Teaching Literacy in the Elementary Grades through Literature

MODULE 4
STRATEGIES IN TEACHING LITERACY THROUGH LITERATURE

1. KWL
A KWL table, or KWL chart, is a graphical organizer designed to help in learning. The
letters KWL are an acronym, for what students, in the course of a lesson, already
KNOW, WANT to know, and ultimately LEARNED. A KWL chart can be used for all
subjects in a whole group or small group atmosphere. The chart is a comprehension
strategy used to activate background knowledge prior to reading and is completely
student-centered

The K-W-L strategy serves several purposes:

• Elicits students' prior knowledge of the topic of the text.
• Sets a purpose for reading.
• Helps students to monitor their comprehension

How to Use the K-W-L Strategy

• Choose a text. This strategy works best with expository texts.
• Create a K-W-L chart. The teacher should create a chart on the blackboard or
on an overhead transparency. In addition, the students should have their own
chart on which to record information.
• Ask students to brainstorm words, terms, or phrases they associate with a topic.
The teacher and students record these associations in the K column of their
charts. This is done until students run out of ideas
• Ask students what they want to learn about the topic. The teacher and students
record these questions in the W column of their charts. This is done until
students run out of ideas for questions. If students respond with statements,
turn them into questions before recording them in the W column
• Have students read the text and fill out the L column of their charts. Students
should look for the answers to the questions in their W column. Students can fill
out their L columns either during or after reading.
• Discuss the information that students recorded in the L column

2. THINK-PAIR-SHARE

THINK: Students think independently about the question that has been posed, forming
ideas of their own.
PAIR: Students are grouped in pairs to discuss their thoughts. This step allows
students to articulate their ideas and to consider those of others.
SHARE: Student pairs share their ideas with a larger group, such as the whole class
or a group smaller than an entire class.
THINK in the Classroom
> Teachers begin by asking a specific higher-level question about the text or topic students
will be discussing. Students "think" about what they know or have learned about the topic for
a given amount of time (usually 1-3 minutes).
PAIR in the Classroom
• Each student should be paired with another student. Teachers may choose whether to
assign pairs or let students pick their own partner.
• Be sensitive to learners' needs (reading skills, attention skills, language skills) when
creating pairs.
• Students share their thinking with their partner, discuss ideas, and ask questions of
their partner about their thoughts on the topic (2-5 minutes).
SHARE in the Classroom
• Once partners have had ample time to share their thoughts and have a discussion,
teachers expand the "share" into a whole-class discussion.
• Allow each group to choose who will present their thoughts, ideas, and questions they
had to the rest of the class.
• After the class "share," you may choose to have pairs reconvene to talk about how
their thinking perhaps changed as a result of the "share" element.
ADVANTAGES:
o Total involvement - highly collaborative.
o Generates a lot of ideas quickly.
o Small groups can have quality discussions.
o Highly inclusive of all members.
DISADVANTAGES:
o Can be very noisy.
o Because of noise, may lose control of class.
o Puts time pressure on some
CONCLUSION
o Think-Pair-Share (TPS) gets everyone involved.
o TPS extracts the best ideas.
o Even introverts contribute and can do so at a high level.
o TPS builds directly into the collaborative learning process.
o TPS can build critical thinking skills since ideas are aired and discussed.
o

3. THINK-PAIR-SQUARE
o This is a time when you reflect on the topic or question presented.

1. THINK: You have a period of time to reflect and to write down your thoughts on the
topic or question at hand.
2. PAIR : You now work with a partner and discuss your thoughts and listen to theirs.
Come to a consensus which reflect the pairs thoughts.
3. SQUARE: You now work in a group of four and discuss each others thoughts again,
you must come to a consensus which reflects the squares thoughts.
 4. SHARE : Designated number, from each square, will report back for their square. This
report will be reflective of the square consensus. A consensus will be developed which
will be reflective of all squares.

