Rethinking Picture Books

Harnessing the Power of Nonfiction

for Older Students

Presented by: Beth Shaum Kellee Moye

Jennifer Vincent Audrey Vernick

The statistic we’ve all seen:

Common Core recommends the following distribution of literary vs. informational reading:

● 50% literary and 50% informational by 4th grade

● 45% literary and 55% informational by 8th grade

● 30% literary and 70% informational by 12th grade

So why picture books then?

“Visit the official CCSS website, or listen to the rhetoric of those who have come to be closely associated with Common Core, and you’ll hear over and over the grave concern that students need to be able to read more complex texts.”

● Pathways to the Common Core by Lucy Calkins, Mary Ehrenworth, and Christopher Lehman, p. 32

Myths about picture books

● All picture books are written for little kids.

● “Big kids” don’t like “little kid” picture books.

● Using picture books with older students equates to struggling readers.

● Big kids won’t read picture books because they don’t want to get caught reading something below their level.

The Wall by Peter Sis

Kellee MoyeMiddle School Reading Coach/Teacher, Orlando, FL

@KelleeMoyehttp://www.unleashingreaders.com

Picture Books for Higher Order Thinking Skills and Reading Strategies

Why Picture Books?

● Gives visual support for struggling readers and visual learners.

● Brevity allows for lessons and discussions in one class period.

● A safe place to start encouraging students to take risks in their reading and writing lives.

● Picture book does not automatically equate to simplicity; simple can also be complex

Not Just for Struggling

Readers

● Using a text the students will understand, but pushing an idea that is tougher will make it so that the class/reader understands the more rigorous idea better.

● Other times, picture books actually have text and ideas that the students do not understand, but through discussion and the visual aid of pictures they can reach the complex idea.

Theories That Support Using

Picture Books

● Scaffolding/Gradual Release of Responsibility (I Do, We do, You do)○ Buehl (2005) stated, the GRR model “emphasizes

instruction that mentors students into becoming capable thinkers and learners when handling the tasks with which they have not yet developed expertise.”

● Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development○ Using guidance, a learner can be taken from

what they can do unaided to a rigorous task/thought process.

Overcoming the Fear● Need to first get past the teacher fear.● Then get students used to seeing them again.● Once these two steps are done, picture books

become a successful part of curriculum.● I use all types of picture books:

○ To teach standards○ To teach genres○ To teach kindness○ To teach a love of reading○ To make connections○ To start discussions○ To make students think○ As mentor texts○ As companion texts

Middle schoolers can love

picture books!

Example: ● Jane Yolen’s “Unsolved

Mysteries from History” series○ Inquiry (CCRA.W.9)○ Vocabulary (CCRA.R.4)○ Informational vs.

Narrative nonfiction○ Research (CCRA.W.1,

CCRA.W.7)○ Debate (CCRA.R.8)○ http://www.

unleashingreaders.com/?p=1800

CCRA.W/R.# = College and Career Readiness Anchor (dot) Reading/Writing (dot) Anchor # http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/CCRA/R http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/CCRA/W

Example:

● Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down and others by Andrea Davis Pinkney○ Figurative language (CCRA.

R.4)○ Artistic style (CCRA.R.7)○ Text features○ http://www.

teachmentortexts.com/2012/11/andrea-davis-pinkney-and-brian-pinkney.html

Example: ● Harlem by Walter Dean Myers

○ Imagery (CCRA.R.4)○ Rhythm ○ Mood (CCRA.R.4)○ Voice (CCRA.R.4)○ Metaphor (CCRA.R.4)○ Visual Interpretation

(CCRA.R.7)■ https://sites.google.

com/a/uw.edu/harlemvia/

○ http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=2129

More Examples: ● Who Stole Mona Lisa? by Ruthie Knapp

○ Point of view and perspective (CCRA.R.6)

○ http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=1396

● Faithful Elephants by Yukio Tsuchiya○ Making connections (with Endangered

by Eliot Schrefer) (CCRA.R.9)○ http://www.unleashingreaders.

com/?p=2125● History News: The Greek News by Anton

Powell and Philip Steele○ Inquiry (CCRA.W.9)○ Vocabulary (CCRA.R.4)○ Newspapers (CCRA.R.7)○ Text Features○ http://www.unleashingreaders.

com/?p=1861

More Examples:

