Using literature in a primary school library setting seems an obvious choice in the teaching of a range of literacy skills. This subject gave me the chance to obtain and analyse fictional literature to explore characters, settings, complex narratives and develop an understanding and familiarity of authors and illustrators alike. My understanding of literary learning was stretched, prompting me to look at literature in a critical and analytical way. How do I find and select appropriate literature to teach concepts embedded in Key Learning Areas (KLA’s) such as history?
I was aware of some literary award sites that promote quality literature (Piper, 2021a) such as the Children’s Book Council of Australia (Children’s Book Council of Australia, 2021). Reading the rigorous selection processes that occur for books to be shortlisted and awarded, I began to understand the value of using literary awards as a means of recognising quality literature. Obtaining and reading some of these books showed me the value they can add to a range of KLA’s. The recognition and inclusion of cross-curricula priorities in the NSW syllabus demonstrates that students’ understanding, knowledge of and application of inquiry skills is necessary for viable discussions about our world (NSW Government, 2021). Researching the use of literature in KLA’s, I was presented with various lists of suggested texts that can be used to support the NSW curriculum (Board of Studies, 2017; NSW Department of Education, 2017a; NSW Department of Education, 2017b). Similarly, resources were made available supporting the use of literature when teaching history (Australian School Library Association, 2012). These lists showed me new resources I can use in my future teaching programs.
Using quality literature necessitates the practical use of a range of teaching strategies that highlight particular qualities of texts. Through my research I was made aware of explicit strategies. Some of these strategies include dialogic reading (Whitehurst, 2013), word clouds (Wolff, 2020), book trailers (Clarke, 2017) and digital timelines (Cox, 2012) to name a few. It quickly became clear to me that I was already implementing dialogic reading with great success. In a school where reading has been highlighted as an area for improvement, using picture books to teach and enhance concepts or themes is a reliable way to engage students regardless of their ability and backgrounds. Now that I am aware of other strategies that promote literary learning, I will endeavour to increase the use of strategies, such as word clouds and digital timelines, to engage all my students in their understandings of literature.
Creating a literary learning resource kit challenged me to think about the qualitative value of resources available. I questioned my bias in selecting and including specific literature in my school library (Piper, 2021b). The more I thought about the possibility of bias and others’ input and recommendations, I realised the focus needed to be about the quality and usefulness of texts and more importantly the clients of literature in the school. As a teacher librarian I aim to nurture the educational needs of children so that they may grow to be informed citizens able to make appropriate choices. As a facilitator of library resources, it is my goal to ensure literature is inclusive, appropriately selected, informative and engaging for students in my school.
References
Australian School Library Association. (2012). Primary school resources to support the Australian history curriculum (pp. 1–13). Australian School Library Association.
Board of Studies NSW. (2017). Suggested texts for the English K-10 Syllabus (pp. 5–85). Board of Studies NSW. https://syllabus.nesa.nsw.edu.au/assets/global/files/english-k10-suggested-texts.pdf
Children’s Book Council of Australia. (2021). About the Children’s Book Council for Australia. The Children’s Book Council of Australia: Since 1945 – Your Connection to Story; The Children’s Book Council of Australia. https://cbca.org.au/about
Clarke, R. (2017, March 19). How free book trailers can be used to inspire reading and writing. Teach Wire: Your Link to the Best in Education. https://www.teachwire.net/news/how-free-book-trailers-can-be-used-to-inspire-reading-and-writing
Cox, C. (2012, January 12). Creating timelines. Reading Rockets. https://www.readingrockets.org/article/creating-timelines
NSW Department of Education. (2017a). Human Society and Its Environment Guide to using picture books in History K-10 (pp. 1–54). NSW Department of Education. https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/key-learning-areas/hsie/media/documents/history-es1-s1-s2-s3-s4-s5-guide-to-picture-books-in-history.pdf
NSW Department of Education. (2017b). Using picture books for intercultural understanding (pp. 1–27). NSW Department of Education. https://www.hsiensw.com/uploads/4/7/7/1/47718841/picture_bks__intercultural_understanding.pdf
NSW Government. (2021). Learning across the curriculum. NSW Government Education Standards Authority. https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/k-10/learning-areas/hsie/history-k-10/learning-across-the-curriculum
Piper, J. (2021a, April 27). Getting to know children’s literature. Lines of Thought: Reflections of a Teacher Librarian. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/jennyp/2021/04/27/getting-to-know-childrens-literature/
Piper, J. (2021b, May 3). To include or not to include…. Lines of Thought: Reflections of a Teacher Librarian. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/jennyp/2021/05/03/to-include-or-not-to-include/
Whitehurst, G. J. (Russ). (2013, April 24). Dialogic Reading: An Effective Way to Read Aloud with Young Children. Reading Rockets. https://www.readingrockets.org/article/dialogic-reading-effective-way-read-aloud-young-children
Wolff, R. (2020, March 8). The best free word cloud generators to visualize your data. MonkeyLearn Blog. https://monkeylearn.com/blog/word-cloud-generator/