Jessica Siegel Dr.

Casey February 19, 2013

Childrens Literature Exploration 1. The Hersheys Milk Chocolate Bar Fractions Book by Jerry Pallotta 1999 This book uses a chocolate bar, something familiar to all students, to teach math in a fun way. The Hersheys Milk Chocolate Bar Fractions Book uses simple terms to explain how a chocolate bar can be broken down into smaller pieces and how those smaller pieces of the chocolate bar are fractions. The way the book is written allows younger students that arent able to fully understand the concept of fractions to get a general idea of what fractions are and how they work. The Hersheys Milk Chocolate Bar Fractions Book makes students aware of the fact that math is present everywhere. Through reading this book, students realize that math doesnt only occur in the classroom, but also at home and in places such as the grocery store. This book is a good way to introduce students to fractions in second or third grade and can also be used in fourth or fifth grade while students are learning about fractions. This book explains to students that fractions are smaller pieces, or portions of a whole object. Creating an activity to go along with reading this book gives students a concrete example of how fractions work. If the school allows it, bringing in actual Hersheys bars, or simply cutting pieces of construction paper gives students tangible evidence of fractions and can help visual learners see how a whole can be broken down into smaller parts. 2. Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell 2001 Molly Lou Melon is a first grader who is the smallest girl in her class. Her grandma tells her to walk as proudly as you can and the world will look up to you. The book then shows what happens once Molly Lou takes her grandmas advice. Molly Lou has many characteristics that she perceives as being flaws, but her grandma teaches her to accept them and to appreciate them. Molly Lou has to move to a new town away from her grandma and to a brand new school. On the first day when she gets made fun of for being

short, she ends up winning a football game, making the bully look foolish. All of her characteristics that she once saw as flaws become strengths. This book teaches students that it is okay to be different. It shows that everyone has different characteristics and that those characteristics make us who we are. It also teaches students to take a different perspective on things. Molly Lou could have easily wallowed in the fact that she was shorter than her classmates, but instead she found a way to see that being short is an advantage, like when she won the football game. I think this book can be read starting in first grade all the way through fifth grade. Fifth graders might think it is a little kid book but the lesson that comes from the story is very relatable and valuable for them. This book can lead into an activity where students think about what they can do if they witness bullying or what they can do to make sure all of their classmates and friends are included in all activities, whether it be in the classroom, on the playground, or even outside of school. The standards that this book can cover for younger students are CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.4 Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.7 Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events. For older students, the standards that can be covered are CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text and CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.5 Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem. 3. The Very First Thanksgiving Day by Rhonda Gowler Greene 2006 The Very First Thanksgiving Day tells the story of how the pilgrims and the Indians came together, despite their differences and had a feast. Students are engaged while listening to this book and anticipate what might come next because of the rhymes that are used. The illustrations also help give students a good idea of what happened during the time of the pilgrims and the Indians. This book is a great resource for the classroom because of its historical accuracy. The author uses the correct terms for the pilgrims and the Indians and the illustrator did her best to make all of the illustrations historically accurate. The Very First Thanksgiving Day is a great book to introduce in the middle or end of November before Thanksgiving weekend. This book can be used to explain to students how the pilgrims and the Indians appreciated and were grateful for their land and resources. This book can lead to an activity asking students what they are grateful for. Another possible activity is to ask what traditions students families have on Thanksgiving Day. Something to mention while reading the book could also be that two

completely different groups of people with different interests and ideas shared a holiday where they celebrated the same thing-the Earth and their food. This book is geared toward younger grades. Kindergarteners and first graders would love it because it is on their level and it rhymes 4. 1+1=5 and Other Unlikely Additions by David LaRochelle 2010 1+1=5 and Other Unlikely Additions is a fun and new way to look at mathematics. This book shows that 1+1 does not always equal 2. The first page says 1+1=3? and the following page reads One unicorn+One goat=3 horns. The numbers increase through the pages with each page following the same format: 1+1=___. One of the problems is 1+1=hundreds? One pumpkin+One watermelon=Hundreds of seeds! Students will be drawn to the illustrations on each page in this book. Every page is full of vibrant colors and appealing illustrations of animals and people. This book would be great to use at the end of second grade or in third or fourth grade. I dont think it should be used until students have mastered their basic facts. If students havent yet mastered their basic facts, this book could easily confuse them. After reading this book, as an activity, students can create their own unlikely addition problem. This book gives students a chance to think outside of the box. The first answer a student would give to 1+1 is 2, however this book shows that there are different ways to look at math problems. This book also allows students to relate math to everyday life. Students will learn that math can occur outside of the classroom and that math can be fun. 5. The Five Senses of Love by Janet Parsons 2010 The Five Senses of Love gives concrete examples of the five senses that we use everyday using love as an example. The first sentence of the book is The very best news about love is that it is absolutely everywhere, all the time, and I can find it with my five senses. The narrator says she can see love whenand hear love when and gives examples for each. The Five Senses of Love can introduce the five senses to a young student in either preschool or

