Tunnell & Jacobs - Overview

This is my last response to this book since I am on my way out of town and have to focus on curriculum mapping. I needed to rehear many things they said. I have read and reread what makes good literature. I still can't verbalize it well. It isn't mine yet, but I believe what they said.

I was interested in the history of the books. Of course, children read adult books in the past because there was not school for everyone, only the wealthy who could provide a tutor. Now that we want everyone to read, we must provide experiences that are meaningful for all kinds of people.

I personally love to read, but I am very choosy. I watch vocabulary that I don't want to pick up because I do...pick it up that is if I see it very much. I watch authors that pull me down because I don't need that either. By that, I don't mean I don't like a good cry once in a while, but hopelessness...no. I believe in hope and grace.

I'm excited about all the books that were listed and pleased that I have read many. I have acquired many more throughout this time. So, thank you Tunnell & Jacobs.

Tunnell & Jacobs - Poetry

I, as a teacher, am a little tired of being blamed for people's unwillingness to read and children's learning to dislike poetry. By third grade, it seems to me that many children dislike lots of things. They dislike having to get up and go to school at a certain time. They dislike having to be serious about learning when, as a preschooler, everything was in play format. Some jump into to the challenge of school because they either want to learn, or because they want to please their parents or some other adult or even themselves. But many, unfortunately, would prefer it to be a non-thinking easy thing. As the volume of knowledge in the world increases expotentially, we are faced with more and more expectations as well as learning to be done and yet, the same amount of time in a lifetime (well, maybe a few years more). So, what do we do? We've seen and read stories of Thomas Alva Edison kicked out of school and learning on his own while he worked on the train (oops, can't do that, can't work, children's laws), Albert Einstein who was so smart they thought he couldn't learn at all, Theodore Roosevelt, who because of asthma stayed home and followed his own desires to learn which were enormous because apparently he had many things available to him. Maybe, we should all be at home just doing whatever and watching some people come to the top of the pile.

The trouble is, most of us would not come to the top. School may be hard. Life may be hard. Teachers may ask us to do things we don't like to do in ways we feel is stupid. I remember the aha I had when I finally figured out how that sentence diagraming helped me understand meaning and construct meaning for myself. I assure you, that didn't happen in seventh grade.

So then, what is my point about poetry? Tunnel & Jacobs talk about the "natural affinity" children have for poetry before they come to school because of their love for Mother Goose and nursery rhymes. Is that a "natural affinity" for poetry or for the pleasure that comes when they are played with and laughed with? I suspect that teachers do, as people do, like some forms of poetry...the kind that makes them laugh (Shel Silverstein...Jack Prelutsky) or cry, but find it hard to explain to kids why when they are writing paragraphs, they must indent and then continue the thought on the next line rather than write the sentences short enough to fit on one line with another sentence on the next line, etc...with maybe numbers in front like a list.
Then, the teacher has them write poetry and tries to explain that only certain words go on certain lines for a specific reason. The kid is going..."huh?" It's supposed to follow each other. They don't hear it that way...they hear it flow as though it were a paragraph.

On page 83 a better approach is defined. "The key is consistent, unfettered exposure to poetry by an enthusiastic teacher who begins mixing light verse and more artistic poetry." May I add that it is heard and seen as heard and repeated and enjoyed (or not). I know for sure that some children jump the tracks and take off because their natural inclination is toward music and sound and they already have a wide and diverse vocabulary. Perhaps, if the expectation is that we will all do it, hard or not, and come to a pleasureable understanding of it, then kids will willingly undertake whatever the teacher has to offer. I have a whole section in my classroom of poetry. We create poetry books every year that are not as closed as Tunnel & Jacobs would see, but the issue is finding interesting, odd, delightful words, putting them to the rhythmic sounds of music and having fun doing it. In the process, there is much work going on. Work is not bad. Doing something you can't do well is not always bad. Just look at me...I'm actually blogging on a computer. Unreal.

Teacher's delight
Not to fight
Encourage.

Teacher's strength
Not to demean
But encourage.

Authors...
We need to
hear
Encouragement.

Otherwise...
why would
we
stay?

