© 2004 The McGraw-Hill Companies. All rights reserved. Chapter 2 Understanding Children’s Responses to Literature

© 2004 The McGraw-Hill Companies. All rights reserved.

Chapter 2

Understanding Children’s Responses

to Literature


Reading Interests and Preferences

Age and Gender Differences Other Determinants of Interest Explaining Children’s Choices


Growth Patterns that Influence Response

Physical Development Cognitive Development Language Development Moral Development Personality Development Guides for Ages and Stages


Response in the Classroom

Theories of Response Types of Response Interpreting Children’s Responses

Recognizing Patterns of Change Young Children (Preschool to Primary) Children in Transition (Primary to Middle Grade) Older Children (Middle Grades to Middle School)


Responses in the Classroom (cont.)

Collecting Children’s Responses


Books for Ages and StagesBefore School -- Infancy

Characteristics Rapid development of

senses. Responds to sounds of

human voice, especially rhythmic patters.

Vision stimulated by areas of color and sharp contract; increasingly able to see detail.

Implications Enjoys rhymes, songs,

and lullabies. Likes simple, bright

illustrations. Looks for familiar

objects.


Books for Ages and StagesBefore School -- Infancy (cont.)

Characteristics Uses all senses to

explore the world immediately at hand; learns through activity and participation.

Implications Gets maximum use

from sturdy books with washable pages.

Needs to participate by touching, pointing, peeking, and moving.



Characteristics Very limited

attention span; averts eyes or turns away when bored.

Implications Needs books that

can be shared a few pages at a time or in a brief sitting; many short story times are better than one long one.



Characteristics Building foundations of

language; plays with sounds, learns basic vocabulary along with concepts, begins to learn implicit “rules” that govern speech and conversation.

Implications Needs to hear many

rhymes and simple stories.

Needs encouragement to use language in labeling pictures and in sharing dialogue with adults as they read aloud.



Characteristics Building basic trust

in human relationships.

Implications Needs love and

affection from caregivers, in stories as well as in life.

Thrives on dependable routines and rituals such as bedtime stories.



Characteristics Limited mobility and

experience; interests centered in self and the familiar.

Learning autonomy in basic self-help skills.

Implications Needs books that

reflect self and people and activities in the immediate environment.

Enjoys stories of typical toddler accomplishments such as feeding self or getting dressed.


Books for Ages and StagesPreschool and Kindergarten

Characteristics Rapid development of

language.

Implications Interest in words,

enjoyment of rhymes, nonsense, and repetition and cumulative tales. Enjoys retelling simple folktale and “reading” stories from books without words.


Books for Ages and StagesPreschool and Kindergarten (cont.)

Characteristics Very active, short

attention span.

Implications Requires books that

can be completed in one sitting. Enjoys participation such as naming, pointing, singing, and identifying hidden pictures. Should have a chance to hear stories several times each day.



Characteristics Child is center of

own world. Interest, behavior, and thinking are egocentric.

Implications Likes characters

that are easy to identify with. Normally sees only one point of view.



Characteristics Curious about own

world. Beginning interest in

how things work and the wider world.

Implications Enjoys stories about

everyday experiences, pets, playthings, home, people in the immediate environment.

Books feed curiosity and introduce new topics.



Characteristics Building concepts

through many firsthand experiences.

Has little sense of time. Time is “before now,” “now,” and “not yet.”

Implications Books extend and

reinforce child’s developing concepts.

Books can help children begin to understand the sequence of time.



Characteristics Learns through

imaginative play; make-believe world of talking animals, and magic seems very real.

Implications Enjoys stories that

involve imaginative play. Likes personification of toys and animals.



Characteristics Seeks warmth and

security in relationships with family and others.

Implications Likes to hear stories

that provide reassurance. Bedtime stories and other read-aloud rituals provide literature experiences.



Characteristics Beginning to assert

independence. Takes delight in own accomplishments.

Implications Books can reflect

emotions. Enjoys stories

where small characters show initiative.



Characteristics Makes absolute

judgements about right and wrong.

Implications Expects bad

behavior to be punished and good behavior to be rewarded. Requires poetic justice and happy endings.


Books for Ages and StagesPrimary -- Ages 6 and 7

Characteristics Continued

development and expansion of language.

Implications Frequent story times

during the day provide opportunity to hear the rich and varied language of literature. Wordless books and simple tales encourage storytelling.


