Biography Book

o Book title: Francis Scoot Key
o Author/illustrator: Lillie Patterson
o Clip Art:

o Suggested Grade Level for the book: 2^nd grade because even though this book is a chapter book, it is written at a lower level and does not contain a vast amount of words. 
o An original brief summary: This book is a biography about Francis Scott Key.  It starts out with him as a child who loves his family’s farm, Terra Ruba but as he gets older decides to leave it to go to school at St. John’s College.  Francis was always skilled at writing and public speaking which is what he focused on in his studies.  Francis also spent time teaching the slaves on his family’s farm to read and helped lead them in prayer meeting.  One day George Washington, Francis’ hero, came to visit Terra Ruba on his way to the capitol, while Francis was home from school, to thank the Key’s for their support throughout the Revolution.  Francis excelled at school becoming a lawyer, and wrote poems in his spare time.  During the War of 1812 Francis refused to return to the safety of Terra Ruba, opting to stay in dangers way by trying to free Dr. Beanes who was being held prisoner, but after a night of English bombing on Fort McHenry the American Flag still remained.  This event is what inspired Francis to write the Star-Spangled- Banner, which eventually became the National Anthem.  . 
o How the book could be used in the classroom to teach children skills and strategies they need to know (be specific):  This book could be used in the class room to teach students how to use biography books when doing research on an important person in history, in this case Francis Scott Key, the writer of The Star-Spangled Banner- our National Anthem.  It also teaches students to read and enjoy books that are informational, not just make-believe, since this book tells the biography like a story.
o ESOL strategies/applications:  This book includes pictures which go along with the text which would be great for ESOL students.  To better accommodate ESOL students, I would ensure that they know at least a little bit about American History in order to understand some of the significances in this book, such as why George Washington was so famous.
o Read Aloud: I would read aloud pages 49-51 because they talk about the beginning of the War of 1812 and how the Americans did not know what the English had planned which would spark the student’s curiosity.  Also because it talks about how Francis set aside his hatred of war to serve in the army which would get the students interested in Francis’ character.

o Personal opinions of the book or illustrations: I thought this was an okay biography book.  At times it was a bit boring and uneventful but it did include historical information that would be great for students researching Francis Scott Key.    

Poetry Anthology

o Book title: Where the Sidewalk Ends
o Author/illustrator: Shel Silverstein
o Clip Art:

o Suggested Grade Level for the book: 2^nd grade because the book includes cute, humorous poems, some of which address issues they might be and will soon be dealing with. 
o An original brief summary: This book is comprised of numerous poems by Shel Silverstein.  Most of the poems are also accompanied by pictures. Some of the poems are nonsensical and unrealistic, such as If I Had a Brontosaurus, while others tell about common childhood issues, such as Sarah Cynthia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out.  Moreover, some of the poems are about being a good person, such as Hug O’ War.  
o How the book could be used in the classroom to teach children skills and strategies they need to know (be specific): This book could be used in the classroom not only to introduce students to the genre of poetry, but also to get students to like poetry because the poems in this book are so enjoyable. 
o ESOL strategies/applications:  the pictures in the book that go along with that accompany some of the poems are great for ESOL students.  Also the rhyming of within the poems is great for ESOL students.  It would be necessary to ensure that the EOL students know that not all the parts in the book are to be taken literally.
o Read Aloud: I would most likely choose to read this book to my students throughout the year.  For example, while students are lining up or before the end of the day I would read them a poem or two just to get them interested in poetry to avoid them developing negative thoughts about the genre.
o Personal opinions of the book or illustrations: This is by far one of my favorite poem anthologies.  I absolutely love Shel Silverstein’s work and could read his poems over and over without getting bored.

Informational Book

o Book title: Pythons and Boas (Squeezing Snakes)
o Author/illustrator: Gloria Schlaepfer and Mary Lou Samuelson
o Clip Art:

o Suggested Grade Level for the book: 3^rd because the book has larger vocabulary words, such as vertebrates and prehensile, and because there are some graphic pictures of snakes squeezing their prey to death.
o An original brief summary: This informational book is all about snakes that use constricting rather than poison to kill their prey.  It discusses the species of pythons and boas, highlighting their physical features.  It then goes into the bone structures and senses of these reptiles.  The book then talks about the hunting methods and types of small animals these snakes eat, and the reproduction of these snakes.  The last few chapters of this book discuss human’s interaction with these animals, such as humans destroying the snake’s territory and humans keeping these type snakes as pets.
o How the book could be used in the classroom to teach children skills and strategies they need to know (be specific): this book could be used in the classroom to teach students how to use an informational book as a reference when researching, specifically when researching different kinds of snakes.
o ESOL strategies/applications:  This book includes pictures which go along with the text which would be great for ESOL students.  Moreover, this book includes a glossary in the back which defines the difficult terms within the text.
o Read Aloud: I would read aloud pages 7-8 because in these pages there is a description of imagining one is exploring a rainforest and come across a snake that is hiding in a tree, and then these pages discuss the specific type of snake this book is going to be about.  I would read these pages because it would spark the student’s interest and also give them a good idea of what this book is about.
o Personal opinions of the book or illustrations: I thought this was a really good informational book because it was very detailed but still easy to understand.  I especially liked that the picture were real photographs and that there was a glossary.  I also enjoyed reading the facts and myths that were in boxes along the side of some of the pages. 

Historical Fiction

o Book title: Number the Stars
o Author/illustrator: Lois Lowery
o Clip Art:

o Suggested Grade Level for the book: 6^th grade because the students need to have the background knowledge of the Holocaust in order to understand the story fully. 
o An original brief summary:  In Copenhagen, Denmark, Nazis have taken over every street corner.  The synagogue gets word that they are going to start taking the Jewish citizens to concentration camps, which leads the non-Jewish people of Copenhagen to devising plans to sneak the Jews across the waterway to Sweden where they will be safe.  The story is told through Annemarie’s eyes as she struggles to figure out what exactly is going on in the world around her while also trying to save her best friend Ellen who happens to be Jewish.  She shows her bravery when she risks her life to save the lives of others.       
o How the book could be used in the classroom to teach children skills and strategies they need to know (be specific): This book could be used in the classroom to teach students about how living situations were different for people living in different time periods, and how they should not take for granted what they have.  This book is great for teaching students the skill of putting themselves in someone else’s shoes because from reading the book one really gets the feeling that they are in the story. 
o ESOL strategies/applications:  It would be necessary to ensure that ESOL students have background information about the Holocaust and World War II.  It would be a great idea to have them look at a map to get an idea of exactly where Denmark and Sweden are. 
o Read Aloud: I would read aloud Chapter 1 because it talks about the girls getting in a scary situation of being confronted by the Nazis on the corner.  It also discusses how they do not have the food they want.  I feel that this chapter would get the students curios about why the Nazis are there and why they do not have enough food, thus they will want to find out more.   
o Personal opinions of the book or illustrations: I really enjoyed this book and felt that it was very well written.  I really connected with Annemarie and admired her courage.