Quest for the Tree Kangaroo

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Montgomery, S., & Bishop, N. (2006). Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
 
Genre: Nonfiction
Grade Level: 4th-8th
Summary: This is a book that follows scientist Lisa Dabek, the author Sy Montgomery, Photographer Nic Bishop, and a lot of other explorers on their quest through New Guinea to find tree kangaroos. They reason for this journey is to capture, study, and release Matschie tree kangaroos to continue monitoring them. Not much is known about this species because they are afraid of humans and their hopes is to be able to save them because as the rainforest disappears so do tree kangaroos. As they they make their journey through New Guinea the reader gets to know more about the island and the people there who try and help conserve it. They are successful in capturing the kangaroos and through observation and reserach Lisa and her team hope to be able to learn a lot about these marsupials to help them.
  • Setting: New Guinea
  • Theme: Conservation, exploration
  • Point of View: Third person
  • Characters: Lisa, Sy the narrator, Holly, Chrisitne, Gabriel, Joel, Toby, Robin

Lesson Sketch:

This book is a great reminder that humans are not the only species that matter on this earth. I know that I do good on simple things such as recycling, never littering, conserving water, and turning off the lights when not needed but I can definitely improve by using one reusable water bottles and consuming less “things.”

The Chocolate War

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Cormier, R. (1974). The Chocolate War: A novel. New York: Pantheon Books.
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Grade Level: 9th-12th
Summary: The Vigils run Trinity High School and everyone knows it, yet no one really speaks of them; they are like a secret society. The Vigils assign the student body secret tasks and no one has ever defied them. Archie is the assigner of the Vigils, Carter the president, and Obie the secretary. Their power in the school is so strong that Brother Leon turns to Archie to help him ensure the sale of chocolates is successful, Archie agrees. One of the tasks we see assigned is to Goober. The Goober is a kindhearted kid, so when he is given the task of loosening the screws in every desk and chair in room 19 he is devastated by the results. The Goober creates havoc in the class when everything begins falling apart and sees the teacher cry at the sight of the disaster. Throughout the book we see Goober live with regret. Jerry on the other hand, Goober’s friend, defies the Vigils and Brother Leon. Jerry is assigned to refuse to sell chocolates for 10 days by the Vigils and carries out the assignment but after the 10 days are over he continues to refuse to sell the chocolates. Brother Leon is furious and the Vigils leave it up to Archie to fix the mess he got them in. Archie is always calm and collected and immediately hatches a plan. Archie like to play mind games so he starts by intimidating Jerry through anonymous phone calls, destruction of some of his things, and even sends Emile (the school bully) to intimidate Jerry. Emile brings a group of people and they all beat up Jerry. Jerry is shaken but he continues to stand his ground. Archie then hatches another plan in which he sets up Emile and Jerry to fight in front of the whole school. Jerry is beaten until he is unconscious and the fight is stopped by the faculty. Despite the mess created by Archie, Brother Leon continues to stand behind the Vigils.
  • Setting: Trinity school
  • Theme: Bullying, defiance
  • Point of View: Third person omniscient
  • Characters: Jerry, Archie, Obie, Brother Leon, The Vigils, Emile, Carter, and Goober

Lesson Sketch:

  • Lesson Objective: Students will be able to show their understanding of concepts such as ambiguity, symbolism, tone, diction, and foreshadowing.
  • Questions:
    • 1. Jerry refused to sell the chocolates, were his actions justified? Did the chocolates symbolize anything in the story? Explain.
    • 2. What is power? How is the concept of power important in the story? What are your personal opinion on power and gaining/maintaining power.
  • Lesson Activity: Student will write a short story in which they will complete the ambiguous ending, continue the story of one of the side character, or write the background story of one of the main characters while keeping in mind terms such as symbolism, tone, diction, and foreshadowing.
  • Resources:

