Science Fiction & Modern Fantasy

Genre Study:

Science fiction is a literary genre of fiction that involves speculations on current or future science or technology. Science fiction books incorporate imaginative elements not found in contemporary or modern reality such as fantastical or unreal components. Within the science fiction genre, the contexts of most stories have imaginary elements that are largely possible within the scientific established or scientifically assumed laws of nature. For the most part, the elements are largely imaginative and speculative which makes science fiction a genre of ideas. The purpose for science fiction is to write for entertainment and to write rationally about the alternate possibilities in settings that are contrary to reality. Science fiction is a genre that generalizes from current scientific trends. The technology of a science fiction story may be either the driving force of the story or merely the setting for a drama, but all science fiction tends to predict or define the future. Fantasy is a genre not based in reality presupposing that magic and mythical/supernatural creatures exist. Fantasy adventure is a sub-genre of fantasy, which suggests that magic exists in our modern-day world, and often wrestles with contemporary issues. Science fiction and fantasy books can be used in the classroom to drive students to think outside the box about issues and creative possibilities of our world. Students can be encouraged to work on their own writings involving science fiction elements or fantastical components.

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Selected Titles:

Collins, S. (2010). Mockingjay. New York: Scholastic Press.

Mockingjay has a reading interest level for grades 7-9 and a Lexile level of 810L and grade level equivalent of 5.3. Mockingjay is the third book of the Hunger Games trilogy, and it is a book that students can read after they have read through The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. The themes presented in this trilogy are preferably suited for older readers at least in the 6th grade. Readers can identify several connections and comparisons to situations in history that are similar to the actions that are played out in this text. Students can easily compare and contrast aspects from what they understand about war and conflicts in the US and in the world. Teenage readers will develop a strong appreciation for the main characters in the text like Katniss, Gale, Peeta, and others because they are all teenagers who are making a change in the world that they live. Overall the meaning, text organization, vocabulary, sentence structure, life experiences, and cultural knowledge are very complex qualitative components of the text.

Farmer, N. (2002). The house of the scorpion. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

The House of the Scorpion has a Lexile Level of 660 and an AR Book Level of 5.1. The text complexity band level is 2^nd-3^rd and the recommended text complexity band level is 4^th-8^th grade. Although this book is leveled quite low, the content within the book is not a good suit for students of a lower grade level, which is why I would recommend this book for advanced readers at the upper elementary level and students in middle school. This would be a great book to use for opinion writing and argumentative writing. The way this boy was born or ”created” is quite a controversial topic so it could turn into a heated topic of discussion. The themes explored in this book include growing up, equality/human civil rights, and social perspectives on science. A connection to the real world explored in this text is equality because it is an issue that continues to be brought up in our society today and has been brought up regularly in the past. Another connections would be social perspectives on science, which is a topic that continues to be a hot topic of discussion in our society today as we continue to advance our technology today. A third connection is growing up or the coming of age that almost each and every one of our students continue to experience in their lives. Some students may have a difficult time making connections with the text through the perspective of the social perspectives of science, specifically depending on the grade level of the students.  If students are in upper elementary, they might not have much background knowledge to use in the process of making connections with the text.  They also may not fully understand the process of “test tube children” at this point in their lives. It will be important for us to consider the maturity of our students who plan to read this text. We may also need to provide students with background knowledge on this social perspective of science in order for them to further understand the text. We could also provide students with comprehension strategies to further help students grab an understanding of what is going on within the text. The House of the Scorpion has won the Newbery Honor Book, Michael L. Printz Honor Book, and the National Book Award Winner.

Realistic Fiction

Genre Study:

Realistic fiction is a literature genre that consists of stories that could have actually occurred to people or animals in a believable setting. The stories often resemble real life, and fictional characters in the stories act and behave similarly to real people. The plot of a realistic fiction novel generally highlights the social or personal events or issues that are often found in real life. The setting of a realistic fiction novel is a real place or resembles a real place and the events that occur outside of the action of the fictional characters is usually real events that have happened or are happening in real life. Many realistic fiction books can be used for writing prompts to see what students think from a small portion of the text read aloud to them.  These books can also be used as a basic reflection tool to see what students get out of the book.  One way we could do this is ask students to reflect on the concepts within the book prior to reading the book, and then ask them to write about them again after they have finished reading the text.  We can use realistic fiction to help our students see a variety of concepts about life from a different perspective than they experience them in their own lives too.  Once students finish reading the book, we can ask them to reflect about ways the book has changed them, as well as ways they plan to change in order to prevent or decrease the chance of things happening, like the book, in the areas around them.

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Selected Titles:

Curtis, C. (1999). Bud, not buddy. New York: Delacorte Press.

