Final Unit Project

Title of Unit of Study: “We’re Creating Our Story!”

 

Central Focus:

·         Serafini tells us on page 111 of the text that, “Wordless picturebooks rely primarily on visual images in sequence to tell a story.” Therefore, students will be challenged to not only come up with a detailed story but also choose relevant pictures to go along with the story they are telling. Students will be given a picture to tip off their ideas to the story. It will be up to them to decide which directions the story will take. Once we have come up with a solid story (with a beginning, middle, and end) the students will then describe what they forsee as the pictures for each portion of the story. Once the set of pictures is created, we will then retell the story through our memory using the pictures as a guide. The multimodal presentation will be created through “Storybird” and will be created in a whole group.

 

The Cornerstone Text or Image:

 

The Learning Objectives:

·         Students will be able to use “Super 7 Sentences” when creating and retelling the story.

·         Students will be able to use expressive, appropriate, and descriptive vocabulary.

·         Students will be able to express their ideas and opinions in a respectful and grammatically correct manner.

·         Students will be able to collaborate with other students in a fair and respectful manner

·         Students will be able to sequence their ideas appropriately.

 

 

The Content and Common Core standards for Unit:

 

·         ELA.1.R.C1.1 ask and answer questions about key details in a literary text. (CCSS RL.1.1)

·         ELA.1.R.C1.2 retell stories, including key details and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson in literary texts. (CCSS RL.1.2)

·         ELA.1.R.C1.3 describe characters, settings and major events in a story, using key details in literary texts. (CCSS RL.1.3)

·         ELA.1.R.C2.3 identify who is telling the story at various points in a literary text. (CCSS RL.1.6)

·         ELA.1.SL.C13.1 participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups

·         ELA.1.SL.C14.1 describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly. (CCSS SL.1.4)

·          ELA.1.SL.C14.2 add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings. (CCSS SL.1.5)

·          ELA.1.SL.C14.3 produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation.

 

 

Launching the Unit:

            Students will be introduced to the unit by being introduced initially to picturebooks. Below are the listed picturebooks I would use to have the students become accustomed to what a picturebook is and how they work. Students will at first be expected to listen and pay attention to the stories and then will be asked to help tell the stories by making inferences using the pictures.

5 Other Texts:

·         The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney.

·         You Can't Take a Balloon into the Metropolitan Museum by Jacqueline Weitzman.

·         Home by Jeannie Baker

·         Sidewalk Circus by Fleischman, Paul

·         Museum Trip by Barbara Lehman

These texts will be used as examples of what a picturebook is and how it is used.

Lessons and Learning Experiences: This unit will be a week long unit.

Day One:

·         Students will be introduced to two picturebooks. I will “read” two picturebooks to them and then I will explain how a picturebook works.

Day Two:

·         Students will discuss with teacher about what a picturebook is. Then, I will read two more picturebooks to them. After reading the picturebooks, we will discuss the difference between a picturebook and a “regular” text filled children’s book.

Day Three:

·         Students will help me read the fifth picturebook. They will make inferences using the pictures to help decide the story line of the book. I will explain to them that we will be creating our own picturebook the next two days about coming back to school after the long summer and joining a new class. I will encourage them to talk with mom and dad at home that night about how they feel about being back at school and in a new class.

·         Homework: Parents will write down some of their child’s ideas and feelings about being back at school and in a new classroom.

Day Four:

·         We will work as a class to put together our ideas and feelings that were brainstormed at home the night before. Then, we will put these ideas in chronological order to create a story.

 

Day Five:

·         We will review our ideas that we put in chronological order the day before. Then, we will work together to find pictures that go along with our ideas to create a picturebook. Once the photos are chosen, we will put our photos in order using “StoryBird” and create our class picturebook. Students will then be broken up into groups to tell our class storybook to me.

 

 

Culminating Projects: The following is an example of the multimodal work we will be creating.

http://storybird.com/books/were-back-to-school/?token=umxh3m297s

 

Analysis Guide: (Found on page 115 of the Serafini text)

Approaching the Wordless Picturebook:

·         Pick up the picturebook-student should be able to flip through the picturebooks in the correct direction; reading from front to back and holding the book the correct side up.

