LGA3101 PPG MODULE_TOPIC 6.pdf

LGA 3101 CHILDRENS LITERATURE

TOPIC 6 EXPLORING AND EXPLOITING STORIES IN THE PRIMARY ESL CLASSROOM

6.0 SYNOPSIS

Topic 6 introduces you to the concepts of traditional literature, realistic fiction, fantasy,

non-fiction and picture books. It also aims to give some suggestions on teaching

strategies using stories in the classroom.

6.1 LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

define and understand the concepts of traditional literature, realistic fiction,

fantasy, non-fiction and picture books;

identify and discuss the strategies using stories in the classroom.

6.2 FRAMEWORK OF TOPICS

EXPLORING AND EXPLOITING STORIES IN THE PRIMARY ESL CLASSROOM

Teaching Strategies

Types Of Stories

Traditional Literature Realistic Fiction Fantasy Non Fiction Picture Books


6.2.1 Traditional literature Traditional literature or folk literature includes stories from times before recorded

history and from all parts of the world. Stories of religious significance, stories about

mythical heroes and heroines and stories of real people who performed brave deeds

belong to this category. These have been passed down by word of mouth through the

generations. What brought about the creation of folk literature? Russell (2005) cites the

following human needs as the reason for the existence of this specific genre of

literature:

the need to explain the mysteries of the natural world in the absence of scientific

information;

the need to articulate our fears and dreams, thus making them accessible and

manageable;

the need to inmpose some order on the apparent random nature of life, thus

helping us to understand our place in the universe;

the need to entertain ourselves and each other.

Types of Traditional Literature Folklorist William Bascom, in Norton (2006) defines four types of traditional literature as

stated below:

1. Folktales These are prose narratives which are regarded as fiction which usually tell the

adventures of animal or human characteristics. Example of a folktale is Snow White

and the Seven Dwarfs


2. Fables Fables are brief tales in which animal characters that talk and act like humans indicate a

moral lesson or satirize human conduct. The Hare and the Tortoise is a popular

example.

3. Myths Myths are stories of gods, goddesses and heroes of a given culture. Myths perform a

number of functions:

i. myths explain the origin of the world and of human beings;

ii. myths explain the origins of customs and societal beliefs;

iii. myths provide explanations for natural phenomena;

iv. myths help to define human relationships with the deity or deities;

v. myths may reinforce cultural values;

vi. myths help to resolve humanitys fear of the unknown.

4. Legends Legends initially grew out of mythology, but instead of focussing on gods and

goddesses, these stories had human beings as their heroes. Tales about Robin Hood

are clear examples of legends.

Values of Traditional Literature for children

Helps children understand the world

Helps children identify with universal human struggles

Provides pleasure


6.2.2 Realistic Fiction Realistic fiction aims to portray the world as it is. It does not contain fantasy nor

supernatural elements. Everything in a realistic story including plot, characters and

setting- is consistent with the lives of real people in our world. The word realistic does

not mean that the story is true, however; it means that the story could have happened.

The plots in these stories deal with familiar everyday problems, pleasures and personal

relationships.

Types of Realistic Fiction i. Family stories also known as domestic stories, rely on episodic plots in which

families are normally engaged.

ii. Stories of social realism present a multi-faceted view of society.

iii. Adventure and survival stories - depict an individual or individuals pitted against

the forces of nature or the the forces of a cruel, insensitive society

iv. Mystery of detective stories involves the solving of a problem, usually a crime

v. Animal stories often portray the relationship between an animal and a youthful

human companion

vi. Sports stories promote high moral character and good sportsmanship

Values of Realistic Fiction for children

It allows children to identify with characters of their own age who have similar

interests and problems.

It can help children discover that their problems and desires are not unique and

that they are not alone in experiencing certain feelings and situations.

It extends childrens horizons by broadening their interests, allowing them to

experience new adventures, and showing them different ways to view and deal

with conflicts in their own lives.

It can help children discharge repressed emotions and cope with fear, anger or

grief.

It provides children with pleasure and escape.


