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Curriculum Laboratory

Teaching Ideas Showcase:Picture Books Across the Curriculum
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This handout was originally part of a presentation given by the author at the 
South Western Alberta Teacher's Convention on February 23, 2001.
 

Finding Picture Books and Cross-Curriculum Activities

To find resources that suggest on what picture books (and other types of books) to use, as well as ideas on how to use them, the handout, "Literature Integration in the Curriculum"  provides you with some titles of excellent resources which point you to:

  • Titles of great picture books (and other types of children's literature) for use across all curriculum subjects.
  • Ideas and lessons for using picture books across the curriculum.


Introduction
There are many advantages of using children's literature, including picture books, as tools to teach concepts across the curriculum:  in science, social studies, mathematics, art, and other curriculum topics.  Some of them are:

1) Good picture books, and literature in general, can awaken the child in each one of us, which is not a bad thing, and is sometimes easily misplaced in our daily lives.The use of literature in teaching any subject can be a new, creative, and imaginative way to approach a topic.  Approaching a topic from a different "angle" through literature, including picture books, can increase student motivation to learn (Lake, 1993,  p. 18).  A good story is a strong teaching tool, which gives a concrete, "contained" perspective for learning or thinking about a topic (Carr, 2001, p.  147).

2) The simple, but imaginative worlds within picture books, and all literature, can provide students with an excellent and motivating introduction to complex curriculum topics.  It is a great way to introduce a topic, especially to struggling learners in that it allows you to work from concrete, "simple" examples, before moving onto more abstract and complex examples (Carr, 2001, p. 148).  It is easy to read in a short amount of time

3) In a good picture book, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts: the pictures do more than reflect the text, but serve to move the story forward in a way that the text can not do alone.  The interplay of text and picture in a good picture book engage the reader on a deeper level, "on both an intellectual and an emotional level (Huck, 1997, p. 199)."

4) Picture books are “bicultural, that they share qualities of books and the visual arts” (Hammond, 1994, p. 11).   For instance, “reading” a picture book engages children in both the visual and the language arts.  “Because of the many parallels between art and language arts, learning becomes connected and cumulative when the two disciplines are correlated in the classroom” (North Texas Institute for Educators on the Visual Arts, 1998, p. 1).  I would use this same argument in using children’s literature, in general, across any curriculum subject.  Because picture books use more than one learning style (visual and written) they are an excellent teaching tool.

5) Good literature books captivate the child's interest and information is rapidly absorbed through them (Butzow, 1989, p. 6).

6) Good quality literature, including picture books, contain universal themes that make them, in many ways, "ageless:"  they can be enjoyed by student of all ages (Carr, 2001, p. 146).  The use of literature to teach curricular concepts helps relate the concept being taught to real-life situations, bringing the concept into the child's world (Whitin, 1992,  p. xii).  

7) Most teachers are frustrated by the lack of time to cover all the curriculum topics. Integrating curriculum topics such as literature and science, for instance, can save more time than trying to teach the concepts separately (Welchman-Tischler, 1992, p. 1).

8) The last reason to me is one of the most important: the use of good literature in imaginative ways, to teach curriculum topics, makes learning fun!  As stated above, they celebrate the often complex dance between the visual and written forms of communication, two very powerful ways of communication we use everyday.


Types of Picture Books

 

A picture book, for the sake of this handout, is be defined as a book where the pictures are as important, or more important, than the words in the book (if any).  There are several types of picture books:

  • Alphabet or counting book
  • Concept book, where a book describes an object in various ways, a class of objects, or an abstract idea (Huck, 1997, p. 163)
  • Wordless books
  • Predictable books
  • Picture Storybooks, where both illustrations and text bear the burden of narration (Huck, 1997, p. 198)


What Makes a "Good" Picture Book?

 Charlotte Huck has an excellent checklist for evaluating picture books  (1997, p. 223).  As well, Carol Butzow provides details for judging books for a cross-curricular unit of study (1989, p. 7). Some of their criteria are outlined below:

  • Content/b>
    • Is the book appropriate for your age of student?
    • Does the book encourage curiosity and wonder about its topic(s)?
    • Is the book connected to your curriculum topic(s) in more than just a superficial way?
    • What is the quality of the language?
  • Illustrations
    • Do the illustrations extend the text?
    • Are the words and illustrations woven together in any way?  Do they create "rhythm and movement" in any way?
  • Format
    • Are the book jacket and end papers appropriate to the theme and setting of the book?
  • Theme
    • Is the theme worthwhile?  Is it too obvious or overpowering?
  • Accuracy and Authenticity
    • >Where called for, are the illustrations accurate?
    • Does the author's background qualify him/her to write on this topic?
    • Are fact and fantasy distinguished?  Does it matter for your cross-curricular purposes?

