The Recess Queen

The Recess Queen, Alexis, O'Niel, 2002, 20 pages, Poetry and Free Verse

Theme- Bullying, Problem Resolution

Summary- Mean Jean bullies other kids on the playground during recess.  Everyone knows not to play with the equipment until Jean has gone first.  One day, a new student arrives, Katie Sue.  She is not aware of the rules, and gets in a confrontation with Jean.  

Awards 

Honors 

• Junior Library Guild Selection 2002
• Los Angeles Times Children’s Bestsellers List, Spring 2002
• Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books, Recommended Book, March 2002
• Oppenheim Toy Portfolio 2002
• Bank Street College, Best Books of 2002
• Dr. Peggy Sharp’s List of the Top 25 Books of 2002

Children’s Choice Awards:

• Maryland Children’s Book Award, Winner 2004
• Virginia Young Readers, Winner 2003-2004

Personal Response- This is one of my favorite books.  I love the part when Katie Sue stands up for herself even though she is the new girl in school.  

Classroom Use- This book could be used in the beginning of the year to go over playground procedures, and how students should be teaching each other.

Teacher Notes- This book would be a good book to read to teach students that student conflict could be solved without the help of teachers or adults.  

Fab 4 Reflection

I really enjoyed doing this project.  When I first saw the book, I only skimmed through it and thought that it would not be very difficult to read.  Reading is one of my favorite subjects but throughout school, the teachers that I had made textbooks unappealing.  However, after reading this particular textbook I learned about a variety of genres and how to use this to teach students and how to make it interesting.  After reading the text, I not only feel prepared to pick out books for my future classroom but also how to make each book more interesting.  

Historical Fiction

I have recently started reading Historical Fiction and I have learned that I really enjoy it. I remember this genre being something that we were required to read in middle school, and unfortunately the teachers only gave us quizzes when we were done reading chapters in the book.  But as I got older, I realized that the only reason I didn’t like historical fiction was because of the quizzes but when I chose a book to read for fun, it was more enjoyable for me.  Historical fiction is a good genre because it is real in the sense that it could happen in real life and usually takes place in a time before the life of the author.  When historical fiction is written in story form, it is easier for the students to understand and be able to make connections in the real world.  In the classroom, we can use historical fiction to teach different categories such as WW1, The Great Depression, and Ancient Times.  

Some Historical Fiction Books

PICTURE BOOK

Levine, Ellen. Henry’s Freedom Box. Caldecott Honor Book. 2008.

Henry Brown doesn't know how old he is. Nobody keeps records of slaves' birthdays. Henry dreams about freedom, but that dream seems farther away than ever when he is torn from his family and put to work in a warehouse. Henry grows up and marries, but he is again devastated when his family is sold at the slave market. Henry decides that he will mail himself to the North. After his journey, Henry finally has a birthday — his first day of freedom

SHORT CHAPTER BOOK

Munoz, Pam. Esperanza Rising. Scholastic Inc. 1998.

Politics and family problems force Esperanza and her mother to leave Mexico for California.  After a long train ride the group arrives in Los Angeles and then travel by truck to the San Fernando Valley where they meet a girl named Isabel, her parents Juan and Josefina, and Isabel's baby brother and sister, Lupe and Pepe. Due to her privileged background, Esperanza is hated by some of the workers, and she finds it difficult to adapt to her new life. She and her mother now share a shack with Alfonso and his family as the owners of the camp do not allow single mothers to have their own shacks, only men.

YOUNG ADOLESCENT CHAPTER BOOK

 

Curtis, Christopher Paul. Bud, Not Buddy.  Delacorte Books. 1998.

After being tired of living in orphanages, Bud sets out to find his father that he never met.  His deceased mother had once given Bud a clue as to his whereabouts