How does the use of whole-class teaching with picture books build readers who read keenly with deeper understanding? How can the use of picture books support all systems of the revised ELA curriculum in Manitoba? K-4

1. Using Picture Books to Create
Rich, Meaningful Learning
Experiences and Deeper
Understanding in the ELA
Curriculum
Portage la Prairie, EY
August 24, 2018
Faye Brownlie
Slideshare.net/
fayebrownlie.portage.ey.strategies

2. Planning for Effective ELA Teaching and Learning – Draft
ELA Document to Support Implementation, May 2017
EXPERIENCES to include:
• Powerful teaching and learning
• MulKple forms of text
• OpportuniKes for deep and flexible learning

3. ELA Practices
• Using language as sense making
– Schema, strategies, awareness
• Using language as a system
– Rules and convenKons, whole/part/whole – ex.,word
study
• Using language as exploraKon and design
– Research, interpretaKon and integraKon, creaKon
• Using language as power and agency
– CriKcal literacy – who’s voice?, acKons, perspecKve,
– Moral issues

4. Planning for Effective ELA
• Rich, meaningful learning experiences and deeper understanding
– Big ideas, not topics
– EssenKal quesKons
• Using lens to plan
– Personal & philosophical
– Social, cultural, & historical
– ImaginaKve & literacy
– Environmental & technological
• Designing and organizing teaching and learning
– MulK-genre themaKc
– Genre inquiry and/or interdisciplinary
– Author or genre
– 17% max on programmaKc structures
• Workshop models, centre models, small group targeted instrucKon, rouKnes

5. Daily Expectations for All
… Do your students receive feedback from you
in each class?
…Have you an opportunity to listen to each
child read each day?
…Have you an opportunity to talk with each
child each day?

6. Strategies Planning
• Start with your end in mind
• Consider your learners’ strengths and
stretches
• What will you do to mediate their learning?
i.e., choose your strategies
• How will you incrementally remove supports
to enable the learners to use the thinking
behind the strategies independently?

7. Instructional Strategies
• Engage learners in cogniKve work
• Engage learners in construcKng meaning
• Are used throughout a unit and throughout a
lesson sequence
• Are purposeful

8. Purpose and Teaching/Learning Strategies
• ConnecKng (pre) – acKvaKng
– Building, acKvaKng background knowledge
– Building curiosity and moKvaKon
• Processing (during) – acquiring
– ConnecKng what is known with new informaKon
– AcKvely working the text to network thinking
• Transforming and personalizing (post) – applying
– Showing what you know in different ways
– ConnecKng new knowledge in new webs of meaning and
deeper understanding
• Brownlie, Close, Wingren (1988)

9. • Strategies are ofen taught through gradual
release:
– Model
– Guided pracKce
– Independent pracKce
– Independent applicaKon

10. Building Deeper Connections
• Grade 2 with Kinder Mann, Burnaby
• Explain how connecKons help us deepen our understanding
of a story.
• Make connecKons with the cover
• Give kids a post-it note with their name
• Read the story as kids silently place their post-it notes when
they make a connecKon.
• Reread the ‘improved’ story now that it is richer with all our
connecKons.
• Write about your connecKon with the story – one that
really helped you think more deeply about the story.

11. Ralph Tells a Story – Abby Hanlon

17. K – Building Connections/Response
to Reading
• PracKce making connecKons
• Choose a symbol
• Talk about how this helps our reading
• Read together and make connecKons
• Students show their connecKons by drawing
and wriKng
• with Jessica Chan, Inman, Burnaby

24. Develop difference between factual information
(remember, notice, interesting) from response and
thinking (wonder about, connect to, comment on…)
• With Wendy Coish, Grade 1, Walnut Park, Bulkley Valley
• Class discussion: hikes – What do we do? Where do we go? What
might we see?
• Set the LI: reading and thinking about our reading in 2 different
ways
– What do we noKce and remember?
– What do we think about what we read? - connecKons, surprises,
likes…
• Predict and make connecKons from the cover page.
• Read the text, noKcing what is familiar and different and what we
think about what we are reading.
• Write about the reading in two different ways: remember/think
• Reflect with the students as they share their responses: in the book
informaKon and what we think about the informaKon

33. Teaching Reading in a Diverse Class
• Heather Shantz – Cedar Grove, gr. 3/4
• Focus on reading strategies
– QuesKoning from pictures
– Re-ordering sentences from the text
• Requires close reading
• Opportunity to read with partners
• Opportunity to conference with reading partners
• The Challenge: great diversity in readers!

37. Suddenly, the drumming and dancing stopped. The chief turned to him and said, “We
are glad that the storm has brought you to our village, but now you are thinking of
your own.”
He took the staff and stepped behind the chief. Closing his eyes, he pictured his father
and mother, his house, and the people of his village.
A chief’s son went fishing alone, and a terrible storm arose.
“My son,” cried his mother, “where have you been? We thought you were lost in a
storm a year ago!”
The boy and his hosts began to dance around the fire together to the steady beat of
the drums.
He soon found himself washed ashore under a strange sky he had never seen before.
That night the whole village celebrated his return and marveled at the boy as he
danced with the staff and told of the large and mysterious people under the
strange sky.
“When you wish to return,” he conKnued, “grip my staff Kghtly and stand behind me.”
Afer they finished eaKng, the chief said to the others, “Let us sing a welcome song
and invite our guest to join in the dance of our people.”
The celebraKon went on in this way for many long hours, the boy and his new friends
each learning from the other.

39. Read Aloud and Say Something

40. Think Aloud and Strategy
Demonstration

41. SomeKmes I feel like a bear,
strong and confident.
I stand tall and growl
and protect those around me.
SomeKmes I feel like a deer,
sensiKve and kind.
I listen to the sounds in the distance
and prance through the forest.
SomeKmes I feel like a beaver,
busy and purposeful.
I only use what I need
and always get the job done.

43. Building Background Knowledge,
Language, Curiosity, Whole/Part/Whole:
see-think-wonder
• Present an image to the class
• See-think-wonder
• In groups, students examine different images and
apply the same strategy: see-think-wonder
• Students can provide a capKon for their image.
• Share images and capKons.
• Students write ‘the story behind the pictures’