Claire E.

Greenlee Illustrator Study: Tom Litchenheld 1st Grade April 12, 2013

When I was researching illustrators for this assignment, I was thrown into a whirlwind of childrens books, authors, illustrators, and all sorts of genres. I wanted something personal and wasnt receiving that kind of connection through the internet so I gathered my thoughts and turned my attention to my sons collection of books. My son, Paxton, is almost two years old and in his room I made a quiet reading area with a compilation of picture books he can read for years to come. In his book collection I looked for patterns within the collection of books that we enjoyed the most. This is how I stumbled upon illustrator Tom Litchenheld.

Tom Litchenheld has an eclectic array of books he has illustrated but there is a bold sophistication in each of his creations. I have fallen in love with this particular illustrators boldness without even knowing his name. It just so happens that Litchenheld is much more popular than I had imagined and I have read and seen many of his books before. My students not only need to be captured by his work, the messages within the works, but also need to recognize the illustrator and give him credit. Students, as well as myself, need to form the habit of reading out the author and illustrator before beginning the actual reading. Therefore, we can follow the creators and grow with each book that they write. We can also form a relationship with the particular styles of these artists which can raise interest among readers as well.

The relationship I have with Litchenhelds works provokes fun entertainment that ties into real life scenarios or lessons children will eventually expand on in school. For instance, Cloudette can relate to physical weather changes that students learn about during science subjects. Another example is Wumbers, which is a picture book that connects words and numbers that are often seen in text writing today. Its a blend of number confirmation and enriching of the students vocabulary. These types of books by Litchenheld help readers connect visuals and

literature in a fun, educational way. Each book is designed in their own way which creates conversation, an explosion of imagination, and smiles through the whole book from teacher, parent, and child. This illustrator study will help students to analyze the methods of the illustrator as well as get to know Litchenhelds personal story.

About the Illustrator Lichtenheld's career as an author began in a roundabout way. Asked by his nephew to draw a pirate, Lichtenheld responded with a number of sketches, complete with humorous commentary. "When I initially sat down a lot of things came into my head. The initial picture was actually twelve pages of nonsense and pictures of pirates but it was a book from the start. It wasn't intended to be, it just kind of happened." It would take another three years of hard work, though, before the book was accepted for publication. From then on, he has illustrated and written numerous works that are familiar to children and adults everywhere. He continues to work on books that he hopes to be more New York Times Best Sellers at home with his supportive wife and helpful creative cat.

The Unit

Visual literacy will be enhanced after this classroom of first graders soar through the pages of the many books illustrated by Litchenheld. First graders will bond with the illustrations because they are drawn in by the colorful qualities used in each book as well as the relatable, and appropriate, context of the books. They are able to comprehend books, read most of the books with some facilitation, and establish patterns. What students will begin to notice is the familiar pattern of using outside text on the pages instead of just a few lines on each page to complete the text. There are conversation boxes, small prints, print on pictures, and print in different angles all over pages that are easy to follow yet take your eyes all over the pages. This idea has been sown in most of, if not all, of his books. What students can learn from this is that not every book needs to have a single paragraph on each page to make it a book. They can also take away that it is important to explore the entire page when reading a book in order to receive the varied effects from the text and drawings. Combined, these form a fulfilling response to readers.

For this particular illustrator study my class will be exploring the creations of Tom Litchenheld over a six week time span. One day out of each week we will focus on a different book of this illustrators. Assessment of the different activities will be unique to each lesson; however, overall we will assess the knowledge of the students by asking them to write one to two complete sentences after each lesson to recite what they may have learned about the book, illustrator, or the moral/message of the book itself. They will be graded on the content of their writing, participation, effort, and correctness.

The Core Content is as follows:

Mathematics: CCSS.Math.Content.1.NBT.A.1: Count to 120, starting at any number less than 120. In this range, read and write numerals and represent a number of objects with a written numeral.

English & Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.1: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.2: Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.3: Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.4: Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.5: Explain major differences between books that tell stories and books that give information, drawing on a wide reading of a range of text types. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.7: Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events. (RL.1.8 not applicable to literature) CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.9: Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.1.4: Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.1.4a: Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.1.4b: Read grade-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.1.4c: Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.1: Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or name the book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and provide some sense of closure. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.2: Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.3: Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.1a: Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion). CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.1b: Build on others talk in conversations by responding to the comments of others through multiple exchanges. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.1c: Ask questions to clear up any confusion about the topics and texts under discussion. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.2: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.3: Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather additional information or clarify something that is not understood. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.4: Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.5: Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.6: Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation.

