Historical fiction tells the stories of history; it consists of imaginative stories grounded in the facts of our past. It is realistic- the events could have occurred, and the people portrayed could have lived - but it is a fictional story.In order for a book to be labeled Historical Fiction it must be an event from at least 20 years earlier.
Some requirements for historical fiction:
Don'd add too much historical background
Remember your Recreating the historical period
Making credible dialogues and using language suited to the historical time.
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Reading historical fiction is one way to broaden our horizons, to learn more about the people and places of our world by reading about the past. Another important reason is to learn to avoid making the mistakes of the past. Its like that quote by Karl Marx History repeats itself, first as a tragedy second as a farce. By reading Historical fiction we can hope not to make the same mistakes again, as humans and as a society. In a classroom teachers can start using Historical Fiction early on. They can use books on slavery, wars, and more. The industrial revolution is a good one to use as well. The students can use their textbooks to look up information since it provides facts. Historical fiction is very important to teach in classrooms and you would be surprised at how interested the students become during lessons.
Devon and I did our genre presentation on Contemporary Realistic Fiction. As we were learning about CRF we found that it generally follows specific criteria to be a CRF book. Here is our PowerPoint presentation we came up with to kind of summarize what we read. Its basically real life situations in fictional settings. Some common .themes are coming of age, family relationships/problems, peer pressure and even cultural tensions. It is something that people can relate to and might be dealing with in their own lives. The characters in these books are humans as well. Some types of books for CRF can be picture books, chapter books, novel in verse, graphic novels, short stories and more. Some books that you can read are here. We also did a readers theater activity with the class that was fun, and also a jeopardy like game on the Smartboard.
Here's what our classmates had to say about our presentation:
Hi girls, I loved your presentation!
First plus--> I like that you read the book first to have us realize that acting it out was more fun and meaningful.
Second plus--> Your examples and non examples were excellent. Very comical as well!
Third plus-->Readers theater with props was tons of fun! I really enjoyed the idea
One wish--> Over all you did an amazing job and I learned a great amount. I think it would be beneficial to have more copies for the readers theater but that is all. Thank you for your presentation it was great!
Three Pluses:
1.) Your powerpoint was clear with interesting pictures to help me understand.
2.) The reader's theatre let me act and have fun with the dialogue.
3.) The Smartnotebook quiz was a great way to assess student understanding.
Wish: It would be great if the college had Senteos for us to use with working Smartboard technology :)
3 likes and a wish
1. I like that you gave examples and non-examples in your powerpoint using cows
2. I like that you had us do the readers theater it was interactive and fun.
3. I like the quiz that you had us do at the end to wrap up the information
1 wish
I wish the quiz actually worked :-(
DiCamillo, K. (2000). Because of Winn-Dixie. Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick Press Kinney, J. (2007). Diary of a wimpy kid: Greg Heffley's journal. New York: Amulet Books.
Chick Stead a local story teller came to speak with our class and other today. He told stories of him as a young boy and all about his family. He is from the Ramapo tribe in New York and is quite the leader. Walter Chuck Stead has led the long fight for cleanup of a major Superfund site in New York’s Torne Valley. But he’s done much more than that. He has documented the region’s history, helped give a voice to the area’s indigenous people, and built an environmental education center to teach future generations. He is a teacher at Cornell cooperative ext and has been working to rebuild the salt box that he can use with his students.When the project is complete, the Saltbox will be the home of the Ramapo Saltbox Environmental Research Center (ERC), a field research center designed to examine the long-range impact of paint sludge contamination, the result of Ford Motor Company's dumping during the 1960’s and 70’s. He is very passionate when he speaks and I really enjoyed learning about the damage that Ford did back in the 1960s and how they are finally forced to take some sort of responsibility for it. Here are some video's of him from you tube; there are lots more check them out He is great!!
Today we discussed the book Tuck Everlasting in class. We got to make an animoto that we created on the motifs in the book. We decided that the most common motif was fantasy. This book is a fantastical literature book. It is based off events that cant really happen. We added pictures to our animoto and then added captions.
