CHAPTER 5 Annmarie (BETTY) P Pictures books are so much fun and allow for the reader to use their imagination. Books that are three dimensional are also enjoyable because they permit the reader to use all their senses. Books become a method to teaching not only stories but ideas. There are so many choices for parents, teachers and children to pick up and read a variety of books available today. With my own children we rented and bought just about every book we could from the time they were little. We read to them using wordless books to get them to express themselves, counting and alphabet books to learn and concept book to teach. Yet, my daughter still does not like to read but my son loves it. In this chapter, I learn how to use the technical points instead of always just reading for enjoyment and informational purposes. This chapter will help me further understand the technical points in my readings of our read-aloud and reading log assigned books.
When reading this chapter, the most interesting text I came across was the Fry Readability Formula. Throughout this class I have wondered how exactly they pinpoint what reading level is what. This section on page 177 spoke about counting the sentences per every 100 words and how many syllables where within those 100 words. I was so excited to see an actual method created for determing reading level. The other parts of chapter I felt held no new information. We've went over setting and other items already in the book. This particular chapter wasn't that exciting.
In response to Annmarie's post, I can identify with her daughter. My mother read to me all the time and so did my older sister. Throughout elementary school I read all the time. In second grade, I finished all the books in the school library in my reading level. I constantly read books, which I admit has helped me out later in life. However, when I got to junior high and high school, I was burnt out on reading and didn't want anything to do with it. In my opinion, to much reading can also turn certain children off.
Lacy…After reading this chapter and your response, the information about the fry Readability Formula was new to me. Even in the school were I am working, we have special reading level and this one I have never heard. I am surprise that the chapter did not mention Lexile level for reading books. This is what we use in our reading group levels to determine were to place the students.
Lacy's I can honestly say that same thing about myself and my daughter. My daughter hates to read. She has a struggle through life with reading but once she learned how to she just gets bored with it. She only reads if she has too.
Picture books are exciting and appealing but more importantly, I think picture books are great to incorporate into any classroom curriculum because it reinforces learning by communicating information to the students, through a series of pictures. This in turn, provides the students with an opportunity to use their imagination and creative thinking skills. I think this is very important because the students learn to make predictions and connections to such things like the characters, theme, events and so forth.
In addition, picture books stimulate oral language development and dramatization so kids responses to literature increases. They learn to express their feelings and ideas a little more. Lastly, for the students who are visual learners or for students who do not like to read, picture books allow them to still enjoy a good book by exploring ideas and creating their own interpretations of a story based on the illustrations.
Chapter 5 was basically a review to me, it provided information that I already knew but, it was presented in a more organized and simpler manner.
I was excited that Chapter 5 had so many ideas about how to use books in the classroom and library. Sometimes when I sub the text or teacher has all of the questions and activities in place, but wometimes I am on my own. The author pointed out using both questions that have a specific answer and open ended questions. This chapter was worth the price of the book. The chapter has so many useful ideas. My son and daughter wrote and illustrated children's books in middle school and high school. My daughter had one assignment where they all wrote a children's book and went to a kindergarten class to read their book. Another time in middle school the students worked in science and English classes to write a children's book about a zoo animal in order to qualify to go on a trip to the Wichita zoo. I had never thought to do something similar in elementary school. Writing books either before or after a field trip would be a fun way to reinforce what was learned and throw in writing and art skills. I was also interested in the collage section where the authors suggestedd tring out the art medium that was used in the book you read. I can see possibilities of interdisciplinary assignments with the art teacher. If a school doesn't have an art program, this would be a great way to get beyond craft projects into real art. I liked what the authors said about reading out loud. Often students with challenges can hear and understand language far beyond their reading level. Many of our teachers read books to their classes that qualify for AR tests so their students can more easily meet their point goals.
I did read about the Fry Readability Formula prior to this chapter and I thought it was very interesting as well. Today, I believe there are other great methods to assess student's reading level. I know the DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment) is used quite often at the schools here in Virginia. It asess the student's oral reading, fluency and comprehension.
I'm interested to know that other families experience a bump in the reading road in transitioning from fun kids books to more adult reading. Our AR reading program with taking a test after every book burnt my two kids out. When summer came they didn't want to read and when high school came and AR was over they read only what they had to. UNTIL they discovered there were books out there that they were interested in. Because going to a bookstore had been a family tradition on trips, they started poking around and found types of books they did like. My daughter is interested in devotional/Bible study type books and travel books. My son developed an interest in Japanese cartoons. adventures written for high school students, and other things. What they are interested in isn't usually available at the library. However, Amazon.com lists used copies as well as new copies. I don't like giving my credit card online, but I was able to give Amazon.com my credit card over the phone. If my son finds something on ebay I only pay with money order. My son uses his own gift money and sometimes asks for something. READING WASN'T THE PROBLEM. Once my two found their interests they started reading again. Both of my children kind of skipped over young adult reading...there just wasn't much there that interested them. Right now my son's American History teacher has him excited about thick historical novels and nonfiction history.
