Literature Focus Units

1
Literature Focus Units

• Which books?
• What components?
• What kinds?

2
Choosing Literature

• Pick the best of the best
• Ten story genres to choose from
• Stories vs. informational vs. poetry
• Think multi-cultural

3
Story Genres
4
Poetry Vs. Prose

• Poetry books
• Black is Brown is Tan
• You Read to Me, Ill Read to You
• Joyful Noise Poems for Two Voices
• Who Shrank My Grandmothers House?
• Where the Sidewalk Ends

5
Traditional Fantasy

• Folktales
• Fairy tales
• Tall tales
• Fables
• Myths
• Epics, Ballads, Legends

• Examples
• The Adventures of Brer Rabbit
• The Stonecutter A Japanese Folk Tale
• Why Mosquitoes Buzz in Peoples Ears
• Swamp Angel
• Little Red Riding Hood
• American Tall Tales

6
Modern Fantasy

• Categories
• Magic Special Characters
• Other Worlds Fantastic Objects
• Good vs. Evil
• Heroism

• Examples
• The Book of Three
• Tuck Everlasting
• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
• Z for Zachariah
• Charlottes Web

7
Contemporary-Realistic

• Categories
• Becoming ones own person
• Coping with problems of the human condition
• Living in a diverse world
• Examples
• Lottery Rose
• Hatchet
• Where the Red Fern Grows
• Maniac Magee

8
Historical Fiction

• What makes good historical fiction?
• History should not be sugar-coated
• Historical accuracy is required
• The story must make the historical time period
  come alive
• The story usually reveals history through the
  eyes of the young protagonist
• The writing style should avoid giving too much
  attention to historical detail

9
Historical Fiction (cont.)

• Examples
• The Fighting Ground
• The Witch of Blackbird Pond
• Night Journeys
• Stone Fox
• Across Five Aprils
• Snow Treasure
• Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
• Pink and Say

10
Biography

• Types
• Picture
• Simplified
• Complete
• Partial
• Examples
• Lincoln A Photobiography
• Woodsong
• Ty Cobb Bad Boy of Baseball
• Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt

11
Informational Books

• What makes a good informational book?
• Attractive Format Design
• Colors
• Eye-catching covers
• Compelling Details
• Quotations
• Anecdotes
• Little-known facts
• Fascinating Comparisons
• Unusual Subject or Viewpoints
• Personalized Content
• Accuracy

12
Informational Books (cont.)

• Types
• Focused, one subject
• Activity
• Concept
• Journals/Interviews
• Photo Essays
• Pop-ups
• Reference
• Series
• Social histories
• Survey

13
Informational Books (cont.)

• Examples
• Blood and Guts
• Kids at Work
• Children of the Dustbowl
• Mummies Made in Egypt
• Amazing Mammals
• How Much is a Million
• The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone
• Stephen Biestys Cross Sections Man of War

14
Developing a Literature Focus Unit

• Step One Select the literature
• Step Two Set goals
• Step Three Develop a plan
• Step Four Coordinate grouping patterns with
  activities
• Step Five Create a time schedule
• Step Six Manage record keeping

15
Focus of the Unit

• Picture books
• Chapter books
• Genre of writing
• Author or illustrator