Dr. Smirnova started the class with 2 puppets today. It definitely gained our attention, and got us engaged. We presented our animotos and used the puppets as well. Puppets are a great way to start a class especially with young children. The following link on Puppets provides many resources on how to use puppets and why they are important.
I remember learning about this poem in high school and it has stuck with me since. I like how it says that he took the one less traveled, and that is the way I have always lived my life. At some point in everyone's life there will be a point where they will be at a crossroads and this poem can help to reassure them to chose wisely. When people read poetry everyone takes a different meaning to it. I read this poem at a rough time in my life where it would have been easy to just quit school and do drugs but I was not about that. I worked really hard to get to where I am at today, and when I read this poem it reminds me that sometimes the road you take is not the easiest one but its your choice. Robert Frost is a great poet his work can be found on his website called Frost Place.
We read this a few times with each other and we all read the same part a different way. It was interesting to hear it read differently and have it take on a whole new meaning.
Dr.Seuss has a very unique writing and artistic style. He is famous for his picture books for emerging readers. The pictures illustrate what the words are saying. Such as in Hop on Pop. Cup Pup, Pup in cup. There is a picture of a big cup with a pup in it.
Take a look at the poster we created, and look at the different artistic designs. Dr. Seuss is known for his illustrations. He uses many curved lines for a more whimsical and dreamy look. He also uses pictures to help the reader learn the word. Look at the pictures below. He shows high as up in the air and shows the characters hopping on pop. He also uses primary colors to show a mood of warmth.
When we were first given this assignment I was unclear of what we were supposed to be doing. When it was all done however it finally clicked. Every author has its own style and is unique. Some authors use bright colors and straight lines. Some authors have borders on their pages to give a clue of whats page.
Picture books are great for all ages. I still enjoy reading them. I like the If you give a cat a cat a cupcake book, and I have always loved The very hungry caterpillar. Picture books should be small enough to fit into a child's hands. There are many types of picture books. One kind is a wordless book. One that Dr.Gangi introduced me to was called Zoom. I have never seen anything like it. It started with a close up picture and on each page was a new element. Finally at the end was a whole picture zoomed out to see each page which made up one picture. Students could make up their own predictions on what each page was and see if they were right or even make words up to go along with the book.
Carter, D. (2010). Dr. Seuss's Oh, the places you'll go pop-up! New York: Robin Corey Books.
Hop on Pop. (1963). New York: Beginner Books.
One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish,. (1960). New York: Beginner Books; distributed by Random House.
1) One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
2) Hop on Pop
3) Oh, The Places You’ll Go Examine each book and write brief notes to help you explore the illustrator's work in terms of THE artistic features listed below.
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Line
The lines in this book suggest movement and feeling by using many curves, circular, diagonal and zigzagging lines. There are many illustrations where the action, and excitement of the page is clear.
The lines in this book suggest movement and feeling by using many curves. Horizontal and vertical lines are used to show movement up and down hills.
The horizontal lines in this book show calm progressive movement as the character walks through the book. There is a feeling of happiness and determination as you read.
Color
The colors in this book are mainly primary colors. At times Seuss uses entire pages of warm color, others are entirely cool, while a some points he mixes the two. The characters in the warm colors appear happy, while the characters in the cool colors appear sad. The colors that he uses help to portray the mood of the pages.
The colors seen in this book are very inviting to children. They are primary colors but are very bright which might encourages a child to pick it up. Blue and green are colors that are used on many of the pages and suggest calm, serenity, or renewal. The colors in this book provide a happy feeling while reading.
There are a plethora of colors seen in this book. The book starts and ends with a white page signifying the end of an old journey and the beginning of a new one. However, throughout the book you can find an immense amount of light yellow and light orange giving off a sense of cheerfulness and excitement for the reader. It can also give off a feeling of fear into the unknown. A few of the characters in this book can also be seen in the color purple, representing the mysteries the reader will be challenged with throughout life.
Shape
Many of the shapes in this book are rounded. There are no geometric shapes in this book. These shapes give the illustrations a very whimsical, and dreamy feel.
Many of the shapes in this book are rounded. These shapes used give a very vivid illustration to the reader as they are reading, and lets the readers imagination really take over. Dr.Seuss used big shapes such as a tea cup with a pup in one of the pages which illustrates that is the objects are important.
