Literature

I think the best way to promote literature in a classroom is to have the books available to the students. Easy access to literature makes the idea acceptable, as well as informative. As a kindergarten teacher I made sure the books were in reach of the children, for example I would use the chalkboard ledge to view the books. In addition, I had the literature center organized so the students could easily select the book of their choice. I encouraged the students to go anywhere in the room to read, either by themselves or with a partner. I loved listening to their summary of the stories, and when their opinions about the book, were added, well that made my day.

I think for the ELL student it is important for them to have the same exposure. Furthermore, with the younger students I suggest big books. As a kindergarten teacher I would have the big books set on a tripod, and the students would use a pointer to read the text. Additionally, during read alouds I would make sure that I paused for several seconds after I read a page. This allowed the students to study the illustration, which helps the child to understand the story. I was fascinated with their focus as they would just quietly, and thoughtfully look at the pictures. Lastly, I did notice the students did better with comprehension. In part because of my manner in the read aloud, and with repetition, and the other aspect was with the illustrations.

For my activities, I am going to suggest a thematic unit about New York City.

To begin, a warm up could involve asking the students why New York is famous and if they have ever been to New York, and what they saw during their visit.

1. Introduction of a specific place in New York, such as Battery Park. The students are to observe a picture and connect the words to the illustration. The students will pretest with vocabulary by placing the word onto the illustration. The students will discuss their reasoning and explore the correct answers. 2. Understanding the picture- The students will identify the famous sights in Battery Park, such as: Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the Verrazano-Narrow Bridge, Brooklyn. and Staten Island. 3. The students will identify people in the illustration: buying a balloon, walking a dog, taking a picture, feeding a bird, waiting in line, waving, selling hot dogs, and listening to music. 4. There are several kinds of boats in the picture and the students will identify the boats: a garbage barge, a Coast Guard boat, the Staten Island Ferry, tugboat, a fire boat.
 * American flag
 * boat
 * bridge
 * camera
 * ferry
 * island
 * ocean
 * Statur of Liberty
 * ocean
 * street vendor

For the second activity I will extend from the above- 1. Provide the students with background information about Battery Park and Ellis Island- 2. The students will define words from the background knowledge of the two areas. 3. The studetns will write sentences with the above vocabulary words. 4. The students will create a chart that shows the year each student's family came to the United States and the country each family came from. In addition, the students will calculate the number of families who came from the same country. How many came to the United States during the same years, The students will discuss together the results of which family traveled the farthest, arrived first. Then the students will discuss in small groups about how, when, and why the families came to the United States. The students will listen to classmates and ask questions about their families and experiences.
 * Battery (n) a group of guns
 * to defend (v) to protect someone or something from attack.
 * exhibit (n) a showing of art or other interesting things.
 * to honor (v) to show respect for someone or something.
 * inspection (n) examination; a careful checking.