Children’s Literature and Literacy Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Childrens Literature and Literacy. Answer: A childhood without books that would be no childhood. That would be like being shut out from the enchanted place where you can go and find the rarest kind of joy. The above quoted lines of Astrid Lindgren clearly articulate the need as well as the importance of the various literary works related to the genre of childrens Literature. In the opinion of many people Literature forms an important aspect of life and offers an outlook or a form of escape from the mundane realities of life (Fellowes Oakley, 2014). Therefore, many school as well as colleges their students to inculcate the habit of reading various literary works on a regular basis (Gamble, 2013). The genre of childrens Literature can be defined as the genre of Literature which includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are enjoyed by children (Frank, 2014). The entire cannon of childrens Literature is divided into two broad categories namely genre or the intended age of the reader (Oakley et al., 2013). It is to be noted that the various literary texts related to the genre of childrens Literature not only entertains the children but also contributes to the literacy education of the children (Oakley, 2011). This essay will try to analyze the significance of childrens Literature in the literacy education of the children. In the opinion of Sonya Hartnett I believe that the only lastingly important form of writing is writing for children. It is writing that is carried in the reader's heart for a lifetime; it is writing that speaks to the future. This particular statement of Hartnett provides a pertinent account of the objective of the literary works related to the genre of Childrens Literature. It is normally seen that the mind of the children is very impressionable and therefore the concepts as well as ideas which are taught to them at a tender stays with for a very long time (Dorfman Cappelli, 2017). It has been proven scientifically that the rate of the development of the brain is the fastest in the children in the age group of 0-8 years of age in comparison to the other age groups (Dorfman Cappelli, 2017). Therefore, the things which the children come across at this tender are likely to leave a lasting impression on them for a very long time (Oakley, 2016). Thus, the various books and other liter ary works related to the genre of childrens literature are not only intended to familiarize the children about the various aspects of the world but also to provide them an effective vocabulary of sufficient words so that they are able to communicate with their peers and family members in an effective manner (McGillis, 2013). It is normally seen that the major problem which the majority of the children face at the young age is the problem of communication. In the opinion of many people the major reason for this their lack of knowledge about the relevant words which are required for the purpose of communication (Oakley, 2016). Thus, many people advise the children to read as many books as possible so that they develop their stock of words in a bid to communicate better with their peers and also with their family members. Talking about the place as well as the importance of Literature in the lives of the individuals Saxby (1967) says Literature entertains. It allows, too, for the re-creation of thoughts, sensations, dreams, feelings, fears, aspirations. It causes awe and wonder. It can bring joy..Literature is life, illuminated and sweetened by the artist. It is significant to note that the present day writers of the childrens Literature books also intend to provide the same kind of entertainment to the children with their books related to the genre of childrens Literature (Nikolajeva, 2015). However, it is often seen that the various people try to dispense the various literary works related to the genre of Childrens Literature as non-significant and consider that the children should not waste their time on the reading of those irrelevant materials (Van Coillie Verschueren, 2014). A pertinent reply to this is provided by P.L. Travers in the book Mary Poppins, Don't you know that everybody's got a Fai ryland of their own?. In addition to this, many people are of the opinion that the various books and literary works related to the genre of childrens Literature help the children to cultivate their imagination which is likely to help them in the later part of their lives (Fellowes Oakley, 2014). Thus, with this inherent purpose the children are taught are inculcate the habit of regularly reading the various books and literary works related to the genre of Childrens Literature (Fellowes Oakley, 2014). The picture books which are prescribed to the younger children by the Australian Curriculum for the education of the children also helps them to develop their attention span and also to develop an interest in the various literary works related to the genre of childrens Literature (Fellowes Oakley, 2014). There are various kinds of literary works related to the genre of childrens Literature the primary ones among them being picture books, short stories especially written for children, non-fiction