Yes, I have to buy some books, but they provide excellent vacation entertainment!
I HOPE ALL OF YOU CAN FIND BOOKS THAT MATCH THE INTERESTS OF YOUR OLDER CHILDREN.
One of the things I liked about this chapter was the readability formulas that are used to determine the reading skill levels. The Fry Readability Formula measures the reading level by finding the average number of sentences and syllables per 100 words. The school is adamant about AR reading and I never knew how the levels were determined. I found this information very enlightening. The second thing I found helpful about this chapter was how to choose and prepare for a read aloud book. The best advice was to read the book first before using it with children. This seems obvious but I think it is a very important point to make. Reading the book first allows one to preview possible discussion points and even possible problems with pronunciation. I like to pick out words in the text and go over them prior to the reading so students understand the meanings. I especially like the book listings at the ends of the chapters and how they have interest levels according to age and grade levels.
Meredith, I too feel that this book is fascinating. I feel that it will be a great asset to me as a teacher. It is full of so much information that I can't complain about the cost.
Betty, I like the way this book helps in choosing books to fit the child and their interest as well as individual needs. I love to read and my husband does not. It is very hard for me to understand why someones else does not like to read when I live it so. Funny thing is, I found out he likes it when I began to read aloud one of my favorite novels. This works best in the summer or during spring break and I read a chapter or so every night.
The first thing about chapter 5 that I thought was informative was defining a picture book. When I first think picture book I think books that are strictly pictures and no words. This makes sense now because from reading I now know that picture books can contain slight texts or no text at all. I was really confused when I was reading some books that were said to be picture books but had text.
The other thing that I thought was important was the section for evaluating picture books. I have found this is about every chapter in the book so far and with probably find it in the chapters to come, but being able to evaluate things with help you understand the material better. As a teacher knowing the material with help you explain it better to your students. Other things in this chapter that I have found beneficial were the section about teaching with picture books.
I have only one question about this chapter. It lists things like toy books, alphabet books, counting books, concept books, and wordless books. Are all these types of picture books or their own type of book?
I agree with your statements about how picture books are great for children because it allows them to use their imagination and creative thinking skills and to stimulate oral development. I work in an elementary school now and I find it interesting and entertaining to hear the things that kids can come up with.
After reading your post I went back to page 177 and reread the section that talked about the Fry Readability formula. I agree with you that it was nice to see just how they determined reading levels.
In reading chapter 5 it has really taught me how to choose books to read to the students. Such as read aloud. First the teacher would read the book then present it to the students. I also found it interesting on how reading levels were determined with the Fry Readability formula. I think that was very creative.
RE: Meredith Thank you very much more for that information. You are correct. Once my daughter got into the types of books that she likes to read, she read all the time. Which was the Chicken Soup Books. Then it went from there to certain magazines. You are right they have to find their own interest. I just thank GOD that she knows how to read.
Response to Alison, I agree picture books are a great way to get children of all ages and even adults to read. Some of my students would prefer to look and read a picture book still instead of reading chapter books. For example, I have an eighth grader that has read every picture book I have read for my class so far. If the book is on my desk, he will pick it up and read. It is funny to see this big, tough kid reading a picture book and enjoying it. Picture books make the story come to life for children of all ages.
Response to Luke, I think ABC, wordless, and concept books are a form of picture books. They are a different category of picture books that have different criteria that makes it either an ABC, wordless, or concept book. I may be wrong, but this is just what I think.
Chapter 5 I really liked this chapter because it focused on picture books. Even as an adult, I love to read picture books because I am a visual learner. I thought it was important to be reintroduced with the elements in picture storybooks such as originality and imagination; plot; characterization; setting; theme; style; and humor. Each one of these traits is vital to a great quality picture book. My favorite part of the chapter was the part where using picture books to motivate writing and reading. I work with students that struggle with writing and reading. I like the idea of reading the book first and then charting the story according to them. That way the children can see how sentences flow and go from left to right. I think you can even adapt this to older students, and use flow charts for them to tell you what happened from page to page. This will help them determine the important parts of the story.
