Field Experience Reflection

1. How many hours did you complete? 

 I completed 5 hours of field experience

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

• observed Kindergarten teacher teach a reading lesson
• helped teacher monitor and assist students with assignments
• collaborated with teacher about the KTIP lesson plan
• taught reading/science lesson to class over wind measurement

3. How did the experience help you to strengthen at least one Kentucky Teacher Standard? (be sure to name the standard)

I strenghtened KTS 8 (The teacher collaborates with colleagues, parents and others). 

Although I collaborate with the other third grade teacher in my school, I found it helpful to collaborate

with a teacher from a different grade level.  She had some really good ideas and cooperative learning

activities that I can modify and use in my 3rd grade classroom.

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

I learned how different it was to teach Kindergarten.  I am use to my students in third grade being independent.  I also found out how structured the daily routine must be, but there also needs to be alot of flexibility. 

Reading Log and Wiki Posts

Reading Log for 30 books

Genre / Titles you read

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

1)      How Animals Live – Bernard Stonehouse and Ester Bertram

2)      Frontier Kentucky – Robert A. Powell

3)      Danger! Earthquakes – Seymour Simon

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

1)      Hate that Cat by Sharon Creech. (required for discussion – do NOT use on blog)

2)      Poetry for Young People – Langston Hughes

3)      Dirt on my Shirt – Jeff Foxworthy

4)      Falling Up – Shell Silverstein

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

1)      Tuck Everlasting – Natalie Babbit

2)      Where the Wild Things Are

3)      The True Story of the Three Little Pigs – Jon Scieszka

4)      Jumanji – Chris Van Allsburg

5)      Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins

6)      Amos & Boris – William Steig

       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)      A New Coat for Anna – Harriet Ziefert

3)      Dreaming of America: An Ellis Island Story – Eve Bunting

          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)      Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears – Verna Aardema

3)      Pepita Talks Twice - Ofelia Dumas Lachtman

4)      Lon Po Po – Ed Young

5)      Aunt Flossie’s Hats (and Crab Cakes Later) – Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard

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

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

2)      Bridge to Terebithia – Katherine Patterson

    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)      Officer Buckle and Gloria – Peggy Rathman

3)      A Story A Story – Gail E. Haley

4)      Piggies – Audry Wood

5)      Johnny Appleseed and the Bears – David Novak and David Wenzel

6)      A Tree is Nice – Janice Udry

7)      Polar Express – Chris Van Allsburg

Wiki Checklist

Instructions: Write the number of entries for each category you posted into on the Course Wiki (requirement is four total posts, in four different categories)

__1__ Social Studies

____ Science

____ Math

____ Music

____ Art

___1_ Reading/Language Arts

____ Physical Education

____ Other

How Animals Live



Stonehouse, B. and Bertram, E. (2004).  How animals live.  New York: Scholastic Inc.

     If you are interested in animals this non-fiction, illustrated, biological informational, book is the book for you! Throughout this book's five chapters you will learn things like "Starting Out in Life - Strange Beginnings", "Sharing", and "Defenses - Keep Away", just to name a few.  This wonderfully illustrated book gives facts and information about creatures great and small that live in different habitats.

       The illustrations by John Francis exhibit many different uses of artistic media such as painting, drawings, and some digital art.  The realistic illustrations of the animals are colorful and vibrant and would easily hold children's attention.  The doublespread page design of this book helps the animals come to life on the page, and the hardcover binding helps it last through the several readings it is sure to have if it is put on your classroom bookshelf.  The back matter of the book contains a glossary that helps to make it easy for the children to look up scientific terms that they may not understand.

     The illustrations would make this book fun for all ages, but the text of this book is more for students ages 9-12.  This book would be very useful in science class during a unit on animals, but I think students would find it engaging at any time during the school year.

Dreaming of America: An Ellis Island Story book talk (historical fiction)

Bunting, E. (2000). Dreaming of America: an Ellis Island story.  New Jersey: BridgeWater Books.


