Field Experience

Field Experience

1. How many hours did you complete?

5 hours

2. In a short paragraph or bulleted list, how did you spend your time?

·        board meeting

·        observations

·        teaching a lesson

3. How did the experience help you to strengthen at least one Kentucky Teacher Standard?

            Due to the field experience, I was able to Kentucky Teacher Standard number 4: The teacher implements and manages instruction. I was able to do this because I had to plan and implement a lesson plan that involved reading a trade book. This was very interesting to do because I teach Math all day. It was very eye opening to see how students were able to stay more focused when the lesson followed along as the book was being read aloud.

4. Talk a little about one thing you learned because of this field experience.

            I learned that time management is the key when trying to teach using a trade book. If it is a long trade book then it might be important to break the book up into sections because reading the whole book at one time can lose the interest of students and also take up the entire class period.

Reading Log

Genre / Titles

             I.      Non-fiction/Informational (1 chapter book or photo essay book reflection required on blog)

1)      The Great Fire by Jim Murphy

          II.      Poetry (1 chapter or picture book reflection required on blog)

1)      Casey at Bat by Ernest L. Thayer

2)      Mathematickles by Betsy Franco

       III.      Modern Fantasy (1 chapter book reflection required on blog)          

1)      I, Jack  by Patricia Finney. (required for discussion – do NOT use on blog)

2)      The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary

3)      The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

       IV.      Historical Fiction (1 reflection required on blog –can be a picture book)     

1)      The Teacher’s Funeral by Richard Peck. (required for discussion – do NOT use on blog)

2)      Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Doreen Rappaport

          V.      Multicultural/Traditional (2 reflections required on blog – one can be a picture book)         

1)      Hiroshima: A Novella by Laurence Yep (required for discussion – do NOT use on blog)

2)      The Faithful Friend by Robert D. San Souci

3)      The Rough-Face Girl by Rafe Martin

4)      Zen Shorts by Jon J. Muth

5)      Pecos Bill by Steven Kellogg

6)      Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears by Verna Aardema

       VI.      Realistic Fiction (1 chapter book reflection required on blog)

1)      Baby by Patricia MacLachlan. (required for discussion – do NOT use on blog)

2)      Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

3)      Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

    VII.      Picture Books (5 reflections required on blog during the first two weeks of class. There should be a total here of at least six.)

1)      The Wednesday Surprise by Eve Bunting. (required for discussion – do NOT use on blog)

2)      Ella Sarah Gets Dressed by Margaret Chodos-Irvine

3)      Madam President by Lane Smith

4)      Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo

5)      Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride by Kate DiCamillo

6)      Diary of a Fly by Doreen Cronin

7)      Wemberley Worried by Kevin Henkes

8)      In the Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming

Wiki Checklist:

__1__ Social Studies

____ Science

__1__ Math

____ Music

____ Art

____ Reading/Language Arts

____ Physical Education

____ Other

The Great Fire

Murphy, J. (1995). The great fire. New York: Scholastic Inc.

Genre: Informational

Age Level: 10-14

Summary: Chicago was once made out of wood; all the sidewalks and buildings were wooden. Since Chicago was in a drought it caused the wooden buildings and sidewalks to be very dry. This caused many fires throughout the city. On Sunday, October 8, 1871, a fire broke out in a barn near the edge of Chicago. According to the author Jim Murphy, no one knows for certain how the fire started. Most people believed the fire began when a cow, being milked by Catherine O'Leary, kicked over a gas lamp catching the hay on fire. There were many factors that lead to the fire spreading very quickly. The fire burnt for 31 hours and 100,000 people were left homeless. Chicago was rebuilt but it has never forgotten the night of the great fire.

Reflection: The Chicago fire of 1871 is one of the greatest disasters in American history and the author writes in third person as he uses the personal stories of survivors, newspaper articles, and research to tell the facts about the event. Murphy tells about the chaos during the fire as families became separated in the crowds. The illustrations consist of maps, photos with captions, and drawings in a sepia color to help readers get a sense of the time period in which the fire took place. The book also has many features such as author’s acknowledgment, a table of contents, an introduction, bibliography and sources, and an index. Jim Murphy won many awards for his book including Newberry Honor Book and Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction.

