson.  Cumberlands still has my name listed as Courtney Hertsenberg, so for class reasons I will go by that name. I just changed my name before classes started in August so hopefully by next bi-mester my name will be back to Lawson!  I did not get married so no congratulations necessary, I did just the opposite, and I have been congratulating myself on that accomplishment for the past year and a half! :). 

I teach kindergarten and first grade special education at JA Caywood Elementary in the Kenton County School District.  I love my Caywood kids! I love kindergarten and especially first grade!  This is my 4th school year at Caywood, I spend about half of my day collaborating in the first grade classrooms and the other half of the day I take small groups of kindergarten and first grade students to my classroom for extra practice on the skills they need in their classrooms.  I am also in charge of my school news team consisting of 4th and 5th grade students who air a live news program daily. 

I love sports! I am in my 7th year of coaching basketball.  I coached for 3 years at a middle school before I moved on to coaching freshman at one of the high schools in my district but since starting my masters program I decided to move back down to coaching at the middle school level which is a little less time consuming.  I just couldn't give it up entirely!

I am currently in my 3rd class toward earning a masters degree from the University of the Cumberlands focusing on reading and writing.  I spend most of my day teaching in the area of reading so when choosing my masters program I decided to focus on an area that will truly make me become a better teacher.

When I am not working, doing school work, or coaching basketball I like to spend time with my two dogs, work in the garden because colorful flowers make me happy, and cook tasty recipes for my sweetie, Ryan.