Anna Lise Kunkel-Jure

Childrens literature exploration Math Curse by: Jon Scieszka Scieszka, J. (1995). Math curse. New York, NY: Viking Press. Summary The main character is first introduced to the fact that everything can be a math problem. Then the following day she sees everything as a math problem from the moment she starts getting ready for school. After driving herself crazy with this math curse that her teacher has put on her she discovers a solution to the curse in her dream. When she awakens, she feels empowered to be able to solve any problem and her math curse is broken. Lesson: I would use this for third graders because they can see how math problems arise all around them and they can have fun with this unique text. On each page there are actual math problems that relate to what is happening in the book. First I would read through the book once so that students know what is happening in the book. Then I would hand out a worksheet where the problems are retyped so that the students can actually see them. I would ask them to see if they could help her solve her problems throughout the day of her math curse since she cannot seem to look at anything without thinking about it as a math problem. This would probably be more fun for them than if I just gave them a set of problems to do, because at least its different. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.3 Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events. They should be able to explain how the main character is feeling based on what is being said and the illustrations. Students should also be able to determine how she influences what happens in the book. CCSS.Math.Content.3.OA.B.5 Apply properties of operations as strategies to multiply and divide. There are several problems throughout the book and there are different strategies necessary to solve the problems. CCSS.Math.Content.3.OA.D.8 Solve two-step word problems using the four operations There are also many two-step problems that need the four operations in order to be solved.

Anna Lise Kunkel-Jure

Where the Sidewalk Ends by: Shel Silverstein Silverstein, S. (1974). Where the sidewalk ends. New York, NY: HarperCollins. Summary: This contains a series of childrens poems with matching illustrations. Most of the poems relate to childhood questions and concerns and are very silly. The poems are good demonstrations of poetic devices and can be used as an introduction to these concepts for new poets. Lesson: This book opens a window to many different lesson plans for third graders, they can learn about the different poetic devices used which will help them when writing their own poems. Poems can be pulled based on different techniques that want to be taught that relate to poetry (alliteration, onomatopoeia, etc). Students can learn about these different poetic concepts by comparing the different poems that have similar poetic structures. By having students read the poems out loud they can practice fluency and you can teach poetic vocabulary by asking them to read certain stanzas, etc. After doing all of that they can write their own poems and do an illustration that captures the essence of the poem, just like all of Silversteins poems. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language. By reading the poem out loud and as a group there can be a group discussion on what everyone thinks each phrase is supposed to represent or mean. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.5 Refer to parts of stories, dramas, and poems when writing or speaking about a text, using terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza; describe how each successive part builds on earlier sections. By asking them to read certain stanzas they become comfortable with the use of that terminology and they can see that each stanza relates to and builds upon the previous one. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.7 Explain how specific aspects of a texts illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting) There are a lot of illustrations in this book and students can determine how each of them relates to the poem they correspond to. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.3.4b Read grade-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings. Having them read out loud allows them to practice fluency and understand what rate each type of poem requires

Anna Lise Kunkel-Jure

Exclamation Mark by: Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld Rosenthal, A. K. & Lichtenheld, T. (2013). Exclamation mark. New York, NY: Scholastic Press. Summary This is a story about an exclamation mark that is trying to fit in with periods. That is until he meets question mark who drives him crazy and exclamation mark has an outburst. With that outburst exclamation mark realizes his true purpose in life, to exclaim. Lesson: This could be used for first grade, this will further their thinking by teaching them how the different forms of punctuation can be used. This is a very simple book, but it would effectively help students who are having trouble with punctuation develop a better sense of how to use the question mark and the exclamation mark. This would be important to incorporate into a writing workshop. It would definitely teach the use of the exclamation mark because of how exclamation mark reacts during the text and then you could encourage them to try and use exclamation marks in their writing. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.3 Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details. By having the students describe exclamation mark they can demonstrate whether or not they understand how to use an exclamation mark. They could describe exclamation mark as someone who shouts and makes everything he says louder (this would be the first grade way of describing him, I am aware it is simple language). CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.1.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. They can demonstrate their understanding of this form of punctuation in their writing when they go back and edit their work or after reading when they show what words they exclaim during the day.