I would say he won these awards because this book is well written and pulls the reader in.

     I can relate to this story because I live on a farm and often worry about the barn catching on fire. I know of a family friend is also lived on a farm and his barn burnt down and before anyone could begin to help the barn was completely engulfed in flames. When his barn burnt he lost a lot of livestock because he was unable to rescue them. This is a very scary scenario for anyone living on a farm.

     This book could be used in a 5^th grade classroom to compare and contrast how the 1800s and today are alike and different. Students could create a timeline to show when the different every day inventions were created such as the telephone. I would also have students tie into writing by having them write a story as if they were one of the survivors of the fire. Students could also determine the distant travelled by the fire to determine how fast the fire travelled within the 31 hours.
     Some thoughtful questions I would ask are: How would you feel if your house was on fire and you had no way of calling for help? Why do you think the author chose the titles he did for each chapter? and "Would you continue to live in the same town that burnt up or would you move to another town? Why or Why not?

Rappaport, D., & Collier, B. (2001). Martin's big words: The life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.

Because of Winn Dixie

DiCamillo, K. (2000). Because of Winn-Dixie. Cambridge, Mass: Candlewick Press.

Imagine moving to a new town where you have no friends and your father is the only family you have there until you find a dog in a grocery store. What kind of adventures and friends would you make?

This realistic fiction novel, Because of Winn Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo is about just that. Being a preacher’s daughter can make life hard for a young girl, Opal, but when your mom leaves you and moving to a new town, Whatley, make it even harder what is a girl to do.  After finding a dog, Winn Dixie, in a grocery store, Opal’s life finally turns around for the best. This story is filled of unlikely friendships that all begin with Winn Dixie. From librarians, to witches, to criminals nobody is safe in Whatley as long as Winn Dixie is around to lead the adventure.

Casey at the Bat

Thayer, E. L., & Bing, C. H. (2000). Ernest L. Thayer's Casey at the bat: A ballad of the Republic sung in the year 1888. Brooklyn, NY: Handprint Books.

Genre: Poetry

Age Level: 9-13

Summary: Casey at the Bat is about a baseball team in Mudville that is two points behind with two outs and is in the last inning of the game. Both the team and the fans believe they can win if the "Mighty Casey” (the star player) could get up to bat. Casey is fifth in the lineup and the better players (Cooney and Barrows) got out. The next two batters are believed to be weaker players. Surprisingly, the first batter hits a single and the second batter hits a double. Now it’s all up to Casey with two outs and bases loaded. Casey is so confident that he does not swing at the first two pitches and they end up being strikes. On the last pitch, Casey strikes out ending the game with the other team going home happy.

Reflection: This story is in the form of a ballad and seems to be told by a baseball guru who is in the stands at the game. The structure of the ballad is one of traditional verse because of the rhyming at the end of each line throughout the poem. For example, the first stanza reads “The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day: The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play. And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same, A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game” where day/play and same/game rhyme. The author also uses different forms of figurative language throughout the story. For example, a simile was used in the line “From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar, Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore.” Alliteration was used in the line “And its likely they'd a-killed him had not Casey raised his hand.”

The author tells the poem in an exciting and suspenseful way that keeps the reader very interested, especially boys. The illustrations are also very interesting because they are designed to look the newspaper clippings and the verses are made to look like captions. Boys will love looking at this story and the illustrations as they create an amazing story that they can relate to.

This story would be great in a poetry unit. Students can work in small groups to analyze different stanzas of the poem. Then groups can take turns explaining each stanza. Another activity would be for students to write their own ballad using an activity of their choice. Students could also write an acrostic or concrete poem using words from the story such as baseball, Casey, or bat. Students could also change parts of the story causing an alternate ending to the story.

