International Literature is a book or literature originally published in a country other than the US (in the language of that country) and then republished in the US. There are two categories of International Literature: Books originally written in English, but in a country other than the US and Books originally written in another language and later translated into English.
Multicultural Literature is different from International literature because it represents distinct cultural groups through accurate portrayals and rich details. In order to be authentic, the author must be part of, extremely close to, or very knowledgeable of the culture (s)he is writing about. The ability to obtain authenticity diminishes as the author’s knowledge and experience distances him/her from a culture.
Both International and Multicultural Literature are important to the classroom. They allow children the opportunity to learn about our global neighbors and their cultures. They foster global perspectives and knowledge. Children who are part of the cultures being studied are provided with a sense of pride and belonging. The texts often reflect the diversity found in today’s classrooms.
There are many activities that can be used with International and Multicultural Literature. Children can study the characters, settings, themes, language, and illustrations contained in the works. This can be accomplished through Book Talks, Read Aloud, Plays, written journals, culture comparisons, and in many other ways.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
EDRG 3344 Blog 4
Dear Sun,
Thank you for your warming rays and bright light that makes each day of life possible. From the very beginning you shaped me. Everything here is possible due to your gargantuan, size and radiant, brilliance. You influence my tides and seasons providing summer’s warmth and winter’s cooling. Your gravitational pull allows me stability. Due to your presence, I’m blessed with food, water, and oxygen, teaming with life of many types. Without you, I would be a boring, cold, dark, and desolate rock floating forever through the depths of space. Thank you, so very much, for providing my existence and purpose in the universe.
Love You;
Earth
Capable writers write for their audience with a purpose and use the appropriate form of writing. They utilize the writing process with a clear goal in mind. They examine peer response and use self assessment to examine their own work. Capable writers are able to differentiate between the genres and use a variety of different strategies to achieve the desired response from their audience. They postpone editing their work until the end and are able to judge its quality.
Thank you for your warming rays and bright light that makes each day of life possible. From the very beginning you shaped me. Everything here is possible due to your gargantuan, size and radiant, brilliance. You influence my tides and seasons providing summer’s warmth and winter’s cooling. Your gravitational pull allows me stability. Due to your presence, I’m blessed with food, water, and oxygen, teaming with life of many types. Without you, I would be a boring, cold, dark, and desolate rock floating forever through the depths of space. Thank you, so very much, for providing my existence and purpose in the universe.
Love You;
Earth
Capable writers write for their audience with a purpose and use the appropriate form of writing. They utilize the writing process with a clear goal in mind. They examine peer response and use self assessment to examine their own work. Capable writers are able to differentiate between the genres and use a variety of different strategies to achieve the desired response from their audience. They postpone editing their work until the end and are able to judge its quality.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
EDRG 3344 BE#3
The reading and writing processes are similar. They are both processes which allow people to negotiate meanings in order to understand or create an interpretation. Louis Rosenblatt’s Transactional Theory takes into consideration not only the message of the text, but also the reader’s interpretation based on past knowledge. The reader’s interpretation blends with the text’s message to form what he calls a “poem” or new meaning.
The reading process consists of 5 stages: Rereading, Reading, Responding, Exploring and Applying. Rereading consists of setting the purpose, recognizing prior knowledge and previewing the text. Reading is self explanatory and can be accomplished in many forms. Responding can be writing in journals, activities, or making observations. Exploring is completed by rereading, examining the author’s methods or focusing on vocabulary. Applying is when the reader understands the value of the text and is able to use the knowledge.
The writing process also consists of 5 stages: Prewriting, Drafting, Revision, Editing and Sharing. Prewriting is used to organize thoughts. Drafting is used to put initial thoughts on paper. Revision is used to elaborate and adjust wording and structure. Editing is where grammar and spelling issues are addressed. Publishing is the sharing or displaying of the work. It is also an opportunity to instill pride in a student for his / her work.
My earliest recollection of using the writing process occurred in the early 1980’s while attending the University of Maine. I remember taking a critical written expression course in which similar steps were repeated to us over and over again. The instructor forced us utilize the steps during class to complete papers.
During my Air Force career, I was required to write a great deal. I’ve written many varied types of documents from police blotters/incident reports to Operating Instructions which are similar to regulations. I supervised numerous people over the years and was responsible for completing both military and civilian performance reports. Late in my career, I was tasked with writing Physical Security inspection reports about visits to subordinate units.
