How Doth the Little Busy Bee

BLOG#12

 

How Doth the Little Busy Bee

By Isaac Watts

 

 

The title caught my eye and I enjoyed the poem. For children the ‘Little Busy Bee’ sounds like it would be something fun to read. Not intimidating or difficult. The poem was easy to read and with the rhymes and the beat is made it fun to read. The simple yet very powerful lesson the little busy bee teaches is a good one for people of all ages. Idle hands lead to mischief, keep oneself focused, enjoy life, learn and grow and always look ahead, plan for tomorrow and make every day count.

 

This poem is a form of narrative poetry that tells the story of the little busy bee. It has the character, the bee, has a plot, not to have idle hands, and it has a theme, the busy bees look at life This poem meets the quality of poetry in that the content is interesting to readers of all ages and in easy to understand. The words used are easy to associate with such as the ‘busy bee’, ‘opening flower’, and ‘idle hands’. The arrangement of the poem is logical and flows very easy. 

 

Activities:

1-Have students explain what they think a ‘busy bee’ is. What does it mean, is it really a bee? Why do we associate a bee with being busy?

 

2-Reaseach the behaviors or bees? What do they do? Have students give examples of things they do to be ‘busy bees’ or are they ‘idle handers’?

 

 

 

 

Watts, I. (2011, November 21). the reade ronline. Retrieved from thereaderonline: http://thereaderonline.co.uk

Beaky and Squeaky

BLOG#11

 

Beaky and Squeaky

by Dandi Palmer  

 

I thought the book was a very cute book showing how behaviors of animals often mimic the behaviors of humans. This book was simple, easy to follow and understand and had a little touch of excitement too. The behavior of the macaw was comical yet wrong but was a normal reaction to jealousy in that she wanted to get rid of the competition. The help of the dolphins was not unusual as we have seen in real life how that breed of mammal will retrieve items and actually bring things to shore.

 

This story uses “high” fantasy. It is lighthearted with cute characters and simple dialog but touches on good and evil. The animals in the story act human like in displaying jealousy and the desire to want to help. I did not classify this as animal fantasy since I did not see the animals being thought of as humans. The animals in the story acted as animals might in reality.

 

Activities:

1-Ask the students to think about, find pictures of and research animals(s) that they have seen or think can understand human commands

2-Discussed the behaviors of the above animal suggestions and evaluate if their actions are truly reactions to human commands or is it part of their natural nature

 

 

 

 

 

Palmer, D. (2002). Beaky and Squeaky.

Retrieved from http://www.dandi.me.uk

 

The Time-Sweepers

BLOG # 10

The Time-Sweepers

By Ursula Wills-Jones                                                     

People who collect up all the time that is wasted are called Time-Sweepers.  This is a great story on realizing the time that we waste and giving examples of how we are doing it. Some waste time intentionally and others by lack of choice.  Waiting on trains and taxi and in doctors’ offices, waiting on decisions to be made or in making them, and in spending time in the malls, dull meetings and missed appointments, counting every minute and loathing the hours. Ever wonder what happens to the time we waste- it is recycled!

The story of Time-Sweepers is fiction however; the story itself of how we waste time is factual.

Activities:

1-      Have students make a list of everything thing they did today that was a waste of time

2-      How could they have made positive use of the time?

3-      In the story-time is recycled, have the students explain what that means and discuss the ideas in the story

I enjoyed this story, it really pointed out some ways that time is wasted that we just don’t think about. We are rushing our lives by, time is flying and we can never get it back. We go into work on Monday’s and immediately started counting the hours till Friday not thinking that when Friday gets here we just rush another week of our lives by. We have aged another five days, what we have said or done is over and gone. We need to make every minute count. Today is all we have – make the best of it.

 

(Wills-Jones, 2012)

Wills-Jones, U. (2012, March). The Time-Sweepers. Retrieved from Shortstories : http://www.eastof the web.com

CHEESE

BLOG #9

Cheese

By Sushma Joshi

This is the story of Gopi, who at ten years of age misses the opportunity to taste cheese brought back from Switzerland that was considered ambrosia (almost food from the God’s). For twenty years Gopi is obsessed with what that cheese would taste like but time, money and family obligations keep him from traveling into town and buying a costly wedge.  When Gopi does buy the object of his desire for over 20 years he finds that it is not what he expected and it makes him sick.

This story is nonfiction as it is believable and realistic.

Activities:

1-bring in several varieties of chees and have students find out where they come from, what makes them different in taste, color and texture

2-have students find a recipe from Switzerland and Nepal. Compare them; see what ingredients are local and what are different. (Joshi, 2005)

I thought this was a great story in that what we think we want may not be what is truly good for us. Sometimes we let our desires get in the way of good judgement only to find that nature teaches us a lesson in the long run.

