Teachers’ thoughts on e-readers in the elementary school classroom

Despite the popularity of e-readers and the enthusiasm of some for their use in secondary education, their utility in elementary education has not yet been systematically explored. Some advantages and disadvantages to teaching elementary literacy with e-readers are identified here. A convenience sample of ten teachers from a variety of different types of elementary schools and classrooms who were e-reader novices read a chapter of a grade-appropriate book on a Kindle and evaluated its use for their students. The teachers gave their opinions and ideas on how the devices could be implemented. Three specific technological affordances of an e-reader that carry pedagogical implications are discussed: the text-to-speech and dictionary functions, and the idea of unlimited access to books

Becoming Co-Witnesses to the Fukushima Disaster in an Elementary Literacy Classroom

This study explores what challenges fifth and sixth graders in Pennsylvania encountered as they exchanged letters with children in Fukushima and read a testimony of the Fukushima disaster written by a child there. Trauma theory and seikatsu tsuzurikata, a Japanese traditional critical literacy approach, were used in designing the project and in interpreting children’s engagement with the project. The children demonstrated signs of emerging empathy for children in Fukushima. However, the unspeakable nature of the trauma experience, students’ discomfort, and a pressure to read and write in a structured manner to prepare for the statewide exam posed obstacles for their development of empathy. Despite the challenges, some children acknowledged the importance of recognizing others’ feelings, including pain, no matter where they live. In order to prepare students as empathetic citizens of human society in an increasingly globalized world, the author urges educators to introduce testimonial readings from across the world in elementary classrooms

From the Book Page to the Big Screen: An Exploration of Literature-to-Film Adaptions and Their Use in the Classroom

Many classic titles of children’s literature have been adapted into feature film presentations. Although often regarded as a mere form of entertainment, movies can and should be incorporated into the elementary classroom as supplementary material to be paired with their corresponding works of literature. The four examples provided include Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, The Giver by Lois Lowry, and Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie. Each of these four works originated as a book that was later recreated into a film format with varying degrees of accuracy to the original story. Through a close examination of the author, theme, classroom application, and film connection, a greater appreciation is gained for the integration of film in the language arts classroom

Building Strong Readers In Minnesota: PreK-3rd Grade Policies That Support Children's Literacy Development

From 2015 through 2016, the Early Education Initiative will be producing a series of reports from states and localities across the United States to provide an inside look at efforts to support children's learning from infancy and extending into the early grades.This paper explores how Minnesota's pre-K through third grade education policies are helping or hindering the ability of school districts, schools, and teachers to ensure that all children are on track to read on grade level by the end of third grade

A Reading Lesson Observation Framework for Elementary Teachers, Principals, and Literacy Supervisors

Henk et al present a framework which will provide reference points for assessment and help refine instructional practices in reading

Making the Invisible, Visible: RtI and Reading Comprehension

For the better part of a century the educational community has had increased focus on the importance of reading. The publication of Why Johnny Can\u27t Read and What You Can Do About It (Flesch, 1955) began the surge of effort to better understand the cognitive process of reading to further examine how educators can help children become better readers. Since this 1950\u27s publication, reading research grew and philosophies developed and subsequently changed. However, one thing remained the same: understanding what we read is critically important to becoming a critical thinker. Thus, reading comprehension research continued to boom and the educational community continues to seek ways in which reading comprehension instruction can be improved. (excerpt

Exploring teacher-writer identities in the classroom: Conceptualising the struggle

Given the narrow scope of primary teachers' knowledge and use of children's literature identified in Phase I of Teachers as Readers (2006-7), the core goal of the Phase II project, was to improve teachers' knowledge and experience of such literature in order to help them increase children's motivation and enthusiasm for reading, especially those less successful in literacy. The year long project, Teachers as Readers: Building Communities of Readers, which was undertaken in five Local Authorities in England, also sought to build new relationships with parents and families and to explore the concept of a Reading Teacher: a teacher who reads and a reader who teaches (Commeyras et al., 2004). The research design was multi-layered; involving data collection at individual, school and LA levels, and employing a range of quantitative and qualitative data research methods and tools. This paper provides an overview of the research and highlights the challenges encountered and the insights garnered. It argues that teachers need support in order to develop children's reading for pleasure, which can influence both attainment and achievement and increase young learners' engagement as self- motivated and socially engaged readers

“Is Sarah a Bully or a Friend?”: Examining Students’ Text-based Written Expressions of Bullying

Bullying has been recognized as a complex phenomenon with potential for serious negative outcomes. Activities that address complex social situations of bullying, such as reading and writing to a pen pal about fictional literature, provide space for students to think and share about personal issues that they encounter and how characters deal with similar issues in productive ways. For this research, we used a critical literacy lens to explore bullying within the context of language, power and context. This research shares qualitative analysis of letters students wrote to adult pen pals after reading a fictional book with a plot addressing bullying. Letters from 32 students were analyzed and four themes emerged: 1) text-based interpretations about bullying; 2) personal experiences and perspectives about bullying; 3) bullying in relation to friendship and social positioning; and 4) lessons learned for addressing bullying via action and advocacy

Book It, Bullies: Using Children\u27s Literature to Address Bullying in the Classroom

Bullying is an ever-present issue rampant in schools and society today. It is incredibly eye-opening to consider the striking rates, harmful effects, and possible coping mechanisms associated with bullying. When considering this heavy topic from an educator’s point of view, it is critical that children’s literature be discussed as a powerful weapon to combat bullying. Educators should utilize literature to address bullying and initiate discussions concerning this challenging subject within their classes; prepare their students for being in an inclusion classroom among peers with and without disabilities; inform their students about disabilities that some of their classmates may be diagnosed with; and offer a cathartic experience for students to properly cope and find connections within literature. Therefore, it is crucial that teachers, specialists, parents, and other school officials are well-informed and adequately prepared to address bullying in their classrooms and to especially guard their students with disabilities from harassment