Children’s and Adolescent Literature

Class #8 March 19, 2008

Book-talks continued…• Review of last class - Fantasy & Science Fiction• Motivation Plan Assignment• Folklore• E-Class Assignment for March 19

Developing an Outline for the Reading Motivation Plan

Think: What do I know about reading motivation from the research base?

Think: Which of these points relate to the needs of my school?

Think: How can I incorporate these points into a “doable” plan for the teachers, students, and parents at my school? (Here is where the creativity comes in…)

Developing an Outline for the Reading Motivation Plan

Think: How can I provide support for teachers as they implement the plan?

Think: What resources will I need to develop to get the plan started? Are pre-packaged materials available that will support my plan?

Additional Resources 6-12

Chapter on Motivation from Leading a Successful Reading Program (textbook for Roles of the Reading Specialist)

Reading Reasons by Kelly Gallagher http://www.stenhouse.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idProduct=356

6 Yea r Olds 7 Yea r Olds 8 Yea r Olds 9 Yea r Olds 10 Yea r Olds 11 Yea r Olds 12 Yea r Olds • are able to read “easy to read” books • like having someone read to them • like fairy tales • enjoy alphabet and counting books • memorize poetry and nonsense verse • search for simple informational books • like books about dinosaurs • can write some words from memory • write most words the way they sound

• develop building friendships • seek acceptance by other children their own age • strike out on their own as readers • take pride in showing off their reading skills • understand more complex stories than they can read • see the world as good/bad; fair/not fair • believe in magic • accept fairy tale morality

• reach peak of interest in fairy tales • begin interest in real life stories • show beginning interest in sports • choose to read independently • like poetry/verse and chapter books • like riddles, jokes, and “off the wall” humor • want to choose their own books • are curious about everything in their world

• develop best friends • enjoy series books • choose informational books a lot • are fascinated with strange but true facts • like mysteries • prefer realistic stories over fairy tales • like happy endings • want sophisticated chapter books and real novels • have a “weird” sense of humor • like gross or corny jokes

• take pride in their developing talents • like to read biographies • like to read adventures with real heroes • like funny books • develop lasting friendships • are fascinated with computer games • enjoy active sports and bike riding • like to collect things, such as football cards or cards of comic book superheroes

• memorize poetry and song lyrics • enjoy horror movies and stories • like mysteries • read series books • find that friends are very important • like all sports • read teenage magazines • like animal stories, especially horse stories • like survival and adventure stories • read about people just a little older than them

• like a variety of music • like physical activity; begin to specialize in some sports • read fashion and teenage magazines • like American history in fact or fiction • enjoy horror movies and stories • like comedy, fantasy, and science fiction • are interested in their social life • have mood swings; seem grown-up one minute, a child the next

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Activity

Using the chart as a reference tool, work with a partner to complete the Guess my Age activity.

Guess My Age

My best’s friend’s name is Eric. He and I both like to read Matt Christopher books. I like Ranger Rick magazines and books about animals. Did you know that a baby kangaroo is called a joey, and it is only the size of a peanut when it is born?

Clues: Best friend

Matt Christopher books - realistic fiction

Likes informational text and strange facts

Answer: Nine Years Old

Guess My Age

I just love to read stories! I read 5 books all by myself last week, and so did my friend, Molly. My mom is reading me a chapter book, and she reads one chapter every night. It is a good story, and my mom says I am good at thinking about what will happen next!

Clues: Taking pride in her reading skills

Mentions doing something just like her friend

Enjoying a more sophisticated book than she can read on her own

Answer: Seven Years Old

Guess My Age

I just finished reading the biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Did you know she wrote the Little House on the Prairie books? I like those books a lot, because they are full of adventures! My friend, Sarah likes them, too. She says we are like sisters, just like Laura and Mary in the Little House books!

Clues: Reading a biography

Enjoys adventure stories

Has a close friendAnswer: Ten Years Old

Guess My Age

I have read every single Black Stallion book in the library! My friends and I love horses. Megan and I both get Teen People. It’s fun to read about the stars we like!

Clues: Loves horse stories

Friends are important to her

Likes teen magazines

Answer: Eleven Years Old

Guess My Age

Guess what? I can read Frog and Toad stories now! My dad read me a fairy tale last night, and it had a frog in it. We went to the library today, and I got one Frog and Toad book, one alphabet book about bugs, and a book about Tyrannosaurus Rex!

Clues: Can read “easy reader” stories

Likes fairy tales and someone reading to him

Likes alphabet books and books about dinosaurs

Answer: Six Years Old

Guess My Age

I can’t wait for the new Harry Potter book to come out! My friend and I think it would be great to play quidditch, but we’ll have to be satisfied with soccer. In the last Harry Potter book, Harry reminded me of myself, because he was sort of confused a lot and moody sometimes. In social studies class, my teacher is reading Johnny Tremain to us, and it’s a great story with people like Paul Revere in it!

