Literature-Based Teaching in the Content Areas: 40 Strategies for K-8 Classrooms

353 Pages·2011·2.54 MB·English

by  Carole A. Cox

Literature-Based
Teaching in the
Content Areas: 40
Strategies for K-8
Classrooms

Carole Cox

Copyright©2012bySAGEPublications,Inc.
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Cox,Carole,1943-
Literature-basedteachinginthecontentareas:40strategiesforK–8classrooms/CaroleCox.
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-1-4129-7493-6(pbk.:alk.paper)
1. Literature—Studyandteaching(Elementary) 2. Literature—Studyandteaching(Middleschool) I. Title.
LB1575.C7992012
372.64—dc22 2010034406
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Contents
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction 1
Part I. Language Arts and Reading 7
What Research Has to SayAbout Literature-BasedTeaching
and LanguageArts and Reading 7
Guidelines for Selecting Books forTeaching LanguageArts and Reading 9
National Standards for the English LanguageArts 9
References 11
1
All About Book 13
2
Biopoems 19
3
Book Clubs 25
4
Online Discussion Boards 31
5
Interactive Writing 37
6
Journal Writing 43
7
Poetry Walks 49
8
Performance Reading 57
Part II. Social Studies 65
What Research Has to SayAbout Literature-BasedTeaching and Social Studies 65
Guidelines for Selecting Books forTeaching Social Studies 67
National Standards for Social Studies 67
References 68
9
Curriculum Drama 71
10
Map Making 79
11
Timelines 87
12
Oral History 95
13
Data Charts 101
14
Multiple Perspectives Jigsaw 111
15
WebQuests 119
16
Service-Learning 125
Part III. Mathematics 131
What Research Has to SayAbout Literature-BasedTeaching and Mathematics 131
Guidelines for Selecting Books forTeaching Mathematics 132
National Standards for Mathematics 132
References 134
17
Finding a Fibonacci 135
18
Discovering Pi 141
19
Marvelous Mathematicians 147
20
Math Poetry 155
21
Cubing MathVocabulary 163
22
Math Stories 171
23
Math in the World 179
24
Math Puzzle Journals 185
Part IV. Science 191
What Research Has to SayAbout Literature-BasedTeaching and Science 191
Guidelines for Selecting Books forTeaching Science 193
National Standards for Science 194
References 195
25
Graphic Organizers 197
26
What’s in the Sky? 207
27
Meet the Scientist 213
28
Science Notebooks 221
29
Q&A Reports 231
30
Mystery Matter 239
31
Virtual FieldTrips on the World Wide Web 247
32
Food Diaries 253
PartV.The Arts 261
What Research Has to SayAbout Literature-BasedTeaching and theArts 261
Guidelines for Selecting Books forTeachingTheArts 263
National Standards forArts Education 264
References 265
33
Songwriting 267
34
Music Stories 275
35
Collage 281
36
I Am the Artist 289
37
Dance a Poem 297
38
Dance Improvisation 303
39
Story Dramatization 309
40
Reader’sTheatre 319
Index 325
About theAuthor 333
Preface
As the students in my 3rd- and 4th-grade combination class packed up at the end
of the day, I watched in dismay as two of them struggled over possession of a
paperbackbook,eachonewantingtotakeithome.Eachoneheldontoit,yank-
ing it back and forth until they finally ripped it in half. I was stunned. The class was
stunned. The two students, each holding half of the book, were stunned. And embar-
rassed.Andfeelingguilty.Theystartedtocry.Itookthemoutintothehallsotheycould
explain to me in private what had happened. One said “I love that book.” The other
one said “No, I love it.”
TherippedbookwasSearchforaLivingFossil:TheStoryoftheCoelacanth(Clymer,
1966). In 1938, a strange, 5-foot long, 250 pound fish was discovered off the coast of
SouthAfrica.ItwaspreviouslyknownonlyinthefossilrecordoftheCretaceousperiod
and was thought to have been extinct for 70 million years. This book told the story for
children.Ihadcheckeditoutoftheschoollibraryduringourclass’ssciencestudyofthe
behavior of mealworms. While observing, recording information, and reading books
about mealworms, I had encouraged my students to read about other living organisms.
Thetwostudentswhorippedthebooklovedreadingandre-readingitandtalkingabout
it. They began to read other books about marine life and asked if we could have an
aquarium in our classroom to observe fish as well as mealworms.
As we talked in the hall after the incident, the students made up and agreed to buy a
newcopyofthebookwiththeirownmoneytoreplacetherippedone.Wetalkedabout
what they had learned about cooperating with other students and respecting school
property. I learned something too. This experience brought new meaning to the saying
I had heard about how important it is to “Put the right book in the hands of a
student”—even if they rip it in half.
P B
URPOSE OF THE OOK
Thesamemightbesaidforputtingtherightbookinthehandsofateacher,abookthat
can engage both the students and the teacher, lead to meaningful discussions related to
students’ prior experiences and current interests, and become a jumping off place for
teaching and learning in the content areas. And indeed, after I left the elementary
classroom and earned a PhD in Education, I found this to be true. I taught
undergraduate and graduate courses in children’s literature and in language arts and
readingmethods.Ilearnedhowpowerfulitisforapreserviceteacherinamethodsclass
ix