3.childrens Literature Primaria - VB

English Children’s Literature in the
Primary EFL Classroom
Inglés para Primaria I, Year 2015-2016

WHY READING?
• Literature
– Entertains,
– Stretches imagination,
– Elicits a wealth of emotions,
– And develops compassion.
• Literature
– Generates questions and new knowledge,
– Affords experience of other worlds,
– And provides encounters with different beliefs, ideas and values.
• Literature
– not only educates
– but also offers access to a vast spectrum of being human.
WHY READING?
• Literature
– Promote a feeling of well-being and relaxation
– Increase children's willingness to communicate thoughts and
feelings
– Encourage active participation
– Increase verbal proficiency
– Encourage use of imagination and creativity
– Encourage cooperation between students
– Enhance listening skills
Real reading needs real books
Why not use both a coursebook and picturebooks and children’s
literature on a regular basis?
Researches have proved that literary texts are the

foundation of an effective reading program for first
and second language learners alike
Professor Stephen Krashen, Results of Free
Voluntary Reading:
–“the most powerful tool we have in
language education.
– It is an effective way of increasing literacy

and language development, with a strong
impact on reading comprehension,
vocabulary, grammar, and writing.
–It is also very pleasant. In fact, it is more

than pleasant: it is extremely enjoyable”
(2003).
Those who read more do better on a wide variety of

tests.
Real reading needs real By taking up reading,
books
 Children gain access to a richness of magic of language no course

book can ever offer.
 They are also exposed to such issues as loss, death, friendship,

responsibility, domination, love, which can heighten their sensitivity
and help them in the task of growing up.
 Five- to seven-years-old, while still fairly egocentric, are beginning
to realise that other people have feelings and needs.
 Books dealing with topics that are part of the child’s immediate
experiences of life and family such as being sick, going to school,
coping with a new baby, getting lost and being scared, are
important and enjoyed at this stage.
The importance of illustrations
 Illustrations are an essential part of children’s books.
 The unique character of picture books as an art form derives

from their combination of two levels of communication: the
verbal and the visual.
 Far from being “merely decorative”, illustrations provide

clues to the story,
stimulate interest and
pave the way for the text understanding
They develop children’s

artistic imagination.
• Pictures in picturebooks are complex iconic signs: they
usually describe or represent but there is not just one way
to read them.
• Words are complex conventional signs: their function is
primarily to narrate.
• In picturebooks, the tension between the two functions
creates unlimited possibilities for interaction between
word and image.
• Unlike coursebooks, picturebooks are often an opening up
to the unexpected and the imaginative, to multiple and
nuanced levels of understanding.
The importance of illustrations
 Picturebooks usually have a dual audience. Both

children and adults go through an exploration of the verbal
and visual details in order to gain an interpretation of the
whole.
 Each new re-reading of either words and

pictures creates better prerequisites for an adequate
interpretation of the whole story. This is something
children presumably know by intuition. Why otherwise
would they demand that the same book be read aloud to them
over and over again?
How to use children’s books in
the English classroom
How many books do we need?

How to use children’s books in the
English classroom
In order to use picture books
– we don’t need that every child in the classroom has a copy of
it.
– Just a single copy is enough for the teacher to read aloud the
stories to pupils gathered in a circle.
What we need instead, though, is
 To have a nice collection of children’s books to be kept

in the classroom, that is, to create a kind of library of English
books.
How to use children’s books in the
English classroom
As primary level pupils
 acquire literacy
 will increasingly be able to become independent

readers. You can then devote time to let them explore
several books on their own on a regular basis.
Is it essential for children to understand

every single word that they hear?
No
What is essential for the young learners is
–to listen to the sounds of a language which is not their
mother tongue,
–to get used to its rhythm and intonation,
–to become familiar with its structures.
Remember that
–you can re-read the same books many times, if the children like the story.
•Some of them might learn whole chunks of language and common expressions,
•some others just random words
•but they will all get more and more familiar with the new language,
•and they will have an unnoticed linguistic pay off while enjoying nice stories.
•Speak to the children regularly in English,
•When difficult: read the text and simplify it
•Use intuitively each book.
•Even let them know the meaning in Spanish of new
words,
•but remember
Always reinforce as
much as you can all the
bits of language that they
like best.
Children’s Literature
Authors and books
Classic Authors and Books

