Book Blog #5: Interstellar Cinderella by Deborah Underwood

Interstellar Cinderella

Written by Deborah Underwood, Illustrated by Meg Hunt

Chronicle Books, Copyright 2015

Science Fiction

Plot Summary:

This space themed version of the classic "Cinderella" story comes with a twist. In this story, Cinderella is an expert tinker who dreams of repairing spaceships, instead of just repairing whatever her stepmother forces her to. As in the classic story, Cinderella's evil stepmother and stepsisters leave her behind to attend the Prince's Royal Space Parade. With the help of her "fairy godbot," Cinderella gets to the parade by fixing a broken rocket and rocking a bejeweled space suit. When she arrives, she finds the people in panic because the Royal space ship is having engine trouble. Will Cinderella save the day? Will she meet the prince and fall in love, or stay with her true love of being a mechanic? This creative twist on a classic story is an empowering read for all ages!

Illustrations: The illustrations within this book are somewhat jumbled, creating a "space-like" atmosphere where there are no rules for gravity and other laws that are present on Earth. The colors used for the illustrations are different from that of a children's book that usually has a female protagonist and main character. Instead of primarily using pinks, purples, and yellows, the illustrator also uses dark blues, shadowy browns, and muted greens to emphasize the theme of the story: that girls can enjoy activities other than what their stereotyped image brings awareness to, and they can do anything they put their mind to, even if the job is usually done by a boy! There are also many eccentric colors used in the illustrations, such as neon colors, to give the impression of the story being set in the future. 

I would definitely use this book for a 2nd-3rd grade reading or science lesson! This book is filled with comparisons to the original "Cinderella" story that my students could relate to, allowing them to practice the reading skill of "comparing and contrasting," and it also has many scientific terms and references to space that we could discuss in a science lesson centered on gravity and other science laws. I believe comparing and contrasting this story to the original story would benefit my students in that they could grow their comprehension skills, and I believe that relating the concepts in this book to what real life astronauts do in space and the scientific principles that go along with that would also benefit my students. 

Book Blog #4: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

The Tale of Despereaux

Written by Kate DiCamillo, Illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering

Candlewick Publishing, Copyright 2015 (Reprint Edition)

Modern Fantasy

Plot Summary
Despereaux Tilling is a mouse who is in love with a princess named Pea. However, this princess Pea is not a mouse, she is a human! He wishes to marry her with all his heart. Roscuro is a rat who lives in endless darkness and has spent his whole life yearning for the light. He wishes for a different life. Miggery Sow is a young servant girl who desperately and secretly wishes to become a princess, despite her unfortunate circumstances. This tale follows all three of these completely different characters, and all of them have a journey to take! Eventually, their stories intertwine with each other. What happens when they meet? Will they all get their wishes and heart's desires? Read this charming and adventurous story to find out!

Illustrations: This book contains pencil drawings by Timothy Basil Ering. Each drawing looks as if it was sketched right onto the page. Ering uses muted colors and draws his images to look as if they were almost "blurry" to illustrate the blurs between the real life comparisons and fiction of the story. Each illustration is beautifully sketched to include intricate details of the characters and the events around them. Even the character's clothes are given the finest detail! Many of Ering's drawings overlap between the pages, sometimes between three or more pages.

I would use this book in a 4th-5th grade reading lesson! I would use this book to go over how to analyze characters. The three characters that the book centers around have some things in common, and have some traits that are starkly different. My students could benefit from analyzing the character's thoughts, actions, and feelings to comprehend the story. I could also use this book to practice the reading skill of compare and contrast. My students could benefit from being able to distinguish what is alike about the characters, and what is different.

Book Blog #3: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Written by J.K. Rowling, Illustrated by Mary GrandPre

Bloomsbury Publishing (UK), Copyright 2002

Fiction/Fantasy

Plot Summary:

Harry Potter begins his fourth school year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with hope for a blank slate. All Harry wants to do is to relax and enjoy being with his friends. This year, Hogwarts is chosen to host the Triwizard Tournament, a game in which wizards from three different schools fight to win the Triwizard cup. However, these are no "normal" wizarding games. These games come with daunting challenges that risk death! Somehow, Harry's name was put into the goblet of fire and he was chosen to compete alongside wizards much older than him for the cup. Once your name comes out of the goblet of fire, there is no turning back. Will Harry survive the games? Read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to find out. 

Illustrations: The illustrations in this book are whimsically hand drawn, with some editions of the book being in color, and some in black and white. Mary GrandPre chose to illustrate each chapter picture as a prelude of what events would unfold in the chapter, without obviously giving the plot away. Mary's drawings are what she refers to as "soft geometry," featuring soft ends to shapes and pastel colors to bring the pages to life. Her work is created completely by hand!

I would use this book for a 5th/6th grade reading lesson! When reading this book, my students and i could discuss the genre of fiction/fantasy, theme, and story elements that help us understand the main idea of the text. My students would benefit from using this book in a reading lesson, because this book is so widely known, and provides a relatable context for my students to learn, as well as provides introductions to different genres of text and author's writing styles. This book is also an international book, published and written in the United Kingdom. Reading a book of international origin will broaden my students' scope and help them understand the cultures of countries different than the U.S.

Book Blog #2: The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi

The Name Jar

Written and Illustrated by Yangsook Choi

Dragonfly Books: Copyright 2003

Fiction 

Plot Summary:

The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi follows a young girl named Unhei who has just moved from Korea to the United States. At school, she feels like she just doesn't fit in with the other children. She is anxious that no one in her new American school will be able to pronounce her name, so on the first day of school, she informs her class that she will be choosing a new, American name by the end of the week. Her classmates help her out by placing options for a new name in a glass jar. However, before the end of the week, the glass jar goes missing! Will Unhei be able to choose a new name after all? Why did the jar go missing? Find out what acceptance and love can really do for a person in The Name Jar. 

