EDUC 124/224 Jacob Schmudlach Professor Small 11/23/12 A Picture Book of Jackie Robinson By David A.

Adler 1997 Holiday House Biography - Multicultural 30 pages Summary: This is a short biography for students of all ages that cover the life of the great man Jackie Robinson. You learn not just about Jackies athletic accomplishments but you get to see where he came from and what he went through as a young kid and adult. Jackie Robinson was the first African-American to play in the major leagues but you find out that he was also known for his heroics in America for giving other African-Americans equal opportunities in our nation.

Personal Response: Strengths / Weaknesses: S: The number one thing about this book is that nobody what the age group is, students love to read and hear about Jackie Robinson. He was a stellar ball player and a big figure in our sports history. Another thing about this book is that it gives the students a chance to see what life was like for an African-American back in his time. This book can be used as an informational text towards students during times like Black History Month and other things. This is a great book that can be read for fun and can be read for lesson purposes.

W: I really dont see many weaknesses in this book at all. I feel like this book can be beneficial in so many different ways. The only thing I would say is that if a student wanted a book to read individually then this book might not be the best because it is so short. This book could be finished in one short sitting. How this book might be used: I think this book could be used with a wide variety of age groups. I say this because I have read this book to a group of 5 th graders and they all loved it and said they learned a lot from it. In saying this, I think I would use this book for read alouds and shared readings with 3rd graders. Students at this age know of Jackie Robinson, but they dont know all of the specific details. From my experience in the 3rd grade classroom I think the students would be eager to learn about Jackie Robinson and some of the race issues that would be easier to understand. This book would work well either way in the classroom.

EDUC 124/224 Jacob Schmudlach Professor Small No Talking By: Andrew Clements Simon & Schuster Realistic Fiction 146 pages Summary: This book is about a group of 5th grade girls and boys who dont initially get along very well at all. The real problem was that these students were very loud and disorderly. The group of boys were known as The Unshushables who never stopped making smart remarks and talking in general. Until one day in the lunch room the leader of the boys group, Dave is eating at his table and he hears the girls running their mouths to him which gave him the idea to have a no talking contest for two whole days. Without hesitation the girls agree to the challenge, make an oath of honesty and commit. This no talking challenge has a specific set of rules but for the most part the students cant talk at school, home or anywhere for two days straight. If they do then they record tallies. As this starts you see in the book how it affects class, the teachers, the principal and many more. Who is more disciplined: The boys or the girls? Personal Response: This is a book that was written by a man who has really excelled in making grade school childrens stories. Andrew Clements, the author of the bestseller book Frindle does a great job of making this story humorous and realistic at the same time. I thought this book was an enjoyable read and something that would be fun to read to your students. Another reason I liked this book was because it reminded me so much of the type of things I did with my friends and the girls in my grade school classes. The way the boys act towards the girls and the phrases and comments they constantly make to each other, I have personally seen or done those first hand in real life. The author did a good job not getting the reader lost when bouncing around from student to student and teacher to teacher. This book was an easy read and I feel like students would really be drawn to this book once beginning it. Strengths / Weaknesses:

S: The strengths of this book were the way it allowed the reader to really picture the emotions and expressions that were being made by the characters in the story. There was a lot of conflict and arguing in the story, but never did I once have to question what was going on. I also liked how the author used punctuation well throughout the story. When a character was yelling, you knew it. When someone was furious or sad, you knew it just by the way everything in the book was written. The author did a great job of taking a simple no talking contest and forming it into something that eventually turns out to be more than that. It gives the reader a reason to want to keep reading once he or she has started. W: The one thing I will say about this book that isnt necessarily positive is that there are not a whole lot of educational value teaching practices in it. There isnt any cultural diversity or big ideas that a teacher could pick out specifically and do a lesson on if he or she were teaching a reading lesson. You can always dig and find something to focus on as a teacher, but I felt like there werent any in this book that really stood out. I also think for some readers it may be a little repetitive in the way a story about a two day no talking contest goes on for 150 pages in a book. How this book might be used: This book would work best for shared readings and or Independent Readings. I would use this book with fourth or fifth graders because they would be able to relate the most to this book from real life experiences. It would be a fun way for shared readings in the classroom. I feel the students would really enjoy listening to it. Teachers could even do a lesson on boys and girls getting along in class because the book mentions this a lot. More than anything, I feel like students would love reading this on their own during independent reading time. I say this because for some kids this book may be a little long for them or a little too hard to comprehend when jumping from character to character and for others it would be a longer book that is true in many ways and funny as well.

