Audiobooks

     Are you considering using audiobooks with your children, but feel they are not as beneficial as your child reading the book? Well audiobooks are in fact beneficial for children! Audiobooks introduce students to books above their reading levels, model good interpretive reading, teach critical listening, highlight humor in books, introduce new genres that students might not otherwise consider, introduce new vocabulary or difficult proper names or locales, sidestep unfamiliar dialects or accents, provide a read-aloud model, provide a bridge to important topics of discussion, and recapture the essence and the delights of hearing stories beautifully told by extraordinarily talented storytellers.
    It is important that you do your homework before buying audiobooks. Some narrator's voices can be irritating or the audiobook can be paced too faced or too slow. It is important to choose an audiobook paced appropriately for your child.
   If you are considering using audiobooks in the classroom, single author unabridged audiobooks are the best to use. Audiobooks have traditionally been used in the classroom by teachers of second-language learners, learning-disables or impaired students, and struggling students to access literature and enjoy books.

Guided Reading

    Guided reading is when teachers meet with small groups of students who have similar reading behavior, text-processing needs, and reading strengths. The instruction focuses on specific aspects of the reading process and literary understanding that will assist the children in moving forward in independence. In guided reading students read appropriate texts and instruction focuses on students' strengths and needs based on ongoing assessment. Students read a new book each time their group meets, and all students read simultaneously while receiving support from the teacher. I believe guided reading is beneficial in helping students reach reading independence.

     For all you parents still confused about guided reading, here are some components of a guided reading lesson found in my course text book, The Joy of Children's Literature (pg. 407).

Before the Reading

• Teacher selects an appropriate text that will be supportive but with a few manageable challenges.
• Teacher prepares an introduction to the story.
• Teacher briefly introduces the story, keeping in mind the meaning, language, and visual information in the text, and the knowledge, experience, and skills of the reader.
• Teacher leaves some questions to be answered through the reading.
• Students engage in a conversation about the story, raising questions, building expectations, and/or noticing information in the text.

During the Reading

• Teacher listens as the students read the whole text or unified part to themselves.
• Teacher observes and documents individual reader's strategy use.
• Teacher interacts with individuals to assist with problem solving at point of difficulty. 
• Students request help in problem solving when needed.

After the Reading

• Teacher talks about the story with the children inviting personal response.
• Teacher returns to the text for one or two teaching opportunities such as finding evidence or discussing problem-solving.
• Teacher assesses children's understanding of what they read.
• Teacher sometimes engages the children in extending the story through such activities as drama, writing, art, or more reading.
• Teacher may engage students in rereading the story to a partner or independently.

Johnson, D. (2009). The joy of children's literature. (2 ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Elements of Poetry

       It is important to introduce your children and/or students to the elements of poetry. The elements of poetry include rhythm, rhyme/sound pattern, imagery, and shape. These elements help children develop an understanding about the poet's imagination and depth of emotion in their poem. You can start off introducing children to the elements of poetry through reading aloud a variety of poems and discussing the technique used by the poet to create the rhythm, sound, or shape. Children can then use these elements while creating their own poem.

Here are the elements of poetry and a description of each:

• Rhythm: The beat or movement of words in a poem. An example of rhythm can be seen in the story, The Pickety Fence by David McCord.
• Rhyme/ Sound Pattern: This affects the musical quality of poetry. The sounds of words convey the intended meaning of the poem. Alliteration, assonance, and onomatopoeia contribute to the creation of rhyme in poetry. An example of rhyme/sound pattern can be seen in the story Beautiful Soup by Lewis Carroll.
• Imagery: This involves one or more of the five senses the environment created by the poem. An example of imagery can be seen in the story Dirty Laundry Pile: Poems in Different Voices by Paul Janeczko.
• Shape: Words may be organized in a way to add meaning and/or create a visual image of the poem. An example of shape can be seen in the story Doodle Dandies: Poems That Take Shape by J. Patrick Lewis.

Realistic Fiction in Children's Literature

         Wondering if you should introduce realistic fiction stories to your children or students? Research has shown there are many benefits to children reading realistic fiction because:

• It portrays the realities of life so children are able to develop a more in-depth understanding of human problems and relationships.
• It helps expand children's frames of reference and ability to see the world from another perspective.
• It helps children take comfort in knowing their problems are not unique and that they are not alone in this world.
• It allows children to experience secondhand interactions with characters in books.

      Through realistic fiction, children learn that life is full of ups and downs; it can be funny, painful, joyful, and distressing. I believe it is important that children are introduced to stories of realistic fiction so they can develop an understanding of real world problems.