The book ends ambiguously so I still had a lot of questions! I wanted to know what happened to Jerry and the Goober. Did Jerry get closer to his dad? Did everyone still hate Jerry? And what about Emile the bully? Would he get even with Archie for always portraying him as an animal and lying about the picture? And besides the main characters, what about all the small side stories that were being played out? Did Tubs Casper buy his girlfriend the bracelet she wanted??? This book is one I would use with students in high school because there is a lot of sexual references especially about masturbation. The thing that stood out the most about this book is the quote in Jerry’s locker that read “Do I dare disturb the universe” because it seemed like both foreshadowing and a challenge. Another thing that also stood out to me was Jerry’s encounter with the hippies at the beginning of the story because he is accused by one of the guys as looking at them as a sub group of humans,as outsiders. This also seems like foreshadowing as Jerry would later be outcasted from school. More importantly was when the guy said “‘Don’t miss the bus, boy. You’re missing a lot of things in the world, better not miss the bus'”(20). This quote spoke to me the most because I always feel as though time is flying by too quickly.

Amulet

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Kibuishi, K. (2008). Amulet. New York: Graphix.
Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy Fiction
Grade Level: 4th-8th
Summary: At the beginning of the book, there is a prologue that shows Emily with her parents in a car. The roads are icy and the car goes off the road. Then with her father still in the car, it topples over the cliff. After the death of her father, her mother decides to move to a new home for a new beginning and because the other house was too expensive. They move to a house in the middle of the woods that belonged to her great-grandfather; the house is completely run down. While exploring the house Emily comes across Silas’ (her great-grandfather) study room. There she finds an amulet and has her brother put it on. The amulet warns her that her family and her are in danger. This proves to be true when their mother is swallowed by a weird octopus looking creature. In order to save her mother Emily must trust in what the Amulet says and go find her grandfather. On their journey to Charnon house they encounter someone named Trellis who is after the power of the amulet to destroy his father. Luckily they escape thanks to the help of Miskit. Emily and Navin soon find that they are in a world known as Alledia where demons, talking animals, and robots live and Emily is the new stonekeeper. With the help of Miskit, Emily and Navin find their mom but only to find that she has been poisoned.
  • Setting: Alledia
  • Theme: Family, adventure
  • Point of View: Third person
  • Characters: Emily, Navin, Karen (the mom), Silas, Miskit,

Lesson Sketch:

I never thought of using graphic novels in a classroom before! However, this book is perfect for the students who are stuck on picture books and are intimidated by the length of chapter books. Graphic novels are great tools to get students to read more. I didn’t expect the faces of the characters to have so much emotion so with that in mind, I think this is a great book for having students develop social skills in which they can recognize and empathize with the emotions of others.

The Witches

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Dahl, R., & Blake, Q. (1983). The Witches. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux.
               
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Grade Level: 4th-8th
Summary: This book starts with the narrator insisting that witches are real and that the following story is based on his own personal encounter with them. As, the story begins, we see that the narrator (a seven year old boy) was left in the care of his Grandmamma when his parents died in car accident. The narrator loved his 80 something Grandmamma more than anything. And it was from his Grandmamma that he first learned about witches. The narrator finds out that witches look like women, but there are certain ways you can possibly spot a witch. A witch can be seen scratching her head because witches are bald and are forced to wear wigs, witches also wear gloves all the time because they have claws, witches have square feet with no toes, and witches have bigger nostrils than a real women in order to be be able to smell children. The reason the witches need to be able to smell children is to be able to get rid of them, because they hate children. At first the narrator was a bit unsure if he should believe his Grandmamma, but then his Grandmamma told him about the 5 children she personally knew who were rid of by witches. Then the narrator has his first encounter with a witch when he is building his tree house, luckily he climbs the tree and the witch leaves. Unfortunately, when the narrator and his Grandmamma go vacation at a hotel, the narrator stumbles upon a huge group of witches  that are staying at the same exact hotel for their Annual Meeting held by the Grand High Witch herself.  There, the narrator becomes trapped in the room where the witches hold their meeting and he learns that they plan to turn every child in England into mice. The narrator gets caught and turned into a mouse when the meeting is over. The narrator and Grandmamma agree they must stop the witches evil plan and do so by stealing the Delayed Action Mouse-Maker and putting it in the witches food. The witches are turned into mice and the narrator (who remains a mouse) and his Grandmamma save the children of England from an awful fate.
  • Setting: England & Norway
  • Theme: Family & The idea that we can accomplish anything we set our minds to despite obstacles
  • Point of View: First person
  • Characters: The narrator, Grandmamma, Bruno, the witches, & the Grand High Witch

