Thanks so much to all who replied to my request for genre lessons for
elementary school students. I plan to begin implementing the suggestions
very soon! My Academy Director was also impressed with the swiftness and
quality of response :) It's taken a while to respond because I'm in the
middle of my Scholastic Book Fair (which is going quite well and the
incentives are the same as last year!)
Thanks again,
Deb Motley
Library Media Specialist
Edison Oakland Public School Academy
Ferndale, MI
The hardest part is making the list of what genre categories there are!
Every list I've seen has different listings, and then you must take
grade
level into account. I did a genre talk last week for 3rd through 6th
graders. A 3rd grade teacher requested it and gave me a grid format with
various genre types (from a teachers' resource book, not a teachers'
textbook) plus some author names. I added a few others, but next time I
will do a genre talk one week, and an author & illustrator comparison a
different week - it was too much for some of the third grade classes.
Here's what I did for 3rd - 4th:
Research what genre types appropriate for the grade levels. Listed all
the
genre types I needed to cover (list on a long descending banner or an
overhead transparency) and got 2 or 3 books to fit (demonstrate) each
category. (Get a long box and put them in order). I selected books that
gave some clue to the genre on the cover or would be commonly known as a
particular genre. For example, Alice in Wonderland is fantasy. The book
Chocolate Touch has a woman turning to chocolate on the cover - fantasy.
I
got some mysteries (we discussed that titles with the word "mystery/ies"
give us the clue, as do "The case of. . ." because a case requires
detective work) but some books aren't that obvious. However, reading the
jacket flaps or the back cover might give them a clue. Then you simply
hold
them up one at a time and ask/tell what genre category it is. Ask kids
what
tipped them off.
Another important thing to mention is that many books are not only one
genre - there are many that overlap two or more categories. One thing I
will do next year is eliminate the general term "fiction" from the list.
We
found that all the books (3rd grade level & up)could fit in other genre
categories - none were just "plain" fiction! (Can you think of any that
don't fit into other categories?) So my list will say Fiction Genre at
the
top and then list the genre & sub-genre (example, ghost stories are a
sub-genre of horror, or fantasy) A good place to start is your state's
official educational website for state standards, or the national
standards.
For the 5th & 6th graders I made a list of the past nominees of our
annual
state reading program (California Young Readers Medal)and I pulled all
the
books from the first column (about 20)from my library shelves. I gave
each
student a list to keep, and as I did a quick book-talk on each title in
descending order, they marked to the right whether it was FA (fantasy),
M
(mystery), RF (realistic fiction), etc. I had my genre list of
definitions
and abbreviations on an overhead so they could see them as we went
along. I
told them to put a dot to the left of the title if they were interested
in
reading that book. At the end, I told them to see if the dots showed a
trend in their favorite genre. Lots of kids noticed that they preferred
mysteries, or fantasies, or realistic fiction, etc. They also had a
great
list of potential titles which most of them had passed over the year
before, just because the spine or title hadn't appealed to them.
Hope this helps-
Joanne Ladewig, Library Aide (A.K.A. "Library Lady")
Lawrence Elementary, G.G.U.S.D.
Garden Grove, California
shatz1@earthlink.net
---comments are my own and may not reflect those of my employer- - -
>
In my school I work extensively with fourth grade on a genre unit. The
teachers and I defined which genres we would like student to know (ie.
fantasy, historical fiction, nonfiction, etc.) I created fill-in-the
blanket handouts which describe the characteristics of each genre. I
also created a genre comparison handout so that teachers can use it with
students to compare and contrast main characters and plots.
We plan time for students to visit the media center were I present a
book talk for each genre, which includes a reading sample of each. We
fill the handouts out together. We orally compare and contrast parts of
the stories - helps out in preparation for our state test.
Back in class students are responsible for reading a book from each
genre and completing various project that result in some type of "book
report." At the end of the unit, students are given a variety of books
in a basket and must identify the genre it is as well as complete a
written test over the characteristics presented in the handouts.
Hope this helps!
Sandy Gallivan
Media Specialist
Clarkston Elementary
>
Please post a hit as I am about to embark on the same. I have prepared
a list of genres with definitions and a sheet for students to fill in as
they read books in the various genres. I intend to booktalk each genre
over the vext few weeks as well.I am attaching the lists that I made.
Deborah Davis
deborah_davis@charleston.k12.sc.us
West Ashley Intermediate School
>
We play a genre BINGO type game. I've made boards with all the genre and
thrown in some categories like periodicals and biographies etc. I give
the
kids a description or clues and they decide what genre it is, then fill
in
the square if they have it. The kids love to yell out GENRE!!!
>
I usually booktalk books from
different genres to get students interested.
Martha Harville
Giessen Elementary School
Giessen, Germany
Martha_Harville@eu.odedodea.edu
>
http://www.scholasticdealer.com/products/teachinggenre.html
http://www.scholasticdealer.com/products/teachinggenre.html
http://www.proteacher.net/archive/
>
I think compare/contrast is the best way to teach genre. That way
they get to discover what each genre is *not*.
I did a compare/contrast lesson with the six subdivisions of folk
stories (folk tales, fairy tales, fables, myths, legends and tall
tales) with my 4th graders that was very successful (see bottom of
this email). Next week I'll be doing a compare/contrast with
fantasy and science fiction with 3rd graders, which I will pass on
as soon as I'm done writing it. =)
-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-
Maggi Rohde, Library/Media Specialist
Allen Elementary School, Ann Arbor, MI
maggi@intranet.org
-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-
----------
The Six Types of Folk Stories
Objectives: Students will be able to identify some key elements of
folktales, fables, fairy tales, legends, myths and tall tales, and
be able to differentiate between them.
Materials: Selections from each genre, chart paper, markers.
Procedure:
Define genres (7 minutes). Say, "Today we1re going to play a game
to learn the differences between these six genres of literature,
called folk stories. They are stories that were told aloud, passed
down by communities in every country of the world. Each of these
six genres are pretty similar, but there are some important
differences."
Go over each genre:
1. A fable is very short, with a moral at the end. Characters are
usually talking animals.
2. A folk tale is a story, also usually with talking animal
characters, which uses a pattern (numbers, repetition).
3. A fairy tale is similar to a folk tale, but the characters are
people. There are obvious "good guys" and "bad guys," and magic is
usually involved.
4. A myth is a magical story about how natural forces work (death,
creation, weather). Sometimes myths have gods, goddesses, or
heroes.
5. A legend is similar to a myth, but it is based on actual
historical events or people.
6. A tall tale is a story about a heroic person who did completely
outrageous, impossible things.
Ask students to suggest examples of each type as it is described.
Describe the game (3 minutes). Divide the students into teams and
give each team a genre. Say, "On the floor are some books. Each
book is a kind of folk story. You have to look through the books
and try to find all the folk stories that fit your team1s genre.
Bring the book back to your team1s table when you think you have one
that fits. Then you have to explain why you think the folk story
falls into that genre. It1s not enough to just say 'The cover says
so!' Use the reasons we have listed here on this chart. In ten
minutes, your team will present one of the books you chose to the
class. Any questions?"
Do it (15 minutes). Assist the students as they browse the books.
Listen to their discussions and offer suggestions if they seem
stuck. Wrap up when most books have been brought to the tables,
then go around and have each table present a justification for the
books they selected.
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