http://teachers.santee.k12.ca.us/carl/
http://www.joewitt.org/
http://www.storyit.com/Starters/picstart.htm
http://www.kinderkorner.com/starters.html
http://www.literacy.uconn.edu/compre.htm
http://www.everydayspelling.com/
http://www.readwritethink.org/
http://www.tellingtales.com/Stufftodo/Starters/StoryStarters-Frame.htm
http://www.auburn.edu/%7Emurraba/
http://www.lessonplanspage.com/
http://davis.dadecountyschools.org/wordstudy/
http://www.meddybemps.com/9.700.html
Monday, October 04, 2010
Literature Response- Don't You Dare Read This Ms. Dunphrey
Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey
Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey
When reading the book, Don’t You Dare Read This Mrs. Dunphrey, I believe that I had read it entirely in two hours. It is a book that you could not put down. The author had a way of putting the journal entries in such a real way that I felt a part of a connection to the main character, Tish. The most important journal entries that touched me the most came from the entries marked Don’t you Dare read this and of course the final entries. The following passages were of importance to me and are included below with the page number.
Throughout the entries and in the first entries written, Tish was full of anger and it was shown within the first sentence of each entry.
September 16- Aren’t you proud of me? This isn’t due for two
days, and I’m doing my last entry already. I
wouldn’t admit this to anyone, of course, but this
journal stuff isn’t too bad. It’s better than any of the
other homework you teachers make us do. As long as
you’re not reading this, I can just put down whatever I’m
thinking. (Page 15)
This passage goes on to say what Tish did to her brother Matt. She was angry at him and then she felt bad that she got mad at him. Throughout this entry Tish was actually mad at her mom for working late and always crying for her father not being there. Tish was angry. But, she had every right to be angry. She was still a child and acting like an adult and trying to take care of Matt, her brother. The journal entry is helping her to get her emotions and feelings onto paper. She likes it because she needs it.
October 12- Mom’s going to do something stupid, I know she is.
She’s missed work the last three nights-I had to call
in sick for her, because she forgot to do that. She
just sits in the rocking chair rocking, muttering things
like, “I could see him…It could work…” It really wasn’t
a lie for me to tell her boss that she was sick, because she
hasn’t been sleeping or eating, and she looks really terrible.
(Page 28)
Tish’s mother is lost without her husband, but her husband left her and is abusive. She still wants him back. Tish has the sense and is so intelligent to know that her father is abusive and doesn’t understand why her mother is so upset over him not being home. I think Tish is worried about her mother, but doesn’t understand that her mother has a mental illness. Abuse in all forms, as mentioned in this book, can make a person fall apart. Tish’s mother has fallen apart.
March 11- Do you know how stupid the world is? I went in to Mr.
Seagrave this afternoon, and told him what I wrote about
Tuesday- I mean, I sure didn’t say I was worried about
paying the bills because mom left us, but I did say I wasn’t
getting anything out of school and I was thinking about
dropping out so I could work full-time at the Burger Boy.
(Page 93)
At the beginning of the book, the Assistant Manager asked Tish out for dinner and Tish said no. Tish knew how men were in her mind because of her father and so she turned off others in general. This passage reminded me of this and Mr. Seagraves response to her thinking of working full time was very realistic, even though Tish needed the money. A few entries later, Mr. Seagrave left and Bud, the Assistant Manager took over his position. Then Tish was fired. It was because she decided not to go on a date with him.
Personally, I could write more. I could ask the question, Did Tish’s grandmother understand this abuse? Is that why she crocheted? How can you stay in control when everything is out of control? Tish did her best and I do not know how she accomplished that. I think this book puts us into realistic thinking. Our world does not do enough to protect our children and to educate parents on raising children. I feel that abuse is rising all over and is resulting in more crime, addictions, and additional mental and emotional abuse to others. I have many journals that I have kept since High School. I know that they do help and are wonderful to express positive as well as negative experiences.
Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey
When reading the book, Don’t You Dare Read This Mrs. Dunphrey, I believe that I had read it entirely in two hours. It is a book that you could not put down. The author had a way of putting the journal entries in such a real way that I felt a part of a connection to the main character, Tish. The most important journal entries that touched me the most came from the entries marked Don’t you Dare read this and of course the final entries. The following passages were of importance to me and are included below with the page number.