Some questions I would ask students are: How do you think Casey feels now that he has struck out causing his team to lose the game? Why do you think everyone called Casey “Mighty Casey”? What other events do you think happened before this game? For example, maybe this was the World Series game, a regular game, or a district game.

The Rough-Face Girl

Martin, R., & Shannon, D. (1992). The rough-face girl. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Genre: Traditional/ Multicultural Literature

Age Level: 8-10

Summary: This tale takes place in an Indian village by Lake Ontario. Within the largest wigwam lives an “Invisible Being” who is a rich, powerful, and handsome warrior. All the young ladies in the tribe wish to marry him. However, he lives with his sister who states that only the woman who can see him can marry him. Within the same tribe is a poor man with three daughters. The oldest two daughters are very cruel to the youngest sister. They force her to sit by the fire and feed the flames causing sparks to burn the sister’s arms and face. When the two older sisters get dressed up and decide to convince the Invisible Being’s sister that they can see him and should marry him, the tribe expresses how beautiful they are. However the younger sister did the same thing and the tribe told her she was ugly and laughed at her. The Invisible Being’s sister sees right through the older sisters and do not allow them to marry the warrior. When the younger sister arrived to marry the Invisible Being, his sister was amazed at her honesty and beauty (even with the scars). The Invisible Being shows up at his wigwam and uses his power to turn the rough face girl into a beautiful lady and they live happily ever after.

Reflection: I found this story to be very similar to the modern “Cinderella” stories we often read that have been passed down through generations. This makes the setting a backdrop because the plot is the same; there are two evil sisters, a mistreated sister, and a charming prince the girls are trying to marry but in this version they are Native Americans. The story has person-against-person conflict because the evil sisters are bullying the younger sister. These types of stories teach students about how beauty is skin deep and that looks are not everything. When you see the beauty of objects throughout the world and treat others with kindness, then it will show. The "rough face girl" had burnt hair and scars of her arms, but her kind heart and appreciation for Earth's beauty made her a beautiful woman.

Students would enjoy reading this book because it is a different version of Cinderella that I feel boys would enjoy also because of the use of Native Americans. I feel many students would connect to this book because many times when at a young age we feel people make fun of us or tease us. This book would be a great way to discuss with students how bullying makes others feel with the use of the illustrations and the mood throughout the overall story.

This would be a wonderful book to teach compare and contrast. Students could compare and contrast this story and a different version of the Cinderella story. Students could complete a Venn diagram to help organize their thoughts about how the two stories are similar and different. Students could also work in groups create their own version of “Cinderella”. Once the stories are created then students could act them out to help build fluency and to connect to listening and speaking standards within the Common Core Standards. The story can be used as a cross curriculum story to help bring up the topic of Native Americans and how they believed in the spirits and felt nature was very important because of its beauty.

A few questions I would ask my students are: How do you think the evil sisters felt after the rough face girl married the prince? Why is it important to not judge others? How would you feel if you were the rough face girl?

The Faithful Friend

San, S. R. D., Pinkney, J. B., San, S. R. D., Hale, C., & Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers (Firm). (1995). The faithful friend. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Genre: Traditional/Multicultural Literature

Age Level: 5-10

Summary: This story is a retelling of a traditional French West Indies story about two best friends that are more like brothers. When one of the friends, Clement, falls in love the other friend, Hippolyte, decides to make the travel with him to propose to the girl. When the girl accepts Clements proposal her uncle becomes very upset and plots to fill the couple. The uncle has zombies (witches) cast a spell on the couple. Hippolyte overhears the zombies plans and saves the couple three different times. The last time he saves the couple from a poisonous snake and the couple only sees him with a sword in his hand. The uncle accuses Hippolyte of jealousy and the couple becomes very upset because he was only protecting them. When Hippolyte decides to tell the couple about the uncle’s plan he turns to stone, as was warned by the withches if he ever revealed their plan. A stranger saves the day and tells the couple about the uncle’s plans when he uses magic to turn the uncle into stone for casting the plan. The friends all live happily ever after.

