3321 Blog Entry #3

To effectively evaluate books for children you first have to make sure you pick a book that is right for the age group. We don't want to pick a book that is at a higher or lower standard for the children because than they won't understand it. The story or book you pick out has to be good and interesting so make sure you read it first. Also see if it has a good setting, characters, and ending. We as teachers have to make sure what kind of books we put in our classrooms.

I think that this is value-based because we might like a book and want to read it in our classroom, but we also have to think about the parents of our students and what they would think about it. I think that parents and teachers think differently so we have to be careful because some parents might not want their children to exposed to certain things and thats where values and traditions come in.

Character/setting analysis is important because it's what makes the book or story interesting. If this was not a part of the book it would probably be boring. This is what gets the children into the book to see if they are going to like it or not and it's also for them to better understand what they are reading.

3344 Blog Entry #3

There are five key features of the reading process. Starting with the first stage is

Stage 1: Prereading
activate or build background knowledge
set purposes for reading
preview the text

Stage 2:Reading
shared reading
guided reading
independent reading
buddy reading
reading aloud

Stage3: Responding
writing in reading logs/journals
grand conversations
activities

Stage4: Exploring
re-reading the selection
examine authors craft
focusing on new vocabulary words
participating in mini lessons

Stage5: Applying

continue to deepen interpretation and value
the reading expierence
projects
social justice
research

The writing process consists of the following:

1.Prewriting-
brainstorming
outlining- This is used to organize your thoughts. ex: number outline and graphic organizer
discussion

2. Drafting-
writing a rough draft
mark writings on the rough draft
students will emphasize content rather than mechanics

3. Revising
read your own writing
share writings in writing groups
participate in discussions about classmate's writings
make changes in your own compositions
make substantive rather than minor changes

4. Editing
proof read your own compostions
help proofread classmates compositions as well
identify and correct your own mechanical errors
meet with teacher for final editing

5. Publishing
make final copy of your writing usually using word processing
publish writing in appropriate form
sit in author's chair and show your writing

I was introduced to the writing process back in middle school in my English classes. I remember going over and doing all of the key features that were mentioned for the writing process. I think it helped a great deal wth the English papers I had to write as well as with the TAAS testing that we had. I don't remember ever having to retake the writing part of the TAAS test and I think this is why.

3344 Blog Entry #2

Chapter 4 was mainly about how children learn to read and write. There were different demonstrations from teachers on reading and writing, interactive writing and other teaching strategies. Some of the activities were shared reading, minilessons and cross-age reading buddies.
Shared Reading-
1. Teachers introduce the book, read the title, show the front cover to the students, and then the students will make predictions about what will happen.
2. The teacher will read the book aloud and keep the students interested by using dramatic reading style and encourage students to chime in on words they know and reconize.
3. Students respond to the book by drawing and writing in reading logs and sharing their responses with others.
4. Students then reread the book and take turns turning the pages
5. Teachers continue to reread the book to the children over a period of several days
6. After the children become familiar with the text the teacher then gives the children individual copies of the book for them to read independently
Minilessons-
Teachers teach minilessons about written language concepts and other reading topics starting in kindergarten and goes through the primary grades. I think that mini lessons are very important in the classroom because children learn how reading and writing can be used and it also shows how children behave as readers and writers.
Cross-Age Reading Buddies-
This is just another way to use shared reading in kindergarten and first grade. Cross-age reading buddies are when upper grade students are paired up with emergent students and they become reading buddies. I think that this is a great idea because it helps kids learn how to work with either older or younger kids then them. I also like it because the children can share personal experiences from the books they read, talk about different reading strategies, and maybe their favorite author. It's like having a big brother or little sister in a way and it's important to have it in the classroom.

3321 Blog Entry #2

It is said that long before recorded history, families and many different tribes shared their traditions and values through stories that were told around campfires. Many of these people developed mythologies and tales to tell to their children about dramatic heroes, personified animals, and witty tricksters. Back then, many tales that were told through oral tradition and early books were not written for children. For example, Charles Perrault published a book called Contes de ma Mere l Oye ( Tales of Mother Goose) which you would think it was like the book today with rhymes, but instead it had known fairy tales such as "Cinderella", "Sleeping Beauty", and "Little Red Riding Hood". He did not create these tales but retold them from the French oral tradition.
When people finally realize that childhood was a very special part in life, literature written for children became very important. Changes in printing technology provided affortable books, but most important they were made for children to read. Perrault was one of the first writers to reconize that fairy tales had a special place in the world for children.
I think that this is very important because if we didn't have literature for children how or what will they read? There are many different types of books out there to grab children's attention and interest but they just have to be introduced to them and we as future teachers have that advantage to do it.