Module 5 Literacy Letter - Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

 

Dear blog,

This week I read the children's fiction picture book Owl Moon. Owl Moon (1987) is written by Jane Yolen and illustrated by John Schoenherr. Owl Moon won the Caldecott Medal in 1988. The book has won other various awards, and has been translated into several other languages. In the book, a father takes his daughter out for a walk to go owling at night in the snow. During their walk, they have a close encounter with an owl. The book is beautifully written with a poetic rhythm. 

This book would be great to use in the classroom to teach visualizing and descriptive writing. The book would also be a great mentor text for story elements, realistic fiction, and figurative language. The story also contains a great selection of vocabulary. Owl Moon would also be a great introduction for an owl research project.

Module 4 Literacy Letter - The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary

 

Dear blog,

This week I reread one of my childhood favorites, The Mouse and the Motorcycle (First Harper Trophy Edition, 2000) written by Beverly Cleary and illustrated by Louis Darling. The book was originally published in 1965. The book is the first in Cleary's Ralph S. Mouse series.

The story is about a mouse named Ralph who lives in an old motel, the Mountain View Inn. Ralph makes friends with a young boy named Keith who is staying at the motel with his family. Keith teaches Ralph how to ride his red toy motorcycle and lets him ride it at night. While Keith and his family are gone, Ralph rides the motorcycle through the hotel, encountering many obstacles along the way. Ralph loses Keith's motorcycle when he narrowly escapes a maid's vacuum cleaner. Keith gets upset with Ralph for losing the motorcycle, but Ralph redeems himself by risking his life to get Keith an aspirin when he is sick. To thank him, Keith lets Ralph keep his motorcycle that was found by one of the motel's maids. The Mouse and the Motorcycle is a great book to use in the classroom. The book is a great tool to use to teach character traits, story elements, visualizing, cause and effect, vocabulary, and more. 

Module 3 Literacy Letter - Charlotte's Web by E. B. White

 

Dear Blog,

This week I am focusing on the Newberry Award winning chapter book Charlotte's Web by E. B. White. The book tells the story of Fern's beloved pig, Wilbur, who makes friends with a spider named Charlotte. Charlotte's clever ideas ultimately save Wilbur's life. This heartwarming story has strong themes of compassion and friendship. Charlotte's Web would be a great novel to use in the classroom. While reading Charlotte's Web, I would focus on vocabulary and story elements. This book would also work well for literature circles. Some questions I would ask might be, "How does the setting change throught the story?" "How does Fern change throughout the story?" "How would you feel if you were Fern?" "How is Wilbur different from the other farm animals?"