Narratives

Narratives  //"Stories we grow up with - narratives - help form our views of the ways things 'ought' to be." //  Kaitlin Farrell and Gianna Seidler Narrative texts are one of the largest types of book genres because they encompass so many other sub-genres, such as mystery, realistic fiction, and even folk tales. The main purpose of narrative texts is to tell a story. Narratives have a recognizable structure that includes characters, setting, plot, and theme. It's as simple as that. So think about how many narratives you have probably read in your lifetime! This is why it is such an important genre to learn about and teach to our future students.

==// Characteristics of Narratives : // ==
 * Tell a story
 * The purpose of telling the story may vary according to the type of narrative
 * Have a clear beginning, middle, and end
 * Four main components: characters, setting, plot, and theme
 * Plot includes:
 * Problem
 * Reaction to the problem
 * An action
 * An outcome
 * Easy to read because they are written in everyday language
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Fiction or nonfiction
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Children's narratives include many large, vibrant pictures that aid in telling the story
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Can be written in first person or third person
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Not limited to books
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Used in television shows, movies, theatre, and even music

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 30px;">//Tips for Teaching Narrative Writing://

 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Teach the structure of narratives explicitly
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Do not assume this knowledge is intuitive
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Use a graphic organizer so students will be able to visualize the structure
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">To avoid unstructured writing that rambles and is lengthy, have students focus on what the problem of the story is, and who has this problem, rather than what the story is about
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Have the students read a great deal of narrative texts that model good narrative writing and structure
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Use role playing and dramatization to help students with story writing

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">**//How Narratives can be Used in the Classroom://**
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Suitable for all content areas (language arts, social studies, science, mathematics, performing arts)
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Not often used in mathematics and science, but can be a great way to draw students' attention to these subjects
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Can be used in order to help students make text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Can be used to teach comprehensive literacy strategies
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Supports students vocabulary development
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Activity that can be done with narratives
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Use a narrative text as a hook to any lesson
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Use a narrative during a social studies lesson to portray a historical figure who is of relevance
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Use two narratives on the same topic but from different viewpoints when teaching multiple perspectives
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Example: Christopher Columbus vs. Native Americans

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%; line-height: 30px;">//**<span style="color: #800080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">Examples: **//
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">//Miss Rumphius// //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-style: normal;">by Barbara Cooney //
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-style: normal;">//Characters: Miss Rumphius, Narrator, and Grandfather//
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-style: normal;">//Setting: A city by the sea//
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-style: normal;">//Plot://
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-style: normal;">//Problem: Miss Rumphius must find a way to make the world more beautiful.//
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-style: normal;">//Reaction to the Problem: She is confused about how to do so, as she feels the world is already beautiful.//
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-style: normal;">//Action: She travels around the world and moves into a house by the sea.//
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-style: normal;">//Outcome: She plants lupine seeds all around her town.//
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-style: normal;">//Theme: The smallest deed can make a powerful impact on the world.//

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 156%;">**//List of Possible Books and Authors to Explore://**
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Authors:
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Dr. Seuss
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Robert Munsch
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Beverly Cleary
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Maurice Sendak
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">J.K. Rowling
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Roald Dahl
 * //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Narrative Books : //
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">//Where the Wild Things Are// by Maurice Sendak
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">//Curious George// by H. A. Rey
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">//The Polar Express// by Chris van Allsburg
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">//Charlie and the Chocolate Factory// by Roald Dahl
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">//The Little Engine That Could// by Watty Piper
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">//Jumanji// by Chris van Allsburg

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;">//**<span style="color: #800080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Common Graphic Organizers: **//



<span style="color: #800080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 30px;">**//<span style="color: #800080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Citations: //** >
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Campsall, Steve. //Common uses of narrative: Film.// Retrieved from http://www.englishbiz.co.uk/semiotics/basicsemiotics/syntagms2.html
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Moss, B & Lapp, D. (2010). //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Teaching new literacies in Grades K-3: Resources for 21st century classrooms //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">. New York: Guilford.
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Moss, B & Lapp, D. (2010). //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Teaching new literacies in Grades 4-6: Resources for 21st century classrooms //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">. New York: Guilford.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">**//<span style="color: #800080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Class Book Summaries: //**

