Examining Books and Developing Orientations Mary Collins, Teacher Leader Garreth Zalud, Trainer Gary Cheeseman, Professor
This session will Overview different ways to examine books and create orientations that are focused on individual need and by time in program.
In The Context of A Child In this presentation we will talk about how one can examine books. If this presentation is to be meaningful to you, what we say must ALWAYS be referenced to a child you teach. Consider each point and take into account the experiences and needs of a specific student. Think about these factors in relationship to a student with whom you are working.
Did You Read This Book?
DID YOU TURN OUT OKAY?
Background Story Introductions should expose helpful information but keep the child responsible for reading.
Clay Orientation to the Story Having (1) carefully selected a book for a particular child the teacher (2) [thinks] about the best ways to orient this child to the text Take the bugs out of the text before he tries to read it.
Clay Orientation to the Story Make the child familiar You might In the first year or two it helps if the child knows the story before he reads it. Introduce into [NBO] any concept, or word, or phrase structure that [the teacher] has not heard the child use.
A Trip to McDonald s Familiar: When you discuss/go to McDonald s with a child, they know what to expect based on their experiences, you don t have to tell them everything, but you do help them with some of the details, and they do the rest. As you make more trips to McDonald s children require less assistance.
Choice of a book Choose the new book very carefully. Teachers need to have experience using little books and learn how to progressively select books to assist individual children to read with success. LLDI 2 pp89.
Book Selection Knowing how to review a book and determine its relevance for the competencies, background experiences and knowledge, and interests of a student is a prerequisite for selection of any book.
Text Level A predetermined level assigned to a book does not determine whether a text is suitable for a child. A range of factors can contribute to the way a book either challenges or supports a reader.
Book Selection When selecting a book, teacher must determine how the text and book will support the reader, where there will likely be challenges, and the kind of scaffolding/prompting/explaining they will need to do in the orientation in order for the reader to meet the challenges.
Becoming A Little More Systematic Sometimes it helps to have guidance thinking through aspects that may be considered in selecting and planning an orientation. In that spirit, we have listed some ideas and will share some examples of how it could work.
Within the Child -Experience Life s experiences or what they know about the topic School experiences How literacy is being taught in classroom Reading Writing Book experiences Kind of books that the child has been reading versus the new book
Within the Child Language Language patterns used At home On the playground In school
Within the Child Culture Cultural background Ability to imagine or believe story Conflict of values
Within the Child Interests Interests
Within Book - Content Content Important ideas Common experiences depicted Connections to other books Story line and or plot
Within Book Language Patterns Language Pattern Language pattern - syntax Children's language / Book language Predictability and redundancy Repeating structure (sentence - phrase - word) Rhyming Pattern of pattern change (only a word or several words) Number of repetitive patterns
Within Book Print/Text Features Text features Print size and font Amount of print (number of words, pages, sentences per page) Text match to picture Layout (where lines break, page layout, continuations to another page, etc.) Use of space on the page Punctuation:
Within Book - Words Words Frequently encountered words High frequency words New and Important words Conceptual words Long words Referent words
Within Book Content/Cultural Match Content -Cultural Match Culturally specific material and publishers. Publishers try to publish materials for a wide market and therefore, culturally specific materials are hard to find. This is true for American Indian people. Photographs add real-life credibility to text. Thus, they are very effective in culturally specific materials.
Application of the Within the Book Ideas to a Story
Catch That Frog - Content Ideas: Common experiences depicted: Going to the grocery store with a parent. Trying to catch a pet that got away. Connections to other books: Story line and or plot: Simple story line -- everything is going well, there is a problem, and the problem gets solved. Beginning: Normal shopping trip. Middle: Something unexpected -- a frog gets loose. End: Carol catches her pet frog.
Catch That Frog - Language Language pattern - syntax: Noun-verb phrase. Simple sentences. Predictability and redundancy: Understanding opposite creates predictability: in front back, etc. Repeating structure (sentence - phrase -word): jumped Number of repetitive patterns: Opposite action is depicted on two page spread and in text.