Most of my writing experience has been in a professional capacity for the Air Force. I attended three Professional Military Education schools, all of which had a writing block. Since returning to school, I’ve felt the military writing experience has put me at a disadvantage. Most of the military writing was either directive in nature or in a unique government style quite different from the civilian world. The government style tends to be overly wordy, passive, and boring. Upon returning to school, I learned that I’ve developed some bad writing habits.
The reading process consists of 5 stages: Rereading, Reading, Responding, Exploring and Applying. Rereading consists of setting the purpose, recognizing prior knowledge and previewing the text. Reading is self explanatory and can be accomplished in many forms. Responding can be writing in journals, activities, or making observations. Exploring is completed by rereading, examining the author’s methods or focusing on vocabulary. Applying is when the reader understands the value of the text and is able to use the knowledge.
The writing process also consists of 5 stages: Prewriting, Drafting, Revision, Editing and Sharing. Prewriting is used to organize thoughts. Drafting is used to put initial thoughts on paper. Revision is used to elaborate and adjust wording and structure. Editing is where grammar and spelling issues are addressed. Publishing is the sharing or displaying of the work. It is also an opportunity to instill pride in a student for his / her work.
My earliest recollection of using the writing process occurred in the early 1980’s while attending the University of Maine. I remember taking a critical written expression course in which similar steps were repeated to us over and over again. The instructor forced us utilize the steps during class to complete papers.
During my Air Force career, I was required to write a great deal. I’ve written many varied types of documents from police blotters/incident reports to Operating Instructions which are similar to regulations. I supervised numerous people over the years and was responsible for completing both military and civilian performance reports. Late in my career, I was tasked with writing Physical Security inspection reports about visits to subordinate units.
Most of my writing experience has been in a professional capacity for the Air Force. I attended three Professional Military Education schools, all of which had a writing block. Since returning to school, I’ve felt the military writing experience has put me at a disadvantage. Most of the military writing was either directive in nature or in a unique government style quite different from the civilian world. The government style tends to be overly wordy, passive, and boring. Upon returning to school, I learned that I’ve developed some bad writing habits.
EDRG 3321 BE. #3
Describe how to effectively evaluate books for Children. Is it Value based?
Books selected by a teacher should provide balance and meet the objectives of the Literature program. The Literature program should help students; realize reading is entertainment and can be enjoyed forever, acquaint the child with their literary heritage, understand the formal elements of literature and lead them to prefer the best literature available, understand themselves and humanity, and help them evaluate what they read.
During the class exercise we used a list of Evaluation Criteria questions for pg. 75 of the text to evaluate a book read by our home group. I found the questions to be opinionated. A person’s values can play an enormous role during their evaluation of a particular book. Literature evaluation can be very subjective and it’s important to be as aware as possible of the cultural beliefs and background of students. There are many “hot button” topics and “stereotypes” that should be avoided when selecting material for a classroom.
The evaluator must take into consideration the way the author uses plot, characters, setting, theme, style, and point of view in the manuscript. Quality stories require believable, well developed characters and plots. The main characters must face some sort of conflict that’s not easily overcome. Most importantly the elements of the story should blend together to seem real to the reader.
Why do character/setting analysis on children’s books? What did it accomplish?
Character analysis helps us to see if main characters are believable and lifelike. It allows us to track the characters development and see how they change throughout the story. These elements are important to ensure an enjoyable, believable story. It can also help us determine if a child will be able to place his/her self in the shoes of the character while reading the story.
The setting allows the reader to experience the stories location in time and place. It can be used to set the mood of a scene of a shift in moods. Used well, the setting helps the reader experience what the characters experience. It also makes the characters’ values, actions and conflicts understandable. The setting analysis helps to identify quality, believable books during the evaluation process. It can also allow you to identify possible areas of concern that may require a backup plan for students whose beliefs prohibit them reading the material.
Books selected by a teacher should provide balance and meet the objectives of the Literature program. The Literature program should help students; realize reading is entertainment and can be enjoyed forever, acquaint the child with their literary heritage, understand the formal elements of literature and lead them to prefer the best literature available, understand themselves and humanity, and help them evaluate what they read.
During the class exercise we used a list of Evaluation Criteria questions for pg. 75 of the text to evaluate a book read by our home group. I found the questions to be opinionated. A person’s values can play an enormous role during their evaluation of a particular book. Literature evaluation can be very subjective and it’s important to be as aware as possible of the cultural beliefs and background of students. There are many “hot button” topics and “stereotypes” that should be avoided when selecting material for a classroom.