The Sisters Grim series - Magic and Other Misdemeanors by Michael Buckley

This series is the ultimate in fractured fairy tales. The fairy tale characters are all alive and well together in a place called FairyPort Landing, USA where they have taken up residence under the supervision of Wilehm Grimm's family. Over the generations, the Grimms who are human, pass down the responsibility of caring for the ever afters. This is the 4th book I've read and obviously I missed one because apparently there are five. Two little girls, the Grimm sisters come to live here because their grandmother came and got them out of foster care after their parents had disappeared. There is magic of course, although the grandmother prefers to think, plan and develop relationships rather than use it as a matter of course. In this book, there is a rip in time and the characters are thrown back and forth trying to find out what is happening and fix it. They are detectives after all. The plot keeps you connected all the way through because it is fascinating how Buckley is able to weave and maintain the personalities of the various characters together while placing them in modern settings and cross fairy-tale relationships. For example, Sleeping Beauty is upset because Prince Charming has disappeared so the story finds Rappunzel, Cinderella, Snow White and Beauty sitting in a coffee shop talking over what he was like as a husband and how he always did love her...etc. And...you should see what's inside that magic mirror. What a kick!

This series is labeled as mystery and is in the Young Adult section of the library. I have thoroughly enjoyed each one and can't wait until the next is ready for publication. I enjoy particularily the twists of characterization. It all seems very real and uncontrived.

Caleb's Story by Patricia Maclachlan

"Fault?" said Sarah. "Oh, Caleb, I want you to listen to me. There comes a time when fault doesn't matter. Things happen. And we can't blame ourselves-or someone else-forever." Isn't that the truth?! But the struggle to forgive great pain is still there and this story told it beautifully. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed the gentle spirit of Patricia MacLachlan. I'm glad Helen reminded us. That's why I chose this today.

Tunnell & Jacobs - Unengaged and Engaged Reading

When I read this chapter first, a month or so ago, it was so captivating, that I thought about it for a long time and talked to my friends about their reading over and over again. I'm not sure that it is fair to be judgemental about why people read or don't read. Earlier in the year I was talking to the other teachers in my school because I wanted to put up a poster outside their rooms about the latest book they were reading. Most of them don't read. They say they don't read much because...1)if they started they couldn't put it down 2) they are too busy with life's requirements and don't even watch TV 3) they enjoy crafts more than sitting in one place 4) their kids, their work, their singleness require their attention...and so it goes. I think it's because they can't find an author or a style that they really, really like. It might be because they don't read fast enough to get engaged in short periods of time, and since they don't have long ones, they don't read at all. Some have a tendency towards short things like magazines and non-fiction pieces and internet news, etc.

Tunnell & Jacobs comment taken from a sign over the library that says, "The person who can read, and doesn't is no better off than the one who can't read." is shocking. I guess, although I am a reader, I understand my friends perspective and although I'm sorry that it is so, I don't really think they are no better off. Efferent reading has value too. Not everyone is emotional about books like I am. Individual differences should be respected.

On the other side, I keep thinking, if I could just find the key that would unlock the pleasure for them, maybe they would read. It's all really about choices and unfortunately, choices must be made. More on this later. My husband needs to get on the computer.

Battle Books 3/4- Jake Drake, Class Clown by Andrew Clements

Here's the proof that you shouldn't stop reading a book just because you don't like the subject matter or because you think it's going to be something you don't like. It's clearly an early third grade book. Jake is the protagonist in several books. I've not read them because I thought he was going to get away with stuff. I'm really, really glad he didn't.

It is true that we are told not the smile until Christmas. It is true that we really try to focus on accomplishing the work these days and not get sidetracked. The trouble is, I guess, that there was no relationship there, and so the kids were honestly afraid. That spoke to me. I certainly don't want my students to be afraid, but I do want them to succeed and so sometimes we just work and work and work. On the other hand, Jake had no insights apparently as to what was the goal of his time. He just wanted to be funny to relax the tension I suspect. Fortunately, the regular teacher understood, did exactly the right thing and Jake responded well. The student teacher makes it and Jake learns about when to be appropriately funny. The characters and the setting were certainly realistic. I have seen the exact same kinds of senarios replayed many times. I think "the author treated the audience with respect and writes so the text is honest and interesting." (27 Tunnell & Jacobs) Once I got going, I did sail right along.

As a postscript, it is interesting to me to note that having chuckled over the last one of his I read, I could enjoy a class clown as well. Bully for him.

Battle Books 3/4- The Blue Ghost by Marion Dane Bauer

This is clearly an late second/early third grade book. I'm not sure I like the idea of the girl going back and forth in time in this way because of the whole ghost thing. The relationship between the girl and her grandma was poignant, but I wanted the grandmother to keep the place and will it to her when she grew up. I was disappointed. There is a theory (rumor) going around out here that the earth was established by aliens from outer space and that explains the way all of creation has the same component parts rather than evolving necessarily. That's what this reminds me of...the fantasy that whatever is here now is because someone came forward or went back in time to make it so. That's pretty subtle here, but deeply there. I guess it's a reflection of the times, the edginess.

