Realistic Fiction-Chapter Book

Title: Stage Fright on a Summer Night

Author:  Mary Pope Osborne

Grade Level: Second or Third Grade

Summary: This edition of the Magic Tree House books follows Jack and Annie as they get sprung far into the past by their guide Morgan le Fay. In order to say thanks for everything the brother and sister have done in past stories, they are being thanked by learning some magic of their own. With the guide of Morgan le Fay and their reference book, the two travel back in time to Elizabethan Time. While there, Jack and Annie are instructed to turn daytime into night. Along the way, the two meet a man by the name of William Shakespeare. The two immediately learn that William needs their help in putting on a performance at the famous Globe Theater. Along the way they learn all about the history of this new place they have been propelled into. Through this all, Jack discovers the magic of the theater as both Annie and himself learn all about this place and the people they meet there.  

Strategies for the Classroom: This book would be a great addition to the classroom during a history lesson pertaining to the historical Elizabethan England time period. This read would be extremely interesting for the students because not only are they reading an exciting story about children their own age, they are also learning about the history and people of this unfamiliar time period. 

ESOL Applications: This story may not necessarily be appropriate for an ESOL student to read. Even though the text is fairly simplistic and the chapters are short, it may still be difficult for an ESOL student to comprehend the information because it isn't something that they can relate to. They aren't from the time period that the children get propelled into as well as, they may have difficulty understanding the book as it goes back into the past. If you were to use it with ESOL students, I would recommend having the students work in groups to read the text as well as use KWL charts or any other type of chart to document their ideas and keep track of the thins that happen in the story.

Read Aloud: If I were reading this book, I would try to read the entire book to the class if time permits. The chapters aren't that long and the book could be spread apart a couple of days.  If not, I would read the first chapter as the chapters aren't that long and this is a great introduction to the book and what the brother ans sister are going to encounter.


Personal Opinions: I really enjoyed reading this book. It was fun to follow the siblings as they got transported back in time on yet another exciting adventure where they learn about the places they encounter. I didn't want to put down the book, it kept intriguing me and made me want to read on, even read other books in the series. I think this style book is perfect for children this age because they are able to go on an exciting adventure back in time while learning about a time that they weren't around to experience.

Biography- Chapter Book

Title: Walt Disney

Author: Jane Sutcliffe

Grade Level: Third to Fifth

 Summary: This biography chronicles the life of the great Walt Disney. The story travels stage by stage through is life covering all the wonderful things he developed and made possible. The biography starts off as he is growing up and loving to draw pictures and illustrations. Followed by years of working at the Film Ad Company, Walt began a new adventure in creating a little movie called "Alice's Wonderland." Soon after, he married and developed his company called "Walt Disney Studio." The biography tells how through the years, Walk Disney continued to create more and more cartoons and movies. He then eventually went on to create a theme park for children and adults to enjoy called Disneyland. With the continued success of that, he decided he needed to also build a theme park in Florida. As the biography describes, he never lived to see Disney World finished, but he is and will always be remembered for the amazing stories, movies, and adventures he created and with the continued success of the Disney Company over all these years, its show how hard work and extreme dedication to something that you love pays off in the end.

Strategies for the Classroom: This book would be perfect for a lesson pertaining to Florida history and facts. It is a fairly short book that can be read over time and then be used to teach the history of not only such a successful person, but also one of the most successful companies in the world. Not only does this book focus on the history aspect but it also focuses on the business and professional side showing to the students that hard work will definitely pay off. This book would also be very successful and fun to read in a classroom, especially here in Florida because it is something that all of the students can relate to and understand on a personal level.

ESOL Applications: I don't know that I would necessarily use this book for any ESOL students. Although the text is fairly simple to read and is at a middle reading level, most ESOL students may not be able to comprehend the information and may not be able to relate to the idea of Disney World or Walt Disney because they've never learned about him or the company.

Read Aloud: Chapter 1 and Chapter 5; the beginning of it all and the finally projects that he completed (his success)

Personal Opinions:  I personally loved reading this biography because it was someone who was so interesting to me because Disney is something that I have grown up with my entire life. I felt that the layout of the biography was really simple and easy to follow and mapped out the key points in his life and career that led him to be the successful person that he was.

