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Rethinking picture books: harnessing the power of nonfiction for older readers
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Rethinking Picture Books
Harnessing the Power of Nonfiction
for Older Students
Presented by: Beth Shaum Kellee Moye
Jennifer Vincent Audrey Vernick
The statistic we’ve all seen:
Common Core recommends the following distribution of literary vs. informational reading:
● 50% literary and 50% informational by 4th grade
● 45% literary and 55% informational by 8th grade
● 30% literary and 70% informational by 12th grade
So why picture books then?
“Visit the official CCSS website, or listen to the rhetoric of those who have come to be closely associated with Common Core, and you’ll hear over and over the grave concern that students need to be able to read more complex texts.”
● Pathways to the Common Core by Lucy Calkins, Mary Ehrenworth, and Christopher Lehman, p. 32
Myths about picture books
● All picture books are written for little kids.
● “Big kids” don’t like “little kid” picture books.
● Using picture books with older students equates to struggling readers.
● Big kids won’t read picture books because they don’t want to get caught reading something below their level.
The Wall by Peter Sis
Kellee MoyeMiddle School Reading Coach/Teacher, Orlando, FL
@KelleeMoyehttp://www.unleashingreaders.com
Picture Books for Higher Order Thinking Skills and Reading Strategies
Why Picture Books?
● Gives visual support for struggling readers and visual learners.
● Brevity allows for lessons and discussions in one class period.
● A safe place to start encouraging students to take risks in their reading and writing lives.
● Picture book does not automatically equate to simplicity; simple can also be complex
Not Just for Struggling
Readers
● Using a text the students will understand, but pushing an idea that is tougher will make it so that the class/reader understands the more rigorous idea better.
● Other times, picture books actually have text and ideas that the students do not understand, but through discussion and the visual aid of pictures they can reach the complex idea.
Theories That Support Using
Picture Books
● Scaffolding/Gradual Release of Responsibility (I Do, We do, You do)○ Buehl (2005) stated, the GRR model “emphasizes
instruction that mentors students into becoming capable thinkers and learners when handling the tasks with which they have not yet developed expertise.”
● Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development○ Using guidance, a learner can be taken from
what they can do unaided to a rigorous task/thought process.
Overcoming the Fear● Need to first get past the teacher fear.● Then get students used to seeing them again.● Once these two steps are done, picture books
become a successful part of curriculum.● I use all types of picture books:
○ To teach standards○ To teach genres○ To teach kindness○ To teach a love of reading○ To make connections○ To start discussions○ To make students think○ As mentor texts○ As companion texts
Middle schoolers can love
picture books!
Example: ● Jane Yolen’s “Unsolved
Mysteries from History” series○ Inquiry (CCRA.W.9)○ Vocabulary (CCRA.R.4)○ Informational vs.
Narrative nonfiction○ Research (CCRA.W.1,
CCRA.W.7)○ Debate (CCRA.R.8)○ http://www.
unleashingreaders.com/?p=1800
CCRA.W/R.# = College and Career Readiness Anchor (dot) Reading/Writing (dot) Anchor # http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/CCRA/R http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/CCRA/W
Example:
● Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down and others by Andrea Davis Pinkney○ Figurative language (CCRA.
R.4)○ Artistic style (CCRA.R.7)○ Text features○ http://www.
teachmentortexts.com/2012/11/andrea-davis-pinkney-and-brian-pinkney.html
Example: ● Harlem by Walter Dean Myers
○ Imagery (CCRA.R.4)○ Rhythm ○ Mood (CCRA.R.4)○ Voice (CCRA.R.4)○ Metaphor (CCRA.R.4)○ Visual Interpretation
(CCRA.R.7)■ https://sites.google.
com/a/uw.edu/harlemvia/
○ http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=2129
More Examples: ● Who Stole Mona Lisa? by Ruthie Knapp
○ Point of view and perspective (CCRA.R.6)
○ http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=1396
● Faithful Elephants by Yukio Tsuchiya○ Making connections (with Endangered
by Eliot Schrefer) (CCRA.R.9)○ http://www.unleashingreaders.
com/?p=2125● History News: The Greek News by Anton
Powell and Philip Steele○ Inquiry (CCRA.W.9)○ Vocabulary (CCRA.R.4)○ Newspapers (CCRA.R.7)○ Text Features○ http://www.unleashingreaders.