·         Study the cover. Are there pictures and words or just pictures?

Reading the Wordless Picturebook:

·         Again, reading the book from front to back and holding the book right side up.

·         Vocalized story aligns with the pictures presented in the book.

Analyzing the Wordless Picturebook:

·         Look at the images; do they stay the same or change throughout the book?

·         Do the picture sizes stay the same or change throughout the book?

·         Do the story activities happen throughout a day/week/month, etc.?

Porject Rubric: Rubric would be filled out for each student

Targeted Analysis	1 (Very Little/Never)	2 (Some)	3 (Mostly)	4 (All of the time)
Student participated in comparing storybook and regular text filled children’s book
Student was able to discuss the differences between a picturebook and regular text filled children’s book.
Student was able to use super-seven sentences during discussion and inferences.
Student was able to use expressive, appropriate, and grammatically correct vocabulary
Student worked well with others
Student was able to read picturebook correct; front to back
When picking up the picturebook, the student held it right side up.
Student could make inferences in how the picturebook was sequenced.
Student could make inferences about how the pictures were created; small to large, large to small, all the same size, etc.
Student completed “Back to School” homework
Student participated in the sequencing of class homework
Student participated in the selection of class storybook pictures
Student participated in the sequencing of the class storybook pictures
Student was able to tell the class’s storybook

 

 

 

References:

http://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&safe=active&biw=1280&bih=907&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=back+to+school+for+kids&oq=back+to+school+for+kids&gs_l=img.3..0l2.17938.19144.0.19415.9.8.0.0.0.0.187.488.0j3.3.0....0...1c.1.49.img..6.3.483.EH4N1nF3wzM&surl=1#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=Z7zicBWCzhBfXM%253A%3B9GUTWZFGq8ncsM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.melbournechildpsychology.com.au%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2013%252F01%252Fbigstock-Back-to-School-Doodle-Featurin-13800539-580x387.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.melbournechildpsychology.com.au%252Fblog%252F4-healthy-habits-back-to-school-2013%252F%3B580%3B387

 

http://wveis.k12.wv.us/Teach21/public/ng_cso/NG_CSO.cfm

 

Serafini, F. (2014). Reading the visual: An introduction to teaching multimodal literacy. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

 

Picturebook

http://storybird.com/books/life-poem-3/?token=qub6qekfgf

Here is the link to my picturebook!

1. Identify the image that in your opinion is the most effective in developing the story as a whole. and explain why it was effective. Did the image and written narrative interact in a way the created irony, metaphor and/or metonymy?
I took the angle of a mother and her child. All of the photos I chose show the relationship between a parent and child and the responsiblity of a parent.
3. Explain how two or more elements in the illustration help support and develop the story. All of the photos show a progression of a mother and her child. The photos begin with a newborn and move on to a much older child.

4. Identify two elements that are repeated throughout a majority of the images. Explain how these elements support the story. Again, each photo shows a mother and her child. In the earlier photos, the mom is holding or loving on her child but as the photos progress, the child is playing idependently. I thought this angle would show a parents purpose to nurture a child but then eventually, the child would be on his/her own to make his/her own decisions.

Picturebook Review

Chester Raccoon and the Big Bad Bully by Audrey Penn and Illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson

Text

1. The text of a children's book is usually organized into simple sentences and short paragraphs. How is the text organized in the book that you have chosen to review? Explain whether this organization was sufficient for the story that this book is telling. The text of this book was organized into paragraph form. The text was rarely broken up along the page. This keeps the reader from bouncing around the page looking for the text and allows them to then focus on the pictures.

2. Children's book authors often employ literary tools to help make the story more vivid in the readers minds. Commonly used literary tools are rhythm, alliteration, repetition, refrains, onomatopoeia, simile, personification, rhyme, and imagery. Identify three different areas in the text where a literary tool has been employed. For each example you identify, state the type of literary tool that is used and how the employment of the tool helps support the story.

Personification: The author creates dialogue between the raccoons and other animals. This gives the story a more relatable and realistic feel.

