Illustrated Story & Picture Book

Criteria for Quality Selection
A illustrated story incorporates a vast amount of visuals to explain the story. Some illustrated stories contain no words and only visuals to tell the story. The most important criterion to consider when selecting an illustrated story book is appeal. Since the story is mostly told through images students need to find the book appealing. The book needs to have eye catching appeal that makes students want to read the text. The second criterion I would look for when selecting this genre is appropriateness. Is the text appropriate for the age group that will be reading this text?

Use in the Classroom
I would incorporate this text into my classroom when we are are talking about inferences. The text does not directly tell students what is going on they have to try and figure out what is going in. Exposing students to this genre will expose them to all the different ways a story can be told. I will use illustrated story and picture books in my classroom for shared reading and read aloud. I will also have a wide variety of these text available in my classroom library for students to refer to on their own time.

Award Links:
http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal
http://www.15degreelab.com/givernyawarddescription.html

Text and Author Links:
http://www.jacquelinebriggsmartin.com/books/snowflakebentley.html
http://www.marcuspfister.ch

General Genre Links:
http://www.underdown.org/childrens-book-awards.htm
http://www.rif.org/us/literacy-resources/articles/sources-of-award-winning-childrens-books.htm

Teaching Ideas for Students:
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/teach-award-winning-childrens-books
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/story-books-classroom

Snowflake Bentley
Martin, J., & Azarian, M. (1998). Snowflake Bentley. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Reference Information for Accessing the Text:
ISBN: 0547248296

Complex Text Level:
2nd & 3rd grade

Grade Level Span Reading Aloud:
1st & 2nd grade

Major Themes:

• Evolution of photography
• Snowflakes are each created differently

Worthy Qualities of Writing:

• History sidebars throughout the text
• The book has received the Caldecott award

Connections to Authentic Local, National, and Global Issues

• How photography evolved 

Difficulties for Students

• Students may have difficulty understanding why each snowflake is different
• Students may have difficulty understanding the evolution of cameras

Rainbow Fish
Pfister, M. (1992). The rainbow fish. New York: North-South Books

Reference Information for Accessing the Text:
ISBN:1558580093

Complex Text Level:
2nd & 3rd grade

Grade Level Span Reading Aloud:
1st & 2nd grade

Major Themes:

• Values
• Friends 

Worthy Qualities of Writing:

• The illustrations are eye-catching and grabs the attention of readers
• Easy to read to read text
• Great story line

Connections to Authentic Local, National, and Global Issues

• Sharing will help you make strong friendships

Difficulties for Students

• Misinterpreting the moral of the story

Support Needed

• Understanding of values and friendship
• Pre-teaching of complex vocabulary words

Science Fiction & Modern Fantasy

Criteria for Quality Selection
Science fiction text focus on using laws and theories of a scientific concept to look into the future. Modern fantasy looks into an imaginative world with unnatural characters or events. These text often occur in an alternative world. The most important criterion I would look for when selecting this text is appropriateness of the text. These texts can sometimes be very violent and it is important to make sure the text is appropriate for the audience that is reading it. The second criterion I would look for when selecting this text is organization. The text needs to be done in an organized matter so students understand what is going on and can accurately follow what is occurring in the text.

Use in the Classroom
I would incorporate this text into my classroom when we are learning about science fiction and fantasy in the classroom. Exposing students to this genre will expose them to the an unnatural world and give them an idea of what an unnatural world would be like. I will use science fiction & fantasy  in my classroom for read aloud. I will also have a wide variety of these text available in my classroom library for students to refer to on their own time.

Award Links:
http://www.thehugoawards.org
https://www.sfwa.org/nebula-awards/

Text and Author Links:
http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com
http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com

General Genre Links:
http://www.sfcenter.ku.edu/SF-Defined.htm
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/science-fiction

Teaching Ideas for Students:
http://www.scoop.it/t/teaching-science-fiction
http://www.kimskorner4teachertalk.com/readingliterature/genres/science/sciencefiction.htm

Divergent 
Roth, V. (2013). Divergent. New York: Katherine Tegen Books

Reference Information for Accessing the Text:
ISBN:9780062387240

Complex Text Level:
5th & 6th grade

Grade Level Span Reading Aloud:

4th & 5th grade

Major Themes:

• Values
• Virtues
• Family 
• Self-sacrifice 

Worthy Qualities of Writing:

• Vivid details used throughout the text to help readers visualize the text 
• Students can relate themselves to the different factions

Connections to Authentic Local, National, and Global Issues

• The effects of having a war

Difficulties for Students

• Understanding the different factions

Support Needed

• Pre-teaching of all the different factions
• Pre-teaching of complex vocabulary words
• Give students a warning about when the graphic scenes are coming. This way if students do not want to read that section they won't have to.

Hunger Games
Collins, S. (2010). The hunger games. London: Scholastic

Reference Information for Accessing the Text:
ISBN:9780439023528

Complex Text Level:
5th & 6th grade

Grade Level Span Reading Aloud:

4th & 5th grade

Major Themes:

• Self-esteem & reliance 
• Self respect 
• Family 

Worthy Qualities of Writing:

• Understanding the different districts 
• Vivid details used to help students visualize what is happening in the text 
• Students can make connections to their own life

Connections to Authentic Local, National, and Global Issues

• World Hunger 
• The effects of having a war

Difficulties for Students

• Understanding why Panem has power over everyone
• Understanding why they hold the hunger games

Support Needed

• Pre-teaching of the different districts
• Pre-teaching of what Panem is
• Pre-teaching of complex vocabulary words
• Give students a warning of the graphic scenes. This way students can skip this part of the book. 