kindergarten. Clear examples are given of each of the five senses. The narrator can smell love when she smells her grandmothers perfume and can hear love when she hears a baby laughing. Young students can take these examples and then think of their own personal experiences when they may have experienced the five senses. The standards that reading this book can meet are CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.1 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.2 With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details and CCSS.ELALiteracy.RL.K.3 With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story. 6. One of Us by Peggy Moss 2010 One of Us tells the story of Roberta James, who is entering a new school. She is apprehensive about going to a brand new school, especially since the first day of school was two weeks ago. She first gets accepted by a group of girls who have a similar hairstyle to hers. She soon realizes that many of their interests are different. Roberta James then becomes friends with a group of students who are all different in their own special ways. This book is a great tool to use in the classroom if a new student is going to be joining the class. One of Us can also be used if there are increased reports of bullying in the school as a way to discuss the topic with my class. This book briefly mentions how you cant judge a persons character just by looking at them. Once you talk to someone, you get to know whom he or she is and what he or she is really like. One of Us teaches students to embrace their personality and to not change who they are. Everyone is liked for his or her own different characteristics.

7. My Brave Year of Firsts: Tries, Sighs and High Fives by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell 2012 Its an important year of firsts for Frankie. Some events that she experienced for the first time were riding a bike, going to the first grade, making a new friend, losing a tooth, and countless others. At the end of the book, Frankie says But I knew at that momentthough Ive known all alongthat first things first happen when Im brave, true, and strong. This book is visually appealing, relatable and current. The first few sentences of the book mention an iPhone, making it relevant to our current technology filled world. My Brave Year of Firsts: Tries, Sighs and High Fives uses rhyming throughout the text, making it even more appealing for young students. Anytime the word first is written in the book, the text is red, making it stand out on each page. This book also uses a lot of homophones, words that sound the same, but have different meanings as well as words that have similar spellings but are different words. A standard that can be used with this book is CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.K.3d Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ. 8. Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! by Wynton Marsalis 2012

Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! takes readers on a journey through the many different sounds that are heard in a neighborhood and at home. Some sounds that are mentioned are the sounds that trucks make, the sounds that different instruments make and the sound that buttering toast makes. Using onomatopoeia, readers can become familiar with what actions create certain sounds. Our back door squeeeaaks. A nosy mouse eeek-eeek-eeeks! This book makes students aware of their environment and the many things that go on inside of it. Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! is great for students who live in the city because they are so accustomed to the many sounds that are heard on the streets. This book is also great for

students who live in towns or in rural areas because even though the sounds are less frequent, they still are heard in small towns. This book can introduce the concept of onomatopoeia to young students. Instead of having a class of kindergarteners, first, second, or even third graders try to pronounce onomatopoeia, I can explain to my students that the onomatopoeias are words that imitate sounds. An activity that can be used after reading the story could be to have students draw a picture accompanied by their own onomatopoeia to go along with what they have drawn. For example, a student can draw a picture of someone (or themselves) dropping plates on the floor of the kitchen with clang, clang, clang written on the page because it is the appropriate sound that would be heard in that situation. The way the onomatopoeias are written and stretched out promotes phonemic awareness. A standard relates to this book is CCSS.ELALiteracy.RL.K.7 With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts). 9. Chico, the Brave by Dave Horowitz 2012

A chicken named Chico who lives in Peru is afraid of everything. His dad tells him the story of the Golden Chicken, but Chico doesnt believe that anyone can be that brave so he decides that he wants to meet the Golden Chicken and hear his story for himself. On his journey, he runs into the mean llamas, who tell him that he must climb the mountain. Even though he was scared, Chico climbed the mountain, and it turned out to be an unexpected adventure. He ended up flying over the mountain and being a hero. This book is great for teaching young students about bravery. I believe this book can be read to kindergarteners through third graders. I can explain to students that Chico was a brave chicken, who climbed the mountain even though it looked scary. Chico overcame his fear of climbing the mountain, and by doing so he went on a wonderful adventure; one that he would not have gone on if he never took the first step. An activity that can be done after reading this story is having the students draw a picture of a time when they were brave. Another option is to have students draw a picture of when they thought Chico was brave in the story.

10. A Year With Friends by John Seven 2013 A Year With Friends is an exciting journey through the months of the year. Every page of the book has the month written in a large font, making the month the focus of each page. Each page also says what people do during those months. For example the page for January says January is time for rolling down hills. The pictures show a little girl getting her snow outfit on and then rolling down the snowy hill with her dog. For March, the pictures show that it is a windy month because it is the beginning of spring. This book is a great tool for teaching students about the months of the year. This book can also teach students about the different seasons and which seasons occur during which months. Since each month is written in a large font, it becomes the focus of each page, making students pay the most attention to what each month looks like in writing. The illustrations on each page will help students be able to recognize events that occur during each month as well. A Year With Friends is a great book to introduce the months of the year to preschoolers. It can also be used in a kindergarten classroom to review the months of the year that they have previously learned in preschool or to teach the months to students who may not have learned them in preschool or at home.