Katie Miller

Sept 29, 2014

Professor Burke
Eng 414

Childrens Lit Resources

1) Identify at least five useful web sites with useful information about reading
and/or teaching childrens books.

Scholastic-Teachers
o http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/
o Scholastic Inc.
o This site contains resources, tools, strategies, ideas, student activities,
books, authors, products, services, and a teacher store. It also includes
lesson plans that teachers can use and adapt for there own classroom.
This site is full of great ideas along with blogs from teachers and
month by month ideas that can all better the classroom and the
learning experience. I really like how this site could be used for more
than just childrens literature. It has resources for many different
subjects.
Random House Teachers and Librarians
o http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/
o Bertelsmann
o This website has an author of the month, video of the month, news,
and many other resources for teachers. Near the bottom of the site
there is a tab for picture books, beginning readers, middle grade, and
young adult, which all of the front cover of books that fall under the
levels. It also includes book talks, educator guides, reading group
guides, and even interactive whiteboard activities. I really like how it
includes the interactive whiteboard activities because that can be an
area of improvement for some teachers.
Harper Collins Childrens-Teaching Resources
o http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/teachers/teachingresources.
aspx
o HarperCollins Publishers
o This site is great because it lists alphabetically books along which
have resources with them like teaching or readings guides. The site
also has tabs that are sort by whats new, authors and illustrators,
awards and honors, and book activities. This would be very helpful
when lesson planning and looking for specific types of books.
4Teachers
o http://www.4teachers.org
o ALTEC
o This site is useful for integrating technology into lessons. It has blogs,
assessments, planning, special needs assistance and other items that
involve childrens literature. It also has a family of tools section that

includes games and other resources that could be used with students
as their own resource.
abcteach-The educators online resource
o http://www.abcteach.com
o abcteach
o This site includes teaching material, printable worksheets, reading
comprehension, and SMART Board lessons that pertain to reading,
phonics, and reading comprehension. This site is easy to use because
it has sections for core subjects and highlighted categories, which
teachers can then click on whatever subject they are looking for. This
site also included more than just reading and childrens literature
material so it would be even more useful for the classroom. I really
like how it has information on special needs because that is an area
where all teachers can continue learning.

2) Identify at least three non-web sources that can help you learn more about
reading and/or teaching childrens literature.

From Reader to Writer: Teaching Writing Through Classic Childrens Books

o By: Sarah Ellis, Groundwood Books, 2001, 176 pages
o This book is valuable because it is written by someone who had
difficulties coming up with something to write about when the time
came in school; so she found ways to assist students in the classroom
and it is through childrens literature. There are activities used with
classic childrens literature that will inspire and liberate their
imaginations and express their creativity. It includes fun and original
ideas that deal with books that help students get inspired.
Teaching Childrens Literature: Its Critical!
o By: Christine Leland, Mitzi Lewison, Jerome Harste, Routhledge, 231
pages
o This book offers ways to implement childrens literature into the
curriculum along with integrating it. It included real examples where
teachers have implemented this and other ways to engage the
students with literature. Also, it provides approaches that focus on
issues that impact the childrens lives. It will bring a freshness into the
class and ways to include childrens literature that may not have been
thought about.
Childrens Literature: annual of the Modern Language Association Division
on Childrens Literature and the Childrens Literature Association
o The Johns Hopkins University Press
o This journal provides an annual issue on research in childrens
literature. There are articles within that touch on significant problems
and make awareness to key issues, long with criticism in childrens
literature. Some examples of topics of articles are: Was the Cat in the
Hat Black? Exploring Dr. Seusss Racial Imagination, A fairy Tale of
American Progress, and Imaginary Citizens: Child Readers and the

Limits of American Independence. Reading these articles would allow

a teacher to gain a lot of insight and knowledge on aspects of
childrens literature.

3) Identify at least five characteristics of or ways of distinguishing reliable

websites

Professional Site
o It is important to use a professional site to make sure the
information is valid. .gov and .org sites have more validation
because they are created by an actual organization for a
purpose.
Check if the website had an author
o Knowing the websites author, one can check their credentials
and if they are qualified for the information they are providing.
This will prove if the information is reliable.
The site is published and has a copyright.
o The company who published and sponsored the site should
have credibility and known, like a scholarly company. This will
ensure that the information is correct and useful.
Current website
o It is important to check to see when the site was produced or
last updated. It would be useless to read out of date
information. It needs to be currently to be useful.
Needs references
o The website should list references used and have links were
one can check to validate the information. The information
should be the same throughout other sites.
Of Your Own On Tripod: Give your business what it needs to grow
o http://acoachma.tripod.com
Olin and Uris Libraries: Cornell University Library: Evaluating Web
Sites: Criteria and Tools
o http://olinuris.library.cornell.edu/ref/research/webeval.html