Children’s Literature Across Curriculum By: Regina Melone, Erin Voss and Kasey Quinn

Our goal: We have heard throughout the semester time and time again that using children’s literature across the curriculum is an effective means of transmitting ideas. We will explore briefly in depth more of the “why” but also focus on the “how” and the “what” of using children’s literature across the curriculum.

Why? “Literature becomes the lens through which content is viewed” Social and conceptual impacts of different uses of literature Teachers and students can make personal connections to content through books Encourage individuals to learn what is important to them Gain insight about the world and themselves

Why? Content Literature Connection Objective Necessity Relate to life Gives the why Literature Retention (Blue Dots) Connection

Literature Expanded to include almost any reading matter: Magazines Newspaper articles “Broader view of literature enables teachers to think expansively about using a variety of written materials across the curriculum.”

What? National Science Teacher Association National Council of Social Studies National Council of Dr. Nelson Many books created for this purpose (Trade books) Magic School Bus American Girl

Marilyn Burns

Strategies Before reading aloud, review a list of books to see what would be most engaging for students. You need to allow time for reading. Literature circles Different topics of books based on students Include follow up activities

Models Start small (single discipline) Interdisciplinary (IDU) Use a narrative as a primary source, use the text as a resource of a content area Interdisciplinary (IDU) Get comfortable with curriculum first Center majority of ideas around the book Organizing thoughts through books Integrated curricula (Applying) Takes IDU further Breaks through academic labels and examines a theme beyond traditional approach Single discipline: Paired reading, guided reading, lit circles, large group discussion, listen to text on tape Integrated: Living skills, reflective thinking, critical ethics, problem solving, social action skills, and building self concepts. No longer is math only in math, math concepts are used to study part of a theme or topic. Using a strategy from one subject to help with another.

It’s not JUST reading! Conferences/ Interviewing: either teacher- student or student-student to benefit student comprehension through discussion orally. Readers Theater: Incorporate expression into all curriculum. Journal: Give students the opportunity to write about what they learned.

Final thought One source states directly: “..literature based instruction will not be one of education's well-known “passing-fancies.” There are far too many teachers seeing its benefits for students and far too much empirical and anecdotal documentation verifying its positive results.”

Questions?

References How does reading help to teach math? . (n.d.). Scholastic | Children's Books and Book Club | Scholastic.com. Retrieved November 11, 2011, from http://teacher.scholastic.com/reading/bestpractices/mo vies/popup_MB_2.htm Manning, M. (1995). Literature in the content areas. Teaching Pre K-8, 26(3), 110. Palardy, M. (1997). Another look at literature-based instruction. Education, 1, 67-70. Smith, C. (1991). Using literature across the curriculum. The Reading Teacher, 44(7), 516. Smith, L., & Johnson, H. (1994). Models for implementing literature in content studies. The Reading Teacher, 48(3), 198-208.