Illustrations: Author and Illustrator Yangsook Choi chose to illustrate her book in an open-frame concept. The reader's view is that of an "onlooker" of the story. The colors she chooses to use are earthy toned and neutral, depicting some cultural ties to Korean heritage. The images correlate with the words that are written and add to the message that the author is sending to the reader. 

I would use this book for a 2nd or 3rd grade social studies lesson! This book promotes social acceptance and love for all people, even if they are a little different than us. This book tells a relatable story in which a new student comes to class, and depicts the emotions that this student goes through as she faces new challenges. My students would benefit from reading this book because some of them might have been new students themselves before, and if we have a new student come into our class, reading this book can help them understand why they might seem nervous or shy at first, and why it is important to make them feel welcome. This book would help me, as a teacher, promote acceptance and love in my classroom.

Book Blog #1: The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

The Lorax

Written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss

Random House Children's Books: Copyright Dr. Seuss Enterprises L.P. 1971, renewed 1999.

Fantasy

Plot Summary:

In The Lorax by Dr. Seuss, the Once-ler tells a story of a creature called the Lorax who speaks for the trees. The Lorax comes to town when the Once-ler decides to cut some of the truffula trees down to use for his "Thneed" sweater making business. The Lorax warns the Once-ler that once the trees are gone, they're gone, and the results of his actions could have dangerous effects on the beautiful nature that surrounds them. Will the Once-ler listen to the Lorax? The fate of the truffula forest is in his hands. 

Illustrations: Dr. Seuss' The Lorax depicts whimsical images of the land that the Once-ler lives in, as well as the truffula forest. The pages of this book are filled with fantastic cartoon images that are meant to be seen through a child's point of view, which explains why many of the images seem big or looming, or seem as if the reader is looking up. Some of the pictures are single spread, but many stretch across two pages. 

I would most definitely use this book for a K-2 science lesson in my classroom. This book is filled with environmental talks of safety and protecting the Earth. I would provide a lesson on what my students could do to help our Earth, as far as in the classroom, in our community, and places further from home. I think my students would benefit from a science lesson on environmental consciousness in order to relate what we read in The Lorax to what we can do in our own lives to protect our environment from pollution and disease. 

Makerspace

For my last reflection post, I am going to talk about Makerspaces. Makerspaces are used for exploring, creating, and building as well as discovering new ideas, and places to find solutions. Makerspaces promote problem solving and critical thinking while allowing students to have autonomy and choice when setting goals and persevering through them. They allow students to express their ideas! They are primarily rooted in STEM. Students work creatively and collaboratively and explore curiosity and inquiry. Participating in Makerspaces teach technological fluency and digital literacy, and explores meaningful learning for students. Makerspaces are theory based, rooted in the ideas of theorist Papert, who was the founder of Constructivism. Makerspaces are a positive technological development framework that help students grow in social skills, and gross/fine motor skills. They are used for all ages as a project based learning program. The teacher's role in Makerspaces is to be a facilitator and leader in exploration and discovery. Teachers are to set challenges and expectations, but let students ultimately take the lead. Teachers need to support not control! The student's role is to gain content knowledge, and to be immersed in collaborative and meaningful learning. 
What have I learned? How will this benefit me as a teacher?
Makerspaces prove that learning can happen outside of the traditional classroom. Students are given responsible roles as learners and given the opportunity to show their creativeness. Using Makerspaces will benefit me as a teacher because I am providing my students with an opportunity to learn and experiment that will help them grow as lifelong learners. 

The following pictures show students participating in Makerspaces. 



The following video explains what a Makerspace is and how to use it efficiently.
https://youtu.be/NLEJLOB6fDw

Genius How

Genius How is a program/movement that allows students to explore their passions, and promotes fostering creativity. It is usually implemented in schools that choose to participate in the program for an hour a week. Students begin making projects for this program by brainstorming ideas of what they want to research. Teachers may add parameters if they choose to do so. Then, students ask questions, and research the answers. Lastly, the students share their work and research with the class. This program promotes the self sufficiency of students and the responsibility of creating something that the students are proud of. Every Genius How project has to include an essential question. This question must promote deep thought and encourage research. The question cannot be easily answered by google, otherwise it defeats the purpose. Students are allowed to research on scholarly websites and use scholarly resources. This introduces them to the idea of digital literacy and also to the idea of determining if a source they use in their project is credible or not. Students will also need access to materials such as those found in a "makerspace" to use for their projects. The best way to showcase student work for this program is to give the students who participate an authentic audience to present to. This can be done through hosting a "Genius Hour Fair" in which students show off their hard work to other students, teachers, and parents. 
What have I learned? How will this benefit me as a teacher?
I have learned that involving students in projects and work like this is challenging, but the results are so worth it! It is difficult to teach self-sufficiency, independence, and responsibility. By using Genius Hour, teachers already have a platform in which the students can build off of by experience. Using programs like Genius Hour will benefit me as a teacher because they will allow me to provide my students with an authentic learning experience in a different context than traditional teaching and learning. 

The following pictures are examples of Genius Hour projects made by students around the world. These students worked extremely hard on these projects and are perfect examples of what Genius Hour can help your students achieve!



The following video is an introduction to Genius Hour. It gives great tips to  introducing Genius Hour in your classroom!
https://youtu.be/PzjIHD7l2Mc