or content books, wordless books, predictable books, interactive books and others depending on the chronological age as well as the mental age of the children concerned (Van Coillie Verschueren, 2014). However, it is often seen that the most popular kinds of books among the children are the picture books. The picture books are especially designed for the younger children with the aim to inculcate their reading habits and also their imagination power and it is with this purpose that the Australian curriculum has recommended these books for the children (Fellowes Oakley, 2014). The various pictures incorporated in the books are designed in such a manner so as to leave a lasting impression on their mind. A typical example of this is the picture book versions of the famous literary works like C inderellas Tale, Arabian Nights and others which form a part of the Australia Curriculum for the children (Stephens McCallum, 2013). The short stories are another popular genre amount the children wherein the children are familiarized with the various forms of primary literature (Zipes, 2013). Another significant aspect of the various short stories included in the Australian Curriculum is that they develop the imagination level of the children and provides them with a window through which they can think and imagine new things (Fellowes Oakley, 2014). Storytelling is one of the most common methods used by the various teachers as well as the parents not only to pass the leisure time of the time but also to teach them new valuable things about the world around them (Fellowes Oakley, 2014). In the opinion of many people the various fairy tales as well as the stories told by the parents and the teachers have inherent multiple meanings which the children begin to understand only after they have attained a particular level of maturity (Wilson Short, 2012). For example, the fairy tale Cinderella is often interpreted by the children as just a fable however once they grow up they realize that the fairy tale has some gruesome truths about the modern world as well (Wilson Short, 2012). Thus it can be said that the various stories as well as fairy tales introduce the children to the harsh realities of the modern world in a subtle manner. Another significant advantage of the stories is that it helps the children to ignite their creativity a nd also imagination (Carpenter, 2012). The various stories as well as picture books also help in the development of the language skills and the vocabulary of the children in a significant manner. In the opinion of many people the development of literacy is one of the major functions of the various stories as well as the pictures books and therefore the various educational institutions for the children in the nation of Australia should try to incorporate them in their curriculum (Fellowes Oakley, 2014). The mental as well as the chronological growth of the children is the most in the age group of 1-8 years of age and therefore effective development of curriculum in the school in which these children study is very important (Fellowes Oakley, 2014). In addition to that, the contribution made by the parents by means of storytelling and providing the children with various kinds of picture books and other non-fiction books is also very significant (Fellowes Oakley, 2014). It is to be noted that the various schools as well as the parents need to develop and follow effective strategies for the literacy growth and development of the children in this particular age group (Carpenter, 2012). For example in the age bracket of 1-4 years the children should be encouraged to develop their literacy through the help of the various kinds of picture books and other kinds of easy reading materials (Van der Pol, 2012). It is significant to note here that many a time the parents as well as the teachers will find that the children are unable to understand the meaning of the pictures in the picture books or their underlying themes (Van der Pol, 2012). Therefore, it those kinds of scenarios the teachers or the parents are required to have patience and explain the theme as well as the meaning of the pictures which form the core of the picture books (Oakley et al., 2013). For the children belonging to the age group of 4-6 years of age it is advisable that they should be encouraged to read the various kinds of semi-picture as well as non-fiction books which will not only add to their vocabulary but also contribute in a significant manner to their literacy (Bland, 2013). It is to be noted that at this particular stage the children become very inquisitive and therefore they tend to ask a lot of questions regarding the works which they are reading and it is here that the role of the parents and the teachers become very significant in explaining the relevant things to the children (Bland, 2013). For the age group 6-8 the children should be encouraged to read short stories and other kind of books which is likely to add to the knowledge as well as the literacy of the children (Mallan, 2017). It is at this particular stage that the mental growth of the children is the most and therefore they should be encouraged to read more books which will add to their literacy. Furthermore, it is to be noted that