21st Century Genres

Criteria for Quality Selection
The 21st century genres uses visual storytelling to tell a story through images, symbols, and movies. This text use multiple resources to tell the story. The first criterion I would look for when selecting this text is appeal. Since these text mostly focus on visuals, it is important that the text is appealing to students. The second criterion I would look for when selecting a text is organization. The organization of the text needs to be clear so students can understand the purpose of the text.

Use in the Classroom
I would incorporate this text into my classroom when we are learning about technology in the classroom. Exposing students to this genre will expose them to all the different types of texts. This texts are different then texts students generally get exposed to. I will use 21st century genre in my classroom for shared reading and read aloud. I will also have a wide variety of these text available in my classroom library for students to refer to on their own time.

Award Links:
http://www.thehugoawards.org
http://www.comic-con.org/awards/eisner-awards-current-info
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-04-03/38th-annual-kodansha-manga-awards-nominees-announced

Text and Author Links:
http://www.wimpykid.com/about-the-author/
http://judyblundell.com

General Genre Links:
http://digitalis.nwp.org/resource/5056
http://brinksbooks.weebly.com/doodle-fiction.html

Teaching Ideas for Students:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/141441244522266091/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/287597126178940703/

39 Clues
Riordan, R. (2008). The maze of bones. New York: Scholastic.

Reference Information for Accessing the Text:

ISBN: 0545060397

Complex Text Level:
4th & 5th grade

Grade Level Span Reading Aloud:
3rd & 4th grade

Major Themes:

• Talent
• Success
• History

Worthy Qualities of Writing:

• The text has short easy chapters 
• The text uses vivid details to help students visualize what is happening

Connections to Authentic Local, National, and Global Issues

• Orphans trying to make a better life for themselves

Difficulties for Students

• Contains some violence 
• May have a hard time following all the characters

Support Needed

• Pre-teaching of all the different characters
• Warning of when the graphic scenes are about to occur

The Diary of the Wimpy Kid
Kinney, J. (2007). Diary of a wimpy kid. (Ed. ed.). New York: Amulet Books.

Reference Information for Accessing the Text:

ISBN: 978-0-8109-9313-6

Complex Text Level:
4th & 5th gradet

Grade Level Span Reading Aloud:
3rd & 4th grade

Major Themes:

• Struggles of being a middle schooler
• Friendship

Worthy Qualities of Writing:

• The text has doodles on each page and looks like it was written in a notebook
• The text does not have a lot of writing on each page
• The drawings throughout the text directly correlate to what the text is talking about

Connections to Authentic Local, National, and Global Issues

• Bullying and peer pressure 

Difficulties for Students

• Students may have a hard time following the text because it uses a lot of images

Support Needed

• Pre-teaching of complex vocabulary words in the text
• Pre-teaching of how to read a chapter book with lots of images

Historical Fiction

Criteria for Quality Selection
A literary genre in which the story takes place in a setting in the past. The most important criterion to consider when selecting a historical fiction text is the appropriateness of the text. The text should relate to concepts that are being discussed in the class. This way students can make connections between the text and what they are talking about in class. The second criterion to look for when selecting this text is organization. The text needs to be clearly organized so students understand the purpose of the text.

Use in the Classroom
I would incorporate this text into my classroom when we are learning about important historical events in the classroom. Exposing students to this genre will expose them to all the different historical events that have been passed from generation to generation. I will use historical fiction in my classroom for shared reading and read aloud. I will also have a wide variety of these text available in my classroom library for students to refer to on their own time.

Award Links:
http://www.langumtrust.org/histlit.html
https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-historical-fiction-books-2014

Text and Author Links:
http://www.jessieburton.co.uk
http://www.randomhouse.com/features/markuszusak/

General Genre Links:
http://fmwriters.com/Visionback/Issue34/historicalfic.htm
https://historicalnovelsociety.org/guides/defining-the-genre/defining-the-genre-what-are-the-rules-for-historical-fiction/

Teaching Ideas for Students:
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/why-and-how-i-teach-historical-fiction
http://www.kimskorner4teachertalk.com/readingliterature/genres/historical/historicalfiction.htm

Moses
Weatherford, C., & Nelson, K. (2006). Moses: When Harriet Tubman led her people to freedom. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.

Reference Information for Accessing the Text:
ISBN: 978-078685175

Complex Text Level:
3rd & 4th grade

Grade Level Span Reading Aloud:
2nd & 3rd grade

Major Themes:

• Freedom
• Bravery

Worthy Qualities of Writing

• Illustrations directly correlate with the text
• Received the Caldecott award 
• Explains Harriet Tubman's journey to free the slaves

Connections to Authentic Local, National, and Global Issues

• Growing up in a difficult time

Difficulties for Students

• Students will need to understand the underground railroad movement
• Understanding Harriet Tubman 

Support Needed

• Understand the underground railroad movement
• Pre-teaching of Harriet Tubman
• Pre-teaching of complex vocabulary words 

The Book Thief
Zusak, M. (2006). The Book Thief: I Am The Messenger:. New York, New York: Random House Children's Books.

Reference Information for Accessing the Text:
ISBN: 978-0-375-84220-7


Complex Text Level
5th & 6th grade

Grade Level Span Reading Aloud
4th & 5th grade

Major Themes

• World War II
• Concentration Camps

Worthy Qualities of Writing:

• Chapters are not too long
• Vivid details to help students visualize what is happening in the text
• The connection to real life events

Connections to Authentic Local, National, and Global Issues

• Concentration Camps
• Growing up during a difficult time

Difficulties for Students

• The story line of the text can be hard to follow at first
• Takes place in a different country students may have a hard time understand the geographic locations

Support Needed

• Understanding of what the WWII was
• Understanding of complex vocabulary words