Science: SC-EP-2.3.2: Students will describe patterns in weather and weather data in order to make simple predictions based on those patterns discovered. Weather changes from day to day and over seasons. Weather can be described using observations and measurable quantities such as temperature, wind direction, wind speed and precipitation. Simple predictions can be made by analyzing collected data for patterns.

Materials Required Student Materials: Lined paper Basic art supplies (pencils, colored pencils, markers, eraser, crayons). A short print (comic strip, lunch menu, newspaper). Teacher Materials: Books Litchenheld, T. (2002). Everything I know about monsters: A collection of made-up facts, educated guesses, and silly pictures about creatures of creepiness. Simon & Schuster Books. Litchenheld, T. (2011). Cloudette. Henry Holt and Co. Litchenheld, T. E-mergency! Chronicle Books. Rosenthal, A. (2013). Exclamation mark. Scholastic Press. Rinker, S. (2011). Goodnight, Goodnight construction site. Chronicle Books. Rosenthal, A. (2012) Wumbers. Chronicle Books. Print outs and templates for activities are from the illustrators website: http://www.tomlichtenheld.com/childrens_books/ Also, this is the reference for a list of books and personal information on Litchenheld. Handouts for activities printed out and ready with copies for entire class. Short print items for each student to choose from placed together in a pile. Document camera to use for keeping examples on the overhead for students to see. All items should be in abundance for each student.

Activities Over the course of six weeks students will familiarize their selves with the styles and qualities of books and illustrations by Tom Litchenfield. I chose six weeks because I wanted to keep the learning of his works going over time while also allowing time each week for them to truly develop a relationship with his books and explore their elements on their own time as well. With these activities, core content will be reached in certain areas while using the books, their characters, and illustration types to complete them. Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site: After reading the book, discuss with students the organization of a construction site, and review the names of the machines and their specific jobs. Provide children with pictures of a construction site and various construction trucks. Have the students cut out the pictures of the trucks, organize them on the site, and glue them down. For older students, you can provide challenges, such as using position words to tell them where to put the machines. For example, you might say, Put the bulldozer beside the crane, or Place the crane to the right of the bulldozer. Alternately, discuss the different jobs on a construction site and consider the men and women who design the project, oversee the progress, provide the supplies, drive the trucks, maintain the trucks, etc. Discuss the importance of all of the different roles and the importance of cooperation in order to make projects successful. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.2: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media. http://www.tomlichtenheld.com/childrens_books/images/activity_guides/ConstructionSit eActivities.pdf

E-Mergency! In E-mergency! after the letter E gets hurt, she is replaced by O in each word. Have students explore what their names would be if they were to substitute one vowel for another vowel. For example, Jimmy could become Jammy, Jommy, or Jummy. Amber might be changed to Imber, Omber, or Umber. Next, look at items in the classroom and change a vowel in those words. Desk is now dosk, pencil becomes poncil, and paper is now referred to as papor.

You can also play The Name Game, also known as The Banana Song, which is a sing-along rhyming game written by singer Shirley Ellis that creates variations of someones name. For example, Katies song would be: Katie, Katie, bo-batie, Banana-fana fo-fatie Mee-mimo-matie Katie! There are a number of versions of the song that could be viewed on www.youtube.com to familiarize children with the tune and the name variations. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.1a: Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).

Tell students to find and/or select a comic strip, newspaper ad, lunch menu or other short print item. Have them choose a vowel to change and rewrite the text. Once finished, they can give it to another student who will attempt to determine what letter has been changed and what the item was supposed to have conveyed CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.5: Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.6: Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation.

Wumbers Count My Tr8s: Have students create a counting book identifying ten reasons why they like themselves and what makes them special. Remind students that each reason needs to incorporate the number in its explanation and that they should use one wumber in each sentence when possible. For example: I like myself because I am one 1derful kid. I scored three goals for my soccer team. I have two parents that love me very much. I have four pairs of new 10ies.

CCSS.Math.Content.1.NBT.A.1: Count to 120, starting at any number less than 120. In this range, read and write numerals and represent a number of objects with a written numeral.