In response to Annmarie Picture books are fun to for children to read and it does allow them to use their imagination, but what I like about children reading picture books is that how they put their imagination to work and come up with all the different stories that are going on in the book. I can remember taking my son to the library to check out books for the first time. He didn’t want to leave; he was so amazed and thought he had to read all of the books in that one visit. Watching his face light up brought joy to my heart. I think that it’s so important to start them reading at an early age so it can set the foundation for good, happy, and enjoyable reading, starting with picture books.
In the beginning of this chapter it talks about picture books and evaluation criteria. I didn’t know that there was such a thing as this for selecting high quality picture books for children. I know when I select a book for my kids I tend to look at the pictures and if I like it then I show it to them. For me I want to be able to choose high quality books for my classroom kids as well as my own kids. I work with very young children and this is their first interaction with books and I try to make it as fun as possible for them when choosing the book for the week. They notice so much about what is on the page of the book like: the colors, what they are doing, what the character is doing in the book. I want them to ask for that book later in the school year. Patricia Cianciolo talks about the four major factors that influence how a child look at a picture book these factors are so true. If the book is not right for that child’s age they will not like the book, if the book is overly done with the pictures they will not like it, and if the cover doesn’t grab the child they will not pick it up to look at. Being aware of all of these factors can make the difference on a young child.
I learned so much from this chapter on Picture Books. I related and agreed with what the author said about how students like to read books that have humorous tales. When I was young I loved to read books that were silly and funny. The more the unexpected the plot seemed the more interesting the book seemed to me. I think that’s why I loved Dr. Seuss books so much. When my mom used to read Dr. Seuss books, she did such a great job with the rhythm of the words. She would also exaggerate her tone of voice to make the book seem more interesting. When I was young, I really didn’t care for personified objects. I really didn’t care for Curious George books or The Little Engine That Could. Even today, I prefer to read non-fiction books. I’ve always enjoyed books that I could relate to. As a future educator, I am really looking forward to creating activities around the picture books I will read. I agreed with the author’s suggestion, regarding reading to children several times a day for about 5 minutes, rather than one time for 20-30 minutes. It is difficult for young children to hold their attention for long periods of time. This method seems to be a proactive step to keeping reading fun.
Re: Tamika I too was surprised at the evaluation process. It’s so nice to know that I can evaluate a book, like the professionals, to find a book with high quality pictures. I would love to have a classroom with lots of picture books that children would find interesting. It’s great to have the skills to find these sorts of books.
I loved picture books when i was a little girl because I could make up my own story to them. I think it is funny how now that I am older it is harder to make up those stories. I think it is very fascinating how people can write picture books because it takes a lot of imagination and creativity to do that. I also liked reading about the reading levels. I never did understand how they determined what book was in what level.
This chapter was really interesting. I never even thought about how much work goes into picture books, on both sides writing and evaluating. I have three children and we love books. We have everything from cloth and board books to chapter books at home. But until reading this chapter I never placed two and two together and thought about how much my kids actually learned from these early books. It was amazing to think back and remember the joy that they got when reading these types of books. I also liked that the chapter listed several different picture books. I am always looking to expand on to my collection and this text always gives me good ideas of what to buy next.
Jessica I am am with you. I also remember how easy it was to make up stories when I was young. Now I can make up stories but they always seem like nothing that my children want to hear. Jolene
I really enjoyed Chapter 5 in our text book. In the beginning I was wondering what in the world would fill so many pages of information about picture books. However, in the first few paragraphs, I learned about so many different kinds of picture books. I have always known of the different types of books, but never really thought about the differences or the effects they all have on children of so many different ages. I really loved reading about the board books for very young children. I have a one year old daughter who absolutely loves reading or at least looking at books. And, just like the textbook said she began her love for books by ‘eating’ the board books we own. Every book went into her mouth at first; soon she began to turn the pages, because that was fun to her. Now, she turns the pages, looks at the pictures, “oohs” and “aaahs” and then pretends to read the books. Nothing makes me smile more than when I am reading to her and her smiles as she looks at the pictures or when she is ‘reading’ to herself in her own language. I also really enjoyed the discussion on the wordless picture books. I have always enjoyed using these books with children to help increase their imagination. I love to show the students the pictures and let them tell me the story or at least what each picture means to them.
RE:TriciaS I love reading humorous children's books. In fact, as I have been reading books for this class, I have read several funny books and even though they are full of simple childish humor, I laugh everytime. It's funny because after I read a funny page, I tell my husband what was said, he always looks at me like I am crazy b/c I am laughing at the children's books, but I love them. I read a Junie B. Jones book earlier this semester and laughed out loud several times b/c of things Junie said or did. I think these are funny because they are filled with many realistic thoughts of kindergartners as well as pure and simple happiness and humor.
