Pablo Cantu
LSSL 5360
October 22, 2016

Textbook Assignment #4

K What You Already Know About the Topic	W What you learned about the topic	L What you still need to learn about the Topic	S How do you plan to share what you learned?

Read chapters on (a) Nonfiction, (b) Historical Fiction and (c) Graphic Novels

K What you already know about the topic?

(A) The most I can tell you about nonfiction is that it deals with the truth.  All information on nonfiction literature is something that is true or that has actually happened.  There is no embellishing, no made-up part, and no lies.  From my experience in a library; nonfiction takes up at least half of all the books in a library.  Nonfiction can include books about music, study guides, and biographies to name a few.  (b). My previous knowledge of Historical Fiction is very small.   Historical Fiction is where a story takes place in the past.  In other words, the main setting of the stories take place in a time period that has already taken place.  For example Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter takes place in the 1800s (c) I really do not know that much about Graphic Novels.  What I think I know is that Graphic Novels are similar to comic books, but they are longer in terms of the story and graphic in nature; very gruesome and dealing with a lot of violence.  In other words, Graphic Novels are mainly for older teens and adults because of the content of the material in the book.  I would think that The Walking Dead would be considered a graphic novel if it wasn’t published as a comic book.

W What you learned about the topic

(a) I learned that the genre of nonfiction is more of an umbrella of sorts.  It includes various forms of literature from narrative to expository approaches.  Biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs are included in this category.  There are a wide variety of texts that fall under this category.  There are five points to look at when evaluating Nonfiction for Children.  The first thing to look at is 1) what are the qualifications of the author?  How is he/she an expert to be able to write this book?  Where did they go to school; where have they worked, what do they do? For the most part, you can find this information on the jacket of the book. Another place that you can locate this information is on the author’s personal website. Otherwise, we would have to accept that whatever the author wrote is in fact truth.  We can also look at book reviews to see If someone has had a problem with the authenticity of the information contained in the book.  The next part is 2) are the facts accurate?  We need to ask ourselves if the information listed in the book are true.  Unfortunately, unless we are constantly checking every fact written in the book; we have to take the information presented at face value.  We can once again look at the book reviews to see if a critic has stated that the information that is listed in the book are false.  The next part to help us evaluate the nonfiction book is 3) what is the purpose and scope of the book? In other words, what is the main topic being discussed in the book?  Is it clear to the reader what the main part of the book easy to identify?  Is this book for older kids or the younger ones?  The next part is 4) How does the organization of the book assist readers in location information?  In other words, does the table of content let us know what topics are to be discussed in the book or is it vague as to what each chapter is about?  Also, is there an index and does help us find information in the book quickly without having to read the entire book.  The last part that will help us evaluate nonfiction for children is that 5) What roles do the visual play?  Do the visuals in the book actually help what the author is trying to describe or are they just there like paint on a wall.  Do the visuals help elaborate the text, does it help that it does overwhelm the readers with the text.  (b). Historical fiction is any story that is set in the past.  The problem that lies with this definition is what is the past for kids?  Some of them feel that whatever happened two hours ago is history?   Some kids might believe that history is usually anything that happened before they were born.   An example that is used is September 11, 2001.  I see 9/11 as a contemporary issue, mainly because I lived through this terrible day and the days afterward.  But kids that were born after 1999 do not have a recollection of what happened, so for them its history.  Historical fiction allows the reader to vicariously experience what it might have been like to live in a previous time and place.   The criteria used to see if Historical Fiction for children is appropriate is 1) Does the book tell a good story that effortlessly blends the history in the story itself.  Examples would be Sarah, Plain, and Tall  or  Little House on the Prairie. 2) Are the facts of the historical period accurate?  We can look at reviews to see if they are accurate.  The National Council of Social Studies produces an annual list of Notable Trade Book in the Social Science.  