Chapter 7, Realistic Fiction

In this chapter, I learned the variety of identifying clues that helps to determine if a good fiction book you are reading falls under the realistic fiction genre. This can be a hard genre to identify because the lines between reality and fiction are so blurred. This is because so many elements of the story, from plot and setting to the characters are to realistic and plausible, it makes the reader wonder and/or believe the story could have been true. The book states and I agree," that a good realistic book lies in its credibility" (Joy of Children Literature, page 174).  To reach this an author must be able to present story without undo biases and stereotypes of the characters. The issues presented must have depth and emotional connections to it.

Below are some good reference sites with tips on how to identify good
realistic fiction:              

Characteristics of Good Realistic Fiction by Education.com

Genre Characteristic Chart by Scholastic





The chapter talked about a book titled The Bread Winner, by Deborah Ellis
This book talks about two girls in two vastly different countries, living to vastly different lives. Though fictional, through the authors ability to write so intimately about the lives of these two girls, bringing these fictional characters to life, the reader gains compassion about human complexity and interaction with the world around them. 




Using realistic fiction in the classroom is useful when wanting to connect students to events going on in the world. Reading a story that they can identify similarities between the characters and  the plots and events, provides us a way to scaffold concepts in a deeper more thorough way.


Realistic fiction also provides a way for controversial and sensitive issues to be explored.

Info Soup


Tips for teacher when utilizing realistic fiction in the classroom:

• Know you schools policy and seek approval if question or doubt exists.
• What book are you personally willing to fight for?
• Evaluate your own personal biases on topic.  
• How does the book influence you?
• Maintain open communication with parents on books reading in the classroom.
• Stay current on recommendations from books available and their reviews.
• Horn Book Magazine
• School Library Journal

List of good realistic books for 2013:

Good Reads 2013

Chapter 12, The New Literacies: The World of Online Children's Literature

Our book (p 344) defines new literacies as the skills and strategies that have become a necessity to successfully use and adapt to the constantly changing information and communication technologies of today. As much as technology can intimidate me, I know intertwining the many facets the of 21st  century technological world into our classroom literature experience will only make it a more complete and rich experience for our students. It incorporates skill building for our students in using technology, as this is a rising skill demand our student are facing to be successful in life and work. But how do we do incorporate all these different technical tools into our lessons? Surprisingly enough, our text gave me several easily understood ways to do so; below I have made some suggestions:

We all know that our students love it when we read to them, but how much more exciting would this reading influence be if our children had their favorite celebrity read to them? Well they can with an online read aloud. 

• BookPALS Storyonline 
• StoryOnline

Reading nowadays no longer requires turning a paper page. With technological inventions such as the Nook and Kindle and simply downloading to a computer more and more books are becoming widely available in digital form. Today thousand of online books are available in the digital format.

• International Children's Digital Library

Besides reading a book from some of our students' favorite authors, how about having the children visit the author them-self?  Now they can. It is called a virtual author visit. Some sites host authors throughout the year and provide online discussion board for student and teacher where the author corresponds for two weeks with the class and other even provide opportunities to skype with an author.

• Virtual Author Visit Kit
• Skype with an Author

Lastly another approach that caught my eye from this chapter was literature-based WebQuests. 

• Questgarden Search
• Literature Learnign Ladders

All of these tools, plus many, many more provide such a wide variety of ways for us as educators to bring the joy of children's literature to life in our classrooms. 

  

Chapter 11, Diverese Perspectives in Children's Literature.

     In this chapter I took a deeper look at how culture is transcended into literature.  The general popular perspective that books were written in in the middle 1900 were that consistent with the predominate white culture. This means children were only exposed to racially mainstream characters. The characters and plot of these stories were morally aligned with one generally excepted insight, leaving those students that did not fit into"mainstream" with out the ability to identify with a strong character.  I don't need the text to tell me how vitally important it is to a child's full development that they are immersed in a variety of experiences. A truly diverse literature library provides a wonderful way to take the entire world and bring it into the four walls of your class, giving students a magical journey through through different countries; race; traditions and beliefs. It also provides a platform to introduce a variety of disabilities and other controversial social issues such as sexuality and religion. Opening our student eyes to the world around them with out having to leave the room sounds like a no-brainier but many would argue that introducing students to cultures and perspectives different from theirs is to "risky" to do at school.
   
     I admit, I too have found myself wandering where is the invisible line drawn. Is it a wonderful book or a "risky" book?  How do I know that the books I feel provide our students a multicultural exposure, will not be viewed as controversial by others?   Surprisingly to me, our text states on page 310,  that there very few  "safe" children's books out there. Almost every book has an underlying theme.  Researcher Vivian Yenika-Agbaw wrote in 2003 only permitting students insight that fall within their own culture would "exclude too many voices and experiences, hence depriving our children of the opportunity to understand facets of our humanity."  So I am taking the stance of the result of the rich exposure outweighs the concern of the controversial concerns.  Table 11.1 on page 310 provides the following additional reasons for sharing "risky" books:

• It promotes critical thinking through text to self and text to world style discussions
• It promotes the value of diversity and difference through exploring  multiple perspectives
• It encourages cross-cultural perspectives

Books within the diversity genre are placed into three cultural specificity ranges:

• Culturally Neutral--includes diverse characters but the topic is not on culture or diversity, it is about something different. Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.

•  Culturally Generic--the book does focus on it's diverse character, but, few details differentiate the given culture(s) from the American culture. Emma's Rug, by Allen Say.

• Culturally Specific--includes specific and authentic aspects of culture that define the characters, plot and theme portrayed. Dragonwings by Laurence Yep

Wanting to find a list of recommended multicultural books and see how many I have of those recommended I came by this wonderful website. This Reading is Fundamental website provides book lists for students pre-k through 5th grade.

"Little one, whoever you are, there are little ones just like you all over the world. Their lives may be different from yours, and their words may be very different from your. But inside, their hearts are just like yours."

                                                                          ~ Mem, Fox, 1997