6.2.3 Fantasy Fantasy is any story of the impossible. It may include magic, talking animals, time

travel, the supernatural, adventures in alternative worlds any feature that is contrary to

the laws of nature as we understand them. Modern fantasy has its roots in traditional

folktales. However, it is distinctinctly different from folk literature.

Types of Fantasy

i. Animal fantasy stories where animals talk and exhibit human emotions

ii. Toy Fantasy stories of toys come to life and most of the animated toys wish to

become human

iii. Magical fantasy and tall tales the magical phenomenon of the story becomes

the subject of the story, for example the character possesses superhuman,

magical strength

iv. Enchanted journeys and alternative worlds the protagonists undertake journeys

to some fantasy world where magical things occur

v. Heroic or Quest Fantasy the heroes or heroines are engaged in a monumental

struggle against a seemingly all-powerful evil, and the fate of an entire civilisation

often depends on the outcome of that struggle

vi. Supernatural and time-shift fantasy- include ghost and witch stories, stories of

mysterious and unexplained occurences, and stories of time travel

vii. Science fiction and space fantasy speculative writing usually focusing on life in

the future, either on earth or on some other planet which include stories about

aliens from outer space


Modern fantasy and contemporary realistic fiction are different. The table below shows

some of these differences.

Modern Fantasy Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Believable

stories

Authors must encourage readers

to suspend disbelief

Authors may rely on relevant

subjects, everyday occurences,

or extreme realism

Plot Conflict may be against

supernatural powers. Problems

may be solved through magical

powers.

Conflict develops as characters

cope with such problems as

growing up, survival, family

discord, and inner-city tensions.

Antagonists may be self, other

family members, society or

nature.

Characters Personified toys, little people,

supernatural beings, real people

who have imaginary experiences,

animals who behave like people

Characters act like real people.

Animals always behave like

animals.

Setting Past, present, or future

Imaginary world, may travel

through time and space

The contemporary world is as we

know it

Norton (2006 )


6.2.4 Nonfiction Nonfiction is prose writing that presents and explains ideas or that tells about real

people, places, objects, or events. It is an account or representation of a subject which

is presented as fact. This presentation may be accurate or it can give either a true or a

false account of the subject in question. However, it is generally assumed that the

authors of such accounts believe them to be truthful at the time of their composition.

Autobiographies, biographies, essays, reports, letters, memos, and newspaper articles

are all types of nonfiction.

Characteristics of Nonfiction Works of nonfiction differ from works of fiction in several ways.

The people, events, places, and ideas presented in nonfiction are real, not

invented.

Nonfiction is narrated by an author who is a real person.

It presents facts, describes true-life experiences, or discusses ideas.

Nonfiction is written for a specific audience, or group of readers. In addition, it addresses a clear purpose, or reason for writing. The audience and purpose

influence the type of information a writer includes.

Tone, the authors attitude toward the subject or reader, is displayed through the

writers word choice and style.

The writer contributes more than information to nonfiction.

Style is the particular way in which a writer uses language. Style reflects an

authors personality. Factors that contribute to an authors style include level of

formality, use of figurative language, diction or word choice, sentence patterns,

and methods of organization.

Tone is the authors attitude toward both the subject and readers or listeners. In

conversations, you can hear a speakers tone in the way words and phrases are

spoken. When reading, you can hear tone in an authors choice of words and


details. The tone of a literary work can often be described with a single word

such as: pompous, playful, serious, personal, sarcastic, or friendly

Perspective is the viewpoint or opinion an author expresses about the subject, either directly or indirectly. Bias occurs when a writer makes a one-sided

presentation (for example, by ignoring relevant facts or by using emotional

language that unfairly sways readers or listeners feelings).

Purpose is the authors reason for writing. Common purposes are to inform, to

persuade, to honour, to entertain, to explain, and to warn.

Types of Nonfiction There are four main types, or modes, of nonfiction that are defined by their purposes.

1. Narrative nonfiction

Narrative nonfiction tells stories of real-life events. Examples include autobiographies

and memoirs. Some narrative nonfiction is reflective writing, which shares the writers

thoughts and feelings about a personal experience, an idea, or a concern. Examples

include reflective essays, personal essays, and journals.

