Module 10: Historical Fiction Reading

My biggest takeaway from all of these historical fiction readings is how effective that they can truly be in the classroom. Until really reading and researching historical fiction, it was never really a subject that came to mind when I thought of children's literature. After reading so many articles, I can see how important it is to teaching children. Not only is it extremely helpful when it comes to literature, but it also is a great way for teaching history. Historical fiction really allows for children to engage in history while reading an interesting piece of writing. History does not always interest every child, but when you add a fictional aspect to it you would be surprised at how interesting it can become. Learning about events in time through fictional characters and stories is a great way to engage children in both reading and learning about history. Some stories such as Little Women and The Adventure's of Tom Sawyer were pieces of historical fiction that I had always enjoyed and never even realized were historical fiction.

Module 9: Creating my Own Myth

Phenomenon to be explained: Why the sky is blue
Setting: Under the Sea
Characters: Esmerelda (the sea mermaid), King Sebastian (Esmerelda's father), Maria (the water fairy)

In a far away kingdom under the sea lived King Sebastian and his daughter Esmerelda. He ran the kingdom smoothly and all of his people truly respected him. Esmerelda had always longed for something more. She often would swim to the very top of the ocean and look up at the black sky above and wonder if there was something more out there. Each night when she would return home and she would ask her father if he knew what lived beyond the sea. King Sebastian told Esmerelda that no one knew what lived beyond the sea out of fear of never being able to return. One day, when Esmerelda was on her way to the water line she sean into Maria the water fairy. She told Maria about her curiosity of what lied beyond the sea. Maria reluctantly told Esmerelda that she could help her, but there would be a price. If Esmerelda was to go to the outside world she would never be able to return to the sea, which meant that she could never see her father or her family ever again. Esmerelda went home that night and contemplated the choice over and over again in her head. The next morning when she awoke she kissed her still sleeping father on the forehead and head to the water line. When she arrived there, Maria was waiting for her. Maria asked Esmerelda if she had made a decision and she told her she had. Esmerelda wanted to be a part of the outside world. She know longer wanted to wonder what was out there, she wanted to be a part of it, and so she made her decision. With that, Maria waved her wand around Esmerelda and in an instant a huge blue wave circled around Esmerelda. She began to rise up over the water line and with in seconds she was on the shore. The big blue wave circled around her and filled the blackened sky until the entire sky was a pale blue. Esmerelda looked down to the ocean and saw nothing but water. Her kingdom was no longer visible to her. She looked up at the newly blue sky and walked along the shore to see what awaited her.

Module 9: My favorite fable

One fable that really stands out from my childhood is The Tortoise and the Hare. This fable is about a Hare who challenges and slow Tortoise to a race expecting that he will win. Being overly-confident the Hare takes a nap halfway through the race thinking that he is so far ahead of the tortoise that it wouldn't matter. In the end, the Tortoise ends up beating the Hare as he slowly and steadily "runs" the course. This fable is where I believe the phrase "slow and steady wins the race" comes from. This fable has a great message for life because most people assume that the only way to win is to be quick and aggressive when in reality sometimes taking your time and moving with ease can get you just as far. The story of the Tortoise and the Hare was told when I was a child and is continued to be told today.

Module 8: Learning Activity

One of my favorite picture books is Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. This would definitely be a story that I would use to base a learning activity off of in my own classroom. Since this story is about a boy and his wild imagination after being sent to his room with no supper, I would have my students use their own imaginations for this activity. I would have each student think of a world that they would create in their own bedrooms if no one else could see it. Just as the main character, Max, creates the imaginative jungle environment, I would have students illustrate environments of their own and then either write or discuss them. I would then allow students time to share with their classmates the different environments that they have created. This is a great activity to expand the students imaginations within their writing and their reading.

Module 8: Reading

My biggest take away from this reading was a line near the end of the article that stated, "students write best about what they know from their personal experiences." This line really stood out to me because it is something that I have always thought as well. Student's can connect much easier to a topic that they can find relatable to themselves. This is where picture books in children's literature come in. Picture books create stories and characters that young children can easily relate to. In literature, student's find characters that they can relate to themselves, their parents, their grandparents, siblings, etc. Children can find the characters in similar situations that they have in their own lives or perhaps having to make similar decisions that they have had to previously. This allows students to realize that their own experiences are "worthy of print." Students can be inspired through these picture books to want to create their own stories and read more like them. These thoughts alone are a huge takeaway from something as simple as picture books.

Module 7: Original Piece of Poetry

The Sun will Rise

My life has become a sea of grief

but what have I done to deserve this?

The goodbye girl grieves once again,

I am at a loss for words because

I don’t want to say goodbye.

A damp smell lingered in the air,

the city lights began to dim.

The raindrops were fading away,

And the night sky started to turn to light.

I sat and looked up at the sky,

wondering what lied beyond it.

Next year at this time everything will have changed,

and you’ll simply be gone.

The family I have always known

will become incomplete once

the cancer takes you away from us.

But I was given no choice and life happens,

Just like the sun rises and sets each day.  

Module 7 Reading

I believe that poetry is extremely overlooked in the education communication. Teacher's find it extremely threatening to teach poetry to their students but that shouldn't be the case. Poetry is a vital tool when it comes to teaching not only reading and writing, but all of the other subjects as well. It is important to incorporate poetry into all types of lessons whether it is used to introduce a lesson or as a final project to wrap one up. Exposing children to poetry at a young age is a great way to help them to develop both in literacy as well as other subjects.

In the classroom, poetry can be used in many different ways. Having students create poetry is a great way to help them to get their creativity flowing as well as helping their language to develop. Poetry can also be vital when it comes to history. Just like other types of writing over the years, poetry is just as important. Reading poetry from other time periods is a great way to get a look into those time periods and learn about their cultures and ways of life.