Blog #5

The first children’s book I reviwed was The Very Hungry Caterpiller, by Eric Carle. I chose this because it is a familiar book to many children, has a cute story with colorful stories. It is also used as part of an author study in many kindergarten/first grade classrooms.

From the very first page I realized that this might be difficult for comprehension with ELL students. The first page read, “In the light of the moon a little egg lay on a leaf.” The phrase “in the light of the moon” may be a difficult concept for the students to understand. The picture is helpful because it show the moon as a large part of the picture.  The other aspects of the story that may be difficult are toward the end of the story. The caterpiller eats a lot and gets fat, bulids a cacoon, “He stays inside for more than two weeks. Then nibbled a hole in the cacoon, pushed his way out and…” The concept of time and the scientific nature of the cacoon may be hard to comprehend.

The schema could be taught by introducing this story with other examples of caterpillers turning into butterflies, introducing the vocabulary words prior to reading the story, and giving examples by using different pictures.

The second children’s book I reviewed was Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, by Bill Martin and John Archambault. I chose this book because it is a useful tool for teaching the alphabet. This may be difficult because students may have a hard time seeing the humor behind it. The idea that the letters are staying in order but that it is playful story. Phrases like “stubbed-toe E and patched-up F,” may be to abstract. As well as the silly phrases like “ally-oop” and skoodle doot.”

This could be introduced as a song. The teacher could play the song and show the book as a “big book” to the class. If the sing the story as the teacher points to the letters, this may help. Plus this can be introduced as a phonics lesson about sounds and nonsense words.