Week #9- Final Project Checkpoint and Activity Guide

Cara Pinti - Plot Pitch for Week 9

Jake is a troubled teenager who struggles socially and academically.  After several big issues at school, his parents decide to send him to Iowa to spend the summer with his grandparents on the family farm.

Jake is hesitant to go but decides to make the best of it.  While in Iowa he learns the benefits of hard work and dedication and develops a love for the land he works.  His grandparents are pleased with his progress and decide take Jake to visit historic and points of interest in the state of Iowa.

Through this experience Jake feels drawn to the life of a farmer. He returns to his home to finish school and decides to attend college in Iowa where he learns more about the farming industry.  After graduation he remains in the state he has grown to love, farming with his grandfather.

Rough Draft:  Where the Heart Calls

Activity Guide:

ACTIVITY GUIDE for WHERE CALLS THE HEART

SUMMARY

Jake is a troubled teenager who struggles to gain acceptance among his peers.  His grades are poor and he has been expelled from school on several occasions.  Jake’s parents decided to send him to Iowa to live with his grandparents on the family farm for the summer.  Their intent is for Jake to learn what hard work and dedication can accomplish and how to respect those around him.  He travels to Iowa and works diligently on the farm with his grandfather while learning responsibility and hard work.  His parents want to show him a glimpse of his heritage in Iowa and reward his effort with weekend trips to visit some of the historical points of interest in Iowa.  Jake finds himself “home” and later returns to Iowa to attend college and finally farm with his grandfather.

ILLUSTRATIONS/IMAGES

What evidence do the images present as far as the state of Iowa and the sites to behold there?  After viewing the images, is it conclusive to say that Jake found solace as well as satisfaction in the heartland where the fields of corn flow freely?  Do the images portray a sense of peace and tranquility or any other mood as it relates to the text?  What do the colors of the images relay to you about the mood of the story?

FINDING DETAILS

Looking at the images and text in the book, can you find examples of metonymy? Metaphor? Simile?  Explain how these examples are used to support and/or progress the story. For example, the rolling fields of corn and serenity of the fields emulate peace and tranquility. This is what Jake finds when he is struggling within himself and he visits his grandparents and works the land they farm.

VOCABULARY

What is the level of the reading text? Is there more advanced vocabulary that helps to develop the story for a higher level of reader? Make a list of words that may need further study to enhance your understanding.  Does the vocabulary used intrigue you, the reader to investigate more about Iowa? The sites? And the History that is found in Iowa?

EXTENDING THE TEXT/EXPANDING UPON THE STORY

Reflect upon the lessons learned by Jake as he went to Iowa to work.  Have you ever learned lessons through hard work and effort? Were they difficult lessons to learn and how did you cope with the challenges? 

Sometimes images in a book compliment or match the story or text.  Give an example of a page where this occurs.  How does it influence a deeper meaning of the lessons learned for Jake and the adventures that were done while in Iowa? Are there any images that seem confusing to the story or do not match the text?  Explain why they are confusing and what might enhance the image or the text to change it.

EXPANDING UPON THE STORY

What do you think Jake thought when his parents sent him to Iowa? What do you think happened in the story for Jake’s perspective on life to change and him to recognize responsibility?  Think of Jake’s return to his home where his parents were amazed to see the transformation that had occurred while he was in Iowa. How do you imagine the conversation unfolded between his parents and him upon his return?  What were his parents’ reactions to Jake’s return?  Do you think they felt they had chosen the best solution to Jake’s problems at school?

RELATED BOOKS

Green, John.  Looking for Alaska.  Speak, 2006 ISBN 0142402516

Harris, Alex & Harris, Brett.  Do Hard Things:  A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations.  The Double Day Religious Publishing Group, 2008 ISBN 9781601421616

Nolan, Han.  Dancing on the Edge.  Harcourt, 2007 ISBN 0152058842

Nolan, Han.  Pregnant Pause.  HMH Books for Young Readers, 2012 ISBN 0547854145

Pierce, Patricia A.  H is for Hawkeye: An Iowa Alphabet.  Sleeping Bear Press, 2003 1585361144

Week #8 Create a Picturebook- Poem of Life

Poem of Life

 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?

