Children's Literature

Full text

dren\
rature
hamed,
iterature
is many things
to many
people.
Aleksandr
Solzhenitsyn,
the
great Russian novelist,
described
it as the
living memory
of
o notion'.
For Charles
Dickens,
literature was
what
gave
him hope and
an escape
from despair
in a childhood
filled with
grief
and
humiliation.
Many of
us
find
joy
and solace
in literature.
For
others
it is a
path
to
knowledge,
a
means of
stretching
the mind and
imagination.As
Cramer
puts it:
'Literoture
ollows
us to imogine
ourselves
os different
persons
than
we ore,
to
live different
lives
thon
we
leod,to abide
in
different
ploces
thon
we ore stationed
in. Literoture
ollows us to
live in
paloces
or
hovels, cabins
or
penthouses,
wigwoms or
igloos.Through
literoture
we imogine
ourse/ves
bolder ond braver,
richer or
poorer,
kinder or meoner thon
we
moy
be
in
doily
life!
Literature and
young Iearners
I
believe
that literature
is an essential
component
of a
language teaching
programme for
young
learners.
The
educational
value
of literature
and
storytelling
has always
been undisputed.
They offer a
means of complying
with
the
linguistic,
psychological, cognitive,
social and
cultural oblectives
of teaching
young
learners.
Literatu re extends
knowledge,
promotes intellectual
and
emotional
insight, enriches
the
mind
.--,-'
and humanises
the soul.
Well-selected
works of children's
literature
make a
particularly useful
source
of authentic language
input that
is both appealing
and exciting to
children
from kindergarten
through
to
secondary
school.
They contain
predictable, repetitive
patterns that
reinforce vocabulary
and
structures,
provide
relevant
themes
for
young
learners, and are
often highly
generative. They
present an excellent
starting
point
and a
rich context
for a
multitude
of language
learning
activities
that
actively and
creatively
involve
children,
allowing
them to
link the story
to
their own
lives as well
as use
it
as
a
springboard
to
relate to other
areas of
the curriculum.
Varieties in
Iiterature
There are
many types
of children's
literature, each
with
its own appeal.
Providing children
with
a variety
of
types of
literature
and talking to
them
about these
different
types
is
good
for
their
language
development.
Traditional
literature
is
perhaps
what
first comes
to
mind when thinkirg
of
material that
is written
for childrsr-
This is based
on the spoken
word, and
is a
genre
that
has evolved
from storit*
that have been
passed on from
generation to
generation by word of
mouth.
This is
perhaps why the authrs
of
most of these
stories are unknowrt
Traditional
literature
explains and
insdr
values,
beliefs, history
and customs
in
children.
lt usually
has simple,
direct
plots, happy endings,
stereotyped
characters
and often
involves magic
Stories
such as Gnderello,
Honsel cnd
6rete/
and
Ali Bobo ond the
ForryThix
all
fit into this
genre.
Picture
books
are
perfect for
drc
very
young.
ldeally,
picture
book
should
contain
a harmonious
blend
d
text
and illustrations,
with the
one
enhancing
the other,
to create
the
complete
story.
Classic examples
rf,
picture books
include
Eric
Carlel
Th
Very Hungry Coterpillor,
Dr
Seuss!
Ib
Cot
in the
Hot and Beatrix
Pottsi
TheTole of
Peter
Robbit.
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lssue 49 March
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ffiffiGTEARNERs
them
as well as
providing
a
good
starting
point
for
a variety of theme-
based activities. The
storyline or
plot
should be clear, uncomplicated
and easy
for
children to follow. The
ending
should be
particularly
appealing.
Children enjoy happy endings. For
very
young
learners,
picture
books
and
stories that are accompanied by
colourful illustrations that synchronise
with the text are essential. They help
children to stay focused
and assist them
in understanding the
text better. Good
illustrations
also
provide
an excellent
opportunity to exploit key vocabulary.
The language
of the text is of
course crucial. lt does not necessarily
need
to be very simple. lt is a
good
idea to look more for literary devices
such as repetition, rhyme
and
onomatopoeia which make the story
more interesting, enjoyable and easier
to remember.
Diversity
is essential in text
selection,
and as we have seen, there is
no shortage
of varieties available. lt is
important to vary the
themes and
genres
of the chosen texts.Teachers
should
aim to
include
stories from a
range of different
cultures to help
foster
positive
intercultural attitudes
and help
children appreciate the
differences
between cultures. Folk tales
and fables are
particularly
effective
in
this regard. Non-fiction books can
dovetail well with fiction. For example,
a
picture
book such as TheVery Hungry
Coterpillor can be followed up
with
informational books
on
related
topics
like food or the life cycle of a butterfly.