Anna Lise Kunkel-Jure

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by: Chris Van Allsburg Van Allsburg, C. (1984). The mysteries of Harris Burdick. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Summary This book provides a series of illustrations with captions and titles that correspond. At the beginning it talks about Harris Burdick who brought these images to a publishing company to see if they were interested in his work. The head publisher showed great interest and asked Mr. Burdick to return with his stories, but he never came back. Lesson: This would be appropriate for third graders because they can improve upon their creative writing skills and story writing abilities by having a prompt based on an image, title, and caption. I would read the beginning letter written by the author explaining the curious case of Harris Burdick and then I would go through and show all of the pictures and read their corresponding titles and captions. Then I would allow students to pick one image and ask them to write a story about it. I would tell them that the picture is the climax of the story and they have to write what happened before, during, and after the picture. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.7 Explain how specific aspects of a texts illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting). This is a perfect example of how illustrations can capture someones attention with there being little text and allowing the reader to imagine what else happens in the story. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. This lesson allows students to creatively write and come up with a story from just an image. Scaffolding may be required for the struggling writers, in which case I could model (if I do model I would not allow them to use the same image as me) or have them fill out a story map. This will help them see how the story will go about rather than just writing and writing with no direction to go in. One thing that would be important for all of the students would be a planner that allows them to fill in beginning, middle, and end.

Anna Lise Kunkel-Jure

Bear Says Thanks by: Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman Wilson, K. & Chapman, J. (2012). Bear says thanks. New York, NY: Margaret K. McElderry Books. Summary All of Bears animal friends bring food to his cave. He thanks them, but feels bad because he doesnt have food to share. His animal friends tell him that they will provide and share the food and that he will share stories. Lesson: This could be used for third grade (even though it is a simple text) because they can demonstrate understanding of point of view, sometimes it is important to incorporate simple texts when students are learning new concepts even though they can read harder texts so that they can easily show you that they understand the new concept. As a lesson I would read the book. Since there is no portion of the story that actually states what stories Bear tells I could ask the students to write about what they think would be some of the possible stories that Bear could tell. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. They are doing creative writing on what Bear might have told his animal friends, this is key in their ability to demonstrate that they understand point of view since they are stories that Bear would tell and not necessarily stories that they themselves would tell. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. By writing a potential story they will demonstrate their understanding of the text (whether the stories they believe Bear might have told are appropriate for that setting) CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.3 Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events. They will be able to use the knowledge provided to them about how Bear is described to come up with a potential story for him to tell.

Anna Lise Kunkel-Jure

My New Teacher and Me! by: Al Yankovic Yankovic, A. (2013). My new teacher and me! New York, NY: HarperCollins. Summary It is the first day of school and Billy begins telling stories about what he did that summer. His teacher doesnt believe these ridiculous stories, until he sees a picture, of a two-headed cow, from one of the adventures Billy describes. Now Billy and his teacher get along and they will learn a lot from each other throughout the year. Lesson: This could be used in third grade because the students can demonstrate their understanding of the text by comparing it to personal experience. I would read this on the first day of school since the story takes place on the first day of school. Afterwards I would ask the students to share stories from their summer vacations. We could compare their vacation stories to each other and also compare them to Billys story. They would be comparing and contrasting their personal stories to Billys by using a Venn diagram or some other graphic organizer. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. They will need to use the text to find some of Billys adventures in order to compare their own stories to his. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.6 Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the characters. They will create their own point of view by telling their own stories. I can also ask a question about whether they thought what Billy was telling was true or not.

Anna Lise Kunkel-Jure

I Survived: the Japanese Tsunami, 2011 by: Lauren Tarshis Tarshis, L. (2013). I survived: the Japanese tsunami, 2011. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. Summary This is a book about a boy, Ben, who is visiting his uncle in Japan. While there, a tsunami strikes the coast of Japan and Ben is ripped away from his family. Luckily Ben remembers what his late father had told him and manages to survive. This book is based on true events that happened in Japan on March 11, 2011. The author is able to demonstrate how the people living in the towns affected by the earthquake, followed by a tsunami may have reacted. Lesson: I would use this as a chapter book read aloud in the third grade, this will help support literacy development because they will be introduced to a new genre of story and they will learn new information about this particular natural disaster. While reading and then, of course, after reading I would encourage group discussion. We would talk about Ben and how his bravery pushed him to survive even though it seemed like that was not a possibility. As the story progresses there are a few illustrations and we could discuss how they contribute to the text. Aside from this being a good text for discussion, I think that it could be good for writing prompts (when Ben saves his brother, the cat, and himself from falling debris, when Ben is separated from his family, etc). I could ask the students to put themselves in Bens shoes and write about what they would have done if they felt an earthquake/faced a tsunami/were ripped away from their families in a freak accident. There are many things that they could write about like personal experiences that may relate to the events experienced, which would be written as a personal narrative. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. In a group discussion there can be questions about what is happening in the book, and by answering they can demonstrate their knowledge of the book. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.7 Explain how specific aspects of a texts illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting). There are few illustrations, but they could be discussed to further the meaning of the text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.3 Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events. Discussing how Ben was throughout the book and how he experienced several activities (having to save his brother during the earthquake, fleeing from the house during the tsunami, holding on for dear life during the rip tide, wandering to safety afterwards, being reunited with his family)

