“Literature provides many ways of encouraging children to engage with a world wider than their own, a point of view other than their own, and a commitment to issues beyond their own.” This quotation from Johnston (2010, p.637) will be discussed in the following essay with regards to literature and cultural diversity, literature and ESL students and literature and the Aboriginal culture. Children’s literature related to these topics will also be discussed. The books include: Mirror by Jeanie Baker, The Peasant Prince by Li Cunxin, Prince Cinders by Babette Cole, Ali Baba and the forty thieves by Jean Chapman, A is or Aunty by Elaine Russell and Our World Bardi Jaawi, Life at Ardiyooloon written by the students from One Arm Point Community …show more content…
In a class where there are many Indigenous children who do not speak English naturally encouraging a mother who can speak both languages to assist in the classroom or a multi-lingual teacher’s aide can really help increase the children’s experience. Aboriginal stories read in class engage Indigenous and Non-Indigenous students. Literacy and learning methods used with Aboriginal students are equally valid for non-Indigenous students. Aboriginal children’s books are important in the class room as it provides Indigenous and Non-Indigenous students with an understanding of Aboriginal Culture. (Johnston, 2010) An excellent story for children that incorporates the English language and the Indigenous culture is A is for Aunty by Elaine Russell. The story is inspired by Elaine’s childhood memories of her life and her family on the mission at Murrin Bridge in Northern New South Wales. It is alphabet book and every letter takes the reader on a journey through Elaine’s daily events such as things like being chased by emus, looking after her pet possum, picking Quantong’s and billycart racing. These are all things that would take place majority of aboriginal communities. This story is an excellent way of enriching the lives of children from Indigenous and non-Indigenous backgrounds and bring the two cultures together. (Russell, 2000) Our World Bardi Jaawi, Life at Ardiyooloon written by the students from One Arm Point Community School is an excellent story that unites children of all backgrounds with Aboriginal culture. It tells of the lives of children living in a remote Indigenous area and their lives are quite different to most Australians. The authors of this story provide the reader insight about traditional Aboriginal activities such as camping, fishing, dancing, storytelling, finding waterholes, tracking, cooking and eating bush tucker. (School,
Books offer children a variety of learnings sometimes with hidden messages that are not explicit in nature. The book ‘My Two Blankets’ by Irena Kobald and Freya Blackwood (2014) is a good example of a story that touches on many modern day issues (societal issues). Such as displaced persons due to war, emotions that children are sometimes exposed to, acceptance of diversity and friendship. This multimodal text is a great medium for being able to open up conversations in the classroom around any or all of these important topics. The lesson is motivated by the Australian Curriculum learning area, English with the content descriptor, “discuss literary experiences with others, sharing responses and expressing a point of view (ACELT1604)” (ACARA, 2014).
One is that both of the stories end with the death of the main characters. In The Interlopers this is proved to be true as the author writes that wolves ungraciously approach the two trapped men(3). In ‘Story of an Hour’ Mrs. Mallard dies because of of disappointment and of heart disease--or as the doctor put it, “the joy that kills”(2.) Another similarity is that in both stories the antagonist is the reason for the situational irony at the end of each story. In ‘The Interlopers’ the wolves, being the newest antagonist are killed the Ulrich and Georg right after they defeated the late antagonist, which the inner-conflict of both men. In Story of an Hour, Mr. Mallard walks in the door after everyone thought he was dead, and Mrs. Mallard’s heart was lifted in spirits that she was no longer bound to him or so she thought. Mrs. Mallard’s death was thought by the other characters in the story to be the result of heart disease, but because the Doctor says she died of the joy that kills, the reader knows that she died because Mr. Mallard burst of Mrs. Mallard’s impression of
Writing and Reading across the Curriculum. Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen, Boston: Pearson 2011. 274-279
Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. Tenth edition. Edited by Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. New York: Longman Publishers, pp. 371-377, 2008.