3) How are the values of the time brought to life?  Were some things valued more or less in different time periods?  4) Is everything consistent with the social milieu?  The clothing, architecture, music, even the speech patterns need to reflect the historical period that is covered in the story.  5) Does the theme of the story relate to contemporary readers?  The book should relate themes that apply to contemporary readers.  The themes should be universal in nature. (c) Graphic Novels.  There is a bunch that I did not know about graphic novels.  First of all, they are not all gruesome and violent.  Some are very sweet and comical.  First of all, I learned that graphic novels are not part of a genre of literature.  They are more about form or format.  Graphic novels can be about history, fantasy, nonfiction and in reality, all genres can be written in graphic novel form.  One last thing, graphic novels are not just for older teens and adults, they can be written for all ages. Including preschool children and elementary aged kids.   The term graphic novel is used to describe any book in comic boo format that resembles a novel in length and narrative development.  It differs from picture books and comic books in their complexity.  A graphic novel consists of a cover and inside pages that have panels, gutters, and dialog balloons, thought balloons, captions, and sound effects.  They are read right to left like traditional text and top to bottom.  Graphic novels can create both an enjoyable and informative experience for the reader.  Graphic novels tell a story using pictures in sequence, panels, speech balloons, and other conventions of the comic book form and format.  The difference between books, picture books, and graphic novels, is that graphic novels are generally longer in length and have a more developed narrative.  Also, they differ from illustrated chapter books because the illustrations are an integral component of the story.  Graphic novels are like any traditional stories because they have the same elements in the story, such as plot, characters, setting, themes and climax.  There are some important elements regarding graphic novels.  1) Color can be used in a variety of ways in graphic novels.  Some questions to consider are:  what colors are predominant? What might the colors represent or symbolize? What would happen if different colors were used? Does the graphic novel use a full-color process? And are the colors bold or muted or pastel?  2) A line is a component of the art in a graphic novel and the direction of a line can imply different things.  A diagonal line might indicate movement or loss of balance, a horizontal line might mean rest or peace or calm. A vertical line could indicate height but also strength.  Some questions to consider are:  Are the lines thin or thick, are they bold or sketchy?  How does the artist use line to draw the reader’s eyes in a certain direction?  And how are lines used to frame the panels? 3) A composition is how the illustrations are put together.  Size and placement are two critical components.  Some questions to consider include: what is at the center of the panel, the top, the bottom; and what might the placement of the object signify?  Are some elements of the illustration in the various panels larger than others? 4) Frames can be used to contain text and illustrations and create panels.  Questions to consider regarding this are:  what type of frames are used in the book?  Do the frames vary throughout the narrative or remain consistent? Are the frames within the frames there to accentuate anything in the story?  If the frames were removed, how might the story change?  Art sometimes breaks the border of the frame, what might the artist be conveying with the techniques? 5) Speech balloons contain the text and dialogue of the graphic novel.  Does the book separate text from illustrations or does it bleed into the illustrations without separation?  Some questions to consider are: does the text appear in black and white or in color?  Are different colors used?  Does the word differ in any size and shape? How is emotional intensity indicated; with balloons, color, or lines? Is the text in addition to speech, how is It set differently, and why is it necessary? 6) White space is important in graphic novels.  Events usually happen in white space.  Questions to consider are: are the panels roughly the same size or shape?  Does anything bleed into the white space or gutters? Does more happen in one panel than in others? How does the author move readers from one panel to the next? 7)  Media and technique and style of illustrations function in graphic novels as it does in any form of art.  Come questions to consider are: what media is being used, colored pencils, watercolors, or tempera?  What illustrative style is used, is this cartoon considered art?  Can you identify illustrations work in other books?  There is a lot that I learned about the graphic novels that I had no clue about.  I now need to find some different graphic novels to be able to use this information to help me evaluate these books.

