In New York

In New York

By: Marc Brown

Published by: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2014

Grade level: 3-4

Fountas and Pinnell: NA

Lexile: 240L

Accelerated Reader: 3.7

Suggested Delivery: Read Aloud/Individual

Author & Illustrator: Marc Brown

Summary:

The story starts when the narrator (the author, Marc Brown) was eight years old, and one night his family boarded a train in Erie, Pennsylvania moving to New York City.  He is saying that as a child he dreamed of living there and now he does, in an old house near the Hudson River. The history of the city is briefly described, and Brown talks about all the stuff do to in New York City. The hand-drawn illustrations are filled with cheerful colors and lots of detail, and older children will have a lot of fun finding all the little things that the author hid on his cheerful looking pictures.

Key Words/Phrases to Describe the Book:

1. New York City

2. Travel

3. Times Square

4. Statue of Liberty

5. Full of possibilities

6. Empire State Building

Key Vocabulary:

Train: a series of railroad cars moved as a unit by a locomotive or by integral motors.

Subway: an underground electric railroad.

Empire State Building: a 102-story skyscraper located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City,

Statue of Liberty: a gift of friendship from the people of France to the United States and is recognized as a universal symbol of freedom and democracy.

New Amsertdam: a 17th-century Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island, which served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. 

Times Square: a major commercial intersection and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York (where the ball drops every New Year's Eve)

Resources:

A View on Cities is an interactive website of the different cities and locations of New York City.  There are in depth descriptions of any city you choose to click on and learn about.  This is a great tool to use after reading In New York to find the places that were mentioned in the book.

Watch this YouTube video of author and illustrator Marc Brown sharing his story of his life and how he came to be an author.

Teaching Suggestions:

• Give students a blank map of New York City and as you read have them locate and fill in the place on the map that is being discussed.
• Have students create a poem of a place created that was discussed-whether its the Statue of Liberty or Times Square.
• Have an open discussion about places that are discussed in the book. Maybe students have visited a place mentioned once before.  This will build schema. 

Comprehension Strategies:

Before: Present vocabulary cards of the places that will be discussed in the book In New York such as Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, and Time Square. Ask students if they are familiar with these places and if so, have them explain what all these places have in common (located in the city) and what their significance is to history.

During: Conduct a fishbowl discussion about New York.  Those who have been there before and know about the various places/locations will lead the discussion.

After: Have students question the author as they read. Since this a book written and narrated by the author, Marc Brown, this is a perfect kind of text to have students directly ask questions to the author that may pop when reading the book.

Writing Activity:

Have students pick a place/location mentioned in the book and research more about it.  They will be asked to write a short informational essay about the place they chose to research, and explain its significance to New York.  They must include a picture of the location.

Bibliography:

Brown, M. T. (2014). In New York. Knopf Books for Young Readers.