This book has an interest level for grades 5-8 and a Lexile level of 950L and a grade level equivalent of 5.2. Bud, Not Buddy won the 2000 Newbery Award winner and it is a story of an orphan boy, Bud, during the Great Depression (1936) in Flint, Michigan who is on a quest to find his father who he believes is a man called Herman E. Calloway. Bud carries his suitcase around with him wherever he goes because it holds his only belongings and he insists that people call him Bud, not Buddy. Events occur in the book that are based on true historical facts like the Great Depression, Hoovervilles, Jazz music, civil rights, and union workers. The language used in Bud, Not Buddy is moderately complex so students can follow the events fluently so they can focus more on the more complex meaning and life experiences associated with the text. Students can connect to Bud because he is a 10-year-old boy with a curious and adventurous mind and he frequently tells the readers about his Rules and Things To Have a Funner Life and Make a Better Liar Out of Yourself, which is something that kids will find entertaining and funny.

Giff, P. (2002). Pictures of hollis woods. New York: Wendy Lamb Books.

This text has an interest level of grades 5-8 and a Lexile level of 650L and a grade level equivalent of 4.5. Pictures of Hollis Woods is about a character named Hollis Woods is a 12-year-old girl who is transferred from foster home to foster home and she is very skilled at drawing pictures but the adoption and foster care agency believes she needs to be in school more and needs different care even if she gets comfortable with her caretakers. The organization of the text in Pictures of Hollis Woods is very complexity because each chapter is either about a picture that Hollis has drawn so it is kind of a flashback moment for the reader to understand where she has been in her past or the chapter is about a situation that is currently happening with Hollis. Students need to be aware of the organization of the book because it is very complex and students will struggle to get the most out of the text if they do not follow the storyline. Students can make connections to Hollis because she is a young girl who wants to do what she loves and feel wanted and needed by somebody else. Students will empathize with Hollis Woods as well because she is an orphan who does not get fully understood by adults and the social agency.

Poetry

Genre Study:

Poetry is a form of literature that uses rhythmic qualities of language and the content is designed to provoke emotional responses or meaningful reactions. Poetry often uses particular forms and conventions to expand the literal meaning of the words, or to evoke emotional or sensual responses. Assonance, alliteration, onomatopoeia and rhythm are devices used to add musical effects. Poems are often interpreted in multiple ways because of the use of ambiguity, symbolism, irony, and poetic diction. Metaphors and similes used in poetry often create a resonance and a layering of meanings, forming connections that were not previously perceived. Poetry is often easy to read or the vocabulary can be less complex because the major purpose behind poetic literature is to perceive a meaningful and emotional response from the reader. Poetry can be used in the elementary classroom to promote conversation about interpretations from the text. Poetry can also be used as mentor texts for using a specific reading comprehension strategy or for developing fluency and prosody.

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Selected Titles:

Hesse, K. (1997). Out of the dust. New York: Scholastic Press.

This story has a grade level equivalent of 5.1 and an interest level for grades 3-7. Out of the Dust is a collection of separate little poems that reads like a novel. Out of the Dust tells the story of a girl named Billie Jo, who struggles to help her family survive the dust-bowl-years of the Depression. Students can make connections to this text by relating to what life would have been like during the Great Depression as a child, just like Billie Jo. Readers will be able to have frequent resting points throughout the novel because the poem cycle contains short poems that read like separate chapters to tell the story. Some students can be able to empathize with Billie Jo because she has to take on the responsibility of her mother since her mother dies in a tragic accident. Students who are learning about writing their own poetry can use Out of the Dust as a mentor text for their own writing. Students can explore the power and structure of free-verse poetry when reading Out of the Dust. Karen Hesse writes other texts that are similar to Out of the Dust like Witness that are also free verse poetry which students can read after they explore Out of the Dust

Seuss. (1960). Green eggs and ham. New York: Random House Inc.

Green Eggs and Ham has a Lexile level of 30L and a grade level equivalency of Pre K to 2nd grade. Dr. Seuss writes Green Eggs and Ham with a repetitive and cumulative structure of the action and the readers can easily follow along with what the two characters are going to do. Green Eggs and Ham is one of Seuss's "Beginner Books", written in a very simple vocabulary for beginning readers. Seuss writes this text by using only 50 different words and manages to keep the story engaging for readers while having fluid rhythm and rhyme. Students can explore and recognize how to write poems with rhyme and that are interesting for the audience to follow and keep the flow of the text smooth. This text is a great source for building reading fluency for young and beginning readers.

