Teaching Children's Literature
Making Stories Work in the Classroom
Diane Duncan
- 220 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
Teaching Children's Literature
Making Stories Work in the Classroom
Diane Duncan
About This Book
Drawing on a series of recently conducted classroom workshops and live interviews with the authors, this inspiring book examines five popular children's authors: Philip Pullman, J.K. Rowling, Michael Morpurgo, Anthony Browne, Jacqueline Wilson and the genre of comic books. Four genres are explored in detail: the picture book, written narrative, film narrative and comic books.
Teaching Children's Literature provides detailed literary knowledge about the chosen authors and genres alongside clear, structured guidelines and creative ideas to help teachers, student teachers and classroom assistants make some immensely popular children's books come alive in the classroom.
This accessible and inspiring text for teachers, parents, student teachers and students of children's literature:
- includes a variety of discussion, drama, writing and drawing activities, with ideas for Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning which can be used to plan a unit of work or series of interrelated lessons for pupils aged between seven and fourteen years
- provides detailed, literary knowledge about the authors, their works, language, plot and characterisation, including exclusive transcripts of interviews with three contemporary children's book authors
- shows teachers how pupils can be encouraged to become more critical and knowledgeable about screen, picture and comic narratives as well as written narratives
- demonstrates how reading stories can help connect pupils and teachers to a broader pedagogy in ways which promote deeper thinking, learning and engagement.
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This lively, informative and practical book will enable teachers, students and classroom assistants to plan inspiring and enjoyable lessons which will encourage them to teach children's literature in an entirely different and inventive way.
Frequently asked questions
Information
- Broad questions that focus on general impressions of the story as a whole. For example, What did you find interesting about the story? Which parts of the story did you enjoy most? Which parts puzzled you?
- Questions about the characters and the parts they play. For example, Which character did you find most interesting? Who was the most important character?
- Searching for puzzles in the story and those parts you did not like or understand. For example, Why did Stella seem to want to stay close to Kensuke even though she did not know him and he had just been very angry with Michael?
- Questions about narration and point of view. Who is telling the story ā the author or a character in the story? From whose perspective is the story written? Does it change or remain the same throughout the story?
- Identifying patterns or links in the story. For example, Why does Kensuke hate Michaelās presence on the island so much? Why is Michael so angry with Kensuke? What are the key differences between Kensukeās and Michaelās relationship with the island?
- Why did you find the story interesting? Give at least two reasons. Discuss in pairs first. Share some responses with the whole class.
- Tell your partner why you enjoyed the story. Give three reasons. Share one or two different sets of reasons with the whole class.
- Which part of the story did you enjoy most and why? (Paired activity).
- Were there any parts of the story that puzzled you or that you did not understand?
- Do you think that Michaelās dad was right to risk everything he had to sail around the world? Discuss in pairs or in small groups using evidence from the story to back up your opinions. Write down all the things for and against his decision. Share some of the responses with the class.
- Divide the children into small groups and assign each of them one of the following characters: Michael, Mother, Father, Stella and Kensuke. Each group is to contribute all they know from the story about their assigned characters. One person from each group is to share their knowledge of the different characters with the rest of the class.
- Which character interested you most? Give reasons for your choice.
- Who do you think is the most important character in the story?
- Do any of the characters in the story remind you of people you know in your life? If so, which character are you referring to and what qualities do they have in common?
- Who is telling the story? Does the same person tell the whole story from beginning to end or only parts of it?
- Why does Kensuke hate Michael so much when he first arrives on the island?
- What grounds does Kensuke have for claiming that the island is his?
- List the skills and qualities that enabled Kensuke to survive so well on the island.
- If Kensuke hated Michaelās presence on the island so much, why did he care for him after he had been stung by the deadly jellyfish?
- What are the qualities in Kensukeās character that eventually led Michael to respect and like him?
- Michael and Kensuke gradually form a very close relationship with each other. What makes this happen? Think especially about what they both did to win each otherās respect and friendship.
- What does the book teach us about friendship and trust? Think about the relationships between adults and children and humans and animals that are portrayed in the book. (A timed small-group discussion is suggested for this more challenging thinking and speaking activity).
- What were some of the thoughts ...