Books for Ages and StagesPrimary -- Ages 6 and 7 (cont.)

Characteristics Attention span

increasing.

Implications Prefers short

stories; may enjoy a continued story, provided each chapter is a complete episode.



Characteristics Striving to accomplish

skills expected by adults.

Implications Proud of

accomplishments in reading and writing. Needs reassurance that everyone progresses at own rate. First reading experiences should be enjoyable, using familiar or predictable stories.



Characteristics Learning still

based on immediate perception and direct experiences.

Implications Uses information

books to verify as well as extend experience. Much value in watching guinea pigs or tadpoles before using a book.



Characteristics Continued interest in

own world; more curious about a wider range of things. Still sees world from an egocentric point of view.

Implications Needs wide variety

of books. Television has expanded interests beyond home and neighborhood.



Characteristics Vague concepts of time.

Implications Needs to learn basics of

telling time and the calendar. Simple biographies and historical fiction may give a feeling for the past, but accurate understanding of chronology is beyond this age group.



Characteristics More able to

separate fantasy from reality; more aware of own imagination.

Beginning to develop empathy for others.

Implications Enjoys fantasy.

Likes to dramatize simple stories or use feltboard and puppets.

Adults can ask such questions as “What would you have done?” “How would you have felt?”



Characteristics Has a growing

sense of justice. Demands application of rules, regardless of circumstances.

Implications Expects poetic

justice in books.



Characteristics Humor is developing.

Implications Needs to hear many

books read aloud for pure fun. Enjoys books and poems that have surprise endings, play on words, incongruous situations, and slapstick comedy. Likes to be in on the joke.



Characteristics Shows curiosity

about gender differences and reproduction.

Implications Teachers need to

accept and be ready to answer children's questions about sex.



Characteristics Physical contour of

the body is changing; permanent teeth appear; learning to whistle and developing other fine motor skills.

Implications Books can help the

child accept physical changes in self and differences in others.



Characteristics Continues to seek

independence from adults and to develop initiative.

Implications Needs opportunities

to select own books and activities. Enjoys stories of responsibility and successful ventures.



Characteristics Continues to need

warmth and security in family relationships.

Implications Books may

emphasize universal human characteristics in a variety of lifestyles.


Books for Ages and StagesMiddle Elementary (8 and 9)

Characteristics Attaining

independence in reading skills. May read with complete absorption; or may still be having difficulty learning to read. Wide variation in ability and interest.

Implications Discovers reading as

an enjoyable activity. Prefers an uninterrupted block of time for independent reading. During this period, many children become avid readers.


Books for Ages and StagesMiddle Elementary (8 and 9) (cont.)

Characteristics Reading level might

still be below appreciation level.

Implications Essential to read

aloud to children each day in order to extend interests, develop appreciation, and provide balance.



Characteristics Peer group acceptance

becomes increasingly important.

Implications Children need

opportunities to recommend and discuss books. Sharing favorites builds sense that reading is fun, has group approval. Popular books may provide status, and be much in demand.



Characteristics Developing

standards of right and wrong. Begins to see viewpoints of others.

Implications Books provide

opportunity to relate to several points of view.



Characteristics Less egocentric,

developing empathy for others. Questioning death.

Implications Accepts some

books with a less than happy ending. Discussion helps children explore their feelings for others.



Characteristics Time concepts and

spatial relationships developing. This age level is characterized by thought that is flexible and reversible.

Implications Interested in

biographies, life in the past, in other lands, and the future. Prefers fast-moving, exciting stories.



Characteristics Enjoys tall tales,

slapstick humor in everyday situations. Appreciates imaginary adventure.

Implications Teachers need to

recognize the importance of literature for laughter, releasing tension, and providing enjoyment.



Characteristics Cognitive growth

and language development increase capacity for problem solving and word play.

Implications Likes the challenge

of solving puzzles and mysteries. High interest in twists of plot, secret codes, riddles, and other language play.



Characteristics Improved

coordination makes proficiency in sports and games possible and encourages interest in crafts and hobbies.

Implications Interest in sports

books; wants specific knowledge about sports. Enjoys how-to-do-it-books.



Characteristics Sees categories and

classifications with new clarity; interest in collecting is high.

Implications Likes to collect and

trade paperback books. Begins to look for books of one author, series books.



Characteristics Seeks specific

information to answer questions; might go to books beyond own reading ability to search out answers.

