Traditional Literature

Traditional Literature stories help us understand and appreciate other people and hold many valuable lessons, as well as help us understand the universality of common beliefs and values. This will help our students recognize and celebrate diversity.

I would start by brainstorming on the board as a whole class. What stories do you already know that might be Traditional Literature? We can then analyze a story and why we think the author wrote it with that outcome. Why are some Traditional Literature so unfriendly? How could we rewrite the story to make it more friendly?
Students could then use our class blog website to rewrite the part of the story they wish to change.

A great way to deliver this information is to have students compare and contrast two versions of a tale from two different cultures. They will be able to identify the essential components of one of the tales and retell it to their classmates. Students will reflect on why they chose the version of the story that they shared? Students will also comment on their story to it's culture of origin.

Another great assignment I would do in my class is have students identify elements of Traditional Literature: discuss types of plots, structure. What pieces of evidence prove this is Traditional Literature?

Obi, Gerbil on the Loose by Michael Delaney

I really liked this book, it brought me back to my childhood. My sister and I always had hamsters. They would get out from time to time,  they are very active, nocturnal creatures. We didn't have such a happy ending for our last two hamsters though. They were in their running balls and my dad left the sliding glass door open, out to the pool. I was watching the Golden Girls.  Yah, that was horrible. I will never forget that night. But we look back now and laugh at my mom for doing CPR on two hamsters.

Autism by Carol Baldwin

My three year old niece was recently diagnosed with Autism. The book does a great job of giving causes, symptoms, and treatment, while identifying ways to help, and provides motivating stories of people who've achieved success despite their conditions. Because the Autism spectrum is literally changing in the coming year the cases of Autism are growing. The spectrum has become much more broad which means that many people have gone undiagnosed or labeled with a learning disability. There are varies degrees of Autism, one can not always tell by someone's appearance. What a great lesson for children to learn as well.

Boo Hoo Bird by Jeremy Tankard

I really want to teach Kindergarten and I fell in love with this book Boo Hoo Bird  by Jeremy Tankard.

I became completely smitten with the Grumpy Bird, my daughter was delighted with this book, to follow Bird on a new adventure with his darling band of forest friends. The characters are whimsical indeed, but with just the right dose of reality: not all days are good, and heads sometimes do get bumped. Thankfully, friendship (and distraction by good friends) is the best medicine!

Holes by Louis Sachar

I was surprised to see how different the book Holes is from the movie. I guess that is usually the case. It is so funny how the books are so much better. I think it is because we make our own little movie in our head and the movie usually is a let down.

Stanley in the book is fat, but in the movie, he is skinny. In the book, Stanley's father wants to find a way to recycle sneakers, and he accidently created the Sploosh, but in the film, he only experiments with how to get rid of foot odor...

Modern Fantasy

I enjoy Modern Fantasy even more so than Folklore because Modern Fantasy is more artistic and authentically created by the author rather than being replicated thousands of time over from generation to generation. I feel this way for personal reason. After becoming a parent myself, I realized how disturbing some of those traditional story's really were. Even some of the lullaby's are not very child friendly. So I modified many of the lyrics to make them more soothing, I stole this idea from my sister whom was a mother a decade before myself.


Modern Fantasy in the classroom is wonderful it translate perfectly from books to movies. Children love it because  it is so engaging which makes this book category priceless. Modern Fantasy can be created with a good imagination coming up with our own class story that is Modern Fantasy. Role playing is a great technique I will use in my classroom also. By making a subject more human like children will identity with the feelings and events that occur as well as mesmerizing them. Children think out side of the box, tapping into their ideas when there is no limit would certainly evolve into some original, outrageous ideas witch is the highest level of blooms. I could incorporate their ideas in writing, creating a web quest or virtual field trip where the sky is the limit.

Historical Fiction

Historical fiction is a useful tool in the classroom. These types of books can be used for entertainment as well as learning life lessons. I think historical fiction is a great way to teach about history and it has a great imaginational twist with it. I would use role playing in my classroom to engage my students in the story line. Comparing and contrasting the difference between fiction and non fiction would be a key assignment as well.


When I think of historical fiction I think of the movies how they may be telling a true yet there are parts added to keep the suspense alive. I would use a writing assignment where students would research on the computer different historical events. After picking their event they would add to it, some twists and turns along making the event more engaging and exciting.

Nonfiction: Biographies and Informational Books

Using nonfiction books in the classroom adds a supplemental source of information on current topics of study. Students also gain exposure to a different type of literature.

 

Reasons I will use Nonfiction in my classroom:

For my students to learn about other children or significant events and people, where someone was born or died, about a person’s family and accomplishments, life events that occurred.

I will use nonfiction in my classroom for assignment to encourage my students to gather information, organize and summarize information. I will incorporate assignment that practice learning the difference between fact and fiction, and fact and opinion. Venn diagrams would be great when using nonfiction books so students learn to compare and contrast. Students doing a research project on a person or event are a valuable way to use nonfiction in the classroom.