 


Integrating Picture Books Into The Curriculum

While many of the activities mentioned in the books in "Literature Integration in the Curriculum" are designed for use with specific book titles, many of them use the same general types of activities.  Some of these are listed below:

  • Draw maps, diagrams, and charts based on the information provided in the book.
  • Provide opportunities for students to go to the library and research the facts presented in the picture books, whether it be about some of the animals, plants, history, or other concepts presented in the book.
  • Are there any mathematics presented in the book?  Numerically write down math.
  • Find and compare other books on the problem, not just picture books.
  • Before you finish the book, have students predict the outcome.  Create multiple endings to the story.
  • Do your  own picture books, based on the pattern's presented in the original.
  • Try using the art techniques, as used in the book.
  • Write newspaper articles, or advertisements, based on the events in the book.
  • Write creative forms of book reviews, using tools such as Moen's, "Better Than Book Reports."
  • Make a new book jacket, or a poster, for the book.
  • Create word searches related to the book or topic.
  • Interview the author, or characters, presented in the story.  Write a commercial to encourage people to read the book.
  • Draw a map related to the story's settings.
  • Split the story into sections, and have them read the story out loud, in groups.
  • Write down the facts presented in the story, and then check with other sources to see if they are correct.
  • Write down your favourite or unusual quotation in the book.
  • Create a postcard from one of the characters in the book.
  • If the book is about a certain culture or historical event,  pick out important cultural items mentioned in the book.  Draw the item, and write about it.
  • Draw a coat of arms which describes the main character.
  • Classify the characters, objects described in the book different ways:  size, color, shape, etc.  Have the students draw out the different classifications.
  • Even after all of the above, may I be so hypocritical to say:  we do not always need to overanalyze books.  Maybe it is o.k. to enjoy them just for the pure pleasure of it!

Group Activity: Enjoying Some Sample Picture Books Across the Curriculum


Below are some sample picture books, as suggested in the books in the handout "Literature Integration in the Curriculum:"

Group 1:  Sample Picture Books to teach mathematics:

CALL #      513.4 Ann
AUTHOR  Anno, Mitsumasa
TITLE        Anno's magic seeds 
NOTE        The reader is asked to perform a series of mathematical operations integrated into the story of a lazy
                    man who plants magic seeds and reaps an increasingly abundant harvest.

CALL #       793.74 Ann
AUTHOR   Anno, Mitsumasa
TITLE         Anno's math games
NOTE         Picture puzzles, games, and simple activities introduce the mathematical concepts of multiplication,
                    sequence and ordinal numbering, measurement, and direction.

CALL #       513 Cle
AUTHOR   Clement, Rod
TITLE         Counting on Frank
NOTE         A boy and his dog present amusing counting, size comparison, and mathematical facts.

CALL #       398.2 Gri
AUTHOR   Grifalconi, Ann
TITLE         The village of round and square houses
NOTE         Caldecott Honor book, 1987.
NOTE         A grandmother explains to her listeners why in their village on the side of a volcano the men live in
                    square houses and the women in round ones.

CALL #       F Sci
AUTHOR   Scieszka, Jon
TITLE         Math curse
NOTE         When the teacher tells her class that they can think of almost everything as a math problem, one student
                    acquires a math anxiety which becomes a real curse.

CALL #       530.8 Sri
AUTHOR   Srivastava, Jane Jonas
TITLE         Spaces, shapes, and sizes
NOTE         Explains in simple terms the concept of volume

CALL #       F Wis
AUTHOR   Wise, William
TITLE         Ten sly piranhas : a counting story in reverse, (a tale of wickedness-- and worse!)
NOTE          A school of ten sly piranhas gradually dwindles as they waylay and eat each other.


