Reflection
This week in Teaching Children's Literature we analyzed Historical Fiction. Historical fiction is a balance of fact and imagination that engages students while allowing them to make connections to the past. In that way, children are able to better understand important historical events, as well as make emotional connections to the struggles that have characterized the human condition for centuries. Human interdependence is highlighted in the universality of historical fiction themes. Historical fiction also encourages higher-level thinking as students consider the conflicting views of life before their existence while considering and making judgments on past mistakes. Proper historical fiction is accurate and authentic with the cultural norms and settings of the stories. The spirit and values of the time should also be reflected. Language should be given particular attention. Historical fiction allows for integration of social studies, humanities and history into the language arts curriculum. I fell in love with the picturebook Wagons Ho! for its' proper historical context and connection to modern life. I believe the novel would be of great benefit to be used in the classroom, and students would enjoy seeing the similarities between the past and present. Particularly, the book could help students who are experiencing anxiety about moving. The use of historical fiction in the classroom is a vital part of a well-rounded education, and a brilliant way to engage students in history.
Resources
Kiefer, B., & Tyson, C. (2014). Picturebooks. In Charlotte Huck's children's literature: A brief guide (Second ed.). New York, New York: McGraw-Hill.
Hallowell, G., & Holub, J. (2011). Wagons ho! Chicago, IL: Albert Whitman.
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The well-known tale of Cinderella has been retold through various cultural perspectives. The Native American version of the classic story, as told by Aaron Shephard, transforms into a legend known as "The Hidden One". Below, I have retold the story from the perspective of one of the minor characters, the Hidden One's sister.
“My brother comes,” I told her. “Do you see him?” The young woman gazed along the shore. “I’m not sure . . . .” As my disappointment began to rise, suddenly the scarred girl's eyes lit like bugs in the night. “Yes, I see him! But how can there be such a one?” Curiously, I questioned the strange young woman's perception. “What is his shoulder strap?” “His shoulder strap is . . . is the Rainbow!” My eyes grew wide as the moon at it's fullest. “And his bowstring?” “His bowstring is . . . the Milky Way!” I smiled, finally The Hidden One has found the wife he deserves. “Let us return.” Finally, the Woman had come that would make a suitable wife for my brother. I used the water I had blessed with our mother's love, gathered with the cleansing power of an entire universe from the sacred stream. After removing her birch clothing, she was bathed in my special water. Her scars disappeared, revealing the skin smooth and shining underneath. Finally, a comb made from the trees from which my Father's roots grew brushed through the hair of the young woman. Her hair was now long to the young woman's waist, shining and thick. Lastly, the young woman dressed in a wedding outfit I had made from the sacred beads I had gathered from the lake's shore. For the first, and final time, I was able to greet my brother cheerfully: "You are discovered!" The Hidden One walked over to the young, no londer scarred woman and took her hands in his. “For years I have waited to find a woman of pure heart and brave spirit. Only such a one could see me. And now you shall be my bride.” The strangely scarred woman was no longer plagued by shame in her appearance. She was then known as The Lovely One, and finally, my brother was no longer alone. ReflectionIn Teaching Children's Literature we examined traditional literature like folktales, mythology, legends, fairy tales and fables. Folktales are enjoyed by readers of all ages, but are especially impactful in developing children's imaginations and morality. The oral stories have simple, quickly developed plots, engaging repetition, vague settings, basic characters, a variety of language, moral themes and motifs. There are various methods of engaging children in traditional literature, even integrating technology to support children's own creative connections to classic tales, like in Heather Lotherington's multiliteracy approach. (Lotherington, 2006) For my class' analysis of traditional and classic literature, we were asked to retell a familiar story through a different character's point of view. While researching folktales, I stumbled upon three fascinating variants of Cinderella. The Native American version, The Hidden One, the Chinese version, Yeh-Shen, and the Egyptian tale, Rhodopis. All three had similar motifs to the Western Cinderella folktale, but with the influence of their cultural beliefs and environment. Rhodipus included Egyptian Gods, Yeh-Shen considered Chinese lifestyle in the story's development and The Hidden One stole my heart with the beautiful style and reflection of Native American culture. In order to provide multicultural literature while studying literacy aspects of traditional literature, including different variants of familiar tales from other areas reveals emotionally engaging connections and thought provoking differences. ResourcesKiefer, B., & Tyson, C. (2014). Picturebooks. In Charlotte Huck's children's literature: A brief guide (Second ed.). New York, New York: McGraw-Hill.
Lotherington, H., & Chow, S. (2006). Rewriting “Goldilocks” in the urban, multicultural elementary school. The Reading Teacher, 60(3), 242-252.
Finally, Yankey's imaginative use of patterned landscapes offer depth to children's imaginary experiences. Through thought provoking, entrancing illustrations Yankey is able to strengthen children of all ages' sense of beauty and belonging in our own unique circumstances. The Caldecott Medal could not honor a more distinguished picture book. ReferencesYankey, L. (n.d.). Sun and Moon. Retrieved September 16, 2015, from http://www.lindseyyankey.com/ Yankey, L. (2015). Sun and Moon. Simply Read Books. Kiefer, B., & Tyson, C. (2014). Picturebooks. In Charlotte Huck's children's literature: A brief guide (Second ed.). New York, New York: McGraw-Hill. O'Neil, K. (2011, November 1). Reading pictures developing visual literacy for greater comprehension. The Reading Teacher, 214-223. Reflection (Teaching Children's Literature)The beauty of picture books is in the intertwined relationship between text and image. No story is complete with illustrations that enhance or convey the meaning of carefully crafted writing. There are many factors involved in creating visual meaning in a picture book. Elements of the design (line/shape, color, value, space, perspective and composition), media choice (printmaking, collage, stitchery, ink, computer-generated art and mixed media), historical/cultural conventions, tailored style and format attractiveness combine to the formation of a picture book in becoming art. A book's design then reinforces, describes, establishes or forms a reciprocal relationship between illustration and text. The meaning behind a story is established as the author and illustrator unite to offer an enchanting combination of words and image. Color is a vital feature of picture books. The color schemes used should consider the cultural context, theme and intended age of the audience for its' application. In Kathleen O'Neil's article Reading Pictures, Developing Visual Literacy for Greater Comprehension she suggests an activity to help children develop color-meaning connections. Offering students swatches of various colors and materials (paint sample cards, wrapping paper, tissue paper, fabric) and encouraging them to discuss how the colors make the young learners feel will open for the opportunity of discussing culturally-based implications behind color. Students should grasp that blue generally means sadness and red symbolizes passion in the Western hemisphere cultures. From reading Charlotte Huck's Children's Literature textbook, I was inspired to apply a visual literacy strategy in my internship classroom. Questioning illustrations for meaning encourages student engagement in the text. Asking students to make predictions and revealing inferences through hints develops student skills in literacy comprehension. Children will find clues in the illustrations, examine them and discuss what meaning they made through the images in relation to the story. By justifying their inferences with textual support, learners' reading comprehension skills are increased. Picture books offer unique experiences that expand children's imaginations and support a healthy literacy development. ReferencesKiefer, B., & Tyson, C. (2014). Picturebooks. In Charlotte Huck's children's literature: A brief guide (Second ed.). New York, New York: McGraw-Hill.
O'Neil, K. (2011, November 1). Reading pictures developing visual literacy for greater comprehension. The Reading Teacher, 214-223. |
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