Throughout the book, the reader will notice that there are no sharp shapes and only rounded edges. This gives the reader a sense of comfort and security as their eyes gaze over the oddly circular shapes found in the book. The large shapes and objects in the book represent the difficult obstacles the reader will face throughout their new journey and life. .
Texture
Many of the edges of the illustration of this book are rough and frayed looking. The textures used within this book help to create images that are less realistic and work to stimulate the viewer’s imagination.
The illustrator of this book uses many rounded and simple pictures. The textures show rough and ragged images in the pictures to show how it feels and really captures the image with feeling in such simple pictures.
The illustrator has a signature style of having smooth large structures and rough and jagged tiny details. The painting textures found within the book give a three-dimensional feel of fictional characters.
Design
Rhythm and Movement
Most of the illustrations in this book are contrasting from one page to the next within the two-page spread. It sets the rhythm of the book.
Tension
While the pictures illustrate a majority of the words written within the text, the illustrations also give extra details that were not mentioned in the text. The illustrations add to the content of this book.
Page Layout
The layout of the text and illustrations often mirror each other in this book. If the illustrations in the book are very tall and skinny, the text will be as well. The text on the page is very carefully placed.
Rhythm and Movement
The rhythm, and movement in this book is very controlled and flows from page to page.The left and the right side of the pages are equally illustrated.
Words and pictures work together so that the reader can tell what the words are by looking at the pictures.It is a medium size book which is great for all readers and is also made into smaller and larger sizes as well.
The layout of the text and illustrations often mirror each other in this book. If the illustrations in the book are very tall and skinny, the text will be as well. The text on the page is very carefully placed.
Rhythm and Movement
The illustrations found throughout the book are quite repetitive, especially the characters. The buildings are a bit different in every book, but they all show a sense of forward movement.Even though we identify with the objects on the left of the page, the two spread book has a continuous illustration on the left and the right page, effecting the eyes of the reader to look at both sides equally.
Tension
There is a great amount of tension between the words and the illustration. The words portay one story and the illustrations explain what is not said in the text.
C. Page Layout
This picture book is both wide and tall with its pictures and text. All of the pictures and characters are complex.
Media and Technique
A. Painterly Techniques
Graphic Techniques
Composite Techniques
A. Painterly Techniques
Graphic Techniques
Composite Techniques
A. Painterly Techniques
Graphic Techniques
Composite Techniques
Style of Art
B. Cartoon Art
Cartoons consist of exaggerated caricatures that emphasize emotion and movement. They possess no subtlety, but are simple and straightforward.
It is often chosen to illustrate humorous stories, nonsense, and comical satire.
Cartoon Art
Cartoons consist of exaggerated caricatures that emphasize emotion and movement. They possess no subtlety, but are simple and straightforward.
It is often chosen to illustrate humorous stories, nonsense, and comical satire.
Cartoon Art
Cartoons consist of exaggerated caricatures that emphasize emotion and movement. They possess no subtlety, but are simple and straightforward.
It is often chosen to illustrate humorous stories, nonsense, and comical satire.
We have been discussing poetry in our class. We had to make up our own poems. I struggle with writing poetry and didn't just want to do an acrostic poem. An acrostic poem is where you use the letters that you want to spell out, for instance your name and each letter has a short phrase. Instead I chose to do a free verse poem. For the past 5 months I have been anxiously waiting my house to be built. We are in the final stages and should be moved in soon. My poem I have written is a short version of how excited I am . Here is a sneak peek of my home sweet home! I have also found this really great poetry website that explains each type of poem. I think that it is important to teach children poetry. I think many people think that poems need to rhyme. Poetry can hard to teach but teaches can start with limricks, or simple acrostic poems. I think that poetry can be a great resource during ELA if done correctly. Many people in our class shared their poems and they were all differnet and we got to learn a little about our classmates this way. I remember in my elementary classes one way we got to know each other was by writing acrostic poems with our names and each letter was something to describe ourselves. Here are some great websites to help use poetry in classrooms http://www.edutopia.org/blog/integrating-daily-poetry-5-tools-brett-vogelsinger