Re: LukeS Yes, the toy books, board books etc are considered types of picture books. It seems to me that the term picture book is very vast and includes many,many types of books for children and young adults as well.
Chapter five gave knew mean to the word picture book. Pop books, flap books, and other mechanical books encourage children to interact with text. My daughter has always loved pop books. She thinks its cool when you flip the page and something is waiting to pop out at you. Then there are picture books that help children start to count. Whether it be by counting the puppies,ducks, or ladybugs. Children love to read books that have brightly colored pages and fun themes. Then there are some books that develop both observational skills and counting abilities. Likeon page 171 they talk about Arthur Geisert's Pigs form 1 to 10 and how it encourages children to find the numbers and count the pigs that are hidden within the illustrations. Then there are concept books, and wordless picture books. These are fun do they let the children use their imagination to fill in the words or draw their own conclusions.Threw out this chapter we come to understand the purpose of picture books and how they play a great role in reading. They are the beginning books that help develop our young children's reading skills.
Aspen, I agree with you its wonderful to read with your kids and see the smiles and enjoyment they get from it. Even as a one year old you are widening your babies volcabulary by reading to her. Someday she will be reading the book back to you. That is how it is with all children. They come to love certain picture books because of the illustrations. Like the Eric Carle books that are brightly colored and have great meaning. Picture books are the greatest..
I really enjoyed the part of the chapter that talked about wordless books. I never read them. However I love comic strips. They are awesome and show the plot lines that words might diminish. Children can draw their own conclusions about the stories and everyone ends up with a different idea.
I also liked the idea of reading to children. at one point I was part of the Early head start and WE had made the agreement to keep me accountable for reading to my children. ( I get so busy) So I started to put my children to bed 15 minutes apart so that I could read a book to each of them individually. It was time consuming but rewarding. Since we add my husband it is a new routine for him and us.
Chapter 5: Chapter 5 covered characteristics of picture books and the different categories of picture books. Once again, the author did a good job of giving the reader evaluation criteria to think about when selecting picture books. I appreciate having these, as there is a huge number of books available on every subject and only a short amount of time to share them with students. I really enjoyed reading about some of the different alphabet books and how they can be used with students even after they know their alphabet. The book I had selected for my reading log was meant for children learning the alphabet so it was good to see examples of books that provide more learning information for older students. I also really enjoyed the section on wordless picture books, and I gained some good ideas for sharing these with students in a classroom and activities they can inspire. I hope to teach second grade so I learned a lot from the information given on easy-to-read books and it has helped me become more familiar with some of the characteristics related to them. I think the section with ideas for teaching with picture books was very valuable for students in an education program. I didn’t really have any questions about this chapter, I think the author did a great job of covering the subject.
Joan, I am glad you have made a commitment to reading to your children every night. I know life can be very busy but it is great that you are taking the time to complete this important task. You and your children will both appreciate this later in life!
In this chapter, I enjoyed learning about the criteria used to determine a "high-quality" picture book. I included the chart in my notes and I am sure I will be referring back to it when choosing picture books for my future Kindergarten classroom. As children we read picture books and never really think about the reasons why we like the books. Some are just books we have always known, our parents knew them and our grandparents before them, sometimes we love the pictures, sometimes we love the words, they rhyme or sound melodic. As teacher's we have much more to consider when we choose a "good" book for our classroom, such as diversity and stereotypes. Thinking back on some of the nursery rhymes from childhood I realized some actually contain a lot of stereotyping. As a former pre-school teacher, I enjoyed hearing about the ways children initially think about books and explore books. I have noticed many of these characteristics and they seem to be part of a typical child's development. I wonder how pop-up books fit into traditional picture books?
In response to Lacy E.: I also found the Fry Readability formula very exciting. I related it to many of the books we have read in our reading logs. Many of the books appeal to Kindergartener’s or First graders but can’t actually be read by this group for a couple more years. I get sort of confused when we asked age appropriateness because of this difference.
CHAPTER 5
ReplyDeleteAnnmarie (BETTY) P
Pictures books are so much fun and allow for the reader to use their imagination. Books that are three dimensional are also enjoyable because they permit the reader to use all their senses. Books become a method to teaching not only stories but ideas. There are so many choices for parents, teachers and children to pick up and read a variety of books available today.
With my own children we rented and bought just about every book we could from the time they were little. We read to them using wordless books to get them to express themselves, counting and alphabet books to learn and concept book to teach. Yet, my daughter still does not like to read but my son loves it.
