Angelica RojasRDG 553 Essays - Fiction, The Polar Express

Angelica RojasRDG 553 Assignment #2 Caldecott WinnersGenre --Picture Books Black and White Genre: Picture Books Sub Genre: Realistic Fiction Macaulay, D. (2005). Black and White. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0688119188 Summary: David Macaulay has written a unique book. The book is intriguing because it introduces the reader to four different stories that playfully interact with one another throughout the text. Macaulay lays out an explicit story where you have to pay attention of the pictures in the book to understand the next few pages. The characters introduced to us in the book are a boy in the train, silly acting parents, an escaped convict, and the commuter train late at night. As the reader begins to fill in gaps, you find the outlying theme of the book "the waiting game." The reader will find themselves confused in the first several pages, but once they unravel the puzzle it's clear the four stories all have similar theme. Age Appropriate: 4-7 years old Summary Lesson: I would have out a story map which will allow students to record the setting, the characters, events and explore plot, which would help the students understand the author's view. Students would be allowed to work in groups. The Polar Express Genre: Picture Book Subgenre: Fantasy Van Allsburg, C. (2015). The Polar Express. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 97-80395389492 Summary: In The Polar Express, Van Allsburg has written a wonderful Christmas story. The story begins on Christmas Eve with a little boy who is patiently waiting for Santa Claus to come. While he is lying in bed, he carefully listens out for Santa's sleigh bells. To his amazement he doesn't hear sleigh bells, but the sounds of screeching metal. He runs outside to find a train, while he is inspecting the train the conductor asks " if he would like to take a train ride to the North Pole. To his surprise he would go on beautiful journey adventure with all the children who still believe in the magic of Christmas. Even though this book falls under fantasy genre, children use their wild imagination to capture the spirit of Christmas which almost makes the book seem real. Age Appropriate: 5-9 years old Summary Lesson: For this lesson I would use a Story Map. The main of objective would be for students to analyze the structure and elements of the story by identifying the setting, the characters, any problems, events, and resolution. Furthermore, story mapping helps internalize the complexity of the story which will also help students understand all future stories. Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride Genre: Picture Book Sub-genre: Adventure Fiction Priceman, M. (2005). Hot air. New York: Simon Schuster Children's Pub. ISBN 0-689-82442-7 Summary: Marjorie Priceman rights her rendition of the first hot air balloon ride in Versailles in 1783. Many small children would find it amusing that aviators of the hot air balloon are barn animals. Priceman does a great job writing historical facts and timing the events with non-fictional story lines. Furthermore, the book begins with mostly written text and slowly the illustrations take over and come to life. The animals are seen flying over France when suddenly a bird flies into the balloon and pops it. After the balloon make landfall, the brave aviators are greeted and carried back to Versailles where a big celebration awaits them. The theme throughout the book is the exciting adventure that the Animals are embarking on. Priceman makes clear and explicit connections between the characters, ideas, and events throughout the book. Age Appropriate: 4-9 years old Summary Lesson: Lesson Plan would fall under Language Arts. I would have the Students first watch a video from national geographic on the first hot air balloon ride. After watching the video and reading the book I would have students draw out their own hot air balloon ride. Once they have finished their picture, they will write a story. The story must have a character, a plot and a conclusion. Once the story is finished they will trade stories with their partners and edit each other's stories. Once the finished draft is complete we will display all the stories and pictures around the room and