Picture Books in Intermediate Part 1: Why Picture Books?

I have taught intermediate my entire career and I love using picture books in my teaching. This series will explore some of the basics of using picture books:

1. How to choose the right book

2. How to prepare for/read picture books

3. Some basic strategies for getting kids to interact with books

4. Differentiation while presenting to meet the needs of all students

I will also provide examples of stories I have loved to help anchor the ideas and/or strategies. My goal is to publish about one post per week with this series. Because it is the start of the year for so many of us, this week I will publish second post about three books I love using in the first week with a suggested activity for each. Let’s get started with…Why Picture Books?

---

Reason 1: Joy

Childhood Joy

When I was a little girl I would have sleepovers at my Amma’s house. She loved reading my sister and me books. The Monster at the end of this Book was one of our favourites. I can still hear her patient gentle voice asking us to stop turning pages or quietly telling us we were very strong. The play between words and images was magic. I loved how this book broke the fourth wall. Details in the images like pretend ripped pages or size of the lettering made this book memorable.

I still use this story when I am exploring space on the page or punctuation with kids, but that is not why it is here. This book is joy. I get a warm feeling every single time I read it. I wax nostalgic about times curled up in my Amma’s arms hearing the story unfold for the millionth time.

Kids do the same thing when a teacher pulls out a picture book. Remember the good old days in primary? Sometimes I will ask my students to bring in their favourite childhood picture books and we will search for rich language/poetic devices. Students LOVE to share this piece of their childhood. Pulling out a picture book, even one on a challenging topic, can bring joy.

Reason 2: Entry Points

Imagine kids playing on the playground after school and suddenly realizing they have to pee. In my school, there are many options for our desperate students. Kids and adults can enter through the front doors, the four other sets of double doors. They could come in through the two sets of doors to the gym or through any of the ground level classroom outside doors. If all else fails, I am sure the librarian will let in a kid hopping in distress and a window could do in a pinch. There are options. There are entry points. There is sweet relief once inside.

In this scenario, there were so many ways for the imaginary students to get into the school that they were able to choose the one that worked for them. I know a kid desperate to pee seems like a silly comparison, but kids are desperate to connect with and enter lessons. They want a doorway in to understanding. As a teacher, our goal is to create multiple entry points that allow all students into a lesson. Picture books create entry points without even trying. Some kids connect with the text, while others read the pictures and create connections.

You can use pre-reading activities like ‘exploding a sentence’ or projecting a few images from the book to get some really powerful predictions. For intermediate it is important to ask kids ‘What do you think will happen?... Why do you think so?’. Providing that piece of evidence from the text, the images, or their personal experiences will help build capacity for critical thinking. It will also build a vested interest in the story.  Picture books are magic because they have so many entry points and so many possibilities. Read your favourite picture book out loud to yourself and try to identify as many entry points as possible.

Reason 3: Layers

“Ogres are like onions. We both have layers.”

— Shrek

Picture books are like a magic vortex with multiple layers. Sometimes you read a book in grade two and get one layer…then again in grade four and explore another layer…. then your grade twelve law professor pulls it out and you just have to trust her…because she takes you to one more layer. You are looking at the book through different eyes with different ears. You dig deeper.

Pictures books are inherently layered because of the play between text and images. Try showing kids ONLY the pictures and asking them to tell you the entire story orally as a class. You can co-construct it page by page.…then go back and read the story. How close were the kids? What clues did they find in the images that helped? You could also do the reverse. Read the story without showing the images and challenge your students to draw important places/characters….read it again and project the images. How close were your kids?

When I am talking about layers though, I am not just talking about the important play between text and images. I am talking about how one book can be read to different ages or at different times of the year to explore different ideas or activities. I will provide ONE example. It is an old book,  but I still love it and used it gr. 1-12 when I was a TOC: The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka.

(A Few) Layers

1. Read the Story. Storyboard it as a class and act it out.

2. Read the story and use it as a building challenge to talk about structures and structure strength.

3. Read the story and research alternatives to sugar in cake recipes. Write the wolf a letter in jail suggesting what he might have used instead of sugar in the cake.

4. Read the story & compare to the original story

5. Read the story and LOOK at the images…how do they play together?

6. Is the wolf guilty? Collect evidence from the book as well as the original story. Have a mock debate OR class discussion OR write a persuasive paragraph

7. Was the media biased against the wolf? Look at the evidence from the pictures (who were the police officers/reports etc.) How does media create bias? Rewrite this article in an unbiased way. Who would you talk to?

8. Read the story and examine the persuasive language. Work in small groups to retell another classic fairytale from a different character’s perspective.

9. Use this story as an entry point for learning about wrongly accused people in history. What did these people try to do to get free? Were they successful?

Joy Entry Points Layers

You might have your own top three, but these are mine. Picture books are a tool that can be used K-12 to diffuse challenging situations, approach hard subjects, and bring hope. They provide clarity. They provide joy. They are a tool that this series will help you learn how to use more effectively.