The following
questions
are useful
when choosing material for
the
classroom:
* ls
the language level accessible?
i
* Does
it
provide
comprehensible
I
input?
i
* Do the literary devices help
children
i
understand and enjoy the story?
i
*
Will
the children find it interesting
.
and engaging?
i
*
Are
the illustrations clear. attractive
,
and big enough for all the class to
,
seei
i
* Can
the story be
linked
to other
.
curriculum areasl
i
*
Will it
provide
a
positive
learning
!
experience
and a
desire
to continue
!
learning?
,
*
What kinds of
values and attitudes
I
are
projected?Will
these be
I
acceptable to
my
studentsf
.
*
Will it help my
srudents to become
i
more aware of the outside worldl
i
* Does
the story
have potential
for a
;
variety of
follow-up
work?
i
:
Choosing activities
,
Often, the excitement of a
good
story
1
generates
a lot of natural interaction.
:
This can be the starting
point
for a
i
range of language-based activities. As
.
children use different means and
I
strategies when engaging in learning, it :
is
important that the activities
.
accommodate the
diverse needs
of
I
young
learners.
Open-ended activities
:
that arouse
children s
interest
and allow
input from them are essential. Variety,
i
here
too,
is
the key to mainmining
children's interest,
both
in
terms of the
types
of activities and the
way
in which
:
the activities are carried out. For
:
example, it is a
good
idea
to switch
between individual
work,
pairwork,
groupwork
and whole-class
activities, as
well as changing the individuals in each
i
group
or
pair
from time to time.
We
:
can also vary the response we ask for
.
to the stories: dramatisation,
playing
a
i
game,
writing a story, drawing a
poster,
.
doing research and
project
work. etc. lt
,
is essential that any rasks the children
i
are
required
to do should be
varied
I
and appropriate to their level.
I
I
Realistic fiction
deals
with
real-life
siu.ndons, takes
place
in real-world
bcadons and
features
realistic, human
dpracters. It portrays
life in ways that
are readily recognisable
to children and
is
richly diverse in
the themes that it
Senerates.
Fantasy
literature
creates a magical
world for children,
building their
imagination
and
feeding
their creative
minds. Foll<
tales of
dragons
and fairies
and witches have been told to children
for many generations.
Lewis Carroll's
Alice's Adventu res
i n Wond e rlond, Kenneth
Grahame's TheWind
in theWillows and
Roald Dahlt
Chorlie ond the Chocolote
Foctory
are timeless classics that remain
universally
appealing to children.J K
Rowling's Harry Potter
books are an
example
of
modern-day literature
in
this
genre.
The fantasy
world that these
writers create is almost natural and
believable for
young
children.
Poetry
may not appear to be an
obvious choice for children. But
young
children enjoy nursery rhymes and
other simple
poetry
or verse that
contains
humour, rhyme, rhythm
and
interesting
sounds.
The most
important
thing about choosing
poetry
-
and
indeed
any
genre
of literature
-
is that
the children should
find
it enjoyable.
Non-fiction
can also be included in
the category of literature. lnformational
childrent books on specific topics are
ideal for language learning.
Such books
exist in various formats and
cover a
range of subjects such as dance, nature,
people,
crafts, science, etc. Biographies
of famous or infamous
people
written
specifically for children also make
excellent informational
books.
Non-
fiction for children needs to be written
in an animated style, making the
information enjoyable to read, and it
should satisfy children's curiosity about
the
natural, physical
and social world.
Criteria
for
choice
Teachers need
to choose texts that
have
universal appeal, with an
identifiable theme, such as courage,
love,
hope, sacrifice, kindness, etc. This
makes it easier for children to relate to
.
uq*wxxc,**t*rmat**%**{r;*.g,**rl*. ENGLISH rcACFi,Ne
pfofessional
.lssue
49 March 2007. 23

"%
ie
TEACHING
Y*UhIG
LTARNERS
H@
ffim
;t
Confirm
predictions.
*
Activate
prior
knowledge
and
concept development
through
questioning
during reading.
* Give the
students a chart with
words
to
listen
for and tick as they
listen to
the story.