4. DRAMA METHOD
Research reinforces the notion of a positive relationship between action- centered
experiences with drama and learning to read, says Cox. It was concluded that an important
link is formed as children experience drama in response to literature .

1. Encourages interest in and motivation for reading.

2. Expands vocabulary.
3. Encourages the development of critical reading skills and comprehension.
4. Encourages guided, extended reading
5. Encourages lifetime readers.
6. Review the action and principal conversation.
7. Constructive criticism.
8. Let pupils choose the final cast.
9. Allow time for practice and rehearsals.
10. Let the pupils evaluate their own performance.

5. IMAGE ANALYSIS Use this method to guide learners through a close analysis of an
image. By following the steps in this image-analysis implementation, learners develop critical
thinking skills, enhance their interpretive skills, and develop conceptual learning strategies.
You can utilize this method with any visual media, including a piece of art, photograph,
political cartoon, propaganda poster, or video clip.

Implementation

1. Select an Image: Select an image that lends itself to an in-depth analysis by learners.
This analytical method works best when the image is one that reflects a particular
opinion, point of view, or perspective. Visual art, propaganda images, photographs,
and political cartoons are good examples of visual media that reflect a particular
viewpoint.
2. Lead Learners through Analysis: Share the image with learners by providing copies
or by projecting or displaying it in the classroom. Lead learners slowly through the
following six steps, pausing between each step to give them significant time for
thinking and writing.
 Step One: Ask learners to observe the photo intently. Have them find shapes, colors,
textures, the position of people or objects, etc.

Step Two: Have learners write down what they see without making any interpretation
about what the picture is trying to say.

Step Three: Ask learners what questions they have about the picture that must be
answered before they can begin to interpret it.

Step Four: Have learners discuss their questions with two other learners to try to find
some answers.

Step Five: Given the context and subject of the piece, ask learners what they think the
artist is trying to say, and who they believe is the intended audience.

Step Six: Talk through your interpretation with the class and be ready to support your
view by alluding to specific elements of the image and what you know about it.
3. Discuss the Process: Take a few moments to discuss with learners their reflections
on the experience of analyzing different types of visual media. By practicing and
explaining this process, learners will begin to respond more thoughtfully and critically
to the images they encounter every day.

6. GRAPHIC STORY
“There is a stereotype that graphic literature is a lesser form of writing. This is absolutely
untrue,” Falter said. “You have to see images and words work together, and when and why
authors chose to put them together in a frame.”

Graphic novels are effective reading comprehension tools because they:

PROMOTE VOCABULARY AND LANGUAGE USE

Graphic novels utilize more literary devices, such as fonts, onomatopoeia and panels, that
communicate the author’s specific choices and prompt discussion.
 ARE MULTIMODAL

Multiple literacies in one medium facilitate understanding of complicated ideas and reduce
text load.

ENGAGE RELUCTANT READERS

Illustration and motion provide new access points to stories, plus new contextual cues.

ARE ACCESSIBLE FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS (ELLS)

A lighter text load and imagery can help students who are not fluent in English engage with
the story.
This accessibility also makes graphic novels a good entrance point for conversations about
extremely difficult subjects, like trauma, loss and conflict.

As a framing device, Oliver notes the two primary ways children see themselves in the
story Ola by Asia Alfasi.External link:open_in_new Ola is a smart, popular girl navigating the
difficulties of adolescence while also keeping a big secret: She is an undocumented
immigrant.
For some students, Ola’s story and her fears surrounding her citizenship status mimic their
own. And they rarely see their experiences in the media or have the opportunity to talk about
it. Responses to Ola are filled with students who say they see themselves in Ola and her
story, Oliver said, and never thought they would.

But Ola’s story is also the story of a young girl experiencing boy troubles and school stress.
These universal themes tie other readers to Ola in a way they may have not expected.

Dr. Benjamin Dix, author of Vanni: A Family’s Struggle Through the Sri Lankan
Conflict,External link:open_in_new describes this concept when retelling his experiences and
taking the stories of war to classrooms.
“The kids really get it. They do a workshop with us, and then the next day they come back in
and they have questions about Antoni, rather than about a statistic,” Dix said. “This is
someone’s brother. They can empathise with that.”