Imagery: The author uses imagery frequently throughout the story. This also makes the story come to life and have a more vivif feel to it. The words chosen to be used throughout the story are very descriptive and the author choses to use images to bring life to parts that the children will love most. For example, the author speaks about a bully who has fire coming out of his nose and this part was chosen to be drawn.

Simile: Page four: "The bully will squash you like a bug!" This simile alows the reader to understand how afraid they are of the bully and also gives the reader a visual to the pain the bully likes to inflict.

 

3. Identify two areas in the text that use a question or other device to help move the reader to the next page. One page two of the book, the mother asks the son what he said when he muffled out very unclearly what happened at school. One page 11 of the story, Mrs. Raccoon leads the class to a special spot in the forest so she can "share a story about bullies". This encourages the reader to move on to the next page so that they can see what Mrs. Raccoon has to share!

Images

1. Some picture books have an images on the front cover that presents the main conflict or point of the story. Identify two or more elements from the front cover of the book you are reviewing and explain how they relate to the story. The front cover shows raccoons standing in a forest so it make it obvious to the reader that the story will take place outside. Also, the front cover has what appears to be an adult raccoon holding back three very terrified looking raccoons. It leads the reader to believe they are the ones being bullied.

 

 

2. What is the primary medium (collage, drawings, photographs, etc.) used in the images? The primary collage of images contains wildlife animals and a forest scenery.

3. Identify the image that in your opinion is the most effective in developing the story as a whole. Explain how two or more elements in the illustration help support and develop the story. If you can, insert a screenshot of the image into your blog. I think the image on the front cover develops the feel for the story; showing the scared look on the little raccoons' faces.

 

4. Identify two elements that are repeated throughout a majority of the images. Explain how these elements support the story. If you can insert a screenshot into your blog. Two elements that were repeated throughout the story were images of raccoons and forest scenery. These images keep the scenery the same throughout the story. The raccoons were on every page and though the scenery changed, it remained in a forest setting.

 

 

5. Find an example of how the images and text work together to create irony,metaphor and/or metonymy. If you can insert a screeenshot of the image into your blog. I thought it was incredibly ironic that the bully in the story is a badger. When I was growing up, the term "badgering others" was used frequently to bother others or annoy others.

Characterization

1. What is the easily identifiable dominant trait of the story's main character? The story's main character (the bully) loves the feeling of dominance.

2. Identify a character trait of the main character that is established through the text.  The character becomes more timid and less dominant.

3. Identify a character trait of the main character that is established through the images. The images really speak through changing the main character's eyes. For example, in the beginning of the story, the bully has very mean eyes and as the story progresses, his eyes soften.

4. Identify two character traits of the main character that young children identify or sympathize

with. Children can identify with being bullied and they can also identify with developing friendships with other children that they don't necessarily think they will become friends with in the beginning.

5. What was the main problem that the main character faces in the book? How is this problem similar to a problem that most children have faced before? The main character in this book faces the problem of his dominance being tested. This child is used to ruling and bossing everyone around. He soon learns that this isn't the way to go about life and that he wants to have friends. I think many children have faced instances like this when they haven't gotten their way and they are usually used to getting it! For example, children who come into Kindergarten have to learn to share with others!

6. Sometimes a children's book character will solve the main conflict on his or her own. How did the character in the book you selected turn to self-reliance to solve the main conflict of the story? I don't necessarily think the bully resolved the main conflict on his own. It actually took the pack of other children wanting to play with him to get him to realize he didn't need to act all big and bad to get other kids' attention.

 

Resources:

http://www.google.com/search?q=images+from+chester+raccoon+and+the+big+bad+bully&newwindow=1&safe=active&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=__iyU-D4HMiqsQSIyYEY&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg&biw=1280&bih=907&surl=1#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=w3jW5FUTIBFhnM%253A%3BnelPNy4ojF1xqM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.audreypenn.com%252Fpennimages%252Fcovers%252Fchesterbullylarge.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.audreypenn.com%252Fkissinghand.html%3B809%3B1000

 

http://www.google.com/search?q=images+from+chester+raccoon+and+the+big+bad+bully&newwindow=1&safe=active&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=__iyU-D4HMiqsQSIyYEY&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg&biw=1280&bih=907&surl=1#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=5tqyYEyoP3kmaM%253A%3BnelPNy4ojF1xqM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.audreypenn.com%252Fpennimages%252Finteriors%252Fbullyinteriorlarge.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.audreypenn.com%252Fkissinghand.html%3B796%3B1000

Analyzing Visual Images and Design in Picturebooks

Select an image from Voices In The Park to consider. Use the following questions to guide your analysis.  Take a Screen Shot of the Image and embed the image in your blog. 