<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Kaitlin Farrell** __Citation__: Santiago, C. (1998). //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Home to Medicine Mountain //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">. San Fransisco, CA: Children’s Book Press. __Reading Level__: 3-5; DRA: 30-34; Guided Reading: N __Suggested Literacy Strategy__: Summarizing; Since the book follows the general format of a narrative text, students can use a story map (setting, characters, problem, etc.) to help them develop good summarizing skills. __Description__: This story is about two brothers, Benny Len and Stanley, who are part of a Native American tribe that live in Susanville, California near the beloved Medicine Mountain. It is the 1930s and the two boys are forced to attend a boarding school far away from home in order to shed their Native American customs. The school is rigid, grim, and boring, and it contrasts with everything they have experienced since birth. They are homesick but they cannot afford the price of travelling back home during the summer. Therefore they sneak out and secretly climb on top of a train that takes them back home to Medicine Mountain to be with their family.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 108.9%;">**<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Jeanna Calia ** <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;"> __Book__: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 108.9%;"> //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">A Chair for My Mother // <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;"> by Vera B. Williams __Citation__: William, V. B. (1982). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 108.9%;">//<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">A Chair For My Mother // <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">. New York: Greenwillow Books. __Description__: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 108.9%;"> //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">A Chair for My Mother // <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;"> is about a young girl, her mother and her grandmother. The beginning of the book describes how the girl goes to work with her mother in a diner and how they save their money in a big glass jar. During the story, the reader finds out that the family is saving money to buy a large, soft chair for the mother to rest in when she comes home from a long day at work. The family used to have a chair but they lost it in a house fire, which also destroyed all of their other previous belongings and their home. Soon, their family, neighbors, and friends help them by donating furniture and other necessities- but their home is not a home without a huge comfy chair. Ultimately, the change jar is filled and they are able to buy just the chair they wanted. __Reading Level__: DRA: 28 Guided Reading: M __Suggested Literacy Strategy__:Students can use the monitoring, questioning, and repredicting strategy while reading because the book consists of a fairly big climax during the story where the family deals with a tragedy and copes with the aftermath. From the cover of the book, students’ predictions may not even be close to the following outcome of the story. This book can also be used with students to start a discussion of the important things in their lives and how it is important to do things for others.

__Book__ : **<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;"> //Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing// by Judy Bloom **<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;"> __Description__ : ** //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing // <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-style: normal;"> is about a boy named Peter who feels as though his little brother gets all the attention from their parents and is able to get away with anything. Peter says that he feels as though he is a “fourth grade nothing.” When Peter is working on a group project for class, his little brother ends up scribbling on part of the project. Peter’s little brother even eats his favorite pet turtle. By the end of the book, Peter’s parents get him his own dog and they let him name it. __Reading Level:__ Guided Reading Level: Q; DRA Level: 40 <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">__S__ **<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;"> __uggested Literacy Strategy__ : ** <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-style: normal;"> Students can use the imaging comprehension strategy for this book. The book does not have any pictures in it, so students can make pictures in their heads while reading this story.
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Jen Levine
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;"> __Citation__ : **<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Bloom, Judy. (1972). //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-style: normal;"> New York, NY: Dutton Children’s Books.

__Book__: //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Wayside School is Falling Down //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;"> by Louis Sachar __Citation__: Sachar, L. (1989). //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Wayside School is Falling Down //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">. New York, NY: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books. __Reading Level__: DRA: 38; Guided Reading: P __Description__: In this wacky tale, the students of Wayside Elementary School never know what to expect. On any given day, the students in Mrs. Jewls’ class on the thirtieth floor may learn to tango, disappear on the nonexistent nineteenth floor, be forced to eat Miss Mush’s Mushroom Surprise or find $20,655 in a paper bag on the playground. Suggested Literacy Strategy: The reading strategy that would benefit students the most while reading a narrative story would be imaging. Imaging is a strategy in which students make a mental picture or a “movie” in their minds to visualize the text. Students will be actively involved and engaged in the text as they picture the crazy events that occur throughout this story as well as in other narratives.
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Randee Myers **<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">