FAQ for Parents and Educators About Graphic Novels

Graphic novels are frequent targets for book banning, and their nontraditional nature could
prompt concerns about pedagogical efficacy or age appropriateness. Consult some of the
resources below for guidance and more information on introducing graphic novels to children.

How do I know if this graphic novel is age appropriate?

Read the entire book to determine if the themes and language used are appropriate for your
child or classroom’s age and reading level.

You can also use third party evaluations of age level to guide the process. Common Sense
Media has age recommendations from parents and children and content warnings for many
titles. Publishing houses and book sellers also often list age ranges for books on their sites.

Are themes like addiction and trauma too serious for comics?

One benefit of comics and graphic novels is that art and motion provide needed brightness
and levity to trauma.

“The people we speak with, who have the most traumatic stories, say that lightness or humor
is one of the important things that they want to convey alongside that,” Oliver said. “That’s
how they cope. That’s who they are, and it’s able to do both of those, even just within one
single image.”
I’m not an English teacher. Can I use graphic novels and comics in my class?

There are plenty of cross-curricular learning opportunities with graphic novels. Oliver pointed
to a few of PositiveNegatives’ projects as examples.

Maths of Migration is a lesson plan accompanying the animation North Star Fading, the story
of four Eritrean refugees who fled their homes. The lesson plan takes a STEM approach:
Students examine the data of migration in Google Sheets and practice their math skills to
learn more about trends.

What if I experience pushback from parents or administrators?

Consult your school’s guidelines in advance of selecting any reading material for your
students. Are there specific rules in place about language and content themes? Is there an
approval process for content that may be challenged?

The Harvard Graduate School of Education recommends that teachers have a clear reason
for their book selections and do research before introducing it to the classroom. Other
recommendations include communicating with parents in advance about the book and
creating a plan with the principal in advance in case of complaints.

Graphic Novel Activities for Children

Like other books, graphic novels are an opportunity to teach children about story structure
and elements. However, Falter said that the very nature of graphic novels requires a different
approach than traditional books.

“I think the worst thing you could do with teaching a graphic novel is teach it like a print-based
text,” she said. “If you just focus on the story, and not on how the story is constructed through
frames, colors, angles, word bubbles, etc., you are missing the point.”

Below are a few activities that parents and educators can pair with graphic novels to
facilitate active reading.
Panel Re-Sort

Practice storytelling structure, sequencing and contextual inference.

How-to: Take a sequence of panels from a section in a graphic novel and cut them out. Mix
the panels up, and have students put them in order and justify their process. This activity
comes from the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library (PDF, 13 KB).External
link:open_in_new

Character Design

Practice character development, archetypes, testing assumptions and emotive inference.

How-to: Give students images of different heroes and villains from graphic novels. Ask
students to identify expressions, clothing and colors used. Can students tell who is a hero
and who is a villain solely from visual clues? This activity comes from Scholastic’s A Guide To
Using Graphic Novels With Children and Teens (PDF, 6.3 MB).External link:open_in_new

Fill in the Blanks

Practice contextual inference and storytelling structure.

How-to: Give students a set of comics or graphic novel panels with empty speech bubbles.
Ask them to look at the pictures, imagine a story that fits and fill in the words themselves. This
activity comes from Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence (PDF, 601 KB).External
link:open_in_new
Make-Your-Own Graphic Novel

Practice the creative process, storytelling and design.

