Showing posts with label read aloud. Show all posts
Showing posts with label read aloud. Show all posts

Monday, August 19, 2013

"The Waterhorse" (book and movie)

Here's a delightful children's book set in 1930's Scotland that explores the world of "Kelpie" or "The Loch Ness Monster". This slim chapter book, written in 1990 by Dick King-Smith (of "Babe" fame)  is full of rich dialogue and interesting characters, one of whom is a beloved "monster". While the plot centers mainly around a family's attempts to keep the waterhorse, Crusoe, safe from his foes, it's simplistic plot is actually what makes it such an endearing story to share with children both young and old. 

The movie, released in 2007, is vastly different in plot, offering much more action and suspense, which works equally well. It's one of the rare instances where I've enjoyed a movie as much as the book. It can be streamed on Amazon for $2.99 (at the time of this post) or purchased on DVD for $8.99.

This story would work well in an elementary classroom as a literature circle selection, or as a read aloud. The book includes some of Crusoe's perspective, which would be a perfect springboard for a discussion on point of view.

The audio book, narrated by Nathaniel Parker (narrator of the Artemis Fowl series), is a wonderful companion to the printed book and would be a nice addition to a "listen to reading" station in readers' workshop.





"The Water Horse's" guided reading level, for those who need to pay attention to such things, comes in at a Fountas and Pinnell level Q or Lexile of 910. 

Friday, June 7, 2013

Twerp! Recommending a book BEFORE I finish it...

UPDATE: After finishing this book, I still feel it's a great read, but can get a bit edgy at points - think Judy Blume. For that reason, I highly recommend that you preview it so that you can plan how, or if, you may change some of the wording at some points.
Also, I've seen how some reviews have panned the book for the fact that it treats the bullying incident lightly and that bothers some. I think it opens up a great dialogue for discussion and offers a teachable moment for sure.

HERE'S MY ORIGINAL REVIEW:

 I started reading this book aloud to my class yesterday after finishing the ever-popular book Wonder. We're 20 pages in, and Twerp is already a hit. I have no doubt that its appeal will continue throughout its 280 plus pages.

Surprisingly this is Mark Goldblatt's first book for young readers. It reads more like the effort of a more experienced middle grade author.


So, here's one reason why I'm recommending it before I've even finished... There's a scene at the beginning where the main character Julian is with his friend Lonnie and they've made the unfortunate decision to throw a rock at pigeons in a vacant lot "just to see what happens". My students were riveted. Some were hiding their heads in their hands not wanting, but really wanting, to hear more.  They were scolding the character, shouting out at him. Yeah, this stuff was real people. I won't tell you what happened to the pigeons because, well, you're going to read it, right? 

Twerp is a "journal" written in first person voice of the main character Julian. It's an assignment in response to a teacher's directive after Julian returns from being suspended from school. Goldblatt keeps the reader in suspense as to why Julian was suspended, but the stories he tells keep us so entertained we don't really mind waiting. 

This book not only appeals to its intended audience, as Twerp's 1969 time period is a perfect trip down memory lane for its adult reader. That's assuming your a child of the 60's and 70's like I am :) Even if you're not a middle-aged reader, you will find a sense of familiarity and abandon as the boys are able to navigate their neighborhood unfettered by the chains that bind current young adults. 

On the surface Twerp may appear to be a "boys' only" coming of age story but to  relegate it to that status is really short-changing this wonderful middle-grade literature that crosses gender lines and is sure to please.

Twerp was recently published and is available to purchase or check out from your local library.

I received a complimentary review copy from net galley.com in exchange for an honest review.




Sunday, March 24, 2013

Wonder by RJ Polacio





We're at the near beginning of reading this amazing book for young adults in my classroom, and I'm finding it difficult to read aloud. I keep wondering if I'm using the right tone, voice, pacing, rhythm to do this story justice. I'm loving how it's keeping my students on their toes, making them question themselves and the actions of others. They are digging deep into their values and morals. I love that stuff.  One of the interesting parts of the book is the teacher, Mr. Browne's, precepts (think fortune cookie statements, inspirations, quotations) that he presents to his students. I found a blogpost by the author that explains these precepts, and how their use could play itself out in a classroom. You can find the post here:

The Nerdy Bookclub - RJ Polacio post

(If you don't already read "The Nerdy Bookclub" blog, you should. It's excellent.)

I also found a teacher page on the author's website. It lists thought-provoking questions that go along with "Wonder", and it also has a compilation of all of Mr. Browne's precepts (spoiler alert):

RJ Polacio's website

I'll write more about "Wonder" when we're through. I'd love to hear from others who have read it.

Saturday, March 23, 2013

"The One and Only Ivan"




A few weeks ago, I finished reading this modern-day "Charlotte's Web" to my fifth graders. It is a  beautifully crafted story (based loosely on true events) that lends itself to being read aloud. My students especially enjoyed the voices that I created for the various characters! Admittedly, I also had to pause and wipe away a tear or two at certain points. 

My class and I drew many comparisons between Julia (the young girl who befriends Ivan) and Fern, Ivan and Charlotte, and Wilbur and Ruby (the young elephant taken under Ivan's wing). Even though one can make strong connections between the two stories, "The One and Only Ivan", is sure to be remembered as a classic in its own right.

I always like to make connections for my students by offering background information to help them think critically and dig deeper into the topics and issues we read about. I'll show images or videos, and I try to bring the "real-world" into our classroom conversations and learning as much as I possibly can. 


Here are some suggestions for extending beyond the book, "The One and Only Ivan".


Official book trailer:



We also visited the Atlanta Zoo website. Ivan was transferred there after living in a shopping center in Tacoma, Washington. We were able to see video and pictures of the gorilla, Ivan, on whom this story was based. 


Zoo Atlanta - Ivan pictures 


We also Googled "Ivan Gorilla paintings" and found examples of the finger painting that the "real" Ivan made.



Recently, a baby gorilla was rejected by her mother and is being cared for at the Cincinnati Zoo. We read the story here:


Link to story



 Applegate's wonderful prose, combined with sweet illustrations, make this book a gentle read. Even though the topic of animal welfare and captivity does have a dark side to it, Applegate handles the issue in a way that isn't overly scary. (Younger children may have a bit of a difficult time with a few references to animal mistreatment, but the adult reader could easily omit them without altering the integrity of the story.)


 Sadly, Ivan passed away at the Atlanta Zoo last August due to complications from surgery. 

I highly recommend this book. It's no surprise that it won the Newbery medal this year!

Author's Website - Ivan information