Throughout the entries and in the first entries written, Tish was full of anger and it was shown within the first sentence of each entry.
September 16- Aren’t you proud of me? This isn’t due for two
days, and I’m doing my last entry already. I
wouldn’t admit this to anyone, of course, but this
journal stuff isn’t too bad. It’s better than any of the
other homework you teachers make us do. As long as
you’re not reading this, I can just put down whatever I’m
thinking. (Page 15)
This passage goes on to say what Tish did to her brother Matt. She was angry at him and then she felt bad that she got mad at him. Throughout this entry Tish was actually mad at her mom for working late and always crying for her father not being there. Tish was angry. But, she had every right to be angry. She was still a child and acting like an adult and trying to take care of Matt, her brother. The journal entry is helping her to get her emotions and feelings onto paper. She likes it because she needs it.
October 12- Mom’s going to do something stupid, I know she is.
She’s missed work the last three nights-I had to call
in sick for her, because she forgot to do that. She
just sits in the rocking chair rocking, muttering things
like, “I could see him…It could work…” It really wasn’t
a lie for me to tell her boss that she was sick, because she
hasn’t been sleeping or eating, and she looks really terrible.
(Page 28)
Tish’s mother is lost without her husband, but her husband left her and is abusive. She still wants him back. Tish has the sense and is so intelligent to know that her father is abusive and doesn’t understand why her mother is so upset over him not being home. I think Tish is worried about her mother, but doesn’t understand that her mother has a mental illness. Abuse in all forms, as mentioned in this book, can make a person fall apart. Tish’s mother has fallen apart.
March 11- Do you know how stupid the world is? I went in to Mr.
Seagrave this afternoon, and told him what I wrote about
Tuesday- I mean, I sure didn’t say I was worried about
paying the bills because mom left us, but I did say I wasn’t
getting anything out of school and I was thinking about
dropping out so I could work full-time at the Burger Boy.
(Page 93)
At the beginning of the book, the Assistant Manager asked Tish out for dinner and Tish said no. Tish knew how men were in her mind because of her father and so she turned off others in general. This passage reminded me of this and Mr. Seagraves response to her thinking of working full time was very realistic, even though Tish needed the money. A few entries later, Mr. Seagrave left and Bud, the Assistant Manager took over his position. Then Tish was fired. It was because she decided not to go on a date with him.
Personally, I could write more. I could ask the question, Did Tish’s grandmother understand this abuse? Is that why she crocheted? How can you stay in control when everything is out of control? Tish did her best and I do not know how she accomplished that. I think this book puts us into realistic thinking. Our world does not do enough to protect our children and to educate parents on raising children. I feel that abuse is rising all over and is resulting in more crime, addictions, and additional mental and emotional abuse to others. I have many journals that I have kept since High School. I know that they do help and are wonderful to express positive as well as negative experiences.
Literature Response to Tale of Despereaux
Michelene M. O’Neil
The Tale of Despereaux
The Tale of Despereaux
The following passages from The Tale of Despereaux, had meaningful dialogue and were selected because of the special content I found to be important.
Chapter 4, pages 26-29.
And so Despereaux was free.
He spent his days as he wanted: He wandered through the rooms of the castle, staring dreamily at the light streaming in from the stained- glass windows. He went to the library and read over and over again the story of the fair maiden and the knight who rescued her. And he discovered, finally, the source of the honey-sweet sound.
The sound was music. (p. 26)
I found this particular passage to be magical and beautiful. Even though Despereaux was not conforming to the rules of the mice and acting like a mouse, he was free. What touched me most was “freedom”. Despereaux was happy being himself and wanted to be free to wander the rooms of the castle and reading fairy tales. Don’t we all want to be free, to be ourselves and to use our talents and gifts that are given to us? Despereaux wanted to do the things that made him happy. But, the question I raised while reading this passage was, “Do the other mice also have these gifts, but are afraid to use them?” Finally, he found the source of the honey-sweet sound and it was music. Personally, if I don’t have music in my life, I am not happy. I could relate to Despereaux on this important area.