2. Expository nonfiction

Expository nonfiction informs or explains. Examples include analytical essays and

research reports.

3. Persuasive nonfiction

Persuasive nonfiction presents reasons and evidence to convince the reader to act or

think in a certain way. Examples include editorials and political speeches.

4. Descriptive nonfiction

Descriptive nonfiction uses details related to the senses to create mental images for the

reader. Examples include character sketches and scientific observations.


Specific Types of Nonfiction

i. Almanac An almanac is an annual publication containing tabular information in a particular field or fields often arranged according to the calendar. Astronomical data and various

statistics are also found in almanacs, such as the times of the rising and setting of the

sun and moon, eclipses, hours of full tide, stated festivals of churches, terms of courts,

lists of all types, timelines, and more.

ii. Autobiography An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person. Biographers generally rely on a wide variety of documents and viewpoints; an

autobiography however may be based entirely on the writers memory. Closely

associated with autobiography (and sometimes difficult to precisely distinguish from it) is

the form of memoir.

iii. Biography A biography is a description or account of someones life and the times, which is usually published in the form of a book or an essay, or in some other form, such as a

film. An autobiography(auto meaning self, giving self-biography) is a biography of a

persons life written or told by that same person. A biography is more than a list of

impersonal facts (education, work, relationships, and death), it also portrays the

subjects experience of those events. Unlike a profile or curriculum vitae(resume)a

biography presents the subjects story, highlighting various aspects of his or her life,

including intimate details of experiences, and may include an analysis of the subjects

personality.


iv. Blueprint A blueprint is a type of paper-based reproduction usually of a technical drawing, documenting architecture or an engineering design. More generally, the term blueprint

has come to be used to refer to any detailed plan.

v. Book report A book report (or book review) is an exposition giving a short summary of a book and a reaction to it. While it includes some details, a book report is usually tailored to its

readers. Book reports usually follow a set format but may vary in length and complexity

depending on the academic level at which they are set and the importance of the

individual assignment. They are commonly assigned in primary and secondary schools.

vi. Creative nonfiction Creative nonfiction (also known as literary or narrative nonfiction) is a genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives. Creative

nonfiction contrasts with other nonfiction, such as technical writing or journalism, which

is also rooted in accurate fact, but is not primarily written in service to its craft. As a

genre, creative nonfiction is still relatively young, and is only beginning to be scrutinized

with the same critical analysis given to fiction and poetry.

vii. Diary A diary is a record (originally in handwritten format) with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries

undertaken for institutional purposes play a role in many aspects of human civilization,

including government records, business ledgers and military records. Schools or

parents may teach or require children to keep diaries in order to encourage the

expression of feelings and to promote thought.

Generally the term is today employed for personal diaries, in which the writer may detail

more personal information and normally intended to remain private or to have a limited

circulation amongst friends or relatives. The writer may also describe recent events in


his/her personal diary. The word journal may be sometimes used for diary, but

generally one writes daily in a diary, whereas journal-writing can be less frequent.

Whilst a diary may provide information for a memoir, autobiography or biography, it is

generally written not with the intention of being published as it stands, but for the

authors own use. In recent years however there is internal evidence in some diaries

that they are written with eventual publication in mind, with the intention of self-

vindication (pre- or posthumous) or simply for profit.

Diaries are highly varied, from business notations, to listings of weather and daily

personal events, to inner explorations of the human psyche, to expressions of ones

deepest self to records of thoughts and ideas. By extension the term diary is also used to mean a printed publication of a written diary; and may also refer to other terms of

journal including electronic formats eg. blogs.

viii. Dictionary A dictionary is a collection of words in a specific language, often listed alphabetically, with usage information, definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other

information; or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, also

known as a lexicon. In many languages, words can appear in many different forms, but

only the undeclined or unconjugated form appears as the headword in most

dictionaries. Dictionaries are most commonly found in the form of a book, but some

newer dictionaries are dictionary software running on PDAs or computers. There are also many online dictionaries accessible via the Internet.