Lesson Sketch:

The Witches is a great and really fun books to read. This is the type of book that really gets students hyped about reading. I actually read a lot of Roald Dahl’s books in elementary and this book was one of my favorites. The Witches is a banned book for two reasons. One of the reasons it was banned was because people argued it was sexist that Roald Dahl portrayed women as witches. And although there are instances where this reading could be used to discuss gender roles, it is evident that Roald Dahl did not intend to offend women. There is a place in the book where he clearly says that witches are NOT really women, despite the fact that they LOOK like women. Dahl also says he does not wish to speak badly of women. Another reason this book has been banned, was because it was thought to encourage satanic behavior. However, in my opinion, there is nothing satanic about this book or realistically terrifying about this book. This book, in fact, can be used for many awesome lesson plans. This book can be used for creative writing by having children write a short story about some magical creature that “exists” and how to find them. This book can also be tied to other fairy tales for younger students. This story can also be used for poetry and rhyme because there is a part of the story in which the Grand High Witch only talks in rhyme.

The Friends

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Yumoto, K., & Hirano, C. (1996). The Friends. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Grade Level: 5th-12th
Summary: This is a story about three friends and an old man. Kiyama, Yamashita, and Kawabe are 6th grade boys and they all have distinct physical characteristics that follow them throughout the story; Kiyama is tall and thin, Yamashita is pudgy, and Kawabe has glasses. After Yamashita’s grandmother dies, Kawabe suggests the keep a look out for an old man that lives nearby because he heard he would be dying soon and he wanted to see a dead person. At first, the other two friends are horrified by his suggestion but eventually their curiosity causes them to cave in. They begin following the old man around and notice that he hardly takes care of himself or his house. However, once he discovers they have been stalking him, he puts them to do chores. The boys grow to see the old man as a mentor and it is evident that the presence of the boys also has a positive affect on the old man. The old man starts taking care of himself and the boys help him fix his house by painting it and growing a bed of flowers. The old man helps the boys out with their school work and they ask him questions about his past. The old man admits that he was married once but that after coming back from war, he was too ashamed to go back to his wife. As we see their friendships flourish, the idea of death doesn’t present itself until Yamashita almost dies drowning in the pool; the thought of Yamashita dying terrifies Kiyama. After their scare, their lives go back to normal. The boys try to find the old man’s wife and although they believe they are sucessful, the old man does not go and see her. Instead, the old man takes them to go see some firs works he sets up himself and it is there that Kawabe decided that his what he wants to do for a living, Yamashita declares he wants to work in a fish shop, and Kiyama is left wondering what he wants to do. The boys start soccer camp after that and when they come back they are heartbroken to find that the old man has passed away in his home.
  • Setting: Japan
  • Theme: Friendship, family, growth, death, fear
  • Point of View: First person
  • Characters: Kiyama (the narrator), Yamashita, Kawabe, the old man

Lesson Sketch:

Although this book is centered a lot around the boys and their relationship with each other and the old man we also are given glimpse of their lives at home. Although Kiyama is financially well off and has both parents, it is evident that he is not close to his family and his mother is an alcoholic. Yamashita on the other hand is close to his family and is seen working hard at his family’s fish shop. It is obvious that he has a lot of love and respect for his parents. Lastly, Kawabe is affected by the absence of his father, who left him and his mom when he was younger; Kawabe is more short tempered than the other boys. Because of the boys’ vulnerability that is presented to the reader, I think that this is a great book that exemplifies the rawness of life. Some of my favorite quotes are as follows:

“The seven colors of sunlight. Usually they are invisible, but now they reveal themselves within a single stream of water. Even though the light was always there, the others remained hidden. There must be millions of things like that in the world. They exist but they are hidden, so we can’t see them. Some of them reveal themselves because of some simple change, while others only discovered after a long, difficult search by scientist or explorers” (78-79).

“Living is more than just breathing. So dying must be more, too” (81).

“Will I ever master something so well that I feel ready to die? Even if I don’t master it completely, I want to find something like that. Because if I don’t, then why am I alive?” (93).