Chapter 4:
The sound of the king’s music made Despereaux’s soul grow large and light inside of him. “Oh,” he said, “it sounds like heaven. It smells like honey.”
(p. 27)
I had a few questions that came to mind while reading this passage. Why was Despereaux so different? Or, was he different from the other mice? Was Despereaux turning into a human? Why did the music smell like honey? This was very interesting to me because the sound of music makes your soul feel large and light. How would he know what heaven is? Although we know that certain music sounds like heaven.
Chapter 4:
The song was as sweet as light shining through stained-glass windows, as captivating as the story in a book.
Despereaux forgot all his fear. He only wanted to hear the music. (p. 29)
This page reminded myself of fear and the ability of music to take it away. He did not care or even think about the consequences of what could happen if his family found out what happened. Although his family did find out his contact with humans, the music kept him in a magical trance that erased all of his fear. Despereaux wanted life like the fairy tale and to live “happily ever after”. I think we all want to live happily ever after. I do think it is possible. Does the author think it’s possible? Probably.
Chapter 5:
Love is ridiculous.
But love is also wonderful. And powerful. And Despereaux’s love for the
Princess Pea would prove, in time, to be all of these things: powerful, wonderful, and ridiculous. (p. 32)
In this chapter, the love of Despereaux to the Princess was so heartfelt. I felt that the words mentioned above were again, beautiful. It is interesting that the author asked before this passage if it is possible for a mouse to fall in love with a princess? The author also said that it is ridiculous. But is it possible? Yes, he said. Then the passage continued with the above statement. The author made this particular chapter mysterious to keep us curious on what would happen next. Why would all of this happiness and love be so wrong?
This book in my opinion is fantasy. It also touches the realistic fiction genre, but more of fantasy and fairy tale genres. It is similar to fairy tales such as Cinderella, Snow White, and other fairy tales. These came to mind along with other Disney favorites and classic fairy tales. My mom always read the Disney fairy tales to us when my sisters and I were little. I have the book with the collection from childhood. Hopefully, I can pass it down.
This book has reminded me of many personal experiences. From the first page onward, I felt very similar to the mouse. I was born premature (little) and always felt different or unique from my family. I started ballet at a very young age after seeing my first production of Ruth Page’s The Nutcracker at Christmastime. After seeing it once, I was in a trance. I wanted to be on stage in the “fantasy-like” world of classical ballet. To me, it was a beautiful “world”. The music entered my soul and has never left. It brings me peace and I have so many stories and experiences from my classical ballet training and from the classic ballets such as; Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, etc. I can remember music from my dancing and can recall the names of certain classical works including some opera. I like powerful opera pieces and adagio pieces and I am fortunate to have my own ear for the music that I like to dance to. I understand fully the power and passion of music and how it touches your soul. For me, I love to go to Borders or Barnes and Noble to listen to music as well as read. I listen to all music, but I can dance to music that represents me. I love the sound of Spanish-flamenco guitar style as well as the mandolin. It’s upbeat as well as powerful. It is very good to dance to. I have always been a romantic and passionate individual. I have many other experiences that I can go on with. This is just a little glance of my personal experiences.
The Tale of Despereaux
The Tale of Despereaux
The following passages from The Tale of Despereaux, had meaningful dialogue and were selected because of the special content I found to be important.
Chapter 4, pages 26-29.
And so Despereaux was free.
He spent his days as he wanted: He wandered through the rooms of the castle, staring dreamily at the light streaming in from the stained- glass windows. He went to the library and read over and over again the story of the fair maiden and the knight who rescued her. And he discovered, finally, the source of the honey-sweet sound.
The sound was music. (p. 26)
I found this particular passage to be magical and beautiful. Even though Despereaux was not conforming to the rules of the mice and acting like a mouse, he was free. What touched me most was “freedom”. Despereaux was happy being himself and wanted to be free to wander the rooms of the castle and reading fairy tales. Don’t we all want to be free, to be ourselves and to use our talents and gifts that are given to us? Despereaux wanted to do the things that made him happy. But, the question I raised while reading this passage was, “Do the other mice also have these gifts, but are afraid to use them?” Finally, he found the source of the honey-sweet sound and it was music. Personally, if I don’t have music in my life, I am not happy. I could relate to Despereaux on this important area.