*
Focus
on new words.You
can
do
this by
getting
students to
spell out
new
words together, or write the
new words on the board.
trsE{ew-eEp
* Relive
the story: talk about the
experience
and what the students
liked about the story. Ask
them
what the main idea or moral of the
story was.
* Get the students to re-tell the story
by drawing
pictures
of their own for
each main
event.You
may
wish to
assign one event to each
pair
of
students and
put
all the
pictures
together on
the wall to
display
the
entire story.
;t Get students to dramatise the story
or a
part
of it.
*
Consider the smells, sounds and
textures that would be involved in
the story.
* Students can re-tell
the story in
their own words,
perhaps
with flash
cards, puppets,
etc. lf
possible,
record
this and
use
it
as a listening activity
for a later lesson.
*
Examine the language,
eg look at
which words rhyme,
which words
mean the same
and which tenses are
used.
*
lf you
read the story aloud first,
without
the children seeing the
book,
give
them a written version
afterwards which
has been slightly
changed in
some way
(eg
original
events may
be altered; or
positive
adjectives may
be changed into
negative
ones). See if the children
can
identify
the differences.
* Re-construct
the story
from
a
.lumbled
list of
sentences.
ffifuffiffiffiffiffiffi-ffi
ffiwffiffiffiffiffiffi
Activities in practice
There is no
one way in which books
and stories can be used for language
teaching. Even short
picture
books for
very
young
learners can lead
to a wide
range
of language-related activities
which can be used for
several
hours
of
classroom time. It is useful, however,
to
follow
a
pre-reading,
while-reading
and
post-reading
format.You
can begin by
gently
introducing
the learners to
the
topic of the story, design some
simple
activities for
them to do while they are
reading
or
listening
to it, and
provide
a
range of follow-up
activities to do after
the story has
been
read
or told.
Here are some
possible
activities.
Wan"m*up
*
Establish
a comfortable atmosphere.
* lntroduce
the book enthusiastically.
Talk informally about
the cover
picture
and the author.
* Tell the
students two or three key
words from the story
and ask them
to free-associate
by writing anything
that
they connect with these words.
-rt
Give the class
a set of vocabulary
items from
the story and ask them
to
predict
how
they
relate
to each
other in
the story.
* Tell
the students what the book is
about, and let them talk about
what
they
already know about the topic
(especially
useful when working with
non-fiction).
\ffhEIe*read*ng
* Let the students
take turns in
reading
aloud.
* At strategic points in
the story, stop
and ask the students
to
predict
what
is likely to happen next.
*
Match
pictures
with sentences from
the
story.
* Encourage students to
talk about
what they
would change about the
story if they
were the writer.
* Make something, eg a
greeting
card,
a
mobile,
a display, etc, related to
the
story.
* Students rewrite a sentence/
paragraph/entire
story/poem
(depending
on age and
ability) of
their own, based on the
pattern
of
the
original.
*' Get students to research a topic
further and share the information
with the class.
Childrenl literature
provides
a
stimulatinS and motivating medium for
the
development
of language, thinking
skills, intercultural awareness and
emotional intelligence. lt can be used to
supplement existing course material or,
indeed, can
provide
the basis
of an entire
language
programme.
However it is
used,
it is essential
that
it is
enjoyed.
',,1"
.
Carle,
E The
Very Hungry Coterpillor Philomel
t98 t
Carroll, L Alice's Adventures inWonderlond
Walker Books 2002
Cramer, R L Ihe
Longuoge Arts: o bolonced
opprooch to teoching reoding, writing, listening,
tolking
ond thinking
Pearson
Education 2004
Dahl,
R Chorlie ond the Chocolote Foctory
Puffin 1998
Grahame, K TheWind in
the Willows Aladdin
I 989
Potter, B TheTole
of
Peter RobbrtWarne
2002
Seuss, Dr The Cot in
the
Hot Random
House
1957
Naashia Mohamed
reeently
completed her
doct0rat6 in language
teaching at the Uniyersir,
of Auckland, New
Zeala: :
She lras previo*sly
worke:
as an English teacher ar:
materials writer and is
currently involved
in
teacher education as rl-:
head of the Professiona
Development eentre ir
the Maldives.
24
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lssue 49 March 2OO7
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ENGLISH rceCAlNC
prO/bSSiOnAl
.
..t:,.*:
rrt.*lrtz t:',1::rr,*t,..', i*i...:r.t ..
.
naash a@hotmail.com