__Book__: //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Where the Wild Things Are //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;"> __Citation__: Sendak, M. ( 1963). //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Where the Wild Things Are. //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;"> New York: Harper & Row. __Description__: In 1964, //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Where the Wild Things Are //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;"> was honored with the Caldecott award. In this story, the mischievous protagonist, Max, gets sent to bed without dinner after misbehaving. Max becomes king of the wild things in this foreign land and eventually realizes that what he really wants is to go home. In a heartwarming ending, Max realizes that there is no point to be in angry with those you love the most. This truly timeless picture captures the essence of a child’s imagination through innovative illustrations and simple text. __Reading Level__: DRA: 18-20, Guided Reading: J, Grade Level: K-3 __Suggested Literacy Strategy:__ Since there are few words in this book, the readers can use the literacy strategy of finding the main idea within the book to comprehend the overall message. This will also enable them to understand that the main idea of a book can still be important and meaningful even if the book only contains a few sentences due to its creative and stimulating illustrations.
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Liz Kalajian **<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">

__Book__: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; line-height: 115%;">//<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; line-height: 115%;">The Rainbow Fish // <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; line-height: 115%;">by Marcus Pfister __APA Citation__: Pfister, M. (1992). <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; line-height: 115%;">//<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; line-height: 115%;">The Rainbow Fish // <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; line-height: 115%;">. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc. __Reading Level__: DRA= 28, Guided Reading= M __Suggested Literacy Strategies__: The main idea would be a good strategy to use for this book! By the end of the story, the kids should be able to come up with the “big idea” the author is trying to convey to the reader. __Description__: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; line-height: 115%;">//<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; line-height: 115%;">The Rainbow Fish // <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; line-height: 115%;">by Marcus Pfisher is a story about one of the most beautiful fish in the entire ocean- Rainbow Fish. Rainbow Fish has scales that are sparking silver. Despite Rainbow Fish’s beauty, she does not have any friends and is not happy. After realizing she is extremely lonely, Rainbow Fish decides that giving away some of her scales to the other fish can’t be that bad. Soon after giving away most of her scales, Rainbow Fish only had one scale left. All the fish played together again and liked Rainbow Fish.
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; line-height: 115%;">Casey Caruso **<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; line-height: 115%;">

<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Alli Clare** __Title__: //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. // <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;"> by Judith Viorst <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14px;">__Citation__: Viorst, J. (1972). //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day // <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14px;">. New York, New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. __Description__: This book tells the story of Alexander and his terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. He begins to tell his story as soon as he wakes up until the moment he goes to sleep. Alexander explains all the things that go wrong from not getting a prize in his cereal box to not being Paul’s best friend anymore. __Reading Level__: Grade: 3.6, DRA: 28, Guided Reading: L __Suggested Literacy Strategy__: Summarizing. This book has great sequencing and students can learn to take the order of what happens to Alexander and pick some of the important aspects of his story.

**<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Kayleigh Shaw ** <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14px;"> __Book__: //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses // <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14px;"> __Citation__: Goble, Paul. (1978). //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses // <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14px;">. New York: Bradbury Press. __Reading Level__: DRA- 28; Guided Reading- M; Grade Level- 4.7 __Description__: This book is about a Native American girl who has a special connection with and love for horses. When a storm comes and drives the horses off, the girl goes with them. She is thrilled to live among the wild horses but is brought back home years later when she is found. Her loving parents allow her to continue living with the horses because they can see how sad she is without them. Every year the girl pays a visit to her parents bringing the gift of a colt with her until one year when she herself turns into a horse and is officially one with the horses. __Suggested Literacy Strateg__y: Imaging would be a great strategy for this book because there are many scenes that would be easy to imagine, such as the storm and the horses all stampeding away. Also, after the girl is taken back home by the hunters, students can predict what they think will happen.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">Gianna Seidler ** __Citation__: Fox, M. (1984). <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 21px;">//<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">Wilfird Gordon McDonald Partridge // <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 21px;">. La Jolla, CA: Kane/Miller Book Publishers. __Reading Level__: <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%; font-weight: normal;"> DRA: 24; Guided Reading: K; Grade Level: 3.4 ** <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 21px;">__Description__: Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge tells the story of a young boy, Wilfrid, who lives next door to a retirement home. In this home lives a bunch of unique people, all of whom have become an acquaintance. However, his favorite elderly person is Miss Nancy, such fondness rooted in the fact that she also has four names. One afternoon, Wilfrid overheard people talking about Miss Nancy, claiming that she has lost her memory. After searching and discovering the meaning of a "memory," Wilfrid gathers us his own memories for Miss Nancy to have, as he believes this is the solution to bringing back Miss Nancy's. After seeing and handling Wilfrid's memories, Miss Nancy uses them to find and share her own, resulting in an even stronger bond between the two. __Suggested Literacy Strategy__: Because this story has a powerful overall message about friendship, main idea would serve as a great literacy strategy to accompany this story. As students work to decode the big idea the author is trying to convey, they will leave the story with a greater appreciation for the value of friendship, as well as its uniqueness, while also learning how to determine such a message.
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%; font-weight: normal;">__Book__ <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">: <span style="font-family: Chalkboard,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 21px;">//<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge // <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 21px;">by Mem Fox