Group 2:  More Sample Picture Books to teach mathematics:

CALL #       F Bur
AUTHOR   Burns, Marilyn
TITLE        The greedy triangle
NOTE         Dissatisfied with its shape, a triangle keeps asking the local shapeshifter to add more lines and angles
                    until it doesn't know which side is up.  

CALL #       F Car
AUTHOR   Carle, Eric
TITLE        The secret birthday message
EDITION   1st miniature ed.  
NOTE         Pages have cut-outs.
NOTE         A message in code starts Tim off on an exciting treasure hunt until he finds his special birthday surprise.

CALL #       398.2 Dem
AUTHOR    Demi
TITLE          One grain of rice : a mathematical folktale
NOTE          A reward of one grain of rice doubles day by day into millions of grains of rice when a selfish raja is
                     outwitted by a clever village girl.

CALL #        F Fri
AUTHOR    Friedman, Aileen
TITLE          A cloak for the dreamer
NOTE          When a tailor asks each of his three sons to make a cloak for the archduke, the third son's design reveals
                     his desire to travel the world rather than follow in his father's footsteps.

CALL #       512.72 Sch
AUTHOR   Schwartz, David M.
TITLE         How much is a million?
NOTE         Text and pictures try to make possible the conceptualization of a million, a billion, and a trillion.
 

Group 3:  Sample picture books to teach communities in grade 3 social studies:

CALL #       583.45 Bas
AUTHOR    Bash, Barbara
TITLE          In the heart of the village : the world of the Indian banyan tree               
NOTE          Describes the importance of a banyan tree to an Indian village.

CALL #         F Boo
AUTHOR     Booth, David
TITLE           The dust bowl

CALL #         636 Cli
AUTHOR     Climo, Lindee
TITLE           Chester's barn
NOTE           Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Medal, 1983.

CALL #       398.2 Ban
AUTHOR   Bang, Molly
TITLE         The paper crane
NOTE         A mysterious man enters a restaurant and pays for his dinner with a paper crane that magically comes
                    alive and dances.

CALL #       F Joh
AUTHOR   Johnston, Tony
TITLE         The quilt story
NOTE         A pioneer mother lovingly stitches a beautiful quilt which warms and comforts her daughter Abigail;
                    many years later another mother mends and patches it for her little girl.

CALL #       F Jon
AUTHOR   Jonas, Ann
TITLE         Round trip
NOTE         Black and white illustrations and text record the sights on a day trip to the city and back home again to 
                    the country. The trip to the city is read from front to back and the return trip, from back to front,         
                    upside down.

CALL #       F Van
AUTHOR   Van Allsburg, Chris
TITLE         Two bad ants
NOTE         When two bad ants desert from their colony, they experience a dangerous adventure that convinces
                     them to return to their former safety.

 

Group 4:  Sample picture books to teach science topics (see also Building Things and Toy and Movable Books:  A Cross Curricular Craft):

AUTHOR  Carle, Eric
TITLE        The grouchy ladybug
NOTE        A grouchy ladybug, looking for a fight, challenges everyone she meets regardless of their size or strength.

CALL #       811.54 Fle
AUTHOR   Fleischman, Paul
TITLE         Joyful noise : poems for two voices
NOTE         John Newbery Medal, 1989.
NOTE         A collection of poems describing the characteristics and activities of a variety of insects.

CALL #       372.4 Mea Gr.2
TITLE          MeadowBooks [kit] : level B, nature : as the stars fade. -- DESCRIPT  6 identical student texts,  1
                     Teacher's source book, 1 sound  cassette, 12 activity cards + 1 activity sheet, 7 Theme library books,
                     1 Contents checklist ; in container.  
NOTE          Farm morning / David McPhail -- 100 words about animals / Richard Brown -- Time to go / Beverly
                     & David Fiday -- Who is the beast? / Keith Baker -- The great kapok tree : a tale of the Amazon rain
                     forest / Lynne Cherry -- Mighty tree / Dick Gackenbach -- I wish I were a butterfly / James Howe.

CALL #       629.13 Pro
AUTHOR   Provensen, Alice
TITLE         The glorious flight : across the channel with Louis Bleriot July 
                    25, 1909
NOTE         The Caldecott Medal, 1984.
NOTE         A biography of the man whose fascination with flying machines produced the Bleriot XI, which
                    crossed the English Channel in thirty-seven minutes in the early 1900s. 

