Genres & Themes in Literature for Middle & High School Students : Teaching Language Arts & More

TL;DR

Use children's books to teach middle and high school students about themes in literature in a simplified and manageable way.

Transcript

I'm Tenley Harden education director at Aspen learning and this video is all about helping middle and high school students understand themes in literature using children's books is an excellent way to help students understand themes you start with a small simple concept and a big theme and then when they move into something more complex like Hamlet... Read More

Key Insights

• 👶 Using children's books as a teaching tool helps make complex literary themes more accessible.
• 👶 Discussing favorite children's books encourages students to analyze and articulate the moral and theme they learned.
• 🦻 Completing worksheets aids students in understanding and connecting themes to the corresponding moral.
• 👻 Creating their own children's books allows students to actively engage with themes and apply their knowledge.
• 🧑‍🏫 Sharing their creations and teaching the theme to the class reinforces understanding and promotes peer-to-peer learning.
• 👶 Simplifying themes through children's books alleviates the overwhelm and intimidation students may feel when approaching larger texts.
• 🤔 Teaching themes through children's books fosters creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration in students.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does using children's books help students understand themes in literature?

Children's books provide a simpler and more manageable way for students to comprehend themes before moving on to more complex texts like Hamlet or The Scarlet Letter. By starting with small concepts and big themes, students can gradually grasp the idea of themes.

Q: What is the purpose of discussing favorite children's books and their themes?

Discussing favorite children's books allows students to share the moral and theme they learned, fostering a deeper understanding of themes in literature. It also helps students practice identifying themes in texts and relating them to their own experiences.

Q: How does completing a worksheet support students' understanding of themes?

The worksheet provides a visual representation of various themes, allowing students to associate them with the corresponding moral. Completing the worksheet independently helps students internalize the concept of theme and apply it to their own children's book creation.

Q: What is the final step in the teaching process?

The final step involves students working in teams to create their own children's books. They choose a theme, title, characters, conflict, and setting before crafting the story and accompanying artwork. They then share their creations and teach the theme to the rest of the class.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Using children's books helps students understand complex themes in literature by starting with simple concepts.

• Students bring their favorite children's books and discuss the moral and theme they learned from them.

• Students create their own children's books, focusing on themes, characters, conflict, and setting.