Literature
is a huge part of my MT’s classroom.
She finds useful ways of integrating it across the core subjects. Since she is so equipped to find a book
for almost every topic, I was able to include literature into my science lesson
last semester. I found that books could be an awesome primer for any
lesson. It also helps students
learn in a way that is different then the normal introduction of a new topic in
class. I really liked the
suggestions that were provided in the Out
of the Box Reading. I have
taken a few classes that were aimed towards choosing controversial literacy to
spark thoughtful discussions.
Interestingly enough, in my TE 348 class that focused on children’s
literature, we read Bud Not Buddy,
and my MT is currently reading this book to her class. I would consider this book out of the
box because it is about a boy that runs away from his foster home to connect
with his father, whom he has never known.
The students in my placement come from all different kinds of
backgrounds so it is interesting to listen how they connect to the story.
In
the article Understanding Literature,
Judith A. Langer, provided the reader with a list of suggestions for instruction
of literature. They include:
initial understandings, developing interpretations, reflecting on personal
experiences, and elaborating and extending. So far through my placements and volunteering opportunities
I have seen all of these strategies except for the elaborating and
extending. To me, this seems like
the most important strategy of all because it allows the students to think
critically. I would definitely
consider incorporating this type of teaching during literacy instruction. I think it could be best tackled
through a creative activity where students could make a representation of their
interpretation on a certain type of literature and then write a short
reflection about the project they create.
Overall, I believe literature can be an extremely useful tool to
integrate into any subject and I plan to use it throughout my instructions as
much as possible.
As we have discussed in many classes before, finding a way to integrate material across subject areas is a challenging, but critical part of our jobs as teachers. I think hands down the most flexible content is literature because it can easily bridge gaps and make connections across ideas in social studies, science, and even mathematics. As Christy said, books are a great way to introduce new topics, and also to reflect on prior knowledge. But, no matter which type of literature is being used, its important to bring students in as active participants. A strategy that I have seen A LOT throughout my volunteer time in schools, and also in my own education, is what Langer calls a, "process-oriented approach," to looking at literature. Filling out graphic organizers, identifying main characters, discussing the plot, and correctly answering multiple choice questions on tests are just a few of the practices I have seen. With this outdated approach students are not being taught to look at literature critically, therefore they are not being fully emerged in the text.
ReplyDeleteI think its important for teachers to start changing the way they introduce books in the classroom so students have an opportunity to play (for lack of a better word) with the text at hand. If they can forge their own questions and understandings, the student will find literature more meaningful and engaging. The steps that Langer proposes offers teachers a great outline for how to do this, since it can be intimidating to present literature in such a way to young learners. If young students have the opportunity to think critically about what they are reading they will be able to apply that new cognitive skill in other areas of school as well. In that sense, the teacher can integrate skills across subject areas as well as content.
As Caitlin and Christy said before, I believe that books are an amazing way to integrate and bridge gaps between subjects. Like Caitlin, I too have filled out hundreds of graphic organizers on the books, short stories, poems, etc. that I have read throughout my education. This worked well for me when it came to mapping out the literature to understand the basic background information, but it did little for my critical thinking skills.
ReplyDeleteI think it is important to try and use the four strategies that Langer talked about; initial understandings, developing interpretations, reflecting on personal experiences, and elaborating and extending. I have seen some of this in my MT's classroom, but more from the "guest teacher" that comes in once a week to read a story and connect it to the student attributes that the IB curriculum follows. This is always an interesting experience to see what connections the students can come up with, both with their lives and the story that they have just been read. I think the use of a popular story to help illustrate good attributes is a great way to integrate literature into the curriculum, but it needs to be done more often.