Chapter 4:
The sound of the king’s music made Despereaux’s soul grow large and light inside of him. “Oh,” he said, “it sounds like heaven. It smells like honey.”
(p. 27)
I had a few questions that came to mind while reading this passage. Why was Despereaux so different? Or, was he different from the other mice? Was Despereaux turning into a human? Why did the music smell like honey? This was very interesting to me because the sound of music makes your soul feel large and light. How would he know what heaven is? Although we know that certain music sounds like heaven.
Chapter 4:
The song was as sweet as light shining through stained-glass windows, as captivating as the story in a book.
Despereaux forgot all his fear. He only wanted to hear the music. (p. 29)
This page reminded myself of fear and the ability of music to take it away. He did not care or even think about the consequences of what could happen if his family found out what happened. Although his family did find out his contact with humans, the music kept him in a magical trance that erased all of his fear. Despereaux wanted life like the fairy tale and to live “happily ever after”. I think we all want to live happily ever after. I do think it is possible. Does the author think it’s possible? Probably.
Chapter 5:
Love is ridiculous.
But love is also wonderful. And powerful. And Despereaux’s love for the
Princess Pea would prove, in time, to be all of these things: powerful, wonderful, and ridiculous. (p. 32)
In this chapter, the love of Despereaux to the Princess was so heartfelt. I felt that the words mentioned above were again, beautiful. It is interesting that the author asked before this passage if it is possible for a mouse to fall in love with a princess? The author also said that it is ridiculous. But is it possible? Yes, he said. Then the passage continued with the above statement. The author made this particular chapter mysterious to keep us curious on what would happen next. Why would all of this happiness and love be so wrong?
This book in my opinion is fantasy. It also touches the realistic fiction genre, but more of fantasy and fairy tale genres. It is similar to fairy tales such as Cinderella, Snow White, and other fairy tales. These came to mind along with other Disney favorites and classic fairy tales. My mom always read the Disney fairy tales to us when my sisters and I were little. I have the book with the collection from childhood. Hopefully, I can pass it down.
This book has reminded me of many personal experiences. From the first page onward, I felt very similar to the mouse. I was born premature (little) and always felt different or unique from my family. I started ballet at a very young age after seeing my first production of Ruth Page’s The Nutcracker at Christmastime. After seeing it once, I was in a trance. I wanted to be on stage in the “fantasy-like” world of classical ballet. To me, it was a beautiful “world”. The music entered my soul and has never left. It brings me peace and I have so many stories and experiences from my classical ballet training and from the classic ballets such as; Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, etc. I can remember music from my dancing and can recall the names of certain classical works including some opera. I like powerful opera pieces and adagio pieces and I am fortunate to have my own ear for the music that I like to dance to. I understand fully the power and passion of music and how it touches your soul. For me, I love to go to Borders or Barnes and Noble to listen to music as well as read. I listen to all music, but I can dance to music that represents me. I love the sound of Spanish-flamenco guitar style as well as the mandolin. It’s upbeat as well as powerful. It is very good to dance to. I have always been a romantic and passionate individual. I have many other experiences that I can go on with. This is just a little glance of my personal experiences.
Literature response to Witness
Witness
Witness
This book displayed a strong and deep message that included history as well as point of view from characters from the 1924 era. The way in which the book was written in a short dialogue method, made the characters sound real and put the reader in the actual time of the events in the story. Personally, I felt that this book captivated my attention and was a very good read. I did not want to put the book down. Because I like history, I was interested in many of the characters presented and the roles in which they played. Johnny Reeves, Iris Weaver, and Percelle Johnson were the characters of interest to me along with the other main characters. The following passages were of importance to me.
Johnny Reeves: Some preacher down south has himself a following
Of coloreds and whites, together.
They trail after him from town to town, forgetting their duties
To home.
They even tried him, neighbor, they tried him
Before a jury of white men for inciting trouble,
For leading the lord’s sheep to stray,
And still, neighbor, it grieves me to tell you that still,
They let the devil go free.
