Biography/Autobiography
 |
Genre Study
When looking for books that fell
under the biography/autobiography genre, it was very important that these books
met the Iowa Common Core Literacy Standards somewhere along the lines of the
grade level the book is being used for.
Additionally, texts should meet the Common Core standards for whatever
discipline the text is being used for, such as Social Studies. This is important because information within
the book will help cover some of the standards that we as teachers are required
to meet with our instruction; it is important we take advantage of tools and
resources that help us meet these standards!
This is because books I chose would be used for either a read aloud or
shared reading with my students, or possibly be used for students’ personal reading. Also, I plan to have the books placed
somewhere within my classroom in a place where students will be able to look
through the book on their own. Any time
a book is used, it is important to find books that help students work on the
skills that they are required to develop based on the Iowa Common Core
Standards. Some other qualities I looked
for within the books I chose to look for were pictures and graphics that
appealed to the students, as well as quality information that enhanced student
learning and were presented in a way they could easily understand. Lastly, I chose books that would provide
students with alternative views of how we see things from our past about
specific people and how they impacted our world today; these would be different
views that students would gather from our textbooks.
While choosing books, I really
wanted to focus on books that would have multiple uses within my classroom
because I felt it would enhance the information I was presenting to my
students. Also, I felt it would serve as
additional resources students could be used to look at problem solving. With these ideas in mind, I looked for books
I felt would be good for read alouds, shared reading, or individual reading for
my students. Second, I looked for books
that would challenge my students’ independent level of reading, for my students
who read at grade level. However, there
were some books I chose that would challenge my students who were at the lower
levels of reading because it is always important to provide resources for
students of every reading level within my classroom. Lastly, and one of the most important things,
I chose books that I thought would grab the attention of my students who don’t
enjoy reading, as well as all students in my classroom. These students continuously struggle to find
books they like the read, so it is very important that we find books that allow
them to develop an interest in a concept so they can continue to practice and
develop important reading strategies.
Furthermore, I feel incorporating these books are great tools to help
our students find someone who truly impacted our nation’s history.
Bridges,
R. (1999). Through my eyes. New York:
Scholastic Press.
5th grade independent, 3rd-5th
interest level
Lexile 860L
 |
Just
like the Rosa book, the major themes
within this book are the Civil Rights Movement, discrimination, integration,
segregation, and racism. Due to the
concepts covered within this book, this is part of the reason the grade level
is where it is. I loved this book
because of some of the qualities of it:
excellent, realistic pictures and the
very descriptive details about the events that occurred in our nation’s
past. Additionally, this book provides
some different perspectives than students would get if teachers were to use
just the textbook. Just as we have
learned in social studies, the major themes of this book connect to local,
national, and global issues that we continue to see in places all over the
world today. If students have little
prior knowledge of the main themes within this book, they may need some
assistance in order to understand the information being presented within this
book.
Giovanni,
N., & Collier, B. (2005). Rosa.
New York: Henry Holt.
5th Grade independent, 3-5 interest level
Lexile 900L
 |
Rosa has major themes covering the
concepts of the Civil Rights Movement, racism, and racial discrimination. This book has some very detailed pictures
that allow students to get a strong idea of the
information the author is
describing in the text. Text for this
book is brief but it provides excellent information about the themes within
this book. These detailed pictures and
brief text are great for maintaining student interest over the information
within the book. Just as we have learned
in social studies, the major themes of this book connect to local, national,
and global issues that we continue to see in places all over the world
today. Depending on the grade level this
book is used for, students will need little support from their teacher.
Social
Studies
 |
Genre Study
When looking for books that fell
under the social studies genre, it was very important that these books met the
Iowa Common Core Social Studies Standards are met, as well as the Literacy
Standards somewhere along the lines of the grade level the book is being used
for. This is important because information
within the book will help cover some of the standards that we as teachers are
required to meet with our instruction; it is important we take advantage of
tools and resources that help us meet these standards! This is because books I chose would be used
for either a read aloud or shared reading with my students, or possibly be used
for students’ personal reading. Also, I
plan to have the books placed somewhere within my classroom in a place where
students will be able to look through the book on their own. Any time a book is used, it is important to
find books that help students work on the skills that they are required to
develop based on the Iowa Common Core Standards. Some other qualities I looked for within the
books I chose to look for were pictures and graphics that appealed to the
students, as well as quality information that enhanced student learning and
were presented in a way they could easily understand. Lastly, I chose books that would provide
students with alternative views of how we see things from our past; these would
be different views that students would gather from our textbooks.
While choosing books, I really
wanted to focus on books that would have multiple uses within my classroom
because I felt it would enhance the information I was presenting to my
students. Also, I felt it would serve as
additional resources students could be used to look at problem solving. With these ideas in mind, I looked for books
I felt would be good for read alouds, shared reading, or individual reading for
my students. Second, I looked for books
that would challenge my students’ independent level of reading, for my students
who read at grade level. However, there
were some books I chose that would challenge my students who were at the lower
levels of reading because it is always important to provide resources for
students of every reading level within my classroom. Lastly, and one of the most important things,
I chose books that I thought would grab the attention of my students who don’t
enjoy reading, as well as all students in my classroom. These students continuously struggle to find
books they like the read, so it is very important that we find books that allow
them to develop an interest in a concept so they can continue to practice and
develop important reading strategies.
Melmed,
L. K., & Lessac, F. (2003). Capital!:
Washington D.C. from A to Z. New York: HarperCollins.
5th grade independent, 3rd-5th
grade interest level
Lexile 960L
 |
Major
themes within this book include the nation’s capital, national monuments, and
major events in
the U.S. history. This
book provides some great facts about the United States for students learning
about the capital. Pictures and text are
aimed at grade level appropriate students; this means that students are likely
to remain interested in the book.
Although this book does not related to national issues, however, it
provides students with an abundance of information pertaining to the nation’s
capital and its history. For students
younger than fifth grade, students may need some support while reading the text
within this book in order to comprehend what they read. Students who are reading at the fifth grade
reading level will need little assistance when reading this book.
Robertson,
J. J. (2011). My community. Vero
Beach, FL.: Rourke Pub.
Kindergarten/1st grade
This
book presents the major themes of community, jobs, and culture. Just like many of the other books we brought
to our book club, this book has great pictures, excellent descriptions, and excellent
resources for kindergarten social studies.
If I ever teach at the kindergarten grade level, I would certainly want
to incorporate this book into my social studies classroom. My
Community doesn’t present connections to issues, but this book does show
aspects of students’ lives by discussing people within their community. Students at the kindergarten grade level will
need assistance reading the book; students reading at the first grade reading
level should be able to read it by the end of the school year.
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