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Children's & Young Adult Literature

Resources for Read-Alouds

What is a read-aloud?

"Read-aloud is an instructional practice where teachers, parents, and caregivers read texts aloud to children. The reader incorporates variations in pitch, tone, pace, volume, pauses, eye contact, questions, and comments to produce a fluent and enjoyable delivery....Several researchers and practitioners have demonstrated the significant impact of the read-aloud practice in different areas of reading development" (Morrison & Wheeler, 2023).

You can find material related to read-alouds in the library in a number of ways, including:

 

Big Books

Big books are "enlarged versions of texts that allows an educator to implement Shared Reading -- sharing a common and intimate reading experience with a larger group of students. Shared reading and the use of big books are a research based strategy that can help new readers and/or new readers in the language (i.e. ELL)" (UDL Strategies - Goalbook Toolkit).

The library has a number of big books that can be used for Shared Reading and read-alouds. Find big books in Room 155 of the Education Library. English and French titles available.

 

Additional Resources:

 

References:

Morrison, V. & Wheeler, L. (2023). Revisiting read alouds: Instructional strategies that encourage students' engagement with text. https://www.readingrockets.org/article/revisiting-read-alouds-instructional-strategies-encourage-students-engagement-text#:~:text=Read%2Daloud%20is%20an%20instructional,a%20fluent%20and%20enjoyable%20delivery. 

UDL Strategies - Goalbook Toolkit. (2023). Big books. https://goalbookapp.com/toolkit/v/strategy/big-books

Resources for Storytime

What is storytime?

Storytime is a program offered by libraries to support early literacy: "Storytimes are filled with stories, songs, rhymes and fingerplays designed for babies, toddlers, or preschoolers and their caregivers. The goal of storytime is to promote the joy of shared reading, the benefits of early literacy, and the importance of the caregiver-child connection" (Aloha Community Library Association, 2023).

In addition to the books and puppets available in the collection, the Education Library has developed the following materials to support those would would like to lead storytime programs:

Additional Resources:

 

Reference:

Aloha Community Library Association. (2023). Storytime. https://alohalibrary.org/info-by-age/storytime/

Story Workshop Kit

What is a story workshop?

"Story workshop was developed at Opal School in Portland, Oregon....[It] is an adaptable program that supports language and literacy development in the primary grades through a combination of art, sharing stories, meaning making, and play (McKay, 2021). Students are given the opportunity to use a variety of materials to create, explore, connect, imagine, and express themselves through story. These materials can include a variety of loose parts including natural elements, recycled materials, purchased materials, craft and art supplies, blocks, paper, or other rich materials. Students create stories out of these materials then share and record their stories in oral or written form" (Introduction to Story Workshop, below).

The Education Library has developed a Story Workshop Kit that can be borrowed by those who would like to learn more about or lead a Story Workshop. The kit consists of:

  • Felt mats
  • A variety of loose parts and crafting supplies, including: artificial flowers, artificial leaves, buttons, beads, clothespins, corks, dice, feathers, felts, glass pebbles, googly eyes, jingle bells, keys, pipe cleaners, pompoms, popsicle sticks, ribbons, feathers, and more.
  • a Story Workshop package for teachers that includes:

Literature Circle Kits

What are literature circles?

"In literature circles, small groups of students gather together to discuss a piece of literature in depth. The discussion is guided by students' response to what they have read. You may hear talk about events and characters in the book, the author's craft, or personal experiences related to the story. Literature circles provide a way for students to engage in critical thinking and reflection as they read, discuss, and respond to books. Collaboration is at the heart of this approach. Students reshape and add onto their understanding as they construct meaning with other readers. Finally, literature circles guide students to deeper understanding of what they read through structured discussion and extended written and artistic response" (Literature Circles Resource Centre, 2001).

The Education Library has a number of books to guide teachers when designing a literature circle unit, as well as a classroom-sized set of Literature Circle books suitable for middle years classrooms. This includes 7 different novels and 5 copies of each novel that together can be used to lead a literature circle unit.

 

Reference:

Literature Circles Resource Centre. (2001). Overview of literature circles. http://www.litcircles.org/Overview/overview.html

Puppets

The Education Library has puppets available for borrowing to enhance read-alouds, storytimes, and other teaching and storytelling activities. You can find the puppets in Room 155 of the Education Library:

Puppets number 1 through number 13 available at the Education Library.

Puppets number 13 through number 23 available at the Education Library.

Find more resources on the Puppets and Puppetry in Education Guide.

Learn about the puppets available at X̱wi7x̱wa Library on the Indigenous Children's Literature Guide.