Picture books are very important to have within the classroom, whether our students are in kindergarten or in their senior year. According to the Educational Resource Information Centre document from the U.S. Department of Education explains “A picture book "has the potential to act as a magnifying glass that enlarges and enhances the reader's personal interactions with a subject" (Educational Resource Information Center, 2008). Within this content descriptor it is asking us to compare different texts with either the same topics, themes or plots and in our case we decided refugees. By looking into picture books we are giving the students this magnifying glass into the topic. Nowadays we are finding picture books that are more abstract, have no words or a mixture of cartoons. These aspects now added to picture books make them more appealing to older grades as the need to call on other resources they have picked up during their years of schooling to understand these texts. Keith Schoch gives 15 reasons why we need to incorporate picture books with in the curriculum of older students. These 15 points include:
1. Picture books are nonthreatening
2. Picture books are focused
3. Picture books set a purpose for learning
4. Picture books provide a common knowledge background
5. Picture books activate thinking on a visual level
6. Picture books build reading comprehension
7. Picture books provide exemplars of figurative language
8. Picture books serve as writing models
9. Picture books can breath life into dry facts and figures
10. Picture books can teach to literacy targets
11. Picture books make abstract concepts concrete
12. Picture books teach critical thinking skills
13. Picture books can develop themes for learning
14. Picture books can tell their stories with amazing illustrations
15. Picture books are fun
The document gives teachers other valuable resources around picture books that could be useful for not only this content descriptor but also others for all over the foundation to year 6 curriculum. By giving our students this variety and making picture books a part of the constant classroom, we as their educators can give them a different view into the topic we are studying. Then to help them be able to deconstruct the texts to compare, using work sheets and class discussions to connect to the content descriptor for this task.
1. Picture books are nonthreatening
2. Picture books are focused
3. Picture books set a purpose for learning
4. Picture books provide a common knowledge background
5. Picture books activate thinking on a visual level
6. Picture books build reading comprehension
7. Picture books provide exemplars of figurative language
8. Picture books serve as writing models
9. Picture books can breath life into dry facts and figures
10. Picture books can teach to literacy targets
11. Picture books make abstract concepts concrete
12. Picture books teach critical thinking skills
13. Picture books can develop themes for learning
14. Picture books can tell their stories with amazing illustrations
15. Picture books are fun
The document gives teachers other valuable resources around picture books that could be useful for not only this content descriptor but also others for all over the foundation to year 6 curriculum. By giving our students this variety and making picture books a part of the constant classroom, we as their educators can give them a different view into the topic we are studying. Then to help them be able to deconstruct the texts to compare, using work sheets and class discussions to connect to the content descriptor for this task.
Activities and Resources
Scootle Resources
Listening and Learning
Refugees
Units of work
Activities
What do I know and Feel Sheet this sheet could lead onto a compare/contrast essay
Write in a journal about how reading and viewing new information. How does this make you feel?
Writing a persuasive letter
Discussion Flash cards
Listening and Learning
- https://www.scootle.edu.au/ec/viewing/R10717/index.html
- https://www.scootle.edu.au/ec/viewing/L1445/index.html
Refugees
- http://differencedifferently.edu.au/ways_of_seeing/part_2a.php
- http://www.scootle.edu.au/ec/viewing/L1282/index.html
Units of work
- http://www.globalwords.edu.au/units/Refugees_JSY8_html/index.html
- http://www.globalwords.edu.au/units/Refugees_UPY6_html/index.html
Activities
What do I know and Feel Sheet this sheet could lead onto a compare/contrast essay
Write in a journal about how reading and viewing new information. How does this make you feel?
Writing a persuasive letter
Discussion Flash cards