Reflection: I think this book has a great storyline. This folktale has person against person conflict between the several characters. Two such examples are between the uncle and Clement and also between Hippolyte and the zombies. The illustrator used vertical and diagonal lines in scratchboard and oil to indicate the fast pace of the story. He also used dark colors to create a sense of evil and mystery as seen in the dinner illustration and the illustration of the zombies and the serpent.

I think students would enjoy this story because the illustrations are not like the ones they normally see in most picture books and it draws their attention to the book. The plot has mystery and evil to help the students stay engaged throughout the story. Also it helps students to understand what it means to be a faithful friend.

I would recommend this story when working on making connections because it would be easy for students to make text-to -self connections throughout the story. One such place is when the author tells about the two boys being such good friends more like bothers because most students have a friend in which they feel very close to. Teachers could also use the book to discuss the effect of the dark colors throughout the story and why the illustrator used them to help connect to the text.
 

A few questions I would ask students are: What does it mean to be a faithful friend? How would you feel if you were turned to stone? Would you have rather told the truth and get turned to stone or lie to your friends in order to stay alive?

The Mouse and the Motorcycle

Cleary, B., & Wong, B. D. (2007). The mouse and the motorcycle. New York: Harper Children's Audio.

Genre: Modern/Animal Fantasy

Age Level: 7-11

Summary: Ralph is a tiny mouse who lives in a dingy old hotel off the main highway. One day a boy named Keith and his parents stopped to stay at the hotel. They stay in rooms 215 and 216. When Keith lives a toy motorcycle on the night stand, while his family goes to dinner, Ralph falls in love with it and tries to ride it. While trying to ride the bike he falls into the trash can and is unable to get out. When Keith returns to room 215 after his dinner he notices his motorcycle is missing and looks for it everywhere. The boy finally finds the motorcycle in trash can and notices Ralph lying scared at the bottom of the can. This is where the adventure and friendship between a mouse and a boy begin. Keith and Ralph understand each other and share a common interest of motorcycles. Keith and Ralph create a plan for Keith to play with it during the day and Ralph to ride it at night while the humans are sleeping.

However the first time he did not listen, Ralph had an unfortunate time when he ran into a laundry pile and lost the motorcycle when he chewed through the laundry to save his own life. He thought Keith would never talk to him again but yet again he was wrong. Keith forgave Ralph and continues to bring him food as he always did. But Ralph’s family overhears the employees of the hotel discussion the issue of the chewed laundry and decides they must leave the hotel. Ralph comes up with a plan for his family to stay in the hotel and stay hidden for a few days until the hotel employees forget about them.

Then the unimaginable thing happens, Keith becomes ill. There is no aspirin anywhere to be found anywhere by his parents. Ralph feels it is his responsibility to find Keith an aspirin. While looking for the aspirin Ralph finds himself on another adventure with a toy ambulance but it all ends with an aspirin being left for Keith to take when he wakes up. Keith feels he owes Ralph something in return and offers to take him home but Ralph refuses. Once again another turn of events happens when the bellboy returns the motorcycle to Keith after finding it on the floor of the office. Keith realizes the perfect gift for Ralph would be the motorcycle and so they decide on a place for the motorcycle to be kept once Keith leaves. And so both boys have the experience of a life time.

Reflection: I thought this story was very cute. This is the first book in the Ralph Mouse series by Beverly Clearly. The author writes the story with amazing literary devices that capture the theme which seems to be responsibility in general and the change in level of responsibility as one grows older along with friendship. Beverly Clearly uses personification to make the mouse come to life and have human like characteristics such as speaking. She also uses flashbacks to tell reasons why Ralph’s mother is worried at all times. For example, when Ralph states he needs to get an aspirin, the story of Ralph’s father dying from a dissolved aspirin he carried in his cheek comes about. This also adds suspense to the plot. The use of onomatopoeia throughout the story to make the toys come to life helps to keep the readers entertained.