the books which the children read should be properly selected for them as it seen that if a particular book is provided to the children which are unable to comprehend then the child might lose interest in the process of reading and therefore the process of reading instead of adding to the knowledge as well as literacy of the child will destroy the reading interest of the child in a significant manner (Fellowes Oakley, 2014). Therefore, the Australian curriculum should take into consideration these factors and also the mental growth and development of the children for the fo rmulation of the syllabus and the growth of literacy. The various educational institutions need to carefully select the books which are a part of their curriculum for the above mentioned reasons. In the opinion of Sipe (2012), the various school authorities as well as the parents need to consider five factors while making a child read a particular book. The five factors are firstly invitations, whereby the child is invited to offer his or her interpretations for the literary work (Sipe, 2012). Secondly, encouragements wherein the child is encouraged to think about the ideas which he or she has learnt in the book (Sipe, 2012). The third step is probes wherein the educator is required to probe the child about the meaning which he or she has derived from the book (Sipe, 2012). The fourth step is predicting questions wherein the educator encourages the child to think the things which might happen next in the story (Sipe, 2012). Finally, the factual questions stage wherein the educator is required to ask the questions to the child which he o r she might be able to answer (Sipe, 2012). It is to be noted that these five stages help to develop not only the reading acumen of the students but is also likely to enhance the literacy of the children in a significant manner. Therefore, it can be said that the Australian curriculum should consider these five factors for the selection of the books for their syllabus. Therefore, from the above discussion it becomes clear that the childrens literature form an important cannon of literature and the children should be encouraged to read the various diverse books and literary texts of this particular genre in a bid to develop not their reading habits but will also add to their vocabulary. In addition to that, the reading of these books is also likely to add to the literacy of the children in a significant manner. The mental as well as the chronological development of the children is the maximum at the age bracket of 1-8 years of age. Therefore, the various educators as well as the parents should carefully select the reading materials of the children belonging to this particular age bracket. References Bland, J. (2013).Children's Literature and Learner Empowerment: Children and Teenagers in English Language Education. AC Black. Carpenter, H. (2012).Secret gardens: a study of the golden age of children's literature. Faber Faber. Dorfman, L. R., Cappelli, R. (2017).Mentor texts: Teaching writing through children's literature, K-6. Stenhouse Publishers. Fellowes, J., Oakley, G. (2014). Language, literacy and early childhood education (2nd ed.). Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press. Frank, H. (2014).Cultural Encounters in Translated Children's Literature. Routledge. Gamble, N. (2013).Exploring Children's Literature: Reading with Pleasure and Purpose. Sage. Mallan, K. M. (2017). Children's literature in education. InOxford Research Encyclopedia of Education. Oxford University Press. McGillis, R. (2013).Voices of the other: Children's literature and the postcolonial context. Routledge. Nikolajeva, M. (2015).Children's literature comes of age: toward a new aesthetic(Vol. 4). Routledge. Oakley, G. (2011). Preservice teachers creating digital storybooks for use in early childhood classrooms. In E-Learning (EL 2011) IADIS Multi conference on Computer Science and Information Systems Proceedings, Rome. https://www. iadisportal. org/ihci-2011-proceedings. Oakley, G. (2016). A closer look at spelling in the primary classroom/Grace.Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETAA) Oakley, G., Howitt, C., Garwood, R., Durack, A. R. (2013). Becoming multimodal authors: Pre-service teachers' interventions to support young children with autism. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 38(3), 86. Sipe, L. R. (2012). Revisiting the relationships between text and pictures.Children's Literature in Education,43(1), 4-21. Stephens, J., McCallum, R. (2013).Retelling stories, framing culture: traditional story and metanarratives in children's literature. Routledge. Van Coillie, J., Verschueren, W. P. (2014).Children's literature in translation: Challenges and strategies. Routledge. Van der Pol, C. (2012). Reading picturebooks as literature: Four-to-six-year-old children and the development of literary competence.Children's Literature in Education,43(1), 93-106. Wilson, M. B., Short, K. G. (2012). Goodbye yellow brick road: Challenging the mythology of home in childrens literature.Children's literature in education,43(2), 129-144. Zipes, J. (2013).Sticks and stones: The troublesome success of children's literature from Slovenly Peter to Harry Potter. Routledge.