 

Joshi, S. (2005, May). Cheese. Retrieved from East of the Web: http://www.eastoftheweb.com

 

The Whale Sound

 

BLOG #8

The Whale Sound

By Roger Dean Kiser

This is the story of a deaf boy and a boy living in an orphanage who becomes soul friends without really knowing it or understanding why.

This story is nonfiction, is realistic, believable and can happen in the real world.

Activities:

Have students research what the health condition is of a person who is deaf and dumb and explain what they think would be challenges with the conditions.

Have children research orphanages, why children end up in them, what are the challenges with them?

Can the student s find positive conditions of both of these?

This story is an example of the Saint Leo University value of Respect. The ‘bullies’ in this story show no respect in the behaviors toward the deaf boy; however, the friend is a good example of Respect. He shows respect and dignity in helping the deaf boy. He understands that people are different and that we must learn to live harmoniously.

(Kiser, 2001)

Kiser, R. D. (2001). The Whale Sound . Retrieved from ShortStories: http://www.eastof the web.com

 

It Could Happen

It Could Happen....

By Carol Moore, Illustrated by Aura Moser

                                                                                              
This is a story of the world all being one color, how people look at each other and everything around them. How long and how quickly it takes to accept change. As colors change do outlooks change? A story of how people handle things that are different from us.

This story is fantasy in that the world itself and everything in it is of one color but it is a good lesson on accepting things as they are and not isolating those that are different.

Activities:

1- Have students make a list of everything they see about themselves that is different for others in the class. Have students read the list and see if they really are the only one in the class who is different. Often we find that we are much more alike than we think.

2- Make a card box, choose areas of the world that have major different cultures, write countires or areas on cards, have each student pick a card, reseach the area and then have each student tell what is different about the country they studied.

I enjoyed this story in that it gave a example of what the world would be like if we were all the same, and unfortunatly how to many of us treat people who are different from us.

Moore, C. (n.d.). It Could Happen . Retrieved from Magickeys.com: http://www.magickeys.com

Mr.Coyote

Blog #6

Mr. Coyote Meets Mr. Snail

By Storie-Jean Agapith

Illustrated by Michael S Weber

This is the story of Mr. Coyote who is old and tired and in need of rest. While first being polite in asking for help, he finds others are willing to help and is given shelter and time to rest. Later in being rude and demanding he is left with a struggle and some challenges.  He finds a solution to his current problem and then takes advantage of the innocent Mr. Snail. This results in why things in nature are as they appear through the eyes of fantasy.

This is in the genre of fantasy. A story that is cute and funny in an odd way.  Being polite, learning and using manners will help you through life.  Being rude, demanding, and cruel will only get you into trouble as Mr. Coyote found out.

Mr. Coyote did not show and example of integrity in talking with Mr. Snail. He was not honesty with him and took advantage of the situation.

Have students discuss the maners and behaviors in the story, are they positive or negative and what is the result of each. Also have students pick one value that they feel is very important and explain to the class why and give an example of using the value.

 

 

Agapith, S.-J. (n.d.). Children's Storybooks Online. Retrieved from Magickeys: http://www.magickeys.com

 

 

Brave Irene

Blog #5

                                                               Brave Irene
                                                                           by
                                                                  William Steig

 



A young girl understands the importance of what a promise is and continues against forces of nature to keep her promise. The story taught a simple lesson of doing what is right, helping others in need  and when you set out to do something, fight the odds and don’t give up until you have success.

I would classify this story under the genre of Contemporary Realistic Fiction because this easily could happen in the real world.

 

Activites:

• Have children give your their answer for what a 'promise' is. Discuss the different views and what the importance of that word is and what it means when you give it.
• Put each students name in a hat, have each child draw a name from the hat. The student who draws the name must make a promise to the students who's name was drawn. The promise has to be something that can be fullfilled in the classroom timeframe and can be as simple as holding the door open for them all week, or making a positive comment each day, doing something helpful or  ask the children for their suggestions. Write down the promise and have the students check off when they have kept their promise. This teaches not only how to keep their promises but at a early age the begining steps to accountability.

I enjoyed this book and it actually has a lot of different subjects you can pull from to help children understand not only what a promise is but things like honesty, integrity, persistance and determination.

 

(Steig, 1986)



INVISIBLE ALLIGATOR

Blog #4

INVISIBLE ALLIGATOR by Hayes Roberts

                                                                                    

This is a very simple book of only 27 pages  filled with cute art work that through actions of the ‘Invisible Alligators’ helps children recognize behaviors in themselves  that sometimes they are not aware they have.  Very simple lessons such as if you leave something out in the walkway, someone may trip over it, the lesson being that a child has learned to pick items up and put them out of the way.

                                                                                                 

The genre of this story is fantasy because the story is about a problem that a young monkey named Sari is having and the invisible alligators causing problems.