Finding a definition of literacy is not as easy as it sounds. The Webster definition says that to be literate is to be” able to read and write.” But to some researchers, this definition is too simplistic, leading to multiple models of literacy. Most Americans adhere to the autonomous model, which falls closest to the standard, dictionary definition. Believers in this form say that literacy is a cognitive activity that students learn like any other basic skill. It has a set of proficiencies that one must master in order to be capable of decoding and encoding text (Alvermann, 2009; SIL International, 1999). A competing theory is the ideological model, which claims literacy is intrinsically linked to culture, and therefore what constitutes a “literate” individual is ever-changing. Society is the largest influence on literacy, according to this thought, and it is affected by politics, religion, philosophy and more (Alvermann, 2009; SIL International, 1999). These two are just the tip of the iceberg. For example, some studies recognize “literacy as competence,” which is a “measure of competence to do a given task or work in a given field,” (SIL International, 1999) such as being computer literate. Although more researchers are recognizing and exploring multiple literacies, the one that most influences American schools is the autonomous, cognitive model – the ability to read and write. For many, it seems a simple task, but millions of adolescents are struggling or reluctant readers, and there are many reasons why young readers have difficulty with reading. XXXXXX------NEED HELP WITH THESIS STATEMENT HERE PLEASE—(This paper will focus on the effects of low reading skills, some of the possible causes of reluctant and struggling readership...
Reader I must warn you, the following is not a meticulously composed prose by a master of the pen, rather it is the writings and musings of an amateur. In the coming paragraphs I will provide my perspective on reading, writing, literacy and language.
What is literacy? Literacy is the ability to read and write. It is about a person’s ability to use these skills to shape their life. Being literate means to be able to write and read to talk effectively. Today being literate is to be able to write and read to be successful in the world. Literacy is vital to the advancement for people in their life. It also plays a huge part in the success in one's career endeavors. Years ago literacy just referred to the ability to write, read, and use the information.
Jones Diaz, C. (2007). Literacy as social practice. In L. Makin, C. Jones Diaz & L. McLachlan (Eds.), Literacies in childhood: Changing views, challenging practice. (pp. 203-216).Marrickville, NSW: Elsevier.
Peter hunt’s ‘Instruction and Delight’ provides a starting point for the study of children’s literature, challenging assumptions made about writing for children and they are trivial, fast and easy. Children’s literature is a conservative and reading it just to escape from the harsh realities of adulthood. It’s probably the most exciting for all literary studies, and a wide range of texts, from novels and stories to picture books , and from oral forms to multimedia and the internet , so it presents a major challenge and can be considered for many reasons. It is important because it is integrated into the cultural, educational and social thinking for the success of the publishing and media, and it is important to our personal development. Things that may seem simple at fist, how children understand the texts, how these differ from the
While I believe every child is a reader, I do not believe every child will be enthralled with reading all the time. All students have the capability to read and enjoy reading, but just like any other hobby, interest will vary from student to student. The students in my classroom will be encouraged in their reading, be provided with choice, taught how books can take you into another world but, my students will not be forced to read. This paper will illustrate my philosophy of reading through the theories I relate to, the way I want to implement reading and writing curriculum, and the methods I will use motivate my students to read and help them become literate.
Winch, G., Johnston, R., March, P., Ljungdahl, L., & Holliday, M. (2010). Literacy: Reading, writing and children’s literature (4th ed.). South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press.
Multicultural literature is a way of increasing cultural awareness. Through multicultural books many young readers are able to make a connection with their own culture
Literature has been part of society since pen met paper. It has recorded history, retold fables, and entertained adults for centuries. Literature intended for children, however, is a recent development. Though children’s literature is young, the texts can be separated into two categories by age. The exact splitting point is debatable, but as technology revolutionized in the mid-twentieth century is the dividing point between classic and contemporary. Today’s children’s literature is extraordinarily different from the classics that it evolved from, but yet as classic was transformed into modern, the literature kept many common features.
Children’s literature is, as Peter Hunt argued, a ‘remarkable area of writing: it is one of the roots of western culture, it is enjoyed passionately by adults as well as children, and it has exercised huge talents over hundreds of years’. Children’s literature is good quality books for children from birth to adolescence, coating topics about importance and interests to children of those ages, through prose and poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Children’s literature is probably the most exciting and vibrant of all literary studies, and its wide range of texts, from novels to picture books, and from oral forms to multimedia and the internet, presents a huge challenge. The important theme in children’s literature is the tension between the popular and the prestigious, or in other
Literature has an enormous impact on a child’s development during the early years of his or her life. It is important for parents and teachers to instill a love of reading in children while they are still young and impressionable. They are very naive and trusting because they are just beginning to develop their own thoughts, so they will believe anything they read (Lesnik, 1998). This is why it is so important to give them literature that will have a positive impact. Literature can make children more loving, intelligent and open minded because reading books gives them a much wider perspective on the world. Through reading, children’s behavior can be changed, modified or extended, which is why books are so influential in children’s lives while they are young (Hunt, 1998). Literature has the power to affect many aspects of a child’s life and shapes their future adult life.