I. Introduction
Reading is very important in promoting learning in classrooms and libraries. For children to survive in this world and do well in life they have to know how to read and read a lot. Nay (2007) states that “kids who read succeed and develop multi-literacy skills that allow them to have rich meaningful life living and working in an information society“. A good starting point to read is children’s fiction in classrooms and libraries. There are several ways and means to read to facilitate learning and at the same time make the whole experience pleasant. Lamb (2001) points out several reasons why we should read which are as follows:
- Real-World Reading. You need reading to survive. If you get behind in reading, you’ll have trouble in every subject.
- Information Age Reading. You need reading for a career. Internet = Reading. Keeping up in a changing world requires good reading skills.
- Communication Reading. You need reading to communicate whether you’re writing or reading a letter, email, or report.
- Pleasure Reading. You need reading for leisure. It’s the only thing you can do on a plane, on the beach, or in a line that doesn’t require batteries! You can read anywhere.
- Life Long Learning. You need reading for learning. Life is about learning. You need reading for life.
Sprainger (2002) offers some tips on how to select a good book for reading through BLIPA with B for read the Blurb, L for look at the length and the size of the print, I for read a few pages to see if it’s interesting, P for looking at any pictures or illustrations and A to ask help from a friend, teacher or librarian. Sprainger (2002) continues that if that doesn’t work try the five finger test which are open the book any page and start reading, for any word that’s not known put down one finger on the left hand, upon reaching five difficult words from the same page and have placed down five fingers then the book is a bit hard at the moment. Put down the book and try again next term or next year.
Teachers and teacher librarians must collaborate to provide students ample opportunity to read with in and out of school hours for the sake of learning and helping them succeed.
II.
One of the crucial means by which to ensure reading takes place is to embed children’s literature in the curriculum. It’s imperative to make reading part of education in key learning areas like Science, Maths, HSIE, Art, PDHPE, DT and many others above and beyond what they have in English. Introduction and exposure to literary pieces no matter how short, simple or trite will encourage academic curiosity, learning and craving for more. An example can be done in a Year 7 Science.
The St. Agnes Catholic High School Science Department wrote a rationale of the unit: The Earth and our Solar System. “A study of science should enable students to participate in scientific activities and develop an understanding of the nature and practice of science, including the importance of creativity, intuition, logic and objectivity. In this Unit, students describe features of the Earth’s structure, its atmosphere and space, describe the causes and effects of natural disasters, erosion and rock formation. They also describe the features of the solar system and discuss modern technologies involved in space probes.”
This unit harmonizes with the syllabus from the Board of Studies (2010), Science stage 4, Unit Title: The Earth and our Solar System with learning outcomes 4.9 which states that “a student describes the dynamic structure of earth and its relationship to other parts of our solar system and the universe” and 5.9 that says “a student relates the development of the universe and the dynamic structure of the earth to models, theories and laws and the influence of time” Learning about the natural phenomena of the Earth rotating, revolving and structure make students have a better understanding of what’s happening around them.
To describe the dynamic structure and movement of the earth, students are asked to read Core Science 1 Chapter 7.1 and 7.3. It’ll be reading aloud of the article, direct teaching, discussion of the chapter and completing of activities using data, remember and think questions. The students in groups then create a coloured scale diagram of the Earth showing the different regions beneath its surface on A4 paper. The students investigate, imagine and experiment to explain the different directions the Earth rotate. This will involve the students to critically think, evaluate, explore, collaborate and create to show new learning.
To enhance the students’ learning outcomes through children’s literature, it is fitting to include the many stories, myths and legends that revolve around Earth, the planets, Solar system and Sun from all over the world. They will also describe the size, distances and movements of the Earth, other planets, moon and sun in the solar system. The stories will also explain the different seasons, layers of the Earth, night and day and major features of the Universe. Aside from giving meaning and explanation to how the world-Earth is the way it is, it also shows how people think, value and understand in the past. This will also garner appreciation and value for the impressive progress this generation has accomplished. This will support multiculturalism, respect for other cultural beliefs, build vocabulary and value individual differences. The use of resources in the library will enable the teacher librarian to share her expertise and instructional role to help teach the students achieve a better learning outcome. This is possible not only through the collection, computers and new vocabulary words learned but Information Communication Technology skills, research techniques, meaningful experience, better understanding of age old values and the world around them. The teacher-librarian Foster (2002) underpins this with her statement ”using literature in teaching is a way of connecting across the curriculum and creating powerful learning experience.”