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 21px;">**<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">Erin Jackson ** <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"> __Book__: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 21px;">//<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs // <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;"> by Judi Barrett __Citation__: Barrett, J. (1978). <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 21px;">//<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs // <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">. New York, NY: Atheneum. __Reading Level__: DRA: 28, Guided Reading: M, Grade Level: 3.2 __Description__: Grandpa tells the story of a town called Chewandswallow, where food and drinks fell from the sky. There are no supermarkets because the people just ate whatever came down. Everything is going fine and the people are happy, until the portions of food get larger and fall faster. The townspeople get scared and leave the town of Chewandswallow to escape from the weather. They build a new town and start a new life, where they rely on the supermarket, rather than the weather, for food. __Suggested Literacy Strategies__: Predicting would be a good comprehension strategy to teach with this book because students can easily use context clues, the pictures, and their prior knowledge to predict what is going to happen to the characters. In addition, students can summarize the important parts in this book. They can particularly focus on the problem and the solution because these features are relatively clear in this story.

__Book__: //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Paul Revere's Ride //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;"> __Citation__: Longfollow, H.W. (1990). //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Paul revere's ride. I //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">New York, NY: Dutton Children's Books. __Reading Level__: DRA: 38 Guided Reading: P Grade Level: 5.1 __Description__: This narrative is Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's classic poem broken down and illustrated to be understood by a younger audience. It follows the story of Paul Revere's epic ride to alert the villagers the British are coming. __Suggested Literacy Strategy__: Summarizing would be an appropriate strategy for this book. At times it can get hard to follow because it is written in a poem format, so it would be good for students to focus on the important moments in the book to summarize. Focusing on summarizing will help them better follow along and grasp the important details.
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Lauren Masco **<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">

__Reading Level:__ grades K-2, DRA: 18-20, Guided Reading: J __S** uggested Literacy Strategy **__ ** : ** Students can use the theme comprehension strategy with this book. The book is about a very important lesson that the children in the story learn. Students could benefit from the experiences of the character and can learn from those important lessons. It would be easy for students to practice finding mini-themes and combining them with this text.
 * Megan Garlette **
 * __Book__ **** : ** //Shortcut//// by Donald Crews //
 * __Citation__ **** : ** Crews, D. (1992). //Shortcut.// New York, NY: Green Willow Books.
 * __Description__ ** ** : ** // This short children’s book is about a group of children on their way home late in the day. They decide to take a shortcut home along the train tracks. However the children do not know the train schedule at the time. They look and listen for a train, but do not hear one so they continue on the tracks. Suddenly the children hear the train, and must jump into the dangerous grounds around the tracks. No one is hurt, but this frightening experience keeps the children from ever taking that shortcut again. //


 * Margaret Molloy**

//The Very Hungry Caterpillar// By Eric Carle __Suggested Grade Level__: K-1 __Citation__: Carle, E. (1991). //The Very Hungry Caterpillar//. New York: Scholastic. __Summary__: Eric Carle takes readers through a hungry caterpillar’s journey to becoming a butterfly. The book follows the life cycle of this hungry caterpillar as it eats and eats. __Suggested Literacy Strategy__: The teacher could use predicting with this book because the students may be aware of what happens to a caterpillar throughout its life (turns into a butterfly).