L What do you still need to learn about the Topic

(a) Like any student studying any subject; we always have something new to learn.  I still need to learn how to evaluate nonfiction books for children.  The only way would be is to read several nonfiction books and evaluate them using the criteria that I learned.  I need to see what nonfiction books would be appropriate for different age groups, because depending on where I find a job; I will need to be able to order books that are appropriate for their age group and for the book not be at a lower level or higher level.  And that is only something I can do with practice.  (b) In regards to Historical fiction, I need to read more of a variety to be able to evaluate them using the information I just learned.  And just like every other genre or format that I have learned about I just need to grab a book and just read and just have more experiences with these books and be to assist my patrons in what to choose depending on the era they wish to read about.  Of course, this is in reference to fiction books and not nonfiction.  (c)  Of all the genres and forms of literature that are out there, graphic novels are the one that I know the least about.  I need to get my hands on some the series of graphic novels, like Baby Mouse, Squish, Comics Squad, Hilo, and  Lunch Lady, and become familiar with this format.  Another book that I should read, is Fun Home which I am familiar with the Tony Award-winning musical but not the graphic novel.  I also need to learn about the different types of graphic novels, which include manga, personal narratives or perzines, and nonfiction.  I have ordered some graphic novels that deal with Economics and will see how well they work with my students.

S How do you plan to share what you learned

(a) To help me evaluate nonfiction books, I plan to have my economics students read different biographies regarding businessmen and entrepreneurs.  They will need to read books from our High School library as well as some that books that I will check out from the children’s library and local elementary schools.  I will ask them a series of questions to help them evaluate what they learned from these books.  They questions are 1) Tell me how the book would be different if it had been written 50 years earlier or 50 years later.  2) Describe your favorite illustration in one of the books.  Which illustration do you wish you could have done yourself?  3) Would this book make a good documentary?  Why?  4) Explain what you think the author did to research and write this book?  And 5) How would this book be different if it had been written for an adult or a kindergarten student? 6) What kind of teacher do you think the author would make/ 7) If you had a chance to interview the author of this book, what would you ask them? 8) Describe three facts, theories, or incidents that you found particularly interesting?  Tell us why?  9) Examine the title and jacket of this book.  Do they present a fair representation of the contents of this book?  And 10) Select the book you think was the most well written.  Pretend that a book company is considering publishing this book and you most defend the book.  Describe what you would say to persuade them of its value in learning.  These 10 questions can easily be used in any subject to help the students understand the information that they are reading.  So I also plan to share this information with my colleagues.  (b) In regards to historical fiction, I will use the criteria that I learned and share that information with my colleagues as well.  I will also share this with the new book club that was just established last week at my school.  They can use those questions among others to evaluate the book (if it’s a historical one) they had selected.  (c) In regards to graphic novels, I will use the information that I learned and share it with my colleagues and the book club that was just established.  I will also give them the following discussion questions that can be used when reading the graphic novels.  These questions are 1) How is character revealed and developed through the text, or through the illustrations? Did you we learn something different from text versus the illustrations?  2) How does the artist use color? Does color play a role in relating the mood and tone in a story?  3) When reading graphic novels that are found in a series. We can ask which of the character from the graphic novel series would make for an interesting spin-off.  Why? 4) How is mood conveyed through the illustrations? Through the text? Which is better?  I hope by sharing this information with the book club, I will also be able to learn from them as well.

Pablo Cantu
LSSL 5360
Textbook Assignment #3
October 15, 2016

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

K What You Already Know About the Topic	W What you learned about the topic	L What you still need to learn about the Topic	S How do you plan to share what you learned?

Assignment #3.  Read chapter on (a) Poetry, (b) Realistic Fiction, and (c) Fantasy and Science Fiction

K What you already know about the topic?

