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● Module Overview
● Module 2
Literature-Based Instruction
● Read More
● Topics
● 1.0 Children’s Literature and Child Development
● 2.0 Considerations in Choosing Children's Literature
for Use in a K-3 Classroom
● Activities and Assignments
● Pre-Lesson Activity
● Activity
● Assignment 4
● Checklists and Worksheets
● Activity
● Checklist: Why children like to read
● Checklist: Why children do not like to read
● Questions for Evaluating Children's Stories
● Handout: Genres of Children’s Literature
● Introduction
● Learning Objectives
● Pre-Lesson Activity
● Topics
● 1.0 Children’s Literature and Child Development
● 2.0 Considerations in Choosing Children's Literature for Use in a K-3 Classroom
● Lesson Synthesis
● Assignment
● References
This courseware is made possible by the generous support of the American People through the United
States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of this courseware are the sole
responsibility of the Foundation for Information Technology Education and Development (FIT-ED) and
do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
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Lesson 1
Children's Literature in the K-3 Classroom
Welcome to the first lesson of Module 2 and the fourth lesson in the course!
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Learning Objectives
After completing this lesson, you should be able to:
1. Explain why it is important to use children's literature with young children;
2. Describe the types of children's literature that are available for classroom use; and
3. Select literature appropriate for young children in your own teaching context.
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Pre-Lesson Activity
Read the statements below and indicate whether you agree or disagree. These statements will help you
reflect on your attitudes towards the use of children’s literature in K-3 classrooms. After completing the
lesson, you might want to review your answers to each statement to find out if there are changes in your
perceptions and attitudes.
1. The most important reason why children should read literature is for them to learn new information.
Agree Disagree
2. Only stories with moral lessons are beneficial to K-3 children.
Agree Disagree
3. Children's literature exposes children to different art forms.
Agree Disagree
4. Children's literature allows children to learn words they would not normally learn in day-to-day
conversations.
Agree Disagree
5. A reading teacher’s sole responsibility is to get his/her students to decode the print on the page and to
understand it.
Agree Disagree
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1.0 Children’s Literature and Child Development
1.1 Developing an Interest in Reading
As reading teachers, our role is to develop children who can read and who choose to read. This means that
aside from teaching children how to decode the print on the page and make meaning out of it, we also
need to develop in them a love for reading. We need to promote a reading culture among our students.
We can do this by considering the different interests of children and choosing reading materials that are
interesting to them. What do you think do children like to read?
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Children's interest in reading is developed by being exposed to literature for children.
Are you familiar with the major classifications of children's literature?
Listen to this audio podcast. Do you recognize what type of children’s literature was read?
Your browser does not support the audio element.
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Yes, you've just heard an example of poetry. Have you ever used poetry with your students?
Poetry is actually more familiar to children than we think. From their early years, children are exposed to
poetry through rhymes and songs like Bahay Kubo and they actually enjoy it especially when it is
presented in a fun and interactive way.
Poetry can help develop children's language skills. Thus, it would be good to continue to nurture
children’s interest in poetry inside the classroom.
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Now listen to this audio podcast.
Your browser does not support the audio element.
What type of literature do you hear?
Tales and stories like the one in this podcast are examples of prose. Unlike poetry, which usually has
rhythm and sometimes follows a rhyme scheme, prose usually employs language in its ordinary form.
Prose is further classified into fiction and non-fiction. As you know, fiction includes invented or make-
believe texts while non-fiction is factual work.
Think about the kinds of prose that you often use with your students. Are you more partial to fiction than
non-fiction, or vice versa? What do you think are the benefits of using both in the classroom?
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1.2 The Benefits of Reading Children’s Literature
What do children get from reading children's literature? Here are some benefits of reading children's
literature:
● contributes to language development
● prepares children for learning by developing inquisitiveness and by developing varied interests
● helps in children’s socio-emotional development
● develops creativity in children
Read on to find out how children's literature brings these benefits.
