The fourth and fifth graders read Leo: a ghost storyas part of their Mock Caldecott unit. The book is written by Mac Barnett and illustrated byChristian Robinson. Leo is published by Chronicle Books. About Leo: "You would like being friends with Leo. He likes to draw, he makes delicious snacks, and most people can't even see him. Because Leo is also a ghost. When a new family moves into his home and Leo's efforts to welcome them are misunderstood, Leo decides it is time to leave and see the world. That is how he meets Jane, a kid with a tremendous imagination and an open position for a worthy knight. That is how Leo and Jane become friends. And that is when their adventures begin." Check out the trailer:
The students are being close readers of both narrative and art. I am excited by their conversations and can tell from what I am hearing that they are being thoughtful about our criteria.
When thinking about the importance of the illustrations, the students recognized that they would not know when Leo lived, what he looked like, or how he was dressed without the illustrations. They used the art to determine when Leo lived - the peeling wallpaper, ornate table, old fashioned phone, and natty attire - guessing it was at least a hundred years ago. They also enjoyed comparing Leo's home to Jane's modern house with a simplicity of style. In terms of appropriateness of the style, the students felt that the limited palate was extremely effective and appropriate for a ghost story. The style also echoed Leo's mood. When thinking about excellence of execution, they recognized the complications of maintaining a ghostly presence throughout the story and felt Christian Robinson succeeded. They also appreciated the details of the two houses. Regarding appeal to a child audience, this book received a solid thumbs up across the room. One thing that did continue to arise was the idea that a ghost can carry something while also being walked through. I shared that in my lifetime, this has just been a cool thing that ghosts can do.
Along with verbal conversations, the fourth graders continue to practice good digital citizenship by expressing their opinion on our Padlet wall.
Here's a description of the book from Matt's website: "Every Sunday after church, CJ and his grandma ride the bus across town. But today, CJ wonders why they don’t own a car like his friend Colby. Why doesn’t he have an iPod like the boys on the bus? How come they always have to get off in the dirty part of town? Each question is met with an encouraging answer from grandma, who helps him see the beauty—and fun—in their routine and the world around them."
I love this book! The hush that occurred over three classes confirmed the power of a well-told story. Poetic verse and vibrant illustrations elevate Last Stop on Market Street to the experiential level. It feels authentic. Having grown up in the inner city it feels familiar to me, but it presents a world not often seen by readers, some of my students included. There is much discussion about books as windows and mirrors - a window into another person's world and a mirror of one's own. This book provided both experiences for the students that I worked with today.
There is far too much to mention and still have you get to the good part of this post - the student reactions - so I will choose two things. I appreciate how Matt wove into the story the strong sense of values and how the grandmother was passing them along in both straight-forward and subtle ways. Certainly serving others is a wonderful value, but so too are friendlessness, kindness, politeness, and generosity. The students and I had an interesting discussion about this topic.
I am in awe of the city, the people, and the beauty in both that Christian has created. The art is light yet carries depth. Each spread is a story in itself.
As I have mentioned before, this group of students are well-versed in close reading having been participants in a MockCaldecott Committee for the last three years. They also happen to be a thoughtful and introspective group of children who are willing to share their feelings, ideas, and connections to stories.This makes them ideal partners in reading!
The students had five ways to reflect on and connect with the book. Using the Tellagami App, the students talked about why their connections to the story.
Using pen and paper, the students answered three different questions:
How have you helped others?
What values are your grandparents passing along to you?
What activities do you do with your grandparents?
See more answers here:
The last tool the students used was FlipGrid. They talked about why they think the story is important.
The password is "mrlibrary."
How have your students connected and reflected on the story?
