Course Reflection of Children's Literature

I am a HUGE fan of Children's literature. I have never been so excited to go into a book store in my life and just sit there, read, browse, and buy good literature. That is because I now know what good literature is and how to incoporate it into my classroom. I have learned so much about the different genres that can enhance learning in my classroom and that will get my own students to answer the difficult questions these books bring up.

I will use children's books in a variety of different ways in my classroom. Not just in elementary school but if I teach 5th or 6th grade I will also encoporate children's books because as I realized that most people loves books and I want my students to love books as well. I can use books to learn about different authors, illustrators, or poets, and learning about different types of genres. They will also be incporated in the reading workshop: guided reading, independent reading, literature study groups but importantly placed in the classroom so my studnets have the opportunity to browse through good literature. Chapter books will also be a great way to read aloud to my students in the class. Doing this they will see that I enjoy reading which will promote reading to them.

I love the blogs because there are so many opinions on books and seeing other students, teachers, and indivduals opinons on certain books really allow me to see many different sides of a situation. It also allows me to look for good literature from other blogs that students have created. It was a great class and I will take my personal experiences from this class into my own classroom.

Dough Boy by Peter Marino (Novel)

This piece of literature is a fictional story about a boy named Tristan who is overweight. His parents just got divorced and his mom has a new boyfriend. They are living happily until his mom’s boyfriend’s daughter moves into the house. The problem with his daughter is that she is a health freak. All she talks about is nutrition, physical activity and losing weight. She begins talking to Tristan every day about different types of food and how it will be easy for him to work off the weight. But bad things keep happening to Tristan. He gets called names like dough boy, fatty and other mean names, get’s tripped in the lunch room, he falls through the attic floor, he gets picked on in the locker room, and his so called friend Marco is the worst one of all. I chose this book because it is a more difficult book to read alone so I would read this out loud to the class. This book brings up many different questions about family life and personal wellness. How do particular families, where they live, and family priorities play a role in personal wellness? Can it be both positive and negative? It also brings up the feelings, emotions and troubles that go along with being overweight but even “thin” and “skinny” can feel the same way. Throughout the book the reader feels like Tristan should stand up for himself and we can also discuss why he doesn’t do this? Why does he allow this to happen to him? How will he be able to stand up and like himself for who he is?

Muhammad Ali: Champion of the World by Joan Winter

This piece of literature is a biography of Muhammad Ali and how he used physical activity to become a political figure in the United States. I chose this piece of literature because it is about a world famous sports icon that changed the way people looked at boxing, politics, and the African American culture. Ali’s ancestors came from a white slave master where he got his real name, Clay. He didn’t want to use a white man’s name. This brings up in school by students how physical activity has an impact on politics. During this time his African religion and African American roots were silenced and Ali became the leader of the movement of his people. He was paving a way for African Americans and how they should be strong, proud and willing to fight for what they believe in. Through physical activity he was able to grow in confidence and believe in himself. This piece of literature shows the determination of a man who never gave up on fighting for his people. Through Ali’s actions as an athlete he was able to change his life and many lives around him.

The Gulps by Rosemary Wells

This piece of literature is about the Gulps family and they are going on a vacation in their RV. Four members of the family, including mom and dad love unhealthy food and the last member of the family Dawn eats healthy. In their RV they briny way to much unhealthy food and because they are eating too much they have gained so much weight that the RV is unable to move. They now have to stay at the farmer’s house until they can get healthy and fit. I chose this piece of literature because the students can relate their family to the Gulps family or the farmer’s family. They will have the opportunity to look at each family different. One is living in town and the other is living on the farm. Lifestyles of each family are different and because of their environment they live differently and that affects their health. Another aspect that comes up in this piece of literature is that there are some people who will not eat vegetables or healthy food because they think it is not good. The students will be able to discuss if they are like that as eaters and why? Why do some people not like vegetables, fruits, salads and some people love them? They can relate the environment, how they grow up and the lifestyles of their parents. While looking at this piece of literature they can see that there will be effects positive or negative on healthy eating due to the environment they live in.

The Busy Body Piece of Literature: A Kid's Guide to Fitness by Lizzy Rockwell

This is a non-fiction piece of literature about how the body is built to move. I chose this piece of literature because it explains the importance of movement, physical activity, and fitness. It breaks down how students are able to move by examining different parts of the body that provides the body to move. There are two different parts to the piece of literature. On one side there is information on a specific body part: bones, muscles, the heart, lungs, and stomach but then on the other side of the page is an outline of the body so they can relate their activities to the parts of the body that they use. Using this piece of literature allows the students to think an aspect of science. What do the bones, muscles, heart, lungs, and stomach do for our body and why they are important for movement? This also relates to injury and things that could happen to our body if we do not take care of them. It’s a way to see the body as different parts but then reconnect these parts to make a healthy active body.

Good Enough to Eat: A Kid's Guide to Food and Nutrition by Lizzy Rockwell

This is a non-fiction piece of literature about the importance of food and the benefits of a quality, healthy pattern of eating. I chose this piece of literature because it describes, explains and gives visuals of vitamins and nutrients. Many students don’t have an understanding of what vitamins and nutrients even are let alone how they should eat them during each meal. So it gives them an opportunity to look into detail at what carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamin C, Vitamin A, calcium, iron, sodium, and potassium are and how to get these nutrients and vitamins in their food. I also enjoy the pictures the piece of literature gives under each example because the students can look at this and apply it to their life. Do they eat cheese? Do they eat eggs? Are they getting vitamin C in oranges? It is a great opportunity to analyze how well they eat their vitamins and the nutrients that are in their body. I also enjoy the part on digestion. Many pieces of literature are hesitant to talk about this issue but I believe it is an important part of personal wellness. It’s a way for students to understand how the nutrients are absorbed into their body and how it carries the bad chemicals and excess fats out of the body.