          Here are the top 10 read alouds listed in my children's literature textbook, The Joy of Children's Literature, to share with your children or students:

• Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things by Lenore Look
• Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
• Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson
• The Penderwicks: A Summer Take of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall
• Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
• Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech
• Ruby Lu, Brave and True by Lenore Look
• Rules by Cynthia Lord
• The Talented Clementine by Sara Pennypacker
• The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin 

 Johnson, D. (2009). The joy of children's literature. (2 ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
 

Internet Projects: Connecting Children with the World

       Internet projects are a collaborative learning experience between two or more classrooms in different locations that take place over the Internet. Internet projects allow children to communicate with other children from different areas of the world without leaving the classroom. In an Internet project students can share their observations and findings on a topic with other classrooms around the world.
    Here are some websites that offer collaborative Internet projects:

• Global Schoolhouse
• This website contains interactive projects designed so students worldwide can collaborate, communicate, and learn from each other.
• Project Centre
• This website allows you to sign up for telecollaborative projects, which provide students with real-world contexts such as opportunities to interact with experts and other professionals.
• iEarn
• This website contains over 150 projects that were designed by teachers to help foster critical thinking and research skills, cultural awareness, and community involvement.
• Flat Stanley: A Travel Buddy Project
• This website is an e-mail project based on the book Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown. In this project classrooms can make their own Flat Stanleys and keep a journal that can be sent to other schools.

WebQuest

      Are you ready to bring your classroom and teaching to a new level? Well then this post will interest you. Webquest's are a new fad in teaching and allow students to become engaged through an inquiry-oriented activity where all information used is from the internet. WebQuest's were designed to use children's time well. In a WebQuest the focus is how to use information rather than have students look for it. Throughout a WebQuest children complete a doable task using the resources and guidance of the WebQuest for assistance.
      The design of a WebQuest is critical to its effectiveness as an instructional resource and consists of the following critical attributes:

• Introduction: The purpose of the introduction is to prepare and hook the reader. In the introduction you should build on the reader's prior knowledge.
• Task: The purpose of the task is to focus learners on what they will be doing. In the task you should include synthesis of multiple sources of information, and/or taking a position, and/or going beyond the data given and making a generalization or product.
• Process: The purpose of the process is to outline how the learners will accomplish the task. The steps the readers must follow to complete the project need to be clearly outlined. Also, the activities the students will perform should have a lot of variety.
• Resources: Make sure your links to web resources are pertinent to the task, make good use of the Web, and are working.
• Evaluation: The purpose of this section is to describe the evaluation criteria needed to meet performance and content standards. In this attribute, make sure you give explicit directions that tell how the reader will demonstrate their growth in knowledge. For evaluation you can use a rubric or open-ended forms of assessment.

Visit Quest Garden for more information on WebQuests and to register for a free 30 day trial that will assist you in creating your first WebQuest!

Traditional Literature

     Some benefits of traditional literature include:

• Helps children understand the personal dimension and standards of behavior of a culture, reducing stereotypes.
• Provides children with a framework for the literature, drama, and art that they will encounter later in life.
• Provides children with entertainment and pleasure.
• Provides strong rhythm, rhyme, and repetition of patterns. 

     There are several categories in traditional literature. Categories include fables, myths, legends, religious stories, tall tales and folktales. A fable is a brief story where the moral is explicitly stated. Characters in a fable include animals who talk as humans. An example of a fable is The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse Who Cried Wolf. A myth explains aspects of culture or how something came to be in the natural world. Characters in a myth include people who have superpowers. An example of a myth is When the Beginning Began: Stories About God, the Creatures and Us. A legend is a traditional narrative story based on historical truth. Characters in a legend include historical figures such as saints, kings, and heroes. An example of a legend is King Arthur Tales. A religious story is a story based on an important event and people of different religions. Characters in religious stories include prominent religious figures. An example of a religious story is Wonders and Miracles: A Passover Companion. A tall tale is an exaggerated humorous story of a character who preforms impossible acts. Characters in a tall tale include historical figures who are given superhuman strengths. An example of a tall tale is Paul Bunyan. A folktale is a fairy, human, or animal tale that is passed down by word of mouth. Characters in a folktale include humans or animals. An example of a folktale is The Three Little Pigs.

    Here are the top 10 read aloud traditional tales:

• Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella by Paul Fleischman
• How the Stars Fell into the Sky: A Navajo Legend by Jerrie Oughton
• The Hunter by Mary Casanova
• Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pickney
• Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
• Peggony-Po: A Whale of a Tale by Andrea Pinkney
• Rapunzel by Paul Zelinsky
• Silly & Sillier: Read Aloud Tales from Around the World by Judy Sierra
• The Three Princes: A Tale from the Middle East by Eric Kimmel
• Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears by Verna Aardema

 Johnson, D. (2009). The joy of children's literature. (2 ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.