     Imagine being fourteen years old and going on a big trip with two little brothers.  Now imagine leaving the only home, family, and friends that you have ever known.  How would you feel?  Now imagine doing this all on your own, without any grown ups to help you.  Would you be afraid? I sure would.
     In the story, Dreaming of America, that's what Annie had to do. Her parents had moved to America and left Annie and her brothers with their Auntie and uncle.  Annie's parents worked hard to earn enough money to send for the children. She left her home in Ireland with her two younger brothers, Anthony and Phillip, to come to America.  They had to travel on a big ship with lots and lots of other people and it was very crowded on the ship.  It was noisy and hot and when they hit bad weather, and people got very seasick and threw up alot because the weather made big waves that made the ship move all over. They were on the ship for a very long time.  They even spent Christmas on the ship so there was no Christmas tree or delicious dinner.  There were no presents either.  Will Annie and her brothers make it to America to find their parents? Will she ever see Ireland and her family and friends again?  You'll have to read Dreaming of America: An Ellis Island Story to find out! 

Bridge to Terabithia book talk

Paterson, K. (1972).  Bridge to terabithia.  New York: HarperCollins Publishers.


My name is Jesse Oliver Aarons, Jr., but everyone calls me Jess. My life use to be on the boring side, until I met Leslie.  She moved into a house just down the road from me.  She wasn't like other girls that I know, especially not like my annoying sisters, thank goodness.  In fact, Leslie wasn't like anyone that I had ever known. She could run faster than me, and I am the fastest kid in fifth grade! She didn't even have a television, cause her mom and dad were the creative types, and thought that television was a waste of time. Can you imagine not even having a t.v.?  She was full of ideas, and colors, and songs and imagination. I could  be myself around her.  She didn't make fun of me for liking to draw pictures! We made our own special place, called Terebithia, in the woods behind our houses.  We were the rulers there and we fought giants and other scary things. Our castle was grand.  My life was so much better since Leslie came.  Until the unthinkable happened.  If only it hadn't rained for days. If only I hadn't gone to the Smithsonian with Miss Edmunds.  So many "if only"s.  Now what am I gonna do? How am I ever gonna get over this?

This book is so much fun to read!  It has a little something for all readers.  The fantasy world that Jess and Leslie created is amazing and I would love to visit there.  It will take you on a journey that you will be reluctant to return from.  As we follow Jess and Leslie through their adventure, we see and do the same things that they do.  This is excellent fun, and you will enjoy it every step of the way.  Well except for the sad part, but you will have to read it to find out what happens.

Poetry for Young People

Hughes, L. (1994).  Poetry for young people.  New York: Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.



 

The poems in this collection are all written by a single poet, Langdon Hughes.  The collection features narrative poems, with intriguing titles, such as "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" and "Walkers of the Dawn".  Many of Hughes's poems talk of slavery and the struggles of African Americans throughout history.  Hughes uses simile in many of his poems.  One example comes from his poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" where he writes "My soul has grown deep like the rivers".  He also uses dialect in his writing by using the word "I's" which means I have or I am, and also "de" for the, and "ma" for my because that is the way the characters in his poems would actually speak.  His poems are mainly written in free verse,
but one example of rhyme is "Genius Child", on page 32, in which it says "This is a song for the genius child. Sing it softly, for the song is wild". 

 

Hughes's poetry is sometimes dark and moody, reflecting the struggle he sometimes felt.  His poems reflect the African American culture, and he was probably the best know African American  poet from the 1920's until his death in 1967.  Because his poems are mainly written in free verse, I would recommend this book for older students between grades 7-12.  I feel that this would not hold the attention of younger readers, although the illustrations are great.

 



A Tree is Nice

Udry, J.M. (1956).  A tree is nice.  New York: Harper & Row, Publishers.
                                      


This 1957 Caldecott Award winner explains the importance and uses of trees.  The illustrations are impressionistic and the natural appearances add understanding to the text.  The illustrations use simple lines and the simplicity of the drawings go well with the theme of this story.  The author uses personification in this story to help younger children to better understand the theme and to also make the trees seem more real.  An example of this is where Udry writes "The leaves whisper in the breeze all summer long", and "A tree is nice because it makes shade".  This was a very cute little book and I think that children pre-K through third grade would enjoy this book and be able to comprehend its meaning.