Anna Lise Kunkel-Jure

that probably would never happen to the students, however he is still a relatable character and they could easily determine how his actions moved the story along. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. This relates to the last part of the lesson where they would write about what they would do if they had been separated from their families (not necessarily due to the earthquake and tsunami, but just in general if there was a freak accident where they became separated from their families). They could even write about personal experiences where they were separated from their families (like at the store) and how they reacted during that time. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.9 Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters (e.g., in books from a series) Since this is part of a series, if I continued to have students read books from this series then this would be appropriate. The characters change however the topic is always a natural disaster or major event in history.

Anna Lise Kunkel-Jure

The Bunyans by: Audrey Wood Wood, A. (1996). The Bunyans. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. Summary This book is about Paul Bunyans family. The Bunyans are extremely large people who are capable of creating many natural wonders of North America. The book tells how and why they created the Rockies, Old Faithful, Niagara Falls, and many others. Lesson: Used for third graders because it will promote research on topics that are described in the text, this will help the students develop their ability to do research. In order to have a critical literacy lesson for this book, I would ask the children if they agreed with what was described as being the way these natural wonders came to be. Hopefully they would say no, to which I would ask the students if we need more information. If they believe that we need more information then I could put all of the different natural wonders on the wall and have them sign up for researching whatever topic they choose as a group. Then once they present the real information we can compare it to what the book said. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.5 Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently. My lesson plan would connect to this because the students would have to be able to use search engines to find the information that would explain how each natural wonder actually came to be. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.9 Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic. This relates to the lesson plan because we would compare information in the book to the information provided by research. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.7 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic. The kids will be doing research to get the information and build their knowledge, and then they will share their new found knowledge by giving an oral presentation to the class.

Anna Lise Kunkel-Jure

Water in the Park by Emily Jenkins Jenkins, E. (2013). Water in the park. New York, NY: Random House Inc. Summary This is a story about a day at the park. The story revolves around water and the different times of the day. People gather at the park to walk their dogs that swim in the pond, people drink out of the fountain, kids play with the water from the sprinkler, and at the end of the day it rains. Lesson: This book is probably too simple for third graders, so I would do a lesson for second graders so that they can develop their understanding of the structure of a story. This would also help them by allowing them to connect personal experience to what is happening in the book. After reading the story I would ask them to share experiences that they had at the park. Then I would ask them how the story is moved along and together we could fill out a story map that demonstrates the structure of the story. I would ask them to look at the pictures to help fill out the story map because the pictures do a great job of matching what the text says. Afterwards I would have the students fill out a story map for their own experiences and then ask them to write about the experiences they shared. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.5 Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action. We will be looking at the story elements together and then they will fill in story elements on their own based on personal experiences at a park. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.7 Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot. They will use the images to help them fill in the story map.

Anna Lise Kunkel-Jure

Lewis, J. P. Make the earth your companion (author read aloud). http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/kids/movies-books-kids/animal-poetry-kids/ National Geographic. Summary This is a poem about the earth. It is a demonstration of the beauty of the earth and how we need to learn from the land that we live on. It also talks about how we should respect earth and make it our companion. Lesson: This could be appropriate for third graders because the poem is at the appropriate difficulty that they may need some scaffolding to interpret the text, but not much scaffolding. For this lesson I would play the video of the author reading the poem aloud. Then I would pass out a sheet with the poem on it. Then I would have the kids answer questions about the poem (what is the poem about? Is there any phrase that is repeated? Why do you think that is? Etc) and together we would analyze some of the tougher concepts demonstrated in the text. Then I could have the students go outside and get inspiration to write about their world in poem format. (I would use this around the time of Earth Day). CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. During the discussion they would answer questions about the poem by drawing information from the text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language. As we discuss the text we will discuss what each of the lines means. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.7 Explain how specific aspects of a texts illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting) During the video there are several images that contribute to the words and that can also be discussed as a class and how that influences the feel of the poem. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. The poems written would be informative and they would convey their ideas through poetry, which would stimulate the senses and create images of what they had seen through their words.