Literature Circles can be very effective and helpful in enabling the teacher and teacher librarian in teaching the unit on Earth for it will involve reading, thinking, interaction, teamwork and discussion from the students. Pitton (2005) states that “Literatures Circles have been identified as one means of providing a collaborative educational experience. ” Lamb (2007) says that the use of literatures circles is a “learner-centered approach that focuses on students’ responses to the literature they read.” Noe (2004) declares that literature circles are “reader response centered, not teacher and text, part of a balanced literacy program not the entire reading curriculum, groups formed by book choice not assigned by teacher-assigned groups formed solely by ability, structured for student independence, responsibility and ownership not unstructured, uncontrolled “talk time” without accountability, guided primarily by student insights and questions not guided primarily by teacher-or curriculum-based questions, intended as a context in which to apply reading and writing skills not as a place to do skills work, flexible and fluid; never look the same twice nor tied to a prescriptive “recipe.”
To utilize Literature Circles, there are several websites that can guide and provide booklists and printable forms needed for this strategy in teaching and learning. Lamb (2007) claims that Noe ‘s Literature Circles Resource Center “is by far the best resource on Literature Circles.” This can be accessed through http://www.litcircles.org/. It is an authoritative, accurate and up to date font of information and learning materials from primary to secondary. Lamb and Johnson (2007) also provide an authoritative, succinct and current information on Literature Circles which also recommends other websites that offer suggestions on related topics. One of the substantial and helpful websites is that of Candler’s, http://www.lauracandler.com/strategies/litcirclemodels.php. Another good one is Kemsley’s free educational website for teachers packed with resources, strategies, links and printable forms for any topic of choice. http://www.abcteach.com/.
The Themed Literature Circles will be used in this lesson on the Earth Unit. The value of appreciation, understanding, conservation and protection of Earth and the solar system from destruction will be explored and discussed in each of the selected books. Following Noe’s (2004) guidelines on choosing a book, four books were chosen for their ”compelling content with action, suspense, dialogue, humour and controversy, realistic characters that we can come to know or so real that can walk with us and picture books with strong colourful illustrations that support the story.” For the purpose of understanding and valuing the structure of Earth, its relationship to others, the Universe, progress of time, theories and the like-4 graphic novels were chosen. They all present interesting and exciting tales about the Earth. Graphic novels are popular to secondary students especially Year 7, easy and quick to read, appealing to the children’s visual and artistic literacies and in this instance meaningfully related to the Earth Unit. Twenty graphic novels are available in the library and in the brainstorming in class and secret ballots (as suggested by Noe (2009), four emerged as winners.
Literature Circle books chosen were:
- Faust, D. (2009) After Earth: living on a different planet , Rosen: New York. -This book poses a question of whether there is other life in the Solar System aside from Earth and how do we protect it from destruction.
- Gaff, J. (2003) Superman’s guide to the universe, DK Publishing: New York. The superhero takes you to a magnificent voyage around the planets and the Universe.
- Hampson, F. (2005) The red moon mystery, (Dan Dare: the pilot of the future), Titan Publishing Group: London -Dan Dare with his dependable team will face danger to investigate the red moon that penetrated the Universe and threatened Earth.
- Nelson, J. (2009) Collision course: asteroids and Earth, Rosen: New York. –What happens when other heavenly bodies like asteroids hit the Earth and how do we prepare for such?