In this chapter, I learn how to use the technical points instead of always just reading for enjoyment and informational purposes. This chapter will help me further understand the technical points in my readings of our read-aloud and reading log assigned books.
When reading this chapter, the most interesting text I came across was the Fry Readability Formula. Throughout this class I have wondered how exactly they pinpoint what reading level is what. This section on page 177 spoke about counting the sentences per every 100 words and how many syllables where within those 100 words. I was so excited to see an actual method created for determing reading level.
ReplyDeleteThe other parts of chapter I felt held no new information. We've went over setting and other items already in the book. This particular chapter wasn't that exciting.
In response to Annmarie's post, I can identify with her daughter. My mother read to me all the time and so did my older sister. Throughout elementary school I read all the time. In second grade, I finished all the books in the school library in my reading level. I constantly read books, which I admit has helped me out later in life. However, when I got to junior high and high school, I was burnt out on reading and didn't want anything to do with it. In my opinion, to much reading can also turn certain children off.
ReplyDeleteLacy…After reading this chapter and your response, the information about the fry Readability Formula was new to me. Even in the school were I am working, we have special reading level and this one I have never heard. I am surprise that the chapter did not mention Lexile level for reading books. This is what we use in our reading group levels to determine were to place the students.
ReplyDeleteLacy's I can honestly say that same thing about myself and my daughter. My daughter hates to read. She has a struggle through life with reading but once she learned how to she just gets bored with it. She only reads if she has too.
ReplyDeleteChapter 5: Picture Books
ReplyDeletePicture books are exciting and appealing but more importantly, I think picture books are great to incorporate into any classroom curriculum because it reinforces learning by communicating information to the students, through a series of pictures. This in turn, provides the students with an opportunity to use their imagination and creative thinking skills. I think this is very important because the students learn to make predictions and connections to such things like the characters, theme, events and so forth.
In addition, picture books stimulate oral language development and dramatization so kids responses to literature increases. They learn to express their feelings and ideas a little more. Lastly, for the students who are visual learners or for students who do not like to read, picture books allow them to still enjoy a good book by exploring ideas and creating their own interpretations of a story based on the illustrations.
Chapter 5 was basically a review to me, it provided information that I already knew but, it was presented in a more organized and simpler manner.
MeredithC
ReplyDeleteI was excited that Chapter 5 had so many ideas about how to use books in the classroom and library. Sometimes when I sub the text or teacher has all of the questions and activities in place, but wometimes I am on my own. The author pointed out using both questions that have a specific answer and open ended questions. This chapter was worth the price of the book. The chapter has so many useful ideas. My son and daughter wrote and illustrated children's books in middle school and high school. My daughter had one assignment where they all wrote a children's book and went to a kindergarten class to read their book. Another time in middle school the students worked in science and English classes to write a children's book about a zoo animal in order to qualify to go on a trip to the Wichita zoo. I had never thought to do something similar in elementary school. Writing books either before or after a field trip would be a fun way to reinforce what was learned and throw in writing and art skills. I was also interested in the collage section where the authors suggestedd tring out the art medium that was used in the book you read. I can see possibilities of interdisciplinary assignments with the art teacher. If a school doesn't have an art program, this would be a great way to get beyond craft projects into real art. I liked what the authors said about reading out loud. Often students with challenges can hear and understand language far beyond their reading level. Many of our teachers read books to their classes that qualify for AR tests so their students can more easily meet their point goals.
Re:Lacy
ReplyDeleteI did read about the Fry Readability Formula prior to this chapter and I thought it was very interesting as well. Today, I believe there are other great methods to assess student's reading level. I know the DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment) is used quite often at the schools here in Virginia. It asess the student's oral
reading, fluency and comprehension.
Carolyn S
ReplyDeleteI'm interested to know that other families experience a bump in the reading road in transitioning from fun kids books to more adult reading. Our AR reading program with taking a test after every book burnt my two kids out. When summer came they didn't want to read and when high school came and AR was over they read only what they had to. UNTIL
they discovered there were books out there that they were interested in. Because going to a bookstore had been a family tradition on trips, they started poking around and found types of books they did like. My daughter is interested in devotional/Bible study type books and travel books. My son developed an interest in Japanese cartoons. adventures written for high school students, and other things. What they are interested in isn't usually available at the library. However, Amazon.com lists used copies as well as new copies. I don't like giving my credit card online, but I was able to give Amazon.com my credit card over the phone. If my son finds something on ebay I only pay with money order.