__Title__: //The Polar Express// __Citation__: Allsburg, C.V., (1985). //The Polar Express//. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. __Reading Level__: Grade Level: 4.9; DRA: 30-34; Guided Reading Level: N __Description__: This book describes how a young boy boards train that is leaving for the North Pole on Christmas Eve. He describes his journey to the North Pole and how he gets the chance to meet Santa. Santa gives the boy one of the reindeer’s bell as the first gift of Christmas. However, on the way home the boy looses the bell. On Christmas morning the next day, the boy finds the bell under the tree and he realizes that only those who believe in Santa can hear the sound of the bell. __Literacy Strategy__: The summary strategy would be great to use for this book. Summarizing can help the students recognize the important events and details of the story.
 * Christina Marino**


 * Cynthia Antunes**
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Title: **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> __Madeline__ by Ludwig Bemelmans
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Citation: **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> Bemelmans, Ludwig. (1998). //Madeline//. New York, NY: Puffin Books.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Reading Level: **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> DRA Level: 24 Guided Reading: K Grade Level Equivalent: 2.9
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Description: **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">The book, __Madeline__, is a classic narrative. Madeline lives in an orphanage with eleven other little girls. One night, Madeline is in pain and taken to the hospital, where the reader finds out she must have her appendix removed. The next day the other eleven girls come to visit Madeline, bringing treats and gifts. Madeline even shows off her “cool” scar. The same night Madeline returns, the other eleven girls are crying because they want their appendix removed so they can get gifts and a cool scar. This book is funny, a classic, and many children can relate to having surgery or being jealous of other children. Also, a discussion can begin about orphans. There are many reasons to read this book to students.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Suggested Literacy Strategy: **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Many comprehension strategies can be used with this book. However, since there are some many topics and concepts in this book, I think the strategy of finding the theme would be the best. As mentioned, students can talk about the issues and topics in the book to find the theme.

__Title__: //The Pinballs// __Citation__: Byars, Betsy. The Pinballs (1977). __Grade Level__: 4-6 __Description__: The story is about three kids who come together to live at a foster home. They have all been through tough times either being beaten, abandoned or run over by an alcoholic father. They dub themselves the pinballs because all they do is bounce around life. Through the book they become more determined and capable of controlling their lives and no longer being pinballs. __Suggested Reading Strategy__: This story has a lot of themes and main ideas. They stretch through the entire book and it is easy to lose track. A good strategy for comprehension is main ideas and sub ideas. Keeping track will allow students t ofocus on the big picture.
 * Tom Medvecky**


 * Jasmine Martin**
 * Title:** Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears
 * Citation:** Aardema, V. (1975). Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers.
 * Reading Level:** DRA:30-34; Guided Reading: N
 * Description:** A retelling of a native African tale. A mosquito causes a chain reaction that ends in a baby owl getting killed. The Lion, King of the jungle questions various animals in the jungle about what happened only to end up back at the mosquito. Everyone wants the mosquito to be punished, near by in hiding, the mosquito hears everything and leaves the jungle, only to get swatted by a person for buzzing in his ear.
 * Suggested Reading Strategy:** Predicting is a good strategy to use for this book. The story has a similar pattern throughout the book so students should be able to make good predictions of what will happen next.


 * Debra Szubrowski**
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Title: **//<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Mail Harry to the Moon //
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Citation: **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> Harris, Robie H. (2008) //Mail Harry to the Moon.// New York: Little, Brown and Company.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Reading Level: **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">DRA: 12, Guided Reading:G
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Description: **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">This narrative is about a boy who is jealous of his new baby brother Harry because he gets a lot of attention. The boy gets mad because Harry took a bite out of his banana, chewed on his toy gorilla, sat on grandma’s lap etc. Every time Harry makes him mad, the boy wants to get rid of him some way. He wanted to flush Harry down the toilet, put him in a zoo or mail him to the moon. After he wished to mail Harry to the moon, Harry went missing. The boy realized this and eventually began to miss Harry. He went to the moon to bring him back. **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Suggested Comprehension Strategy: **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Theme would be a good strategy to use for this book because it contains a key message or moral. Students could think about common ideas and sub themes and combine them to find the main message.

__ Book: __ //Curious George

__Citation:__ Ray, H.A. (1969). Curious George. Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin // __ Reading Level: __ DRA 24. Guided Reading K  __ Description: __ This book is about whenm Goerge si first captured by the man with a yellow hat and taken to the zoo. He gets into a whole bunch of trouble and the fire department even has to come save him. __ Suggested Reading Strategy: __ For this book I would use the prediction or summarizing comprehension strategies. There’s a really good story line with lots of problems and adventures that students could summarize. Also since George gets into so much trouble, students could try to predict what mess he’s going to get into next.