(a)  I am not sure if I knew that much about Poetry, than what I learned while in High School.  What I do remember is that it’s a form of literature, it rhymes, it has stanzas, and it can written in different forms.  There are Haikus, Sonnets, Limericks, Couplets, Narratives and Free Verse.  I remember that most of the literature I would read as a Pre-K child was mostly in rhyme.  Once I went to school I remember having to memorize and recite different types of poems.  The one that stands in my mind is one about the two pigeon eggs; do not remember the title but all I remember is that there were two pigeon eggs; which surprised me at that time because I did not realize that pigeons would lay two eggs at a time.  Another poem that I remember reciting in Elementary school was Jabberwocky by Lewis Carol.  After elementary, I really do not remember that much about different poems except that we had to dissect them in my high school English classes.  That’s where my love of poetry went out the door.  As an adult the only lines from a poem that I can remember is that from Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night by Dylan Thomas.  “Do not go gentle into that good, Old age should burn and rave at close of day, Rage, rage at the dying of the light.”  That is all that I remember.  And for the most part, my knowledge of poetry.  (b) I am not quite sure what Realistic Fiction is.  I really do not know what it is?  So I will make an educated guess as to what I believe it to be.  Realistic Fiction are stories that can actually take place in real life.  Stories that are about people and situations that are real without any supernatural powers or extreme situations.  Examples of Realistic Fiction could include the book Silver Lining Playbook by Matthew Quick or About a Boy by Nick Hornby.  Now realistic fiction are stories that can be true and not stories that are based on true stories like  Moneyball  by Michael Lewis or The Accidental Millionaires by Ben Mezrich.  That’s my educational guess.  (c) Science Fiction and Fantasy are two forms of literature that I am a little bit familiar with.  Growing up I was a fan of the different books, comic books, television series and movies that dealt with this genre.   From reading Brave New World at an early age; I was hooked.  I also loved reading old Buck Rodgers comics and enjoyed watching television series that were such as Buck Rogers and the 21st Century, Battlestar Galactica, and of course Star Trek.  And the when going to the movies; I was deeply enthralled seeing Star Wars, and the Godzilla movies.  After seeing the movies and television series; I was in love with this subject and started to read all the books and comic books that were tie-ins to these shows.  So what I know about Science Fiction and Fantasy are that the stories should be about the future or have an element of science.  Frankenstein, in my opinion could be considered as a form of Science Fiction because it deals with creating a man from different body parts and using chemicals and lightning to bring him to life.

