The One and Only Ivan Blog Post #4

In our final discussion for The One and Only Ivan, our group was prompted to discuss activity ideas with the book. I enjoyed this activity both to think on my own and also to hear great ideas from other students who work with different grade levels.

Some of the ideas we discussed were

• Drawing responses (especially as it relates to the main character's identity as an artist): Students could be asked to draw Ivan after each quarter of the book, and how his expressions, body language, etc. might change. Another way to incorporate drawing / art would be to ask students how they would communicate to Julia if they were Ivan. Would they draw a different picture? 
• Perspectives: Students would be asked to write a piece of the story from a different perspective (e.g. Bob when Ivan and Ruby are taken away, or Mack really at any point in the story). 
• Write about difficult choices: There were several times in the book that characters were faced with difficult choices. While elementary students likely can't relate to George and his need to care for his family by working, students can be asked to write about a time they had to make a difficult choice and relate it to the characters in the story. 

I really enjoyed this book and some of the activities that stem from it will hopefully be used in the future. 

The One and Only Ivan Blog Response #3

This week, our group had an online book club discussion. Each person posted 3 questions to be answered by the other group members.

I noticed that many questions centered on Ivan and Mack's relationship. The author was pretty vague about Ivan's feelings toward Mack, but it is through Ivan's eyes that we see the dark and maybe not so dark side of Mack.

There were also several thoughts about the purpose behind Ivan's artistic character trait and what this means for the story. Some answered in terms of the author's purpose and some as a key factor in supporting Ivan's livelihood during his time at the mall.

Overall, this was an interesting way to discuss a book, but I prefer face to face conversations with threads of thought that connect.

6+1 Traits Analysis

This week, we were tasked with writing a narrative using Storybird. I wrote about Benny, a bunny from Argentina who attempts to dig his way to the North Pole to meet Santa. Unfortunately, he arrives in Iowa before his final destination, and his new friends try to help him fulfill his dream.

Following my writing, I am now analyzing my own writing using the 6+1 Traits Rubric. My analysis is below.

1. Ideas
1. Main Idea: 6 - I believe I conveyed a clear, focused, and original main idea that drives the piece. 
2. Details and Support: 5 - I developed the main idea with relevant information and some vivid details. 
3. Reasoning / Thinking: 3 - I'm not sure how this one necessarily applies, but as this is a children's story, some of the connections in the story aren't as obvious as to why a character does something. 
4. Evidence selection and Acknowledgement: Is this N/A in a narrative? 
5. Awareness / Engagement of Reader: 4 - I believe the text engages the reader to explore ideas and answer questions about Benny's desires and motives. However, I don't think it engages on multiple levels or address biases. 
2. Organization
1. Lead and conclusion: 6 - The lead was intriguing and encourage the reader to figure out what was going on. The conclusion wrapped up nicely as Benny achieved his dream and thanked the animals. 
2. Transitions: 5 - It has logical and varied transitions, with paragraphs ordered to support the development of ideas. But it's not a 6 because I could have varied the transitions even more. 
3. Sequencing: 4 - Sequencing is in order, but perhaps doesn't go "beyond the obvious."
4. Pacing: 3 - If I were to have more time or rewrite this, I would add more time and detail in the sections where Benny's friends are helping him get away. Instead, these sections feel more rushed when they are an exciting part of the story. 
5. Purpose / Text Structure: 5 - I think I used text structure to create understanding with dialogue, thoughts, sounds, and more. 
6. Title: 4 - My title connects to eh central theme, but is probably not unusual. 
3. Voice
1. Engagement with reader: 3 - I probably went with generalities as opposed to connecting to audience. 
2. individual expression: 4 - There were some unique examples of trying to convey what a zebra and rabbit might do together on a farm. 
3. Tone: 6 - The narrator Benny's tone is shown throughout the story with his thoughts and phrases. 
4. Commitment: 5 - Not perfect, but I feel that the writing is enthusiastic about the silliness of the topic. 
5. Fit with audience / purpose: 5 - the voice supports my purpose of telling a fun story to kids and the POV of Benny adds humor and perhaps a link to children (who wouldn't want to meet Santa?)
4. Word Choice
1. Word meaning: 5
2. Word quality: 5 - Has strong vocabulary to add imagery, but nothing striking or particularly powerful. 
3. Word usage: 4 - Some creative and precise words, but not many natural or original words.
4. Grammar: 5 - Correctly chosen grammar, but could probably add more energizing verbs
5. Fluency
1. sentence structure: 5 - Has sentence structure that flows well and moves reader fluidly
2. sentence sense and rhythm: 4  - employs dialogue or fragments effectively; reader can read aloud easily
3. sentence variety: 5 - some variety of structure is used to convey the tone of the moment in the story. 
4. Connecting sentences: 4 - Holds piece together with varied transitional words or phrases
6. Conventions
1. 6 - Uses conventions effortlessly without significant errors; may use conventions to creatively enhance message 

Overall, there are definitely improvements I could make to this story if I were to revise it. At this point, it probably sits at a 4 overall, with my biggest improvements to be made in voice and ideas.