Clues: Enjoys fantasy books

Has a favorite sport

Has mood swings

Enjoying historical fiction set in the time of the American Revolution

Answer: Twelve Years Old

6 Year Olds 7-8 Year Olds 9-10 Year Olds 11-12 Yea r Olds Support their beginning reading skills by using “take turns” reading. You read one page, and your child reads the next. Read the same book several times to build fluency. Let your child take over more of the reading on repeated readings, as appropriate. Reading poetry and rhyming verse is a great way to lead a six year old into reading. Poems are short, and fun to read together! Continue reading aloud to your child from picture books, and talk about the stories together. Encourage your child to retell the story fr om the illustrations. Pick one or two interesting new words to practice using in conversation. These oral comprehension activities will promote future reading success!

Look for books that tap into your child’s interests. For example, if your child likes bugs, find a book about bugs. Get a collection of fairy tales. Fairy tales “speak” to a child’s sense of fair play at this age! Find riddle and joke books for your child to enjoy. Start your child on series books. Reading books in a series is a great way to increase the amount a child reads, which in t urn builds fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. Informational and fantasy series are popular at this age, such as The Magic School Bus series and The Magic Tree House series. Junie B. J ones books are also popular with this age group.

Get a collection of how-to books. Nine and ten year olds enjoy building projects. Enjoy comic strips and comic books together. Boys may be reluctant readers at this age, as they tend to be so active. Try reading part of a book aloud to hook your son. I f you get him interested enough, he may f inish it himself! Share books by reading one character’s dialogue, and have your child read another’s. Learning how to r ead dialogue expressively builds fluency, and helps bring books and characters to l ife. Popular authors for this age group include Roald Dahl (humor), Gary Paulsen (adventure), and Matt Christopher (sports). Popular series include The Boxcar Children series and American Girl books.

Introduce your child to new series books (Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley Twins are all popular choices for this age group). Get books about famous people that interest your child; musicians, sports figures, TV/ movie stars, etc. Subscribe to a teenage magazine. Children at this age enjoy reading them to practice what they will be like in a few years. Find movies based on books, and suggest that your child read the book before seeing the movie version. Compare and discuss the two together. Share a book you enjoyed as a teenager or preteen. Read enough of it aloud to give your child the feel of the book.

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Folklore - Defining the Genre

Folklore began as stories and poems told across the the generations.People sought to entertain, explain the world, and to transmit cultural values and beliefs.Folklore helps us understand not only ourselves, but also people from other cultures and and other times.

Types of Folklore

Mother Goose and Nursery RhymesFolktales: Cumulative Tales, Talking Animal Tales, Noodlehead Tales, Fairy Tales, Tall TalesFablesMythologyHero Tales: Epics and LegendsFolk SongsFractured Fairy Tales and Literary Folklore

Patterns in Folklore

Conventions “Once upon a time” & “They lived happily ever after”

Repeated use of the numbers three and sevenMotifs

Folktales are built up of "motifs" - common elements of plot and character that can be used and re-used over and over again, combined and recombined in different ways in order to create variants on existing stories. Motifs serve to develop and inform the text’s major themes.

ThemesRevolves around a topic of universal human concern, i.e., good vs. evil, usually developed through stereotypical characters who personify one trait

A Closer Look…

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=240

http://cms.attleboroschools.com/Cinderella/project.htm

Something extra…

Explore the Read-Write-Think website for reading instruction ideas related to the study of folklore that would be appropriate for the grade level you teach.

Grades K-2

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=874

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=889

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=156

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=83

Something extra…

Explore the Read-Write-Think website for reading instruction ideas related to the study of folklore that would be appropriate for the grade level you teach.

Grades 3-5

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=261

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=42

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=1043

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=853

Something extra…

Explore the Read-Write-Think website for reading instruction ideas related to the study of folklore that would be appropriate for the grade level you teach.

Grades 6-8

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=992

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=1

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=1

Something extra…

Explore the Read-Write-Think website for reading instruction ideas related to the study of folklore that would be appropriate for the grade level you teach.

Grades 9-12

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=281

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=784

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=814

E-Class for March 26 + Homework

E-Class assignment: Read Castek’s article, Reading Adventures Online, and complete ELC activities listed under Discussion.

Reading assignment: Read Chapter 7, Contemporary Realistic Fiction, and be prepared to discuss it in class on April 2. Come prepared for our Book Club discussion of Pictures of Hollis Woods!