How-to: Have students brainstorm, plan and create a short graphic story based on their own
life. This activity comes from Barbara Slate’s You Can Do a Graphic Novel (PDF, 1.8
MB).External link:open_in_new

7. GRAPHIC ORGANIZER
A graphic organizer is a strategy for science instruction that teachers can use to help
students record information from direct observation as well as from reading in order to create
a descriptive model of an organism or a phenomenon. Graphic organizers are visual
illustrations of concepts, information, and verbal statements. They can take many forms
useful in teaching inquiry process skills in science: descriptive feature charts, T-charts, flow
charts, Venn diagrams, tree diagrams, and semantic maps, among others. Graphic
organizers provide a picture of key ideas and information on a topic and the relationship of
the parts to the whole. Furthermore, research showed that when students constructed their
own graphic representation of material in an explanatory text, theyshowed better
understanding than those who copied an illustration or wrote a summary (Edens & Potter,
2003; Gobert & Clement, 1999; Tomkins & Tunnicliffe, 2001).

When fiction and nonfiction books are integrated into the teaching of a content area such as
science, graphic organizers are useful for organizing information and enabling students to
classify observations and facts, comprehend the relationships among phenomenon, draw
conclusions, develop explanations, and generalize scientific concepts. For example, an
important inquiry process skill is comparing. It is a way of creating order from gathering
observations from the natural world and making sense of scientific information that has been
read. A teacher can use a T-chart to teach this skill. A T-chart is in the shape of the letter T,
with a horizontal line at the top to signify a broad category and a vertical line that allows
students to compare attributes of a concept, organism, or phenomenon.With a topic as the
title on the horizontal line, students compare two aspects of the topic on each side of the
vertical line. These can be mutually exclusive, such as comparing mammals and non-
mammals or insects and spiders, or they can compare two types of spiders with different
characteristics.

Charts and other graphic organizers have been found to be effective with students who are
struggling with learning content at their grade level or who have difficulty learning (Guastello,
Beasley, & Sinatra, 2000). To use charts effectively, Baxendell (2003) offered the following
research-based recommendations:

1. Use charts consistently. For example, each time that a process with steps is taught,
use a flow chart.
 2. Make sure charts clearly show the relationship among key concepts, words, and ideas
on a topic. Use clear labels.
3. Be creative when using charts across a lesson or unit in science and across content
areas.
For example, a chart can be used to introduce a topic after reading a book to activate
students’ prior knowledge and background experiences, to later clarify problem areas and
analyze and synthesize concepts, and, finally, to help students communicate and review what
they have learned.

Strategy

Introduce and model the use of graphic organizers as a strategy for inquiry-based, discovery-
focused science. Students can learn to organize and analyze observations from the natural
world, such as of organisms or objects, but they can also use information from books to begin
using charts and to complement and supplement first-hand observations.

Choose, read aloud, and lead discussions on one or more books about living organisms or
other topics using reader response questions and prompts to engage students and connect to
their experience of the book and prior knowledge. Ask students to describe what they learned
from the reading, discussion, and observation of illustrations, photographs, diagrams, charts,
maps, and other graphic representations in a book. Then, model how to organize and record
the information on various types of charts to classify, clarify, compare, analyze, and interpret
it.

The features of an organism can be displayed on a descriptive feature chart with a horizontal
and vertical axis to develop a descriptive model of the organism, such as a butterfly. A T-
chart can be used to identify differences among organisms, such as insects and spiders or
mammals and non-mammals, by placing one on the left side of the vertical line on and the
other on the right side. Flow charts can be used to build a descriptive model of the life cycle
of an organism.

After modeling the use of a graphic organizer with a class and engaging them in its
development, students can practice using it in pairs, groups, or individually. They can come
together again as a class to discuss what they have discovered. Students can also use
graphic organizers to communicate to others what they have learned, especially if a class is
divided into groups with each group studying a different aspect of a science topic or problem
using the jigsaw approach. Finally, graphic organizers are also useful tools for students to
review a topic, and they can be used for assessment purposes. This same strategy can be
used with observations of real world phenomena after modeling with literature.

Graphic organizers produced by students can be displayed as posters in the classroom, as a

page in a student-written book, on an overhead projector transparency or in a PowerPoint
presentation, or in an online blog on a topic to communicate and clarify for others what the
students have discovered.