“‘That’s it!’ Kawabe nods empathetically. ‘In other words, the unknown. That is the cause of fear'”(141).

 

 

 

When My Name Was Keoko

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Park, L. S. (2002). When My Name Was Keoko. New York: Clarion Books.
 
Genre: Young-Adult Fiction
Grade Level: 4th-12th
Summary: When My Name Was Keoko is a story that revolves around a Korean family during World War II when Japan owned Korea. The story is told through the eyes of a young girl named Sun-hee and her older brother Tae-yul.  As long as they both can remember, Japan has controlled everything about Korea. Japan controls, their schools, the language that can be spoken, their resources, and as the war progresses, Japan does their best to take anything that can be identified with the Korean culture even their names. Sun-hee and Tae-yul change their names to Keoko and Nobuo. As time passes it is evident that everyone just wants the war to end and even though the Japanese boost about their superiority in the war, it is evident that they are not doing so well. To keep Koreans hopeful and dismiss all the Japanese propaganda, Sun-hee and Tae-yul’s uncle secretly prints a rebel paper. Uncle has to flee before being accused of treason and soon enough Tae-yul has volunteered to fight in the war to help his family. Sun-hee and her parents are anxious at home and become heartbroken when they receive news that Tae-yul has given his life as a suicide bomber pilot. The war comes to an end when the United States drops nuclear bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A lot changes for Sun-hee’s family , they are now free to be Korean. But most importantly Tae-yul comes back home and confesses that him and his team never completed their task because of a storm.
  • Setting: Korea
  • Theme: Family, culture, gender roles, and morals
  • Point of View: First person
  • Characters: Sun-hee, Tae-yul, Abuji, Omoni, and Uncle

Lesson Sketch:

I really enjoyed reading this book. I love how it is told from two perspectives, this way the reader really begins to feel a part of the family. In addition to that, I enjoy that it is a book that has historical value and even gives perspective on how other countries view us. MY favorite quote from the book is “How could I be proud of my mother for breaking the law?” This is a moment in the book that shows how important it is to stand up for what you believe in. In addition to that it opens up a discussion about ethics.

The Little House

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Burton, Virginia Lee. The Little House. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1942. Print.
Genre: Picture Book, Fiction.
Grade Level: K-12
Summary:  The Little House is a picture book about a little house built in the country. The little house was very happy where she was built. She enjoyed watching the day turn from day to night, and the seasons go by. However as much as she loved the country, she grew curious about the city. Eventually the city expanded so much, it began to be built around her. City life was not everything the little house had hoped for. She could no longer enjoy the night sky because the city lights were too bright and the seasons were not as apparent either. To the little house’ luck, the great-great-granddaughter of the man who built her recognizes her in the city and decides to move her back to the country. The little house is happy to be back where she belongs.
  • Setting: The country and the city
  • Theme: The grass is not always greener on the other side & environmental issues
  • Point of View: Third person
  • Characters: The little house, the man who built her, and the great-great-granddaughter of the man who built her

Lesson Sketch:

Something that I have recently learned is how important and amazing picture books are. I loved this book and how versatile it is. This book is one of those picture books that can appeal to all grade levels because it holds so many themes. Books really are the best when it offers various ways to be interpreted. For the lower grades this could be a book that helps them learn about the seasons. Other things that this book touches upon that could be used for students to really think about and discuss is the idea of belonging, the idea that the grass is not always greener on the other side, and environmental issues. This book also allows students to integrate other subjects such as visual and performing arts and science.

Bridge to Terabithia

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Paterson, K., Diamond, D., & Hill, A. (1977). Bridge to Terabithia. New York, NY: T.Y. Crowell

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Genre: Fiction.

Grade Level: 4th-8th.