Implications Enjoys books that

collect facts, nonfiction, identification books. Requires guidance in locating information within a book and in using the library.


Books for Ages and StagesLater Elementary (10 and 11)

Characteristics Rate of physical

development varies widely. Rapid growth precedes beginning of puberty. Girls are about two years ahead of boys in development; both increasingly curious about all aspects of sex.

Implications Guide understanding of

growth process and help children meet personal problems. Continued differentiation in reading preferences of boys and girls.


Books for Ages and StagesLater Elementary (10 and 11) (cont.)

Characteristics Understanding of

sex role is developing; boys and girls form ideas about their own and each other’s identity.

Implications Books can provide

identification with gender roles and impetus for discussion of stereotypes.



Characteristics Increased emphasis

on peer group and sense of belonging.

Deliberate exclusion of others; some expressions of prejudice.

Implications Book choices often

influenced by peer group; books can highlight problems with peer pressure.

Books can emphasize unique contributions of all. Discussion can be used to clarify values.



Characteristics Family patterns

changing; may challenge parents’ authority. Highly critical of siblings.

Implications Books may provide

some insight into these changing relationships.



Characteristics Begins to have

models other than parents drawn form TV, movies, sports figures, books. Beginning interest in future vocation.

Implications Biographies can

provide models. Career books broaden interests and provide useful information.



Characteristics Sustained, intense

interest in specific activities.

A peak time for voluntary reading.

Implications Seeks books about

hobbies and other interests.

Avid readers welcome challenges, repeated contact with authors, genres.



Characteristics Seeks to test own

skills and abilities; looks ahead to a time of complete independence.

Increased cognitive skill can be used to serve the imagination.

Implications Enjoys stories of

survival and “going it alone.”

Tackles complex and puzzling plots in mysteries, science fiction, fantasy. Can appreciate more subtlety in humor.



Characteristics Increased

understanding of the chronology of past events; developing sense of own place in time. Begins to see many dimensions of a problem.

Implications Literature provides

opportunities to examine issues from different viewpoints. Guidance needed for recognizing biased presentations.



Characteristics Highly developed

sense of justice and concern for others.

Implications Willing to discuss

many aspects of right and wrong; likes “sad stories,” shows empathy for victims of suffering and injustice.



Characteristics Searching for values;

interested in problems of the world. Can deal with abstract relationships; becoming more analytical.

Implications Valuable discussions

can grow out of teacher’s reading aloud prose and poetry to this age group. Questions can help students gain insight into both the content and the literary structure of a book.


Books for Ages and StagesMiddle School (12-14)

Characteristics Wide variation in

physical development; both boys and girls reach puberty by age 14. Developing sex drive; intense interest in sexuality and world of older teens.

Implications Books provide

insight into feelings, concerns. Guidance needed to balance students’ desire for frank content with lack of life experience.


Books for Ages and StagesMiddle School (12-14) (cont.)

Characteristics Self-concept

continues to grow. Developing a sense of identity is important.

Implications Books help student

explore roles, rehearse journey to identity. Many stories based on myth of the hero.



Characteristics Peer group

becoming increasingly influential; relationships with family changing.

Implications Concerns about

friends and families reflected in books. School should provide chance to share books with responses with peer group.



Characteristics New aspects of

egocentrism lead to imagining self as center of others’ attention and feeling one’s own problems are unique.

Implications Students begin to

enjoy introspection; might identify with characters who are intense or self-absorbed.



Characteristics Cognitive abilities are

increasingly abstract and flexible, but not consistently so. New capacity to reason from imaginary premises, manipulate symbolic language, and make hypothetical judgments.

Implications Students read more

complex stories, mysteries, and high fantasy that call for complex logic; enjoy science fiction and high adventure. Metaphor, symbols, and imagery are understood at a different level.



Characteristics Able to apply ideas

of relativity to questions of values; girls might see moral issues differently than boys do.

Implications Students need

discussion time to negotiate meanings in stories that pose moral dilemmas.



Characteristics Sensitive to great

complexity in human feelings and relationships.

Implications Students seek richer

and more complex stories.



Characteristics Cumulative effects

of development and life experience produce wide variation among individuals in abilities and interests.

Implications Reading ability and

interests in one class could range from early elementary to adult.

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© 2004 The McGraw-Hill Companies. All rights reserved. Chapter 2 Understanding Children’s Responses to Literature