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Reading children's literature contributes to language development.
Reading stories and poems helps widen children's vocabulary as it exposes them to language other than
what they would hear in regular, everyday conversations.
Listen to this reading of a portion of the story Papel de Liha written by Ompong Remigio and illustrated
by Beth Parrocha-Doctolero.
Your browser does not support the audio element.
Because the language used has rhythm and rhyme, children also get to have an initial brush with poetry
while listening to this story.
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Even before very young children learn to read, being read to can develop their pre-reading skills such as
book and print orientation.
Watch this video of children who can't really read yet but who are pretending to read by using the pictures
in books that have been regularly read to them.
Your browser does not support the video tag.
Although the children do not yet know how to decode the text, they have learned from their experiences
of being read to that —
● there is print on the page that may be read;
● they can use the pictures to tell the story;
● the book has a front and a back part; and
● they can turn the pages of the book.
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Storytelling also encourages children to play with language by writing their own stories. This happens
with stories that pose questions and wordless picture books.
Click on the labels to read a brief description.
stories that pose questions
As the name suggests, stories that pose questions contain dialogue or text in the form of questions.
Children are engaged in reading as they attempt to answer each question and turn the page to find out the
answer. A good example is the story Who's Behind the Door? written and illustrated by Michael Salmon.
Before turning each page, the children guess 'who's behind the door?'
wordless picture books
Wordless picture books allow children to come up with stories based on a given sequence of pictures. The
children focus on the connection between the pictures they see on print, what they can say about these
pictures, and what they can write about these pictures. An example of a wordless picture book is Nang
Sumakit ang Ngipin ni Mando.
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Reading children's literature prepares children for learning by developing inquisitiveness and by developing varied
interests.
View the slide show below to learn how books develop inquisitiveness and interest in various fields of
knowledge. Place your cursor on the slide and then click on the side arrow to go to the next slide.
Hayan na si Kidlat written by Russell Molina and illustrated by Ariel Santillana is about a boy
who is so obsessed with being the fastest kid in town that he forgets to eat and ends up frail and
sickly. Stories like this can spark children’s interest in finding out what causes a particular medical
condition and learn more about how to be healthy.
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Uldok, The War Hero written by Nemah Hermosa and illustrated by Ferdinand Doctolero is an
example of historical fiction. The story is set in World War II Philippines. A family hides in the
mountains for safety and leaves behind their pet dog to guard their house. Reading this story can
help develop in children an interest in history.
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Dalawang Bayani written by Rene O. Villanueva and illustrated by Joel O. Chua is an example of
biographical fiction. This type of text can prepare children for learning about the significant
contributions of certain people in our history.
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A book like Mario's Special Day written by Fiona Fajardo and Jenifer Naguit and illustrated by
Mel Silvestre introduces counting and number concepts to young children.
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Isang Mayang Uhaw written by Virgilio Almario and illustrated by Jimmy Torres introduces the
scientific concept of displacement in ways that even a kindergarten student can understand.
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In Munting Patak Ulan written by Gloria Villaraza Guzman and illustrated by Fidelito Manto
young children can learn about the water cycle.
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Children's literature can help in children’s socio-emotional development.
View the slide show below to learn how reading stories can help children understand their thoughts and
feelings, and develop healthy emotional responses and social skills. Place your cursor on the slide and
then click on the side arrow to go to the next slide.
After reading modern fantasy books like Si Hinlalaki written by Virgilio Almario and illustrated
by Hubert Fucio, What Beetle Can Do written and illustrated by Robert Magnuson, and Si Dindo
Pundido written and illustrated by JoMike Tejido, where the main characters realize their purpose,
a child who lacks self-confidence might be able to figure out that he or she can also be good at
something. This is especially important in early school years when developing a sense of industry
or a feeling of success is quite important.