ix. Encyclopedia An encyclopaedia is a comprehensive written compendium holding information from either all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge. Encyclopedias are

divided into articles with one article on each subject covered. The articles on subjects in

an encyclopedia are usually accessed alphabetically by article name and can be

contained in one volume or many volumes, depending on the amount of material

included.


x. Essay An essay is usually a short piece of writing which is often written from an authors personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary

criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life,

recollections, and reflections of the author.

xi. History History is the study of the human past, with special attention to the written record. Scholars who write about history are called historians. It is a field of research which

uses a narrative to examine and analyse the sequence of events, and it often attempts

to investigate objectively the patterns of cause and effect that determine events.

xii. Journal A journal has several related meanings:

a daily record of events or business; a private journal is usually referred to as a

diary.

a newspaper or other periodical, in the literal sense of one published each day;

many publications issued at stated intervals, such as magazines, or scholarly

academic journals, or the record of the transactions of a society, are often called

journals.

xiii. Journalism Journalism is the craft of conveying news, descriptive material and opinion via a widening spectrum of media. These include newspapers, magazines, radio and

television, the internet and even, more recently, the mobile phone.


6.2.5 Picture books Most childrens books are illustrated, but not all illustrated childrens books are picture

books. According to Nodelman in Norton(2006), picture books communicate

information or tell stories through a series of many pictures combined with relative slight

texts or no texts at all .

llustrations are as important as the text in picture books or sometimes even more

important than the text.This is because children respond to stories told visually and

verbally.

Childrens books, ranging from Mother Goose books and toy books for very young

children to picture storybooks with plots that satisfy more experienced older children are

included in the picture book category.

Types of Picture Books i. Mother Goose Books Mother Goose rhymes, also known as nursery rhymes, are a childs first introduction to

literature. These rhymes share the characteristics of two types of literature. First, they

are folk literature- songs that were passed on by word of mouth long before they were

written down. Second, they are a form of poetry, with rhyme and rhythm being a large

part of their attraction. Mother Goose rhymes are pure fun, their delightful nonsense

and eccentric characters remain with us beyond childhood.

ii. Wordless Picture Books Wordless picture books contain only pictures and little or no text. There has been

contraversy over whether these books actually constitute literature but it is evident that

they contain literary elements including plot, point of view, theme, character, setting and

tone. Wordless picture books demand an oral response from the readers and they

promote positive reading habits and attitudes among children.


iii. Toy Books Toy books are cardboard books, cloth books or pop-up books which include some

gimmick in addition to a story. Usually these books are intended for very young

children.Visual image is given more emphasis than text in toy books.

iv. Alphabet Books They are designed to teach children to recognise the letters and sounds of the alphabet.

All good alphabet books have some unifying element that helps to make them a

satisfying artistic whole.

v. Counting Books They are designed to teach children the concept of counting and recognising

numbers.Some counting books contain virtuallly no text, just the numbers and the

objects to be counted.

vi. Concept Books The purpose of a concept book is not to tell a story, but to present factual material

through illustrations and accompanying text. Alphabet and counting books are concept

books in that their purpose is to present concepts to young children.. But concept

books go far beyond teaching letters and numbers. They deal with almost any subject

such as opposites, colours, spatial relationships or sounds.

Concept books are clearly didactic books they educate but do not preach. A good

concept book will convey its information in a clear and entertaining way. The material is

accurately presented in a simplified form suitable for very young children.


vii. Picture Storybooks Picture storybooks combine the art of storytelling with that of illustration. They are

widely varied in content. They may consist of retelling of traditional folktales eg. The

Three Little Pigs; original fantasies such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit; or realistic stories

such as Iras Sleep Over. Picture storybooks consist of the same narrative elements of

storytelling, that is, point of view, character, plot and conflict, theme, style and tone.

Elements in Picture Storybooks Originality and imagination Picture storybooks and their accompanying

illustrations are filled with imaginative episodes.

Plot The plots are usually simple, clearly developed and brief.

Characterization The characters in picture storybooks must have specific traits

that make them appealing to young children. they must experience situations and

emotions immediately familiar and credible to the children.