● The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos by Deborah Heiligman○ Vocabulary (CCRA.R.4)○ Inquiry (CCRA.W.9)○ Making Connection (math)○ http://www.

unleashingreaders.com/?p=1633

● Barbed Wire Baseball by Marissa Moss○ Compare and Contrast

(CCRA.R.9)○ Setting○ Tone (CCRA.R.4)○ http://www.

unleashingreaders.com/?p=1407

Jen Vincent, NBCT

Coordinator of Instructional TechnologyElgin, IL@mentortextshttp://www.teachmentortexts.com

Mentor Texts to Bridge Reading and Writing for English Language Learners and Students with Special Needs

Principles of Second

Language Acquisition

● Taking into account developmental stages of language acquisition

● Focus predominantly on meaning

● Also focus on form

● Development of formulaic expressions and rule-based competence

● Development of implicit and explicit knowledge

● Extensive second language input

● Opportunities for output

● The opportunity to interact in the second language

● Taking into account individual differences in learners

● Assessment examines free as well as controlled production

http://www.cal.org/resources/digest/instructed2ndlang.html

Needs of ELL Students● “Only when learners are engaged in decoding and encoding messages

in the context of actual acts of communication are the conditions

created for acquisition to take place”

● “Communicative competence (Hymes, 1971) in a second language is

facilitated by using the language as a medium for learning content

rather than by studying it as a separate & distinct subject area”

● “To develop true fluency in a second language, learners must have

opportunities to engage in real communication” (DeKeyser, 1998).

● “Engaging in activities focused on creating meaning is intrinsically

motivating for learners.”

http://www.cal.org/resources/digest/instructed2ndlang.html

Strategies for ELL Students

● Vocabulary and language development

● Guided interaction● Metacognition● Authentic

assessment● Explicit instruction

● Meaning-based context and universal themes

● Modeling, graphic organizers, and visuals

● Multiple modalities● Socialcultural

implications

http://www.amle.org/BrowsebyTopic/WhatsNew/WNDet/TabId/270/ArtMID/888/ArticleID/350/Differentiating-

Instruction-for-ELLs.aspx https://uteach.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/files/SixKeyStrategiesELL.pdf

Needs of Students with

Special Needs

● Consistency and intensity of instruction

● Individualization of academic content and pacing

● Interactive/collaborative learning

● Recognition of different learning styles/needs

● Reflects changing world we live in

● Purposeful

http://futureofchildren.org/publications/journals/article/index.xml?journalid=57&articleid=337&sectionid=2249

Strategies for

Students with Special Needs

● Problem-solving model● Metacognitive awareness ● Self-regulatory strategies● Differentiated learning● Embedded strategy instruction● Explicit and extensive strategy instruction● Feedback tailored to student needs and abilities ● Continuous introduction of new strategies

http://nichcy.org/research/ee/learning-strategies

http://www.humboldt.edu/celt/topics/meeting_the_needs_of_students_with_disabilities/

WHY Picture Books?

● Engaging● Visual support● Manageable length● Rich language and vocabulary● Complex ideas

Benefits of Using PBs

for ELLs and St w Special Needs

● Learning within context● Guided interaction● Reciprocal learning● Connections to their lives● Harness metacognition

How Reading

Transfers to Writing

● Reading like a writer● Noticing patterns● Recognizing author’s craft● Mentor texts as models● Student practice

http://www.writeguy.net/

http://ralphfletcher.com/rf/

Informational Mentor Texts

●

Biographical Mentor Texts

Mentor Texts for Background

Knowledge

Beth ShaumMiddle school ELA teacherCanton, MI NCTE social media coordinator

Twitter: @BethShaumEmail: bshaum@ncte.org

Using Picture Books as Mentor Texts for Writing Instruction

Modeling Quality Nonfiction Writing through Picture Books

Audrey VernickPicture Book Author

Ocean, NJ ● Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-

Brother Baseball Team● She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story● Bark and Tim: A True Story of Friendship

Modeling Quality Nonfiction Writing through Picture Books

Why mentor texts?

“Most disciplines expect that novices learn from experts, whether they’re

beginner tennis players watching professional tennis players or art

students copying master paintings. Similarly, writers learn by emulation.”

-Georgia Heard

Why mentor texts?

“Nobody is born with a style or voice. We don’t come out of the womb knowing who we are. In

the beginning, we learn by pretending to be our heroes.