The first image showing a new baby is extremely effective in developing the story about life.  This image and written narrative interact to create an example of metonymy because a new baby represents the idea that “life” is given to each human being.  New life and an infant are synonymous.

 Explain how two or more elements in the illustration help support and develop the story. 

The picturebook displays several elements that develop and support the story.  One is the color that is used.  The color is soft and uses hues of green and gold are representative of life and peaceful calm. It is evident that each human being is responsible for finding his/her own life and what brings peace and tranquility.

Another element used in the images is the size and position of the individuals in the images. The focus is the people and the family that they compose.  The reader then focuses on the concept of family and each person that contributes to the family.

 Identify two elements that are repeated throughout a majority of the images. Explain how these elements support the story. 

Two repeated elements are the size and position of the images as well as the soft hues of color that are used to tell the story.  The position of the family members is central to the images as well as central to the story.  The soft green colors and gold colors used to represent a peaceful calm to identify with each person’s responsibility to find the purpose he or she is created to serve.

Week #7 Picturebook Review

Literary Review of The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister

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 used in the picturebook The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister was simple and organized into short paragraphs like many other books that fascinate young readers and yet have an underlying story or lesson.

This text organization is sufficient for the story and captures the vocabulary used is appropriate for the age of reader who would enjoy this book.

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-This is a prevalent theme or tool used in this book because all the creatures living in the deep blue sea have a personality and ability to converse with each other.

Onomatopoeia-This tool is used in several instances in this book to describe and relate to the beauty of Rainbow Fish’s scales.  Several examples of onomatopoeia are

“the Rainbow Fish whizzed by giving all the shiny scales away”. The word “splash” is also an example of onomatopoeia and refers to the way Rainbow Fish is once he has given all but one of his scales away.

Alliteration-This tool is used to emphasize the beauty of the scales.  The scales are referred to as “shining, shimmering scales”.  The use of alliteration is appropriate and gives description to the scales.

Simile-This literary tool is used well at the very end of the story.  Once the Rainbow Fish has given away all but one of his shiny scales, he has developed friendships and has experienced the joy of sharing/giving his scales away.  The line used is “Rainbow Fish was as happy as a splash.”

3. Identify two areas in the text that use a question or other device to help move the reader to the next page. 

When the small fish approaches the Rainbow fish and asks for one of his scales.  The Rainbow fish replies, “Give you one of my scales? What are you thinking of?”  This caused the small blue fish to swim away, his feelings hurt.

The other instance where a question was used to move the reader along was when the Rainbow Fish approached the starfish when he realized he was all alone in the sea with no one to play with him.  His comment to the starfish was, “Why doesn’t anyone like me?”  This question makes the reader begin to think about the way the Rainbow Fish must feel without friends.  At this point he doesn’t realize what he must do to become happy and surrounded by others.  He is still struggling with his vanity.

Images

1. Some picture books have 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 does not effective address the main conflict but does reveal the element that this brightly colored fish is all-alone and lives in the deep blue sea void of friends.  This is interesting because many recognize fish as living in “schools” with many other fish and this beautiful one with the shiny scales is all alone.

2. What is the primary medium (collage, drawings, photographs, etc.) used in the images? 

The primary medium is drawings probably constructed of brilliant watercolors to give a vivid scene of life under the sea.

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.

 This image is most effective in developing the story as a whole.  Of course in the beginning the Rainbow Fish has all the beautiful scales but not friends. He wasn’t even willing to share with the small blue fish that approached him.  Then after realizing that he had no friends and was alone he realized the joy in giving one scale at a time to the other fish. He gave and gave scales away and at last he had only one scale left. At this point he had found happiness in giving and the joy of friendship.  His vanity was no longer an issue.  He now recognized that sharing with others was more important than being the most beautiful fish in the sea.  Therefore this image gives the reader the sense that being surrounded by friends is a “happy place”.  The fact that now the Rainbow fish was no longer the only unique fish with shiny shimmering scales he felt happier than he had been and shared his special scales with others.

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.