My son uses his own gift money and sometimes asks for something. READING WASN'T THE PROBLEM. Once my two found their interests they started reading again. Both of my children kind of skipped over young adult reading...there just wasn't much there that interested them. Right now my son's American History teacher has him excited about thick historical novels and nonfiction history.
Yes, I have to buy some books, but they provide excellent vacation entertainment!
I HOPE ALL OF YOU CAN FIND BOOKS THAT MATCH THE INTERESTS OF YOUR OLDER CHILDREN.
One of the things I liked about this chapter was the readability formulas that are used to determine the reading skill levels. The Fry Readability Formula measures the reading level by finding the average number of sentences and syllables per 100 words. The school is adamant about AR reading and I never knew how the levels were determined. I found this information very enlightening.
ReplyDeleteThe second thing I found helpful about this chapter was how to choose and prepare for a read aloud book. The best advice was to read the book first before using it with children. This seems obvious but I think it is a very important point to make. Reading the book first allows one to preview possible discussion points and even possible problems with pronunciation. I like to pick out words in the text and go over them prior to the reading so students understand the meanings.
I especially like the book listings at the ends of the chapters and how they have interest levels according to age and grade levels.
Meredith,
ReplyDeleteI too feel that this book is fascinating. I feel that it will be a great asset to me as a teacher. It is full of so much information that I can't complain about the cost.
Betty,
ReplyDeleteI like the way this book helps in choosing books to fit the child and their interest as well as individual needs. I love to read and my husband does not. It is very hard for me to understand why someones else does not like to read when I live it so. Funny thing is, I found out he likes it when I began to read aloud one of my favorite novels. This works best in the summer or during spring break and I read a chapter or so every night.
The first thing about chapter 5 that I thought was informative was defining a picture book. When I first think picture book I think books that are strictly pictures and no words. This makes sense now because from reading I now know that picture books can contain slight texts or no text at all. I was really confused when I was reading some books that were said to be picture books but had text.
ReplyDeleteThe other thing that I thought was important was the section for evaluating picture books. I have found this is about every chapter in the book so far and with probably find it in the chapters to come, but being able to evaluate things with help you understand the material better. As a teacher knowing the material with help you explain it better to your students.
Other things in this chapter that I have found beneficial were the section about teaching with picture books.
I have only one question about this chapter. It lists things like toy books, alphabet books, counting books, concept books, and wordless books. Are all these types of picture books or their own type of book?
Re: Allison M.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statements about how picture books are great for children because it allows them to use their imagination and creative thinking skills and to stimulate oral development. I work in an elementary school now and I find it interesting and entertaining to hear the things that kids can come up with.
Re: Lacy E.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your post I went back to page 177 and reread the section that talked about the Fry Readability formula. I agree with you that it was nice to see just how they determined reading levels.
In reading chapter 5 it has really taught me how to choose books to read to the students. Such as read aloud. First the teacher would read the book then present it to the students. I also found it interesting on how reading levels were determined with the Fry Readability formula. I think that was very creative.
ReplyDeleteRE: Meredith
ReplyDeleteThank you very much more for that information. You are correct. Once my daughter got into the types of books that she likes to read, she read all the time. Which was the Chicken Soup Books. Then it went from there to certain magazines. You are right they have to find their own interest. I just thank GOD that she knows how to read.
Response to Alison,
ReplyDeleteI agree picture books are a great way to get children of all ages and even adults to read. Some of my students would prefer to look and read a picture book still instead of reading chapter books. For example, I have an eighth grader that has read every picture book I have read for my class so far. If the book is on my desk, he will pick it up and read. It is funny to see this big, tough kid reading a picture book and enjoying it. Picture books make the story come to life for children of all ages.
Response to Luke,
ReplyDeleteI think ABC, wordless, and concept books are a form of picture books. They are a different category of picture books that have different criteria that makes it either an ABC, wordless, or concept book. I may be wrong, but this is just what I think.
Chapter 5
ReplyDeleteI really liked this chapter because it focused on picture books. Even as an adult, I love to read picture books because I am a visual learner. I thought it was important to be reintroduced with the elements in picture storybooks such as originality and imagination; plot; characterization; setting; theme; style; and humor. Each one of these traits is vital to a great quality picture book. My favorite part of the chapter was the part where using picture books to motivate writing and reading. I work with students that struggle with writing and reading. I like the idea of reading the book first and then charting the story according to them. That way the children can see how sentences flow and go from left to right. I think you can even adapt this to older students, and use flow charts for them to tell you what happened from page to page. This will help them determine the important parts of the story.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Annmarie
ReplyDeletePicture books are fun to for children to read and it does allow them to use their imagination, but what I like about children reading picture books is that how they put their imagination to work and come up with all the different stories that are going on in the book. I can remember taking my son to the library to check out books for the first time. He didn’t want to leave; he was so amazed and thought he had to read all of the books in that one visit. Watching his face light up brought joy to my heart. I think that it’s so important to start them reading at an early age so it can set the foundation for good, happy, and enjoyable reading, starting with picture books.
