Informational Reflection

Paulsen, G. (1998). My life in dog years. New York: Delacorte Press.

My Life in Dog Years is an autobiography written by Gary Paulsen with help from his wife Ruth Wright Paulsen.  This book was written to detail Paulsen’s life while exploring the different dogs he owned.   More specifically he details the relationship he had with each dog and the dog’s individual personality. The structure of this book is sequence.  This autobiography begins in the Philippines when Gary is seven years old.  Where he details his first dog.   The book then progress through his life in time order. My Life in Dog Years is written as a mix of biological science and social science.  This book is biological science because it deals with pets and living organisms, specifically Gary Paulsen’s dogs.  Also, I believe that this book is social science because it details Paulsen’s relationships with his dogs.  He gives the dogs human qualities, which contributes to my opinion that this is also a social science book. 

Big Question:  How has a relationship with an animal impacted your life?  How would your life have been different if you had not developed this relationship with the animal?

Standards:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.3 Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.9 Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

Classroom Lessons:  Students could research information about the breeds of dogs that Gary Paulsen discusses in this book.  Then they could use what they learn about the breeds to explain some of the details Paulsen gives about the dog’s he owned.  For example; Paulsen discusses a farm collie that he believes is the smartest dog he has ever known.  Students can find information about collies that support Paulsen’s observation.  

Soldier's Heart

Paulsen, G. (1998). Soldier's heart. New York, NY: Dell Publishing

Have you ever wanted to part of something so bad that you considered breaking the law?  Have you ever felt so strong about a cause that you are willing to risk your life?  Charley Goddard decided that he felt strong enough about the cause of the Civil War to lie about his age and enlist in the Union army.    At the young age of 15 Charley is sent to Fort Snelling, where the idea of war is not what he had pictured.  At Fort Snelling Charley grows bored and he even considers quitting the army.  All that quickly changes when he is sent to his first battle, The Battle of Bull Run.  Charley witnesses horrific things at this battle and is convinced that he will not make it home alive.   As the war progresses Charley is shocked at how violent and savage he becomes. Then, Charley is sent to one of the most famous battles of all time, Gettysburg.  Read A Soldier’s Heart by Gary Paulsen to see the changes he goes through during the war and if Charley survives the Battles of Gettysburg. 

Holes Book Talk

Sachar, L. (1998). Holes. New York: Random House.

Have you ever felt like luck just isn’t on your side?  Have you felt that no matter what you do that things just won’t go your way?  This is exactly how Stanley Yelnats felt in the book Holes by Louis Sachar.  Stanley is sent to a youth detention center, Camp Green Lake, one summer for a crime that he did not commit.  Stanley’s bad luck comes from a cursed place on his great-great grandfather.  While Stanley is at Camp Green Lake he and the other boys are forced by the Warden to dig large holes in the dirt everyday.   As Stanley spends his summer at Camp Green Lake he begins to discover why is his family is cursed, and what the Warden has the boys digging for.  Read Holes by Louis Sachar to discover what the Warden is searching for and the secret of Stanely’s family curse. 

Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices

Fleischman, P. (1988). Joyful noise: poem for two voices. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publisher.

Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman is a book of poems written about a variety of insects.   This is a wonderful book to get children engaged in poetry and was awarded a Newberry Award in 1989. This book has a wide range of emotions expressed when detailing different insects.  There is a poem that details the mayfly and how short it’s life is.  Another poem is a love song of the book louse.   The poem Water Striders is a fun poem where the insect talks about walking on water.  The most interesting component of this book is how the poems are written with the intent of two people reading them.   There are lines that both readers should read together, and lines that only one person will read.  Fleischman structured the poems in two columns.  One column is for one reader, and the other column is for the second reader. 

In the poem Fireflies there is a strong example of alliteration.  Alliteration is the same consonant is heard frequently within a few lines of the poem.  One portion of Fireflies says “fireflies flickering flitting flashing fireflies.  This poem also has an example of personification.  Personification is when an animal is given human qualities.  In Fireflies, it says that the fireflies are calligraphers that are practicing their penmanship and copying sentences. 

Big Question:  How did the poet appeal to each of your five senses in Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices?

Connections: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.9 Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.

Have students select a poem in Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices and pick a fiction book that has the same topic.  For example have them read Grasshoppers in Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices and read Grasshopper on the Road by Arnold Lobel.  Have them fill in a graphic organizer that shows the similarities and differences how the authors treat the topic, grasshoppers. 

Music from a Place Called Half Moon

Oughton, J. (1995). Music from a place called half moon. Boston, MA: HMH Books For Young Readers.

Music from a Place Called Half Moon

By: Jerrie Oughton

                Summary: This is chapter book is about a small town that is rocked by a new idea.  Edie Jo Houp’s dad suggests that the Vine Street Baptist Church let the local Indian children attend their Vacation Bible School.  This idea was not well received by the people in the town of Half Moon, North Carolina.  Even Edie Jo at the age of 13 is not sure that her father has the best idea.  However, Edie Jo forms an unexpected friendship with the Indian boy named Cherokee Fish.  As their secret friendship begins to form Edie Jo starts to understand that friendships do not know color boundaries.  While Edie Jo is forming the friendship and developing deep feelings for Cherokee Fish, her town is in serious turmoil.  On top of learning the boundaries of friendship Edie Jo learns to deal with grief when Cherokee Fish is murdered by his brother.  The death of Cherokee Fish is related to the arson incident in Half Moon.

                Literary Terms: In Music from a Place Called Half Moon there is several places that the author uses foreshadowing.  Foreshadowing is when the author gives the reader a hint, or an idea, of an event to come in the story.  An example of foreshadowing in Music from a Place Called Half Moon, is when Gramma begins to talk about a time when an Indian came to their house to ask for work, and she latched the front door.  Edie Jo then goes to the porch and turns on the light earlier than normal.  The author says “she needed it” to “keep the dark from coming”.  Also, this book is a good example of a round character.  A round character is a character in a fiction work that is fully developed.  The reader knows the character’s personality, motives, and background.  Edie Jo is a round character in Music from a Place Called Half Moon.  Readers are able to understand Edie Jo’s deepest thoughts as we watch he go through several changes in the summer of 1956.  Readers see how her feelings and actions change through her friendship with Cherokee Fish, and the death of Cherokee Fish.

                Big Question: How did the friendship with Cherokee Fish change Edie Jo?

                Curriculum Activity: Students will use a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast Edie Jo’s fathers viewpoint on including the Indian children, and the towns people of Half Moon’s viewpoint on the inclusion of the Indian children.  You could extend on this activity by making students find specific events and dialogue that prove their answers.

                Curriculum Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.6 Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators in a text.

            Thoughtful Question:  How could you use this book to help teach children to accept other’s differences?

How did Edie Jo handle grief? Is this appropriate for young children?