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.