Baby Mouse

I thought the book was extremely funny. I am not sure but to me it felt as if the book was a parody of super heroes and comic books. Also I thought the story was a bit chaotic and not easy to follow for a young reader.

Stuarts Cape Craft Lesson

The part of the book that I really enjoyed was when the exotic animals did not like that Stuart was pretending to be the them, so they come and live the day like Stuart does. I think that this is an important lesson for a child to learn. This could occur with the older kids of fourth or third grade. I would have the children to research on an animal of their choosing. They would need learn the way that animal lives and what that animal typically does during their routine. Like what they eat, where they sleep, do they live in packs. These are all questions the children need to be able to answer, because they then are going to write a paper about if they were a animal, what would their day consist of. The students paper would be in first person as if they are the animal, and write a story about what they did for the day. They would incorporate all the facts they researched.

Chapter 13

When I was a young reader my favorite reads were biographies. My favorite were sports figures and historical biographies. I think that young students can really enjoy a great biography especially like the book said trendy biographies. I just think that biographies may not offer up the most imagination especially if they are long reads. But there is much to benefit from in the books to read.

Stuart's Cape

Stuart's cape is a marvelous little book. One of the things that truly enjoyed out of the book is the humor. There are many instances of humor, but it is not silly slapstick humor. This is a smart book with many intelligent parts to it. I love the part where mad because they did not like that stuart pretended to be animals, but then Stuart said why not you can be me. The reverse role play to me was hilarious.

Craft Lesson Sidewalk Circus

I think that to fully appreciate Sidewalk Circus you must understand the details in the book. I would present this craft lesson to fourth graders in the context of art class. I would have them draw me a story with no words and show them sidewalk circus as an example. The students will be split into groups because hopefully each student will possess different talents. One of the main aspects of this assignment is for student to organize themselves into different tasks. There can be the artist and then storyboard designers. Someone needs to come up with the concept. All the roles that this assignment encompasses will be explained to the students. The art can be drawn, it can be taken from magazines clips. Anything can be used as long as a story is being told in a coherent manner.

Side Walk Circus

I did not like this book mainly because I really did not think it was suitable for children. Looking at the pictures takes intuitiveness I do not think that children will understand the book. I personally was a little bored by the picture book myself, I understood the premise but I did not find any literary merit in the book.

Poetry Folder

Introduction

There is a wide variety poems that I have included in this poetry folder. Every single poem that I have included does not make sense in my choice. There are some funny poems and then there are some that I chose because of the illustration that comes with the poem.
As a child I never fully appreciated poetry because it was thrown at me. The poems that I was forced to read were all the classics and although they have literary merit, as a child I did not find them interesting. As a teacher I will try not force the classics at students, and that is the reason why I picked some poetry that may not be considered a classic. There needs to be a diverse mixture of literature, because if there is only serious poetry students do not feel creative. My selected poems touch on a myriad of subjects and hopefully the attitude that I am trying to portray will be displayed when I become a teacher.
I also think it is important to select authors who share different point of views. I love Langston Hughes and Janet S. Wong, Karen English but they differ from the other authors that I chose, which creates the diverse point of view that I am so interested in.

Dinosaurs
By Valerie Worth

Worth, Valerie. (1976). More Small Poems. Illus. Natalie Babbitt.
New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.


I like this poem because it invokes the imagination of all readers. I think it also explains the obvious in that no one has ever seen a dinosaur but still they are an important part of history. This poem I think describes very well the feeling of a young child.
I think that a teacher could use this poem as a preface to teaching dinosaurs. This would be a good start to explain to children that dinosaurs existed long ago and no one has ever seen a dinosaur but their bones exist. This is a good conversation starter for a dinosaur unit.

Open House by Aileen Fisher

Fisher, Aileen. (1965). In the Woods, in the Meadow, in the Sky. New
York: Scribner.

This poem introduces many animals that are not found in a city. Animals like the katydid, porcupine and bear are not common animals, and if a teacher is teaching about woodland animals this is a great poem. Also the idea of a tree having feelings and desires is good introduction for manipulating writing. Students need to know that their writing can take them anywhere and they can tackle any type of writing and still be in control. If they want to write about a stick or a pond and personify, that is okay because it is allowed.

Hand-Me-Downs
By Bob Zanger

Lansky, Bruce. (1994). A Bad Case Of The Giggles : Kids Pick the
Funniest Poems, Book #2. Illus. Stephen Carpenter. New York:
Meadowbrook Press

This poem caught my eye because of the humor. It is not typical humor that children may encounter. The idea of a boy receiving clothes from his sisters and the fact he wears them is a simple twist. I also want to instill in students not all literature needs to be serious. There is a place for humor in literature and I think this poem is done in a tactful manner. This is good for the students to embark on their creativity.

I Don’t Care [Tyrell]
By Karen English

English, Karen. (2004). Speak to Me: And I Will Listen Between the
Lines. Illus. Amy June Bates. San Francisco, California: Farrar
Strous, Giroux.

I love this poem because I feel that it represents today’s society. This is real and I see this in class rooms today. I think there are certain ways children are portrayed that are not characteristic of today’s kids. This poem can be shared with children, especially those who this poem affects. It can even inspire them to write poetry or to read because, they will feel that someone understands them.

The Dream Keeper
By Langston Hughes

Hughes, Langston. (1996). The Dream Keeper and Other Poems.
Knopf Books for Young Readers.

The flow of this poem sounds really beautiful. As short as it is it still has a dream world feel to it, which is what it is trying to do. I have never found felt as part of a poem as this one does for me. The positivity of this poem is great for students. This is a great poet and to have the students experience this would be great.

