Karissa Kolopajlo
Jeni Hendricks
Megan Harter
Jona Hall
Reader/Response Journal: Aesthetic Response
Elegy to Tillie
Dear Tillie,
I would like to show you a home where there is a loving mother and
father.
But I wouldn’t want you to see the percentages of the divorce rates
that occur in the United States.
I wish that you could experience a home full of love, laughter and
have memories of a family where each person communicates and shares moments from their lives.
I wish that you would not be looked at negatively from your mother
because you of your love for science and all it’s wonder.
You would have grown and matured with love, just like you
mothered and tended to the growth of your marigolds.
Reader/Response Journal: Critical Analysis
Subject: Language Arts
Topic: Evaluating the Setting of The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-
in-the-Moon Marigolds.
Objectives:
1. The students will brainstorm a list of alternate settings in which the story could have been set. They will then discuss how these alternate setting will influence the events in the story and possibly change the outcome.
2. The students will create a pop-up scene that will include a summary and information about the books characters, setting, and the problems and solutions that take place in the novel.
Procedures:
1. Constructing the pop-up book.
a. Draw a rough sketch of the scene you want to create and decided which elements will pop-up.
b. Fold a piece of construction paper in half widthwise.
c. Along the folded edge, cut two slits of equal length for each of the pop-up tabs in your scene.
d. Open the paper up, and gently pull each of the pop-up tabs forward.
e. Fold the paper again so that each of the pop-up tabs falls into the center. Press the base of each tab so that it forms a crease.
f. Open your paper up and illustrate the background of your scene.
g. Draw the pop-up elements of your scene and glue them onto the front of each tab.
h. Use a ruler and pencil to lightly draw guidelines on the paper in front of your pop-up scene. Write the paragraph in pencil first. Then, trace over it using a thin, black marker. Finally, erase the guidelines and pencil marks.
i. Repeat these steps for each page of your book. Put your pages in order, one on top of the other. Glue the bottom of one page to the top of the next, until all of the pages are joined. Use glue stick so that the paper doesn’t buckle.
j. Get another sheet of construction paper and fold it in half. Use creative lettering to write the name of your book, the authors name, and the words “Pop-up Book by [your name]. Include a related illustration. Put the pop-up pages in the folded cover, and glue the cover into place.
2. Summary/Page One:
a. Write a complete paragraph that gives a complete summary of the book. Include the following: author, title, main character, major events, and conclusion.
b. Create a pop-up picture that illustrates your favorite scene from the book.
3. Problem-Solution/Page Two:
a. Write a complete paragraph that describes the main problem and solution of the story. Divide the page for your picture vertically. Write problem at the top of the left panel and solution at the top of the right panel.
b. On the left panel create a pop-up picture that illustrates the problem.
c. On the right panel create a pop-up picture that illustrates the solution.
4. Setting/Page Three
a. Write a complete paragraph that describes the setting of the book. Consider the following: time period, geographical location, socioeconomic factors, surroundings, climate and season.
b. Create a pop-up picture that illustrates the setting of the book.
5. Alternate Setting/Page Four:
a. Choose an alternate setting for your book. Write a complete paragraph that describes the alternate setting and how it would change the outcome of the story.
b. Create a pop-up picture that illustrates the alternate setting of the book.
6. Cover
a. Design a cover for your book that includes the title of the book, the author and the words Pop-Up Book by: [your name].
b. Include a related illustration.
Reader/Response Journal: Best Practice Strategy
To modify this lesson for best practices, the class will begin by looking at a children’s book that has a distinctive setting. The teacher will read the text aloud to the class and discuss the setting. Then the class will brainstorm a list of alternate settings in which the story could have been set. The class will then discuss how these alternate settings would influence the events in the story and possibly change its outcome. This strategy would allow for all students to gain an understanding of the concepts behind the setting of a story, as well as allow them to begin to change their outlook of the situation and its point of view.
In addition to this strategy, the children will be asked to use Post-it-Notes to stick into their novel as they read. The post-it-notes will have large asterisks on each of them, which will indicate an important scene in the story. This will help when the students are creating their pop-up book.