It’s a sorry state neighbor, it’s a pitiful state of affairs when a
Colored preacher can lure good white folk from their hearths.
(p. 14)
Iris Weaver: I was born protestant.
But I’d join the catholic church before I’d throw my lot in with
The klan. (p. 58)
Percelle Johnson: dang,
Young merlin van tornhout is walking everywhere because he
“gave” his car to a klansman. If the riffraff joining the klan these
days can take the one thing most loved from an awestruck boy, why couldn’t they plant a bottle of liquor in the pocket of a
hanged man? (p. 95)
The above passages were shocking to me because they come from three very interesting people at that certain era. A preacher, a single, white, female, restaurant owner/rum-runner, and a town constable. The three passages mentioned above, struck me in ways that I could relate to current social situations. Johnny Reeves was a minister, but was a main klan member. Why was his mindset against the “colored”? Today, we would expect all ministers to be welcoming of every color, race, ethnic background, etc. Not Johnny Reeves.
Iris Weaver was my personal favorite. She was a very smart woman and had her own identity which I respected. Although she was a rum-runner, and committing illegal acts, I felt her strength and opinion was the strongest in the book. Percelle Johnson did not seem to care that she did the rum running, but again, Percelle being a police officer/town constable, was very interesting in his views of the klan as well. Percelle Johnson knew what was right and what was wrong. He knew that the klan was wrong. He did his job. Percelle knew that Merlin was in trouble, but what is a town constable to do other than his job? Percelle Johnson did do his job even though the klan was around.
Witness
This book displayed a strong and deep message that included history as well as point of view from characters from the 1924 era. The way in which the book was written in a short dialogue method, made the characters sound real and put the reader in the actual time of the events in the story. Personally, I felt that this book captivated my attention and was a very good read. I did not want to put the book down. Because I like history, I was interested in many of the characters presented and the roles in which they played. Johnny Reeves, Iris Weaver, and Percelle Johnson were the characters of interest to me along with the other main characters. The following passages were of importance to me.
Johnny Reeves: Some preacher down south has himself a following
Of coloreds and whites, together.
They trail after him from town to town, forgetting their duties
To home.
They even tried him, neighbor, they tried him
Before a jury of white men for inciting trouble,
For leading the lord’s sheep to stray,
And still, neighbor, it grieves me to tell you that still,
They let the devil go free.
It’s a sorry state neighbor, it’s a pitiful state of affairs when a
Colored preacher can lure good white folk from their hearths.
(p. 14)
Iris Weaver: I was born protestant.
But I’d join the catholic church before I’d throw my lot in with
The klan. (p. 58)
Percelle Johnson: dang,
Young merlin van tornhout is walking everywhere because he
“gave” his car to a klansman. If the riffraff joining the klan these
days can take the one thing most loved from an awestruck boy, why couldn’t they plant a bottle of liquor in the pocket of a
hanged man? (p. 95)
The above passages were shocking to me because they come from three very interesting people at that certain era. A preacher, a single, white, female, restaurant owner/rum-runner, and a town constable. The three passages mentioned above, struck me in ways that I could relate to current social situations. Johnny Reeves was a minister, but was a main klan member. Why was his mindset against the “colored”? Today, we would expect all ministers to be welcoming of every color, race, ethnic background, etc. Not Johnny Reeves.
Iris Weaver was my personal favorite. She was a very smart woman and had her own identity which I respected. Although she was a rum-runner, and committing illegal acts, I felt her strength and opinion was the strongest in the book. Percelle Johnson did not seem to care that she did the rum running, but again, Percelle being a police officer/town constable, was very interesting in his views of the klan as well. Percelle Johnson knew what was right and what was wrong. He knew that the klan was wrong. He did his job. Percelle knew that Merlin was in trouble, but what is a town constable to do other than his job? Percelle Johnson did do his job even though the klan was around.
Readability Leveled Passages
When the music stops, all that can be heard is the dancers’ breathing. Panting, they lie in a puddle on the floor and suck bottles of water. Hair sticks to foreheads. The tails of shirts that had been tied into knots come undone. The dancers towel sweat and talk about which parts of their bodies ache. Before showering, a woman walks on a man’s back to make it feel better. After rehearsal the dancers walk from the studio to a market to buy food for dinner. They choose mounds of vegetables and fruit, pasta and meat, chocolate. A dancer visits* a masseur with big hands, who prods and pokes the dancer’s back, neck, thighs, calves, arms, and feet-even her toes.