Pepita Talks Twice

Lachtman, O.D. (1995).  Pepita talks twice.  Houston, TX: Arte Publico Press

 

In this realistic fiction, multicultural picture book, Pepita gets tired of always having to translate English into Spanish and Spanish into English for people in  her neighborhood who are not bilingual.  She decides that she is only going to speak English from now on, but there is a problem.  She can no longer ask for her favorite foods (because they have Spanish names), and her dog Lobo only responds to his Spanish name.  When Lobo almost gets hit by a car because he would not respond to the English version of his name(Wolf), Pepita decides that speaking two languages is a good thing.  We can see that Pepita's personality is frustrated at the beginning of the book, and through dialogue between Pepita and others in the story we can understand why.  The conflict in the story can be person-against-self due to the way she is struggling with herself about the decision to speak only one language.  I feel that it could also be person-against-society because she is always being asked to help others in her community to translate for non bilingual members.  It is a fun book with very nice illustrations. 

Tuck Everlasting

Babbit, N. (1975). Tuck everlasting.  New York: Scholastic Inc.

This modern fantasy story is about a family that becomes immortal by drinking from a hidden spring in the woods. It is beautifully written and the progressive plot makes it easy for readers to follow.  It is written in the third person omniscient point of view because the narrator has access to the characters' thoughts throughout the book.  I feel that there are two different kinds of conflict going on throughout this book.  I feel that the Tucks have a conflict with their immortality, especially Tuck the father.  I also think that the conflict could be person-against-person, because the Tuck's have to stop the man in the yellow suit from kidnapping Winnie and also from selling the water from the spring that made the Tucks immortal.  This story full of figurative language, symbolism, imagery, personification, and metaphors.  We can see an example of a simile on page 3, "The first week of August hangs at the very top of the summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning".  I feel that this passage also uses imagery to help the reader visualize what they are reading.  A good example of a metaphor comes later in the book... "The sun was dropping fast now, a soft red sliding egg yolk, and already to the east there was a darkening to purple".  There were several instances of personification.  One example is on page 6 "...enclosed by a capable iron fence some four feet high which clearly said "Move on-we don't want you here.""  Another example of personification in on page 22 "The sun was only just opening its own eye". There is so much symbolism in this story. One instance of symbolism is Mae's music box. I feel that it symbolizes peacefulness and happiness.  Another instance is the Ferris wheel.  I feel that this symbolizes the Tuck's lives, a never ending circle that just keeps spinning around.  Of course, you can't mention symbolism without talking about the toad that keeps popping up throughout the story.  In the beginning of the story, I feel that it symbolizes freedom to Winnie, because it can do whatever it wants, and doesn't have any troubles, unlike Winnie who feels like a prisoner because she cannot leave the yard.  In the end, it represents living forever (thanks to Winnie pouring the magic spring water over it). I feel that this is an excellent book for young adults.  It has suspense, action and a love story all combined into a somewhat short, easy to read story. 

 

Piggies

Wood, A. and Wood, D. (1991). Piggies. Florida: Harcourt Brace & Company


The naughty and nice piggies in this book helps us learn to count from 1-10 in an entertaining, fun way.  Told from a child's perspective, children of all ages will enjoy reading and looking at this book.

This is one of my favorite books to read to small children.  The vivid, colorful illustrations help create the light, fun mood of this book.  The different piggies that are assigned to each finger such as "two fat little piggies" for the thumbs, and "two long little piggies" for the middle fingers, and "two wee little piggies" for the pinky fingers make it easy for small children to relate their fingers to the illustrations.  The book uses a double spread page layout with an illustration of each hand on the seperate pages.  The child can look at his or her hand and see the corresponding hand on the pages they are viewing.  I have read this book to every child in my family since 1996 and also used it in my Head Start class.  Even my 3rd graders love to read it, and will periodically pull it off the shelf to share with each other.  The hardcover makes it durable, although the paper pages would be easily torn for small children, so I would suggest keeping it out of reach of toddlers and share it at bed time. 