EDUC 124/224 Jacob Schmudlach Professor Small Tron Legacy By: Alice Alfonsi Disney Press Science Fiction 118 pages Summary: This book is about a rebellious twenty-seven year old man named Sam Flynn who had been haunted by a random disappearance of his father when he was seven years old. His father was once known as the worlds largest known video game developer. His father had been missing for twenty years until one day Sam received a signal from his fathers old arcade room that only he could send to him. Remembering the stories of a digital world that his father told him about, it wasnt long before Sam ended up there meeting his trapped father once again. Sam and his father embark on a life or death journey across this cyber universe that his father Kevin had created himself. This world was much more advanced than they had both imagined and there was an evil villain that would stop at nothing to defeat them.

Personal Response: This is a book that was written based of the Walt Disney movie Tron Legacy, which happened to be a remake from the early 1980s. I liked this story. I thought it was an action packed story where you really had to pay attention to what you were reading in order to fully understand what was going on and catch on to all the details. This book had a good guy and a bad guy which is always fun. You have something to root for and along with that you got to visualize a cyber world where it was advanced with vehicles, weapons, landscapes and a ruthless villain who will stop at nothing to prevent their escape. Strengths / Weaknesses: S: The strengths of this book was the way it took such a long movie or story and brought it all together to make a 100 page story without pulling out any great details. It provided exciting texts for the reader when it came to the action scenes. It was an obvious science fiction story in

which the cyber planet in the story had all futuristic characteristics. The last thing I liked about the book was the way it provided real images in the middle of the book for the reader to see. This showed Sam, Kevin The Father and the villain and it showed what the cyber universe looked like. This would help kids that were reading a ton. W: The one weakness I would say about this book is that it may be confusing for a lot of young students to understand. It talks about specific things in the Cyber World and jumps from scene to scene a lot throughout the book. I say this because I found myself at times having to go back to read a passage to understand where exactly Sam was in the story. If students all understood the details explaining what was going on in the climax of the story then I think all would enjoy. How this book might be used: This book would work best as a read aloud and or Independent Reading. With the reading aloud it would be good because I would be able to explain to students what is going on and help them visualize where the story takes place and what is going on. As far as the independent reading, I think it would be good because not all students love action packed science fiction stories. Some boys may like this much more than girls so if the boys can read this on their free reading time they may be able to get way deeper into the book. Some students may want to read this book for the opportunity to finish and then go watch the movie on it to see if what they visualized is really what it was like.

EDUC 124/224 Jacob Schmudlach Professor Small Wingwalker Author: Rosemary Wells Illustrator: Brian Selznick 2002 Hyperion Books Historical Fiction 65 pages Summary: This is a story about a time in America when majority of the people lost every dime they had. This most likely took place during the early to mid 1900s. On top of that the droughts of the dust bowl in Oklahoma hit hard. A young boy named Reuben who was just finishing second grade in the town of Ambler, Oklahoma was growing up being used to the small town, peaceful life. All of the sudden that life he had once loved was disappearing quickly. His family was low on money and his father was working a job that was very dangerous just so he could support them. This story works through different areas of a somewhat lost America at the time. Rosemary Wells takes us through small farms, cornfields, county fairs and all over showing what families did in this hard time. Personal Response: This book was written by the author Rosemary Wells. She is a well known author but this book was the first historical fiction book she had written for children to read. In saying that, I think the book was pretty good. I wouldnt sa y great but I do think there are students in the elementary grade levels that would enjoy this book because it is about a second grade boy who goes through a lot of change and hardship in a quick amount of time. I loved the illustrations in this book and I liked the way so many different topics were brought up in the story. I also felt like the author and illustrator did a very good job at making it known how