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Baha! written by Eugene Y. Evasco and illustrated by Frances Alcaraz is the story of a spoiled
boy who realizes the need to change his attitude after dreaming of a sea monster who also behaves
in a spoiled manner.
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There are also tales that model correct behavior instead of stating how children are supposed to
behave. Contemporary realistic fiction allows children to relate to the characters in a story, and
follow their example, because these characters sound very much like them. For example, the
character of the child in Bruhahaha-Bruhihihi written by Ma. Corazon Remigio and illustrated by
Roland Mechael Ilagan models for young readers of this story how to be more caring towards and
understanding of old people.
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Even modern fantasy can help children understand their own feelings and that of others. In books
like Si Putot written by Mike Bigornia and illustrated by Charles Funk and Si Hugo, ang Pahamak
na Hunyango written and illustrated by Charles Funk, the main characters are talking animals. But
children can identify with them and their self-realization towards the end of the story.
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Modern fantasy books like Si Emang Engkantada at ang Tatlong Haragan written by Rene O.
Villanueva and illustrated by Alfonso Oñate and Wilfredo Pollarco send a strong message that can
develop in children an attitude of care for the environment.
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Children’s literature develops creativity.
Literature for children in the K-3 classroom can promote aesthetic development among young children.
Picture story books expose children to different styles of art. This helps encourage children to experiment
with different media as they use art to express themselves.
Children's literature also develops creativity by helping children to imagine other worlds and experiences.
By showing different possibilities to children, literature can help children envision a world other than and
even better than the one they are living in right now, gain insight into their own situation, and find
creative solutions to problems.
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Activity
What types of children's literature among the reading materials that you have in your school and/or use in
your class? Using the table below, list your school's children's books under the different types of
children's literature.
You can refer to this handout to recall the types of children’s literature.
Author Illustrato
r
Tit
lee
Poetry
Prose
Fiction
1.
Traditional
Literature
2. Modern
Fantasy
3. Science
Fiction
4.
Contemporar
y Realistic
Fiction
5. Historical
Fiction
Non-Fiction
6. Biography
7.
Informationa
l Books
Genres of Children's K-3 Books available in Author /Illustrator
Literature your classroom/school
Theodor Geisel under the
Poetry The Cat in the Hat
pen name Dr. Seuss
Prose The Little Prince Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Fiction The Wonderful Wizard of L. Frank Baum
OZ
1. Traditional Literature Aesop's Fables Aesop
Coraline Novella by Neil Gaiman
2. Modern Fantasy
Strange Star Emma Carroll
3. Science Fiction
4. Contemporary Realistic Diary of a wimpy kid: Hard Jeff Kinney
Fiction Luck
5. Historical Fiction The Prince and the Pauper Mark Twain
A Picture Book of Helen David A. Adler tells
Non-Fiction
Keller (Picture Book
Biography)
Who Was Anne Frank? ANN ABRAMSON
6. Biography
The Pilot and the Little Peter Sís
7. Informational Books
Prince: The Life of Antoine
de Saint-Exupéry
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2.0 Considerations in Choosing Children's Literature for Use in a K-3 Classroom
2.1 Why Some Children Read and Why Some Children Don't Read
Although knowing how to read is essential and reading children's literature in particular is beneficial, not
all children end up learning how to read and loving reading. Some children read and others don't. How
can we get all of our learners to read and love reading?
Here are two checklists— one showing some reasons why some children like to read and the other
showing reasons why some children don't like to read.
Why children like to read
Checklist: Why children like to read
Tick the reasons why children in your school like to read.
Why children like to read
1. They find it easy to decode the
symbols.
2. The words in the text are just
right for their level. There are few
or no difficult words, and the
teacher helps them unlock the
meaning of these words prior to
reading.
3. The story or text is interesting to
them.
4. They can identify with the
experiences of the characters in the
text.
5. The story is easy to follow. They
can make sense of the story.
6. They are allowed to have
different responses to the text they
read.