Setting Picture storybooks rely on illustrations to establish the location of a

story in time and place, create a mood, clarify historical background and

emphasize symbolic meaning.

Theme The themes in picture storybooks for young children are closely related

to childrens needs and understandings.

Style Because a picture storybook contains so few words, its author must

select words very carefully. The book must be designed to catch childrens

attention and to stimulate their interest.

Humour Humorous literature is effective in attracting children to the pleasures

of reading and writing. Many elements in picture storybooks can cause children

to laugh out loud, namely word play and nonsense, surprise and the unexpected,

exaggeration, the ridiculous and carricatures, and superiority.


6.2.6 Teaching Strategies i. Storytelling Learning the art of telling stories is useful because of the pleasure it provides both the

teller and the audience. The following steps may be considered in telling stories.

a. Choose a suitable story .

b. Prepare the story for telling

c. Share the story with an audience

d. Observe childrens responses to storytelling

e. Encourage children to be storytellers

ii. Shared Reading Shared Reading is an interactive reading experience. Children join in the reading of a

big book or other enlarged text as guided by a teacher or other experienced reader.

Shared Reading is generally accomplished using an enlarged text that all children can

see. Student interactivity is the distinguishing feature of Shared Reading versus

Reading Aloud. Selected books must be suitable for students to join in the experience.

During the reading the teacher or another reader involves the children in reading

together by pointing to or sliding below each word in the text. This provides children the

opportunity to participate and behave like a reader. Shared reading models the reading

process and strategies used by readers. The teacher deliberately draws attention to the

print and models early reading behaviors such as moving from left to right and word-by-

word matching. Shared Reading creates a risk-free environment, allowing children to

focus on the enjoyment of the story.

The selected book must have the possibility of multiple readings for enjoyment. Many

texts used in early stages of literacy have a repeating refrain or rhyme to increase the

enjoyment of reading the story over and over. The book is initially read by the teacher to

model reading strategies. In subsequent readings, the children become more

interactive.


Teaching Methods Initial reading (done by teacher) follows this pattern: Gather children in an area close to

the book. The book must be easily seen by the children.

Introduce book (share theme, examine title, cover, illustrations, etc. make

predictions)

Excite student's imagination and relate prior experience to text

Concentrate on enjoying the text as a whole (Read with few stops)

Encourage students to use background knowledge to make predictions

Encourage spontaneous participation in the reading of the story

Discuss personal responses to the book

Be positive in accepting/encouraging children's responses

Teacher is almost entirely responsible for the reading of the text.

Close Reading- (Subsequent readings)

Direct children's attention to various aspects of the text, and reading strategies,

and skills. Many of the strategies needed for independent reading can be taught

during shared reading, especially when shared reading takes place with a small

group versus the whole class.

Identify vocabulary, ideas and facts, discuss author's style, skill, and viewpoint.

Remember to focus on the enjoyment of the story. Try not to draw attention away

from the story with too many teaching points or too much attention to detail.

Experiment with intonation and expression, discuss colorful phrases or words.

Attend to teaching points as they arise.

Benefits of Shared Reading:

Rich, authentic, interesting literature can be used, even in the earliest phases of

a reading program, with children whose word-identification skills would not

otherwise allow them access to this quality literature.

Each reading of a selection provides opportunities for the teacher to model

reading for the children.


Opportunities for concept and language expansion exist that would not be

possible if instruction relied only on selections that students could read

independently.

Awareness of the functions of print, familiarity with language patterns, and word-

recognition skills grow as children interact several times with the same selection.

Individual needs of students can be more adequately met. Accelerated readers

are challenged by the interesting, natural language of selections. Because of the

support offered by the teacher, students who are more slowly acquiring reading

skills experience success.

3. Role Play Role-playing can be thought of as unstructured drama In these exercises, a student

looks at the topic from the perspective of a character, who will affect and be affected by

the topic. The instructor provides the setting and the characters, but the students have

to decide their characters' lines and directions. Generally, the students will need to do

some research to make informed decisions from their characters' perspectives. This

research opportunity can easily become an inquiry element.