            This story would keep the interest of students because of the realistic setting even though most of the events in the story cannot really happen. For instance, the mice are found in an old hotel instead of a mansion somewhere. The story is an easy reader so the students do not give up in the middle of the book. I feel the audience of this book is more for boys than girls because the author used a boy, a mouse, and a motorcycle to tell the story. There is no way that the story would have been the same if the characters would have been a girl, a motorcycle, and a mouse because usually girls are afraid of mice and do not play with toy motorcycles.

            I can relate to this story because when I was younger my mom told my dad to get my brother a hamster for his birthday. Instead my dad came home with little white mice with red eyes and I was terrified of them. However, my brother thought they were awesome and would use blocks to make them cages and pretend they were in jail all the time. I hated when he would play with them and I never went in his room until after they died because they just seemed so creepy and made my skin crawl.

            I would use this book in a literature circle or as a read aloud so students can carry out a discussion on the many adventures of Ralph while on the motorcycle. It can be used to teach point of view and the different types of conflict Ralph finds himself in. For example, at the beginning it was person (animal) against person because Ralph was not sure Keith was a good person or not and then it turned to person (animal) against self when Ralph was trying to decide between his good and bad thoughts on taking the motorcycle out during the day. Some questions that I would ask students would be: Where do you think Ralph takes the motorcycle after Keith leaves the hotel? How do you think Ralph’s family gets food after Keith leaves the hotel and is unable to bring them food? Do you think Keith’s teacher will believe his story about talking to Ralph and allowing him to ride his motorcycle, explain why or why not?  

Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride

DiCamillo, K., & Van, D. C. (2006). Mercy Watson goes for a ride. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

Genre: Fiction

Age Level: 5-7

Summary: Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride is the second book in the Mercy Watson series. In this story the adventures continue when Mercy wants to drive the Watson’s convertible. One Saturday, when Mercy and Mr. Watson are out on their normal drive, Mr. Watson notices Baby Lincoln (the elderly neighbor) in the back seat.  Mercy gets very excited and jumps in Mr. Watson’s lap. Mr. Watson tries his best to get Mercy to move but she would not. They end up in a high speed chase with a police officer. The day is finally saved when the elderly neighbor manages to stop the car. The police officer takes all three back home and instead of writing them a ticket Mrs. Watson was able to talk the officer into toast and butter.

Reflection: This book is really cute and funny. The illustrator, Chris Van Dusen, continued the same theme throughout the series. The illustrations are cartoons that enhance the plot, characters, and mood of the book. Just as book one did this book has some illustrations that are page bleeds while others are just small clusters of images. The book has glossy images that provide visual cues to support the text and adds loads of humor. The facial expressions within the book are outstanding and make you laugh as you read the story. This book is also a paperback book and the cover contains a doublespread illustration to give the effect of a man and a pig in a car with the police chasing them. This makes the book look fun and interesting to read.  

Students will love reading this series because of the overall experience gained throughout the stories. Each book contains a different adventure to read about and amazing illustrations to support the adventure. This book is excellent for students who are in between a traditional early reader and an early chapter book. The vocabulary is not very hard either and the story itself contains a lot of repetition to make the book easier for students.

This fictional book series would make great books for ELL students because the illustrations are easy to follow. This makes the story easy to retell even if students are ELL or simply low level readers. Students can start with the illustration on the cover to make a prediction about what the book will be about and then complete a picture walk through the book to help make their predictions about the plot of the story. This series would also be useful when sequencing events in order, compare and contrast, and character traits. Some questions that students could answer are: How are Eugenia and Baby Lincoln similar and different? Why do you think Mercy wants to drive so badly? What would you do if you saw a pig driving a car?

Officer Buckle and Gloria

Rathmann, P. (1995). Officer Buckle and Gloria. New York: Putnam's.

