Blog Partner Discussion 4: Modern Fanstasy
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1. Your personal response to the book
2. Evaluate it in terms of its genre
3. Evaluate its literary quality
4. Evaluate its illustrations
5. Evaluate in terms of multicultural considerations including the credibility of the author and illustrator
Discuss for whom the book is intended and the ways in which it might be used in the classroom
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First Graders From Mars Episoae 1: Horus's Horrible Day by Shana Corey Pictures by Mark Teague.
ReplyDeleteCarlene i'm not usually drawn to stories about alien's and spaceships but I thought that Shana Corey's use of the extended metaphor of entry into first grade as an "other world" experience was good. The book speaks about the difficulty that many students have in making the transition from one academic level to the next (in this case from kindergarten to first grade).The plot of the story was clear and easily understandable. Even though the characterisc were animal-like (aliens) their represntation as real people with real issues were undeniable. As I looked at the setting which was Mars I had to draw knowledge from what little alien movies I had encountered. There is always a sense of them being technologically advanced, being able to defy gravity and appear and disappear and this idea was well represented in the story. What about you, how did you find it?
Hi kimone I too found the story very interesting as you mentioned the characters were animal like but they seem real as they remind me of my past transitioning from infant(preschool) into primary school where there is a totally different culture it makes you feel so new. the language I found also to be very simple and easy to undersatnd. I like the way the author uses the metaphor in the story to allow the characters to be real. In looking back at the story i am now able to glimpse into my prior knowlegde of aliens to reflect back on cartoon that I have watched to interpret the meaning of them being at mars a totally different world. I like the story it was very interesting and it took me back to memory of my own first days at high school. How about the genre what do you think about it? take a look at the illustrations elaborate!
ReplyDeleteWell I think the genre is modern fantasy. The author takes a very present-day real issue and uses magical or other worldly elements such as aliens and spaceships, the supposed existence of life on mars to help us understand the message of the story. Notice the names of the characters, very Martian isn't it. "Yebes" that's Martian for "yes". I liked the fact that although the message was something we could relate to, it was not shrouded by our own standard english. Through the use of coined martian phrases like "Nobo", "Yebes" and others we are reminde of the setting. Another stark reminder of the setting is the bright illustrations provided and the unique depictions of martian forms and way of life. I especially liked the depiction of the teacher Ms. Vortex, as being able to float around and having eyes all around her head. Very symbolic of how small children perceive their teacher's almost like Go-like figures who know everything and can see or are very alert.
ReplyDeleteI too Kimone like the genre kimone I like the way you picked up from the story that the children portray the teacher as "GodLike" we too see teachers like this in our time too. I too think the Genre is modern fanatasy as the author uses fancy names to name the characters.The illustrations i found very interesting with colours and lines depicting their culture. in the strory Horus was excited when she was placed in the reading group. The bightness of the pictures illustrates first grade.
ReplyDeleteTake a look at the author she was credible as he was writing from his own experience as it was mentioned that he was an award winning writer who was named publishers weekly. the book was written recently and is a reflection of the authors first grade years as she wrote.
Your views about these ?
Yes Carlene, Shana's (the author of the book)account is quite credible. The plot mirrors her own experience of transitioning to first grade and how awkward she felt on her first day. The illustrator also did a good job with the pictures as he too remembers feeling like an alien in first grade and actually this feeling stayed with him throughout his school years.At the time that he was illustrating this book his 2 daughters had recently started first grade so would have had their own experiences (if similar to his) as a guide.
ReplyDeleteThe characters were believable of course not so much in terms of physical appearance but more so in terms of their character traits. The children in the classroom reflected the different personalities in a typical classroom setting. Of course you have the troublemaker, who teases the new comers who don't quite fit in. Then one who is sympathetic to the newcomer and all the other students who, even though they might be uncomfortable themselves, hide behind the taunter, laughing at jokes and so on.
What do you think about the grade level of this book? What could it be used to teach in the classroom?
an excellent read aloud for university students. This can be used as a reflection base for a new experience reflection for college students. It can be used as a read aloud for primary school students after which they could be asked to relate to the story and then give the sequence of events as they took place in the story. this can also be used as a profcast to teach students many language arts skills. I think this book can be used to do a lot of lessons in the classrooms. It can also be used as a basis for story telling for students in grade two to relate to their first day at school.
ReplyDeleteHow about you do you see this book that way/
I think those are all wonderful ideas!This book really can be used at all levels for a wide audience too because there are so many new experiences that we have daily that we can connect to this book.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the book Horus uses his first day experience to console another first timer.I'd like to see Episode 2!
Hi kimone i think this book was a good book.
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed it as it reminds me of my past as a grade one child.
Me too I would love that
ReplyDelete