The evaluator must take into consideration the way the author uses plot, characters, setting, theme, style, and point of view in the manuscript. Quality stories require believable, well developed characters and plots. The main characters must face some sort of conflict that’s not easily overcome. Most importantly the elements of the story should blend together to seem real to the reader.
Why do character/setting analysis on children’s books? What did it accomplish?
Character analysis helps us to see if main characters are believable and lifelike. It allows us to track the characters development and see how they change throughout the story. These elements are important to ensure an enjoyable, believable story. It can also help us determine if a child will be able to place his/her self in the shoes of the character while reading the story.
The setting allows the reader to experience the stories location in time and place. It can be used to set the mood of a scene of a shift in moods. Used well, the setting helps the reader experience what the characters experience. It also makes the characters’ values, actions and conflicts understandable. The setting analysis helps to identify quality, believable books during the evaluation process. It can also allow you to identify possible areas of concern that may require a backup plan for students whose beliefs prohibit them reading the material.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
EDRG 3344 BE#2
A summary of chapter #4: Emerging into Literacy.
Emergent literacy is based on research about how children learn to read and write. It has replaced the traditional approach. As children learn about words they learn to recognize words associated with context before moving on to printed words in books. Understanding phonics is extremely important for children learning to read.
There are three development stages to both reading and writing: emergent, beginning and fluent. During the emergent (foundation) stage children start to understand the communicative purpose of print. They notice environmental print, can dictate stories and reread predictable books. They start to decode words in the beginning stage by making use of phonics and correspondence. In the third stage, fluent reading children have learned how to read. They recognize most words quickly and can decode others quickly. Fluent reading should be reached by the third grade.
Young children’s writing develops similarly to reading. During the emergent stage they make scribbles to represent writing. They learn to line up the scribbles top to bottom, left to right like letters and eventually can their tell you what the writing says. The beginning stage signals the child’s growing understanding of the alphabet. Children use invented spelling to represent words and as they learn about phoneme-grapheme correspondences, their writing approximates conventional spelling. They begin to write sentences and experiment with capital letters and punctuation. When they transition to fluent writing, children begin to write in paragraphs and vary their writing according to genre. They use mostly correct spelling, punctuation and capital letters.
What this means to me:
It’s important to understand how children effectively learn to read and write. The information provided in this chapter can be used to create better, more effective lessons and activities to develop the child’s skills. I especially like the ideas of using minilessons during literature focus units, workshops, and activity times. I never realized or thought about the importance of phonics in reading and writing prior to reading this chapter.
What it means in the classroom:
Teachers must use strategies like shared and guided reading to help develop the children’s skills. Beginning readers require books written at an appropriate level of difficulty in order form them to be successful. Interactive writing can be used to teach concepts about print, phonics, spelling, high–frequency words, and written language. Minilessons about reading and writing topics can also be used. Minilessons are effective at teaching how reading and writing convey messages and how children behave as readers.
Emergent literacy is based on research about how children learn to read and write. It has replaced the traditional approach. As children learn about words they learn to recognize words associated with context before moving on to printed words in books. Understanding phonics is extremely important for children learning to read.
There are three development stages to both reading and writing: emergent, beginning and fluent. During the emergent (foundation) stage children start to understand the communicative purpose of print. They notice environmental print, can dictate stories and reread predictable books. They start to decode words in the beginning stage by making use of phonics and correspondence. In the third stage, fluent reading children have learned how to read. They recognize most words quickly and can decode others quickly. Fluent reading should be reached by the third grade.
Young children’s writing develops similarly to reading. During the emergent stage they make scribbles to represent writing. They learn to line up the scribbles top to bottom, left to right like letters and eventually can their tell you what the writing says. The beginning stage signals the child’s growing understanding of the alphabet. Children use invented spelling to represent words and as they learn about phoneme-grapheme correspondences, their writing approximates conventional spelling. They begin to write sentences and experiment with capital letters and punctuation. When they transition to fluent writing, children begin to write in paragraphs and vary their writing according to genre. They use mostly correct spelling, punctuation and capital letters.
What this means to me:
It’s important to understand how children effectively learn to read and write. The information provided in this chapter can be used to create better, more effective lessons and activities to develop the child’s skills. I especially like the ideas of using minilessons during literature focus units, workshops, and activity times. I never realized or thought about the importance of phonics in reading and writing prior to reading this chapter.
What it means in the classroom:
Teachers must use strategies like shared and guided reading to help develop the children’s skills. Beginning readers require books written at an appropriate level of difficulty in order form them to be successful. Interactive writing can be used to teach concepts about print, phonics, spelling, high–frequency words, and written language. Minilessons about reading and writing topics can also be used. Minilessons are effective at teaching how reading and writing convey messages and how children behave as readers.