In the beginning of this chapter it talks about picture books and evaluation criteria. I didn’t know that there was such a thing as this for selecting high quality picture books for children. I know when I select a book for my kids I tend to look at the pictures and if I like it then I show it to them. For me I want to be able to choose high quality books for my classroom kids as well as my own kids. I work with very young children and this is their first interaction with books and I try to make it as fun as possible for them when choosing the book for the week. They notice so much about what is on the page of the book like: the colors, what they are doing, what the character is doing in the book. I want them to ask for that book later in the school year.
ReplyDeletePatricia Cianciolo talks about the four major factors that influence how a child look at a picture book these factors are so true. If the book is not right for that child’s age they will not like the book, if the book is overly done with the pictures they will not like it, and if the cover doesn’t grab the child they will not pick it up to look at.
Being aware of all of these factors can make the difference on a young child.
I learned so much from this chapter on Picture Books. I related and agreed with what the author said about how students like to read books that have humorous tales. When I was young I loved to read books that were silly and funny. The more the unexpected the plot seemed the more interesting the book seemed to me. I think that’s why I loved Dr. Seuss books so much. When my mom used to read Dr. Seuss books, she did such a great job with the rhythm of the words. She would also exaggerate her tone of voice to make the book seem more interesting. When I was young, I really didn’t care for personified objects. I really didn’t care for Curious George books or The Little Engine That Could. Even today, I prefer to read non-fiction books. I’ve always enjoyed books that I could relate to. As a future educator, I am really looking forward to creating activities around the picture books I will read. I agreed with the author’s suggestion, regarding reading to children several times a day for about 5 minutes, rather than one time for 20-30 minutes. It is difficult for young children to hold their attention for long periods of time. This method seems to be a proactive step to keeping reading fun.
ReplyDeleteRe: Tamika
ReplyDeleteI too was surprised at the evaluation process. It’s so nice to know that I can evaluate a book, like the professionals, to find a book with high quality pictures. I would love to have a classroom with lots of picture books that children would find interesting. It’s great to have the skills to find these sorts of books.
I loved picture books when i was a little girl because I could make up my own story to them. I think it is funny how now that I am older it is harder to make up those stories. I think it is very fascinating how people can write picture books because it takes a lot of imagination and creativity to do that. I also liked reading about the reading levels. I never did understand how they determined what book was in what level.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter was really interesting. I never even thought about how much work goes into picture books, on both sides writing and evaluating. I have three children and we love books. We have everything from cloth and board books to chapter books at home. But until reading this chapter I never placed two and two together and thought about how much my kids actually learned from these early books. It was amazing to think back and remember the joy that they got when reading these types of books. I also liked that the chapter listed several different picture books. I am always looking to expand on to my collection and this text always gives me good ideas of what to buy next.
ReplyDeleteJolene
Jessica
ReplyDeleteI am am with you. I also remember how easy it was to make up stories when I was young. Now I can make up stories but they always seem like nothing that my children want to hear.
Jolene
I really enjoyed Chapter 5 in our text book. In the beginning I was wondering what in the world would fill so many pages of information about picture books. However, in the first few paragraphs, I learned about so many different kinds of picture books. I have always known of the different types of books, but never really thought about the differences or the effects they all have on children of so many different ages.
ReplyDeleteI really loved reading about the board books for very young children. I have a one year old daughter who absolutely loves reading or at least looking at books. And, just like the textbook said she began her love for books by ‘eating’ the board books we own. Every book went into her mouth at first; soon she began to turn the pages, because that was fun to her. Now, she turns the pages, looks at the pictures, “oohs” and “aaahs” and then pretends to read the books. Nothing makes me smile more than when I am reading to her and her smiles as she looks at the pictures or when she is ‘reading’ to herself in her own language.
I also really enjoyed the discussion on the wordless picture books. I have always enjoyed using these books with children to help increase their imagination. I love to show the students the pictures and let them tell me the story or at least what each picture means to them.
