Reading and Literacy I 350.

510
Professor Tami Morton
October 28, 2013
By: Brittany Geren


Non-Fiction Scavenger Hunt
1. Biography
Giovanni, N. (2005). Rosa. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.
December 1, 1955 is the day that Rosa Parks changed history by refusing to give up her seat on a
bus. In giving up her seat Ms. Parks stood up to the unjust separate but equal laws practiced in
Montgomery, Alabama. The quiet strength of Rosa Parks turned her no into a YES for change.
Background Knowledge:
As a teacher you must provide the students with knowledge about the different laws that were
once in place. Some of the laws may be: separate but equal and the Jim Crow laws. The
students need to understand the circumstances in which African Americans were under at that
time period. This information will give the students understanding and empathy as they read this
book.
Reference Website:
http://www.ducksters.com/biography/women_leaders/rosa_parks.php
This website allows the students to read additional information about Rosa Parks. It goes further
in depth about where she went to school, about the incident on the bus and the after effects of the
bus boycott. I would use this to supplement what the book doesnt explain so the students get a
clear understanding of the historical event.



Structure:
I believe that this book uses a combination of two text structures. The first structure I found is
sequencing. The book is told in the form of a narrative in the order in which the events happened.
The second structure this book uses is problem and solution. The problem in this book is the fact
that Rosa is dealing with the segregation and is being forced to give up her seat on the bus.
Although the solution isnt easily resolved it is Rosa refusing to give up her seat and causing the
bus boycotts, which is ultimately the beginning of the change.

2. Autobiography
Cole, J. (1996). On the bus with joanna cole: A creative autobiography. Portsmouth, NH:
Heinmann: A division of Reed Elsevier Inc.
Lets take a peek inside the life of Joanna Cole, the author of the Magic School Bus
series. Discover how and why Joanna Cole writes what she writes in just fifty-five pages.
She describes her experiences and inspirations for writing her most popular books.
Joanna Cole






Background Knowledge:
As a teacher prior to reading this book I would tell the students about the books that
Joanna Cole has written. I would probably even read a couple of them to the class so the
students have a good understanding on her writing style before reading an autobiography
about her. Allowing the students the opportunity to either silently read or read aloud as a
class one of the books written by Joanna Cole will provide them chances to connect the
autobiography to other texts, or a text-to text connection.



Structure:
I believe the structure of this book is a sequence. It is divided up into seven chapters,
each of which explaining why she writes and what she is writing at that point in her life.
Having each event divided into chapters organizes the information well so the reader can
better understand the order of events in which they happened.

3. Informational text including text divisions
Nye, B., & Saunders, I. G. (1999). Big blue ocean. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for
Children.
The ocean, what is in the deep blue waters that cover the Earth? You can find out by
reading the fourteen chapters in Bill Nyes book Big Blue Ocean. Describing the fish and
animals that are commonly known; while also explaining the mysteries of the deepest
darkest areas of the ocean.
Chapters:
The author identifies the different chapters in the text by using a bright color for each
division and making the size of the text significantly bigger than the rest of the text. The
students need to understand that each text division is a new concept about the ocean.
1. Introducing the Big, Wide Ocean!
2. What Makes a Fish a Fish?
3. Sea Jellies: Animals Formerly Known as Jellyfish
4. Its a Jungle Down There!
5. Sea Plants
6. Reef Sweet Reef
7. The Ocean Holds the Salt!
8. Amazing Ocean Currents
9. Tides Come from Outer Space
10. Mysteries of the Deep
11. How the Earth Rocks and Rolls
12. The Ocean and You
13. People Affect the Ocean
14. You Can Make a Difference!

Structure:
I believe the structure of this text is question and answer. Throughout the book the reader is
given information about the topic discussed in each chapter. At the end of each chapter an
experiment is given. The reader is asked a question and given information to complete a short
experiment. Once the reader is finished with the experiment they then have come to the solution.





















4. Informational book that includes graphics
Gibbons, G. (1997). The moon book. New York, NY: Holiday House.
The moon is a circular object in the sky that shines bright at night. On some nights it is large in
appearance and on others it is quite small. In reading this book you will discover what the moon
is, what it is and why it appears in different sizes.
Graphic from Book:
This particular graphic from the book shows and explains the distance between the Earth and the
moon. I would explain that although at night we see the moon and it appears to be relatively
close to the earth it is actually 238,900 miles away. This information gives the students a
perspective of the proximity of the moon to the Earth.










Structure:
I believe that the main structure of this book is compare and contrast. Throughout the book the
moon is compared to the Earth, the sun, stars and asteroids. The comparison is used to explain
the size of the moon, the brightness of the moon and the shape of the moon as we see it from
Earth. This structure is helpful for students to understand this concept because since we cannot
actually go to the moon to see the size it gives the students a sense of perspective.

5. Non- Fiction of my choice involving diversity
Marzollo, J. (2010). Pierre the penguin: A true story. Ann Arbor, MI: Sleeping Bear Press.
An African penguin that lives in a California museum loses his feathers and can no longer swim.
Pierre gets brayed and glared at by the other penguins because he looks so strange. The vet and
the marine biologist come up with a solution. They create a wet suit to keep him warm in the
water while he swims. Low and behold the wet suit works and keeps Pierre warm. Six weeks
later Pierre is no longer cold and has a new set of feathers.
Structure:
I believe the structure of this book is problem and solution. The problem is that Pierre loses his
feathers. He not only gets cold when he swims, but also gets brayed and glared at because he
looks so different from the other penguins. The solution is when the vet and the marine biologist
make a wet suit for him so he can stay warm while he swims; but the ultimate solution is when
his new feathers grow back and he no longer needs the wet suit. I believe the author chose this
structure for the readers to feel empathy for Pierre when he loses his feathers and happiness
when he gets his wet suit and eventually gains his feathers back.
Why I chose this book:
I absolutely fell in love with this book when I first saw it at the library. I love how it shows the
compassion Pam has for Pierre, she tries several techniques to problem solve Pierres unfortunate
predicament. Along with the telling of the true story, the book also explains that African
penguins do not live in an artic environment. African penguins enjoy a warmer environment with
rocky beaches.