Uses of Literature
Literature has personal, social, cultural and aesthetic value for generating an engaging platform for developing reading comprehension (National Curriculum Board, 2009). Sharing quality literature in the classroom will help generate positive dispositions, develop oral language skills, assist with print knowledge and build on student’s prior knowledge (Lennox, 2012; National Curriculum Board, 2009).
Literature comes in many forms including novels, poetry, short stories, plays, fiction for young adults and children including picture books and multimodal texts such as film (National Curriculum Board, 2009).
The use of literature is embedded within the Australian English curriculum, encompassing one of the three strands; language, literature and literacy (National Curriculum Board, 2009). Although it is important to note that reading comprehension programs should be balanced and incorporate all three strands (National Curriculum Board, 2009).
Literary texts develop students' critical understandings about
To support students' use of literature and their development of reading comprehension teachers can:
Literature comes in many forms including novels, poetry, short stories, plays, fiction for young adults and children including picture books and multimodal texts such as film (National Curriculum Board, 2009).
The use of literature is embedded within the Australian English curriculum, encompassing one of the three strands; language, literature and literacy (National Curriculum Board, 2009). Although it is important to note that reading comprehension programs should be balanced and incorporate all three strands (National Curriculum Board, 2009).
Literary texts develop students' critical understandings about
- different contexts (social, historical and cultural)
- formal, creative and aesthestic qualities
- delivery of arguments and viewpoints
- different perspectives and interpretations
- how various language uses can be applied to cinema, television and multimedia
(National Curriculum Board, 2009)
To support students' use of literature and their development of reading comprehension teachers can:
- read aloud to students to generate engagement
- expose students to books, authors and genres
- offer choice within the guided reading program to promote interest
- model enthusiasm for books and provide access to a range of resources
(Booker, 2012)
Check out great Australian children's literature.