The story was simply and well told. I was just disappointed with the format. Although I must say, Madeline L'Engle is one of my favorites, and they jump through dimensions all the time. The difference is that in this, you didn't have a sense of fantasy, but normalcy and that I think would make it questionable for some parents. I suspect I'll have to wait and see what happens when the kids read it. I remember very clearly my own son saying to me when I asked about some revolting song he was listening to, "Ah, I don't know what they're saying. I only listen to the beat and the melody." Maybe that will be true in this book, and they will miss that whole thing. I kind of hope so.

This is the third book I've read by Marion Dane Bauer. I'm going to look her up and see who she is. I remember being somewhat shocked and saddened by On My Honor years ago and a little bit surprised by A Bear Named Trouble. In both of those though, it was an issue of disobedience and consequences. In this one, there is nothing like that, it's more relationship and a great one at that.

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

The language drew me. Delicate trickles of thought that grew into streams of showing so that the gentleness of the relationships were clear. Learning without condescension about new words like "jiggeh" which is apparently a backpack "The farmer squatted to don the jiggeh." (5) The words are musical and precise creating interest in the way the character will be developed. There is no negative edge anywhere in this book. Although Tree-ear is an orphan and mentored by Crane-man who shares his life under the bridge, although they both live hand to mouth sometimes going through a refuse heap for food for dinner, there is no worry, anger or frustration about their life. Tree-ear is respectful, considerate and dignified in his carriage at all points in the story...and basically at peace. It's hard to believe he is an adolescent. He listens to Crane-man's words of wisdom and applies them over and over. Although he is straightforward in the maxims he speaks, I did not feel as if I was being told what to think. For example the first one which I was to see several times as the young man makes choices was "Work gives a man dignity, stealing takes it away." (6)

Whenever they discuss what has happened or speculate about what will be, Crane-man and Tree-ear always share and talk through every situation. It is this gentle and approachable conversation that governs the insights and decisions in the book. At that time in history, usually people who had no home went to the monastery and were taken care of by the monks. However, these two are different, and as the book says, "surely such individuals have existed in every age and society." (149) The book, however is not about their dwellingplace, but about their characters and how, because of who they are and how they are, they are allowed to become what they will be. Tree-ear has a fascination with pottery and chooses to watch a master potter who always works outside his home and therefore can be seen, although most potters of the time guarded the secrets of their work carefully. So, he hides and watches. When he had a chance, he snuck up when the potter was gone, to look more closely and makes the mistake of breaking a piece. Willingly, he works off the mistake and then stays doing whatever he is asked to do for a bowl of rice hoping above hope that he will be allowed to learn. He learns much about the process by doing hard work with no praise or encouragement from the potter, finally realizing that the potter is so bitter over the loss of his own son, that he will never teach him how to throw pots. He is after all an orphan, not a son.

As Crane-man senses his disappointment, and they talk about it, several insights struck me. "...a well-kept tradition can be stronger than law" ..."My friend, the same wind that blows one door shut often blows another open." (97) Those things are deep, and Tree-ear is one who thinks about what he is told a lot, "preferred puzzling over them to being told what they meant."
(98) His heart goes out of his work until he realizes that he can mold clay himself into figures without a wheel. And isn't that just the way it is. Our expectations of good can sometimes control out attitudes. And sometimes, it takes a bit of time before we realize that those expectations are not justified, just wishful thinking. By the end of the book, he has had to understand that there is more courage in living and walking through disappointment than in just jumping to their death. There is much more to the story than just the beginning which I shared, but too much to tell here. But, because of that journey toward courage, by the end of the book his hopes are realized although his friend is gone, and the reader is left with a sense of hope and completion.

I wasn't sure what to expect from the book, but it is one I've had on my shelf for a long time. It was not a bang 'em up adventure. I don't think it would have won the award if it was, no matter the beauty of the language because the gentle, persistent points of growth would have been lost.
I kept awaiting dramatic action, but I'm not disappointed it wasn't there. Wow.

Bear Watching, a How-to Guide. By D. Bair

We do have bears occasionally that travel through here. So I chose this book because it actually gives not only information about bears which most of the non-fiction books do, but because it gives pointers and warnings about what to do if you see one. The important pages are color coded for emphasis. There are maps in it too. Although it doesn't have great literary merit, it has specific informational merit and that's important too. One of the other books in the children's section about bears was very graphic about what bears might do to you. I felt this one was more age appropriate. Not everything has to have literary merit to be read. If that were the case, we wouldn't have much out there at all. The publisher must think mostly about what will sell.