 

Genre: Fiction

Age Level: 4-7

Summary: Officer Buckle is the safety officer for the town of Napville. His job is to tell the children of the Napville School how to be safe. However, he tends to put the students to sleep when he gives his safety presentation. Then the police department gets a new police dog named Gloria. She goes with Officer Buckle to give his safety speeches. Suddenly, the children sit up and pay attention. Officer Buckle begins to think that he is beginning to reach the students but what's really happening is that Gloria is acting out the scenarios Officer Buckle describes and she manages to do this without him noticing. He finally notices when the news does a report on him and he sees himself and Gloria on the news. At first he is not happy but in the end Officer Buckle realizes how much more the students enjoy his safety speeches when Gloria is with him.

Reflection: I love this book! The illustrations complete the story because the story itself does not tell about what Gloria is doing in the background while Officer Buckle gives his speech. The illustrations are cartoons that help to enhance the plot, character, and theme. Several illustrations through the paperback book have a doublespread to help give the effect of motion throughout the story. The first doublespread image begins on the copyright page of the book with a leaning swivel chair and push pins that carry your eye to the next illustration before you beginning reading the text. Not to mention the silly illustration involving the banana pudding spill.

This story would continue to keep the interest of students because of the silly illustrations and the funny storyline. Young children love animals and this story shows how animals can help people. There is also enough mischief to keep young children engaged and lots of good humor to keep everyone laughing.

            This book could be used to teach many concepts to young children. Some of the strategies that could be used with the book are predictions, cause and effect, sequencing, and summarizing. Educators could use the book to teach about safety and teamwork. Students could make up their own safety rule and draw a picture of Gloria acting it out. Some questions that could be asked are: Why were Officer Buckle's feelings hurt? Why did Gloria feel badly? Are they better working together or apart?

Mercy Watson to the Rescue

DiCamillo, K., & Van, D. C. (2005). Mercy Watson to the rescue. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

Genre: Fiction

Age Level: 5-7

Summary: In the fictional book, Mercy Watson to the Rescue, a family of two adults, the Watsons’, owns a pig, Mercy, and treats her as their child. Every day the mother fixes Mercy hot toast with a great deal of butter on it. Each night when putting Mercy to bed her parents sing her a song since she is afraid of the dark. One night, Mercy decided to sleep with her parents in their bed and then the adventure begins. The bed falls into the ceiling. When Mercy leaves her parents stuck in the bed they believe she is going to get help but she is only after food. When she goes looking for food she runs to the pesky neighbors who end up thinking she is a burglar and call the police. When help arrive they see that Mercy is not a burglar but hear someone yelling for help. They follow the voices and realize the Watsons are in danger. The Watsons’ believe Mercy went and got help the entire time. To celebrate their rescue, mother cooks Mercy favorite food for everyone.

Reflection: This book is really cute and funny. It also has great illustrations. The illustrations are cartoons which enhance the plot, characters, and mood of the book. The illustrator changed the colors of the illustrations to represent different times such as night and day. Some illustrations are page bleeds while others are just small clusters of images. The book is paper back and the cover contains a doublespread illustration to give the effect of a pig running from an older woman. This makes the book look fun and interesting to read.

I personally can relate to this story because when I was younger, my mother took my siblings and me to a stock yard. While there we saw the workers mistreating a piglet. My mom felt really bad for the piglet and bought it. The only way to get the piglet home was in the back seat of my mom’s car. So once we got the piglet in the car we went through a McDonald’s drive thru and ordered the piglet a happy meal since we had no other food to feed it. After we got the piglet home, my siblings and I spent many days playing in the pig’s pen as if it were a dog.

The fictional book can be used to have students make predictions about the story. Students can start with the illustration on the cover to make a prediction about what the book will be about and then complete a picture walk through the book to help make their predictions about the plot of the story. The story could also be used to teach cause and effect to students using a graphic organizer. This book would also help to explain the difference between nonfiction and fiction books because many parts of the story are not realistic. Some questions that students could answer are: What caused the bed to fall into the ceiling? How would you feel if your bed fell through the ceiling? Do you think a pig would or would not be a good pet?

Madam President

Smith, L. (2008). Madam President. New York: Hyperion.

