Jarrett J. Krosoczka: How a Boy Became an Artist (TED Talk)

Jarrett J. Krosoczka: How a Boy Became an Artist

http://www.ted.com/playlists/86/for_kids.html

Quantitative Reading Level:  

This video would be appropriate for grades 5 and up.

Qualitative Reading Analysis:

Although this is not a text it can still be given a qualitative score based on the content and how it is organized.  I would rate it as Middle Low on the “Text Complexity: Qualitative Measures Rubric for Informational Text”.  Jarrett J. Krosoczka is conversational and funny in his presentation.  The only thing really that would bump this up from Low would be the references to his mother’s drug abuse and his grandparent’s drinking and smoking habits.  I would say that these references would require a bit more background knowledge for the viewer.

Summary:

 

Jarrett J. Krosoczka describes how he was raised by his grandparents due to an absent father and a drug addicted mother.  He talks about the importance of art in his education and some of his early attempts at writing.  Students will be interested to hear how author Jack Gantos was inspirational to him as a young author and illustrator.  Jarrett discusses his early attempts at getting published and his initial successes.  

Content Area: Reading/ELA

Curriculum Suggestions:

Students who are familiar with Jarrett J. Krosoczka’s picture books and The Lunch Lady series will enjoy hearing this talk about how he became an author and illustrator.  A teacher could use this talk as motivation for student writers.  Mr. Krosoczka does author visits and this talk could be used prior to a visit to generate interest and background knowledge.  This talk could be used with groups of students who are reading books by Jarrett J. Krosoczka as part of an author study.

Personal Thoughts:

Students love interacting with an author and finding out how they started out.  Mr. Krosoczka’s story is inspirational not only in the fact that he rose above humble and difficult circumstances but also in his persistence.  He is currently a very popular author with his Lunch Lady series so children would find this talk very interesting.  In my particular school I have a lot of students who have difficult home lives.  Jarrett’s story could be encouraging and inspirational for my students.

High Interest Annotation:  Learn how Jarrett J. Krosoczka became a beloved author and illustrator.

The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot by Margaret McNamara and Mark Fearing

  

The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot

McNamara, Margaret and Fearing, Mark.  New York: Schwartz & Wade Books, 2011.  9780375866890

Quantitative Reading Level: Reading Level 2.1

Qualitative Reading Analysis:

I would rate this as Middle Low on the “Text Complexity: Qualitative Measures Rubric for Literary Text”.  This is a fairly simple text but readers should be familiar with the original “Three Little Pigs”.  It would also be helpful for readers to recognize the planets because that certainly adds to the experience of the book.

Summary:

 

In this version of “The Three Little Pigs” the three little aliens set off from their home on Mercury to make their way in the “worlds”.  Their mother warns them to watch out for the Big, Bad Robot.  They pass by Venus and Earth and then Bork settles on Mars in a rover.  Gork and Nklxwcyz pass by Jupiter and then Gork settles on outside of Saturn on a satellite.  Nklxwcyz finally settles on Neptune.  Of course, the Big, Bad Robot comes after the three little aliens one by one but Nklxwcyz is prepared and they defeat the robot.

Content Area: Reading/ELA

Content area standard:

 

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.2 Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.3 Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.9 Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story (e.g., Cinderella stories) by different authors or from different cultures.

Curriculum Suggestions:

Compare and contrast this version of “The Three Little Pigs” with other versions.

Personal Thoughts:

This was a very fun version of the “Three Little Pigs”.  I like how the author and illustrator incorporated planets in our solar system.  

High Interest Annotation: The three little pigs in our Solar System.

One Upon a Time, the End (asleep in 60 seconds) by Geoffrey Kloske and Barry Blitt

  

Once Upon a Time, the End (asleep in 60 seconds)

Kloske, Geoffrey and Blitt, Barry.  New York: Athenum Books for Young Readers, 2005.  9780689866197.

Quantitative Reading Level:  Reading Level 3.0

Qualitative Reading Analysis: 

I would rate this as Middle Low on the “Text Complexity: Qualitative Measures Rubric for Literary Text”.  What makes this book more challenging is the allusions to so many different fairytales and nursery rhymes.  Readers need to be familiar with those stories so they appreciate the humor in this book and understand what the dad is doing.

Summary:

 

Dad really wants his child to go to sleep but of course the child needs just one more story.  In desperation the dad tries to shorten the stories.  What follows is a romp through “Chicken Little”, The Two Little Pigs, and so many more.  Children will have fun comparing the dad’s versions with the originals.  The dad gets more and more desperate as the story goes on and each tale gets chopped more and more.  This is a fun book.

Content Area: Reading/ELA

Content area standard:

 

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.2 Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text. 

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.3 Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.9 Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters (e.g., in books from a series)

Curriculum Suggestions:

Compare and contrast the versions of the fairytales and nursery rhymes with the originals. 

Describe the father and talk about why he was telling stories that way.

Personal Thoughts:

This book is quite funny.  I can relate as a parent.  There are a lot of other “bedtime” story spoofs that could be tied with this including Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein.  This book has a lot of possibilities.

High Interest Annotation:  An exhausted father totally mangles the fairytales in order to get his child to sleep.