Henny Penny Traditional Literature Book Reflection Week 4

Galdone, P. (1968). Henny Penny. New York: Clarion Books.

Summary: Henny Penny is out in the fields scratching among the leaves when an acorn falls on her head. Surprised by the acorn, Henny Penny yells, “Goodness gracious me! The sky is falling!” She sets out to tell the King. On her way, she spreads the word to her friends. One-by-one, her friends ask if they can set out on the adventure with her. Henny Penny kindly says, “Yes, indeed.” Together Henny Penny and her friends meet Foxy Loxy, who offers to show them a shortcut to the King’s palace.

Literary Terms: Henny Penny is a type of traditional literature called a fable. A fable is a simple story that incorporates characters, usually animals, whose actions teach a moral lesson or universal truth. Some moral lessons taught through the story Henny Penny include (1) don’t jump to conclusions and (2) choose your friends wisely. In this type of traditional literature, there are often one-dimensional characters that show good and evil.  Henny Penny was an example of kindness, while Foxy Loxy was an example of spitefulness or trickery. Foxy Loxy could be described as the antagonist of the story because his intentions were wicked as he tried to lure Henny Penny and her friends into his cave. The artistic media in the story, Henny Penny, can be described as drawing with pen and ink and colored pencils. The illustrations, combined with earthy tones of color, are perfect for this type of traditional literature as it makes it appear old-fashioned. The language used includes rhyme and repetition. Rhyme can be seen in each name such as Ducky Lucky and Goosey Loosey. Repetition can be seen in the dialogue between Henny Penny and her friends. She continues to tell each friend the same account and they ask, “May I go with you?” Henny Penny always answers, “Yes, indeed.”

Curriculum Activity/Standards:

·   Retell the story using character cut-outs which can be made into puppets or sequencing cards.

·   RL.K.1-3

·   Text-to-self connection: Students can write about a time they fell for a trick or jumped to a conclusion which they found out later wasn’t really true.

·   W.K.3

·   Text-to-text connection: Read aloud different versions of Henny Penny. Compare and contrast the different versions. Ask students what would they change if they were to write their own version?

·   RL.K.9

·   Create a different version of the story by changing the ending. Students can illustrate and write their own ending, and the teacher can assemble the pages into a class book.

·   RL.K.10, SL.K.5

Big Questions:

·         Why did it seem so important to tell the King the sky was falling?

·         Why did Henny Penny, Cocky Locky, Ducky Lucky, Goosey Loosey, and Turkey Lurkey follow Foxy Loxy into the cave?  What would you have done differently if you were Henny Penny?

Flowers for Algernon Modern Fantasy Book Reflection Week 3

 

Keyes, D. (1966). Flowers for Algernon. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World.

Summary: Charlie Gordon has the motivation and will to learn.  More than anything, he wants to read and write. Charlie has always been pushed to be normal, especially by his own family, and made fun of because of his indifferences.  Charlie, however, has never been loved for who he really is. Now, Charlie a thirty-two-year-old man who is mentally handicapped attends classes with Alice Kinnian at the Beekman College Center for Retarded Adults.  Alice Kinnian can see firsthand the amount of potential and desire Charlie has to learn and recommends him for an experimental surgery to make him “smart.” The directors of the experimental surgery, Dr. Strauss and Professor Nemur, observe Charlie closely as they conduct tests in which Charlie describes as games, cards, and puzzles. Charlie is asked to keep a journal where he records thoughts and occurrences over a period of time as part of the experimental surgery. Charlie calls these journal entries “progress reports.” After going through with the operation, Charlie is disappointed that there is no immediate change in his intelligence. With help from Alice and Burt, Charlie’s intelligence begins to change little by little, especially in regards to the spelling and grammar in his progress reports. Then, his intelligence makes immeasurable changes in which he is even able to learn to read other languages. 

Charlie shocks the workers at Mr. Donner’s Bakery, where he has worked as a janitor and delivery boy since a young age. The changes scare the workers, as they are unaware of the experimental surgery Charlie recently had.  They also don’t like the idea that the “moron” they once made fun of is now more intelligent than all of them.  Charlie notices that as his intelligence rapidly increases, the friends he thought he had were not really his friends at all, he has nightmares and memories about his horrifying childhood, and he becomes anxious looking for answers in the world around him.  Charlie and Algernon, a lab mouse that has already had the experimental surgery, are invited to attend a scientific convention in Chicago in which they are the prime exhibit.  While in Chicago, Dr. Strauss and Professor Nemur talk about Charlie in the same way they would Algernon, just a laboratory experiment.  They make comments about how they created Charlie, which greatly upsets him. Out of rage, Charlie frees Algernon from his cage while they are onstage and they escape the scientific convention together.  However, Algernon’s intelligence begins to decline and Charlie worries that his intelligence could decline as well.

Literary Terms: Charlie Gordon is the protagonist in Flowers for Algernon, a science fiction novel. The reader sees everything from Charlie’s perspective by reading his progress reports. The readers can see his extraordinary change, his behavior as if he is fighting to keep the old Charlie out of his new identity, and his emergent feelings for Alice Kinnian, his teacher before the operation.  Charlie is a round character because he is a complex individual who has both good and bad traits, like a real person.  Many times while reading, I pictured Charlie Gordon as a real person. His emotions, reactions, and dialogue with others made me feel as if I was standing in Mr. Donner’s Bakery or the Beekman Psychology Lab.  I was eager for him to find love with Alice and overcome the obstacles of his past.

Alice Kinnian, Professor Nemur, and Dr. Strauss are secondary or minor characters. The reader learns things about these characters and envisions their appearance and expressions based on the details provided. Although these characters are important to fully understand the story, they are not as intricate and fully described as Charlie.