Genre: Fiction

Age Level: 5-7

Summary: In the fictional story, Madam President, a little girl images how her life would be if she were president. She discusses the many jobs the president has but the illustrations show how the jobs would be completed within the little girl’s everyday life. For example, the president’s job is to give executive orders so in the illustration the girl gives orders to give her more pancakes at breakfast.  

Reflection: I loved this book! It was very cute.  This story would be amazing when teaching a unit on the election. You could use this story to discuss the President’s duties and when the election is because the illustrator shows many images of leaves falling from trees to represent the fall season. There are also other historic figures used in the illustrations such as Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. Within the unit, teachers could teach about the Seal of the President of the United States and the flag of the confederates. There are many concepts and historical information that can come from this one book! Once students have studied up on the president’s duties, they could write an opinion piece based on these questions: What would you do if you were president? What laws would you pass? What would you veto?

        The compositions of the illustrations are what make the story so interesting and fun to read. They enrich the mood of the story to make it flow with the words. The illustrations are drawings that seem to pop off the page. The setting of the story is integral because the story would not be the same in another setting nor with different illustrations.

Ella Sarah Gets Dressed

Chodos-Irvine, M. (2003). Ella Sarah Gets Dressed. New York: Scholastic

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age Level: 2-5

Summary: In the story, Ella Sarah Gets Dressed, a little girl wants to wear a certain outfit for the day. There is person-to-person conflict when her parents and older sister try to get Ella to wear different outfits. She continues to repeat her outfit of choice over and over when they try to tell her what to wear. Finally, Ella dresses herself in the outfit of her choice and thinks her outfit is perfect. When her friends come over to play they also think her outfit is perfect. You can tell from the illustrations, her friends also dressed themselves for the day.  

Reflection: I thought this book was so cute and brought up memories of my niece. One day we decided to visit my mom at the hospital in which she worked and she needed to get dressed. I laid her clothes out but when she came out of the bedroom she did not have on what I laid out. She picked out her own outfit. I tried and tried to get her to change but she wouldn’t. Then she saw my jewelry and wanted to wear every beaded necklace I had and every bracelet I had. I told her to only wear one and she refused. She wore every beaded necklace and bracelet I had. She thought is looked beautiful and so I let her wear it.

            That day taught me that it is ok to be different. Who cares what I thought of my niece’s outfit when she had the confidence to wear whatever she wanted and felt she was beautiful. I think it is a good idea to let children pick out their clothes. I feel it helps them make choices and develop their opinions without relying on someone else to make them.

The story is realistic fiction because it could happen in real life even though the author made the story up. This book is very short and is an easy reader for those children who are in a beginning reading stage. I would read this story to children within a kindergarten class to help with making predictions because it repeats the same phrase throughout the book making it is very predictable. I would also use these for older students within a 2^nd or 3^rd grade class when working on personal narratives. Some of the questions I would use to help students write their narratives are: When you were younger did you have a favorite outfit you loved to wear? What did it look like? How did the outfit make you feel? Do you still have a favorite outfit now?

About Me

              My name is officially Megan Cyrus but the University of the Cumberlands still refers to me as Megan Murphy. I just got married March 30, 2012 and I have not updated my information with the university. We live on a 72 acre horse farm in Fort Gay, West Virginia. Between us and my in-laws we have a total of 20 horses. We have no children just nieces and nephews that we love to spoil.
               I received my teaching degree from Morehead State University. Before receiving a teaching job, I worked at a daycare for one year. Now I am in my fourth year of teaching, all of which I have taught 2nd grade. I teach at Louisa East Elementary School in Lawrence County, Kentucky. I am also on a positive behavior team, Math cadre team, and also Academic Team coach. I am the Math team lead for the 2nd grade at my school. I LOVE Math!!
               I am working towards a masters as a Reading and Writing Specialist. Not including the class I am in now, I have three classes left. :) I am hoping that with this masters, I will be able to become an intervention teacher within my school system.