The Power of Words



A good book lets you peel the layers like an onion.

When I think about fiction authors who use social commentary to raise awareness about issues relating to giftedness, I am grateful for writers such as Stephanie Tolan ('Surviving the Applewhites.' a book about the challenges of a homeschooling family) because such a book provides food for thought for adults and children alike.    

Researchers have found that students grouped together by ability for reading instruction are much more likely to increase their understanding and appreciation of literature so the reflection for today is to think about ways to provide reading challenge for gifted readers within the regular classroom when there are one or two who stand out and need to be exposed to ideas and themes at a rate that is appropriate to the level of ability. . Many  modern sophisticated picture books are particularly suited to gifted students because of the layers of meaning and interpretation that they offer.

The 3 Level Reading Guide is a useful literacy strategy in getting students to think about the content. For young students you can use pictures in place of text. This example uses a picture from a child's colouring in book.

3 LEVEL GUIDE PICTURE ACTIVITIES FOR JUNIORS

SOURCE :  BOATING

LEVEL #1 (seeing what is THERE)

Decide whether or not these statements are true or false and explain your reasons for your answer.

·       There are eight seagulls in the picture

·       All the lifebuoys on the boats are red and white.

·       The boats are floating

·       There are 22 legs in the picture

LEVEL #2 (making inferences from the picture)

Decide whether or not these statements could be true or false and give your reasons for your answer

·       The tide is IN.

·       The boat is coming in to dock.

·       The weather is not good in the picture

·       The birds are seagulls

NB : Children may have a range of response  BUT they need to be able to justify their responses.

LEVEL #3 (thinking beyond the picture)

Decide whether or not you agree or disagree with the following statement/s and then be ready to support your view or change your mind.

New Zealand has rules about the number of fish from different species that you are allowed to catch. Other countries allow fishermen to catch as many as they can. What do you think ? Explain why you think that way.

Level 1 is reading the lines, seeing what is there and being able to defend your thinking by identifying the text or the illustration that supports your stance. (All students)
Level 2 relates to reading between the lines and making inferences from the text and the illustrations.(Harder to do and provides medium challenge). Students need to be able to defend their opinions and change if the evidence is contrary or insufficient. 
Level 3 looks at reading beyond the lines and is ideal for gifted readers who are able to identify themes and relate them to their deeper knowledge and understanding. Williams' teaching strategies such as analogy and paradox are particularly useful at this level when deciding on activities to show the understanding. Below is an example of planning using Shaun Tan's 'The Red Tree', sophisticated picture book.

TOPIC : The Red Tree                                                                     Age 10+

PARADOX	Every cloud has a silver lining. Demonstrate this from personal experience
ATTRIBUTE LISTING	List attributes of the world as the girl sees it. List attributes of her imagined place.
ANALOGY	Make a venn diagram to show the similarities and differences of the imagined world to the real world.
DISCREPANCY	If you were the girl’s inner voice, what would you be telling her?
PROVOCATIVE QUESTION	Life can be as exciting or as boring as you wish it to be. What is your view of life ?
EXAMPLES OF CHANGE	Rewrite the end of the story to create a different outcome
SKILLS OF SEARCH	How do you react when faced with a day that starts out badly ? Roleplay another scenario that you have faced within the last few days.
TOLEREANCE FOR AMBIGUITY	Everybody’s day starts differently. What events would have a significant impact on a day ?
INTUITIVE EXPRESSION	Create a line graph that shows the storyline and demonstrates the story climax.

Here's another for upper elementary level students...

How did we get the alphabet?

Start with this article online...

http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/worldhistory/alphabet2.htm

Decide if each of these statements is accurate. Find evidence to support your view. (this is reading literally). Discuss your responses with others.

The ancient Egyptians used symbols that represented sounds.

Paper has been around for 1,900 years.

Shorthand was invented by an Italian.

Decide if each of these statements is accurate. Find evidence to support your view. (this is interpreting text).

Middle English words were a combination of sounds from ancient civilisations.

The reason that some letters are discontinued is because the sounds they represent are confusing.

Based on your understanding, explain what the text has challenged you to think about, or taught or shown you. (this is reading beyond the text)

Y is a letter that is not likely to be replaced.

or

The internet will change the alphabet in the future.

Choose one or other of the two statements to comment on. What do you think? Explain the reason for your answer. Be prepared to support your view or change your mind in the face of new information.