The climax is when Charlie attends the scientific convention in Chicago and has finally had enough of Professor Nemur and Dr. Strauss, who treat him as if he were not even a person before the operation. It is finally the last straw or breaking point for Charlie and he must retaliate.  He decides to release Algernon from his cage and the audience panics.  

Charlie is beginning to understand his past, his desire of acceptance by others (i.e., mother, father, sister), and finally, his self.  The theme of the book is about Charlie finding out who he is and his place in the world around him. He learns that he has a right to live and not be judged.  He learns to forgive those who mistreated him and be grateful for the opportunity his has been given.

Curriculum Activity/Standard:  Create a plot diagram of Flowers for Algernon (using an online diagram from Read-Write-Think to incorporate technology). Students can describe the beginning, middle, and end or exposition, climax, and resolution.

·   CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.3 Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text.

·   CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.6 Using technology, including the internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.

Big Questions:

·   Was the experimental surgery a good idea for Charlie? Why or why not?

·   Do you feel Professor Nemur and Dr. Strauss had enough evidence to perform the operation on Charlie? Why or why not?

·   Do you think Charlie regrets having the surgery or would he do it all over again? Why or why not?

·   Why did Charlie want acceptance from his mother even after she sent him away?

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Booktalk Week 2

Viorst, J., & Cruz, R. (1972). Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. New York: Atheneum.

Other Titles: "Alexander, Who's Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move", "Absolutely, Positively Alexander", "Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday"

 

Genre: Picture Book (Recommended Age: 4-7)

Your sister is taking over the bathroom, you have to eat oatmeal for breakfast, and your book report is due today. Have you ever thought, “This is going to be a very bad day?”  In the book, “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” that’s exactly what Alexander thought when he woke up with gum in his hair and tripped on his skateboard.  Alexander found that as the day went on, his luck didn’t get better. The dentist discovered he had a cavity and his mom made lima beans for dinner. What will happen to Alexander next on this terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day?  

This is an entertaining story about unfortunate events that seem to get increasingly worse for Alexander, the main character, as his day proceeds.  The author, Judith Viorst, makes it easy for students to spend a day in Alexander’s not-so-lucky shoes.  I would recommend this book to different age groups and grade levels, as students could easily relate to having a bad day. Yet, the text could be used to help students think about the choices they would make, which might be similar to or different from Alexander’s choices. 

 

Owl Moon Book Reflection Week 2

Yolen, J., Schoenherr, J., Stevenson, N., Philomel Books., & South China Printing Co. (1987). Owl moon. New York: Philomel Books.

Summary: On a winter night, a father and daughter walk into the woods to search for owls.  As the daughter describes their late night adventure, it is evident that her father has experience owling, but it is her first opportunity.  I wonder if she will be scared?  Or, will she be brave?  As they continue, she takes in all the surroundings, including sights, smells, noises, and feelings.  Animals thriving in the woods watch as the pairmake footprints in the snow.  Deep in the woods, the young girl’s father calls out, “Whoo-whoo-who-who-whooooooo.”  I wonder if an owl will answer?

Literary Terms:

Jane Yolen uses different forms of figurative language such as a simile.  “The trees stood still as giant statues” is an example of a simile used.   Yolen also uses a metaphor, which is an implied comparison without a signal word. “The snow below it was whiter than the milk in a cereal bowl,” is an example of a metaphor used.

Jane Yolen also created a great deal of sense imagery by playing on the five senses in descriptive language.  It also helps young children make connections to previous experiences of their own. The phrase, “our feet crunched over the crisp snow” stimulates the reader’s senses and a reminder of a time their feet made a matching sound in the snow.  The phrases, “the owl pumped its great wings and lifted off the branch” and “a train whistle blew, long and low, like a sad, sad song” both awakens the reader’s senses, imagination, and memory while reading or listening.

Curriculum Activity:

-Students can draw and write about their favorite part in the story. W.K.1

-Students can write a narrative story about a first-time experience they have had such as sledding, fishing, riding a bike, eating something new, or swimming. W.K.3

-Students can investigate similarities and differences in “Owl Moon” by Jane Yolen and “Good Night, Owl” by Pat Hutchinson.  Using charts or diagrams, lead students to make text-to-text connections. RL.K.9

-Students can study about owls such as the Great Horned Owl.  Students can listen to different kinds of owls.  Students can make a K-W-L chart about owls. Students can work in pairs or small groups and present information about owls to the class. W.K.7

-In grades 3 through 5, students can identify literary devices such as metaphors and similes used by the author throughout the story.

Big Questions:

How did the young girl feel when her dad took her owling?  How did her feelings change when she got deeper into the woods?  Why do you think she felt that way?  How would you feel?

Introduction

Hi everyone!  My name is Bethann Neville.  I am currently a Kindergarten teacher and I couldn't imagine doing anything else.  :-)  I have two years of experience teaching at Abraham Lincoln Elementary.  This summer, however, I received great news that I will be teaching Kindergarten at LeGrande Elementary, which is much closer to home.  I couldn't miss this opportunity, so I had to say goodbye to some great friendships and dive into a new experience. 
I am truly looking forward to learning a lot in REOL 536. I feel it is important to keep books in the hands of small children and establish a love of reading. This is only my third online class with the University of the Cumberlands. I am striving to earn a master's degree as a Reading and Writing Specialist. I am crossing my fingers that I can develop an understanding of the new iLearn/Blackboard to be successful in this course. 
I am married to Bruce, a police officer and volunteer firefighter.  We have been married for one year...this month!  In our free time we enjoy spending time with our families.  Family is an important part of our lives.  We have seven nieces and nephews that we enjoy and keep us busy. We also enjoy outdoor activities and watching movies.