5.3
Vera told me of her plans: what she would take with her when she left Russia, and how, once she was in Paris, she would slip away and contact the authorities there, asking for asylum. It was hard not to be caught up in her excitement. We tried to guess what our chances would be of joining the Paris ballet. All these conversations were whispered. We knew what danger there would be in detecting. If we were caught, we would be thrown out of the ballet, perhaps arrested, certainly watched day and night. I was not sure I was willing* to take the risk.
5.5
There was a little girl who was so delicate and charming, but in the summer she always had to go barefoot because she was poor. In the winter she wore big wooden clogs that made her little ankles turn quite red, and that was awful. In the middle of the village lived old Mother Shoemaker. She sat and sewed as best she could, using old strips of red cloth to make a little pair of shoes. Quite clumsy they were, but well-intended, and the little girl was to have them. The little girl’s name was Karen. On the very day* that her mother was buried, Karen was given the red shoes, and she wore them for the first time.
6.1
Now it was Sunday I’d spent all morning throwing things into two suitcases, a garment bag, and a backpack. No one was helping me. Mama and Daddy were busy getting ready for the drive to New York. Becca was having a tantrum. Aunt Cecelia was clattering around after Squirt. I heard footsteps on the stairs. My door opened and Mal walked in. “Hi.” “They told me to pack light!” I said. “How do you pack light for a winter in New York City? You need sweaters, a raincoat, a down vest, boots, plus the ballet stuff.” Mal knelt down and* began looking through my clothes. “Well, you only need a few shirts, really.
3.3
Edgar Degas was born in Paris, France, in 1834. During the 1800’s Paris was the art center of the world, so it was a good place to be if you were interested in becoming an artist. While growing up, Edgar was able to see great works of art from the past as well as drawings and paintings done by modern artists. Some of Edgar Degas’s most famous works of art are scenes of Paris and the people who lived and worked there. Degas loved painting, drawing, and making pastel pictures of the racetrack, washerwomen, and cafe’ singers. One of Edgar Degas’s all time favorite subjects was the ballet.
8.0
5.3
Vera told me of her plans: what she would take with her when she left Russia, and how, once she was in Paris, she would slip away and contact the authorities there, asking for asylum. It was hard not to be caught up in her excitement. We tried to guess what our chances would be of joining the Paris ballet. All these conversations were whispered. We knew what danger there would be in detecting. If we were caught, we would be thrown out of the ballet, perhaps arrested, certainly watched day and night. I was not sure I was willing* to take the risk.
5.5
There was a little girl who was so delicate and charming, but in the summer she always had to go barefoot because she was poor. In the winter she wore big wooden clogs that made her little ankles turn quite red, and that was awful. In the middle of the village lived old Mother Shoemaker. She sat and sewed as best she could, using old strips of red cloth to make a little pair of shoes. Quite clumsy they were, but well-intended, and the little girl was to have them. The little girl’s name was Karen. On the very day* that her mother was buried, Karen was given the red shoes, and she wore them for the first time.
6.1
Now it was Sunday I’d spent all morning throwing things into two suitcases, a garment bag, and a backpack. No one was helping me. Mama and Daddy were busy getting ready for the drive to New York. Becca was having a tantrum. Aunt Cecelia was clattering around after Squirt. I heard footsteps on the stairs. My door opened and Mal walked in. “Hi.” “They told me to pack light!” I said. “How do you pack light for a winter in New York City? You need sweaters, a raincoat, a down vest, boots, plus the ballet stuff.” Mal knelt down and* began looking through my clothes. “Well, you only need a few shirts, really.
3.3
Edgar Degas was born in Paris, France, in 1834. During the 1800’s Paris was the art center of the world, so it was a good place to be if you were interested in becoming an artist. While growing up, Edgar was able to see great works of art from the past as well as drawings and paintings done by modern artists. Some of Edgar Degas’s most famous works of art are scenes of Paris and the people who lived and worked there. Degas loved painting, drawing, and making pastel pictures of the racetrack, washerwomen, and cafe’ singers. One of Edgar Degas’s all time favorite subjects was the ballet.
