Exploring and exploiting

stories in the primary

ESL classroom
* Picture Books
* Wordless picture books
* Non-fiction

DEFINITION
Picture book
A picture book is a book in which the illustrations
are as important as the words in telling the story.
In picture books, there are illustrations on every
page or on one of every pair of facing pages.
While most picture books are written for younger
children, in recent years, a number of excellent
picture books for upper elementary and middle
school readers have been published.
The terms "picture book biography" and "picture
book history" refer to nonfiction books written and
illustrated in picture book format.

Another Perception
Picture book
A picture book is a story told in words and
pictures. Each makes an important contribution
to the way the story is told, the meaning created.

A picture is not the same as an illustrated story:

there the words alone could tell the story and the
illustrations simply break up the words or
decorate the text...In the best picture books, the
illustrations are absolutely necessary. They carry
parts of the story or narrative and in some cases
the language is dropped and the pictures alone
are all that is needed.

Types of picture books

Picture books - In its broadest definition, a
picture book is a book in which the illustrations
play a significant role in telling the story. Under
this umbrella are several types of books:
1. Baby Books - For infants & young toddlers,
these books are generally lullabies, nursery
rhymes, finger plays, or wordless books. The
length and format varies with the content.
2. Toddler books - Very simple stories for ages 13, familiar to a child's everyday life, or concept
books (teaching colors, numbers, shapes, etc.)
Books are short & format can be board books, popups, lift-the flaps sometimes known as
3D books or novelty books (books that make
sounds, have different textures, etc.)

3. Picture books
Plots are simple (no sub-plots or
complicated twists) with one main character
who embodies the child's emotions,
concerns and viewpoint. The illustrations
(on every page or every other page) play as
great a role as the text in telling the story.
4. Early picture books - A term for picture
books geared toward the lower end of the
4-8 age range. These stories are simple and
contain under 1000 words.

*Easy readers
Also called "easy-to-read", these books are
for children just starting to read on their
own (age 6-8).
They have color illustrations on every page
like a picture book, but the format is more
"grown-up" - smaller trim size, sometimes
broken into short chapters.
The stories are told mainly through action
and dialogue, in grammatically simple
sentences (one idea per sentence).

* Transition books
Sometimes called "early chapter books" for
ages 6-9, they bridge the gap between easy
readers and chapter books. Written like easy
readers in style, transition books are longer,
books have a smaller trim size with black-andwhite illustrations every few pages.
* Chapter books
For ages 7-10, broken into 3-4 pg chapters.
Stories are meatier than transition books,
though still contain a lot of action. The
sentences can be a bit more complex, but
paragraphs are still short .Chapters often end
in the middle of a scene to keep the reader
turning the pages.

* Middle grade
This is the golden age of reading for many
children, ages 8-12, stories more complex
(sub-plots involving secondary characters are
woven through the story) & themes more
sophisticated.
Kids get hooked on characters at this age,
which explains the popularity of series with 20
or more books involving the same cast. Fiction
genres range from contemporary to historical
to science fiction/fantasy; nonfiction includes
biographies, science, history and multicultural
topics.

* Young adult
For ages 12 & up, plots can be complex with
several major characters, though one character
should emerge as the focus of the book. Themes
should be relevant to the problems and struggles
of today's teenagers, regardless of the genre.
A new age category (10-14) is emerging,
especially with young adult nonfiction. These
books are slightly shorter than the 12 and up
category, and topics (both fiction and nonfiction)
are appropriate for children who have outgrown
middle grade but aren't yet ready for the themes
(fiction) or who aren't studying the subjects
(nonfiction) of high school readers.

Benefits / Explanation
Anyone with an interest in children's literature
will be aware that picture books are no longer
only the domain of the very young.
These contemporary picture books have become
more sophisticated, encourage multiple readings
and often deal with controversial or complex
issues relevant to mature readers.
Picture books, therefore, are especially useful to
promote the core values that underpin the
curriculum and to generate thoughtful debate
on a range of issues.
They also provide ideal material to develop
students' visual literacy helping them to achieve
good outcomes

From Early Adolescence onwards students are

offered texts of increasing sophistication and
encouraged to read and view actively.
They learn how to read and view with greater
discernment.

For example they:

explore and discuss texts at a number of levels;
identify target audiences; discuss alternative
interpretations of a text;
come to understand that texts can comment on
and reflect society;

make moral, psychological and

philosophical generalizations about human
behavior based on texts;
identify the use and function of figurative
language; and
identify ways in which text structure can
influence a reader's reactions.

Picture books can be successfully exploited

to help students develop these skills and
understandings.

Wordless Picture Books (WPB)

Definition
WPB are books with only pictures and
without any or very minimal words.

WPB serve as the initial step towards real

reading. Their stories are told entirely through a
sequence of illustrations. As children follow the
pictures, they verbalize the action in their own
words, a process that builds vocabulary &
comprehension skills. Children may interpret the
stories in their own way, and in the process, learn
that stories have a beginning, middle, and an
ending.

Wordless picture books can be used to

develop language and thinking skills in young
children. Wordless picture books are useful in
many ways, including getting children
accustomed to left-to-right pattern of reading.
More importantly, these books can enhance
the following thinking skills:
Detecting sequence
Identifying details
Noting cause and effect relationships
Making judgments
Determining main ideas
Making inferences

Introducing Wordless Picture Books:

1) Introduce them as books with no words.

