Book Trailer for Dizzy by Jonah Winter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgN186cZuW0&feature=youtube_gdata

This was a wonderful experience and a great way to really look at a book. I loved going through and deciding the most impacting illustrations and setting them to music to tell the story. I was surprised that it was so hard to decide what to write as I explained the book because I didn’t want to give too much away. It was an awesome experience and I know I will use it over and over again.

I can think of many ways to use this in the classroom, it has infinite possibilities. One way is to introduce new books or a new author to my students by making a movie to show them. Another way is to have the students make a movie about books that they have read instead of doing a standard book report. I feel like working with students through the movie making process will really pull in a variety of learners and get them engaged. This is an awesome way to integrate technology into the curriculum.

Reference:
Winter, J. (2006). Dizzy. Arthur A. Levine Books.

Dizzy by Jonah Winter

"Dizzy" by Jonah Winter is about John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie, the famous Jazz musician! His story is an amazing one and gives hope to so many different types of students.. As the book begins, we see Dizzy as a young child plagued by many issues. The way that the book depicts Dizzy being bullied and abused by his father made me sad, but kept it at a level that is age appropriate for students. I really liked in the book when Dizzy got excited about playing Jazz and that it was a way to get his anger out, I love that the author showed this as an outlet for young students. When Dizzy gets to New York, the illustrations put us right in the middle of the Jazz scene. When the author says, "he played diddly diddly bop de biddly wah wah de BLEEEEEP" I really felt as if I could hear the music. When the illustrations depict a quiet time they have hues of blues and when they are showing jazz they have reds and oranges, it makes me really fall into each emotion. The book was very well written and was perfect for it's intended audience. It gave us enough information to really get to know Dizzy as a musician. On a side note, I think the book really lends itself to be used when talking about bullying, abuse, controlling emotions, and etc. This book was wonderful and I know I will be integrating it in my future classroom! :)

Reference:

Winter, J. (2006). Dizzy. Arthur A. Levine Books.