Officer Buckle and Gloria

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

Officer Buckle and Gloria is a hilarious tale of a safety officer and his talented dog.  Officer Buckle loves to go to different schools to teach the students about safety, but he has a little problem...he's boring and the students fall asleep.  That all changes when he gets a partner, a dog name Gloria.  When Gloria joins the team, students take notice because she has a talent for acting, but Officer Buckle is clueless to her abilities.  Only after seeing one of his safety speeches that had been televised on the news did he realize that it was Gloria, not him, that were captivating the students of the schools he visited.

I love this story!  It was funny and interesting.  The antics of Gloria were laugh out loud funny.  You actually kind of feel sorry for Officer Buckle.  The illustrations in this book add to the story because they helped you visualize the words that were written on the page.  The cartoon illustrations are fun and colorful and make the book exciting and entertaining. Children from Kindergarten and up would enjoy reading this story.

A Story A Story

Haley, G. (1970).  A story A story.  New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.


This story is an African Folktale that explains how the Africans got their stories.  Ananse, the Spider Man, wished to buy the Sky God's stories.  After visiting Nyame, the Sky God, Ananse is given three impossible tasks to complete in order to win these stories.  The clever ways Ananse complete these tasks will entertain the readers of A Story A Story.

A Story A Story  won the Caldecot Medal in 1970.  It is written in rich text and is illustrated in the folk artistic style with mostly soft, neutral colors.  The illustrations compliment the text by enhancing the story. Gail Haley used repetition such as "So Ananse tied the leopard by his foot, by his foot, by his foot, by his foot" in several places in the book.  I found it interesting that there were no page numbers in this book.  The fact that this story is written in third-person omniscient and you knew what the characters in the story were thinking, made the story enjoyable.  The literary device onomatopoeia was used to describe sounds that the Sun God made when he chuckled("twe,twe,twe"), and the running feet of Ananse (" yiridi, yiridi, yiridi").  These fun sound will make it fun for the children to hear and repeat.

If You Give a Pig a Pancake

Numeroff, L. (1998). If you give a pig a pancake. Mexico: HarperCollins




In this story, something so simple as giving a pig a pancake can lead to a domino effect of messes.  It's a cute story with colorful illustrations that would hold a child's attention and having them pointing to the pages.  This would be a great story to read to preschool aged children as well as kindergarten.  The alliteration and simple text would also make it a good read for beginning readers. 

Introduction

Hi everyone.  My name is Kristin Kreitzer and I teach 3rd grade reading and science at Stinnett Elementary in Leslie County, KY. I have 2 beautiful daugters ages 18 and 14.  I love my job and I have always loved to read thanks to my grandmother, and some wonderful teachers I have had.  I hope to instill in my students the same love of reading that I have had throughout my life.

Johnny Appleseed and the Bears

Novak, D. (1995). Johnny Appleseed and the bears. St. Petersburg, FL: Riverbank Press

Johnny Appleseed is on another of his many adventures in this delightful story.  In this story Johnny is busy doing what he does best...planting appleseeds, when he decides to take a break.  As he was peeling an apple he heard a loud growl.  Across the meadow he sees a big black Papa bear coming his way, but instead of panicing, hw offered the bear a bite of his apple.  After helping eat the apple the bear thanked Johnny and walked off into the woods.  Next thing you know, Johnny hears two growls and out of the woods comes Papa and Mama Bear and once again Johnny shares his apples (minus the seeds, of course) and walked back into the woods.  Pretty soon he hears three growls and out walks Papa, Mama, and Baby Bear.  Once again he share his apples and the bears thank him and walk back into the woods.  Pretty soon, out came the whole Bear family, including grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins! Some how Johnny found enough apples to feed them all until they were full, but they seemed like they wanted something else.  They wanted scratched because they were itchy from wearing the same suit of fur everyday!  After the bears were asleep, Johnny began wondering what the bears would eat after he was gone, and then he had a wonderful idea.  He planted a seed for each bear, picked up his sack and tiptoed away. It is said that those same apple trees still stand today, after if you go past them, you may see a black bear snacking away on the gifts that Johnny left years ago.

I found this story very enjoyable, and the illustrations were great.  It would definitely hold a 1st, 2nd and maybe even 3rd graders attention.You could use this story in your classroom to teach students the importance of natural resources, or you could use it in reading class to teach the genre of fantasy or folktales, or 3rd person point of view.  It would be a fun read for all ages!