What is in fore-grounded and in the background?
Foreground: The man (who is voice #2, his dog, a brick wall, what appears to be a homeless man, a light pole, and two paintings.
Background: Trees, two tall buildings, and a fence.

Consider the path your eyes follow as you approach the image. What catches your eye first? Why is that element salient?
The first thing my eyes immediately catch is the homeless man wearing a Santa suit. This part of the page immediately caught my attention because of the randomness of him wearing the Santa suit but even more catching-the sign he is holding. It says "Wife and millions of kids to support". I think that adds some unexpected and potentially hard to notice humor in what was really a morbid part of the story.

What colors dominate the image? What effect does this have on you as reader? 
I think that the yellow brick wall dominates the picture. This could potentially take away from the subtle humor on this page. 

Consider the use of white (negative) space. Are the illustrations framed or full bleed? How does this position you as a viewer? I don't think that there were any misused space in this picture, however, like I said, there is potential to miss the subtle humor on this page because it is a small detail mixed in with much larger detailed images. 

What is the reality value or level of abstraction? Are the images life-like or stick figures? 
In my opinion, the images have a real-life feel to them. 

Are there any recurring patterns in the images?
There is a lot of use of the colors yellow and green. Although the book seems colorful, it isn't exceptionally detailed. 

Are there any anomalous elements? Things that stick out, or seem out of place? Are these important to consider? There are two random photos on the page I chose. I am not quite sure of the purpose of them but they are definitely out of place. 

What is the artist trying to get you to look at through leading lines, colors, contrast, gestures, lighting?
I think that the artist was setting the mood and showing how down this character was by using the colors he chose and the scene he chose. 

Are there any recurring symbols or motifs in the images? Not that I noticed. 

Consider the style or artistic choices? Are the appropriate, and how do they add to the meanings of the picturebook?

How are the images framed? Are there thick borders or faded edges? Faded edges. 

Consider the setting of the story. How is this realized in the images? Realistically? Metaphorically? Metaphorically. 

Consider size and scale. What is large? Why are certain elements larger than others? Does this add to meanings of power, control? The background is almost formed in a larger scale. I think that this makes you search harder for the important, little details. 

Consider the viewers point of view. Do characters directly gaze or address the viewer? Are the characters close up or distanced? How does point of view add to relationships with the characters? In this page, the characters are distant which I think, once again, shows metaphorically the mood of the characters. 

Resources:
https://www.google.com/search?q=images+from+the+book+voices+in+the+park&tbm=isch&imgil=qSLqRerWqBMAoM%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%253AANd9GcSs78NaIs2pWjrkCIgXCauksDCsHdiyoqen-T8CSk9sDxU2PB46uQ%253B200%253B229%253Bgww89SZ6qy0zrM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fthe-books-we-read.blogspot.com%25252F2012%25252F08%25252Fsallys-childrens-book-58.html&source=iu&usg=__SrP7ygvZnGwSYcoqJyAeOa7HpbQ%3D&sa=X&ei=nmewU73UOeXjsASk0oGwBQ&ved=0CC8Q9QEwCA&biw=1366&bih=667#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=qSLqRerWqBMAoM%253A%3Bgww89SZ6qy0zrM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F3.bp.blogspot.com%252F-HbD7i3fgBv0%252FUDbGlY9uHTI%252FAAAAAAAAAFc%252FtX4B1MRa6uk%252Fs320%252F18611501.jpeg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fthe-books-we-read.blogspot.com%252F2012%252F08%252Fsallys-childrens-book-58.html%3B200%3B229