"Junie B., Firt Grader: Toothless Wonder"

This week I decided to read "Junie B., First Grader:  Toothless Wonder."  As far as I can recall, this is the first Junie B. book that I have read.  If I have read one before, it was in elementary school and I just do not remember it.  I found this book to be very entertaining.  Author Barbara Park appeals to the reader with the creation of her character Junie B. and her crazy imagination.

In this book, Junie B. is the first student in her first-grade class to be close to losing a tooth.  Though she is very excited at first, a story of a man with no teeth quickly makes her want to keep her tooth as long as she can.  As the reader could probably predict, the tooth did eventually come out, and Junie B. realized that she did not look as bad as she thought she would.  However, she was still worried that her class might make fun of her new smile.  When the topic of the Tooth Fairy is brought up by her parents, Junie B. refuses to put the tooth under her pillow because she is afraid that the tooth witch will take it, not the tooth fairy.  After much deliberation and help from her peers, Junie B. decides that it is safe to put her tooth under her pillow, and she is happy to wake up to not only money but to her baby brother now having his first tooth as well!

This book is full of creativity and imagination that I believe students would find very engaging.  The relatability of losing a tooth and the excitement that it brings automatically would spark an interest in a child who is about to lose a tooth.  The book is also an excellent example of being able to make predictions and inferences, as Junie B. works to figure out why the Tooth Fairy needs the teeth, and what she does with them.  She calls on the help of peers and family and uses her background knowledge about recycling to determine that the Tooth Fairy recycles the teeth and gives them to babies to use.

I would definitely recommend this book to my future students.  I hope to be able to read more by Barbara Park because I found the excitement in this book to be very contagious and engaging.

Until next week,
Ashley

Miss Daisy Is Crazy!

This week as I searched for a book to read, I enlisted the help of my boyfriend's brother who is in the fifth grade.  He handed me a pile of books and "Miss Daisy Is Crazy," by Dan Gutman, just happened to be the first one I grabbed.  When I finished reading it in less than 20 minutes, he made sure to inform me that he had not read that book since the second grade so I would not think that it was something he was reading now.

In "Miss Daisy Is Crazy," Dan Gutman introduces us to a character named A.J. who begins the story by stating, "I love football and video games, and I hate school."  But come to find out, so does his new teacher, Miss Daisy.  That is not the only crazy thing about Miss Daisy, she does not even know how to read or do math.  What kind of teacher does not know how to do those things?  Instead of the teacher being able to teach the students, the students must teach the teacher.  Towards the end of the story, A.J. catches a glimpse of Miss Daisy looking at a piece of paper, and he is almost positive that she was reading.  Though he is not for sure, he starts to question if Miss Daisy really was as dumb as she let on, or if she actually did know how to read and do math.

Though this book is very extreme, it was a great read.  Dan Gutman takes the reader on an adventure from the point of view of a student, which in my opinion is a great way to get students engaged in a book.  He even includes a few pictures throughout the book to depict exciting parts of the story.

As a teacher, one thing that really stuck out to me was the idea of letting students have an active role in the classroom.  Though Miss Daisy may have played dumb a little too much, the concept behind her actions is very important.  Sometimes it is better for students to show their knowledge through teaching than through giving a test.  It gives them an opportunity to explain what they are doing and why and not just their ability to get the right answer.  I have always heard that sometimes students can learn better from peers, especially when they may not be able to understand the way that we are teaching.  If they look at the concept from the point of view of another student, it may just click, and in the end, I think that this was Miss Daisy's goal.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading "Miss Daisy Is Crazy" by Dan Gutman.  Though not to the degree of this book, it reminded me to let my students have an active role in the classroom, and allow them opportunities to show their knowledge in many ways, as well as use peer support.

Until next week,
Ashley

Hercules Doesn't Pull Teeth

I loved reading "Hercules Doesn't Pull Teeth," by Debbie Dadey and Marcia Thornton Jones.  This book is one of the several books in the series "The Adventures of The Bailey School Kids."  This is the first of the series that I have read, and I must say that I couldn't put the book down.  Dadey and Jones take us on an adventure as the Bailey School Kids work together to try and uncover the mystery of whether or not the new dentist in town is really Hercules, and what his plans for the city are. 

This book is something that I would definitely recommend to my future students.  The authors captivated my attention with a fun mix of mystery and mythology all in one book.  Not only does the story appeal to the adventurous side of the reader, but it brings attention to certain mythological characters that students may or may not be aware of.  By introducing some of these characters, I think that this story would be a fun read during a unit on mythology.  Though it is fiction, and not solely focused on those characters, it gives the readers bits of knowledge about some of the main roles that these mythological characters are known for.

I also think that this story would be a great for teaching inferences and predictions to students during a reading block.  The Bailey School Kids work to piece information together that leads them to believe that the new dentist in town is Hercules.  By showing students how the characters in the story use background knowledge and their observations to uncover this mystery, this book would be an awesome way to engage students in the process of making inferences and predictions themselves.

I can definitely see myself reading this story to my students, and I hope to be able to find more books in this series to read as I continue on my journey through the 20 book challenge!

Thanks for reading!

"The Lemonade War"

As an adult, I would not have thought that I would have found myself enjoying a children's novel, but I can honestly say that "The Lemonade War," by Jacqueline Davies, caught my attention.  Davies discusses very relatable and engaging topics for any elementary student, stretching from summer vacation, sibling fights, and even appeals to the competitor in each and every one of us.  While reading this novel, I began to think of ways in which I could incorporate it into my classroom.  As Evan and Jessie fight to see who will win the end of the summer lemonade war, there is a lot of learning and creativity that takes place along the way.

I could definitely see myself using "The Lemonade War" by Jacqueline Davies in my future classroom someday.  Davies' easy read allows for more than just training my reading comprehension skills or those of my future students.  It gives room for readers to apply the story to their lives, as well take the opportunities provided by Davies to learn new vocabulary.  She embeds the vocabulary in a way that helps the readers understand the context in which she uses the words while making it fun in the process.

Though the book does talk about a rivalry between two siblings (but I mean come on, what siblings don't fight occasionally), the ending of this book would be a great way to talk with students about the consequences of their choices, and how it is important to think about how the choices they make will impact the ones they love.  Not only does Davies discuss the importance of mending relationships, but it also addresses struggles that students face with self-esteem through Evan's insecurity about Jessie getting to be in his class, and fearing people will make fun of them.  This book encourages readers to be comfortable in their own skin, and not try to tear others down to make yourself feel better.

Overall, this book was a fantastic read, and I look forward to the opportunities that I have to possibly embed "The Lemonade War" in my future classroom.

Thanks for reading!

Ashley