There will be four groups made up of seven members who signed up for the book of their choice (Candler 2002) each according to the different roles outlined by Lamb and Johnson (2009) and Kemsley (2006) which are: Discussion Director (lists questions to discuss about the book), Summarizer (write a summary of the reading), Vocabulary Enricher (write new and significant words in the story), Travel-Tracer (track where action takes place and describe them in words and images), Connector (connect the book to the outside world), Illustrator(draw a picture related to what was read or something it reminded or any element of the story) and Literary Luminary (choose a paragraph or sentence from the book that can be focused on because it’s interesting, powerful, funny, puzzling or important from the book). “
The teacher’s main role is to make sure everything runs smoothly according to schedule and each student has a book to read. Observation is also crucial to assuring that books are understood and students are doing their roles well. As this is to enhance and support the Earth unit, it will not take the whole lesson each time the science class meets. A portion of the period will be allotted to reading and the bulk of it on discussions, research, experiments and assessments. There will be follow ups, monitoring and weekly meetings to make sure everybody reads, does the designated role and learns. Zieger (2002), a fifth grade teacher who has used the Literature Circles for the fifth time, observes that the teacher as a facilitator might need to participate “to help the discussion stay on track.” Pitton (2005) adds that teachers “circulate to help groups work out their differences.” To manage the students’ time well, the book is divided into three sections to read each meeting, discuss and attend to their roles (Candler 2002). The weekly meetings in the presence of the teacher, are initiated by the students specifically the Discussion Director who supervises the group questions until all has spoken and completed the forms which are to be kept and recorded in their student portfolios and logged in their name in the G-Drive under Science reading of their teacher’s folder until the next reading selection (Zieger 2002).
Pitton (2005) points out that since reading has diminished through the years as students grow older and find interest in other things. It’s important that they are motivated to read, share this with others, think critically beyond the words and images if they want to succeed in the future.
Zieger (2002) claims that with Literature Circles ” In addition to raising the level of student engagement, peer collaboration, and reading comprehension, it gives my students the opportunity to develop important time-management skills that will help them in future years.”
Pitton (2005), after employing Literature Circles in a nine week team teaching of middle level classroom and its effect on students’ interest in reading and interaction states that “individual survey results and subsequent analysis show that some students were more enthused about reading following the literature circles unit and some really enjoyed the collaborative process.”
Zieger (2002) declares that “this approach gives my students the opportunity to develop the skills they need to be successful readers. The students gain valuable experiences as readers as they play one of the five roles each week. They begin to internalize the roles and strategies for comprehension because they become so familiar with them. “
Pitton (2005) goes on to say that “the most exciting results from this study/unit were the actual work produced by the students. Journal reflections and final products reflected a high level of thinking and creativity. By placing the learning in their hands and allowing them to work collaboratively with their peers, students met the teachers’ expectations. Student interest in reading increased for some students when they were engaged in this preferred learning method and some students developed a greater comfort level about sharing their ideas and collaborating in their study of literature.”
Clearly from both studies and experiences given by these educators, Literature Circles prove to be beneficial to students if they were to be motivated to read, work collaborately with others, think critically and manage their time well, they will succeed in the 21st century.
Dialogic and picture books can be used for those who have limited vocabularies and are challenged to read. Blackburn (2001) states that ” picture books are attractive, short and generally a more approachable text than a novel for reluctant and less-able readers yet can challenge and stimulate the capable student.” The class is usually grouped by age and not abilities. There will be some students or small group of learners who might need more attention, motivation and guidance. To address the needs of these learners a teaching strategy is required. Lane and Wright (2007) state that ” reading aloud to children can be a very powerful way to increase their vocabulary, listening comprehension, syntactic development, and word-recognition skills.” Abromitis (2009) declares that ” reading aloud is an effective strategy to use at all ages because it exposes students to more sophisticated text than they could read independently, and allows the teacher the opportunity to show by example what fluent and expressive reading sounds like – all while engaging children with a story or information that increases their own motivation to read.” Sasson (2011) states that “effective read aloud time is all about creating a positive reading experience and educators should model enthusiasm for books and reading.”
Reynolds (2009) adds that “part of the key to helping students read difficult text is to allow them to ‘hear’ difficult text. When I read aloud to my older students it is a wonderful motivational strategy for:
- Teaching another how to read
- Seeing a teacher as a reading role model
- Expounding upon the various theories of reading
- Giving a sense of identity and respect to the text, and
- Encouraging the goal to become a lifetime reader. “
For the strategy to work the learners will be invited to have some time with their teacher or in collaboration with the teacher-librarian some reading time in the library or corner of the classroom for reading aloud and oral reading. The teacher-librarian came come up with a list of recommended books in consultation with the teacher on the topic or theme learned in Science which is the Earth unit in this case.