Authors and books
Maurice Sendak
Best known for his children’s books,
•Where the Wild Things Are
•In the Night Kitchen,
Sendak has spent the past fifty years

bringing to life a world of fantasy
and imagination. His unique vision is
loved around the globe by both
young and old.
Beyond his award-winning work as a writer and illustrator of children’s

books, Sendak has produced both operas and ballets for television and the
stage.
Authors and books
Listen to the story:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c
OEFnppm_A
Authors and books
Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad
books (70s)
. 4 books (five stories each)
Frog and Toad, the amiable amphibian duo,
fly kites, clean house, and tell ghost stories
together.
. Topics: the rewards of friendship but also

the value of being alone.
. Plenty of additional resources available,

such as activities or videos. Watch this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh
of the story “Cookies”: Yh1eZh1Ew&feature=related
Authors and books
Classic Tales
Beyond classic authors and illustrators
there is always a vast array of classic
tales you can use in the EFL classroom.
What is useful about this choice is that

pupils are already familiar with most of
the stories.
Authors and books
Contemporary Authors and Books

Authors and books
Julia Donaldson
• Julia Donaldson is the current Children’s
Laureate of the United Kingdom, an
award given every two years to eminent
writers and illustrators of children’s
books to celebrate outstanding
achievement in their fields.
• She has written more than a hundred

books, (most of them for children and
many of them illustrated by Axel
Scheffler).
Authors and books
The Gruffalo. It was the UK’s best
selling picture book in the year 2000.
. 3.5 million copies sold.
.Translated to many foreign

languages, including Spanish.
.In 2009 it was adapted into a 30

minute animated film which was first
broadcast by the BBC on Christmas
Day. Here’s the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y
q1ddK-Rlng
Authors and books
Emily Gravett
Emily Gravett, (Brighton, 1972) Degree in
Illustration.
Her debut picture book Wolves (2005)
laid the ground for a successful
international career. Since then she has
created many children's books.
Gravett states that “Picture books teach

children visual literacy, the relationship
between word and image, about emotion,
the physical world, and the world of
imagination. [...] There's no other medium
like them. They enrich children's lives”.
Authors and books
Again! By Emily Gravett
It's nearly Cedric the dragon's
bedtime -- there's just time for his
mum to read him his favourite
book.
Unfortunately for her, Cedric likes
the story so much that he wants to
hear it again . . . and again . . . and
again . . . with incendiary
consequences! A typically clever
and irresistible book
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvC
Emily Gravett shows how to draw a 7FpeTtqE&feature=relmfu
dragon:
Authors and books
• This controversial book was
published in 2005. It has won
many awards but it has also been
at the centre of numerous
censorship. It tackles the still
controversial issue of
homosexual parenthood.
• Is literature a good means to deal

with crucial issues of our global
and multicultural contemporary
society, such as changing gender.
relationships, discrimination and
social inclusion?
Selecting books for the classroom
Suggested websites
http://www.juliadonaldson.co.uk/
http://www.gruffalo.com/
http://www.childrenslaureate.org.uk/
http://www.emilygravett.com/
http://www.timhopgood.com/
http://waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/brows
e/childrens/4294965002/
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/childrens-b
ooks-kids-books/379003144/?ref=subnav

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English Children’s Literature in the

Primary EFL Classroom

Inglés para Primaria I, Year 2015-2016

Researches have proved that literary texts are the

– It is an effective way of increasing literacy

–It is also very pleasant. In fact, it is more

Those who read more do better on a wide variety of

 Children gain access to a richness of magic of language no course

 They are also exposed to such issues as loss, death, friendship,

 The unique character of picture books as an art form derives

 Far from being “merely decorative”, illustrations provide

They develop children’s

 Picturebooks usually have a dual audience. Both

 Each new re-reading of either words and

How many books do we need?

What we need instead, though, is

 To have a nice collection of children’s books to be kept

As primary level pupils

 will increasingly be able to become independent

Is it essential for children to understand

Classic Authors and Books

Sendak has spent the past fifty years

Beyond his award-winning work as a writer and illustrator of children’s

. Topics: the rewards of friendship but also

. Plenty of additional resources available,

What is useful about this choice is that

Contemporary Authors and Books

• She has written more than a hundred

.Translated to many foreign

.In 2009 it was adapted into a 30

Gravett states that “Picture books teach

• Is literature a good means to deal

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