W What you learned about the topic

(a)    Well, I really did know that much about Poetry, but that is why we are here.  We are here to learn.  But I am glad that I did know that poetry is not a genre but a form of literature that can be found in various forms such as fantasy, historical fiction, and realistic fiction as well as in traditional fiction.   I was unaware that novels that are written in verse are not the same as poetry; but they are both written in a similar form.  I learned that there are different criteria to evaluate children’s poetry.  1) When writing a poem; the author needs to make sure that the subject of the poem is one that is familiar to children.  The subject that is the main focus of the poem must be clear the child and not one that is abstract.  It is ok when the child is older to infer the abstract subject of a poem; but that this should come after they have read numerous poems about the subject at hand. 2) The next part is that does the poem use imagery.  The images that are evoked from reading the poem should be easy for the child to interpret.  Images that relate to smell, taste, sound, texture and sight are easy for children to relate.  3) Next, does the poem rhyme?  Though poetry can be written in various forms that are not done in a rhyming scheme; children need the rhyming pattern in poems.  As they grow up they will become more appreciative of free verse and other forms of poetry.  4) The next piece of criteria used to evaluate children’s poetry is how rhyme is used in the poem.  While meter and foot are not necessary; it is ok for it to be included.  This way, children can begin to learn about the different beats in the poem.  We must also look at how does the rhyming fit with the subject of the poem.  Is it written in a natural form or is it forced?  5) The last part of the criteria that we must ask is how does sound play in the written form of the poem?  What literary devices are being used?  Is there alliteration, assonance, consonance, or onomatopoeia used in the writing? Those are just a brief description of the five pieces of criteria that are to be used to evaluate children’s poetry.  Besides the criteria on to evaluate poems; I found out that through a research study, children prefer narrative poetry because it has a story within the writings.  Children do not like free verse or haikus, but they do like rhyming rhythms and sound devices to be included.  They also like poems that are funny, that deal with animals and regarding familiar experiences.  And last they prefer poems that are contemporary because of their familiarity with the language and subjects of the poems.  (b)   I was right to an extent as to what Realistic Fiction is about.  It does go by other names, such as Contemporary Realistic Fiction or Modern Realistic Fiction.  It is set in contemporary or modern times; and it is a story where everything about it is consistent with the real world.  But realistic fiction is not the same as science fiction or historical fiction.  Those are two different subjects that I will soon learn about.  There three key points that must be examined when one evaluates realistic fiction.  They are 1) everything with the story needs to be consistent with what is happening in the real world where kids live.  When evaluating the literature using these criteria we must look at the speech that is being used; the way the characters behave and are they avoiding any stereotypes.  The second point that we must use is 2) if the theme emerges naturally throughout the story.  We need to make sure that the story is not being preachy.  In other words are they not teaching us a lesson.  Normally there are more than one theme that is used in most stories; but we need to make sure that the theme(s) are emerging slowly and consistently and not being blunt and just thrown out you.  The last thing that we must look at when evaluating realistic fiction is that 3) is the topic relatable to modern times.  There are many subjects that can be discussed which include sensitive topics such as death, violence, sexuality, sexual identity, and divorce to name a few.  What used to be taboo several years ago are now the subjects of modern books.    (c)    I was sort of right; but once again I learn something new.   First of all Science Fiction and Fantasy are not the same.   All science fiction is a form of fantasy; but not all fantasy is a science fiction.  There are different standards set in evaluating fantasy.  These include 1) the characters must behave in a constant and believable way.  2) There are rule as to how life is led in the fantasy world.  3) The writers of fantasy literature must assist the readers to believe in the willing suspension of disbelief. And 4) the theme must explore universal truths.   When thinking about the genre of fantasy; I was surprised to learn that Charlotte’s Web is considered as fantasy because of the communication between the animals.  When evaluating science fiction we need to see if the story is based on science; is it set in the future; or is it set in a different world.  Does the story defy the laws of nature; does it involve space travel or even if there psychic powers used in the story.  There are different types of science fiction that include: apocalyptic and post apocalyptic stories; cyber punk, steam punk, bio punk and the one that I am most familiar with: dystopian literature.  Books such as Brave New World, the Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Divergent, 1984 and The Giver are all novels that would be classified as dystopian because of the plot where there is resistance to the government.  As well as where the main characters are usually disillusioned with what is going on and end up joining the rebellion in order to bring down the government.   While I am not as familiar with the apocalyptic or post apocalyptic literature that is out there; I am becoming a fan of the genre with the different television shows and movies that are out there regarding this subjects.  Movies such as Deep Impact, the Strain and the Fifth Wave deal with apocalyptic themes.  While The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead can be both considered apocalyptic and post apocalyptic because the first seasons deals with virus strand and the deaths that are occurring which transforms them to zombies. The following seasons deal with the aftermath and how they come to grips of living in a post apocalyptic world.