There are many elements used throughout this picturebook that are seen in many of the images.  One element is the size and scale of the fish and other sea creatures shown in the images.  The Rainbow Fish is very large and flamboyant in color with shiny, shimmering scales while the other fish are smaller, duller in color and thus less “important”. This element reinforces the idea that the Rainbow Fish is “one of a kind”, spectacular and powerful due to his beauty and size and the smaller fish are less powerful and “ordinary”.  The octopus in the cave is also large and powerful and demonstrates his power by convincing the Rainbow Fish to give his scales away to be liked by the other fish whereas the small starfish suggested the same thing but was his advice was not “heeded” by the Rainbow Fish because he held less power.

 The other powerful element used by the author to tell the story is position.  In many of the images the Rainbow Fish is the center focus because he is the main character.  In the periphery are the other fish and sea creatures that compose a part of the story.  Several of the images only show the Rainbow Fish and he is alone.  This element makes it clear that Rainbow Fish is without friends and gives the feeling that he is sad and alone.

5. Find an example of how the images and text work together to create irony, metaphor and/or metonymy. If you can insert a screenshot of the image into your blog. 

It is evident that the title alone gives reference to a concept of a rainbow and it’s varied color or differences and then the Rainbow Fish is “one of a kind”, more beautiful and spectacular than any other fish in the sea. This is an example of metonymy.  The Rainbow Fish shows the characteristic of being “special and unique” because of his beautiful shiny scales and yet the individual color of the scales is different and makes up a beautiful rainbow of all these spectacular, vivid colors.

Characterization 

1. What is the easily identifiable dominant trait of the story's main character? 

 In the beginning the main character struggles with vanity and sees him too good to associate with others.  As the story progresses he finally realizes that to share his scales makes him a much happier fish surrounded by many friends.

2. Identify a character trait of the main character that is established through the text. 

 The character trait of vanity and pride is evident as the text describes how the Rainbow Fish swam around flaunting his beautiful scales. 

3. Identify a character trait of the main character that is established through the images. 

 In this book the Rainbow Fish is seen as a larger fish than any of the other fish in the sea.  This could be evident because the author wants the reader to recognize how magnificent the shiny scales are on the fish or that fact that pride or vanity makes one look “puffed” up, larger than reality many times.  Rainbow fish is much larger in all images used by the author.

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

 Young children who long for a friend may be sad when in a room alone.  Children want to play and find friendships just as Rainbow fish does in this book once he recognizes how alone he is does he inquire of the starfish and later the octopus on what he should do.

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, the Rainbow Fish, struggles to make friends because he sees himself as “too good for the others”.  Because of this vanity he finds himself alone and sad.  Children tend to learn about social status very early in life and develop prejudices about others.  Because of this they may struggle to make friends and not see the true beauty of friendship and joy of sharing with others.  Even very young children struggle to share and this makes play difficult with others.  Once they learn to share the environment is much more conducive to play and interaction between all children.

In this book, the Rainbow Fish finally realizes he must do something to make friends, he does not resort to self-reliance but seeks the advice of first the starfish and then later the octopus. Once given the advice he seeks to make friends by giving his scales away to the other fish.

References

Pfister, M. (1992). The rainbow fish. New York: North-South Books.

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

Week #6 Reading

1. Explain why Voices in The Park is an example of a postmodern picturebook.

Anthony Browne’s Voices in the Park is a wonderful example of a postmodern picturebook as described by Serafini in our class text.  This book demonstrates the effect of a story written from four different perspectives. Serafini refers to this characteristic as “polyphonic” narratives.  The first narrator is seems to be an affluent woman who takes her son to the park to walk their pedigree dog Victoria.  The second narrator is a jobless man who seems hopeless as he looks for a job in the newspaper.  The third narrator is the young boy of the affluent mother who longs for a friend and an outing to the park.  The fourth narrator Smudge is the daughter of the jobless man who wants to get her father out of his “funk” and take their dog to the park. Each of these narrators gives a different perspective of the time spent in the park and symbolizes how cultural and social influences have on one’s perspective of the adventure in the park.

This book also gives a feeling that there is a disruption of traditional time and space relationships in the narrative that is also a component of a postmodern picturebook.

