Being an elementary school teacher, sharing literature with my students is one of the best parts of my day. I teach 5th grade now, and I was told by many that in the upper grades there is no time for “read-alouds” and traditional picture books because they have too much they have to learn. I was also told that they do not enjoy hearing books read aloud at that level/age. But I ignored all those warnings and did it anyway, and, just as I assumed, they still love sitting on the carpet and hearing a new book, just as I did. And I still have time to get the other “required” elements of our curriculum in, even if I stop to share a good piece of literature.:)
I enjoyed listening to Chapter 1 of the textbook and listening to the conversation between Dr. Lesesne and Dr. Perry. The YouTube presentation kept me more engaged than a regular textbook would have. I especially liked the books they highlighted and shared, and can’t wait to check out Always Remember, Challenger Deep and Imaginary Fred. The quick video by one of my favorite authors, John Green, also was entertaining and full of fun facts about literature!
To those wondering “why we should share literature with children,” these are the reasons I learned :
- It’s Fun! Children get excited when they hear a new book, and you can share in that experience as well! I just read Follow the Moon Home to my own class, and they all wanted to get online and research about sea turtles and how they are being protected. Their joy in learning something new was contagious!
- It Aids in Language Development. It is amazing how just reading 20 minutes a day to your child can do so much! The graphic that goes along with that is great to show to parents at conference about the importance of reading at home. I had not heard about the 1,000 books before kindergarten, and wish I would have written down all the titles I read to my 5 year old!
- It Develops Empathy. What a great character trait to have! We study the 7 Habits at my school, and I love the feelings they are able to develop after reading such books as Chrysanthemum and Spaghetti on a Hot Dog Bun.
- It Supports Life-Long Readers. Just like I got hooked on such series as Harry Potter and Nancy Drew, finding a favorite series or author spurs a student on to read more.
- Reading can be autobiographical. Students are able to see themselves in books and connect to characters. Perhaps the books can help students through some issue they are going through, such as some of the books on our reading list like Speak or Lily and Dunkin.
- Vicarious experiences. Through books readers get a “window” into someone else or some other experience they would not otherwise. I loved the Lion, Witch and Wardrobe series for that very reason.
- Philosophical Speculation. With books you are able to see many points of view on a situation. They also can answer the question, “Who am I?” and open a student’s mind to other possibilities.
- Aesthetic Experiences. Books can show you joy and beauty that you might not see or read about otherwise.
- They develop the imagination. I see this daily in my 5 year old when we read a new book. I can almost see the little wheels in his head turning as his imagination ignites!
- Books transmit culture. Through books students can learn about cultures they would not otherwise. I loved The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian for that very reason, as I was transported into the culture of Native Americans!
This list will help me as I continue to read YA literature. It is a great list to share with young readers so that they can see what the author’s purpose was in writing the book they are reading. It also gave me some titles I will want to have in my library!
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