8.0
Leo Lionni Author Study
Author Study
Author Study: Leo Lionni
Leo Lionni, a noted author and illustrator of children’s books, wrote and illustrated more than forty historically acclaimed Children’s books. His first artistic piece of literature was presented in 1959 with the children’s book, Little Blue and Little Yellow. Many children’s literature books followed after that date focusing on the social and world events at the time as well as on nature. He performed his works with an interesting technique of color and collage. His font of children’s books was easy to read by children as he learned from his own grandchildren. His last publication, An Extraordinary Egg (1994), was released when Leo Lionni was 84 years old. After suffering from Parkinson’s disease in the 1990’s, Leo Lionni was still able to create five children’s books until his death in 1999 at the age of 89.
Leo Lionni was born in Holland of Dutch parents in 1910. He did not receive formal education in art, but did receive a doctorate in economics from the University of Genoa. He spent most of his childhood in Amsterdam teaching himself to draw. Leo Lionni moved to Italy during his high school years and then decided to move to Switzerland for other business courses. He spent his in-between time painting. He married in Italy in 1931 and had two sons and began thinking about writing and painting. He moved his family back to Switzerland near his parents after having a “real” job in business and realizing his talent and passion for art. A year later, Leo Lionni moved his family back to Italy after the possibility of being drafted into the army. He continued his writing and painting in Italy. After receiving his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Genoa in 1935, Leo Lionni shortly left for the United States after Adolf Hitler and his Nazi political party took control of Germany in 1938. Leo Lionni moved to New York City and found his first job at one of the largest advertising companies in the country. In 1939, Leo Lionni’s wife and two children joined him after receiving visas to come to America. His career in advertising began to flourish as well as his art and gift of illustrating books for children. After opening his own graphic design studio, Leo Lionni began his writing and illustrating while on a train trip with his grandchildren.
The author’s style of writing was child friendly. He wrote short sentences on a page and also longer paragraphs on a page. His main focus was on nature and animals to portray a message to the reader. In his second book, Inch By Inch, Leo Lionni used color and collage to portray a caterpillar, insects, and birds in nature settings. His story introduced the child to mathematics as well as science and reading. His stories always had a purposeful meaning and value to the story. They also reached many components of effective literacy. They were easy to decode as in his first two books, Inch by Inch and Little Blue and Little Yellow. They depicted a friendly writing style with a positive perspective. Children from early pre-kindergarten through upper second grade primary level are able to relate to Lionni’s books.
As one of the first children’s book artist to use collage and clean, colorful graphics, Leo Lionni used many other forms of art media to depict his stories. He used straight collage, collage and oil stick, graphite and collage, and colored pencil with oil stick. He always used a white background for his art to stand out except for the book, The Greentail Mouse. His gift was in the way he was able to understand how a child’s mind was and how a child could respond to and identify with stories about animals and nature. His stories were simple fables showing animals to present an attribute or value. His stories do not strongly hold a moral, but a child will come away with a new understanding of sharing, cooperating, individuality, and peace. Four of his books, Inch by Inch, Swimmy, Frederick, and Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse have been named Caldecott Honor Books among the best-illustrated books published in the United States. His other honors include the American Institute of Graphic Arts Gold Medal.
The reason that this author is important to me is because of his uniqueness in writing stories for all children. Children with and without disabilities are able to decode and gain visual insight from the colorful illustrations and ways in which Leo Lionni used art media. He also used nature and animals that all children can relate to. The values and important story lines in each book can help a child take away something of great importance for success in the world. The important values of friendship, cooperation, sharing, individuality, and peace are so important for children in today’s society.
References
www.randomhouse.com/kids.html
www.cishrewbury.ma.us
media/lionni/leoforteachers.html
Biography Today Author Series, Vol.6: Wilson Library Bulletin, June 1992.