Blog #2 EDRG 3321
A summary of chapter #2: The History of Children’s Literature.
Milestones in the History of Children’s Literature:
Oral tradition occurred long before recorded history. Stories were used by people, family units, and tribes to pass on traditions, beliefs, and values to the young. These tales, like early printed books were not developed specifically for children. Prior to the mid 1400s printed books were rare and expensive. Hornbooks, some of the earliest books used to teach children were developed in the late 1400’s. Hornbooks remained popular into the mid 1700s until replaced by the battledore, a lesson book made of folded paper and cardboard. Chapbooks, sold by peddlers for pennies in markets and fairs were the 1800s most popular reading material for children.
A few authors wrote children’s books before the mid 1700’s, but the 1740’s is commonly regarded as the time when the idea of children’s books began in Europe and North America. The middle class became larger and stronger allowing more people the time, money and education necessary for reading. A growing emphasis on family life and a change in the beliefs about children led to more and more books written not only to educate but to entertain children.
Standards for Evaluating Young Adult Literature:
Books for young adults should have high quality literary standards. Fictional literature should have believable plots and conflicts and characters who overcome problems that are believable to the reader. Nonfiction works should provide inspiration, motivation or instruction. It’s important to ensure books used to provide instruction or information are current and up to date.
The History of Censorship:
Censorship has always existed. It is most often based on the social, religious or political value structure of the dominant culture or society. Censorship has changed throughout time as the value structure has changed.
Children and the Family in Children’s Literature:
A child’s place in the family and social attitudes has changed a great deal over time. Books written or adopted for children have reflected the child’s place, the social attitudes, and the typical family of the time period. As these views change so do the books.
What this means to me:
The information provided in this chapter has allowed me to reflect upon some of my own experiences in school. I remember reading books like Tom Sawyer and Animal Farm for school assignments. The information has made me more aware why certain books are selected and others are not. The chapter also provides important criteria for use during book selection for the classroom.
What it means in the classroom:
In the classroom, I think teachers need to constantly evaluate the materials in use to ensure they meet the standards from this chapter. Books that may have been useful and appropriate 30 years ago (when I started High School) may no longer fit the bill. Classic books are probably safe, but all other reading material requires constant evaluation
Milestones in the History of Children’s Literature:
Oral tradition occurred long before recorded history. Stories were used by people, family units, and tribes to pass on traditions, beliefs, and values to the young. These tales, like early printed books were not developed specifically for children. Prior to the mid 1400s printed books were rare and expensive. Hornbooks, some of the earliest books used to teach children were developed in the late 1400’s. Hornbooks remained popular into the mid 1700s until replaced by the battledore, a lesson book made of folded paper and cardboard. Chapbooks, sold by peddlers for pennies in markets and fairs were the 1800s most popular reading material for children.
A few authors wrote children’s books before the mid 1700’s, but the 1740’s is commonly regarded as the time when the idea of children’s books began in Europe and North America. The middle class became larger and stronger allowing more people the time, money and education necessary for reading. A growing emphasis on family life and a change in the beliefs about children led to more and more books written not only to educate but to entertain children.
Standards for Evaluating Young Adult Literature:
Books for young adults should have high quality literary standards. Fictional literature should have believable plots and conflicts and characters who overcome problems that are believable to the reader. Nonfiction works should provide inspiration, motivation or instruction. It’s important to ensure books used to provide instruction or information are current and up to date.
The History of Censorship:
Censorship has always existed. It is most often based on the social, religious or political value structure of the dominant culture or society. Censorship has changed throughout time as the value structure has changed.
Children and the Family in Children’s Literature:
A child’s place in the family and social attitudes has changed a great deal over time. Books written or adopted for children have reflected the child’s place, the social attitudes, and the typical family of the time period. As these views change so do the books.
What this means to me:
The information provided in this chapter has allowed me to reflect upon some of my own experiences in school. I remember reading books like Tom Sawyer and Animal Farm for school assignments. The information has made me more aware why certain books are selected and others are not. The chapter also provides important criteria for use during book selection for the classroom.
What it means in the classroom:
In the classroom, I think teachers need to constantly evaluate the materials in use to ensure they meet the standards from this chapter. Books that may have been useful and appropriate 30 years ago (when I started High School) may no longer fit the bill. Classic books are probably safe, but all other reading material requires constant evaluation
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