RE:TriciaS
ReplyDeleteI love reading humorous children's books. In fact, as I have been reading books for this class, I have read several funny books and even though they are full of simple childish humor, I laugh everytime. It's funny because after I read a funny page, I tell my husband what was said, he always looks at me like I am crazy b/c I am laughing at the children's books, but I love them.
I read a Junie B. Jones book earlier this semester and laughed out loud several times b/c of things Junie said or did. I think these are funny because they are filled with many realistic thoughts of kindergartners as well as pure and simple happiness and humor.
Re: LukeS
ReplyDeleteYes, the toy books, board books etc are considered types of picture books. It seems to me that the term picture book is very vast and includes many,many types of books for children and young adults as well.
Chapter five gave knew mean to the word picture book. Pop books, flap books, and other mechanical books encourage children to interact with text. My daughter has always loved pop books. She thinks its cool when you flip the page and something is waiting to pop out at you. Then there are picture books that help children start to count. Whether it be by counting the puppies,ducks, or ladybugs. Children love to read books that have brightly colored pages and fun themes. Then there are some books that develop both observational skills and counting abilities. Likeon page 171 they talk about Arthur Geisert's Pigs form 1 to 10 and how it encourages children to find the numbers and count the pigs that are hidden within the illustrations. Then there are concept books, and wordless picture books. These are fun do they let the children use their imagination to fill in the words or draw their own conclusions.Threw out this chapter we come to understand the purpose of picture books and how they play a great role in reading. They are the beginning books that help develop our young children's reading skills.
ReplyDeleteAspen,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you its wonderful to read with your kids and see the smiles and enjoyment they get from it. Even as a one year old you are widening your babies volcabulary by reading to her. Someday she will be reading the book back to you. That is how it is with all children. They come to love certain picture books because of the illustrations. Like the Eric Carle books that are brightly colored and have great meaning. Picture books are the greatest..
I really enjoyed the part of the chapter that talked about wordless books. I never read them. However I love comic strips. They are awesome and show the plot lines that words might diminish. Children can draw their own conclusions about the stories and everyone ends up with a different idea.
ReplyDeleteI also liked the idea of reading to children. at one point I was part of the Early head start and WE had made the agreement to keep me accountable for reading to my children. ( I get so busy) So I started to put my children to bed 15 minutes apart so that I could read a book to each of them individually. It was time consuming but rewarding. Since we add my husband it is a new routine for him and us.
Chapter 5:
ReplyDeleteChapter 5 covered characteristics of picture books and the different categories of picture books. Once again, the author did a good job of giving the reader evaluation criteria to think about when selecting picture books. I appreciate having these, as there is a huge number of books available on every subject and only a short amount of time to share them with students. I really enjoyed reading about some of the different alphabet books and how they can be used with students even after they know their alphabet. The book I had selected for my reading log was meant for children learning the alphabet so it was good to see examples of books that provide more learning information for older students. I also really enjoyed the section on wordless picture books, and I gained some good ideas for sharing these with students in a classroom and activities they can inspire. I hope to teach second grade so I learned a lot from the information given on easy-to-read books and it has helped me become more familiar with some of the characteristics related to them. I think the section with ideas for teaching with picture books was very valuable for students in an education program. I didn’t really have any questions about this chapter, I think the author did a great job of covering the subject.
Joan, I am glad you have made a commitment to reading to your children every night. I know life can be very busy but it is great that you are taking the time to complete this important task. You and your children will both appreciate this later in life!
ReplyDeleteIn this chapter, I enjoyed learning about the criteria used to determine a "high-quality" picture book. I included the chart in my notes and I am sure I will be referring back to it when choosing picture books for my future Kindergarten classroom. As children we read picture books and never really think about the reasons why we like the books. Some are just books we have always known, our parents knew them and our grandparents before them, sometimes we love the pictures, sometimes we love the words, they rhyme or sound melodic. As teacher's we have much more to consider when we choose a "good" book for our classroom, such as diversity and stereotypes. Thinking back on some of the nursery rhymes from childhood I realized some actually contain a lot of stereotyping. As a former pre-school teacher, I enjoyed hearing about the ways children initially think about books and explore books. I have noticed many of these characteristics and they seem to be part of a typical child's development. I wonder how pop-up books fit into traditional picture books?
ReplyDeleteIn response to Lacy E.:
ReplyDeleteI also found the Fry Readability formula very exciting. I related it to many of the books we have read in our reading logs. Many of the books appeal to Kindergartener’s or First graders but can’t actually be read by this group for a couple more years. I get sort of confused when we asked age appropriateness because of this difference.
Alison was correct that picture books reinforce learning by communicating. Its a lot easier to read also.
ReplyDelete