We learn by copying.” - Austin Kleon

Why mentor texts?

“I emulated Buddy Holly, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis. We all did.”

- Paul McCartney

Picture books as a catalyst

for research

Picture books find the story

in hiSTORY

Great Books as Inspiration

● Reading a great nonfiction picture book sparks a desire to write great nonfiction, to take close-up looks at history from unique angles.

● Reading about previously unknown people and experiences opens doors to thinking about the stories that are all around us. What have our parents done? Who are our neighbors? What stories do they have?

● Power in oral histories. Kids as interviewers--developing those skills

Taking Research off

the Beaten Path

● Finding the story in history requires allowance for exploration, for an initial stage of pure messiness--digging around, experimenting, making bad choices before coming across a subject that sparks enthusiasm.

● Shift from using timeline as the main point to a starting point.

● Taking research beyond books to primary sources.

Primary Sources

● There’s a palpable excitement of discovery writers feel when they’re taking unpaved roads and finding untapped primary sources.

● Taps into the magic of nonfiction.

● Consider their own lives in terms of the primary sources they leave behind--social media, scrapbook, journal--what conclusions would biographer draw about them?

Nonfiction as

Story ElementEditors worried no one would care about a family no one had heard of. No name recognition, no incredible breakthrough.

Asked if I would fictionalize story, create more drama. The truth serves as its own element--readers react to both the story and the truth of it as they read.

Examples of literary tools generally

associated with fiction/literature

Engaging beginnings and well-crafted endings

Metaphor and simile

Rich, sensory language

Voice

Non-chronological explorations

Picture books help us understand a

writer’s motivations

Picture books allow us to try out other

voices to help us find our own

This is Just to Sayby William Carlos Williams

I have eatenthe plumsthat were inthe icebox

and whichyou were probablysavingfor breakfast

Forgive methey were deliciousso sweetand so cold

This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

Picture books can show that ALL

writers break the “rules” of grammar.

Picture books can teach students what

it really means to “restate your thesis.”

Picture books can inspire young writers to

tell stories from new and unique angles

Picture books can support

cross-curricular connections

How do you find the right

mentor text?

Get a library card and become a voluminous reader of books

How do you find the right

mentor text?

● Make a simple change to how you read ○ As a teacher of writing,

become mindful of craft.○ Always read with a

notebook or some post-it flags on your book mark. You never know when you’ll come across something you can use

How do you find the right

mentor text?

● Constantly ask yourself as you’re reading: How can I use this with my students?○ Is it something they can easily emulate?○ Can it teach them an element of craft such as:

■ varying sentence lengths■ the conventions (or unconventional use) of

language■ literary concepts■ grabbing leads■ resonating endings

How do you find the right

mentor text?

Comb through nonfiction award lists:● NCTE Orbis Pictus Award● Association for Library Services (ALSC) to Children

Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal● Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)

Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults● National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12● National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Notable

Trade Books for Young People

How do you find the right

mentor texts?

● Follow teachers on Goodreads and Pinterest○ Goodreads: can sort to-read, currently

reading, and read books onto shelves○ Pinterest: Pin ideas on boards with different

themes. Some boards I follow/curate: mentor texts, book trailers, book reviews, article of the week, etc.)

How do you find the right

mentor text?

Start using Twitter for professional development

○ Regular, ongoing hashtags:#bookaday #nerdybookclub

○ Twitter chats:#titletalk #nctechat #rwworkshop

How do you find the right

mentor texts?

Read teacher/librarian blogs:● Teach Mentor Texts● Unleashing Readers● Kid Lit Frenzy

○ Common Core in Real Libraries○ Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesdays

● Nonfiction Detectives● Great Kid Books● 100 Scope Notes● Reading, Teaching, Learning● The Late Bloomer’s Book Blog● There’s A Book For That

Other resources for using

mentor texts

Mentor Author, Mentor Texts by Ralph FletcherWrite Beside Them by Penny KittleWrite Like This by Kelly GallagherMechanically Inclined by Jeff AndersonTen Things Every Writer Needs to Know by Jeff AndersonFinding the Heart of Nonfiction by Georgia Heard

Download our presentation

and follow us on Twitter

http://www.slideshare.net/KelleeMoyehttp://www.slideshare.net/beths0103

Twitter:Beth: @BethShaumKellee: @kelleemoyeJen: @mentortextsAudrey: @yourbuffalo