SLMS Interview

SLMS Interview with Mrs. Vaughn

 

            I have been at my school for the past eight years and have become very familiar with our library.  We have had the same librarian for the last five years and she does a great job working with the teachers on how to incorporate literature into our lessons.  Our library is well organized and specific areas are labeled so that they are easily to locate.  Our library offers a technology center for our students and she also uses our computer labs when teaching research so that every student can have their own computer.  Mrs. Vaughn also has a mobile lab with thirty iPads that she uses and comes to our rooms at times to teach specific lessons. 

          Our school has created units of study and a pacing guide so we are all on the same page.  Our librarian has access to this and will send us emails suggesting different literature connections that is available for us to use that goes along with what we are teaching.  When asked, “What can the SLMS help me teach?”  She showed me an area in the library that she was working on that goes along with her growth plan.  Her growth plan is to better help the classroom teachers make literature connections within their core subject.  She is in the process of developing a list of suggested books to go along with each of our “I Can” statements.  She has them organized by grade level and subject.  Our school houses grades first through third and she is focusing on math first since it is the most difficult to incorporate literature and she states it is something that the majority of our math teachers do not do. 

          Our policy and procedures are given to us at the beginning of each year and are also included in our handbook.  Mrs. Vaughn also has policy and procedures for the students to follow and they are posted at the check-out desk.  Mrs. Vaughn does a great job in teaching the students how to check-in and check-out books and has student leaders to work the library in the mornings and afternoons.  This goes along with the Leader in Me program that we began last school year.  I asked her about what she does if a book is challenged by a parent or other person and she stated that it has only happened one time since she has been there.  She has a form that she had them to complete and then she pulled the book from the shelf and recorded it for the purpose of inventory.  She told me that the one time it happened that it was just easier to pull the book and not to challenge it and the parent was pleased with the outcome. 

          I went into this interview planning on doing a Q & A session, but our interview quickly turned into a fantastic conversation where she talked to me about the wonderful plans that she has coming for our library.  All of her plans go along with the Leader in Me program and making it more student centered than what it already is.  I always knew we had a great media center, but I learned so much when we just had the time to talk.          

Reading Log

            I.     Non-fiction/Informational (1 chapter book or photo essay book reflection required on blog)

1)     Chameleon, Chameleon by Joy Cowley

2)     What Do You Do With a Tail Like This by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page *

 

          II.     Poetry (1 chapter or picture book reflection required on blog)

1)     Talking Like the Rain by X.J. & Dorothy M. Kennedy and Jane Dyer *

2)     The House That Jack Built by Joe Rogers

 

        III.     Modern Fantasy (1 chapter book reflection required on blog)        

1)     Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix

2)     Chocolate Touch by Patrick Catling *

 

       IV.     Historical Fiction (1 reflection required on blog –can be a picture book)  

1)     Grandmama’s Pride by Becky Birtha *

2)     Ribbons by Laurence Yeb

 

         V.     Traditional (1 reflection required on blog – one can be a picture book)     

1)     Jack Tales (required for discussion – do NOT use on blog)

2)     The Ugly Duckling by Jerry Pinkney *

 

       VI.     Realistic Fiction (1 chapter book reflection required on blog)

1)     Rules by Cynthia Lord *

 

     VII.     Picture Books (2 reflections required on blog during the first two weeks of class. There should be a total here of at least six.)

1)     Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young. (required for discussion – do NOT use on blog)

2)     Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes *

3)     Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems *

4)     The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster

5)     The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

6)     Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina

7)     Swamp Angel by Anne Isaacs

8)     Jumanji  by Chris Van Allsburg

9)     King Midas by John W. Stewig & Omar Rayyan

10) Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin

11) Window by Jeannie Baker

12) Miss Nelson is Missing by James Marshall & Harry Allard

13) Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto

14) Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

15) Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton

16) The Upside-Down Boy Janet Palazzo-Craig

17) The House that Jack Built Joe Rogers

18) Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully

19) The Big Snow by Berta & Elmer Hader

20) Space Case by Edward Marshall

 

* denotes  my blog posts

"Rules"

 Realistic Fiction Reflection

 

Lord, C. (2006). Rules. New York: Scholastic Press.