2. Give examples of how at least three of the picturebook codes listed on pg 78 are used in Voices In The Park.

Codes of Perspective

This was evident in this picturebook by Anthony Browne in that each narrator was able to convey a personal perspective of the day in the park.  When the young boy Charles and girl Smudge were sitting on the park bench with the third narrative part, it was noticeable that the boy who longed for a friend while he sat watching the playful dogs was sitting with a darkness or gloomy aura around him.  On the other hand, Smudge was sitting on the same park bench with rays of sunshine surrounding her.  Each of these narrators had a different perspective of the situation and it was demonstrated in the point of view or setting to change how we interpret the scene.

Codes of Frame

The majority of images in the picturebook were framed images. However, it was noticeable that the borders in the narrations by the affluent mother and her young son Charles were crisp and clean borders and the images were captured in magnificent light and brightness of light.  In contrast the images surrounding the narrations of the jobless man were worn and encompassed dull and gloomy colored images representing the downtrodden demeanor and sense of hopelessness that the man felt.

Codes of Color

With each narrative the changes in image color speaks boldly to each narrator’s perspective.  The images surrounding the affluent woman and her young boy are bright and cheery with substantial variation of color used in each image. This relates to the social element where this woman is able to be home with her young son and enjoy a walk in the park because she has the resources to do so.   In contrast, the images surrounding the jobless man are dull and gloomy without the myriad of color to demonstrate the feeling of hopelessness the man feels.  Even his clothing is worn and dirty.  The young girl brings an element of color to the father with her cheery attitude and sense of hopefulness.  She is child-like despite her situation and finds hope in the world in which she lives.  She sees beauty and finds joy in the simplest of things (going down the slide, or being on the teeter totter).

3. Identify and explain the type of "interplay" between the written word and visual images on one of the pages in Voices In The Park.

This book shows interplay between the written word and visual images from narrator to narrator.  The font choices by author Anthony Browne show a distinction between each of the narrators.  A formal more sophisticated font was used for the affluent woman.  A bolder plain font was used for the jobless man.  The font used for the children were childlike and for the boy more sophisticated than the young girl.

4. Identify the art movement or technique that is being used in Voices In The Park.

The art movement used by Anthony Browne in Voices in the park was typical for this author’s work.  Anthony Browne has been known to use images and even characters that are uncommon and this is witnessed in the ape-faced images of the individual narrators in this picturebook.  Browne used this motif in his this and other works of his to demonstrate surrealism.  This concept shows images that are illogical, imaginative and out of the ordinary.  In this book he uses the ape faced character narrators to tell the story of a day in the park.

5. Conduct an Ideological Analysis and Structural Analysis of Voices In The Park. What is the message? Provide evidence from the images to support your opinion. Use the examples on pg 86, 87,89. I do not expect your analysis to be as in-depth but I would like for you to make two or three insightful observations about the perspectives and social context conveyed through the books words and images.

Ideological Analysis:

Voices in the Park demonstrates the lives of two people from different social classes.  The first narrator, a woman living a pristine life of affluence and rank in the society’s social structure has the means to be at home with her son and the family dog.  Her clothing and home surroundings as illustrated in the book show affluence and wealth. She and her young boy are dressed in better clothes and formal coats.  In contrast the man who is jobless and hopeless to find one is from a lower social class.  Whether he and his daughter live alone in an apartment or meager home environment, their clothing and surrounding give evidence to the hopelessness and lack of monetary wealth. These ideals represent differences in perspectives as well as social classes.  The jobless father and daughter interaction in this book introduces a unique situation where the father is home being urged to go to the park with his daughter and the family dog. The time period in which this book was written shows the distinction of the social class and interplay between the two families.

Structural Analysis:

When analyzing the metafunction of this picturebook the interpersonal component reveals the position of the characters to the reader.  In this book the adult narrators, both the affluent snobbish woman and the hopeless father without a job, are fairly close to the reader and also larger images.  In contrast the young narrators both Charles and Smudge are at midrange to the reader.  Their positions reveal their perspectives.  The children are further away from the reader than the adults and this reveals how many children are less focused than adults in many situations.  The children in the book look more at their surroundings with great expectation.  The reader is able to see a wider perspective when images of the children are shown.

