Welcome to HoB's Children & early adolescent:
literacy, literature, media, & language arts pages ...

Classification of literature

Literature can be classified by how the story is communicated, its genre, and the media in which it is communicated.

How the story is communicated

• Oral - told or spoken by mouth. ballads, myth, joke, folktale, fables, comedy routines, music, poetry, theater, ...
• Prose - written text or spoken word that is not poetic or have rhythm. Within prose, is traditional literature - stories which have historically been defined as stories that were originally told orally - fairy tales, folk tales, fables, myths, amd legends, ...
• Poetry - communicates an intensity of ideas and emotions with the use of imagery, rhyme, rhythm,
• Visual media - fine arts, picture books, graphic novels, dance, ballet, video, theater, movies, music,
• Mixed media - - includes any combinations of oral, prose, poetry, and visual media. Picture books, graphic novels, video, theater, online materials ... often include a mix of media. Examples include - Skeleton Creek series. Philadelphia Chickens

Genre

Genre is a category of artistic composition, in literature or other media characterized by similarities in story elements and subject matter decided by social conventions. It is classified narrowly and broadly.

• Broadly as: nonfiction (true stories) or fiction (made-up stories). And
• Narrowly as autobiography, biography, graphic novels, ballet ...

As well as different combinations of genre or types of media: concept books, picture books, anthologies ...

Consequently there are a lot of genres with overlapping or focused characteristics that make classification challenging, to say the least. 

Why bother?

The short answer is, like story elements, knowing characteristics of each genre helps readers and viewers to better understand and appreciate a literary piece and literature in general.

Therefore, the more a person knows about the differences, the easier it will be for them to understand, learn, critically analyze, appreciate, and create literature along with others who create it.

Below we explore different media with examples of genre and how story elements, within them, help define the genre and how to use story elements and other characteristics to analyze the quality of a particular story within that genre and across multimedia.

Language arts

Concepts & outcomes (curricula indicators) for language arts: reading, writing, spelling, grammar, visualization, speaking, and listening

 

Integrated language arts -

Literature book study for The Mitten by Jan Brett - Uses a language arts integrated planning template that integrates the six subject areas of language arts: listening, speaking, viewing, visually representing, reading, and writing.

Writing

Includes:

• Process - prewriting, drafting, editing, revising
• Conventions - grammar, spelling...
• Fluency - Always a lot of ways to write a sentence, but one or two ways will sound better.
• Ideas - the heart of the paper expresses ideas clearly, holds the paper together, has meaning focus and detailed exploration of the topic.
• Organization - Road map of the paper. Details should help lead and develop the conclusion. Use good transitions and give the paper purpose and structure.
• Voice - personality of the writer, gives the paper a sense of special flavor and uniqueness.
• Word choice - Use verbs that are active powerful and energetic that paint a memorable picture in the reader’s mind.
  Plus one + - presentation
• Genre - six genres descriptive, expository, journals & letters, narrative, persuasive, poetry.

Writing pedagogy information

• Writing as a Process and Research about writing instruction
• Writing attitude survey

Writing Samples

• Preschool learner sample of story - Walking a dog with grandfather
• Conventions - student sample
• Fluency - student sample
• Ideas - student sample
• Organization - student sample
• Voice - student sample
• Word Choice - student sample

Writing rubrics or scoring guides

• Writing traits
• Writing structure

Reading

Big picture of reading

• Development of reading - Introduction to reading, development of reading, four stage model, reading philosophies, top-down model, bottom-up model, role of context & transfer in reading, instructional suggestions, & reading research
• Role play - opportunity to communicate a philosophy and pedagogical approaches believed to be successful. Setting as a recently hired teacher and principal at the start of a school year who may have conflicting philosophies on teaching literacy - media centered or phonics centered.
• Adolescent literacy suggestions Chall's levels
• DIBELS information
• Dyslexia - article Dyslexia in the Classroom: What Every Teacher Needs to Know
  • In the largest genome-wide association study on dyslexia, scientists have pinpointed 42 genetic variants correlated with the disability. They published their findings in Nature Genetics.
• Emergent Literacy research NAEP and others
• Read Across America NEA’s site

Dimensions of reading

Print (early elementary)

Phonics - phonological, syntactic, semantic, pragmatic

• Phonics - Introduction, research findings, phonemic awareness skills & examples of instruction, example of synthetic or explicit phonics, example of analytic or word analogy phonics, content of phonics, instructional ideas, four cueing systems, & a phonics test for teachers
• Phoney phonics sample with letters and sample with numbers
• Reprint from the Lincoln Journal Star on Phonics. Public Mind: Reading, Learning to Read

Fluency

Fluency includes - three dimensions are (accuracy in identifying sounds), automaticity (automatic processing), and conversation tone, rhythm, metaphors, analogies, (prosody).

• Fluency - how to assess fluency: method 1 & method 2, how to assess prosody, prosody scoring guide, prosody checklist, stages of fluency development, instructional ideas

Vocabulary

Vocabulary & word analysis includes semantic relationships, context clues, word etymology, using and relating new vocabulary to prior knowledge…, Skill - determine meaning using print and digital reference, spelling, abbreviations, prefix, & suffix

• Vocabulary - research, focus questions, context skills related to vocabulary, learning vocabulary, ways to introduce vocabulary, word study, create friendly explanations, word associations, word walls, journals, & notebooks, word sorts, Five day or weekly lesson plan, procedure, instructional model, or strategy for teaching vocabulary, & ideas to maintain vocabulary
• Study guide for prefixes, suffixes, and word roots for medical & anatomical terms of Greek, Latin and other origins

Comprehension

Comprehension - Literal, inferred, emotional / aesthetic

• Comprehension overview and instructional strategies - descriptions of comprehnsion, text, reader, context, the activity, comprehension strategies, effective fix up strategies, suggestions to guide students through books, reciprocal teaching, comprehsion skills or reading skills, ineffective strategies, suggestions base on research

Instructional samples

• Sample Reading attitude survey
• Retelling a story - teacher checklist
• Basal text evaluation form
• Fiddlers one page comprehension historic worksheet sixth grade
• Literature circles roles and responsibilities
• Myths and Legends Sample Unit using The White Stag by Kate Seredy
• Sample Limerick Unit plan for poetry genre
• First pages of Newbery Award winning books as samples of quality children's literature
• Eleven Birthdays - by Wendy Mass plot chart for 11 days ...
• Walk Two Moons Journal suggestions
• Computer based reading assistant - research based programs for improvement in: Learning difficulties, Listening & auditory processing, Memory, Attention and ADD, Reading comprehension, Sound discrimination, Dyslexia, and Language skills

Grammar and spelling

• Grammer
  • Parts of speech
  • Parts of sentences
  • Pronouns
  • Verbs
  • Be & helping verbs
• Spelling rules
• Hypenated and non hypenated words
• Affect or Effect, which do I use?
• Most common misspelled words
• College misspelled words

Speaking skills and Listening Skills

• Analyze information
• Communicate information
• Develop information given or spoken
• Apply information
• Find information when necessary
  
• Reciprocal communication
• Develop apply and adapt communication skills