L What you still need to learn about the Topic

(a)    There is still a lot that I need to learn about poetry when it relates to children’s literature.  There are additional criteria that I need to make sure that I can understand and use to evaluate the poetry.   The additional pieces of criteria to evaluate children’s poetry are 1) is the poem lively with the use of rhyme and meter.  2) Is there an emphasis on the sound that is being uses or is there any play on words?  3) Just like in the previous criteria, is there visual imagery that allows the child’s imagination to expand? 4) Are the stories simple and do they introduce any stirring scenes of action? 5) Are the poems written in a form that are on level to the child’s age or are they “talking down” to them?  6) Does the poem allow the child to interact with the poem? 7) Does the subject of the poem actually emotionally touch the child? And 8) Is the poem good enough to be re-read over and over?  The only way that I will be proficient to be able to evaluate the poems is by reading additional children’s poetry.  Some say that many poems written by celebrity authors “talk down” to their intended readers; but I never felt that way.  So I guess I need to re-read the poems and dissect them to see how well they meet the criteria listed above or do they fail miserably?  That’s the only way that we can learn and become proficient; and that by practicing what we have learned.  (b)   We will also be students and we will always be willing to learn.  One of the things that I still need to learn about realistic fiction is to be able to distinguish it from historical or science fiction.  I need to be able to determine from what I read in a story of whether it meets the three different criteria points in evaluating realistic fiction.  The best way to practice this will be by reading different books from various authors and gaging what I read and determine how well it meets the standards set.  (c)    There is a lot that I need to learn about science fiction and fantasy.  First of all, I need to get it in my mind that there is a difference between the two.  While I realize that all science fiction is fantasy; not all fantasy is considered science fiction.  The second thing I need to learn a lot about is about the different punks.   I had heard about steam punk, but had no idea there was also bio punk, cyber punk, diesel punk, splatter punk, and elf punk.  I need to read up on all the different forms and at least become somewhat familiar with the subject so that way I know what I can recommend to students when they are seeking different stories to read.  This is also important because when I become a librarian I will be able to purchase the different genres so that there could be more options for students to choose.

S How do you plan to share what you learned

(a)    This is a hard question to answer.  How can I use poetry and the criteria that I learned in my everyday life and share it with either my students or colleagues?  Just thinking out loud, I could assign my Yearbook students to find a poem and evaluate it using the criteria listed; and if it passes that checklist they would need to take pictures to illustrate the poem.  We would as a class analyzes the different poems that they chose and then after modeling what they should look at; they would then take the reins and do the same.  As for sharing this with my colleagues, I would share the criteria with them and a list of poems that I feel would be beneficial for their students to read.  While we do teach secondary students; they sometimes need to go back to basics before they can explore free verse, haikus and abstract writing.  Reading certain children’s poetry might also be beneficial for our LEP students to help them practice reading out loud and understanding the terms that are being used.  The imagery will be great to help these students learn to read and write especially when it comes down to students passing their End of Course STAAR exams.  (b)   Once again, I am stumped as to how will I share with what I learned.  Just like poetry; using the criteria set for evaluating realistic fiction might work well with my Economics students.  One of the problems that kids have in Economics is understanding the terms that are associated with this class.  What comes to mind is that I have the students write a story using the terms from a chapter (ex. Opportunity Cost, Substitutes, Complements, Demand, Supply, Monopoly, etc.).  The story that they write must meet all standards of realistic fiction; where the story must relate to modern times, the theme must emerge naturally, and most important that everything is consistent with what is happening in the real world. (c)    Finally, I know how I will share what I learned with others.  The first thing that I can do is create a list of appropriate “punk” books that my library can purchase.  This will introduce different genres to students and staff that are not familiar with them already.  I will also give the teachers in the English department a list and brief synopsis of the books that the library will be purchasing to give out to their kids.  By sharing the different book titles with all students we can inspire students to read more.

Pablo Cantu
LSSL 5360
October 1, 2016

Textbook Assignment #2

K What You Already Know About the Topic	W What you learned about the topic	L What you still need to learn about the Topic	S How do you plan to share what you learned?

Assignment #2 Read chapters on (a) Picture Books and (b) Traditional Literature

K What you already know about the topic?

(a) I am not sure I knew that much about picture books except that they mainly are used in pre-K or preschool books.  They are mainly used to help in the educational development to help children have a way of connecting a picture to a word.  For example, inner city parents would use the picture books to show their young children a picture of a horse, chicken or cow.  The same can be said for a rural parent would use the picture books to show their children an image of a subway or skyscraper.  Pictures books could also be used to help children get a better picture when reading a fairy tale as to what the characters would look like.  They would also show pictures describing terms that are foods, colors, animals and such.   Another preconceived notion I had, was that picture books only contained one syllable words.  An example would be “Dad fed the dog some green food”.  (b) What did I already know about Traditional Literature?  First of all, I am not sure I even knew what they were referencing with the term.  I had to look up the definition. According to Webster’s Dictionary, traditional literature is “a genre that deals specifically with stories that have been passed down from generation to generation.”  Knowing what the meaning was, I would say that traditional literature would deal with folk tales, myths and stories about legends.  These include stories about the Greek and Roman Gods, Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed, and Tarzan.  Other types of traditional literature would be stories that explained about creation in general or how certain things came to be.  My knowledge on this topic is limited and cannot wait to see a more detailed lesson regarding this topic.