7. They are allowed to choose what
to read.
8. They are given time to read on
their own.
9. They are surrounded by a variety
of reading materials.
10. They see adults, including their
teacher, enjoying reading.
Download and print this sheet
Why children do not like to read
Checklist: Why children do not like to read
Tick the reasons why children in your school do not like to read.
Why children do not like to read
1. They have a difficult time
decoding.
2. There are too many difficult
words in the texts they have to
read, and they find it hard to
understand what they are reading.
3. The story or text is not
interesting to them.
4. They find that they cannot relate
with the characters in the text.
5. The story or text is complex and
confusing. It is difficult to make
sense of the text.
6. They quizzed about what they
have read and expected to give
answers that are considered
“correct” by the teacher.
7. They are not allowed to make
their own choices of what to read.
8. The time for reading is fixed and
everyone must read at the same
time and pace.
9. There are few or no reading
materials available to them.
10. They do not see adults reading
and/or enjoying reading.
Download and print this sheet
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In sum, the following factors affect children's attitudes towards reading.
Click on the highlighted words and phrases to read a brief explanation.
● the readability of the text
● the types of stories and texts that children would find interesting
● helping the children understand what they are reading
● promoting reading for enjoyment
● creating an environment conducive to reading
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2.2 Selecting Reading Texts for Young Children
We need to pay particular attention to the kinds of texts that we ask our students to listen to or to read on
their own.
Click here for the list of questions that will help us evaluate the stories or narrative texts we choose for
our students.
Questions for
Not
Evaluating Y N
Applicabl
Children's es o
e
Stories
Does the story
reflect your
students'
interests?
Is the story
humorous and
unique?
Does the story
contain action?
Is the story
predictable in
some way?
Does the story
have a happy
ending?
Is the plot simple
enough to be
understood by
your students
given their social
and emotional
maturity?
Does the story
enrich your
students’
vocabulary?
Does the length
of the story
match your
students'
attention span?
Is the story
something your
students can
relate with?
Are the
characters
believable?
Are the
characters given
dialogues that
allow their
readers to know
them better?
Are the
characters free of
stereotypes?
Is the theme
relevant to your
students?
Does the theme
avoid moralizing
or sermonizing?
Does the author
use vivid imagery
to invite your
students to
activate their
senses?
Is the language
rich and concise?
(Does it avoid
unnecessary
details?)
Are words and
phrases used and
repeated to
delight the child
with their
pleasing sounds
and rhythms?
Are the
illustrations
colorful and
vivid?
Are the
illustrations
accurate?
Are the
illustrations
situated beside
the text they
represent?
Do the
illustrations help
tell the story? Do
they aid in
comprehension?
Download and print this sheet
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Lesson Synthesis
Congratulations! You have just finished the first lesson of Module 2.
In summary, we learned about the benefits of using children’s literature in a K-3 classroom. We also saw
the range of children’s literature that are available and how each type can contribute to child
development. And we talked about how to select literature for use with students in the K-3 classroom.
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Assignment 4
1. Read the story indicated in the list below for the grade level that you are teaching.
Kindergarten: Si Pilong Patago-Tago
Grade 1: Ang Kamatis Ni Peles
Grade 2: Tuko: The Tenor Wannabe
Grade 3: Tight Times
2. Answer the following questions:
1. a) What specific qualities of the book/text do you think will appeal to your students?
2. b) What benefits will the book/text provide for your students?
3. Share your answers at your next LAC session.
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References
Diaz De Rivera, L. Literature-based Reading Programs. Diliman, Quezon City: UP Open University.
Glazer, J.I. (1991). Literature for Young Children, 3rd ed. NY, USA: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1991.
Rosenblatt, L.M. (2000). The transactional theory of reading and writing. In Kamil, Mosenthal, Pearson, & Barr (Eds.).
The Handbook of Reading Research Volume 3. (pp. 1057-1092). New York: Erlbaum.
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