The character might be a miner trying to figure out how to stake a claim and to make his or her fortune off of it or an engineer who wants to build a space probe. Alternatively, the character could be an organism that is part of a food web and the student's job is to work out his or her relationships to the other members of the food web (role-played by classmates).

4. Readers Theatre Readers Theatre is an activity in which students, while reading directly from scripts,

are able to tell a story in a most entertaining form, without props, costumes, or sets.This

is a reading activity, and students are not asked to memorize their lines. They are,

however, encouraged to use intonation and gestures appropriate to their characters

and their characters words. Readers theatre is a simple, effective and risk-free way to

get children to enjoy reading. As children write, read, perform and interpret their roles

they acquire a better understanding of the literature.


Benefits of Readers Theatre

It provides repeated reading practicean important factor in building fluency.

Repeated reading practice also improves students confidence in, and

enthusiasm for reading. Its an enjoyable change of pace from everyday practice

sessions.

Its a wonderful opportunity for children who are used to feelings of failure to

provide expertise entertainment for others.

Like storytelling, reader's theater can create images by suggestion that could

never be realistically portrayed on stage. Reader's theater frees the performers

and the audience from the physical limitations of conventional theater, letting the

imagination soar.

Almost any story can be scripted for reader's theatre, but some are easier and

work better than others. In general, look for stories that are simple and lively, with

lots of dialogue or action, and with not too many scenes or characters.

Readers Theater involves children in oral reading through reading parts in

scripts. Unlike traditional theatre, the emphasis is mainly on oral expression of

the part. Readers Theater is "theatre of the imagination". It involves children in

understanding their world, creating their own scripts, reading aloud, performing

with a purpose, and bringing enjoyment to both themselves and their audiences.

imagination of the perceptive silent reader".

5. Story Grammar Story grammar evolved from analyses of folktales conducted by anthropologists in the

early 1900s. They found that, regardless of age or culture, when individuals retell

stories, the retells follow a pattern. This pattern is referred to as story grammar. Story

grammar involves expression of the characters problem or conflict, a description of

attempts to solve the problem, and an analysis of the chain of events that lead to

resolution. Story grammar also involves analysis of how characters react to the events

in the story.


Activities using stories in the classroom i. Using illustrations It is always a good idea to exploit pictures to help the child understand and visualise the

story. The stories have illustrations which can be used to introduce the story, elicit

vocabulary they know, introduce difficult words in that story, and generally excite the

interest of the child for the story.. Ask learners to look at the picture before reading, and

ask questions such as who are the people?'; what are they wearing?' (and why?);

what is the cat holding?'; what has happened?'; how is the woman feeling?' etc.

Learners will be introduced to vocabulary, will be more able to understand the text, and

will be more engaged in the reading task (was I right? Is it a necklace or a watch?)

ii. Pre-teaching vocabulary Many stories are related to a topic. These topics can have specialist' vocabulary which

may cause problems in comprehension. You will usually find links to other related

exercises on thematic vocabulary which can be taught first. For example, you can use

activities to practise the names of the animals in a particular story as well as use

flashcards to introduce the animals.

iii. Introduce the theme Many of the stories are related to a topic. It can be a good idea to familiarise learners

with the topic before reading, by trying activities related to the topic, by setting a task to

find out about the topic (this could even be for homework), or by discussion (in your own

language with lower level learners if you like). For example the story Football Crazy' is

about a girl playing in a boys football team, breaking down barriers, adults treating boys

and girls differently. This is an important issue for children. Before reading the story you

could ask your learners to name famous footballers, and once you have a list you could

see how many famous players are women. Then you can ask more questions such as

why are there so few famous female football players?', what about other sports?' etc.


iv. Input cultural background Many stories assume a knowledge of cultural norms. Children are usually interested in

finding out the differences between their own culture and the lives of children in other

parts of the world.. Some stories have more overt cultural background. In the story

Hairy Henry's Holiday', typical sights of London are mentioned, such as Big Ben', The

London Eye' and Madame Tussauds'. You could use pictures of these places before

children read or listen to the story.