Don't you Dare Shoot That Bear! by Robert Quackenbush

I admit it, I have trouble reading biographies. I don't remember details enough, but...this one I found entertaining as well as well written. I've looked through Quakenbush's biographies several times because of his unique cartoon style on the pages instead of the typical format. This time I actually read it. It's about Theodore Roosevelt... emphasizing his love of reading and how he overcame asthma to do many strong and courageous things. It's pretty straightforward as it needs to be for third graders. For humor, there are teddy bears across the bottom of the page to comment on what was at the top frequently just expressing nonsense opinions as teddy bears frequently do. The words "captured the hearts and sympathy of millions" is a phrase I've heard from the press many times, but here it fit. It emphasizes his honesty, fair play, love of his family and children and his efforts towards conservation. He was truly an amazing bear.

Multicultural and International Books

These books are essential. My classroom is multicultural. We need to accept each other and look past individual differences to learn to work together. We work at that. There is a big difference between generalizing and stereotyping and yet they both fall into disrepute when used inaccurately. Multicultural books need to be put into history so that children can see that people did act and feel in ways in the past that brought about pain and disrespect...that it doesn't need to be that way, that we, ourselves, in our circle, can make a difference. It doesn't hurt for a book to say something wrong and us have a reason to talk about whether that makes sense or not. We were comparing our corner of the world with Asia. So, the children read their own books about that area, and we read together Sadako. My children felt the pain of Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes this year because we have families that are in Iraq ourselves. We talked about the history of it and also about the consequences of it. We try to compare our corner with corners all over the world. I find as many books as I can. I liked the quote on page 190 "'Cultural authenticity', means that those from within a culture feel that a book has accurately and honestly reflected their experiences and viewpoints." For us, the study of the Athapascans in our area demands cultural authenticity. WE are here.

Controversial Books

Consider the number of available books to choose from, consider the amount of money available to buy with. Is there a need to be deliberately offensive to a group...any group? Is it not necessary to know our population, those who would be using our books and in the process of that, to spend the money wisely on books that are well-written, broaden perspectives and will be chosen to be read? There are so many choices, I just don't see a need to choose something that is likely to be too hard on any community. For example, a man on the radio this morning was discussing the issues of bi-lingualism. I didn't agree with his points and don't want to review all of that here, but he did say one interesting thing. He talked about the number of Spanish-Americans in Vermont, saying there were 7 in the whole state. Then he questioned the need for bi-lingual signs and announcements. There wasn't there, and he found it insulting. So, moving back to students, there are many places and ways to get books. If one is needed that another one just can't stand, then they can request it. If a child chooses a book to read that I think his parent might find offensive, I give them a call and ask them to read and talk to their child about it so they are not taken by surprise. Parents want their opinions to be considered and I find this step helps them all. One parent told her student one year that she could not dress up as the person she was reading about because he was personally offensive to them as a family. So, she didn't. It's OK to have opinions and to be able to express them. I can handle it. "If we all agree on something, one of us isn't necessary." a quote from my mom.

Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones

A surprising, heartbreaking and yet heartwarming story about a village of people in a tropical island torn by civil war who are kept strengthened when the only white person, an apparent gentleman, acts as a teacher and reads aloud Great Expectations during the time everyone else, other than the villagers, has left. Yet, there is more...torture, burning, looting, death, the realities of civil war. My husband and I kept trying to figure out where it was, or when. We thought maybe an island North of New Guinea because of the copper mine and the references to New Zealand and Australia. To say this is to say so little, it's ridiculous. The book reached into the depths of me, and the reality is I was mesmerized totally. It had great power in many dimensions. When the book was burned with the village, Mr. Watts says, "We have all lost our possessions and many of us our homes, but these losses, severe though they may seem, remind us of what no persona can take, and that is our minds and our imaginations." and when one of the children asked what an imagination was, he asked them to close their eyes and say their own name to themselves. ....."Another thing," Mr. Watts said, "No one in the history of your short lives has used the same voice as you with which to say your name. This is yours. Your special gift that no one can every take from you. This is what our friend and colleague Mrs. Dickens used to construct his stories with..." As he continues, they begin again..." I can't really explain.
Powerful, poignant, affecting...

Willow Run by Patricia Reilly Giff

This book is a companion to Lily's Crossing. I read Lily's Crossing a few weeks ago and so when I read Willow Run, I was surprised by the character of Margaret. I don't remember the Grandpa in Lily's Crossing, yet he was a valuable, important character in Willow Run. Margaret was a much gentler person I thought and more vulnerable in Willow Run. However, the value of families, the stress of war, the development of friendships and acceptance of differences are all strong here. It was well worth reading. It was good that it was not the same characters all the way through. I really related to the desire for her brother Eddy to be safe, to have hope because I remember when #3 son Michael was in Iraq and communication was slow and the news reports so negative. I related to the panic of the mom more than Meggie, but the belief that we should all do what we can, I related to as well. I felt the pride when Meggie reached out in honesty to Arnold and was impressed with the growth that she experience in that short time in the book.