different life was back then compared to now. They provided great insight and imagery throughout the book. I liked the book and thought it was a good story that had a positive ending but I wouldnt say I was crazy about it by any means. Strengths / Weaknesses: S: As far as for young readers goes, this book had quite a few strengths that stuck out to me. This book covers things from real life trials and struggles, to fun things kids would love to read about such as fairs and dancing on planes. The imagery in the book is great and provides the readers with a good visual of what Reuben is actually talking about throughout the story. Some more strengths in regards to the story was the way the author described all the different types of people Reuben came across while going from carnival to carnival. He developed a great relationship in the story with a black man, which could be beneficial to talk about in the classroom. W: There really arent many big weaknesses that stick out to me in this book. The only thing I can see happening is that students might have trouble understanding what is happening in America and why it is happening if they may be reading this individually to themselves. In the generation elementary students live in they dont really have a knowledge base for things like depressions and such, therefore it would be best if teachers guided them through the story. How this book might be used: This book would work best for shared readings and read alouds. I would use this book with students in 3rd or 4th grade. This is the age I feel like students would be able to comprehend the entire book for the most part. I say they would work best for shared readings and read alouds because this gives the teacher an opportunity to walk students through the book while explaining the whys in the story. If a teacher really wanted to he or she could even d o a social studies

lesson with this book and talk about America in the 1900s. I think kids would enjoy this story that much more if they understood everything that was happening.

EDUC 124/224 Jacob Schmudlach Poetry File Due 10/22 15 points Science Poem Shark Hark! Hark! I see a shark, But why's it here, in this park? Apex predator, of the sea, Shouldnt be, on land with me! Teeth so sharp, Skin so smooth, Dorsal fins, to help it move... Breathes through gills, That's not all, Eats it prey, Large and small, How this fish, Chased me here, I dont know, Oh my, oh dear!!! This is really, really drastic, I sure hope, that shark is plastic... Source: http://sciencepoems.net/sciencepoems/shark.aspx#.UICv1cXR68A Why: I would use this poem for my students because it could be a great introduction of a shark theme in class and there is great humor involved in this poem as well. It would be a fun read and it would get the students excited. Everybody loves hearing about sharks.

How and Who: I would use this poem in my 2nd or 3rd grade science class. This could be done through a read aloud as an introduction of sharks in my science class. The students would enjoy it and we could start a fish or shark section of science soon after reading this poem. Math Poem A Tale of the Cats The lucky cats in Stratton Street Had seven mice apiece to eat. The rest made do With only two: The total score Being twenty four. How many cats ate mousie meat? Source: http://www.trottermath.net/humor/poemmath.html Why: I chose this poem because it was unique, and easy to understand for students. After reading this you can tell it flows nice, but at the same time you have to try and solve something. This would easily be incorporated into the classroom. How and Who: I would use them poem in my 4th or 5th grade math class. You could use this poem to start out your class as a warm up exercise. It is enjoyable and it is formed into a story problem. The students actually have to think about what is actually being said in order to solve this math problem in the poem. Social Studies Poem Colors My skin is kind of sort of brownish Pinkish yellowish white. My eyes are grayish bluish green, But I'm told they look orange in the night. My hair is reddish blondish brown, But it's silver when it's wet. And all the colors I am inside Have not been invented yet. -Shel Silverstein Source: Silverstein, S. (1974) Where the Sidewalk Ends Why: I would use this poem because it is very powerful and there is a lot of thought that can go in when and after reading it even though it is somewhat short.

How and Who: I would use this poem with my 4th and 5th grade class during the Social Studies period. This is a great poem about the colors of people all around us. This could be a great poem when starting a section about similarities and differences in people in our world. Art Poem All I need All I need is a pencil an eraser or some chalk a pen, paper or a sparkler to write out all my crazy thoughts all I need is a box or a brick so I can sketch on each and every side or maybe I could draw upon my kit and let my imagination fly. Poem written by Chris Templeton Source: http://www.poems4julia.com/funny-kids-poems/julias-kids-poems/all-i-need-poem Why: I would use this poem because it makes so much sense to me. Being fairly young I can relate to exactly what the Poet is saying in this poem. I feel the kids would understand as well. How and Who: I would use this poem with my 4th and 5th grade class when talking about art. This poem is about the need to create and with some guidance the students will be able to read this poem and understand that there are no boundaries when drawing or creating an artistic piece. You can create art out of the smallest things. Music Poem Music by Walter de la Mare When music sounds, gone is the earth I know, And all her lovely things even lovelier grow; Her flowers in vision flame, her forest trees Lift burdened branches, stilled with ecstasies. When music sounds, out of the water rise Naiads whose beauty dims my waking eyes,