Compositional metafunction is evaluating the frames around the characters in the image.  In this book, the characters are within the frame of the image, typically centered to the viewer.  There are a few images where you can see where the characters have been and where they are going.  The

Ideational metafunction represents the characters and their interaction with each other. In this book it is evident that the mother and father do not interact because of their difference in social class status.  The children on the other hand are not influenced by their extreme difference in social class.  They play and interact well despite their different upbringing.  This shows how young children do not recognize the social differences and look more at the person and not where they come from in society.

6. Embed a picture of the cover of Voices In The Park in your blog.

References

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

"Voices in the Park". (n.d.). . Retrieved June 24, 2014, from http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play;_ylt=A2KLqIEZY6lTmEwAxg77w8QF;_ylu=X3oDMTB2YW1mMWVvBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDdmlkBHZ0aWQDVjE2MQRncG9zAzU-?p=voices+in+the+park&vid=cec1d6583bdec8775283a8b0234f1421&l=5%3A49&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts2.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DVN.608037326292058305%26pid%3D15.1&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dohs-7ue_wdM&tit=Voices+in+the+Park+by+Anthony+Browne&c=4&sigr=11a9qkkc4&sigt=114304s3q&age=0&fr=mcafee&tt=b

Week #6 Analyzing Visual Images and Design in Picturebooks

Analysis of Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne

Begin by considering the format of the images and their placement in the picturebook

Where is the text located? Within the image? Separated by borders or white space, Why? Are the illustrations double page spreads, single page images, collages, overlapping images, or portraits?

The text is located in the white space away from the pictures.  There are borders of white space around the text.  This allows the reader to focus on the text and read the black and white easily.  This would appeal to an early reader or even a younger child to whom it is being read.    The illustrations are on single page spreads and large enough for details to be visualized.  They are colorful images that attract attention to the detail so the story can unfold as each of the narrators describes his/her time in the park.

Consider the series of images in the picturebook. Do the images change over the course of the book? Do they get bigger, smaller, change?

The images throughout the book span the largest portion of the page if not the entire page. However there are several instances where the image is smaller and then expands on the page.  The variety of picture/illustration size makes reading of the story by the four narrators take on a different feel and allows the variety to make reading more interesting and entertaining.

 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 fore-grounded and in the background?

The foreground is jobless man and his daughter arriving in the park to walk their dog.  The background is the beautiful park with vivid color and sunshine, trees and bushes in full bloom and a well-manicured lawn in the park.

Consider the path your eyes follow as you approach the image. What catches your eye first? Why is that element salient?

As I first take a glance at the picture I am drawn to the image of the people and the dog walking from “darkness” to “light” as they enter the park.

This is the first place my eyes go when looking at the picture and I believe it is because of the bright colors used in the daughter Smudge’s jacket.

What colors dominate the image? What effect does this have on you as reader?

The vivid colors of objects in the park dominate in the picture.  As the reader it is evident that the park is a wonderful place to visit full of life and beauty.  The appearance of the park is inviting to the reader as the story progresses.

Consider the use of white (negative) space. Are the illustrations framed or full bleed? How does this position you as a viewer?

The images have crisp borders surrounded by white space.  It is perceived as a picture looking into the park and the adventure that awaits the jobless father and his daughter as they walk their dog.

What is the reality value or level of abstraction? Are the images life-like or stick figures?

These images are life-like in nature.  The trees and shrubs are relatively appropriate size to the people in the picture.  The people, the father and his daughter as well as their dog are full life-like figures and not stick figures.

Are there any recurring patterns in the images?

No, there are no recurring patterns in the image.

Are there any anomalous elements? Things that stick out, or seem out of place? Are these important to consider?

The gates of entry to the park seem to be large and out of place.  They also hide a feeling of darkness and gloom.  These gates or wall may symbolize the trapped feeling that the man feels as he realizes he has no job or way to support his family.

What is the artist trying to get you to look at through leading lines, colors, contrast, gestures, lighting?

