Blog #7

What is modern fantasy?

Modern fantasy is literature that is set in the real world but characters have been altered by the author and set in an imaginative setting. Many times animals such as rats, mice, horses, turtles are humanized. They have human like qualities which allow them to speak, dress and act out adventures to tell a story. Human characters in modern fantasy are often given super natural powers which normally could not happen in real life situations.

Make up your own activity for your books.

Materials: Qualified teacher, box, colors, clay, feathers, paper, glue, and all kinds of fun stuff.

Facilitate a guided open group discussion on modern fantasy:

1. Give the children the definition of modern fantasy like the one above. Then facilitate a guided open whole group discussion on what modern fantasies they have experienced. This will give you chance to make corrections on wrong assumptions and shape their idea of modern fantasy.
2. Depending on the grade some may say: Nemo, Toy Story, while other grades may relate to Shark Boy Lava Girl or tell stories of recent books they've read like Little Quack, The Tale of Despereaux. (While this may not be exactly base all on books they can relate to modern fantasy by what they are exposed to at home etc. However, you should have some literture on hand they are familar with and have had exposure to in class. Identify characteristics of modern fantasy in these books.)
3. Then ask them questions like: Can a clown fish really talk? Can a mouse save princess with a sewing needle? Can a boy really live in salt water with sharks? .
4. Then, tell them that you have a box and in it lives a silly monster. Tell them to write a story and draw the silly monster for all to see.
5. The silly monsters and stories will be posted in the hallway.

Have all kinds of materials ready like clay, buttons, feathers, glitter etc. Be prepared for their imagination to run wild !

Blog #6 Traditional Literature

Traditional Literature is a written expression of a particular culture which is done with exceptional high quality and is often in the form of folktales, fables, myths and legends.

Traditional Literature can be used to engage students by exposing them to other cultural traditions. Some students may find out that some cultures are not that different or find out that in some area what seemed taboo is not in another culture. It's also thought provoking. It makes the student look at their own culture and wonder if the things they do may seem taboo to other cultures.

An interesting concept lesson I may have my students do is have them author their own folktales, fable, myth, and legends. They could write a folktale about their heritage or a legend based on science concepts. I may even encourage the children to make sure that it's humorous but not required. The key is to let the children be creative and have fun.

As a reward some students could act out their stories. The author could be the director or play the main character. Some students could choose to bring their creation to life by making a him a puppet or get really creative and bring in material from home (like slime etc.) or they could choose to dress up at the character.

I would definitely used Traditional Literature in my classroom. Many of these stories have been told for many generations and add insight to many other cultures. It exposes children to the world, including the people, their homes, traditions, foods, etc. I also believe it is an essential tool for social studies.

Blog # 5

Picture books tell a story using pictures. The stories can be told with or without text. Most of time the illustrations in the book are just as important or more important than the text. They are very popular with young readers because the pictures match the text which helps them with emerging reading skills. Because pictures books tells stories through pictures with little to no text almost anyone can use pictures books eliminating most limitations with the exceptions of the blind.

I personally select pictures books by scheming through the pictures first then follow the text and make sure it's appealing visually and a good read aloud if text is included. Once, I find the book appealing I find the objective in the book. The picture book may focus on cognitive, social or emoitonal skills.

The next thing I do is read the book to make sure that it is age appropraite for my audience. I am also look for revleance. Is this something my audience can relate to. Although, the character is a dinosaur he is encounter daily situations the children may find themselves in? I aslo want to find out what the end result will be. Do I expect the children to learn more about good manners, colors, numbers, alphabet, length, moutains, oceans etc. or just a fun read.

Overall, picture books can be used by almost everyone. It uses pictures primarily to tell a story and can be used build cognitive, social, emotional skill or simply be entertaining. I love pictures books because it makes the story come to life.