Rapt in strange dreams burns each enchanted face, With solemn echoing stirs their dwelling-place. When music sounds, all that I was I am Ere to this haunt of brooding dust I came; And from Time's woods break into distant song The swift-winged hours, as I hasten along. Source: http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/walter_de_la_mare/poems/1929.html Why: I picked this poem because it is very detailed in the way it uses music. It has rich text and really gives a good image of how music plays a role in everyday life. How and Who: I could use this in a 4th grade class when talking about all of the ways music is involved in everyday life. The poem rhymes and it is very deep as far as using music in it. It would really get the students thinking. Health Poem

As Though I Were Just Flowing, Flowing As though I were just flowing, flowing, Leaving not a trace behind, Zest for life not one whit less, However blank the roving mind; Emptiness the space for being In the moving moment still, Meaning nothing more than meaning, Each ellipse elliptical; Reminiscences like flowers 'Ere the garden was convened, So sweet the disconnected hours. . Source: Copyright 2008 by Nicholas Gordon Why: I love this poem because of the meaning behind it and it is a different type of poem that student are probably used to. How and Who: I could use this in a 4th or 5th grade classroom. It would be beneficial because it teaches the students a little about Alzheimers and it is a different type of poem. We could use this when going over certain diseases. Extra Poem #1 About Ears

By: Vivian Gouled We use our ears for hearing things like drums and cuckoo clocks, and chickadees, and thunderstorms, and bells and clangs and knocks. We use our ears for hearing things like honking on the street, but ears of CORN aren't ears that hear... They're ears just meant to EAT! Source: http://www.scrapbook.com/poems/doc/602/356.html Why: I would use this poem because it is about the human body which can be useful in the classroom in a lesson but it also has a twist to it at the end that is humorous and may be fun being used in the classroom. How and Who: I would use this with my 2nd grade class. We could use this in a lesson that deals with the body or we could even use this in the way that there are two different meanings for the word Ear. Some students may not know this at a young age. Extra Poem #2 Dreams By: Langston Hughes Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow. Source: http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/dreams-2/ Why: I would use this poem because it is short, but very motivating and deep for many ages of students. This theme of dreams can be implemented in any subject in the classroom. How and Who: I would use this poem with a 3rd grade classroom. This poem is about dreams so as a teacher I would the students write their own poem about their personal dreams. This would be a simple way for students to use poetry and express feelings.

EDUC 124/224 Jacob Schmudlach The Pig Who Went Home on Sunday By Donald Davis 2004 Illustrated By: Jennifer Mazzucco August House Publishers Traditional Literature 40 pages Summary: This story is a home grown version of the famous Three Little Pigs st oryline. Like the original story the villain here is the Red Fox who any hunter will tell you is a worthy and tough opponent. The story has the same use of inherent repetition and rhythms in it but it has its own little twist when it comes to each pig that encounters the sly fox. The illustrators water colors depict a fox who is part game show host and part used car salesmen in the way he tries to Con the pigs. Like the well-known tale we know of there is a bright ending to this story when talking about the poor pigs against the mean fox. This is a unique, well illustrated version of the tale we all know. Personal Response: This book was an easy and humorous read for me considering as a child I loved the story of the Three Little Pigs. The original sto ry always bothered me because the first two pigs were unsuccessful with the wolf and I was always rooting for the pigs. So to be able to read a story with the same storyline but different ending made this exciting for me to read. The illustrations really helped me envision what was going on in the story. I enjoyed this book because the results were the same with the pigs and wolf but the way the wolf encountered the pigs was a lot different and there was more thought done with the third little pig, rather than just building the brick house. It was a thought out strategic