Hope some of these ideas are helpful. I've added a list of sophisticated picture books for reference.
Elaine

Picture Books for Gifted Readers 

TITLE	PUB Date, ISBN no	AUTHOR	PUBLISHER
A Present from the Past	2006 1-86943-744-6	Jennifter Beck & Lindy Fisher	Scholastic
Billy	2006 0-473-11144-6	Kate de Goldi & Jacqui Colley	Trapeze
Blue	2004 1-84270-436-2	Philippe Duppasquier	Anderson Press, London
Camille and the Sunflowers	1994 0-7112-2156-1	Laurence Anholt	Lincoln
Cinderlily	2003 1-84428-721-1	David Ellwand & Christine Tagg	Walker books
Clubs	2004 0-476-00912-x	Kate de Goldi & Jacqui Colley	Trapeze
Dan’s angel	2003 0-7112-1885-4	Alexander Stugis & Lauren Child	Lincoln
Degas and the Little dancer	1996 0-7112-2157-x	Laurence Anholt	Frances Lincoln
Eloise	2000 0-743-48976-4	Kay Thompson	Simon & Schuster
Enigma	2008 978-0-670-07201-9	Graeme Base	Viking
How to live Firever	1998 0-09-946181-1	Colin Thompson	Red Fox
Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent	2004 0-340-87788-x	Laurn Child	Hodder Headline
Leonardo and the Flying Boy	2000 0-7112-2132-4	Laurence Anholt	Lincoln
Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears	2007 978-0-230-01619-4	Emily Gravett	MacMillan Childrens’ books
Lottie, Gallipoli Nurse	1998 / reprint 2003 1-8694-8988-8	John Lockyer	Reed Childrens Books
Memorial	1999 0-7344-0545-6	Gary Crew & Shaun Tan	Thomas Lothian
Mr William Shakespeare’s plays	1998 978-0-7445-6946-9	Marcia Williams	Walker Books
My Mother’s Eyes	2009 9-780-7344-1089-4	Mark Wilson	Lothian
Picasso and the girl with the ponytail	1998 0-7112-1177-9	Laurence Anholt	Lincoln
Q is for Question	2009 978-1-84694-183-2	Tiffany Poirier	O books John Hunt Pub, UK
Revolting rhymes	1982 0-14-056824-7	Roald Dahl	Puffin
Scene of the Crime	2008 978-0-7534-6110-5	Malcolm Rose	Kingfisher Books
So you want to be an inventor ?	2002 0-14-240460-8	Judith St George	Penguin Books
Squids will be squids	1998 0-14-056523-x	Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith	Puffin
Tales from Outer Suburbia	2008 978-1-74114-917-3	Shaun Tan	Allen & Unwin
The Arrival	2006 978-0-7344-0694-1	Shaun Tan	Lothian Books
The Bantam and the Soldier	1997 1-86943-393-9	Jennifer Beck & Robyn Belton	Scholastic
The Big little book of Happy Sadness	2008 978-1-74166-257-3	Colin Thompson	Random House
The Composer is Dead	2009 978-0-06-123627-3	Lemony Snicket	Harper Collins
The Immigrants	2002 0-908783-72-8	Alan Bagnall	Mallinson Rendel
The last Alchemist	1999 0-09-940899-6	Colin Thompson	Red Fox
The last Circus	1998 0-7336-0881-7	Colin Thompson	Hodder Children’s books
The Lost Thing	2001 0-7344-0388-7	Shaun Tan	Thomas C.Lothian
The Orphans of Normandy	2004 0-743-48386-3	Nancy Amis	Pocket books
The paper Bag Prince	1992 0-09-993320-9	Colin Thompson	Red Fox Books
The Rabbits	1998 0-7344-0221-x	John Marsden & Shaun Tan	Thomas C.Lothian
The Shaggy Gully Times	2007 0-7322-8410-4	Jackie French	Harper Collins
The Shape Game	2003 0-552-54696-8	Anthony Browne	Picture Corgi
The Sky Soldiers	2005 1-86948-536-x	Glyn Harper	Reed
The Red Tree	2001 0-7433-0539-1	Shaun Tan	Thomas C.Lothian
The Three Fishing Brothers Grimm	2006 0-340-89341-9	Ben Galbraith	Hodder Children’s Books
The Tin Forest	2003 0-86461-549-3	Helen Ward & Wayne Anderson	Koala Books
The True story of the three little pigs	1989 0-14-054451-8	Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith	Puffin
The Vanishing Rainforest	2004 0-7112-2170-7	Richard Platt & Rupert van Wyk	Lincoln
The Viewer	2003	Gary Crew & Shaun Tan	Thomas C.Lothian
The Violin Man	2003 0-7336-1893-6	Colin Thompson	Hodder Children’s books
The Wishing of Biddy Malone	2004 0-14-351993-x	Joy Cowley	Puffin Books
The Wizard, the Ugly and the Book of Shame	2004 174166072	Pablo Bernasconi	Random House
The Wolves in the Walls	2003 0-7475-7472-3	Neil Gaiman	Bloomsbury
Uncle Jack	2005 2005-473-10064-9	Kate de Goldi & Jacqui Colley	Trapeze Pub
Way Home	1994 0-09-948681-4	Libby Hawthorn & Gregory Rogers	Red Fox
Where the Wild Things are.	1963 0-09-940839-2	Maurice Sendak	Random House