Mystery

Genre Study:

Mystery fiction texts are a genre of fiction that typically focuses the plot of the story and the actions of the characters on the investigation of a crime or investigation of a puzzle. Mystery fiction can also be referred to as detective fiction or crime fiction because the novel or story involves a character that is either a professional detective or behaves like an investigator or detective in order to solve a puzzle or crime. The emphasis of most mystery fiction stories is on a puzzle or suspense element in which the characters experience successes and failures in the process of discovering the solution or cracking a code. Readers are able to engage in the suspenseful actions of the plot by thinking about the mystery and investigation and trying to discover the solutions along with the characters of the text. Sometimes mystery fiction texts include a supernatural or thriller mystery where the solution does not seem logical and may not involve a crime. Throughout the plot of most mystery fiction novels, the characters are required to use clues, codes, puzzles, and wit to solve a problem or a crime. Mysteries have the ability to get reluctant readers and writers enthusiastic about reading, thinking, and writing, because they keep the audience engaged and suspended in the action and components of the text.

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Selected Titles:

Stanley, G. E., & Murdocca, S. (2000). Third grade detectives: The clue of the left-handed envelope. New York, NY: Aladdin Paperbacks.

This text has a Lexile level of 370L and a grade level measure of 1^st grade to 4^th grade. Students who read this text will be engaged in the content because it provides visuals for the clues that the characters are trying to solve so the readers can solve the mystery along with the characters. Readers will want to continue reading so they can find out if they are able to solve the mystery before the solution is revealed in the text. Because this is the first book of a short series of third grade detective books, the students who enjoy reading the text will be motivated to continue reading the other books in the series. The end of each chapter is a cliffhanger that keeps readers wanting to continue to read and not put down the book. This book would be great to use as a whole class read aloud because the teacher can get the students involved in the mystery and then after finishing the book the students will want to continue reading the next books in the series.

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

This book is a very intriguing and engaging read and it keeps readers not wanting to put it down because they will want to continue to find more clues with the characters. The end of this book makes readers want to continue to read the next books in the series because it ends with the characters still searching for the next clue of the challenge. This is a fictional text that incorporates informational aspects into the book to provide the reader with action, adventure, mystery, and information. Students can relate to the characters in the novel because they are a 14-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy. Students will also be engaged in the text because it incorporates a chance for them to go online and discover more about the clues and challenges so they can be investigators and detectives just like how Dan and Amy are in the book.

Illustrated Story and Picture Book

Genre Study:

Illustrated stories and picture books are a literacy genre that provide a strong visual experience where the content of the story is fully explained or illustrated with pictures and may or may not include text. The overall theme of illustrated stories and picture books are generally more complex than the text that is presented because the purpose for this genre is to portray a meaningful moral or theme. In picture books, both text and illustration are fused together, to provide more than either can do alone, so the whole is greater than the sum of the parts in these texts. Illustrated story books are different from picture books in the sense that the text can stand alone and the illustrations are secondary to the text, yet they complements the text. Picture books and illustrated story books are generally up to 48 pages in length and they are used in the classroom to promote fluency because they can be read multiple times during one reading instructional period or several times in a short amount of time so the students can build fluency, accuracy, vocabulary skills, and comprehension. Picture books and illustrated stories are most often aimed at young children, and while some may have very basic language especially designed to help children develop their reading skills, most are written with vocabulary a child can understand but not necessarily read. For this reason, picture books tend to have two functions in the lives of children: they are first read to young children by adults, and then children read them themselves once they begin learning to read.

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Selected Titles:

George, J., & Small, D. (2000). So you want to be president?. New York: Philomel Books.

This text has a grade level equivalent of 4.2, meaning it is appropriate for fourth grade students in their second month of the year, and it has a Lexile level of 730L. Caldecott honor-winning artist David Small provides hilarious cartoons of the Presidents of the United States to keep readers engaged and interested in the content of the text. This text is a great tool for a classroom read-aloud because the voice of the text is conversational and it provides information in an engaging and funny manner. Students will also enjoy reading this text on their own because they will learn about the Presidents while looking at brilliantly drawn illustrations. This illustrated story is a great source for multi-disciplinary topics to connect to social studies and history. When observing the text complexity of So You Want to be President? the vocabulary, conventionality, sentence structure, life experiences, and cultural knowledge are very complex but the meaning and us of visual features are moderately complex.

Stein, D. E. (2010). Interrupting chicken. Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press.

Interrupting Chicken’s plot has a repetitive nature, with a humorous story line and a good underlying message for young children. The interest level of Interrupting Chicken is for kindergartners to 2^nd graders. The Lexile level is 300L and the grade level equivalent is for 2nd grade. Interrupting Chicken was awarded the 2011 Caldecott Honorable Mention Book Award because it is a distinguished American picture book for children. The book and story are engaging for young children because the illustrations keep the readers involved in the story and the students can easily interact and practice predicting what is going to happen in the story. This book is also a great resource for a classroom read-aloud because the reader can incorporate fun voices for the characters in the story to keep students engaged. This text can also be used to teach vocabulary and dialogue for students when they read and they can transfer what they learn about dialogue to their own writing.