plan. If you like the story of Tom and Jerry or the Three Little Pigs like I do then you will enjoy this story. Strengths / Weaknesses: S: This story is fun and exciting for students of all ages. It is provided with rich illustrations that allow students to better understand what is actually going on in the story. It can be read to students a various age groups and can be enjoyable to everyone. The author does a good job of twisting the story of the Three Little Pigs and making it different in a pleasant way. The author Donald Davis has written many childrens stories and has proved he is a professional by his few awards he has received after making them. W: I personally believe there arent any real large considerations to be made for this book. It is well scripted and the illustrations really are great. I guess one thing I can say is that before reading this story to your class, it would probably be best if you made sure all of the students have heard the real initial Three Little Pigs story. How this book might be used: This book would work well as a read aloud or independent reading story. As a teacher I think I could really focus on specific comprehension strategies with the students when reading this story. Since we dont always know what is going to happen next, I could have the students making predictions and even visualizing what is happening in the story. With a story like this there are all sorts of things a teacher could do, but the best thing about this story when thinking about teaching is that it is exciting so I think it will help with student engagement throughout the whole classroom.

EDUC 124/224 Jacob Schmudlach Professor Small 11/23/12 Fall, 2012 Nonfiction Annotations Social Studies Text Title The Usborne Childrens World Atlas Author and Illustrator Author: Stephanie Turnbull and Emma Helbrough Illustrator: Stephen Moncrieff Publisher, Year Published and pages Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd. Year: 2002 Pages: 144 Summary: This childrens Atlas is a breakdown of all the different sights and maps in our world today. It is broken down by all of the continents and it is a great way to teach Social Studies lessons to students of all ages on things like the driest deserts or the Amazon rain forest and many other neat places in our world. This book provides an easier way to understand the regions to younger students.

Related CCSS or Professional Standard : Grade 4-Social Studies Understand the characteristics of regions--physical and cultural

Age/ Grade Level and How It Would Be Used: Multi-cultural -This could be used with the grades 3-5, but I think I would start with 4th grade students. The book can still be pretty specific for students in younger grades. I would use this book to teach lessons on specific places in the world. I would also use this book as a read aloud while doing a unit on a specific region in the world in class.

Science Text Title Insects Author and Illustrator Author: Ellen Doris Photographer: Len Rubenstein Publisher, Year Published and pages Publisher: Grolier Educational Year: 1996 Pages: 72 Summary: This is a childrens book that is not only about insects. This is a book about Entomology, which is the study of insects. This great book provides projects, field trips, ideas and suggestions that will help the teacher and students all explore the insect kingdom.

Related CCSS or Professional Standard : 3rd Grade-Science

Life Science: Structures, characteristics, and adaptations of organisms that allow them to function and survive within their habitats. How individual organisms are influenced by internal and external factors

Age/ Grade Level and How It Would Be Used: I would start by using this book in the 3 rd grade. I think this is a good grade to bring up the specifics about insects. Things like where they live and what causes them to do what and things like life cycles and habitats. This could be done through read alouds, independent reading and mini lessons in the classroom.

Math Text Title Mathemagic Author and Illustrator Author: Jeffrey Dielle, Norton Juster, Kaye Starbird

Illustrator: 50-53 Bill and Judie Anderson (Many different Illustrators) Publisher, Year Published and pages Publisher: Childcraft International, Inc. Year: 1981 Pages: 300 Summary: The book Mathemagic is a fun filled educational book. This book provides students with many different small stories and illustrations that provide problems in them. The students have to comprehend the story but also figure out a problem in each of these stories. The book is made to promote engagement and enthusiasm in the math classroom. Considering this has small stories in it as well, students have to really focus on the words and comprehend what is always being read.

Related CCSS or Professional Standard : 5th Grade-Mathematics Geometry: 5.G.2. Represent real world and mathematical problems by graphing points in the first quadrant of the coordinate plane, and interpret coordinate values of points in the context of the situation

Age/ Grade Level and How It Would Be Used: I would use this book primarily with 5th grade students and focused on the geometry portion of it because there is so much of it talked about throughout the book. This book has higher level thinking problems and lower level as well, but I feel overall read alouds turned into mini lessons with 5th grade students on the topic of Geometry would be the best way to work through this book.