               The book Rules is a wonderful realistic fiction written by Cynthia Lord.    The story is about a twelve year old girl named Catherine who longs for a normal life.  Catherine’s life is not like the normal life of a twelve year old.  She has a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability.  Catherine loves her brother very much, but at the same time is embarrassed by his behavior.  Catherine spends most of her time trying to teach David rules in hopes to make things less hectic.  For example, one of the rules is - take your shoes off at the doctor, but at the dentist leave them on.  Catherine has hopes of making a new friend when Kristi moves in next door, but is also afraid of what she will think of David.  She also has a special bond with a special friend named Jason.  Events take place throughout the story that makes her realize that a normal life might not be possible, but it’s not a bad life after all.

               The story line has many different aspects of realism.  First, the story is situational realism since the plot of the story is something that is possible and the characters and setting are of identifiable age and social class.  It also relates to emotional realism because there are believable feelings and relationships among the characters in the story.  Social realism is portrayed as well with the way society looks at people with disabilities in real-life and in the way people looked at David and Jason.  It was heart-warming to read about the author and to know that the story was based on questions that she had as a mother of two children, one of whom has autism. 

               The book level is 3.9 and I would recommend this story to individuals or for a read-aloud.  Since the author doesn’t always explain everything that is going on in the story, this story would be good to use when teaching students how to make inferences (RL 4.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text).

Questions:  How does David stand in the way of what Catherine wants for herself?

 

"What Do You Do With a Tail like This?"

Week 8: Non-fiction Reflection

Jenkins, S., & Page, R. (2003). What do you do with a tail like this? New York: Houghton Mifflin.

 

 

 

Plot Summary:

             “What Do You Do with a Tail like This?” is a Caldecott Award winning non-fiction informational picture book that examines how different animals use their noses, ears, tails, eyes, mouths, and feet.  This story would be categorized as biological science since it deals with living organisms.  The structure of the book is organized to first peek the curiosity of the reader.  The first page shows all the different noses of animals that are in the story and the reader is asked, “What do you do with a nose like this?”  This immediately draws the attention of the reader and leads you to read on.  From there each page takes you through the explanation of how each animal uses the same body part for many different things.  For example, an elephant uses his nose to give himself a bath, where a platypus uses his nose to dig in the mud.  This wonderful book teaches you things that you might know about the uses of the animals’ different body parts.  The book includes a four page picture dictionary with additional information on each animal that was discussed in the book.

            The book level of “What Do You Do with a Tail like This” is 3.0.  This would be a great book to use during a science lesson on what makes animals different from each other.  The standard is as follows: SC-E-3.1.3 Each plant or animal has structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction.  For example, humans have distinct body structures for walking, holding, seeing, and talking.

Questions: How are some of the adaptations of the animals like those of humans?

           

              

"Grandmama's Pride"

Week 7: Historical Fiction Book Talk

 

 

Birtha, B. (2005). Grandmama’s pride. Morton Grove, Ill: A. Whitman.

Other Titles: “Lucky Beans”

Genre: Historical Fiction

Grade Level: 3.7

               What if you could only use certain restrooms?  What if you could only use the back entrances to businesses?  Could you imagine not being allowed to drink from the water fountains?  Grandmama’s Pride tells the story of segregation and prejudice that existed in 1956 when this story took place.  The story takes you through the experiences of six year old Sarah Marie when she visits Grandmama who lives in the south, and what she realizes once she begins to read.  Life in 1956 was very different than how we live now.  Take a journey back in time while reading this historical fiction.  Even though this story takes place during difficult times, the characters find ways to triumph. 

"Rules"

Week 6: Realistic Fiction Book Talk

 

 

Lord, C. (2006). Rules. New York: Scholastic Press.

