I have been teaching fourth grade for over 20 years. However, I didn’t start out at this level; I actually started my teaching career in kindergarten. And, when I moved to fourth, I thought about all the picture books I wouldn’t be able to read to my students any more. A part of me mourned the passing of my opportunity to read a picture book and see the wonder and awe on my students’ faces. I fully embraced all the new adventures that teaching fourth grade offered, but I also knew it meant less time (or reason) for picture books.
Over the
past 2 decades I have found more and more ways to infuse picture books into my
units. Picture books do have a place in the upper elementary classroom. Scroll to read 4 resons why I continue to use them with my fourth grade students.
1. THE STUDENTS LOVE IT!
Students
love to be read to. I have always made it common practice to read aloud a novel
during a designated section of the day. My teammate does as well. As sure as
the sun rises, I know at some point in the year, I will walk by his classroom
and hear him reciting the words of Roald Dahl’s BFG; one of his perpetual,
yearly choices. I jump around from novel to novel but generally stick to a
handful of favorites such as Walk Two Moons, The Best School Year Ever, Holes,
and The Tale of Despereaux.
We all read
novels aloud…right? It’s less common to read picture books. And, novels do offer some things that a picture book cannot.
But, it will truly transform your lessons if you can find places where the
perfect picture book can help you practice and master standards (more on that later on).
2. ONLINE SUPPORT
Technology
has changed drastically since my overhead projector days. I love how many links
and resources are available online for teachers (and students) to bring picture
books to life. I do think some of the people who read aloud on YouTube gear
their tone toward younger students, but the enthusiasm, audio, and camera work
can be quite enchanting. If the reader is a bit “too primary” for my students,
I give the students a fair warning before we begin. They might get a giggle at the
opening but once the reading begins, they are fixated and engaged.
If I choose a book where I can find a decent video, I will play the video on the board and
walk throughout the classroom with the physical copy of the book. I oftentimes
notice students watching the front screen and then shifting to the book in my
hands while I walk around.
I also make
certain to share the link of the read loud with our LMS (Learning Management
System). That way, students can always go back and watch the book again. And, I
also have the book on display at the front of the room. It is common for
students to grab it and re-read it on their own. I love it when they choose a
picture book for their Reading Response Journals.
3. SHIFT IN THE COGNITIVE LOAD
It seems like
students today struggle with reading a whole novel, a classic novel, presented
in prose and without graphics on every page. In fact, it has become such an
issue in my class that I have guided my students to reading a graphic novel
“every other book” for their independent reading. Graphic novels are awesome
fun and visually appealing…but they are crippling the younger generation. The
lack of sticktoitiveness to get through a novel is staggering and scary.
Just as
students love graphic novels, they love picture books. It may stem from the
visual support they get during the story. They do not need to imagine too much
because the illustrators have provided the characters and scene. Students can
focus on the plot points.
With all the
support the illustrations provide, the cognitive load shifts. Students do not
need to engage the section of the brain that would need to imagine the visuals.
They can channel their energy toward the plot points and the skills/tasks they
are asked to complete.
In a way,
their brains are given a “break”; and for many students, it’s a welcome relief.
4. ALLOWS ME TO FOCUS ON ONE SKILL
There are so
many ELA standards, it can feel impossible to organize and figure out which
standards to focus on during a unit, or even to plan out the entire year.
One way that
I have been using picture books is to read the story and focus on a single
standard. This past fall I used the picture book Survivor Tree and focused on
figurative language (specifically personification).
It paid off a short time later
when my students competed a district-wide benchmark and scored very well on the
"personification" question. A little light bulb went off in my head.
I decided to look at the gaps my students had and to systematically tackle the
gaps using picture books.I focused on
the single skill. Just one. Only one. I read the book and had the students
break down the components of the story that addressed the gap skill. It was
effective.
Sometimes I
plan for one mini-lesson (that focuses on one standard/skill), other times I
will plan several lessons. I especially like to plan a set of lessons that
gives students an opportunity to work on a writing skill (compare/contrast, evidence-based
response, sequence of events, etc…).
Example: Ox-Cart Man - Sequence of Events
For Ox-Cart Man, the students listened to the story and were tasked with filling in a graphic organier with details that described a year on an early/Colonial American farm. This task not only addressed the skill of sequence but also inferencing because the book does not explicitly state farm tasks during the summer. It was a great conversation and helped the students learn a little more about implicit details.
This chart was used later on when students completed short response writing that asked about character traits of Colonial farmers and theme.
Example: Blizzard - Compare and Contrast Writing Task
Oh, how I love this book and this writing task! The timing of this task was especially fun this past year when our area experienced an actual blizzard!
Students fill in a top hat organizer (similar to a venn diagram) with details comparing life in 1978 to life today. The majority of the details come from the illustrations. It challenges students to truly scrutinize the illustrations and make connections. Details such as corded telephones and hot cocoa on a wood stove give students the key details they will use to fill in the organizer and complete the writing task.
The beauty of using a picture book for writing tasks is that they are shorter and easier to digest (compared to a novel). This is especially true when teaching about theme. Because picture books are shorter and offer more visuals to students, there is a shift in the cognitive load required. Additionally, students can sometimes view picture books as “easier” even when the skill you are working on is just as rigorous. There is something to be said for the students’ grit when they are writing about a picture book compared to a novel.
Picture books also offer an opportunity to focus on vocabulary words. I oftentimes have students complete a flipbook with some of the specific vocabulary they will be encountering in the story. The words have a direct connection to the text and give the students an opportunity to focus on the structure of the words (prefixes, suffixes, syllables, etc...). There is also the added "bonus" of learning a few more definitions!
Read about some of the BEST vocabulary strategies here.
Picture books have a place in every classroom. I truly believe that! If you take a close look at your units of instuction and which standards you want to focus on, you can find a picture book to meet your needs!
Don't know where to start?
No worries... subscribe to get freebie worksheets that incorporate picture books!
(Simile, Metaphor, Personification)
(Knowledge Rating and Flap Books)
(Knowledge Rating, 5 Square Organizer, Root Words Organizer)