Dr. Frye's Children's Literature Blog: Exploring Historical Fiction and Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Exploring Historical Fiction and Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata

Assignments due March 18:

Read Temple Ch. 6: Traditional Literature

Read Lon Po Po (Paperstar) by Ed Young (Author) and

Swamp Angel (Paperback) by Anne Isaacs (Author), Paul O. Zelinsky (Illustrator)

· Read two versions of Red Riding Hood (Lon Po Po may be one.) or two versions of another traditional tale.

· Compare and Contrast the two versions through a “Creative Venn Diagram.” Use symbols from the book to add to your Venn Diagram.Please include at least 5 similarities and 5 differences written in phrases or sentences. Please POST a PHOTO of the Venn Diagram to your blog; please include your responses on the books you read.

· I expect to see considerable effort demonstrated in the construction of your Venn Diagram! Enjoy!

· You may enter all 3 books as responses on your BLOG!

The Venn Diagram is made up of two or more overlapping circles. It is often used in language arts instruction; Venn Diagrams are useful for examining similarities and differences in characters, stories, poems, etc. In other words, this kind of graphic organizer aids students in comparing and contrasting through visually organizing the information.

Tentative Schedule and Assignments RE 3240

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Historical Fiction is a work of fiction set during a period in the past, where facts from the past become alive. In other words, it is a story about a time period prior to when it was written.

v Ancient Times through Medieval Period

v European Renaissance

v The Americas before 1600

v Colonial America

v The American Revolution

v Early to Mid-Nineteenth Century

v Slavery, The Civil War, Reconstruction

v Westward Movement in the US

v Industrialization

v Immigration

v Late-Nineteenth Century to Early Twentieth Century

v World War II

v Mid-Twentieth Century

Categories of Historical Fiction:

v Fictionalized Memoirs- the bracelet by Yoshiko Uchida (She has fictionalized her personal experience; writing in a time period vastly different; passage of time allows the writer to achieve historical perspective.)

v Fictionalized Family History-Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco

v Fiction Based on Research- Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

v Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata

v Baseball Saved Us –by Ken Mochizuki

o Internment Camps/Forced Relocation/Prisoners-of-War

Reading Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata-

Find examples of the following issues/themes/topics in the book:

o Kusabana

o What does if feel like to be lonely?

o Stereotypes

· Japanese

· Native American