Other Titles: “Hot Rod Hamster”, “Happy Birthday, Hamster”, “Touch Blue”

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Grade Level: 3.9

               Don’t take your pants off, no toys in the fish tank, no yelling and making a scene in public so that people stare.  What if these were the rules that you had to live by?  Or better yet, what if these were the rules that you had to enforce on a sibling?  Well, this is just what Catherine has to do on a daily basis with her little brother.  These rules are not like normal rules, but Catherine’s brother is not like your typical brother either.   You must read this book to see the trials and tribulations that Catherine goes through.  Be sure and read the back flyleaf about the author.  Her reason for writing Rules will make you view this book from a whole different perspective. 

To hear this book talk, click on the link below.
http://soundcloud.com/katiecaudill/rules
 

"Talking Like the Rain: A Read-To-Me Book of Poems"

Week 5: Poetry Reflection

 

 

 

Kennedy, X. J., Kennedy, D. M., & Dyer, J. (2010). Talking like the rain: A read-to me book of poems. Boston: Little, Brown.

Summary:      Talking Like the Rain: A Read-To-Me Book of Poems is a collection of poems for children written by X.J., Dorothy M. Kennedy, and Jane Dyer.  What I like the most about this book is the way it is organized.  The poems are divided into subjects that are familiar to children.  Some of the subjects include play, families, just for fun, weather, seasons, birds and beast.  These are all subjects that children can relate to and enjoy reading about.  The book is also illustrated by Jane Dyer.  Each piece is illustrated which helps the reader to understand what the poem is about.  Her use of watercolors makes each picture look very detailed and realistic.  Many of the poems use rhyme which makes it fun to read.               

               I would recommend reading this to young children of all ages and for third to fifth graders to read independently.  This book would be good to use in the classroom when teaching the standard RL 2.4 Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.  Since the book is broken into categories you could divide the class and assign each group a category.  They could then read the poems within their category and choose one to present to the class.  During the presentation the students would have to read the poem to the class (practicing fluency) and explain the element or elements of poetry that was used.  The elements that they could discuss are meaning, rhythm, sound patterns, figurative language, and/or sense imagery.

Question: Since poetry can give different meanings to different readers the one question that I would ask is: What do you think the authors are trying to say or what do they want you to realize?  

"The Ugly Ducklling"

Week 4: Traditional book reflection

 

 

Pinkney, J. (1999).  The ugly duckling. New York: Morrow Junior Books

The genre of “The Ugly Duckling” by Jerry Pinkney is a new adaptation to a traditional children’s book.  The plot is a great story about a little duckling that didn’t look like the rest of his brothers and sisters.  With the exception of his mother who loves and accepts him all of the animals pick on and tease him without mercy.  The duckling leaves the farm where he was born, to venture out into the world.  The story takes you on the journey of the awkward bird, and of the beautiful transition that takes place.  Finally, the duckling makes a joyful discovery and finds his home.  The story brings a message of hope that will appeal to anyone who has struggled to fit into the world around them.  There are many themes that you could derive from this story.  The one that I like to use is that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  This is true from the mother’s love to the duckling.

“The Ugly Duckling” has a straightforward story line with the duckling as the main character.  The language is descriptive enough to follow the pictures, but not overly complex for children.  The illustrations, by Pinkney, are beautifully done in watercolors that help bring the drama to life. 

The book level is 4.5 and can be used in the classroom when studying morals of stories.  The reading standard that could be used is RL 3.2: recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.  You could also compare and contrast the similarities and differences between ducks and swans.  This book could also be used with character education on how to treat people who might look different than others.

Big Questions:  Why would someone tease and make fun of people who look different from them? Why did the Ugly Duckling have to find birds that looked like him to know and be comfortable with who he was?

 

"The Chocolate Touch"



Modern Fantasy book reflection – week 3

 

 

Catling, P.S. (1952). The chocolate touch. New York: Harper Trophy.

The genre of The Chocolate Touch is a modern fantasy chapter book that tells the story of what happens to a little boy who eats too much chocolate. 