I believe the artist would like to you to look at the colors as they appear in the image. There is boldness of color and clarity of the images in the park.  Once again it is an inviting place, free from stress and problems of the man’s jobless situation.  The light that shines in the image reveals a welcoming atmosphere one that will reveal happiness and peace despite the trials of life they are experiencing.

Are there any recurring symbols or motifs in the images?

The life of the park and its beauty are recurring in the image.

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

The artistic choices of color and illusion give great meaning to the picturebook.  There are several distinct themes used throughout to show the four narrators perspectives. For example, the young boy Charles is lonely and wants to find a friend.  He ventures into the park with his mother for her to walk her prized dog, Victoria.  When he sits on the park bench with Smudge there is a distinct shadow over his side of the image and brightness and full color on Smudge’s side of the image.  She is encouraged by her father venturing to the park despite their downtrodden situation of not having a job to support his family.  She is adventurous and invites Charles to play.  Charles watches as his family dog and Smudge’s family dog frolic and play like old friends. Once again, Charles longs for a friend and finds one in Smudge.

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

Most of the images are framed with white space around them.  There are a few that fade or bleed around the borders.  Many of the images surrounding the narrations by the affluent and even snobbish mother and her son are crisp and clean with bright vivid color.  The images with the jobless father are dull and gloomy.  Much of this color scheme and image border lines show evidence of his or her life situations and set the stage for each narrator’s perspective.

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

The setting of the story is vivid to readers because the images are reality to the reader.  For example, the park is a place of beauty and safety just as the homes reference the life situations that in which each of the narrators live.  This element gives the reader a “realistic” setting and a vivid understanding of how each person sees his or her life and faces the challenges each day. Metaphorically, these images portray the life situation and social status of each of the individuals that take turns narrating the story.

Consider size and scale. What is large? Why are certain elements larger than others? Does this add to meanings of power, control?

Many of the images are normal size and scale throughout this piece. However some images seem rather large compared to the others in the same picture.  For example the cover of the book shows the trees that line the walkway to the park are extremely large compared to the small images of the people at the end of the walk.  This gives meaning to the security and covering the park gives to its visitors.  There are other images of the snobbish affluent woman when she hollers for her dog Victoria to come after being let of the leash and chasing the other dog.  She seems angry and very controlling as well when Charles is having a great time with Smudge.  It is evident to her of the girl’s lower class status and doesn’t want her young son to associate with her.

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?

The characters in the book do not address the reader but interact with each other and their surrounding.  The characters are close up to the reader so we can see their expressions and detail of each of them.  The boy Charles and young girl Smudge address each other and interact and play just as the two family dogs do in the park.  The man and his daughter must have a wonderful loving relationship despite their circumstances in life.  Even in the image I selected you see the father and his daughter holding hands as they venture into the park with their dog.  The affluent and snobbish woman remains separated from most of the characters and I believe it is because she feels “too good” to associate with the commoner or lower class person in the park.  Therefore she is adamant that Charles leaves at once after finding his new friend Smudge.

Week #5 Reading

Week #5 Reading Assignment (Chapters 3-5)

1. Copy and paste a quote from each of the chapters that causes you to have a strong reaction (agreement, disagreement, confusion...) and explain your reaction.

Chapter 3-

“Perception is a transaction between the qualities of the environments in which we live and the experiences a person brings to those qualities” (Eisner, 2002).

I agree with this quote because I truly believe our environment, our upbringing and even our cultural background determines our perception of everything we see. Images can be interpreted in various ways depending on a person’s life experiences.  As teachers we MUST recognize our students come from a vast array of backgrounds and life experiences.  What one student may interpret about an image may be completely different from another student.  For this reason, using multimodal ensembles is an effective way to help students express and demonstrate a meaning that is relevant to their life experiences.  It is also extremely revealing to a teacher to see how her students interpret the world around them.

Chapter 4-

“The choices about what to represent in written text or in visual images are based on the concepts of materiality, aptness, and modal fixing.  Illustrators use different materials and modes to communicate their ideas than authors.  What can be done with photography, for example, is very different from what can be done through writing.”

