| Literacy Training: Children's Literature |
Context: |
| Stories are a part of all cultures, and listening to good stories helps children to grow as thinkers. Stories give children the opportunity to see the commonalities of the human experience as they see themselves reflected in other people's stories. Hearing good literature builds vocabulary, acquaints children with the conventions of storybook language, and helps them to understand the structure of stories. Children need to be exposed to a wide range of story content so that they can learn about other people's lives and different cultures, as well as become familiar with multiple authors. Exposing tutors to a broad selection of children's literature will give them more choices when considering what books to read to and with children. This activity is best used as a series of trainings for tutors throughout the year. |
Goals: |
- To become familiar with children's literature
- To use this increased knowledge about children's literature to choose books that reflect the interests of the children in your program
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Materials/Preparation: |
| Go to your local library (or school library) and seek out the support of the librarian in choosing good examples of children's literature. If you are going to do this activity as a series, you may want to choose a different sub-genre of children's literature each time, such as multi-cultural books, family stories, animal stories, fairy tales, adventure stories, or classics. Books should be short enough to read in one session. |
Activity: |
| At the training session, have each participant read as many of the books as possible and choose one or two favorites to share with the group. If tutors have used any of the books previously, ask them to share which ones were most successful and why. The group can then compile an annotated bibliography that will serve as a resource for everyone. |
Key Questions and Points to Remember: |
| There are hundreds of wonderful children's books and more are published every day. Tutors need support to become familiar with the range of books available. |
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Developed by LEARNS, a partnership of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (1-800-361-7890) and Bank Street College of Education (1-800-930-5664). For additional activities or assistance, please call. |
