Final Class Reflection

Overall, I really enjoyed this class. I loved how I had multiple opportunities to actively engage in constructing meaning from text. I have learned through this course about the importance of constructing meaning. I also learned that different literacy genres provide individuals with different reading experiences. Specifically, by taking this class I have learned about a variety of new literacy genres. Wordless picture books, graphic novels, mangas and historical fiction are just a few of the new genres I have learned about. Additionally, I enjoyed the numerous activities that were presented in class. Having a guest speaker come in to talk, taking a ‘field trip’ to the curriculum lab, blogging, glogging and having large and small group discussions really helped me solidify the concepts I have learned about children’s literature. Also, I really enjoyed learning about blogging and glogging. Education today is including more and more technology based tools to help engage students. I am glad I was given the opportunity to experience these technology aspects. As a future educator I plan on using these in my own classroom to help children make connections to literature in a new and exciting way. All in all, I am very glad I was given the opportunity to take this course, I have really learned a lot about children’s literature throughout the semester.

Love That Dog By Sharon Creech

I really liked this poetry book because it was so unique. Not only was the text written in blue coloring but the poems included in this book took different physical forms. Also, Creech included poems in the back of the book. I will definitely include this book in my future classroom library. Some students are self conscious about their poetry skills so many students will be able to relate to the plot of Love That Dog. Love That Dog follows a boy named Jack on his journey to developing a poetry self identity. In the beginning of this novel Jack did not enjoy poetry and when he had to write it he did not want any of his peers to know he was the author. By the end of the book Jack’s teacher helped him become a confident poetry writer and also helped him discover a new love for poetry. As a future educator it is one of my goals to provide all my students with a meaningful literacy experience. I believe this book will show students that everyone can write and enjoy poetry.

Where the Sidewalk Ends By Shel Silverstein

Personally, this is one of my favorite poetry books. Silverstein uses simple black and white illustrations to bring color and imagery to his poems. Each poem is unique and creative and includes a variety of topics. For example, Silverstein’s poem “eighteen flavors” is about an enormous ice cream cone that has a variety of flavors. With his simple descriptive wording, I can almost taste this giant ice cream cone! I enjoyed this collection of poems because the author talks about numerous things and each poem takes on a various form. I feel as though using this book in the classroom will show students that not all poems have to rhyme. I also believe that students will be intrigued by these poems because the author talks about numerous silly and creative concepts.

Fireflies at Midnight By Marilyn Singer

Personally, summer time is one of my favorite seasons. In my opinion, summer includes baseball games, hotdogs, bubble gum pieces and playing outside at night among the fireflies. This picture book includes a variety of poems about the numerous creatures that come out during summer. Singer includes poems about frogs, butterflies, foxes, fireflies and so on. Additionally, these poems are organized by when these creatures come out of their habitats. For example, the robin poem is included in the beginning of the book because it appears around dawn. I believe this book would be a great way to introduce poetry and nature in the classroom. Not only do these poems encourage children to read poetry, but these poems also encourage students to examine the aesthetic beauty of nature.

Stanza By Jill Esbaum

This picture book discusses poetry in a different perspective which gives children a different reading experience. Instead of just including different poems in this book, Esbaum created a character named Stanza. During the day Stanza and his rotten brothers cause trouble in towns. At night stanza writes poetry but hides it from his brothers so they do not make fun of him. One day, Stanza enters one of his poems in a poetry contest. At the end of the day Stanza wins the contest and all his friends and brothers realize how wonderful poetry can be. Stanza also becomes confident with his poetry talents and actively writes. Also, this book tells a story through poetry. Although the students probably will not notice, but the plot of this story is written in poetry.

Best Friends By Lee Bennett Hopkins

This book includes a collection of poems about friendship from numerous famous authors such as Gwendolyn Brooks and Langston Hughes. These poems address the many aspects of friendships. Some of the poems are about wrestling, sleepovers, telephone calls and sledding. This book also includes poems about the feelings individuals have when their friends move away or begin to change. For example this book discusses how some individuals have feelings of loneliness, how they miss their friends, and how they notice that their friends have begun to change as they get older. Although people go through changes, this book shows that it is normal to have all these feelings within a friendship.
All in all, this book includes many poems about friendship that all children can relate too. While reading these poems it made me think about my own childhood friends. Personally, I believe this book would be a great addition to the classroom library.

Danitra Brown Leaves Town By Nikki Grimes

This is a poetry book that takes on the form of letters written between two friends. This book discusses the negative and positive aspects of having a friend that either moves away or goes on vacation for along time. Zuri Jackson has a friend named Danitra Brown who is going on a summer vacation to visit family members in the country. This book address the negative aspects of having a friend leave town, such as the feeling of sadness and other emotions one might have. On the other hand, this picture book also shows the positive aspects when a friend leaves town. For example, these two friends began to write letters which made their friendship stronger and made new friends. Also, this book shows children that no matter where their friends go or move to, their friendship will remain the same and that they can still keep in contact with each other. I really enjoyed this book because it provides the reader with a diverse reading experiences. This book takes place in a city setting and in the form of poetry. I believe this book would be a great way to introduce to children how to cope with being away from friends.