Informational Book

Title: Down Comes the Rain

Author: Franklyn M. Branley

Illustrator: James Graham Hale

Grade Level: Kindergarten to Second Grade

Summary:  Rain that comes down from the sky is a lot more of a difficult process than it may seem. In this informational text, it goes through the different steps as rain falls to the earth, dries up from the puddles, and continues its course. The book takes you through the process of water evaporating and then becoming vapor. It then forms water droplets which like to form clouds of all shapes, sizes and colors. The book then goes on to explain all of the different forms the water droplets can form whether its rain, hail, snow or vapor.

Strategies for the Classroom: This book would be of such a benefit in a classroom during their Science lesson and more specifically when they are learning about the weather and rain/clouds. Instead of reading a textbook that could be too strict and many times above the students actually reading or grade level, this book provides informational text that is appropriate for the students learning level. The images are a great resource also as they help the students to visualize what they are learning about. Overall, this book would be perfect to use in conjunction with a Science Lesson because it provides an additional way to learn very important information about a subject that we Floridians have to deal with regularly.

ESOL Applications: The text is essentially fairly simple and easy to read, but depending on the ESOL students level of proficiency, they may or may not be able to comprehend the text of the book. Aside from that, the illustrations in the book are what makes this book. With the illustrations taking up every single page, it allows the learning process to be a very visual process for the ESOL students as they can use the illustrations to learn. The set-up of the book is also very congruent to learning for ESOL students because it presents the information in a somewhat "time-line" and makes it easy to follow the exact process.

Read Aloud: I would read the entire book aloud, time permitting of course. The book is not too long and it covers a lot of valuable information in regards to rain, clouds, rain droplets, snow hail, and much more.

Personal Opinions:  I for one really enjoyed this book. I was never that interested in science but clearly remember learning all about this when I was younger. I think this book is essential for any classroom because it puts a more familiar face on this subject and would appeal to all students, even those who aren't the strongest in science.

Poetry Anthology

Book Title: Hip Hop Speaks to Children- A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat

Edited by: Nikki Giovanni with the help of additional Editors, Illustrators and Contributors

Grade Level: Elementary and Early Middle School

Summary: This book takes different poems, stories and songs and sets them all to a beat to enhance the presentation and enjoyment of the piece. The main premise of the book is "A celebration of poetry with a beat." The poems rang from topics of Hip Hop, to Love, to Death and everything in between. Most of the poems are set to a beat and music which make for an easy to read and follow story as well as a fun and exciting experience. Whether the music and book are used together or separate, each puts a new spin on poetry and makes for a refreshing way to not only listen to and read poetry, but also a fun way to enjoy it and learn!

Strategies for the Classroom: This book would make for an amazing interactive Poetry Lesson. With the songs being set to a beat and music, it makes for a very interactive experience for the students that would definitely keep their attention and make them intrigued and excited about poetry. The topics that are covered in this book could cover so many different subjects and be a great way to integrate other learning tools into the lessons. This is definitely a more modern take on such a classic subject as poetry, but it is presenting the information in a way that is more fitting with the students of today. It would definitely be a great addition to any poetry lesson or basic subject lesson that is covered in one of the poems. 

ESOL Applications: The actual vocabulary and information may be difficult for an ESOL student to comprehend, depending on their level of proficiency of course. The great feature of this poetry book is that for each poem, their is an illustration which is extremely helpful for ESOL students and their ability to comprehend the text. The fact that these poems are interactive and can be played from a CD as well can be beneficial for auditory learners, but for an ESOL student who is just learning to read the language, it could be somewhat difficult to follow. It would be beneficial for the ESOL students to either have their own book so they could follow along, or have a copy of the poems to follow.

Read Aloud: Specific poems that work with the lesson or topic being taught.

Personal Opinions: I really enjoyed this book and thought it was such a great asset to any learning environment, especially a literacy and poetry lesson. The use of the music and songs along with the speaking and reading of the poems would make for an extremely interactive and fun activity.