2) Select a book to model. Begin with a picture

walk. Point out details and unfamiliar objects.
Ask questions about the pictures. (related to
the setting, tone, differences between current
& previous pictures, etc.)

3) Demonstrate to children how stories are

created using the illustrations on the page. Do
a think aloud. Model the process from what is
seen in the pictures.

4) Start with the first page and have the

children tell the story one page at a time.

5) Write down children's comments about the

pictures.

6) Read the story created by the children

back to them. Ask the children if they want to
make any changes.

7) Provide children with a wide variety of

wordless picture books. Have them tell a
story to a partner.

What are the benefits of wordless picture books?

1) They develop a child's oral language. Wordless

picture books allow children to create stories using
experiences, prior knowledge, and their understanding
of the events in each illustration.

2) Since there are no words on the page to define, limit,

or prescribe a story; each child can create his or her
own story. This allows the child to include his or her own
culture, values, and understanding within the story.

3) Connections made by the student to the story will

allow for comprehension and oral language
development as they communicate both the story and
the meaning to others.

4) It helps children develop a knowledge of

story structure. Children who tell stories
using wordless picture books demonstrate
an understanding that stories must have a
beginning, middle, and an end.

5) It also shows a student's ability to

correctly handle a book, read left to right,
demonstrate their understanding of what
should be included in a good story, and in
what order the story should be told.

6) When reading wordless picture books, children

are able to describe and develop characters for their
story. Younger children may only give a character's
name, while children with more literacy experience
may choose to include descriptive details of
different characters.

7) Wordless picture books create text. Children can

bring their own experiences and culture to the story
they tell. When children read and listen to wordless
picture books, they are exposed to the different
cultures represented in their classroom. Also,
children understand the need for stories to include
humor or to be entertaining. As children include
humor in their stories, they learn to accept and
appreciate both their feelings and those of others.

Non-Fiction Books

Definition
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative,
account, or other communicative work
whose assertions and descriptions are
understood to be factual.
Reporting the beliefs of others in a nonfiction format is not necessarily an
endorsement of the ultimate veracity of
those beliefs, it is simply saying it is true
that people believe them (for such topics as
mythology, religion).

Some types of non-fiction

Almanac / Book report
Autobiography / Biography
Diary / Dictionary
Nonfiction films (e.g. documentaries)
Encyclopedia
Guides and manuals
Handbook / Journal / Memoir
History /Natural history
Philosophy / Research paper
Science book / Scientific paper
Textbook / Travelogue

Reading Non fiction

In school we notice that children very often

gravitate towards informational texts when
choosing a book to read. Reading non-fiction
has many benefits for children of all ages. It
allows children to explore areas of particular
interest and nurtures their natural curiosity
about the world.
The non-fiction format provides a variety of
ways to enter the text and gain information.
In addition to reading, students can examine
the pictures, captions, diagrams and labels,
maps, titles and headings, timelines, etc.

However, even if all of the graphics support the text,

the actual reading of informational books can be more
difficult because of the potentially challenging or
unfamiliar vocabulary, concepts, and lack of repetition.
Each sentence may contain vocabulary and information
that is new to the child.

In addition to reading informational texts

independently, children benefit greatly from having
those texts read to them. Parents can have enjoyable
opportunities to talk with their child, answer questions,
as well as provide a building block for success in
school. The more familiar children are with the
language, format and content of informational texts,
the better prepared they will be for classroom work in a
variety of areas.

Fiction or non-fiction

Fiction - Books that are made up by the author, or are not

true, are fiction.

Nonfiction - is the opposite of fiction

Books that are nonfiction, or true, are about real things,
people, events, and places.
It is written works intended to give facts, or true accounts of
real things and events. Often used attributively.

Well, here's another way to remember it:

You can only say no once.

Fiction = not true

Nonfiction = true

Tutorial Tasks
In a group of 3-4, create your own wordless
picture book.
Show your w/picture book to the others
and listen to their version of the stories.
Do the stories differ for each groups?
Why does this happen?

Discuss your findings in your class

References & For Additional Reading

http://www.icanteachmychild.com/2011/05/hidden-value-of
-wordless-books/
http://www.slideshare.net/townkindergarten/you-can-read-wordless
-picture-books-in-kindergarten
http://www.lfpl.org/kids/kids-booklist-WordlessPictureBooks.htm
http://www.childrens-books-and-reading.com/wordless-picture-boo
ks.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-fiction
http://www.education.com/reference/article/reasons-teaching-nonf
iction/?page=2
http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/classmags/files/Nell_duke_
May04.pdf
http://lifedev.net/2009/06/reading-makes-you-better/
http://www.helium.com/items/1508086-compare-nonfiction-and-fic
tion-books
http://nasavo.com/the-most-important-benefits-of-reading-fiction-a
nd-non-fiction/

ISL

Read Teaching language arts:a studentcentred classroom by Carole Cox, Chapter 9

Read:
Essentials of Childrens Literature by LynchBrown & Tomlinson. Chapters 4,5, & 9