Me
By Walter de la Mare

De La Mare, Walter. "Descriptive". Online. Internet. 5 March, 2008.
Available:http://www.Encyclopedia.org/Descriptivepoetry.htm

The message that this poem gives is insightful. I like what de la Mare is trying to say and the individuality he gives. A fourth grader may not quite get the idea but I think with explanation that it can be good exposure to them.

You Enter A Poem…
By Robert Hirsch

Hirsch, Robin. (2002). FEG: Ridiculous Stupid Poems for Intelligent
Children. New York: Little, Brown.

I found it ironic that a poem describes how you experience a poem. It felt like there was depth to this poem even with the comparison to a bathroom. The comparison to the bathroom added comedic affect, and it did its job. This particular poem can be showed to students when teaching a poem. This can be a poem to show a fourth grader, so they can understand the nuances of a poem.

ON*O*MAT*O*POE*IA
By Robin Hirsch

Hirsch, Robin. (2002). FEG: Ridiculous Stupid Poems for Intelligent
Children. New York: Little, Brown.

This poem is very intelligent and plays on the concept of onomatopoeia. This is a great introduction for students who are learning about onomatopoeia. My favorite part is the last part where he puts all the words together to form ON A MAT O PIA.

Mountain/Volcano
By Janet S. Wong

Wong, S. Janet. (2007). Twist: Yoga Poems. Illus. Julie Paschkis.
Margaret K. McElderry Books,

I like the creativity of this poem. The comparison to a mountain and volcano is cool. This would also be a good poem to introduce for key terms for mountains and volcanos. Words like lava, ash, and steam are important key terms to learn.

The Lion and the Mouse
By Jane Yolen

Yolen, Jane. (1995). A Sip of Aesop. Illus. Karen Barbour. San
Francisco: Blue Sky Press.

The adaptation of Aesop’s Fables into a poem is awesome. This poem is intended for older children, but it puts a new age feel on the old story. Children can learn about this when they encounter fables and morals of stories.

When a Cop Stops You By Janet S. Wong

Wong, Janet S. “Poems and Stories”. 5 March, 2008. Online,
Internet. Available: http://www. Janetwong.com/poems
/cop.cfm.

I think this poem is appropriate for children because it lets them know that even adults get nervous around authority figures. Children will like this poem.

Moon
By Karla Kuskin

Kusin, Karla. (2003). Moon Have You Met My Mother? Illus. Sergio
Ruzzier. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

I ran across this poem during an episode of The Wire on HBO. It was not the real version of this poem, it was an urban version, but they gave credit to this poem. I looked this poem up and liked it. This poem is appropriate for young age groups and can be used to teach about the moon and the stars.

Appearances to the Contrary
By Sara Holbrook

Holbrook, Sara. (2002). Wham! It’s A Poetry Jam: Discovering
Performance Poetry. Boyds Mills Press.

I think much of what children say or do about literature is not expressive. This poem and specifically this whole book changes that point of view and allows children to be free in their writing. Sara Holbrook tries to teach children how to have a poetry jam and this is just one of her many examples. Also kids can relate with this poem.

Bug Show
By Calef Brown

Brown, Calef. (2006). Flamingos on the Roof. Los Angeles: Houghton
Mifflin.

This poem caught my eye along with illustrations of color. The illustration that goes with this poem helps to make it better. It is a fun poem with a cool flow.

A Hippopotamusn’t
By J. Patrick Lewis

Lewis, Patrick J. “Hippo Poems”. Online, Internet 5 March 2008.
Available:http://members.aol.com/HippoPage/hipppoem.htm#lewis1http://members.aol.com/HippoPage/hipppoem.htm#lewis1.

The creativity of J. Patrick Lewis is incredible and I love how his poems are put together. This is a great poem to show students that there are no limits in literature especially in creativity.

Invisible Boy
By Shel Silverstein

Silverstein, Shel. “Favorite Poems”. Online 5 March 2008.
Available: http:/ /www.cqsb.qc.ca/svs/434/poems.htm.

I am a fan of Shel Silverstein and think highly of her poetry. For me this poem emits vivid imagery but what is strange is the imagery for me is invisible. Picture being able to see an invisible mouse in your head even though the author clearly says he is invisible. I think that the students would get enjoyment from this poem.

Creep and Slither
By J. Patrick Lewis

Lewis, Patrick J. (1998). Doodle Dandies: Poems That Take Shape.
Illus.Lisa Desimini. S&S Athenum.

This is not normally the way the poem is viewed. It is usually made in the shape of a snake. I like how J. Patrick Lewis has such intelligent poetry and it is done in a creative way.

In Mother's Shadow By Janet S. Wong

Wong, Janet S. (2001). The Rainbow Hand: Poems About Mother and
Children. Illus. Jennifer Hewiston. Simon & Schuster
Children's Publishing

I personally love this poem because of the duality of it. To me there is a literal meaning and an abstract concept. The girl is literally following her mother and her mother is protecting. Then there is the fact that the child is walking her mother’s shadow. This is a really cool poem.

Smart
By Shel Silverstein

Silverstein, Shel. (1974). Where the Sidewalk Ends. New York, NY:
HarperCollins Publisher.

I was presented this poem in a math class and I found it to be very clever. The concept of more 5 pennies being more than 1 dollar because five is more than 1 is smart. This could be a cool activity to have kids do when learning about money.

Once
By Katie McAllaster Weaver

Weaver, McAllaster Katie. “Journal 21”. Online, Internet.
5 March 2008. Available http://kotapress.com/journal
/Archive/journal_issue5/journal21.htm

I love this poem because it talks about death in a interesting way. Imagination of stars representing people and when one goes away a person dies is neat. An older fourth grader I can see would find this interesting.