Children s Literature Lesson Plan 1.pdf ENM2 Task 1 Western Governors University A. T (GRADED)

ENM2 Task 1 Western Governors University A. The children's book I chose for this task assessment was Yoko, written and illustrated by Rosemary Wells. The positive diverse representation in thi s book is that of the main character, a little girl, Yoko who is of Japanese ethnicity in a multicultural school but she doesn’t quite fit in. However, in the end she finds a friend who can accept her differences and share in her culture. B. Wells’ book helps students gain perspective for understanding diversity in the world by seeing that there are many children in school who have different backgrounds, ethnicities, and come from other countries who may be different, but share one thing in common: food. A cultural exchange occurs after the teacher notices that Yoko is ostracized because of the food she brings to school which is very unusual compared to the other student’s lunches, and the teacher wants her to feel included and not made fun of for the kind of food she eats. 1. The students in Yoko’s class are excited to share their cultural backgrounds with others by presenting traditional foods during an “International Food Day” at school. There are many cultures shared in the book including traditional food, dress and the countries’ flags such as France, Italy, Ireland, Israel, Brazil, and others, (Wells, 1998). 2. The literary theme of the book Yoko is “acceptance”. a. One example of this literary element supports the plot. The scene after lunch, where the student’s made fun of Yoko for bringing sushi. Afterwards during recess Yoko didn’t want to play, so the teacher asked her what was wrong. “Everybody laughed at my lunch,” answered Yoko. “They’ll forget about it by snack time,” said Mrs. Jenkins, (Wells, 1998). But they didn’t. (During snack time the students also made fun of Yoko’s snack). It was after this teasing that the teacher decided to teach a social skills lesson to the class by incorporating an International Food Day at school.The students were directed to try a bite of everything. It is inferred that if everyone brings a foreign dish, then Yoko won’t be the only one bringing something unusual, and that by trying all kinds of new foods, the other student’s might actually try and like the sushi. However, only one student did try it, liked it and became friends with Yoko after that. 3. It is important to select children’s literature that incorporates quality artwork, illustrations or images because the illustrations help to relate the information from the text in meaningful ways. The artistic mediums, techniques, and style also impact the reader by evoking emotions through the illustrations tone or mood (Galda, 2017). Books that have visually stimulating artwork can help to decode the words into instantly recognizable visual interpretation which will help encourage the reader to actively find visual clues to interpret the fundamental elements in the story, (Middleton, 2018). Quality imagery, especially in picturebooks, which are fundamental for the emergent reader, can further enhance the meaning of the story. Pictures or images in a book can help the reader hone in on details that words cannot express, according to Nodelman (1988), “words limit the illustrations by telling us what to pay attention to and how to interpret them”. 4. The picture from the book I chose conveys the theme of “acceptance” because Timothy is willing to try Yoko’s sushi, whereas none of the other student’s were willing to accept the cultural food. What is also conveyed is the way Timothy is trying to use chopsticks and is having difficulty then Yoko shows him how. This was not directly stated in words, but as stated earlier, the illustrations in a picturebook help tell more than the words alone can say. The illustrations in this book are drawn in an “Outline” style art which Rosemary Wells is well known for in all of her children’s books. 4. The genre of the book Yoko is that of a realistic fiction picturebook. a. Two characteristics of a picturebook are: (1) Picture books may or may not have words in them, but the words alone cannot convey the entire story. (2) The visual illustrations can provide the entire narrative without use of the written word. In other words, the illustrations along with the written word will unite and harmonize the story to fulfill the ultimate goal of “synergy”, (Sipe, 1998). This picturebook genre is that of realistic fiction. b. A characteristic that defines realistic fiction in this book is that the story helps to illuminate that there are social concerns and divides, even in the lower elementary grades as shown when some students make fun of Yoko for bringing sushi and red bean ice cream to school. “Realistic fiction is a story that the author reveals what could really happen in a particular time and place to particular people, (Galda, 2017). C. The following pages will show the lesson plan I have developed to help teach analyzing a literary theme. Direct Instruction Lesson Plan ENM2 — ENM2 TASK 1: CHILDREN’S LITERATURE — C970 General Information Lesson Title: Analyzing a literary theme Subject(s): ELA Grade/Level/Setting: 2nd grade, General Ed, whole group/small group/individual Prerequisite Skills/Prior Knowledge: The students should be able to sit and listen to a story, use an iPad to locate lesson plan activities on apps. Prior knowledge on story formations,fiction/nonfiction, main idea, and “beginning, middle, end” retelling of a story. Standards and Objectives TEKS 110.4 English Language Arts and Reading, Grade 2, Adopted 2017: (8) Multiple genres: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts--literary elements. The student recognizes and analyzes literary elements within and across increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse literary texts. The student is expected to: (A) discuss topics and determine theme using text evidence with adult assistance; Reference: TEA. (2017). Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Grade 2. Retrieved December 1, 2020 from