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Choosing Quality Children’s Trade Books. Time for a little thinking…. Think of one of your favorite books from Grades 3-6. What makes a quality piece of children’s literature ? What kinds of books are in a high-quality classroom library in Grades 3-6?
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Time for a little thinking… • Think of one of your favorite books from Grades 3-6. • What makes a quality piece of children’s literature? • What kinds of books are in a high-quality classroom library in Grades 3-6? • Think/pair/share with your group. Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
What Constitutes “Children’s” Literature? • A child protagonist and an issue that concerns children • A straightforward story line, with a linear and limited time sequence in a confined setting • Language that is concrete and vivid and not overly complex Temple, C., Martinez, M., Yokota, J., & Naylor, A. (1998). Children’s books in children’s hands. Boston: Allyn and Bacon Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
How Do We Recognize “Quality” Children’s literature? • Good books: • expand awareness • provide an enjoyable read that doesn’t overly teach or moralize • tell the truth • embody quality • have integrity • show originality Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
Expand Awareness • Good books: • Give children names for things in the world and for their own experiences • Take children inside other characters’ perspectives • Broaden children’s understanding of the world and their capacity for empathy Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
Provide an Enjoyable Read • Good books provide a lesson in a way that is not overly contrived or moralistic • Good books show the lesson rather than tell it Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
Tell the Truth • Good books: • Usually deal with significant truths about the human experience • Characters are true to life • Insights the books imply are accurate, and, perhaps, wise Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
Embody Quality • In good books: • The words are precisely chosen, often poetic in their sound and imagery • The plot is convincing • The characters are believable • The descriptions are rich and telling Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
Have Integrity In the sense of both: • “Wholeness or completeness” • Genre, plot, language, characters, style, theme, illustrations (if any) come together to create a satisfying whole • “Soundness of moral character” Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
Show Originality • Excellent books • Introduce children to unique characters or situations or show them the world from a unique viewpoint • Stretch children’s minds, giving them new ways to think about the world and new possibilities to think about Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
How Can We Judge “Quality”? • Originality • Importance of ideas • Imaginative use of language • Beauty of literary and artistic style that enable book to remain fresh, interesting, and meaningful for years Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
Get to know children’s literature • Read and enjoy children’s books. • Read children’s books with a sense of involvement. • Read a variety of book types. • Read books for a wide variety of ability levels. • Share with your colleagues how your students respond to particular books. • Start by reading several books considered to be of “good” quality. • Talk with children about books. Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
For the Book: • John Newbery Award • The book judged to be the most distinguished contribution to children’s literature published in the U.S. during the previous year. • Sarah, Plain and Tall, by Patricia MacLachlan • The Whipping Boy, by Sid Fleischman • Holes, by Louis Sachar • Boston Globe-Horn Book Award • One outstanding example of Fiction and Nonfiction • Fiction: Poppy, by Avi; Missing May, by Cynthia Rylant • Non-Fiction: Sojourner Truth: Ain’t I a Woman, by Patricia & Fredrick McKissack Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
For the Illustrations: • Randolph Caldecott Award • Awarded to the illustrator of the most distinguished children’s book published the previous year • Officer Buckle and Gloria, by Peggy Rathman • Owl Moon, by Jane Yolen • Boston Globe-Horn Book Award • One outstanding example of illustration • Grandfather’s Journey, by Alan Say • Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters, by John Steptoe Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
For “New Talent” in Children’s Writing • International Reading Association Children’s Book Award • One author who writes for older readers • Letters from Rifka, by Karen Hesse • One author who writes for younger readers • Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt, by Deborah Hopkinson, Illustrated by James Ransome • One author who writes informational books • Brooklyn Bridge, by Elizabeth Mann • Ezra Jack Keats New Writer’s Award • Promising new writer who has had six or fewer children’s books published • Tar Beach, by Faith Ringgold Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
African American Authors/Illustrators • Coretta Scott King Award • For books that encourage understanding and appreciation of people of all cultures and the pursuit of “the American Dream” • The Friendship, by Mildred Taylor • The Young Landlords, by Walter Dean Myers Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
To Author/Illustrator for Entire Body of Work: • Hans Christian Andersen Award • One author and one illustrator in recognition of an entire body of work • Authors: Paula Fox, Virginia Hamilton, Scott O’Dell • Illustrators: Mitsumasa Anno, Lisbeth Zwerger • Laura Ingalls Wilder Award • Author or illustrator whose works have made a substantial and lasting contribution to children’s literature over a period of years • Dr. Seuss, Virginia Hamilton, E. B. White Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
A Well-Rounded, Interesting Classroom Library • modern, realistic literature as well as more traditional literature • books with different types of themes • books of varying difficulty • a variety of genres • informational books • books whose characters realistically depict various cultural groups and life circumstances • books that meet students’ reading interests Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
Genres • Traditional Literature • Myths and religious stories • Fables (proverbs explicitly stated at the end) • Folktales (word of mouth, unknown origins) • Pourquoi Tales (explain phenomena) • Tall Tales and Legends (greatly exaggerated accounts of heros and legends) • Cumulative tales (repeating and adding lines) • Fairy tales (folktales that involve magic) • Apprenticeship/Hero tales (character rises from a lowly to high estate, or from ignored/ threatened to recognized/rewarded for good qualities Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
Genres • Realistic fiction • Historical fiction • Fantasy and science fiction • Biography (depending on structure) • Drama • Diaries • Personal narrative Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
Different types of texts require different ways of understanding and recalling the most important ideas…Narrative?Expository? Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
What is a narrative text? • Tells a story • Based on life experiences • Person-oriented using dialogue and familiar language (written in first, second, or third person) • Purpose(s) • To entertain • To tell a story • To provide an aesthetic experience • Organization • Uses story grammar Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
Story Grammar/Story Structure • Characters • Setting • Problem • Events • Resolution • Theme Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
Less Complex Story Grammar • Beginning (characters, setting, problem) • Middle (events) • End (resolution) Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
More Complex Story Grammar • Beginning: • characters (antagonist/protagonist), setting, problem (conflict), initiating event • Middle: • turning points, crisis, rising action, climax, subplot, parallel episodes • End: • resolution, falling action, ending Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
What is an expository text? • Non-fiction • Informational books • Biographies • Photographic essays • Purpose(s) • To convey information about the natural and social world • Uses facts, details, opinions, and examples to inform or persuade • Organization • Has varied text patterns (e.g., time order, enumeration, compare/contrast, cause/effect, problem/solution) Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
But across both types of texts, good readers use at least five metacognitive comprehension strategies…Your homework is to find out what these are (Chapter 1). And come prepared with 2 questions predicting what Thursday’s readings will be about (preview Chapter 2). Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com