B. Activities during reading

i. Use a variety of ways to read There are many different ways to approach the story. It is quite likely that younger

learners will want to read/hear/or listen to the story several times, particularly the

shorter, flash-animated ones. This should not be discouraged as it helps learners to

equate oral and written forms which is important for the development of reading skills. In

the classroom it is important to vary the kind of reading.

The teacher could use a data projector for a class to listen to/read a story as a

whole-class activity

The teacher could read the whole or parts of the story to a class with the text

The learners can read by themselves silently, either on-screen whether at school

or even as homework

Some stories can be read as texts with illustrations and then children can watch

the flash movie version, or this order could be reversed.

ii. Sustaining reading If the story is very long then it is important to keep the class motivated to read. The

teacher could stop at convenient cliff-hanger' points and ask the class what happens

next?' This use of prediction skills makes the learners want to read on to the end of the

story to find out if their own idea is correct. In a classroom this could be done as a

guessing game' if the teacher is controlling the pace of reading.


iii. Total Physical Response With very young or active learners the story can be mimed while the teacher reads or

the children listen. A story like The Snowman' could be used for this. The actions of

waking up, running into the garden, building the snowman and the melting' are all easy

to mime.

iv. Characters and voices In stories which have a lot of characters you could ask students to read the dialogue of

the characters. The teacher could read the dialogue of characters in different voices

first.

v. Vocabulary help If a child is reading individually at school or at home they could also use dictionaries to

check on the meanings of unknown words, if the learner is at a high enough level to use

this independently. This is available at http://dictionary.cambridge.org/

C. Post-reading activities i. Quick comprehension check It is always a good idea to do a quick comprehension check when your learners have

finished reading the story, or at the end of each page of text. This may take the form of

a few gist' questions about the text in oral form, asking children for a response e.g. why

is this person sad, which character did the children like etc. This could be done in

written form.

ii. Make a poster/illustrate the story You can use any story as an opportunity for some creative drawing and illustration,

perhaps with vocabulary labels in English. For example, in the story Carnival Crime',

you could ask a learner to draw the carnival costumes in the story and label them. As a

follow-up they could design their own carnival costume or a costume for a festival in

their country.


iii. Stimulus for writing Many stories lend themselves to acting as a stimulus for creative writing, depending on

the level of your learners. Younger learners or learners who have a lower level of

English could use one of the simpler stories as a model for a story of their own.

iv. Role-play/acting out Interpreting stories as role-play can be as simple or complicated as you like. It could

start with miming basic actions, then speaking or improvising dialogue. In the classroom

the teacher will need to be organised in advance with moving furniture, providing simple

props etc. You could even use facepaints.

TASKS Complete the following tasks and keep a record in your

portfolio 1. Read Russell (2005 ) and Norton (2006 ) and make short notes on traditional

literature and realistic fiction. Design activities using such stories to teach young

learners.

2. Discuss with your group members and list some titles of stories which can be

categorised as realistic fiction. What are some of the issues that are discussed in

these stories and how can they interest children?

3. Read up on fantasy stories. Discuss the elements that make a good fantasy.

Present the information in a graphic organiser.

4. Which types of non-fiction work are suitable for children? Discuss in your groups and

provide justifications for your choice.

5. List some listening and speaking activities using fantasy or traditional literature.

6. Discuss some ways of using picture books in the classroom

.


References

Norton, D.E. (2006). Through the Eyes of A Child: an Introduction to Childrens

Literature. New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Russell, D.L. (2005). Literature For Children. A Short Introduction. (5th Ed.)

Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/teaching-kids/tips-using-stories

http://www.oe.k12.mi.us/balanced_literacy/shared_reading.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reader's_theatre

Take a break and move on to the next topic when you are ready

Prepared by: Nagamah Raju Sathian IPG Kampus Tun Hussein Onn, Batu Pahat.


Characteristics of NonfictionTypes of NonfictionBenefits of Shared Reading:

LGA3101 PPG MODULE_TOPIC 6.pdf

Documents

myths myths

childrens literature

exploiting stories

stories of gods

creation of folk literature

specific genre of literature

human beings

stories of real people