For reading aloud stories related to the topic learned in science, picture books for older kids will be used. Osborn (2001) points out that ” picture books are a great asset to reading and a useful tool for teachers.” The picture books selected in collaboration with the teacher librarian will help learners understand the topic with the help of images and words that might be difficult to comprehend at first. Difficult concepts can sometimes be easily known through pictures and diagrams.
Some of the recommended picture books for reading aloud and oral reading are:
- Hirst, R. and S. (2008). My place in space. Allen & Unwin: St.Leonards.-Is a good way to present the wonders of the Universe through Henry and Rosie.
- Heine, T.(2009) Star seeker, Barefoot Ltd: Cambridge.- Offers a tour of the Solar System on a magical horse.
- Macdonald, M.(2011). Stink, the solar system hero (Stink Series #5), Candlewick Press: Cambridge.-This is a stand for the little heavenly bodies and appreciation of the wonders of the Universe.
- Sweeney, J. (2000). Me and my place in the space, Random House : New York.- Answers simple questions about the Universe in a playful way by the narrator in a space suit who takes the readers on space tour to understand the Universe.
- Guo, T. (1990). Er-Lang and the suns: a tale from China (Mondo Folktales), Mondo Publishing: New York.-This is a story of a hero who saves his people from the seven suns and gives them night.
These might be picture books but all of them carry the theme of the Earth unit: valuing, appreciating, understanding, conserving and protecting Earth and the Universe from destruction.
Similar to the Literature Circle in a simpler scale, questions will be asked and discussed about the books. Roles will be given out, monitored, accomplished and kept in the reading portfolio, log and journal until the next reading assignment.
To further draw the learners of this group to enhance their learning of the Earth unit an online book can be used as a springboard to spark their interest. With the use of a computer and the Internet, accessed the site:
Joanne Cole’s The magic school bus lost in the solar system. http://www.librarything.com/work/96314 –Ms Frizzle takes her class for a trip transforms the school bus into a spaceship and wonders around the planets, moon, stars and sun in the solar system.
For the accelerated and advanced group of students who still have time after reading the books and online sources assigned to them. They will be asked to do the creative and challenging Solar System Adventure at http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/gen_act/advent/solar.html with the help of the teacher librarian they will be given time in the library to do this ICT activity that will allow them to write science fiction story about the Earth unit following the directions as set out in the website. This will be posted in the school’s G-Drive with their name and homeroom of their teacher’s folder under the science heading and in the blog scrollingalong.wordpress.com. They have an option to meet the challenge of the Galaxy Page at http://www.seds.org or An Inquirer’s Guide to Universe at http://www.fi.edu. For these activities both will test their knowledge of the Earth and the solar system, look for more answers and create a science fiction of their own and will be published if chosen in the school’s magazine.
At the end of the Earth unit the students will be told that there is an assessment task at http://earthmovesnmiller.wikispaces.com/ which will be done in groups of seven according to the sign ups on the board. The due date will be four weeks from now which gives them ample time to plan, organize, read, research and use the books they have read in the Literature Circles. With the help of the teacher librarian, they can ask for expert advice in presenting their work, booking the computers, borrowing the multimedia equipment needed and research materials for the assessment. There will be time allocated for assessment to help the students accomplish all the tasks assigned to them. The two part assessment will deal with fiction and nonfiction studies of the Earth unit. The two studies support and enhance learning and understanding of the unit. Both will be using books and online sources to show that students have learned and achieved the outcomes expected. Bauerlein (2009) states that “certain aspects of intelligence are best developed with a mixture of digital and non digital tools.”
III. Conclusion
Literary learning through children’s fiction in classrooms and library, the collaborative work of teacher and teacher librarian, well planned curriculum, incorporating print and non print sources, technology and instructional guidance assist the students in enhancing learning outcomes. The Earth Unit study using children’s literature in the form of Literature Circles and Dialogic and Picture Words, along with technology have become more exciting, real and comprehensible. The learning experience they had in reading, time management and collaboration with others will equip them with what’s to come in the future.
SCROLLING ALONG 