CALL #       F Van
AUTHOR   Van Allsburg, Chris
TITLE         Just a dream
NOTE         When he has a dream about a future Earth devastated by pollution, Walter begins to understand the
                    importance of taking care of the environment.


Group 5:  The Alphabet, Art, and other Wonders (See also Toy and Movable Books:  A Cross Curricular Craft):

CALL #          421.1 Ann
AUTHOR      Anno, Mitsumasa
TITLE            Anno's magical abc:  an anamorphic alphabet

CALL #           421.1 Ban
AUTHOR       Bannatyne-Cugnet, Jo
TITLE             A prairie alphabet
NOTE             The distorted letters of the alphabet become quite clear when viewed with the help of the silver tube included with the book

CALL #          701.1 Bol
AUTHOR       Bolton, Linda
TITLE             Hidden pictures
NOTE             Paintings and other works of art containing hidden pictures or messages introduce a variety of artists,
                        both famous and unidentified. Includes projects for making hidden pictures.
NOTE             Mirror sheet in back pocket.

CALL #         421.1 Flo
AUTHOR     Floca, Brian
TITLE           The racecar alphabet
NOTE            An exciting day at the races highlights the letters of the alphabet as a variety of automobiles burn fuel speeding through the curves of the track.

CALL #        421.1 Kel
AUTHOR     Kellogg, Steven
TITLE           Aster aardvark's alphabet adventures
NOTE           Alliterative text and pictures present adventures of animals from A to Z.

CALL #        421.1 MacD
AUTHOR    MacDonald, Suse
TITLE          Alphabatics
NOTE          Caldecott Honor book, 1987.
NOTE          The letters of the alphabet are transformed and incorporated into twenty-six illustrations, so that the
                     hole in the "b" becomes a balloon and "y" turns into the head of a yak.

CALL #         421.1 Maj
AUTHOR     Major, Kevin
TITLE           Eh? to Zed:  A Canadian ABeCedarium

CALL #         421.1 Neu
AUTHOR     Neumeier, Marty
TITLE           Action alphabet
NOTE           The letters of the alphabet appear as parts of pictures representing sample words, such as a drip
                       formed by a D coming out of a faucet and a vampire with two V's for fangs.

CALL #         372.4145 Per Gr.EC
AUTHOR      Perry, Gayle
TITLE           Alphabet 

CALL #         421.1 San
AUTHOR     Sandved, Kjell Bloch, 1922-
TITLE           The butterfly alphabet
 
 

Works Cited:

Bookbag (2003-2004).  Literacy ideas for Teachers.  Dec./Jan. 2003-2004, p.29)

Butzow, Carol M.& Butzow, John W. (1989). Science through children's literature. Englewood, Colorado: Teacher Idea Press.

Carr, Kathryn S., & Buchanan, Dawna L. & Wentz, Joanna B. & Weiss, Mary L. & Brant, Kitty J. (2001). Not just for primary grades:  a bibliography of picture books for secondary content teachers.  Journal of             Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 45 (2), p146-153.

Ernst, Karen (1997).  Connecting Art, Writing, Learning and Life.  Teaching K-8, September. p. 46.

Hammond, M., Howard, P., Marantz, K., Packard, M., Shaw, J., & Wilson, H. M. (1994).   The picture book: Source and resource for art education. Reston, VA:  National Art Educators Association (NAEA).

Lake, Jo-Anne (1993). Imagine: A literature-based approach to science.  Markham, Ontario: Pembroke Publishers.

Huck, Charlotte S., & Helper, Susan, & Hickman, Janet, & Kiefer, Barbara Z. (1997). Children's Literature in  the elementary school. (6th ed.) Madison, WI: Brown & Benchmark.

Moen, Christine M. (1992). Better than book reports. New York: Scholastic Professional Books.

Northern Texas Institute for Educators on the Visual Arts (1998).  Integrating Art and Language Arts. Newsletter, 9 (2), p. 1.  Retrieved Dec. 1, 2004 from http://www.art.unt.edu/ntieva/.

Welchman-Tischler, Rosamond (1992). How to use children's literature to teach mathematics. Reston, Virgina:  National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Whitin David J. & White, Sandra (1992). Read any good math lately?  Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Educational Books.


Prepared by Bill Glaister, Curriculum Lab Coordinator, February 2001.  Updated December 2004.

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