com/?p=1861
More Examples:
● The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos by Deborah Heiligman○ Vocabulary (CCRA.R.4)○ Inquiry (CCRA.W.9)○ Making Connection (math)○ http://www.
unleashingreaders.com/?p=1633
● Barbed Wire Baseball by Marissa Moss○ Compare and Contrast
(CCRA.R.9)○ Setting○ Tone (CCRA.R.4)○ http://www.
unleashingreaders.com/?p=1407
Jen Vincent, NBCT
Coordinator of Instructional TechnologyElgin, IL@mentortextshttp://www.teachmentortexts.com
Mentor Texts to Bridge Reading and Writing for English Language Learners and Students with Special Needs
Principles of Second
Language Acquisition
● Taking into account developmental stages of language acquisition
● Focus predominantly on meaning
● Also focus on form
● Development of formulaic expressions and rule-based competence
● Development of implicit and explicit knowledge
● Extensive second language input
● Opportunities for output
● The opportunity to interact in the second language
● Taking into account individual differences in learners
● Assessment examines free as well as controlled production
http://www.cal.org/resources/digest/instructed2ndlang.html
Needs of ELL Students● “Only when learners are engaged in decoding and encoding messages
in the context of actual acts of communication are the conditions
created for acquisition to take place”
● “Communicative competence (Hymes, 1971) in a second language is
facilitated by using the language as a medium for learning content
rather than by studying it as a separate & distinct subject area”
● “To develop true fluency in a second language, learners must have
opportunities to engage in real communication” (DeKeyser, 1998).
● “Engaging in activities focused on creating meaning is intrinsically
motivating for learners.”
http://www.cal.org/resources/digest/instructed2ndlang.html
Strategies for ELL Students
● Vocabulary and language development
● Guided interaction● Metacognition● Authentic
assessment● Explicit instruction
● Meaning-based context and universal themes
● Modeling, graphic organizers, and visuals
● Multiple modalities● Socialcultural
implications
http://www.amle.org/BrowsebyTopic/WhatsNew/WNDet/TabId/270/ArtMID/888/ArticleID/350/Differentiating-
Instruction-for-ELLs.aspx https://uteach.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/files/SixKeyStrategiesELL.pdf
Needs of Students with
Special Needs
● Consistency and intensity of instruction
● Individualization of academic content and pacing
● Interactive/collaborative learning
● Recognition of different learning styles/needs
● Reflects changing world we live in
● Purposeful
http://futureofchildren.org/publications/journals/article/index.xml?journalid=57&articleid=337§ionid=2249
Strategies for
Students with Special Needs
● Problem-solving model● Metacognitive awareness ● Self-regulatory strategies● Differentiated learning● Embedded strategy instruction● Explicit and extensive strategy instruction● Feedback tailored to student needs and abilities ● Continuous introduction of new strategies
http://nichcy.org/research/ee/learning-strategies
http://www.humboldt.edu/celt/topics/meeting_the_needs_of_students_with_disabilities/
WHY Picture Books?
● Engaging● Visual support● Manageable length● Rich language and vocabulary● Complex ideas
Benefits of Using PBs
for ELLs and St w Special Needs
● Learning within context● Guided interaction● Reciprocal learning● Connections to their lives● Harness metacognition
How Reading
Transfers to Writing
● Reading like a writer● Noticing patterns● Recognizing author’s craft● Mentor texts as models● Student practice
http://www.writeguy.net/
http://ralphfletcher.com/rf/
Informational Mentor Texts
●
Biographical Mentor Texts
Mentor Texts for Background
Knowledge
Beth ShaumMiddle school ELA teacherCanton, MI NCTE social media coordinator
Twitter: @BethShaumEmail: bshaum@ncte.org
Using Picture Books as Mentor Texts for Writing Instruction
Modeling Quality Nonfiction Writing through Picture Books
Audrey VernickPicture Book Author
Ocean, NJ ● Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-
Brother Baseball Team● She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story● Bark and Tim: A True Story of Friendship
Modeling Quality Nonfiction Writing through Picture Books
Why mentor texts?
“Most disciplines expect that novices learn from experts, whether they’re
beginner tennis players watching professional tennis players or art
students copying master paintings. Similarly, writers learn by emulation.”
-Georgia Heard
Why mentor texts?
“Nobody is born with a style or voice. We don’t come out of the womb knowing who we are. In
the beginning, we learn by pretending to be our heroes.
