Journals
When looking for books that fell
under the journal 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. 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! Furthermore, I felt it was
important that the books I chose met the Iowa Common Core Standards for the
subject they were being used for as well, such as social studies. This is because books I chose would be used
for either a read aloud or shared reading with my students. 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.
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 those who enjoy reading. 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.
Along with that, it’s a good idea to provide books that allow student to
gain an understanding of background information pertaining to the concept.
Clark,
W., Lewis M., Roop P., Roop, C., & Tanner, T. (1993). Off the map: The journals of Lewis and Clark. New York: Walker and
Company.
5th grade independent, 3rd-5th
grade interest
Lexile 1000L
 |
Major
themes within this book include Lewis and Clark and the development of
America. One of the qualities of this
book that I liked was that it appeared to be a fairly easy read. The text in this book was larger than typical
chapter books. In addition, the pictures
within this book assist students in their understanding of the content. Furthermore, the maps provided in the front
and the back of the book provide additional tools for students’ assistance in
picturing their travels. Although there
aren’t specifically issues within the book, this book does give students an
idea of the struggles these two encountered throughout their journey across
uncharted territory. For students who
don’t have background knowledge of Lewis and Clark, they might need some
support with background knowledge for these two while reading the book. Otherwise students reading at a fifth grade
level will be able to read with little support.
Solhiem,
J., & James, S. (2010). Born
yesterday: The diary of a young journalist. New York, NY: Philomel Books.
2nd grade independent
 |
The
major themes within this book are journal entries and life experiences of
babies. One thing I really enjoyed about
this book was the pictures. They were
bright colored and provided some humor
without even reading the text. Just as the pictures add humor, the text
within the books provides humor to the book as well. Because humor is used in this book, students
have a strong chance of remaining interested in the book. Additionally, this book is a great resource
for helping students get an idea of what a journal is and how it’s formatted. This book does not have any connections to
any types of issues. Support students
might need would be vocabulary for students of a lower reading level than
second grade.
Memoir
When looking for books that fell
under the memoir 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. 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! Furthermore, I felt it was
important that the books I chose met the Iowa Common Core Standards for the
subject they were being used for as well, such as social studies. This is because books I chose would be used
for either a read aloud or shared reading with my students. 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.
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 those who enjoy reading. 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.
Along with that, it’s a good idea to provide books that allow student to
gain an understanding of background information pertaining to the concept.
Hillman,
L. (2005). I will plant you a lilac tree:
A memoir of a Schindler’s list survivor. New York: Atheneum Books for Young
Readers.
High School Independent reading
 |
Major
themes within this book include the Holocaust, concentration camps, and
WWII. Although this book is at an
independent level for high school students, I feel that this book would still
be able to be used as a read aloud for fifth grade and middle school students
because it provides some good information and an inside look of a person who
went through the Holocaust. The pages
within this book are small and contain large text. From a read aloud stand point for elementary,
the text is easy to understand if students have the proper prior knowledge to
understand the concepts. Furthermore,
this book makes connections between global issues: the Holocaust and WWII. If this book is used as a read aloud for
elementary, students will most likely need support while reading this book due
to the vocabulary used throughout the book.
Marx,
T., & Karp, C. (2000). One boy from
Kosovo. Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books.
4th-5th grade
 |
One Boy from Kosovo features the main
themes of refuges, violence in foreign countries, and the country of Kosovo. This book features real pictures that also
have captions that provide additional understandings of the concepts depicted
through the pictures. Furthermore, this
book has large texts that
provide pronunciations within the text for words
students may not understand or know.
Additionally, this book provides background knowledge about the country
of Kosovo before it went into discussing the boy’s life. Global issues that students can create a
connection with include violence in the Middle East. Since this book provides background knowledge
about Kosovo, students might only need support when it comes to the discussion
on violence in the Middle East.
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