May 9, 2009
What kids books would you use to teach important elements of literature?
If I were a lit teacher, I’d probably use Are You My Mother to teach about the plot device Deus ex Machina.
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Related:
• 22 of our favorite picture books
• Winners of the 22-word kid story contest
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I love this topic. I don’t have any answers now, but my husband and I will talk about it tonight and get back to you. I’m looking forward to what others will have to say.
I dont have any kids books to add, but as a high school english teacher in training, I’m stealing your idea! Thanks :D
I taught literature and english for two years before my son was born. Part of my curriculum for middle and high school was Animal Farm to teach allegory. The kids loved it! And we got to cover some history too, which I liked.
My husband showed me question from Twitter!
A. A. Milne’s charming, gently humorous provide wonderful character development. Robert Louis Stevenson’s poem, , can be used as an example of rhythmic meter. Beatrix Potter’s stories, such as , illustrate basic plot development.
Very clever my friend, very clever indeed.
C.S. Lewis’ Narnia books display all kinds of exemplary, literary elements.
For younger children books by Jane Yolan and Cythia Rylant are great starts. For all children; The Princess and the Goblin & At the Back of the North Wind both by George MacDonald, The Children’s Homer, C.S.Lewis Narnia series, The Hobbit. These all masterfully show struture and style. For the teacher/parent a good read for reference is Tending the Heart of Virtue by Guroian and Wondrous Words by Katie Wood Ray.
Drummer Hoff Fired It Off!
Tension building, rhyming, repetition and variation, foreshadowing, parallel constructions, climaxing, etc.
URL: http://www.amazon.com/Drummer-Hoff-Barbara-Emberley/dp/0671662481
(Sorry, I don’t know how to hyperlink.)
Oh, and add to my above list: Rhythm.
Why would I want to teach a baby goat about literature?
There are many answers I could suggest, but one of the most frequent things I do when reading to my kids is to begin with the title of the book and who it is “by.” I want my kids to appreciate place the author has in the story even if he or she stands outside the story as its creator. There would be no ‘Good Night Moon’ without a Margaret Wise Brown even as there would no Margaret Wise Brown without a Yahweh Elohim.
Haven’t thought of a specific book, but I know a great preschool curriculum along the lines of this subject: “Five In a Row”.
I use Dr. Seuss’s The Sneetches to teach allegory to my high school freshmen. What a great topic. I wish there were more answers, so I could steal ideas!
What about “Green Eggs and Ham” as illustrative of the use of Quest as a plot device?
Tough Boris by Mem Fox to show the universality of the human experience.