Reflection over the course

Jen,
As I have said in my first class reflection, I love children's literature! I am really excited that I have learned so much about all the different kinds of children's literature out there. I cannot wait to get into my classroom and use some of these books that we have talked about.

I know I will use children's books in a variety of ways in my classroom. I love the idea of opening a minilesson, author's study, literature study groups, or during shared reading. I want my students to love reading children's books and learn how to select the right book for them. I also really enjoy reading chapter books to the children as well because it is a good way for them to relax and just listen to a book.

I am glad that we created our own blogs because it is a way to look our classmates blogs and see what kinds of books that they recommend or did not like. Thanks for a great class!

Animal Dreaming

Mirri is a young boy from an Australian Aboriginal Tribe. They believe that long ago the earth was soft and had no form. Deserts, mountains, lakes, and prairies were created by the animals. Miri learns about his heritage, his people's past, and how the earth was formed, while learning the stories of animal dreaming.

I liked this book because it was an interesting view from a different culture. I like children's books from different cultures because a lot of the time, the children can relate how their heritage is somewhat like or dislike the heritage they are reading or learning about. I think it is important for all children to learn their heritage and learn about their families ancestors. There is a lot of fun activities that go along with a unit about one's heritage and I would use this book to help get the unit started.

Jane Goodall's Animal World Elephants

Elephants is a very informational book that answers any questions that a person would have about elephants. How do elephants live their daily lives? What do they eat? How do they raise their young? This book provides a close-up look at elephants.

I would use this book in my classroom only for reference use. I think that these series of books are great for the children to do their research. If they are writing a paper or making a book about elephants this would be a great research tool. I don't think that this book has universal usage in the classroom. I would not recommend this book for pleasure reading because it can be a little boring, especially if you don't like elephants. It is not like a picture book that the entire class might like. It would be great for the child to go to the library and find this book to do some research.

Safety on the Playground

Safety on the Playground is one book in a series about safety. There are topics in this book such as what to wear, broken equipment, safety on swings, safety on slides, safety during games, strangers, and climbing safety. I think these topics are very mundane and boring for children. The topics are very specific and I think that children will get bored with this book. Though the topic of playground safety is very important, I think as teachers and parents, we should come up with a more interesting and creative way to introduce this topic.

I would not use this book or series in my classroom. I don't think that reading a boring and mundane book about safety will ensure that kids will follow all the rules. I think it would be more beneficial if the class came up with their own rules would make the children be more creative and more likely to follow their own rules that they made.

Dolphins in the Wild

I love books about animals and I especially enjoy reading books about Dolphins because I think they are so cute and amazing! This book is in a series including true facts about different animals. Dolphins tells the readers about how they eat, grow, rest, hunt, and raise their young. There is also important information about the threats they face in the wild and also some important information about how we can help them to survive in the future.

I think having these books in my classroom would be beneficial to the kids because they would be able to look up and read about any different animal that they choose. These books are easy to read and have really awesome pictures. I think that the kids would like reading and looking up information about animals for their own use.

Harry the Dirty Dog

Harry was a white dog with black spots that liked everything.....except getting a bath. One day he hears the water running in the tub and decides to run away with the scrubbing brush. He buries it in the backyard and has a fun filled day getting dirty. He runs by the railroad, slides down the coal chute, and playes in the garbage yard with the other dogs. He comes home and his family doesn't even recognize him. All they see is a black dog with white spots. Harry finds out that getting a bath isn't so bad after all.

I like this book because it is about a dog. Many children love books about dogs. This is an older book that I think children will enjoy. I would like to have a section in my classroom library dedicated to different types and difficulties about dogs. I think that a lot of children would like to explore the different breeds and different ways to take care of dogs.

Peter and the Pigeons

Peter loves Pigeons. Peter's father takes him to the zoo to show him all the strange birds and wonderful animals that Peter hasen't seen before. He askes Peter which animals are his favorite. The entire time he tells his father that the zebra, hippo, polar bear, and lions are not his favorite animals. At the end he reaveals that the pigeons are his favorite animal. This just shows that Peter is familiar with the pigeons and is friends with them.

This is a sweet book about a boy that is friends with pigeons. It is an easy read and I enjoy the pictures.