Author Study: Leo Lionni
Leo Lionni, a noted author and illustrator of children’s books, wrote and illustrated more than forty historically acclaimed Children’s books. His first artistic piece of literature was presented in 1959 with the children’s book, Little Blue and Little Yellow. Many children’s literature books followed after that date focusing on the social and world events at the time as well as on nature. He performed his works with an interesting technique of color and collage. His font of children’s books was easy to read by children as he learned from his own grandchildren. His last publication, An Extraordinary Egg (1994), was released when Leo Lionni was 84 years old. After suffering from Parkinson’s disease in the 1990’s, Leo Lionni was still able to create five children’s books until his death in 1999 at the age of 89.
Leo Lionni was born in Holland of Dutch parents in 1910. He did not receive formal education in art, but did receive a doctorate in economics from the University of Genoa. He spent most of his childhood in Amsterdam teaching himself to draw. Leo Lionni moved to Italy during his high school years and then decided to move to Switzerland for other business courses. He spent his in-between time painting. He married in Italy in 1931 and had two sons and began thinking about writing and painting. He moved his family back to Switzerland near his parents after having a “real” job in business and realizing his talent and passion for art. A year later, Leo Lionni moved his family back to Italy after the possibility of being drafted into the army. He continued his writing and painting in Italy. After receiving his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Genoa in 1935, Leo Lionni shortly left for the United States after Adolf Hitler and his Nazi political party took control of Germany in 1938. Leo Lionni moved to New York City and found his first job at one of the largest advertising companies in the country. In 1939, Leo Lionni’s wife and two children joined him after receiving visas to come to America. His career in advertising began to flourish as well as his art and gift of illustrating books for children. After opening his own graphic design studio, Leo Lionni began his writing and illustrating while on a train trip with his grandchildren.
The author’s style of writing was child friendly. He wrote short sentences on a page and also longer paragraphs on a page. His main focus was on nature and animals to portray a message to the reader. In his second book, Inch By Inch, Leo Lionni used color and collage to portray a caterpillar, insects, and birds in nature settings. His story introduced the child to mathematics as well as science and reading. His stories always had a purposeful meaning and value to the story. They also reached many components of effective literacy. They were easy to decode as in his first two books, Inch by Inch and Little Blue and Little Yellow. They depicted a friendly writing style with a positive perspective. Children from early pre-kindergarten through upper second grade primary level are able to relate to Lionni’s books.
As one of the first children’s book artist to use collage and clean, colorful graphics, Leo Lionni used many other forms of art media to depict his stories. He used straight collage, collage and oil stick, graphite and collage, and colored pencil with oil stick. He always used a white background for his art to stand out except for the book, The Greentail Mouse. His gift was in the way he was able to understand how a child’s mind was and how a child could respond to and identify with stories about animals and nature. His stories were simple fables showing animals to present an attribute or value. His stories do not strongly hold a moral, but a child will come away with a new understanding of sharing, cooperating, individuality, and peace. Four of his books, Inch by Inch, Swimmy, Frederick, and Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse have been named Caldecott Honor Books among the best-illustrated books published in the United States. His other honors include the American Institute of Graphic Arts Gold Medal.
The reason that this author is important to me is because of his uniqueness in writing stories for all children. Children with and without disabilities are able to decode and gain visual insight from the colorful illustrations and ways in which Leo Lionni used art media. He also used nature and animals that all children can relate to. The values and important story lines in each book can help a child take away something of great importance for success in the world. The important values of friendship, cooperation, sharing, individuality, and peace are so important for children in today’s society.
References
www.randomhouse.com/kids.html
www.cishrewbury.ma.us
media/lionni/leoforteachers.html
Biography Today Author Series, Vol.6: Wilson Library Bulletin, June 1992.
Language and Literacy List of Assessments
Informal Test Measures
Qualitative Reading Inventory 4th Edition (QRI-4)
Developmental Spelling Assessment (DSA)
Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS)
Direct Instruction/Reading Mastery & Corrective Reading Decoding
Concept of Word in Text Assessment
Formal Test Measures
Comprehensive Test of Phonological Process (CTOPP)
Woodcock-Johnson III- Test of Achievement (WJIII)
Woodcock-Johnson III- Test of Cognitive Ability (WJIII)
Sunday, April 18, 2010
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