We learn by copying.” - Austin Kleon
Why mentor texts?
“I emulated Buddy Holly, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis. We all did.”
- Paul McCartney
Picture books as a catalyst
for research
Picture books find the story
in hiSTORY
Great Books as Inspiration
● Reading a great nonfiction picture book sparks a desire to write great nonfiction, to take close-up looks at history from unique angles.
● Reading about previously unknown people and experiences opens doors to thinking about the stories that are all around us. What have our parents done? Who are our neighbors? What stories do they have?
● Power in oral histories. Kids as interviewers--developing those skills
Taking Research off
the Beaten Path
● Finding the story in history requires allowance for exploration, for an initial stage of pure messiness--digging around, experimenting, making bad choices before coming across a subject that sparks enthusiasm.
● Shift from using timeline as the main point to a starting point.
● Taking research beyond books to primary sources.
Primary Sources
● There’s a palpable excitement of discovery writers feel when they’re taking unpaved roads and finding untapped primary sources.
● Taps into the magic of nonfiction.
● Consider their own lives in terms of the primary sources they leave behind--social media, scrapbook, journal--what conclusions would biographer draw about them?
Nonfiction as
Story ElementEditors worried no one would care about a family no one had heard of. No name recognition, no incredible breakthrough.
Asked if I would fictionalize story, create more drama. The truth serves as its own element--readers react to both the story and the truth of it as they read.
Examples of literary tools generally
associated with fiction/literature
Engaging beginnings and well-crafted endings
Metaphor and simile
Rich, sensory language
Voice
Non-chronological explorations
Picture books help us understand a
writer’s motivations
Picture books allow us to try out other
voices to help us find our own
This is Just to Sayby William Carlos Williams
I have eatenthe plumsthat were inthe icebox
and whichyou were probablysavingfor breakfast
Forgive methey were deliciousso sweetand so cold
This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen
Picture books can show that ALL
writers break the “rules” of grammar.
Picture books can teach students what
it really means to “restate your thesis.”
Picture books can inspire young writers to
tell stories from new and unique angles
Picture books can support
cross-curricular connections
How do you find the right
mentor text?
Get a library card and become a voluminous reader of books
How do you find the right
mentor text?
● Make a simple change to how you read ○ As a teacher of writing,
become mindful of craft.○ Always read with a
notebook or some post-it flags on your book mark. You never know when you’ll come across something you can use
How do you find the right
mentor text?
● Constantly ask yourself as you’re reading: How can I use this with my students?○ Is it something they can easily emulate?○ Can it teach them an element of craft such as:
■ varying sentence lengths■ the conventions (or unconventional use) of
language■ literary concepts■ grabbing leads■ resonating endings
How do you find the right
mentor text?
Comb through nonfiction award lists:● NCTE Orbis Pictus Award● Association for Library Services (ALSC) to Children
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal● Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)
Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults● National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)
Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12● National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Notable
Trade Books for Young People
How do you find the right
mentor texts?
● Follow teachers on Goodreads and Pinterest○ Goodreads: can sort to-read, currently
reading, and read books onto shelves○ Pinterest: Pin ideas on boards with different
themes. Some boards I follow/curate: mentor texts, book trailers, book reviews, article of the week, etc.)
How do you find the right
mentor text?
Start using Twitter for professional development
○ Regular, ongoing hashtags:#bookaday #nerdybookclub
○ Twitter chats:#titletalk #nctechat #rwworkshop
How do you find the right
mentor texts?
Read teacher/librarian blogs:● Teach Mentor Texts● Unleashing Readers● Kid Lit Frenzy
○ Common Core in Real Libraries○ Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesdays
● Nonfiction Detectives● Great Kid Books● 100 Scope Notes● Reading, Teaching, Learning● The Late Bloomer’s Book Blog● There’s A Book For That
Other resources for using
mentor texts
Mentor Author, Mentor Texts by Ralph FletcherWrite Beside Them by Penny KittleWrite Like This by Kelly GallagherMechanically Inclined by Jeff AndersonTen Things Every Writer Needs to Know by Jeff AndersonFinding the Heart of Nonfiction by Georgia Heard
Download our presentation
and follow us on Twitter
http://www.slideshare.net/KelleeMoyehttp://www.slideshare.net/beths0103
Twitter:Beth: @BethShaumKellee: @kelleemoyeJen: @mentortextsAudrey: @yourbuffalo
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