TEMA 1 LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN IN ENGLISH Introduction to the World of Children Literature (I) Definition, values, book formats and reading schemata

CONTENT 1. Defining literature for children 2. The value of children´s literature 3. Book formats 4. Engaing students in reading

Defining Literature for Children What is literature? Are all books literature? Are only stories considered literature?

Defining Literature for Children How to determine what age or grade level a book would be suited for? Any book a reader likes is appropriate for that reader. The author often makes the main charcaterthe age of the intended audience. Some books publishers indicated the level of the book.

Defining Literature for Children Hillman (2002): literature should be of a good quality. But what are the qualities that constitute good quality? What is the age group for children literature? It is not easy to distinguish between children literature and adolescen literatture.

Defining Literature for Children Children literature is good-quality trade books for children form birth to early adolescence, covering topics of relevance and interest to children through prose and poetry. They are the books that children seE as reflecting their life experiences, understandings, and emotions.

Defining Literature for Children Content Children’s books are about the full range of experiences of childhood from the difficult to the exciting. These experiences should be relevant to children today. The content include amazingly diverse and interesting topics. Prose or poetry. If prose: fiction, nonfiction, or combination of both. Childhood stories that are humorous and suspenseful are appropriate for children. Nostalgic and overly sentimental stories are not appropriate.

Defining Literature for Children Diverse cultural experiences should be reflected. Avoid stereotypes. Element of hope is important. Books for entertainment and information.

Defining Literature for Children Quality Not all trade books aim at young learners are worth close attention. Quality in writing and illustration has to do with originality and importance of ideas, imaginative use of language and image, and beauty of literary and artistic style. These books have permanent value and stay in our memories.

The value of children’s literature ENJOYMENT Good books offer enjoyment. The positive early experiences often lead to a lifetime of reading enjoyment.

The value of children’s literature PERSONAL AND CULTURAL IDENTITY Readers grow in their own identities by finding themselves and their families and communities within books. Stories are also repositories of culture. Stories based on events in the past provide a connection to the people, who made history.

The value of children’s literature IMAGINATION AND TRANSFORMATION Stories provide children with alternative paths for understanding their past or imagining their future. They develop their imagination and are inspired to overcome obstacles, consider different perspectives, and formulate goals.

The value of children’s literature KNOWLEDGE AND INSIGHTS Good books offer information and wisdom and so combine the heart and mind, reason and emotion.

The value of children’s literature UNDERSTANDING AND EMPATHY Literature helps children gain an appreciation of the universality of human needs across history, which makes it possible for them to understand what connects all of us as human beings as well as what makes each of us unique. Literature plays an essential role in building intercultural understanding as children immerse themselves in the lives and thinking of characters within global cultures.

The value of children’s literature LITERARY AND ARTISTIC PREFERENCES Children come to recognize the literary and artistic styles of many authors and illustrators. Personal preferences and interest are powerful motivators for becoming a lifelong reader.

The value of children’s literature READING AND WRITING Reading improves by engaging in the actual process. Regular reading of excellent literature can foster language development and help young children learn to read and value reading. By listening to and reading excellent literature, children are exposed to rich vocabulary and excellent writing styles, which serve as good mentor texts for their own speaking and writing voices.

The value of children’s literature LITERATURE ACROSS THE CURRICULUM Literature as teaching material in social studies and history, science, health, and mathematics.

The value of children’s literature ART APPRECIATION AND VISUAL LITERACY Illustrations in children’s picture books can be appreciated for their cognitive value in helping to tell the story and for their aesthetic value as art.

Book formats PICTURE BOOKS Most children’s book are illustrated, but not all illustrated books are picture books. Picture book convey its message through a series of pictures with only a small amount of text (or none at all). Wordless books. They are usually larger than storybooks, and their shapes are varied. The number of pages is fairly uniform (most books have 32 pages).

Book formats Pete the Cat and his four groovy buttons https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_Ad46sVA-c

Book formats EASY-TO –READ- BOOKS A format specifically designed to give beginning readers successful independent reading experiences. Some publishers have their own trade-marked names: “I can read” or “Ready to Read”. Read independently by children. They are smaller than regular picture books. The illustrations are designed to give clues to the meanings of the words, but the pictures are smaller and less profuse. Larger print, more space between lines. Restricted vocabulary: usually fewer than 250 different words. The majority of the early easy/to/read books were animal fantasy, but they are now available in all genres.

Book formats History of this format is interesting. The first book was Dr. Seuss THE CAT IN THE HAT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jK6l1WJKUU

Book formats Graphic Novels Became especially popular with children and adolescents. Novels whose stories are told through a combination of illustrations and text. Longer than picture books (from 64 to 128). Most of them are fantasy, but can be found in all genres of literature, and the tone can be humorous or serious. The text presents a complete story line with a distinct plot (compare with comic books or mangas that contain episodic stories). May have sequels.

Book formats Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney http://www.wimpykid.com/books/book10/ Life was better in the old days. Or was it? That’s the question Greg Heffley is asking as his town voluntarily unplugs and goes electronics-free. But modern life has its conveniences, and Greg isn’t cut out for an old-fashioned world. With tension building inside and outside the Heffley home, will Greg find a way to survive? Or is going “old school” just too hard for a kid like Greg?

Book formats Chapter Books Are longer and have fewer illustrations. Junior novel. Include fiction and nonfiction novels. Lengthy enough for the author to divide in chapters. Graphics and illustrations are common but are less important than thee text.

Book formats Hardcover books Are the highest-quality books. Covers are of heavy-duty cardboard. The pages of the book are sewn together. Durable. The best colour reproduction of illustrations.

Book formats Paperback books Covers are of lower-quality paper. The pages are glued together. The best format for juvenile novels and children books that children may read only once.

Book formats Series books Sequel – trilogy – a series Unifying elements, such as characters or theme. Some of them are of high literary quality: J.K. Rowling’s harry Potter stories.

Book formats eBooks Newest on the scene. Can be downloaded from a variety of sources as Project Gutenberg and an Internet bookstore. Advantages: small and light weight, font size is changeable, and they have search function. Some books are available for download free. The classics at Gutenberg project are free. Disadvantages: children read 10% slower on electronic readers.

TO FIND OUT MORE… TeachingBooks.net TeachingBooks.net is an easy-to-use website that adds a multimedia dimension to the reading experiences of children's and young adult books. Our online database is developed and maintained to include thousands of resources about fiction and nonfiction books used in the K–12 environment, with every resource selected to encourage the integration of multimedia author and book materials into reading and library activities. http://www.teachingbooks.net/support.cgi?f=support_about

ENGAGING STUDENTS IN READING SCHEMA BUILDING: Strategy that will help readers better comprehend and enjoy the books they read. The strategy is grounded in reader response theory: to interact with a text the reader must bring something to the reading process. This something is called schema, a system of cognitive structures stored in memory that are abstract representations of events, objects, and relationships in the world. SCEMATA: background experience or prior knowledge. In order to comprehend a book, readers must be able to integrate new information in the text with their prior knowledge.

PREPARING SCHEMA BUILDING Enhancing children’s understanding and appreciation of a fiction book. Pre-reading schema building: can be used with either picture books or juvenile books.

PREPARING SCHEMA BUILDING

PREPARING SCHEMA BUILDING Information gained by using the pre/reading schema-building before reading The Voyage of the Frog.