Plot/Summary: The story has a progressive plot and the main character and protagonist of the story is John Midas.  John is a greedy boy who loves candy, especially chocolate.  His parents try to get him to eat healthy food choices, but all he wants to eat is chocolate.  He eats so much that his mom makes him drink a vitamin tonic so that he can get proper nutrients that his body needs.  John’s doctor orders that he is not to eat anymore chocolate.  This news was not what he wanted to hear.  John had to find a way to get his hands on some chocolate.  One day he found an unusual coin and notices a candy store that he had never seen before.  So of course he goes in with his coin to purchase some chocolate.  When he got the box of chocolate home he saw that there was only one piece, so he ate it.  This chocolate was unlike any chocolate that he had eaten before.  The next day strange things start to happen to John; everything he drinks or eats tastes like chocolate.  John faces different conflict throughout the story such as person-against-person because people do not believe him.  It is not until the end that he meets his greatest conflict  of person-against-self when something happens to his mother that might make him reconsider his craving for chocolate.  John has to make a very important choice.  Read the book to find out what happens to his mother and the decision that John makes.

               The Chocolate Touch has a book level of 4.7 and can be used to teach many different standards.  One standard that it can be used to teach in the 3^rd grade would be RL3.3 describes characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.  Students could talk about words that describe John’s character traits and use examples from the story to support their ideas.

Big Questions: “What would you do if everything you consumed tasted like chocolate?” “What is one word that you could use to describe John and why did you choose that word?”

 

"Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus"

Book Talk: Week 2

Willems, M., & Hyperion Books for Children.  (2003). Don’t let the pigeon drive the bus. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.

Other Titles: “The Pigeon Wants a Puppy”, “Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late”, “The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog"

Genre: Picture Book

Grade Level: 0.5

 

            Have you ever tried to talk you parents into letting you do something that you shouldn't do?  Well, that is just what the pigeon does in "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus".  The pigeon wants to drive the bus so bad that he does everything he can to try and talk the driver into letting him drive.  He first tries to bargain with him and then pleads with the driver.  You will have to read the story to see if the driver gives in and lets the pigeon drive the bus.

  

Kitten's First Full Moon

Week 2: picture book reflection

 

 



Henkes, K. (2004). Kitten’s first full moon. New York: Greenwillow Books 

      Kitten’s First Full Moon is a picture book written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes.  In 2005 it received the Caldecott Medal. The cover of this book is very simple yet interesting in all black and white.  Once the book is opened you will find that the illustrations throughout the book are in black and white.  Although it is illustrated in black and white, the pages seem to shimmer.  The theme of this book sends a message of encouragement to kids and if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again.  The plot is a simple story for young readers.  Kitten sees her first full moon and mistakes it for a bowl of milk.  The kitten has unlucky events happen while chasing the bowl of milk.  The kitten gives up on the bowl of milk when he is defeated in the middle of a pond, hungry and wet.  These are the two things that cats hate the most.  At the end of the story his luck finally turns around.  Children are able to cheer for the kitten at the end of the story.

Since the story is about a full moon, this book would be great to open up a thematic unit in science on the moon and its phases and the students could do many writing activities at home.  One great thing they could do is to go outside each night and journal what they see when they look at the moon.  When they get to school they can share with one another and add illustrations. 

Big Questions:  Why did Kitten think the moon was a bowl of milk?  What are other objects, in your everyday life, that look like a full moon?  Why?

Introduction

My name is Katie Caudill and I teach third grade math at Simpson Elementary in Franklin Kentucky. I also teach a reading enrichment class to the at-risk students on my team.  I will be starting my eighth year of teaching.  I am taking my last two classes this summer session and just took my comps last week.  Needless to say the light at the end of the tunnel is very bright.  I will have to admit that I am not a computer person and setting up this blog took me out of my comfort zone. Please excuse my blog if it stays looking a little bare. The more I play with it the more confused I get.  I am a nontraditional student and am in my second career.  I didn't not grow up with computers and my children teach me a lot, but I still have a way to go.

On a personal note.  My husband and I have been married for almost 21 years and we have three wonderful and active children; two boys and a girl.  Reed is 17 and will be a senior, Jackson is 15 and will be a freshman, and Shelby is 9 and will be in the 4th grade.  All three play competitive sports which keeps us very busy.  In our free time we like to golf, kayak, and hang out as a family.

I look forward to leaning from you all.