Motivational Activities:

Ask children to think of things they have learn to do after reading the story.  Follow up with their comments to see how many other students realize that they know how to do these types of things also.

Have children come up with their own make believe ‘trouble makers’ and then explain how the ‘trouble makers’ actually help solve the problem.

This book is very helpful in getting children to understand their importance in their environment.  Each child is important to those are around them (family, school, friends) and this story can help them figure out how each positive thing they do, no matter how small, it important .

Hayes Roberts also wrote illustrated The Wiener Dog Magnet and The Brave Monkey Pirate.  He is continuing his drawings, monkeys and other things at http://bluebison.net

 

Roberts, H. (2009). Invisible Alligators. Retrieved from Magickeys.com: http://www.magickeys.com/books/

The Breadwinner

Blog #3

The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis

This is the story of Parvana, an 11 year old girl who live in Kabul, Afghanistan. The setting is early 21^st century following the takeover of the Taliban. Parvana learns and accepts what has to be done to help support her family and how to survive daily in the country. This story addresses social issues and conditions along with determination and perseverance.

The genre for this story contemporary realistic fiction, a story that is plausible, the conflict is clear. The characters in the story are believable in behavior and action and this is a multicultural story. 

Motivational activities: Groups, individuals and split groups (male and female)

1-     have students do a comparison of the life style of their country verses the lifestyle of Parvana’s

a.     Are their laws or dangers for females being out in public (with or without being accompanied by a male family member)?

b.    Does your country require females to dress a certain way- are they different from how men dress?

c.     If so, why?

2-     How would you feel if you live in the same environment that Parvana describes?

a.     There are soliders walking around,

b.    they live in a small room that has been bombed,

c.     there is no running water

d.    trips to the tap to bring water to the family must be done everyday.

e.     How would you feel if you could not go outside at all?

f.     What would you do to occupy your time?

g.     Would you like to live the way Parvana has had to live?

This story was a good story that was actually a very terrible story. This focused on a 11 year old girl and the horrors she dealt with each day in her young life. From losing her home, to living in a constant nightmare of brutality and pain and in self sacrifice just to survive. I enjoyed the story and thank God that I live in the United States.

(Ellis) (Ellis, fis.edu, 196-2012)

Bible in Pictures

BLOG #2

The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes by Kenneth n. Taylor

This book is absolutely beautiful and has been written in very simple short stories that hold a child’s interest. The illustrations are beautiful and bring to life each story being told. 

The genre for this book is nonfiction because the stories and events in this little book are based on facts from the Bible. This book contains many stories from the Bible but does not follow a specific sequence but rather brings out stories that a young reader can identify with. Because of this, this book could also be a chapter book.

Each story in this little book has a lesson to be learned.

• Each story has 3-5 questions following it that immediately get the children involved (I would ask the questions first and have the children listen to see if they could hear the answer while I was reading)
• One activity would be to have the child/children stop and really think about the story and see if they can figure out what the lesson is. This makes for a great teaching tool.
• Another activity is to explain why this lesson was needed, what was learned from it, how was the problem resolved and was there another choice?
• Having children role play the characters helps a child see through their own eyes. An example is Joseph and his coat of many colors or what happened to baby Moses when he was put in the little boat and set adrift.

 This is one of my all time favorite picture books. This was read to me as a child, kept in the family and read to my siblings, my children, my nieces and now the next several generations down. This book brings the Bible to life for children. It is written in a simple style for a child to understand along with beautiful art work in vivid color. Children learn without realizing they have done so.

Other books by Kenneth N. Taylor include:

Devotions for the Children’s Hour

Living Letters for the Children’s Hour

Living Thoughts for the Children’s Hour

Stories for the Children’s Hour

Living Bible (Tyndale House Publishers)

(Taylor, 1956, 1985)

Bibliography

Taylor, K. N. (1956, 1985). Chicago: Moody Press .

Too Many Tamales-blog 1

Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto, Illustrated by Ed martinez

This is a very interesting book to read. It had comedy, humor and suspense with eye-catching illustrations. 

This book is contemporary realistic fiction since this is something that could actually happen.

The story teaches us that often solving or attempting to solve one problem can lead to needing to solve another. The answer is not always what it seems and that admitting mistakes upfront and quickly can save a lot of unnecessary work. Honesty is the best policy.

Too Many Tamales opens the door for many learning activities. There are multiple areas of problem solving, by class, group or individual. Students can look into alternate ways to find the missing ring. Did they have to eat the tamales? Working together as a team, was there other solutions?

This book is of South American heritage, gives us a look into how families of this culture spend holidays and how they support each other in time of need.

Galda, L. Cullinan,  B. E., & Sipe, L.R. (2010). Literature and the Child (7th ed.) Belmont, CA: Wadsworths, Inc.

Soto, Gary (1996). Too many Tamales, new York, NY: The Putnam & Gosset Group