How to Train with a T.Rex and Win 8 Gold Medals by Michael Phelps

This piece of literature is an autobiography of how Michael Phelps won 8 gold medals. It didn’t just happen in the pool at the Olympics he trained for 6 years. I chose this piece of literature because it brings up the Olympics. The Olympics is a time where physical fitness and show athletes on a world level who are walking examples of personal wellness. Many students see these athletes and how good they are on T.V. but they don’t know what it takes to be an Olympic Athlete. Not just a swimmer like Michael Phelps but all the different sports that are portrayed in the Olympics. Personal wellness is a variety of exercise, eating right, sleep and drinking water. This might bring up a discussion of why Michael Phelps ate so much and slept so much? The students might not understand that over excessive physical activity calls for an increase in sleep and eating. This piece of literature also brings up thoughts about his training and physical activity. It compares how he swam the length of the Great Wall of China three times and could lift a New York City Subway Car. This piece of literature puts Michael Phelps’s training in comparison that will shock students. This would give them an idea of how much work it takes to be an Olympic Athlete.

I Get So Hungry by Bebe Moore Campbell

This piece of literature is about a girl named Nikki who is overweight starting her first day of school. She is being called names by a certain boy in class and it is making her sad. From all of the ridicule and name calling it makes her very sad and when Nikki is sad she can’t stop eating. I chose this piece of literature because there are environmental factors of personal wellness. In this story Nikki’s mother will not buy her food that is healthy because that is not what they are used to. Her mother believes that they will always be overweight because that how their family is so there is no use of changing their habits. This is a view around the world that obesity can’t be changed. There are many options to becoming healthy and eating right and physical activity is the beginning to that. Nikki wants to start becoming healthy and begins to walk with her teacher before school. The teacher is Nikki’s role model because she is taking action in her own life. Nikki’s teacher is able to motivate Nikki to help her mother start becoming healthy. It is a piece of literature that students can look deeply into and understand Nikki’s feelings. Having a role model and being able to help someone else is a main reason for becoming healthy. Students should learn that it’s important to your personal health if the people around you are also eating healthy and being physically active. Another part of this piece of literature that is important is the name calling issue. There could be people in the class that do that to students, without the teacher knowing, and it’s important they also see the effects of name calling. Their words can hurt others and the students can talk about how they can eliminate name calling in the school.

The Monster Health Piece of Literature by Edward Miller

This is a non-fiction piece of literature is a guide to eating healthy. I chose this piece of literature because it takes eating healthy and breaks it down piece by piece. It begins explaining the food pyramid, which some students might even have an idea of the food pyramid or what it does. In this piece of literature it breaks down each part of the five food groups from the food pyramid. When describing each food group the authors give a description of where the food from the group mainly comes from, how much of the food in the particular group should someone eat, and examples in pictures and text of what types of food are part of the particular food group. There are also facts about each food group throughout the page. Breaking this down for students allows them to analyze their own eating patterns. What do they eat the most of? What do they need to eat more of? Do they eat too many fats? They will realize that all of these foods together make a healthy body. Another part of the piece of literature that even I examined closely was that they described how to read a food label. Some adults still do not know how to do that today. This is a great opportunity for kids to learn at a young age of how to count calories and selecting nutritious foods. Other topics that are discussed are information on what should we eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, health risks when the students don’t eat healthy, being active, sleep, different types of moods that are experiences, and saying no to bad health influences like drugs and alcohol. What also is important in this piece of literature is the section where it explains how each student’s weight is different and students shouldn’t compare weights in the classroom. This piece of literature is a great opportunity for students to get full detail of eating healthy and what that all involves.

Strong Man by Meghan McCarthy

This is a biography of Charles Atlas who on the World’s Most Beautiful Man Contest and was crowned the World’s Most Perfectly Developed Man. I chose this piece of literature because he was not always proud of whom he was. He was picked on, bullied, and even beaten up because he was so small. Many students in my class can relate to his feelings and how he wanted to become a different, stronger person. He needed to work hard towards his goals and he couldn’t afford the weights like he saw on T.V. So he created his own routine and weights by using things he had in his house. This brings up the issue of physical activity and social class. What if some people can’t afford a membership to centers like the YMCA? What if some people live in an area where there is not a place for physical activity? What if some people have to work to help out the family? This brings up some questions for students to really think about. But it doesn’t just relate to physical activity but also eating right. If students or families can’t afford organic food or expensive whole wheat bread, what happens? This piece of literature brings the aspect of social class and how Charles Atlas pulled himself up by his own bootstraps and was able to fulfill his dreams with hard work.

I.Q. Gets Fit by Mary Ann Fraser

This piece of literature is a fictional story about a mouse that is the class pet in the classroom named I.Q. It is healthy month in the school and everyone, including I.Q. is going to work on their personal health. They will improve their health over four weeks and get a gold ribbon if they pass the test. I chose this piece of literature because it explains the steps of personal wellness. This piece of literature allows children to explore and learn along with I.Q. the different types of ways to be healthy, there is not just one way! They must eat a balanced diet, drink plenty of water, get lots of sleep and stay active (which involves warm-ups and stretching). It also shows the students that everyone can be healthy and improve their health with eating right, drinking water, getting the right amount of sleep and exercise. Without one of these their personal health starts to decline. Students learn in a gradual process that everything fits together and works together to make their body be healthy. I also chose this piece of literature because it allows discussion about the incentives of physical activity. Receiving a gold ribbon can be motivational for some people but for others who don’t receive this gold ribbon it might be detrimental. If the students who don’t receive the gold ribbon may feel discouraged this may lead to decreased physical activity and eating healthy. Incentives are okay at some point but most of all each person should achieve their own goals and improvement is the main goal.