Summary: Bridge to Terabithia tells the story of a fourth grade boy named Jess who is unable to fit in at home and at school. Jess has four sisters, and never seems to be appreciated by his parent. Jess has a passion and talent for art but is criticized by his father for this. Even at school teachers scold him for doodling, except Miss Edmunds the music teacher. It is apparent throughout the beginning of the book that Jess has low self-esteem and it is surprising when he steps out of his comfort zone and befriends the new girl Leslie. Together they escape into the woods behind their homes and create the magical world of Terabithia. As Jess spends time with Leslie he is introduced to the world in different perspective. For example, Leslie’s family is well off and money while Jess’ family struggles. However, Leslie points out that there is more to life than just things. Another thing that Leslie helps Jess realize when she begins spending more time with her father, is that sometimes parents need to be understood as well. Even though at first it seems as though Jess is the only one learning from Leslie, we see Leslie admire his handyman skills and see Jess take Leslie to church; their friendship is so sincere and beautiful. Towards the end of the story Jess is surprised by   Miss Edmund when she invites him to an art Gallery but happily accepts. Jess has a wonderful time but when he comes back he is shocked to hear that Leslie is dead. It seemed that she had drowned in the creek when the rope broke as she was swinging across it. Jess is filled with grief but at the end decides to honor her by living his life fully.

  • Setting: Lark Creek & Terabithia
  • Theme: Friendship & Gender roles
  • Point of View: Third person
  • Characters: Jess, May Belle, Brenda, Ellie, Mr. & Mrs. Aarons, Leslie, Janice, Miss Edmunds

Lesson Sketch:

  • Lesson Objective: Students will be able to identify and provide examples for at least 3 different themes in the book.
  • Questions:
    • 1. In groups of two compare and contrast Jess’ character at the beginning of the story and at the end. How was Leslie influential in his life?
    • 2. Jess and Leslie are best friends of the opposite sex, describe how their characters defy gender stereotypes placed upon them by society. Would you react the same way the other characters did to how Jess and Leslie acted?
  • Lesson Activity:  Students will be able write a 5 paragraph paper about someone who has been influential in their life. Or pitch another writing topic based on the themes discussed in class.
  • Resources:

Before reading the book, I was unsure if I would like it. I had seen the movie before and didn’t really understand it. But what they say about books being better than the movie is absolutely true! There are so many themes in this book and I feel in the right setting, such as a socratic seminar, students could really benefit and acquire more perspective on different subjects such the one that stood out to me, gender roles. I am currently enrolled in a human sexuality class and are learning about how people are accustomed to only acknowledging the gender you were given but there are also transgender people and people who identify with both. It is interesting to see how far we have come. And see the movement where people are pushing to stop using gender as a form of insult.

The End

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As we have come to an end to this class I can honestly say I learned a lot. Technology sometimes takes a lot patience but completing these assignments make me feel like I am a lot more tech savvy. Although my trends presentation was by far my favorite creation, I think the coolest thing that I learned was how to do voice overs and how to do some HTML coding! I guess technology is not as bad as I originally thought. However, I do wish I had pictures in this blog to make it look cuter. Unfortunately I never quit figured out how to do that, and believe me, I tried several times. So for now, this is the end. Until next time!

Project-Based Learning

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A great project has the potential to change lives. Is that 100% true? Probably not, but a great project will definitely grab your students attention and make them want to get involved. Reading chapters 3-5 in the book Reinventing Project-Based Learning gave me a whole lot of knowledge about the components of a great project. At this stage of all the knowledge I have, I feel as though I am still not ready to CREATE a project, but I defiantly would be able to judge a quality one. Learning about projects brought back memories of all the projects I did as a young students. I built a volcano, I built a solar system, I built an Indian tribe, and many other things. However, I remember the project that I enjoyed doing the most was one in college which required me to chose a problematic topic, do research on it, find a solution, write a paper, and create a Public Service Announcement. There were so many components to this project and before I began to do research I already had possible solutions t the problem I chose; however, I was shocked when by the end of my research my approach to the problem changed completely. To me it was just so cool how through my research I managed to change my perspective on the issue. Anyways, for the most part this assignment was pretty straightforward. The powerpoint presentaiton was easy to complete, if you disregard the fact that there was only two people working on it, and uploading it to the VoiceThread website was also fairly simple. The part that proved to be the most difficult for my teammate and I was figuring out how to do voice overs. Eventually my teammate figured it out and messaged me with instructions and I was able to record myself. Due to the fact that I created 6 powerpoint slides (Ch. 3&4), my teammate did the voice overs for 6 slides (Ch. 4&5).