Catch That Frog Text/Print/Picture Information beyond the text that is in the pictures: Layout (where lines break, page layout, continuations to another page): Most pages have a complete single sentence, some have two sentences per page. Use of space on the page: Clear space between letters, words, and sentences. Text and print are separated by space. Punctuation: Period.
Catch That Frog Text/Print/Picture Print size and font: Easy to read know unusual a's or g's. Amount of print (number of words, number of pages, number of sentences per page): 23 pages. Average 5.7 words per page. Range of words per page is 4-10, with most having 5-6 words per page. Text match to picture: Strong match between action words and picture.
Catch That Frog - Words Frequently encountered words: "Jumped" occurs 10 times. High frequency words: A, and, in, it, on, the, to. New and Important words: Conceptual words: Long words: around, behind Referent words: Carol-she; frog-it
Think About a Child You Teach Experience Language Cultural Background Interests Discuss how you might introduce this story to a child you are teaching.
Catch That Frog Cultural Perspective In many of the schools in our region, we work with American Indian children. How would this book be viewed by a child in a family that is practicing traditional American Indian values?
Catch That Frog Revisited The use of a story like Catch That Frog can create internal conflict for an American Indian child who is being raised in family that is practicing traditional Indian values.
Maachiange
American Indian Children Selecting culturally sensitive curriculum can be a difficult process. Albeit, American Indian people have few contemporary stories within mainstream American education it is still important to balance the past with the present in accurate literary portrayals. It is equally important to depict American Indian people as progressive, modern, vibrant people with a great deal to offer and an enriching culture. ( Maachiange, 2009)
Are you considering the unique customs and characteristics of the children from other cultures you are working with?
An Example The next example shows how Mary used the points to craft an introduction for Stephen.
Stephen s New Book
Choosing a Book for Stephen Experience Life s experiences: Stephen has brothers, sisters, mom, and dad. They enjoy having fun together Cultural background/values: Family is important. Content Important ideas: Importance of family. Dad is playing a trick on the children and mom. Common experiences: Family playing together
Choosing a Book for Stephen Language: The book language, other than that listed to the right, is not out of the ordinary for Stephen. He s had dialogue and said in other books. Book Language: has dialogue and said. Asleep.
Choosing a Book for Stephen Characteristics of Books and Stories Repeating structures: is up. (3 times) wake up (8 times) (Sometimes capital, sometimes lower case.) Pattern or pattern change: Wake up sometimes has Dad before, sometimes after, sometimes it is by itself. Number of repetitive patterns: 2 Print size and font: about the same as other books he s read
Choosing a Book for Stephen Characteristics of Books and Stories Amount of print: He s read The Bus Ride which has more words on a page; he shouldn t have difficulty with amount of print, but he comments on amount of text on a page. Gradually increasing amount of print. Text match to picture: Pictures are supportive Layout: Text on left page, picture on right page, except last page. He s had books with different layouts and they don t seem to trick him.
Choosing a Book for Stephen Characteristics of Books and Stories Use of space on the page: Space between characters, who s talking. Punctuation: Quotation marks, has had before. Frequently encountered words: Wake, up, children s names (New to him) High frequency words: Known: is, mom, dad, I New?: Look In reading: said New and important words: asleep
Choosing a Book for Stephen Child s Competencies What the child is mostly doing at difficulty Mostly using meaning and structure Previous running record: No said bunny Said the rabbit What the child needs to learn to do next Use more visual information (known words, first letter) Has to look in the book Wake Up, Dad because the pattern changes.
Wake Up, Dad
Introducing Books After considering the child and the story, introductions are carried out in a conversational exchange like negotiations between a parent and a child. Clay offers many different ways to conduct the orientation (LLDI 2, pp. 90-92; 162-163)
Take The Bugs Out! Having (1) carefully selected a book for a particular child the teacher (2) [thinks] about the best ways to orient this child to the text Take the bugs out of the text before he tries to read it.
Thank U.