This was an interesting quote from chapter 4 and I strongly agree with this statement primarily because of my hobby…scrapbooking.  Because I take many pictures, I do so to create a chronological story of my family’s life. My pictures relate to not only the activity but also the feelings and emotions of the day.  As it has been said, “ a picture is worth a thousand words” the author of our text relates to how much meaning an image can give and therefore why illustrators use them.  Much of the meaning that comes from images and photos cannot be relayed in written text.  For this reason, students should be given a chance to utilize multimodal ways to communicate their work.  PowerPoint presentations and illuminated texts are both an effective way to allow students to relay the personal meaning and a deeper understanding to what they have learned.

Chapter 5-This chapter was extremely interesting to me in relationship to the colors, size, shape and design of multimodal ensembles.

“Students need to consider how colors work in an image, going beyond colors or being attracted to specific colors to consider what they might signify.  Helping students consider how specific colors are used in an image and how they may affect their interpretations is a good pedagogical starting point” (Serafini, p.58).

I strongly agree with the author’s statement regarding the effectiveness in teaching how color (and other facets of presentations) effect the interpretation you want other to perceive.  For example, a red color can refer to “hot” or “angry” whereas blue is a peaceful color.  When teaching about multimodal presentations and how to construct these ensembles, students should recognize how color and shape leads to a deeper meaning than the text only.  I have realized the effectiveness of color and animations of text when I have developed my projects thus far in this class.  This was a concept that I was aware of but never recognized the complexity of something as simple as color and shape.

2. Find an image, symbol or motif and upload it to your blog.

3. Conduct a content analysis:  

•                What do you see?

When looking at the image I see a woman possibly a princess or queen with a crown on her head. She has long hair and womanly figure.

•                What is the image about?

The image is represents a siren from Greek mythology. A siren was a goddess with a nautical origin.  This logo was chosen by Starbucks because the company was originated in Seattle in 1971 when it was known as for its sailing and a seaport where ships docked.   These sirens in Greek mythology lured sailors with their beautiful singing that caused them to become obsessed and crash their ships into the rocks.

•                Are there people in the image? What are they doing? How are they presented?

Yes, there is a woman in the image.  She is a goddess and looks appealing.  There is also a nautical sense to the image with the fins or tale of the woman flaring up.

•                Can the image be looked at different ways? Explain how the image might be interpreted from two different socio-cultural perspectives. Which perspective is dominant? 

I believe the image could be viewed in a couple different ways.  Adults and especially the ones who drink coffee would recognize as the Starbucks logo.  Young children might view this as a princess/queen with a crown, maybe even Ariel from the Little Mermaid.

•                How effective is the image as a visual message.

This is a powerful visual image especially for individuals that are like me, addicted to coffee!!

4. Conduct a visual analysis: Use the Chapter on Elements of Art, Design and Visual composition to assist your visual analysis. 

•                How is the image composed? What is in the background, and what is in the foreground?

Image is composed with a green image and a white background.

•                What are the most important visual elements in the image? How can you tell?

The most important visual elements are the color and the symbolization that the image represents. The woman on the logo makes it look inviting or almost enticing.

•                How is color used?

Green refers to nature and a calming color. I also see green as a bold or crisp color that could represent the boldness of the coffee they serve.

•                Can the image be looked at different ways?

I believe the image can be looked at differently.  Adults and people who drink coffee would view the image as a place to purchase good coffee and even relax and read the paper or surf the Internet in a peaceful yet interactive environment or socialize with friends.  Others may just see this image or logo and recognize the woman with a crown and a “mermaid-like” tail such as Ariel.  They may also focus on the fact that the woman is wearing a crown and therefore must be a princess or a queen.

•                What meanings are conveyed by design choices?

The meaning conveyed by the design choice was to represent a siren from Greek mythology.  Starbucks Company chose this symbol because the company began in Seattle, WA in 1971. Many years ago Seattle was known for its sailing and seaports and the siren in Greek mythology was thought to lure sailors with her beautiful melodies.  When sailors would hear the melodies of the sirens they would become obsessed in finding them and hit the rocks in the harbor area, ships would sink and they would die.

References

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

Image retrieved from http://russell.heistruman.com on June 20, 2014.