W What you learned about the topic

(a)  I was wrong on what picture books are about! Picture books are more than just a tool to help younger children.  Picture books are written for all age groups; from pre-k to adulthood.  There are many subjects that are written in the style of picture books.  And the stories are not just written in one syllable words, but words that are complex and unique or they do not even have to any words at all.  An example of a wordless picture book would be the Flotsam, which tells the story of how a camera is passed around the world through the seas (much like a message in a bottle) and used by people (even sea life) from different places and time periods in this world.  Picture books tell stories that cover a wide array of topics.  Topics that are whimsical, silly, fun, and even serious in nature such as violence, sex or even death.  I kind of already knew the following from what I posted above, but was glad to know that picture books were the first dictionary of a visual vocabulary.  The universe was first introduced to pictures books hundreds of year ago, with the Curious George and Babar books becoming popular in the early part of the 20th century.  The popularity declined during the World Wars because of the rationing of paper; which limited the production of the books.  But the late 1950s and 1960s saw an emergence of these types of books mainly because the country was yearning for color in their lives.  I was quite surprised to learn that there were two forms of the British invasion in the United States in the 1960s.  The music invasion is one that well documented, but I was pleased to learn that the same can be said in regards to picture books that came back alive with their vibrant paints and colors.  And once again I learned something new when I became aware that picture books helped document the history of radical politics of our country and world.  I wonder how they would look like if they documented this insane political season.    I also learned that there is quite a bit of criteria in place to determine whether a picture book is first-rate.  One must examine several key points.  1) This includes what is the overall theme that is carried in this book.  Is something significant being told within the story?  2.) With the help of the illustration, can the story be better understood? Do the pictures actually help the story or are they just useless paintings.  3.) Is the book written and illustrated in a way that they do not insult their readers. In other words, does it seem that they are talking down to the age group that this book was written for?  If the book is meant for teenagers is it written using first-grade vocabulary or simple pictures that would appeal more to a five-year-old?  Some examples of this could be seen in some celebrity picture books.  Not all celebrities, because I feel that books that are written by Jamie Lee Curtis, such as Where do Balloons go or Is there really a Human Race are very well written and illustrated for their target audience.  4) One last thing that I learned about how to critique a Picture book is in regards to Mood and Tone.  Do the pictures enhance the tone and the mood of the book?  An example of how an illustration adds to the tone and mood of the book is The Spider and the Fly, the illustrations in this book help convey how menacing the spider is compared to the innocence of the fly.  I really did learn quite a bit considering my knowledge of picture books was very limited. (b)  I was right!  Yeah, I actually knew something about Traditional Literature.  Like I just said, I knew something, which means I did not know everything.  Beside the definition from the online dictionary, traditional literature is “stories that have their roots in the tales of long ago”.  This doesn’t mean that the story takes place in the past; just that the origin of the story was first introduced in the past.  For example; Snow White and the seven Dwarfs is a Grimm fairy tale.  If this story was retold with the time frame of the future and instead of female lead and male co-stars it was told using a man as the lead with the help of seven young ladies; the origin of the story is still from the Grimm fairy tale and thus would be considered a form of traditional literature.  The term “Once Upon a Time” is a giveaway that the story about to be told/read is more than likely a form of traditional literature. Even though there might be a change from the original story; the origin still lies with the story from the past.  An example of this could be the T.V. show “Once Upon a Time” which rewrites past fairy tales, legends, and myths with a modern twist.  One of the stories told two seasons ago was that of how Peter Pan ended up being the father of Rumpelstiltskin; or how Rumpelstiltskin was also the Beast in the Beauty and the Beast story.  These are modern takes on traditional literature stories.  One other lesson I learned was how to critique the quality of a traditional tale.  Factors that I need to consider include the 1) indefinite setting.  I was surprised how I had never paid attention as to how vague some of the stories that I have known for a lifetime have vague settings.  For example, Star Wars was a vague setting that is obvious, (once you know what to look for) with its opening of “in a galaxy far, far away.” Other items that I can use to critique traditional literature are 2) Archetypes and stereotypes, 3) Motifs, 4) Magic and 5) Repetitions. But I still need to learn more about these last 4 terms which I will discuss in the next section.