The Gift of the Pirate Queen by Patricia Reilly Giff

An entertaining read. It kept me interested all the way to the end, maybe because I remember how I felt when I was 11 and my grandmother came to help my mother with me and the house after my father died. This girl was nicer and so was Fiona the cousin who came to help. It also dealt with the gift of courage to deal with mistakes, lies, frustrations, and other people's opinions. Expectations of ourselves and others frequently cause kids problems, and not only kids I guess. This was a little better than the Polk Street Kids because the sentence construction was not as choppy and you could follow what was going on better. Potential for my higher third graders. Not really a read-aloud.

Poopsie Pomerantz, Pick Up Your Feet by Patricia Reilla Giff

We have a little girl insecure with how she looks and that affects a lot of stuff. The only other girl who lives close to her, who could be her friend, is what might be considered a bully in that she can always talk her into doing whatever, whether she wants to or not. In the course of the story, Poopsie learns how to accept herself a little better and to realize that the other girl has insecurities too and they become friends. The vocabulary in the writing is pretty simple which makes it appropriate for 3-4th grade. Some descriptive words like "slithered"..."dead worms sloshed" are certainly clearer. Ideas like "lily liver" and "afraid of everything that comes down the pike" are things that kids these days have no idea of. Most of her books at this level are similar. The copyright date of 1989 clearly shows this dating. It was Ok, but I like her historical fiction much better than her classroom books.

All the Way Home by Patricia Reilly Giff

Historical fiction again. The author does a great job with her historical fiction, much better than the school ones so far. This one takes place in the early 1940s. Polio is a reality. I remember hearing about it in the 50s when I was a kid and even had a friend who had had it. The consequences in her legs were real and the references to Franklin Roosevelt very poignant. The fact that the girl was teased and felt awkward about herself sounded right. The woman who was her "almost mother" was a valued respected adult. Again, something I have missed in the books with the modern setting. She not only reminded her that she could do anything, when she did, she accepted it. Meanwhile, the other character, Brick, is also well respected as a child and well loved. When they meet and become friends, each has a respect for each other that is obvious and appreciated by the limits they allow each other. For example, when he needs to go, she helps him and when she needs to go alone, he shows her and leaves her to do it. Because of her willingness to go beyond what she was expected to do, things change a lot. I think there are a lot of kids like that. Moreso, than the ones who are so alone in Jerry Spinelli's books. There is an ache of loss in the Spinelli books, loss for respect and for value, but a strength of character in the Giff books that warms and enhances. Is this a reflection of the times the books are set in? Is it true in Education Week that a "majority of youth found to lack a direction in life"? Reading one author, it certainly seems to be, yet reading another, there is hope. I'm for Patricia Reilly Giff's point of view here.

Fourth Grade Celebrity - Patricia Reilly Giff

Casey Valentine is a quirky character who just wants to feel accepted. Somehow she has the idea that her older sister is better at doing things and liked better at school. This is a theme that I've read several times this summer. Because Ms. Giff taught, she writes a series of books that include characters that overlap from book to book. This set is in 4th grade. The girl feels that if she could just be a celebrity, she would be important. She lies (exaggerates) to a pen pal and sets about organizing things like presidency, Walter her friend, and the newspaper to make herself important. I'm not sure why she doesn't value Walter more. He seems to be the genuine friend type article...accepts her and even enjoys her. I wonder if the Tracey she is writing to is the same one in Poopsie Pomerantz, Pick up your Feet. At any rate, it's more dated somehow and doesn't feel quite true.

pictures of hollis woods by Patricia Reilly Giff

Foster homes. Finding a place to belong. Working out who you are and accepting it. All of this is part of this story of Hollis Woods. Giff writes the story with a gentleness and strength. I was left wondering what had happened to the children who left my room for a foster home last year. They clung to each other pretty closely during that in between time. She not only has words that evoke pictures of the setting and people, but the feelings that are a part of those places and people without coming right out and saying it. It was timeless. The other books she wrote fit into a time in history so completely, but this one fits all times. The other thing I liked about it was the way the adults were treated. They were valued, and frankly that's refreshing. From chapter to chapter you followed two parts of her story...one that is in the present, the other that's in the past. The type of print defines that and that is a very good strategy for kids. It makes it clearer for them. Definitely a book I would suggest to others.