L What you still need to learn about the Topic

(a) There is still quite a bit that I need to learn about Picture books.  While I now am able to dissect a picture book to see if it is a higher literary quality.  I still need to learn how to critique the books in terms of their physical features.  Features such as the looking at the cover, the dust jacket, the title page, and end pages are some that I will be able to learn with some practice. These features are easy to examine because we are looking at how well it is illustrated and does it give us somewhat of an idea of what the book is going to be about.  When we take out the dust cover is the book illustrated or not; are the end pages of the book illustrated and help set the tone.  What I will need more practice is determining is whether the binding and pages are of good quality or are they made in a way that the book will easily fall apart.  This can also be said in regards to the text.  Is the font being used helping with the overall storyline or does it hinder it?  Are the illustrations done and placed in the book where the gutter does not eat it up and make it look weird.  There are a lot of new things I need to learn, but that is why we are always students.  (b). I still need to learn how to effectively critique traditional literature.  I have to learn how to determine if a character in a story is an archetype/stereotype or are they actually unique.  I really would not have thought that Dumbledore in Harry Potter books would be considered as an archetype, but after reading the definition that is used I can see where he is this type of character.  When thinking about Motifs, I can just hit my head (like the V-8 commercials) when I finally realize that they are very common in the literature.  At first, I was like there are no examples in the stories that I have recently read.  But I went back and read the stories again and I was able to find examples of this term.  From recurring patterns that include the use of transformations and magical numbers.  Glad to know that this old man can learn new things.  The last two criteria that I can use to critique traditional literature are magic and repetitions which once I re-read some stories I was able to point out these characteristics once I knew what I should be looking for.

S How do you plan to share what you learned

(a) This is the easiest part of this assignment; because when I was listening to the YouTube video, I was thinking how this can be used with the classes that I am currently teaching.  Type placement, pictures in gutters, end page designs and cover designs are subjects of lessons that I have for my yearbook students.  I normally use old yearbooks to teach these concepts, but now I will also be using picture books to explain the importance of this topics.  I think the students will be able to better understand what we are needing in a yearbook by using a picture book to help describe what we are wanting to achieve.  I can also use picture books in a lesson in regards to my Economics class.  I can have different types of picture books and have my kids examine them using the criteria that I learned to determine which one would have been more popular in terms of sales.  Students will also have to create a picture book to better explain certain Economic concepts, such as those in Animal Farm.  The ideas are endless in how I can use the pictures books; and with additional information that I still need to learn in regards to this subject, there is no limit to the possibilities.  (b)  This was hard.  How do I plan to share my new learned knowledge of traditional literature? I can use the characteristics used to critique traditional literature to help my journalism kids practice their critiquing techniques.  One part of the class, we analyze yearbook, newspaper and magazine articles written to see is it is well written.  They use a rubric when evaluating the articles.  But this is hard for students to do; they usually just say “it was good, “it was bad,” “the story was cute”, but they do not go into great detail.  I always wondered if they actually know what to look for.  I will be using these techniques and analyze several stories to analyze the quality of how it was written.  I will create a rubric using the terms that were listed and hopefully it will help them in being able to critique other forms of literature.